Author: Jose Taylor

Republicans have removed Jim Jordan as the party’s nominee for Speaker, after he lost three successive votes in the US House of Representatives. The right-wing lawmaker was defeated in a secret ballot of colleagues following his failure to win a majority on the House floor on Friday morning. Republicans now must scramble to find a solution, and the House will be in recess until Monday. The chamber has been without an official Speaker for over two weeks. ADVERTISEMENT The Republicans’ slim majority over Democrats in the chamber meant Mr Jordan could only afford to lose a handful of votes if…

Hamas has released two US hostages who were abducted during the Palestinian group’s deadly raid on Israel this month. Israel confirmed they had received mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan from Hamas at the Gaza boundary. The pair were freed for “humanitarian reasons”, Hamas said. US President Joe Biden said he was overjoyed at their release and confirmed he had spoken with the Raanans on the phone. They were the first captives released since the gunmen raided Israel on 7 October, killing 1,400 people and taking around 200 hostages. Palestinian officials say more than 4,000 people have been killed…

A mother-of-four who died with two of her children in an Israeli air strike on Gaza has been described as intelligent and kind by her family in Minnesota. Heba, 42, was killed when her family home was hit. An ocean away in Blaine, Minnesota her relatives were glued to social media, hoping to hear news of their safety. Instead, they were devastated to learn that in total, five relatives were killed. ADVERTISEMENT “Our life has come to a standstill,” Jehad Adwan told the BBC, adding that he and his wife have been gripped with anxiety and grief since learning of…

The United States is flowing military supplies to Israel as the country battles against Hamas terrorists, President Joe Biden said today. “We stand with Israel,” the president said during an announcement at the White House.  The Hamas attack has been exceptionally brutal with hundreds of Israeli civilians killed and thousands wounded in the surprise attack out of Gaza that began Saturday. “There’s still so many families desperately waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones, not knowing if they are alive or dead or hostages,” the president said. Hamas gunmen also kidnapped civilians and now leaders of the group have…

The visit is meant to ‘reaffirm the United States’ solidarity with Israel and our ironclad commitment to its security,’ according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. President Joe Biden is expected to travel to Israel on Wednesday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – a visit rife with risk and one that projects the depth of America’s commitment to support Israel while underscoring the precarious state of affairs in the Middle East. The significant development came late Monday in an announcement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said the visit is meant to “reaffirm the United States’ solidarity…

David DePape’s defense attorney argued he was taking action to stop government corruption and the abuse of children by politicians and actors. SAN FRANCISCO — The man accused of bludgeoning former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer was caught up in conspiracies when he broke into her San Francisco home last year, his defense attorney said as his trial opened Thursday. The attack on then-82-year-old Paul Pelosi in the early hours of Oct. 28, 2022, sent shockwaves through the political world just days before last year’s midterm elections. Defense attorney Jodi Linker said Thursday she won’t dispute that her client David DePape attacked Paul Pelosi,…

Alexander Roy has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 22-year-old off-duty Park Police officer. An off-duty U.S. Park Police officer unintentionally shot and killed another off-duty officer over the weekend in Virginia as he pulled a trigger on a gun he thought was unloaded, police said. Alexander Roy, 25, was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Jesse Brown Hernandez, 22, while they were at a gathering in an apartment in McLean, Virginia, about 10 miles west of Washington. Police were called to the scene shortly after midnight on Sunday. Two other people, including another…

Since Donald Trump’s presidency, the construction of an impenetrable wall at the US-Mexico border has become a common refrain among conservative politicians. But one Republican presidential hopeful, Vivek Ramaswamy, wants to take the idea even further. His proposal: A wall along the 5,500 mile long (8,900km) US-Canada frontier. At Wednesday’s primary debate in Miami, the 38-year-old candidate argued that enough fentanyl crossed the border last year to “kill three million Americans”. His calls to tackle the trade by building a colossal border wall were quickly panned by experts. On stage at the presidential debate, Mr Ramaswamy claimed that the US…

A man who set off smoke bombs in a crowded New York subway carriage before shooting 10 people has been sentenced to 10 concurrent life terms in prison. Frank James, 64, had pleaded guilty in January to 10 counts of terrorism, one for each person shot, in the 12 April 2022 attack. Prosecutors said he planned the attack for years to inflict maximum damage. All the victims survived but “were left with long-lasting physical and psychological damage”. According to reporters inside the courtroom on Thursday, one of the victims addressed James and said: “You did something terribly evil. Your mother…

A teenage suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of social justice activist Ryan Carson who was stabbed multiple times on a New York street while returning from a wedding. Brian Dowling, 18, has been charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon, police said. Mr Carson, 32, was killed near a bus station in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighbourhood early on 2 October. Police said the attacker had been “acting agitated” before the assault. Authorities initially withheld Mr Dowling’s identity until they had enough probable cause to make an arrest, local media reported. Footage showed the teenager…