A Democratic lawmaker lost his cool with Matt Gaetz on the House floor on Thursday night, screaming that the far-right Republican is “exhausting”. Rep Steven Horsford, of Nevada, singled out Mr Gaetz while giving an impassioned speech in defence of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military and calling out shocking racially-charged comments made by multiple members of the Republican party in recent days. On Thursday, House Republicans introduced an amendment to a military spending bill pushing to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs from the Department of Defense (DOD). Mr Horsford slammed the move warning it would hamper efforts to improve diversity in the military. “This amendment does nothing to address the recruitment shortfalls that our services are facing and instead it will only make it more difficult to recruit Americans of diverse backgrounds representing the true makeup of our nation,” he said. At this point, he turned and addressed Mr Gaetz directly, his voice rising. “What are you so afraid of? Why do you keep bringing these divisive issues to the body of this floor?” he asked, before shouting: “You are out of order! You are exhausting, Mr Gaetz!” Mr Gaetz – who is currently the focus of a revived House Ethics Committee investigation into his alleged misconduct – complained about Mr Horsford’s actions. “Mr Speaker, the childish antics that we just observed indicate that we’ve got a lot of work to do, both in this House and the military, not to have radical racial ideology governing our discourse and governing the policy choices that we make in these bills,” he said. During the heated debate, Mr Horsford, who is Black, also condemned comments made by Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville – who has repeatedly defended white nationalists – and Republican Rep Eli Crane – who used the term “coloured people” earlier on the House floor. “Just this week, the sponsor of this amendment called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the military a, quote, ‘failed experiment.’ He has called it ‘cancerous’,” said Mr Horsford. “Just this week a senator from Alabama stated that it was his opinion that White nationalists are not necessarily racist and refused to denounce white nationalists serving in the military.” He continued: “Just an hour ago, on this very floor, one of the members on the other side of this body said his amendment, quote, ‘had nothing to do whether coloured people or Black people can serve.’” Mr Horsford said such comments by lawmakers “show exactly why we need diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives” in place. Mr Crane faced an instant backlash on Thursday night when he defended the bill amendment by using the offensive term for people of colour. “My amendment has nothing to do with whether or not coloured people or Black people or anybody can serve. It has nothing to do with any of that stuff,” Mr Crane said. The comment was widely condemned and ultimately struck from the record. Meanwhile, for the past couple of months, Mr Tuberville – who has been blocking the confirmation of senior military officials in protest of the DOD’s abortion policy – has repeatedly refused to condemn white nationalists as racist. “I call them Americans,” he said in May. This week, he then claimed that he can’t possibly be racist because he worked with many people of colour during his time as a football coach. On Tuesday, he finally walked back his defence of white nationalists, now admitting that they “are racists”. Following Thursday’s heated debate, House members voted on the amendment. The Republican-majority House passed the amendment by just one vote of 214 to 213, striking down diversity initiatives in the military. Read More Anger in House as Republican uses ‘racist and repugnant’ term to refer to Black Americans Biden calls out GOP senator’s ‘ridiculous’ block on military promotions: ‘It jeopardises US security’ GOP senator says he can’t be racist because he’s a football coach – after white nationalist comments House Ethics Committee revives ‘misconduct’ probe into rep Matt Gaetz Christopher Wray hits back at Gaetz after Republican presses him on trust in the FBI ‘Rage-baiting’ leftist Twitter account is probably fake, expert says

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It was a Sunday night and a young couple were sitting together in a car at a park near Los Angeles. What happened next was something straight out of a horror movie – except this was real life. A gunman suddenly opened fire on the couple before pulling 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez from the car. Vazquez’s boyfriend escaped the gunfire but returned to the vehicle to find she had been kidnapped. After an intensive one-day search, the harrowing incident culminated in despair as Vazquez’s body was found in a field and a suspect – who has no known connection to the couple – was arrested for her murder. Heartbroken relatives described Vazquez as a “beautiful person” as they have been left struggling to understand what happened and why. Here’s everything we know so far about her abduction and death: A chilling abduction The horror unfolded just after midnight on Sunday 20 August when Vazquez and her boyfriend were sitting in a car at Penn Park in Whittier, police said. Her boyfriend told police that an armed suspect then approached their vehicle and “fired a weapon in their direction,” police said. Vazquez’s boyfriend fled the scene and when he returned he discovered blood near his car and his girlfriend missing. Vazquez has been kidnapped from the scene. Officers were alerted to a shooting and kidnapping incident located at the “parking stalls area” at 13950 Penn Street in Whittier. In a statement following her kidnapping, police said that Vazquez was last seen wearing a black long-sleeve crop top, khaki pants, and black low-top Converse shoes. “She has a tattoo of ‘Edlyn’ on the back of the neck, Aries constellation on the top of her right hand and a belly button piercing,” the statement read. Vasquez’s sister, Edlyn, with whom she lives in Los Angeles, put out a plea on Facebook for the public’s help in finding her. “My sister was shot and kidnapped at Penn Park,” she wrote. “Her last location shows Moreno Valley. We don’t know her condition. Please I am begging, if anyone has information, or the heart to share this, please please contact me and repost.” Another relative Emily Martinez told Fox News Digital that Vasquez’s phone last pinged in the Moreno Valley area. “We’re scared for her, but I’m hopeful, very hopeful that we’ll find her,” she said. “We just want to know she’s OK.” Tragic discovery Following the horror kidnapping, a huge search was launched to try to find the missing 19-year-old. That search ended in tragedy on Monday 21 August when, at around 11.50pm local time, authorities combing the area of Moreno Valley made a gruesome discovery. Police said that the teen’s body had been found in a vegetation field off Alessandro Boulevard and Merwin Street in Moreno Valley. It is currently unclear how she died or the nature of the scene where her body was found. The investigation remains ongoing but police said that it appears that the attack on Vazquez and her boyfriend was “randomly targeted”. The ‘random’ suspect On Tuesday 22 August, police announced an update on the case as a suspect was taken into custody. Detectives from the Whittier Police Department and the LADA Community Violence Reduction Team arrested Gabriel Esparza, a 20-year-old man and Whittier resident, in connection with the kidnapping and shooting of Vazquez. Mr Esparza was taken into custody at his workplace in the city of Lakewood and booked into the Whittier Police Department jail on charges of murder and kidnapping. He is being held without bail. During his arrest, officers recovered a weapon and Esparza’s White Toyota Tacoma truck – which are believed to have been used at the time of the shooting. “This relentless investigation and yesterday’s arrest were made possible by the dedication and commitment of our investigations division, with the assistance of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Downey Police Department, La Habra Police Department and the LADA Investigations Bureau Community Violence Reduction Team,” police said in a statement. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office on Wednesday 23 August. Suspect pleads not guilty in first court appearance Gabriel Sean Esparza, the 20-year-old son of a Los Angeles County fire captain, has been charged with multiple felonies including murder, kidnapping and attempted rape of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez. Mr Esparza entered a not-guilty plea when he made his first court appearance for the brutal slaying on Wednesday afternoon. Prosecutors have formally filed seven charges against the suspect, according to a criminal complaint submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court. These also include attempted murder, kidnapping to commit another crime, assault with intent to commit a felony, and two counts of attempted forcible rape. Tributes pour in Vasquez attended Fullerton College and was a fashion design student as well as an employee at a shopping mall in Cerritos. Ms Martinez told Fox News Digital before her body was found that the 19-year-old had also been working with her sister Edlyn, who is a lash artist. She described Vazquez as the “funniest person ever” and a “beautiful person” who was liked by everyone who met her. Read More Andrea Vazquez – latest: Gabriel Esparza arrested for murder after kidnapping teen on date with boyfriend Andrea Vazquez: California woman shot and kidnapped from boyfriend’s car found dead

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More must be done to protect women from birth trauma, a Tory MP has said after a new poll revealed that traumatic births have prevented a significant proportion of women from having more children. Theo Clarke said that it was “vitally important” that women receive the care and support they need after a traumatic birth. It comes after a poll of members of the Mumsnet community found that more than half (53%) who had suffered birth trauma said their experience put them off having more babies. The MP for Stafford has previously spoken out about her own birth story, where she described how she thought she was “going to die” after suffering a third degree tear and needing emergency surgery. She has since set up an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Birth Trauma to try to highlight the plight of thousands of women who suffer similar situations each year. A poll of 1,000 members of the Mumsnet website, shared with the PA news agency, found that 79% of those surveyed had experienced birth trauma. While the poll does not represent all mothers across the UK, it provides a snapshot of the experiences of those who use the popular parenting site. The survey also found that 72% of those who had experienced birth trauma said their issue had not been resolved a year after giving birth. Among those who had experienced physical, emotional or psychological birth trauma, 44% said healthcare professionals used language which implied they were “a failure or to blame” for the experience. Three quarters (76%) of all of those polled said they felt that health professionals had become “desensitised” to birth trauma. Almost two thirds (63%) said they did not believe healthcare workers did everything they could to prevent birth trauma. And 64% said they felt a “lack of compassion” from healthcare professionals during labour. Commenting on the poll, Ms Clarke said: “These survey results are deeply upsetting. They speak to my own experience of birth trauma and quite clearly to many, many other women’s horrendous experiences too. “That more than half of women across the UK who responded say they are less likely to want another child because of their birth experiences and they were made to feel they were to blame is simply terrible. “The survey is clear that more compassion, education and better after-care for mothers who suffer birth trauma are desperately needed if we are to see an improvement in mums’ physical wellbeing and mental health. “The APPG is now up and running in Parliament and will continue to listen to mothers and experts to drive fundamental change in how we treat mums. Our ambition is for birth trauma to be included in the Government’s women’s health strategy. “It is vitally important women receive the help and support they deserve.” Mumsnet chief executive Justine Roberts said: “We hear daily on Mumsnet from women who have had deeply upsetting experiences of maternity care, and this latest research underlines that the majority of mothers experience birth trauma – whether physical or psychological. “This trauma has long-lasting effects and it’s clear that women are being failed at every stage of the maternity care process – with too little information provided beforehand, a lack of compassion from staff during birth, and substandard postnatal care for mothers’ physical and mental health.” Kim Thomas, chief executive of the Birth Trauma Association, added: “It is time for a complete overhaul in the way women experience maternity. “This should include: honest, evidence-based antenatal education; compassionate and professional care during labour; and postnatal care that is designed to identify and treat every birth injury or mental health problem. “A maternity system that puts women at the heart of care is not some kind of unfeasibly high goal – it is the bare minimum that women have the right to expect.” A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are committed to making the NHS the safest place in the world to give birth, and improving support for women before, during and after pregnancy is a priority in the Women’s Health Strategy. “We are investing an additional £165 million per year to grow and support the maternity workforce and improve neonatal care. NHS England recently published a three-year plan to make maternity and neonatal care safer, more personalised, and more equitable for women, babies, and families. “To support women following trauma related to their maternity experience, we are rolling out 33 new maternal mental health services, which will be available across England by March 2024.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Imagination and hard work in children trumps obedience – research finds 7 ways you could be damaging your eye health without even realising Celebrities mingle with royals at glam Vogue World party in London

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