Category Archives: US News

My name-twin was arrested for robbery … and everyone thought it was me

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When I bumped into the other Davon Clark in college, it was funny. When friends confused our dating profiles, it was weird. When he got in trouble with the cops, my life started to fall apart

I walked out of class and pulled my phone out of my pocket. There were dozens of missed calls and messages from my girlfriend. She was demanding to know why I was on Tinder. One of her friends was claiming that she had found me on the app, and she had sent a screenshot of the bio to my girlfriend. Sure enough, his first name and interests were identical to mine.

After collecting myself, I gave my girlfriend a call. She answered yelling, understandably. I gave her a few minutes and then tried to explain: it was someone else. She shot back that she knew I was lying. Her friend had started a conversation with the guy and he’d told her his full name, Davon Clark – which was also my name.

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Linda Tripp, key figure in Bill Clinton’s impeachment, dies aged 70

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Tripp, whose secret recordings of conversations with Monica Lewinsky blew the whistle on Clinton, was terminally ill

Linda Tripp, whose secretly recorded phone conversations with Monica Lewinsky led to Bill Clinton’s impeachment in the 1990s, has died. She was 70 years old.

Tripp’s lawyer, Joseph Murtha, confirmed Tripp’s death to the Guardian earlier today, but did not provide further details.

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Coronavirus: Cuomo says New York ‘flattening the curve’ – video

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The New York governor has said the state is seeing the effect of physical distancing and that the curve of coronavirus cases is starting to flatten, despite the largest single-day death toll increase on Tuesday. However, he emphasised that citizens need to continue to be vigilant

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Coronavirus US live: 400,000 cases confirmed in America as Cuomo says New York is flattening curve

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The White House is reportedly having discussions about reopening the economy next month, which could cause friction with health experts who have warned against lifting “stay at home” orders too quickly.

CNN reports:

Officials said the options being discussed on reopening the country vary widely in scope, from recommendations on benchmarks for when individual states can begin easing restrictions to a nationwide ‘big bang’ that Trump previewed Tuesday evening on Fox News. The officials said the conversations were still preliminary and would likely evolve over the course of the next weeks.

Still, some officials have even begun mulling the type of event Trump may want to mark the day when nationwide restrictions are lifted after he suggested a ‘big celebration’ when the crisis is over. ...

At some point, the president is going to have to look at Drs. Fauci and Birx and say, we're opening on May 1. Give me your best guidance on protocols, but we cannot deny our people their basic freedoms any longer.

Barack Obama called for a “robust system of testing and monitoring” to confront the coronavirus crisis.

Social distancing bends the curve and relieves some pressure on our heroic medical professionals. But in order to shift off current policies, the key will be a robust system of testing and monitoring – something we have yet to put in place nationwide. https://t.co/evkTSrzReB

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Singapore coronavirus surge raises fears of post-lockdown breakouts

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City state reports 142 new infections as other countries eye ways out of lockdown amid economic fears

Fears have resurfaced about the ability of coronavirus to surge again after lockdowns are eased, as Singapore confirmed a sharp rise in new infections.

One of the worst-hit countries when the virus first spread from China in January, Singapore’s strict surveillance and quarantine regime helped slow the outbreak, but recent rises in locally transmitted cases have raised fresh concerns. Singapore reported 142 new infections on Wednesday.

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‘Victory virtually impossible’: Bernie Sanders ends 2020 presidential campaign – video

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Bernie Sanders, the 78-year-old senator from Vermont who reshaped American politics with his youth-led movement for sweeping social change, announced on Wednesday that he was ending his presidential campaign for the 2020 Democratic nomination. 'I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth,' Sanders said. 'I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful, and so today I am announcing the suspension of my campaign'

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Bernie Sanders, who reshaped US politics, ends 2020 presidential run

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Inspirational senator’s youth-led movement pushed for sweeping social change but fell far behind Joe Biden in bid for nomination

Bernie Sanders, the 78-year-old senator from Vermont who reshaped American politics with his youth-led movement for sweeping social change, announced on Wednesday that he was ending his presidential campaign for the 2020 Democratic nomination.

Sanders informed staff he was suspending his presidential campaign during a conference call on Wednesday morning, capping what has been an extraordinary rise from relative obscurity to standard-bearer of the American left as an unabashed democratic socialist who championed the working class and called for political revolution.

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Coronavirus live news: global trade forecast to fall by up to a third as US sees highest one-day death toll

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Scientists predict UK will be worst-hit country in Europe; Trump threatens to stop WHO funding; Global cases pass 1.4 million

Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include:

Kenya has reported seven new confirmed cases of coronavirus.

The country’s ministry of health has provided all the information about the latest developments on Twitter.

In the last 24 hours, we have tested a total of 305 samples, out of which seven people have tested positive for the Coronavirus disease. All the seven are Kenyans.#KomeshaCorona pic.twitter.com/nUQJY8nOND

Four of confirmed cases have a history of travel; (1) from Congo, (1) UK and (2) USA.

Five are from Nairobi county, one Mombasa and one Uasin Gishu.#KomeshaCorona

✅With regard to contacts tracing, a total of 2,004 persons have been monitored. Out of these, 1,426 have been discharged and 578 are currently on follow up. To date, we have managed to test 5,278 samples from individuals. #KomeshaCorona pic.twitter.com/eoRg1wHdeP

✅In terms of severity breakdown of the 179 cases, 1 case is under critical care, while the rest- 178- are moderate & mild cases. A patient who was in critical care is moving to the ward today. 2 additional cases have been discharged in the last 24 hours. #KomeshaCorona pic.twitter.com/cLEtYIgCa7

✅Of the 7 people have tested positive for the #COVID-19. All the 7 are Kenyans. 4 of them have a history of travel; 1 from Congo, UK 1 & USA 2. In terms of distribution per their counties of residence, Nairobi has 5, Mombasa 1 & Uasin Gishu 1.#KomeshaCorona pic.twitter.com/FnLrZn3c8Q

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Trump stokes fresh coronavirus row as Wuhan reopens

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US president accuses World Health Organization of China bias as New York records its highest daily death toll and Wuhan lockdown eases

Donald Trump has criticised the World Health Organization (WHO), and by implication Beijing, saying the global body is “China centric” and “biased” towards the rival superpower.

As Wuhan, the city at the centre of the outbreak, began to return to normal life, Trump said the WHO had “been wrong about a lot of things”, and threatened to put a hold on WHO funding. When asked if that was a good idea during a pandemic, Trump denied saying it, and then said they would “look at it”.

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‘The NHS needs them’: UK urged to join countries mobilising migrant medics

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As several countries relax immigration rules for medically-trained refugees and migrants in the wake of coronavirus, campaigners are calling for Britain to follow suit

Campaigners have welcomed the relaxation of immigration restrictions by governments across Europe and the Americas to allow doctors, nurses and other key workers from refugee and migrant communities to join efforts against coronavirus.

And they urged countries still preventing medically-trained asylum seekers from working – including Britain – to follow suit

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John Prine, US folk and country songwriter, dies aged 73 due to Covid-19 complications

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Grammy-winning songwriter beloved of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash died on Tuesday

John Prine, the US folk and country singer beloved of Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and more, has died aged 73 due to complications from Covid-19.

Prine was hospitalised on 26 March, and was in intensive care for 13 days before dying on Tuesday, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee. Prine’s family confirmed his death to several US media outlets including The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Variety.

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Trump order encourages US to mine the moon

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Executive order says US will oppose any international effort to bar it from removing chunks of moon, Mars or elsewhere in space

The world may be racked by the coronavirus, but Donald Trump has less earthly concerns on his mind, too, after signing an executive order encouraging the US to mine the moon for minerals.

The executive order makes clear that the US doesn’t view space as a “global commons”, opening the way for the mining of the moon without any sort of international treaty.

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New York state suffers largest single-day increase in coronavirus deaths

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Governor reports 731 deaths on Monday as number killed in New York City eclipses death toll from 9/11

New York suffered the highest single-day increase in its death toll from coronavirus, governor Andrew Cuomo reported on Tuesday, even as those in the state were still under orders to stay at home.

The governor noted the three-day average of hospitalizations was down, indicating the state is “reaching a plateau in the total number of hospitalizations”.

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Donald Trump ‘lost $1bn in a month’ from coronavirus lockdown

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Stock market crash strips billionaire status from 267 of world’s richest people in the annual list

Donald Trump lost an estimated $1bn of his paper fortune in the past month as the coronavirus lockdown forced the closure of offices, shopping centres, hotels and golf courses he owns.

The US president’s fortune has fallen from an estimated $3.1bn (£2.5bn) on 1 March to $2.1bn on 18 March (at the height of stock market panic caused by the coronavirus pandemic) according to Forbes magazine’s annual billionaires list.

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NSO Group points finger at state clients in WhatsApp spying case

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In court filing, Israeli spyware company says it does not operate technology it provides

An Israeli spyware company that has been accused by WhatsApp of hacking 1,400 of its users, including journalists, human rights activists, and diplomatic officials, has blamed its government clients for the alleged abuses, according to court documents.

NSO Group – whose technology is reported to have been used against dozens of targets including Pakistani intelligence officials, Indian journalists and exiled Rwandan political activists – also claimed in legal documents that the lawsuit brought against the company by WhatsApp threatened to infringe on its clients’ “national security and foreign policy concerns”.

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Coronavirus US live: Trump reportedly knew pandemic was likely in January

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Joe Biden said he would like Bernie Sanders to be “part of the journey,” although not his running mate, if he wins the Democratic nomination.

Biden has a significant lead in the delegate count, but Sanders remains in the race, despite an increasingly narrow path to the nomination.

President Trump said he had a friendly phone conversation with former Vice President Joe Biden to talk about the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. Biden told @craigmelvin in a one-on-one interview that he doesn't want the November election delayed. pic.twitter.com/DICLhBafTE

The White House has confirmed Stephanie Grisham is leaving her role as press secretary to rejoin the first lady’s team.

“My replacements will be announced in the coming days and I will stay in the West Wing to help with a smooth transition for as long as needed,” Grisham said in a statement released by the White House.

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Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre tested in hospital for Covid-19

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Giuffre, 35, from Florida, says she is ‘so scared right now’ and having trouble breathing

A US woman who claims she was trafficked to the UK as a teenager to have sex with Prince Andrew is in hospital, where she has been tested for Covid-19.

Virginia Giuffre said on Twitter on Tuesday: “I’m so scared right now, having trouble breathing, fever & cough. Getting tested for Covid-19 praying it’s not positive.”

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Harry and Meghan’s Archewell trademark suggests plan for non-profit empire

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Application filed in US ranges from awards to clothing to a health website

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex appear to be planning a wide-ranging non-profit empire, including websites, films and their own awards, according to trademark applications lodged in the US under the name of Archewell.

The first clear indications of how Harry and Meghan intend to rebrand themselves as non-working royals are revealed in an extensive list published on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.

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‘Jeff Bezos values profits above safety’: Amazon workers voice pandemic concern

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Workers at facilities where there had been at least one coronavirus case said they were not being closed for deep cleaning

Workers at Amazon’s warehouse and shipping facilities say they fear going to work amid the coronavirus outbreak, and called on the company to do more to improve safety.

“We have no more wipes and hand sanitizer. We aren’t provided masks, don’t have the proper gloves, and not everything is being sanitized and cleaned before it comes to use,” said one Amazon warehouse associate in Phoenix, Arizona.

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Coronavirus US live: Trump says country will reopen ‘sooner than people think’

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Dr Birx shared a personal story about her granddaughter’s current high fever and her inability to visit. Earlier, Trump accidentally referred to her “grandson”.

“I’m sure it’s roseola or something,” Birx says of her 10-month-old granddaughter’s high fever.

She doubts it’s coronavirus because her family is self-isolating.

“No one is allowed into that house or out of that house because there’s too much precious cargo inside,” Birx says https://t.co/zvWlrulgbf

More details from the Guardian’s Sam Levine on the Wisconsin election:

The US supreme court ruled 5-4 that Wisconsin voters have to have their mail-in ballots postmarked by 7 April, election day, in order to have them counted in the state’s closely watched election. The deadline for election officials to receive the ballot is 13 April. The decision, which came shortly after the state supreme court ordered the election to move forward on Tuesday, ends days of legal fighting over the deadline for receiving absentee ballots in the state.

While I do not doubt the good faith of my colleagues, the court’s order, I fear, will result in massive disenfranchisement. A voter cannot deliver for postmarking a ballot she has not received. The question here is whether tens of thousands of Wisconsin citizens can vote safely in the midst of a pandemic.”

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