Winter Vanishes in the Andes as Climate Change Meets El Nino
Extreme heat scorching the Northern Hemisphere from California to China is also on show in the south, where
1970-01-01 08:00
Capitol Police respond to unconfirmed active shooter report around Senate office building
The US Capitol Police has dispatched officers to canvass Senate office buildings in response to what the department described as “a concerning 911 call”. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) the department advised that people should remain away from the area as officers are still investigating. A subsequent post advised that anyone in one of the Senate office buildings “should be sheltering in place” because the 911 call reported “a possible active shooter,” though the department further advised that they did not have any confirmed reports of gunfire in the Senate buildings. More follows... Read More Donald Trump due in court charged with ‘conspiracy to defraud United States’ Who are Trump’s six alleged co-conspirators in the 2020 election probe case? What is an arraignment? Here’s what to expect after Trump’s indictment
1970-01-01 08:00
Wells Fargo to Tap Corporate Bond Market Despite US Credit Downgrade
A handful of borrowers, including Wells Fargo & Co., are selling fresh debt in the US investment-grade bond
1970-01-01 08:00
Bonds Are Useless Hedge for Stock Losses as Correlation Jumps
Treasuries haven’t been this ineffective as a stock hedge since the 1990s. Historically, Treasuries tend to rally when
1970-01-01 08:00
J&J, Cancer Victims Agree to Quick Appeal of Bankruptcy Ruling
Johnson & Johnson and a committee of cancer victims have agreed to speed up a court appeal of
1970-01-01 08:00
Oregon man arrested after woman escapes cinderblock cell in garage
A man has been arrested in Oregon after a woman escaped a cinderblock cell in his garage, the FBI has said. The agency has said that Negasi Zuberi, 29, from Klamath Falls, Oregon went to Seattle and picked up a prostitute on 15 July, pretending to be an undercover officer. The woman told the authorities that Mr Zuberi aimed a Taser at her and put her in handcuffs and leg irons before placing her in the back of his vehicle, according to KPTV. The victim said that Mr Zuberi sexually assaulted her several times during the 450-mile drive from Seattle to Klamath Falls. After arriving at his home, the suspect placed the victim in the makeshift cinderblock cell in the garage. The Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the FBI Portland Field Office, Stephanie Shark, told KPTV that the legal complaint states that the “woman was kidnapped, chained, sexually assaulted, and locked in a cinderblock cell. Police say, she beat the door with her hands until they were bloody in order to break free. Her quick thinking and will to survive may have saved other women from a similar nightmare”. The woman broke down the door of the cell when Mr Zuberi was away from the house and managed to escape and flagged down a driver who then called 911. More follows...
1970-01-01 08:00
Fitch Says US Fiscal Metrics and Governance Spurred Credit-Rating Cut
Weakening US fiscal metrics and governance, highlighted by political wrangling over the debt ceiling, were at the heart
1970-01-01 08:00
Brazil’s Lula Says He Expects Rate Cut, But Renews Central Bank Criticism
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expects Brazil’s central bank to begin cutting interest rates on Wednesday, saying
1970-01-01 08:00
Tree of Life synagogue shooter Robert Bowers sentenced to death
A jury has ruled that Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooter Robert Bowers will face the death penalty. Bowers, whose defense hoped to avoid a death penalty, learned of his fate around noon on Wednesday when jurors read their decision. The mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue on 27 October, 2018, left 11 people dead and became the most deadly antisemitic attack in US history. The jurors spent two days deliberating before reaching their conclusions. All 12 jurors had to agree in order to impose a death penalty. Bowers' legal team initially offered a plea deal to the prosecution, promising a guilty plea from the mass shooter if they agreed not to seek the death penalty. The prosecution refused the deal. Defense attorney Judy Clarke offered a plea to the jury to spare Bowers’ life. “We can’t rewind the clock and make it such that this senseless crime never happened,” she argued. “All we can really do is make the right decision going forward. And we are asking you to make the right decision, and that is life.” She asked the jurors to consider the traumas of Bowers’ childhood and his mental illness when issuing their sentence, noting that “he succumbed to his mental illness, to his delusional beliefs, and brought us where we are today.” Forensic psychiatrist Dr Park Dietz — who testified as an expert witness for the prosecution in the trials of John Hinkley Jr, who attempted to assassinate Ronald Regan, and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer — also testified for the prosecution regarding Bowers. He said Bowers suffered no delusions that would have called into question his intent to kil the worshippers at the synagogue. Intent is one of three critera that must be met before a jury can pass down a death sentence. A defendant must also be over the age of 18 and have at least one aggravating factor — in Bowers’ case hate crimes — to qualify for a death sentence. A jury found him guilty of all 63 charges against him during a trial in June.
1970-01-01 08:00
Trump’s campaign is selling $47 T-shirts commemorating his latest indictment
Within two hours after he was criminally charged for his failed efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, a political action committee connected to Donald Trump’s campaign sent out two fundraising emails to supporters. One message – sent from the “Official Trump Store” – advertises a “limited-edition” commemorative “I Stand with Trump” T-shirt that includes the date of the latest indictment against him. “But still, our movement is MORE UNITED than ever. … Because, Patriot, during these dark times, YOU are President Trump’s courage, his hope, and the source of his unwavering resolve to SAVE our country,” according to an email on 1 August from the Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee. “And what better way to show that YOU stood by the President’s side through *EVERY* phony indictment than your very own Limited-Edition ‘I STAND WITH TRUMP’ T-Shirt.” Supporters who pledge $47 to his campaign will receive the shirt “for FREE,” according to the message. The campaign mailed out four other fundraising messages earlier that day, including one issued roughly 10 minutes before his Truth Social post announced that a “fake indictment” against him was imminent. The former president’s campaign operations have raked in millions of dollars following criminal charges and investigations against him, as he denies wrongdoing and relies on a narrative of political persecution while accusing prosecutors and his rivals of threatening his own supporters. “Our Republic is hanging by a thread, and America needs you right now,” one recent message reads. “Please make a contribution to show that you will NEVER SURRENDER our country to tyranny as the Deep State thugs try to JAIL me for life – for 1,500% impact.” But the account for Mr Trump’s Save America PAC, which started last year with $105m, has diminished to less than $4m after paying out millions of dollars in legal fees. The group has asked for a refund of a $60m donation to a connected super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc, according to federal records. That group already has sent back more than $12m to help with Mr Trump’s growing legal bills, records show. The House select committee investigating the events surrounding the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021 reported that Mr Trump’s fundraising arms collected more than $100m in the first week after Election Day in 2020 alone. His campaign and allies raised $250m from baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, the committee found. Last year, the panel’s senior investigative counsel Amanda Wick said Mr Trump’s campaign “pushed false election claims to fundraise, telling supporters it would be used to fight voter fraud that did not exist.” Read More Trump indictment – live: Trump hit with 2020 election probe charges as he likens it to ‘Nazi persecution’ Trump, January 6 and a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election: The federal investigation, explained Trump’s election fraud claims were always bogus. Will his history of lies finally catch up to him? Analysis: Trump's indictment is a stress test of Biden's focus on safeguarding democracy Republican National Committee boosts polling and fundraising thresholds to qualify for 2nd debate Pence fought an order to testify but now is a central figure in his former boss's indictment
1970-01-01 08:00
Canada PM Justin Trudeau and Wife Sophie Gregoire Separate
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is separating from his wife Sophie after 18 years of marriage, the couple
1970-01-01 08:00
Republican senator who voted for Trump’s impeachment says he ‘played a key role in instigating the riot’
One of the few Republican senators who voted to convict former president Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial for his role in the January 6 riot, said that the latest indictment showed the former president played an “active role” in instigating the chaos. A federal grand jury in Washington DC elected to indict the former president on four counts of violating three sections of the federal criminal code for his attempted scheme to stay in the White House despite losing the 2020 presidential election. Sen Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joined six other GOP senators in 2021 to convict Mr Trump for his role in inciting the riot at the US Capitol as Mr Trump’s supporters breached the complex in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. “In early 2021, I voted to impeach former President Trump based on clear evidence that he attempted to overturn the 2020 election after losing it,” Ms Murkowski said in a series of posts on X , formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday evening. “Additional evidence presented since then, including by the January 6 Commission, has only reinforced that the former President played a key role in instigating the riots, resulting in physical violence and desecration of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021,” she added. Ms Murkowski won re-election in Alaska last year largely thanks to the state moving to a ranked-choice system. Mr Trump campaigned heavily for her Republican challenger Kelly Tshibaka last year. She is one of only four remaining Republican senators who voted to convict Mr Trump, along with Sens Mitt Romney (R-UT), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA). So far, she is the only Republican senator who has won re-election since voting to convict Mr Trump. Only two of the 10 Republicans who voted in the House of Representatives to impeach Mr Trump remain in the chamber. The Alaska Republican said that Mr Trump is considered innocent until proven guilty and will have his day in court like any American. “As that process begins, I encourage everyone to read the indictment, to understand the very serious allegations being made in this case,” she said. The grand jury charged Mr Trump with conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding and deprivation of rights under the colour of law after a four-hour presentation by Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office. Ms Murkowski’s words differ drastically from those of her Republican colleagues, including Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who called to defund Mr Smith’s office, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Andrew Feinberg contributed reporting Read More Trump indictment – live: Trump hit with 2020 election probe charges as he likens it to ‘Nazi persecution’ DeSantis ripped for calling new Trump indictment ‘unfair’ - even though he hasn’t read it ‘Co-conspirator 1’ Rudy Giuliani flips out saying Jack Smith should be indicted for indicting Trump Analysis: Trump's indictment is a stress test of Biden's focus on safeguarding democracy Republican National Committee boosts polling and fundraising thresholds to qualify for 2nd debate Pence fought an order to testify but now is a central figure in his former boss's indictment
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