The Democratic senator says he kept nearly half a million dollars in cash at home for "emergencies".

On October 19, 2023, New Orleans rapper Justin Rene Lewis was arrested for the alleged shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend Raesha Heard

A memorial fund for has been set up to champion LGBTQ+ causes in honour of murdered California store owner Lauri Carleton. The Lauri Carleton Memorial Fund “aims to keep her spirit alive” by supporting community groups and sustainability causes in her adopted home of Lake Arrowhead, California, and is endorsed by Carleton’s husband Bort and nine children. “Lauri was a pillar in our community, an unwavering champion of values that sought to break down barriers and build bridges,” organisers from the Mountain Provision Cooperative said on social media. “Her dedication to equality and her courage in flying the LGBTQ+ flag exemplify her commitment to creating a world where love knows no boundaries.” Funds will go towards several community groups including Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+, who described Carleton as a “fierce advocate for love, equality, and human rights”. “We will work closely with Lauri’s family in partnership with Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+ and broader ally community to develop and amplify resources that promote LGBTQ+ awareness, equality, and inclusion,” it said in an Instrgam post. Carleton was a founding member of the Mountain Provisions Cooperative, which was set up earlier this year to help residents in the San Bernardino Mountains after a winter blizzard dumped 110 inches of snow in the area in a few days. The 66-year-old turned her store into an emergency relief centre and handed out supplies to local residents with her husband Bort during the severe snow dump, which cut off some areas for weeks. Authorities say Travis Ikechugi, 27, shot Carleton on 18 August after shouting homophobic insults at her over a Pride flag which was displayed outside of her Mag.Pi fashion store in Cedar Glen. Many of Carleton’s famous friends and acquaintances, including Hollywood director Paul Feig and comedian Bridget Everett, have condemned widespread “anti-gay and trans rhetoric” since her death. The organisers of the fund did not immediately respond to questions from The Independent about how much had been raised. * Anyone wishing to make a donation or find out more information can do so here. Read More Laura Carleton’s murder captured on store camera as Travis Ikeguchi’s family history revealed - latest Laura Carleton’s murder over Pride flag captured on store surveillance camera Laura Carleton’s killer was the son of a decorated police officer

Watch live as Hakim Jeffries, minority leader of the House of Representatives, and other Democrats hold a news conference ahead of a vote on the US debt ceiling on Wednesday evening (31 May). The House is due to vote on a bill to lift the government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, a critical step to avoid a destabilising default that could come early next week without congressional action. Republicans control the House by a narrow 222-213 majority, meaning the bipartisan deal - agreed days ago - will need support from both Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Republicans and Joe Biden’s Democrats to pass. Mr McCarthy has predicted that the vote will succeed. “It’s going to become law,” he told reporters. Meanwhile, Mr Biden took to Twitter to outline what failure to pass the bill could mean for America. “Our bipartisan budget agreement prevents the worst possible crisis: a default for the first time in our nation’s history – an economic recession, retirement accounts devastated, and millions of jobs lost,” he wrote. Read More Biden and McCarthy’s debt ceiling deal expected to go to full House vote today – live Australian Parliament takes step toward holding a referendum on Indigenous Voice this year Why Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment fight isn't finished yet

Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah who was killed in Israeli shelling of southern Lebanon, was laid to rest in his hometown Saturday in a funeral procession attended by hundreds of people. Draped in a Lebanese flag, Abdallah’s body was carried on a stretcher through the streets of his southern town of Khiam, from his family’s home to the local cemetery. Dozens of journalists and Lebanese lawmakers attended the funeral. Abdallah was killed Friday evening near the village of Alma al-Shaab in south Lebanon when an Israeli shell landed on a gathering of international journalists covering exchange of fire along the border between Israeli troops and members of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group. Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry asked Beirut’s mission to the United Nations to file a complaint against Israel over Friday’s shelling calling it a “flagrant violation and a crime against freedom of opinion and press.” The statement was carried by the state-run National News Agency. Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told the Associated Press in Jerusalem Saturday: “We are aware of the incident with the Reuters journalist and we are looking into it.” Hecht did not confirm that the journalists had been hit by Israeli shells, but called the incident “tragic,” adding, “we’re very sorry for his death.” Reuters said in a statement that two of its journalists, Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh, were wounded in the same shelling while Qatar’s Al-Jazeera TV, said its cameraman Elie Brakhya and reporter Carmen Joukhadar, got wounded as well. France’s international news agency, Agence France-Presse, said two of its journalists were also wounded: photographer Christina Assi, and video journalist Dylan Collins. AFP reported Saturday that photographer Christina Assi was in need of blood donations at the American University Medical Center in Beirut where she was hospitalized. The Lebanon-Israel border has been witnessing sporadic acts of violence since Saturday's surprise attack by the militant Palestinian group Hamas on southern Israel. Journalists from various countries have been flocking to Lebanon to monitor the situation as tensions have been escalating between Hezbollah and Israel. Read More Police in Warsaw seal off a large square after a man climbs a monument and reportedly makes threats Blinken calls for protection of civilians as Israel prepares for expected assault on Gaza Armenian president approves parliament’s decision to join the International Criminal Court

Finnish border guards and soldiers have begun erecting barriers including concrete obstacles topped with barbed-wire at some crossing points on the Nordic country’s lengthy border with Russia

An agent for film legend Sophia Loren says the Italian actor is recovering from successful surgery for a leg fracture after she fell in her home in Switzerland

By Samia Nakhoul DUBAI Israeli forces poised to invade Gaza on a mission to wipe out Hamas will

As per authorities, Stephanie Croteau was the only person involved in the single-car collision, and she died on the spot

A Norwegian citizen originally from Iran has been charged with aggravated terrorism over a deadly shooting in June 2022 ahead of an LGBTQ festival in the nightlife district of the capital, Oslo

In 1992, Sinéad O’Connor destroyed a photo of Pope John Paul II on U.S. national television

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is working to push past an embarrassing beginning to his presidential campaign