US

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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 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

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

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 a 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, according to US media reports. US president Joe Biden is set to deliver an address to the nation at 7:30pm in Washington D.C.(12.30am UK time). A senior official in his administration said: “Over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism

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. “This is

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

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

In this rural part of Kentucky, it’s easy to see how so much rain in such a short time could be so devastating. The topography is perfect for flash floods. Steep hillsides, narrow valleys. And some of America’s poorest communities living in this stunning part of the central United States. From the air, Kentucky’s governor,

A man who helped Islamic State by narrating recruitment videos has been sentenced to life in prison in the US. Saudi-born Mohammed Khalifa was described by the US Department of Justice as a “leading figure” in the terrorist group’s English language media unit. Prosecutors said the unit produced videos such as the ones showing the