Category Archives: US News

Officials arrest Texas man accused of killing five of his neighbors

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Police had launched a four-day manhunt for Francisco Oropeza, who is accused of shooting his neighbors after a noise complaint

The Texas man accused of killing five of his neighbors in the rural town of Cleveland last week was arrested Tuesday after a four-day manhunt, authorities said.

Greg Capers, the San Jacinto county sheriff, said that Francisco Oropeza, 38, was arrested less than 20 miles (32km) from Cleveland. Law enforcement arrested him about an hour after someone called the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s tip line, according to Jimmy Paul, assistant special agent in charge with the FBI’s Houston division.

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Pentagon leaks: we weren’t told about intelligence breach, Zelenskiy says

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Ukraine president says Discord server leaks were ‘not beneficial’ to the reputation of the US but still values Washington’s support for Kyiv

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said the White House did not advise him about the leak of highly classified US intelligence documents that received widespread attention around the world last month.

“I did not receive information from the White House or the Pentagon beforehand,” Zelenskiy was quoted as saying in an interview with the Washington Post published on Tuesday.

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US sends 1,500 troops to Mexico border as Covid-era asylum rule is set to expire

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Officials are bracing for the end of Title 42, which allows the US to expel non-Mexican migrants without the chance to seek asylum

Joe Biden will send 1,500 troops to the US-Mexico border, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, in preparation for a possible rise in immigration when Covid-19 border restrictions lift later this month.

The 90-day deployment of active-duty troops will supplement the work of the US border patrol but will not carry out law enforcement duties, said Brig Gen Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, in a statement.

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California college town Davis on edge after spate of stabbings leaves two dead

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Police chief denounces ‘violent and brazen attacks’ as student, 20, and unhoused 50-year-old man killed

A northern California university town is on edge after a series of “violent and brazen” attacks in which three people were stabbed within a week – two fatally.

Authorities said they could not reveal whether they are searching for one or multiple suspects in the attacks, which began late last week. One of the victims who died was unhoused, and the other who died was a college student. In the most recent attack, an unhoused woman was injured after reportedly being knifed several times through her tent.

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Witness says E Jean Carroll called her ‘hyperventilating’ after alleged rape by Trump

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Lisa Birnbach testifies that Carroll called her and described the incident in 1996, and that she told her friend ‘E Jean, he raped you’

A close friend of E Jean Carroll has told a New York jury she received a distressed call from the advice columnist within minutes of Donald Trump allegedly raping her.

Lisa Birnbach testified at Carroll’s civil action against the former president on Tuesday that she was feeding her children at home when Carroll called “breathless, hyperventilating, emotional” in spring 1996.

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html.

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US states opposing student loan forgiveness made false claims, files reveal

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Republican states fighting Joe Biden’s plan falsely said they’d be financially impacted by the scheme, debt forgiveness group claims

Newly uncovered documents show that the Republican states fighting Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan have made false claims that they will “suffer injuries”, or rather, be financially impacted by the scheme, a debt forgiveness campaign group has claimed.

The supreme court case that will decide the fate of Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, Nebraska v Biden, rests on one of the plaintiffs, Missouri’s state attorney general, who claims Mohela – as the higher education loan authority of the state of Missouri is known – will be financially affected by the plan for the worse.

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Remains of quarantine hospital found on submerged island off Florida

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Historical records indicate dozens of people may have been buried at site now in waters west of Key West, officials say

Archeologists have found the remains of a 19th-century quarantine hospital and cemetery on a submerged island in the Dry Tortugas national park, off Florida in the Gulf of Mexico.

While only one grave has been identified, historical records indicate dozens of people – mostly US soldiers stationed at Fort Jefferson – may have been buried at the site now in waters west of Key West, Florida, park officials said.

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Tucker Carlson: leaked video reveals fired host’s crude off-camera remarks

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Ex-Fox News anchor shown referring to fans as ‘post-menopausal’ and unnamed woman as ‘yummy’ in clips released on Tuesday

Leaked video published on Tuesday showed the fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson describing an unnamed woman as “yummy”, referring to his fans as “post-menopausal” and attempting to discuss sexual technique with British journalist Piers Morgan.

The first two remarks were previously reported by the New York Times. The clips were released by Media Matters for America, a progressive watchdog that on Monday released other video in which Carlson derided the Fox Nation streaming service.

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China revises military conscription laws in space warfare push

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Modernisation of People’s Liberation Army continues with focus on cyberwarfare while retirees are now allowed to re-enlist

China’s government has revised its conscription laws, allowing retired service people to re-enlist and increasing recruitment focused on expertise in space and cyberwarfare.

The amended regulations, approved by the state council and the central military commission, came into force on Monday, and covered all aspects of China’s military recruitment and personnel deployment processes, for domestic emergencies and wartime.

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HSBC rules out banking crisis as profits triple after Silicon Valley Bank deal

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Failure of four banks in six weeks is purely a sign of poor risk management, says chief executive

HSBC’s chief executive has denied the possibility of a fresh banking crisis, saying the failure of four banks in six weeks was a merely a sign of poor risk management, as the lender tripled its own first quarter profits to $13bn (£10bn) after its rescue of Silicon Valley Bank UK.

Noel Quinn’s comments came a day after JP Morgan stepped in to buy most of the collapsed lender First Republic in a $10.6bn takeover, as part of regulators’ efforts to draw a line under lingering turmoil across the banking sector.

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Another Hollywood writers’ strike is going ahead. Here’s what you need to know

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The Writers Guild of America have announced a strike will begin tomorrow, after talks broke down with major studios and streamers

Hollywood’s writers are going out on strike for the first time in more than 15 years.

The Writers Guild of America announced on Monday night that its 11,500 members will stop working on Tuesday afternoon, after negotiations between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a group representing most major studios and streaming services, broke down.

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Hollywood film and TV writers begin rare strike: ‘The dream should pay a living wage’

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Writers Guild of America calls first work stoppage in 15 years as industry grapples with streaming boom

Hollywood productions have ground to a halt after thousands of film and television writers went on strike following the breakdown of last-minute pay talks with major studios.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) called its first stoppage in 15 years after failing to reach an agreement on higher pay, pitting its 11,500 screenwriters against old-guard companies, such as Universal, Paramount and Walt Disney, as well as tech newcomers, such as Netflix, Amazon and Apple.

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Michigan clerk who denies election results faces recall in divided county

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Stephanie Scott was stripped of her election authority after she was accused of improperly handling voting equipment

Deepening tensions within rural and conservative Hillsdale county, Michigan, are coming to a head in a recall election for an election-denying township clerk who has been accused of spreading misinformation and mishandling a vote tabulator.

Elected in Adams Township in 2020, Stephanie Scott, who ran unopposed, has spent her years as a clerk – a position that would typically oversee township elections – mostly removed from the electoral process. After she refused to turn over a voting machine for regular maintenance in 2021, allegedly shared confidential voter data with a third-party IT analyst, and spread lies about election rigging, the Michigan Bureau of Elections removed Scott’s power to administer elections.

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Academy Awards changes rules around social media after this year’s Oscars controversies

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has overhauled rules around campaigning for Oscars after incidents involving Andrea Riseborough, Jerry Bruckheimer and Michelle Yeoh

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced its “most significant overhaul” of rules around campaigning for Oscars, fresh after Andrea Riseborough’s controversial nomination for best actress.

The changes and clarifications come after several incidents were flagged as possibly breaking the rules around campaigning for nominations at this year’s Academy Awards. These included Riseborough’s nomination for her performance in To Leslie, after an aggressive guerrilla campaign that saw actors including Kate Winslet, Amy Adams and Gwyneth Paltrow endorse the low-budget indie film. The British actor had not been considered a contender for a nomination, with some suggesting her inclusion had come at the expense of Black actors.

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‘They can survive just fine’: Bernie Sanders says income over $1bn should be taxed at 100%

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The independent Vermont senator argued against unfettered capitalism in an interview with journalist Chris Wallace

The US government should confiscate 100% of any money that Americans make above $999m, the leftwing independent senator Bernie Sanders said late last week.

Sanders expressed that belief in an exchange on Friday evening with the host of Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? on HBO Max.

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2023 Met Gala: pearls, pregnancy reveals and a giant cat celebrate Karl Lagerfeld – as it happened

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All the coverage from fashion’s biggest night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This year’s theme was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. This blog is now closed

And Anna Wintor – Met Gala mastermind – has arrived, arm-in-arm with British actor Bill Nighy (not the science guy).

Speaking of Lagerfeld’s cat …

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Biden hails ‘deep friendship’ with Philippines and boosts military ties amid China tensions

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White House announces transfer of three C-130 aircraft and coastal patrol vessels during Washington visit of Ferdinand Marcos Jr

Joe Biden has said the US is “ironclad” in its commitment to defending the Philippines, including in the highly contested South China Sea where Philippine vessels have reported continued harassment by China.

The US president hailed the two countries’ “deep friendship” as he hosted Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos in the White House on Monday. “We are facing new challenges and I couldn’t think of a better partner to have than you,” Biden told Marcos before their meeting.

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US and Philippine presidents meet amid China’s ‘aggressive tactics’

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Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Joe Biden are expected to discuss the security situation in the South China Sea

The president of the Philippines is meeting his US counterpart in Washington as the two countries draw closer together against what they say is growing aggression and harassment by China.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Joe Biden will meet in the Oval Office on Monday during the Philippine president’s four-day US tour. They are expected to discuss the security situation, with the US hoping to strengthen longstanding ties between the two nations as it battles Beijing for influence in Asia.

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E Jean Carroll returns to witness stand in Trump rape trial

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Advice columnist is seeking damages for alleged rape in New York department store changing room in 1996, and for defamation

The advice columnist E Jean Carroll returns to the witness stand on Monday to face another day of cross-examination in her lawsuit against Donald Trump for alleged rape and defamation.

Last week, Carroll denied that she falsely accused Trump of assaulting her in order to sell books and for political ends. She is seeking damages for alleged rape in a New York department store changing room in 1996, and for defamation after Trump accused her of lying when she went public with her accusations in a book.

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Virginia Beach declares state of emergency after tornado

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Officials estimate between 50 and 100 homes damaged by tornado that also downed trees and caused gas leaks

A popular coastal US tourist destination has declared a state of emergency after a tornado moved through the area Sunday and damaged dozens of homes, downed trees and caused gas leaks.

Officials in the city of Virginia Beach, Virginia, said it’s unclear how many homes had been damaged but they estimated between 50 and 100, after the tornado touched down just after 6pm, WTKR-TV reported.

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