JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Clarke Reed, a Mississippi businessman who developed the Republican Party in his home state and across the South starting in the 1960s, died Sunday at his home in Greenville, Mississippi. He was 96. Reed was chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party from 1966 to 1976, beginning at a time when Democrats still dominated in the region. During the 1976 Republican National Convention, delegates were closely divided between President Gerald Ford and former California Gov. Ronald Reagan. Reed united the Mississippi delegation behind Ford — a move that created a decadeslong feud with William D. “Billy” Mounger, another wealthy businessman who was prominent in the Mississippi Republican Party. Reed recalled in a 2016 interview with The Associated Press that delegates faced considerable pressure. Movie stars visited Mississippi’s 30 delegates to push for Reagan, and Betty Ford called on behalf of her husband. Reagan met twice with the Mississippi delegation — once with his proposed running mate, Pennsylvania Sen. Richard Schweiker — and once without, according Haley Barbour, who was executive director of the Mississippi Republican Party in 1976 and served as the state’s governor from 2004 to 2012. “Everybody was coming to see us,” Reed said. “These poor people had never seen this before, the average delegate.” Mississippi delegates were showing the stress at a meeting away from the convention floor in Kansas City, Reed said. “I looked out, and about half of them were crying,” he said. Reed initially supported Reagan, but said he moved into the Ford camp because he thought Reagan made “a hell of a mistake” by choosing a more liberal northeastern running mate in a gambit to win support of the unpledged Pennsylvania delegation. “In my opinion, Reagan was the best president of my lifetime. I didn’t know that then,” Reed said in 2016. “And had he been elected with Schweiker, he might’ve gotten a bullet one inch over and Schweiker would’ve been president.” Ford won the party nomination during the convention, then lost the general election to Jimmy Carter, the Democratic former governor of Georgia. Reed was born in Alliance, Ohio, in 1928, and his family moved to Caruthersville, Missouri, when he was about six months old. He earned a business degree from the University of Missouri in 1950. He and Barthell Joseph, a friend he had met at a high school boarding school, founded an agriculture equipment business called Reed-Joseph International, which used technology to scare birds away from farms and airports. Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi said Monday that Reed was “a mentor, supporter and advisor to me for over 56 years.” Wicker said he was 21 when Reed put him on the Republican Platform Committee in 1972. “There is no more significant figure in the development of the modern day Mississippi Republican Party than Clarke Reed,” Wicker wrote on social media. “Our state has lost a giant.”Can you copyright a kangaroo dance? Raygun reckons you can, but expert says parody counts for something
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday nominated Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as the US ambassador to France, in the latest of several controversial picks. Kushner "is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests," Trump said on his Truth Social website, adding that Jared "worked closely with me in the White House." The choice is in keeping with Trump's pattern, so far, of selecting people, often wealthy, who are close to his family or of proven loyalty. Kushner is a multimillionaire real estate executive and former attorney; his son was a senior adviser during Trump's first term. Trump did not mention, however, that the elder Kushner once served jail time -- a two-year sentence, most of it served in a federal prison. Kushner, who is now 70, pleaded guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign contributions. The case, which was prosecuted by then US attorney Chris Christie, included sordid details, to which Kushner admitted: that he had hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, a man cooperating in a campaign finance inquiry, and then videotaped the encounter and sent it to the man's wife, Kushner's sister, to dissuade her from testifying against him. Christie, who worked on Trump's first presidential transition team and then opposed him in this year's Republican primary contests, later said Kushner had committed a "loathsome" and "disgusting crime." In 2020, Trump issued a pardon to Kushner, whose conviction had resulted in him being disbarred in three states. Nominees for key ambassadorships are often business associates of a president-elect, or major political donors. But it is rare, if not unprecedented, to name a convicted felon. The first two men to fill the prestigious Paris post were famed inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin and a future president, Thomas Jefferson. If confirmed, Kushner would succeed Denise Bauer, a former ambassador to Belgium who was a major Democratic fundraiser and donor. md/bbk/md
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NAGPUR: The Sangh Parivar unleashed its well-oiled machinery to power BJP-led Mahayuti to a landslide victory. The Nagpur-headquartered organisation quietly mobilised its vast network of cadres, organising over 60,000 voter meetings statewide to counter opposition narratives and consolidate support under the campaign banner - 'Sajagraho' (Be vigilant, be awake). Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, in an exclusive interview to TOI on Nov 6, acknowledged BJP sought Sangh's help to dispel "fake narratives" of Congress and its allies on issues like reservations, 'vote-jihad' and constitutional integrity. Unprecedented victory, says senior RSS functionary While officially distancing itself from political activities, the Sangh celebrated the scale of Mahayuti's triumph. "This is an unprecedented victory that ensures BJP's sway over Maharashtra. We didn't imagine Mahayuti would win a landslide victory. However, Sangh prefers to work from behind the curtains and let BJP celebrate while we focus on social work," said a top RSS functionary. The stakes were particularly high for RSS as it approaches its centenary next year. Winning Maharashtra was not just about political dominance, but also about ensuring a govt aligned with its ideological goals. Maharashtra Jharkhand Maharashtra Alliance View i Party View Seats: 288 Results Majority: 145 BJP+ 229 MVA 47 OTH 12 Results : 288 / 288 BJP+ WON Jharkhand Alliance View i Party View Seats: 81 Results Majority: 41 INDIA 56 NDA 24 OTH 1 Results : 81 / 81 INDIA WON Source: PValue Countering divisions and ensuring Hindu unity Sources reveal the RSS campaign aimed to counter opposition strategies that sought to fragment Hindu votes along caste and community lines. The agenda also addressed sensitive issues such as 'vote jihad' and religious conversions, without overtly echoing or endorsing BJP's slogan - 'batenge toh kitenge'. This proactive approach followed BJP's setback in LS polls, where a sharp dip in support from minority voters cost the party its majority. A senior RSS functionary remarked, "Elements trying to divide Hindus based on caste have failed. This victory reflects the people's rejection of such agendas." VHP and RSS frontal organisations in action Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the second-largest organisation in the Sangh Parivar, also played a pivotal role. VHP general secretary Milind Parande confirmed their extensive campaigns encouraged voters to exercise their franchise wisely. While refraining from directly endorsing any party, VHP emphasised Hindu unity and urged voters to support candidates aligned with their cause. Frontal organisations like Lok Jagran Manch, comprising senior citizens, conducted grassroots outreach, distributing pamphlets and staging plays to promote 100% voter participation. Although the campaign avoided naming political parties, the messaging resonated with BJP's narrative of safeguarding religious identity and cultural heritage. While reports of Sangh-backed voter outreach are widespread, the RSS functionary denied direct involvement. "These activities are being undertaken by civil societies comprising swayamsevaks. They are working independently to raise voter awareness and promote their right to vote," he told TOI, distancing RSS and its fronts from explicit political messaging. A resurgence of civic responsibility One of the key objectives of RSS-led initiatives was to boost voter turnout . Using meetings, leaflets, and cultural programmes, the Sangh emphasised voting as both a right and a civic duty. "This wasn't just about political gains. Low voter turnout is detrimental to democracy. Our campaign was focused on awakening citizens to their responsibilities," said an RSS functionary. The quiet hand behind a public victory Mahayuti's landslide win underscores the influence of RSS, whose meticulous groundwork and large number of cadres helped BJP consolidate Hindu votes and neutralise divisive opposition strategies. As the Sangh approaches its 100th year, its role in shaping electoral outcomes while maintaining an official distance from politics remains one of its most defining and strategic strengths. Mahayuti's success not only secures its govt in Maharashtra but also reaffirms RSS's unparalleled ability to mobilise support for its ideological vision, ensuring its continued relevance in India's political landscape.INQskwela goes to Davao del Sur, first LGU partner in Mindanao
'Title race on' - how Odegaard & Saka are keeping Arsenal hopes aliveWASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Adam Schiff stood on the Senate floor almost five years ago as a House impeachment manager and made a passionate case that Donald Trump should be removed from office for abusing the power of the presidency. “If right doesn’t matter, we’re lost,” he told the senators, his voice cracking at one point. The Republican-led Senate wasn’t convinced, and senators voted to acquit Trump on the Democratic-led impeachment charges over his dealings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump would survive a second impeachment a year later after his supporters stormed the Capitol and tried to overturn his defeat. Now Trump is headed back to the White House, politically stronger than ever and with a firm hold over what will be a unified Republican Congress. And Schiff, one of Trump’s biggest foils, was sworn into the Senate on Monday as part of a Democratic caucus that is headed into the minority and has been so far restrained in opposing the returning president, taking more of a wait-and-see approach in the weeks before he is sworn into office. As California’s newest senator , Schiff says he’s not going to shy away from familiar territory — opposing Trump when he feels it necessary. But he’s also hoping to be known for bipartisanship, as well, after campaigning in Republican areas of his state and working to learn more about rural issues that weren’t in his portfolio in his urban Los Angeles House district. “I think being there and letting folks get to know me, kick the tires a bit, helps overcome some of the sort of Fox News stereotypes,” Schiff said of the conservative news channel’s focus on him as he challenged Trump in his first term. He says he also sees that outreach as a way to gain insight into Democrats’ way forward after losses in the November elections. Schiff was sworn in weeks before the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3 because he is filling the seat of longtime Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died last year . He is entering the Senate alongside Democratic House colleague Andy Kim of New Jersey, who is filling the term of former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez after he was convicted on federal bribery charges and resigned . Bipartisanship was important to Feinstein, who often worked across the aisle and developed close relationships with other senators. But her work with Republicans also drew frequent criticism from California’s liberal voters. Feinstein “was able to do a couple things simultaneously, which I’m going to need to try to do as well, and that is work with others to deliver for the state, work across party lines to get things done, and at the same time, stand up and defend people’s rights and their freedom and their values when those things are threatened,” Schiff told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of his swearing-in. He says those priorities will frequently be at odds in the era of Trump, “and so I’ll have to try to do both.” Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, who has spent time with Schiff as he prepares to enter the Senate, says he thinks Schiff has the “right approach” in asking questions of other senators and refraining from “opining at every opportunity.” “Everybody understands his capabilities, but he also understands that he’s a freshman,” Schatz says, and it’s appreciated when “someone of his stature understands that he’s joining a team here.” Still, Schiff, who was censured by House Republicans last year for his involvement in investigations into Trump’s ties to Russia, won’t be able immediately to shake his longtime role as a chief Trump antagonist. The former House Intelligence Committee chairman is more well-known than most of his fellow incoming freshmen, and he has been calling Trump out on social media in recent weeks and criticizing some of his Cabinet nominees as many of his fellow Democrats have chosen to remain quiet. Schiff posted on X last week that FBI director nominee Kash Patel , a former GOP staffer on the House intelligence panel, is “more suited as internet troll than FBI Director” and the “Senate must reject him.” He could become part of the story as well as Trump has vowed revenge on people he views as his political enemies. President Joe Biden has been considering preemptive pardons for aides and allies like Schiff who tried to hold Trump accountable for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump once suggested Schiff should be arrested for treason and has called him an “enemy from within.” Schiff, though, says he doesn’t think that’s necessary. He said Biden shouldn’t use his remaining days in office to defend him or any others who are in Trump’s crosshairs. And the former prosecutor has long experience in defending himself from Republican attacks. After the House censure, which happened when fellow California Rep. Kevin McCarthy was speaker and Schiff was already running for Feinstein’s Senate seat, Schiff traveled to McCarthy’s district and met with local leaders. When a conservative news outlet there asked him what he thought of McCarthy calling him a liar, “I responded something along the lines of, well, coming from Kevin, I’m sure he means that as some form of a compliment,” Schiff said. Schiff is unlikely similarly to go after his colleagues in the Senate, which he says “is a very different place culturally than the House.” He’s already tried to make inroads with Republicans, including incoming Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana, whom he has talked to about working together on wildfire legislation important to both of their states. And he could possibly win some grudging respect from more veteran Senate Republicans, some of whom praised him during the 2020 impeachment trial even as they vehemently disagreed with his premise and voted not to convict Trump. After the first day of arguments, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham shook his hand and told him he was doing a good job. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, who will become Senate majority leader next year, said at the time that Schiff “was passionate and his case has been well articulated.” Schiff said he got the sense that some Republican senators “were a bit surprised that I wasn’t this caricature,” and also that the Senate is a more collegial place than the House. “I don’t think it was a hurtful introduction,” he said.
