Category Archives: US News

Netanyahu rejects Gaza ceasefire deal and says victory is ‘within reach’

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Israeli PM rebuffs US-led mediation efforts as order is given to commence ground assault in southern city of Rafah

Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the terms of a ceasefire in Gaza proposed by Hamas and rebuffed US pressure to move more quickly towards a mediated settlement to the war, saying there could be no solution to Israel’s security issues except “absolute victory” over the militant group.

The Israeli prime minister also confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces had been instructed to commence operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where the population has been swelled by hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

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‘Dead on arrival’: US Senate poised for procedural vote on $118bn border bill

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Bipartisan bill, brokered by the White House and group of senators from both sides, is likely to fail due to Republican opposition

The Senate appeared ready to move forward on Wednesday with a planned procedural vote on the bipartisan border and national security bill, even as the legislation looked increasingly likely to fail due to entrenched opposition among Republicans.

The $118bn bill would grant the president a new power to shut down the border when daily crossings pass a certain limit while also expediting the asylum review process, which could lead to a quicker deportation for many migrants. The bill would provide $60bn in military assistance for Ukraine, $14bn in security assistance for Israel and $10bn in humanitarian assistance for civilians affected by war in Ukraine, Gaza and the West Bank.

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Republican National Committee wants Nikki Haley to drop out to boost funds

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Exclusive: RNC reported $8m in cash to spend, less than half of what it had in 2016, as it starts preparing for the 2024 election

Top officials at the Republican National Committee want Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, to drop out of the race for the GOP nomination so it can launch a joint fundraising committee with Donald Trump to bolster its finances, according to people familiar with the situation.

The RNC last week reported $8m in cash to spend in its year-end filing, an amount less than half of what it had when Trump was running for the presidency in 2016 and below what it needs to stand up operations as it prepares to take on Joe Biden in the general election.

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US man who says IDF kidnapped his mother calls on Biden to take action

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New Orleans man asks White House to follow through on Biden’s promise to respond ‘if you harm an American’ in mother’s case

A New Orleans-area man who has reported that Israeli troops kidnapped his mother – a US citizen – from a family home on the occupied West Bank Palestinian territory is asking Joe Biden’s White House to follow through on the president’s recent promise to respond “if you harm an American”.

Ibrahim Hamed said he realizes that Biden’s remarks on Friday – “if you harm an American, we will respond” – came after the United States and Britain attacked Houthi targets in Yemen in retaliation for a drone strike that killed three US army troops. But he said the sentiment should apply as well even in the case of a Palestinian American who has been taken by Israeli troops.

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‘Diabolical actions’: Snoop Dogg and Master P sue Walmart in breakfast cereal spat

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Rappers entered breakfast market with Snoop Cereal in 2023, and allege conspiracy between manufacturer Post Consumer Brands and supermarket chain Walmart to ‘choke’ startup brand

Rappers Snoop Dogg and Master P are suing US supermarket chain Walmart and food manufacturer Post Consumer Brands, claiming that the two companies conspired to sabotage the success of the pair’s new breakfast cereal enterprise.

Snoop Cereal launched last summer, with Master P hailing parent company Broadus Foods as the first Black-owned cereal company in the US: “This has been going on for over 100 years, that we’ve been consumers and never owners, so we’re changing that game.” The rappers partnered with Post to produce the cereal itself.

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Haley loses to ‘none of the candidates’ in Nevada primary as Biden seals easy win

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Haley suffers embarrassing result with Trump not on ballot and contesting delegate-selecting caucuses on Thursday instead

Nikki Haley suffered an embarrassing defeat in Nevada’s Republican presidential primary contest, when she was beaten by the “none of these candidates” option, despite Donald Trump’s absence from the ballot.

Joe Biden, meanwhile, secured another primary victory after his nearest challenger, Marianne Williamson, registered only in the low single digits. The AP called the results about two hours after polls closed on a soggy and subdued election day in Nevada.

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Nevada primary: Biden focuses on Black and Latino voters as GOP scheme helps Trump

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Election day off to a quiet start with no major candidates in the state and with voters slow to trickle into polling sites

Polls have closed in Nevada, which is holding its first presidential primary contest in the US west, has been damp – and oddly quiet.

None of the major candidates are in the state, and voters have been slow to trickle into polling sites. Only about 12,000 people had opted to vote at polling stations on election day. About 151,000 people voted early, the majority of them by mail.

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Crew member dies on set of new Marvel TV series Wonder Man

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Investigation under way as unidentified worker dies after falling from the rafters at CBS Radford Studios

A crew member on the upcoming Marvel TV series Wonder Man has died following an on-set accident.

The unidentified worker, a rigger at CBS Radford Studios, died after falling from the rafters on Tuesday morning. The accident did not occur during filming, but the rigger was working on the set of the Marvel television series, which resumed production in January after several strike-related delays.

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Biden blames Trump for imminent death of immigration bill – as it happened

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This live blog is now closed. For more on Biden’s address, you can read our full story:

This right here is what Joe Biden, most Democrats and the apparently dwindling number of Republicans who support the immigration bill are up against.

The House speaker, Mike Johnson, is leading the campaign against the compromise legislation, which would enact hardline policies Democrats generally oppose while also sending military assistance to Ukraine and Israel. In remarks today, he expressed approval at reports that the deal is on “life support” in the Senate:

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Four bolts appeared to be missing from Boeing panel that blew off, regulator says

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National Transportation Safety Board says four bolts meant to hold door plug of 737 Max 9 in place were apparently absent

A cabin panel that blew off a brand-new Boeing 737 Max 9 jet mid-flight appeared to be missing four key bolts, according to an initial report by the US safety regulator.

The bolts meant to hold the door plug in place were absent, the National Transportation Safety Board said. It released photographic evidence alongside the preliminary findings of its investigating on Tuesday.

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Taylor Swift threatens legal action against student tracking her private jet

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Some Swifties decry the cease-and-desist to Jack Sweeney, who measures public figures’ carbon footprints online, as unnecessary

Attorneys for pop star Taylor Swift are threatening legal action against a college student who is tracking Swift’s jet use via social media, with some Swifties - members of Swift’s fanbase – decrying the legal action as unnecessary.

Swift’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to Jack Sweeney, a University of Central Florida student who runs several social media accounts tracking the private jet use of Swift and other public figures, the Washington Post first reported this week.

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Joe Biden implores Congress to pass US-Mexico border security bill

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Senate bill includes aid to Ukraine and Israel, as House tries to advance bill with Israel aid only, which Biden says he would veto

Joe Biden urged Congress to pass the bipartisan border bill in a pointed speech on Tuesday, accusing Republicans of “caving” in to Donald Trump’s demands to block the legislation from advancing.

“All indications are this bill won’t even move forward to the Senate floor. Why? A simple reason: Donald Trump. Because Donald Trump thinks it’s bad for him politically,” Biden said at the White House. “He’d rather weaponize this issue than actually solve it.”

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Super Bowl expected to be biggest sports betting event in US history

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Tens of millions of Americans estimated to bet record $23.1bn on game as concern mounts over gambling addiction rates

An estimated 67.8 million Americans will bet a record $23.1bn on this weekend’s Super Bowl, according to an industry survey, as a nationwide gambling boom continues.

Super Bowl LVIII is widely expected to be the biggest sports betting event in United States history. It will take place in Las Vegas amid mounting concern over rising gambling addiction rates.

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Houthis claim fresh attacks on British and US ships in Red Sea

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Two vessels not badly damaged but incident casts doubt on success of UK-US strikes on Yemen missile sites

Houthi rebels say they have successfully targeted a British and a US ship in the Red Sea, casting doubt on the effectiveness of three waves of US-UK strikes on missile sites belonging to the group in Yemen.

Neither of the two ships were badly damaged but the incident will underscore the need for commercial ships either to pay higher insurance premiums or take longer, more expensive routes to avoid the threat of Houthi attacks. A third ship was targeted on Tuesday afternoon, but not struck, at least reassuring Britain that the Houthi capabilities may have been degraded by the US-UK airstrikes.

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Rain to worsen in LA as hundreds of thousands remain without power in California – live

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Up to 9in of rain had already fallen in the area and more is expected; 400,000 homes and businesses are without power around California

California is grappling with another round of strong storms this week and the dangerous potential for flash flooding, landslides, and furious winds expected to come with them.

Much like last year, when record rainfall lashed the state, the storms are attributed to atmospheric rivers (ARs), systems that have long played a role in California’s precipitation levels – both for good and for bad.

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Protests as Atlanta council adopts new rules for referendum on Cop City

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Vote comes amid protests against the methodology the council adopted for signature matching on referendum petitions

The Atlanta city council adopted new rules on Monday that would allow the referendum process for the public to vote on the “Cop City” project to move forward. The vote came amid protests against the methodology the council adopted for signature matching on referendum petitions, which critics say gives the city a way to block a public vote on the controversial project.

Three people calling for the signature matching element of the ordinance to be removed were escorted from the council chambers ahead of the 10-5 vote adopting the ordinance.

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Three people dead from California storms as rain and floods wreak havoc

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Nearly 38 million people under flood alerts across state and into Arizona as officials warn dangers still lurk in the waters

A deadly, atmospheric-river fuelled storm caused chaos across California on Monday, battering the state with record amounts of rain, destructive mudslides, and violent winds that left at least three people dead from falling trees.

Nearly 38 million people are under flood alerts across the state and into Arizona, including about 10 million people in Los Angeles county. At least three people have died due to the storm, all struck by trees that toppled over in the fierce weather. But officials warned dangers still lurk in the waters that could continue to rise.

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House Republican leaders demand Senate reject immigration compromise; Haley joins opposition to deal – as it happened

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This live blog is now closed. For the latest on the Senate immigration bill, read our most recent report:

In a just-released statement, the top Republicans in the House called on the Senate to vote down the bipartisan immigration policy legislation.

“Any consideration of this Senate bill in its current form is a waste of time. It is DEAD on arrival in the House. We encourage the U.S. Senate to reject it,” speaker Mike Johnson, majority leader Steve Scalise, whip Tom Emmer and conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik said.

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Hurricanes becoming so strong that new category needed, study says

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Scientists propose new category 6 rating to classify ‘mega-hurricanes’, becoming more likely due to climate crisis

Hurricanes are becoming so strong due to the climate crisis that the classification of them should be expanded to include a “category 6” storm, furthering the scale from the standard 1 to 5, according to a new study.

Over the past decade, five storms would have been classed at this new category 6 strength, researchers said, which would include all hurricanes with sustained winds of 192mph or more. Such mega-hurricanes are becoming more likely due to global heating, studies have found, due to the warming of the oceans and atmosphere.

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US-backed Kurdish fighters killed in drone strike on US base in Syria

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Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iranian-backed militia, claims attack after at least six fighters killed

At least six US-backed Kurdish fighters have been killed in a drone strike on a US base in eastern Syria claimed by Iranian-backed militia that was the target of US airstrikes on Friday.

The deaths are the latest indicator of how conflict is seeping across the Middle East since the beginning of the war in Gaza, with ever less predictable consequences for regional stability.

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