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Beyonce has made a rare political appearance, as she hugged Kamala Harris at a presidential campaign rally, telling voters: “We need to sing a new song.”

While she did not perform – unlike in 2016 when she sang at a rally for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland – she spoke as Ms Harris warned that her Republican rival for the White House wants women’s rights to be further eroded.

“I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother,” Beyonce told the crowd in Houston, Texas.

“A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided.”

“Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations,” the US singer continued. “We must vote, and we need you.”

Beyonce was joined onstage by her Destiny’s Child bandmate, Kelly Rowland, and introduced Democratic candidate Ms Harris as the “next president of the United States”.

Houston is Beyonce’s hometown, and Ms Harris’s presidential campaign has taken on Beyonce’s song Freedom, a track from her 2016 album Lemonade, as its anthem, first using the music in July.

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Beyonce gave permission to vice president Harris to use the song, which samples two John and Alan Lomax recordings that document America’s segregation history.

Beyoncé appeared on stage at the event for Kamala Harris. Pic: AP
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Beyonce appeared on stage at the event for Kamala Harris. Pic: AP

The rally took place in Texas to highlight the growing medical fallout from the state’s strict abortion ban. Abortion is illegal in almost all cases, with exceptions for if the mother’s life is at risk.

But the ambiguous way the law is written means harmful pregnancies do not explicitly constitute an exception. As a result, the state’s infant death rate has increased, more babies have died of birth defects and maternal mortality has risen.

Ms Harris was joined at the rally by women who have nearly died from pregnancy complications. In some states, doctors face criminal charges if they provide medical care to women in life-threatening situations.

Read more:
Texas woman asks court to allow her abortion

Beyoncé hugged Kamala Harris after welcoming her to the stage. Pic: AP
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Beyonce hugged Kamala Harris after welcoming her to the stage. Pic: AP

“For anyone watching from another state, if you think you are protected from Trump abortion bans because you live in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, California, or any state where voters or legislators have protected reproductive freedom, please know: No one is protected,” Ms Harris warned.

“Because a Donald Trump national ban will outlaw abortion in every single state.”

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Mr Trump has been inconsistent with his message on abortion and reproductive rights – though he has repeatedly said he would veto a national ban.

He was also in Texas on Friday, where he said he would break records for the number of people deported from the US if he won.

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Dad who called 911 for help during break-in killed by Las Vegas police officer

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Dad who called 911 for help during break-in killed by Las Vegas police officer

A 43-year-old man was shot dead by police after calling 911 to report intruders had entered his home in Las Vegas.

Brandon Durham was at home with his 15-year-old daughter when he called the emergency line to report armed intruders were trying to break into his property on 12 November.

Bodycam footage shows Mr Durham struggling with a person over a knife in the moments before he was shot and killed at the scene.

“The loss of life in any type of incident like this is always tragic, and it’s something we take very seriously,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said on Thursday.

The force is investigating the incident.

Mr Durham called 911 to report multiple people were outside shooting at his residence in Las Vegas’ Sunset Park neighbourhood, where he had been staying with his 15-year-old daughter, Sky News’ US partner network NBC reports.

It was one of multiple emergency calls reporting a shooting in the area.

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Mr Durham then said someone had managed to get into his home through the front and back doors of the property and he was locking himself in the bathroom, according to a police statement from 14 November, two days after the incident.

Officers reported to the scene at approximately 12:40am and could hear screaming from inside the residence.

One of the officers, Alexander Bookman, kicked open the front door and once inside, saw Mr Durham and another individual, later identified as 31-year-old Alejandra Boudreaux, struggling over a knife in a doorway.

Mr Bookman ordered them to drop the knife and about two seconds later, the officer fired the gun and Mr Durham appeared to be struck, the bodycam footage shows.

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Both Mr Durham and Mr Boudreaux fell to the ground and the officer fired another five shots. Roughly three seconds are believed to have gone by between the first and last shot, NBC reports.

Attempts were made to save the 43-year-old but he died at the scene.

Ms Boudreaux was taken into custody and is facing charges of home invasion with a deadly weapon; assault with a deadly weapon domestic violence; willful or wanton disregard of safety of persons resulting in death; and child abuse, neglect or endangerment.

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Homeless man charged in plot to bomb New York Stock Exchange

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Homeless man charged in plot to bomb New York Stock Exchange

A homeless man has been arrested and charged over a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange.

The 30-year-old man from Florida, Harun Abdul-Malik Yener, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with attempting to use an explosive device to damage or destroy a building used in interstate commerce, having unveiled some of his plans to undercover agents, according to the FBI.

They began investigating Yener in February based on a tip that he was holding “bomb-making schematics” in a storage unit.

Bomb-making sketches, many watches with timers, electronic circuit boards and other electronics that could be used for building explosive devices were found, the FBI said.

It also said he told undercover FBI agents that he wanted to detonate the bomb the week before Thanksgiving and that the stock exchange in lower Manhattan would be a popular site to target, and that doing so “will wake people up”.

An agent also allegedly recorded him saying: “I feel like Bin Laden.”

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He described how he hoped the bomb would “reboot” the US government, explaining that it would be “like a small nuke went off,” killing everyone inside the building, according to court documents.

The documents also claim he had rewired two-way radios so that they could work as remote triggers for an explosive device and planned to wear a disguise when planting the explosives.

Yener, who had also searched online for things related to bomb-making since 2017, was sacked from his job at a restaurant in Florida last year after his former supervisor said he threatened to “go Parkland shooter in this place”, the FBI added.

He had his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon and will be detained while he awaits a trial.

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Google could be forced to sell its Chrome browser over internet search monopoly claims

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Google could be forced to sell its Chrome browser over internet search monopoly claims

Google must sell its Chrome browser to restore competition in the online search market, US prosecutors have argued.

The proposed breakup has been floated in a 23-page document filed by the US Justice Department.

It also calls for lawmakers to impose restrictions designed to prevent its Android smartphone software from favouring its own search engine.

If the rules were brought in, it would essentially result in Google being highly regulated for 10 years.

Google controls about 90% of the online search market and 95% on smartphones.

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Court papers filed on Wednesday expand on an earlier outline for what prosecutors argued would dilute that monopoly.

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Google called the proposals radical at the time, saying they would harm US consumers and businesses and shake American competitiveness in AI.

The company has said it will appeal.

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) and a coalition of states want US District Judge Amit Mehta to end exclusive agreements in which Google pays billions of dollars annually to Apple and other device vendors to be the default search engine on their tablets and smartphones.

Google will have a chance to present its own proposals in December.

A trial on the proposals has been set for April, however President-elect Donald Trump and the DoJ’s next antitrust head could step in.

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