28

Sep

Buttigieg backs Taiwan participation in UN civil aviation body

MONTREAL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called to allow Taiwan to participate in a U.N. body overseeing civil aviation, drawing criticism from the Chinese government. "We believe that all of international civil aviation’s important stakeholders -- particularly those who administer critical airspace, like Taiwan -- should have the opportunity to participate meaningfully in ICAO’s work," Buttigieg said at the International Civil Aviation Organization assembly held every three years and the first since the COVID-19 pandemic. A Chinese government representative at the ICAO responded by saying, "The American comments attempted to create two Chinas, one China and one Taiwan.…

Read More Here

28

Sep

Millions in Florida urged to evacuate as Hurricane Ian nears

SARASOTA, Fla., (Reuters) - Residents of Florida's Gulf Coast boarded up homes, packed up their vehicles and headed for higher ground as Hurricane Ian drew near, threatening to bring a deadly storm surge and more than a foot of rain to some areas. Ian churned across the southeastern edge of the Gulf of Mexico headed for Florida after slamming into Cuba earlier in the day, leaving the entire country without power, forcing mass evacuations and swamping fishing villages. More than 2.5 million Floridians were under evacuation orders or warnings with the sprawling storm on track to make landfall as a…

Read More Here

26

Sep

NASA’s asteroid-deflecting DART spacecraft nears planned impact with its target

Sept 26 (Reuters) - Ten months after launch, NASA's asteroid-deflecting DART spacecraft neared a planned impact with its target on Monday in a test of the world's first planetary defense system, designed to prevent a doomsday collision with Earth. The cube-shaped "impactor" vehicle, roughly the size of a vending machine with two rectangular solar arrays, was on course to fly into the asteroid Dimorphos, about as large as a football stadium, and self-destruct around 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT) some 6.8 million miles (11 million km) from Earth. The mission's finale will test the ability of a spacecraft to alter…

Read More Here

25

Sep

Hollywood’s iconic sign gets big paint job before its 100th anniversary

 (Reuters) - The famous Hollywood sign overlooking Los Angeles is getting a facelift just ahead of its 100th anniversary, with each of the massive letters receiving a new coat of paint. The nine-letter sign atop Mount Lee was last painted 10 years ago and needs redoing roughly every decade. The current set of letters is actually the third sign erected atop Mount Lee over the years. The first sign, which said "Hollywoodland," was erected in 1923, according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which helps administer the site along with the city of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Sign Trust.…

Read More Here

25

Sep

COVID raises risk of long-term brain injury, large U.S. study finds

CHICAGO, (Reuters) - People who had COVID-19 are at higher risk for a host of brain injuries a year later compared with people who were never infected by the coronavirus, a finding that could affect millions of Americans, U.S. researchers reported this week. The year-long study, published in Nature Medicine, assessed brain health across 44 different disorders using medical records without patient identifiers from millions of U.S. veterans. Brain and other neurological disorders occurred in 7% more of those who had been infected with COVID compared with a similar group of veterans who had never been infected. That translates into…

Read More Here

24

Sep

Rocketman at the White House: Bidens host Elton John for South Lawn soiree

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden and about 2,000 fans on Friday basked in a performance at the White House by musical legend and activist Elton John, who is on a lengthy farewell tour in the United States. The British superstar performed hit songs such as "Rocketman," "Your Song" and "Tiny Dancer" from the South Lawn, singing and playing piano in an open air structure set up for the performance, which at one point moved Biden to tears. https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1573506691009757184 "Like so many Americans, our family loves his music," Biden said when introducing the singer. "It's clear…

Read More Here

22

Sep

Donald Trump and children are sued by New York attorney general for fraud

NEW YORK, (Reuters) - Donald Trump, his family business, and three of his adult children were sued by New York's attorney general, who accused them of overvaluing the former U.S. president's assets and net worth through a decade of lies to banks and insurers. Attorney General Letitia James filed her civil lawsuit in a New York state court in Manhattan, accusing the Trump Organization of "numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation" in preparing financial statements from 2011 to 2021. She also said Trump, who has long used his net worth to burnish his image and fame as a successful businessman…

Read More Here

21

Sep

Al Gore sees the world at ‘tipping point’ for climate action

LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The world is at a "positive tipping point" in the fight against climate change as surging oil and gas costs spur governments to decarbonise faster, former U.S. Vice President and co-founder of Generation Investment Management Al Gore told Reuters. He pointed to the Inflation Reduction Act signed in August, a $430-billion bill seen as the biggest climate package in U.S. history, as well as a pledge by Australia earlier this month to cut carbon emissions by 43% by 2030 and to net zero by 2050. Gore said he also expected Brazil to change its policy…

Read More Here

21

Sep

Washington Monument vandalized, one man taken into custody

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A man has been taken into custody after the Washington Monument was vandalized late on Tuesday, police said, adding that the area around the base of the monument has been temporarily closed. "Area around base of the Washington Monument temporarily closed. USPP have adult male in custody for vandalism. NPS (National Park Service) conservators will work on restoration process," the United States Park Police (USPP) said on Twitter. Images posted on Twitter by local media showed red paint smeared on the west side of the monument's base. The 550 feet tall monument is a popular tourist attraction…

Read More Here

20

Sep

Biden says U.S. forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion

U.S. President Joe Biden said U.S forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, his most explicit statement on the issue, drawing an angry response from China that said it sent the wrong signal to those seeking an independent Taiwan. Asked in a CBS 60 Minutes interview broadcast on Sunday whether U.S. forces would defend the democratically governed island claimed by China, he replied: "Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack." Asked to clarify if he meant that unlike in Ukraine, U.S. forces - American men and women - would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, Biden replied: "Yes." The CBS…

Read More Here

19

Sep

Ukraine to dominate as world leaders gather at United Nations

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia's invasion of Ukraine and a global food crisis aggravated by the war will be the focus of world leaders when they convene at the United Nations in New York this week, a gathering that is unlikely to yield any progress toward ending the conflict. "It would be naive to think that we are close to the possibility of a peace deal," said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ahead of the high-level meeting of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, which starts on Tuesday. "The chances of a peace deal are minimal, at the present moment." Geopolitical divides,…

Read More Here

19

Sep

Biden says ‘the pandemic is over’ even as death toll, costs mount

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said in an interview aired on Sunday that "the pandemic is over," even though the country continues to grapple with coronavirus infections that kill hundreds of Americans daily. "The pandemic is over," Biden said during an interview conducted with CBS' "60 Minutes" program on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Detroit auto show, an event which drew thousands of visitors. "We still have a problem with COVID. We're still doing a lotta work on it. But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty…

Read More Here

19

Sep

Hurricane Fiona swamps Puerto Rico, knocking out power to island

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico/SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Reuters) - Hurricane Fiona left most of Puerto Rico without power, causing catastrophic flooding and landslides on the island before barreling toward the Dominican Republic, a government agency said. The storm, hitting Puerto Rico five years after Hurricane Maria devastated the island, ripped up asphalt from roads, swept away a major road bridge, closed airports, swamped cars and dumped rain in such quantities that some rivers were rising 20 feet in just hours, according to eyewitnesses. "This has been catastrophic," Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi said at a news conference in the capital…

Read More Here

19

Sep

Biden says U.S. forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said U.S forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, his most explicit statement so far on the issue, something sure to anger Beijing. Asked in a CBS 60 Minutes interview broadcast on Sunday whether U.S. forces would defend the self-ruled island claimed by China, he replied: "Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack." Asked to clarify if he meant that unlike in Ukraine, U.S. forces - American men and women - would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, Biden replied: "Yes." The interview was…

Read More Here

18

Sep

New Orleans becomes murder capital of US

New Orleans, plagued by low police staffing levels and morale, saw 41 murders per 100,000 people in the first six months of the year, a 141 pct. increase over 2019, according to an analysis by the Wall Street Journal. The murder rate is nearly four times that of Chicago and nearly 20 times the rate in New York City. Violent crimes statistics have flattened in much of the country following the slowdown of the pandemic crime surge this year, however the numbers have continued to rise in several cities including Dallas, Phoenix and New Orlean.In an interview with the Wall…

Read More Here

18

Sep

Belgian intelligence services help foil attack on George W. Bush

The FBI averted an attack on former US President George W. Bush earlier this year thanks to intelligence from Belgian security services, reported VRT. The tip allowed US security officials to arrest a cell of four terrorists. Shihab Ahmed, an asylum seeker from Iraq, allegedly wanted to kill the former president at a speech in Dallas, Texas. He travelled to the ex-president's residence in Dallas and Crawford for monitoring purposes and is said to have filmed the security apparatus around Bush's house together with accomplices. However, one of these was an agent of US security services. American intelligence was then…

Read More Here

17

Sep

Biden expected to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth on Sunday – White House

LONDON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to pay his respects to Britain's late Queen Elizabeth on Sunday, the White House said on Saturday. Leaders from all over the world are flying to London ahead of the state funeral in London on Monday. (Reporting by Jeff Mason, writing by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Kate Holto

Read More Here

16

Sep

Biden says wants to end social media immunity

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden called on Americans to speak out against racism and extremism during a summit at the White House, and said he would ask Congress to do more to hold social media companies accountable for spreading hate. "White supremacists will not have the last word," Biden told the 'United We Stand' summit of bipartisan local leaders, experts and survivors. Biden said America had long experienced a "through line of hate" against minority groups, one that had been given "too much oxygen" by politics and the media in recent years. "It's so important that we keep…

Read More Here

15

Sep

U.S. railroads reach tentative deal with workers, averting a strike

WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Major U.S. railroads and unions secured a tentative deal after 20 hours of intense talks brokered by the Biden administration to avert a rail shutdown that could have hit food and fuel supplies across the country and beyond. U.S. President Joe Biden announced the deal in a statement early on Thursday morning, calling it "a win for tens of thousands of rail workers who worked tirelessly through the pandemic to ensure that America's families and communities got deliveries of what have kept us going during these difficult years." The tentative deal now goes to the…

Read More Here

14

Sep

U.S. government makes contingency plans for rail shutdown

WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES  (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's administration made contingency plans aiming to ensure deliveries of critical goods in the event of a shutdown of the U.S. rail system while pressing railroads and unions to reach a deal to avoid a work stoppage affecting freight and passenger service. The potential shutdown, which could come as early as Friday, could freeze almost 30% of U.S. cargo shipments, stoke inflation, impede supplies of food and fuel, cost the U.S. economy about $2 billion per day and cause transportation woes. Railroads including Union Pacific, Berkshire Hathaway's BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern have until…

Read More Here

13

Sep

‘Challenge’ to maintain world’s focus on global health after COVID-19: Bill Gates

Asking the world to prioritise saving lives in the world's poorest countries is increasingly challenging in a world still rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the threat of climate change, rising energy costs and the war in Ukraine, according to Bill Gates. The Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist said it was a "paradox" that in the wake of a huge global health threat, funding for tackling diseases like malaria and AIDS could actually drop this year. "I am very worried… ironically, in the face of the clearest indication of why infectious disease is not a thing of the past, in fact, the…

Read More Here

13

Sep

Trump lawyers oppose Justice Department request on classified documents

Former President Donald Trump's attorneys on Monday opposed the U.S. Justice Department's request to continue to examine the contents of classified documents seized by the FBI from his Florida estate last month in an ongoing criminal investigation. In a court filing, his lawyers also asked U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to include the roughly 100 documents marked as classified that were among more than 11,000 records recovered in the court-approved Aug. 8 search in an upcoming review of the material by an independent arbiter, called a special master. In another development, the Justice Department has charged a Texas woman who prosecutors…

Read More Here

12

Sep

Biden will not travel with a delegation to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral after Trump dilemma

Buckingham Palace did not invite President Joe Biden to assemble a delegation to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II next week, and instead extended a specific invitation for only the President and first lady, a White House official told CNN. The White House announced that Biden had formally accepted the invitation and would be accompanied by the first lady. Previous state funerals, such as the one for former South African president Nelson Mandela, have allowed for the sitting president to bring a delegation of officials to the event. CNN reported that Joe Biden was facing a dilemma over whether…

Read More Here

12

Sep

U.S. Treasury’s Yellen says oil prices could spike in winter

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Americans could experience a spike in gas prices in the winter when the European Union significantly cuts back on buying Russian oil, adding that a proposed Western price cap on Russia's oil exports is being designed to keep prices in check. "It's a risk, and it's a risk that we're working on the price cap to try to address," Yellen told CNN. The possible price increase could come because the EU "will cease for the most part buying Russian oil" and impose a ban on services that allow Russia to ship…

Read More Here

11

Sep

On 9/11 anniversary, Biden recalls American unity, vows vigilance

WASHINGTON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden invoked the memory of America's united response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks by al Qaeda and vowed to "never give up" in the face of terrorist threats in a solemn commemoration on Sunday at the Pentagon. Biden's remarks about national unity on the 21st anniversary of the attacks stood in contrast to his warnings in recent days about dangerous divisions in American society, including that some Republicans who support former President Donald Trump's agenda pose a threat to democracy. "I hope we'll remember that in the midst of these dark days, we…

Read More Here

10

Sep

U.S. imposes sanctions on Iran over cyber activities, cyberattack on Albania

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States imposed sanctions on Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and its minister, accusing them of being tied to a disruptive July cyberattack on Albania and engaging in other cyber activities against the United States and its allies. The move comes after Albania severed diplomatic relations with Iran on Wednesday for the incident, ordering Iranian diplomats and embassy staff to leave within 24 hours. The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement that Iran's Ministry of Intelligence directs several networks of cyber threat actors, including those involved in cyber espionage and ransomware attacks in support of the…

Read More Here

10

Sep

New York declares state of emergency over polio

NEW YORK, (Reuters) - New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency in a bid to accelerate efforts to vaccinate residents against polio after the virus was detected in wastewater samples taken in four counties. Hochul's executive order followed the discovery of the virus last month in samples from Long Island's Nassau County, bordering the New York City borough of Queens. Earlier this year the virus was found in samples from Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties, all north of the city. In July, the first confirmed case of polio in the United States in nearly a decade turned up…

Read More Here

10

Sep

Biden says he will attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral; Flight searches to London from U.S. surge after Queen’s death

WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said that he would attend the funeral of Britain's Queen Elizabeth. Biden was the 13th and final American president to meet the Queen, whose reign spanned seven decades. The Queen had met every American president since Dwight Eisenhower, except for Lyndon Johnson because he did not visit Britain during his presidency. It does not look like Russia's President Vladimir Putin will be appearing at the ceremony, with a top Kremlin spokesperson saying the Queen has not "held a place in the hearts of Russians". Following the news of her passing, Mr…

Read More Here

08

Sep

Most Americans see Trump’s MAGA as threat to democracy: Reuters/Ipsos poll

WASHINGTON  (Reuters) - Days after Democratic President Joe Biden gave a fiery speech attacking former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies as an extremist threat, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found a majority of Americans believe Trump's movement is undermining democracy. Fifty-eight percent of respondents in the two-day poll - including one in four Republicans - said Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement is threatening America's democratic foundations. Biden's Sept. 1 speech marked a sharp turn for his efforts to boost Democrats in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, when Republicans aim to win control of the U.S. Congress. Speaking in Pennsylvania,…

Read More Here

08

Sep

New York State ends mask mandates on trains, transit

 (Reuters) - New York state on Wednesday ended a 28-month-old COVID-19 mandate requiring masks on trains, buses and other modes of public transit, as well as at airports and in ride-share vehicles, Governor Kathy Hochul said. "Starting today masks will be optional," Hochul said at a news conference, citing recent revised guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We have to restore some normalcy to our lives.... Masks are encouraged but optional." Hochul said the mask requirements were also being lifted for taxis and ride-share vehicles, airports, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, and detention centers. New York first…

Read More Here

08

Sep

Californians seek relief as heat wave continues to grip state

SACRAMENTO, Calif., (Reuters) - A man in a heat-stricken suburb of Los Angeles and a woman with two young kids in Pomona were among the Californians desperately seeking cool shelter as extreme temperatures continued to bake the state. Temperatures were expected to top 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) in Sacramento, the state capital, and other inland valleys, and broke 100 degrees around the Los Angeles area. The agency that operates most of California's electrical grid urged consumers to conserve energy during the late afternoon and evening hours to avoid rolling blackouts, as the heat wave blanketed the drought-stricken region…

Read More Here

08

Sep

UN sees life expectancy, education and income fall

Decades of progress in terms of life expectancy, education and economic prosperity have begun unravelling since the pandemic, a new UN report says. Over the past two years, nine out of 10 countries have slid backwards on the UN's Human Development Index. Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and the impact of climate change are blamed for putting global development in reverse. The Human Development Index was launched in 1990 in an effort to look beyond GDP as a measure of well-being. Switzerland sits at the top of the index this year with a life expectancy of 84 years, an average…

Read More Here

08

Sep

Photo story: Obama back in the White House

Former President Barack Obama (L) and former First Lady Michelle Obama (R) stand beside the official White House portrait of former President Obama, after it was unveiled in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA.  The official portraits of former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama were painted by Robert McCurdy and Sharon Sprung, respectively, and were unveiled during a ceremony hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Photo: EPA-EFE/MICHAEL REYNOLDS https://www.facebook.com/barackobama/videos/547313653747450

Read More Here

07

Sep

U.S. military to test launch an ICBM Wednesday, notifies Russia

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The U.S. military will test launch an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday, the Pentagon said, adding it has notified Russia in advance. A Pentagon spokesman described the test as routine and said it was meant to demonstrate the readiness of the U.S. military's ICBM forces. The United States last month carried out a test of a Minuteman III ICBM, which had been delayed to avoid escalating tensions with Beijing during a Chinese show of force near Taiwan. Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart

Read More Here

06

Sep

U.S. judge agrees to special master in Trump search case, delaying probe

A federal judge on Monday agreed to appoint a special master to review records seized by the FBI during its unprecedented search of former President Donald Trump's Florida estate, a move that is likely to delay the Justice Department's ongoing criminal investigation. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in West Palm Beach, Florida granted Trump's request for a special master, whom she said will be tasked with reviewing documents that as well as being potentially covered by attorney-client privilege could also be covered by executive privilege. She also ordered the Justice Department to stop reviewing the records as part of…

Read More Here

06

Sep

EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Chicago,USA

People freshen up at the Crown Fountain and wading pool in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Photo - EPA-EFE/TANNEN MAURY

Read More Here

05

Sep

California temperatures soar to new records, adding strain to power grid

 (Reuters) - Record high temperatures were expected in California's Central Valley from Sacramento to outside of Los Angeles, with officials warning that the dangerous heat wave could afflict the state through the end of the week and test the limits of the electric grid. State officials on Sunday were urging residents to limit their power usage for the fifth day in a row as energy demand spiked and temperatures were still on the rise. The worst of the heat was concentrated in the Central Valley on Sunday. The thermometer could hit 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) by midweek, the…

Read More Here

04

Sep

U.S. is seriously underestimating the consequences of CO2 – study

The U.S. government is drastically underestimating the social cost of carbon dioxide emissions, which is 3.6 times higher than the estimate currently used to inform many of Washington's key climate policies, a study suggested on Tursday. Carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas chiefly responsible for global warming and therefore negatively affects human wellbeing. U.S. economists call this the "social cost" and they calculate it in dollars, considering repercussions such as changes in agricultural productivity, damages from sea level rise and worsening human health. The U.S. currently puts that cost at around $51 per metric tonne — a figure which dates…

Read More Here

04

Sep

Barack Obama wins Emmy for narrating Netflix documentary

Former president Barack Obama won the best narrator Emmy Award for his Netflix documentary series, Our Great National Parks. The Obamas' production company, Higher Ground, is behind the five-part series on national parks around the world. https://twitter.com/netflix/status/1566230202123833345 The Emmy joins Mr Obama's two Grammy awards putting him halfway to becoming an Egot - someone with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. He becomes only the second US president in history to win an Emmy. Dwight D Eisenhower was given a special Emmy in 1956. The Netflix series showcases natural beauty spanning five continents, and features locations including Chilean Patagonia…

Read More Here

04

Sep

Donald Trump hints: ‘I may just have to do it again’

Donald Trump has suggested that he may run again for the US presidency in 2024. The former president was back on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania on Saturday - his first rally since the FBI's search of his Mar-a-Lago estate last month. He told his supporters: "We are leading Biden and everyone else, including the Republicans, by record numbers in the polls. So I may just have to do it again. You'll be... stay tuned. I have to do it again. You hear that Oz? (Senate nominee Dr Mehmet Oz) Do it again. May just have to do it again.…

Read More Here

03

Sep

Update – NASA calls off Artemis moon rocket launch for second time in 5 days

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Sept 3 (Reuters) - For the second time in five days, NASA on Saturday halted a countdown in progress and postponed a planned attempt to launch the debut test flight of its giant, next-generation rocket, the first mission of the agency's moon-to-Mars Artemis program. The latest attempt to launch the 32-story-tall Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and its Orion capsule was scrubbed after repeated attempts by technicians to correct a leak of super-cooled liquid hydrogen propellant being pumped into the vehicle's core-stage fuel tanks. Besides struggling to remedy the leak itself, the difficulty caused mission managers to fall behind…

Read More Here

02

Sep

Trump says he will look ‘favorably’ on pardons for Capitol rioters if he runs and wins the White House

Former U.S. President Donald Trump said he was giving financial help to some supporters involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on Congress and would look very favorably on giving pardons if he were again elected to the White House. Thousands of Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol after a fiery speech in which he repeated his false claims that his election defeat was the result of widespread fraud, an allegation repeatedly rejected by multiple courts, state election officials and members of Trump's own administration. "I will look very, very favorably about, about full pardons. If I decide to run and…

Read More Here

02

Sep

Trump is “obviously thinking about” running for U.S. president in 2024 – Kushner

LONDON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Donald Trump is considering running to be U.S. President in 2024, his son-in-law and former aide said on Friday. "I know that he's obviously thinking about it, he hates seeing what's happening in the country," Jared Kushner told Sky News. Asked when Trump might make a decision, Kushner said: "Nobody can speak for him." Asked to confirm that Trump was not ruling out running for president again, Kushner added: "With Trump it's hard to rule anything out, he's a very flexible thing." (Reporting by William James, editing by Elizabeth Piper)

Read More Here

02

Sep

Joe Biden says ‘Maga forces’ threaten US democracy

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden charged Republican allies of Donald Trump with undermining the country's democracy and urged voters to reject extremism ahead of November's midterm elections. Biden accused lawmakers and others devoted to the Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda led by former U.S. President Trump as willing to overturn democratic elections, ignore the Constitution and "determined to take this country backwards" to a time without rights to abortion, privacy, contraception or same-sex marriage. "Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic," Biden said. "As I stand here tonight,…

Read More Here

01

Sep

Biden tells Israel’s Lapid U.S. will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid the United States will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, the White House said, as Tehran seeks stronger guarantees from Washington for the revival of a nuclear deal with world powers. Israel opposes a return to the 2015 deal, which imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear weapons program in exchange for the lifting of U.S., European Union and United Nations sanctions on Tehran. To Israel's delight, former president Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions, prompting Tehran to violate the pact's…

Read More Here

01

Sep

Sarah Palin loses comeback bid in Alaska

Mary Peltola, a Democratic former state lawmaker, won a special election to fill Alaska's sole U.S. House of Representatives seat, becoming the first Alaska Native to represent the state in Congress, the Alaska Division of Elections announced. She defeated Republican former Governor Sarah Palin by 51.47% to 48.53%. Palin is widely known for her unsuccessful vice presidential run with John McCain in 2008. Peltola will finish the remainder of the term of Republican Representative Don Young, who died earlier this year, and will face re-election on Nov. 8. She is the first Alaska Native to represent a state where almost…

Read More Here

30

Aug

40% of Americans believe civil war is likely in next 10 years

A staggering 40% of Americans think that civil war is at least somewhat likely in the next 10 years, according to a new survey – a figure that increases to more than half of voters who identify as “strong Republicans”. Following years of strong rightist rhetoric by Trump allies and supporters, the results of a poll carried out by YoGov and the Economist, follow similar results in other polls. Last week, the South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham predicted “riots in the streets” if Trump is indicted over his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House, materials recovered by…

Read More Here

29

Aug

NASA postpones debut test flight of next-generation moon megarocket

NASA on Monday postponed for at least four days the launch of its colossal next-generation rocketship on a long-awaited debut test flight, a planned six-week uncrewed voyage around the moon and back 50 years after Apollo's last lunar mission. The countdown clock was halted about 40 minutes before the targeted launch time of 8:33 a.m. EDT (1233 GMT), as the 32-story-tall, two-stage Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and its Orion crew capsule awaited liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The U.S. space agency cited a problem detected on one of the rocket's main engines, after launch teams had…

Read More Here

26

Aug

California to end sales of gasoline-only cars by 2035

 (Reuters) - California moved to require all new vehicles sold in the state by 2035 to be either electric or plug-in electric hybrids, a landmark move that could speed the end of gasoline-powered vehicles. California Governor Gavin Newsom first announced the plan to phase out vehicles that run only on gasoline by 2035 in September 2020. The California Air Resources Board voted on Thursday to approve the new rules, which set yearly rising zero- emission vehicle rules starting in 2026, but the Biden administration must still approve the new requirements before the plan can take effect. California has moved faster…

Read More Here

26

Aug

Missouri school district brings back spanking for unruly children

Spanking is staging a comeback this school year in the classrooms of one small town in southwestern Missouri, where the district will now allow corporal punishment for any unruly student whose parents give their blessing. In Cassville, about 50 miles west of Branson, administrators this week notified parents of the new policy at an open meeting and handed out consent forms to sign, according to a parent who attended the meeting. "At the end of the day, this gives the school one more tool to use to discipline a child, without sending them home on suspension where they'd just play…

Read More Here

26

Aug

U.S. monkeypox cases may be peaking, experts say

CHICAGO, (Reuters) - Monkeypox cases in some large U.S. cities appear to be declining, matching trends seen in Europe, and experts are cautiously optimistic the outbreak may have peaked in places hit hardest hit by the virus. The World Health Organization earlier on Thursday said monkeypox cases reported globally declined 21% last week, after a month-long trend of rising infections, but noted that U.S. cases continued to rise. Nevertheless, some U.S. experts believe cases are starting to decline based largely on immunity from prior infection and behavior changes as awareness of the disease has grown. That does not mean the…

Read More Here

25

Aug

Ghislaine Maxwell sued by her lawyers over unpaid fees

NEW YORK, (Reuters) - Ghislaine Maxwell has failed to pay some $878,000 in fees to two lawyers who defended the now-convicted British socialite against criminal charges she helped Jeffrey Epstein abuse teenage girls, the lawyers' firm said in a new lawsuit. Maxwell, 60, was convicted in December of sex trafficking and is serving a 20-year prison sentence over her role in recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein, a financier and registered sex offender who had been known for socializing with elite U.S. politicians and businessmen. In a lawsuit filed on Monday in a Colorado state court in Denver, the law…

Read More Here

25

Aug

U.S. first lady Jill Biden once more tests positive for COVID-19

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. first lady Jill Biden has tested positive in a rebound case of COVID-19 but is not experiencing any symptoms, while President Joe Biden continues to test negative for the virus, officials said. Jill Biden tested positive on Wednesday by antigen testing, following a negative test the previous day, and the White House's medical unit has notified close contacts, her deputy communications director said. "The First Lady has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and will remain in Delaware where she has reinitiated isolation procedures," her deputy communications director, Kelsey Donohue, said in a statement. Jill Biden, 71,…

Read More Here

24

Aug

Biden approval rises to 41%, highest since early June, Reuters/Ipsos finds

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's public approval rating rose this week to its highest level since early June, following a series of legislative wins for his Democratic Party, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. The two-day national poll found that 41% of Americans approve of Biden's job performance. It was his first time above 40% since early June. Biden's lowest ratings of 36% - in four weekly polls in May, June and July - rivaled the lows of his predecessor, Donald Trump, whose popularity bottomed out at 33% in December 2017. In four of the last five weeks…

Read More Here

23

Aug

U.S. urges citizens to leave Ukraine as fears grow of Russian attacks on capital

The United States has urged its citizens to leave Ukraine, saying it believed Russia was preparing to target civilian and government infrastructure in the next few days as the war reaches the six-month mark. The warning followed a ban by the Ukrainian government on celebrations in the capital Kyiv on Wednesday's anniversary of independence from Soviet rule due to fears of attack. Fearing a surge in Russian attacks, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on Tuesday urged U.S. citizens to leave if they could. "The Department of State has information that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure…

Read More Here

23

Aug

Nasdaq slumps more than 2% on fears of aggressive Fed

Wall Street's main indexes tumbled on Monday in a dour start to the week as investors worried about hawkish signals from U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers against the backdrop of slowing economic growth. Ten of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors declined in mid-day trading, with information technology, consumer discretionary and communication services stocks down 2% each. High-growth and technology companies such as Apple Inc and Tesla Inc fell 1.7% and 2.8%, respectively, as the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose past 3% for the first time since July 21. [US/] A four-week summer rally for the Nasdaq and the S&P…

Read More Here

23

Aug

Trump seeks to temporarily block FBI from reviewing items seized from Florida home

Former President Donald Trump on Monday asked a federal court to temporarily block the FBI from reviewing the materials it seized two weeks ago from his Florida home, until a special master can be appointed to oversee the review. Trump's motion, filed in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, also demanded that the U.S. Justice Department provide him a more detailed property receipt outlining items the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago home during its Aug. 8 search, and asked investigators to return any items outside the scope of the search warrant. "Politics cannot be allowed to impact the administration of justice," the filing says. "Law…

Read More Here

23

Aug

Fauci, face of U.S. COVID response, to step down from government posts

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official who became the face of America's COVID-19 pandemic response under Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden, announced on Monday he is stepping down in December after 54 years of public service. Fauci, whose efforts to fight the pandemic were applauded by many public health experts even as he was vilified by Trump and many Republicans, will leave his posts as chief medical adviser to Biden and director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Fauci, 81, has headed NIAID…

Read More Here