US news | The Guardian

Dawn is champion after public voting of eight yellow-bellied marmots as they fattened up for long winter aheadA marmot contest started by researchers who turned to OnlyFans to help save a decades-long research project has chosen its champion in its inaugural Fat Marmot Week.Dawn was crowned the winner of Fat Marmot Week 2026 after securing back-to-back victories in both the mass-gain and popular-vote competitions, according to the organizers of the marmot project at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. Continue reading...

Alt-right' agitator and former Trump backer deported from US is said also to be too extreme for ReformAs he arrives back in the UK after being deported from the US by the Trump administration, the far-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos may be wondering what lies ahead for him in his native country.The alt-right" agitator, 41, made his name in the US by promoting Donald Trump and associating with his allies before the 2016 election. Continue reading...

The movement against datacenters is uniting Americans because they perfectly illustrate how a few individuals hold all the power to control decisions that impact our livesBryce Gustafson has been knocking on doors in Indiana for more than a decade. The lead organizer with Citizens Action Coalition (CAC), a consumer and environmental organization, he usually encounters a mix of reactions when he's out canvassing; whatever issue he's talking about, there's always at least a few people on the other side. But at a recent festival in the rural town of Monrovia, Indiana, he was struck by an unusual spirit of unity.He was there about a proposed datacenter, a 550-acre (222-hectare) Google project in this small town of 1,600 people. I had 50 people I talked to," Gustafson told me. Nobody wanted that datacenter in their community. And at least a half a dozen people came up to me to say, Hey, I voted for Trump. What the heck's he doing, supporting these things?'" Continue reading...

Democratic Senate nominee is eager to push past series of controversies involving allegations of antisemitismMichigan's Democratic US senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed apologized to the state's Jewish Democratic Caucus on Saturday for comments he made after an attack on a synagogue in March, which he tied to Israel's actions in the Middle East.My comments may have been misconstrued to justify something I did not mean to justify," El-Sayed told reporters after he addressed the caucus at a party convention in Lansing. To anyone who feels like my comments might have been hurtful, I'm really sorry. That was not my intention." Continue reading...

US republicans are tarnishing their plant-eating opponents at every opportunity. Yet vegans are perfectly suited to hold power - let me count the waysCool news, fellow soy boys and girls - we've been promoted from feeble, tofu-eating wokerati to dangerous radicals unfit for public office. Politico reports that US Republicans have started throwing vegan" around as a tactic to tarnish their political opponents. He's a vegan," Trump warned of Democratic Texas senatorial candidate James Talarico in May, while Talarico's opponent, state attorney-general Ken Paxton, is trying to get the nickname Tofu Talarico" to stick. Paxton also called him a vegan who thinks God is non-binary", which I find hilarious as a political put-down - give the man a Netflix special. (Sidenote: I investigated, and according to the Catholic catechism, God is neither man nor woman".)Republicans have also been digging up past pro-plant-based statements from Colorado congressional candidate Manny Rutinel: a campaign committee press secretary described him on X as a far-left vegan activist who wants to end animal agriculture", posting an old pic of Rutinel bare-chested and wearing a Peta anti-meat banner. Other Dems have also been accused of, erm, liking animals and eating plants: Arizona congressional candidate Amish Shah has been attacked for his wacky liberal agenda pushing vegan policies" and Lindsay James in Iowa drew heat for merely supporting the idea of meatless May". Continue reading...

Widely used chemical TBBPA may present a danger to US public, and especially children, independent research findsThe Environmental Protection Agency is manipulating safety data around a highly toxic flame retardant deployed across the US economy, public health advocates allege.The chemical, TBBPA, has been found in dust in US homes and in consumer goods at combined levels that independent research has found may present a danger to the public, and especially small children. Continue reading...

The Canadian province's premier, Doug Ford, installed a billboard-sized sign on the lake's shoreline after the US president signed an executive order on Thursday directing US federal agencies to change the lake's name on US maps, documents and databases to 'Lake America'. Ford told reporters that the lake's name, which is more than 400 years old, would remain unchanged. Trade talks between the US and Canada collapsed last week, with each side blaming the other for derailing three days of intensive negotiations

Record inundations wrecked homes and took seven lives but Trump has not approved emergency aid and the state has cut funds for environmental agenciesIt's been 10 days since the floodwater receded from Cambridge City's main street and yet signs of disaster are all around.Abandoned cars, toilets and bathtubs are strewn across parks and side streets on a recent visit to the city. Garages have been lifted from their foundations and moved by the rushing water. Dumpsters up and down the street are overflowing with people's belongings, with red paint sprayed on homes indicating which houses have been cleared by water rescue teams. Continue reading...

The move sends the right signal. While we're at it, can we ban using ringtones and scooting on the sidewalk?Imagine driving in Italy, with its narrow, cobblestone streets and scooter enthusiasts. I find it hard enough to drive in Los Angeles, a city designed specifically with the automobile in mind. I'd probably squash a pedestrian or two trying to navigate Italian roads.The modern world is just too hectic for the ancient streets of Europe, so Italy is considering doing the only sensible thing it can: outlawing texting in crosswalks. The Italian government's updated draft of its highway code proposes fines of 75 or more for anyone caught sending a DM, updating their LinkedIn, finishing Wordle on the fifth guess, or anything else phone-related that might make them miss an oncoming metal projectile. I'm sure most people will risk the slap on wrist to get that message off, but it at least sends a signal to the Italian people that paying attention to traffic is actually kind of important.Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...

As Americans face an affordability crisis and war with Iran, the president is focused on ... changing the names of thingsIs it a key policy move which will recognize the extraordinary contributions of the American people"? Or real foolishness"?Whatever the impact of Donald Trump unusual decision to retitle Lake Ontario as Lake America, days after Canada's prime minister refused to be cowed by Trump's punitive tariffs, it has certainly divided opinion - but perhaps it shouldn't have come as a surprise. Continue reading...

Angie Nixon won one of the biggest upsets in US midterm primaries - and if elected, the Democrat would be the first African American senator in Florida historyThe Democratic establishment had the money, the machinery and the candidate with national name recognition. Angie Nixon had a bookshop called Cafe Resistance and a grassroots campaign for the Senate. On primary election night in Florida, Nixon won in arguably the biggest upset of the primary season. But at least one person was not shocked: Angie Nixon herself. We weren't surprised," the 42-year-old reflects after overcoming a vast fundraising disadvantage to defeat Alex Vindman, a combat veteran who testified against Donald Trump during his first impeachment. We actually knew we were going to win; we just didn't know that we were going to win by that much. We put in the work and so super excited about the outcome. It shows that good old-fashioned grassroots organising will beat big money each and every day."Nixon won 56.1% of the vote to Vindman's 43.9%. The result stirred tensions within the Democratic party in a year defined by the struggle between moderates and economic populists. In Florida - a state that has trended increasingly Republican in recent years and is now Trump's home state - Democrats have now nominated a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) who speaks openly about class war. Continue reading...

Inside the US state department, critics are still attacking a shuttered office established to counter foreign propaganda. Now, some of its work is also being resumedA botched leak of purportedly explosive government files to a prominent conservative online personality was supposed to offer proof of what the Trump administration and its allies have long alleged: that a little-known office inside the US state department, created to fight foreign propaganda, had secretly become a tool for domestic censorship.Two former high-ranking officials at the Global Engagement Center (GEC), a target of Republican ire that lost its funding in 2024 and was disbanded after Donald Trump's return to office in 2025, say the documents show nothing of the kind. Continue reading...

As with its approach to Hormuz, the US has mistaken applying pressure for an actual strategy. But Tehran has chips of its own to playDonald Trump has found a new way to promise victory over Iran. After months of war have failed to force Iran's capitulation or collapse, his administration has unveiled what the US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, calls Operation Economic Outcast: an effort to cut it off from what remains of the global economy and threaten foreign governments, banks and companies with sanctions if they continue doing business with Tehran.There is no question that Iran is vulnerable. Its economy has been battered by years of sanctions, war and a months-long US naval blockade. Iranian officials acknowledge that oil exports and access to foreign currency have been severely constrained. Ordinary Iranians are already enduring high inflation, currency depreciation and worsening living standards. Further economic strangulation will inflict significant additional hardship.Sina Toossi is a senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, where his work focuses on US-Iran relations, US policy toward the Middle East and nuclear issues Continue reading...

Reform UK denies donor and crypto-billionaire's global interests in arms and military could present a conflict of interest over its defence spending policyAs he struggles with questions about the millions he has received from the billionaire Christopher Harborne, Nigel Farage has made no secret of his enthusiastic support for the industry that made part of his benefactor's fortune - cryptocurrency. The Reform UK leader even urged the governor of the Bank of England to drop a crypto policy that may be costly for Harborne.But another element of Harborne's business interests could prove still more consequential if it shapes Farage's positions. There appears to be no precedent for a major UK donor who is so entwined with the military. Continue reading...

Plaskett fire has swept through more than 5,900 acres in Monterey county and remains un-contained, says Cal FireA fire in California's Big Sur region doubled in size overnight, forcing the evacuation of nearby residents, in a coastal region where firefighters have battled another blaze for weeks.The Plaskett fire, which sparked on Tuesday, had swept through more than 5,900 acres (2,400 hectares) in Monterey county as of Friday, and remained un-contained, according to Cal Fire. Its cause is under investigation. Continue reading...

Jose Carlos Hoyoz-Munoz was arrested after a family altercation and restrained for combative' behaviorA cadre of Los Angeles police officers beat and restrained a handcuffed man in July, minutes before he was found dead in a jail cell, according to newly released body-cam footage.On 15 July, Jose Carlos Hoyoz-Munoz, 58, was found unconscious in his cell at the Van Nuys regional jail. At the time, the LAPD said two use-of-force incidents had occurred, without specifying the nature. In the video released on Friday, the department said three use-of-force incidents occurred. Continue reading...

Bill Belichick's North Carolina Tar Heels upset the TCU Horned Frogs in a low-scoring affair at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Saturday in the first major college football game of the 2026 season

Ex-Breitbart editor has vocally supported immediate deportations for anyone who can't prove US residencyFar-right British media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported from the US after being detained on Thursday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New Orleans in connection with what the agency said was expired authorization to be in the country and a deportation order.Yiannopoulos's deportation to the UK occurred on Friday, said a statement on Saturday from a spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE. Continue reading...

Ex-House intel committee chair, now running against Abdul El-Sayed, instead saw photo of Osama bin Laden's bodyIn a recent fundraising email, the Republican candidate for Michigan's open US Senate seat, former congressman Mike Rogers, appeared to mislead supporters about his past by suggesting that he had played an active role in the killing of Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaida who was shot and killed in an American military raid on his compound in Pakistan in 2011.When I served as a US army officer and an FBI special agent, I swore a sacred oath to defend the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic," Rogers wrote, according to a screenshot of the email shared online by Azi Paybarah, a former Washington Post reporter now with Straight Arrow News. I dedicated my life to keeping our families safe - working in the shadows, hunting down terrorists, and standing on the frontlines of our national security." Continue reading...

Bureau to still dismiss those with encounters within past 10 years, three or more times or while in public safety capacityThe FBI is dropping a categorical hiring ban on applicants who have had sexual encounters with sex workers and will instead consider in a more holistic manner at least some candidates who have engaged in the practice in the past, according to people familiar with the matter.The move away from an automatic disqualification falls along a continuum of evolving recruitment standards within federal law enforcement and at the buttoned-up bureau, which several years ago relaxed its approach to candidates' past marijuana use and has drawn more recent concern among some current and former agents about a perceived loosening of recruitment requirements as it seeks to replenish its ranks. Continue reading...

Commodity Futures Trading Commission said Gabriel Perez wagered on Kalshi about words president used in speechesA White House teleprompter operator who left his post amid accusations that he used inside knowledge to make bets on Donald Trump's speeches on an online prediction market has been fined $172,000, according to federal regulators.Gabriel Perez illicitly exploited material, nonpublic information" that he gathered through his work for the president in order to place wagers on the Kalshi platform for his personal benefit", the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) maintained in a news release on Friday. Continue reading...

In deep red South Carolina, the president helped stoke apprehension of a deeper red surge ahead of November's US midterm electionsAfter casting his vote in South Carolina, a man who introduced himself as Chestnut was unwilling to give his full name. You don't have a need to know," the air force veteran declared. He was, however, happy to share his views.I'm a true American. I believe in the USA," said the man, outside Christ the Servant Lutheran church in Conway. And I don't believe in communism or socialism." Continue reading...

Avoiding US goods and services - from tech to whisky to air travel - has forced many to find a new way of livingFor William McDonald, 38, a diesel mechanic from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canadian is always the first choice," even if it means his weekly bills are higher.As soon as Trump started putting those tariffs on in February [last year], I started boycotting US goods," he said. Avoiding American products has driven my costs up, and I'm still happy to do it. Continue reading...

Even after judges rejected the same ploy, the Trump administration is going directly to social media and telecommunications companiesThe Trump administration has been deploying an obscure legal maneuver to try to obtain private information on journalists, non-profits and unions, raising alarm over a power the government has asserted without judicial oversight.In one instance, the government obtained six months of telephone records for Georgia Fort, a Minneapolis journalist. Fort was not notified of the request for her information, nor was she given a chance to contest the government's effort to obtain them, her lawyers said in court papers. Continue reading...

Recent deadly water-related incidents amid heatwave leads National Park Service to issue water-safety remindersAs a heatwave continues to bake the western and central US, officials are urging swimmers to be cautious when seeking respite from the summer heat, especially amid a score of recent deadly water-related incidents.Each year, from April to September, drowning deaths rise nationwide, according to 2018-24 data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Continue reading...

There's little optimism about treasury secretary's ability to handle Trump's tariffs, Iran sanctions and colossal US debtHistory remembers Gen Dwight Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the allied forces in Europe during the second world war, for his role in the D-day invasion of Normandy. Whether Scott Bessent will achieve similar posterity as the face of the economic D-day" in Iran remains to be seen.The US treasury secretary, already trying to manage a $40tn national debt pile, this week took charge of Donald Trump's effort to reverse-engineer his war of choice. Whereas the US would typically take on an adversary with diplomacy, sanctions and military force, in that order, the US president started with a six-month bombing campaign and now hopes that economic isolation can finish the job. Continue reading...

Ignore Iran, the Epstein files, and your wallet - not to mention Trump's plummeting approval ratingsDon't mention the war! Or the economy, for that matter. Or the Epstein files. Or Natalie Harp. Or affordability", which, as Donald Trump recently said at a rally, is a word that was never used" by the media before he took office. Best not to talk about anything that affects ordinary people or embarrasses the president, really. Instead, let's all rejoice in Trump's latest triumph: renaming Lake Ontario, which is shared by Canada and the US, as Lake America.On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to America-fy the lake's name on US maps and documents, which is an excellent use of time and resources. I suppose we can at least be thankful that the president, who is trying to slap his own name on everything from airports to the Kennedy Center, didn't decree that the body of water be called Lake Trump.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

By linking progressive politics with nominally Arab American issues, organizers are building winning coalitionsAbbas Alawieh initially thought the uncommitted movement of 2024 had failed.The insurgent group, which he helped co-found, had gotten more than 700,000 Democrats to vote uncommitted" on their 2024 presidential primary ballots to pressure the US government to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. But when the group pushed for the Democratic party to add an embargo on arms to Israel in its platform, it didn't happen. And when they asked to have a Palestinian American speaker address the Democratic national convention, it was also a no-go. Continue reading...

In a 1931 exhibition, Jackie Mitchell silenced the greats back-to-back. It sparked still-ongoing debates over legitimacy and opportunities for women in baseballThe Sultan of Swat sounded exasperated. I don't know what things are coming to," Babe Ruth sighed during spring training in 1931.I don't know what's going to happen if they begin to let women in baseball," he elaborated to reporters. Of course, they will never make good. Why? Because they are too delicate. It would kill them to play ball everyday." Continue reading...

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US president says US will have majority' control of 65bn barrels of proven oil reservesDonald Trump announced Friday a new US oil agreement with Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez, saying the US will have majority" control of 65bn barrels of proven oil reserves.The terms of the agreement remain to be seen, but the US president said on his social-media platform that it had been brokered through a partnership with private business" by his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. Continue reading...

Nearly 600 days after the devastating 2025 fires, thousands of Los Angeles residents are still waiting for more than $15bn in federal funds to rebuild their communitiesAs thousands of residents in Spokane, Washington, begin to grapple with a long recovery after a destructive set of blazes that consumed hundreds of homes in the state's second most populated city this month, victims of the Los Angeles firestorm broke a grim record - they have faced the longest delay in modern history for federal aid.Nearly 600 days since a historic firestorm roared into communities across Los Angeles, reducing more than 16,000 structures to ash and toxic debris, the Trump administration has failed to appropriate more than $15bn in long-term recovery funds that are crucial to rebuilding. The delay in supplying the badly needed funds is months longer than the last record set when victims of the Maui fires had to wait 500 days to receive the support, LAist noted this week. Continue reading...

National Park Service, which backs the 250ft arch, says it is likely to disrupt historical significance of dozens of sitesA new National Park Service report backs Donald Trump's proposed arch, despite what it says are adverse effects to the sightlines of a host of landmarks in Washington, including the Washington Monument and the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials.The report released on Friday says the 250ft-tall (76-meter) memorial arch is likely to disrupt the historical significance of dozens of sites near its planned location adjacent to the Arlington Memorial Bridge. Continue reading...

Climber, stuck on 6in ridge, had veered off treacherous path and any fall would almost certainly be fatal'An ill-fated move left a man stranded on a 6in ledge over 10,000ft off the ground for hours in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range, before a volunteer rescue team came to his aid.The climber, who has not been publicly identified, had been scaling the Mendenhall couloir, a gully on the face of Laurel mountain, with a friend on Saturday. Continue reading...

A former editor of Breitbart News, Yiannopoulos has also served as an intern for Marjorie Taylor GreeneMilo Yiannopoulos, a far-right British political commentator, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Louisiana, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).In a statement on Friday, a DHS spokesperson said that Yiannopoulos was arrested on Thursday at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans international airport (MSY). The spokesperson said Yiannopoulos legally entered the country" in May 2019, but that he chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws". Continue reading...

The Nepal-Tibet flood disaster, Russian strikes in Kyiv, Israeli settlers in the West Bank and tributes to Dolly Parton - the past seven days as captured by the world's leading photojournalists Continue reading...

Defending champion arrives at Flushing Meadows in poor form and with a host of challengers looking to usurp herUnder any normal circumstances Aryna Sabalenka would not have lost her third-round match at the Cincinnati Open last week. For all of her unforced errors, indecisiveness and the obvious tension surrounding her tennis, the world No 1 had led the unheralded Sara Bejlek 5-1 in the first set tie-break and then 4-1 in set two. She gave herself more than enough chances to close out a comfortable win.Instead Sabalenka returns to New York trying to find a path through her greatest crisis since she first reached No 1 in the rankings more than three years ago. That straight-sets loss in Cincinnati extended a mediocre 17-7 record dating back to the beginning of April during which she has not reached a final. She has just one more chance to turn her fortunes around as she tries to claim her first grand slam title of the year at the US Open, the tournament she has won on the last two occasions. Continue reading...

However, Kevin Warsh didn't say if interest rates would change in coming months, as inflation remains stubbornThe US Federal Reserve is not done fighting high inflation, its chair, Kevin Warsh, said in his first major speech in the role on Friday, emphasizing that it was the Fed's job to deliver stable prices".Warsh did not indicate where the Fed will take interest rates in the coming months, despite US inflation remaining stubbornly above the central bank's 2% target amid the war in Iran. But his speech was taken by markets as a signal that rates may rise in the coming months, a move that may put him at odds with Donald Trump, who has aggressively called for rates to be cut. Continue reading...

Officials said Tyrin Johnson turned toward guard members with gun while running as report shows he was shot in backTennessee national guard members assigned to a federal anti-crime taskforce in Memphis fatally shot an armed 20-year-old man in the back, according to an autopsy report obtained by the Associated Press, contradicting police accounts that said the man was facing the troops when they fired.Authorities have said that Tyrin Johnson turned toward guard members with a gun while running from them in the early morning hours after the Fourth of July holiday in Memphis when he was fatally shot in the chest. Continue reading...

President faces criticism over plan to import up to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef without charging higher tariffsDonald Trump has pledged to allow cattle ranchers and farmers to process their own food amid a backlash from the US agricultural sector over his decision to pause US tariffs on foreign beef.The US president has been sharply criticized, including from members of his own party, since announcing the US will temporarily import up to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef without charging higher tariffs in an effort to bring down prices. Continue reading...

State to offer up to 5,000 trappers chance to snare reptiles whose numbers have risen to 3m from fewer than 100,000The first recreational alligator hunt in Louisiana in more than half a century is about to commence in the swamps of that state, with up to 5,000 hopeful trappers facing strict rules in order to snare a reptile.The state's fish and wildlife commission banned alligator hunting in 1962 to allow the species to recover after decades of unregulated killings for meat and hides dropped numbers there to below 100,000. Continue reading...

X2 ride at Magic Mountain has been closed for a month after one rider experienced brain compression and another remains in comaAn infamous Six Flags Magic Mountain rollercoaster, long favored by intrepid theme park goers, has been closed for more than a month after two people say they experienced brain injuries after riding it, according to a new CNN investigation.The X2 rollercoaster sends riders plummeting and twisting hundreds of feet, reaching up to 76mph (about 122km/h) as the seats rotate 360 degrees. On the southern California theme park's website, it's advertised as a rite of passage for daredevils. Continue reading...