Mike Pence launched a direct attack on rivals Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis in a speech where he challenged the Republican Party to return to its conservative roots. 

The former vice president, in what was billed as a major speech by his campaign, slammed the direction the GOP was moving in and called for new leadership that would bring the party to what it was under Ronald Reagan. 

‘The truth is the Republican Party did not begin on a golden escalator in 2015,’ he said, referring to Trump’s campaign announcement, when he rode down as escalator at Trump Tower.

Much of what Pence addressed is reflective of the internal battle happening inside the Republican Party – a fight between the right-wing MAGA supporters and the more moderate side. The battle is playing out both on the campaign trail and in the halls of Congress as the GOP struggles with its future.

He made his argument at  Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics, an must-stop on the presidential campaign trail. New Hampshire, which holds the first in the nation primary, prides itself on its political independence, touting its state motto of ‘Live Free or Die.’

A small crowd of about 50 people listened to his remarks and posed for selfies afterward.  

For Pence, the speech could be a pivotal moment.  It comes after he made aggressive attacks in the first Republican primary debate. The second debate will take place in three weeks, on September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Other candidates have tried similar moves – making grand speeches that are also targeted at addressing one of the major questions voters have about them. Mitt Romney, a Mormon, made one on faith during his presidential campaign. And Barack Obama made one on race during his presidential bid.

For Pence, that major question is Trump. As his former vice president, he worked in the administration that pushed some of those policies he is now questioning. 

Trump has a strangle hold on the Republican Party. His MAGA supporters have made or broken candidates in several primary elections, leaving him in a position of power. The former president’s own arraingments and legal issues have seen him raise millions from his supporters. 

In his remarks, Pence cast himself as the inheritor of Reagan’s legacy and slammed his rivals for rejecting the Constitution, using the government to further their own agenda, and turning to populism.

‘When Donald Trump ran for president in 2016, he promised to govern as a conservative. Together we did,’ Pence said. ‘But it’s important for Republicans to know that he and his imitators in this Republican primary make no such promise today.’

He also criticized Trump’s position on Medicaid and Medicare. 

‘Donald Trump’s position on entitlement reform is identical to Joe Biden’s,’ Pence said. 

Pence is struggling to gain traction in the polls for the Republican presidential nomination. He has been barnstorming New Hampshire – the first primary state – but sits at 2% in the RealClearPolitics polling average of the state. Trump leads by double digits and Ramaswamy is at 6%.

And the latest poll in New Hampshire had Trump holding a 38-point lead over the field with 48% while Pence was in seventh place with only 4%. 

DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley shared second place with 10% apiece. Ramaswamy came in at 8%. 

Pence, in his speech, tried to tie DeSantis to Trump, calling the Florida governor an ‘imitator’ of the former president. 

‘These imitators in this primary have demonstrated a willingness to brandish government power to impose their will on opponents,’ he said, pointing to DeSantis’ war on Walt Disney.

‘The governor of Florida still justifies using the power of the state to punish a corporation for taking a political stance that he disagreed with,’ Pence said. 

The DeSantis/Disney clash began when the company spoke out against the governor’s so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law – a state law prohibiting classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity. As part of that war, DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Florida legislature terminated the self-governing privileges that Disney World had held since 1967.

And Pence criticized Ramaswamy for advocating in his book for a 59% inheritance tax. The former vice president said the tax policy was something liberals would support.

‘In his book Nation of Victims last year, he said that Americans should not become wealthy quote, just by having rich parents,’ Pence noted.

Pence called on Republicans to return to the policies of ‘limited government and individual liberty.’

He argued that was the way to defeat President Joe Biden next November. 

‘If we’re to defeat Joe Biden and turn America around, the Republican Party must be the party of limited government, free enterprise, fiscal responsibility and traditional moral values,’ Pence said in his closing. ‘And I’ll be carrying that message across the Granite State and all across America in the days ahead.’

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said there’s ‘no question’ he wants Mitch McConnell to remain Senate Minority Leader, claiming the Kentucky lawmaker was in ‘good shape’ when they spoke on Saturday despite rising concerns over his fitness for office following back-to-back incidents.

Following Leader McConnell’s concerning freeze-up during a press conference on Wednesday, Sen. Rounds insists the 81-year-old is still ‘sharp and shrewd’ and up for his role.

The 30-second freeze came just over a month after another eerily similar event where McConnell froze at the podium during a press conference at the Capitol. Both times reporters were asking McConnell about his future and whether he plans to run for reelection in 2026.

During a phone call on Saturday, McConnell told Rounds that he was expecting to have spells of lightheadedness following his concussion in March – and said it was a coincidence that the only two episodes he’s had were captured on camera. 

Meanwhile, presidential hopeful Nikki Haley is proposing that all members of Congress, both incumbent and newcomer, should be required to provide doctor notes confirming their mental acuity – just like lawmakers have to hand over financial disclosures to run for office.

Rounds relayed to CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday morning what McConnell told him during their Saturday call.

He said the Leader told him: ‘I had that concussion. They warned me that I would be lightheaded in the future and that I have got to be aware of it. It happened twice. It just so happens I’m doing it in front of reporters.’

Rounds added that McConnell ‘felt good yesterday.’

‘He said he’s got to watch his hydration levels. Dr. Monahan, who is also my physician there at the Senate, he’s sharp,’ the South Dakota Republican said. ‘And if he says that Mitch is ready to go, then Mitch is ready to go.’

Following the latest freeze, reports emerged that GOP senators are planning an emergency meeting as they come back into session to discuss the future of the Party’s leadership.

At least a dozen offices told DailyMail.com last week that they had not heard of any plans for such a meeting.

‘Mitch will come back in front of us, and he will discuss it with the entire team,’ Rounds told CNN. ‘He’s been busy. He’s been working around his own state. But he’s also been doing the fund-raising that is required of a leader. And I think that’s been a big job for him as well during this break.’

He added: ‘Mitch is sharp, and he is shrewd. He understands what needs to be done. I will leave it up to him as to how he wants to discuss that with American public. But there’s no doubt in my mind that he is perfectly capable of continuing on at this stage of the game.’

Nikki Haley, 51, feels it’s vital to evaluate elderly lawmakers’ mental competency, but suggested on Sunday that she’s open to making it a requirement for all members of Congress so there’s no discrimination on who gets checked.

The proposal comes just days after McConnell’s latest freeze – and months after Haley already suggested a 75-year-old age limit for those who can run for president.

‘I think there should be mental competency tests,’ Haley told NBC’s Face the Nation on Sunday morning, adding that it should be done even if it’s ‘for the entire Congress.’

‘These are basic tests. These are – tell us where you were born, name four words that start with the same letter, how many grandchildren do you have?’ she listed in assuring the exams are easy and will assure mental capacity to serve in office.

‘When a candidate files to run for office – incumbent or newcomer – they have to give their financial disclosures,’ Haley added. ‘They should also give a notice from the doctor that tells about their mental capacity. I think that we need that.’

Haley has faced criticism from Trump world for her age limit of 75, claiming that she was specifically targeting the ex-President with that limitation. But on Sunday, she said that there needs to be some standard put in place, and said that could even be at the age of 50.

Haley’s proposals come as the top ages in the top tiers of the federal government continue to rise.

President Joe Biden, 80, is the oldest person ever elected President. Donald Trump is 77, meaning that if either Biden or Trump wins in 2024, they will set yet another record for the oldest-ever president.

The Senate is run by the 81-year-old minority leader and 72-year-old Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Up until the 2022 midterms, the House was run by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is now 83.

McConnell’s age and health scares have gained new scrutiny after he froze for 30 seconds during a press conference in Kentucky on Wednesday. It came just a month after an eerily similar incident when speaking with reporters at the Capitol in late July. Colleagues helped lead him away from the podium and back to his office.

Both freeze-ups came just months after McConnell fell at the Washington D.C. Waldorf Astoria, once the Trump Hotel. He suffered a concussion and broken ribs. It took six weeks for his recovery.

Capitol Physician Dr. Brian Monahan immediately cleared McConnell for normal work the day after the latest freeze.

The doctor said it’s normal to experience lightheadedness in concussion recovery. He also said the episode could be attributed to dehydration.

When asked about McConnell continuing to serve in Senate leadership, Rounds said: ‘Oh, yes, no question.’

‘There’s a lot of folks out there that would like to see him go, but that’s because he is a very capable leader,’ he told CNN’s Dana Bash. ‘And he’s one of these kind of guys that, if you could take him out of the leadership role in advance, you might end up in a better position if you were a competitor of his.’

‘But on the Republican side, we all understand that he’s good,’ Rounds insisted. ‘He’s good for our party. He sees the long road ahead. He looks a long ways ahead. And when all the rest of us are sitting back, he’s the guy that takes the spears and the arrows, so that we don’t have to.’

McConnell’s freeze comes as 90-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) also faces immense criticism for her continued health issues and her advanced age.

Voters are also concerned about President Biden’s age, with a new poll last week showing 77 percent of Americans think he is too old to serve another four-year term.

‘We can’t stand watching Dianne Feinstein sit there and be told by an aide how she should vote,’ Haley told NBC’s Robert Costa. ‘We can’t worry about Mitch McConnell being frozen at a podium. We can’t have Joe Biden forget where he is.’

‘Our enemies are watching all of this,’ she added. ‘And every time they have an instance like that, America is less safe because our enemies think we are out of control – and that has got to stop.’

Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group increases its stake in fast fashion firm Boohoo to 7.8%

By Daily Mail City & Finance Reporter

Updated: 16:51 EDT, 31 July 2023

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Former President Donald Trump dumped on his former VP Mike Pence‘s political prospects in a new interview – where he said the conservative base ‘loves me’ and reiterated he was ‘disappointed’ in his former partner.   

‘Honestly, I haven’t spoken to Mike in a long time,’ Trump told the Christian Broadcasting Network.  

‘A long time is four or five months. I haven’t spoken to him in a long time. And he’s a nice man. He disappointed me on one thing because I think he should have sent the votes back to the legislatures,’ Trump said. 

It was an obvious reference to Pence’s refusal to meet Trump’s demand that he refuse to count votes certified by states for Biden on January 6, 2020.

Trump tweeted that day that Pence lacked ‘courage,’ although the House Jan. 6 committee is investigating Trump’s election overturn effort.

Trump, who holds high approval ratings within the Republican Party and who scored a victory when his favorite candidate J.D. Vance prevailed in the Ohio Senate primary, handicapped Pence poorly in a contested presidential primary.

‘So if Mike Pence gets into the 2024 presidential race, does the former president think his former VP has a shot?,’ CBN interviewer David Brody asked.

‘I don’t want to say,’ Trump responded. 

‘If Mike got in, I think it’d be a hard one for him. I think it would be a hard one.’

Then Trump immediately turned to his own political attributes. ‘I understand where the base is. I love the base. The base loves me. I think it’d be hard, but Mike was a good guy. I thought he was a very good vice president. He was my friend,’ he said.

Pence has spent years cultivating Christian conservative support. The former talk radio broadcaster carved out a voting record on conservative social issues as a House leader and member of the House GOP Caucus for a dozen years.

He frequently calls himself ‘a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.’

Pence got a standing ovation at the Faith & Freedom Coalition meeting in Orlando last year, but a small group jeered at him, calling him a ‘traitor.’ 

Trump’s analysis appeared to presume a theoretical race that included both himself and Pence. But he also said he’ll decide whether to make another run for the White House after the midterms.

Many Republicans will likely wait until then to make their own decisions. Trump’s camp has also been eyeing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a potential rival. It went public early this year when Trump took a swing at DeSantis for failing to state publicly whether he had gotten a booster shot. 

Sen. Mitt Romney is predicting Trump will be the GOP‘s nominee in 2024 if he runs. 

‘I don’t delude myself into thinking I have a big swath of the Republican Party,’ said Romney, who was the party’s presidential nominee in 2012 and was defeated by President Barack Obama. 

‘It’s hard to imagine anything that would derail his support,’ he said, in comments reported by Axios. ‘So if he wants to become the nominee in ’24, I think he’s very likely to achieve that,’ Romney said.

‘He’s the leader of the party, that’s clear … If he decides to run, he will be the nominee,’ Romney said. 

‘Go home for dinner’: Mike Pence dispenses advice on faith and family as 2024 hopeful teams up with his daughter on forthcoming book

• Former Vice President Mike Pence releases his second book in November
• ‘Go Home for Dinner’ is written with daughter Charlotte Pence Bond
• He is running in third place in the race for the GOP 2024 nomination 

By Rob Crilly, Senior U.S. Political Reporter For Dailymail.Com

Published: 15:38 EDT, 15 June 2023 | Updated: 15:38 EDT, 15 June 2023

Mike Pence‘s defiance of Donald Trump on January 6 earned him a standing ovation from Republican lawmakers at a meeting on Capitol Hill Wednesday. 

Rep. Chip Roy of Texas apparently praised Pence for continuing to count Electoral College votes to certify President Joe Biden‘s victory last year even after a mob of Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol in a bid to stop the process.

That move elicited applause from Pence’s fellow Republicans, a source familiar told DailyMail.com

Some GOP lawmakers at the meeting even ‘encouraged’ Pence to run for president, one congressman said – a move that Pence has not yet ruled out, even if it means going head-to-head against Trump in a contentious primary race.

‘People said they hope he’s going to be a big voice in 2024,’ Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska told reporters after the meeting. 

‘I’m a fan of him. I’m not here to push him one way or the other, but I like Vice President Pence’s character, I like what he stands for.’

Pence spoke at a Republican Study Committee gathering in Washington, DC, the day after attending a fundraising dinner hosted by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. 

Ramped-up public appearances, sit-downs with Republican officials and a number of high-profile endorsements in this year’s midterm elections have all fueled rumors that Pence is considering a run for the White House.

Asked by DailyMail.com how Pence took the encouragement, Bacon said the ex-veep ‘smiled.’

‘I think he appreciates the positive feedback,’ the Nebraska Republican said. 

Trump was not mentioned during the meeting, he said. Bacon was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the ex-president over the January 6 Capitol riot.

‘[Pence] was thanked in there for his courage on January 6, and I think people embraced his message and it was very positive,’ he added.

Another RSC member, Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky, affirmed that lawmakers voiced their appreciation for his actions in defiance of Trump’s plot. 

‘The vice president is a real moral force within our party, he’s a true leader, he’s earned respect from Republicans and other Americans all over this country,’ Barr told the media. 

However he declined to affirm whether his colleagues were pushing Pence to run for president. 

‘I think the vice president said it best – he’s focused on 2022. He’s always been an advocate for House Republicans, an advocate for the Republican Study Committee, and as he said, his focus is 100 percent on helping us regain the majority,’ Barr said.

Pence arrived at the Capitol Hill Club for the meeting early on Wednesday morning, but managed to evade cameras by leaving through a connected exit at the Republican National Committee headquarters.

A video of Pence’s arrival was shared with DailyMail.com by the Tennessee Star, taken by staff photographer Anthony Peltier 

His top aide, Marc Short, was also present, though he did not stop to speak with reporters.

Despite neither formally declaring their candidacy yet, the growing furor around a Trump-Pence primary challenge is serving to further fracture the relationship between the former running mates.

It ruptured when Pence refused to go along with Trump and his allies’ plan to overturn the 2020 election, which the ex-vice president has since said he had no Constitutional right to do.

The growing number of Congressional candidates Pence is backing in the 2022 midterm elections is already testing the strength of Trump’s hold over the GOP.

Both Republican leaders are set to host dueling Friday events in Arizona for their respective gubernatorial candidates.

Pence is appearing on behalf of Karrin Taylor Robson, a former Reagan administration staffer who also served on the Arizona Board of Regents.

Trump meanwhile is holding his second rally of the year on behalf of Kari Lake, an ex-local news anchor who endeared herself to the former president by promoting his false 2020 election fraud claims.

Robson is also backed by Arizona’s term-limited Republican Governor Doug Ducey, who infuriated Trump when he refused to overturn Biden’s narrow victory in the state.

American singer Kelis is reportedly dating star actor Bill Murray, despite him being more than 30 years her senior. 

The rumours come just over a year after Kelis’ husband Mike Mora tragically passed away at the age of just 37. 

It also marks the first time that Murray himself has been in a public relationship since his former wife Jennifer Butler died in 2021. 

But who exactly was Kelis’ former husband? How did he die? Here is everything you need to know about Mike Mora. 

Who was Mike Mora? 

Mora worked as a photographer and frequently shared pictures of Kelis after the pair married in 2014. 

They lived on a remote farm in Temecula, California, outside of Los Angeles, from January 2020 until Mora’s passing.

The couple had two sons — Knight, 13, and Shepherd, seven — and one daughter — Galilee, two. 

The singer is now reportedly dating Groundhog Day actor Bill Murray, after the pair were to have connected over their ‘shared relatively recent bereavements’, according to the U.S. Sun. 

How did Mike Mora die? 

In 2021, Mora revealed that he had cancer, having been diagnosed a year earlier – at which time doctors had given him just 18 months left to live.

Mora took to his Instagram in late September 2021 to reveal he had stage 4 stomach cancer which was spreading to the lymph nodes in his back.

After a six-month battle with the illness, Mora died in March 2022. 

Exactly a year after her husband’s death, Kelis took to Instagram to open up about how the situation had affected her. 

‘It’s been exactly a year,’ Kelis wrote in the caption of her post. ‘That’s crazy to me.

‘I’m a very private person generally, especially when there is family involved,’ she continued. ‘But there is no denying the impact and evolution my husband’s passing has had on my life.

‘I get asked all the time how I started this journey,’ she stated before delving into the story in her video. ‘It’s a much longer conversation but in short what we were dealing with here pushed me so deep into understanding our bodies and how our minds and emotions are so interlocked, you can not treat one without the other.

‘Our thoughts and intentions are as powerful and key as our skin health and fitness,’ she said. ‘I want to live well and this is me sharing what I know to be true.

‘I just wanted to eat well,’ she recalled on how she got into nutrition and wellness. ‘When I got pregnant, that’s when I really started to care and think about it.’

The Kaleidoscope singer also added that the reason she lives a on a farm in a rural area is because ‘stress kills’.

‘Every doctor we saw, every specialist, every nutritionist, every human being we found that had any expertise in this whatsoever was like: “Stress kills”,’ she said.

‘I moved to the farm and we wanted to separate ourselves from all the silly things that had us stressed out and worried and angst and all these things that didn’t really matter’. 

Mike Pompeo gives his strongest indication yet he will run for President in 2024 and it ‘won’t mater’ who else is in the race

• Pompeo said if he believes he should be president, he will do so ‘no matter who all decides to get in and who else decides not to get in the race’ 
• Comes as potential field is watching Donald Trump to see if he will run in 2024
• Pompeo served as Trump’s secretary of state and CIA Director  
• Mike Pence appeared at Iowa State Fair and Florida’s Ron DeSantis issued online ad with ‘Maverick’ theme this week

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor For Dailymail.com

Published: 09:55 EDT, 25 August 2022 | Updated: 10:18 EDT, 25 August 2022

Making the perfect quiche has become a hot topic since it was crowned the official dish of the King’s coronation.

There are some common mistakes to avoid when it comes to baking the dish, according to MasterChef 2021 finalist Mike Tomkins, who offers private dining and events services via The NoteCook.

Most quiche recipes involve blind baking a pastry and whipping up a delicious filling that is mixed with beaten eggs and placed into the oven to bake. 

Here Mike reveals his top tips for the perfect version, including how to nail heavenly flaky pastry, faultless seasoning and more…

Chopping

Mike says: ‘Make sure you chop the ingredients evenly. Think about the texture of the quiche when people are eating it. Every bite should taste the same.’

Ingredients

Mike says: ‘Use quality ingredients – don’t skimp on the cheese. This makes a huge difference.’

Using quality eggs is also key, according to the chef.

‘This is so important for a quiche and will make a real difference in your end result,’ he adds.

‘Typically, dark golden egg yolks are a good indicator that the chickens have eaten a nutrient-rich diet and will leave you with a vibrant-looking quiche.’

Season well

Mike says: ‘We’ve all had a slightly bland quiche before, and there’s nothing worse.

‘To avoid this classic trap, take a little of your egg mixture and fry it off in a pan until cooked through.

‘Taste this for seasoning and this will give you a good indicator to show if you’ve nailed that seasoning or it needs another pinch of salt.’ 

Time to chill 

Mike says: ‘Chill the dough before blind baking. This ensures a great evenly cooked crust.’

Blind bake your crust

Mike says: ‘We all know that the crust is one of everyone’s favourite parts when it comes to a quiche.

‘So to make sure you nail this all-important element, blind bake your crust in the tin whilst weighing it down for an even finish for a few minutes.

‘This will ensure you have a perfectly even and flaky finish.’

Brush up

Mike says: ‘After blind baking, brush with egg yolk and bake for another couple of minutes.

‘This creates a waterproof layer that will prevent the dreaded soggy bottom.’

Think about fillings

Mike says: ‘If you’ve got fillings that hold a lot of moisture, think about cooking them off first before combining with your quiche mix.

‘For example, mushrooms hold a lot of moisture, which is released through cooking, so it’s best to cook these off first. This is also a great chance to pack even more flavour in.’

Cook to temperature, not time

Mike says: ‘Regularly probe your quiche with an instant-read thermometer as you’re nearing the end of your cook – I use a Thermapen.

‘You want the centre of the quiche to read 68C before removing from the oven – importantly, allow your quiche to rest for around 45 minutes.

‘During this time, the quiche will continue cooking and firm up, leaving you with the perfect texture.’

Mike also recommends playing with classic combinations when cooking up ideas for a quiche recipe.

He says: ‘If there’s a classic dish you love, the chances are these flavours will work amazingly well in a quiche.

‘One of my favourites is stilton, mushroom, and red pepper – the perfect combo!’

Texture 

Mike tells MailOnline there are two things to avoid if you want to get ‘the best possible texture’.

He says: ‘There are two really common mistakes people make when cooking a quiche.

‘You need to make sure to avoid these so that you are left with the best possible texture.

‘Don’t bake it on the top rack of the oven. You want to bake on the bottom rack of the oven to ensure that the bottom of the quiche cooks through properly.’

The second common mistake is not allowing enough time for the quiche to cool, he explains.

‘I know you will be desperate to dive in, but you need to let the quiche cool down because it will carry on cooking. Once cool you will be left, as mentioned, with the perfect texture,’ he adds.

Ex-St. John’s basketball coach Mike Anderson SUES the school for nearly $46MILLION… saying he was fired for ‘fictitious’ reasons so they could hire Rick Pitino away from Iona

• The school fired Anderson in early March and hired Pitino just ten days later 
• Anderson says that he is owed the $11.4m remaining on his deal plus damages 
• DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news 

By Reuters and Jake Fenner For Dailymail.Com

Published: 19:20 EDT, 11 May 2023 | Updated: 19:21 EDT, 11 May 2023