Anniversary spotlights criminal justice reform ahead of South Carolina primary

Five years after a white officer shot Walter Scott in the back, those associated with the case hope its memory will steer voters

Anthony Scott honours the memory of his brother Walter each time he casts a ballot.

“I’m not the sort of person to go and visit graves,” he said, sat at a bustling diner on the outskirts of Charleston. “I can memorialize better by making sure people never forget. Weighing up my vote, making sure the right person is put in the right place.”

Continue reading...

Messy Democratic debate leaves lack of clarity and benefits Trump

Amid crosstalk and occasional shouting, a continuing lack of clarity over which candidate will emerge as the nominee

Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate was chaotic and messy, underscoring the continuing lack of clarity over which candidate could emerge as the nominee to take on Donald Trump in November’s election.

Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, a self declared Democratic socialist considered the current frontrunner after his win in Nevada last week, found himself the main target of attacks from more centrist contenders, but was closely followed by billionaire New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was pummelled again for his past statements on women and support for Republicans.

Continue reading...

Sanders and Bloomberg come under attack in chaotic Democratic debate – live

Bernie Sanders was asked why he voted to protect gun manufacturers from legal liability, which other candidates have criticized him for.

Sanders initially tried to pivot to criticizing Joe Biden for his record on trade deals, which prompted boos from the Charleston audience.

Elizabeth Warren has so far directed more criticism at Mike Bloomberg than Bernie Sanders, the frontrunner in the primary race.

As another progressive senator, Warren will likely need to pick off some of Sanders’ supporters to have any chance of the nomination.

The difference between how aggressively Warren goes after Bernie (the front runner & existential threat to her candidacy), and Bloomberg (who she clearly despises), is something to behold.

Continue reading...

Democratic party grapples with rising likelihood of Sanders as the nominee

In the aftermath of Bernie Sanders’ victory in Nevada and as the South Carolina primary looms, the Democratic party establishment continues to grapple with the increasing likelihood that the Vermont senator, a self-proclaimed socialist, will be its nominee for president.

Related: Trump holds rally in India while Steyer qualifies for South Carolina debate – live

Continue reading...

Warren and Booker lead candidates at environmental justice forum

  • National Black Caucus of State Legislators hosts event
  • Booker defends support for nuclear power

Only six candidates turned out for the first ever presidential forum on environmental justice, at South Carolina State University on Friday night.

Related: Michael Bloomberg: billionaire eyes centre lane in Democratic presidential race

Continue reading...

Trump lashes out at Kamala Harris after senator protests criminal justice award

After Kamala Harris pulled out of a South Carolina criminal justice forum because its organizer gave Donald Trump an award, the president duly lashed out.

Related: Springing the 'rat' trap: how Baltimore fought back against Trump's insults

Continue reading...

‘Everything is destroyed’: devastation in Bahamas as Dorian rattles US

  • Aid groups struggle to deliver basic supplies due to destruction
  • Category 2 storm with winds of 110mph threatens US coastline

After hammering the Bahamas and leaving at least 30 dead, Hurricane Dorian began raking the south-east US seaboard, with the eye hitting the North Carolina coast on Thursday evening.

The threat to the US remains real but in the Bahamas the storm has left such terrible devastation that the authorities were still struggling to get aid to stricken areas and the death toll is expected to rise, perhaps steeply.

Continue reading...

Hurricane Dorian: ‘We’re at the frontline of climate change but we don’t cause it’, says Barbados PM – live

Sarah St George, chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, told the Guardian that the “force and size” of Dorian took everyone by surprise, a situation made worse by the hurricane stalling over the archipelago.

“Grand Bahama is not in good shape at all because 70% of it was under water,” St George said. “On the north side of the island the water was coming up to the second floor of their houses. My assistant Tammy was on the roof of her house for 30 hours hanging on to a coconut tree with her 8-year-old daughter Ariana. Her grandmother lost her grip and slipped off the roof and drowned. There was no way of getting to them. They’ve lost everything.”

In the president’s continuing battle against his own incorrect statement that Alabama was under threat from Hurricane Dorian, which has left at least 23 people dead, he has just now been tweeting what he claims is evidence he knew what he was talking about.

It is not.

Just as I said, Alabama was originally projected to be hit. The Fake News denies it! pic.twitter.com/elJ7ROfm2p

I was with you all the way Alabama. The Fake News Media was not! https://t.co/gO5pwahaj9

Over the weekend, projections for #HurricaneDorian have continually skewed further north and east, leaving Alabama outside the anticipated path. While we are thankful for that, we remain #AlwaysReady to help our sister states. #OneTeamOneFight #OneGuard pic.twitter.com/7TbFKpd2Zh

Continue reading...

Hurricane Dorian pounds northern Bahamas with ‘catastrophic’ winds

Hurricane Dorian grew into a “catastrophic” category 5 storm on Sunday as winds of more than 180mph pounded the northernmost islands of the Bahamas, the biggest storm to hit the island chain in modern times.

Related: Floridians not fazed as Hurricane Dorian’s path keeps state guessing

Continue reading...

Memorial Day: sweltering heat and storms follow tornadoes and flooding

Sweltering heat, storms and possible twisters were expected to hit the southern plains and south-eastern states on Memorial Day, on the heels of deadly tornadoes and flooding.

Related: Are hurricanes getting stronger – and is the climate crisis to blame?

Continue reading...

South Carolina lawmakers to Trump: Save nuclear fuel project Source: AP

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and the state's congressional delegation urged President Donald Trump on Thursday to reconsider his administration's plan to shut down a half-built nuclear fuel facility in their state. A federal appeals court last week allowed the Energy Department to go forward with plans to close the multibillion-dollar facility at the Savannah River Site near Aiken.

Graham defends Kavanaugh temperament at hearing as ‘innocent’ man being ‘destroyed’

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham defended Judge Brett Kavanaugh against some Democrats' criticism that his Senate testimony last week shows he lacks a judicial temperament. Add Supreme Court as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Supreme Court news, video, and analysis from ABC News.

Next year’s tax filings could be a bigger headache without new SC law

If legislators don't pass a law aligning the state's tax code with the federal overhaul, South Carolinians will have a much tougher time filing their income tax returns next year. Business leaders, tax preparers, and state economists have urged legislators to pass a tax conformity law, saying filings will otherwise be overly complicated for everyone, from business owners to individuals filing 1040EZ short forms.

Lindsey Graham Nails It, Bureaucratic Coup at the Dep. of Justice and FBI

In an interview, this morning on Fox News Sunday the Senator from South Carolina was asked about the mess in the Senate Judiciary Committee with on again off again accuser Christine Ford but that is not what was interesting. He dropped some bombs on the Justice Dept.

Four South Carolina Counties Designated for Individual Assistance

Homeowners, renters and business owners in four counties may now apply for federal disaster assistance for uninsured and underinsured damages and losses resulting from Hurricane Florence. To be eligible for federal disaster aid, storm damage and losses from the hurricane and flooding must have occurred as a result of Hurricane Florence, beginning Sept.