Category Archives: US News

Angela Álvarez crowned best new artist at Latin Grammys – aged 95

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Cuban American, who started recording career at 90 after decades of performing for family and friends, says ‘it’s never too late’

Don’t ever tell Angela Álvarez it’s too late for dreams to come true – the 95-year-old just brought home a Latin Grammy for best new artist, becoming the award show’s eldest winner ever.

The Cuban American musician’s crowning moment came after decades of writing songs but performing them only for friends and family – until, at the age of 90, she went to the Avalon, the historic Hollywood nightclub, and gave her first concert.

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Why new construction projects are making Puerto Rico’s climate disasters worse

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Experts say the approval of new infrastructure in geologically vulnerable areas is endangering the lives of residents

Jomary Ortega lives in Ciales, a town located in Puerto Rico’s central mountain range. To get to work and take her daughter to school, she takes PR-146, a highway built on land susceptible to landslides, resulting in a treacherous commute for locals.

But after Hurricane Fiona made landfall on the island in September, Ortega says that much of the highway slid away, or was subsumed by tumbling rocks and mud. “I feared that the road would slide more and I would be a victim – and who would take care of my children?” Ortega said.

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Elon Musk summons Twitter engineers amid mass resignations and puts up poll on Trump ban

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Reports show nearly 1,200 workers left company after demand for ‘long hours at high intensity’, while Musk starts poll on whether to reinstate Donald Trump

Elon Musk emailed Twitter staff on Friday asking that any employees who write software code report to the 10th floor of the office in San Francisco in the early afternoon, according to multiple news reports.

The billionaire said in a follow-up email, “If possible, I would appreciate it if you could fly to SF to be present in person,” adding he would be at the company’s headquarters until midnight and would return Saturday morning, Reuters reported. The engineers should report at 2pm on Friday.

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Oath Keepers called for ‘violent overthrow’ of US government, trial hears

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Jurors hear closing arguments in seditious conspiracy trial of founder Stewart Rhodes and four associates of far-right group

For weeks leading up to 6 January 2021, the Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four associates of the far-right group discussed using violence to overturn the 2020 presidential election’s outcome, and when rioters started storming the US Capitol they saw an opportunity to do it, a federal prosecutor told jurors on Friday as the seditious conspiracy case wound toward a close.

Prosecutor Kathryn Rakoczy said in her closing argument to jurors after nearly two months of testimony in the high-stakes case that Rhodes’s own words show he was preparing to lead a rebellion to keep Democrat Joe Biden out of the White House. Rhodes and his co-defendants repeatedly called for “violent overthrow” of the US government and sprang into action that day, she said.

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Who is Jack Smith, the special counsel investigating Donald Trump?

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Man named to lead investigations into ex-president is experienced prosecutor most recently at international criminal court

Jack Smith is the man the US attorney general, Merrick Garland, appointed on Friday to be an independent special counsel overseeing parallel justice department investigations into Donald Trump’s hoarding of top secret documents and involvement in the 6 January 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol, and he has been a criminal prosecutor for almost 30 years.

Smith has previously served as the chief of public integrity for the US justice department and dealt in particular with cases involving corruption, bringing cases against prominent Republicans and Democrats. In 2015 he was appointed first assistant US attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. He is a registered independent, not aligned with either of the two dominant political parties in the US.

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US attorney general names special counsel to weigh charges against Trump

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‘Extraordinary circumstances’ require appointment of Jack Smith to determine whether charges should be brought, Garland says

The US attorney general Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to determine whether Donald Trump should face criminal charges stemming from investigations into the former’s president’s alleged mishandling of national security materials and his role in the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.

The politically explosive move comes just three days after Trump announced he is running for the White House yet again, despite a disappointing Republican performance in the midterm elections, especially among candidates backed by the ex-president.

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IK-2 Mordovia: the harsh, notorious penal colony holding Brittney Griner

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First-hand accounts from Russian prison where US basketball star has been sent paint a grim picture

The US basketball star Brittney Griner will endure harsh conditions inside the remote Mordovian penal colony to which she has been sent this week to serve her nine-year prison sentence, human rights experts and former prisoners of the colony have said.

“Prisons in Mordovia are notoriously terrible, even by Russian standards. The prisons there are known for the harsh regimes and human rights violations,” said Olga Zeveleva, a sociologist at the University of Helsinki who specialises in Russian prison conditions as part of the Gulag Echoes project. “It is a place any prisoner wants to avoid,” Zeveleva said.

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US attorney general appoints special counsel in Trump DoJ investigations – as it happened

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Merrick Garland names Jack Smith, a veteran prosecutor, as special counsel to decide whether to bring charges against Trump

Why didn’t last week’s midterm elections produce a landslide victory for Republicans? Why did so many people vote for Democrats, despite Joe Biden’s approval rating being underwater for more than a year?

Definitive answers to these questions are elusive, no matter how important they may be. The Guardian surveyed readers for their views on last Tuesday’s polls, and you can read what they had to say below:

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Dangerous, lake-effect snowstorm freezes western and northern New York

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Lake-effect snow, caused by frigid air picking up moisture from warmer lakes, prompts driving ban and state of emergency

A dangerous lake-effect snowstorm has paralyzed parts of western and northern New York state, with more than 1ft of snow already on the ground on Friday morning in places and a driving ban keeping people off the roads in the Buffalo area.

The worst snowfall was expected in Buffalo, where the National Weather Service said up to 4ft might fall in some spots through Sunday, with periods of near-zero visibility.

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Elon Musk closes Twitter offices after wave of resignations | First Thing

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The social media firm is struggling to retain workers after Musk demanded they sign a pledge committing to being ‘extremely hardcore’. Plus, lab-grown meat officially safe to eat in the US

Good morning.

The chaos at Twitter has escalated today and speculation of the platform’s imminent collapse is swirling as hundreds of employees were reported to have rejected Elon Musk’s ultimatum to keep working for the business, threatening its ability to keep operating.

How many people have decided to leave? It’s unclear but it could be as many as 50% of the company. The numbers highlight the reluctance of some staffers to remain at a company where Musk has hastened to fire employees including top management, and is ruthlessly changing the culture to emphasise long hours and an intense pace.

What actions should Twitter users take? Researchers are urging users to download their tweets in case Twitter implodes completely and many users have tweeted in recent days that they are seeking to archive tweets from loved ones who have died.

What will happen now? Legal experts say the US government’s position, which was filed to a US district court, will probably lead judge John Bates to dismiss a civil case brought against Prince Mohammed and his alleged accomplices by Hatice Cengiz, the outspoken fiancee of Khashoggi.

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Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes sentenced to more than 11 years for defrauding investors

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The harsh ruling sends a message to Silicon Valley that the government will hold founders accountable for what’s promised

Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos, has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison over her role in the blood testing firm that collapsed after its technology was revealed to be largely fraudulent.

Holmes was convicted in January on four counts of defrauding investors. She appeared on Friday afternoon at the San Jose, California, courthouse where her nearly four-month-long trial began in August 2021, alongside relatives and supporters, including her partner, Billy Evans.

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‘It’s killing us all slowly’: how the night shift is taking a toll on US workers

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Millions of workers in the US work throughout the night, and the impacts can be profound on their health

Roger Reinhardt works third shift at a beer production facility in Michigan from 10pm-8am, four days a week. He initially started working nights because it was the only shift available when he started working but he has continued doing it for the extra pay.

But is not not easy.

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‘It’s gonna be so beautiful’: Adele’s postponed Vegas residency begins

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The singer’s five-month-long residency is set to kick off with sold-out dates after it was cancelled with one day’s notice in January

After cancelling her Las Vegas residency with just one day’s notice in January, Adele is finally starting her much-anticipated set of concerts this weekend.

Weekends with Adele will stretch over five months at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, a venue that has previously hosted residencies from Celine Dion, Cher, Madonna and Elton John. It boasts a capacity of over 4,000.

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FBI director ‘very concerned’ by reports of secret Chinese police stations in US

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Christopher Wray says the FBI is investigating the existence of stations in New York, which could violate sovereignty

The United States is deeply concerned about the Chinese government setting up unauthorised “police stations” in US cities to possibly pursue influence operations, FBI director Christopher Wray has said.

“I’m very concerned about this. We are aware of the existence of these stations,” Wray told a US Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee hearing, acknowledging the FBI’s investigative work on the issue but declining to give details.

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Republicans gain narrow majority to control House – live

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Last week’s elections produced winners, losers and candidates like Kari Lake.

The Associated Press has already called the Arizona governor’s race for Democrat Katie Hobbs, but her Republican challenger Lake is refusing to concede. She said as much in a video released to supporters today:

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Michelle Obama says Americans ‘weren’t ready’ for her natural hair

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Former first lady said she decided to straighten her hair as Americans were ‘just getting adjusted’ to a Black first family

Michelle Obama said that Americans “weren’t ready” for her natural hair during Barack Obama’s tenure at the White House.

The former first lady was speaking at the Warner Theatre in Washington DC on Tuesday to promote her new book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, with the former talkshow host Ellen DeGeneres.

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Tennessee attorney general investigates Ticketmaster over Taylor Swift presale

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Jonathan Skrmetti’s office looking into complaints after site crashed and resale tickets listed for up to $20,000

Tennessee’s attorney general said he was launching a consumer protection investigation into Ticketmaster after his office was inundated with complaints from Taylor Swift fans trying to get tickets to her 2023 concert tour.

Jonathan Skrmetti, the state’s attorney general, said at a press conference on Wednesday that while no direct allegations of misconduct have been made against Ticketmaster, his office will look into the complaints made about the company.

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New FTX boss, who worked on Enron bankruptcy, condemns ‘unprecedented failure’

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US corporate restructuring expert John Ray says ‘never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls’

In a stinging court filing posted on Thursday John Ray III, the new boss of the bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, said the company had suffered an “unprecedented and complete failure of corporate controls”.

Ray has overseen some of the biggest bankruptcies ever, including the collapse of the energy giant Enron, and has 40 years of experience in restructuring companies. He said he had never seen anything as bad as FTX.

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Herschel Walker says in rambling speech he wants to be ‘werewolf, not vampire’

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Republican Senate candidate for Georgia rehashes plot of late-night movie and considers merits of both creatures

In a campaign speech on Wednesday, the Republican candidate for US Senate in Georgia, Herschel Walker, told supporters: “I don’t want to be a vampire any more. I want to be a werewolf.”

The remark was the latest controversial or outright bizarre intervention from the former football star who like other candidates endorsed by Donald Trump struggled to overcome his Democratic opponent in the midterm elections.

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Bernie Sanders to publish book outlining vision for ‘political revolution’

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It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism, out next year, will argue the world needs to ‘recognise that economic rights are human rights’

Former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is to publish a book outlining “a vision of what would be possible if the political revolution took place”.

It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism will be published by Penguin Random House in February 2023.

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