Iran hacked Trump campaign, sought to interest Biden team, FBI says
Iranian hackers sought to interest U.S. President Joe Biden’s campaign in information stolen from rival Donald Trump’s campaign, sending unsolicited emails to people associated with the then-Democratic candidate in an effort to interfere in the 2024 election, the FBI and other federal agencies said Wednesday. The emails were received before the hack of the Trump campaign was publicly acknowledged, and there’s no evidence the recipients of the emails knew their origin. There’s no indication that any of the recipients responded, officials said, and several media organizations approached over the summerRead more
Russia can end war now, says PM as Putin warns West
Russia started the conflict in Ukraine and can end it “straight away”, Sir Keir Starmer has said after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Moscow would regard Western missiles being fired into Russia as a serious escalation of the war. The PM is in Washington for talks with US President Joe Biden on Friday, as allies of Kyiv discuss giving Ukraine permission to fire their missiles at targets inside Russia. Putin told Russian state television that this would “mean nothing other than the direct participation of Nato countries – the USRead more
Trump says he won’t debate Harris again before election day
Republican nominee Donald Trump said on Thursday he would not participate in another presidential debate against Kamala Harris ahead of the U.S. Nov. 5 election, after several polls showed his Democratic rival won their debate earlier this week. “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” the former president wrote on his social media site Truth Social. Although Trump touted his performance on Tuesday against Harris, six Republican donors and three Trump advisers who spoke to Reuters earlier this week said they thought Harris had won the debate largely because Trump was unable to stay on message. The debate attracted more than 67 million television viewers, according to early Nielsen data. Harris, speaking atRead more
SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew successfully complete first commercial spacewalk
A tech billionaire and one other crew member stepped out for the first private spacewalk Thursday, teaming up with SpaceX on an endeavour hundreds of miles above Earth that’s been reserved until now for professional astronauts. Entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and his crew waited until their capsule was depressurized before popping open the hatch. “Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. But from here, it sure looks like a perfect world,” said Isaacman. This spacewalk was simple and quick — less than two hours — compared withRead more
How Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris might impact the U.S. presidential election
Taylor Swift is nobody’s idea of an opening act, and she followed Kamala Harris’s first U.S. presidential debate performance minutes later by endorsing the Democratic nominee. Swift made the endorsement for the Nov. 5 presidential election in an Instagram post to her 283 million followers, calling Harris a “steady-handed, gifted leader.” “There were people this morning on my TikTok page who were literally crying because of this news, just crying out of joy and relief,” said Brian Donovan, a University of Kansas professor who teaches a course called The SociologyRead more
Hunter Biden pleads guilty trial in tax case in surprise move to avoid trial
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to federal tax charges Thursday in a surprise move that spares President Joe Biden and his family another likely embarrassing and painful criminal trial of the president’s son. Hunter Biden’s stunning decision to guilty plea to misdemeanor and felony charges without the benefits of a deal with prosecutors came hours after jury selection was supposed to begin in the case accusing him of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. “Enough is enough,” defence attorney Abbe Lowell told the judge before Hunter Biden enteredRead more
U.K. competition watchdog probing use of ‘dynamic pricing’ in Oasis ticket debacle
Britain’s competition watchdog on Thursday launched an investigation into Ticketmaster over the sale of Oasis tickets, including the use of “dynamic pricing” to hike the cost to fans at the last minute. Thousands of fans waited long hours in virtual queues last weekend to get their hands on tickets for the British band’s reunion shows next summer, only to find that prices had jumped in a “dynamic pricing” scheme. Many thought they would pay the advertised rate of £148.50 ($264) but ended up paying more than double at £355.20 ($632).Read more
Canada still hasn’t recognized the likely winner of Venezuela’s election — Venezuelans want to know why
Some Venezuelan-Canadians say the Trudeau government has failed to stand up for democracy in its response to the July 28 Venezuelan presidential election — an election tainted by widespread evidence of fraud and a government campaign of arrests, disappearances and torture of poll workers. Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia ruled out seeking asylum abroad yesterday after a judge loyal to the Nicolas Maduro regime issued a warrant for his arrest on Monday. Global Affairs Canada condemned the arrest warrant in a media statement. Gonzalez was still in hiding when this articleRead more
Trump pleads not guilty to revised federal indictment in 2020 election case
Lawyers for Donald Trump entered a not guilty plea on his behalf on Thursday in a Washington, D.C., court in relation to a revised indictment filed in a federal election subversion case. Special counsel Jack Smith’s team filed last week to strip out certain allegations of the original indictment handed down in 2023, after a momentous U.S. Supreme Court ruling this summer that set out limits on when former presidents could be subject to criminal prosecution. The former U.S. president faces four charges related to plotting to overturn the results ofRead more
Brazil shutters X amid judge’s feud with Elon Musk
Brazil started blocking Elon Musk’s social media platform X early Saturday, making it largely inaccessible on both the web and through its mobile app after the company refused to comply with a judge’s order. X missed a deadline imposed by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes to name a legal representative in Brazil, triggering the suspension. It marks an escalation in the months-long feud between Musk and de Moraes over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation. To block X, Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, told internet service providers to suspend users’Read more