Category Archives: US News

Obama: Republicans portraying white men as ‘victims’ helped Trump win votes

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Former president made remark about Republican messaging in interview with Breakfast Club

Barack Obama said part of the reason 73 million Americans voted to re-elect Donald Trump in the election was because of messaging from Republicans that the country, particularly white men, are under attack.

In an interview with the radio show the Breakfast Club on Wednesday to promote his new memoir A Promised Land, Obama said Trump’s administration, which he did not name directly, “objectively has failed, miserably, in handling just basic looking after the American people and keeping them safe”, and yet he still secured millions of votes.

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President pranked as comedians snap up Trump 2024 domain

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  • Jason Selvig and Davram Stiefler buy DonaldJTrump2024.com
  • Trump yet to formally concede despite losing to Joe Biden

Donald Trump’s bid to retake the presidency in 2024 has been launched – by two comedians.

“We got the domain DonaldJTrump2024.com,” comics Jason Selvig and Davram Stiefler, AKA The Good Liars, wrote on Twitter.

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Putting Trump behind us is like exiting an abusive relationship: it takes time

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Under Trump many had a ‘collective hypervigilance and anxiety of what he might do next’, experts say – so how do we unpack these past four years?

For millions of Americans and nervous election viewers around the world, the month of November has been a seesaw of emotions. Tentatively able to envision a life outside the Trump shadow, many could finally name the mental, emotional and physical toll the past four years have had on them, reflecting on the feelings of depression, insomnia, restlessness and anxiety that, for them, have defined the president’s term in office for so many.

Emboldened by the promise that in a few short months they would no longer have to live in fear of a national security-threatening tweet or Fox News-induced meltdown, millions of people are beginning to process their feelings.

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Iranian president upbeat about relations with Biden-led US

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Hassan Rouhani tells Tehran cabinet he hopes US will ‘condemn Trump policies against Iran’ and lift sanctions

Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, said on Wednesday it would be easy to solve the country’s problems with the US so long as Joe Biden stuck to the commitments he made on the campaign trail.

Rouhani’s optimistic remarks to a weekly cabinet contrasted with a speech the day before by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which sketched out a more difficult path to normalisation and the lifting of sanctions.

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Coronavirus live news: Germany reports record daily deaths; Sicily asks Cuba to send doctors and nurses

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Germany reports 410 Covid-related deaths in 24 hours; Sicilian hospitals struggling with shortage of medical personnel; global cases near 60m cases

The regional government of Madrid is proposing allowing groups of up to 10 people to gather on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and the feast of the Epiphany (6 January). The number of different households allowed to mix would be capped at three.

Under the plans, which have been submitted to the central government, the current midnight to 6am curfew would be replaced on those days by one running from 1.30am to 6am.

Authorities in Sicily have asked Cuba’s government to send to the region about 60 health operators, including doctors and nurses, as hospitals are struggling with a shortage of medical personnel during the second wave.

The request was filed this week to the Italian embassy in Cuba and consists of intensive care specialists, nurses, anaesthetists, resuscitators, virologists and pneumologists, the Italian newspaper la Repubblica has reported.

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Biden to address nation as Covid deaths rise sharply before Thanksgiving – live

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Brian Slodysko and Richard Larner at the Associated Press have this morning written up the nuts and bolts of an issue that looks like it will dog Sen. David Perdue in the build-up to January’s critical Georgia Senate run-off races.

They remind us that back in March as the coronavirus pandemic impacted the economy the crisis signalled something else for him: a stock buying opportunity.

Here’s a (very) little more detail on what we might expect from the Trump legal team and local lawmakers in Gettysburg today.

It’s still not officially confirmed that Trump is going – asked for comment about his plans, White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere told CNN, “I’d refer you to the public schedule. I have no additional updates at this time.”

State and local election officials have said there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and both a federal court and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court have dismissed lawsuits seeking to prevent the state from certifying the results of the election. Pennsylvania officially certified the results on Tuesday, sealing Biden’s win in the key battleground state.

The meeting is being organized by the Pennsylvania state Senate GOP, which is holding it at a hotel – not at the state Capitol.

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Donald Trump pardons former national security adviser Michael Flynn – as it happened

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That’s all for today!

Here’s a recap:

Barack Obama said part of the reason 73 million Americans voted to re-elect Donald Trump in the election was because of messaging from Republicans that the country, particularly white men, are under attack.

In an interview with the radio show the Breakfast Club on Wednesday to promote his new memoir A Promised Land, Obama said Trump’s administration, which he did not name directly, “objectively has failed, miserably, in handling just basic looking after the American people and keeping them safe”, and yet he still secured millions of votes.

Related: Obama: Republicans portraying white men as 'victims' helped Trump win votes

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Meet the South Poll cow: the healthier, naturally raised cattle of the future?

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Most US cattle are bred to be require grain rations and antibiotics but the small-framed red cow thrives on a grass-only diet – with benefits to the environment

Missouri rancher Greg Judy spots a six-month-old South Poll heifer calf in his herd that is a prime example of what he calls a “good doing cow”. A cow that will “do good” on grass alone.

Related: 'In the sun they'd cook': is the US south-west getting too hot for farm animals?

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Millions of Americans to travel and gather for Thanksgiving despite expert warnings

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Recent surveys show a meaningful minority of Americans intend to go ahead with travel and gatherings for the holiday

Millions of Americans are traveling and gathering for the Thanksgiving holiday, in spite of dire and urgent warnings from US doctors, nurses, health authorities and hospitals not to do so.

The travel raises the possibility of a “surge superimposed on a surge,” in the words of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, and of a wave of deaths as Christmas arrives.

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Trump’s coup failed – but US democracy has been given a scare

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The president pulled every lever to stay in power. It didn’t work, but how would the US handle a closer election?

In the end, the coup did not take place. In the most grudging manner possible, Donald Trump signalled on Monday night that the transition of power could begin.

That, a White House official told reporters, was as close as Trump will probably ever come to concession, but the machinery of transition has gathered momentum. Joe Biden’s incoming administration now has a government internet domain, is being briefed by government agencies and is due to receive federal funding.

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‘Will you pardon yourself?’: Trump ignores questions after pardoning turkey – video

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Appearing with first lady Melania Trump in front of the White House, the president made brief remarks thanking healthcare workers and researchers working on a Covid-19 vaccine.

According to tradition, two turkeys named Corn and Cob stayed at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel before the official ceremony. After an online poll, Corn was chosen to be pardoned.

Trump did not take questions at the event, and ignored a shouted question about whether he was considering pardoning himself.

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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris announce first cabinet picks of their administration – live

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Minnesota has certified Joe Biden’s win in the state in the presidential election, following Pennsylvania and Nevada earlier today.

Minnesota was part of the smashed up so-called Blue Wall that fell to Donald Trump in 2016, as he won Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Minnesota Canvassing Board certifies result of the 2020 election, will be digitally signed after meeting:

Joe Biden won presidential race in state
Tina Smith won re-election to Senate
U.S. House seats split 4 to 4 among parties
MN Senate in GOP control
MN House in DFL hands https://t.co/7ISbOMubtM

New: Republicans in Wisconsin (the Trump campaign is not a party) filed an emergency petition in the state Supreme Court to stop the final certification of election results (HT @DemocracyDocket for the filing, screenshot of docket below) https://t.co/ZFwxvd0VTC pic.twitter.com/XqRRZCJduK

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may soon shorten the length of self-quarantine period after potential exposure to the coronavirus, a top official said this afternoon.

Health authorities currently recommend a 14-day quarantine in order to curb transmission of the virus but an official said today that there is evidence that the period could be shortened if patients are tested for the virus during their quarantine, Reuters reports.

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Stock market rally pushes Dow Jones to record high of 30,000

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  • Dow rallies by 450 points to close above 30,000 for first time
  • Investors cheer hopes of vaccine and smooth Biden transition

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has topped the 30,000 mark for the first time as financial markets around the world rally amid hopes for a coronavirus vaccine and smooth transition to a Joe Biden presidency.

The landmark for the Wall Street market comes as investors bet rapid medical advances will bring the Covid outbreak to an earlier end than feared, paving the way for a swift economic rebound next year as business activity returns closer to normal and tough government restrictions are relaxed.

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Joe Biden announces John Kerry as pick to be first ever US climate envoy – video

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President-elect Joe Biden seeks to blunt criticism from leftwingers as he formally introduces his first round of cabinet nominations, by emphasising the fight against the climate crisis.

Biden says that in John Kerry, a former secretary of state and presidential nominee, America will have a full-time climate leader for the first time, someone with 'a seat at every table around the world'

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‘A cabinet that looks like America’: Harris hails Biden’s diverse picks

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  • President-elect pledges global role and emphasises climate fight
  • ‘Close friend’ John Kerry to be America’s full-time climate leader
  • US politics – live coverage

President-elect Joe Biden formally introduced his first round of cabinet nominations on Tuesday, a move broadly welcomed as a restoration of the old Washington and international order after the turmoil of the Trump administration.

Related: Joe Biden's cabinet picks: what we've learned from his choices so far

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Theories abound over mystery metal monolith found in Utah

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Structure compared to monolith featured in 2001: A Space Odyssey while John McCracken gallerist says object is not sculptor’s work

A giant, metal mystery slab has captured the attention of millions, as people speculate over how such a structure came to be in a remote part of southern Utah.

The object was first spotted last week by a helicopter pilot and wildlife officers who were flying above the rugged area to conduct an annual count of bighorn sheep for the state. It immediately drew comparisons to the monolith featured in 2001: A Space Odyssey as well as inviting suggestions it could be the work of extraterrestrials.

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Indigenous man and granddaughter, 12, handcuffed after trying to open bank account

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Maxwell Johnson, of the Heiltsuk Nation, launches two human rights complaints after arrest at Vancouver bank in December

An Indigenous man in Canada has launched two human rights complaints after he and his 12-year old granddaughter were arrested and handcuffed as they tried to open a bank account.

Related: UK and Canada to trade on EU terms after Brexit transition

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Trump fails to answer questions or formally concede in bizarre 90-second briefing – video

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Donald Trump and Mike Pence appeared in the White House briefing room for less than two minutes for Trump to tout the stock market’s good day - despite Trump having not taken a question from reporters in about three weeks.

There was almost no notice of the briefing. CNN’s Jim Acosta said White House staff were suddenly shouting at journalists to get into their seats because the president wanted to walk into the briefing room. After Trump’s departure, a reporter was heard to say: ‘Well, that was weird as shit’.

The General Services Administration on Monday declared Joe Biden the apparent winner of the US election, clearing the way for the formal transition to begin, after weeks of Trump refusing to concede, violating the traditions of the transition of power at the White House

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Apple security chief charged with trying to bribe police with iPads for gun licences

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Thomas Moyer allegedly attempted to obtain concealed firearms licences for company employees

Apple’s global head of security has been accused of trying to bribe police with hundreds of free iPads in order to obtain concealed firearms licences for company employees.

Prosecutors in California allege that two officers were involved in a scam where they denied licences to carry concealed weapons (CCW) to applicants unless they offered something in return.

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Russian warship ‘threatens to ram’ US destroyer

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Russia says Admiral Vinogradov threatened the USS John S McCain in the Pacific for ‘operating illegally’

A Russian warship has allegedly threatened to ram a US destroyer during a rare naval standoff between the two countries in the waters off Russia’s Pacific coast.

Russia said on Tuesday that the Admiral Vinogradov, a destroyer, threatened the USS John S McCain, a US navy guided-missile destroyer, for “operating illegally” in its territorial waters in the Sea of Japan.

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