List of All Articles with Tag 'america'

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faced criticism on Tuesday for failing to issue a statement about the mass shooting in Hollywood, Florida that left nine people, including four children, injured. Mr DeSantis, who announced his campaign for US president last week, made no mention of the victims or event on his social media nearly a day after the shooting. Five adults and four children, including a one-year-old, suffered gunshot wounds after two groups of people engaged in gunfire at the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk on Monday. The shooting is one of over 260 to occur in the US so far this year. It comes just one month after Mr DeSantis signed legislation that will loosen restrictions on concealed carry on 1 July. The Independent has reached out to Mr DeSantis for comment. Florida Senator, and former governor, Rick Scott tweeted that he was “heartbroken and angry to see this senseless violence” and indicated he would monitor the situation. Representatives Maxwell Frost, Lois Frankel, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Frederica Wilson all acknowledged the shooting on their social media pages. California Governor Gavin Newsom called out Mr DeSantis on Twitter for passing the legislation and contributing to “this kind of senseless violence.” “Until our leaders have the courage to stop bowing down to the NRA and enact common-sense gun safety this kind of senseless violence will continue,” Mr Newsom wrote. Mr DeSantis’ press secretary Jeremy Redfern replied to Mr Newsom “Hi Gavin, How does a law that doesn’t take effect until July 1st change this outcome?” Besides Mr Redfern’s response to Mr Newsom’s tweet, Mr DeSantis’ office had not issued a statement about the shooting leading to some criticsm on Twitter. “9 people were shot in Hollywood, Florida and it sure as hell wasn’t by Drag Queens,” one Twitter user said. A Twitter user named David tweeted: “I kind of appreciate Ron DeSantis not even bothering to offer thoughts and prayers to victims of the mass shooting in Hollywood Beach last night. He doesn’t care. It’s more honest.” “So is Governor DeSantis going to pretend that a mass shooting didn’t happen in his state so that he can have his rally in Iowa? Has he even made a public statement about the shooting yet?” Another Twitter user wrote. One Twitter user asked: “Does Ron DeSantis even offer thoughts and prayers when his state has another mass shooting or is it just another Monday in Florida?” Six of the nine shooting victims remained in the hospital on Tuesday, while three had been treated and discharged. Hollywood Police said they arrested two people but were still looking for three persons of interest connected to the shooting. Read More Hollywood beach shooting – live: Photos show suspects on the run after nine shot on Florida boardwalk One-year-old among nine people wounded in Memorial Day mass shooting at Florida beach boardwalk A sunny Memorial Day at the beach upended by gunfire: What we know about the shooting in Hollywood, Florida

On 27, October, 2018, Robert Bowers, then 46, allegedly walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and began shooting at worshippers. He allegedly killed 11 people before he was shot and wounded and surrendered to police. Mr Bowers now faces 63 federal counts, including 11 counts each of obstruction of free exercise of religion resulting in death as well as hate crimes resulting in death. He could face the death penalty if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty. Nearly five years have passed since the shooting, but Mr Bowers' trial is only now kicking off in earnest. The trial began on Tuesday and is expected to last until late July. In the months leading up the shooting, Mr Bowers was allegedly spewing bigoted and antisemitic vitriol online, investigators say. He allegedly called immigrants "invaders" and posted racist memes, including some that accused Jewish people of being the "enemy of white people." On the day of the shooting he reportedly posted a message to a web forum, saying "I can't stand by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in." He then allegedly proceeded to murder 11 people at the synagogue. After his arrest, police learned that Mr Bowers had 21 weapons registered to his name. He was otherwise unknown to law enforcement. They then began to review Mr Bowers' online presence, finding an account on Gab — a supposedly free speech oriented, right wing social media alternative to the likes of Twitter — where he allegedly posted a steady slew of hate. His bio included the phrase "Jews are the children of Satan" and his posts consisted of anti-Jewish slurs and conspiracy theories, according to the New York Times. The conspiracy theories included allegations that Jewish people were smuggling Muslims into the US, and another showing an image of the Auschwitz concentration camp, with the photo doctored to make its infamous gate read "Lies Make Money." Days before the shooting he called then-president Donald Trump a "globalist" — often a term carrying antisemitic implications — and said "there is no #MAGA as long as there is a k*** infestation." The omitted word is a racial slur used against Jewish people. Police claim that after being shot and wounded at the synagogue, Mr Bowers said: “These people are committing genocide on my people. I just want to kill Jews.” His defence attempted to have that quotation barred from consideration at his trial, arguing he made the statement before he was read his Miranda warning. A judge denied the motion. The alleged gunman worked as a trucker before the shooting. Prosecutors are arguing that hate drove Mr Bowers' alleged attack on the synagogue. “The depths of the defendant’s malice and hate can only be proven in the broken bodies” of those killed, and through “his hateful words,” Assistant US Attorney Soo C Song said during her opening statement. Prosecutors claimed in an earlier filing that Mr Bowers allegedly “harbored deep, murderous animosity towards all Jewish people.” The defence — after unsuccessfully arguing against the use of Mr Bowers' statements to police and for a change of venue — have filed a notice of mental infirmity again his potential sentencing, according to court records. They claim Mr Bowers has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and epilepsy. His attorneys have also offered a plea deal in exchange for the removal of the death penalty. Read More Gab: Inside the social network where alleged Pittsburgh synagogue shooter posted final message Synagogue shooter 'listened to noise and noise told him his people were being slaughtered', says Jewish doctor who spoke to Robert Bowers Trial for accused gunman in Pittsburgh synagogue massacre slated to start

The LPGA heads to Liberty National in New Jersey for this week's Mizuho Americas Open.With an event that features some of the top women golfers in the world, the headlines are dominated by someone who will be making their professional debut. That golfer is Rose Zhang, a product of Stanford ...

The LPGA heads to the famous Liberty National Golf Course in New Jersey for the inaugural Mizuho Americas Open.The event will feature seven of the top 10 women's golfers in the world, including world No. 1 Jin Young Ko.The storyline of the week will be the professional debut of one of t...

Ron DeSantis has made clear what he believes the purpose of his 2024 candidacy to be: The utter destruction of the Democratic Party and its ideology. The Florida governor spoke on Fox & Friends on Monday and made the bold claim that not only would he win the general election should Republican voters nominate him in the primary, but added that he would “destroy leftism in this country” if allowed to serve in the White House. It was a claim that outlined exactly how far to the right the GOP continues to slide; while Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi have made headlines for asserting that they want a “strong” Republican Party that is reclaimed from Trumpism, Mr DeSantis and his fellow lawmakers on the right have embraced a desire for the total destruction of their political foes and the effective establishment of a one-party system. “I will be able to destroy leftism in this country and leave woke ideology on the dustbin of history. At the end of the day, I’ve shown in Florida an ability to win huge swaths of voters that Republicans typically can’t win — while also delivering the boldest agenda anywhere in the country,” said Mr DeSantis. “I pledge to Republican voters if you nominate me, I will be taking the oath of office on January 20, 2025, on the west side of the Capitol. No excuses, no more excuses about why we can’t get it done. We need to get it done, and I will get it done,” he continued. The Florida governor is currently polling in second place in surveys of the 2024 Republican field; he has consistently been the only Republican other than former President Donald Trump, the undisputed leader of the pack, to register double-digit percentages in polls of voters’ choice for the party’s nominee. His claim to have pursued the “boldest agenda” in the nation holds water thanks to the hard-right conservative agenda he has pursued in Florida. His administration banned so-called “critical race theory” — or any lessons that infer that racism is deeply embedded in American history or society — from classrooms, and has signed a host of other bills into law that have thrilled conservatives while drawing intense criticism from organisations like the NAACP and Human Rights Watch. The governor has also leaned heavily into a growing backlash on the right against any visibility of LGBT+ Americans in society, with Pride-themed items in stores and in media facing the most intense vitriol. In that vein, he has all but declared war on the Disney corporation, accusing it of pushing “woke” ideologies on children. That battle has now cost Florida millions in a cancelled business development in Orlando once planned by the company, which is also suing Mr DeSantis’s administration for his campaign against it. Read More Donald Trump Jr shares doctored Office clip showing Ron DeSantis wearing a woman’s suit Queer parents need everyone’s support, not people calling us ‘breeders’ LGBTQ people are fleeing Florida in ‘mass migration’ with some fundraising via GoFundMe Member of Ron DeSantis’ Disney governing board quits role Ted Cruz faces bipartisan fire for criticising Uganda’s new anti-LGBT+ law Trump loyalist floats ‘gross’ theory that Casey DeSantis is ‘exaggerating’ cancer story

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday the “time is now” for Turkey to drop its objections to Sweden joining NATO but said the Biden administration also believed that Turkey should be provided with upgraded F-16 fighters “as soon as possible.” Blinken maintained that the administration had not linked the two issues but acknowledged that some U.S. lawmakers had. President Joe Biden implicitly linked the two issues in a phone call to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday. “I spoke to Erdogan and he still wants to work on something on the F-16s. I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden. So let’s get that done," Biden said. Still, Blinken insisted the two issues were distinct. However, he stressed that the completion of both would dramatically strengthen European security. “Both of these are vital, in our judgement, to European security,” Blinken told reporters at a joint news conference in the northern Swedish city of Lulea with Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. “We believe that both should go forward as quickly as possible; that is to say Sweden’s accession and moving forward on the F-16 package more broadly.” “We believe the time is now,” Blinken said. He declined to predict when Turkey and Hungary, the only other NATO member not yet to have ratified Sweden’s membership, would grant their approval. But, he said, “we have no doubt that it can be, it should be, and we expect it to be” completed by the time alliance leaders meet in Vilnius, Lithuania in July at an annual summit. Fresh from a strong re-election victory over the weekend, Erdogan may be willing to ease his objections to Sweden’s membership. Erdogan accuses Sweden of being too soft on groups Ankara considers to be terrorists, and a series of Quran-burning protests in Stockholm angered his religious support base — making his tough stance even more popular. Kristersson said the two sides had been in contact since Sunday’s vote and voiced no hesitancy in speaking about the benefits Sweden would bring to NATO “when we join the alliance.” Blinken is in Sweden attending a meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council and will travel to Oslo, Norway on Wednesday for a gathering of NATO foreign ministers, before going on to newly admitted alliance member Finland on Friday. Speaking in Oslo ahead of the foreign ministers' meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the goal was to have Sweden inside the grouping before the leaders' summit in July. "There are no guarantees, but it’s absolutely possible to reach a solution and enable the decision on full membership for Sweden by the Vilnius summit,” Stoltenberg said. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

Alexia Ocasio-Cortez has threatened to quit Twitter after Elon Musk promoted a “sick” account impersonating the star Democratic politician. The New York congresswoman said that she was “assessing” what to do after the billionaire interacted with the fake account on his social media platform. “FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Tuesday. “It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread. I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see.”

Elizabeth Holmes has surrendered to a federal prison in Texas to begin her 11-year sentence over the Theranos scandal which rocked the high-flying tech world of Silicon Valley. The 39-year-old disgraced tech entrepreneur reported to Bryan, the minimum-security federal prison camp in Texas, on Tuesday after exhausting all remaining legal avenues to cling onto her freedom. Holmes was convicted in January 2022 of four counts of fraud and conspiracy for lying about the capabilities pf her biotech company’s blood testing technology and conning investors out of millions of dollars. She was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison and ordered to pay $452m in restitution to investors – including $125m to media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Holmes had been given until 2pm local time to surrender to the prison camp where she will see out her 11-year sentence surrounded by other white-collar, non-violent female offenders. Her two children – two-year-old William and three-month-old Invicta – will be allowed to visit their mother in the facility. The prison camp, which runs a work-focused program where all inmates are required to hold a job for at least 90 days, is a marked difference from Holmes’ life years earlier when she was seen as the darling of Silicon Valley. The saga began two decades ago when Holmes dropped out of Stanford University in 2003 at the age of 19 to found Theranos. The blood lab company aimed to develop medical devices that could diagnose hundreds of diseases and medical conditions with just a pinprick of blood. Over the next 10 years, Theranos boasted about its capabilities to transform the healthcare industry and grew to a value of $9bn, attracting investments from the likes of Murdoch, former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the heirs to the Walmart fortune. The company amassed an influential board of directors including former presidential cabinet members George Shultz, Henry Kissinger and James Mattis. Holmes, meanwhile, was catapulted onto magazine covers and became heralded as the next Steve Jobs while her personal fortune reached $4.5bn. But the technology didn’t do close to what Holmes claimed it could. In 2018, Holmes – Theranos CEO and founder – and Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani – Theranos chief operating officer and Holmes’ live-in romantic partner – were both indicted on fraud charges and the company was dissolved. She was allowed out on bail and while awaiting trial – which was stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic – Holmes became pregnant with her first child with her partner, hotel boss Billy Evans. She became pregnant with her second child following her conviction. During her trial, Holmes sought to paint a picture that she had simply been under the control of Balwani, 57, and that she never intended to mislead investors about the technology’s capabilities. The jury didn’t buy it and she was convicted of four counts, which could have landed her with up to 20 years’ prison time. Balwani was also convicted of 12 counts of fraud and conspiracy at his trial and was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison. He began serving his sentence in Southern California last month. Since her conviction, Holmes has fought to stay out of prison claiming that she was treated unfairly by prosecutors during trial and that she should be allowed to remain out of prison while she appeals the conviction. An appeals court denied her request and said she must report to prison where she can continue to appeal her conviction behind bars. She asked the judge that she be allowed to remain free through Memorial Day weekend so that she could sort out childcare for her two children, before surrendering to authorities on 30 May. Weeks before beginning her sentence, Holmes admitted that she had made “many mistakes” in a new interview with The New York Times. “I made so many mistakes and there was so much I didn’t know and understand, and I feel like when you do it wrong, it’s like you really internalise it in a deep way,” she said. Read More Elizabeth Holmes news – latest: Theranos founder to surrender to Texas prison today to begin 11-year sentence As Elizabeth Holmes heads to prison for fraud, questions remain about her motives Elizabeth Holmes requests May 30 as new date to report to prison after losing her bid to remain free

A chilling video of the mass shooting at Florida’s Hollywood Beach on Memorial Day has showed people panicking and scrambling for safety. Nine people – six adults and three children – were wounded in the shooting in 1200 block of N Broadwalk near the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort, 20 miles north of Miami. Local reports said several victims were taken to Memorial Regional Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Live cam footage showed people frantically running from the scene after gunshots were heard. Chaos and the fear at the scene are palpable from the video showing beachgoers running away. According to police officials, the shooting was the result of an altercation between two groups. Reports said one person of interest was detained while the search for another continues. Eyewitnesses described the aftermath of the mass shooting. “I saw a young man that was on the ground bleeding and they were applying pressure to prevent the bleeding,” Vance Hendricks, who was visiting from Philadelphia, told CBS News. Police urged people to avoid the area where the shots were fired. “If you are looking to reunite with a family member, we have set up a reunification area at Johnson St and N Ocean bus loop,” said a tweet. Read More At least nine people wounded in Memorial Day mass shooting at Florida beach Police investigating shooting near beach boardwalk in Hollywood, Florida Police: Puerto Rico assailants targeting drug rival killed 2 and injured 13

As the probe into whether former President Donald Trump or his advisers broke the law in their retention of documents including some potentially classified material from the White House nears its end, Mr Trump’s legal team is said to be fearing disloyalty. The Daily Beast reported on Tuesday that the former president’s attorneys supposedly worry that some among them may decide to start talking to the Department of Justice, becoming witnesses in the case, as the attention of the agency turns to the actions of the legal team themselves. The probe into Mr Trump’s handling of presidential records, including classified documents, exploded into the public eye last year when FBI agents raided Mar-a-Lago, Mr Trump’s home and resort in Florida. Several current attorneys to Mr Trump who serve in varying capacities described a chaotic situation where much of the strategy is managed by Mr Trump’s in-house counsel, Boris Epshteyn, and clashing personalities have led to a toxic environment — all of which is occurring as the Justice Department’s special counsel is said to be closing in on a decision regarding potential criminal charges in the case. More follows... Read More Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

At least nine people, including a one-year-old, were injured in a shooting that took place on Memorial Day at a boardwalk in Hollywood, Florida. Gunfire broke out around 6.30pm local time along the Hollywood Oceanfront Broadwalk between Johnson Street and Garfield Street on Monday (29 May). The shooting seemed to be a result of a dispute between “two different groups”, according to Hollywood Police Department public information manager Deanna Bettineschi. Videos from the incident on Monday (29 May) evening showed crowds of people running for cover as gunfire occurred. Police swiftly responded to the incident and began treating those who had suffered gunshot wounds. The victims include four children between the ages of one and 17 years old, as well as five adults between 25 and 65 years old. As of Monday evening, one victim was in surgery while eight others were stable. The Hollywood Police have detained one person of interest while searching for one additional suspect. Here’s everything we know so far. How the shooting unfolded Gunfire suddenly erupted around 6.30pm on Memorial Day (29 May) as individuals and families walked along the Hollywood Oceanfront Broadwalk near Johnson Street and North Broadwalk. The boardwalk, which is lined with shops and eateries, is a popular tourist destination as it is approximately 20 miles north of Miami. However, it was expected to be even busier due to the holiday weekend. The shooting occurred after two groups began having a dispute, according to Ms Bettineschi, the public information manager for the Hollywood Police. One witness, Jamie Ward, told the Associated Press that several young men were fighting in front of one of the stores when one pulled out a gun. Security camera footage from the boardwalk showed people frantically running and taking cover near a convenience store, a Ben & Jerry’s and a Subway shop as the gunfire began. Another witness, Alvie Carlton Scott III, told AP he was on the beach when he heard gunshots. Mr Scott said he hid behind a tree and then fled the area after a police officer told people to run. The mayor of Hollywood, Josh Levy, said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened and angered” by the shooting. “People come to enjoy a holiday weekend on the beach with their families and to have people in complete reckless disregard of the safety of the public and to have an altercation with guns in a public setting with thousands of people around them is beyond reckless,” Mr Levy said in a press conference. Footage posted to social media from witnesses showed law enforcement, first responders and good samaritans attending to victims of the shooting. The victims Police said nine people, including four children, suffered gunshot wounds. The victims were taken to Memorial Regional Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital to be treated for their injuries. The names of the victims have not yet been released, though preliminary information indicated that the victims included a one-year-old child, three people under the age of 17, and five people between 25 and 65 years old. However, Yanet Obarrio Sanchez, a spokesperson for Memorial Healthcare System told USA Today that the hospital was tending to six adults and three children, it is unclear if the hospital was treating the 17-year-old victim as an adult The suspects One person of interest in the shooting has been detained but authorities are searching for an additional suspect, Ms Bettineschi said in a press conference. The suspect is described as a Black male with dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a black short sleeve shirt and camouflage shorts. Ms Bettineschi said anyone with videos or photos from the incident should send them to hollywoodpdtips@hollywoodfl.org. Read More Hollywood shooting – live: Manhunt under way for suspect as baby among nine shot on Florida beach boardwalk One-year-old among nine people wounded in Memorial Day mass shooting at Florida beach boardwalk Video shows tourists fleeing Miami beach in terror at mass shooting

President Joe Biden will welcome BritishPrime Minister Rishi Sunak to the White House for an Official Working Visit next week on 8 June, the White House has said. In a statement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Mr Biden “looks forward” to meeting with the Prime Minister to “further deepen the close and historic partnership between the United States and the United Kingdom”. Ms Jean-Pierre said the bilateral session will follow up on recent meetings between Mr Biden and Mr Sunak, who last saw each other at the G7 summit in Japan earlier this month. She added that the US and UK leaders “will review a range of global issues, including their steadfast support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s brutal war of aggression, as well as further action to bolster energy security and address the climate crisis,” and “discuss efforts to continue strengthening our economic relationship as we confront shared economic and national security challenges”. The White House spokesperson also said Mr Biden and Mr Sunak will “review developments in Northern Ireland as part of their shared commitment to preserving the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement”. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said the two men would spend their time together “build[ing] on discussions the Prime Minister and President Biden have had in recent months about enhancing the level of co-operation and co-ordination between the UK and US on the economic challenges that will define our future, including securing our supply chains and transitioning to zero-carbon economies”. “It will also be an opportunity to discuss issues including sustaining our support for Ukraine as we build on the success of our G7 summit in the run-up to the Nato summit in July,” the spokesperson added. Mr Sunak’s visit to the White House will come during the second half of what will be a two-day visit to the US capital, during which he will also meet with top Congressional leaders and business figures. He last visited the US in March when he travelled to San Diego for a meeting with Mr Biden and Australian leader Anthony Albanese regarding the Aukus agreement to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. The Prime Minister and the US President also met in Belfast in April, and will meet again at the Nato leaders’ summit in Lithuania this summer. Read More Biden marks eighth anniversary of son Beau’s death from brain cancer at memorial Mass AP News Digest 9:30 a.m. Sunak to visit Washington DC for talks with Joe Biden