Founder of FTX platform, 31, painted by prosecution as scammer and liar who defrauded customers out of billions of dollarsSam Bankman-Fried's crypto fraud trial neared its end with closing arguments on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court following weeks of testimony that lifted the veil of FTX's stunning collapse - and a broader murkiness surrounding digital currency markets. The prosecution quickly painted Sam Bankman-Fried as an unabashed scammer rather than the image of the wayward math nerd proffered by the defense throughout the trial, saying he created a pyramid of deceit" with his cryptocurrency exchange, FTX.Assistant US attorney Nicholas Roos also used Bankman-Fried's own testimony against him. Continue reading...
FTX founder, once the darling of Washington and Silicon Valley, blamed his ex-girlfriend and said I do not recall' a lotNearly a month after the start of his fraud trial, Sam Bankman-Fried, the one-time cryptocurrency mogul, took the witness stand in his own defense in a risky move that exposed him to prosecutors' probing.Bankman-Fried, the founder of crypto exchange FTX, spent three days answering questions before a jury, in an 11th-hour attempt to counter the damning, detailed testimony against him from members of his inner circle. Continue reading...
Former president's eldest son is a defendant in the Trump Organization case alongside his father and brother EricDonald Trump's eldest son has taken the stand on Wednesday at the New York civil fraud trial surrounding the former president's business empire.Donald Trump Jr, a defendant in the case alongside his father, is testifying as the judge considers whether the Trump Organization and its top executives lied about the value of its properties. Continue reading...
Newly released text messages and letter show army reserve members believed suspect had ability to carry out mass violenceA series of text messages and a letter sent from a US army reserve representative sounded the alarm about the suspected Maine gunman's mental health and fears that he would commit a mass shooting, according to newly released documents.Robert Card, 40, was known to have mental health problems, authorities have confirmed since last week's shootings. Continue reading...
Central bank maintains benchmark federal funds rate but chair Jerome Powell leaves door open to further increasesThe US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at a 22-year high on Wednesday as inflation continues to fade from its highest level in a generation.Jerome Powell, its chairman, cautioned that the Fed's campaign to bring down price growth has a long way to go" as it left the door open to further rate hikes. Continue reading...
The appalling human toll of airstrikes and the ground offensive dominate attention, but what follows will be crucialFor Palestinians in Gaza, life is endured moment to moment, not knowing whether there will be food for their children's next meal, or clean water for an ailing parent, or - with the death toll now having reached at least 8,796, according to the Gaza health ministry - whether their family will even survive the day.Israel, however, must look ahead to address what will happen in Gaza the day after" the war with Hamas. The devastation and need will be almost unimaginable. Though the ground offensive is under way, Benjamin Netanyahu does not have an endgame for this conflict, the extension of which may extend his own tenure as prime minister. Unless Israel can offer such a plan, US patience is likely to run out. Continue reading...
Politicians at Rishi Sunak's AI safety summit must understand that regulation is the key to avoiding disasterWhen the great and the good of Silicon Valley pitched up in Buckinghamshire for Rishi Sunak's AI safety summit, they came with a simple message: trust us with this new technology. Don't be tempted to stifle innovation by heavy-handed rules and restrictions. Self-regulation works just fine.To which the simple response should be: remember 2008, when light-touch supervision allowed banks to indulge in an orgy of speculation that took the global financial system to the brink of collapse.Larry Elliott is the Guardian's economics editor Continue reading...
Schools closed for 45,000 students in strike union says is first ever walkout in Portland school districtTeachers in Portland walked off the job on Wednesday for the first day of a strike that will shutter schools for some 45,000 students in Oregon's largest city.Concerns over large class sizes, salaries that have not kept up with inflation and a lack of resources prompted the strike, one of the latest signs of a growing organized labor movement in the US that has seen thousands of workers in various sectors take to the picket lines this year. Continue reading...
Shares plunge after analysts say online fashion retailer may need to raise more cash, possibly through sale of Topshop brandAsos has warned sales will continue to fall in the year ahead - by much as 15% - after delayed results revealed a near 300m annual loss.Shares fell almost 8% on Wednesday to 365p after analysts expressed fears that the online fashion retailer would need to raise new cash - potentially through the sale of its Topshop brand - with net debt including leases now at 648.5m, up from 533m a year before. Continue reading...
First elected in 1996, Granger - Republican chair of the House appropriations committee - will retire in 2024Representative Kay Granger of Texas, the Republican chairwoman of the powerful House appropriations committee, said on Wednesday she will not seek re-election in 2024 after nearly three decades in Congress.Granger, 80, is the nation's longest-serving GOP congresswoman and was first elected in 1996. Her district, which includes Fort Worth, is heavily Republican and is likely to remain out of reach for Democrats next year. Continue reading...
Building at abandoned mine site collapsed on Tuesday, trapping the men beneath multiple floors of concrete and steelAt least one of two workers trapped at a collapsed 11-storey coal preparation plant that was being demolished at an abandoned mine site in eastern Kentucky has died, Andy Beshear announced on Wednesday.The building at Martin Mine Prep Plant collapsed around 6.30pm local time on Tuesday, trapping the men beneath multiple floors of concrete and steel and teams are working to rescue them, Kentucky emergency management said in a news release on Wednesday. Continue reading...
We should treat as an ally anyone who seeks a ceasefire and apply pressure on those not yet courageous enough to do soFor those of us who work on US-Middle East policy, especially those with close friends and family in the Middle East, the last three weeks have been especially harrowing. Those of us sitting in Washington cannot know what our Israeli colleagues endured on 7 October, when over 1,400 people were murdered, and in the days since as the details of those attacks continue to emerge. Nor can we scarcely imagine what our Palestinian colleagues continue to endure now under weeks of relentless bombardment by the Israeli military, which as of this writing has killed over 8,000 people, nearly a third of them children, from a community that has already endured decades of occupation and siege.Pressure is building for an end to this killing and for a release of hostages. On 16 October, 13 members of the House, led by the representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib, announced a resolution urging the Biden administration to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine, to send humanitarian aid and assistance to Gaza, and to save as many lives as possible". Continue reading...
Authors of the book American Gun talk about the long history of the country's most popular firearm and the role it plays in politicsEarlier this year, several Republican lawmakers were seen sporting a new accessory: lapel pins shaped like an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.Andrew Clyde, a Republican congressman from Georgia who also owns a gun store, later said he had handed out the pins to his congressional colleagues to remind people of the second amendment of the constitution and how important it is in preserving our liberties". Continue reading...
However, Republican senator Lindsey Graham says, Israel should be smart' and try to limit casualties the best they can'The US should place no limit" to civilian casualties Israel might inflict in Gaza in response to the Hamas terror attacks of 7 October, a senior Republican senator said.Speaking to CNN, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was asked: Is there a threshold for you, and do you think there should be one for the United States government, in which the US would say, Let's hold off for a second in terms of civilian casualties?'" Continue reading...
In an era when clubs have become the playthings of billionaires, fans are left pondering the question: how do you prefer your sportswashing?When Qatar's Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani withdrew from the race to buy Manchester United last month, you could almost hear the sighs of relief emanating from the press department on Sir Matt Busby Way.A Qatari takeover, despite the appeal and simplicity of Sheikh Jassim's all-cash offer, would be sure to face fierce criticism - not only on the basis of Qatar's enduringly appalling human rights record, but as further proof of oil money's deepening incursion into global soccer's most sacred places. With this ethical conundrum out of the way, the path is now clear for a much easier publicity sell: Manchester United looks set to fall into the care of a footballing humanitarian who presents the unique advantage of being both obscenely rich and unimpeachably English. Finally, the self-styled biggest club on the planet will be yanked away from the pesky Americans, snatched from the slick hands of the Gulf, and come to nestle at the top of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's corporate crown - pending a final buyout of the Glazers' remaining 75% stake. A victory, at last, for clean money, good money, English money. Continue reading...
The Khan Yunis refugee camp was supposed to be in the safe zone. But nowhere is safe - the very existence of Palestinians is under attackMy family home was supposed to be in the safe zone in southern Gaza. But last week the bombs came anyway, without warning. They fell at around 10 o'clock on Thursday morning in four or five big explosions. An entire residential quarter of the Khan Yunis refugee camp, where I was born and raised, was reduced to rubble. Everyone there experienced it as an earthquake; a human-made earthquake. The whole camp was shaking.I've counted 49 dead - among them are 36 members of my family. Another dozen or more are still missing under the rubble of eight homes, I'm told, and more than 100 are injured.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Attorney for Jenna Ellis admits guilty pleas by Sidney Powell and Ken Chesebro hastened effort to cooperate with prosecutorsDonald Trump's former attorney Jenna Ellis scrambled to secure a plea deal for herself in the Georgia election subversion case after watching two other indicted lawyers fold, it was revealed on Wednesday.The haste in which her legal team acted to snag an advantageous agreement for their client was laid out by Ellis's own attorney Frank Hogue in an exclusive interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Continue reading...
Rachael and Kadyn Swainston accused of taking underage girl to Oregon for abortion without her parents' knowledgeAn Idaho mother and son have been charged with second-degree kidnapping for allegedly taking an underage girl across state lines for an abortion without her parents' knowledge.Idaho police started investigating Kadyn Swainston and his mother, Rachael Swainston, after the girl's mother reported to police that her daughter had been sexually assaulted and taken to Oregon for an abortion earlier this year. Continue reading...
A resistance to safety lies deep in the sport's culture but it is to be hoped the tragedy in Sheffield will now prompt actionAdam Johnson's tragic death during an English Ice Hockey Association game last weekend in Sheffield has created reverberations across the hockey world and, unlike previous incidents, may finally prove the catalyst for widespread change when it comes to protective equipment.The Nottingham Panthers player died after sustaining a throat laceration during the second period in a Challenge Cup game against the Sheffield Steelers. The incident, which has been described by the Panthers club and others around the hockey world as a freak accident", is indeed a rare occurrence on the ice, despite the sport's speed, physical contact and players' razor-sharp skate blades. But it's not the first of its kind. Continue reading...
Voting rights groups decry error days before elections that will determine which party controls the state legislatureVirginia election officials wrongly removed almost 3,400 eligible voters from the state's voter rolls, a significant error that has caused alarm among voting rights groups just days before critical state elections that will determine which party controls the state legislature.Officials announced the number of voters affected by the purge on Friday - more than 10 times the number of people they had initially said were affected. Macaulay Porter, a spokesperson for the governor, Glenn Youngkin, had told the Washington Post on 6 October that at least 270 people had been wrongly removed and that officials didn't expect that number to rise much. Officials declined to provide updates on the number affected until Friday, when they announced that the actual number was nearly 3,400" (they did not provide an exact figure). VPM, Virginia's NPR affiliate, first reported on the issue in September. Continue reading...
CDC data shows rate rose 3% last year but experts say they are not sure why statistic that has been falling should have risen sharplyThe US infant mortality rate rose 3% last year - the largest increase in two decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.White and Native American infants, infant boys and babies born at 37 weeks or earlier had significant death rate increases. The CDC's report, published Wednesday, also noted larger increases for two of the leading causes of infant deaths - maternal complications and bacterial meningitis. Continue reading...
Border crossing open for first time in weeks to allow evacuation of injured Palestinians and foreign passport holders. Plus, one man's search for the world's greatest sandwich
Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka scheduled to give evidence with father this week in case against Trump OrganizationDonald Trump's fraud trial becomes a family affair this week as three of his children, and the former president himself, prepare to be called to the witness stand in New York.Trump's appearances in court so far have been controversial, to say the least. The former president has railed against the prosecution, calling it a witch-hunt", and has been threatened with jail for attacking one of the court's clerks on social media. Continue reading...
Just a glimpse of some curling cured meats and blue-cheese slime and I'll be elbowing rival diners out of the wayI recently received an invitation that made me happy for about 10 seconds until I noticed the words guaranteed to instil dread in my heart: A buffet lunch will be served." I felt a sense of outrage, too, because surely, since Covid, buffets have been consigned to the food waste bin of history.Something weird happens to me when I am confronted with a trestle table groaning with UFOs (unidentified food offerings). Rather than being rational and deciding on a sensible food combination, I abandon all culinary common sense and behave like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep. Continue reading...
The United Auto Workers have scored a major victory. And it could be a sign of more to come for workers - unless the Fed undermines them againThe United Auto Workers has scored a major victory. It's still awaiting a vote by union members, but it's a big deal - a 25% wage increase over the four and a half years of the contract, cost-of-living increases that will further ratchet up hourly pay, the right to strike over plant closures and a shorter time period for workers to reach top pay.If the victory ripples across the auto industry and encourages wage increases in other sectors, it will also be a victory for the American middle class.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley Continue reading...
Deion Sanders's Colorado got off to a blazing start but have recently endured losses, injuries and thefts. They are far from a doomed project thoughAfter losing to UCLA on Saturday, a subdued Deion Sanders repaired to the media room inside the Rose Bowl to face the music. Asked about his team's big picture" plans to protect their much-maligned quarterback, the Colorado coach snapped: You go get new linemen. That's the picture, and I'mma paint it beautifully." As a shutdown corner in the NFL, Sanders was famous for springing traps. For him to start falling for them shows just how hard it is to sustain overnight success in a sport that's all about playing the long game.The 28-16 loss to UCLA dropped Colorado to 1-4 since their blazing 3-0 start to the season took the US by storm. Once the feelgood story that attracted the TV networks, celebrities and a national ranking, the Buffaloes are now a college football unicorn: the arrivistes who bring out the other side's A-game. Continue reading...
Ad released in Virginia part of well-funded effort to portray Democrats as abortion extremists and Republicans as reasonable compromisersThe ad opens with the sound of a fetal heartbeat.Most people believe that abortion at the moment of birth is wrong, far beyond any reasonable limit. Not Virginia Democrats," a female narrator says, just before the sound of a baby cooing and crying. They fought to make late-term abortions the rule, not the exception." Continue reading...
The former NBA star is facing claims he assaulted a man at his home. But fans and the media seem more interested in his private lifeSince Jason Collins became the first openly gay active male athlete in a major US sports league in 2013, the public attitudes toward LGBTQ+ athletes have shifted significantly. We've lived through Obergefell v Hodges, the legalization of same-sex marriage, and a steady drumbeat of firsts' including Michael Sam, Collin Martin, Carl Nassib and Luke Prokop. But one thing hasn't changed: how the NBA, its players and fans react when socially constructed ideas of masculinity, sexuality and sports are questioned.When Collins came out, he was met mostly with applause, including support from Kobe Bryant and the Obamas. The circumstances around another NBA star, Dwight Howard, are very different. While Collins was never more than a role player during his NBA career, Howard is a future Hall of Famer once put forth as a face of the league: a three-time defensive player of the year, an eight-time All-Star and an NBA champion with the LA Lakers in 2020. (The 37-year-old most recently played in the Taiwanese league.) Continue reading...
As another big climate conference looms and global loss and damage' takes hold, we must keep pressure on the biggest emitters Prof Saleemul Huq died on 28 October, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He was 71. This is his final piece of writingProf Saleemul Huq OBE and I wrote and submitted this article before his untimely death on Saturday 28 October, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Huq was a visionary and steadfast leader on climate justice, a champion of developing countries at climate negotiations, an advocate for the global poor, and a source of inspiration to thousands worldwide. He continually pushed for loss and damage" measures, whereby the nations that emit the bulk of greenhouse gasses help address the needs of lower-emitting nations who nonetheless bear the brunt of the climate crisis. A loss and damage fund was finally achieved at Cop27, but it needs strong advocates to ensure it is followed and expanded.His sudden death is a blow to the global south, and to all those who work towards climate justice. Here, we touch on our concerns for the upcoming Cop28 summit, and the future of the loss and damage project, and call for greater concerted efforts on climate accountability. Farhana SultanaFarhana Sultana is a professor at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in New YorkSaleemul Huq was the director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development at the Independent University, Bangladesh Continue reading...
The former ruling party targeted and scapegoated Poland's LGBTQ+ people. Now it's out of power, equality is within reachFor LGBTQ+ people in Poland, the past eight years under the Law and Justice party (PiS) have been a period of turmoil and a test of endurance. Now that PiS is on its way out after last month's elections - it was ousted by an opposition alliance led by Donald Tusk - there is a sense of hope on the horizon. So how have government and public attitudes on this issue changed in recent years, and what needs to be done now?The LGBTQ+ community in Poland remains the least legally protected in the EU. The PiS government made homophobia a central electoral theme ever since it first had to defend its hold on power in 2018. Throughout local, EU and general elections, queer communities were consistently scapegoated by the ruling party and portrayed as an internal enemy. In 2020, Poland's president, Andrzej Duda, who was fighting for re-election, infamously claimed that LGBT is not people, it's an ideology", which threatened the nation and was worse than communism. This kind of publicly sanctioned symbolic violence was echoed by several Law and Justice-controlled local authorities, which declared themselves LGBT-free zones", sparking outrage from civil society and international institutions and news media.Dr Roch Dunin-Wsowicz lectures in sociology at the UCL Social Research InstituteDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
In hearing interrupted by protesters, Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin try to beat Republican attempts to kill $106bn aid packageThe Biden administration took its quest for emergency military aid for Israel and Ukraine to Capitol Hill on Tuesday in an all-out effort to overcome House Republican attempts to decimate a $106bn package while cutting key parts of the White House's domestic policy.In a stormy session interrupted several times by demonstrators, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and defense secretary Lloyd Austin, told a Senate hearing that assistance to both countries was closely linked and should not be decoupled, as demanded by leading Republicans who are keen to back Israel but oppose any further help for Ukraine. Continue reading...
Federal jury rules against National Association of Realtors and some units of Warren Buffett's Berkshire HathawayA US jury on Tuesday found the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and some residential brokerages, including units of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, liable to pay $1.78bn in damages for conspiring to artificially inflate commissions for home sales.The verdict by a federal jury in Kansas City, Missouri, could upend decades-old practices that have allowed real estate agents to boost commissions as home prices and mortgage rates rise, hurting consumers by making housing transactions more expensive. Continue reading...
White House comments come after China's foreign minister made rare visit to Washington to pave way for Xi to meet BidenJoe Biden is expected to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a summit in San Francisco in November for constructive" talks, the White House said on Tuesday.The comments came days after China's foreign minister made a rare visit to Washington to pave the way for Xi to meet Biden at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit. Continue reading...
Couple known by their assumed names of Bobby Fort and Julie Montague had begun deception decades agoA jury has convicted a Hawaii couple of conspiracy, passport fraud and identity theft for stealing identities and living for decades under the names of dead babies.Jurors deliberated for about two hours before reaching guilty verdicts on Monday, according to court records. Continue reading...
Ina Kenoyer charged with murder Steven Riley Jr after learning he would break up with her and says she is entitled to part of $30mA North Dakota woman is accused of fatally poisoning her boyfriend with antifreeze after learning that he planned to break up with her after he received a large inheritance.Steven Riley Jr, 51, became ill when he met with a lawyer 3 September to get the money, witnesses told investigators, according to Minot police department records. His girlfriend, Ina Thea Kenoyer, called 911 the next day, and paramedics found Riley unresponsive. He was hospitalized and died on 5 September. Continue reading...
by Chris Stein (now) and Richard Luscombe (earlier) on (#6G0G7)
This blog has now closed. The secretary of state called meeting with the new House speaker very positive'CNN rounded up a few Democratic and Republican senators' views on the House GOP's proposal to tie aiding Israel to cutting the IRS's budget and considering Ukraine assistance separately.As you can see, Democrats are opposed, while some Republicans seem more open to their House counterparts' views, even while reiterating that they believe Ukraine needs support: Continue reading...
Fire whipped by gusty Santa Ana winds tears through rural area with 4,000 people under evacuation ordersA wildfire fueled by gusty Santa Ana winds ripped through rural land south-east of Los Angeles, forcing about 4,000 people from their homes, fire authorities said.About 1,300 homes and 4,000 residents were under evacuation orders, a fire spokesperson, Jeff LaRusso, said on Monday. Evacuation orders and warnings remained in place on Tuesday morning, officials said. Continue reading...
Prosecutors press Bankman-Fried on how Alameda Research, sister hedge fund to FTX exchange, spent $8bn of customer fundsThe trial of cryptocurrency's most infamous entrepreneur is near its end, with closing arguments set to begin on Wednesday.Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the now bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, stepped down from the witness stand in Manhattan federal court shortly before noon on Tuesday as his cross-examination ended. Continue reading...
Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow will also be subpoenaed over roles in paying for gifts for Clarence Thomas and Samuel AlitoSenate Democrats plan to subpoena Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow and conservative activist Leonard Leo to quiz them about their roles in organizing and paying for lavish perks for justices on the hard-right wing of the US supreme court.The announcement by Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee came on Monday amid a storm of controversy that has blown up in recent months about conservative justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito not only accepting but also not disclosing free travel and other luxury favors provided or facilitated by influential public figures.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...
by Dominic Rushe in New York and Reuters on (#6G0Q9)
Sanctions imposed on Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise in US's first direct action against junta's main source of foreign revenueThe United States imposed sanctions on Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (Moge) on Tuesday, the first time it has directly targeted the entity that is Myanmar's ruling junta's main source of foreign revenue.The action, first reported by Reuters, prohibits certain financial services by Americans to the state oil and gas enterprise starting on 15 December, the treasury department said in a statement. Financial services include loans, accounts, insurance, investments and other services, according to treasury guidance. Continue reading...
Concern over Robert Card's mental health dated back to last summer after a training facility episode sparked an evaluationFive months before the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the New England state of Maine, the gunman's family alerted the local sheriff that they were becoming concerned about his deteriorating mental health while he had access to firearms, according to authorities.After the alert, the Sagadahoc county sheriff's office reached out to officials of Robert Card's army reserve unit, which assured deputies that they would speak to Card and make sure he got medical attention, Sheriff Joel Merry said. Continue reading...
Preliminary order before 2024 trial comes months after Kansans voted to protect abortion rights in state constitutionKansas cannot enforce laws that would force abortion patients to wait 24 hours for the procedure or be given anti-abortion talking points, a judge ruled on Monday.The move comes months after Kansans overwhelmingly voted to protect abortion rights in the state's constitution. Continue reading...
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