Monthly Archives: April 2016

Syrian ceasefire “barely alive”

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There has been a drastic escalation in violence in Syria, with “dozens” killed in an airstrike on a hospital run by Medicins Sans Frontiers in Aleppo. The attack is understood to have killed the city’s last remaining pediatrician.

The New York Times reports:

At least 27 people, including three children and six staff members, were reported killed in the strike on the hospital, which turned it into a smoking pile of rubble on Wednesday night, and 20 were reported killed in airstrikes on Thursday. At least 14 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the mortar attacks on government-controlled areas, said officials at a hospital where casualties were streaming in throughout the day on Thursday.

 

 

Fast-tracking the Acela primaries

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Voters go to the polls Tuesday in Presidential primaries in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The states, in the northeast corridor, have collectively become known as the “Acela” primaries, after Amtrak’s express rail service that serves the region.

(The Note will be traveling tonight, so no updates till tomorrow. You know where to go…)

Anti-Trump pact – desperate measures?

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As primary voters prepare for tomorrow’s five northeastern contests, which GOP frontrunner Donald Trump appears set to dominate, the campaigns of Ted Cruz and John Kasich announced that they would be co-operating in subsequent states in a bid to prevent Trump from sealing the required 1,237 delegates ahead of the Cleveland convention.

The pact is focused on the Indiana primary on May 3, with its 57 winner-take-all delegates. Early voting in the state, however, may already prove significant.

Trump, predictably, called the agreement “collusion” and it’s possible that any image of the system being “rigged” could play into his narrative of unfairness.

So is it too little too late, an act of obvious desperation, or could it succeed in making the Convention even more chaotic than it already looks?

One thing’s sure, though, tomorrow’s outcomes just became even more important.

A new Hillary Clinton ad, meanwhile, continued her pivot to the general election with an attack on Trump.

 

Trump and Clinton win NY, ready for pivot to general election

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KingDon

Update: 10.30pm ET: Donald Trump appeared set to pick up the vast majority of the 95 Republican delegates after a commanding victory in Tuesday night’s presidential primary.  John Kasich was projected to finish second and was reported to be polling ahead in Manhattan.

Trump now heads into a potentially friendly series of Northeastern states – the next five contests, in CT, DE, MD, PA, RI, are on April 26 – as the only Republican candidate who can mathematically win an outright majority of delegates ahead of the convention.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton defeated Bernie Sanders (the latest numbers showing a roughly 60-40 margin) and now looks likely to begin pressing a narrative that the contest on that side is now concluding and it’s time to turn their campaign to the general election.

On the Democratic side,

Finally,

 

 

 

The ‘imperfect messenger’

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The New York Post endorsed Donald Trump.

The last hurrah of its outgoing editor?

 

 

New York a crucial test for Sanders

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With the New York primary approaching on April 29, the contest is becoming increasingly important for the Bernie Sanders campaign. Even though he has raised a remarkable amount recently and will clearly be able to continue the fight, a heavy defeat in his birth state – he trails Hillary Clinton by double digits – would be a big setback.

Yet, tell that to the estimated 27,000 people who packed Washington Square Park last night for one of Sanders’ biggest rallies yet. It wasn’t without controversy, as Clinton surrogates used outrage to try to turn attention back to their candidate.

The candidates debate in Brooklyn this evening.

Meanwhile on the Republican side, the New York Daily News made an endorsement.

PM faces MPs over Panama Papers

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Update 3pm Dublin time: Watch the Prime Minister’s appearance live here:

 

Earlier: As David Cameron prepares to make a statement to Parliament, the fallout continues from the Panama Papers revelations, in Britain and elsewhere. Meanwhile, there’s further  contemplation about what the story means for the nature of modern journalism.

Meanwhile,

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WORLD

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BUSINESS

The Daily Mail is one of the suitors for Yahoo! according to the Wall Street Journal.

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SPORTS

 

Wham bam Cam, thank you Panama’m

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So. Not a good few days for the British Prime Minister, then. Totally of his own making. And he’s far from out of the woods yet.

The hashtag to follow is #ResignCameron. Enjoy.

Not so fast, though…

So there’s that.

and if it all wasn’t bad enough…

 

Cruz cruises to big Wisconsin win

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Update 3am London: 

So, have the wheels finally come off the Trump train?

Wisconsinites may have voted for Ted Cruz, but they could also have been voting against Donald Trump – or even for as-yet-non-candidate-home-stater Paul Ryan. As far as any conclusions can be drawn, though, tonight makes it more likely that the Republican nomination could be in doubt come July’s convention.

In fact, his actual response was, well, read it for yourself..

wisconsinstatement

On the Democratic side, there was also a setback for the front-runner as Bernie Sanders easily defeated Hillary Clinton. But Sanders’ path to the nomination still remains difficult.

But not impossible.

On to New York on April 19th.

Earlier:

After what was arguably the Republican front-runner’s worst week of the campaign (and on the face of it, you’d think there were plenty to choose from), voters go to the polls in the Wisconsin primary tonight.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “had to take a stand.”

Check back later for updates

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WORLD

The first casualty…

while elsewhere…