Category Archives: US News

‘Perhaps you should look into it’: Kayleigh McEnany dodges Obamagate question – video

Posted on by

During a press briefing, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked why Donald Trump accused Barack Obama of committing a crime this week and asked her to name the crime. After listing issues with people in office while Obama was president, she said it was reporters' responsibility to 'answer the question' of what Obama did that was against the law. She ignored the reporter pointing out it is the White House press secretary’s duty to respond to questions about something the president said

Continue reading...

Trump unveils ‘warp-speed’ effort to create coronavirus vaccine by year’s end

Posted on by

Donald Trump has announced details of a “warp-speed” effort to create a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year, even as experts warn that such a breakthrough could take longer than 18 months.

Related: Coronavirus US live: Trump's press conference disrupted by trucker protest

Continue reading...

‘That’s the sign of love’: Trump claims truckers’ disruptive honking is ‘in favour’ of him – video

Posted on by

Trucking industry protesters disrupted a press briefing in the White House rose garden on Friday by honking their horns. Donald Trump said the sound was truckers ‘showing support’, but the honking may have been a protest. Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported that a convoy of trucks in Washington DC blasted their air horns to protest against low shipping rates, which truckers say threaten their livelihoods

Continue reading...

Bathing bears and bungee-jumping mayors: the week’s most uplifting clips – video

Posted on by

As countries around the world adjust to life with Covid-19, people are finding new ways to enjoy themselves responsibly. From the restaurant using plush pandas to help with social distancing, to a drive-in rave in Germany, these are the week’s most cheering clips

Continue reading...

Faced with an appalling US coronavirus death toll, the right denies the figures

Posted on by

Fox News is foremost in promoting the idea that official figures are inflated, whereas experts believe more people have died

As Donald Trump agitates for the US to reopen, the American right appears to have found a novel way to deal with the rising coronavirus death toll: deny it altogether.

Related: 'Obamagate': Fox News focuses on conspiracy theory rather than Covid-19

Continue reading...

Wisconsin: drinkers return to bars after judges strike down stay-at-home order

Posted on by
  • Court decision overrules lockdown by Democratic governor
  • Individual counties able to determine whether they can reopen

Wisconsin’s supreme court struck down the state’s stay-at-home order on Wednesday, and some residents took immediate advantage – by packing the bars.

Videos and reports from some areas of Wisconsin showed some bars filled with revelers, most of them not wearing masks.

Continue reading...

Trump campaign focuses fire on Biden as pandemic undermines strategy

Posted on by

With few positive messages available, advisers have launched a multi-pronged attack on the former vice-president

Donald Trump had planned to run on a pledge to “Keep America great”. But with a global pandemic claiming the lives of more than 85,000 Americans and causing economic devastation, the slogan does not seem to hold the same promise it did at the start of the year – even for his most ardent fans.

In a recently released campaign ad titled American Comeback, the president instead returned to the “Make America great again” slogan that first brought him to power and whose Maga initials have become global shorthand for Trumpism and its adherents.

Continue reading...

World looks on in horror as Trump flails over pandemic despite claims US leads way

Posted on by

The president’s outlandish behavior as Americans suffer has inspired horror and confusion while alienating allies

The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed that the US is “leading the world” with its response to the pandemic, but it does not seem to be going in any direction the world wants to follow.

Across Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, views of the US handling of the coronavirus crisis are uniformly negative and range from horror through derision to sympathy. Donald Trump’s musings from the White House briefing room, particularly his thoughts on injecting disinfectant, have drawn the attention of the planet.

Continue reading...

Coronavirus live news: Europe could face deadly second wave of winter infections, WHO warns

Posted on by

Spain hails large-scale antibody study; no Danish virus deaths for first time since March; China marks one month with no Covid-19 deaths

New York will join the nearby states of New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware in partially reopening beaches for the Memorial Day weekend, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Friday.

Reuters reports that Cuomo’s announcement comes one day after New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said he was opening the beaches for the traditional May 23-25 start of summer.

Related: Coronavirus US live: House to vote on $3tn stimulus package opposed by Trump and Senate

There were 242 new coronavirus fatalities in Italy on Friday, down by 20 from Thursday, bringing the total death toll to 31,610.

New infections rose by 789, down by over 200 within the last 24 hours, according to the civil protection authority.

Continue reading...

Trump: ‘We could cut off relationship with China’ – video

Posted on by

US president Donald Trump says he could 'cut off' the relationship with China following the coronavirus outbreak. In an interview wth Fox Business, Trump expressed his disappointment with China for failing to contain the Covid-19 outbreak before adding he maintained a good relationship with leader, Xi Jinping, but 'right now, I don't want to speak with him'

Continue reading...

‘A great embarrassment’: records offer insight into Ahmaud Arbery suspect

Posted on by

Gregory McMichael lost his power of arrest in 2006 after failing to complete sufficient basic law enforcement training

Gregory McMichael, the white retired law enforcement officer who helped chase down and kill Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old African American man, failed to complete sufficient basic law enforcement training for years, a deficiency that led to him losing his power of arrest.

McMichael, who worked as an investigator in the Brunswick judicial circuit district attorney’s office from 1995 to 2019, lost his power of arrest in January 2006 for failing to complete the required 20 hours of training the previous year, according to personnel records obtained by the Guardian.

Continue reading...

Ousted whistleblower warns US facing ‘darkest winter in modern history’

Posted on by

Rick Bright testified before congressional committee that as virus spreads in US the ‘window is closing to address this pandemic’

Americans should brace themselves for the risk that they will suffer their “darkest winter in modern history” due to the ongoing federal government failures in addressing the coronavirus pandemic, a recently ousted public health official turned whistleblower warned the US Congress.

Rick Bright, who was removed from his role heading a federal agency in charge of vaccines last month, told a congressional committee on Thursday that as the virus continues to spread in the US the “window is closing to address this pandemic” because the Trump administration still lacks a comprehensive plan to tackle Covid-19.

Continue reading...

Richard Burr steps down as Senate committee chair over FBI investigation

Posted on by

Burr’s cellphone seized overnight in inquiry into claims he used private coronavirus briefing to sell stocks before market plunge

A Republican US senator stepped down from a key committee leadership role in Congress on Thursday after his phone was seized overnight by investigators with a warrant looking into allegations that he used private briefings as inside information to dump shares before the market plummeted over the coronavirus crisis.

Related: Republican senator urged to quit after report he sold stocks before Covid-19 market plunge

Continue reading...

FBI offers $1m reward for captors of Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle

Posted on by
  • US-Canadian couple were kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012
  • After release Boyle was cleared of abusing Caitlan in Canada

The FBI has offered a $1m reward for the arrest and prosecution for those responsible for the kidnapping of US citizen Caitlan Coleman and her Canadian husband Joshua Boyle, eight years ago in Afghanistan.

The offer of a reward for their captors is the latest twist in the protracted saga of Coleman and Boyle, who were the subject of intense media scrutiny following their dramatic rescue in 2017 – and a subsequent trial over allegations of abuse by Boyle.

Continue reading...

US could face ‘darkest winter in modern history’, warns former vaccine official – video highlights

Posted on by

Rick Bright, a former top vaccine official, has told a Congressional committee that the US faces its 'darkest winter in modern history' if it does not develop a coordinated response to the pandemic. Bright has turned whistleblower and claims his removal from his federal government role last month was retaliation by the Trump administration for his resistance to the promotion of unproven drugs to treat Covid-19

Continue reading...

How Trump has berated, insulted and demeaned female reporters – video

Posted on by

Donald Trump abruptly halted a press conference on Monday after being challenged by two female reporters. The US president told Weijia Jiang, an Asian American journalist who works for CBS, to 'ask China' in response to her question over why he sees coronavirus testing as a global competition when more than 80,000 Americans have died. Trump then refused to respond to another White House reporter, CNN's Kaitlan Collins.

Trump has frequently clashed with journalists, but some have suggested a pattern is emerging in the way the president responds to being held to account by members of the press who are women, particularly those of color. Here's a look back at several key exchanges

Continue reading...

Trump says Fauci lockdown easing warning ‘surprising’ – video

Posted on by

Donald Trump accused Dr Anthony Fauci, the government’s top public health expert, of 'playing all sides of the equation' after Fauci warned in the Senate that reopening the US economy too early could cause a spike in new coronavirus cases. 'To me, it's not an acceptable answer,' Trump said, suggesting there was little risk in the young and healthy returning to work and education

Continue reading...

Coronavirus live news: global deaths near 300,000 as WHO says Covid-19 may never disappear

Posted on by

Japan expected to ease state of emergency in many regions; Russia has second highest number of infections; Wuhan mass testing begins; follow the latest updates

Morning/evening/whatever-it-is-where-you-are everyone. This is Simon Burnton taking on the live blog for the next few hours. If you have seen any stories that deserve our attention, or if you have any tips, comments or suggestions for our coverage then please let me know by sending me a message either to @Simon_Burnton on Twitter or via email. Thanks!

That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan for today.

Today I leave you with something a little different – a Ghanaian pallbearer and his band of merry, morbid men, who have become the unofficial mascots of the pandemic in countries around the world:

Related: 'Why should you cry?' Ghana's dancing pallbearers find new fame during Covid-19

Continue reading...

Herd of goats runs rampant through streets of San Jose, California – video

Posted on by

Around 200 escaped goats stormed residential streets of San Jose, California, after breaking through a fence. The goats were rounded up and under control within minutes but 'everyone had to spend the next hour or so picking up their poop', Zach Roelands, a local resident, said.

Continue reading...