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When people think of traitors in anime, they often think of antagonists. Characters who pretend to be friends with people for the sake of betraying them once they've gotten what they wanted lines up with villain behavior, after all. However, even heroes can occasionally betray other people.

Sometimes it's a villain who sees the protagonist's point and changes sides. Other times a hero has gone undercover with the villains to gain information. Some characters regret betraying those they care about, while others couldn't care less. Regardless of the reason or how they feel about it though, heroes from Dragon Ball Z, Bleach and more still turned their back on people who trusted them.

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Millia Fallyna was meant to sneak aboard the Macross and kill its strongest pilot. Though she was able to find Maximillian Jenius, the ace pilot of the Macross, she wasnt able to kill him. Instead, after being defeated by him in a knife fight, the two pursued a romance together.

Seeing one another as equals, Millia and Max became living proof the human and Zentraedi could work together. Their union produced the first hybrid human-Zentraedi child, bewildering the rest of the Zentraedi and contributing significantly to them working towards peace.

Quattro has never known loyalty to anyone other than himself. Born Casval Rem Deikun, his world was torn upside down when the Zabi family took over the Principality of Zeon. Forced to live in hiding, Casval bounced from secret identity to secret identity.

During the One Year War, he became Char Aznable, and carefully began taking the lives of members of Zabi royalty. By Zeta Gundam, hed changed sides once again to become Quattro Bajeena. Here, he was a member of AEUG that stood against the Earth Federations Titans forces, betraying the Zeon to side with the AEUG while it was convenient.

Fujiko Mine is likely the biggest rival Lupin has when it comes to committing capers. While shes often seen working together with Lupin, often its because shes using their abilities to help her with a job. Given half a chance, she will abandon the rest of the group with the loot at the earliest possible chance.

If it were anyone else, Lupin would see her betrayal coming and make moves to avoid it. However, because hes in love with Fujiko, and sometimes they do legitimately work together, somehow when she betrays him its always a surprise.

Gin Ichimaru revealed that he had betrayed the other members of the Soul Society at the same time as Aizen. He helped strike down some of the other Soul Reapers before escaping to Hueco Mundo with his new leader.

However, it later turned out that Gin wasnt a loyal member of Aizens group at all. Instead, he wanted revenge for Aizens scientific actions, and later revealed himself to be a double agent. However, while he thought hed waited until the perfect moment, Aizen was still able to easily defeat him.

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Carly Carmine was originally a nice girl who just wanted to get a scoop on the King of Duelists, Jack Atlas, for her newspaper. However, following Jack around led to her being caught up in his involvement with the Dark Signers. After being defeated and losing her life in a duel with Divine, Carly is transformed into a Dark Signer, relying on the power of the Earthbound Immortals.

Gaining increased powers and an all-new Deck, Carly turned against Jack and his friends, even standing in his way by challenging him to a duel. Still, when she was defeated she switched back to the side of the angels.

The Prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta spent years within the employ of the galactic conqueror Frieza. While he had some degree of autonomy, being allowed to work with the other Saiyans to conquer planets, once he heard about the Dragon Balls he decided hed had enough.

Believing immortality was the key to beating Frieza, Vegeta refused to return to working for the conqueror even after his loss to Goku. Instead, after being healed he began one of the greatest character arcs in Dragon Ball Z, as he started systematically killing Friezas strongest lieutenants while trying to assemble the Dragon Balls for himself.

Early in Fairy Tail, Gajeel was one of Natsus most fierce rivals. A member of Phantom Lords Element 4, he was one of their strongest soldiers. However, after Phantom Lords defeat, Gajeel defected to Fairy Tails side, becoming a reluctant new member.

Later still in Fairy Tail though, it was revealed Gajeel was also playing a double-agent for the guild Raven Tail. A guild run by Laxus father, Makarov asked Gajeel to join Raven Tail to keep an eye on them. Thanks to his previous life and general demeanor, he had no problem fitting into their group, pretending to be a member until they were shut down by Laxus.

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Originally part of the Soma Familia, Liliruca was a kind girl who gradually turned bad because of her treatment by her Familia. Bullied by the members of her Familia, she tried to become a Supporter but no one respected her. Afterward, she began stealing from any adventurers who worked with her, including Bell Cranel.

However, Bell was willing to forgive her for what she did to him, saving her life later. Afterward, she joined the Hestia Familia, willing to do anything to support the man who rescued her from her old Familia.

The Number Two Pro Hero in the Hero Community, no one could have guessed that Hawks was actually a member of the Paranormal Liberation Front. Or at least, thats what they were led to believe. Realizing the Heroes needed someone on the inside, Hawks joined the PLF to gain intelligence on them.

However, while in the PLF Hawks built a genuine friendship with Twice, who felt betrayed when Hawks revealed he was still a Hero. Though Hawks legitimately tried to save Twice, the villain lashed out in rage, and Hawks battle with Twice and Dabi eventually led to Twices death.

The focus of all of Sasukes rage and hatred, Itachi Uchiha was single-handedly responsible for wiping out the Uchiha clan. Or at least, so Sasuke believed. In truth, Itachi spent his entire life betraying everyone around him.

He betrayed his family by choosing the city of Konoha and his brother over the clan. He betrayed his brother by lying to him over the real reason for killing the Uchiha. Finally, he betrayed the Akatsuki by working for them to collect intel on their goals. In his own way, Itachi represented the ultimate ninja, constantly dealing in deception for the sake of the mission.

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Best Anime Heroes Who Betray Other Characters - CBR - Comic Book Resources

To participate in the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 23, candidates must meet challenging new criteria, including having at least 40,000 donors and voter support of at least 1 percent in three approved polls. But the requirement causing the most consternation is a pledge to support the eventual nominee.

The candidates will be sent the pledge only after meeting the other qualifications, according to a person familiar with the process, and will have until 48 hours before the debate to meet those criteria, giving them until the last minute to make up their minds. Here is what they have said:

Unclear. Former President Donald J. Trump has not said whether he will sign the pledge.

In February, he refused to commit to supporting the eventual nominee, telling the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, It would have to depend on who the nominee was. But that was before the Republican National Committee made the pledge a debate requirement.

Even if he signs, it is unlikely to mean much. He signed the same pledge in 2015 and then reneged on it.

Unclear. Asked last month whether he would support Mr. Trump in a general election, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida didnt give a straight answer.

Mr. DeSantis vaguely indicated he might make the pledge, saying, You respect the process, and you respect the peoples decisions. But he made no commitment.

Yes. Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota has indicated that he will sign the pledge.

Im going to support whoever the Republican candidate is going forward in 2024, he told ABC News.

Mixed messages. Former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey has suggested he will sign the pledge: I will do what I need to do to be up on that stage, he told CNN.

Im going to take the pledge just as seriously as Donald Trump took it in 2016, he said, adding that he considered it useless and had told the R.N.C. as much.

Yes. Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and former United Nations ambassador, has committed to signing the pledge.

Absolutely irresponsible that Trump, DeSantis, and others wont commit 100% to supporting the Republican nominee, she wrote on Twitter. Theres no room for personal vendettas in this battle to save our country.

No. Former Representative Will Hurd of Texas is the only candidate who has ruled out signing the pledge.

I cant lie to get access to a microphone, he told CNN, adding: Im not going to support Donald Trump. I recognize the impact that it has on my ability to get access to the debate stage, but I cant lie.

Mixed messages. Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas has ruled out voting for Mr. Trump if he is convicted of a felony, but said he would sign the pledge out of confidence that Mr. Trump wouldnt win the primary.

You would have to make the pledge based on the fact that Donald Trump is not going to be our nominee and youre confident of it, he told ABC News.

He asked the R.N.C. to clarify that there is no pledge to support a nominee if they are found guilty of espionage or a serious felony. (The R.N.C. said no.) At the same time, he says he will do whatever is required because the debates are important.

Mixed messages. Former Vice President Mike Pence initially seemed to commit during a CNN town hall event, saying, Ive always supported the Republican nominee for president in the United States, and Ill support the Republican nominee in 2024.

But he struggled to reconcile that with his assertion that anyone who puts themselves above the Constitution, as he says Mr. Trump did, should never be president.

He said he did not believe that Mr. Trump would win and dodged follow-up questions. I dont think my old running mate is going to be the Republican nominee for president, and Im very confident, very confident, that well be able to support the Republican nominee, he said, suggesting that he might not if it is Mr. Trump.

Mixed messages. The entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has waffled on the pledge.

In February, he said he would make it. But last month, he gave a caveat: If the other candidates in this race make that pledge, I will stand by and be willing to, he told Fox News, adding, Im ready to play ball, but I require the other candidates to play ball as well.

Yes. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina has indicated that he will sign.

All Republican candidates would be better than any Democrat candidate, he told Fox News, while saying he was confident he would win the nomination.

Yes. Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami didnt vote for Mr. Trump in 2020 but says he will sign the pledge.

I think every single Republican candidate who wants to be on the debate stage has to pledge to support the nominee, and I will do that as well, he told ABC News.

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Which Republicans Have Pledged to Support Their Nominee - The New York Times

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National Republicans are stepping up their efforts to persuade former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores to run for her old seat in South Texas.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is recruiting Flores to make a comeback bid after U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, defeated her last year in Texas 34th Congressional District. The NRCC has named the seat a target for the 2024 election its only in Texas but Flores has not revealed yet whether she will try again.

The NRCC commissioned a poll in late May that found Flores tied with Gonzalez. A polling memo first shared with The Texas Tribune said Flores has already proven she can win, and new polling shows she remains popular. The memo touted the district as one of Republicans best pickup opportunities nationwide.

Flores said in a statement she is praying about [a 2024 campaign] with my family, friends, and supporters, and will make a decision soon.

Conservatives in South Texas achieved historic gains in the 2022 election cycle, but there is still more work to do, Flores said. These poll results are very encouraging, and I deeply appreciate the NRCC's belief in our movement.

Democrats dismissed Flores' chances in a 2024 bid.

"While the NRCC tries to convince Flores to run with dubious polling, the 2022 results speak for themselves," tweeted CJ Warnke, a spokesperson for House Majority PAC, adding that the 34th District "rejected [Flores'] extremism."

Flores flipped the seat in a June 2022 special election, a major breakthrough as the GOP was zeroing in on predominantly Hispanic South Texas. But redistricting made the seat more favorable to Democrats for the November election, and Gonzalez ousted Flores in a bitter battle.

Still, the NRCC sees Flores as uniquely capable of making the general election competitive. Although Flores lost to Gonzalez by 9 percentage points, she almost cut in half Donald Trumps 2020 deficit in the redrawn district.

The poll found Flores is tied with Gonzalez in a hypothetical matchup, 42% to 42%, with 16% undecided. She leads 50% to 31% with independents. The polling memo showed Flores has a net positive favorability rating of 14 points. It did not include any information on Gonzalezs image.

The GOP learned last cycle that South Texas can be difficult to poll. In the final weeks of the election, national GOP operatives expressed optimism about flipping as many as three seats in South Texas but captured only one.

Flores loss was perhaps the toughest for Republicans given her rising-star status after winning the special election months earlier. On the night of the November election, Flores lamented on Twitter that the RED WAVE did not happen.

Flores teased a comeback campaign shortly after her loss but has been quieter since about her plans. She has said she has enjoyed spending more time with family, and she has taken a few new jobs, including working for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the Austin-based conservative think tank.

The 2024 Republican primary for the 34th District already includes Mauro Garza, a self-funding businessman who placed second in the 2022 primary for the neighboring 15th District. Garza has already run TV ads in the district and recently announced the endorsement of Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff and immigration hardliner.

Luis Cabrera, a Harlingen pastor who helped with Flores 2022 campaigns, has said he is preparing to run if she does not; he will support her if she does.

Carlos Cascos, the former Texas secretary of state and Cameron County judge, has been considering a run too. He said Wednesday he will decide after Labor Day.

The NRCC poll was conducted from May 24-26 by 1892, a national political consulting firm. The firm interviewed 439 likely general-election voters in the 34th District using a combination of live calls and text messages to cell phones. The margin of error was plus-or-minus 4.67 percentage points.

Join us for conversations that matter with newly announced speakers at the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival, in downtown Austin from Sept. 21-23.

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Republicans recruiting former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores of Texas to ... - The Texas Tribune

Republicans are deeply divided over impeaching President Biden, with newly energized lawmakers on the far right applying pressure to do so and leaders and rank-and-file members concerned they have undertaken a politically risky battle that they cannot win.

A vote last month to send impeachment articles against Mr. Biden for his border policies to the Homeland Security Committee alongside the Judiciary Committee amounted to a stalling tactic by Speaker Kevin McCarthy to quell the urgent calls for action from the hard right. But it has also highlighted the rifts in the House G.O.P. over moving forward and complicating a separate monthslong drive by the panel to prepare an impeachment case against Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, for the same offenses.

Neither pursuit appears to have the votes to proceed, and many Republicans are worried that without a stronger case against the president, even trying the move could be disastrous for their party.

Several rank-and-file Republicans from politically competitive districts had balked at the idea of impeaching Mr. Mayorkas, even after Mr. McCarthy endorsed that push. Few believe that the new investigation of Mr. Biden a hastily arranged effort designed to halt a right-wing attempt to impeach the president outright with no investigation will yield anything that could persuade them to oust him.

Were supposed to impeach on high crimes and misdemeanors, said Representative Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska and a moderate who previously stated he opposed impeaching Mr. Mayorkas over a policy disagreement. When asked whether he was any more inclined to support impeaching Mr. Biden for the same reason, he answered, Not really.

Even among Republicans who support removing Mr. Biden, there is deep skepticism about whether focusing on his border policies is the best place to build an impeachment case against him.

To be frank with you, I think that our issue is a side issue its not the main issue here, said Representative Carlos Gimenez, Republican of Florida and a member of the homeland security panel. He said accusations of financial impropriety involving the presidents son, Hunter Biden, which are being investigated by the House Oversight Committee, are where the president really is going to have the majority of his problems.

But that panel has yet to produce any evidence of wrongdoing by Mr. Biden despite months of scrutiny and the frequent public claims by top Republicans that he has engaged in corrupt and potentially criminal behavior.

The push to impeach Mr. Biden comes amid a fierce struggle between Mr. McCarthy and a right-wing faction of his party that has been in open revolt ever since he struck a debt ceiling deal with the president. That faction includes Representative Lauren Boebert, Republican of Colorado, who forced a vote in June demanding that Mr. Biden be investigated on allegations of having intentionally facilitated a complete and total invasion at the southern border. Her resolution made no mention of Mr. Mayorkas.

The measure thrust Mr. McCarthy into an awkward position. Despite his frequent criticism of Mr. Biden for having failed the country with open-border policies, the speaker has pushed back on efforts to impeach the president, arguing Republicans had yet to articulate a good reason for doing so.

The move also forced the House Homeland Security Committee to abruptly pivot barely a week after Representative Mark Green, Republican of Tennessee and the chairman of the panel, presented a 55-page report detailing why Secretary Mayorkas must be investigated for his border crisis the preliminary findings of an inquiry he has been heralding for months.

Since early spring, Mr. Green has been laying out a sprawling case against Mr. Mayorkas. The representative took his panel to visit points along the U.S.-Mexico border as he tried to back up his assertion that the secretary is to blame for rising unlawful entries, drugs and cartel-related crime and a drop in morale among border patrol officials.

He recently suggested to reporters that the mandate to investigate Mr. Biden could be an extension of his current plans for scrutinizing Mr. Mayorkas, which he has said will take place in five phases, beginning with a look at whether the homeland security secretary was derelict in his duty.

Weve been looking into the complete failures, the Biden administrations complete failures at the southwest border, Mr. Green told reporters, adding that when it comes to Mr. Bidens personal actions, we will dig deeply into it.

What exactly he meant was not clear. While Mr. Green has frequently claimed Mr. Mayorkas is culpable for carrying out the Biden administrations border plans, he has also argued that the case against the secretary is more egregious than mere policy disagreements. He has accused him of having either violated or subverted at least 10 laws and having blatantly lied to the United States Congress under oath on multiple occasions and lied to the American people at least 58 times charges the Department of Homeland Security denies.

Mr. Green has also avoided describing the goal of his panels work as impeachment, saying it would be up to the Judiciary Committee to make such determinations. That stance now clashes with the Houses explicit instruction to his committee to investigate Mr. Biden on impeachment charges.

The Judiciary Committee traditionally writes and approves articles of impeachment before they are sent for a vote by the full House. The recent vote on Ms. Boeberts measure sent the articles against Mr. Biden to both panels.

In the absence of clear direction, Republicans on the homeland security panel are struggling to figure out how to prioritize their new Biden-focused charge without undermining their ongoing inquiry into Mr. Mayorkas. Some suggested that the new priority would prolong the committees work on Mr. Mayorkas, which Mr. Green had predicted would wrap up in early fall.

It might change timing, said Representative August Pfluger, Republican of Texas, adding that while it was probably important to continue on both tracks, the referral for Mr. Biden made that line of inquiry really important.

Others suggested that completing a case against Mr. Mayorkas would only help them to build an argument against Mr. Biden, who set the policies Mr. Mayorkas has carried out.

Our focus on Secretary Mayorkas has been squarely over enforcement of immigration law and border policy, but I think the subject matter was limited, said Representative Dan Bishop, Republican of North Carolina. This inevitably opens it up to other questions.

Luke Broadwater contributed reporting.

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Republicans Are Divided on Impeaching Biden as Panel Begins ... - The New York Times

Donald Trump Jr. looks on as Donald Trump, then a Republican presidential candidate, speaks in Las Vegas, Nevada, in February 2016.Ethan Miller/Getty Images

A new poll from Politico/Ipsos details how American adults said they feel about former President Donald Trump's ongoing legal cases.

According to the poll, most American adults said they want his sensitive documents trial to happen before the GOP primaries begin.

Additionally, nearly a quarter of Republican adults said a conviction in the sensitive documents case would make them more likely to support him.

Nearly a quarter of Republican adults said they'd be more likely to support former President Donald Trump if he gets convicted in his federal sensitive documents case, according to a new poll from Politico/Ipsos.

According to the poll, which was conducted between June 27-28 and has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points, 24% of Republican adults said a conviction would strengthen their desire to vote for Trump in November 2024.

At the same time, however, just a few percentage points more of Republican adults 28% said the opposite: that a conviction in the sensitive documents case would make themless likely to support the embattled former president.

If Trump, who was indicted in June by a federal grand jury and charged with 37 felony counts, is ultimately convicted, the poll shows that Republicans are split as to what his punishment should be.

According to the poll, if the former president gets convicted during the trial, only 16% of Republican adults said he should face imprisonment. Additionally, if convicted, 39% or more than one in three GOP adults said Trump shouldn't be punished at all.

And while Trump previously called the case a "witch hunt," an audio recording obtained and aired by CNN that's a part of the investigation against the former president, reveals him showing off a secret Pentagon documents related to a potential attack on Iran.

"This was done by the military and given to me," Trump can be heard saying in the recording. "See as president I could have declassified it. Now I can't, you know, but this is still a secret."

Story continues

A trial date in the sensitive documents case is set for mid-August, however, the date is tentative at best as both sides will likely need more time to prepare, which may not sit well with most.

According to the Politico/Ipsos poll, the majority of American adults want Trump's sensitive documents trial to take place before election and even before the GOP primaries begin in early 2024.

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Nearly a quarter of Republicans said Trump getting convicted would make them more likely to support the embattled former president: Politico/Ipsos...