Helena Foulkes beats incumbent Dan McKee after criticizing handling of Providence's Washington bridge, now expected to be completed in 2028Rhode Island's Dan McKee became the first sitting governor to lose a primary in nearly a decade, bested not by a more progressive challenger or a more youthful upset but by frustration over a bridge.McKee lost his Democratic primary to Helena Foulkes, a former longtime executive with Rhode Island-based retail pharmacy CVS, the Associated Press said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Rubio visits Ecuador and welcomes cooperation after campaign of unilateral strikes on alleged narco-terrorists'US secretary of state Marco Rubio gave new clarity on the approach toward combating drug trafficking in Latin American waters, saying the Trump administration was focused on working with allied countries and aligning with their laws but insisting the military will still blow up ships if need be."The public acknowledgment of a shift in US strategy comes a year after Washington began a campaign of unilateral deadly strikes against those it calls narco-terrorists" operating boats in international waters. Continue reading...

Senator praises great friend' Dave McCormick and says he will help him and Trump to support steel in PennsylvaniaDemocratic senator John Fetterman made a surprise virtual appearance at the Republican midterm convention, delivering a video address supporting Dave McCormick, a Republican senator in Pennsylvania.Fetterman, who has increasingly broken with his party since his election in 2022, said in the video that he would always reject extremes and socialism", repeating an oft-used Republican critique of the Democratic party's increasingly popular left wing. Continue reading...

Appeal against federal panel's approval of Trump-backed maps is latest move in legal back-and-forth spanning four courtsA high-stakes legal battle over Missouri's congressional map returned on Wednesday to the US supreme court, after a series of conflicting decisions threw the state's elections into turmoil less than two months before the November midterm elections.On Wednesday, a federal appeals court panel declined to block a ruling ordering Missouri to use the newly drawn congressional lines backed by Donald Trump to give Republicans an edge in the midterms elections. Opponents of the state's redistricted map immediately filed an appeal to the US supreme court. Continue reading...

Trump administration to seek extra funding from Congress to dismantle' Los Tiguerones over narcotics traffickingThe US has designated Ecuador's Los Tiguerones gang, which stormed a television station during a live broadcast in 2024, as a terrorist organisation as the Trump administration expands its campaign against narcotics traffickers it says are destabilising Latin America.The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, made the announcement in Quito, where he met Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa, one of several rightwing allies of Donald Trump whom Rubio is courting as a security partner during a three-nation tour through Latin America that began on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Coco Gauff saved two match points to set up a semi-final against Elena Rybakina, who secured the world No 1 ranking with her three-set win over Zheng QinwenRybakina has won four of her five meetings with Zheng, including two three-set victories this year. But Zheng was earlier in her comeback from elbow surgery then, the 2024 Olympic champion is a totally different proposition now, carrying the momentum of seven successive match wins in New York having come through qualifying - and the belief she can turn around any deficit after coming from 5-0 down in sets against both Madison Keys in the third round and Iga Swiatek in the last 16.Here come Zheng and Rybakina, Zheng stepping on to court wearing headphones, not that there's much noise to drown out yet at 11.35am New York time. Both already look extremely focused with their game faces on. Continue reading...

Census Bureau also considers race and ethnicity questions in overhaul that would have dramatic effect on voter mapsThe Trump administration on Wednesday proposed changes to the US census intended to exclude immigrants without legal status in addition to other groups, with potentially significant effects on the allocation of federal resources and drawing of districts in the US House of Representatives.In a proposed rule published in the Federal Register, the Census Bureau also announced it was considering changes to the data it collects about race and ethnicity, amid the Trump administration's push to rid the government of diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Continue reading...

Scott Bessent made announcement on Wednesday as bond yields rose to highest point since 2008 financial crisis

Brent crude up by more than 3% after latest fire between US and Iran in Gulf and Houthi attacks on Saudi cities

The US president seized a nation's natural wealth in a modern-day version of gunboat diplomacy to feed his ego - not to lower Americans' fuel billsImperialism does not require a flag to be planted or a governor dispatched. It can be a powerful nation deciding who governs a smaller, weaker country, and on what terms and for whose benefit its resources will be developed. Donald Trump's kidnapping of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, putting his deputy - DelcyRodriguez - in his place as president, and then her signing a deal handing a fifth of the country's proven oil reserves to the US, amount to a modern version of 19th-century gunboat diplomacy. Regime change supplied America's commercial concession.This won't bother Mr Trump. But it should. The US president has oversold his neocolonial spoils. The additional production Venezuela is supposed to bring online might bring down oil prices eventually, but not anytime soon. Crucially, what Mr Trump calls the biggest oil deal in history" won't cause the price at the pump to fall before November's midterms. When so many American voters are struggling to pay energy bills, it's hard to see how unrealised Orinoco Belt riches are going to help Republican candidates.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...

Republicans plan to center the US president at the two-day event, while slamming Democrats as socialistsRepublicans are gathering in Texas on Wednesday for a rare midterm convention", as they attempt to convince Americans to vote for a party led by a deeply unpopular president who has overseen inflation and led the US into an increasingly unpopular war.Donald Trump will dominate the two-day convention, appearing both nights as the GOP works to cling to control of the House of Representatives in November. Republicans plan to put the president at the center of the event, a bold strategy given his approval rating is hovering at about 38%, while accusing the Democratic party of being socialist and out of touch with Americans.Chris Hippensteel contributed to reporting Continue reading...

US president often brings up al-Qaida attack that struck his home town New York City almost 25 years agoDonald Trump often brings up September 11, the devastating al-Qaida attack that struck his home town New York City almost 25 years ago.His recollections of that day have repeatedly included exaggerations and falsehoods - including this week, when he shared an anecdote at a White House event commemorating the attacks that appears to be untrue. Continue reading...

An Amazon cargo plane crashed at Miami international airport in Florida after overshooting the runway, striking vehicles and resulting in at least five deaths and five injuries.Officials said evidence suggested the pilots considered aborting the landing before the crash.Miami airport is not equipped with 'arresting beds', systems of lightweight, crushable material that the federal aviation authority says have been installed at more than 120 airports nationwide at the end of runways to help safely stop planes that overshoot

Brandon Herrera of state's 23rd congressional district calls insults against women and unhoused people jokes'A Republican candidate for a key congressional district in Texas has come under scrutiny over a series of derogatory comments made about women in his social media posts and videos.Brandon Herrera, who is the GOP candidate for Texas's 23rd congressional district, has made a string of insults while fashioning a rightwing online persona as the AK Guy", and hosts a YouTube channel with more than 4 million subscribers that tests and reviews firearms. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese wants social media algorithms to be optional - and it's not the first Musk-Zuckerberg irritant emanating from AustraliaNew risks to a deftly managed personal relationship with Donald Trump have not slowed the Australian prime minister's plans for a showdown with America's all-conquering social media companies.Anthony Albanese, who will rub shoulders with the US president and other world leaders in New York later this month at the UN general assembly, is pushing ahead with changes that would impose fines on big tech firms under a newly created digital duty of care". Continue reading...

The 23-year-old's epic win over Carlos Alcaraz means there is a real chance of an American man winning the US Open for the first time since 2003In yet another graveyard shift at the US Open, Ben Shelton showed he can hang around late, ousting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in five sets in a quarter-final that started on Tuesday night and finished on Wednesday morning. When Shelton fired the final ball out wide for his seventh ace of the night, the clock on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court read 3.33am. It was the latest-ever finish at the Open and the fifth-latest finish in grand slam history.After embracing Alcaraz at the net, he pumped his fists and greeted his coach's box with a primal scream. Parents have a name for this: the zoomies. Then Shelton looked to the stands and gestured at his mother and his girlfriend, soccer star Trinity Rodman. In his on-court interview, he asked that his sister, Emma, be given the day off. She had spent the entire night and much of the early morning watching her little brother play. Continue reading...

More than 30 properties ordered to evacuate after sinkhole grows to roughly 25-30ft deep and 30 by 60 feet wideThe city of Malibu, California, has ordered the evacuation of more than 30 properties after a large sinkhole opened on Tuesday.Malibu officials declared a local emergency on Tuesday evening after a large sinkhole" emerged near 31630 Sea Level Drive. The officials said the sinkhole was believed to have begun developing on Monday, and had grown to roughly 25-30ft deep and 30 by 60ft wide by Tuesday evening. Continue reading...

Through the loss of one franchise, name controversies and stadium changes, Legacy supporters have created an environment of advocacy and belongingMore than two years of work had led to this moment for the Boston Independent Supporters' Association (ISA). Even before Boston's new NWSL team had a name, a mascot or a roster, there were fans organizing, ready and waiting to embrace the franchise.On 14 March 2026, it finally paid off. The Boston ISA members marched into Gillette Stadium for the Legacy's opening match, following behind the marching band from Boston Public Schools and holding their Up the Swans" scarves over their heads. The group arrived at their seats in the supporters' section behind the north goal and unfurled the tifo they had spent many hours diligently painting. Continue reading...

Long before state became a rightwing political stronghold it was defined by cowboys on strike and farmers organizingTexas is well-known as a Republican-red state, but it has another, largely forgotten red history of the radical shade. Long before it became a rightwing political stronghold, it was defined by cowboys on strike, farmers organizing against the railroads, and one of the largest Socialist party chapters in the country.In Texas, the history of our radical politics and labor and working class tradition has been purposefully hidden," author David Griscom said. It's important to go back and correct the record and see that there was an effort to try to make Texans forget the radical roots in the kind of more recent past." Continue reading...

Springfield community mourns one of its own after Pierre Damas Bel, who was forced to wear electronic ankle bracelet by ICE, walked into traffic and was killed by truckFor 20-year-old Pierre Damas Bel, the humiliation of starting college last month with an electronic ankle bracelet - attached by ICE agents this summer - was deeply traumatic.I'm walking through the streets of the United States with a GPS monitor on my leg, carrying a feeling of shame and humiliation that I never imagined I would experience," he wrote on Instagram in July.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

After young people shifted right for Trump, Democratic-aligned groups across the US are eager to capture gen Z voters where they are before November's midterm electionsOn the first day of the fall semester at California State University, Northridge, student organizers holding Hot People Vote" signs wheeled a bright pink wagon outside the student union. They offered no strings attached" donuts, heart-shaped sunglasses and voting information for the November general election. Even though it was 105F outside, dozens of people stopped by to chat with the Donuts + Democracy volunteers and register to vote.One student told organizer Dzian Tran that she didn't plan to vote because she was disillusioned with politics. Tran chatted with her about how civic engagement is important to democracy and how some elections are won by a margin of only 400 votes. As she thanked Tran, the student held her phone up to a QR code to get more information about voting. Continue reading...

The state can't use new congressional districts under one court order - or its old ones under another. Plus, the architects in Europe turning urban spaces into areas of climate respite

AFL-CIO calls for ban on such labels to protect consumers and workers from surveillance pricing and job cutsThe universal adoption of electronic shelf labels in grocery stores across the US could cost tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in lost wages while further driving up grocery costs, according to a report released on Tuesday.An analysis by the AFL-CIO Tech Institute of the label manufacturers' own marketing materials found the universal adoption of electronic shelf labels, which are marketed to retailers as a cost-cutting measure, could cost workers between $1.6bn and $6.9bn in lost wages annually and affect between 44,223 and 191,633 jobs. Continue reading...

Kent Blacklidge, who officials say was directly involved with child exploitation cases', turned himself in last weekA federal law enforcement agent tasked with trying to provide justice in cases involving kids" has been charged with child rape in Alabama, state authorities said on Tuesday.Kent Blacklidge, described as a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), turned himself over to the Baldwin county jail on 5 September in connection with a grand jury indictment charging him with first- and second-degree rape, sodomy and sexual abuse, police in the city of Spanish Fort said in a statement. Continue reading...

Sports is the rare topic in which the president has succeeded in shifting the conversation to his preferred termsLately, it seems Donald Trump's scope of interests has narrowed to a few things: remaking downtown Washington DC in his gaudy image; wars he thinks he can win quickly and easily, even though he can't.Also, golf. Always golf. Ever golf.Leander Schaerlaeckens is the author of The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts, which is out now. He teaches at Marist University. Continue reading...

The new season kicks off on Wednesday night. Our writers have their say on the MVP, rookies to watch and the disasters waiting to happenQuarterbacks living under center. The NFL has developed into a shotgun league, where most quarterbacks take the majority of their snaps three to seven yards away from the center. But the increase in efficiency when it comes to snaps taken right behind the center should have coaches directing their quarterbacks to do more of it. Matthew Stafford, Caleb Williams, and Sam Darnold led the way in 2025, and others will follow. DF Continue reading...

A year since his assassination, the movement Kirk started is reckoning with the void he left behind - and a revolution that eats its ownAs Charlie Kirk's family, friends, and colleagues barreled through the sky to Utah, one staffer kept throwing up in her mouth. Each time she quietly swallowed. She did not want to add to the distress of the others sitting in deathly silence on the jet - especially Kirk's 36-year-old wife, Erika. She was already a widow.Those who work at Turning Point USA - the ultraconservative activist organization based in Phoenix, Arizona, that Charlie Kirk founded - believe deeply in a Christian God. Many also believe that Satan and his deputies vie for influence on Earth. Earlier that day, on 10 September 2025, those forces had seemingly persuaded an angry young man to hide on a roof at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was speaking to 3,000 people, with a loaded rifle. Continue reading...

Far-right parties, Maga ideology and Kremlin money are conniving to suffocate liberal idealism for another generationNot all that long ago, Europe was a beacon of liberal idealism. One memoir recalls it as an era comfortably saturated with confidence in the unfailing and binding power of tolerance and conciliation". The economic system seemed obviously preferable to barbarous alternatives. People honestly believed that the divergencies and the boundaries between nations and sects would gradually melt away into a common humanity," the author added.Those words could describe the spirit of globalisation at the turn of the millennium. They were written in the 1930s by Stefan Zweig, reflecting on the optimism of late 19th-century Vienna from the perspective of a Jewish emigre whose world had been destroyed by murderous nationalism. Zweig took his own life in 1942. He never saw fascism defeated. He couldn't have imagined a renaissance of liberalism in the second half of the 20th century so complete as to attain a pitch of complacency rivalling the one he remembered from his childhood. Continue reading...

The president's substantial holiday gifts to four White House aides were made public via financial disclosures released by the administrationDonald Trump gave sizable holiday gifts to four White House aides, according to new financial disclosures released by the administration, including $45,000 to executive assistant Natalie Harp.Communications adviser Margo Martin and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris also received $45,000, while director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta received a $20,000 gift. Continue reading...

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Tit-for-tat violence surges again in region, with tankers struck by the US in the Gulf of Oman, and reprisal attacks by Iran on a US base in JordanThe US military on Tuesday said it destroyed" multiple Iranian tankers, after Iran attempted to strike a US navy warship with ballistic missiles, as violence once again surged across the region, pushing the price of oil close to $100 a barrel.American forces struck the tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Iran's Kharg Island, US central command (Centcom) said in a statement, adding that American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck". Continue reading...

Documents available through an online portal launched three days before the 25th anniversary of September 11New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration has released more than 170,000 pages of municipal records involving the impact of the September 11 attacks on air quality health, as well as the city's response.Mamdani announced the documents and an online portal for accessing them on Tuesday. The release comes alongside the settlement of two lawsuits pursued by 9/11 Health Watch, which fought for access to these long-withheld documents. Continue reading...

Frontrunner Sununu beats Scott Brown to earn Republican nod in closely watched race in NovemberFormer senator John E Sununu triumphed on Tuesday in the New Hampshire Republican Senate primary Scott Brown, earning the GOP nod in what will likely be a must-win race if Democrats hope to seize the upper chamber.Sununu, 61, was the clear frontrunner in the GOP primary. He served one term in the Senate from 2003 to 2009. Continue reading...

Pappas fends off challenge from progressive Karishma Manzur in seat to be vacated by retiring Jeanne ShaheenCongressman Chris Pappas beat back progressive challenger Karishma Manzur in the Democratic primary for US Senate on Tuesday, advancing as most observers expected to what will be a closely watched general election that is critical to Democratic hopes of flipping the upper chamber.The two were competing for the nomination that opened up after Jeanne Shaheen, 79, the state's threeterm incumbent Democratic senator, announced her retirement. Continue reading...

The measure comes as Canada imposes $20bn in retaliatory tariffs and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney vows to reduce his country's economic dependence on the USThe US is banning dairy products, most alcoholic beverages and motorcycles from Canada, the White House said Tuesday, as the trade war between the two neighbors and longtime allies escalates.The ban will take effect in three weeks and comes after Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on $20bn in US imports earlier Tuesday. Continue reading...

Federal judge says old maps cannot be used in November election, hours after supreme court blocked redrawn mapsA federal judge in Missouri on Tuesday temporarily prevented the state from using its old congressional maps in the November midterm elections, hours after the supreme court declined to intervene, the latest twist in a legal back-and-forth playing out less than two months before the midterms.On Tuesday the conservative justice Brett Kavanaugh denied the emergency request from Missouri officials to use a congressional map in November that was redrawn with Donald Trump's support to give Republicans an edge in the midterm elections. The supreme court action came after the Missouri supreme court ruled that the map must go before voters to approve or reject the new districts, meaning it cannot be used in the November election. Continue reading...

Sabalenka shows spirit to deny Noskova and reach semis

Authorities accused Missy Woods of altering years worth of data in cases involving homicide, sexual assault and robberyA judge sentenced a former forensic analyst for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to 10 years in prison on Tuesday after authorities said her manipulation of DNA data had raised questions about the validity of hundreds of criminal cases.Yvonne Missy" Woods pleaded guilty in June to perjury, attempting to influence a public servant, forgery and committing a cybercrime. Dozens of other counts were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Continue reading...

Brothers, convicted of parents' killings and denied parole last year, permitted to apply for another hearing earlier than expectedErik and Lyle Menendez will be before a parole board again in March, about 17 months earlier than expected.The brothers were originally sentenced in 1996 to life in prison for the 1989 fatal shootings of their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills mansion. A Los Angeles judge reduced their sentences to 50 years to life in May 2025, making them eligible for parole because they were under age 26 when they committed their crimes. Continue reading...

Satirical program's new title is inspired by bravery and patriotism' of Apple and Google, who capitulated to Trump's requests to change Lake Ontario to Lake America'In light of Donald Trump's attempts to rename a gulf, lakes and even states after America", South Park, the animated satirical program that has long skewered those in power, has announced an official name change. For its 29th season, the Comedy Central series will be known as South America".Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA," creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker said in a statement. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount - a Skydance Capitulation." The show's parent company, Paramount Skydance, owned by Trump ally David Ellison, is poised to become one of the biggest media conglomerates in the US after the Trump administration approved its $111bn merger with Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), drawing much creative industry backlash.The 29th season of South America" will premiere on 16 September, and stream globally on Paramount+. Continue reading...

National Air Traffic Services apologise for technical issue disrupting departures today, which Flightradar24 say has caused hundreds of cancellations

I have to be honest, it has been stressful,' Lonnie Bunch III saysThe Smithsonian Institution's secretary, Lonnie Bunch III, will retire at the end of the year amid Donald Trump's attacks on the museum's content and independence.Bunch, who was appointed in 2019 as the first African American to lead the museums, cited personal reasons for departing, while acknowledging the pressure that the president's attacks on the Smithsonian's depictions of US history had taken. Continue reading...