Category Archives: US News

Trump impeachment: Schiff says Trump tried to ‘cheat’ way to re-election – as it happened

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  • Impeachment managers have 24 hours over three days to make case
  • Republicans accuse Dems of repeating selves but won’t call witnesses
  • Trump has broken his own tweeting record as he defends himself

That wraps up the second full day of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Catch up on The Guardian’s coverage:

Related: 'Our future is not assured': Schiff issues stark warning at impeachment trial

Report: Tomorrow, the Trump administration is expected to finalize a rule to strip away environmental protections for streams, rivers, and wetlands.

Under the new regulations, for the first time in decades, landlords and businesses will be allowed to dump pollutants and pesticides directly into bodies of water.

From Day 1 of his administration, President Trump vowed to repeal President Barack Obama’s “Waters of the United States” regulation, which had frustrated rural landowners...

“I terminated one of the most ridiculous regulations of all: the last administration’s disastrous Waters of the United States rule,” Mr. Trump told the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention in Texas on Sunday, to rousing applause. He added, “That was a rule that basically took your property away from you.”

Related: 'Our future is not assured': Schiff issues stark warning at impeachment trial

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Mass shooting in Seattle leaves one dead and seven injured

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  • Police searching for suspect
  • Attack marks third shooting in the area in two days

Eight people were shot in Seattle on Wednesday, authorities said, and one of them succumbed to their injuries.

The Seattle fire chief, Harold Scoggins, said authorities began receiving calls at about 5pm warning of multiple gunshot victims. One person was found dead in a heavily trafficked area of downtown and five others were taken to a Seattle hospital, he said.

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‘Our future is not assured’: Schiff issues stark warning at impeachment trial

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  • Impeachment manager describes moment of historic national crisis
  • After rejecting fresh witnesses, Republicans say they heard nothing new
  • Some senators exit chamber despite trial rules

Striving to make himself heard across partisan lines, the lead impeachment prosecutor filled his opening argument against Donald Trump on the Senate floor on Wednesday with invitations, warnings and appeals designed to win Republican backing for a substantial trial.

Using flowing evocations of constitutional history, the global promise of US democracy, and the stakes should it all be allowed to slip, Democrat Adam Schiff framed his story of Trump’s wrongdoing as a national crisis demanding a non-partisan remedy.

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Out cold: unseasonal temperatures litter south Florida with stunned iguanas

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The weather forecast warned it would be raining reptiles and Floridians recorded encounters with lizards feeling the chill

It truly was the night (and day) of the iguana.

After the National Weather Service (NWS) sent an unusual alert to south Florida residents on Tuesday night warning them of possible “falling iguanas” in light of unseasonably low temperatures, residents were indeed treated to a show of rigid reptiles out of the sky (or, actually, the trees).

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Weinstein trial opens with shocking details of alleged attacks on six women

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New York prosecutor describes allegations of the women, who she says were ‘groomed’ before Weinstein assaulted them

Harvey Weinstein was a savvy New York businessman and famous Hollywood producer who used his power and the promise of his largesse within the film industry to groom a succession of naive and inexperienced women – who he went on to sexually assault and in some cases rape, state prosecutors alleged on Wednesday.

In an opening statement lasting over an hour, New York prosecutor Meghan Hast delivered a devastating and at times shocking account of Weinstein’s alleged attacks on six women who will testify at the fallen mogul’s trial in Manhattan.

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From Bezos to Bush: Saudi crown prince met array of VIPs on US tour

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It is not known how many people Prince Mohammed shared WhatsApp messages with in 2018 other than Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos was far from the only American VIP who met Saudi Arabia’s crown prince in the spring of 2018. During a coast-to-coast tour Mohammed bin Salman had personal encounters with dozens of celebrities, politicians and tech titans including George Bush, Richard Branson and Bill Gates.

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US drinking water contamination with ‘forever chemicals’ far worse than scientists thought

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Highest levels of PFAS in Miami, Philadelphia and New Orleans, report by environmental watchdog finds

The contamination of US drinking water with manmade “forever chemicals” is far worse than previously estimated with some of the highest levels found in Miami, Philadelphia and New Orleans, said a report on Wednesday by an environmental watchdog group.

The chemicals, resistant to breaking down in the environment, are known as perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Some have been linked to cancers, liver damage, low birth weight and other health problems.

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‘Loose with the truth’: Chuck Schumer on the gravity of Donald Trump’s alleged offences – video

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Chuck Schumer, the US Senate minority leader, said Donald Trump’s defence team appeared 'unprepared, confused and unconvincing' during the first day of debate at the president’s impeachment trial on Tuesday.

All but one Republican voted against the amendments offered by Democrats, which was approved by the Senate on a party line vote in the early hours of Wednesday morning

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American Dirt: why critics are calling Oprah’s book club pick exploitative and divisive

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Latino writers say Jeanine Cummins’ novel uses stereotypes and exploits the suffering of Mexican immigrants

American Dirt, the third novel by Jeanine Cummins, begins with a group of assassins opening fire on a quinceañera cookout. We watch Lydia’s entire family get killed, one by one. Only Lydia and her eight-year-old survive.

The scene is one of many depictions of graphic violence in American Dirt and it has sparked an intense conversation about “pity porn” and writing about the Mexican immigrant experience.

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Court rules against woman charged after stepchildren saw her topless

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Utah judge refuses to overturn lewdness measure in case of Tilli Buchanan, who removed her top while hanging drywall

A judge refused to overturn part of Utah’s lewdness law on Tuesday in a blow to a woman who is fighting criminal charges after her stepchildren saw her topless in her own home.

Judge Kara Pettit sided with prosecutors who argued that lewdness is commonly understood to include women’s breasts in American society, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. Judges should not second-guess what lawmakers have decided is lewd conduct, she wrote.

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Guantánamo: psychologist tells of ‘abusive drift’ in treatment of terror suspects

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James Mitchell gives pre-trial hearing a detailed account of the 2002 decision to use waterboarding and other techniques on al-Qaida leaders

A CIA contract psychologist who helped draft the US programme of “enhanced interrogation” of suspected terrorists has told a military tribunal he was unable to stop cases of “abusive drift” by an unnamed senior agency official.

Giving evidence at a military commission on Guantánamo Bay, James Mitchell gave a detailed account of the 2002 decision to interrogate suspected al-Qaida leaders using waterboarding and other techniques which the US later admitted constituted torture.

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As Trump goes on trial, so does the conscience of the Republican party

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Can Republicans divorce themselves from a demagogue? The impeachment trial’s first day offers little hope

A lone figure in a blue suit slipped quietly into the front row of the US Senate public gallery just before 3.30pm on Tuesday and gazed down at his former colleagues.

Jeff Flake, the former Republican senator from Arizona, had returned to Washington to witness two trials. One was that of an impeached American president accused of strong-arming a foreign government for his own political ends. The other was a trial of the conscience of the Republican party.

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Frozen iguanas forecast to shower south Florida as temperatures drop

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National Weather Service warned of reptiles falling from trees as iguanas are susceptible to freezing once temperatures fall to 40F

The National Weather Service (NWS) took the unusual step on Tuesday of warning that frozen iguanas are expected to shower south Florida as temperatures drop to unusually low levels for the region overnight.

Iguanas, as it turns out, are susceptible to freezing once temperatures drop to around 40F (4.44C). When frozen, these cold-blooded creatures lose their grip on the cozy trees they call home and slip. But the experts informed the public to be aware that the chilled reptiles may be stiff and appear lifeless – but they are not dead.

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Trump impeachment: senators kill Democratic efforts to subpoena more evidence – live

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  • First day of trial sees hours of debate over procedure
  • House manager Adam Schiff calls process ‘ass-backwards’
  • Senate votes down amendments brought by Democrats

After 13 hours of debate, Republican senators pushed through the organizing resolution for the impeachment proposed by Mitch McConnell, without any of the 11 amendments proposed by Democrats.

The trial is now adjourned until 1pm ET on Wednesday.

The final amendment proposed by minority leader Chuck Schumer would allow Chief Justice John Roberts — as a neutral party — to decide whether to allow motions to subpoena witnesses or documents.

Finally, the senators are voting on the organizing resolution for the impeachment trial, as proposed by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.

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Hillary Clinton says ‘nobody likes’ Bernie Sanders and won’t commit to backing him

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2016 nominee made comments in Hulu documentary and pointed to ‘culture around’ the senator that she said perpetuated sexism

Hillary Clinton has criticized Bernie Sanders, insisting “nobody likes” and “nobody wants to work with” him. Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, also refused to commit to endorsing Sanders should he win the primary this year.

Related: Top progressives back Sanders as skirmish with Warren rumbles on

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Brazilian prosecutors charge journalist Glenn Greenwald with cybercrimes

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Greenwald accused of helping hackers who obtained cellphone messages between leading figures in anti-corruption investigation

Brazilian federal prosecutors have indicted the American journalist Glenn Greenwald for cybercrimes, alleging he “helped, encouraged and guided” a group of hackers who obtained cellphone messages between leading figures in Brazil’s mammoth Car Wash anti-corruption investigation.

The leaks, subsequently published in several stories on the investigative site the Intercept Brazil, which Greenwald co-founded, appeared to show collusion between then judge Sérgio Moro and prosecutors and exacerbated questions of political bias of the investigations. Moro was subsequently named justice minister by the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro.

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Dentist who pulled teeth while riding hoverboard is grounded

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Unconventional extraction concerned only one of the 46 charges for which Dr Seth Lookhart was convicted in Alaska

Those who feel a little queasy going to the dentist will have further cause for concern, after a practitioner was convicted for extracting teeth on a sedated patient while on a hoverboard.

Related: Trump impeachment: Democrats decry 'White House-driven and rigged process' – live

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Trump blasts ‘prophets of doom’ in attack on climate activism

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Comment came as Greta Thunberg demanded immediate action in Davos

Donald Trump told the world’s business leaders to stop listening to “prophets of doom” as he used a keynote speech at the World Economic Forum to attack the teenage activist Greta Thunberg over her climate crisis warnings.

The US president hailed America’s growth record and compared campaigners against global heating with those who feared a population explosion in the 1960s and mass starvation in the 1970s.

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Trump impeachment trial: the key senators who could cross party lines

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While a conviction is unlikely, some Republican senators such as Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins could break ranks over trial procedure while two Democrats could back the president

The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has pledged “total coordination” with the White House in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. But the 47-member Democratic caucus in the Senate could take control of key parts of the process, enabling them to call witnesses or merely to prevent a quick dismissal of the case, by recruiting four Republicans to make a 51-seat majority.

A two-thirds majority of 67 senators would be needed to convict and remove Trump from office, a seemingly unreachable number for Democrats.

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Mothers who occupied vacant Oakland house will be allowed to buy it

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Intervention of California governor helps Moms 4 Housing group score victory in fight against state’s homeless crisis

The homeless mothers who took over a vacant house in Oakland, California and occupied it for almost two months will be allowed to purchase the property – a major victory in a movement working to keep such homes out of the possession of speculators.

The group Moms 4 Housing entered the house on Magnolia Street on 18 November with the intent to stay. The house had sat vacant for more than two years before it was purchased in July at a foreclosure auction for $501,078 by Wedgewood Properties, a real estate investment company with a history of buying up foreclosed-upon houses cheaply, evicting the tenants, renovating the homes and then putting them back on the market at much higher prices.

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