Category Archives: US News

Utah school secretly investigated if winning female student athlete is transgender

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An athletics association scrutinized the winner’s records after parents of two girls who lost the competition complained

A Utah high school athletics association secretly investigated a female athlete – without telling her or her parents – after receiving complaints from the parents of two girls she had defeated in competition questioning whether the girl was transgender.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Utah high school activities association and the girl’s high school determined she indeed was born female after poring through school records dating back to kindergarten.

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Florida officials arrest and charge 20 people with illegal voting, DeSantis says

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Move designed to show muscle of a new office tasked with policing voting in the state and comes days before primary election

Florida officials have arrested and charged 20 people with felony convictions and charged them with illegal voting, Florida governor Ron DeSantis said on Thursday, a move designed to show the muscle of a new office tasked with policing voting in the state.

The announcement came just days before the state’s primary election and as early voting is under way. DeSantis, flanked by law enforcement, said the 20 people were charged with voting in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, some of the most Democratic in the state.

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Judge indicates willingness to release redacted Trump search affidavit – as it happened

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Justice department says release of document showing probable cause would jeopardize ongoing investigation

First lady Jill Biden appears to be on the mend following her positive Covid-19 test earlier this week, the White House has told reporters:

The Trump organization’s finance chief just pleaded guilty to tax charges and will soon testify against his former employer, Dominic Rushe reports:

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Jonah Hill says he will no longer promote his own films to protect his mental health

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Actor and director pens open letter revealing his nearly 20-year struggle with anxiety attacks, ‘which are exacerbated by media appearances and public facing events’

Jonah Hill has announced he will no longer take part in promoting his films due to his mental health issues being exacerbated by media appearances and public-facing events.

The 38-year-old actor revealed his plan in an open letter published by Deadline ahead of the debut of his new documentary, Stutz, which he directed. The film is about Hill’s relationship with his therapist Phil Stutz, who Hill began seeing in 2017 at the recommendation of fellow actor Joaquin Phoenix. In the film Hill and his therapist discuss his mental health.

In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978. In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, Mental Health America is available on 800-273-8255

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Anne Heche’s death ruled accidental after fiery car crash

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The actor died of smoke inhalation and burns after her car smashed into a west Los Angeles home, coroner’s report says

Anne Heche died from inhalation injury and burns after her fiery car crash and the death was ruled an accident, according to coroner’s results released on Wednesday.

Heche, 53, also had a fractured sternum caused by “blunt trauma”, according to information on the website of the Los Angeles county medical examiner.

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Florida Republicans targeted Black voters, justice department says in filing

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The agency claims the restrictions, including a ban on providing water and food to those lining up to vote, are racially motivated

Florida Republicans intentionally targeted Black voters when they enacted new voting restrictions last year, the justice department said in a court filing on Wednesday.

The department told a federal appellate court that a lower court had correctly evaluated claims of racial discrimination when it came to Florida’s new law. In March, US District Judge Mark Walker blocked new restrictions on the availability of absentee ballot drop boxes, regulations for third party voter registration groups, and a ban on providing food and water to people standing in line to vote. The US court of appeals for the 11th circuit paused that ruling earlier this year while it considers an appeal from Florida officials.

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Brad Pitt foundation agrees on $20.5m settlement to owners of faulty post-Katrina houses

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Lawsuit was brought by owners after Pitt’s supposedly sustainable, flood-proof homes were plagued by mold, leaks and rot

It sounded like a dream come true, complete with a handsome prince riding to the rescue: the construction of 109 new, sustainable, flood-proof and affordable homes in New Orleans’s Hurricane Katrina-ravaged Lower Ninth Ward, all thanks to movie star Brad Pitt.

But the homes that were eventually built fell far short of Pitt’s 2006 promises: they were plagued by mold, electrical fires and unclean water.

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Mike Pence condemns Republicans’ attacks on FBI over Trump search

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Search of Mar-a-Lago came as part of an investigation into Trump’s handling of classified material during his presidency

Former vice-president Mike Pence condemned attacks against the FBI by Republicans after federal authorities searched former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property.

Republicans have been reacting with outrage over the FBI’s 8 August search of Trump’s Florida home which came as part of an investigation into his handling of classified material during his presidency.

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California urges residents to cut power use as searing heatwave grips US west

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Temperatures are expected to reach highs of above 100F (38C) as the region continues to be battered by the climate crisis

California has urged residents to cut power use as a searing heatwave settles over the state and stretches power supplies to a breaking point, in the latest sign of extreme weather conditions in the US west.

Temperatures in the most populous state are forecast to climb to well above 100F (38C) during the afternoon.

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Syria denies holding missing US journalist Austin Tice

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Damascus says it is not holding any American citizens after Biden claim that US knows ‘with certainty’ Tice is government captive

Syria has denied it is holding the missing US journalist Austin Tice or other Americans after Joe Biden accused the Syrian government of detaining him.

The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that Damascus “denies it had kidnapped or is holding any American citizen on its territories”.

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Liz Cheney aims to be a leader for anti-Trump Republicans after primary loss – live

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Liz Cheney was praised on MSNBC this morning by, of all people, White House chief of staff Ron Klain.

“I don’t think there was anything we agree on,” said Klain, who was tasked by Joe Biden with getting his legislative proposals through Congress. “But, I respect enormously her commitment to democracy.”

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Two Pennsylvania judges ordered to pay $200m to kids-for-cash scandal victims

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Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan accepted $2.8m in illegal payments to send children to for-profit jails

Two Pennsylvania judges who orchestrated a scheme to send children to for-profit jails in exchange for kickbacks were ordered to pay more than $200m to hundreds who fell victim to their crimes.

US district judge Christopher Conner awarded $106m in compensatory damages and $100m in punitive damages to nearly 300 people in a long-running civil suit against the judges, writing the plaintiffs are “the tragic human casualties of a scandal of epic proportions”.

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Airbnb to use ‘anti-party technology’ to crack down on rowdy guests

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Bookings to be judged by factors such as reviews and length of trips, after Australia pilot

Airbnb says it will deploy “anti-party technology” in an effort to crack down on guests who trash houses they have booked with massive bashes.

The technology, which has been trialled in Australia, will look at “factors like history of positive reviews (or lack of positive reviews), length of time the guest has been on Airbnb, length of the trip, distance to the listing, weekend vs weekday, among many others” to determine whether a particular booking was likely to be intended for hosting a party, the company said. It will initially be used in the US and Canada, and will continue to operate in Australia.

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Liz Cheney considers run for president after Republican primary defeat

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Wyoming congresswoman says ‘It’s something I’m thinking about’ after losing to Trump-backed challenger

Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney has announced she is considering her own run for the White House in an all-out effort to prevent Donald Trump from winning another term as US president.

Cheney decisively lost her Republican primary race on Tuesday night and will lose her seat in the US Congress.

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Liz Cheney loses Wyoming Republican primary to Trump-endorsed rival

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The vice-chair of the House January 6 panel faced retribution from state voters for going against the former president

Liz Cheney has paid the price for her staunch opposition to Donald Trump’s assault on American democracy by losing her seat in Congress to a challenger backed by the former president.

The vice-chair of the January 6 committee was beaten by a conservative lawyer, Harriet Hageman – who has echoed Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud – in a Republican primary election to decide Wyoming’s lone member in the House of Representatives.

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Golden eagles face double threat as US wind turbines add to climate crisis peril

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Species at risk of death from collision with proliferating wind power but rising temperatures could cut ranges by 40%

The rush to build wind farms to combat climate change is colliding with preservation of one of the US west’s most spectacular predators, the golden eagle – as the species teeters on the edge of decline.

Ground zero in the conflict is Wyoming, a stronghold for golden eagles that soar on seven-foot wings and a favored location for wind farms.

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Boston police save the day by ferrying stranded groom to wedding in harbor

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Patrick Mahoney – plus groomsmen, photographer, DJ and flowers – needed help from police harbor patrol to get to Thompson Island

Officers with the Boston police department’s harbor patrol unit are used to helping boaters in distress, but last weekend Officer Joe Matthews came to the rescue of a groom in danger of missing his own wedding.

Patrick Mahoney was scheduled to get married on Thompson Island in the middle of Boston Harbor on Saturday, but the boat that was supposed to ferry him to the island where his bride-to-be was waiting broke down, police said in a post on their website.

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‘Biggest step forward on climate ever’: Biden signs Democrats’ landmark bill

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Party leaders hope approval of Inflation Reduction Act will boost their prospects in the midterm elections this November

Joe Biden signed Democrats’ healthcare, climate and tax package on Tuesday, putting the final seal of approval on a landmark bill that party leaders hope will boost their prospects in the midterm elections this November.

During a bill-signing ceremony at the White House, the US president celebrated the bill as a historic piece of legislation that would reduce healthcare costs for millions of Americans and help address the climate crisis.

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Oklahoma governor grants Richard Glossip 60-day stay of execution

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Court considers Glossip’s case after independent investigation raised questions about guilt in 1997 killing

Oklahoma’s governor has granted Richard Glossip a 60-day stay of execution while a state appeals court considers his claim of innocence.

Kevin Stitt signed an executive order on Tuesday delaying Glossip’s execution for the 1997 killing of Glossip’s boss, Barry Van Treese, a motel owner, that was scheduled for 22 September.

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Biden hails ‘biggest step forward on climate ever’ as he signs Inflation Reduction Act – as it happened

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White House hopes climate and healthcare plan will mark turning point for Biden’s presidency and boost Democrats in the midterms

Meanwhile in Kansas, abortion foes have apparently not given up on the state’s ballot initiative to allow lawmakers to restrict the procedure, which voters resoundingly rejected earlier this month.

The Associated Press reports that an anti-abortion activist and an election conspiracy promoter have teamed up to coordinate a recount of the ballots in nine of the state’s counties, which accounted for more than half of the votes cast on the initiative and all but one of which rejected it. According to the report, the abortion foe, Mark Gietzen put almost all of the $120,000 cost on his credit card to pay for the recount.

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