Wildfires in and around Spokane have stretched ability of federal and local agencies to fight blazesWildfires in eastern Washington state forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area while destroying at least 600 homes, businesses and other structures, authorities said on Sunday.The fires in and around Spokane, the state's second largest city, burned about 8.2 sq miles (about 21 sq km), but they were among dozens across the western US that stretched the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them. A total of about 390 sq miles have burned across the state, and some of the fires, including those in the Spokane area, have not been contained. Continue reading...
Twin Falls police chief believes Chad Williams, 24, was alone in Saturday attack that killed three peopleAuthorities say the man accused of opening fire at a fast-food restaurant in Idaho is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as investigators say quick action by an off-duty law enforcement officer and an armed bystander helped prevent even more bloodshed.Speaking on Sunday, Matthew Hicks, the Twin Falls police chief, said investigators are confident 24-year-old Chad Williams carried out Saturday's attack alone. Continue reading...
Health secretary, longtime vaccination skeptic, spent years boosting misinformation about vaccines including MMRRobert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, on Sunday told American parents that they should get their children vaccinated against measles, as the surge in infections has reached numbers not seen in the past 35 years.Kennedy, a leading vaccination skeptic who has spent years amplifying misinformation about vaccines, including the shot that protects against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), made his call in the course of a contentious interview with CNN's State of the Union on Sunday morning. Continue reading...
Toledo police say Ohio Democrat is active and alert after two-vehicle hit-and-run collision on SundayMarcy Kaptur is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries after a car crash in Toledo, Ohio, on Sunday, the Democratic US representative's office said.Kaptur, 80, was a passenger in the vehicle and on her way to church, her office said. Toledo police did not respond to a request from Reuters for comment. Continue reading...
US president claims delay is also in response to requests from Iran and other countries in the regionDonald Trump has said he cancelled planned military strikes against Iran on the basis of rapidly" reaching a deal on its nuclear programme and the full reopening of the strait of Hormuz.The US president paused the strikes in expectation of a breakthrough and in response to requests from Iran and other countries in the region, he claimed on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. Continue reading...
Senator Bernie Moreno says congressman and former son-in-law should step down after ex-wife's allegationsRepublican senator Bernie Moreno on Sunday publicly called for Representative Max Miller, his ex son-in-law, to step down from Congress amid allegations of domestic and child abuse.As recently as Friday, the Ohio senator had avoided giving his opinion directly on accusations made by his daughter, Emily Moreno, against the congressman. Continue reading...
Donald Trump may reject the negotiations, but he cannot veto a global effort to make multinational companies answer to governmentsGovernments are told that public services must shrink because money is tight. Yet a new Tax Justice Network report says that countries could capture an extra $500bn a year without raising corporate tax rates. The answer is to tax multinational profits where real economic activity happens - known as unitary taxation. No new profit is created. Revenue simply shifts from tax havens where profits are booked" to the countries where workers produce and customers spend.Making that principle a global tax standard depends on UN talks opening in New York on Monday. Modelled on the UN climate regime, a fiscal framework convention would create the governing body and procedures, with protocols providing detailed rules. The UN wants agreement by late 2027. Donald Trump's US walked out last year and urged others to follow. None did. Continue reading...
Our new book tracks the growth over nearly eight decades, of the most powerful foreign policy lobby in US historyIn 1948, with war raging in Palestine, Harry Truman found himself trapped.On one side were Zionist lobbyists and the president's domestic political advisers, who were urging him to support the establishment of a Jewish state in as much of Palestine as possible. On the other were his top foreign policy and national security officials, led by the secretary of state, George C Marshall. Their unanimous recommendation was to prevent the establishment of a Jewish state, which they believed would trigger war in the Middle East and endanger the future of US relations with the Arab and Muslim world. Continue reading...
The president's minions have trawled the statutes to restore roadblocks to trade. The invocation of Smoot-Hawley looks especially dangerousDonald Trump may have found the killer weapon to punish countries at will: by imposing tariffs on their exports to the United States.The president has been looking for a new tool since February, when the supreme court struck down tariffs he slapped on virtually all of America's trading partners based on the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, or IEEPA, on the spurious grounds that the US faced a variety of national emergencies. It's become a parlor game among policy wonks to predict what new legal justification he would deploy to replace them.Eduardo Porter is a journalist focused on economics and politics. He writes the newsletter Being There on Substack Continue reading...
Convicted killer seeks to withdraw guilty plea and go to trial - but that could put death penalty sentence back in playCould Bryan Kohberger, convicted 13 months ago of the murders of four University of Idaho students, now find himself on death row? That's one potential outcome of a perplexing petition he filed last week in which he claimed he was misled by his defense attorneys into pleading guilty.A new trial could grant the wishes of family members who hoped to see the 31-year doctoral criminology student convicted by a jury in open court and sentenced to death. Or is Kohberger simply following the example of many mass murderers in attempting to gain control of the narrative and extend the suffering of his victims' families? Continue reading...
Tariffs are annoying and disruptive, but this round is less impactful - and business owners are taking them in their strideRebounding from his defeat at the supreme court in February, Donald Trump has recently announced a new round of tariffs, invoking sections of various trade acts to levy amounts on industries and countries based on reasons ranging from forced labor" to excess capacity".And how are small and medium-sized businesses in the US reacting? One word: snoozefest. Continue reading...
Food costs have soared but existing businesses fear unfair competition and programs elsewhere yielded mixed resultsCarlos Collado, a Dominican immigrant who owns five independent grocery stores in the Bronx and Manhattan, has succeeded over the last three decades despite obstacles that he blames on local and state governance.His stores have faced an increase in shoplifting, he said. The city has provided tax benefits to big corporations that opened grocery stores and took business away from his. Continue reading...
The president has blundered into a forever war' with Iran he can't win, but refuses to end. Such hubris has a long historyIt's five years this month since the chaotic retreat of US forces from Kabul. The Nato-backed invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, launched after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington DC, is now widely regarded as a failure. It cost the lives of more than 2,400 US and 450 British troops, and tens of thousands of civilians (the exact number is unknown). Although al-Qaida terrorists were routed, their Taliban hosts reimposed repressive, misogynistic Islamist rule after regaining power in 2021. Afghanistan became a byword for ill-considered western interventionism and nation-building. It was the archetypal forever war", a phrase first coined during Vietnam.If this cautionary tale had any lasting value, it was as a deterrent to politicians and generals tempted to rashly embark on open-ended conflicts without just cause, defined, achievable aims, and an exit strategy. Dismayingly, the forever war lesson had to be learned all over again in Iraq, which the US and UK invaded in 2003 and departed, having caused huge harm for scant benefit, in 2011. Never again!" was the passionate cry at the time and since. And yet, it seems, the same disastrous pattern is now repeating after Donald Trump's incomprehensibly foolish decision to attack Iran. A war he termed a little excursion" is entering its sixth month and has been escalating rapidly. It, too, has a forever feel. Continue reading...
by Michael P Donnelly and Robert F Orr on (#77DC1)
We joined a recent bus tour of 30 judges, lawyers and advocates fighting not for any partisan aim, but for the rule of law itselfLast October, US lawyers, judges and rule-of-law advocates traveled to Warsaw as guests of the Carter Center. Neither of us was among them. But when our colleagues returned, their stories inspired us.They told us about judges and lawyers across central Europe who had been surveilled, smeared, prosecuted and sometimes jailed for standing between political power and courts meant to remain independent. Continue reading...
Three people were killed and seven more injured, some critically, in a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon. The Twin Falls police chief, Matthew Hicks, said on Saturday that police were working to determine the shooter's identity and motive, and interviewing witnesses
by Rachel Leingang in Davison, Michigan on (#77DC5)
Voters are faced with the thorny question of electability: who can win this purple state in November and potentially push Democrats toward a US Senate majority?At Chad Green's house in Davison, Michigan, a brood of baby chicks roamed around the idyllic green lawn as US senators pitched a couple dozen voters on why they should turn out for the hopeful one, Abdul El-Sayed.Green, a retired federal firefighter, hosted a similar small gathering for Mallory McMorrow, who was running for the US Senate before she dropped out of the race in early July, narrowing the contest to El-Sayed, a progressive insurgent campaigning for universal healthcare, and US representative Haley Stevens, who has branded herself as a workhorse. Continue reading...
Disclosure from 2021 investigation marks first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald TrumpCapital One Financial hit back on Friday against a lawsuit over its decision to close the Trump Organization's bank accounts years ago, stating that it did so after a review by anti-money-laundering experts.The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald Trump's family business. Capital One is seeking to dismiss the case by casting doubt on claims of illegally debanking - or denying services on religious or political grounds - the Trump Organization. Continue reading...
In Oregon and Washington, low humidity and powerful winds have put officials on alert for wildfire spreadA heatwave scorching the western US region has elevated the risk of hazardous fire conditions particularly in parts of Oregon and Washington, where low humidity and powerful winds have put officials on alert for wildfire spread.The National Weather Service has forecast blistering temperatures through early next week that could climb from 110F to 120F across the south-west. In the Pacific north-west, highs reaching into the 90s are expected in the days to come. Continue reading...
Veteran actor best-known for playing Salvatore Big Pussy' Bonpensiero, friend of Tony Soprano who becomes FBI informantVincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best-known for playing Salvatore Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, has died. He was 80.Bob McGowan, who had managed Pastore since his run on The Sopranos, told the Associated Press that he learned of his death Saturday from another client and actor on the show, Vincent Curatola. Continue reading...
Gavin Newsom says new pay floor of $17.40, set to become highest of any US state, will go into effect on 1 JanuaryCalifornia governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state's minimum wage will rise to $17.40 next year, a pay floor set to become the highest of any US state.The pay bump will go into effect starting 1 January, Newsom announced on Friday. The state's current minimum rate is $16.90. In a news release, Newsom touted the move as a salve for working families amid high living costs and took a jab at the Trump administration. Continue reading...
Troy Jackson gained the party nomination for Senate, but now he needs to consolidate support to take on Susan CollinsTroy Jackson is ready to move on.In fewer than 100 days, the new Democratic nominee has to convince Maine voters to send him to the US Senate - and he's trying to do it without dwelling on Graham Platner, who dropped out of the race after accusations of rape, which he denies. Continue reading...
Truth Social, where Trump's account is by far the largest, to offer users early access for up to $100,000 per monthDonald Trump is now offering early access to his Truth Social posts in a move that has been seen as corruption benefitting a sitting president.Trump Media and Technology Group officially rolled out its new subscription-based data service on Saturday, giving paying customers faster, real-time access to Truth Social posts from Trump and other high-profile accounts. Continue reading...
As Jeanine Pirro moves to drop charges, flawed work by Trump-connected contractor emerges as culpritDonald Trump's Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool saga appears to be winding down after prosecutors dropped vandalism charges against former Olympian David Hearn - but not entirely.On Friday, Trump appointee and US attorney Jeanine Pirro and assistant US attorney Michael Spence petitioned a judge to dissolve the justice department's case against Hearn, 67, who had been accused of pool sabotage, and instead blamed the botched installation" of pool liner materials that caused it peel, and less than fulsome information" offered by the Department of Interior. Continue reading...
Max Blumenthal says he was singled out at airport after Trump ally Laura Loomer targeted him in online postsWhen reporter Max Blumenthal went to a cafe in Tehran one night a few weeks ago to upload videos from his reporting on the funeral of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, he began seeing social media posts from Trump ally Laura Loomer targeting him, including one that suggested he should be taken off the plane by US Marshalls when he lands back in the US ... [and] detained".I began to prepare myself for being harassed on my return," Blumenthal said. Continue reading...
Manhattan's triangular building will open this fall to wealthy residents, with 36 apartments exposing Flatiron's steel skeleton'New York City's Flatiron building has had many lives: as a structure seen as a deathtrap; as a nuisance which created a deadly, petticoat-lifting, wind current and, mainly, as a commercial space.Now, the triangular building, a favorite of tourists and locals alike, is entering a new era: as a residential building, where apartments cost up to $58.5m. Continue reading...
The longevity influencer and his girlfriend, Kate Tolo, say they're studying women's health - a worthy goal, but perhaps some skepticism is in orderThe tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has devoted his life to dodging death. The 48-year-old is obsessed with becoming the healthiest person in the world and is on a quixotic quest to reverse his biological age and live forever. As such, Johnson is disciplined about what he eats, takes dozens of supplements a day, and measures every single biomarker possible, boasting that he is certainly the most biologically measured person ever".In short: good luck finding any ice cream in his freezer. But you know what you will find? His girlfriend's menstrual blood. On Thursday, Johnson, a chronic oversharer, posted a photo of his 30-year-old girlfriend, Kate Tolo, on X with the caption: Kate's period blood is in my -80 C freezer. Around 10 mL."Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Across Latin American households in the US, the steaming broth nourishes while keeping family traditions aliveWhen Patty Rodriguez hears the word caldo now, she thinks fondly of home. But as a child growing up in southern California, she despised eating the piping-hot soup-like meal during the summers. Rodriguez would swirl around the chunks of fish with her spoon and imagine that she was performing a magic trick where the dish disappeared. She would roll her eyes as she asked her family why they served the dish more often when it was hot outside. This is not a hotel," Rodriguez recalled her mother and aunts saying. You don't choose what you want to eat. You're going to eat what we make."As an adult, Rodriguez realizes that caldo, which translates to broth in Spanish, was an inexpensive meal that could feed her Mexican American household for several days. It provided the nourishment and hydration needed during the hot summer months. Continue reading...
by Hannah Harris Green in Rio de Janeiro on (#77CWJ)
At the Aids 2026 conference, Brazilian advocates said health systems need to be more independent from foreign fundingHIV advocates from Brazil, whose health system operates independently from foreign aid, say they predicted a dramatic reduction in donor funding for HIV and wish other countries had prioritized independence sooner.While the dissolution of USAID might feel like a rupture", it's something advocates at the Brazilian HIV NGO Gestos have seen coming for a long time, Juliana Cesar, Gestos's political liaison coordinator, said during a session at the Aids 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro. Continue reading...
A New York school district has paused plans to bring an android into the classroom. Is this our educational future?What's more harrowing than sending your child to school? Maybe getting stuck on a city bus that can't drop below 55 miles per hour or it will explode, but that's about it. Once your kid hits school age, you have to decide (if you're lucky) between public and private education, vet the teachers, and neurotically worry about whether they're learning enough and are socializing effectively. For seven hours a day, someone who's practically a stranger is responsible for the wellbeing of one of the most important people in your life.It's a stressful situation, but maybe it would be less so if your kid's teacher was a humanoid robot.Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...
Hartman residents asked for declaration after infighting exacerbated water crisis and all town leaders resignedA small town in south-eastern Colorado was recently declared abandoned after all of its local public leaders resigned amid a drinking water supply crisis.The office of Colorado's secretary of state, Jena Griswold, announced the fate of Hartman on 29 July, a little more than a month after being advised in writing that the town had lacked chlorine in its water for [more than] one month and the water was not potable and smells horrible'", according to public documents. Continue reading...
State attorney general set 31 July deadline for documents relating to abuse of girls at Epstein-owned Zorro ranchThe US Department of Justice (DoJ) appeared to ignore a Friday deadline set by Raul Torrez, the attorney general of New Mexico, to share information about the abuse of girls at a remote ranch formerly owned by the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Torrez's office asked the DoJ in February for unredacted files after he reopened a dormant criminal investigation into activities at Zorro ranch, a remote 10,000-acre property in desert scrub outside New Mexico. Continue reading...
The US administration has struck a warmer tone of late as Ukraine has shown its value as an ally in the Middle EastAs leadership pairings go, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not a match made in heaven.It is a far cry from the warm rapport and kindred spiritedness that defined Ronald Reagan's relationship with Margaret Thatcher, or even the guarded pragmatic friendliness Reagan forged with Mikhail Gorbachev to effectively end the cold war. Continue reading...
American democrats need a Hungarian-style landslide to overwhelm Trump's attempts to rig November's midterm electionsIn these days of extreme weather events, it seems odd to say that the US needs a big landslide. But a landslide defeat for President Donald Trump in November's midterm elections is exactly what is required if the country is to start reversing his deliberate and rapid erosion of its democracy.The respected Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at Gothenburg University argues that in 2025 the US saw one of the most rapid declines in liberal democracy on record. Democracy in the USA," says its Democracy Report 2026, is now at its worst in 60 years." As the imperial republic marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, the danger seen at the very beginning of its constitutional order by anti-federalists such as Patrick Henry - that of an overmighty president abusing his executive power in an attempt to become a new king - has come closer than ever before. Continue reading...
Trump's conflict keeps escalating, with Saudi Arabia joining airstrikes in Iraq and reportedly planning an attack on the Houthis. A recession could followThe US war against Iran is spiraling out of control. Over the past week, the conflict has expanded across the Middle East, with attacks and counterattacks in at least five other countries. Instead of a quick war that sought to topple Iran's regime, Donald Trump has started a regional conflict that risks severely disrupting energy supplies and prices - and triggering a global recession.After a few days of relative calm, the conflict resumed with the Pentagon carrying out almost nightly strikes against Iran, and Tehran retaliating against US military bases in the region. The conflict also extended to attacks in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan and Egypt. And there's little sign that peace negotiations between the US and Iran, which are being brokered by Pakistan and Qatar, are making much progress. Continue reading...
by Robert Mackey ; Maya Yang and Rachel Leingang on (#77C5H)
This blog is now closed. You can read our latest story hereWhen asked by a reporter at Camp David about negotiations with Iran, Trump said the US would be hitting them very hard".We just want to win," he said. We're doing very well, trying to be nice, as nice as you can be in a situation like that, but, you know, they're being decimated. They have no Navy. They have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft. They don't have any capability. They have some, but very little." Continue reading...
Treasury secretary's notepad, photographed by Reuters on Friday morning, prompts questions over US plansDuring a cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, the US treasury secretary Scott Bessent carelessly revealed plans for the US to buy $5bn-$10bn in Japanese yen in a scribbled to do" list left visible to a Reuters photographer.The image, taken over Bessent's shoulder during a portion of the meeting open to journalists, showed a Camp David notepad with the underscored words To Do" followed by Buy Japanese Yen (JPY) $5-10 bil". Continue reading...
Unidentified pilot of F-35B fighter jet receives treatment for non-life-threatening injuries after crash near MiramarAn F-35B fighter jet crashed near a US Marine Corps base in San Diego on Friday morning, sparking a small fire that first responders doused.The pilot, who has not been publicly identified, sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to a statement from the Marine Corps Miramar air base. The pilot ejected, was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries," the Marine Corps said in an updated statement. Continue reading...
Lawyers now say damage to pool liner attributed to David Hearn instead is result of installation by contractorThe justice department has moved to dismiss a criminal case charging former Olympian David Hearn with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, instead blaming damage to the pool liner as the result of flawed installation by the contractor".Government lawyers said in a 20-page court filing in DC superior court on Friday evening that they had received information about a rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026". Continue reading...
Pup named Roo, who ran away from home, was found curled up next to rail track - and was thrilled' to be rescuedA two-year-old pitbull who ran away from home braved two days in a dim San Francisco railway tunnel before being rescued.Caltrain operators spotted the pup named Roo on his first day in the tunnel. Looking at the dog's unmoving body, they had assumed he had been fatally struck by a train, according to a recent social media post from the San Francisco animal care and control shelter. Continue reading...
Sean Grayson, diagnosed with colon cancer, was sentenced to 20 years for killing Massey in Springfield in 2024A former Illinois sheriff's deputy won't get an early medical release from his two-decade prison sentence for killing Sonya Massey inside her home after the Black woman called 911 about a possible prowler, state officials decided on Friday.Sean Grayson had been diagnosed with colon cancer prior to the 2024 shooting, and his attorney noted in January that the cancer had advanced to his liver and lungs. Continue reading...
Body of William Standish discovered in Teton mountains as investigators say fatal fall likely cause of deathA 28-year-old Australian hiker who lost contact with his family while hiking the Continental Divide Trail between Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks in Wyoming has been found dead, according to authorities.The man, identified as William Standish, was discovered by rescuers on Wednesday morning in the Wigwams, a series of rocky peaks on the west slope of the Teton mountain range, the Teton county coroner said. Investigators say it was likely he suffered a fatal fall. Continue reading...
Defense lawyers say Clancy was ill with postpartum psychosis when she killed three children in January 2023Jurors walked through the Massachusetts home where Lindsay Clancy strangled her three children, a rare visit on Friday that let them see first-hand the place where an outwardly ordinary family life unraveled into tragedy.After being driven past two businesses relevant to the narrative of the January 2023 killings, jurors were escorted in groups of six to view the inside of the house, including the basement where the children died. Continue reading...
US government, which owes legal services firm $65m, stopped paying in December, as contract runs out FridayCurrent and former prosecutors are denouncing the Trump administration for fast-tracking the deportation of immigrant children, as a key contract for legal services is set to expire on Friday.A series of federal laws has for decades shielded child immigrants from removal, either to protect their safety or to allow them to testify against abusers or human traffickers. Continue reading...
California governor and wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, release 2022-2024 filings amid Trump investigationGavin Newsom and his wife made from $1.7m to $2m annually from 2022 through 2024, and paid about half a million a year in federal and state taxes, according to tax returns released by his office.The California Democratic governor's office released more than 700 pages of tax filings spanning four years for reporters to review, offering a window into Newsom's finances as he prepares to leave office and considers a 2028 presidential bid. Newsom's office did not release returns for 2025, because the couple filed for an extension and will complete those returns in October. Continue reading...
US president tells reporters during Camp David cabinet meeting technology a hard thing to give away'Donald Trump has backed off a promise to let Ukraine manufacture its own Patriot air defense interceptors, telling reporters that handing over the underlying technology was a hard thing to give away" during a cabinet meeting at Camp David.The retreat, billed by the White House as something different" for the cabinet to experience together, was the first such meeting at the presidential compound of Trump's second term. Continue reading...
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