US

Republican congressman Mike Johnson has been elected as the next Speaker of the US House of Representatives. The deeply conservative politician swept the vote on the first ballot following weeks of turmoil since the ousting of Kevin McCarthy. He emerged as the fourth nominee after a cycle of Republican internecine warfare since his predecessor was

Meta has reported a sharp rise in revenue following an upturn in advertising on its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. It reported revenue of $34.2bn (£28.2bn) for the quarter to the end of September – a 23% increase on the same period last year. Analysts had been expecting a figure of $33.6bn (£27.7bn). Reduced

A doctor who once worked for poison control has been charged with second-degree murder, accused of poisoning his wife. Dr Connor Bowman, 30, is accused killing his wife Betty Bowman, 32, after she died in Rochester, Minnesota, on 20 August, four days after she was admitted to hospital with stomach discomfort. Initial symptoms were similar

Donald Trump said a former member of his legal team who pleaded guilty to criminal charges in an election interference case was “never” his attorney. The ex-US president put distance between himself and Sidney Powell online after she admitted six misdemeanour counts over attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Speaking on Truth

Police in the US have arrested a former professional baseball player in connection to the alleged murder and attempted murder of his in-laws. Danny Serafini, 49, was arrested Friday morning in connection with the death of 70-year-old Robert Gary Spohr and the attempted murder of 68-year-old Wendy Wood in 2021. The victims are Serafini’s father-in-law

Travis King, the US soldier who fled to North Korea, has been charged with desertion and the solicitation of indecent images of children. The US Army charged the 23-year-old private after he returned from North Korea following two months in detention. Pte King faces a total of eight distinct charges, ranging from desertion, assault and

This was only the second time President Biden has used the Oval Office for an address to the nation – a framing to emphasise a time of deep uncertainty. It was just after 8pm when he spoke live on primetime television. From behind the resolute desk from where so many American presidents have sought to

Joe Biden’s mission in the Middle East is risky to say the least. He believes he needs to be here to send a message in person to friends and foes. To his Israeli allies, he is showing solidarity after the worst loss of civilian life in the country’s history, the most appalling and depraved slaughter

A summit between between Palestinian, US, Jordanian and Egyptian leaders, has been cancelled, just hours before Joe Biden was due to visit the region. The US president was set to meet them after his visit to Israel on Wednesday. The summit’s cancellation is a blow to Mr Biden’s diplomatic efforts over the Middle East crisis.

Donald Trump has returned to court in the US for the fraud trial that he says is “rigged” and brought to court by a “radical lunatic” prosecutor. As he arrived at the court in Manhattan for the start of the third week of proceedings, Trump, 77, told reporters “this is a rigged trial”. The case

President Joe Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday, amid fears about the war with Hamas expanding into a larger conflict. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via

Donald Trump is suing a private investigations firm over “shocking and scandalous” claims that he engaged in “perverted sexual acts” in Russia. The former US president is suing Orbis Business Intelligence, a London-based company co-founded by ex-British spy Christopher Steele, over a dossier containing rumours about him that caused a storm before his 2017 presidential

A motorist was handed a $1.4m (£1.1m) speeding fine after going 35mph over the limit – and claims he was then threatened with court action unless he paid it. Connor Cato assumed the steep penalty was a typo after he was caught driving at 90mph in a 55mph zone in the US state of Georgia.

A lucky ticketholder has scooped the second largest lottery win ever, banking $1.7bn (£1.4bn) in the Powerball on Wednesday night. The winning numbers were: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10. The winning ticket was sold at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, according to the California Lottery. The winner, from California,

California will build the first group of 1,200 tiny homes at an abandoned office park in a bid to help curb the state’s burgeoning homelessness problem. The office park in Sacramento will be the site of the first group of homes to be built in four cities to across the state, the governor’s office announced.

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

The man charged with abducting a nine-year-old girl from a campsite in New York state is being investigated over the unsolved murders of two teenage girls who disappeared close to his home around 20 years ago, police have said. Craig Nelson Ross Jr, was charged with alleged first-degree kidnapping after Charlotte Sena was found “safe

Elon Musk’s $44bn (£36bn) takeover of Twitter is under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and he could be compelled to testify. According to court filings on Thursday, the case centres around concerns the world’s richest man broke federal security laws in 2022, when he bought Twitter stock. The investigation is also

Joe Biden’s dog Commander has been removed from the White House after biting agents and staff. The two-year-old German shepherd had attacked members of the US Secret Service 10 times between October 2022 and January 2023. One female officer recently required medical treatment. Image: Commander was a gift to the US president from his brother

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