The ex-president is a painter, his VP an avid fly fisher, while Tony Blair has built a property empire. They appear unrepentant
US president who ordered invasion of Iraq has turned to painting
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US Navy rejects China claim that warship ‘illegally’ entered part of South China Sea
China’s military said guided-missile destroyer USS Milius intruded into China’s territorial waters near the contested Paracel Islands
The United States has denied Chinese claims that a US destroyer was driven out from waters around the contested Paracel Islands after it “illegally” entered the area in the South China Sea.
In a statement on Thursday, the Chinese military said the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius illegally intruded into China’s territorial waters, without the approval of the government, undermining peace and stability in the busy waterway.
Continue reading...Denver teen still at large after shooting two school officials, police say
One administrator critically injured and another in stable condition after shooting at East high school on Wednesday
A 17-year-old student shot and wounded two school administrators at a Denver high school on Wednesday morning, after a handgun was found during a daily search of the boy that was being conducted because of behavioral issues, authorities said.
Suspect Austin Lyle remained at large following the shooting at East high school and was wanted for attempted homicide. The gun he used was not immediately recovered, the Denver police chief, Ron Thomas, said.
Continue reading...California storm siege leaves five dead amid reports of tornadoes in some areas
Pacific storm brought damaging winds and more rain and snow to saturated state, as heavy rain and snowmelt could cause flooding
The start of spring offered little reprieve for California as another atmospheric river doused the saturated state with more rain and snow. Five deaths have been linked to the storm across the Bay Area, after thrashing winds toppled trees and branches and thousands were left in the dark across the state due to widespread power outages.
California’s unexpected siege of wet weather after years of drought has loaded mountains with so much snow that roofs have been crushed and crews have struggled to keep highways clear of avalanches. Tuesday’s storm, which came on the first full day of spring following the state’s extraordinary winter, was the result of a Pacific low pressure system interacting with California’s 12th atmospheric river since late December, according to the National Weather Service, which warned that flood risks remain across the region into Wednesday.
Continue reading...Rick and Morty’s Justin Roiland cleared of domestic violence charges
Roiland says he ‘never had any doubt that this day would come’ after authorities say there was ‘insufficient evidence’
Felony domestic violence charges against Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland have been dismissed, two months after he was dropped from the show.
Kimberly Edds, a spokesperson for the Orange County district attorney’s office, confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday, saying: “We dismissed the charges today as a result of having insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Continue reading...Trump lawyer ordered to hand over notes in Mar-a-Lago documents inquiry
Major blow to ex-president as Evan Corcoran loses legal bid to avoid giving notes and audio transcripts to investigators
Donald Trump’s main lawyer – who was involved in turning over classified-marked documents at the Mar-a-Lago resort to the justice department last year – must provide his notes and audio transcripts to the criminal investigation after a federal appeals court rejected twin efforts to block the order.
The US appeals court for the DC circuit on Wednesday rejected two separate appeals from the former president and his lawyer Evan Corcoran to stop a sealed order, piercing attorney-client privilege and work-product doctrine protections issued in a court decision last week.
Continue reading...Eight dolphins die in New Jersey stranding
Rescuers unable to save cetaceans after mass stranding event at Sea Isle City
Eight dolphins have died after being stranded on a beach in New Jersey, a rehabilitation center said.
According to the New Jersey-based Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC), the pod of eight dolphins were caught in a “mass stranding event” in the state’s southernmost city, Sea Isle City, on Tuesday morning.
Continue reading...DeSantis hits Republican poll low as Trump tightens grip on primary
Florida governor repeats criticism of Trump in Fox Nation interview as he attempts delicate balancing act
Donald Trump may be in legal trouble over his alleged weakness for vice, but his predicament is increasingly placing Ron DeSantis – his chief rival for the Republican presidential nomination – in a political vise.
The Florida governor must join Republican attacks on Alvin Bragg, the Democratic Manhattan district attorney whose indictment of Trump over a hush money payment to a porn star is reportedly imminent, while trying not to lose ground in a primary he has not formally entered.
Continue reading...Can you copyright a rhythm? Inside the reggaeton lawsuit that could shake the pop world
Two dembow progenitors are suing superstars including Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee – in a case that also names Justin Bieber – claiming that they deserve credit for birthing the genre
With the release of their song Fish Market in 1989, the Jamaican duo Cleveland “Clevie” Browne and Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson inadvertently changed the course of pop music. The track featured the first known example of what would come to be known as a “dembow” rhythm – the percussive, slightly syncopated four-to-the-floor beat that travelled from reggae to become the signature beat of reggaeton, today the world-conquering sound of Latin American pop.
Now, more than 30 years after Fish Market was released, Steely & Clevie Productions is suing three of reggaeton’s most celebrated hitmakers – El Chombo, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee – for what they characterise as unlawful interpolation of Fish Market’s rhythm (or “riddim”), and are seeking the credit – and royalties – they say they deserved from the start.
Continue reading...Arkansas bans trans students from using bathroom that matches gender
State could also pass harsher bill to criminalize transgender people using public bathrooms based on gender identity
Arkansas has become the latest Republican-run US state to ban transgender people in schools using the bathroom that matches their gender identity.
The Arkansas governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, signed the bill on Tuesday. It applies to multi-person restrooms and locker rooms in public and charter schools for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, ABC reported.
Continue reading...Man searching for deer antlers in Kansas finds human skeleton
Death investigation under way after remains discovered near Humboldt on Saturday
A man searching for deer antlers in Kansas instead found a human skeleton, officials said.
The Kansas bureau of investigation and the Allen county sheriff’s office were conducting a death investigation after the discovery of the remains near Humboldt, about 100 miles east of Wichita, on Saturday.
Continue reading...Virginia prisoners who used toothbrush to escape caught at pancake restaurant
Two inmates dug their way out of cell using toothbrush but were apprehended within hours at Ihop branch
Two prisoners in Virginia managed to escape their cell by digging a hole through a wall with the aid of a toothbrush but were apprehended within a few hours after being tempted to visit a pancake restaurant.
In a statement, the Newport News sheriff’s office said two inmates were found to be missing during a routine head count around 7pm on Monday at the Newport News Jail Annex.
Continue reading...Fox News and Dominion face off in court over 2020 election claims
Judge appears skeptical of network’s arguments as both sides seek summary judgment in defamation case
Attorneys for Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News will return to court on Wednesday for the second day of a pre-trial hearing previewing many arguments in a closely watched $1.6bn defamation case.
Dominion is suing the rightwing network over its decision to repeatedly air false claims about its voting equipment in 2020 as Donald Trump and allies tried to overturn the election.
Continue reading...Gwyneth Paltrow trial over ski collision enters second day in Utah
Retired optometrist Terry Sanderson is suing actor for incident on slopes he claims caused lasting injuries and brain damage
More witnesses were expected to testify on Wednesday in a trial about a 2016 ski crash between Gwyneth Paltrow and the retired Utah man who sued her, claiming her recklessness left him with lasting injuries and brain damage.
On the opening day of the trial, Paltrow and retired optometrist Terry Sanderson appeared across the courtroom from each other, looking nonplussed to hear arguments that have become familiar over the past seven years of legal proceedings.
Continue reading...Galloping Grant: the day a sitting president of the US was arrested
President Ulysses S Grant’s penchant for speeding in his horse-drawn carriage landed him in trouble with police in 1872
Donald Trump may be preparing to become the first US president to be criminally indicted but should his perp walk for paying hush money to a porn star come to pass – perhaps granting his reported wish to be seen handcuffed – he will not be the first president ever arrested.
In 1872, President Ulysses S Grant was nicked for speeding in his horse-drawn carriage.
Continue reading...Hospital video footage shows Irvo Otieno was held down before his death
Seven deputies and three hospital workers charged with second-degree murder in death of Black man at Virginia mental facility
A large group of sheriff’s deputies and employees of a Virginia mental hospital pinned patient Irvo Otieno to the floor until he was motionless and limp, then began unsuccessful resuscitation efforts, newly obtained surveillance video of the incident earlier this month shows.
The footage obtained on Tuesday, which has no audio, shows various members of the group struggling with a handcuffed and shackled Otieno over the course of about 20 minutes after he was led into a room at Central State hospital in Petersburg, Virginia, where he was going to be admitted on 6 March. For most of the duration of the video, Otieno is on the floor being restrained by a fluctuating group that at one point appeared to number 10 people pressing down on various parts of his body.
Continue reading...Residents of Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ announce lawsuit against local officials
Residents accuse St James parish officials of civil rights and religious liberty violations by approving petrochemical plants
Residents of St James parish, Louisiana, have unveiled a federal lawsuit accusing local government officials of civil rights and religious liberty violations by repeatedly approving the construction of petrochemical plants in two majority Black districts.
The lawsuit, part of a wave of litigation in the heavily industrialised corridor known as “Cancer Alley”, also calls for a moratorium on the construction of new plants and the extension of existing facilities in St James parish.
Continue reading...Taiwan prepared ‘for all moves’ by China while President Tsai is abroad
Tsai Ing-wen will visit allies Guatemala and Belize next week, and stopover in the US, after Honduras said it would establish ‘official relations’ with China
Taiwan’s defence ministry has contingency plans for any moves by China during Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to the US and Central America, deputy defence minister Po Horng-huei has said ahead of Tsai’s departure next week.
China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, carried out large-scale, live-fire war games around the island last August after a visit to Taipei by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Continue reading...Half a million kids out of class as LA school workers strike for better pay
Strike joined by teachers over better wages and increased staffing closes nation’s second-largest school system
Tens of thousands of workers in the Los Angeles unified school district, accompanied by teachers, walked off the job on Tuesday over stalled contract talks for higher pay and better working conditions, shutting down the nation’s second-largest school system.
The strike, which is expected to last three days, upended the lives of more than 500,000 students and their families from schools in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, as bus drivers, cafeteria workers and teachers demanded more support at a time when educators in the city and elsewhere are struggling to afford to live where they work.
Continue reading...Older Americans protest against ‘dirty banks’ funding oil and gas projects
Protesters cut up credit cards and march to Washington branches of JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Bank of America and Wells Fargo
Hundreds of older Americans gathered in Washington on Tuesday to protest against four of the country’s largest financial institutions, cutting up their credit cards in an act of defiance meant to condemn the banks’ funding of oil and gas projects.
The protesters marched to the downtown DC branches of the four targeted “dirty banks” – JPMorgan Chase, CitiBank, Bank of America and Wells Fargo – before staging a “die-in” to symbolize the global threat posed by fossil fuels. In a nod to the age of the protest’s participants, demonstrators sat in painted rocking chairs as they chanted “Cut it up!” to those slashing their credit cards outside the banks’ branches.
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