Category Archives: US News

Donald Trump ‘inept’ and ‘dysfunctional’, UK ambassador to US says

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In ‘leaked’ diplomatic memos, Kim Darroch reportedly says presidency could ‘end in disgrace’

Britain’s ambassador in the United States has described President Donald Trump and his administration as “inept” and “uniquely dysfunctional”, according to ‘leaked’ diplomatic memos published by the Mail on Sunday.

Ambassador Kim Darroch reportedly said Trump’s presidency could “crash and burn” and “end in disgrace”, in the cache of secret cables and briefing notes sent back to Britain and seen by the newspaper.

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California governor declares state of emergency after second earthquake

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  • Gavin Newsom warns residents to be wary of new tremors
  • Damage from 7.1 quake could be worse, agency chief says

Crews in California continued to assess damage to cracked and burned buildings, broken roads, leaking water and gas lines and other infrastructure on Saturday after the largest earthquake the region has seen in nearly 20 years was felt from Sacramento to Mexico.

The governor, Gavin Newsom, declared a state of emergency and warned residents to be wary of new tremors, after the southern part of the state was hit by a second significant earthquake in as many days.

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‘Massive explosion’ at Florida shopping plaza leaves 21 injured

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  • Blast demolished building, leaving behind only metal frame
  • Witness: ‘It was almost like the world was ending. It was nuts’

A vacant pizza restaurant exploded on Saturday in a thundering roar at a south Florida shopping plaza, injuring more than 20 people as large chunks of concrete flew through the air.

The blast flung debris widely along a busy road in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale. The restaurant was destroyed, and nearby businesses and cars were damaged.

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‘Wonderful man and great Republican’: Chris Cline dies in helicopter crash

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  • Coal tycoon’s daughter and five others also killed
  • Donald Trump pays tribute to ‘businessman and energy expert’

The coal tycoon Chris Cline, a major Republican donor, has died in a helicopter crash outside Big Grand Cay, a string of islands he owned in the Bahamas.

In tweets, Donald Trump expressed sympathy for the loss of a “great businessman and energy expert” and said Cline was “a wonderful man and great Republican!”

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7.1 magnitude earthquake in California rocks buildings – video

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A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck southern California on Friday, resulting in fires, damaged buildings and roads, and swaying rollercoasters. The latest tremor, which followed a 6.4 magnitude quake on 4 July, was the most powerful in the region for 20 years. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries

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Divided America on display during Fourth of July events – video report

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The US president’s unique interpretation of the Declaration of Independence was on full display on Thursday, when he staged a militaristic jamboree at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to celebrate the Fourth of July. But it wasn't just the military tanks, jet flyovers or Donald Trump’s speech that marked this year’s holiday. Burning flags, blimps, toilet robots and Proud Boys all showed us just how divided America is 

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Trump says he’s considering executive order to force census question – as it happened

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We’re ending live coverage for the day, thanks for following along! Here’s a recap and key links from the day:

The Washington Post takes a look at how just how much paper the 2020 Census will require. Spoiler alert: it’s a lot.

The amount of paper that will be printed for the Census is more than enough to cover the entirety of D.C. https://t.co/UM0WY7XCAk

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Southern California towns assess quake damage as aftershocks continue

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A magnitude 5.4 earthquake Friday morning was the largest aftershock thus far and damage appears limited to the desert region

Communities in California’s Mojave Desert tallied damage and made emergency repairs to cracked roads and broken pipes Friday as aftershocks from the largest earthquake in 20 years to hit the region kept rumbling.

The small town of Ridgecrest, close to the epicenter, assessed damage after several fires and multiple injuries that were blamed on the magnitude 6.4 quake. A shelter drew 28 people overnight, but not all of them slept inside amid the shaking.

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‘We should expect more quakes’: a top seismologist on California’s tremor

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A magnitude 5.4 aftershock followed Thursday’s 6.4 magnitude quake, the southern California region’s largest in two decades

A 5.4-magnitude aftershock hit southern California on Friday morning, one day after the region experienced its largest earthquake in two decades.

Thursday’s 6.4-magnitude quake landed in the small city of Ridgecrest, 100 miles (160km) from Los Angeles, and renewed fears about the potential for the “big one” to hit the west coast in the future.

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‘Scarecrow’ statue of Melania Trump unveiled in Slovenia to mixed reviews

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Life-size image on the outskirts of Sevnica, the US first lady’s home town, was carved into a tree using a chainsaw

After Melania cake, Melania honey and even Melania slippers, the Slovenian home town of the US first lady will now boast a statue of its most famous daughter – albeit one that has faced decidedly mixed reviews.

The life-size statue on the outskirts of Sevnica was inaugurated on Friday and is the brainchild of the 39-year-old American conceptual artist Brad Downey, who says it’s the first monument anywhere dedicated to the wife of Donald Trump.

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Canada pension fund quietly divests from US migrant detention firms

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  • CPPIB pulls investments in CoreCivic and Geo Group
  • Unannounced move follows Guardian report on holdings

One of Canada’s biggest pension funds has quietly divested from two private prison operators responsible for the detention of thousands of migrants along the US-Mexico border.

Late last year, the Guardian reported that the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) held nearly US$8m in stock in Geo Group and CoreCivic, which between them hold the lion’s share of contracts to manage Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention facilities in the US.

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Biden jabs leftwing Democrats and says Trump a bully he’d ‘smack in the mouth’

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Democratic frontrunner defends ‘centre-left’ credentials but admits he wasn’t prepared for debate attack from Kamala Harris

Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential frontrunner, hit out at the Democratic party’s left wing on Friday, suggesting firebrand progressives cannot win in battleground states.

Biden meanwhile admitted he wasn’t prepared for the attack by rising challenger Senator Kamala Harris on his historic handling of race issues in the first primary debates last week – and said Donald Trump was a bully and he would “smack him in the mouth”.

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US job growth rebounds as economy adds 224,000 jobs in June

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  • Economy bounces back after disappointing May figures
  • Moderate wage gains could still encourage Fed to cut rates

US job growth rebounded strongly in June, but moderate wage gains and mounting evidence that the economy was slowing sharply could still encourage the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates this month.

Related: US beats forecasts with 224,000 new jobs created in June - business live

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Competition regulator pauses Amazon’s deal with Deliveroo

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Enforcement order issued after online retailer bought stake in food courier service

The UK’s competition regulator has ordered Amazon and the food delivery company Deliveroo to pause any integration efforts pending an investigation into potential breaches of competition rules.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Friday issued an initial enforcement order against the companies after Amazon bought a stake in Deliveroo.

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Trump claims 1775 revolutionary army ‘took over airports’ – video

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Donald Trump made an embarrassing error when addressing crowds during his Independence Day speech, saying the army 'took over the airports' from the British during the revolutionary war in the late 1700s, despite air travel not occurring in the US until the early 1900s. Trump was speaking at the Lincoln memorial in Washington as part of his 4 July 'Salute to America' celebrations

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1MDB: Wolf of Wall Street producer charged with embezzling millions

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Riza Aziz, stepson of former Malaysian PM Najib Razak, accused of receiving $248m into Swiss bank accounts

The Wolf of Wall Street producer Riza Aziz, who is the stepson of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, has been charged with embezzling millions of dollars from the Malaysian government.

Riza, who ran a Hollywood production company Red Granite Pictures, appeared in a Kuala Lumpur court on Friday morning charged with five counts of money laundering, accused of receiving $248 million into Swiss bank accounts from the Malaysian state fund 1MDB, which was controlled by Najib. Each charge carries a five-year jail sentence.

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‘We will plant the American flag on Mars’: Trump delivers July 4th speech – video

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The president sailed close to one of his campaign lines when he claimed, “our nation is stronger than it ever was before”, but otherwise swerved past party politics . “For Americans, nothing is impossible,” he said, reciting a litany of American accomplishments over its history, including the moon landing 50 years ago, and promised “very soon, we will plant the American flag on Mars.”

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Donald Trump’s July 4th jamboree: symbolic, jingoistic and untraditional

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Some welcomed the rare plea for unity but others said the show of military might was the moment Trump went full Roman emperor

All men are created equal. But one is created more equal than others. And his name is Donald Trump.

The US president’s unique interpretation of the declaration of independence was on full display on Thursday when he staged a militaristic, jingoistic and untraditional jamboree at the Lincoln memorial in Washington to celebrate the Fourth of July.

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California earthquake: five things to know about the tremor near Los Angeles

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With more than 500 active faults in California, the state is sure to see many more quakes in the future

On Thursday morning, southern California experienced its largest earthquake in two decades. The 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the remote city of Ridgecrest, near Death Valley national park and about 100 miles (160km) from Los Angeles.

Here’s what you should know about the impact of the quake, and whether more seismic activity will strike anytime soon:

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Trump baby blimp returns for Fourth of July protest in Washington DC – video

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The six-metre high inflatable balloon depicting Donald Trump as an angry baby has appeared in Washington DC to protest what opponents say is his politicisation of the Fourth of July celebrations. Protesters posed with the effigy and handed out mini Trump baby balloons on the National Mall, but were only granted a permit on the condition the Trump was filled with ordinary air and not helium

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