Category Archives: US News

UK could contribute to nuclear shield if Trump wins, suggests German minister

Posted on by

Comments draw Britain into debate about European security without US providing bulk of Nato’s nuclear deterrent

The UK could contribute to a new European nuclear shield if Donald Trump becomes US president again, a senior German minister has suggested, drawing British politicians into the debate about how Europe’s security could be bolstered in the event of the Republican frontrunner winning in November.

Questions over a European nuclear deterrence have intensified after Trump’s remarks on Saturday that he would not defend any Nato member that failed to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defence – and would even encourage Russia to continue attacking.

Continue reading...

At least one killed and 21 injured in Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting

Posted on by

Three suspects have been arrested in connection to the shooting as the Super Bowl victory celebrations were wrapping up

At least one person was killed and 21 others injured, including multiple children, in Wednesday afternoon’s shooting that turned a Super Bowl victory parade for the Kansas City Chiefs into a scene of tragedy and chaos.

Authorities in Kansas City, Missouri, have said that three people were arrested in connection with the shooting near Union station, which took place as the celebration was wrapping up.

Continue reading...

Kansas City Chiefs denounce ‘senseless aviolence’ at Super Bowl victory parade

Posted on by

Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended the parade, said it ‘seems like almost nothing is safe’ as NFL said it was ‘deeply saddened’

The NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs have denounced the mass shooting that killed one and injured nearly two dozen people, including at least eight children, during Wednesday’s Super Bowl parade celebrating the team’s victory as a “senseless act of violence”.

“We are truly saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred outside of Union Station at the conclusion of today’s parade and rally,” the Chiefs said in a statement.

Continue reading...

Nearly 15% of Americans don’t believe climate change is real, study finds

Posted on by

Denialism highest in central and southern US, with Republican voters less likely to believe in climate science

Nearly 15% of Americans don’t believe climate change is real, a new study out of University of Michigan reveals – shedding light on the highly polarized attitude toward global warming.

Additionally, denialism is highest in the central and southern US, with Republican voters found less likely to believe in climate science.

Continue reading...

‘Just doing the right thing’: two women find missing US child after Amber alert

Posted on by

Abducted four-year-old boy in California reunited with family after Regan Dunn and Yenni Lee received alert and went to look for him

A missing four-year-old boy was reunited with his family on Tuesday evening after two women, who had received an Amber alert about an abducted child, located him.

The California highway patrol issued an alert for an abducted child in Long Beach and advised the public to be on the lookout for a gray Honda Accord. Police said the vehicle was stolen with Justin Chan inside after his parent left the car running while making a delivery.

Continue reading...

Mike Johnson justifies Mayorkas impeachment, claiming ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’ – live

Posted on by

House speaker also attacks Biden as unfit for office and plays down New York Democrat win; Democrats decry impeachment as ‘sham’

After the special counsel Robert Hur’s report, Mike Johnson says Biden is not fit to hold office.

“The DOJ is indicting one president with politically motivated charges and they are now carrying the water for another amid very similar allegations,” he said. “A man too incapable of being held accountable for handling classified information is certainly unfit for the Oval Office.”

Continue reading...

Nato chief rebukes Donald Trump and announces record defence spending

Posted on by

Jens Stoltenberg accuses Trump of undermining alliance and says 18 members are expected to invest at least 2% of GDP this year

Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, has accused Donald Trump of undermining the basis of the transatlantic alliance as he announced that 18 Nato members were expected to beat the target of spending more than 2% of GDP on defence.

It was the second rebuke by the Nato chief to the Republican frontrunner in less than a week, reinforced by a declaration that Germany was among the countries planning to spend over the threshold for the first time in a generation.

Continue reading...

Chicago scraps gunshot detection system accused of racial bias

Posted on by

Community groups say ShotSpotter system sends police to Black and Latino neighborhoods for unnecessary and hostile encounters

Chicago will not renew its ShotSpotter contract and plans to stop using the controversial gunshot detection system later this year, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office announced on Tuesday.

The system, which relies on an artificial intelligence algorithm and network of microphones to identify gunshots, has been criticized for inaccuracy, racial bias and law enforcement misuse. An Associated Press investigation of the technology detailed how police and prosecutors used ShotSpotter data as evidence in charging a Chicago grandfather with murder before a judge dismissed the case due to insufficient evidence.

Continue reading...

Marvel announces Fantastic Four cast including Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby

Posted on by

The two actors will be joined by The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Stranger Things breakout Joseph Quinn

Marvel has announced the cast for its much-anticipated reboot of Fantastic Four: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn.

The film, about a quartet of superheroes with different powers, has been dated for 25 July 2025.

Continue reading...

Academics in US, UK and Australia collaborated on drone research with Iranian university close to regime

Posted on by

Exclusive: work by researchers from western universities and counterparts at Sharif University considered potentially ‘very dangerous’ by experts

Academics in the UK, Australia and the US collaborated on research related to drone technology with an Iranian university that is under international financial sanctions and known for its close ties to the military, the Guardian can reveal.

The collaborative research was described by one security expert as having direct military applications, while another called it potentially “very dangerous”. Iranian-made drones have been responsible for a number of deadly attacks in the Ukraine and Middle East conflicts, and their development is known to be a top priority for the government in Tehran.

Continue reading...

New York special election: Tom Suozzi wins seat vacated by George Santos in boost for Biden

Posted on by

The contest between Democrat Suozzi and little-known Republican Mazi Pilip was seen as a bellwether for November’s presidential election

Democrat Tom Suozzi won the New York congressional seat vacated by the disgraced Republican George Santos on Tuesday night, in a boost for Joe Biden ahead of the presidential election.

The victory narrows the slim Republican majority in the House and gives Democrats a much-needed win in New York City’s Long Island suburbs, where Republican candidates have shown strength in recent elections.

Continue reading...

Tennessee advances bill to ban people from helping minors obtain abortion

Posted on by

Proposed bill that could see prison sentences of up to 15 years for breaching rules moves forward in state legislature

Tennessee state legislators moved on Tuesday to advance a bill that would ban people from taking minors for an abortion without parental permission – an act that the bill has dubbed “abortion trafficking”.

If someone illegally “recruits, harbors, or transports a pregnant unemancipated minor” for an abortion, they could face three to 15 years in prison under the proposed bill, which has now advanced out of a state house subcommittee after a hearing.

Continue reading...

Lyft CEO says ‘My bad’ after earnings typo sends stock up 60%

Posted on by

The company had predicted it would grow by 5% in 2024, but later said that the real increase would be a factor of 10 lower

Lyft beat estimates for fourth-quarter profits on Tuesday as the ride-share platform reaps the benefits of growth in rides to stadiums and airports as well as heavy cost-cutting.

Company shares surged more than 60% in extended trading but erased most of those gains after Lyft’s chief financial officer corrected a major mistake in the earnings report. The company had predicted it would grow by 500 basis points (5%) in 2024, but later said that the real increase would be a factor of 10 lower – 50 basis points (0.5%). In 2023, the stock gained about 36%.

Continue reading...

LA mayor ‘terrified’ of tragedy as half-built skyscraper becomes stunt magnet

Posted on by

Karen Bass fears ‘someone’s going to fall or be pushed’ from Oceanwide Plaza, used by graffiti artists and parachutists

An abandoned high-rise tower in downtown Los Angeles has become a magnet for graffiti artists and parachuting stunts, leaving city officials furious.

“This isn’t art. It’s a crime,” Los Angeles police chief Michael Moore warned on Monday, saying the police were remaining at the site of the half-built development “as the city mobilizes resources to remove the graffiti and fortify the location”.

Continue reading...

David Cameron to meet EU ministers to seek more help for Ukraine

Posted on by

Foreign secretary wants an increase in European defence output and to give profits from seized Russian assets in Europe to Kyiv

David Cameron will discuss strengthening Ukraine’s defences and finances against further Russian aggression with European partners in light of the continuing threat of the US Congress refusing to provide further financial support.

The foreign secretary is due to visit Bulgaria and Poland before meeting a host of European foreign ministers at a security conference in Munich on Friday.

Continue reading...

Wisconsin lawmakers adopt new legislative maps that could undo gerrymandering

Posted on by

Votes by Republican-dominated state assembly and state senate signal that the years-long battle may be finally drawing to a close

Wisconsin lawmakers voted on Tuesday to adopt legislative maps drawn by the Democratic governor, Tony Evers – inching the state closer to undoing the extreme gerrymander that has ensured Republican control of the state for more than a decade.

The pair of votes in the Republican-dominated state assembly and state senate are a sign that the years-long battle over Wisconsin’s legislative maps may be finally drawing to a close, giving Democrats a chance to win control of the state legislature in upcoming elections for the first time since 2012.

Continue reading...

Houthis strike Iran-bound grain ship in first Red Sea attack in six days

Posted on by

Militants fired missiles at Greek-owned ship, says US military, in strike that raises questions over who Houthis are trying to target

Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have carried out their first attack in the Red Sea in six days, firing at an Iran-bound grain cargo ship, the US military has said, in a strike that raises questions about the group’s targeting.

The lull in attacks on ships which the Houthis claim are linked to Israel has led to claims that US and UK strikes against the group have successfully neutralised its capabilities or that potential targets have been deterred from entering the Red Sea.

Continue reading...

US Senate approves $95bn aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

Posted on by

Pre-dawn vote comes amid growing doubts about fate of legislation in Republican-controlled House of Representatives

After weeks of setbacks and delays, the US Senate gave final approval to a $95bn wartime aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other American allies early on Tuesday morning, sending the bill to the Republican-controlled House where its fate is uncertain.

In a pre-dawn vote, the Senate passed the measure 70 to 29, easily clearing the 60-vote threshold needed to pass most legislation in the chamber. Nearly all Democrats and 22 Republicans approved the bill, which exposed deep divisions within the GOP over America’s responsibility to its allies and its role on the world stage.

Continue reading...

US House impeaches Biden homeland security secretary in historic vote

Posted on by

Alejandro Mayorkas, rebuked by Republicans who voted against key immigration bill, first to face such punishment in over 150 years

The US House of Representatives has voted to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, Joe Biden’s secretary of homeland security, on explicitly political charges related to conditions at the southern border as Republicans attempt to capitalize on the issue in an election year.

The evening roll call proved tight, with speaker Mike Johnson’s threadbare Republican majority and in the face of staunch Democratic opposition to impeaching Mayorkas, the first cabinet secretary facing charges in nearly 150 years.

Continue reading...

Usher and longtime partner married in Las Vegas after Super Bowl half-time show

Posted on by

R&B superstar married Jenn Goicoechea, his partner since 2019, at Vegas Weddings hours after half-time headline appearance

Usher and his longtime partner Jenn Goicoechea married in Las Vegas just hours after the R&B superstar’s headline appearance at the Super Bowl half-time show, according to officials and documents.

The officiant who wed the pair is known to dress as an Elvis Presley impersonator.

Continue reading...