Category Archives: US News

Deaths expected to rise as Florida begins to assess Hurricane Milton destruction

Posted on by

State battered by category 3 storm overnight, leaving more than 3.4m homes and businesses without power

The death toll from Hurricane Milton rose to at least nine on Thursday as Florida began to assess the damage from the category 3 storm that caused extensive property damage across the state and left more than 3.4m homes and businesses without power.

Authorities said four fatalities were in a senior community in St Lucie county that was struck by a tornado formed in Milton’s outer bands. The tornado happened before the hurricane made landfall near Sarasota on Florida’s western coast on Wednesday evening.

Continue reading...

Ethel Kennedy, activist and widow of Robert F Kennedy, dies aged 96

Posted on by

Kennedy, who remained dedicated to social causes and the family’s legacy, had been hospitalized after having a stroke

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Senator Robert F. Kennedy who raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family’s legacy for decades thereafter, died on Thursday, her family said. She was 96.

Kennedy had been hospitalized after suffering a stroke in her sleep on 3 October, her family said.

Continue reading...

Russia shares AI images of Hurricane Milton as disinformation abounds in US

Posted on by

Far-right trolls spout baseless theory that storm is a ‘simulation’ as Republicans jump on conspiracy train

As Hurricane Milton ripped across Florida, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, trolls and politicians alike spawned misinformation about the storm, questioning government preparations and calling it a “simulation” designed to hurt the Republican state.

But after it made landfall and exited into the Atlantic Ocean, there’s a new propaganda target among conspiracists: Walt Disney World in Orlando.

Continue reading...

Hurricane Milton: Biden says ‘outright lies’ risk lives as Florida deals with aftermath of storm – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed. Find the full report on Hurricane Milton here

Footage coming in from the Tampa area as Hurricane Milton makes landfall shows the devastating consequences of what Joe Biden has called the “storm of the century”.

Reporters with NewsNation have captured video from Tampa Bay, where the storm sucked water back from the coast. At the mouth of Tampa Bay, a weather station has recorded a wind gust of 100mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Continue reading...

‘I am your retribution’: Trump’s radical plan to remake the presidency – podcast

Posted on by

Guardian US’s chief reporter, Ed Pilkington, explores Donald Trump’s plans for a second term as president if he wins next month’s election, and how they would give him unprecedented power

By the time Donald Trump left the White House in January 2021, he was frustrated by the limits of his office.

As Guardian US’s chief reporter, Ed Pilkington, explains to Michael Safi, Trump felt he had been held back as president not by the standard checks and balances of a democracy, but by a shadowy “deep state”.

Continue reading...

Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida as category 3 storm

Posted on by

Powerful cyclone slams into coast, bringing deadly storm surge to Sarasota, Tampa, St Petersburg and Fort Myers

A weakening but still tremendously powerful Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s west coast on Wednesday night as a category 3, pushing ahead of it a massive and potentially deadly wall of water from the Gulf of Mexico, as well as “catastrophic” winds likely to cause significant property damage.

The cyclone, described earlier in the day by Joe Biden as “the storm of the century”, made landfall near Sarasota, Florida, just after 8:30pm ET, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said. The storm was bringing deadly storm surge to much of Florida’s Gulf coast, including densely populated areas such as Tampa, St Petersburg, Sarasota and Fort Myers.

Continue reading...

Risk-to-life warnings remain in place as Hurricane Milton downgraded to category 3 – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is closing down – you can follow all the latest in our new blog here

Here is some footage from the town of Treasure Island in Florida, which shows already deserted streets as Hurricane Milton approaches.

Adria R Walker reports for the Guardian that when people don’t flee their homes due to weather crises despite warnings from government officials, there are typically two reasons why. That is according to Cara Cuite, an assistant professor in Rutgers University’s department of human ecology. She said they either don’t believe they’re at risk or that the risk is overblown, or there are situational or structural elements that prevent them from doing so.

Continue reading...

Seven tornadoes hit Florida in advance of arrival of Hurricane Milton

Posted on by

Tornado watch remains in place ahead of storm’s expected landfall late on Wednesday or early on Thursday

Seven tornadoes have hit Florida in advance of Hurricane Milton, the National Weather Service in Miami said on Wednesday.

Hurricanes and tropical storms have the ability to produce tornadoes.

Continue reading...

Hurricane Milton: tropical storm-force winds reach Florida before ‘storm of the century’

Posted on by

Storm weakens to category 3 ahead of expected landfall late on Wednesday or early on Thursday

Officials urged residents of Florida’s western coast to shelter in place if they had not already evacuated on Wednesday evening as Hurricane Milton prepared to make landfall in the next few hours.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) urged Floridians to prepare for a storm surge of over 10ft, flooding and devastating hurricane-force winds as the state prepares for what Joe Biden has called the “storm of the century”.

Continue reading...

GSK strikes $2.2bn deal to resolve legal cases in US over heartburn treatment Zantac

Posted on by

British drugmaker agrees payment to resolve 80,000 cases alleging cancers were linked to drug known generically as ranitidine

The British drugmaker GSK has struck an agreement to make a payment of up to $2.2bn (£1.7bn) to resolve litigation brought in the US over its heartburn treatment Zantac.

The company said it had struck agreements with 10 plaintiff law firms who represent about 93%, roughly 80,000, of the US state court product liability cases pending against it.

Continue reading...

Biden and Netanyahu speak as Gallant warns of ‘deadly’ surprise attack on Iran

Posted on by

Leaders talk for first time in weeks as US administration seeks to weigh in on Israel’s plans

Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu spoke for the first time in weeks on Wednesday amid expectations of an imminent Israeli strike on Iran, which Yoav Gallant warned would be “deadly, precise and surprising”.

Netanyahu’s defence minister issued the warning in a video message on Israeli media on Wednesday night, broadcast after he postponed a scheduled trip to Washington.

Continue reading...

Google facing US government attempt to break it up, court filing shows

Posted on by

Department of Justice examining ‘structural remedies’ to challenge tech corporation’s internet search monopoly

The US government may ask a judge to force the breakup of Google’s business as it attempts to challenge the tech corporation’s monopoly over the internet search market.

The Department of Justice has filed court papers that say it is considering enforcing “structural remedies” that would prevent Google from using some of its products such as Chrome, Android and Play, which the DoJ argues give the company an advantage over rivals.

Continue reading...

Rio Tinto to buy US lithium producer Arcadium in $6.7bn deal

Posted on by

Acquisition by Anglo-Australian miner comes despite global headwinds in electric car market

Rio Tinto is to buy the US company Arcadium Lithium for $6.7bn (£5.1bn), in a huge bet on the energy transition despite global headwinds in the electric car market.

The Anglo-Australian metals and mining company said it would pay $5.85 a share for the US-based lithium miner. That represents an almost 90% premium to Arcadium’s closing price of $3.08 a share on 3 October, the day before news of a potential deal emerged.

Continue reading...

Women’s health being neglected worldwide, says Melinda French Gates

Posted on by

Exclusive: Billionaire launches $250m fund to address problem as she warns of growth of ‘maternity care deserts’

Women’s health is being neglected worldwide with “maternity care deserts” more common, millions denied abortions and maternal death rates surging, Melinda French Gates has warned as she launches a $250m (£190m) fund to improve women’s physical and mental health globally.

Despite advances in medicine, women experience “unacceptable” inequities across all aspects of their health, spend more years living with ill health and still face barriers to accessing basic care. Women in rich and poor nations are affected and more than 700 are dying in childbirth each day, French Gates said.

Continue reading...

Hurricanes like Helene twice as likely to happen due to global heating, data finds

Posted on by

Analysis shows Gulf’s heat that worsened Helene 200-500 times more likely because of human-caused global heating

As Hurricane Milton bears down on Florida, fueled by a record-hot Gulf of Mexico, a new analysis has shown how the Gulf’s heat that worsened last month’s Hurricane Helene was 200 to 500 times more likely because of human-caused global heating.

Helene, one of the deadliest storms in US history, gathered pace over the Gulf before crashing ashore with 140mph winds.

Continue reading...

The high life: Kamala Harris cracks open a beer with Stephen Colbert

Posted on by

Democratic nominee shares a Miller High Life in late-night TV chat, and discusses Trump, Gaza and Vladimir Putin

When they go low, she goes high. Miller High Life to be precise.

Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, took her election campaign to late night television on Tuesday by cracking open a can of the lager with host Stephen Colbert. The moment set her apart from Joe Biden and Donald Trump – both, famously, teetotallers.

Continue reading...

Ethel Kennedy, human rights advocate, recovering from stroke

Posted on by

The widow of US senator Robert F Kennedy is ‘getting best care possible’, her family said in a statement on X

Ethel Kennedy, a human rights advocate and widow of US Senator Robert F Kennedy, is recovering from a stroke she suffered last week, according to a statement her grandson, the former representative Joseph P Kennedy III, shared on X on Tuesday.

“Unfortunately on Thursday morning she suffered a stroke in her sleep,” her grandson posted on X. “She was brought to an area hospital where she is now receiving treatment.” His aunt, Kerry Kennedy, later posted the same statement.

Continue reading...

Zelenskyy ‘victory plan’ summit in doubt after Joe Biden pulls out

Posted on by

US president prepares for arrival of Hurricane Milton as German chancellor says meeting will be rescheduled

Joe Biden has called off a four-day trip to Germany this week that had been intended to culminate in a summit to discuss Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “victory plan” for Ukraine.

The White House said on Tuesday evening that the president would stay at home “to oversee preparations for and the response” to Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday.

Continue reading...

Hurricane Milton intensifies to category 5 again as Biden warns storm could be worst in over 100 years – as it happened

Posted on by

National Hurricane Center announces sustained winds of up to 165mph, as US president says his team is doing everything ‘to save lives’. This blog is now closed.

Bob Woodward’s forthcoming book “War” also reveals that Donald Trump kept in touch with Vladimir Putin after his presidency ended, CNN reports.

Citing an aide to the former president, Woodward writes that there have been “maybe as many as seven” calls between the two since Trump left the White House.

But Putin — who infamously isolated himself over fears of Covid — told Trump on a phone call to keep the delivery of the Abbott machines quiet, Woodward reports.

“Please don’t tell anybody you sent these to me,” Putin said to Trump, according to Woodward.

“That son of a bitch, Bibi Netanyahu, he’s a bad guy. He’s a bad fucking guy!” Biden said earlier this year, as Israel’s invasion of Gaza ground on.

“That fucking Putin … Putin is evil. We are dealing with the epitome of evil.” Those were the president’s thoughts, sometime after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Continue reading...

Trump took ‘British naval secrets’ to Mar-a-Lago, says Christopher Steele

Posted on by

Former UK spy says in new book Trump ‘apparently unauthorizedly’ took secrets with him

Donald Trump took “British naval secrets” to Mar-a-Lago after he left the White House, the former UK spy Christopher Steele says in a new book.

“I was reliably informed by impeccable sources that among the classified documents which Trump, apparently unauthorizedly, took with him to Mar-a-Lago at the end of his presidency were British naval secrets, some of the most sensitive ones in our governmental system,” Steele writes.

Continue reading...