Category Archives: US News

Biden says US ‘discussing’ possible Israeli plans to attack Iran’s oil industry

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President’s off-the-cuff remark outside White House over possible retaliation triggers global oil price rise

Joe Biden has said that his administration has been “discussing” possible Israeli plans to attack Iran’s oil industry in retaliation for the Iranian ballistic missile attack on Tuesday.

Biden’s off-the-cuff remark did not make clear whether his administration was holding internal discussions or talking directly to Israel, nor did he clarify what his attitude was to such an attack.

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Yazidi woman kidnapped by IS freed from Gaza after decade in captivity

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Officials say US, Israel, Jordan and Iraq involved in rescue of 21-year-old who had been captured in Iraq

A 21-year-old woman kidnapped by Islamic State militants in Iraq more than a decade ago has been freed from Gaza in an operation led by the US.

The operation this week also involved Israel, Jordan and Iraq, according to officials.

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Jamaica welcomes US move to clamp down on gun trafficking to Caribbean

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Horace Chang, deputy PM of country with highest homicide rate, praises US attorneys generals’ support for legislation

Jamaica’s deputy prime minister has welcomed a campaign by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, to push through new measures and legislation to tackle gun trafficking from the US to the Caribbean.

Horace Chang, who is also Jamaica’s minister of security, praised a coalition of 14 US attorneys general, led by James, that is backing the passing of the Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causes Harm Act. Introduced in both houses of the US Congress earlier this year, the act aims to help curb illicit arms trafficking from the United States to the Caribbean.

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Six people killed in Israeli strike on central Beirut as 1.2 million in Lebanon displaced by invasion | First Thing

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Lebanese health ministry says another seven were injured in attack on district of Bachoura. Plus, the hunger emergency in Haiti

Good morning.

Israeli airstrikes on a central Beirut medical centre have killed at least six people and wounded seven, Lebanese health officials said, adding that a further 46 people had been killed in Israeli attacks on the city in the previous 24 hours.

How many have been displaced in Lebanon? The Lebanese caretaker environment minister, Nasser Yassin, said the number of people displaced in Lebanon had exceeded 1.2 million.

What is the US view of the escalating Middle East conflict? On Wednesday the president, Joe Biden, said he would not support an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites, as the US sought to temper Israel’s response to Iran’s missile attack on Tuesday and contain a rapidly escalating regional conflict. Israel vowed to respond to Iran.

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‘People are giving, sharing’: Augusta comes together as Kamala Harris surveys damage

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As the vice-president visited the Georgia city shattered by Helene, the sense of community spirit was palpable

As Kamala Harris descended Wednesday into Augusta, she met a city contemplating how much of their lives have been unmade by Hurricane Helene.

“I am here to personally take a look at the devastation,” Harris said after receiving a briefing by emergency response leaders in Georgia. “It’s particularly devastating in terms of loss of life that this community has experienced, the loss of normalcy, and the loss of critical resources.”

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‘I am going to die’: North Dakota teen in runaway vehicle saved by crashing into police car

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Sam Dutcher, 18, was in SUV that sped up to 113mph on its own before he was advised to run into trooper’s vehicle

A teenager from North Dakota says he thought he was “going to die” when his SUV sped up on its own to more than 110mph (177km/h) and wouldn’t slow down – but he saved himself by intentionally crashing into the back of a Minnesota state trooper’s patrol cruiser.

As the North Dakota television station WDAY told it, 18-year-old Sam Dutcher was driving near Harwood – relatively close to the state’s border with Minnesota – as night fell on 17 September. His Honda Pilot suddenly accelerated on its own to 113mph, a speed so high that it would be virtually impossible to survive crashing.

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Melania Trump’s abortion views baffle both sides: ‘Hard to follow the logic’

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In her memoir, former first lady has voiced support for the procedure, the right to which was overturned by a court of her husband’s justices

The revelation on Wednesday evening that Melania Trump’s forthcoming memoir includes a full-throated defense of abortion rights, an issue her husband Donald Trump has repeatedly flip-flopped on during his presidential campaign, left people on both sides of the issue less than impressed.

“Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body,” Melania Trump wrote in her memoir. “I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.”

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Nibi the beaver sees dam of unwavering support as rescuers try to stop her release into wild

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Massachusetts court to decide whether internet-famous ‘diva’ beaver will stay with rescuers or be released into wild

Whether a two-year-old beaver named Nibi gets to stay with the rescuers she has known since she was a baby or must be released into the wild as winter approaches in Massachusetts has ended up in court – and caused such an uproar that even the governor has weighed in.

“To literally see people from around the world come together to protect this beaver is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life,” said Adam Teper, an attorney representing Nibi’s rescuers.

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Special counsel reveals new details of Trump bid to overturn 2020 election

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Newly unsealed court filing argues former president is not entitled to immunity from prosecution

Donald Trump “resorted to crimes” in a failed bid to cling to power after losing the 2020 election, federal prosecutors said in a newly unsealed court filing that argues that the former US president is not entitled to immunity from prosecution.

The filing was unsealed on Wednesday. It was submitted by special counsel Jack Smith’s team following a supreme court opinion that conferred broad immunity on former presidents and narrowed the scope of the prosecution.

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US would not support Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites, says Biden

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Top Israeli diplomat at UN warns his country’s retaliation for Iranian missile attack will be heavier than Tehran ‘could ever have imagined’

Joe Biden has said he would not support an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites, as the US sought to temper Israel’s response to Iran’s missile attack on Tuesday and contain a rapidly escalating regional conflict.

Biden’s comments came after the top Israeli diplomat at the UN warned his country’s retaliation for an Iranian salvo of nearly 200 ballistic missiles would be heavier than Tehran “could ever have imagined”.

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West planned for months to repel long-range Iranian attack – but Israel did not need them

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Most of the defensive effort appears to have been undertaken by Israeli air defence systems

Quiet planning by the US, UK and other allies to help Israel repel an Iranian long-range attack have been going on for several months or more – but most of the defensive effort appears to have been undertaken by Israeli air defence systems.

The only reported military engagements in support of Israel were a dozen interceptors fired by two US warships in the eastern Mediterranean, while Jordan said its own air defence systems and air force were involved in targeting Iranian missiles.

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Pink Floyd reaches deal with Sony to sell music catalog for $400m – report

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British rock band also agree to sell rights to their name and likeness after years of reported infighting among members

Pink Floyd has reportedly reached a deal with Sony to sell their music catalog, as well as their name and likeness, for about $400m.

The British rock band agreed to sell the rights to their recorded music catalog, their name and their likeness, but not the rights to their songwriting, according to the Financial Times, who first reported the news of the deal on Tuesday, citing two people familiar with the matter.

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John Boyega to play Otis Redding in new biopic alongside Danielle Deadwyler

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Star Wars actor will lead Otis & Zelma, which will celebrate the ‘eternal love story’ between the singer and his wife

John Boyega is set to play Otis Redding in a new film telling the story of the soul singer’s decade-long relationship.

Otis & Zelma will see the Star Wars and Attack the Block actor play the tragic star with the Till breakout Danielle Deadwyler playing his wife, Zelma.

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Hurricane Helene leaves thousands without clean water in its wake

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Damage to sewage systems and pipes means widespread boil water notices and conservation orders could last weeks

Hurricane Helene left a path of devastation behind, with storm-ravaged areas struggling to access safe water for days because flooding damaged sewage systems, wastewater treatment plants and pipes that deliver drinking water to residents in the affected areas.

Boiling water advisories and water conservation orders are in place in counties in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia.

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Trip on psychedelics, save the planet: the offbeat solution to the climate crisis

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Proponents say using hallucinogens can spark ‘consciousness shifts’ to inspire climate-friendly behaviors

Thousands gathered for New York City’s annual Climate Week last week to promote climate solutions, from the phaseout of fossil-fuel subsidies to nuclear energy to corporate-led schemes like carbon credits. Others touted a more offbeat potential salve to the crisis: psychedelics.

Under the banner of Psychedelic Climate Week, a group of academics, marketers and advocates gathered for a film on pairing magic mushrooms with music, a discussion on funding ketamine-assisted therapy and a panel on “Balancing Investing & Impact with Climate & Psychedelic Capital”.

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Democrats laser in on Pennsylvania as they scramble to keep Senate majority

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Democrats’ prospects in Montana and West Virginia look grim – and money is pouring in to help Trump-backed Dave McCormick

Pennsylvania has come into laser focus in the 2024 election as the must-win state of the presidential election. But further down the ballot is another race in the battleground state – one that could decide whether Democrats are able to hold on to a one-seat majority in the Senate.

With the party bracing to lose a seat in West Virginia and incumbent Jon Tester’s prospects looking grim in Montana, a lot of attention and money is flowing into the Senate race between Democrat Bob Casey and Republican Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania.

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Mark Robinson skipped vote to declare Hurricane Helene a state of emergency

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North Carolina lieutenant governor who has been criticized for alleged explicit posts was the only member to not vote

Mark Robinson, North Carolina’s lieutenant governor and Republican gubernatorial candidate, skipped a vote on declaring a state of emergency in advance of Hurricane Helene’s arrival to the southern state, according to a report.

Robinson, who has been under attack recently over alleged racist and explicit posts on a pornography website’s message board, was the only council of state member who did not vote on Democratic governor Roy Cooper’s emergency declaration, WRAL News reported.

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Buried US second world war bomb explodes at Japanese airport

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Unexpected blast at Miyazaki airport makes crater in taxiway and leads to grounding of 80 flights but no injuries

A US bomb from the second world war that had been buried at a Japanese airport has exploded, causing a large crater in a taxiway and the cancellation of more than 80 flights but no injuries, Japanese officials said.

Land and transport ministry officials said there were no aircraft nearby when the bomb exploded at Miyazaki airport in south-western Japan on Wednesday.

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Vance-Walz debate live: vice-presidential candidates to square off in key debate

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JD Vance and Tim Walz will go head to head in New York just weeks ahead of the general election

The White House Correspondents’ Association said it has grown “increasingly concerned” about the “lack of media access” inside debate halls.

For tonight’s vice-presidential debate, CBS is allowing only one print representative, one television representative and six still photographers, who will not be permitted to move around to take photos during the event, the group said.

The WHCA’s insistence on having a full pool inside the room isn’t just about reporters being able to witness the debates. This is about the public having multiple sets of eyes and ears to properly record these moments for history.

Jason Miller, senior adviser to Donald Trump

Donald Trump Jr, a son of Donald Trump

Tom Cotton, Arkansas senator

Katie Britt, Alabama senator

Elise Stefanik, New York representative and House Republican conference chair

Byron Donalds, Florida representative

Howard Lutnick, longtime chief executive officer of Cantor Fitzgerald LP

Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota senator

Mark Kelly, Arizona senator

Jared Polis, Colorado governor

JB Pritzker, Illinois governor

Jasmine Crockett, Texas representative

Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee

Ben Ray Luján New Mexico senator

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Trump tells rally Kamala Harris ‘wouldn’t have won The Apprentice’

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Republican nominee visits Wisconsin, pledges to ‘solve’ inflation, and calls Biden and Harris ‘grossly incompetent’

Donald Trump reprised his role of a reality TV character during a rally in Waunakee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, telling voters in the key swing state that his Democratic rival Kamala Harris wouldn’t have succeeded on his business competition show.

“Kamala, you’re fired!” the ex-president said, invoking his contestant-eliminating tagline from The Apprentice after he urged voters to support him. “Get out of here!”

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