List of All Articles with Tag 'america'

A Republican measure overturning President Joe Biden's student loan cancellation plan passed the Senate on Thursday and now awaits an expected veto. The vote was 52-46, with support from Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana as well as Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent. The resolution was approved last week by the GOP-controlled House by a 218-203 vote. Biden has pledged to keep in place his commitment to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loans for 43 million people. The legislation adds to Republican criticism of the plan, which was halted in November in response to lawsuits from conservative opponents. The Supreme Court heard arguments in February in a challenge to Biden's move, with the conservative majority seemingly ready to sink the plan. A decision is expected in the coming weeks. “The president’s student loan schemes do not ‘forgive’ debt, they just shift the burden from those who chose to take out loans onto those who never went to college or already fulfilled their commitment to pay off their loans,” said Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, lead sponsor of the Senate push. The legislation aims to revoke Biden’s cancellation plan and curtail the Education Department’s ability to cancel student loans in the future. It would rescind Biden’s latest extension of a payment pause that began early in the pandemic. It would retroactively add several months of student loan interest that was waived by Biden’s extension. The GOP challenge invoked the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to undo recently enacted executive branch regulations. Passing a resolution requires a simple majority in both chambers, but overriding a presidential veto requires two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate, and Republicans aren't expected to have enough support to do that. "If Republicans were to get their way and pass this bill into law, people across the country would have relief they are counting on snatched away from them,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. ___ The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

A Colorado mother-of-three was shot dead while trying to protect her elderly father during a home invasion at her farm in southern Ecuador. Francesca Williams, 44, was killed when robbers burst onto the family property in the village of Vilacamba where she lived with her father John, husband Michael and the couple’s three teenage daughters on 20 May, according to reports. Michael Williams told KDVR that the first he realised the farm was under attack was when he was struck by a hard object in the head while standing outside and collapsed to the ground. Francesca had been hanging washing when the gunmen showed up, and was fatally shot in the back while trying to protect her birth father John, her adoptive mother Marianna Bacilla told NBC San Diego. John, who suffered from emphysema and dementia, was stabbed three times during there attack but is out of hospital and expected to make a full recovery. The couple’s daughter Rachel told KDVR that she had witnessed the gunfire strike her mother. “I saw my grandpa on the floor with a strange man to the right, then I saw another man with my mom and she was scrambling after him, basically fighting him off,” the teenager said. “Then I saw two sparks of a gun and heard gunshots.” The family reported hearing the men asking in Spanish for the “large aunt”, and believe they were at the wrong address. Michael Williams told the news site he was tied up before the assailants ransacked the home taking any valuables they could find, including iPads and laptops. After they left he discovered his wife badly wounded and drove to the nearest medical facility, but she had already succumbed to her injuries. Her body has since been returned to her former hometown of Kremmling, Colorado, and a funeral is due to be held on 3 June. On a fundraising page set up to help the family, Ms Bacilla said they had moved several years ago to the farm in rural southern Ecuador where they were raising chickens, goats, horses, pigs, ducks and guinea fowl. “It was their humble Shangri-La,” she said. Francesca Williams was described as a devoted wife and mother, who graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in linguistics. She was fluent in French, Spanish and Lithuanian, worked as a translator and had recently published her first illustrated children’s book The King’s Magic. A few days after the attack, Michael Williams said the family were in a “heightened level of anxiousness and security because we aren’t in a safe place”. A GoFundme page has received nearly $30,000 in donations. Read More New Jersey attorney linked to three rapes after family submitted DNA to genealogy website Ecuador lawmakers denounce president's disbanding of National Assembly, argue it wasn't legal Lauren Boebert didn’t turn up to vote on debt ceiling deal she furiously campaigned against

By Rajesh Kumar Singh CHICAGO American Airlines' plan to grow revenue by relying more heavily on alliance partners

Former president Donald Trump escalated his attacks on competitor Ron DeSantis as the Florida governor began his presidential campaign in Iowa following his glitch-laden Twitter announcement. The 45th president on Wednesday claimed that Mr DeSantis was looking to "change his name". "Have you heard that 'Rob' DeSanctimonious wants to change his name, again," Mr Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. "He is demanding that people call him DeeeSantis, rather than DaSantis. Actually, I like “Da” better, a nicer flow, so I am happy he is changing it. "He gets very upset when people, including reporters, don’t pronounce it correctly. Therefore, he shouldn’t mind, DeSanctimonious?" The Florida governor pronounced his name both as “dee-santus and “duh-santus", but reportedly settled on the latter. Mr Trump in a subsequent post, wrote: "ELECTION INTERFERENCE!" The one-time president continued his diatribe against Mr DeSantis by reposting a statement from Republican representative Mike Keyy, accusing the governor of “ingratitude” after Trump endorsed him in 2018. "There was a time when Ron DeSantis begged for president Trump's support. Our president gave Mr DeSantis that put him in a position to win the Florida governor's race...," the statement read. Mr Trump persisted. He then shared a post with a link to an article that called Mr DeSantis a "Trump knockoff". That followed another post linked to an article calling Mr Trump’s support “unmovable". A third post with a link claimed "Trump showed that he can capably lead America and protect the unborn”. Mr DeSantis, meanwhile, blitzed through Iowa during his first full day of presidential campaigning, stepping up his verbal swipes at the former president. The governor accused MrTrump of abandoning “America First” principles on immigration, supporting coronavirus pandemic-related lockdowns and generally having “moved Left”. Mr DeSantis also laughed off frequent criticism from the former president over his leadership in Florida, particularly on the state’s response to Covid-19. “Hell, his whole family moved to Florida under my governorship,” Mr DeSantis said. “This is a different guy than 2015, 2016,” Mr DeSantis previously told The Daily Wire, a conservative news website. Read More Reports: Prosecutors have tape of Trump discussing holding onto classified doc after leaving office Trump news - live: Trump caught on tape revealing he kept classified papers after presidency, report says DeSantis news – live: Florida governor attacks ‘wokeness’ but avoids saying Trump’s name at Iowa rally 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

A Florida school teacher was killed in an apparent murder-suicide with her 10-month-old baby discovered crying and unharmed in a crib. Amanda Hicks, 26, was found stabbed to death on 27 May after police went to an apartment in Port St Lucie to carry out a welfare check that had been requested by the family of an adult male. Port St Lucie police say that when officers arrived at the home in Peacock Run Apartments they could hear the infant crying inside and when they entered discovered Hicks and the male - later identified as Hicks’ fiancé, dead on the floor from a gunshot wound. The baby was removed from the property and placed with a family member. Investigators said in a statement that Hicks “was killed by an adult male who then took his own life.” Police say that Hicks and the unidentified 25-year-old were “romantically involved.” Port St Lucie Police Sgt John Dellacroce told Fox News Digital that the man had repeatedly called a family member who didn’t pick up the phone - with the final call taking place at 11.50pm. About an hour later, the sound of a gunshot was captured on surveillance video. “His family member didn’t answer the phone and saw all these missed calls the next morning and tried to call him back but couldn’t get a hold of him,” Mr Dellacroce said. He said the relative called police to request a welfare check as soon as they say the missed calls the next morning. Hicks was a sixth-grade reading teacher at Dr David L Anderson Middle School in Martin County, school officials confirmed. In a message sent to parents and staff, school principal Darcia Borel said that Hick’s death was a tragedy. “It is with great sadness that we write to inform you about the tragic passing of one of our teachers, Ms Amanda Hicks,” Ms Borel wrote. “The Port St Lucie Police Department has confirmed that Ms Hicks was the victim of a homicide. While words will never be enough to convey the shock and sadness this news has brought to our school family, it is more important than ever to come together to support one another through our grief journey.” Read More Tourists flee Florida beach in terror as gunshots ring out in harrowing video of Hollywood shooting Hollywood beach shooting – live: Photos show suspects on the run after nine shot on Florida boardwalk A sunny Memorial Day at the beach upended by gunfire: What we know about the shooting in Hollywood, Florida

A suspected “serial killer” and convicted child rapist was arrested in Austin, Texas, days after he identified himself in a chilling phone call to police. Austin Police Department and Texas’ Lone Star Fugitive Task Force apprehended Raul Meza Jr, 62, at bus stop near Parmer Lane on 29 May, days after he confessed to killing his 80-year-old roommate Jesse Fraga in Pflugerville last month. During a 14-minute phone call, on 24 May, Meza also implicated himself in the 2019 murder of Gloria Lofton at her home in Austin. “My name is Raul Meza and you’re looking for me,” Meza said on the call, Detective Patrick Reed told a press conference on Tuesday 30 May. Meza then detailed his relationship with Fraga and the manner in which he murdered him, including details that had not been made public, Mr Reed said. Fraga’s body was discovered at his home with a belt around his neck on 20 May after the former probation officer’s family requested a welfare check over concerns they hadn’t spoken to him in over a week. Meza reportedly fled the scene with Fraga’s car. Austin Police Sergeant Nathan Sexton added that the Travis County medical examiner noted a puncture mark on Fraga’s neck and a severed cervical spine. Meza also told Mr Reed he had been in and out of prison, adding: “I got out in 2016, I end up murdering a lady soon afterwards. It was on Sara Drive.” Based on details provided by Meza as well as medical information, Mr Reed and his partner Detective Katy Conner identified Meza’s second victim as Lofton, who was strangled on 9 May 2019. “I will let you know that Mr Meza said he was ready and prepared to kill again and he was looking forward to it,” Mr Reed informed the press. After his arrest, Meza was charged with two counts of capital murder, but authorities said they are investigating his ties to “multiple cold cases that have a similar M.O. [modus operandi]”. In 1982, Meza pled guilty to the rape and murder of eight-year-old Kendra Page while she was riding her bike near Langford Elementary School. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison but was released on parole in 1993, after serving 11 years. During the press conference on Tuesday, Deputy US Marshall Brandon Filla described Meza as “the worst of the worst” while interim assistant city manager Bruce Mills said it was a “travesty of justice” Meza had been allowed back on the streets. In an interview with KVUE, Kendra’s sister Shawn Page reacted to the news of Meza’s arrest. Explaining how her family tried to keep Meza in prison, Shawn said: “To find out this has happened to so many other people, it’s a tragedy. My dad knew he was dangerous, and no one would listen to us.” Meza’s rap sheet dates back to 1975, when he robbed a convenience store in Austin with three other teenagers. Meza, 14 at the time, shot the store attendant Derly Ramirez, paralysing him. In 1976, he was reportedly sentenced to 20 years in jail for aggravated robbery before being released on parole in 1981. Meza is being held in Travis County Jail. If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here. Read More Cameron Robbins: Search called off for teen who ‘jumped off cruise ship as a dare’ Debt ceiling news – live: House votes to approve McCarthy-Biden deal as opposition collapses Iowa building collapse – live: Survivor lost leg in rescue as two others feared trapped in Davenport wreckage Jeffrey Epstein’s island: What really happened there? Trump news – live: Trump ‘caught on tape’ discussing classified papers, trashes DeSantis and Christie

In a bombshell development in the classified documents case against Donald Trump, a report by CNN says federal prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting in which the former president acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran — potentially undercutting his argument that he declassified everything. The recording indicates Mr Trump understood he retained classified papers after leaving the White House and suggests he would like to share the information but is aware of limitations on his ability post-presidency to declassify records. The network cites multiple sources. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is investigating the classified papers case, is also looking at the former president’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. In a new development he is examining Mr Trump’s firing of cybersecurity official Christopher Krebs, whose office said the vote was secure, The New York Times reports. Mr Krebs was fired by Mr Trump shortly after the election. Meanwhile, as more Republican contenders join the party’s primary race, Mr Trump has promised a year-long celebration of America to mark 250 years of independence if he wins the presidency again. Read More Trump caught on tape discussing classified documents he kept after leaving White House, reports say Trump legal team asks for judge in hush-money case to be removed Trump accuses DeSantis of faking his own name in wave of attacking social media posts

Veering away from a default crisis, the House overwhelmingly approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, sending the deal that President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated to the Senate for swift passage in a matter of days, before a fast-approaching deadline. The hard-fought compromise pleased few, but lawmakers assessed it was better than the alternative — a devastating economic upheaval if Congress failed to act. Tensions ran high as hard-right Republicans refused the deal, but Biden and McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition to push to passage on a robust 314-117 vote late Wednesday. “We did pretty dang good,” McCarthy, R-Calif., said afterward. Amid deep discontent from Republicans who said the spending restrictions did not go far enough, McCarthy said it is only a “first step." Biden, watching the tally from Colorado Springs where Thursday he is scheduled to deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy, phoned McCarthy and the other congressional leaders after the vote. In a statement, he called the outcome “good news for the American people and the American economy.” Washington is rushing after a long slog of debate to wrap up work on the package to ensure the government can keep paying its bills, and prevent financial upheaval at home and abroad. Next Monday is when the Treasury has said the U.S. would run short of money and risk a dangerous default. Biden had been calling lawmakers directly to shore up backing. McCarthy worked to sell skeptical fellow Republicans, even fending off challenges to his leadership, in the rush to avert a potentially disastrous U.S. default. A similar bipartisan effort from Democrats and Republicans will be needed in the Senate to overcome objections. Overall, the 99-page bill would make some inroads in curbing the nation’s deficits as Republicans demanded, without rolling back Trump-era tax breaks as Biden wanted. To pass it, Biden and McCarthy counted on support from the political center, a rarity in divided Washington. A compromise, the package restricts spending for the next two years, suspends the debt ceiling into January 2025 and changes some policies, including imposing new work requirements for older Americans receiving food aid and greenlighting an Appalachian natural gas line that many Democrats oppose. It bolsters funds for defense and veterans, and guts new money for Internal Revenue Service agents. Raising the nation's debt limit, now $31 trillion, ensures Treasury can borrow to pay already incurred U.S. debts. Top GOP deal negotiator Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana said Republicans were fighting for budget cuts after the past years of extra spending, first during the COVID-19 crisis and later with Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, with its historic investment to fight climate change paid for with revenues elsewhere. But Republican Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the Freedom Caucus helping to lead the opposition, said, “My beef is that you cut a deal that shouldn’t have been cut.” For weeks negotiators labored late into the night to strike the deal with the White House, and for days McCarthy has worked to build support among skeptics. At one point, aides wheeled in pizza at the Capitol the night before the vote as he walked Republicans through the details, fielded questions and encouraged them not to lose sight of the bill’s budget savings. The speaker has faced a tough crowd. Cheered on by conservative senators and outside groups, the hard-right House Freedom Caucus lambasted the compromise as falling well short of the needed spending cuts, and they vowed to try to halt passage. A much larger conservative faction, the Republican Study Committee, declined to take a position. Even rank-and-file centrist conservatives were unsure, leaving McCarthy searching for votes from his slim Republican majority. Ominously, the conservatives warned of possibly trying to oust McCarthy over the compromise. One influential Republican, former President Donald Trump, held his fire: "It is what it is,” he said of the deal in an interview with Iowa radio host Simon Conway. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said it was up to McCarthy to turn out Republican votes in the 435-member chamber, where 218 votes are needed for approval. As the tally faltered on an afternoon procedural vote, Jeffries stood silently and raised his green voting card, signaling that the Democrats would fill in the gap to ensure passage. They did, advancing the bill that hard-right Republicans, many from the Freedom Caucus, refused to back. “Once again, House Democrats to the rescue to avoid a dangerous default,” said Jeffries, D-N.Y. “What does that say about this extreme MAGA Republican majority?” he said about the party aligned with Trump’s ”Make America Great Again” political movement. Then, on the final vote hours later, Democrats again ensured passage, leading the tally as 71 Republicans bucked their majority and voted against it. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the spending restrictions in the package would reduce deficits by $1.5 trillion over the decade, a top goal for the Republicans trying to curb the debt load. In a surprise that complicated Republicans' support, however, the CBO said their drive to impose work requirements on older Americans receiving food stamps would end up boosting spending by $2.1 billion over the time period. That's because the final deal exempts veterans and homeless people, expanding the food stamp rolls by 78,000 people monthly, the CBO said. Liberal discontent, though, ran strong as nearly four dozen Democrats also broke away, decrying the new work requirements for older Americans, those 50-54, in the food aid program. Some Democrats were also incensed that the White House negotiated into the deal changes to the landmark National Environmental Policy Act and approval of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline natural gas project. The energy development is important to Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., but many others oppose it as unhelpful in fighting climate change. On Wall Street, stock prices were down Wednesday. In the Senate, Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell are working for passage by week's end. Schumer warned there is ”no room for error." Senators, who have remained largely on the sidelines during much of the negotiations, are insisting on amendments to reshape the package. But making any changes at this stage seemed unlikely with so little time to spare before Monday's deadline. ___ AP White House Correspondent Zeke Miller, AP writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Seung Min Kim and Jill Colvin and video journalist Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Debt ceiling deal advances pipeline and tweaks environmental rules. But more work remains. Republicans get their IRS cuts; Democrats say they expect little near-term impact Progressives and conservatives complain as Biden-McCarthy debt deal passes

Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed without providing evidence that the FBI actually knows the identity of a person who left two pipe bombs near the Capitol a day before the Jan 6 insurrection. Investigators said they have been left stumped in trying to identify a suspect who placed the explosive devices outside the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington DC. Despite offering a $500,000 reward, the FBI is no nearer to making an arrest in the case, but that has not stopped Ms Greene from suggesting they actually know who did it. The far-right lawmaker from Georgia made the outrageous claim on her Battleground podcast. “The FBI can’t find the pipe bomber? This is ridiculous! This shows you that the FBI doesn’t care about finding the pipe bomber because they know exactly who the pipe bomber is,” she said. “And they use their resources and your hard-earned tax dollars to go after people because they support Trump and were mad about the election of 2020 and these people walked into the Capitol.” In January, David Sundberg, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office, said that for two years “a dedicated team of FBI agents, analysts, and law enforcement partners have been tirelessly reviewing evidence and digital media related to this case”. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Washington police had “conducted approximately 1,000 interviews, visited more than 1,200 residences and businesses, collected more than 39,000 video files, and assessed nearly 500 tips”, according to the bureau. “In raising the reward for information about the pipe bomb suspect from $100,000 to as much as $500,000, the FBI and our partners are seeking to encourage the American public to take a fresh look at our Seeking Information website, which includes images and video of the suspect, the suspect’s backpack, the suspect’s shoes, the explosive devices, and a map of the route the suspect walked the night the pipe bombs were placed,” the FBI said. Read More Marjorie Taylor Greene faces waves of mocking laughter after asking House to follow ‘decorum’ Gavin Newsom mocks Marjorie Taylor Greene in spat over Target pulling Pride products: ‘Are you the space laser person?’

The House of Representatives has voted to raise the debt limit, thereby ensuring the United States will avoid defaulting on its debt, despite vocal opposition from many Republicans in the House majority. The legislation had resulted from negotiations between lieutenants of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the White House. The passage of the legislation is the first major hurdle to be cleared for Mr McCarthy, who made a series of concessions on how to negotiate the debt limit during the marathon 15 votes it took for him to become speaker in January. The Senate will take up the legislation for a vote and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has pledged it will pass before 5 June, when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the United States will run out of options to maintain its debt obligations. Multiple Republicans vehemently criticised the bill, saying it did not go far enough in its spending cuts as well as highlighting the fact it raised the debt limit until January 2025, rather than raising it a certain dollar amount. Rep Garret Graves (R-LA), one of the chief negotiators with the White House, said that conservative criticism ignored the fact that had it not been for the agreement, the White House would have likely raised the debt limit unilaterally or Democrats would have teamed up with moderate Republicans to raise the debt limit without spending cuts. “So by doing so all you're doing is playing into the hands of the White House,” he told The Independent. “Because if you keep going down this road, if you keep trying to sew this line, that's simply not true that there's some other option out there to save a gazillion dollars, all you're doing is you're moving towards default.” But several House conservatives criticised the bill for multiple provisions, including the fact it did not put in place work requirements for Medicaid. The agreement increases the age for work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, for able-bodied adults without dependent children from 50 to 54. That earned the criticism of many progressive Democrats and led to them opposing the bill. At the same time, the agreement would exempt youth in the foster care system, veterans and people experiencing homelessness from work requirements for SNAP and the Congressional Budget Office estimated that approximately 78,000 would gain benefits in an average month as a result of the deal. But Rep Byron Donalds (R-FL) criticised the legislation for not going far enough in work requirements such as including them for Medicaid. “And I think that's just a smart and prudent thing to do,” he told The Independent. “But when you expand eligibility for the program, at least the way CBO is putting it we're actually taking a step backwards.” Read More What’s in the cliffhanger deal struck by Biden and McCarthy to raise the debt limit? Anti-poverty groups and progressives blast work requirements for aid to poor Americans in debt ceiling deal

Marie Bolden, a black teenager, won the first US spelling bee in 1908. Her win was eclipsed by racism.

Five teenagers were arrested in connection with the beating of three US Marines by a crowd of young people they had asked to stop lighting fireworks. The violent incident, which was captured on video, took place at Southern California‘s San Clemente Pier over Memorial Day weekend. The suspects, four of whom are boys and one girl, face felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The city also says that four other local students were identified and have been citied with misdemeanour assault charges. First responders gave medical aid to two Marines, who refused to go to the hospital, and investigators later found a third Marine who had also been attacked. The video seemingly shows that the incident started when a teenage male punched a man in the back of the head. The man then charged the teenager before being surrounded by a group of people who hit him until the fight was broken up by a man and woman. One of the Marines, Hunter Antonino, told KCAL that he and his two friends were at the pier when 30 teenagers arrived and began to set off fireworks He said that when he was hit in the face by debris he asked the group to leave. “They were lighting off fireworks, they were being belligerent, they were being obnoxious and annoying other people, so I went up to them and told them to stop,” he said. San Clemente mayor Chris Duncan told The Los Angeles Times that the incident was unacceptable. “The barbaric assault on off-duty Marines at the San Clemente Pier goes against everything we stand for in San Clemente, and it’s no excuse that teenagers were involved,” he said. “I want to assure our community, especially our military and veteran community, that we take this matter with the utmost seriousness and will not tolerate this kind of behavior in our city. The fact that this incident occurred over Memorial Day weekend is particularly tragic.” Read More Video shows mob attack US marines who asked them to stop lighting fireworks Highly decorated Marine officer nominated to be next commandant Critics say Biden is lying about how his son Beau died in Iraq – they are ignoring the full story