USA

USA: Enormous storm Lee lashes New England and Canada with wind, heavy rain, pounding surf

BAR HARBOR, Maine (AP) — No longer bearing the title of hurricane but almost as strong as one, Lee toppled trees, swamped boats and streets, and cut power to tens of thousands Saturday as it lashed a huge swath of New England and eastern Canada with high winds, rough surf and torrential rains.

The storm, now a post-tropical cyclone, was expected to make landfall near hurricane strength in Atlantic Canada on Saturday afternoon, then weaken as it moved farther into the region.

USA: Prosecutors seek narrow gag order on Trump in federal election case after ‘inflammatory’ comments

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors are seeking an order that would prevent Donald Trump from making “inflammatory” and “intimidating” comments about witnesses, lawyers and other people involved in the criminal case charging the former president with scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Special counsel Jack Smith’s team said in a motion filed Friday that such a “narrow, well-defined” order was necessary to preserve the integrity of the case and to avoid prejudicing potential jurors.

USA: The Senate’s bipartisan approach to government funding is putting pressure on a divided House

WASHINGTON (AP) — On one side of the Capitol, two senators have steered the debate over government funding mostly clear of partisan fights, creating a path for bills to pass with bipartisan momentum.

Steps away, on the House side of the building, things couldn’t be more different.

USA: UAW strike exposes tensions between Biden’s goals of tackling climate change and supporting unions

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two of President Joe Biden ‘s top goals — fighting climate change and expanding the middle class by supporting unions — are colliding in the key battleground state of Michigan as the United Auto Workers go on strike against the country’s biggest car companies.

The strike involves 13,000 workers so far, less than one-tenth of the union’s total membership, but it’s a sharp test of Biden’s ability to hold together an expansive and discordant political coalition while running for reelection.

Trump skips Iowa gathering of evangelical Christians. His rivals hope for a chance to gain ground

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Some of Donald Trump ‘s top rivals for the Republican presidential nomination will address a gathering of influential Iowa evangelical Christians on Saturday night, hoping to woo them away from the former president at an event he is skipping.

USA: Louisiana prisoner suit claims they’re forced to endure dangerous conditions at Angola prison farm

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Men incarcerated at Louisiana State Penitentiary filed a class-action lawsuit Saturday, contending they have been forced to work in the prison’s fields for little or no pay, even when temperatures soar past 100 degrees. They described the conditions as cruel, degrading and often dangerous.

USA: Military officers begin to speak out on the harm done by Sen. Tuberville’s holds on promotions

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the months since a single senator froze military promotions over the Pentagon’s abortion policy, the uniformed officers affected have been largely silent, wary of stepping into a political fray. But as the ramifications of Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s freeze have grown, more of them are speaking out.

USA: The auto workers strike will drive up car prices, but not right away — unless consumers panic

DALLAS (AP) — Car shoppers are heading for a new round of sticker shock if the strike by the United Auto Workers doesn’t end soon, particularly for popular vehicles that are already in short supply.

The number of vehicles on dealer lots will shrink the longer the walkout goes on. Dealers are likely to lose incentives that the manufacturers pay them to boost sales by cutting prices.

And consumers might make things worse with panic-buying.

USA: Republican Texas AG Ken Paxton is acquitted of corruption charges at historic impeachment trial

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted Saturday of all charges at a historic impeachment trial that divided Republicans over whether to remove a powerful defender of former President Donald Trump after years of scandal and criminal charges.

Saudi made it clear Palestine is part of any deal with Israel; Blinken

15 September 2023; MEMO: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken yesterday revealed that Saudi Arabia has made it clear to the United States that issues related to the Palestinians will be an essential part of any future agreement with Israel.

“It is also clear from what we hear from the Saudis that if this process is to move forward, the Palestinian piece is going to be very important too,” Blinken said, adding, “Normalisation cannot come at the expense of the Palestinian cause.”

Subscribe to USA