Civil rights groups say plan will make people afraid to vote' and violates the Voting Rights Act

Russian strikes in Kyiv, a female militia march in Tehran, protests in Pristina and Alfie Hewett at the US Open - the past seven days as captured by the world's leading photojournalists Continue reading...

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Michael P Desronvil was sole juror to vote guilty, resulting in deadlocked jury and judge declaring a mistrial

The 24-year-old has taken his attention to detail from lining up bats and helmets as a toddler to helping the Cleveland Guardians towards the playoffsWhen Sydney's Travis Bazzana made his debut in Major League Baseball on 28 April, it was the culmination of a journey that began when he was a toddler.From the time he could stand, Travis was always wanting to throw or hit balls with any type of bat or racket available," says Travis's mother, Jenny. Any visitors to the house, including his grandparents, were immediately invited to play or compete with him." Continue reading...

Arizona State hockey player Matthew Mayich is fighting for his life after collapsing during practice. Tragedies like this can be avoidedLate last month, Arizona State hockey player Matthew Mayich collapsed during a team workout. He is now fighting for his life after suffering from exertional heatstroke and, according to the Mayich family attorney, is unlikely to make a meaningful recovery. This young man was drafted by the St Louis Blues but will never get the opportunity to play in the NHL. While he is not the first young athlete severely harmed by heat-related illness in American sports, he should be the last.I have learned more about this preventable injury than I ever wanted to know. On 29 May 2018, my son Jordan McNair collapsed during a strenuous football practice at the University of Maryland. By the time he arrived at the hospital, he was dangerously overheated and never recovered. Continue reading...

After the NHL star appeared in an ad campaign for United Russia, it's fair to start pressing about the impact of his stances - even if he doesn't want to talk about itWhen Russian launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, reporters asked Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin for his thoughts. It was no secret, even then, that Ovechkin was close to Vladimir Putin. Years before, Ovechkin boosted the Russian president in a social media campaign and featured Putin in his own Instagram profile photo. He is my president," Ovechkin said of Putin shortly after the invasion. But [like] I said, I'm not in politics, I'm an athlete." That's over. He's in politics now.The thing about the video: I'm Russian," Ovechkin told reporters Thursday. The video in question is one he taped for United Russia, a group supporting Putin, ahead of parliamentary elections. Ovechkin appears in the video alongside Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the state-controlled media outlet RT, and others. I'm for peace and love, and I hope, in the world, it doesn't matter who you are," Ovechkin told reporters. I hope everybody understands everybody wants peace, and everybody hope everything's going to be OK in the world." Continue reading...

The public will, for the 12th year in a row, vote for the fattest of brown bears in Alaska's Katmai national parkThe bears have returned to the river and are packing on the pounds as another Fat Bear Week begins at Katmai national park.The 12th annual Fat Bear Week, in which the public will vote for the fattest of Katmai's brown bears as mothers, cubs and males gather along the salmon-run at Brooks river in Alaska begins on Monday. Continue reading...

Number of private jets has surged in recent years, but they do not pay commensurate portion of fees to FAA operationsA new report has put a spotlight on the rapid expansion of private jet travel in the US, revealing that private jet owners are not paying their fair share of aviation tax despite the average owner's wealth being $190m and private jets being up to 14 times more polluting than commercial flights.The Institute for Policy Studies' new report, High Flyers 2026, examines the growing use of private aircraft, the public infrastructure supporting them and the tax policies benefiting private jet owners. Continue reading...

Local communities are fighting back against the influence of conservative groups like Moms for Liberty in educationJimmy Glover's youngest children were in high school when he noticed their Florida school district taking an unsettling turn. Beloved books were being pulled from shelves. Teachers were scared of being targeted.There was this culture of fear that was permeating throughout the district," Glover said of Sarasota county. Continue reading...

The party needs to thread the needle between college-educated and working-class voters. Our survey offers a wayResisting authoritarianism is the second-highest priority for Democrats' college-educated base. But for working-class Americans, it's only the 19th priority (out of 20), we found in a new survey. The gap between these two groups was larger than on any other issues: elites prioritized resisting authoritarianism an astonishing 33 percentage points more than non-elites did.Democrats' dilemma is that their college-educated base insists they stand up to Donald Trump's attacks on democracy, but they also need to win working-class votes. The way to thread that needle is to recognize that what's needed to defend democracy in the short term is different from what's needed to defend it in the long term. Continue reading...

Although state officials laud a reduction in violent crime, a report claims it would have happened without the taskforceNational guard troops began walking the streets of Memphis a year ago this week, as part of a federal surge of law enforcement agents sent into the city at the behest of the Trump administration to reduce violent crime.Fewer soldiers are on the street today, as the city's grudging initial acceptance of the president's deployment has given way to doubts about their effectiveness, focus and respect for civil rights - particularly after four men were killed in gunfire by federal agents working with the taskforce, with a recent autopsy showing that one was shot in the back. Continue reading...

The billionaire's attempted crackdown on Ed Sheeran's tour only amplified pro-Palestinian statements. It's been a joy to watchA few weeks ago, the worst thing you could say about Ed Sheeran was that his music was a bit bland. A Guardian music writer once compared it to aural wallpaper". Which was a little bit rude to wallpaper: there are some very interesting designs out there!I don't need to tell you what people are saying about Sheeran now, do I? The pop star has been in the news for days after he apparently crumbled when billionaire Robert Kraft demanded Macklemore be pulled from his tour because of the rapper's pro-Palestine advocacy. Continue reading...

Yes sport is about effort, sweat and inclusivity - but it also turns elite athletes into magnificent specimens of humanity where the aesthetic is part of the appealHave you seen the 40-second video that will change the way you think about women's sport, women's bodies, just, you know, women? It's been unavoidable on social media this week - brazen, unapologetic, dominating the algorithm like an AI kitten hacking a banana-bread recipe while lip-syncing to Cardi B. I for one have enjoyed it at least 50 times already.It starts with some carefully curated passive-aggression - Dear Sydney", Hey Sydney", Respectfully Sydney" - and follows up with clips of what, in its own words, a woman in sport actually looks like". It shows its subject pounding the treadmill or powering down the back straight, flooring a rival with a tackle or a roundhouse kick, lifting weights or throwing herself through the air. It is, inevitably, soundtracked by Dua Lipa. Training Season is getting a serious bump this week. Continue reading...

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Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, accused of driving on wrong side of road to cause fatal crash NBC news helicopter was coveringA California woman was allegedly driving under the influence when she sped down the wrong side of the road, ran a red light and plowed her SUV into a Los Angeles metro bus on Tuesday, killing two passengers, prosecutors say, in a tragedy compounded when a news helicopter covering the crash plummeted from the sky, killing three.Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, has been charged with two counts of murder over the deaths of the two people on the bus, identified as Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31. Rios was being held on $4.1m bail and is set to be arraigned on 18 September. Online court records did not list a lawyer who might speak on her behalf, and the public defender's office did not immediately return a message about whether it was representing her. Continue reading...

Anthony Kazmierczak agreed plea deal over January town-hall attack that came amid Minneapolis ICE crackdownThe man who sprayed vinegar at the Democratic US House member Ilhan Omar during a Minneapolis town hall was sentenced Thursday to 14 months in prison after reaching a deal with prosecutors.The sentencing of 56-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak came nearly eight months after the 27 January assault. At the time, Minneapolis was facing an immigration crackdown that led to angry protests, arrests and the killing of two US citizens by federal officers. Continue reading...

Fish and Wildlife Service memo calls for change in what it means to take' an endangered speciesMore than 1,600 critically imperiled species protected under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) face losing further federal protections following a new reinterpretation of the 1973 law by the Donald Trump administration.A September 14 memo distributed to Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) field offices by FWS director Brian Nesvik calls for a reinterpretation of what it means to take" an endangered species. Under the ESA, take" is defined as to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct". Continue reading...

The US health secretary added that he would've made sweeping changes on day one' but he had to follow the lawAs the death toll from the worst measles outbreak in decades rises, Robert F Kennedy Jr headlined the Washington DC conference of the anti-vaccine organization Children's Health Defense, which he led for nearly a decade.Let me be clear. You have a strong and steadfast friend at the White House," Kennedy, now serving as secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), told anti-vaccine activists at the conference in a nearly hour-and-a-half-long speech. He urged patience, saying that he would've made sweeping changes on day one" but that he had to follow the law in order to make permanent change. Continue reading...

Grand jury indicts Jesse Calhoun, 41, on charge of first-degree manslaughter in the death of Elizabeth GibsonAn Oregon man accused of killing five women has been indicted in connection with the death of a sixth woman, officials announced this week.Jesse Calhoun was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of first-degree manslaughter in the death of Elizabeth Libby" Gibson, said the Multnomah county district attorney on Wednesday. Calhoun is accused of causing Gibson's death and acting unlawfully and recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life". Continue reading...

Students required to disclose information if they wish to make up swimming days lost because of their periodsA Michigan high school is facing scrutiny after parents raised concerns over a gym class policy requiring female students to disclose information about their menstrual cycles if they want to make up swimming days missed because of their periods.Under the policy, which appears in a Lakeview high school gym syllabus, female students who miss swimming because of their periods must have a parent submit a written note or email identifying the length of their menstrual cycle before they can make up the missed days. Continue reading...

Ruling comes amid demolition threats by Donald Trump after being stymied from adding his name to centreA federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to give at least 30 days' notice before moving to demolish the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after the US president warned that it could be ripped down".The US district judge Christopher Cooper issued the order on Thursday after lawyers for the Democratic congresswoman Joyce Beatty submitted evidence of Trump's comments and sought clarification over whether the building could be closed or bulldozed. Continue reading...

Critics had criticized administration for nominating Schroyer, who has no formal experience working in ICEThe White House has withdrawn the nomination of Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), less than three months after announcing his role.Critics had initially criticized administration officials for nominating Schroyer, who has no formal experience working in ICE, to lead Donald Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement agenda. Continue reading...

Mark Carney's response to the challenges posed by an unreliable US president contains a clarity of vision that is lacking in post-Brexit BritainThere is no associate membership" of the European Union, nor any blueprint for what such a thing might involve. It is a political hypothesis, describing a relationship of intimate strategic alignment with the EU, stopping short of actual membership, in ways that are significant but undefined.This week, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, invited Canada to be the first country to enjoy this putative status. In her state of the union speech, she spoke of a future relationship elevated to the highest level possible", reflecting an affinity of interests and values. Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, reciprocated the sentiment in a speech on Wednesday. Addressing the European parliament, he said the two sides should secure strategic autonomy through deep cooperation" across a broad spectrum of interests: trade, defence, industrial capacity, science, space and AI. He proposed Canadian participation in the EU's Erasmus student exchange programme and Horizon research scheme.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

The Arizona senator shepherded the confirmation of conservative supreme court justice Brett KavanaughJon Kyl, a Republican former US senator from Arizona who shepherded conservative supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh through his confirmation hearing, died on Thursday at 84, his family announced.The cause was complications from a neurological disease, according to a statement. Last December, Kyl announced that he had been diagnosed with dementia. Continue reading...

The US manager's first squad of the 2030 World Cup cycle leans heavily on youth, injecting intrigue into the four-game window.

State reportedly asks for emergency assistance as state Democratic governor spars with US health secretaryPennsylvania is seeking emergency assistance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a major measles outbreak spreads across the state. The state warned the request could be withdrawn unless the federal agency publicly recognizes four measles-associated deaths reported by the state.The Pennsylvania department of health has begun the process of requesting CDC emergency support known as an Epi-Aid, according to a letter reviewed by the Guardian. The letter was first reported by Reuters on Thursday. Continue reading...

Maria Elvira Salazar says some enforcement has gone too far' as GOP seeks distance from Trump before midtermsA Republican congresswoman has released a campaign ad criticizing Donald Trump's approach to immigration enforcement, in the latest sign that a key plank of the president's 2024 re-election campaign has become a liability for his congressional allies ahead of November's midterm elections.Mr President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far," Florida's Maria Elvira Salazar says in a 30-second ad. In July, 50% of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record. Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policy." Continue reading...

Mauricio Pochettino has called in a youthful group for the upcoming friendlies. Here are the big takeawaysIt was reasonable to expect that Mauricio Pochettino's first United States squad after this summer's World Cup would turn the page for a new cycle. Instead, given the youthfulness of his selections, even a fast-forward reference feels like too dated a reference.Cavan Sullivan is poised to make his US senior debut, with the 16-year-old chosen for Pochettino's 28-man squad for the September/October window. The Philadelphia Union phenom is one of 13 players who could debut for the national team in the coming weeks, with four friendlies to be played across the country. Should he see the field, Sullivan would become the fourth-youngest player to represent the US, a record still held by Freddy Adu. Continue reading...

National Park Service lays out concerns that planned 250ft arch could interfere with historic sites in US capitalDonald Trump's desired triumphal arch in downtown Washington DC will likely contribute to adverse effects to historic properties", according to the National Park Service's planning document, but the construction is still planned to go forward.The president's 250ft arch could interfere with some of the most well-known views in the nation's capital, including the symbolic relationship between Arlington House, the Arlington National Cemetery, the Arlington Memorial Bridge and the Lincoln Memorial, which face each other to represent the reunification of the United States after the civil war. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Internal FBI memo, reviewed by the Guardian, said women wanted to dox and embarrass' agents, but provided few detailsThe FBI internally warned that a group of women were creating fake online dating accounts with tradwife" aesthetics in an effort to lure US immigration agents and dox" them.The FBI in Chicago disseminated a brief memo to other law enforcement officials across the US on the potential threat to agents in February, warning that as of late January 2026, a small group of women allegedly were creating fictitious online dating profiles with the purpose of attracting and then doxxing law enforcement participating in immigration enforcement". The report, which was shared with the Guardian, provided few details about the alleged scheme and did not explain the source of the information. Continue reading...

Secret coordination between politicians and social media creators is a form of astroturfing. But there are few legal regulationsNot long ago, it was common wisdom among social media influencers that they shouldn't talk politics. There was a widespread belief among their crowd that it was bad for business. If you went left, you lost the right, and vice-versa.Times have changed. Nearly everywhere you look online, influencers are posting political content. Each day, there are new reports detailing their hot takes on elections, campaigns and the culture wars. It's become a lucrative business for these creators, as they now like to be called, and a boost for those that pay them for hype. Continue reading...

The Patriots owner's decision to ban the rapper from performing at the team's stadium brings back memories of the blackballing of Colin KaepernickSix years ago, in the middle of a racial reckoning" that never was, a White House that had begun out of control reached its chaotic apex. Federal officials were sweeping citizens off American streets in unmarked vehicles, surrounding the Lincoln Memorial with armed guards and rolling military vehicles through residential neighborhoods in a fascist reaction to protests against the murder of George Floyd. It was at this point that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, realizing it had all gone too far, appeared on a Zoom and admitted his league was wrong" for not listening to its players when they had protested against police brutality.The implication was clear: more than any other sports league, the NFL was harshest in its reaction to the protests that began with Trayvon Martin in 2012 and continued with Ferguson, Baltimore and Colin Kaepernick. By blackballing Kaepernick, sitting by while broadcast partners refused to air the national anthem to undermine the protests, and, most embarrassingly, Goodell's draconian announcement that teams would be subject to fines if players showed dissent, the NFL had proven itself to act in the most un-American of ways.Howard Bryant is the author of 11 books, including Full Dissidence: Notes from an Uneven Playing Field, and Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America. He also writes on Substack Continue reading...

In Memphis, programs to help at-risk youths work overtime to make sure they don't get lost in the criminal justice systemOne Friday afternoon in late July, at the Shelby county juvenile court in Memphis, a 14-year-old boy waited to learn whether he would be allowed out of detention before his birthday.The teenager had been accused of assault. His birthday was Monday. If his case was not resolved that afternoon, he would turn 15 in custody. Continue reading...

Trump himself has acknowledged the US need for Canadian aluminum - and has largely exempted metals from new tariffsAs trade talks with Canada shambled toward collapse in late August, Donald Trump brayed on Truth Social: WE DON'T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US!" But in fact, Canada, like China, has something the US needs badly: critical metals that undergird modern military technology.Canada is the United States's biggest foreign source of minerals, supplying about $47bin worth each year. Sixty percent of all the aluminum the US uses each year, for instance, comes from Canada, where mighty, remote rivers provide smelting plants vast quantities of cheap, low-carbon electricity. The US military uses the lightweight metal for everything from shell casings to ship hulls and aircraft fuselage. The Pentagon's cutting-edge F-35 fighter jet's airframe is about 40% aluminum. This country desperately needs aluminum," Trump complained last month. We get it all from Canada for the most part, and we need it badly." Continue reading...

Christian Castro faced assault charges after shooting Venezuelan man through the door of his apartment while children were presentA federal immigration officer wanted on assault charges for shooting and wounding a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis was arrested there on Wednesday, eight months after a confrontation that became a flashpoint over Donald Trump's deportation sweeps.Christian Castro, an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, was taken into custody by agents of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in Minneapolis and was booked into the Hennepin county jail on his outstanding arrest warrant, the agency said. Continue reading...

As the country's top public health official spends his time in office undermining science, doctors and advocates mount an urgent campaign for childhood vaccinesOn an early September morning, dozens of families stood in line outside a clinic in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. It was exclusion day", the deadline by which students without complete immunizations are barred from returning to class.Instead of turning families away, school district leaders partnered with the county health department to vaccinate kids nearby so they could go back to their desks. That day, 42 middle and high school students were vaccinated to protect against tetanus, pertussis and meningitis, among other diseases. Continue reading...

The network continues to cater to its presidential audience of one', downplaying his supreme court loss and moreTwo breaking stories roiled US politics this week and immediately got big play on most news sites.The supreme court surprisingly rejected - for now - Donald Trump's attempted restrictions on mail-in ballots, a blow to Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections. Continue reading...

Washington and Florida insiders are exploring lucrative deals for a post-communist Cuba crushed by ever-increasing US sanctionsSpanish hotel chains. A Canadian mining firm. European shipping giants. Visa and Mastercard. Scores of foreign companies have been driven out of Cuba this summer over fear of being hit with potent, new secondary sanctions. Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, told Axios last month there are no escape valves" from his unprecedented pressure campaign against the island.But not everybody is losing out. A growing cast of Washington and Florida insiders - from billionaire Trump cronies and Rubio-linked lobbyists to Cuban exiles - are jockeying for control of the communist-ruled island-nation's key assets, charging top dollar to help clients navigate the ever-expanding web of sanctions, and positioning themselves for lucrative business opportunities in the case of regime collapse. Continue reading...

Make ICE Pay Act would block nearly $140bn in funding and redirect money to places reeling from Trump crackdownThe US congresswoman Ilhan Omar is set to introduce a bill that would make federal immigration agencies pay the price" for terrorising vulnerable communities, blocking nearly $140bn in funding and redirecting it to local recovery efforts, the Guardian has learned.The Make ICE Pay Act, due to be introduced on Thursday, targets funding previously designated for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill". Continue reading...

Shutdown of study is latest for Trump administration, which has canceled, frozen and otherwise disrupted more than 5,700 medical research grants over two yearsScientific funding cuts imposed by the Trump administration may force researchers to close a study on Alzheimer's disease risk among 600 ageing people without sharing the results of cognitive tests with participants - even though researchers have all the data to do so.The Trump administration canceled a federal research grant studying two low-income, majority Black neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in August. Researchers were given 90 days to shut down the study - more than five months earlier than planned. Now, they lack the time and money to assess data collected from trial participants. Continue reading...

LeBron James was once one of the world's most outspoken athletes. Now he's plugging a predictions market and an authoritarian leaderThere was a time when LeBron James's views on abuses of political power were considered dangerous enough that Donald Trump's allies told him to shut up and dribble. But over time, James has become less outspoken. After he built a reputation as a voice on social issues and human rights, anti-government protesters in Hong Kong burned his jersey over what they saw as his lack of support for their campaign. Alongside plenty of other US athletes, he has barely spoken on politics during Trump's second term in power. There was the recent dismal sight of him promoting a prediction market (although at least he kept his clothes on). Now he is happily associating with - and helping promote - an authoritarian leader.On Sunday, Angola's president, Joao Lourenco, welcomed two of the most famous people in America - James and Will Smith - to his presidential palace. Continue reading...

Man behind US college football's landmark match in London has dedicated his life to improving crowd safety since his daughter was killed in a crowd crush at a concert aged 23On Saturday afternoon, as he looks out at the crowd of 60,000 he has helped entice to Wembley Stadium, Brian Dubiski's dream will become a reality. But, as Arizona State and Kansas make history by playing the first US college football game in Britain, Dubiski will think most of his daughter, Madison, who was crushed to death at the age of 23.Madison and nine other people were trampled and suffocated by a crowd at a Travis Scott concert in Houston in November 2021. Dubiski now dedicates his life to keeping people safe at sporting events and concerts and, since December, Wembley is one of the stadiums that follows the protocols he introduced. Continue reading...