US bolstering defense posture in the Persian Gulf after Iran seized two merchant ships in recent weeks
The US will bolster its defensive posture with heightened patrols in the Persian Gulf after destabilizing actions by Iran this past month to interfere with and seize commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and other strategic waterways, according to a US National Security Council spokesperson.
1970-01-01 08:00
What to know about Florida's challenge to the immigration parole policy
A federal judge late Thursday night temporarily blocked one of the Biden's administration's key tools to try to manage the number of migrants in US Customs and Border Protection custody.
1970-01-01 08:00
Unaccompanied Honduran migrant teen dies while under Office of Refugee Resettlement care
An unaccompanied Honduran teen housed at a Florida shelter died Wednesday while under the care of the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement, according to a congressional notice obtained by CNN on Friday.
1970-01-01 08:00
Trump news – live: Trump defends CNN ratings as E Jean Carroll threatens to sue him again over ‘vile’ remarks
Donald Trump has defended CNN over his chaotic town hall appearance on Wednesday evening, saying the network did “the right thing” by giving him a mainstream media platform. The former president has also begun his appeal against the verdict in the E Jean Carroll case after he was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation earlier this week. Ms Carroll, 79, has meanwhile said she may sue Mr Trump for a third time over his “vile” comments during Wednesday’s broadcast, telling The New York Times that his comments were “just stupid, it’s just disgusting, vile, foul, it wounds people”. Her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, told the newspaper: “Everything’s on the table, obviously, and we have to give serious consideration to it.” CNN CEO Chris Licht praised moderator Kaitlan Collins on Thursday for her “masterful performance last night” during an editorial call with network staff, batting away criticism of her failure to bring Mr Trump to heel. “America was served very well by what we did last night,” Licht said, according to media reporter Brian Stelter, who suggested that many of the company’s own employees might not agree with his assessment. Read More CNN is defending its disgusting Trump town hall. But the consequences have only just begun Trump campaign uses footage from Ukraine in attempt to depict Americans suffering from rising housing costs The danger of America’s ageing politicians The two-word slur that tells us everything we need to know about Donald Trump Trump's sexual assault verdict marks a rare moment of accountability. And women are noticing
1970-01-01 08:00
Trump campaign uses footage from Ukraine in attempt to depict Americans suffering from rising housing costs
The Trump campaign used stock footage of a man sitting in a basement, claiming that it was an American unable to afford a home while it was actually filmed in Ukraine 25 miles from the frontline. The dramatic footage shows a man working on his laptop as he shelters from the shelling of the Russian invasion in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine last year, according to the New York Post. In the ad released on Wednesday, the Trump campaign slammed President Joe Biden for the effect inflation has had on Americans during his time in the White House. To make this argument, instead of using footage of Americans, the Trump campaign used footage from Ukraine, showing the man sitting in a basement as a voiceover claims that young Americans can’t buy homes because of high inflation. Another piece of stock footage used in the video shows a young couple seemingly walking away from a real estate agent. That clip was also filmed in Ukraine, in Lviv, in the western part of the country in 2021 before the war began in February of last year. The Trump campaign ad was entitled Mourning in America and criticised Mr Biden for his handling of the southern US border, the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as trans issues. As the footage from Ukraine can be seen, the voiceover states: “Under Biden’s unprecedented inflation, the hope of home ownership gone. And young adults, forced to abandon seeking the American dream to live in their parents’ basement longer.” The man behind the footage showing the couple failing to purchase a home told the New York Post that he “can only say bad things about Trump”. The creator said he didn’t want to be identified to avoid affecting his relationship with his stock footage vendor. “But unfortunately, anyone can buy our or another video … I can’t control it,” he told the paper. “I wouldn’t want him to use [the] video in his ad. But rules are rules.” Yevhen Shkolenko owns the company that filmed the footage in the basement in Zaporizhzhya. He told the Post that the man in the footage is an actor but shows what Ukrainians have to deal with as air sirens ring out to warn of an incoming strike by the Russians. “This video was made 100 per cent in Ukraine during war in real sheltered basement in my city Zaporizhzhya, which is 40 km (25 miles) [from the] frontline,” Mr Shkolenko told the paper. “We were one of those who stayed in our city to help people and the army and we continued our work of filming and when we were doing this filming, we went down to the basement many times in order to hide from rocket fire.” The Trump campaign released the attack ad shortly before Donald Trump appeared on CNN for a town hall event that was widely criticised for giving a platform for the former president to spout a litany of lies. During the town hall event in front of a friendly audience, Mr Trump claimed that he would be able to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours after re-entering the Oval Office on 20 January 2025 simply by speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he refused to call a war criminal. Mr Trump also refused to say if he wanted Ukraine to be victorious, instead arguing that he wanted the fighting to cease, adding that calling someone a war criminal might be detrimental to a possible peace process. A former Trump official who worked on his re-election campaign in 2020 told the Post that “as president, Trump bragged about the billions of dollars worth of weapons and aid he sent to Zelensky in Ukraine. Now he’s paying for stock footage from Ukraine to depict the American Dream in his lame campaign ads? What a joke”. The Independent has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment. Read More The danger of America’s ageing politicians The two-word slur that tells us everything we need to know about Donald Trump Trump news – live: Trump defends CNN ratings as E Jean Carroll threatens to sue him again over ‘vile’ remarks The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
1970-01-01 08:00
Serbia's populist leader denounces planned Belgrade bridge blockade after shootings
Serbia's populist leader has sharply denounced opposition plans to block a key bridge and motorway in Belgrade on Friday to press their demands in the wake of last week's mass shootings in the Balkan country that left 17 people dead, including many children. President Aleksandar Vucic said that the planned opposition protest later on Friday amounted to “violence in politics” and “harassment” of citizens. But, Vucic said, police would not intervene to prevent it “unless people's lives are in danger.” “What gives them the right to block other people's normal lives?” said Vucic, adding that the opposition were “abusing the tragedy” following the shootings that deeply rattled the nation and triggered calls for change. “They are harassing citizens and not allowing them to travel,” Vucic insisted. “But we don't like to beat protesters, like France and Germany do.” The rally on Friday comes a week after thousands marched in Belgrade. They were demanding the resignations of government ministers and the withdrawal of broadcast licenses for two private TV stations which are close to the state and promote violence. They often host convicted war criminals and crime figures on their programs. Protests with the same demands have been held in the past week in various cities and towns in Serbia. Opposition officials said the bridge blockade in Belgrade on Friday evening would last for two hours. The two shootings happened in just two days, leaving 17 people dead and 21 wounded. A 13-year-old boy last Wednesday used his father's gun to open fire at his school in central Belgrade, while a day later a 20-year-old randomly fired at people in a rural area south of Belgrade. Opposition parties have said that Vucic's populist government has fueled intolerance and hate speech, while taking hold of all institutions, thus stoking divisions. Vucic has denied this. He has called his own rally for May 26 in Belgrade that he said would be the “biggest ever.” “We do not organize spontaneous rallies in order to play with people's emotions,” Vucic insisted. “Ours will be a rally of unity, when we will announce important political decisions.” Vucic also told reporters that citizens had handed in more than 9,000 weapons since police announced a one-month amnesty for people to surrender unregistered guns and ammunition or face possible prison sentences after that period. Serbia is estimated to be among the top countries in Europe when it comes to the number of guns per capita, many of them left over from the wars in the 1990s. Other anti-gun measures after the shootings include a ban on new gun licenses, stricter controls on gun owners and shooting ranges, and tougher punishments for the illegal possession of weapons. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide
1970-01-01 08:00
Kentucky GOP governor primary tests Trump's influence ahead of 2024
Republicans in Kentucky will decide their nominee for governor on Tuesday in the party's first major primary since last year's midterm elections -- and one with implications for the 2024 GOP presidential race and the battle for Senate control.
1970-01-01 08:00
China Housing Rebound Fizzling Shows Risks to Economic Recovery
China’s housing market sales is regressing after a brief recovery, underscoring the challenges the world’s second-largest economy is
1970-01-01 08:00
Pakistan authorities gear for Imran Khan's supporters at his court hearing
ISLAMABAD Pakistan police imposed an emergency order banning gatherings as supporters of Imran Khan were expected to march
1970-01-01 08:00
GOP 2024 hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy proposes raising the voting age to 25
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is proposing raising the legal voting age to 25, his campaign announced Thursday.
1970-01-01 08:00
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman expected to leave post this summer, sources say
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is expected to depart her post this summer, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
1970-01-01 08:00
DeSantis signs bill blocking state travel records from public disclosure
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Thursday that exempts records related to his travel from the state's robust public disclosure law.
1970-01-01 08:00