List of All Articles with Tag 'america'

Ron DeSantis has offered his own definition of “woke” days after Donald Trump said “half the people” can’t define the Florida governor’s favourite word. During a campaign stop in Iowa on Saturday, Mr DeSantis said: “Look, we know what woke is, it’s a form of cultural Marxism. It’s about putting merit and achievement behind identity politics, and it’s basically a war on the truth.” Two days earlier, Mr Trump criticised the GOP’s overuse of the word at his own campaign event in Iowa. “I don’t like the term ‘woke’ because I hear, ‘Woke, woke, woke.’ It’s just a term they use, half the people can’t even define it,” he said. Also on Saturday, Mr DeSantis vowed to dismantle President Joe Biden’s “disastrous” economic policies if he wins the White House. The Iowa visit came at the end of a week marked by multiple tense outbursts. In South Carolina on Friday, a woman interrupted Mr DeSantis’ speech by shouting: “You’re a f***ing fascist.” This prompted boos from the wider audience, with Mr DeSantis replying: “ Well, yeah, thank you.” Read More DeSantis defines ‘woke’ after Trump claimed ‘half the people can’t’ DeSantis condemns Trump for congratulating ‘murderous dictator’ Kim Jong-un Transgender adults in Florida `blindsided' that new law also limits their access to health care DeSantis, Pence and other GOP 2024 hopefuls, but not Trump, set to appear at Iowa rally

A 25-year-old woman was killed and six others were left injured in Chicago after shots rang out during a remembrance for the death anniversary of a man who died in a car crash. Bystanders told the Chicago Police Department that the altercation unfolded around 1am on Sunday in the 4800 block of West Iowa Street in Austin. The group was gathered to celebrate the fourth-year anniversary of a man’s death in a traffic accident, ABC News reported. Seven victims were wounded in the shooting. A woman was transported to Mt Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The ages of the other victims injured range from 17 to 19. Authorities have said that the person or people who opened fire were present at the memorial. Police began an investigation but did not take anyone into custody as of Sunday evening. “They were out there celebrating and then something happened and a verbal altercation occurred and somebody began shooting, or multiple people began shooting,” deputy chief Adnardo Gutierrez said during a press conference on Sunday. A witness told ABC 7 that she became concerned long before the shooting broke out, noting that the street was too crowded. “It was totally fine. They were just laughing, dancing, talking. Just having a good time. They were just having fun. I just wanted it broke up because there were so many. It was too many. It was at least 100 kids out,” Yvette McCalum said. “You couldn’t get down the block. You couldn’t park anywhere. They were in the alley.” “They had the alley blocked off, and I told them all this on the phone. This could have been avoided.” One eyewitness, Michelle Barnes, told the Chicago Tribune that she had called the police to report what she said was a chaotic crowd at 10pm, 11.05pm and at around 12.30am as well. “I’m frustrated with the police. I’m frustrated with the alderman. I’m frustrated with everybody. Because it’s ridiculous,” she said. “When you call, they don’t come like there’s a problem.” Barnes’ neighbour Larell Steel also said her sister and other residents made repeated calls to the police before the shooting. “Everybody on this block called them to get them kids,” she said. “This could’ve been prevented. This could’ve been prevented if they just came and broken them kids up.” Read More Funeral held for teen shot by gas station owner over false shoplifting claims as community shares outrage Florida police arrest man, search for 2 others in Memorial Day beach shooting Federal court reinstates death penalty order for Missouri inmate convicted of killing jailers

A Texas cheerleader who was shot after her friend opened the door of the wrong car has opened up about the traumatising ordeal. Payton Washington, 18, was shot allegedly by 25-year-old Pedro Tello Rodriguez in an act of random violence in the city of Elgin on 18 April. Before the violence unfolded, Payton had parked in a grocery store parking lot which serves as a carpool pickup spot for members of their cheerleading team. Heather Roth, one of four team members transferring rides in the lot after practice, told authorities she got out of a friend’s car and into a car she thought was her own, but there was a stranger in the passenger seat. She said she panicked and got back into her friend’s car, but the man got out of his vehicle, pulled out a gun and opened fire. Speaking to ABC’s Good Morning America, Ms Washington, who suffered three gunshot wounds to her lower back and leg, said the recovery process has been physically and emotionally challenging but added that she is coping as best she can. Ms Washington said she only realised where she had been shot after her friend pulled over and she saw blood on her own seat. She then began coughing up blood on the side of the road and had to be airlifted to a hospital in Austin to treat life-threatening damage to her stomach, spleen, diaphragm and pancreas. “I knew somewhere, I was bleeding, but I had so much to juggle, I didn’t know where,” Ms Washington recalled in the interview aired on Friday. “And then, whenever we pulled over ... I was throwing up blood and I was like, ‘Oop, that is not normal.’” Ms Washington said that she was texting and eating Twizzlers when the suspect opened fire on her and her friends. Mr Rodriguez has been charged with engaging in deadly conduct, a third-degree felony. He reportedly surrendered to police and was released after his bail was lowered from $500,000 to $100,000. An attorney for Mr Rodriguez told Insider that his client was an employee at the grocery store. Mr Rodriguez claimed through his lawyer that he had previously been robbed at gunpoint while inside his vehicle and feared that a similar situation was unfolding when the teen entered the car by mistake. “I didn’t see him, honestly. I was still looking at my phone,” Ms Washington told GMA. “I kind of heard what was going on in the background but I didn’t think it’d be as big of a deal as it was. [Ms Roth] just kept saying, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Ms Roth was grazed by a bullet as one of the other three teens who were inside the vehicle drove away in a desperate attempt to escape the shots being fired at the group. “I was just telling myself to breathe, it was hard to breathe because of my diaphragm,“ Ms Washington recounted. “I was just trying to stay as calm as possible for the other people in the car. I could tell how sad and scared they were.” The accomplished athlete said she had struggled in the aftermath of the shooting to come to terms with her new temporary physical limitations amid an intensive and arduous recovery. “My spleen was shattered. My stomach had two holes in it. And my diaphragm had two holes in it. And then they had to remove a lobe from my pancreas. I had 32 staples,” she recounted. “It was hard. It hurting to walk or stand when a week before I was doing a bunch of flips, running, the track ... can’t get out of bed by yourself, can’t roll off the couch, can’t stand by yourself ... it was hard.” Ms Washington, who graduated last week, said she is determined to make a full recovery and go back to cheerleading soon. “You can literally do anything if you push and you persevere,” she told GMA. “Don’t doubt yourself ever because you can do anything as long as you’re putting your 120 per cent into it.” Read More Funeral held for teen shot by gas station owner over false shoplifting claims as community shares outrage Life is weirder than ever for LGBT+ people – and I think I know why Federal court reinstates death penalty order for Missouri inmate convicted of killing jailers

A former Chicago police officer has been accused of lying about getting his vehicle stolen by an ex-girlfriend to get out of paying 44 traffic tickets. Jeffrey Kriv, 56, is facing felony perjury and forgery charges for the alleged scheme that spanned a decade and saved him $3,665, according to an in-depth joint report by The Chicago Tribune and ProPublica. Cook County prosecutors claim Mr Kriv successfully used the same excuse at least 44 times since 2013. The last time he did, in September 2022, Mr Kriv allegedly told a judge that he had a fight with his then-girlfriend the morning the ticket was issued and she went on to steal his car. Like several times before, Mr Kriv showed the court what he claimed was legitimate documentation, including allegedly forged police reports of the supposed theft. “Well, I had her arrested,” Mr Kriv said, according to court transcripts reviewed by the Tribune and ProPublica. “They charged her with a misdemeanour trespassing to a vehicle ... She got, like, three months’ supervision or something like that. It’s kind of a, I don’t want to say the system’s like a joke, but it didn’t really do anything.” The investigative report also uncovered several complaints filed against Mr Kriv from the time he joined the Chicago Police Department in 1996 until his retirement on 17 January of this year. Despite having 20 suspensions totalling 170 days throughout his time in the force, department officials never attempted to fire Mr Kriv until five days before his retirement. The city first became aware of Mr Kriv’s alleged forgery crimes after a tip was sent to the Office of Inspector General last year. The information alleged that Mr Kriv used the same alibi when contesting dozens of tickets in the last decade, which ranged from speeding, running a red light and parking where it was not allowed. Tim Grace, an attorney for Mr Kriv, downplayed the accusations, saying his client’s character has been misconstrued. “Many of the facts you compose are incomplete or not true,” Mr Grace told the Tribune and ProPublica in a statement, noting upwards of 100 recognitions Mr Kriv has reportedly been awarded. “Officer Kriv has served his city with honour for over 25-plus years.” According to the Citizen Police Data Project, Mr Kriv had 76 allegations and 39 use of force reports, more than 99 per cent of other officers. Records show that Mr Kriv had a long disciplinary history during the 27 nearly years he served. According to those reports, Mr Kriv reportedly used a flashlight to break the window of a man’s car during a traffic stop, punched another man who was handcuffed in the back of his car and described a woman as “white trash” in an incident report. Mr Kriv was suspended for 20 days in 2005 for threatening sanitation workers to ticket their cars after a city Streets and Sanitation Department employee rightfully towed his personal vehicle. The next year, he was suspended for 90 days for leaving the scene of a vehicle fire to visit a waitress at a strip club. He went back to work after just 45 days. A woman also told the Tribune and ProPublica that Mr Kriv punched her in the face after arresting her for a domestic fight. The charges against the woman were dismissed and she was paid $100,000 in a settlement after suing Mr Kriv and the city. “I had to have surgery. I had to have plastic implanted under my eye because of this,” the woman told the publications. “My face is not symmetrical anymore. He really messed me up on the outside. And inside it was a really traumatic experience.” Mr Kriv was ordered released on his own recognizance in January. He last appeared in court in March. The Independent has reached out to his attorney. Read More DeSantis defines ‘woke’ after Trump claimed ‘half the people can’t’ At least 15 people killed in Senegal as opposition leader's supporters clash with police Trump news — live: Classified documents grand jury slated to meet as Trump claims trouble in New York case

The remains of five children who died at a Pennsylvania boarding school for Native Americans are going to be exhumed and returned to their families who have waited for their return for more than a century, the Office of Army Cemeteries (OAC) has announced.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has blamed liberal philanthropist George Soros and supposed concerns for Capitol security for abruptly reversing her position on releasing footage of the January 6 riot. After previously calling for the tapes of the insurrection to be shared publicly, the Georgia congresswoman said on Friday that it could endanger the safety at the Capitol and of those who were present during the rioting but did not commit any crimes. “If we released these video tapes just widely for the public — number one, we put the security of the Capitol at risk, because there’s over 1,700 video cameras,” she said in an interview with the right-wing Real America’s Voice channel. “We also endanger many Americans that were simply standing on the Capitol grounds, maybe never even walked through the Capitol or committed any crimes, but they could have just walked further than where the barrier was simply because the barrier was torn down by the time they got there,” she added. Ms Greene claimed that “Soros groups” would scour the tapes using facial recognition technology to compile evidence and hand it over to the FBI. She added that those who committed violent crimes against law enforcement should be punished, but those that simply attended the rally didn’t deserve to be persecuted. In a later tweet, she wrote: “Sedition Hunters would spend every second of every day analysing the videos in order to hunt innocent people that just stood on Capitol grounds on J6.” As recently as a month ago, Ms Greene said she supported the unfettered release of footage captured on Capitol security cameras during the riot by an armed mob of Trump supporters. “We need to release the J6 tapes to a public on line source so that everyone knows what did and didn’t happen, we need to restore fair justice, and America can move on,” she said in May. In February, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy handed over 44,000 hours of footage to then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Mr Carlson then produced a much-derided segment which sanitized the extreme violence committed against law enforcement officers, calling it “mostly peaceful chaos”. Then last week, Ms Greene announced the footage would be handed over to right-wing commentator John Solomon, Julie Kelly, a writer at conservative website American Greatness, and a third, unnamed outlet. Meanwhile, nine media companies including CNN, the New York Times and Politico are suing the Department of Justice under the Freedom of Information Act for the tapes to be released. Read More DeSantis news — live: Florida governor defines ‘woke’ and vows to dismantle Biden policies on Iowa visit Marjorie Taylor Greene cryptically says the FBI knows who mystery Capitol pipe bomber is Lauren Boebert confirms former WWE star is not her father after two DNA tests Marjorie Taylor Greene cryptically says FBI knows who mystery Capitol pipe bomber is Gavin Newsom mocks Marjorie Taylor Greene over Target pulling Pride products Marjorie Taylor Greene faces laughter after asking House to follow ‘decorum’

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said although he is relieved lawmakers reached a resolution for the debt ceiling, it is "not good for the United States to go through this."

A former WWE wrestler who had a fling with Lauren Boebert’s mother in the 1980s has taken a second DNA test to conclusively prove he is not the congresswoman’s biological father. Stan Lane, 69, was accused by the Colorado Republican’s mother Shawn Roberts Bentz decades ago of fathering the child while he was working for Championship Wrestling in Florida. He submitted to a court-ordered DNA paternity test in the 1980s to settle a child support dispute, which found that he and the 36-year-old lawmaker were not related. However, doubts persisted after a lab technician who took Mr Lane’s DNA was later convicted of taking a bribe to switch samples in a separate case. In May, Mr Lane and Ms Boebert agreed to submit their DNA for testing which proved they were not father and daughter, she told the Daily Beast. “I can confirm that Stan Lane is not my biological father. I personally have never publicly claimed he was my father—but certainly, that allegation is out there,” she told the news site. Mr Lane said in a statement to wrestling site PWInsider.com he had complied with the court order in the 1980s after having a “brief affair” with Ms Bentz. “We went through the legal system and completed a court-ordered paternity test,” he added. “I was declared not to be the father and the case was dismissed.” After Ms Bentz learned of the fraud charges against the lab worker, he agreed to a second DNA test which concluded that he had a “0.0% chance of being the biological father,” he said. Mr Lane said the false claims had been “stressful” for him and his family. “I feel my otherwise good reputation has been tarnished considerably. I and other close members of my inner circle have been dragged into this as well,” he told PWInsider.com. “I have also been followed by the news media so that they could get the scoop on this topic.” He said he had accepted Ms Boebert’s apology on behalf of herself and her family, and that his interactions with the Maga Republican had been “pleasant and enjoyable”. “I wish Lauren all the best in her future endeavours. If she continues the search for her biological father I hope she finds the answers she has been looking for.” In a statement to the Daily Beast, Ms Boebert agreed the matter was closed, joking: “The Toby Keith song ‘Who’s Your Daddy’ hits a bit differently now.” Read More Lauren Boebert claims she missed vote on debt ceiling deal because it was a ‘c**p sandwich’ Lauren Boebert’s hypocrisy over children isn’t just absurd. It’s cruel Lauren Boebert denies rumours of romance with MAGA country star after shock divorce Boebert claims she didn’t vote on debt ceiling deal because it was a ‘c**p sandwich’ Boebert didn’t turn up to vote on debt ceiling deal she furiously campaigned against Lauren Boebert claims Biden plan to combat antisemitism will target ‘conservatives’

Ron DeSantis has presented his definition of his favourite word - “woke” - days after Donald Trump said “half the people” can’t define it. “Look, we know what woke is, it’s a form of cultural Marxism,” Mr DeSantis told NBC News journalist Dasha Burns on a campaign stop in Iowa on Saturday. “It’s about putting merit and achievement behind identity politics, and it’s basically a war on the truth. And as that has infected institutions, and it has corrupted institutions. So, you’ve got to be willing to fight the woke, we’ve done that in Florida, and we proudly consider ourselves the state where woke goes to die.” Two days earlier, Mr Trump took a veiled shot at the Florida governor by criticising overuse of the Republican buzzword at his own campaign event in Iowa on Thursday. “I don’t like the term ‘woke’ because I hear, ‘Woke, woke, woke.’ It’s just a term they use, half the people can’t even define it, they don’t know what it is,” Mr Trump said at the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale, Iowa, on Thursday. During the event, Mr Trump attacked trans athletes, a popular right-wing grievance, calling it a “woke” issue before catching himself. “I guess they define that as ‘woke,’ but that’s all woke. We have to bring common sense back to the country,” he said. Hours later, Mr Trump repeatedly used the word during a Fox News town hall with Sean Hannity. The former president regularly uses “woke” to attack opponents, and just last month his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, announced the launch of a “non-woke men’s lifestyle magazine.” The magazine, which is called Field Ethos, says that it will focus on “a forgotten lifestyle to those who refuse to conform,” with fishing and hunting articles written by “old-school adventurers who make no apologies for who we are.” Mr DeSantis is also obsessed with the term and has said as president he would destroy the “woke mind virus.” In 2021, Mr DeSantis also signed into law Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act,” which banned college professors in the state from teaching critical race theory. Read More DeSantis news — live: Florida governor defines ‘woke’ and vows to dismantle Biden policies on Iowa visit DeSantis condemns Trump for congratulating ‘murderous dictator’ Kim Jong-un Trump news — live: Classified documents grand jury slated to meet as Trump claims trouble in New York case 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

Texas has become the most populous state to ban gender-affirming care for minors after Gov Greg Abbott signed legislation on Friday. Texas joined at least 18 other states that have enacted similar bans. Every major medical organization, including the American Medical Association, has opposed the bans and supported medical care for youth when administered appropriately. Lawsuits have been filed in several states where bans have been enacted this year. Last year, Mr Abbott became the first governor to order the investigation of families who were receiving care. The investigations were later halted by a Texas judge. The GOP-controlled Legislature sent the bill to Mr Abbott last month. Republicans in the Senate took the final vote over the objections from Democrats, who used parliamentary maneuvers to delay passage but could not derail it entirely. Transgender rights activists have disrupted the Texas House with protests from the chamber gallery, which led to state police forcing demonstrators to move outside the building. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

A grand jury hearing evidence in the federal investigation into Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents is expected to reconvene this week, according to a new report. The news signals that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probe into the former president may be moving closer to a possible indictment, according to NBC News. The grand jury has been hearing evidence and witness testimony for several months, but had been on a recent hiatus, according to the report. Prosecutors are investigating whether Mr Trump mishandled classified documents and later obstructed efforts to retrieve them. The development comes after CNN revealed that the Trump legal team had been unable to locate a classified document he referred to on tape. The network had earlier broke the news that a recording existed of the former president acknowledging that he had held onto a classified Pentagon document outlining a potential attack on Iran. Attorneys for Mr Trump could not find the document he referred to when they turned over material in mid-March in response to a federal subpoena relating to the investigation, according to the report. Mr Trump has already been indicted in New York on state charges that he paid illegal hush money payments in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election. But should Mr Smith move forward with the indictment, it would be the first time a sitting or former US president has faced federal charges. Mr Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In June 2022, FBI agents visited his private club Mar-a-Lago to retrieve documents he had taken with him when he left the White House. Mr Trump turned over 38 classified documents, and his attorneys pledged in writing that they had completed a thorough search of the property. The Justice Department obtained a search warrant for the former president’s home in August, and later said they retrieved 300 papers marked classified. Mr Trump’s attorneys sought to blame the oversight on White House staff in a letter to Congress in April. He could face charges relating to the handling of classified documents or obstructing investigators from recovering the materials. Mr Trump has previously said that he had the power to declassify documents simply by “thinking about it”. Read More Trump news – latest: Classified documents scandal ramps up as Trump congratulates Kim Jong-un Classified document Trump admitted he had on tape is now missing, report says 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

New movement may be coming in the investigation into Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents - as the ex-president claims his legal troubles up in New York could soon disappear. NBC News reported that the federal grand jury hearing evidence in the classified documents case is expected to meet this week following a “hiatus”. The Justice Department declined to comment and it is unclear whether Special Counsel Jack Smith is preparing to seek an indictment. Meanwhile, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to claim that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case “hush money” case is on the rocks. In all-caps, the ex-president wrote: “Wow! Legal experts are saying that D.A. Alvin Bragg will be immediately forced to drop his weak & disparaged case against “Trump” because his top investigator, Jeremy Rosenberg, corruptly colluded with a disgraced, disbarred, and convicted felon & perjurer in attempting to frame me with a “crime” that doesn’t even exist.” He appeared to be referring to a New York Post article which claimed Mr Rosenberg was suspended for “contact” with Mr Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen. The report, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, specifically states that the suspension “might not affect the case against Trump”. Read More New development in Trump’s classified documents case as grand jury expected to meet this week Trump slammed for congratulating Kim Jong-un - with awkward spelling error Trump wants New York judge removed in Manhattan hush-money case