Category Archives: US News

Mitch McConnell rejects speculation about future amid concerns over health

Posted on by

Republican Senate leader, 81, says he will finish term as signs emerge of uncertainty over his future in GOP ranks

Mitch McConnell rejected speculation about his future as Republican leader in the US Senate, telling reporters: “I’m going to finish my term as leader and I’m going to finish my Senate term.”

The remarks on Wednesday came amid intense speculation about the 81-year-old Kentucky senator’s health, after two recent freezes in front of reporters, one on Capitol Hill in July and another in McConnell’s home state last week.

Continue reading...

Biden to cancel oil and gas leases in Alaska issued by Trump administration

Posted on by

Seven oil and gas leases canceled by interior department, which said sale during final days of Trump administration were flawed

The US interior department has canceled seven oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic national wildlife refuge that were part of a sale held in the waning days of the Trump administration, arguing the sale was legally flawed.

The interior secretary, Deb Haaland, said with her decision to cancel the remaining leases “no one will have rights to drill for oil in one of the most sensitive landscapes on earth”. However, a 2017 law mandates another lease sale by late 2024. Administration officials said they intend to comply with the law.

Continue reading...

Tropical storm could become ‘extremely dangerous’ hurricane, US experts warn

Posted on by

Lee, currently in Atlantic, could be upgraded to hurricane later on Wednesday with its track still unclear

A tropical storm in the Atlantic might soon turn into an “extremely dangerous” major hurricane, with its future track and chances of making a potentially devastating landfall still unclear, the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Lee could turn into a hurricane later on Wednesday and intensify to a category 3 or higher by this weekend. The National Hurricane Center issued advisories in areas near the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

Continue reading...

Three-legged Florida bear raids poolside fridge for cans of White Claw

Posted on by

Video footage of ‘Tripod’ shows bear taking food and hard seltzer from area next to a swimming pool at a private residence

A three-legged bear in Florida has been spotted raiding a poolside refrigerator for cans of White Claw hard seltzer before heading back into the woods.

Known in the Lake Mary neighborhood as “Tripod”, the bear had been seen before, according to local TV station WESH. But on this particular visit to a resident’s garden, the bear launched a brazen theft of food and drinks on a swimming pool area.

Continue reading...

US secretary of state arrives in Kyiv for surprise visit | First Thing

Posted on by

Antony Blinken expected to meet Volodymyr Zelenskiy and announce an initial assistance package of up to $200m

Good morning.

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has arrived in Kyiv for an unannounced visit, his first for a year to the Ukrainian capital.

Tarrio and three lieutenants were convicted in May of charges including seditious conspiracy, a civil-war-era offense of which charges were previously rarely brought but are now levied against members of far-right groups that took part in the attack on the US Capitol.

Prosecutors had originally asked for a 33-year term, and while the judge, Timothy Kelly, did not agree, he said that he did not see any indication that Tarrio was remorseful for what he was convicted of and that there was a strong need to send a signal to others.

Continue reading...

Health concerns plague ageing Congress members returning to Capitol Hill

Posted on by

Republicans Mitch McConnell and Steve Scalise join others in increased scrutiny over recent health issues

Lawmakers are returning to Capitol Hill as they race to reach a short-term funding deal by the end of the month to keep federal agencies open and avert a government shutdown. But worries about the health of two top Republicans loom over the high-stakes talks as politicians’ age has become a growing concern.

Speaking to reporters last week in Kentucky, Mitch McConnell, the 81-year-old Senate Republican leader, appeared to freeze for 30 seconds after calling the possibility of a shutdown “a pretty big mess”. The incident raised questions about his health and mirrored an earlier incident where he suddenly paused for several seconds while speaking to reporters at the US Capitol.

Continue reading...

New York City’s crackdown on Airbnb and short-term rentals goes into effect

Posted on by

New regulations expected to affect tens of thousands of illegal short-term listings

New rules in New York City on Airbnbs and short-term rentals go into effect on Tuesday, with regulations expected to affect tens of thousands of illegal short-term listings.

The latest legislation bulks up enforcement of existing rules on how short-term rentals are allowed to operate in New York City.

Continue reading...

US ‘university’ spreads climate lies and receives millions from rightwing donors

Posted on by

PragerU is not accredited but has become a key tool in pushing false claims to youngsters – and raked in $200m from 2018 to 2022

A rightwing media outlet promoting climate-change denialism and other “anti-woke” staples to young students and adults via social media has become a fundraising Goliath, raking in close to $200m from 2018 to 2022 with big checks from top conservative donors, tax records reveal.

Founded in 2009 by the conservative talkshow host Dennis Prager, the eponymous Prager University Foundation is not an accredited education organization. But via online media its PragerU Kids division has become a key tool in spreading false claims to young people with short videos aimed at undercutting widely accepted science that climate crisis disasters are accelerating due, largely, to fossil-fuel usage.

Continue reading...

Manchester United shares in record fall after report of sale U-turn

Posted on by

Drop on New York stock exchange comes amid claims Glazer family have taken club off market

Manchester United shares have suffered their steepest single-day fall in price after a report claimed the Glazer family was considering a U-turn on plans to sell the club.

Shares in the Premier League club dropped by 18.2% on Tuesday to $19.35 (£15.40), the biggest daily drop since they were listed the New York stock exchange in 2012.

Continue reading...

Antony Blinken arrives in Ukraine for surprise visit

Posted on by

US secretary of state expected to announce initial package of military aid for Kyiv of up to $200m

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has arrived in Kyiv for an unannounced visit that is his first for a year to the Ukrainian capital.

He is expected to announce a new package of US assistance of $175m-$200m during the two-day visit, AP reported, with a larger package worth more than $1bn expected later this week, according to a senior state department official.

Continue reading...

Mark Meadows pleads not guilty in Georgia 2020 election indictment

Posted on by

The former Trump chief of staff joins 18 other co-defendants in pleading not guilty to illegal scheme to overturn election results

Mark Meadows, the former Trump White House chief of staff, has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of participating in an illegal scheme to try to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia and will not appear in court in Atlanta this week.

Scott McAfee, the Fulton county superior court judge, had scheduled arraignment hearings for Wednesday for Meadows, former president Donald Trump and the other 17 people charged last month in a sprawling indictment. By midday Tuesday, all of the defendants had filed paperwork pleading not guilty in filings with the court and waived their rights to an arraignment hearing.

Continue reading...

Proud Boys former leader Enrique Tarrio in court for January 6 sentencing – live

Posted on by

Prosecutors are seeking a 33-year prison term for seditious conspiracy

There is “no evidence” that Mitch McConnell experienced a seizure or stroke when he froze up last week, the Capitol’s physician Brian Monahan told the top Senate Republican in a letter today:

McConnell last week appeared suddenly unable to speak when taking questions reporters, the second such occurrence in as many months following a fall earlier this year that sidelined him from work for several weeks. The episodes have raised concerns about the health of 81-year-old McConnell, a fixture in Republican politics.

Continue reading...

Mitch McConnell did not have stroke or seizure, Capitol doctor says

Posted on by

Brian Monahan suggests Republican leader in US Senate, 81, may be suffering effects of concussion sustained during fall in March

Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the US Senate, is not evidently suffering from “a seizure disorder”, a stroke or a “movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease”, the congressional physician said on Tuesday.

The doctor’s remarks came a little less than a week after the 81-year-old senator suffered a second worrying freeze in front of reporters.

Continue reading...

New York attorney general asks judge to sanction Trump over ‘frivolous’ arguments

Posted on by

Letitia James says Trump family is rehashing failed legal arguments in $250m civil suit over company’s business affairs

The attorney general of New York state is seeking $20,000 in sanctions against Donald Trump, his adult sons, other defendants and their lawyers, for repeating “frivolous” arguments rejected in court in a $250m civil suit over family business practices.

In a filing on Tuesday, Andrew Amer, an assistant to Letitia James, the attorney general, noted repeated rejections of arguments deemed “borderline frivolous even the first time defendants made them”.

Continue reading...

Cop City protesters charged with racketeering as Georgia takes hard line

Posted on by

Some of 61 defendants charged also face money laundering and domestic terrorism charges for environmental protests

Dozens of activists who oppose a controversial police and fire training facility in Georgia known as Cop City have been charged with racketeering, appearing to confirm fears from civil rights groups that prosecutors are stepping up an aggressive pursuit of environmental protesters.

A total of 61 people – most not from Georgia – were indicted for violating the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act last week, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Continue reading...

Impeachment trial of Texas attorney general Ken Paxton begins in Austin

Posted on by

Historic trial in state senate centers on allegedly corrupt relationship with real estate developer Nate Paul

The impeachment trial of the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, began on Tuesday – a rare and historic event in the state.

The ultra-conservative Paxton has a history of ethically questionable conduct that dates back to his first term in 2014, when he was fined by the Texas state securities board for violating financial laws.

Continue reading...

China on the agenda: 2024 candidates fret over how to deal with Beijing

Posted on by

Republicans showcase range of hawkish policies designed to counter perceived threat amid diplomatic push by Biden

The United States’ tangled and increasingly fraught relationship with China is emerging centre stage in the 2024 presidential campaign in a rare case of foreign policy capturing the limelight in the race for the White House.

Half a century since a Republican president, Richard Nixon, made a historic visit to communist China to carve out a lauded strategic opening in the election year of 1972, Republican candidates vying to succeed him in the Oval Office are showcasing a range of hawkish policies designed to counter the perceived threat from Beijing.

Continue reading...

Gary Wright, singer of Dream Weaver and Love is Alive, dies aged 80

Posted on by

Frequent collaborator of George Harrison and synthesiser pioneer was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia

Gary Wright, the singer of pop hits Dream Weaver and Love is Alive, has died aged 80.

His son Dorian confirmed the news to the Guardian. His other son Justin told TMZ his father died on Monday at home in California, and had been diagnosed with both Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia.

Continue reading...

Burning Man revelers begin exodus from festival after road reopens

Posted on by

Organisers of the event in the Nevada desert have asked people to stagger their exits after thousands were stranded over the weekend

Burning Man attenders began their slow exodus from the campsite in the northern Nevada desert after muddy roads that left tens of thousands of partygoers stranded for days dried up enough to make travel possible.

Festival organisers said they started to let traffic flow out of the main road around 2pm local time on Monday – even as they continued to ask revelers to delay their exit to Tuesday to ease traffic. As of Monday afternoon, they said about 64,000 people remained at the festival site.

Continue reading...

Improving weather raises hopes of escape for trapped Burning Man attendees

Posted on by

Desert begins to dry as organizers ask ‘burners’ stuck in mud to delay their exit until Tuesday to alleviate congestion

Thousands trapped at Nevada’s Burning Man festival may have a chance of escape on Monday as improving weather conditions give the Black Rock desert a chance to dry out from torrential rains that hit the festival with heavy mud.

Around 70,000 festival-goers, known as “burners”, were ordered to “shelter in place” and conserve water and food over the weekend after festival organizers said roads were impassable because of mud and not officially open.

Continue reading...