Authorities investigating racist texts sent to dozens of black Americans across the US
Dozens of black Americans have received text messages telling them they had been “selected” to pick cotton “at the nearest plantation”.
The messages invoking slavery were sent to university students from colleges including Ohio State University, Clemson University in South Carolina, the University of Southern California and Missouri State University, according to Sky’s US partner network NBC News.
But other black men, women and children were recipients of the messages in several other states including New York, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Tennessee.
The first messages were sent the morning after the US election, with some referencing president-elect Donald Trump.
The FBI said in a statement on Thursday that it is aware of the texts and has been in contact with the US Department of Justice. It also encouraged people who receive the messages to report them to local law enforcement.
The Federal Communications Commission also said it is investigating alongside federal and state law enforcement.
The attorney general’s office in Virginia condemned the messages on Wednesday and directed anyone who “believes themselves to be under threat” to contact law enforcement. Police departments and leaders in cities across the country have also addressed the situation.
It is unclear who is behind the mass messages, what motivated them, or how they obtained the phone numbers.
But some of the anonymous numbers appear to be tied to TextNow, a text messaging service that allows users to obtain untraceable “burner” phone numbers.
Pic: iStock
A TextNow spokesperson said in a statement that it is aware of the messages.
“As soon as we became aware, our trust and safety team acted quickly, shutting down the accounts involved within the hour,” the Canada-based company said.
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“TextNow is proud to be an inclusive service offering free mobile text and data to millions of Americans. We do not tolerate or condone the use of our service to send harassing or spam messages and will work with the authorities to prevent these individuals from doing so in the future.”
Major communications providers AT&T and Verizon both said it was an industry-wide problem.
Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill said that whoever sent the messages used a VPN to obscure their origin.
Alyse McCall, a University of Alabama student, said she “started crying” after receiving one of the messages.
Alyse McCall
“This is truly disgusting and whoever is sending it out is vile. No one should ever think to send that message or receive that message. It made me sick to my stomach,” she said.
A University of Alabama spokesperson said the “disgusting” texts “have been reported to authorities”.
Meanwhile, Monet Miller, a publicist from Atlanta, said she “genuinely felt scared” after she was sent a message.
The text sent to her read: “Greetings Monet M, you have been selected to pick cutton [sic] at the nearest plantation.
“Be ready at 12pm SHARP with your belongings. Our Executive Slaves will come get you in a Brown Van, be prepared to be searched down once you’ve enter [sic] the plantation. You are in plantation group S.”
The racist message received by Monet. Pic: Monet Miller/NBC
Brian Hughes from the Trump campaign denounced the texts and said it is “absolute nonsense” to link the president-elect to the messages.
“If we can find the origin of these messages which promote this kind of ugliness in our name we will obviously take legal action to stop it,” Mr Hughes said in a statement.
“President Trump built a diverse and broad coalition of support, with voters of all races and backgrounds,” he added.
“The result was a landslide victory for his common sense mandate for change. This will result in a second term that is beneficial to every working man and woman in our nation.”
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The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) condemned the messages, adding that it believes the texts were a product of the president-elect’s rhetoric.
“The unfortunate reality of electing a president who, historically has embraced, and at times encouraged hate, is unfolding before our eyes,” the statement read.
NAACP president Derrick Johnson added: “These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country.”
A member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard who leaked classified Pentagon information has been jailed for 15 years.
Jack Teixeira shared documents that contained information about the war in Ukraine on the messaging platform Discord.
The leak exposed information about troop movements in Ukraine, and the provision of supplies and equipment to Kyiv’s soldiers.
He began sharing the documents in 2022, Sky News’ US partner network NBC News reported, and had held top-secret security clearance since the year before.
Teixeira pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of wilful retention and transmission of national defence information following his arrest in the most consequential national security case in years.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit, he showed no visible reaction as he was sentenced by US district judge Indira Talwani.
Before being sentenced, he apologised for his actions, saying: “I wanted to say I’m sorry for all the harm that I brought and caused.”
He referenced the “maelstrom” he created and added: “I understand all the responsibility and consequences fall upon my shoulders alone and accept whatever that will bring.”
Afterwards, Teixeira, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, hugged one of his lawyers and looked toward his family and smiled, before being led away.
Jack Teixeira, a member of the US Air National Guard. Pic: Reuters
The security breach raised alarm over America’s ability to protect its most closely guarded secrets and left the Biden administration scrambling to try to contain the fallout.
The leaks were also embarrassing for the Pentagon which tightened controls and disciplined members who failed to take necessary action over the 22-year-old’s suspicious behaviour.
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A court sketch of Teixeira. Pic: AP
Assistant US attorney Jared Dolan said Teixeira’s sentencing would “be a cautionary tale for the men and women in the US military”.
Teixeira’s own lawyers said that while his actions were criminal, they were never intended to “harm the United States”.
A smashed tablet recovered from bins near Teixeira’s home. Pic: AP
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“Instead, his intent was to educate his friends about world events to make certain they were not misled by misinformation,” the lawyers claimed.
Prosecutors in court said he tried to cover his tracks as they found a smashed tablet, laptop and Xbox in a rubbish bin at his house.
Teixeira, who was part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, worked as a cyber transport systems specialist – an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks.
Donald Trump is expected to name Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, according to US media reports.
Mr Trump, who will be inaugurated on 20 January 2025, could still change his mind about the appointment, three sources familiar with the selection process have told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.
The secretary of state serves as the president’s chief foreign affairs adviser and the country’s top diplomat.
The New York Times was the first to report that Mr Trump plans to select Mr Rubio for the position.
During Mr Trump’s first term in the White House between 2017 and 2021, Mr Rubio co-sponsored legislation that would make it harder for the then-president to withdraw from the NATO alliance.
Earlier this year he was one of 15 Republican senators to vote against a $95bn (£74bn) military aid package to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia, which was eventually passed in April.
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How Trump won the election
Mr Rubio, who would be the first Latino to hold the role, was arguably the most hawkish option on Mr Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state.
In the past, the 53-year-old has advocated for muscular foreign policy with respect to the US’ geopolitical rivals, including China, Iran and Cuba.
However, over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Mr Trump’s views.
The president-elect accuses past White House administrations of leading America into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a more restrained foreign policy.
The new administration will confront a world more volatile and dangerous than it was when Mr Trump first took office in 2017, with wars now raging in Ukraine and the Middle East
The Ukraine crisis will be high on Mr Rubio’s agenda.
Mr Rubio has said in recent interviews that Ukraine needs to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia rather than focus on regaining all territory that Russia has taken in the last decade.
“I’m not on Russia’s side – but unfortunately the reality of it is that the way the war in Ukraine is going to end is with a negotiated settlement,” Mr Rubio said in September.
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Meanwhile, after it was reported Mr Rubio could be set to become secretary of state, a Trump ally told NBC News: “While Marco is a little more hawkish than the incoming president and vice president, he’s actually not as far away from them as many people might assume at first blush.
“He’s become far more aligned with the president on issues regarding tariffs. He has a similar stand on the China issue, and he even voted against the last round of Ukraine funding.”
Mr Rubio’s selection holds domestic as well as international significance.
Mr Trump beat Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the 5 November election in part by winning over large numbers of Latinos, who had voted overwhelmingly for Democrats in previous election cycles.
By selecting Mr Rubio for a key policy role, Mr Trump may help consolidate gains among Latinos and make clear that they have a place at the highest levels of his administration.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Mr Rubio also was one of three final contenders for Mr Trump’s vice-presidential pick.
The president-elect ultimately chose US Senator JD Vance of Ohio, a hard-right figure who is known for his isolationist foreign policy positions.
Mr Rubio is not the first Trump administration appointment to be reported following the election.
The incoming president has announced Representative Mike Waltz as his national security adviser, while his presidential campaign manager Susie Wiles will become his chief of staff.
On Sunday, he named immigration hard-liner Tom Homan as his “border czar”.
US
Kremlin denies Trump and Putin call discussing Ukraine – as Biden to urge president-elect ‘not to walk away’ from Kyiv
The Kremlin has denied Donald Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin in a phone call the day after the presidential election.
The US president-elect reportedly urged the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of America’s sizeable military presence in Europe during the conversation on Thursday, according to The Washington Post and Reuters, citing sources familiar with the call.
According to several other sources, the pair went on to discuss the goal of peace on the continent, as well as the prospect of a further call soon to look into the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.
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But on Monday, the Kremlin denied the reports and spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Putin has no specific plans to speak to Mr Trump at present.
“This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it’s just false information,” Mr Peskov said. “There was no conversation.”
Asked if Mr Putin had plans for any contact with Mr Trump, Mr Peskov said: “There are no concrete plans yet.”
On Friday, the Kremlin said Mr Putin was ready to discuss Ukraine with Mr Trump – but that did not mean he was willing to alter Moscow’s demands – namely that Ukraine drops its ambitions to join NATO and surrenders the four territories currently held by Russia.
The Washington Post said two sources indicated the Ukrainian government was informed of the call between Mr Trump and Mr Putin – and did not object to the conversation taking place.
However, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said it was “impossible” that Ukraine would have endorsed such a call and that reports otherwise were “false”.
When asked about the call, Mr Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung said: “We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”
Trump at his election watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center. Pic: AP
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden, who will hand over power on 20 January, will warn Mr Trump and Congress not to abandon Ukraine, according to one of the president’s top officials.
The president-elect and sitting president will meet on Wednesday in the Oval Office, a week after Mr Trump beat Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the election.
In an interview with CBS News, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said: “President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe.”
President Joe Biden walks to speak in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Pic: AP
Under Mr Biden, Washington has provided tens of billions of dollars of military and economic aid to Ukraine – funding that Mr Trump, and some of his supporters, have repeatedly criticised and rallied against.
Mr Trump insisted last year that Mr Putin never would have invaded Ukraine if he had been in the White House at the time and has repeatedly said he could settle the war “in one day” if he was re-elected again.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy when they met in September. Pic: Reuters
On Sunday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said strength and diplomacy must work together to bring the two-and-a-half-year war to an end.
“We understand very clearly that diplomacy has no prospects without strength,” he said.
“But without a clear understanding of diplomatic goals, weapons alone will not do the job. That’s why strength and diplomacy must work hand in hand.”
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It comes as both Russia and Ukraine launched “record” drone attacks on each other overnight on Saturday, injuring a woman and temporarily halting air traffic at some of Russia’s busiest airports.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Russia launched 145 drones overnight, according to Ukraine, 62 of which were shot down, as the two countries attacked each other.
Russia’s defence ministry said 70 drones were shot down in its territory, including 34 over the outskirts of the capital Moscow.
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