Category Archives: US News

Russian SolarWinds hackers launch email attack on government agencies

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Microsoft says group targeted more than 15o American and foreign organisations using USAid account

The state-backed Russian cyber spies behind the SolarWinds hacking campaign launched a targeted phishing assault on US and foreign government agencies and thinktanks this week using an email marketing account of the US Agency for International Development (USAid), Microsoft has said.

The effort targeted about 3,000 email accounts at more than 150 different organisations, at least a quarter of them involved in international development, humanitarian and human rights work, the Microsoft vice-president Tom Burt wrote in a blog post late on Thursday.

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What is sovereignty? A conversation about American colonialism

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Jacqueline Keeler, the author of a new book on standoffs with the government, tells Jason Wilson why the colonial relationship on which the US was founded needs to be renegotiated

In 2014, the writer Jacqueline Keeler started the #notyourmascot hashtag, a social media campaign highlighting the way sports teams use Native Americans mascots to perpetuate racist caricatures. In her current work, she investigates people who are falsely claiming Native ancestry for personal gain – including Susan Taffe Reed, the Native American program director who turned out not to be Native American.

“In all of this, the central issue is our domination by a colonial government,” she says.

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Whistleblower who spoke out on UFOs claims Pentagon tried to discredit him

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  • Luis Elizondo lodges complaint with defense inspector general
  • Defense department accused of disinformation campaign

A Pentagon whistleblower known for speaking out about UFOs is accusing his former agency of waging a disinformation campaign against him, a report says.

Luis Elizondo, who headed the Pentagon’s now-defunct Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program, lodged a complaint with the defense department’s inspector general claiming malicious activities, professional misconduct and other offenses at the agency, according to Politico.

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Marcus Rashford and Barack Obama share ‘surreal’ Zoom conversation

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  • Manchester United striker and ex-president discuss youth
  • ‘When President Obama speaks, all you want to do is listen’

Marcus Rashford has spoken with the former US president Barack Obama to discuss the power young people can have to make change in society.

Rashford, the Manchester United and England striker, met virtually with the 44th president of the United States in a Zoom conversation organised by Penguin Books.

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‘What is going on?’: California governor reacts after nine people killed in shooting – video

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The California governor, Gavin Newsom, has spoken emotionally about the latest US mass killing, after an employee gunned down nine people at a San Jose rail yard and then killed himself as law enforcement arrived.

'There’s a numbness I imagine some of us are feeling about this. Because there’s a sameness to this,” he said. “It begs the damn question of what the hell is going on in the United States of America?'

It was the 15th mass killing in the nation this year, all of them shootings that have claimed at least four lives each for a total of 86 deaths, according to a database compiled by the Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University

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Republicans propose nearly $1tn counteroffer to Biden’s infrastructure plan – live

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Democratic Senator Bob Casey signaled this morning that it may be time to move on from negotiating with Republicans and instead pass an infrastructure bill using reconciliation, allowing Democrats to circumvent the Senate filibuster.

Asked whether it was time to focus on setting up a reconciliation pathway for the infrastructure bill, Casey told CNN anchor Jim Sciutto, “I think we’re getting to that point, Jim. It’s an old expression, fish or cut bait.”

Me: “IS IT TIME TO MOVE ON TO RECONCILIATION (on infrastructure)?”@SenBobCasey: “I THINK WE'RE GETTING TO THAT POINT, JIM. IT'S AN OLD EXPRESSION, FISH OR CUT BAIT” pic.twitter.com/T0HLUKygrL

The Guardian’s Sam Levine and Daniel Strauss report:

After six months of aggressive Republican efforts to restrict voting access, Democrats are facing new questions about how they will actually pass voting rights reforms through Congress.

Related: ‘A ticking timebomb’: Democrats’ push for voting rights law faces tortuous path

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Did Covid come from a Wuhan lab? What we know so far

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To China’s fury, Joe Biden has ordered a review of rival theories about lab leaks and animal hosts

President Joe Biden has ordered US intelligence agencies to conduct a 90-day review of what is known about the origins of Covid-19 and whether it could have escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan. So what does this mean for the lab leak theory?

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‘A ticking timebomb’: Democrats’ push for voting rights law faces tortuous path

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Democrats have yet to convince their entire Senate caucus to back the House-passed For the People Act – let alone beat the filibuster

After six months of aggressive Republican efforts to restrict voting access, Democrats are facing new questions about how they will actually pass voting rights reforms through Congress.

The most recent hand-wringing comes as Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democratic senator, made clear earlier this month he still is not on board with the For the People Act, which would require early voting, automatic and same-day registration, and prevent the severe manipulation of district boundaries for partisan gain.

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US to sue Canada over dairy practices as hopes for better trade relations fade

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US trade representative announced plans to sue as Canadian officials face growing tensions with US

After a tumultuous four years living next door to Donald Trump, many Canadians had hoped that relations with their closest neighbour would mend under Joe Biden. The former president had slapped tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, threatened levies on the automotive sector, and called the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, “two-faced”.

But in recent weeks, Canadian officials have faced growing tensions with the US under Biden as leaders on both sides confront domestic political challenges.

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US announces plan to intensify efforts to study Covid’s origins – video

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Joe Biden has ordered the US intelligence community to 'redouble' its efforts studying the origins of coronavirus, adding that it will continue to press for China to participate in a full investigation. The deputy White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, confirmed the investigation would include any possibility the trail might lead to a Chinese lab. 'China wasn't transparent enough,' she said. 'We have been saying that for a very long time, that China needed to provide more access to the lab, cooperate more fully with the scientific investigators'

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Will rule of law succeed where Congress failed and hold Trump accountable?

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If the grand jury goes against him, Trump would be the first former US president charged with a crime

Standing in court, the former president pleaded not guilty to -harges of financial crimes that he insists are part of a politically motivated witch hunt. Jacob Zuma, once the populist leader of South Africa, cut a humbled figure on Wednesday – and offered a potential glimpse of America’s future.

A similar fate for Donald Trump became significantly more likely with reports that New York prosecutors have convened a grand jury to decide whether to indict him on criminal charges.

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Biden orders US intelligence community to ‘redouble’ efforts to study Covid’s origins – live

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  • President received analysis of origins and asked for follow-up in 90 days
  • Senate Republicans want to lower cost of $1.7tn infrastructure proposal

Deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about the White House’s response to the shooting this morning at a railyard in San Jose, California.

“Our hearts go out to the victims and their families,” Jean-Pierre said. “There is an ongoing investigation, as we all know. We will continue to stay in close contact with them and offer any assistance as needed.”

BREAKING: At least eight people are confirmed dead after the mass shooting at a San Jose rail yard, in addition to the suspected shooter, police say https://t.co/BuWF2htFwf pic.twitter.com/ksGRW3gXSx

One reporter asked Karine Jean-Pierre to reflect on her history-making appearance at the White House briefing room podium today.

“It’s a real honor to just be standing here today. I appreciate the historic nature” of this moment, the deputy White House press secretary said.

Karine Jean-Pierre — the second Black woman to ever lead a White House press briefing — speaks about making history in her role: "It is a real honor to be standing here today. I appreciate the historic nature...Clearly, the president believes representation matters." pic.twitter.com/ErdayRW4VR

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San Jose shooting: multiple people dead, police say

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Police say ‘multiple injuries and multiple fatalities’ and say suspect among dead after shooting at railyard in California city

Police reported multiple fatalities and injuries after gunfire erupted early on Wednesday morning at a light rail maintenance yard in San Jose, California.

A Santa Clara county sheriff’s spokesman, Deputy Russell Davis, said he could not specify the number of fatalities and injuries, but said that the suspect was confirmed to be among the dead.

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‘It’s cooler to hang Lennon’s guitar than a Picasso’: pop culture wins out at auctions

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Sales of items from celebrities such as Janet Jackson and K-poppers BTS are trending – and reframing what goes under the hammer

Is celebrity merchandise the new Monet? Auction houses are in flux, with more and more pop culture items being sold under the hammer for six and seven-figure sums.

Last month, Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills hosted a three-day auction of Janet Jackson’s personal belongings, including some of her most iconic stage outfits. Buyers included Kim Kardashian, who snagged Jackson’s outfit from the music video for her 1993 classic If for $25,000 (£18,000) and, on Instagram, said she was “such a fan” of the singer.

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How a ranger stumbled upon one of the largest fossil finds in California history

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While on a routine patrol, Greg Francek came across bone fragments from prehistoric animals that existed millions of years before humans

Imagine a California with volcanoes erupting to the east and Los Angeles buried under the Pacific Ocean. Giant camels, rhinoceros and four-tusked miniature elephants graze on a lush landscape, only to be preyed upon by bone-crushing dogs.

This is the prehistoric scene conjured up by a trove of new fossils discovered in California’s Sierra foothills – a hugely significant find, and one of the largest in the state’s history.

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US joins calls for transparent, science-based investigation into Covid origins

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Several countries tell the WHO annual meeting that a new inquiry with new terms of reference must be launched

The United States and other countries have called for a more in-depth investigation of the pandemic origins, after an international mission to China earlier this year proved inconclusive.

Addressing the World Health Organization’s main annual meeting of member states in Geneva, representatives from several countries stressed the continued need to solve the mystery of how Covid-19 first began spreading among humans.

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Minneapolis celebrates George Floyd’s life after a ‘troubling, long year’

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Residents gathered across the city to honor Floyd and other victims of police violence, and vowed to hold officers accountable

In downtown Minneapolis, the city that was plagued with tension during the Derek Chauvin murder trial last month, a celebration of George Floyd’s life was held less than a mile from where the white former Minneapolis officer was convicted of all three counts of his murder.

The event, organized by the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, was filled with shrieks from children as they leapt in bouncy houses while others filled the air with bubbles. The smells from a dozen food trucks penetrated the space as people danced and basked in the sun.

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New York district attorney convenes grand jury in Trump criminal inquiry

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Investigation includes matters such as hush-money payments to women on Trump’s behalf, property valuations and employee pay

New York prosecutors have convened a special grand jury to consider evidence in a criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s business dealings, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

The development signals that the Manhattan district attorney’s office was moving toward seeking charges as a result of its two-year investigation, which included a lengthy legal battle to obtain Trump’s tax records.

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Angelina Jolie criticizes judge deciding custody arrangements with Brad Pitt

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Actor claims she was denied a fair trial when the judge refused to allow her children to testify in the case

Angelina Jolie has criticized the California judge deciding on custody arrangements for her and Brad Pitt’s children, saying in a court filing that the judge has refused to allow their children to testify.

Jolie, who has sought to disqualify judge John Ouderkirk from the divorce case, said in a court filing on Monday that he declined to hear evidence she says is relevant to the children’s safety and wellbeing before issuing a tentative ruling. The documents don’t elaborate on what that evidence may be.

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George Floyd family urges Biden to pass police reform bill as it stalls in Senate

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Floyd’s brother describes Biden as a ‘genuine guy’ but urged him to pass a law ‘to protect people of color’ at White House meeting

“Say his name,” said seven-year-old Gianna Floyd. In bright sunshine outside the west wing of the White House, family members and lawyers raised their fists and said her father’s name in chorus: “George Floyd!”

They were marking exactly one year since the police murder of Floyd, an African American man, in Minneapolis shook America with months of nationwide protests against racial injustice and demands for police reform.

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