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Orders come after supreme court rejected president's first bid to restrict guarantee enshrined in US constitutionDonald Trump has made a second attempt to restrict the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship, just weeks after the US supreme court rejected his initial, more sweeping bid to deny automatic citizenship to the children born to undocumented immigrants and temporary foreign residents.Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders that seek to broaden the categories of children ineligible for automatic US citizenship and ban so-called birth tourism". The directives are expected to face legal challenges. Continue reading...

While officials say proposed revisions to Head Start program will encourage more enrollment, advocates say it will undermine the programThe Trump administration has said it plans to overhaul Head Start, tossing out many of the regulations that are the hallmark of the early education program for the nation's neediest children.Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the federally funded preschool program, said on Thursday the proposed changes would encourage more local decision-making, but the proposal has sparked alarm across the Head Start community, where advocates say it threatens the backbone of the antipoverty initiative. Continue reading...

Settlement ends years-long legal battle over collapse of 18-story hotel that was under construction in New OrleansA judge approved a $106m settlement on Thursday that ends a years-long legal battle over the deadly 2019 collapse of a Hard Rock Hotel that was under construction in New Orleans.The 18-story hotel project partially collapsed in October 2019 , killing three people and damaging nearby property. A grand jury ultimately decided against indicting anyone in the deadly collapse, but lawsuits were filed, including one brought by the city of New Orleans in August 2020 naming the building owners, their partners and contractors. Continue reading...

President attacks terrible mistake' of US attorney, who said in court filing damage stemmed from botched renovationDonald Trump has doubled down on his criticism of Jeanine Pirro after the US attorney for the District of Columbia publicly challenged his claims that vandals had damaged the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.She said there was no vandalism. There was tremendous vandalism," Trump told NBC News on Thursday. So, she made a terrible mistake. I don't understand why she did such a stupid thing." Continue reading...

Expansion of immigration enforcement at US airports puts employees at odds with agents seeking 2,000 daily arrestsA dramatic increase in immigration enforcement at US airports has reportedly placed the airline industry at odds with the Trump administration as workers decline to help federal officials arrest their targets - many of whom have pending applications for visas, asylum or green cards.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) - both part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - have expanded their collaboration to make as many as three dozen daily arrests at US airports last month, the Wall Street Journal reported. Continue reading...

Shift in monitoring methods has led to revenue boost for Geo Group, a private prison firm, that also makes the deviceThe US is tracking nearly 54,000 immigrants through GPS-enabled ankle monitors as part of a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) electronic surveillance program, according to private prison corporation The Geo Group. Early last year, just 17,000 immigrants were wearing the devices..The Geo Group owns BI Inc, the company that runs ICE's intensive supervision appearance program (ISAP), and reported the numbers in its earnings call on Thursday. Continue reading...

Court documents allege Aaron Farinacci, who faces slew of arson charges, set 25 fires in Spokane area over past yearThe 37-year-old man accused of sparking a devastating fire in Washington allegedly studied how to maximize the blaze's destruction and was responsible for setting 25 other fires in the Spokane area over the past year, according to a court affidavit.Aaron Farinacci, who faces a slew of arson charges, is accused of starting the Old Trails fire, which began on 1 August and is still burning - one of three Spokane complex" fires that have scorched hundreds of homes and displaced thousands of residents. Continue reading...

Astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station, preparing the installment of new rollout solar arrays which will provide extra energy to support the station, according to Nasa Continue reading...

Agreement with RWE is fifth deal Trump team has made with energy companies, offering payouts to give up projectsThe German energy company RWE has reached a $1.22bn deal with the US government to relinquish its offshore wind leases and instead redirect funds towards fossil fuel investments.The agreement marks the fifth deal the Donald Trump administration has struck with energy companies, offering payouts in exchange for abandoning renewable energy projects and redirecting investment towards fossil fuels. Continue reading...

The creator documented her battle with rare bile duct cancer, inspiring more than a million followers onlineSydney Towle, a TikTok creator who shared her battle with stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer, with over a million online followers, has died at age 26, her family announced on Thursday.Towle gained fame for her posts about her life as a spirited young woman who encouraged her TikTok followers to rethink how a cancer patient might look and live. Continue reading...

President's comment come after report he had demanded answers from Pete Hegseth over alleged shortages

Judge issues temporary pause while he considers Trump's request to revise his libel lawsuit against BBCA federal judge has temporarily halted an order requiring Donald Trump to turn over detailed financial information about his business empire to the BBC as part of an ongoing libel lawsuit.US district judge Roy Altman issued the temporary pause while he considers Trump's request to revise and narrow parts of his lawsuit against the BBC over a 2024 documentary that aired in the UK. Continue reading...

The 2-1 vote along party lines repealed national cap' that served as a key check on consolidation of the TV industryIn a historic vote on Thursday morning, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted along party lines to overturn a key check against the consolidation of the television industry, throwing out a rule that prevented any one company from owning stations that collectively reach more than 39% of all US TV households.The vote is a win for television conglomerates that aim to expand their reach across the country, particularly conservative-leaning companies like Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar. Continue reading...

State department informs Congress of planned closures in Canada, Grenada, Japan, Indonesia and CameroonThe US state department is to shut five foreign consulates and missions across Asia, Africa, North America and the Caribbean, drawing criticism that it is leaving a diplomatic vacuum at risk of being filled by China.The US Congress has been served notice of the impending closures, which are being justified on cost grounds and follow a reassessment of the US's bilateral relationships with a range of countries since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Continue reading...

Anthony Fauci's lawyer condemned the vote from the Republican-controlled committee as a crude political stunt'

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy says she will not intervene in 85bn deal after securing guarantees on Channel 5The UK culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has said she will not intervene in Paramount's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, removing one of the remaining obstacles to the blockbuster deal.However, Paramount has made significant concessions to secure the UK government's backing for the $110bn (85bn) takeover, which will create a global media powerhouse and effectively bolster the influence of Paramount's chief executive, David Ellison. Continue reading...

Half of border agents are Latino, and they are part of a long history of Hispanic support for - and enforcement of - harsh immigration policiesSince Trump's return to power, more than 60 people have died at the hands of or in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including two Latino immigrants in one week: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Sebastian Duran Guerrero in Maine. Many Latinos have come to feel that their brown skin makes them targets, and they are not wrong.But there is another dimension of this story that we often fail to consider: many of those in charge of anti-immigrant operations also have brown skin, Hispanic names and links to the communities they terrorize. When the identities of the agents who killed Alex Pretti in January were revealed as those of two Hispanic men, many people reacted with shock. The irony seemed obvious, but it reflected a mistaken assumption: that Latinos are naturally opposed to restrictionist immigration policies. History suggests otherwise. Continue reading...

The mFlusiva vaccine for older people is first made with mRNA platform key to ending coronavirus pandemicThe Food and Drug Administration has approved a new kind of flu vaccine for older people, the first made with the same mRNA technology that was key to ending the Covid-19 pandemic, Moderna, the manufacturer, said.The shot, named mFlusiva, is intended for adults aged 50 or older. Other brands of flu shots already have begun arriving in pharmacies ahead of fall vaccination season, and Moderna said late on Wednesday that it expected some of its new version to be available soon at select retailers. Continue reading...

First runner-up, Myla Hadley, will represent the state at the Miss USA pageant after Brittany Boltinhouse's removalA pageant queen recently crowned Miss North Carolina USA has been stripped of her title after a string of alleged racist posts resurfaced.Brittany Boltinhouse, 27, was formally dethroned on Wednesday by pageant organizers A Blaize Productions after what it said was a thorough review of recently surfaced information". Continue reading...

Voters in the red district are concerned with congressman's alleged behavior and political future ahead of the midtermsDavid Griffith was a registered Republican for years.But on Sunday evening, he watched the Ohio congressman Max Miller stumble through an 18-minute statement in which the lawmaker attempted to defend himself against allegations of domestic abuse against his ex-wife and infant child. Continue reading...

We're seeing America wake up to the tyranny that's engulfed usWith the victory of progressive Abdul El-Sayed over representative Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic primary, prepare yourself to hear enormous quantities of bullshit about the Democratic party now being taken over" by the left" or by democratic socialists".Or as the reliably establishment New York Times put it: Can an insurgent candidate, with unabashedly liberal positions, win a general election in a moderate state?" Continue reading...

The left is increasingly winning within the Democratic party. But it still needs to prove that it can build general-election coalitions capable of beating RepublicansThe ideological struggle within the Democratic party continued on Tuesday night with primaries in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia and Washington. The results showed an increasingly intense conflict within the party, with high Democratic primary turnout and bruising ideological battles up and down the ballot.The Democratic electorate is shifting, becoming more progressive and more willing to challenge party leadership, but not as quickly or uniformly as many assumed. Continue reading...

Republicans are trying to scapegoat the infectious disease expert, even as they have gutted healthcare amid outbreaks of measles, cyclosporiasis and EbolaKatie Miller, an erstwhile Trump administration official and wife of Stephen Miller, once relied on Dr Anthony Fauci to get through Covid. Now, she's calling for his imprisonment - a reversal that illuminates the politicization of Fauci and of public health writ large, a trend that could have major repercussions for America's preparedness for future crises.A US Senate committee will vote on Thursday morning over whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress after the physician and former public health official invoked his fifth amendment rights during a Senate hearing last week focused on Fauci's actions during the Covid pandemic. Continue reading...

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Jeanine John Taele faces new weapons charges as details of suspicious' behavior ahead of president's visit emergeA California man who was arrested at Donald Trump's Los Angeles-area golf course ahead of a presidential visit is facing more charges, as authorities released new details about the investigation.Authorities say federal agents first observed 38-year-old Jeanine John Taele near the golf grounds in Rancho Palos Verdes on 31 July, wearing an earpiece and capturing photographs and videos of security agents assessing the property. Continue reading...

Burmese pythons are an invasive species in the Everglades, and the challenge is part of initiative to remove themThe winner of this year's annual Florida Python Challenge hunted down and eliminated 96 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades national park, as part of an initiative to remove hundreds of the snakes from the area every year.The challenge invites hunters to participate in 10 days of capturing and humanely euthanizing as many of the invasive snakes as possible across eight designated hunting locations, with the winner taking home a cash prize of $10,000. The event is hosted by Florida fish, wildlife and conservation (FWC), the south Florida water management district, the National Park Service and others. Continue reading...

Variety of prescriptions were found in blood of mother accused of strangling her three children, court hears

Changes come after report says Trump unhappy with helipad's appearance and lawn's slopeThe White House has confirmed that contractors are redoing a new helipad built on the South Lawn to accommodate a new supersized Marine One chopper recently added to the presidential transport fleet.A White House official said the changes to the circular concrete landing pad were ordered as we continue to make improvements as part of the ongoing project to best match the needs of the White House". Continue reading...

President has sued the broadcaster for $10bn, claiming a documentary on 2021 Capitol attack led to financial harmDonald Trump's legal team is making an 11th-hour attempt to block a court order that would grant the BBC access to the president's financial records, as part of his multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the British broadcaster.Trump claims that the BBC's 2024 documentary on the January 6 attacks have damaged the president's business interests. In July, a Miami-based judge ruled that the president would have to start handing over detailed financial records to the BBC by 6 August. The records would reveal details into the hundreds of businesses owned by the US president's family trust. Continue reading...

Filing by attorney general Raul Torrez comes after DoJ appears to have ignored deadline for key Epstein ranch filesNew Mexico filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Justice and the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, on Wednesday for stonewalling" its criminal investigation into the activities of the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein at a remote ranch in the state.Raul Torrez, the New Mexico attorney general, had said he was mulling the possibility of legal action if the justice department did not share with him by 31 July information about the alleged historical abuse of girls and young women at Epstein's Zorro ranch about 30 miles south of Santa Fe. Continue reading...

Democrats united by a common purpose: putting a check on Trump', Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand say

Schwartz, president's third pick to lead top US public health agency, confirmed in 51-44 Senate voteDr Erica Schwartz was confirmed by the US Senate as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a rare win for the Trump administration after a string of failed attempts to fill senior health posts.Schwartz was confirmed by a 51-44 vote that broke largely along party lines, with Tim Kaine of Virginia the sole Democrat to support her nomination. Continue reading...

Murdaugh, whose murder convictions were overturned due to clerk's misconduct, will face trial again

Thomas Smith, whose name remained on ballot, beats Republican rivals in primary contest for eighth districtThomas Smith withdrew from the Republican primary contest for Michigan's eighth district last month. On Tuesday, he won the nomination.Unofficial results show Smith with more than 50% of the vote, according to the Associated Press, defeating the man he endorsed, anti-abortion activist Al Lemmo, and the man Donald Trump endorsed, former federal law enforcement officer Amir Hassan. Continue reading...

An AP investigation found dozens of active-duty troops' parents and spouses detained despite protectionsThe Trump administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty US troops as it rolls back immigration protections for military families in the pursuit of its mass deportation agenda.More than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained since Donald Trump returned to office, and at least six have been deported, an Associated Press investigation found. It is the first accounting of such detentions, which the government does not track. Continue reading...

MTA to sell remaining machines - which weigh up to 1,050lbs - as it transitions to contactless fare systemThe Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of New York City has begun auctioning off its final MetroCard vending machines, offering New Yorkers the chance to own one of the transit system's most recognizable fixtures as the agency continues its transition to Omny.The auction opened on Wednesday morning and will run through 19 August, according to the MTA. The agency is offering a limited number of retired MetroCard Vending Machines (MVM) and MetroCard Express Machines (MEM), which have served subway riders for decades. Continue reading...

The president is constantly assigning motives, identifying heroes and villains, and telling his audience what to think

Joanna Whaley, ex-megachurch pastor who endured years of conversion practices, comfortably bested her opponents

The candidate has crafted a progressive nationalism and shown his party how to turn Republicans' financial advantage against themEvery now and then, a Senate race sets the direction for an entire party. In 1991, a state official named Harris Wofford - advised by a foul-mouthed Cajun named James Carville - upset his far better-known Republican opponent to win a special election in Pennsylvania. He did it by promising to expand access to healthcare - and thus created a template for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign the following year.If Abdul El-Sayed can follow up his victory in last night's Democratic Senate primary by winning the general election in Michigan this fall, he will have created a template of his own. Despite his closer-than-expected margin of victory, his campaign offers a model for how Democrats across the country can answer the political challenge posed by Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Elections in five states underscored that momentum of progressive candidates remains strong but not unstoppable

Activist who rallied around a datacenter moratorium will face incumbent Republican Tom Barrett in November

If the progressive wins Michigan's general election, it could redefine the 2028 presidential contest. If he fails, the establishment will call him a cautionary tale

Six additional states caught up in investigation after Michigan reported first two US deaths linked to diseaseThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reportedly expanded the scope of the largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak to more states, including Arkansas and Missouri.A spokesperson from Arkansas's health department confirmed the outbreak expansion to their state in a statement to the Guardian: Arkansas is one of the states the CDC is adding to the multi-state outbreak for cyclosporiasis." Continue reading...

Progressive candidate will face Republican Mike Rogers in race to represent midwestern purple state in the Senate

Federal lawsuit alleges kids are being repatriated despite many of them qualifying to remain in the US legallyThe Trump administration is deliberately targeting children who came to the US unaccompanied by a parent or guardian as it pushes to quickly return them to the countries they fled - amid drastic policy changes" in immigration courts, according to allegations in a federal lawsuit shared with the Guardian.The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are trying to prevent imminent deportation to the places from where they escaped danger or harm. Continue reading...

Much of the criticism of Ken Martin is deserved. But his actions are symptomatic of a party that fails to listen to the grassrootsKen Martin is now a convenient scapegoat. As chair of the Democratic National Committee, he has stumbled into disrepute as a dubious fundraiser and bad-tempered boss who bungled an autopsy report on the 2024 election disaster. Much of the criticism is justified. But Martin is just a symptom of what deeply ails a party that does not live up to its name.As the Democratic party's governing body, the Democratic National Committee has long operated as a fortress for party elites who expect to get their way. Martin seemed to offer a bit of a departure when, as Minnesota party chair, he won the committee leadership election last year in part because of his close ties with other state party chairs. They remain among his strongest supporters. That's one reason why Martin is very well-positioned to fend off any challenge to his hold on power when the full committee meets next week in Austin. Continue reading...

Men allegedly used exotic animals for photoshoots featuring a ring of fire in a parking garage in MarylandTwo Baltimore, Maryland, men are facing charges for allegedly using exotic animals - including snakes, a lemur and a spider monkey - in photoshoots featuring three semi-clothed models and a ring of fire in a garage beneath a luxury shopping complex.Photographer Vernon Crowfey III, the 32-year-old owner of the company Photogeniks, was arrested in Towson, Maryland, on 16 July after an undercover officer arranged a shoot with the animals. Continue reading...

Controllers allegedly failed to halt flights, leading to a loss of separation' with a departing passenger jetAn air safety incident" in which Donald Trump's Marine One helicopter came closer than permitted to another aircraft over Washington DC is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).Air traffic controllers are believed to have mistakenly failed to halt commercial flights at Ronald Reagan National airport in northern Virginia on Tuesday afternoon when the military helicopter lifted off from the White House with the president on board. Continue reading...

We would like to hear from US parents about whether they have a program comparable to New York's 2-K rolloutThe New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has rolled out a 2-K program providing free early care and learning for two-year-olds. The program has two thirds more applicants than spots available, indicating high demand.With this in mind, we would like to hear from parents across the US about whether they have a program comparable to Mamdani's 2-K rollout. If so, how has it helped or changed your life? Continue reading...