Venezuelan migrants in Texas start car-wash business after mass killing horror

Group tell of determination to fulfil American dream after compatriots were killed when SUV driver drove into bus stop

After a tragic start to the week and a night of thunderstorms, a group of migrants in south Texas woke up newly determined to fulfill their American dream.

Equipping themselves with soapy water, buckets, rags and a lot of spirit, about 30 Venezuelan men on Tuesday began operating a donation-based car washing service in a gas station right next to the border that divides Brownsville, Texas, from Matamoros, Mexico.

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‘We’re living in madness’: George Santos’s constituents on federal charges

Residents of the congressman’s New York district say they’re fed up with a system that enables his behavior

“It’s like we’re living in madness,” said Danielle Gentile at a Brazilian restaurant in Long Island’s Westbury, one of a cluster of towns close to the eastern border of the fabulist Republican congressman George Santos’s third congressional district.

“I know politicians lie all the time, but you’ve got to at least try to keep up,” Gentile added. “But what’s he going to say? I didn’t mean to lie? He’s like the Brian Williams of politics.”

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Fears over proliferation of disinfectant wipes linked to health problems

Researchers say wipes common in schools and care homes exposing people to dangerous chemical group called ‘quats’

Since the pandemic’s outset, the global use of disinfectants has gone through the roof. Clorox dramatically boosted production of its wipe packs to 1.5m a day by mid-2021, and an industry trade group said 83% of consumers surveyed around the same time reported they had used a disinfectant wipe in the last week.

But as schools reopened, a group of toxic chemical researchers grew concerned as they heard reports of kids regularly using disinfectant wipes on their classroom desks, or teachers running disinfectant foggers.

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Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella to close on Broadway

The musical will close on 4 June, after receiving mixed reviews from US critics and failing to receive a nomination at the Tony awards

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella is to close on Broadway just over 10 weeks after its official opening night. The show, which did not receive any nominations at this year’s Tony awards, has announced that “the ball must come to an end” and that it will bow out at New York’s Imperial theatre on 4 June. Ticket sales have dipped despite a low average price for a big Broadway musical ($54 for last week). It will have played 33 previews and 85 performances.

The musical is a retooled version of Cinderella, which ran for just under a year (including a Covid-related break in performances) and suffered heavy losses at London’s Gillian Lynne theatre. Lloyd Webber was criticised for the manner in which some current and future Cinderella cast members learned of its closure in 2022 via social media and for his suggestion, in a letter read out at its final night, that opening a new musical during the pandemic “might have been a costly mistake”. (He later issued a statement saying his words had been misunderstood and that he was proud of the show.)

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New US rules could stem emissions from coal and gas power plants

Environmental groups laud the regulation, which would advance clean power in the US – if it survives expected legal challenges

The US is set to impose new carbon pollution standards upon its coal- and gas-fired power plants, in a move that the Biden administration has hailed as a major step in confronting the climate crisis.

Under new rules put forward by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), new and existing power plants will have to meet a range of new standards to cut their emissions of planet-heating gases. This, the EPA predicts, will spur facilities to switch to cleaner energy such as wind and solar, install rarely used carbon capture technology or shut down entirely.

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Disney+ loses 4m subscribers amid exodus in Indian market

Lost cricket rights prompts outflow but streaming service almost halves losses while theme parks boom

Disney, known for Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel movies, said its flagship streaming service lost 4 million subscribers in the first three months of the year.

Subscribers to Disney+ services, home to movies such as Toy Story, Monsters, Thor and Black Panther, fell to nearly 158m from January to March, the second quarter of customer losses after a 2.4 million drop in the previous three months. Analysts had expected Disney to add more than 1 million customers in the quarter. The shares fell nearly 5% in after-hours trading.

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Biden to make public appeal on US federal debt limit fight – live

US president will speak in New York on why Congress must avoid default, following a difficult debt ceiling extension meeting at the White House

We’re heading towards Joe Biden’s main public engagement of the day, a speech in New York about “why Congress must avoid default immediately”.

The president is due to speak at 1.30pm ET, at SUNY Westchester Community College. The speech comes after a difficult Tuesday debt ceiling extension meeting at the White House.

McCarthy read aloud old quotes from Democrats including Biden and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the need to negotiate around the debt limit.

Biden, in turn, asked McCarthy why House Republicans’ Limit, Save and Grow Act – which extended the debt limit by $1.5tn while slashing agency outlays – cut veterans funding by 22%. McCarthy then told the president that was a lie. That exchange stunned some in the room.

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Biden to host India’s Modi for June state visit as US works to deepen ties

Invitation comes despite rising concerns about human rights and democratic backsliding under Modi’s leadership in India

Joe Biden will host India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, for an official state visit on 22 June, the White House has announced, as the US works to deepen ties with the world’s largest democracy.

The state visit, the highest level of diplomatic reception, will boost the US and India’s “shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific”, the White House said.

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George Santos surrenders to face federal charges of fraud and money laundering

New York congressman known for lying expected to appear in court on charges also including theft of public funds

The Republican congressman George Santos, exposed for lying extensively about his background and campaign finance disclosures, appeared in federal court in New York on Wednesday on multiple charges of fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and false statements.

Santos surrendered to authorities at the courthouse in Central Islip, Long Island, a day after he was informed of the indictment, slipping in through a back door.

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Soldier who Abbott pledged to pardon gets 25 years for BLM protester’s murder

Daniel Perry, 36, convicted of killing Garrett Foster, 28, at Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 while working as ride-share driver

A US army sergeant was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday, for fatally shooting an armed man during a Black Lives Matter protest in Texas – even after the Republican governor said he wanted to pardon the man.

Daniel Perry, 36, was convicted of murder in April for killing Garrett Foster during the downtown Austin protest in July 2020.

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Wendy’s to test AI chatbot that takes your drive-thru order

US fast-food chain says pilot program ‘seeks to take the complexity out of the ordering process’

The next time someone asks for fries with their shake, they might be talking to a robot. At least, that’s what the US fast-food chain Wendy’s has planned.

Next month, Wendy’s will be testing an artificial-intelligence-powered chatbot with the capability to speak with customers and take their orders.

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Sound artist eavesdrops on what is thought to be world’s heaviest organism

Artist records underground sounds generated by Pando, a huge group of aspens in Utah considered to be a single organism

When it comes to the world’s heaviest living organism, it is a “forest of one tree” that is thought to take the crown. Now a sound expert is listening into the quiet grove in an attempt to hear its secrets.

Known as Pando – Latin for “I spread” – the 47,000 genetically identical quivering aspens in south-central Utah are considered to be a single organism, with the “trees” actually branches thought to be connected by a shared root system.

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Donald Trump rages at sexual abuse verdict after being told to pay E Jean Carroll $5m in damages – live

Jury finds that former president defamed advice columnist, awarding $3m in damages in addition to the $2m in damages for battery

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has come out in favor of the GOP’s strategy on the debt ceiling, which involves pushing Joe Biden to accept spending cuts in exchange for increasing the limit:

During his time in the House of Representatives five years ago, DeSantis – who is expected to soon announce a campaign for president – was among the lawmakers who voted to raise the ceiling. And while the federal debt has indeed increased over recent years, that is because Washington has had to borrow to pay for spending approved under Democratic and Republican presidents alike.

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Tucker Carlson to revive show on Twitter after Fox News dismissal

Host was fired by the news network last month in the aftermath of its $787.5m settlement with Dominion over election lies

Tucker Carlson will be reviving his show on Twitter, after being abruptly dismissed from Fox News last month.

In a tweet captioned “We’re back,” Carlson on Tuesday shared a video discussing his next moves. The former host said he would be taking his show to Twitter, which he described as “the last remaining platform in the world” to allow free speech.

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Texas gunman who killed eight had ‘neo-Nazi’ ideation, say officials

Mauricio Garcia, who was discharged from the US army in 2008, reportedly also had Nazi tattoos on his body

The gunman who killed eight people and wounded seven others at a suburban Dallas shopping mall had no prior criminal record but had “neo-Nazi ideation”, authorities said on Tuesday.

Investigators are still trying to determine why Mauricio Garcia opened fire on Saturday at the Allen Premium Outlets, Hank Sibley, the regional director of the Texas department of public safety, said at a news conference.

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Jury finds Donald Trump sexually abused columnist E Jean Carroll

Verdict for first time legally brands a former US president as a sexual predator but clears Trump of rape

A New York jury found on Tuesday that Donald Trump sexually abused the advice columnist E Jean Carroll in a New York department store changing room 27 years ago.

The verdict for the first time legally brands a former US president as a sexual predator. But as it is the result of a civil not criminal case, the only legal sanction Trump will face is financial.

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‘They were little’: photos show children illegally working in US slaughterhouse

Images released by US labor department show conditions over 100 children faced at Packers Sanitation Services Incorporated

Harrowing photos released by the US labor department taken at a slaughterhouse plant in Nebraska show the conditions more than 100 children faced while illegally working for Packers Sanitation Services Incorporated (PSSI) before the department cracked down on the company for violating child labor laws.

The pictures show employees covered in protective gear, using chemicals to spray down and sanitize equipment. In some of the pictures, made public on Sunday by the television news show 60 Minutes, some of the employees appear to be young children, wearing protective face glasses and holding buckets.

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Louisiana teenager shot by neighbor as she played hide-and-seek

The latest shooting of an innocent victim spotlights ‘stand your ground’ laws, which some Republicans are trying to strengthen

A 14-year-old girl was playing hide-and-seek with her friends when she was shot in the head by her neighbor in Louisiana, according to authorities.

The shooting on Sunday adds to a recent string of gun attacks across the US aimed at people who were engaged in innocuous activities when they encountered their shooter.

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Cyprus handed 800-page US dossier on Russia sanctions breaches

Report details how local people and firms helped Alisher Usmanov’s conceal immense wealth

Cyprus has received an 800-page dossier from the US government detailing sanctions breaches by local individuals and entities that are alleged to have enabled the Russian billionaire, Alisher Usmanov, to conceal his immense wealth.

As the island’s leader Nikos Christodoulides vowed to push ahead with the prosecution of law and audit firms that had aided the oligarch, Washington released documents that amounted to a toolkit to facilitate the process. At least two other dossiers are expected to follow.

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US on track to set record in 2023 for mass killings after series of shootings

Country is seeing an average of more than one mass killing weekly – amid little political prospect of meaningful gun control

After a series of shootings and other attacks, 2023 is on track to be the worst in recent history for mass killings in the US.

Mass killings are defined as incidents in which four or more people are killed, not including the shooter or other type of perpetrator. According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, the US is on pace for 60 mass killings this year. There were 31 in 2019, 21 in 2020, 28 in 2021 and 36 in 2022.

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