Category Archives: US News

Donald Trump on EU travel ban: ‘We’re in great shape and want to keep it that way’ – video

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Donald Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, the morning after he delivered an address to the nation announcing restricted air travel from Europe. Sitting alongside the Irish caretaker taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, the US president sought to calm fears of both a market crash and the virus spreading, telling reporters: 'We're in great shape compared to other places'

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Donald Trump is the very worst person to handle the coronavirus crisis

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The president responded to the pandemic with denial and blaming foreigners. His incompetence and selfishness will be lethal

Coronavirus is the first major crisis Donald Trump has faced that is not of his own making. People who know what it is like to be in charge when disaster strikes have warned us this moment would come eventually – and we can now see why they were so terrified.

Trump in a time of coronavirus is a lethal combination. Everything about the president – his reliance on his gut instincts in place of expertise, his overwhelming selfishness, and his unfailing tendency to lash out at others when things go wrong – make him the worst person imaginable to hold the world’s most powerful job in the face of pandemic.

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Why did Donald Trump exclude the UK from his coronavirus travel ban?

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President’s restrictions are as arbitrary as 2017 ‘Muslim ban’ – driven by politics, not science

Donald Trump’s contorted spin on the travel restrictions he announced on Wednesday night, including pinning the blame for “a foreign disease” on the European Union, revealed a mind largely driven by politics and not science.

The impression he sought to create was that the EU bureaucracy had let the world down by failing to take necessary steps to slow the spread of coronavirus, but the United Kingdom, legally outside the EU and physically an island, was exonerated.

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Pelosi slams Trump administration’s limited amount of coronavirus testing – live

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying to wrap up her press conference. She’s been talking up the new legislation the Democrats introduced in the House this morning but she’s also not especially impressed by Donald Trump’s suspending entry for most passengers arriving in the US from Europe.

Related: Trump to suspend travel from Europe, excluding UK, amid coronavirus outbreak

Related: ‘He’s gonna get us all killed’: sense of unease after Trump coronavirus speech

She’s not trying out the microphone, she’s talking about dealing with the coronavirus outbreak in the US.

The House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is holding her press conference right now.

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‘You ruined my premiere!’: Beckinsale recalls Weinstein’s obscenity-filled rant

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Kate Beckinsale claims disgraced movie mogul was enraged when she wore white suit rather than ‘tight dress’ to New York premiere shortly after 9/11

Kate Beckinsale has described an obscenity-filled rant by Harvey Weinstein in which he allegedly called her “stupid fucking cunt” after he objected to her choice of outfit for a film premiere in 2001.

In a post on social media, Beckinsale outlined events after a screening for the romcom Serendipity, in which she starred opposite John Cusack. She said Weinstein insisted on holding the premiere only a few weeks after the 9/11 attacks, calling it “the most insensitive, tone deaf, disrespectful idea possible”. Beckinsale said Weinstein had arranged for her to visit his home with her two-year-old daughter, and then launched a tirade at her when they were alone.

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Chinese officials push conspiracy theory coronavirus originated abroad

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Theory is gaining traction online in China that Covid-19 came from the US

One of the most popular topics on the Chinese microblog Weibo on Thursday was a one-minute clip of a US congressional hearing this week on how the country was dealing with the coronavirus.

In the video posted by the People’s Daily, Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is asked whether there may have been deaths attributed to influenza that could actually have been the result of Covid-19. Redfield responds in the affirmative: “Some cases have been actually diagnosed that way in the United States today.”

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Vulnerable prisoners ‘exploited’ to make coronavirus masks and hand gel

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Inmates making masks and hand sanitiser to ease shortages are among most vulnerable to Covid-19, prison reformers warn

Prison labour is being used to shore up supplies of face masks and hand gels in Hong Kong and the USA as campaigners warn that inmates are among the most vulnerable to Covid-19 infections.

Women inmates at the Lo Wu prison in Hong Kong have reportedly been asked to work night shifts to make 2.5m face masks a month after a huge rise in demand according to Reuters.

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Chelsea Manning hospitalized after suicide attempt, legal team say

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The former intelligence analyst, who has been jailed for refusing to testify in WikiLeaks investigation, is ‘safe’ and ‘recovering’

Chelsea Manning’s legal team said that the former intelligence analyst had tried to take her own life on Wednesday but was transported to a hospital where she was recovering.

The Alexandria sheriff, Dana Lawhorne, said: “There was an incident at approximately 12.11pm today at the Alexandria adult detention center involving inmate Chelsea Manning. It was handled appropriately by our professional staff and Ms Manning is safe.”

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Trump announces travel ban from Europe to the US in bid to stem coronavirus – video

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US president Donald Trump has announced a ban on travellers to the United States from Europe during a televised address to the nation. The ban will be in place for the next 30 days in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus

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Bernie Sanders stays in race and looks forward to debating Biden in Arizona – video

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Bernie Sanders will stay in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination despite suffering a series of sweeping losses to Joe Biden, saying on Wednesday he looked forward to a debate with the former vice-president on Sunday. Sanders acknowledged he was falling behind Biden in the count of delegates needed to win the nomination, but he said he was committed to the overarching goal of defeating Donald Trump in November's general election

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Trump reportedly to announce order calling for medical supplies to be US-made – live

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The administration celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the enforcement of a policy that makes asylum seekers wait in Mexico for US court hearings. The “Remain in Mexico” policy will be upheld while a lawsuit challenging it continues.

In a statement, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said, “Today’s order from the Supreme Court is a major victory for the Trump Administration.”

Related: 'We need the Wall!': Trump uses coronavirus to push his own agenda

The House approved a resolution to limit Donald Trump’s ability to order direct military action against Iran without authorization from Congress. The Senate has also passed the bill, but it’s expected to be vetoed by Trump.

Lawmakers introduced the bill after Trump ordered a strike to kill Iranian general Qasem Suleimani, bringing the US to the brink of war, without consulting Consulting congress.

Related: After Suleimani: Iran's scramble to recover from general's death

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Rocket attack on Iraq base leaves two Americans and one UK soldier dead

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  • 11 others injured by fusillade of Katyusha rockets
  • Trump responded to previous attack by killing Iranian general

Two Americans and a British soldier are reported to have been killed and 11 others injured, by a rocket attack on a coalition base in Iraq, according to US defence officials.

Within hours air strikes were reported on an area of the Iraqi-Syrian border used as a base by an Iran-backed militia, raising fears of a fresh round of US-Iranian escalation that brought both countries close to war in January.

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Russian hoax raises questions over Sussexes’ security

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Royal expert sounds alarm after Prince Harry seemingly duped into thinking he was talking to Greta Thunberg

Russian hoaxers who apparently tricked Prince Harry into offering help to take penguins to the North Pole have raised serious questions over security and screening measures for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they leave the royal fold, a royal expert said.

Posing as the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and her father, hoaxers Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov managed to reach Harry on his landline at his rented Vancouver Island mansion on New Year’s Eve and on 22 January, it has been reported.

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Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 23 years in prison on rape conviction

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New York judge imposed 20 years for a first-degree criminal sex act and three years for third-degree rape, to run consecutively

Harvey Weinstein, the titan of Hollywood turned convicted rapist, has been sentenced to 23 years in prison on Wednesday in New York.

Related: Weinstein’s lawyers say 'remarkable accomplishments' warrant light prison sentence

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Sanders stays, so his movement can live on by dragging Biden leftward

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Bernie Sanders vowed to attend the upcoming Democratic debate after a string of primary losses, and posed questions for his rival

From his hometown of Burlington, Vermont, Bernie Sanders got up to speak on Wednesday afternoon, after a disappointing night of watching the results from Tuesday’s primaries roll in.

Would he stay or would he go? For now, he stays, determined to fight on and try to drag the Democratic frontrunner, Joe Biden, to the left, so that even as Sanders’ race effectively peters out, his movement goes on.

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Coronavirus outbreak described by WHO as ‘pandemic’ amid ‘alarming levels of inaction’ – video

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The World Health Organization has described the outbreak of the new coronavirus as a pandemic.

WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: ‘We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic.’

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Millions of Democratic votes were lost in the primaries. Is this the fix? | Mohit Nair and Colin Cole

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Americans who vote early may ‘waste’ their vote on candidates who drop out of the race. There’s an easy way to remedy that

Across the country, millions of voters turned in early ballots for the US presidential primary elections, often voting for candidates no longer in the race on election day.

In Colorado and Texas, early voters for candidates other than Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders might have made a statement, but they didn’t have the chance to influence the primary election. Some of the estimated 20% of Californians who voted early asked for a do-over. In Minnesota, 40,000 people had reportedly cast their ballots a week before Super Tuesday – and days before Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar dropped out.

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Mike Pence presents US plans to tackle coronavirus – video

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Vice-president Mike Pence has outlined the White House's plan to tackle the economic and health consequences of the Covid-19 outbreak. The Trump administration has pledged to increase testing and help blue-collar workers

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‘We share a common goal’: Joe Biden after winning key battleground states – video

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Joe Biden won Michigan’s Democratic primary, seizing a key battleground state that helped propel Bernie Sanders’ insurgent candidacy four years ago. The former vice-president's victory in Michigan, alongside wins in Missouri and Mississippi, dealt a serious blow to Sanders, who is urgently seeking to jump-start his flagging campaign. Speaking in Philadelphia, Biden thanked Sanders and his supporters for their passion and made an appeal for party unity: 'We share a common goal and together we'll defeat Donald Trump'

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Joe Biden projected to win key state of Michigan in blow to Bernie Sanders – live

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Voters go to the polls in Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Michigan, Idaho and Washington state with the Vermont senator needing a boost

Bernie Sanders lost the crucial state of Michigan tonight, and things are not going to get easier for him next week.

Four states will hold primaries next Tuesday: Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio.

The president of the liberal super PAC American Bridge is similarly referring to Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee after his wins tonight.

Our team @American_Bridge has been ready to support the eventual democratic nominee for the last 2 years. Our team has outspent Trump on in MI, PA, and WI. That work expands bigly tomorrow as we will be ALL IN to elect @JoeBiden as our next President

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