GOP leaders say Harris calling Trump a fascist is 'irresponsible rhetoric'

Two key GOP leaders — House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — made a pitch for civility on Friday, accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of using "irresponsible rhetoric" and "escalating the threat environment" when she said she believed former President Donald Trump was a fascist.

"The Democratic nominee for President of the United States has only fanned the flames beneath a boiling cauldron of political animus," the Republican leaders said in a statement. "Her most recent and most reckless invocations of the darkest evil of the 20th century seem to dare it to boil over. "

Harris said she believed Trump was a fascist Wednesday at a CNN town hall after Trump's former chief of staff, John F. Kelly, a retired Marine general, warned Tuesday in interviews that the Republican nominee meets the definition of a fascist. During his time as president, Kelly alleged, Trump suggested that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler "did some good things."

When asked by CNN whether she believed Trump is a fascist, Harris said: "Yes, I do. Yes, I do." Later, she added that Trump would be "a president who admires dictators and is a fascist."

—Los Angeles Times

Washington Post to no longer endorse presidential candidates

The Washington Post won’t be making a presidential endorsement for the 2024 election or in any future presidential races, becoming the latest news publication to pull away from backing political candidates.

William Lewis, the newspaper’s publisher and chief executive officer, said in a statement Friday that the Post is “returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates,” with the goal of providing “nonpartisan news for all Americans.” The paper only began endorsing candidates consistently starting in 1976, he said.

“We recognize that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility,” Lewis wrote. “That is inevitable. We don’t see it that way.”

The paper, which is owned by Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, had drafted an endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the union that represents Post staffers. “The decision not to publish was made by the Post’s owner,” the Washington Post Newspaper Guild said in a statement.

—Bloomberg News

Hemp grow stinks up California town of Sutter and irks residents. What can they do?

From the west end of the unincorporated town of Sutter wafts a strong smell, familiar to many and scorned by some.

In recent weeks the odor from a nearby hemp grow, which smells just like marijuana, has subsumed parts of the small town that borders farm land surrounding the Sutter Buttes, and even lingered in the air outside of the town’s high school.

The smell inundating parts of the Sutter County town as its harvest neared is one way in which the maturing hemp and marijuana industries in California have created unintended, and subsequently unplanned for, consequences.

“It’s like there’s a skunk in your backyard spraying constantly,” said Kathy Ripley, Sutter resident. Local regulations and restrictions on hemp and marijuana can vary greatly between county and city borders throughout California. Large-scale marijuana grows are not permitted in Sutter County, but farming hemp — a very similar plant but different commodity — is allowed.

—The Sacramento Bee

Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin are regularly in contact, report says

Billionaire Elon Musk and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have reportedly had an ongoing relationship since 2022.

Putin and Musk, the latter of whom has been busily supporting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in recent weeks, have discussed topics including global politics, according to The Wall Street Journal, which said its story was corroborated by both U.S. and Russian sources.

A person familiar with the situation confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Putin and Musk had been in contact, but didn’t offer further information about how often they had spoken or what they discussed.

In one of their discussions, Putin reportedly asked Musk to help China by not providing Starlink ​​satellite internet service to Taiwan. Musk hasn’t addressed the report other than calling pundit Keith Olbermann a “ret--d” for suggesting the relationship would pose a security risk to the U.S.

—New York Daily News