US court hears Heritage Foundation challenge over Prince Harry's visa info
A federal judge has given the Department of Homeland Security until next Tuesday to decide how it will handle a conservative think tank's request for Prince Harry's US immigration records.
2023-06-07 04:50
Co-signers of George Santos' $500,000 bond must be made public, judge rules
Republican Rep. George Santos of New York, who was indicted on charges of wire fraud and money laundering, has lost his effort to keep the public from learning the names of the people who put up his $500,000 bond, according to court records.
2023-06-07 03:59
Senegal temporarily shuts consulates abroad following attacks in several cities
DAKAR (Reuters) -Senegal has temporarily closed its consulates abroad following attacks on diplomatic missions in Bordeaux, Milan, Paris and New
2023-06-07 03:57
Louisiana's legislature sends ban on gender-affirming care for most minors to Democratic governor's desk
Louisiana's Republican-led legislature Tuesday passed a ban on gender-affirming care for most minors in the state, sending the bill to a Democratic governor who has signaled opposition to the legislation but faces a GOP supermajority with the numbers to override his veto power.
2023-06-07 03:51
GOP hardliners revolt and derail McCarthy's agenda in retaliation over speaker's debt limit deal
A bloc of Republican hardliners took down the GOP leadership's efforts on two bills this week, a move they said was retaliation for Speaker Kevin McCarthy's deal with President Joe Biden to suspend the national debt limit.
2023-06-07 03:27
US and western officials see signs Ukraine's counteroffensive is beginning
US and western officials see signs that Ukraine's long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia is beginning and have noted a "substantial increase in fighting" in the east of the country over the last 48 hours as Ukrainian troops probe for weaknesses in Russian defensive lines, a senior NATO official said on Tuesday.
2023-06-07 02:28
Judge says trio who put up $500k bail for George Santos must be revealed
Embattled congressman George Santos has been told by a judge that the identities of the trio who paid his $500,000 bail must be publically revealed. Mr Santos, a Republican from New York, pleaded not guilty last month to federal charges of defrauding his campaign supporters, lying to obtain unemployment money and making false statements on congressional disclosure forms. Magistrate Judge Anne Shields ruled on Tuesday that Mr Santos has until 12pm on Friday to appeal her decision at which point the names would be unsealed. Lawyers for Mr Santos had argued on Monday that the names should not be made public, stating that they“truly fear for their health, safety and well being.” The lawmaker’s attorney, Joseph Murray previously said that Mr Santos would rather go to jail ahead of his criminal trial than let the names become public. “My client would rather surrender to pretrial detainment than subject these suretors to what will inevitably come,” Mr Murray had said. Read More Judge rules to release names of Rep. Santos bond cosigners, will say secret for now as appeal mulled Lawyer says George Santos would go to jail to keep identities of cosigners secret AP News Digest 4 am
2023-06-07 02:22
US defense secretary points to parallels with Ukraine war at D-Day anniversary ceremony
Thousands gathered by the beaches of Normandy on Tuesday to remember those who died fighting for freedom in World War II, ceremonies that had renewed meaning as speakers, including US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, pointed to parallels with Ukraine's war against Russia.
2023-06-07 01:27
Biden announces initial $115 million investment in Jackson, Mississippi, water infrastructure
More than $100 million in funding has been distributed for repairs to Jackson, Mississippi's beleaguered water system, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday, the first tranche of more than half a billion dollars appropriated by Congress.
2023-06-07 01:25
Mike Pence suffered the wrath of Trump. Now the ex-vice president wants his old boss’s job in 2024
Former Vice President Mike Pence, the onetime loyal sideman to twice-impeached ex-president Donald Trump, will kick off his own attempt to win election to the nation’s top job this week when he formally announces his campaign at a Des Moines, Iowa event on Wednesday. Mr Pence’s announcement will come just days after he made his candidacy official by filing the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission. The ex-Indiana governor’s presidential ambitions are nothing new, with Mr Pence having teased a presidential run for months during a string of public appearances. But the advent of an actual campaign changes the Republican landscape by putting him in direct competition with Mr Trump, his former running-mate. Mr Pence, 63, served as a member of the House of Representatives between 2001 and 2013 and as Indiana’s governor between 2013 and 2017 but first rose to international attention as Mr Trump’s running-mate in 2016. The pair always made for an unlikely double act, with Mr Pence’s quiet, respectful demeanour and devout evangelical Christian faith utterly at odds with the trash-talking New Yorker’s taste for celebrity, glitzy decor and vulgar showmanship. But Mr Pence remained at his boss’ side throughout his tumultuous one-term presidency, a source of constant support until even his loyalty was tested beyond breaking point by the events of 6 January 2021. After losing the electoral vote to Democrat Joe Biden the previous November by 306 to 232 and the popular vote by 81.3 million ballots to 74.2 million, Mr Trump immediately and baselessly began to insist the contest had been “rigged” in a vast nationwide conspiracy orchestrated by his opponents. Two months of farcical legal proceedings led by a ragtag group of misfit attorneys — most notably among them ex-New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani — ended with a whimper, as Mr Trump’s allies entirely failed to offer a court any argument that satisfied the legal requirements to bring lawsuits challenging the election, much less any proof of the fraud they’d alleged. Increasingly desperate, the president was caught on tape exerting pressure on Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” additional votes in that crucial swing state, before turning his attention to his own deputy, Mr Pence, whom he called upon to weaponise his ceremonial position overseeing a joint session of Congress on 6 January to ratify the election results. Demanding that Mr Pence rule the election results null and void, Mr Trump piled on the public pressure in a series of tweets and in person on the campaign trail, presumably knowing his vice president was reluctant to follow orders. “I hope Mike Pence comes through for us,” Mr Trump said in Georgia. “I hope our great vice president comes through for us. He’s a great guy. Of course, if he doesn’t come through, I won’t like him very much.” Mr Pence refused to comply, instead writing a letter to Congress in which he explained: “I do not believe that the founders of our country intended to invest the vice president with unilateral authority to decide which electoral votes should be counted during the joint session of Congress, and no vice president in American history has ever asserted such authority.” On the day the US Capitol was stormed by enraged Trump supporters attempting to stop the ratification, some participants even erected a gallows and chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” on the National Mall. “To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today: you did not win,” Mr Pence responded in the aftermath, sounding far more presidential than Mr Trump. “Violence never wins. Freedom wins. And this is still the people’s house. And as we reconvene in this chamber the world will again witness the resilience and strength of our democracy.” The two men held clear-the-air talks five days after the failed insurrection but their relationship has clearly never recovered. Speaking at a Republican dinner in New Hampshire in June 2021, Mr Pence told his audience: “You know, President Trump and I have spoken many times since we left office. And I don’t know if we’ll ever see eye to eye on that day.” Mr Pence was born in Columbus, Indiana, on 7 June 1959, one of six children born to Edward and Nancy Pence and is a graduate of Hanover College and the Indiana University School of Law. He married his wife Karen in 1985 and the couple have three children: Michael, Charlotte and Audrey. His net wealth has been estimated at $4m, modest compared to some prominent politicians, but has been enhanced post-presidency after he signed a two-book deal with publishing giant Simon & Schuster, thought to be worth around $3-4m, according to industry insiders. Mr Pence will now find himself in competition not only with Mr Trump but also the likes of Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, South Carolina senator Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and ex-radio pundit Larry Elder. Ex-New Jersey governor Chris Christie is expected to enter the GOP primary race this week as well. Read More Mike Pence files paperwork to jump into crowded 2024 GOP primary race DeSantis, Pence and other GOP 2024 hopefuls, but not Trump, set to appear at Iowa rally Trump reacts to report Pence won’t face charges for classified documents: ‘I’m at least as innocent as he is’ 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
2023-06-07 00:51
Blinken planning to visit China in coming weeks
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China in the coming weeks, two US officials and a source familiar with the matter told CNN, as the two countries work to reset normal relations amid what has been an extremely tumultuous and tense year in the relationship.
2023-06-07 00:18
Debt ceiling package does little to address America's major fiscal problems
Although it's named the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the compromise debt ceiling package that President Joe Biden signed into law this past weekend doesn't do much to fix the nation's enormous financial challenges.
2023-06-06 20:58