Category Archives: US News

‘Disrupting in every way’: LA faces chaotic commutes after interstate fire

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Hazardous materials teams clear burned material from underneath Interstate 10 as crews assess damage

Arson was likely the cause of a raging fire over the weekend that has closed a mile-long stretch of the I-10, a major elevated interstate highway near downtown, the California governor said on Monday.

The California department of forestry and fire protection fire marshal made a preliminary determination that the fire was set intentionally, Gavin Newsom said during a press conference at the fire site. He said investigators have received some tips from witnesses but did not say if there were any suspects or persons of interest.

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Maryanne Trump Barry, former judge and Donald Trump’s sister, dies aged 86

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Barry and her younger brother, the 77-year-old former US president, were notably at odds

Maryanne Trump Barry, a former federal judge and older sister to former president Donald J Trump, has died at 86.

Barry reportedly died at her home in New York City, according to the New York Times. A person familiar with the matter told the Times that Barry had been found early Monday morning. Her cause of death is unknown.

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Man who stormed US Capitol in face paint files paperwork for congressional run

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Jacob Chansley, who became one of the most recognizable symbols of the insurrection, hopes to run in Arizona as a libertarian

The man who donned face paint and a horned headdress to storm the US Capitol at the 6 January insurrection has filed paperwork for a potential congressional run in Arizona as a libertarian.

Jacob Chansley, known as the “QAnon Shaman”, became one of the most recognizable symbols of the insurrection, as media showed him walking the halls of the Capitol and standing at the dais in the US Senate.

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Brexit to pints with Xi: why David Cameron is a controversial foreign secretary

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As former UK PM makes a return to cabinet, we look at his somewhat chequered record on global stage

David Cameron has made a shock return to the UK government as foreign secretary.

A profile on the government’s website credits him with developing “a foreign policy that responded to the new challenges of the Arab spring and also evolving challenges from various state and non-state actors”.

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Netflix’s movie Hurricane Season stirs debate over violent depiction of Mexico

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Based on the prize-winning book by Fernanda Melchor, film depicts brutality stemming from ‘war on drugs’ that began in 2006

A group of children find a body in the river: the village witch, her throat slit, writhing with snakes.

The opening scene of Hurricane Season, a new Netflix movie based on Mexican novelist Fernanda Melchor’s book, plunges the viewer straight into a tropical, lawless, superstitious version of rural Veracruz, Melchor’s home state.

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Xi-Biden meeting overshadowed by conflicts in Ukraine and Israel – and US stance on Taiwan

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Chinese and US presidents meeting amid a deteriorating geopolitical climate, with the countries on opposing sides of two major conflicts

One year after their last in-person talks, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden will come face to face once again on Wednesday in San Francisco, in an encounter that will dominate events at the Apec summit as the Chinese and US presidents seek to stabilise relations in an increasingly fraught geopolitical climate.

The meeting, which could last several hours, is the culmination of months of lower level dialogues which took place over the summer, with Washington sending more delegates to China than Beijing did to the US.

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Ilhan Omar faces Democratic primary challenge from ex-Minneapolis official

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Don Samuels says he will once again run after being narrowly defeated by the twice-elected congresswoman in 2022

Ilhan Omar got a prominent Democratic primary challenger Sunday when former Minneapolis city council member Don Samuels announced he’ll try once again to unseat the representative after coming close in 2022.

Omar, a charter member of “the squad” of progressive House Democrats, won re-election twice despite making comments in her first term that were widely criticized for invoking antisemitic tropes and suggesting Jewish Americans have divided loyalties. But Omar – a Somali American and Muslim – has come under renewed fire for condemning the Israeli government’s war in Gaza.

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Five US military members killed after aircraft crashes into Mediterranean

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US European command says cause of crash remained under investigation, but there was ‘no indications of hostile activity’

Five US military members were killed in a refueling accident during training that caused an aircraft carrying them to crash into the Mediterranean Sea, the American defense department said in a statement on Sunday.

The US European command said in an initial statement that the cause of the crash remained under investigation, but there had been “no indications of hostile activity”, ABC News reported.

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US in ‘ongoing negotiations’ for release of hostages held by Hamas, Sullivan says

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Nine Americans still missing as Hamas says it’s suspending talks amid Israel’s handling of besieged al-Shifa hospital in Gaza

Nine Americans are still missing following the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, the US national security adviser said on Sunday.

Jake Sullivan, the White House’s chief security adviser, said the US is involved in “ongoing negotiations” for the release of hostages believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.

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Newsom 2024: could the California governor be a rival to Joe Biden?

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Amid concern over the president’s poll ratings, Gavin Newsom appears to be running something of a shadow campaign

One of the strongest candidates for US president in 2024 may be one who’s not yet in the race. There’s growing evidence that Gavin Newsom, the charismatic and energetic Democratic governor of California, is running something of a shadow campaign to Joe Biden and ready to step up if, or when, the incumbent is out of the running.

Several developments in recent days suggest Newsom, who romped to re-election a year ago without really campaigning, is ready to bring forward what was already expected to be a strong run for the presidency in 2028.

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House speaker unveils Republican plan to avert government shutdown

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Stopgap spending bill, which omits funding for Israel or Ukraine, faces opposition from both parties in Congress

US House speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a Republican stopgap spending measure late Saturday aimed at averting a government shutdown in a week, but the measure quickly ran into opposition from lawmakers from both parties in Congress.

Unlike ordinary continuing resolutions that fund federal agencies for a specific period, the measure announced by Johnson would fund some parts of the government until 19 January and others until 2 February. House Republicans hope to pass the measure Tuesday.

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How couple’s arrest revealed terrible secret of Colorado funeral home

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The arrest of Carrie and Jon Hallford in Oklahoma follows shocking news to the loved ones of about 190 dead people

Over the years, the families of about 190 dead people whose remains were entrusted to a Colorado funeral home run by Carrie and Jon Hallford were led to believe that their loved ones’ remains had been cremated or buried.

They even received what were supposed to be ashes of their late family members, comforting keepsakes meant to help the grieving honor and remember their dead.

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Pope Francis dismisses conservative Texas bishop and critic Joseph Strickland

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Rare move comes after years of criticism from Strickland, a strong supporter of former US president Donald Trump

Pope Francis has dismissed a bishop in Texas, Joseph Strickland, one of his fiercest critics among US Roman Catholic conservatives, the Vatican has said.

It is very rare for a bishop to be relieved of his duties outright. Usually bishops in trouble with the Vatican are asked to resign before submitting a resignation, which the pope accepts.

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Controversial police-led recall vote wins key ruling in California

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Attempts to oust progressive lawmakers across state continue, as police union targets council member who voted against pay raises

A California state judge dismissed efforts this past week to halt a recall vote led by a local police union who are attempting to oust a progressive city council member.

The union, which is upset that the politician voted against officers’ pay raises, has so far spent more than $660,000 on the vote to recall Santa Ana council member Jessie Lopez, with voting happening 14 November.

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Ex-NFL player and former college teammates killed in collision in Houston

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DJ Hayden, who played nine seasons with the Raiders, Lions, Jaguars and Commanders, was in SUV hit by speeding car

A former National Football League player was among six people who were killed in a collision that occurred when a speeding driver ran a red light in downtown Houston on Saturday.

Before his death in Houston during his collegiate alma mater’s homecoming weekend, 33-year-old DJ Hayden had played nine seasons in the NFL after the Raiders selected him in the first round of the college draft in 2013.

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Donald Trump pushes for live broadcast of his trial over election subversion

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Ex-president’s attorneys request live coverage of proceedings, but a rule prevents broadcasting of federal trials

Donald Trump’s attorneys have requested authorization for live, in-courtroom television coverage of his trial on charges that he conspired to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss so that the former commander-in-chief can publicly argue that the proceedings are unfair.

The legal filing late on Friday, citing unsubstantiated allegations that Trump is the victim of persecution by the Biden White House, supports efforts by news organizations to provide live television coverage from inside the trial, which is scheduled to begin in March 2024.

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Suspect in killing of Samantha Woll released from custody without charges

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Investigators are reportedly still looking into ‘ambiguous’ statement made by suspect in death of Detroit Jewish leader

A suspect in the deadly stabbing of Detroit synagogue leader and leftwing political adviser Samantha Woll was released from custody on Friday without being booked with a crime after police had detained the man for three days.

The man’s attorneys, Allison Kriger and Mark Kriger, confirmed their client’s release to the Detroit News, which nonetheless cited four law enforcement sources who said investigators were continuing to examine “an ambiguous statement the suspect made to police” about Woll’s 21 October killing.

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Louisiana must draw new congressional map by mid-January for 2024 elections

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Deadline comes after federal court ruled that state’s current map disfranchises Black voters – one-third of the state’s population

The Louisiana state legislature has until the middle of January to enact a new congressional map after a federal court ruled that the state’s current map illegally disfranchises Black voters.

A conservative federal appeals court in New Orleans issued the deadline on Friday. According to the order, if the state legislature doesn’t pass a new map by the deadline, then a lower district court should conduct a trial and develop a plan for the 2024 elections.

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Ohio Republicans move to exclude judges from interpreting enshrined abortion rights

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After stinging defeat in a statewide vote, GOP lawmakers seek to move jurisdiction to legislature for constitutional amendment

Four Ohio Republican state lawmakers are seeking to strip judges of their power to interpret an abortion rights amendment after voters opted to enshrine those rights in the state’s constitution this week.

Republican state house representatives Jennifer Gross, Bill Dean, Melanie Miller and Beth Lear said in a news release on Thursday that they will push to have Ohio’s legislature – not the courts – make any decisions about the amendment passed on Tuesday.

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Judge blocks Idaho law stopping adults from helping minors seeking abortion

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The law was first major push since fall of Roe to explicitly block people from crossing state lines to access abortion care

A federal judge has temporarily blocked an Idaho law that prohibits adults from helping minors get an abortion.

While abortion is still prohibited in Idaho with very narrow exceptions, this week’s court order marks a victory for abortion rights advocates in the state who say the now-blocked law is unconstitutional.

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