US

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.

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

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

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has arrived in Taiwan – despite threats from Beijing about “serious consequences” for her visit. She has become the highest-ranking American official to visit the self-ruled island claimed by China in 25 years. Her visit has been closely watched by mainland China, and by scores of people who used the

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

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. “This is

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

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,

At least 16 people have been killed after flash flooding in eastern Kentucky following a series of storms. Torrential rains have devastated the area, with its governor Andy Beshear declaring a state of emergency in six counties. “We are currently experiencing one of the worst, most devastating flooding events in Kentucky’s history,” he said. “Hundreds

San Francisco has declared a state of emergency in response to the growing spread of monkeypox cases across the city. As of 27 July, 261 people had confirmed or probable monkeypox infections, with health officials warning the figure is likely to rise. The city’s mayor London Breed tweeted: “San Francisco is declaring a Local Public Health Emergency

The world’s largest economy has contracted for a second consecutive quarter, although the downturn is yet to be officially termed a recession. The US recorded a 0.9% decline in output on an annualised basis between April and June, when economists had forecast an increase of 0.5%. The early data would meet the international criteria for