Peter Cichuniec one of two paramedics convicted of criminally negligent homicide for role in 23-year-old's death after police stopA former Colorado paramedic has been sentenced to five years in prison in the 2019 killing of Elijah McClain after he was stopped by Aurora police.Peter Cichuniec was one of two paramedics convicted of criminally negligent homicide for their roles in the 23-year-old's death, which sparked years of protests and changes in the law. A jury also found Cichuniec guilty of second-degree assault. The outcome marks an extremely rare instance of a paramedic being found criminally liable and facing a prison sentence for a death in police custody. Continue reading...
The Fulton county DA argues her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade is not a conflict - judge will rule on whether that mattersIs the appearance of impropriety enough to change the trajectory of the Donald Trump trial in Georgia?That's one legal question Scott McAfee, the Fulton county superior court judge, will wrestle with as he contemplates whether to throw the Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade off the trial of the former president and co-defendants in the sprawling racketeering and election interference case. Continue reading...
Residents in California urged to shelter in place as possible record 12ft of snow forecast to be dumped over weekendA dangerous winter storm has arrived in California, battering the Sierra Nevada with snowfall, gale-force winds and blizzard conditions as authorities urge residents to shelter in place and prepare for power outages.Perilous conditions in the mountain region are expected to get significantly worse on Friday evening and over the weekend, with a high risk of whiteout conditions, near-zero visibility and avalanches across the mountain range, making travel impossible, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The severe weather, which forecasters described as life-threatening, could break snowfall records. Continue reading...
Activists protest against fashion designer's use of leather, urging her to use vegan alternativesVictoria Beckham's show at Paris fashion week was interrupted by protesters from the animal rights group Peta, who invaded the runway to protest against her use of animal products.Protesters wore white T-shirts that read turn your back on animal skins" and animals aren't fabric". They walked alongside models on the catwalk, holding up placards that read: Viva vegan leather". Continue reading...
Trump's last remaining Republican primary challenger says I don't think there should ever be a president that's above the law'Asked if she thought Donald Trump would follow the US constitution if he is elected for a second term as president, Nikki Haley said: I don't know."I don't know. I don't - I don't know," the former South Carolina governor, Trump's last opponent for the Republican presidential nomination, told NBC's Meet the Press in an interview to be broadcast in full on Sunday. Continue reading...
Supreme court rejects Democratic lawsuit challenging new maps drawn by Democratic governor Tony EversThe liberal-controlled Wisconsin supreme court on Friday rejected a Democratic lawsuit that sought to throw out the battleground state's congressional maps, marking a victory for Republicans who argued against the court taking up the case.The decision not to hear the congressional challenge comes after the court in December ordered new legislative maps, saying the Republican-drawn ones were unconstitutional. The GOP-controlled state legislature, out of fear that the court would order maps even more unfavorable to Republicans, passed maps drawn by the Democratic governor, Tony Evers. Evers signed those into law on 19 February and urged the court to take up the congressional map challenge. Continue reading...
Judge Scott McAfee says he hopes to issue decision on what Trump defendants say is conflict of interest in next two weeksLawyers presented their closing arguments on Friday afternoon in a three-day evidentiary hearing to determine whether the district attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from handling the election interference against Donald Trump because of her romantic relationship with a deputy handling the case.The hearing was the coda to a dramatic deviation from the racketeering case against the former US president and 14 remaining co-defendants for trying to overturn the election in Georgia. Continue reading...
Both the S&P 500 and the tech-dominated Nasdaq set new records, with Nvidia closing above $2tn for the first timeUS stock markets closed at record highs on Friday powered by investors' continued enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI).Both the S&P 500 and the tech-dominated Nasdaq set records, with the Nasdaq passing its last peak in 2021, driven higher by gains for Facebook owner Meta and Nvidia, the leading AI chipmaker. Continue reading...
House Republicans continue to block bipartisan Senate agreements on foreign aid and immigrationRepublican and Democratic leaders in Congress managed to ward off a damaging federal government shutdown with a last-minute compromise reached this week - but remain deadlocked over approving further military assistance for Ukraine and Israel, and tightening immigration laws.Congress was up against a Friday midnight deadline to reauthorize government spending or see a chunk of the federal departments cease much of their operations. Continue reading...
Darrell Leon McClanahan, who reportedly acknowledged he was honorary' member of Ku Klux Klan, filed for race as a RepublicanThe Missouri Republican party sought to distance itself from a candidate for governor linked to the Ku Klux Klan, saying it would remove him from the ballot.In a statement, the party said it had been made aware that Darrell Leon McClanahan III filed for governor as a Republican despite his affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan, which fundamentally contradicts our party's values and platform. Continue reading...
Jose Uribe entered plea Friday, after signing a deal to cooperate with prosecutors building a case against MenendezA New Jersey businessman pleaded guilty Friday to trying to bribe the US senator Bob Menendez.Jose Uribe, who signed a deal to cooperate with prosecutors building a case against Menendez, entered the plea in Manhattan federal court in connection with seven charges, including conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services wire fraud, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. Prosecutors allege that he gave Menendez's wife a Mercedes-Benz. Continue reading...
by Nina Lakhani and Andrew Witherspoon on (#6K18W)
What has been the impact of the Smokehouse Creek fire in the Texas Panhandle, and what could happen now?The Smokehouse Creek fire has so far scorched more than 1m acres - 1,600 sq miles - across the Texas Panhandle, as well as tens of thousands of acres in Oklahoma. It stretches over an area larger than Rhode Island, making it the largest ever wildfire in Texas, and the second-largest in US history, according to modern fire records. Continue reading...
by Gloria Oladipo in New York and agency on (#6K16B)
Biden applauds decision by CVS and Walgreens to offer drug on prescription at stores in several US states where abortion is legalTwo of the largest pharmacy chains in the US, CVS and Walgreens, will start selling the abortion pill mifepristone on prescription at stores in several US states later this month, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing interviews with officials at both companies.Joe Biden quickly applauded the decision, issuing a statement from the White House hailing an important milestone" in maintaining access to the pill and encouraged other pharmacies to pursue similar options. Continue reading...
Dave Halls, who has struck a plea bargain, says he was ultimately to blame for fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna HutchinsThe first assistant director on Alec Baldwin's blighted western movie Rust in 2021, Dave Halls, has given tearful testimony at the trial of the armorer on set that she was diligent in her work - and that he was ultimately to blame for the fatal shooting during rehearsals of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.Halls admitted in court in New Mexico on Thursday that he believed it was his fault that Hutchins ended up being shot and killed as Baldwin pointed a gun on set during a practice take, as he did not do a final check on the gun. Continue reading...
Spokesman rejects report that California governor allowed bread chain to skirt minimum-wage rules because owner is top donorGavin Newsom is hitting back at a news report that he pushed for an exception to the state's new fast-food minimum wage law that benefits a wealthy campaign donor.California's minimum wage is $16 per hour. But starting on 1 April, most fast-food restaurants in the state must pay their workers at least $20 an hour under legislation Newsom signed last year. However, the law does not apply to restaurants that have on-site bakeries and sell bread as a standalone menu item. Continue reading...
Universal's decision to remove its artists from TikTok has destabilised both companies - and lays bare how record labels have become reliant on random viralityEarlier this month, the music industry was hit with its biggest shake-up in years when Universal Music Group announced that it would be pulling the entirety of its catalogue - which covers everyone from K-pop stars BTS to Taylor Swift and legacy acts such as Abba - from TikTok.In an open letter, UMG said the decision was made in protest at the platform's low compensation rates, lack of protections around AI deepfakes and low safety standards for TikTok users. Universal also alleged that TikTok tried to intimidate" the label by selectively removing the music of ... our developing artists, while keeping on the platform our audience-driving global stars". TikTok's brief response decried UMG's false narrative and rhetoric". Continue reading...
Ex-president tells Sean Hannity that three-term, anti-immigration extremist governor of Texas had done a great job'Greg Abbott, the hard-right governor of Texas, is absolutely" on Donald Trump's shortlist for vice-president should Trump as expected win the Republican nomination to face Joe Biden.Calling Abbott a spectacular man", Trump told Sean Hannity of Fox News the three-term governor, an anti-immigration extremist, had done a great job", adding: Yeah, certainly he would be somebody that I would very much consider." Continue reading...
While Facebook has refused to renew its Australian media deals, robots scraping news sites for content could upend the industry entirelyIt's hardly a surprise that Meta, owner of Facebook, is refusing to renew its deals with Australia's media companies. It was always grudging in its negotiations and never really accepted the principle that it should pay for the benefit of using the work of journalists.Facebook and Google were forced to the bargaining table by the news media bargaining code. That law allowed the government to designate" digital platforms, which would force them to negotiate with media companies. Continue reading...
With details scant about the Princess of Wales's health, diehard royalists are losing their minds. Into the vacuum steps AndySay what you will about King Charles's previously fanfared vision for a slimmed-down monarchy", its injury woes suggest it could do with buying another striker. If that isn't how it works, then it's clear that despite thinking they are the greatest fans in the world, many diehard royalists are simply not happy with what they're seeing out there on the pitch, and are voicing their increasingly hysterical discontent. The king's cancer treatment and the Princess of Wales's convalescence from abdominal surgery have come at the same time, and social media is awash with the type of bizarre and brutal conspiracy theories in which so many of the #BeKind contingent specialise. Traditional media is trying to lose its mind with dignity, and - as so often before - tragically failing.The royal family itself is playing its second team, the implications of that perhaps most eye-catchingly laid bare at this week's memorial service for the former king of Greece. As Constantine's godson, Prince William had been scheduled to do a reading, but pulled out at the very last minute due to a personal matter". So, bring on the U-70 Bs.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnistDo 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...
by Daniel Harris and Faye Hulton for MetDesk on (#6K0XT)
Heat as high as 20C above normal is replaced by cold blast causing rapid temperature swingsOver the last few days, the central and northern US has experienced one of its most notable February heatwaves ever, as many February temperature records tumbled.Half a dozen states recorded their highest February temperature, as did more than 130 towns and cities, including Minneapolis, Milwaukee, St Louis and Detroit. Continue reading...
Billions in private equity and corporate taxes could be rolled back, along with what critics say is a sop for child tax creditsSome of largest and most profitable companies in the US are primed to save billions of dollars from a congressional tax deal that critics say gives billions in tax credits to the biggest corporations while giving pennies to middle-class children and families". And private equity funds could be among the deal's biggest beneficiaries, a Guardian analysis suggests.The tax cuts passed the House of Representatives at the end of January as part of an agreement that pairs handouts for businesses with a moderate expansion of the child tax credit. The Senate could vote on the bill over the coming weeks, and the White House has indicated that Joe Biden would sign it into law. Continue reading...
Israeli military denies shooting into large crowds of hungry people and says most were killed in crush or run over trying to escape. Plus, the higher truth of wellness guru Jay ShettyGood morning.More than a hundred Palestinians were killed in the early hours of yesterday morning, Gaza health officials said, when desperate crowds gathered around aid trucks and Israeli troops opened fire, in an incident that the US president, Joe Biden, warned was likely to complicate ceasefire talks.How has the White House reacted? The White House called the deaths tremendously alarming" and called for them to be thoroughly investigated". It reminded Israel that it needed to provide basic security in areas of Gaza under its control. Meanwhile, France has called for an independent investigation into the deaths.Who will attend the funeral? Navalny's mother, Lyudmila, is expected to attend his funeral but it is unclear who else will be allowed into the church for the service. Navalny's wife Yulia, has said she is unsure whether the funeral will pass off peacefully. She is outside Russia. Continue reading...
A new series about the former talkshow host is less of a journalistic expose and more of a voyeuristic messThe new Lifetime series Where Is Wendy Williams? was billed as an unfiltered look at Wendy's life following the end of her iconic talkshow". Instead, the series ghoulishly lays bare Williams's ongoing experiences with a host of legal and health issues, including early onset-dementia.In the four-part documentary, we watch her stumble around sick, confused, incoherent and unable to recognize immediate family members or properly answer questions. Even the signature blond wigs she always had perfectly coiffed while taping the Wendy Williams Show, her polarizing and long-running series, are a straggly mess, her appearance bluntly telegraphing her layered, years-long struggles. Continue reading...
The death of a college student is causing a political reaction - from the right, led by Trump - for all the wrong reasonsAll murders are not treated equally.The killing of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on the campus of the University of Georgia on Thursday has drawn national media interest and political activity in ways that other homicide cases do not, in part because it provides an easy target for rightwing election sloganeering. Continue reading...
Reaction to beloved bird's demise typifies the eccentricity and warmth of the cityThe death of Flaco the owl, erstwhile symbol of New York, beloved avian icon, and brief good news item in a sea of grim tidings, continues to reverberate two days after he suffered the most urban of fates and flew into the side of a building on the city's Upper West Side. He was found late on Friday night, dead on the sidewalk, a few blocks from Central Park. Continue reading...
Alex Magleby, CEO of champion New England Free Jacks, says Toronto and New York will be missed as the show goes onAt the end of 2023, in little more than week, Major League Rugby lost two teams. First the Toronto Arrows, the sole Canadian team, then the New York Ironworkers, champions in 2022, ran out of money and options.For Alex Magleby, a US Eagles flanker turned co-founder and chief executive of the New England Free Jacks, the reigning MLR champions, losing Toronto and New York proved traumatic". Continue reading...
Baseball entrusted the manufacturing of their new uniforms with Fanatics, a company whose dismal reputation for quality embodies the less-for-more worst of late-stage capitalismBack in the '90s there was this executive with the New York Yankees - the assistant to the traveling secretary, if memory serves - who was a big believer in the power of the breathable uniform. But it's unlikely even George Costanza would have cottoned to baseball's latest wardrobe change.Ahead of the upcoming season, Major League Baseball announced plans to update the playing uniforms for all 30 clubs. The rollout has gone about as well as the league's other attempts to breathe fresh life into America's stodgy old pastime in recent years. What's more, it's almost too fitting that the poster boy for this problem is the game's biggest draw. Continue reading...
After two centuries of peace, and a fire-sale of public infrastructure, the country has never been so vulnerableThe Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 came as a rude awakening for Sweden. Across the country people suddenly realised that national security vulnerabilities were everywhere. The entire public transit rail network in Stockholm, for example, is operated by MTR, a Hong Kong-based company with ties to the Chinese Communist party.In the event of Stockholm being attacked by foreign forces, most of the detail about critical infrastructure and tunnels running under the city centre - home to the Swedish parliament, the prime minister's residence, the state department, the royal castle - could be shared with enemies. Continue reading...
by Gabrielle Canon , Edward Helmore and agencies on (#6K0FE)
Governor issues disaster declaration as emergency crews work to contain dozens of wildfires burning across Texas PanhandleDozens of wildfires are causing chaos across the Texas Panhandle as the Smokehouse Creek fire - now the largest blaze in state history - grew to more than 1mn acres on Thursday, even as a dusting of snow brought a measure of relief.At least two people have died, according to officials. The second victim, confirmed by the Texas department of public safety Thursday afternoon, has been identified as Cindy Owens, a 40-year-old woman who was reportedly overtaken by the fire when she got out of her truck in the town of Canadian. The first, 83-year-old grandmother Joyce Blankenship, was killed in her neighborhood of Stinnett, north-east of Amarillo. Continue reading...
Company accused of violations including Chinese employees improperly downloading files relating to Pentagon programsBoeing said on Thursday it had reached a $51m settlement with the US state department for numerous export violations including Chinese employees in China improperly downloading documents related to US Pentagon programs.The state department said from 2013 through 2017 three Chinese employees at Boeing facilities in China downloaded technical data involving programs including the F-18, F-15 and F-22 fighter jets, the E-3 airborne warning and control system, the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter and the AGM84E cruise missile. Continue reading...
Ex-president's lawyers ask judge Aileen Cannon for delay, even as they're forced to propose start date, choosing 12 AugustLawyers for Donald Trump have once again suggested to the federal judge overseeing his criminal case on retaining classified documents that the trial should not take place this year, even as they complied with a court order that forced them to propose a potential start date.On Thursday, the former president reluctantly proposed two trial dates, under orders from US district judge Aileen Cannon: a 12 August trial date for Trump and the Mar-a-Lago club maintenance chief Carlos De Oliveira, and a 9 September trial date for Trump's valet Walt Nauta. Continue reading...
Majority leader Chuck Schumer had hailed bipartisan legislation to stop partial shutdown due to occur this weekendThe Senate has passed a short-term funding bill following a House vote on Thursday afternoon, narrowly averting a partial government shutdown that was due to occur this weekend.Ahead of the Senate vote, the majority leader, Chuck Schumer, addressed the chamber floor, saying that he saw no reason this should take a very long time". Continue reading...
Dueling border visits of 2024 contenders 300 miles apart shows that immigration has become a central issue in the White House campaignIt might be seen as the first US presidential debate of 2024. Two candidates and two lecterns but 300 miles - and a political universe - apart.Joe Biden and Donald Trump spent Thursday at the US-Mexico border, a vivid display of how central the immigration issue has become to the election campaign. Since it is far from certain whether official presidential debates will happen this year, the duelling visits might be as close as it gets. Continue reading...
Manuel Rocha was arrested for allegedly engaging in clandestine activity' on the communist country's behalf since at least 1981A former career US diplomat told a federal judge on Thursday he will plead guilty to charges of working for decades as a secret agent for communist Cuba, an unexpectedly swift resolution to a case prosecutors called one of the most brazen betrayals in the history of the US foreign service.Manuel Rocha's stunning fall from grace could culminate in a lengthy prison term after the 73-year-old said he would admit to federal counts of conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government. Continue reading...
President implores Republicans to show a little spine' and support bipartisan border and security bill as Trump speaks at Eagle PassJoe Biden and his all-but certain Republican challenger, Donald Trump, made dueling visits to Texas border towns on Thursday, a rare overlap that sets the stage for an election-season clash over immigration.In Brownsville, along the Rio Grande on the border with Mexico, Biden implored Congressional Republicans to show a little spine" and support a bipartisan border security deal. Earlier this month Republican lawmakers blocked legislation they had previously clamored for, after Trump expressed his opposition to the measure. Continue reading...
Air national guard member was arrested in April over charges of leaking highly classified military documents on social mediaJack Teixeira, the Massachusetts air national guard member accused of leaking highly classified military documents on a social media platform, is expected to plead guilty in his federal case, according to court papers filed on Thursday.Prosecutors asked the judge to schedule a change of plea hearing for Monday, but no other details were immediately available. Teixeira had previously pleaded not guilty. Continue reading...
Measure intends to provide legal protection to clinics after state's supreme court ruled embryos were extrauterine children'Alabama lawmakers moved to protect in vitro fertilization treatments in the state, days after a state judicial ruling on embryos led to clinics that offered the reproductive technique to suspend services.Alabama's house and senate both passed a measure Thursday intended to provide legal protections to IVF clinics, a temporary fix to problems created by a supreme court ruling that deemed frozen embryos extrauterine children". Continue reading...
Health authorities in Gaza have said the IDF fired on people waiting for aid near Gaza City, with 112 Palestinians so far reported dead and 280 wounded. Israel's military denied shooting into large crowds and said most were killed in a crush or run over by trucks trying to escape. The US president, Joe Biden, has said he is reviewing reports and warned it is clear the incident will complicate talks on a ceasefire. Agencies have warned that, because of forced relocation and the lack of access to aid, much of the population of Gaza is suffering from food deprivation Continue reading...
Passage of bill comes after congressional leaders from both parties announced agreement on WednesdayThe House has passed a short-term funding bill, narrowly averting a partial government shutdown that would have taken place this weekend.The bill passed with a 320-99 vote on Thursday afternoon. Among Republicans, 113 voted yes and 97 voted no. Meanwhile, 207 Democrats voted yes and 2 voted against it. Continue reading...
Republican demands that justices come to a speedy verdict after supreme court decision to hear Trump election interference caseA Republican member of the January 6 committee has said the supreme court's decision to wade into Donald Trump's immunity case will deny Americans crucial information about the former president's efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat.Liz Cheney, a former Wyoming congresswoman who was ousted by primary voters angry at her participation in the hearings that followed the insurrection, also demanded the justices come to a speedy decision.Hugo Lowell contributed reporting Continue reading...
City where police killed Mike Brown in 2015 was defendant in class-action suit by plaintiffs detained over inability to pay city finesThe city of Ferguson, Missouri, will pay out $4.5m to thousands of plaintiffs who allege that the city jailed them because of their inability to pay fines, fees and other municipal costs.The multimillion-dollar settlement is in response to a class-action lawsuit filed against Ferguson in 2015, the legal advocacy non-profit ArchCity Defenders announced on Tuesday. Ferguson officials were accused of jailing [plaintiffs] in deplorable conditions for an inability to pay and without the necessary legal process", read the press release. Continue reading...
Judge Tracie Porter had ordered Trump's removal from presidential ballot for his role in the US Capitol attackDonald Trump has appealed a decision from an Illinois state judge who decided he should be removed from that state's ballot because of the 14th amendment, an ongoing issue for Trump in the courts.Tracie Porter, the Cook county circuit judge, made the decision on Wednesday, reversing the previous decision by the Illinois state board of elections, which said Trump could stay on the ballot. The order was put on hold pending an appeal from Trump, which came swiftly on Thursday. Continue reading...
Heavy snowfall of up to 10ft in Sierras likely from what forecasters say may be strongest storm of the seasonA Pacific storm packing powerful winds and heavy snow is shaping up to be the strongest of the season, forecasters say, as it pushes toward California with potential blizzard conditions in the Sierra and up to 10 feet (3 meters) of snow in the mountains around Lake Tahoe by the weekend.The National Weather Service in Reno issued a blizzard warning on Wednesday for a 300-mile (482km) stretch of the Sierra from north of Lake Tahoe to south of Yosemite national park effective from early Thursday to Sunday morning. Continue reading...
Progressive may be squeezed between pro-Israel Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee, who advocated early for a ceasefireIn 2018, a political newcomer named Katie Porter defeated a two-term incumbent Republican to represent California's 45th district in the US House of Representatives, turning the famously conservative Orange county blue.Porter, a 44-year-old law professor and Elizabeth Warren protege, had a refreshing message, vowing to stay laser-focused on addressing the ways America's financial institutions prey on ordinary people. Continue reading...
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