Category Archives: US News

Nikki Haley says Donald Trump ‘has my strong endorsement’ as she is greeted by boos and cheers at Republican convention – live

Posted on by

Former rival for Republican presidential nomination takes to stage in Milwaukee to formally endorse Trump

In addition to getting Donald Trump back in the White House, Republicans really want to retake the majority in the US Senate in the November elections, and have dedicated much of the convention tonight thus far to promoting their candidates for crucial seats.

In addition to Kari Lake, who is vying for Arizona’s open senate seat, the convention has heard from Eric Hovde, the party’s candidate to beat incumbent Democrat Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin. Here’s what Hovde told the crowd:

Tammy Baldwin called the Biden administration the most successful in generations. Can you believe that one? I mean, seriously, this shows how detached she is from everyday Wisconsinites. It doesn’t have to be this way. Under President Trump, family budgets were more secure, our border was secure, our world was secure. Where Biden and Baldwin have failed, President Trump and I will get the job done.

I love America, and I’ve lived the American dream. I married my best friend, raised a family, built successful businesses and created thousands of jobs for hard-working Americans. But the American dream that I lived is under attack from Joe Biden and his enablers in the Senate like Sherrod Brown.

Continue reading...

House Democrats oppose party’s plan to speed up Biden nomination

Posted on by

Trio say DNC proposal to hold ‘virtual roll call’ in July is ‘terrible idea’ that could undermine morale and unity

At least three US House of Representatives Democrats were preparing to sign a letter protesting against a plan to speed up the official party approval of Joe Biden’s re-election bid, the lawmakers’ offices said on Tuesday.

The three lawmakers are among a growing number of Democrats upset by plans to hold a “virtual rollcall” vote on Biden’s becoming the nominee as soon as 21 July, instead of waiting for the convention being held from 19 to 22 August in Chicago.

Continue reading...

Republican convention speakers ramp up anti-Democratic rhetoric despite campaign promise of unity

Posted on by

Kari Lake attacks media as ‘fake news’ as Elise Stefanik calls Biden ‘feckless and failed’ and says he’s caused ‘chaos’

Speakers at the Republican national convention ramped up their rhetorical attacks on Democrats on Tuesday night despite Donald Trump’s presidential campaign signalling that the party would adopt a serious tone and message of unity in the face of political violence.

Kari Lake, a Trump ally and Republican candidate for senate in Arizona, used her speech time to launch an attack on the media, which she called “fake news”, and said more Americans were no longer tuning in to mainstream media.

Continue reading...

Scientists set up webcam in Colorado rattlesnake ‘mega den’ with up to 2,000 reptiles

Posted on by

Researchers say rattlesnakes have an undeservedly maligned reputation but are social creatures who make good mothers

A “mega den” with as many as 2,000 rattlesnakes isn’t top binge-watching for many people. But a round-the-clock webcam in Colorado is providing a viewing bonanza for scientists and other snake enthusiasts whose observations are helping to broaden understanding of these unusual – and undeservedly maligned – reptiles.

The remote site on private land in northern Colorado is on a hillside full of rock crevices where the snakes can keep warm and hide from predators.

Continue reading...

Residents of Illinois town evacuate as officials warn of ‘imminent’ dam failure

Posted on by

Nashville and surrounding areas have been hit by severe storms and flooding, overwhelming city’s infrastructure

Residents in Nashville, Illinois, are evacuating their homes after emergency management officials warned the failure of the city’s dam was “imminent”.

Nashville, a small city in Illinois with a population of nearly 3,000 people, and surrounding areas have been hit with severe storms which have caused flooding, overwhelming the city’s infrastructure. More than 5in of rain fell in the region within six hours on Tuesday.

Continue reading...

Neo-Nazi leader charged over alleged plot to poison New York Jewish children

Posted on by

Georgian Michail Chkhikvishvili, 21, accused of planning to have associate dressed as Santa hand out poisoned candy

The leader of a neo-Nazi extremist group based in eastern Europe has been charged with plotting to have an associate dress up as Santa Claus and hand out poisoned candy to Jewish children in New York City to sow terror, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 21-year-old man from the Republic of Georgia, was indicted on four charges including soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence, according to a statement from the US justice department. It was not known if he has an attorney.

Continue reading...

Chinese business tycoon convicted of defrauding followers in $1bn scheme

Posted on by

Guo Wengui, who gained fans for criticizing Communist party in China, found guilty in US of nine criminal counts

Guo Wengui, a self-exiled Chinese business tycoon whose criticism of the Communist party won him legions of online followers and powerful friends in the American conservative movement, was convicted by a US jury on Tuesday of engaging in an enormous multi-year fraud that ripped off some of his most devoted fans.

Once believed to be among the richest people in China, Guo was arrested in New York in March 2023 and accused of operating a racketeering enterprise that stretched from 2018 through 2023.

Continue reading...

US and Israel allowed tax-deductible donations to groups blocking Gaza aid

Posted on by

Three groups that have prevented humanitarian supplies reaching the Palestinian territory have raised over $200,000

Under American pressure, Israel has pledged to deliver large quantities of humanitarian aid into the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. But at the same time, the US and Israel have allowed tax-deductible donations to far-right groups that have blocked that aid from being delivered.

Three groups that have prevented humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza – including one accused of looting or destroying supplies – have raised more than $200,000 from donors in the US and Israel, the Associated Press and the Israeli investigative site Shomrim have found in an examination of crowdfunding websites and other public records.

Continue reading...

Six people found dead in Bangkok luxury hotel in suspected poisoning

Posted on by

Bodies of three men and three women, two of whom were US citizens, discovered in locked suite at Grand Hyatt Erawan

Six people have been found dead at a luxury hotel in central Bangkok, in what authorities say could be a case of poisoning.

The bodies of three women and three men were found inside a hotel suite on the fifth floor of the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel by a hotel worker late on Tuesday afternoon.

Continue reading...

Vaughan Gething quits as Welsh first minister but hits out at ‘pernicious’ claims of wrongdoing – UK politics live

Posted on by

His resignation comes after four Welsh ministers stepped down from their posts in an apparently calculated move to force his hand

The JD Vance comment about Britain supposedly becoming an Islamist country under Labour (see 8.42am) is an example of the extreme political rhetoric that has coarsened politics on both sides of the Atlantic in recent years. Yesterday Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, announced that she will chair a meeting of the Defending Democracy taskforce to consider how election candidates are being exposed to more aggression and intimidation than in the past.

This morning Brendan Cox, whose wife, the Labour MP Jo Cox, was murdered by a far-right terrorist during the Brexit referendum in 2016, told the Today programme that he thought the problem was getting worse. He said:

There was a wide range of intimidation, but I do think it was another level.

Having spoken to lots of MPs about it, there was a sense that something had changed, that they felt hunted, that they felt unable to go about campaigning – that there were men in balaclavas, there were fireworks being thrown, there were tyres being slashed …

Continue reading...

Tornado reported at Chicago airport as storms blow through midwest

Posted on by

Multiple twisters reported in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana as weather service warns of damaging winds

A tornado apparently touched down outside Chicago’s O’Hare airport on Monday as storms spawned multiple reports of twisters blowing through Illinois, Iowa and Indiana.

The turbulent weather knocked down trees and power poles, cutting electricity to more than 460,000 customers and businesses. A woman in Indiana died after a tree fell on to a home, authorities said.

The Associated Press contributed reporting

Continue reading...

United apologizes to ‘humiliated’ Hall of Famer Terrell Davis after removal from plane

Posted on by
  • Super Bowl champion tapped attendant during flight
  • Former Bronco was handcuffed by law enforcement

Two-time Super Bowl champion Terrell Davis said on Monday he was “humiliated” after being handcuffed and removed from a United Airlines flight over the weekend.

Davis, who played his entire career with the Denver Broncos, wrote in an Instagram post that he had tried to get the attention of a flight attendant because one of his sons wanted a cup of ice.

Continue reading...

Labour rejects JD Vance ‘first Islamist country with nuclear weapons’ remarks

Posted on by

Deputy PM Angela Rayner says she does not recognise Donald Trump running mate’s ‘characterisation’ of Britain

Senior Labour figures have rejected comments by Donald Trump’s vice-presidential pick, JD Vance, that the UK could become the first “truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon” under the party.

They were reacting to comments that were made by Vance, a junior senator for the state of Ohio who has been announced as Trump’s running mate, at a conference for US conservatives.

Continue reading...

First Thing: Republican convention to focus on crime and immigration

Posted on by

Donald Trump named JD Vance as his running mate and formally won the nomination on Monday. Plus, Brat summer has arrived – here’s what that means

Good morning.

The Republican national convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will focus its second day on crime and immigration, after Donald Trump on Monday announced that the Ohio senator JD Vance would serve as his running mate.

Where does Vance stand on the big issues? As well as on immigration, Vance backs the Maga brand of populist nationalism and echoes Trump on abortion, climate, election denialism, and America-first isolationism – which is devastating news for Ukraine.

Has Vance always been a Trump ally? No. Back in 2016 he labelled Trump as “cultural heroin” and even described himself as “a never-Trump guy”. But like much of the Republican party, he has since been on a journey away from that position.

Trump’s convention welcome Delegates described Trump as “Braveheart” as he received a rapturous welcome on Monday after surviving an attempted assassination.

What is the argument for the legislation? Proponents of the Safety Act say it will help protect LGBTQ+ students who live in unsupportive households from being outed.

And what about against? Advocates of “parental notification” policies see them as key to children’s wellbeing and for maintaining transparency and trust between schools and parents.

Continue reading...

‘Not welcome in our city’: protesters march on Republican convention

Posted on by

Coalition of progressive groups wave Palestinian flags and anti-Trump banners on protest in downtown Milwaukee

As the Republican national convention kicked off in Milwaukee on Monday, about a thousand people led a spirited demonstration against Donald Trump and his party on the streets outside.

The March on the RNC gathered in a park a couple of blocks from the Fiserv Forum, where Trump was formally nominated at the Republican candidate for president.

Continue reading...

Biden housing plan seeks to curb rent increases by penalizing landlords

Posted on by

President to unveil rent control plan for larger landlords that would restrict increases to 5%, or risk losing tax breaks

President Joe Biden wants to curb rent increases by penalizing landlords who hike rents beyond 5% each year, but he needs the help of Congress to put the plan into action.

The Biden administration will announce the idea in Nevada on Tuesday along with a host of other housing-related policies, including an influx of funds to add more housing in Nevada and elsewhere and a plan to use public federal lands for affordable housing near Las Vegas.

Continue reading...

Donald Trump names Ohio senator JD Vance as vice-presidential running mate

Posted on by

The former ‘never Trumper’ once called the ex-president a ‘terrible candidate’ and asked if he was ‘America’s Hitler’

Donald Trump has named JD Vance, the Ohio senator who has aligned himself with the populist right, as his running mate at the Republican national convention on Monday.

“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator JD Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” wrote Trump on Truth Social.

Continue reading...

Who is JD Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential pick?

Posted on by

Once an outspoken Trump critic, the senator believes the former US president is the ‘best president’ of his ‘lifetime’

Donald Trump has selected JD Vance, the junior senator of Ohio and author of the bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, as his running mate in the presidential race.

The announcement, made on Monday during the first day of the Republican national convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, marked the culmination of Vance’s stunning political evolution over the past several years.

Continue reading...

Trump picks JD Vance as his running mate – live

Posted on by

Donald Trump has announced that Ohio senator JD Vance will be his running mate

President Joe Biden has postponed a planned trip to Texas today, where he was to speak on the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act at the Lyndon B Johnson presidential library.

An NBC News interview between Biden and anchor Lester Holt will now occur at the White House, instead of in Texas, as initially planned, Associated Press reports.

There is no place in America for this kind of violence or for any violence for that matter.

An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation. Everything. It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not America, and we cannot allow this to happen.

Continue reading...

Former classmate describes Trump rally gunman as ‘definitely conservative’

Posted on by

Another schoolmate tells Inquirer the suspect wasn’t ‘harshly bullied’, while 20-year-old’s motive remains unclear

As mystery continues surrounding the possible motivations of the 20-year-old Pennsylvania man accused of trying to kill Donald Trump at a campaign rally, one former classmate of his has come forward to describe him as being “definitely conservative” while they were in school together.

“It makes me wonder why he would carry out an assassination attempt on the conservative candidate,” Max R Smith told the Philadelphia Inquirer of the shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Continue reading...