Statues of Confederate generals Robert E Lee and Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson were taken down in the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, nearly four years after white supremacist protests over plans to remove them led to clashes in which a woman was run down by a car and killed. A small crowd of onlookers cheered as the statue of Lee was hoisted away first, lifted by crane from its stone pedestal and taken away on a flat-bed truck.
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Doubts raised about who was behind the assassination of Haiti’s president
Police claims that Jovenel Moïse was killed by a mainly Colombian hit squad thrown into doubt
Questions have been raised over Haiti’s official narrative for the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moïse, who was gunned down at his mansion in Port-au-Prince last Wednesday.
Haitian police and the politicians who stepped into the political vacuum created by Moïse’s killing have claimed he was shot at about 1am by members of a predominantly Colombian hit squad who had stormed the president’s hillside residence. “Foreigners came to our country to kill the president,” police chief Léon Charles alleged after the shooting.
Continue reading...California: strong winds form fire tornado during Tennant fire – video
Newly released footage of the Tennant fire in California filmed on 29 June shows a fire tornado near the Klamath national forest. Large wildfires can heat air so much that huge clouds develop. In strong winds, these can rotate and sometimes produce a tornado, or fire whirl. California’s wildfire season is already more extreme than in 2020. Officials say the length of fire season has increased by 75 days across the Sierras, in keeping with a rise in the extent of forest fires statewide.
Biden balancing act with the left put to the test as he pushes key legislation
- Democratic progressives urge Biden to go big on infrastructure
- Regular meetings with left but moderates remain powerful
It is one of the most delicate balancing acts in American politics: how to keep together a Democratic party whose lawmakers range from the democratic socialism of the New York congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez to the staunch conservatism of the West Virginia senator Joe Manchin.
But as Joe Biden’s administration has pushed both parts of his ambitious infrastructure plan through Congress, top Democratic officials and aides have made a point of working hard to keep the fractious sects of the party on Capitol Hill in check.
Continue reading...Vancouver judge’s decision over Huawei finance chief may deepen US-China row
Judge refuses to admit new evidence that might have helped Meng Wanzhou avoid extradition to US
The prospect of a deepening diplomatic row between the US and China has grown after a Canadian judge refused to admit new evidence that might have helped the Huawei chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, avoid extradition to the US.
The arrest of Meng, the daughter of the Chinese telecommunication company’s billionaire founder, has prompted a sharp deterioration in relations between Canada, the US and China. Soon after Meng’s detention in Vancouver in December 2018, China arrested two Canadians in China: Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.
Continue reading...FinTok: how TikTok is helping young people use cash wisely
It’s not just jokes and emojis – the video-sharing platform can help users learn how to manage money
Sea shanties and viral dance trends have helped make TikTok a hit since the start of the pandemic. In 2020, the social media app, which allows users to create and share one or more 60-second films soundtracked with music clips, surpassed 2bn global downloads.
In the financial world, TikTok has a reputation for promoting volatile cryptocurrencies and activist investing – interest in Dogecoin and GameStop has been fuelled by the platform. But, beyond the jokes and rocket emojis being shared by some users, there is a wealth of practical personal finance videos that are teaching young people how to use their money better.
Continue reading...Data, not arms, the key driver in emerging US-China cold war | Robert Reich
Cybersecurity comes down to which side has access to more information about the other and can utilize it best
This week, shares in China’s giant ride-hailing app Didi crashed by more than 20%. A few days before, Didi had raised $4.4bn in a massive IPO in New York – the biggest initial public offering by a Chinese company since Alibaba’s debut in 2014.
The proximate cause of Didi’s crash was an announcement by China’s Cyberspace Administration that it suspected Didi of illegally collecting and using personal information. Pending an investigation, it had ordered Didi to stop registering new users and removed Didi’s app from China’s app stores.
Continue reading...Fox News’ planned 24-hour weather channel has climate experts worried
Climate crisis researchers worry about the channel’s reach to perpetuate misinformation and advance political goals
Fox News Media, the company that owns the reactionary, climate crisis-skeptical Fox News, is launching a weather channel this year – a development that has climate crisis experts worried.
Fox Weather, a 24-hour channel devoted to all things meteorological, promises “cutting-edge display technology”, according to a press release, with “forecasting experts surrounding every major weather event”.
Continue reading...‘We expect them to act’: Biden presses Putin on ransomware groups, hints at retaliation
Joe Biden’s hour-long phone call with the Russian leader suggests growing impatience over attacks disrupting US sectors
Joe Biden has increased pressure on Vladimir Putin to move against ransomware groups operating from Russia, warning the United States is prepared to respond if cyberhacks are not stopped.
The two leaders held an hour-long phone call on Friday, their first since they discussed ransomware attacks at a summit in Geneva on 16 June. Biden’s message to Putin in the call was direct, suggesting a growing impatience over attacks that have disrupted key US sectors.
Continue reading...US west heatwave: 31m people brace for record-breaking temperatures
Las Vegas could surpass its record-high of 117F as residents of US west face very high risk of heat-related illness
More than 31 million people across the US west and south-west are bracing for a brutal heatwave that could bring triple-digit temperatures this weekend, with authorities warning that records could be broken in many regions of California and Nevada. Officials have said that Las Vegas could even surpass its record-high temperature of 117F.
The “heat risk” is classified as “very high” across much of this area, meaning all residents there face “very high risk of heat-related illness due to both the long duration heat, and the lack of overnight relief”, the National Weather Service (NWS) has said.
Continue reading...Haiti requests US troops to protect infrastructure after assassination
• Elections minister calls for US help amid political instability
• Previous foreign interventions have proved controversial
Haiti’s government has requested that the United States send troops to protect key infrastructure following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse this week, the elections minister, Mathias Pierre, said on Friday.
Related: Why were Colombian guns for hire allegedly key to Haiti assassination plot?
Continue reading...Haiti requests US send troops after president’s assassination – live
- ‘Capitalism without competition is exploitation,’ says Biden as he signs order
- Ice will avoid detaining pregnant and nursing women
- Coronavirus live news – follow all the latest updates
Haiti’s ambassador to the US has requested that the US State Department issue sanctions against the killers of Jovenel Moïse, the country’s president.
The Haitian government had also asked the FBI to intervene, saying it could “can play a critical role in rendering justice,” and called for sanctions on those who “are directly responsible or aided and abetted in the execution of the assassination of the president,” according to a letter from Haitian ambassador Bocchit Edmond to US secretary of state Antony Blinken, ABC News reports.
Related: Haiti requests US troops to protect infrastructure after assassination
Joe Biden has fired Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul, the Washington Post reported. Advocates for the elderly and the disabled had urged Biden to remove him due to his policies restricting benefits.
The Post reports:
Saul was fired after refusing a request to resign, White House officials said. His deputy, David Black, who was also appointed by former president Donald Trump, resigned Friday upon request.
Biden named Kilolo Kijakazi, the current deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy, to serve as acting commissioner until a permanent nominee is selected.
Continue reading...Texas man who waited seven hours at polls is charged with voting illegally
Hervis Rogers became a national symbol of tenacity when he cast his ballot in last year’s presidential primaries
A Texas man who became a national hero after he waited seven hours in line to vote in last year’s presidential primary has been arrested and charged with voting illegally.
Continue reading...Florida entrepreneur accused by Haiti of taking part in Jovenel Moïse killing
James Solages is one of two Haitian Americans the government said it arrested in connection with the killing at the presidential residence
The Haitian government has accused a Florida entrepreneur and former security guard of being involved in the assassination of Jovenel Moïse.
James Solages is one of two Haitian Americans the government said it arrested in Port-au-Prince in connection with Wednesday’s killing at the presidential residence. The other was named as Joseph Vincent, but there is little known about him.
Continue reading...Zaila Avant-garde wins Scripps National Spelling Bee – video
Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from Harvey, Louisiana, has taken out the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee, becoming the first African American winner in the tournament's 96-year history. Avant-garde correctly spelled “murraya”, a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees, to take out the title ahead of Chaitra Thummala, a 12-year-old from Frisco, Texas.
Continue reading...Scripps National Spelling Bee 2021: Zaila Avant-garde becomes first African American winner
Avant-garde, a basketball prodigy, also holds three Guinness world records for ball dribbling
Whether dribbling a basketball or identifying obscure Latin or Greek roots, Zaila Avant-garde doesn’t show much stress.
The 14-year-old from Harvey, Louisiana, breezed to the championship at the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night, becoming the first African American winner and only the second Black champion in the bee’s 96-year history.
Zaila has described spelling as a side hobby, although she routinely practised for seven hours a day. She is a basketball prodigy who hopes to play some day in the WNBA and holds three Guinness world records for dribbling multiple balls simultaneously.
Related: ‘N-O-R-M-A-L-C-Y’: Why the National Spelling Bee means more now than ever
Continue reading...Hail, tornadoes and flooded New York subways as stormy weather hits east coast
Rainstorms drenched New York while Tropical Storm Elsa sparked tornadoes in North Carolina and Virginia
The US east coast was battered by extreme weather on Thursday as heavy thunderstorms brought flooding and travel disruption to the New York City area, while Tropical Storm Elsa dumped heavy rainfall and even sparked tornadoes in North Carolina and Georgia.
Some subway system ya got there. This is the 157th St. 1 line right now. @NYCMayor @BilldeBlasio pic.twitter.com/xyfTAUPPNu
Continue reading...Pfizer to ask US to authorize third Covid vaccine shot as booster
Evidence shows a greater risk of reinfection six months after inoculation as Israel reports a drop in vaccine effectiveness
Pfizer plans to ask US regulators to authorize a booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine within the next month, the drugmaker’s top scientist said on Thursday.
The announcement was based on evidence of greater risk of reinfection six months after inoculation and due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of coronavirus.
Continue reading...Record-breaking US Pacific north-west heatwave killed almost 200 people
Officials reported 116 deaths in Oregon and 78 in Washington after extreme temperatures in normally moderate region
The death toll from the record-breaking heatwave that struck the US Pacific north-west last week has risen to nearly 200, with health authorities reporting 116 deaths in Oregon and 78 in Washington state.
The data in Washington state are particularly striking given historical context. There were seven heat-related deaths in Washington between mid-June and the end of August in 2020. Between 2015 and 2020, the state saw just 39 deaths in the late spring and summer months.
Continue reading...Biden says ‘I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan’ – live
- Biden speaks on US troop withdrawal after 20 years at war
- President to receive update on military withdrawal process
- ‘Radicalized’ anti-abortion movement posed increased threat
Michael Avenatti, the former lawyer to Stormy Daniels who repeatedly clashed with Donald Trump during his presidency, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for trying to extort Nike.
Reuters reports:
U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe in Manhattan said Avenatti, 50, ‘had become drunk on the power of his platform’ in betraying his client, a youth basketball coach, in order to obtain riches for himself.
The sentencing caps a precipitous downfall for a once-obscure lawyer who in 2018 became a cable news fixture, disparaging then-President Trump and even flirting with a White House run himself.
Joe Biden rejected comparisons between the end of the Vietnam War and the conclusion of the war in Afghanistan, insisting the two events are nothing alike.
However, some American veterans have said they feel the US military is leaving a job undone in Afghanistan, just as it did in Vietnam. Some also fear that Kabul will soon fall to the Taliban, as Saigon fell after US troops departed Vietnam.
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