US election diary
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Lost in Spain
John McCain's strong suit is meant to be foreign affairs and national security but he has given a bizarre interview (in English) with a Spanish radio station, in which he appeared not to know who Spain's Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, was. Mr McCain assumed he was a left-wing, anti-American demagogue from Latin America.
"Would you be willing to meet with the head of our government, Mr Zapatero?" the Spanish journalist asked several times. Mr McCain then spoke about Mexico and Latin America – but not Spain – promising to stand up to world leaders who intend to harm the US. The reporter repeated the question two more times, but Mr McCain, 72, referred again to Latin America. Finally, the questioner said: "OK, but I'm talking about Europe – the Prime Minister of Spain – would you meet with him?" McCain offered a slight twist to his initial comment: "I will reunite with any leader that has the same principles and philosophy that we do... And I will confront those that don't [have them]." A predictably outraged Spanish media is suggesting that McCain doesn't even know where Spain is. But the encounter may point to a bit of declining mental acuity. Perhaps Mr McCain was thinking of the Zapatista rebels. Or was he confused between Zapatero and Emiliano Zapata, the hero of the Mexican revolution? That was only in 1910.
Palin hacked off
The hackers broke into Sarah Palin's Yahoo email account and posted screenshots of the Alaska governor's emails on Wikileaks (a sister of Wikipedia) as well as her contact list, and her inbox list. Some of the emails on the account gov.sarah@ yahoo.com deal with state business and had subject lines that include, "Memorandum of Law", and "CONFIDENTIAL Ethics Matter". Another seems to deal with the sacking of Alaska's de facto police chief Walt Monegan for refusing to fire the governor's ex-brother-in law, Trooper Mike Wooten. The governor has been accused of operating in secrecy through an unsecured Yahoo account in order to get around Freedom of Information requests.
Clinton's revenge?
One bright spot for Mr McCain is the shocking idea that the Republican ticket might win New York State, which has long been a bastion for Democrats. The rejection of New York's Senator Hillary Clinton has damaged Barack Obama, pollsters note. They also detect "a pronounced swing among Jewish voters... 12 per cent of the state-wide vote". McCain's allies may be clutching at straws but they want him to campaign heavily in the state.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments