Category Archives: US News

US supreme court vacancy upends Senate races with just weeks to go

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Open seat offers chance for both parties to rally their bases as Democrats see chance to take control of chamber

The shock of a sudden new vacancy on the US supreme court has rippled out to some of the most contentious Senate races in the final weeks before the 3 November elections, throwing the vital issue of who might win control of the body into confusion.

The recent death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg while Republicans control the Senate and the White House virtually ensures that her replacement will be conservative, swinging the court into a 6-3 conservative majority.

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Mexico’s Amlo diverts water from drought-stricken farmers to repay US debt

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Country has one month to deliver outstanding 289m cubic metres and ensure water for 14 major cities and growers

Mexican farmers in the drought-stricken state of Chihuahua are pitted against riot squads from the national guard in an increasingly violent standoff over their government’s decision to ship scarce water supplies to the United States.

The confrontation has already led to bloodshed: earlier this month, a woman was shot dead and her husband was wounded after guardsmen opened fire on farmers wielding sticks and stones.

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Breonna Taylor protesters march in Louisville as state representative among dozens arrested – video

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Protesters marched and chanted Breonna Taylor's name for a second night in Louisville, Kentucky, on Thursday – after a grand jury decided no police officer would be charged directly with her death in March.

On Thursday night, police made several arrests, including the Kentucky state representative, Attica Scott, a Democrat who has called for justice for Taylor, who shot dead in a botched raid

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‘Who wants to see a man?’ Trump promises to name supreme court nominee on Saturday – video

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President Donald Trump says he will reveal his nominee to fill the vacant US supreme court seat this Saturday and promises it will be a woman, following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Speaking at an election rally in Jacksonville, Florida, Trump told the crowd he aimed to fill the seat before the November election. Despite promising his nominee would be female, the president played to the crowd, asking the assembled audience: ‘Who would rather see a man?’

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Breonna Taylor decision: fresh protests expected across US

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Demonstrations occurred in several major US cities Wednesday after just one police officer charged with wanton endangerment

Fresh protests were expected in Louisville and elsewhere in America on Thursday as public anger and sadness continued to ripple out from the Kentucky city in the wake of the announcement that no police officers would be charged directly with the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in March.

The civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, speaking on behalf of Taylor’s relatives, said the family was “outraged, they were insulted and they were, mostly, offended” by the conclusion of a grand jury in Kentucky on Wednesday.

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Breonna Taylor: family attorney says wanton endangerment charge ‘doesn’t make sense’ – live updates

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The family of Breonna Taylor, alongside their lawyers, including attorney Ben Crump, will hold a press conference in Louisville tomorrow morning at 10:30 am, according to the Associated Press.

While Taylor’s family has been outspoken against police brutality, they have not spoken out publicly since the grand jury’s decision was announced Wednesday. Members of her family instead posted on social media about their frustration over the announcement. Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, posted an illustration of Taylor with the caption “It’s still Breonna for me #thesystemfailedBreonna”

It’s still Breonna Taylor for me #ThesystemfailedBreonna

Donald Trump said that Medicare beneficiaries will soon be receiving a $200 card in the mail to help them afford their prescriptions.

“Nobody’s seen this before. These cards are incredible,” Trump said. “I will always take care of our wonderful senior citizens.”

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Trump cuts aid for pro-democracy groups in Belarus, Hong Kong and Iran

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Open Technology Fund, which helped activists evade state surveillance and sidestep web censorship, sees $20m grant pulled

The Trump administration has stopped vital technical assistance to pro-democracy groups in Belarus, Hong Kong and Iran, which had helped activists evade state surveillance and sidestep internet censorship.

Related: Trump memo on Comey firing was 'tinfoil helmet material', Mueller prosecutor says

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US has never asked WikiLeaks rival to remove leaked cables, court told

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Cryptome also published documents that are at centre of Julian Assange extradition case

US authorities have never asked a WikiLeaks rival to take down unredacted cables that have been among those at the centre of the legal battle to send Julian Assange to the US, his extradition hearing has been told.

The evidence was given by a veteran internet activist whose website, Cryptome, published more than 250,000 classified documents a day before WikiLeaks began placing them online.

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Top Republicans dismiss Trump’s refusal to commit to peaceful transfer

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Mitch McConnell insists ‘there will be an orderly transition’ while Trump ally Lindsey Graham says ‘I assure you it will be peaceful’

Leading Republicans have sought to quell fears that Donald Trump could stoke violence in an attempt to cling to power if he loses the US presidential election – though they stopped short of rebuking Trump directly.

The president sparked fresh anger and disbelief on Thursday after he refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. “Well, we’re going to have to see what happens,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday evening, before renewing a baseless complaint about mail-in ballots.

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Coronavirus continuing to mutate, study finds, as US cases rise

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Experts believe virus is probably becoming more contagious but US study did not find mutations made it more lethal

The Covid-19 virus is continuing to mutate throughout the course of the pandemic, with experts believing it is probably becoming more contagious, as coronavirus cases in the US have started to rise once again, according to new research.

The new US study analyzed 5,000 genetic sequences of the virus, which has continued to mutate as it has spread through the population. The study did not find that mutations of the virus have made it more lethal or changed its effects, even as it may be becoming easier to catch, according to a report in the Washington Post, which noted that public health experts acknowledge all viruses have mutations, most of which are insignificant.

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‘Vote him out’: Trump booed while paying respects to Ruth Bader Ginsburg – video

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Donald Trump was loudly booed by crowds as he visited the supreme court to pay his respects to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the late justice and liberal icon who died last week aged 87.

As the president and the first lady paused at Ginsburg’s casket, the crowd yelled: 'Vote him out!'  Ginsburg is the first woman in history to lie in state in the US Capitol 

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Stained relations? Israeli PM accused of taking dirty laundry on state trips

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Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife said to pack soiled clothes to be cleaned on foreign trips

While black-tie banquets, lavish royal receptions and priceless gifts are the most obvious extravagances of international diplomacy, Israel’s leader and his wife have spotlighted a lesser-known perk of the state visit: free dry cleaning.

Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu have developed a reputation for lugging bags and suitcases of dirty clothes on foreign trips to be laundered at another country’s expense, a practice noticed by staff at the White House guesthouse, according to the Washington Post.

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Breonna Taylor protests erupt across US – video

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Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in more than a dozen cities across the US after a grand jury decided not to directly charge police officers for the killing of Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot by Louisville police as officers carried out a no-knock warrant in March.

Two police officers were shot in Louisville amid growing nationwide protests. It was confirmed both officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries on Wednesday evening

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Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power: ‘there will be a continuation’ – video

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The US president has declined to say he will transfer power peacefully in the event he loses the 3 November election to Democratic rival, Joe Biden. 

When asked the question by a reporter during a White House press briefing on Wednesday, Trump replied: 'We’re going to have to see what happens, you know that. I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a disaster.'

Trump refused to commit when asked again: 'Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very peaceful – there won’t be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation. The ballots are out of control. You know it. And you know who knows it better than anybody else? The Democrats know it better than anybody else'

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Coronavirus live news: global deaths pass 975,000 as Israel plans for stricter lockdown

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Israel announces plans for stricter lockdown; Paris to unveil tighter restrictions; Follow the latest updates

Israel is tightening its coronavirus lockdown after an alarming spike in new cases, the cabiney decided on Thursday morning.

Bejamin Netanyahu, prime minister, has voiced alarm that a surge in infections was pushing the nation to “the edge of the abyss”.

Rarely can there have been a more low-key beginning to the cricket season in Australia. It’s usually a time of optimism as spring blooms and sports grounds are transformed from hosting football codes of different types into cricket ovals.

But of course 2020 is different and, as Australia’s Megan Schutt explains here, it’s all a bit surreal knowing that the teams have to put on a big show despite the lack of ceremony or razzamatazz in the Covid-era.

Related: Surreal and a little bit scary: cricket returns to Australia in the Covid era | Megan Schutt

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Coronavirus live news: Spain passes 700,000 cases as Madrid braces for ‘tough weeks ahead’

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Daily deaths in Spain at highest level since early May; Portugal to extend restrictions; Netherlands hits record of 2,544 daily cases; 1,136 new infections in Poland

The French government may be pushing for people to download its Covid-19 contact-tracing app, but when asked whether he had done so, prime minister Jean Castex said he had not because he does not take the metro.

The app was launched at the start of June to much fanfare from the government, but three months later only 2.4 million people out of a 67 million population have downloaded it

Brazil has recorded 32,817 additional confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, and 831 deaths from the disease.

South America’s largest country has registered more than 4.6 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, according to ministry data, ranking it as the third worst outbreak in the world after the US and India.

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Saudi heir and Jared Kushner inch kingdom towards deal with Israel

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Saudi Arabia’s interventions could result in seismic shift in region’s geopolitics

As the UAE and Bahrain prepared to sign a deal to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel this summer, Saudi Arabia – the regional heavyweight – was quietly urging them on.

For several months before the deals were signed at the White House, the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, had been laying out his rationale for a pact that would overturn regional policies towards a long-term foe.

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Donald in Blunderland: Trump won’t commit to peaceful power transfer at surreal press briefing

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David Smith’s sketch: President takes us through the looking glass amid the kneecapping of American democracy

Jared Kushner, the US president’s son-in-law, told journalist Bob Woodward that one of the best ways to understand Donald Trump is to study Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Kushner paraphrased the Cheshire Cat’s philosophy: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any path will get you there.”

Wednesday was one of those days when to have a seat in the White House briefing room felts like stepping through the looking-glass into Blunderland, where the mad hatter has an authoritarian streak a mile wide.

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Tesla, Volvo, Ford and Mercedes sue US over ‘unlawful’ tariffs on Chinese parts

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Major carmakers, including Elon Musk’s electric car company, say the levies imposed last year on crucial components were ‘arbitrary’

Tesla, Volvo, Ford and Mercedes-Benz have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, aiming to end what Elon Musk’s electric car manufacturer called “unlawful” tariffs imposed on certain parts imported from China.

The lawsuits, filed in New York this week, target the 25% tariffs imposed by the US trade representative on a list of products including spare parts such as terminals.

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Donald Trump says he expects US election to end up at supreme court – video

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Donald Trump said he wants to confirm a ninth justice to the supreme court because he believes the court will determine the outcome of the presidential election.

'I think this will end up in the supreme court, and I think it’s very important that we have nine justices,' Trump told reporters at a White House event.

The president has previously indicated the federal courts will need to become involved in the election because it will be tainted by fraud. Trump has provided no evidence for that extraordinary claim, and voter fraud is rare.

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