US News

Republican congressman Steve Scalise has abandoned his bid to be the next US Speaker of the House – just over 24 hours after his party nominated him. His decision to withdraw from the race throws Washington’s House of Representatives into further turmoil – and means the position of Speaker has now been vacant for 10

Cher has denied allegations that she hired four men to kidnap her 47-year-old son from a New York City hotel room. The singer, 77, told People Magazine “that rumour is not true” and declined to comment further when asked about the incident. The publication reported last month that her son Elijah Blue Allman’s estranged wife

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Hamas is the “enemy of civilisation” and will be “crushed”. Speaking alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Mr Netanyahu thanked Washington for its support since Hamas’s attack – adding the militant group should be treated “exactly as ISIS was treated”. Mr Netanyahu said “no country should harbour”

Microsoft owes the US Treasury $28.9 billion (£23bn) in back taxes, plus penalties and interest according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The figure, which Microsoft disputes, stems from a long-running IRS investigation into how Microsoft allocated its profits among countries and jurisdictions in the years 2004 to 2013, according to a securities filing Critics

A star witness has given evidence at the trial of fallen crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried – telling the court he directed her to commit fraud. Caroline Ellison was the CEO of Alameda Research – a hedge fund linked to the doomed FTX exchange – and used to be the one-time billionaire’s girlfriend. She told the

Debris from the Titan submersible has been recovered – including “presumed human remains”, the US Coast Guard has said. Marine safety engineers say fresh evidence has been gathered from the seafloor of the North Atlantic Ocean, four months after the doomed vessel went missing. The debris is now being analysed by US medical professionals as

A skydiver has died after falling onto someone’s front garden in Florida. The 69-year-old parachutist was found on a resident’s property in Titusville, Florida, on Saturday afternoon. The man, later identified as Frederick Morello, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Titusville Police Department. Police said they believed Mr Morello, who was found wearing

Police in San Francisco have fatally shot the driver of a vehicle that crashed through the Chinese consulate in the city. The car entered the lobby of the building’s visa office at about 3pm local time on Monday, which the Chinese diplomatic post in San Francisco said posed a “serious threat to the safety of

President Joe Biden has been interviewed as part of an independent investigation into his handling of classified documents. White House spokesman Ian Sams said in a statement on Monday that the interview was voluntary and conducted at the White House on Sunday and Monday. Mr Sams said: “As we have said from the beginning, the

Former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney has left his role as head coach of DC United. The Washington DC-based side said they had “mutually agreed to part ways” with the 37-year-old former Derby County boss after the club were eliminated from MLS play-off contention on Saturday night. “We have spoken with Wayne and

It was 2.30am in Washington DC when White House officials were first alerted to a situation which will come to represent a truly bloody turning point. Throughout the remainder of the night, the phone lines were hot. Israel’s most important ally was in constant contact with military officials in Tel Aviv and the political leaders

Almost 1,000 songbirds have died in a single night after smashing into the windows of a glass-fronted exhibition centre in Chicago. Experts have described this as a “shocking outlier” – as typically, no more than 15 birds would perish at the McCormick Place, the largest convention centre in the US. David Willard, who has been

Simone Biles has become the most decorated gymnast in history after sealing her sixth career world all-around title in Antwerp. The 26-year-old’s appearance at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships marks her return to major international competition after she took a two-year break to focus on her mental health. The American gymnast led her team

Jason Derulo has been accused of sexually harassing a woman he offered a record contract to. Emaza Gibson, 25, alleges that the singer offered her a deal as a solo artist in August 2021 – only to retract it the following September after she refused his sexual advances. The lawsuit, which was filed at the

The United States has shot down an armed Turkish drone operating near its troops in Syria, the Pentagon said. It was the first time Washington has brought down an aircraft of NATO ally Turkey. Turkish drones had been seen carrying out airstrikes in Hasakah in Syria on Thursday morning in a so-called American “restricted operating

The trial of embattled crypto executive Sam Bankman-Fried has begun – with prosecutors claiming he stole more than $10bn (£8.2bn) from unsuspecting customers. Almost a year after FTX spectacularly collapsed, leaving millions of people out of pocket, a court heard that the 31-year-old’s multibillion-dollar empire was “built on lies”. Bankman-Fried has been accused of using

The United States has sent over a million rounds of ammunition it seized from an Iranian ship last December to Ukraine. Officials at the Pentagon have confirmed to Sky News the transfer of 1.1 million rounds of 7.62mm small arms ammunition to Ukraine took place on Monday this week. The ammunition, standard rounds for Soviet-era

The Speaker of the US House of Representatives has been ousted from his position in a historic vote forced by far-right Republicans he had spent nine months appeasing. Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, is the first Speaker ever to be removed from office after months of turbulent fighting within Donald Trump‘s party, leaving the

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been removed from office after a historic challenge to his leadership from his own party. The Republican faced a motion to vacate, which was triggered by Donald Trump ally Matt Gaetz on Monday, just months after securing the position in 15 rounds of voting. It is the first time

Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, has pleaded not guilty to three federal firearm charges filed against him after a plea deal collapsed. He is accused of lying about his drug use in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun, which he kept for around 11 days. Abbe Lowell, his