The unannounced raid on Donald Trump’s Florida estate has stunned his supporters, enemies and observers around the world. While Mr Trump described it as a “dark times for our nation”, White House officials admitted that they knew nothing of the FBI’s plans to storm his Mar-a-Lago home. It comes amid three separate ongoing investigations into

The FBI is searching Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, the former president has announced. “These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Mr Trump said in a statement. “Nothing like

Some schools in the US are stocking up on AR-15 rifles to be used to tackle a gunman – but critics are worried the measure will lead to more incidents. The North Carolina school district and sheriff’s office are working together to improve security – with one of the semi-automatic rifles being placed in each

The US hiring boom continued last month, as employers added 528,000 jobs – more than double the number expected. The government data showed a labour market continuing to defy surging inflation and back-to-back quarters of contraction in GDP, which have raised fears of a recession. It marked the 19th consecutive month of payrolls expansion, and

A man has been jailed for five years after raising $400,000 (£331,331) by running a fake online fundraiser that tricked people into thinking they were donating money to a homeless veteran. Mark D’Amico, from New Jersey in the US, has also been ordered to pay back the money to GoFundMe, prosecutors have said. The 43-year-old

Actress Anne Heche is in a “stable” condition following a crash in Los Angeles that saw her car burst into flames, her spokesperson has said. Reports surfaced on Saturday that suggested she had been driving at speed down an LA street before crashing her car into a building and suffering severe burns. According to the

Two people have died after being hit by lightning during a severe thunderstorm outside the White House. James Mueller, 76, and Donna Mueller, 75, both from Janesville, Wisconsin, were struck in Lafayette Park, less than 500ft (150m) away from President Joe Biden‘s official residence in Washington, DC. Two other people who were struck remain in

A firefighter fears that as many as 10 of his relatives have died in a blaze at a house in Pennsylvania. The fire at the single-family home in the town of Nescopeck was reported at around 2.30am on Friday, after what neighbours described as a loud explosion. Three victims have been found so far, and

American actress Anne Heche has been critically injured after her car crashed into a house in Los Angeles and burst into flames. According to NBCLA, the driver was speeding down a residential street – and the blue Mini Cooper drove 30ft into a two-storey home in Mar Vista. Local media reports suggest the 53-year-old has

Hundreds of people have been stranded, cars have been swept away and roads have been closed after record rainfall triggered flash floods in America’s Death Valley. The national park, which straddles eastern California and Nevada, was hit by 1.46in (3.71cm) of rain in one area – around 75% of what it typically gets in a

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been ordered to pay another $45.2m (£37.4m) to the parents of a Sandy Hook shooting victim, a jury has ruled. He was ordered to pay $4.1m (£3.3m) in damages by a jury on Thursday to the parents of six-year-old Jesse Lewis, who was killed in the school massacre in 2012.

China has ramped up its military drills in Taiwan’s waters and announced sanctions against US Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as tensions build between Beijing and Washington. The country’s foreign ministry announced sanctions against Ms Pelosi today following her visit to Taiwan, which marked the first trip from a US House Speaker to the island in 25

Four people are fighting for their lives after being hit by lightning outside the White House during a severe thunderstorm. Two men and two women suffered critical injuries after they were struck in Lafayette Park, less than 500ft (150m) away from President Joe Biden‘s official residence in Washington DC. US Secret Service members were deployed

The parents of one of the Sandy Hook victims have been awarded $4.1m (£3.3m) in damages in a defamation trial brought against internet conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose six-year-old son Jesse Lewis was among the 20 students and six teachers killed in the attack in Connecticut, successfully sued Jones and

A Russian judge has convicted and sentenced American basketball player Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for drug possession and smuggling. President Joe Biden described the jail term as “unacceptable” and called for her immediate release. Judge Anna Sotnikova said the time Griner has served in custody since her arrest in February would count

Internet conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has admitted that the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was “100% real” after previously claiming it was a hoax. “Especially since I’ve met the parents. It’s 100% real,” the Infowars host told a court in Texas on Wednesday. Jurors in the trial are hearing evidence to determine how much Jones

A US congresswoman and three others have been killed in a car crash in the state of Indiana. Republican Jackie Walorski died in what police say was a head-on collision in Elkhart County at around 12.30pm on Wednesday. Ms Walorski, 58, had represented Indiana’s 2nd congressional district since 2012. Police say a northbound passenger car

US President Joe Biden will sign an executive order later today in an attempt to make it easier for women seeking an abortion to travel between states for the procedure. He will also help launch a federal taskforce on access to reproductive care, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, officials said. It comes after the

Voters in Kansas have protected abortion rights in its constitution by rejecting an amendment that would have allowed state lawmakers to further restrict access to the procedure. The state is the first in the US to put abortion rights to a vote since the supreme court in June ruled to overturn Roe v Wade, the

The parents of a six-year-old boy who was shot dead in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre told conspiracy theorist Alex Jones he has made their lives a “living hell” as they faced him in court. Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis said they have experienced death threats, harassment and ongoing trauma over the last decade

The US has no DNA confirmation of the death of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul – but has verified his identity through “multiple” other sources, the White House has said. Al-Zawahiri, one of the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks, was killed in a US drone strike on his home in the Afghan capital

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to arrive in Taiwan later today amid escalating tensions in Beijing over the impending visit. While there has been no official announcement, local media in Taiwan has reported that Ms Pelosi will arrive in Taipei on Tuesday. The US airforce jet that Ms Pelosi flew on to Malaysia

Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has been killed by a US airstrike in Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden has confirmed. Addressing the nation from the balcony off the White House Blue Room, Mr Biden said “justice has been delivered” after authorising the strike which killed the man who was one of the masterminds of the

A US prisoner who killed his former girlfriend decades ago has been executed despite pleas from the victim’s family to spare his life. Joe Nathan James Jr received a lethal injection at a south Alabama jail after the US Supreme Court refused his request for a stay of execution. James was convicted of murder and

It’s been another awful day for Sheriff Joe Engle and his teams. On the banks of one or so many creeks in this stunning corner of Kentucky, they lift a body onto a stretcher. Three days since the water swept through these rural communities, they are still finding those who didn’t make it. Image: Joe

Actor Nichelle Nichols, who found worldwide fame and led the way for black women in TV by starring in the original Star Trek TV series, has died. Her son, Kyle Johnson, said she died on Saturday in Silver City, New Mexico. She was 89. Her role in the 1966-69 series as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura earned

Wildfires in California and Montana have spiralled overnight, fuelled by hot and windy conditions and threatening neighbourhoods and forcing evacuation orders. In California’s Klamath National Forest, a largely rural area near the Oregon state line, the fast-moving McKinney fire went from scorching just over one square mile (about 2.5 sq km) on Friday, to tearing

It’s the amount of water that passed through these rural Kentucky creeks that is so astonishing. I’m standing by the banks of the river which runs through the town of Hazard. I’m at least 30ft above the current water level. Yet there is mud and debris all around. The water level two nights ago was

Joe Biden has again tested positive for COVID-19 in what doctors say may be a “rebound” infection. The US president, 79, has “experienced no re-emergence of symptoms and continues to feel quite well”, White House physician Dr Kevin O’Connor said. Mr Biden also tested positive nine days ago, on 21 July, when he was said

Police in Illinois are defending the violent arrest of a 17-year-old after footage of officers punching him in the head sparked protests. The footage showed Hadi Abuatelah, who had fled police after a traffic stop in the village of Oak Lawn, being repeatedly punched in the legs and head by three officers on Wednesday. Police