Category Archives: US News

Law firm sues Ghislaine Maxwell, saying it’s owed $878,000 for defense

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Haddon, Morgan and Foreman say Maxwell put brother in charge of paying legal fees but he only covered a fraction

A law firm that helped defend Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite convicted of helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, is suing her, her brother and her husband, saying it was never paid for more than $878,000 for its work.

Denver-based Haddon, Morgan and Foreman alleged in a lawsuit filed on Monday that Maxwell put her brother Kevin Maxwell in charge of paying her legal fees after she was arrested in 2020 but that he only paid a fraction of what they had charged leading up to and during her trial. Kevin Maxwell urged the firm to keep working on appeal issues after she was convicted despite the unpaid bills and had blamed Maxwell’s husband, Scott Borgerson, for getting in the way of making payments, according to the lawsuit filed in Denver.

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US says clashes with Iran-backed militias won’t affect Tehran nuclear talks

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Nuclear negotiations under way, as US-led mission against the Islamic State exchanges fire with armed groups in Syria and Iraq

US-led forces and Iran-backed militias exchanged fire for the second day in a row, but the Biden administration said the fighting would not affect nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

US Central Command said the two bases, Conoco and Green Village, used for the US-led mission against the Islamic State (IS) had come under rocket attack on Wednesday evening, but there were no serious injuries. The US struck back with attack helicopters, killing “two or three suspected Iran-backed militants conducting one of the attacks” and destroying vehicles.

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Trump officials tried to ‘bully’ FDA over Covid treatments, House panel says

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Congressional investigation finds new evidence of efforts to override health decisions early in pandemic

Officials in the Trump White House tried to pressure health experts to reauthorize a discredited Covid treatment, according to a congressional investigation.

A report published on Wednesday by the Democratic-led House select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis contained new evidence of efforts to override Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decisions early in the pandemic.

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Joe Biden announces $3bn in fresh Ukraine military aid

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US to send anti-aircraft missiles, artillery, counter-drone defences and radar equipment as Zelenskiy praises ‘unwavering support’

Joe Biden has announced nearly $3bn in new military assistance to Ukraine, including anti-aircraft missiles, artillery, counter-drone defences and radar equipment.

It is the biggest tranche of US military aid to date, bringing to over $13bn the total the US has supplied or pledged to Kyiv under the Biden administration. The new equipment, however, will have to be ordered by defence manufacturers and will not be delivered for months or years. US officials said it represented a longer-term investment in Ukrainian security.

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Student loan forgiveness: Biden to outline $10,000 debt relief plan – live

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President had campaigned on promise of loan forgiveness of up to $10,000 for those struggling with student debt
• Trump appears to concede he illegally retained official documents in filing

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The GOP is teeing up their counter-attack to Biden’s impending announcement on student debt relief, decrying it as a “bribe” that will be paid for by American taxpayers.

Here’s what the Senate Republicans said on Twitter:

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Magic mushrooms’ psilocybin may help heavy drinkers cut back

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Positive results in first ‘rigorous’ trial investigating compound’s effect on alcohol use

The most rigorous test yet of psilocybin as a treatment for alcoholism has found that the compound in psychedelic mushrooms helped heavy drinkers cut back or quit entirely.

Psilocybin, found in several species of mushrooms, can cause hours of vivid hallucinations. Indigenous people have used it in healing rituals and scientists are exploring whether it can ease depression or help longtime smokers quit.

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Trump appears to concede he illegally retained official documents

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Court motion submitted by ex-president’s lawyers argues some materials seized by FBI could be subject to executive privilege

Donald Trump appeared to concede in his court filing over the seizure of materials from his Florida resort that he unlawfully retained official government documents, as the former president argued that some of the documents collected by the FBI could be subject to executive privilege.

The motion submitted on Monday by the former president’s lawyers argued that a court should appoint a so-called special master to separate out and determine what materials the justice department can review as evidence due to privilege issues.

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Democrats’ hopes rise for midterms amid backlash over abortion access

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Democrat Pat Ryan made abortion central to his campaign, and defeated Republican Mark Molinaro in contested House election

After months of bracing for staggering losses, Democrats are suddenly filled with a sense of optimism that the 2022 midterm elections could defy historical precedent and see them perform strongly, especially by highlighting the Republican threat to abortion rights.

On Tuesday night, Democrat Pat Ryan defeated Republican Mark Molinaro in a fiercely contested special House election in New York’s Hudson Valley, in a contest that was seen as a barometer of impact of the US supreme court’s decision to end the constitutional right to an abortion.

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Biden unveils plan to cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for millions

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President delivers on campaign promise and outlines debt relief measures for those on lower incomes in White House speech

Millions of Americans received welcome news on Wednesday when Joe Biden delivered on a campaign promise to provide $10,000 in student debt forgiveness.

Borrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year will be eligible for loan forgiveness, with those whose low incomes qualified them for federal Pell Grants receiving up to $20,000 in relief. About a third of US undergraduate students receive Pell Grants.

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US implements new rule to close loophole on untraceable ‘ghost guns’

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Rule requires companies that sell unassembled firearm kits to add serial numbers to parts and conduct background checks

A new Biden administration rule that puts kits used to build ghost guns in the same legal category as traditional firearms went into effect on Wednesday.

The new rule was announced by the White House in early April and requires companies that sell unassembled firearm kits to add serial numbers to their parts and conduct a background check on prospective buyers. It also requires federally licensed gun dealers to keep records on ghost gun kit sales until they go out of business.

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Flash floods wreak havoc in US south-west – but are no salve for drought

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Climate experts warn temporary increases in water levels will not mitigate a crisis that has been years in the making

Flash floods hitting the American south-west in recent days have shuttered parts of national parks including in Moab and Zion, closed highways in Colorado, submerged cars in Texas and trapped tourists in a New Mexico cave. A young woman remains missing after being swept away while hiking in Zion on Friday.

But the destructive deluges have not been enough to relieve the drought and the continued pressure on water resources, experts say. Even strong storms are unable to overcome dry conditions that are decades in the making.

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Florida: Charlie Crist wins Democratic primary to challenge Ron DeSantis

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Former Republican governor who became a Democratic congressman edges out Nikki Fried to face the Donald Trump protégé in November

Charlie Crist will challenge Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, in November after trouncing Nikki Fried, the state agriculture commissioner, in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.

Crist, a former Republican governor of Florida who switched parties and became a Democratic congressman, fought a campaign touting his experience in office and opposition to the 15-week abortion ban signed by DeSantis.

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Dr Oz campaign draws ire over unsavory remarks on Democratic rival’s stroke

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The Republican candidate’s aide said John Fetterman would not have suffered had he ‘ever eaten a vegetable in his life’

John Fetterman, the Democratic candidate for US Senate in Pennsylvania, might not have had a stroke if he “had ever eaten a vegetable in his life”, an aide to the Republican candidate, Mehmet Oz, said on Tuesday in a strikingly nasty moment in an already bitter contest.

The statement, to Business Insider, came in response to Fetterman’s mockery of a video in which Oz complains about the price of crudités while mangling the names of two Pennsylvania grocery stores.

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Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s husband, pleads guilty to drunk driving charge

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Apart from paying fines, Pelosi will be required to attend a three-month drinking driver class and install an ignition interlock device

The husband of Nancy Pelosi, the US House speaker, has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence charges related to a May crash in California’s wine country and was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation.

Paul Pelosi already served two days in jail and received conduct credit for two other days, according to Judge Joseph Solga of the Napa county superior court. Paul Pelosi will work eight hours in the court’s work program in lieu of the remaining day, Solga said during Paul Pelosi’s sentencing on Tuesday, which he did not attend.

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IRS to review security at facilities as threats from extremists increase

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The security assessment will be first of its kind since the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing following far-right chatter online

The Internal Revenue Service announced on Tuesday that it will do a security assessment of its facilities following increased threats from alt-right extremists and a burst of funding the agency is set to obtain.

The review at the tax collection agency is the first type of assessment for the group since the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, when an explosive device near an Oklahoma City federal building killed 168 people, the Washington Post first reported.

The IRS sent a letter to employees last Wednesday with IRS commissioner Charles Rettig writing that the agency would be assessing risk in each of the IRS’ 600 buildings and determine what additional safety measures were needed.

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Donald Trump reportedly kept hundreds of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago – as it happened

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Florida and New York go to the polls as Democrats seek to defend their congressional majority in November

In other Florida news, voters are casting primary ballots as Democrats look ahead to November, where they’ll mount a challenge to governor and potential Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. Joan E Greve has the latest on what to expect from today’s polls:

Florida voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to determine which candidates will have the chance to face off in this November’s general election. Voters will cast ballots in races for the governorship and Congress, all the way down to circuit courts and local school boards.

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First Thing: Trump sues US government over FBI search of Mar-a-Lago

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Ex-president seeks to prevent bureau from reading seized documents until court official weighs in. Plus, Fauci to step down


Good morning.

Donald Trump has filed suit against the US government over the FBI’s search of his Mar-a-Lago home in an effort to prevent agency officials from inspecting certain materials seized without third-party oversight.

Trump claims mistreatment by Biden administration. The suit filed called the search of the Florida home “a shockingly aggressive move”, adding: “Law enforcement is a shield that protects Americans. It cannot be used as a weapon for political purposes.”

U-turn. Earlier this year, Fauci bluntly said he would quit if Donald Trump managed to take the Oval Office back from Biden in the 2024 election. He previously indicated he would stay through Biden’s first term and leave by January 2025.

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Minnesota nurses’ strike vote puts safety and conditions in spotlight

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15,000-strong Minnesota Nurses Association authorized to call what would be one of the largest nurses’ strikes in US history

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, nurses around the US have faced deteriorating working conditions and challenges, from safety concerns to increasing workloads that have stemmed from understaffing as nurses have quit their jobs or retired early.

Those nurses who are still on the job at many hospitals say they have been expected to do more with fewer resources, an issue that nurses say is causing retention crises and jeopardizing patient safety and care.

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Popular weedkiller Roundup on trial again as cancer victims demand justice

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A long list of upcoming trials complicating Bayer’s efforts to escape the costly, ongoing litigation over the health effects of Roundup

Cancer has taken an unrelenting toll on 72-year-old Mike Langford. After being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in 2007 he suffered through five recurrences despite multiple rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. Now he struggles with chemo-related neuropathy in his arms and legs, and new tests show the cancer is back.

Langford blames his cancer on his longtime use of the popular weed-killing product Roundup, which he applied countless times over decades using a backpack sprayer around his five-acre California property and a vacation lake home. He alleges in a lawsuit that Monsanto, the longtime Roundup maker now owned by the German company Bayer AG, should have warned of a cancer risk.

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Epaulette sharks can walk on land for two hours, researchers say

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A species of carpet shark is evolving to better survive warming seas and the climate crisis

Researchers at a Florida university say a small but feisty species of carpet shark with an extraordinary ability to walk on land is evolving to better survive warming seas and the climate crisis.

The epaulette shark, commonly found on shallow reefs of Australia and New Guinea, can walk for up to 30 meters on dry land using paddle shaped fins, and survive hypoxia – a deficiency of oxygen – for up to two hours.

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