TikTok is facing a ban in the United States after Congress voted overwhelmingly to force the app’s Chinese parent company to divest.

The House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 352 to 65 on Wednesday morning, despite calls from Donald Trump and Elon Musk to oppose the bill.

Now senators will decide whether the national security threat TikTok poses is worth the headaches of voters who love the app, and they have been calling lawmakers nonstop urging them to vote against the measure.

The House China Select Committee says Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials through ByteDance are using TikTok to spy on the locations of US users and dictate its algorithm to carry out influence campaigns, making it a national security threat.

ByteDance would have five months after signing the law to get rid of TikTok. If not, app stores and web hosting platforms are not allowed to distribute it in the US

The bill has a good chance of becoming law as a bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed the bill and Joe Biden confirmed he would sign it if it also passes the Senate.

But as the bill has gained momentum, so has the opposition. Trump threw cold water on it last week, insisting that if TikTok were banned, its rival Facebook would “double their revenue.”

“I don’t want Facebook, which cheated in the last election, to do better,” Trump wrote in a social media post. ‘They are a real enemy of the people!’

Elon Musk joined Trump in opposing efforts to control TikTok’s influence, calling it government censorship, in a post on X Tuesday.

‘This law isn’t just about TikTok, it’s about censorship and government control! If it were just about TikTok, it would only mention ‘foreign control’ as an issue, but that’s not the case,” Musk said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., also voted against the bill, mentioning Musk by name, praising him for restoring her account on

“What’s to stop the U.S. government from forcing the sale of another social media company in the future that claims to protect U.S. data from foreign adversaries?”

‘I think this bill could cause future problems. It opens Pandora’s box and I am against this bill,” Greene said in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

“This is really about controlling US data, and if we cared about US data, we would stop the sale of US data universally, not just to China.”

But the bill’s author, Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., backtracked that Wednesday morning.

“TikTok is a threat to our national security because it is owned by ByteDance, which is doing the bidding of the Communist Party,” Gallagher said on the floor.

“This bill therefore forces TikTok to break up with the Chinese Communist Party. It does not apply to American companies.’

Gallagher argued that his bill would only affect companies controlled by foreign adversaries.

Greene was among several key Republican members who voted against the bill, including Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Tom McClintock, R-Calif., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and more .

Across the aisle, “Squad” members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., also voted against the measure.

One lawmaker, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, voted present.

TikTok opposed the “ban” in a statement released after the House passed the bill.

‘This process was secret and the bill was blocked for one reason: it is a ban. We are hopeful that the Senate will consider the facts, listen to their constituents and realize the impact on the economy, on seven million small businesses and on the 170 million Americans who use our service.”

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said in a statement that the vote “demonstrates Congress’s opposition to communist China’s efforts to spy on and manipulate Americans and signals our resolve to defeat our enemies.” to be frightened.’

“I urge the Senate to pass this bill and send it to the President so he can sign it into law,” he continued.

In response to the growing support behind the bill, TikTok sent a push notification to its 100 million users yesterday saying, “Your voice matters in ending the lockdown.”

The notification prompted users to contact their member of Congress to urge them to vote against the proposed bill.

As a result, congressional offices received hundreds of calls about the bill Tuesday and Wednesday morning, congressional aides told DailyMail.com.

Many callers appeared to be children or concerned parents pleading for the app not to be banned.

Users are told that the bill threatens TikTok’s survival, but what it actually does is force the parent company to divest — something callers are largely in favor of once employees explain the bill’s nuance.

“TikTok’s campaign to have users call their representatives shows how much control they have. This campaign is reminiscent of typical Communist Party tactics,” Rep. Greg Murphy, R-NC, said in a statement to DailyMail.com on Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, these callers don’t understand what they are really advocating: they are following orders from Beijing. The CCP hopes to copy its modus operandi of telling its citizens what to do.”

His office phones ‘exploded’ according to staff. Murphy voted in favor of the bill on Wednesday.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., told DailyMail.com that he is in favor of the bill and despite the flood of calls: “We will talk to any voter who wants to call us and talk to us through this avenue.”

“We explain our position, and it is a normal part of the process,” he said.

Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif., told DailyMail.com that while he doesn’t yet know how he will vote on the bill, “he won’t because 16-year-olds are calling me from all over the country.”

The bill passed the committee last week on a unanimous 50-0 vote.

In a statement, TikTok said of the bill’s passage through committee: “This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban on TikTok in the United States. The government is trying to deprive 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free speech. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”

Lawmakers have also expressed reservations about how the TikTok bill could affect First Amendment protections.

“I think it’s a terrible idea and it’s the hysteria that’s sweeping through both parties now.” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told DailyMail.com on Friday.

“In America, we don’t just tell people that you can’t have a business because we don’t like you. And 150 million people are using their First Amendment freedom to express themselves on TikTok, and you can’t just take that away from them.”

Fellow Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie agreed.

‘The so-called TikTok ban is a Trojan horse. The president will have the power to ban websites, not just apps,” he wrote on X.

BST Hyde Park have announced their final headliner for this summer’s London concert series.

Morgan Wallen, 30, will headline Thursday, July 4, with the day’s full lineup yet to be announced.

The country singer joins the likes of Stevie Nicks, Kings Of Leon, Shania Twain and Kylie Minogue who have already been announced for the concert series sponsored by American Express.

Ahead of the announcement, the musician said: “Last fall was my first time in the UK and man, I loved it.

“I saw so much while I was there, and the people were incredible. To play where legendary artists like Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones have played is a huge honor for me and my band, and we can’t wait to be back.”

The announcement follows the release of Morgan’s digital series Abbey Road Sessions, recorded at London’s famed Abbey Road Studios.

The YouTube videos include five live recordings of One Thing At A Time, the unreleased fan favorite Lies Lies Lies, and a never-before-recorded cover of the Nothing But Thieves song, Graveyard Whistling.

Eleven-time 2023 Billboard Music Awards winner Morgan continues to reign as one of Country’s top touring artists.

Tickets for his BST concert go on sale at 10am GMT on Wednesday 13 March.

Morgan is currently re-recording songs from his back catalog as a form of protest to derail the plans of former colleagues.

In January, the country music star gave his side of the story about why he decided to re-record Spin You Around, taken from his debut extended play (EP) Stand Alone (2015).

Before Wallen found major success in the music industry, he signed a music deal without legal representation, something he greatly regrets in retrospect, which resulted in 13 new songs, five of which made it onto the debut EP.

Now, after nearly a decade since parting ways with his original team, some of his former colleagues have, reluctantly, released a 10th anniversary edition of Stand Alone.

Realizing that his old collaborators would disappear, Wallen and his current team fought back by arranging a recording session in Nashville so that the new version of Spin You Around 1/24 would be released at the same time.

The Tennessee native said he had nothing to do with the re-release of Stand Alone and the reveal of eight previously unreleased songs.

Morgan felt the songs weren’t good enough to make it into the original version.

‘We made thirteen songs. Some were okay, most were terrible because I was just learning to write in general and figuring it all out,” he explained in the caption of his Instagram post.

“I wasn’t the only contributor, so a lot of these songs weren’t my idea or to my standards. We deemed 5 worthy enough to create the Stand Alone EP, which includes a fan favorite, Spin You Around.”

The country star talked about how his former managers are helping with this project that goes against his wishes.

“For months I have explored every possible avenue to acquire the rights to this old music and keep the quality of my catalog consistent with the songs I release and believe in,” he continued. “It’s dirty, greedy and an example of how the dark side of the music business can suck the soul out of artists.”

His BST Hyde Park announcement comes after it was revealed that Stevie Nicks will also be playing at the event.

The Fleetwood Mac frontwoman, 75, will perform on Friday, July 12, with the full line-up yet to be announced.

Ahead of the announcement, the musician said: “Anything that takes me back to London – and therefore to England – fills my heart with joy.

“And to be able to visit and make music… is always a dream come true.”

Best known for her iconic contributions to rock band Fleetwood Mac, Stevie joined the group in 1975, introducing her distinctive voice, poetic songwriting and captivating stage presence.

Her impact on the band’s success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially with the release of the critically acclaimed album Rumors, made her a musical powerhouse.

The record has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it the 5th best-selling album of the 1970s and the 9th best-selling album of all time.

She has also had a significant solo career with hits such as Edge of Seventeen and Stand Back.

Earlier this month it was revealed that Kings Of Leon, who have announced a new album and tour, will take to the stage on June 30.

They also bring along special guests Paolo Nutini and The Vaccines for their iconic summer concert.

The band said they are excited to return to London to perform, saying: ‘We can’t wait to return to London this summer and play BST. It’s always great to play in Great Britain and we’re ready for some fun.”

The news comes after they announced their triumphant return on Thursday, revealing they have signed a deal with Capitol Records.

It was quite a rollout as they also revealed that their ninth full-length studio album will be titled Can We Please Have fun and will be released on May 10th.

The album will contain twelve songs with titles such as Ballerina Radio, Rainbow Ball, Don’t Stop The Bleeding and Hesitation Generation.

Formed in 1999, the band consists of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill.

To further increase excitement for the upcoming album, the foursome released a new single and accompanying music video entitled Mustang

In December, Robbie Williams sent fans wild after announcing he would be headlining the BST Hyde Park Festival on July 6.

The Angel singer was the second headline act to be unveiled, following Italian vocal sensation Andrea Bocelli, who will take to the stage the day before, on July 5.

Elsewhere, Kylie Minogue will headline BST Hyde Park for the first time in nine years this summer.

The Australian pop sensation has had an incredible year, winning a Grammy last month for her global hit Padam Padam and will receive the Icon Gong at the Brit Awards this weekend.

Fans went crazy earlier this month when Shania Twain was also announced as the headliner for July 7.

The Man I Feel Like A Woman hitmaker returns to London and joins a star-studded line-up that will grace the American Express-sponsored summer concert stage in London.

The Canadian superstar is joined for this evening by special guest The Corrs. More names will be announced.

President Joe Biden mispronounced jogger Laken Riley’s name when mentioned her at his State of the Union address, calling her ‘Lincoln’ as he held up a pin with her name given to him by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green.

Biden got into several back-and-forth with Republican lawmakers during his remarks, in which he repeatedly attacked his GOP presidential rival, Donald Trump.

But when he talked about a bill to increase border security that was killed by Republicans after Trump came out again, GOP lawmakers booed him. Greene, who was wearing a shirt with Riley’s name, shouted at Biden ‘say her name.’ 

‘Lincoln, Lincoln Riley,’ Biden said holding up the pin. ‘An innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal.’

‘But how many of thousands of people being killed by legals? To her parents I save my heart goes out to you having lost children myself, I understand,’ he said.

He flubbed the name of the Georgia nursing student, who was killed while out jogging, on the same day the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which would mandate that migrants who enter the country without authorization and are accused of theft be taken into federal custody. 

Greene gave the pin to Biden when he walked into the House chamber to give his remarks.

On his journey to the podium, one person shouted to him ‘look over here.’ Biden did and did a visible double take. Standing there was Greene, wearing a shirt and button showing slain Georgia college student Laken Riley, and a red MAGA hat.

‘Say her name,’ Greene said to Biden. 

Biden then turned his comments on Riley to an attack on Trump, offering to work with him to pass a border security bill.

‘If my predecessor’s watching instead of paying politics and pressuring members of Congress to block the bill, join me in telling the Congress to pass it. We can do it together,’ he said.

He then added: ‘I will not demonize immigrants saying they are poisoned in the blood of our country. I will not separate families. I will not.’

Hammering Biden on the border has been a successful political issue for Trump. Two weeks ago, the men made dueling trips to the Southern border to examine the situation there. Biden went to Brownsville, Texas, where illegal crossings are down. Trump went to Eagle Pass, where it’s a huge problem. 

‘We can fight about fixing the border, or we can fix it. I’m ready to fix it,’ he said. ‘Send me the border bill. Now.’

Last year Greene yelled at Biden he was a ‘liar.’ This year, ahead of Biden’s remarks, she handed out pins paying tribute to Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student who was murdered. An illegal immigrant was charged with the crime.

Greene also wore a t-shirt paying tribute to Riley. 

The White House points out how well Biden handled himself at last year’s speech, when he quickly clapped back at Republicans’ booing him for his claim they wanted to cut Social Security and Medicare.

As GOP lawmakers started heckling him, Biden quickly pivoted to say: ‘As we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now.’

In fact, House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has asked his lawmakers to keep it reined in this year during the president’s remarks.

Johnson, at a closed-door GOP conference meeting Wednesday, called for decorum but Greene has said her district didn’t mind her call out to the president last year. Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, who has heckled in the past, indicated she may dow the same this year.

Biden engaged in a vigorous back-and-forth with his GOP hecklers throughout the night.  

When Biden accused Republicans of wanting to cut Social Security and give more tax breaks to the wealthy.

Republican lawmakers quickly booed him and yelled ‘liar.’ 

‘Oh, no?,’ Biden responded. ‘You guys don’t want another $2 trillion tax cut. I kind of thought that’s what your plan was. Well, that’s good to hear. You’re not going to cut another $2 trillion for the super wealthy. That’s good to hear.’

And, a few minutes later, Biden hit back at Republicans again.

He brought up the bipartisan border bill that Speaker Johnson has not brought to the House floor. 

Biden called the ‘toughest set of border security reforms we’ve ever seen.

Republicans booed him.

‘Oh, you don’t think so? Oh, you don’t like that bill, that conservatives got together and said it was a good bill. I’ll be. Darn. That’s amazing,’ Biden told them.

Biden started off his State of the Union address with a joke before pivoting to an attack on his rival for the presidency, Donald Trump.

‘If I were smart I’d go home now,’ Biden quipped as the chamber of lawmakers welcomed him with a standing ovation.

Biden’s speech takes place under the shadow of the 2024 presidential election and he immediately went into politics. He did not mention Donald Trump by name but he talked about his ‘predecessor’ when he pushed for Congress to pass an aid package for Ukraine.

Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ‘on the march, invading Ukraine and sowing chaos throughout Europe and beyond. And if anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you he will not.’

He then went on the attack. 

‘Now, my predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, quote, do whatever the hell you want. That’s a quote, a former president actually said that bowing down to a Russian leader, I think it’s outrageous. It’s dangerous, and it’s unacceptable,’ Biden said.

Speaker Mike Johnson has not brought up the bipartisan legislation, which the Senate approved, on the House floor. Trump opposes it. Johnson, sitting behind Biden, appeared to grimmace during Biden’s attack.

Biden spent the first 15 minutes of his speech attacking Trump.

‘You can’t love your country only when you win,’ he said, referring to Trump’s false claim he won the 2020 election.

Biden also implored Congress to act to help Ukraine. 

‘I say this to Congress, we have to stand up to Putin,’ he noted. ‘We will not walk way. We will not bow down. I will not bow down.’

Biden’s goal with his speech is to present himself as an energetic choice worthy of a second term.

His speech offered a hopeful vision of the future, one he hopes voters will contrast with Trump’s talk of crime and witch hunts.

‘I say to the American people, when America gets knocked down, we get back up. We keep going,’ he said to a standing ovation from Democrats. ‘That’s America.’

‘That’s you, the American people is because of you. America is coming back. It’s because of you. Our future is brighter. It’s because of you that tonight we can proudly say the state of our union is strong.’ 

Democrats cheered and shouted ‘four more years.’ 

Democrats in the chamber were a rowdy bunch, clapping and cheering frequently, a constrast to what some were saying before Biden’s speech, when they fretted if he would make a mistake that could be politically fatal.

Biden walked into the House chamber to shouts of ‘Joe’ from Democrats and loud applause. Biden, a more than 30-year veteran of Capitol Hill, stopped to talk to several lawmakers as he walked down the aisle. 

The president received good luck wishes and even shook hands with Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, one of his frequent critics. ‘Four more years,’ Democrats shouted as he made his way to the dais. It took his eight minutes to make his way down the aisle to the podium.

In his remarks, Biden sought to show the stark differences between himself and his Republican rival. The speech will kick off his rematch with Trump and mark the start of the 2024 general election.

Biden’s aim is to appear young and energized and voters prepare to choose between him and Trump for a second term in the White House. 

Departing the White House to head to Capitol Hill, Biden said he was ‘feeling good.’

He also joked to the staffers up on the portico watching him depart: ‘Don’t jump, I need you.’ 

Speaking to a nationwide, primetime audience, Biden, 81, will be combatting low approval ratings and questions about his fitness for office.

In his remarks, Biden directly confronted his and Trump’s ages,  arguing he wants ‘honesty’ while his Republican rival wants ‘retribution.’

‘My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor,’ Biden said.

‘Now some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That’s not me.’

Biden has long called Trump, 77, a ‘threat to democracy’ – citing the former president’s actions during the January 6th insurrection.

Trump has hammered Biden on the age issue, calling him ‘Sleepy Joe.’ Even some Democrats have expressed concern about the 81-year-old president’s performance Thursday night, saying he needs to be energetic and not make any fumbles or stumbles. 

Biden attacked Trump and his Republicans again later in the night when he defended the Affordable Care Act.

He announced a plan to cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 a year for everyone.

Then he went off script – and almost made a mistake, which he quickly recovered from. 

‘Folks, I’m gonna get in trouble for saying that. But any of you want to get in Air Force One with me and fly to Toronto? Berlin? Moscow? I mean, excuse me. And, well, even Moscow, probably. And bring your prescription with you. And I promise you, I’ll get it for you. For 40% of the cost you’re paying now. Same company, same drug,’ he said.

He then noted ‘my predecessor’ – he has not mentioned Trump by name all night – and ‘many in this chamber want to by repealing the Affordable Care Act. I’m not going to let that happen. We stopped you 50 times before and will stop you again. In fact, I’m not only protecting it, I’m expanding it.’

Biden spoke in the House chamber on Capitol Hill. The audience will be filled with Republican lawmakers loyal to Trump. Expect them to try and throw Biden off his game as they did last year.

Millions of viewers are expected to tune into the prime time address, giving Biden a massive platform to make the case to voters to give him a second term instead of Trump.  

Overall, the goal of the White House is to present Biden, 81, as energetic enough to do the job and turn questions about his age into an argument for his experience. 

The White House has downplayed any fears. 

‘There’s always, in these moments, a desire to focus on the distractions dujour,’ said deputy White House press secretary Olivia Dalton on CNN. ‘The president is focused on one thing and that’s communicating clearly his vision for the country to the American people.’

‘You’re going to see a very energized president,’ White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients told Politico. ‘This is a big moment. And this president rises to those big moments.’  

The president heads into the speech with a 56% disapproval rating, per the Five Thirty-Eight polling average. 

Biden has spent the past five days preparing for his State of the Union address, trying to cover all the possibilities: tea to keep his throat smooth, a print out of his remarks – with giant type – in case the teleprompter goes out, and hours of practice sessions.

Biden offered an otherwise positive view of the nation in his address, focusing on a unity agenda that contains overall popular items like dealing with the mental health epidemic, curbing opioid abuse, aiding veterans and improving cancer care.

In his remarks, the president portrayed the upcoming an election as a choice on personal freedoms such as reproductive rights. He vowed to restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land if Americans give him a Democratically-controlled Congress.

‘In its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court majority wrote ‘Women are not without electoral or political power.’ No kidding. Clearly those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women in America,’ he said.

‘But they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022, 2023, and they will find out again in 2024. If Americans send me a Congress that supports the right to choose I promise you: I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again.’

He then addressed the six Supreme Court justices who were in the audience.

‘With all due respect, justices, women are not without electoral power,’ he said. 

Democrats are using the abortion issue to rally their voters after it proved successful motivation in getting their supporters to the polls in the 2022 midterm. 

He also bragged about his own record as president, particularly on the economy, which voters give him low marks for when it comes to his stewardship. 

‘I came to office determined to get us through one of the toughest periods in our nation’s history. And we have. It doesn’t make the news, but in thousands of cities and towns the American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told,’ he will say. 

‘So let’s tell that story here and now. America’s comeback is building a future of American possibilities, building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up – not the top down, investing in all of America – in all Americans – to make sure everyone has a fair shot and we leave no one behind.’

He also noted the popularity of infrastructure act, noting Republicans may not have voted for it but were bragging about the money it brought to their districts.

‘If any of you doesn’t want that money in your district, let me know,’ Biden joked. 

Biden also asked Americans if they want lower health care costs, democratic freedoms and to keep Ukraine from being swallowed up by Russian leader Vladimir Putin? Or do they want to side with drug company profits, tax breaks for the wealthy and Putin?

The underlying argument will be that Biden is on the right side of these issues, as opposed to Trump.

Biden addressed the war between Israel and Hamas in his remarks.

He announced that he’s directing the military to build a port on the Gaza coast to bring relief to the population there. 

That does not mean U.S. military personnel will be on the ground in the war torn region.  

White House officials offered no time line for when the pier will be built or where exactly it will be located but said its construction will allow more shipments of food, medicine and other essential items to be delivered to the 2.2 million Palestinians.

They said the White House will coordinate with the Israelis regarding security on the ground and with the United Nations and humanitarian groups on getting aid delivered. 

The temporary pier will allow for hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance each day, the officials said. It will be an additional route for humanitarian aid, which is currently limited to two land crossings into the southern part of Gaza.

Other countries will be involved in its construction but it’s unclear if Israel will be. 

The project could take more than 30 to 60 days to construct and would involve hundreds or thousands of U.S. troops on ships just off shore. It will also require armed escorts and other protective measures.

The president has seen a concerning number of Democrats vote ‘uncommitted’ in primaries in key battleground states like Michigan and Minnesota, most of whom are unhappy with his treatment of Palestinians.

In Minnesota on Tuesday, nearly 20 percent of Democratic voters in the state voted uncommitted. The week before, more than 100,000 voters in Michigan voted the same.

Several hundred Pro-Palestinian protesters sat in the street to block Biden’s motorcade between the White House and Capitol before he headed to the Capitol to deliver his remarks.

A massive Palestinian flag was unfurled on the street with demonstrators sitting and standing around it and others held a banner with the message: ‘Biden’s legacy is genocide.’

The protesters held bullhorns, held ‘ceasefire’ signs, wore black shirts with messages demanding Biden get tough on Israel and were surrounded by law enforcement officials from all sidess.

But Biden’s motorcade did not go by the group in route to the Capitol, according to the pool of reporters traveling with him. 

In his remarks, Biden also cracked down on private jets as part of his plan to hike the taxes on the super rich as he tries to win over voters upset with his stewardship of the economy.

Biden proposed that billionaires would need to pay a minimum of 25% in federal taxes on their income as he targets the super wealthy like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. 

Another person who will be affected by his plans is his 2024 rival Donald Trump, who relies on his private jet – Trump Force One – to campaign across the country. Biden uses the military jet Air Force One for his travel.

The sweeping tax increases are targeted at bringing down the U.S. deficit but also raising Biden’s poll numbers as he heads into the November election. Polls show Trump in the lead – by a narrow margin – with eight months until Election Day.

Voters give Biden low marks for his handling of the economy. And Trump has hammered Biden repeatedly on the high rate of inflation that has raised food and fuel prices for consumers. 

The president’s proposals will also affect some of his allies: John Kerry, his former climate adviser, uses a private jet. So do celebrities like Taylor Swift and Leonardo DiCaprio, who support the president.

Biden proposed increasing the fuel tax on corporate and private jet travel and changing depreciation rules. The White House declined to say how much the fuel tax would be increased.

The president will also target corporations, proposing to raise the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 25 percent. 

Most of Biden’s tax proposals have little chance of enactment. Even when Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress early in his presidency, Biden could not get the corporate tax rate raised.

The tax plans, however, are expected to form a core part of Biden’s re-election campaign, contrasting markedly with Trump whose 2017 ‘Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’ slashed taxes on companies and the wealthy.

Biden would use some of the revenue to pay for expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, which would help lower-income families. And he is seeking to permanently make health insurance premiums lower for those who receive their medical coverage through the 2010 Affordable Care Act. 

The increased tax rate also is intended to cut the deficit by $3 trillion over the next decade.

Additionally Biden pushed for a massive housing initiative as more and more young adults say they can’t afford to buy their first home.

Amid record-high inflation and rising mortgage interest rates, Biden will urge Congress to alleviate mortgage interest rates by offering first-time homebuyers a $5,000 credit each year for their first two years of home ownership to equate a total of $10,000.

The White House says this should equate to essentially knocking off 1.5 percent of homeowners’ interest rate for the medium home in the U.S.

Biden urged Congress to help free up some of the housing market by offering a one-year credit of up to $10,000 for families who sell their starter homes.

The average mortgage interest rate for a $300,000 loan is 7.9 percent for a 30-year fixed term. Meanwhile, the average cost of a home in the U.S. is upwards of $400,000.

By Dailymail.Com Political Reporters

Published: 16:39 EST, 7 March 2024 | Updated: 21:34 EST, 7 March 2024

 

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Former President Donald Trump dismissed President Joe Biden’s border plan as a “conspiracy” to destabilize the United States during a rally on Saturday evening.

The campaign event in Richmond, Virginia, drew thousands of enthusiastic Trump fans to the Commonwealth’s capital. Supporters of the former president came from across the state and lined the blocks surrounding the convention center hours before he was to deliver a speech.

Shortly after taking the stage to loud applause, the former president turned his attention to Biden and his “open border policy.”

“Biden’s behavior at our border is, by definition, a conspiracy to overthrow the United States of America,” Trump told the crowd

“They dump their prisoners in our country, doesn’t this stupid guy understand that?”

“You know what they call them, newcomers!” Trump continued, joking about the Biden administration’s recent move to rename immigrants.

“From now on, you have to call them newcomers,” he joked, and if they don’t, “you’ll get sued by the DOJ in Washington.”

“Does everyone agree with them?” he asked.

‘No!’ the crowd roared back.

Many voters at the meeting that DailyMail.com spoke to agreed with the president, saying border security is the most pressing issue in the upcoming election.

“Immigration is number one,” Duchess, a voter from Virginia, told DailyMail.com.

Dave, from Woodbridge, Virginia, similarly said his top priority is solving the “immigration issues we have right now.”

Dave and Duchess are not alone, however, as many voters have said border security is their top issue in 2024.

Americans now say immigration is the most important issue facing the country — with 28 percent of voters calling it their top concern, ahead of the state of the government and economy.

Additionally, a recent poll released this week found that a majority of American voters now want a barricade along the U.S.-Mexico border, an issue that Trump addressed in 2016.

And Trump’s border security message may be working.

The former president had a super Saturday, winning the primaries in Idaho, Missouri and Michigan.

Trump’s victories in those states mean the former president remains undefeated in this year’s primaries or caucus contests.

He previously won the primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Nikki Haley, meanwhile, still wants to win her first primary.

She previously told voters she would stay in the race until Super Tuesday, just three days away.

On Super Tuesday, 16 states and American Samoa will have the opportunity to vote on who should become the Republican presidential candidate.

It will be the biggest test yet for both candidates, although Trump is widely expected to win.

“Three years ago we were a great nation and soon we will be a great nation again,” Trump said Saturday in closing his speech.

It was his second campaign rally of the day, having previously held a campaign event in North Carolina.

Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz also attended the meeting.

• The Cook County judge sided with voters who tried to kick Trump out of the primary ahead of the state’s March 19 Republican primary.
• The US Supreme Court has weighed in on whether states can kick Trump off the ballot by using an argument about his alleged participation in January 6
• Illinois becomes the third state – after Colorado and Maine – to try to kick Trump off the ballot

By Sophie Mann for Dailymail.Com

Published: 7:45 PM EST, February 28, 2024 | Updated: 11:30 PM EST, February 28, 2024

It has been ten years, not two, since the start of the war in Ukraine. And once you understand that, you can start thinking about it clearly. What is Britain’s interest in this conflict? Why are so many in politics and the media cheering the carnage that has devastated Ukraine, the country they claim to love and admire? What did Ukraine gain from it? What can Ukraine and its people possibly gain from it?

All I ask is that you use your mind instead of your emotions. Let’s start with what happened ten years ago. It should be shocking.

In 2014, Ukraine had a rough but functioning democracy. This worked because the country was almost evenly divided between the east and west. Power shifted from one side to the other and in 2010 Viktor Yanukovych won the presidential election with 12.5 million votes, beating his closest rival, Yulia Tymoshenko, with 11.6 million votes.

Unlike the previous elections in 2004, no one seriously contested the outcome. So in February 2014, Yanukovych was the legal head of state, with two years left in his term.

If, as we all say, we believe in democracy, then this is an almost sacred fact. The widespread and justified disgust over the invasion of the US Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021 is based on the belief that power rests on ballots and not violence.

There is no clearer distinction between democracies and the rest. The losers must respect the result. If they dispute it, they should use legal methods. But generally speaking, if they don’t like the person in power, they have to wait until the next election.

There is hardly a politician or commentator in Britain who has not said this at some point in his or her life. It’s called “loser consent.” Our ordered lives depend on it and we cannot betray it here or abroad.

But now we come to the big exception. In February 2014, a violent gang infiltrated and came to dominate the originally genuine democratic protests in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

There is much darkness to these bitter days, including the mysterious shootings of mob members. Let’s say there is a serious dispute about who was responsible, but it has not yet been resolved.

In a leaked (and undisputed) telephone conversation, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet told EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton that there was “increasing understanding” that “behind the snipers was not Yanukovych, but someone from the new coalition’.

A UN report (published on July 15, 2014) concluded that 103 protesters and 20 police officers were killed in these events. I believe at least some of the demonstrators were armed, and the deaths of twenty police officers indicate quite heavy violence on the part of the demonstrators.

Amid all this bloodshed, two serious attempts were made to reach a peaceful, lawful outcome. The first was destroyed, perhaps deliberately, when protesters responded to it on Tuesday, February 18, by setting fire to Yanukovych’s party headquarters. On the night of Thursday, February 20, the foreign ministers of Germany, Poland and France flew to Kiev to conclude a deal with the controversial Ukrainian president.

On February 21, that deal was signed by the president and three leading members of the anti-Yanukovych opposition, in the presence of the three EU ministers.

Yanukovych offered a rewrite of the constitution to suit the opposition; a new government; early presidential elections (by December 2014); and an impartial investigation into the violence (which there never was). All parties refrained from using force.

But that Friday evening, the deal was presented to the crowd in the Maidan, an unelected body with no constitutional or democratic authority. They certainly did not represent the eastern part of the country.

Their leaders rejected the proposal and threatened to “take up arms and go to Yanukovych’s residence” if he did not resign by the next morning. The opposition leaders who had signed the deal crumbled and made no effort to defend it against the screaming anger of the crowd.

Yanukovych, whose security protection had melted away, left Kiev. But he did not resign or leave the country. A recent book by highly respected Ukrainian historian Serhii Plokhy shows beyond doubt that the elected president was still in office and in Ukraine when parliament voted to depose him. The vote was illegal because the parliamentarians did not have the votes required by the constitution. But they continued anyway.

Antidemocratic violence was thus followed by lawlessness. The offer of early elections was brushed aside (were the crowd afraid their faction would lose them?). For example, a mob overthrew a legitimate head of state. And here comes the shocking test. Western countries, including Britain, should have condemned this action. Normally they are vigilant defenders of justice and democracy all over the world, right? But in this case they approved the coup.

The then Secretary of State, William Haag, made a completely incorrect statement in the House of Commons on March 4, 2014. He said Yanukovych had been deposed “with the very large majorities required by the constitution.” This is simply not true. And so the future Lord Hague’s next claim that ‘it is wrong to question the legitimacy of the new authorities’ has seriously misled Parliament.

I have discussed this with Lord Haag. After it became clear that he could not properly defend his actions, he stopped answering and fell silent. Pathetically, an awkward letter I sent to his official address was returned to me, adorned with a sticker stating that he was not known there. If we had a real opposition in this country he would never have been able to get away with this. But we don’t do that.

The events of February 2014 divided Ukraine and started a nasty little war in the east of the country, in which (among other tragedies and horrors) many civilians died at the hands of the Ukrainian military. The disgusting Russian invasion of two years ago, indefensible and barbaric, was the second phase of the war, not its beginning.

Of course, I don’t know who was behind Yanukovych’s overthrow. There were all kinds of Western politicians and intelligence services hanging around Kiev at the time. And the West has flagrantly betrayed its own principles by condoning and forgiving the unpleasant event. But of course that does not prove that any Western country supported the coup against Yanukovych.

Yet I believe that any outside force that supported this coup is as guilty of aggression and warmongering as Russia’s Putin. Think about that as you listen to all those loud, safe voices demanding that we continue to fuel this war, where Ukrainians are dying every day for democratic principles that we do not, in fact, support.

By Brian Gallagher for Dailymail.com

Published: 00:47 EST, February 6, 2024 | Updated: 01:03 EST, February 6, 2024

‘Welcome to the capital of the world!’ exclaimed our taxi driver as we crossed the Potomac into Washington DC.

My teenagers’ eyes shone with excitement.

Given that eight hours earlier they’d barely been speaking to me as I informed the British Airways stewardess I was a nervous flyer and therefore quite keen for a gin and tonic, things were looking up.

‘Look left and you’ll see the White House,’ continued the driver, and we peered through the dark to see the famous building lit up like a wedding cake, before he segued into the best sneaker (trainer) stores in the city and where to go for ‘half smoke’ hot dogs, a local delicacy.

Thus began our week in DC, and the sheer cheerful brilliance of the American capital never let up. 

Culture, sport, trainers and chili dogs: Washington DC promised it all.

It turns out the city is compact and easy to navigate, whether on foot, via the cheap (and architecturally stunning) Metro, buses, or via the plentiful Ubers, whose drivers were all huge fans of their city and full of advice. 

They said we’d be safe in tourist areas, but that there were areas in the south-east of the city they wouldn’t go to for fear of being car-jacked or accidentally shot in crossfire. (‘OMG, GTA’, whispered my 16-year-old.)

But we were here for culture, not computer games, so we stayed firmly in the tourist areas and never felt unsafe for a second as we tackled what we were really there to see: the American capital’s world-famous museums, monuments and galleries, most of which are contained within, or bordered by, the landscaped National Mall.

Whatever you’re interested in, there’s a museum dedicated to it in DC, from harmonicas to the Bible to spying. 

Thanks to a rich Englishman named James Smithson, who left his fortune to the cause of furthering education in the United States (bizarrely without ever setting foot in the country), the mighty Smithsonian Institution now runs 17 museums and galleries in DC, all of them free, and they are the best of the best. 

Even the surliest of teens will come alive when they see the treasures in DC, as I discovered.

So, at the National Air and Space Museum we saw Neil Armstrong’s NASA spacesuit from his 1969 moon landing, as well as the Spirit of St Louis, the actual (tiny) plane flown solo across the Atlantic in 1927 by 25-year-old Charles Lindbergh (it took him 33 and a half hours).

At the National Museum of American History we enjoyed seeing the very first Kermit, made out of Jim Henson’s jeans and his mum’s old coat, the original Star-Spangled Banner, and Dorothy’s actual ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz. 

The National Museum of African American History & Culture houses the coffin of Emmett Till Jnr, whose story shocked us to tears: lynched aged just 14, accused of offending a white woman in a shop. 

We wanted to see American art, and were spoilt for choice with an array of world-class galleries. The Smithsonian American Art Museum is stuffed with unmissable works by Edward Hopper, Albert Bierstadt, and Agnes Tait, while the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) next door captivated us with its presidential portraits. 

In fact so enthralled were my sons by the cultural jewels of DC that not once all week did they whip out their phones in any of the museums or galleries other than to photograph things – an incredible feat that parents of teenagers will understand.

‘Watch out for the Presidential cavalcade,’ our Uber driver warned us as we headed to the very cool Planet Word museum. ‘If you don’t get out the way soon enough, the Secret Service won’t hesitate to shoot.’ 

We never got the chance to test this. Or see the inside of where the President works. For security reasons, Brits (and other foreign nationals) can’t go inside the White House at the moment, but the Capitol Building more than makes up for it with an informative and gripping guided tour.

Inside the Rotunda, we stood, rapt, as our enthusiastic female guide described how the 70-something Italian artist Constantino Brumidi fell in 1879 while painting the 48ft-high frieze, grabbing onto scaffolding and dangling for several minutes before he was rescued. The old man, who spent 25 years of his life painting the Capitol, was so shaken by the incident he gave up the next day.

Washington DC is also packed with monuments and memorials to former presidents, war veterans and key characters from the nation’s history. 

The best way to see them all without spending all day trekking up and down the National Mall is on a guided bike tour (unlimitedbiking.com/tours/monuments-and-memorials-bike-tour), which takes three (leisurely) hours and is led by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. 

We also loved hiring Lime electric scooters, ubiquitous on DC’s wide and empty streets, to zip around the city.  

No visit to DC is complete without a trip to the enormous Capital One Arena, home to the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals, who were playing the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs (n.b not ‘leaves’) when we visited.

The ice hockey was addictive to watch: fast and furious, aggressive yet balletic. And it was impossible not to join in with the home crowd hollering for their team. For sheer full-on American good fun, this was hard to beat.

Earlier, browsing the gift shop, a charming older American man had approached us, and his female companion asked if we wanted our photo taken with him. Given that everyone in DC is incredibly friendly and polite, we accepted graciously.

Only later did we discover the man was in fact Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Caps, the Washington Wizards, and the arena we were in. A billionaire twice over.

In contrast to the din of the ice hockey game, a peaceful cruise along the Potomac to Georgetown showed the fall colours in all their tranquil glory against a bright blue sky. 

DC’s oldest and most charming neighbourhood, Georgetown has upmarket boutiques, pretty painted townhouses, and smart bars and restaurants along the waterfront. Bring your credit card – the locals have deep pockets, and there are prices in the shops to match.

We had dinner at Sequoia, a super-friendly American restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river, on which Georgetown University rowers sculled. 

The boys are still talking about the pudding we shared: a ‘skillet chocolate cookie’ served hot in the pan with white chocolate chips and vanilla ice cream. 

Which brings me on to the only downside to our trip: you will not return home feeling slimmer than you left. You may, like us, only have eaten vegetables twice all week.

But the food was fabulous – a glory of all the American favourites we’d hoped for, and a teenage boy’s dream. 

At Founding Farmers & Distillers (on Massachusetts Avenue), fried chicken came with a freshly-cooked hot cinnamon sugar waffle – sounds weird, it worked – and mac n cheese. While for brunch on our last day we feasted on spicy breakfast tacos with Mexican cotija cheese.

Ben’s Chili Bowl, best known for its ‘original half-smoke’ hot dog with chili sauce and original 1950s decor, is a must-visit (Obama and the Pope have also beaten a track to this DC institution on U Street), and we all loved the ‘puffy eggs’ for breakfast at Piccolina da Centrolina. 

Waldorf Astoria Washington DC: Impossibly glamorous old-school luxe

Donald Trump once ran this town and his presence is still very much felt, from the schoolchildren wearing orange Trump wigs as they tour the sights, and the occasional ‘Wanted for President 2024’ T-shirt bearing the former President’s mugshot, to the ‘Roving Anti-Trumpism Bandwagon’ outside the Lincoln Memorial selling $4 badges saying, ‘He’s indicted and it feels so good.’

One place you won’t find a trace of Trump, however, is the legendary hotel that once bore his name – the Waldorf Astoria Washington DC, formerly the Trump International Hotel. 

Opened in its new guise in 2022, this glorious building, the Old Post Office, boasts fairytale turrets, a famous clock tower, and an unbeatable location on Pennsylvania Avenue, aka ‘America’s Main Street’, which links the White House to the United States Capitol. 

Staying here feels like the very essence of the American capital. 

Bought from Trump for $375million, it is one of the grandest and most luxurious hotels in the U.S, and the ultimate place to stay in DC. 

The huge, soaring atrium takes your breath away, with an enormous Stars and Stripes flag hanging at one end, sharp-suited DC power brokers murmuring over $18 bowls of granola beneath it, and the beautiful Bazaar restaurant at the other.     

The opulent rooms are next level in terms of luxe and glamour: beds are enormous and incredibly comfortable, marble bathrooms boast goodies by Aesop, and many of the rooms have fantastic views – my boys were thrilled to see the FBI headquarters from theirs. You can see even further from the 270ft-tall deck of the Old Post Office Tower, which is free to enter for residents and non-residents alike.

The current President, sadly, is nowhere to be seen, while a staff member admitted to me that he missed the last one, saying Trump and his chums ‘spent a lot of money’ and tipped well. But the money doesn’t appear to disappeared entirely, judging by the enormous luxury SUVs we saw parked outside.

The Bazaar by José Andrés is one of the hottest restaurant tickets in DC right now – and was one of the most memorable aspects of our stay.

Featuring tapas with a nod to American history and a large dose of theatrics, from cocktails that arrive in a puff of nitrogen to tiny ‘Crab Louie Cones’ and jamon Iberico carved at your table by a ‘jamonero’, our dinner here was the foodie highlight of our trip.

If you possibly can get a table here (book well in advance), it’s worth it. The food and service were phenomenal. 

The hotel was the icing on the cake for this break.

Washington DC as a tourist destination? It got the thumbs up from my boys, who said it was the ‘best trip ever’. 

But it deserves a presidential seal of approval. 

Donald Trump kicked a protester out of his rally on Saturday night and responded to questions about his mental fitness by saying his “mind is stronger now than it was 25 years ago.”

About an hour after his campaign event at Manchester's SNHU Arena, a man in the crowd shouted at the former president: “He's a dictator.”

“Get him out,” Trump said as security surrounded the man and removed him from the arena.

“Now we know politics is getting serious,” Trump joked. He joked that he would be dictator for “just one day” if he were elected to the White House for a second term in December.

With four days to go until the New Hampshire primary, Trump spoke to his MAGA faithful for nearly two hours. He doubled down on his attacks on Nikki Haley, brought in a group of lawmakers from her home state of South Carolina to support him, and lashed out at Ron DeSantis, joking, “I think he's gone.”

He also hit back at Haley for questioning whether he was “mentally fit” to be president after he appeared to confuse her with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, accusing Haley of being in charge of security at the Capitol on the day of the January 6 uprising. .

“I feel like my mind is stronger now than it was 25 years ago. Is that possible?,” Trump said.

He also said he took another cognitive test in New Hampshire and “passed it.”

He spent the first part of his rally doubling down on his attacks on Nikki Haley, drawing in a group of lawmakers from her home state of South Carolina to support him, and he took some taunts at Ron DeSantis, joking, “I think he's gone. .'

In addition to criticizing his rivals, he called Joe Biden the “worst” president in American history and ran through his laundry list of campaign promises, including protecting the southern border.

“I'm desperate for your vote,” Trump told the crowd.

He focused hardest on Haley. The former South Carolina governor has seen some movement in the polls as she campaigns in New Hampshire, even as Trump still leads by double digits.

“Almost every politician from South Carolina supports me. How do you do that when you're governor?' Trump lashed out at Haley, who was governor of the state for six years.

He then brought out South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, the state's lieutenant governor and a slew of other high-ranking officials, including the attorney general, treasurer and speaker of the House of Representatives. Joining them were state Reps. Joe Wilson, William Timmons and Russell Fry.

'Do you know what I do? I kiss a**,” Trump said, noting that South Carolina was the next primary in the Republican presidential primary.

McMaster told the cheering crowd before officials that the group was there “for one reason.”

“You've heard this, those great philosophers, the Spice Girls. Tell us what you want, what you really, really want. Well, that's what we are here. To tell you what we actually want, what we really want” is Donald Trump, he said.

Trump spent the evening on the attack, airing some of his old complaints, including his false accusation that the 2020 election was stolen from him and that he was the victim of a government witch hunt with the lawsuits against him.

He took several hits against DeSantis, who is trailing in the polls, and left New Hampshire to campaign in South Carolina. DeSantis also canceled his scheduled appearances on the Sunday morning political shows.

“I haven't even mentioned Ron DeSanctimonious' name yet – I think he's gone,” Trump said as the crowd roared.

Someone in the crowd shouted “loser.” “You didn't just say that,” Trump joked back as the audience laughed.

But he went further, saying of DeSantis: “I I think he'll be out pretty soon, based on what I'm hearing.”

He accused Haley of trying to “turn liberal voters into Republicans for about two minutes while they're voting, and then back into liberal voters.”

Trump has repeatedly accused Haley of pushing New Hampshire Democrats to vote for her in the Republican primary.

“Nikki Haley is using radical Democratic money to fund a radical Democratic campaign operation she runs,” he said.

“The radical left Democrats support Nikki Haley for one reason, because they know she is very easy to beat. She will be very easy to beat. She's down,” Trump said.

More voters in New Hampshire identify themselves as “unaffiliated” – or independent – ​​than Republicans or Democrats.

Those “unaffiliated” voters can choose which party they want to vote for, and Haley has been courting that group hard.

Voters can also switch affiliations if they want to change which contest they're voting in – but the deadline for that was in October, meaning no more changes are allowed.

Before the October deadline, about 3,500 Democrats in New Hampshire converted their party registration to unaffiliated, meaning they can vote in the Republican primary if they wish.

Trump told his legion of devoted supporters to turn out en masse for him on Tuesday.

'We need large margins because we have to convey real unity as a message. Because with real unity they will not be able to cheat,” he said.

The former president also referenced his immunity battle with the Supreme Court. Trump argues that he should be immune from prosecution over allegations that he plotted to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election because he was president at the time.

“So a president should be given immunity and this has nothing to do with me,” he said at his rally. 'This has to do with every president. For example, if Biden gets out, I'll be that guy who has a list to go after. But you have to give a president immunity.”

He argued that without immunity, President Harry Truman would never have dropped an atomic bomb.

But he also bragged about his accusers, saying, “Every time the radical left Democrats indict communists and fascists, I consider it a great badge of honor.”

Trump also made an unusual move during his rally. He endorsed Rep. Dean Phillips, who is challenging President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination, in the New Hampshire Democratic primary.

“I think Democrats should vote for the Congressman just to send a message,” he said of Phillips.

He then touted his own endorsement, noting of Phillips, “He just got a lot of votes, by the way.”