An “extreme” blizzard has caused widespread disruption in the western US – with more than 10ft of snow piling up in places.
Thousands of properties were left without power in California and Nevada over the weekend, while the state of Utah was also hit.
The states have also been affected by heavy rain and wind speeds of more than 100mph – including a tornado that rained debris down on an elementary school in Madera County, California.
Hundreds of motorists were left stranded on the Interstate 80 highway between Reno and Sacramento due to the conditions, forcing authorities to shut down 100 miles (160km) of the busy road.
Officials said there had been “multiple” reports of crashes and drivers losing control.
A Major League Soccer game in Salt Lake City, Utah, was among the sporting fixtures disrupted – although officials controversially decided to allow play to continue despite heavy snow, a two-hour delay to kick-off and a stoppage for lightning.
Los Angeles FC manager Steve Cherundolo, whose side lost 3-0 to hosts Real Salt Lake, branded Saturday’s match a “disgrace” and said it should have been called off.
Several ski resorts in the affected states were also forced to close due to the amount of snowfall and poor visibility.
More than 7,000 homes in California were left without power, while power cuts in and around Las Vegas affected almost 29,000 properties on Saturday.
The storm first began sweeping in on Thursday, with the freezing conditions, snow and storms expected to continue into Wednesday in some areas.
A blizzard warning covered a 300-mile stretch of the Sierra Nevada mountain region on Sunday, with forecasters warning more snow was likely.
One of the worst-affected areas was the town of Truckee near Lake Tahoe in California, where homes, businesses and vehicles were buried in more than 10ft of snow.
Resident Dubravka Tomasin described the blizzard as “pretty harrowing.”
National Weather Service meteorologist William Churchill said the conditions represented a “life-threatening concern” and said snow could pile up to more than 12ft deep by the end of Sunday in higher regions.
He described the storm as an “extreme blizzard,” adding: “It’s certainly just about as bad as it gets in terms of the snow totals and the winds. It doesn’t get much worse than that.”
Other attractions forced to close over the weekend included Yosemite National Park in California, while authorities also warned of an ongoing “high to extreme” danger of avalanches in mountain regions.
Donald Trump was booed during an address at the Libertarian Party National Convention on Saturday.
Libertarians have been largely critical of Mr Trump, whose invitation to speak at the party event in Washington caused mass division.
There was some show of support, as he asked for the party’s endorsement, with chants of “USA! USA”, but the former president was booed at several points during his speech.
It was a highly unusual spectacle, as Trump events are heavily staged – which usually guarantees support from his loyal fans.
Mr Trump tried to get the Libertarians on side by describing President Joe Biden as a “tyrant” and the “worst president in the history of the United States”, but he was instead met with cries of: “That’s you.”
Someone in the audience shouted: “Lock him up!” while another said: “Donald Trump is a threat to democracy!”
Cries were also heard of “You had your shot!”, “F*** you” and “You already had four years, you a******”.
Someone carrying a banner that said “No wannabe dictators!” was also dragged away by security.
The former president tried to endear party members to him by joking about his four criminal indictments, saying: “If I wasn’t a Libertarian before, I sure as hell am a Libertarian now.”
But with more boos from the audience, he hit back: “You don’t want to win” and claimed that the party wants to “keep getting your 3% every four years”.
In the 2016 election, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson won 3% of the vote, but in 2020, nominee Jo Jorgensen only secured around 1%.
Mr Trump managed to secure a cheer when he promised to reduce the life sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the illegal drug sales website Silk Road, who is widely championed by Libertarians, and who themselves prioritise individual freedoms and reduced government.
‘I would rather eat my own foot’
The event was a chance for Mr Trump to recruit supporters of independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, who made his own speech at the convention.
But speaking to NBC News, Libertarian Caryn Ann Harlos said of a possible Trump endorsement: “I would rather eat my own foot out of a bear trap.”
Libertarians, who broke out into their signature “End the Fed” chant, to abolish the Federal Reserve, will pick their nomination for the White House on Sunday.
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Mr Biden and Mr Trump will face off again in November in a repeat of the 2020 presidential election – with polling showing most Americans are not in favour of a repeat of that contest.
This could lead to an increase in support for independent or fringe candidates outside the Democrats or Republicans, according to some forecasters.
Professional golfer Grayson Murray has died aged 30, the PGA Tour has said.
The American, a two-time tour winner who was number 58 in the world ranking, withdrew late in his second round at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, citing an illness.
“We were devastated to learn – and are heartbroken to share – that PGA Tour player Grayson Murray passed away this morning. I am at a loss for words,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.
“The PGA Tour is a family, and when you lose a member of your family, you are never the same. We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.”
Mr Monahan said he had spoken to Murray’s parents to offer his condolences and they asked that the tournament continue.
“They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so,” he said. “As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes.”
Murray, who had dealt with alcohol and mental issues in the past, made a massive turnaround this year and to win the Sony Open at Honolulu in January, ending a six-year winless drought.
“Yeah, my parents have been through, you know, hell and back basically for the last six years with me fighting some mental stuff,” Murray said at the time.
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“It’s not easy on me, and the people around me that love me, they don’t like to see me down. They’ve been my number one supporters.
“There’s a few friends as well that have been there and it makes these moments a lot more special.”
Murray won his first PGA Tour title, the Barbasol Championship, in 2017.
His management company, GSE Worldwide, said in a statement: “We will hold off on commenting until we learn further details, but our heart aches for his family, his friends and all who loved him during this very difficult time.”
Murray, from Raleigh, in North Carolina, was a three-time winner of the Callaway Junior Championships and played in the US Open for the first time in 2013 as an amateur.
His best result in a major was a tie for 22nd at the 2017 PGA Championship.
The families of some of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting have announced new legal action against three companies they say effectively helped to “train” the gunman to carry out the attack.
Legal action against Instagram parent company Meta Platforms, the maker of the video game series Call Of Duty and the company that made the gun used in the May 2022 shooting was announced on the two-year anniversary of the attack in Texas in the US.
The new legal cases accuse the companies of partnering to promote and create content designed to glorify combat, gun violence and killing.
Josh Koskoff, a lawyer for the families, called the companies a “three-headed monster” that “knowingly exposed [the gunman] to the weapon, conditioned him to see it as a tool to solve his problems and trained him to use it”.
“There is a direct line between the conduct of these companies and the Uvalde shooting,” Mr Koskoff said.
According to the lawsuits, Ramos had played versions of Call Of Duty since he was 15, including one that allowed him to effectively practise with the version of the rifle he used at the school.
It claimed the company created a “hyperrealistic” game where “although the killing is virtual, the weapons are authentic – they are designed to perfectly imitate their real-life counterparts in look, feel, recoil and accuracy”.
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‘Failures’ in Uvalde school shooting
The legal action claims Instagram does little to enforce rules that ban marketing firearms and harmful content to children.
It also accuses gunmakers Daniel Defense of using the social media platform to help “extol the illegal, murderous use of its weapons”.
Some of the same families also filed a $500m (£392m) lawsuit against Texas state police officials and officers who responded to the shooting but waited more than an hour to confront Ramos inside the classroom as students and teachers lay dead, dying or wounded.
‘Baseless accusations’
Call Of Duty makers, Activision, called the shooting “horrendous and heartbreaking in every way”.
The company added its “deepest sympathies” for the “families and communities who remain impacted by this senseless act of violence”.
But it added: “Millions of people around the world enjoy video games without turning to horrific acts.”
The Entertainment Software Association – a video game industry trade group – also said it was “outraged by senseless acts of violence” but pushed back on blaming games for violence, arguing research has found no link.
“We discourage baseless accusations linking these tragedies to video gameplay, which detract from efforts to focus on the root issues in question and safeguard against future tragedies,” the group said.
Daniel Defense and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.
This is not the first legal action to be brought over the shooting.
In December 2022, a group of different plaintiffs filed a separate lawsuit against local and state police, the city, and other school and law enforcement, which seeks at least $27bn (£21bn) and class-action status for survivors.
At least two other lawsuits have also been filed against Daniel Defense.
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