Category Archives: US News

Antony Blinken tells Israel: Palestinian rights are key to peace

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US secretary of state rejects calls for immediate ceasefire but urges ally to make ‘hard decisions’ as fighting continues

Anthony Blinken has reaffirmed the United States’ “unique bond” with Israel, and rejected calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza but told his hosts in Tel Aviv that other regional powers have made clear that a pathway to the realisation of Palestinian political rights is essential for peace in the region.

Hinting at having held difficult talks with Israeli officials on Tuesday, the US secretary of state said the exceptional friendship between the two countries demanded that the US be “as forthright as possible when the choices matter most” and called for Israel to make “hard decisions”.

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Touchscreen out, pen and paper in? Georgia trial could change voting rules

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Plaintiffs in trial six years in the making say state’s computerized voting machines plane votes at unacceptable risk of being altered

A federal trial beginning this week in Atlanta could change the way people vote in next year’s election in a key swing state, and potentially affect voters in other states for years to come.

The trial, six years in the making, pits a non-profit organization and a handful of Georgia voters against the state, claiming that vulnerabilities in the state’s computerized voting machines place a voter’s choices at an unacceptable risk of being altered, infringing on their constitutional rights.

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Media now in Bill Ackman’s sights after wife embroiled in plagiarism row

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Billionaire vows to tackle ‘problems with how our media operates’ after Neri Oxman accused of plagiarism in PhD thesis

After the resignation of Harvard president Claudine Gay, amid accusations of plagiarism, some might have expected Bill Ackman, the billionaire hedge fund manager, to step back from what became a rightwing push against academia.

Instead, Ackman, who became embroiled in university politics after students protested against Israel’s actions in Palestine, appears to have expanded his scattergun attack against other perceived liberal institutions, with news organizations and the media now in his sights.

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Israel’s war in Gaza has ‘immense’ effect on climate catastrophe | First Thing

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First months of conflict produced more planet-warming gases than 20 climate-vulnerable countries do in a year, study shows. Plus, the Greenland startup shipping glacier ice to UAE

Good morning.

The planet-warming emissions generated during the first two months of the war in Gaza were greater than the annual carbon footprint of more than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, research reveals.

Lebanon tensions The militant group Hezbollah launched a drone attack against an Israeli command base on Tuesday morning in response to recent high-level Israeli assassinations in Lebanon. Israel said there were no casualties.

What’s happening with the US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin? The White House has said that he will stay in his job but noted his “lack of transparency” and called for a review of procedures after he spent three days in hospital without informing the president.

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Will hard-right Republicans derail the fragile US spending deal?

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Mike Johnson and Chuck Schumer say they have a deal to avert a shutdown – but a divided Congress could yet stall its progress

Congressional leaders reached an agreement on overall spending levels to fund the federal government in 2024, a significant step toward averting a shutdown later this month. But political divisions on immigration and other domestic priorities could stall its progress.

The deal is separate from bipartisan Senate negotiations that would pair new border security measures with additional funding for Israel and Ukraine. That proposal is expected to be released sometime this week.

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Federal court to decide if Trump can be prosecuted for efforts to overturn 2020 election

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Former president expected to attend Friday hearing on whether his efforts can be criminally prosecuted on federal charges

A federal appeals court is expected to consider Friday morning whether Donald Trump can be criminally prosecuted on federal charges over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election because it involved actions related to his office that he undertook while still president.

The decision that the appeals court in Washington reaches after the hearing – which the former president said on his Truth Social platform he will attend – and how long it takes to issue a ruling, could carry profound consequences for the scheduled March trial.

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Emissions from Israel’s war in Gaza have ‘immense’ effect on climate catastrophe

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Exclusive: First months of conflict produced more planet-warming gases than 20 climate-vulnerable nations do in a year, study shows

The climate costs of war and militaries can no longer be ignored

The planet-warming emissions generated during the first two months of the war in Gaza were greater than the annual carbon footprint of more than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, new research reveals.

The vast majority (99%) of the 281,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2 equivalent) estimated to have been generated in the first 60 days following the 7 October Hamas attack can be attributed to Israel’s aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis by researchers in the UK and US.

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Michigan overwhelm Washington to claim first national title in 26 years

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Blake Corum ran for 134 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns as Jim Harbaugh and Michigan – undeterred by suspensions and a sign-stealing case that shadowed the program this season – completed a three-year climb to a national championship by beating Washington 34-13 on Monday night in the College Football Playoff title game.

The Wolverines (15-0) sealed their first national title since 1997 when Corum, who scored the winning touchdown in overtime to beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl semi-final, blasted in from the one-yard line with 3:37 left to put Michigan up by 21 and set off another rousing rendition of The Victors.

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US naval officer sentenced to two years in prison over spying for China

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Wenheng Zhao, 26, pleaded guilty in October to passing sensitive military information to Chinese intelligence officer

A US navy petty officer who pleaded guilty to providing sensitive military information to a Chinese intelligence officer was sentenced to more than two years in prison on Monday, the US justice department said.

Wenheng Zhao, 26, and another US sailor, Jinchao Wei, were arrested in August on suspicion of spying for China.

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‘Personal piggy bank’: ex-NRA chief accused as civil corruption trial begins

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Trial under way in New York despite Wayne LaPierre announcing on Friday that he is stepping down as lobby group’s chief executive

A civil trial that will lift the lid on decades of alleged financial mismanagement and corruption by senior officials of the National Rifle Association (NRA) got under way in New York on Monday, with opening statements expected later in the day.

The case against the gun rights group’s former chief executive Wayne LaPierre and other executives is progressing despite LaPierre’s resignation on Friday, and a pre-trial settlement by another of the four defendants, former chief of staff Joshua Powell.

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Working iPhone found on side of road ‘likely’ fell from Alaska Airlines flight

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Person who found phone posted that it was ‘in airplane mode with half a battery and open to a baggage claim’

The US’s National Transportation Safety Board says it has recovered a working iPhone that “likely” fell from the Alaska Airlines flight that required an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, over the weekend after a passenger plane’s door panel blew out while midair.

An NTSB spokesperson issued a statement about the phone to the Guardian after the newspaper asked about a social media user’s viral post which described finding the device on the side of the road.

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Global heating will pass 1.5C threshold this year, top ex-Nasa scientist says

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James Hansen says limit will be passed ‘for all practical purposes’ by May though other experts predict that will happen in 2030s

The internationally agreed threshold to prevent the Earth from spiraling into a new superheated era will be “passed for all practical purposes” during 2024, the man known as the godfather of climate science has warned.

James Hansen, the former Nasa scientist credited for alerting the world to the dangers of climate change in the 1980s, said that global heating caused by the burning of fossil fuels, amplified by the naturally reoccurring El Niño climatic event, will by May push temperatures to as much as 1.7C (3F) above the average experienced before industrialization.

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Woman trapped for four days after falling 100ft off California road

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Woman rescued on Sunday after driving car off road leading to Mount Baldy on Wednesday and surviving low temperatures

A woman fell nearly 100ft while driving on a road in the California wilderness and was trapped for four days before being rescued on Sunday, according to authorities.

The unnamed woman survived low temperatures, precipitation and other natural elements after she inadvertently drove her car off the road leading to Mount Baldy on Wednesday night, CBS News reported.

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New York Times faces backlash for essay speculating on Taylor Swift’s sexuality

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A 5,000-word opinion piece has been branded as ‘inappropriate’ and ‘invasive’ for suggesting the singer was sending coded queer messages in her music

The New York Times is under fire for publishing a piece speculating on Taylor Swift’s sexuality.

In a 5,000-word opinion piece titled Look What We Made Taylor Swift Do, editor Anna Marks listed references to the LGBTQ+ community overt or perceived in Swift’s music and theorized that the singer was sending coded messages that she was secretly a member of the community.

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Red-carpet fashion makes a bold comeback at Golden Globes

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Outfits that shone at Sunday’s event were more traditionally beautiful than the meme-bait of yore

Hollywood, the place that announces itself with enormous letters on a hillside, is about nothing if not spectacle.

So after a months’ long actors’ strike, if the stars had not pulled up to the Golden Globes red carpet in some noteworthy looks, it would have been time for some sartorial soul-searching. But, thankfully, at the Beverly Hilton on Sunday night, red-carpet fashion re-entered the atmosphere with a bang, making a bold comeback after its period of hibernation.

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HyperVerse crypto promoter ‘Bitcoin Rodney’ arrested and charged in US

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Internal Revenue Service alleges Rodney Burton was part of a network that made ‘fraudulent’ presentations claiming high returns for investors based on crypto-mining operations that did not exist

A promoter of the HyperVerse crypto investment scheme has been arrested and charged in the US for his alleged role in the scheme, with court documents claiming he was part of a network that made “fraudulent promotional presentations” to investors and potential investors.

Rodney Burton, who goes by the name “Bitcoin Rodney”, was arrested in Florida on Friday and remains in custody pending transfer to Maryland, where the charges were laid. He has been charged with operating and conspiring to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.

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Palestinians desperate to flee Gaza pay thousands in bribes to ‘brokers’

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Fixers with alleged links to Egyptian intelligence are making a fortune in ‘fees’ from people hoping to exit through the Rafah crossing

Palestinians desperate to leave Gaza are paying bribes to brokers of up to $10,000 (£7,850) to help them exit the territory through Egypt, according to a Guardian investigation.

Very few Palestinians have been able to leave Gaza through the Rafah border crossing but those trying to get their names on the list of people permitted to exit daily say they are being asked to pay large “coordination fees” by a network of brokers and couriers with alleged links to the Egyptian intelligence services.

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Ex-White House interns urge Biden to support immediate ceasefire in Gaza

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A group comprising 2022 and 2023 interns signed a letter accusing the president of having ‘betrayed’ his promise by supporting Israel

A group of former White House interns signed an open letter to Joe Biden imploring his administration to support an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.

The signatories, which include interns who worked in the White House and executive office of the president during 2022 and the summer of 2023, accuse the president of having “betrayed” his promise to pursue equality and justice by supporting Israel’s bombardment in Gaza.

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Weather tracker: Western Canada and parts of US brace for cold snap

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Temperatures could be 10-15C below seasonal average in some areas, with Calgary and Edmonton experiencing low of -30C

Arctic air will sweep across western Canada and parts of the US early this week, leading to a cold snap that will probably last through the rest of this week and possibly beyond.

By Wednesday, temperatures in western Canada could be as much as 10-15C below the seasonal average. Minimum temperatures in Calgary and Edmonton could plummet as low as -30C by Friday, with some rural areas experiencing even lower temperatures. In contrast, temperatures on the east coast will be significantly above average, with Ottawa reaching highs of about 5C, almost 10C above the seasonal average. The cold spell will spread into northern and western parts of the US by Friday, with temperatures widely reaching 5-15C below average.

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Lloyd Austin first went into hospital on 22 December – Pentagon

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US defence secretary’s deputy, Kathleen Hicks, took over thinking Austin was on vacation when he was in intensive care – unknown to even the president

The US defence secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalisation remained secret for longer than previously known, officials disclosed on Sunday, with his deputy on a long list of people up to President Joe Biden who were in the dark for days.

The Pentagon released new details on Sunday about Austin’s continued hospitalisation, saying he had an initial medical procedure as far back as 22 December from which he went home a day later.

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