Disclosure from 2021 investigation marks first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald TrumpCapital One Financial hit back on Friday against a lawsuit over its decision to close the Trump Organization's bank accounts years ago, stating that it did so after a review by anti-money-laundering experts.The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald Trump's family business. Capital One is seeking to dismiss the case by casting doubt on claims of illegally debanking - or denying services on religious or political grounds - the Trump Organization. Continue reading...
In Oregon and Washington, low humidity and powerful winds have put officials on alert for wildfire spreadA heatwave scorching the western US region has elevated the risk of hazardous fire conditions particularly in parts of Oregon and Washington, where low humidity and powerful winds have put officials on alert for wildfire spread.The National Weather Service has forecast blistering temperatures through early next week that could climb from 110F to 120F across the south-west. In the Pacific north-west, highs reaching into the 90s are expected in the days to come. Continue reading...
Veteran actor best-known for playing Salvatore Big Pussy' Bonpensiero, friend of Tony Soprano who becomes FBI informantVincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best-known for playing Salvatore Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, has died. He was 80.Bob McGowan, who had managed Pastore since his run on The Sopranos, told the Associated Press that he learned of his death Saturday from another client and actor on the show, Vincent Curatola. Continue reading...
Gavin Newsom says new pay floor of $17.40, set to become highest of any US state, will go into effect on 1 JanuaryCalifornia governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state's minimum wage will rise to $17.40 next year, a ay floor set to become the highest of any US state.The pay bump will go into effect starting 1 January, Newsom announced on Friday. The state's current minimum rate is $16.90. In a news release, Newsom touted the move as a salve for working families amid high living costs and took a jab at the Trump administration. Continue reading...
Troy Jackson gained the party nomination for Senate, but now he needs to consolidate support to take on Susan CollinsTroy Jackson is ready to move on.In fewer than 100 days, the new Democratic nominee has to convince Maine voters to send him to the US Senate - and he's trying to do it without dwelling on Graham Platner, who dropped out of the race after accusations of rape, which he denies. Continue reading...
Truth Social, where Trump's account is by far the largest, to offer users early access for up to $100,000 per monthDonald Trump is now offering early access to his Truth Social posts in a move that has been seen as corruption benefitting a sitting president.Trump Media and Technology Group officially rolled out its new subscription-based data service on Saturday, giving paying customers faster, real-time access to Truth Social posts from Trump and other high-profile accounts. Continue reading...
As Jeanine Pirro moves to drop charges, flawed work by Trump-connected contractor emerges as culpritDonald Trump's Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool saga appears to be winding down after prosecutors dropped vandalism charges against former Olympian David Hearn - but not entirely.On Friday, Trump appointee and US attorney Jeanine Pirro and assistant US attorney Michael Spence petitioned a judge to dissolve the justice department's case against Hearn, 67, who had been accused of pool sabotage, and instead blamed the botched installation" of pool liner materials that caused it peel, and less than fulsome information" offered by the Department of Interior. Continue reading...
Max Blumenthal says he was singled out at airport after Trump ally Laura Loomer targeted him in online postsWhen reporter Max Blumenthal went to a cafe in Tehran one night a few weeks ago to upload videos from his reporting on the funeral of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, he began seeing social media posts from Trump ally Laura Loomer targeting him, including one that suggested he should be taken off the plane by US Marshalls when he lands back in the US ... [and] detained".I began to prepare myself for being harassed on my return," Blumenthal said. Continue reading...
Manhattan's triangular building will open this fall to wealthy residents, with 36 apartments exposing Flatiron's steel skeleton'New York City's Flatiron building has had many lives: as a structure seen as a deathtrap; as a nuisance which created a deadly, petticoat-lifting, wind current and, mainly, as a commercial space.Now, the triangular building, a favorite of tourists and locals alike, is entering a new era: as a residential building, where apartments cost up to $58.5m. Continue reading...
The longevity influencer and his girlfriend, Kate Tolo, say they're studying women's health - a worthy goal, but perhaps some skepticism is in orderThe tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has devoted his life to dodging death. The 48-year-old is obsessed with becoming the healthiest person in the world and is on a quixotic quest to reverse his biological age and live forever. As such, Johnson is disciplined about what he eats, takes dozens of supplements a day, and measures every single biomarker possible, boasting that he is certainly the most biologically measured person ever".In short: good luck finding any ice cream in his freezer. But you know what you will find? His girlfriend's menstrual blood. On Thursday, Johnson, a chronic oversharer, posted a photo of his 30-year-old girlfriend, Kate Tolo, on X with the caption: Kate's period blood is in my -80 C freezer. Around 10 mL."Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Across Latin American households in the US, the steaming broth nourishes while keeping family traditions aliveWhen Patty Rodriguez hears the word caldo now, she thinks fondly of home. But as a child growing up in southern California, she despised eating the piping-hot soup-like meal during the summers. Rodriguez would swirl around the chunks of fish with her spoon and imagine that she was performing a magic trick where the dish disappeared. She would roll her eyes as she asked her family why they served the dish more often when it was hot outside. This is not a hotel," Rodriguez recalled her mother and aunts saying. You don't choose what you want to eat. You're going to eat what we make."As an adult, Rodriguez realizes that caldo, which translates to broth in Spanish, was an inexpensive meal that could feed her Mexican American household for several days. It provided the nourishment and hydration needed during the hot summer months. Continue reading...
by Hannah Harris Green in Rio de Janeiro on (#77CWJ)
At the Aids 2026 conference, Brazilian advocates said health systems need to be more independent from foreign fundingHIV advocates from Brazil, whose health system operates independently from foreign aid, say they predicted a dramatic reduction in donor funding for HIV and wish other countries had prioritized independence sooner.While the dissolution of USAID might feel like a rupture", it's something advocates at the Brazilian HIV NGO Gestos have seen coming for a long time, Juliana Cesar, Gestos's political liaison coordinator, said during a session at the Aids 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro. Continue reading...
A New York school district has paused plans to bring an android into the classroom. Is this our educational future?What's more harrowing than sending your child to school? Maybe getting stuck on a city bus that can't drop below 55 miles per hour or it will explode, but that's about it. Once your kid hits school age, you have to decide (if you're lucky) between public and private education, vet the teachers, and neurotically worry about whether they're learning enough and are socializing effectively. For seven hours a day, someone who's practically a stranger is responsible for the wellbeing of one of the most important people in your life.It's a stressful situation, but maybe it would be less so if your kid's teacher was a humanoid robot.Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...
Hartman residents asked for declaration after infighting exacerbated water crisis and all town leaders resignedA small town in south-eastern Colorado was recently declared abandoned after all of its local public leaders resigned amid a drinking water supply crisis.The office of Colorado's secretary of state, Jena Griswold, announced the fate of Hartman on 29 July, a little more than a month after being advised in writing that the town had lacked chlorine in its water for [more than] one month and the water was not potable and smells horrible'", according to public documents. Continue reading...
State attorney general set 31 July deadline for documents relating to abuse of girls at Epstein-owned Zorro ranchThe US Department of Justice (DoJ) appeared to ignore a Friday deadline set by Raul Torrez, the attorney general of New Mexico, to share information about the abuse of girls at a remote ranch formerly owned by the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Torrez's office asked the DoJ in February for unredacted files after he reopened a dormant criminal investigation into activities at Zorro ranch, a remote 10,000-acre property in desert scrub outside New Mexico. Continue reading...
The US administration has struck a warmer tone of late as Ukraine has shown its value as an ally in the Middle EastAs leadership pairings go, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not a match made in heaven.It is a far cry from the warm rapport and kindred spiritedness that defined Ronald Reagan's relationship with Margaret Thatcher, or even the guarded pragmatic friendliness Reagan forged with Mikhail Gorbachev to effectively end the cold war. Continue reading...
American democrats need a Hungarian-style landslide to overwhelm Trump's attempts to rig November's midterm electionsIn these days of extreme weather events, it seems odd to say that the US needs a big landslide. But a landslide defeat for President Donald Trump in November's midterm elections is exactly what is required if the country is to start reversing his deliberate and rapid erosion of its democracy.The respected Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at Gothenburg University argues that in 2025 the US saw one of the most rapid declines in liberal democracy on record. Democracy in the USA," says its Democracy Report 2026, is now at its worst in 60 years." As the imperial republic marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, the danger seen at the very beginning of its constitutional order by anti-federalists such as Patrick Henry - that of an overmighty president abusing his executive power in an attempt to become a new king - has come closer than ever before. Continue reading...
Trump's conflict keeps escalating, with Saudi Arabia joining airstrikes in Iraq and reportedly planning an attack on the Houthis. A recession could followThe US war against Iran is spiraling out of control. Over the past week, the conflict has expanded across the Middle East, with attacks and counterattacks in at least five other countries. Instead of a quick war that sought to topple Iran's regime, Donald Trump has started a regional conflict that risks severely disrupting energy supplies and prices - and triggering a global recession.After a few days of relative calm, the conflict resumed with the Pentagon carrying out almost nightly strikes against Iran, and Tehran retaliating against US military bases in the region. The conflict also extended to attacks in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan and Egypt. And there's little sign that peace negotiations between the US and Iran, which are being brokered by Pakistan and Qatar, are making much progress. Continue reading...
by Robert Mackey ; Maya Yang and Rachel Leingang on (#77C5H)
This blog is now closed. You can read our latest story hereWhen asked by a reporter at Camp David about negotiations with Iran, Trump said the US would be hitting them very hard".We just want to win," he said. We're doing very well, trying to be nice, as nice as you can be in a situation like that, but, you know, they're being decimated. They have no Navy. They have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft. They don't have any capability. They have some, but very little." Continue reading...
Treasury secretary's notepad, photographed by Reuters on Friday morning, prompts questions over US plansDuring a cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, the US treasury secretary Scott Bessent carelessly revealed plans for the US to buy $5bn-$10bn in Japanese yen in a scribbled to do" list left visible to a Reuters photographer.The image, taken over Bessent's shoulder during a portion of the meeting open to journalists, showed a Camp David notepad with the underscored words To Do" followed by Buy Japanese Yen (JPY) $5-10 bil". Continue reading...
Unidentified pilot of F-35B fighter jet receives treatment for non-life-threatening injuries after crash near MiramarAn F-35B fighter jet crashed near a US Marine Corps base in San Diego on Friday morning, sparking a small fire that first responders doused.The pilot, who has not been publicly identified, sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to a statement from the Marine Corps Miramar air base. The pilot ejected, was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries," the Marine Corps said in an updated statement. Continue reading...
Lawyers now say damage to pool liner attributed to David Hearn instead is result of installation by contractorThe justice department has moved to dismiss a criminal case charging former Olympian David Hearn with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, instead blaming damage to the pool liner as the result of flawed installation by the contractor".Government lawyers said in a 20-page court filing in DC superior court on Friday evening that they had received information about a rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026". Continue reading...
Pup named Roo, who ran away from home, was found curled up next to rail track - and was thrilled' to be rescuedA two-year-old pitbull who ran away from home braved two days in a dim San Francisco railway tunnel before being rescued.Caltrain operators spotted the pup named Roo on his first day in the tunnel. Looking at the dog's unmoving body, they had assumed he had been fatally struck by a train, according to a recent social media post from the San Francisco animal care and control shelter. Continue reading...
Sean Grayson, diagnosed with colon cancer, was sentenced to 20 years for killing Massey in Springfield in 2024A former Illinois sheriff's deputy won't get an early medical release from his two-decade prison sentence for killing Sonya Massey inside her home after the Black woman called 911 about a possible prowler, state officials decided on Friday.Sean Grayson had been diagnosed with colon cancer prior to the 2024 shooting, and his attorney noted in January that the cancer had advanced to his liver and lungs. Continue reading...
Body of William Standish discovered in Teton mountains as investigators say fatal fall likely cause of deathA 28-year-old Australian hiker who lost contact with his family while hiking the Continental Divide Trail between Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks in Wyoming has been found dead, according to authorities.The man, identified as William Standish, was discovered by rescuers on Wednesday morning in the Wigwams, a series of rocky peaks on the west slope of the Teton mountain range, the Teton county coroner said. Investigators say it was likely he suffered a fatal fall. Continue reading...
Defense lawyers say Clancy was ill with postpartum psychosis when she killed three children in January 2023Jurors walked through the Massachusetts home where Lindsay Clancy strangled her three children, a rare visit on Friday that let them see first-hand the place where an outwardly ordinary family life unraveled into tragedy.After being driven past two businesses relevant to the narrative of the January 2023 killings, jurors were escorted in groups of six to view the inside of the house, including the basement where the children died. Continue reading...
US government, which owes legal services firm $65m, stopped paying in December, as contract runs out FridayCurrent and former prosecutors are denouncing the Trump administration for fast-tracking the deportation of immigrant children, as a key contract for legal services is set to expire on Friday.A series of federal laws has for decades shielded child immigrants from removal, either to protect their safety or to allow them to testify against abusers or human traffickers. Continue reading...
California governor and wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, release 2022-2024 filings amid Trump investigationGavin Newsom and his wife made from $1.7m to $2m annually from 2022 through 2024, and paid about half a million a year in federal and state taxes, according to tax returns released by his office.The California Democratic governor's office released more than 700 pages of tax filings spanning four years for reporters to review, offering a window into Newsom's finances as he prepares to leave office and considers a 2028 presidential bid. Newsom's office did not release returns for 2025, because the couple filed for an extension and will complete those returns in October. Continue reading...
US president tells reporters during Camp David cabinet meeting technology a hard thing to give away'Donald Trump has backed off a promise to let Ukraine manufacture its own Patriot air defense interceptors, telling reporters that handing over the underlying technology was a hard thing to give away" during a cabinet meeting at Camp David.The retreat, billed by the White House as something different" for the cabinet to experience together, was the first such meeting at the presidential compound of Trump's second term. Continue reading...
Federal government plan outlines cuts to California, Arizona and Nevada but fix is likely to be only temporaryThe US government released its anxiously awaited plan for how to manage the Colorado river crisis on Friday, outlining cuts in water supplied to California, Arizona and Nevada.The proposal from the US Bureau of Reclamation spares Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming from facing mandatory cuts, for now. But it is a temporary fix as the states that rely on the river continue to fight over a long-term management plan for the dwindling resource that supplies huge swaths of the western US. Continue reading...
Wildfires in Europe, Russian missile strikes in Lviv, a tornado in Wisconsin and Spencer Tunick in Spain - the past seven days as captured by the world's leading photojournalists Continue reading...
President calls for former personal defense lawyer to be immediately approved' as attorney generalDonald Trump has defended controversial plans for a $1.8bn slush fund even as they threaten to derail the nomination of his former personal lawyer Todd Blanche for US attorney general.Blanche should be immediately approved" by the US Senate, the president declared in a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday morning, defending the payout scheme proposed by his officials in the Department of Justice as it holds up Blanche's confirmation. Continue reading...
Brittany Clark struggled for her life before dying from brutal injuries in rare attack, autopsy report confirmsA woman who was killed in a rare alligator attack while swimming with her boyfriend in Florida struggled for her life before dying from the brutal injuries inflicted on her by the animal, newly released autopsy results confirmed.The report containing the results of Brittany Clark's autopsy, published on Thursday, also contained new details about the extent of the 28 June mauling that unfolded in Seminole county's Little Big Econ state forest. Continue reading...
In an increasingly dangerous world, our European neighbours are finding safety in numbers - but Britain is on the outside. The new PM's task is to change thatThere is an orange cloud in the sky. I'm not referring to the wildfires ravaging parts of Europe and East Anglia, though they are connected. I mean the looming pall from across the Atlantic that threatens to spoil the sunny start to the premiership of Andy Burnham - and whose name is Donald Trump.Burnham's first 10 days or so in office have gone about as well as he or any of his team could have dared hope. His net approval rating has risen by 17 points, according to one early poll, gaining ground with every category of voter except supporters of Reform UK, though they too like some of what they see. His easy manner, no-notes speech-making and agility on social media have won plaudits, including from a usually sceptical press.Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
by Presented by Lucy Hough with Julian Borger ; produ on (#77CDS)
Donald Trump has declared a breakthrough in negotiations over the disarmament of Hamas in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, but IsraelI government officials have voiced scepticism over the deal.
A six-time world champion and three-time World Cup MVP, Japan's Ayami Sato joins the new Women's Professional Baseball League hoping to help build the sport's futureWhen Ayami Sato takes the mound as the starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Queens on Saturday, it will be the culmination of a professional career that has spanned 16 years and three countries. The right-handed hurler is largely considered the best pitcher in the history of women's baseball. She has the awards and experience to prove it, and now she's taking on America when she makes her debut in the Women's Professional Baseball League, the first pro women's baseball league in the United States since the 1950s.Even though most Americans tuning into the WPBL may not have heard of her, Sato's resume speaks for itself. Sato's fastball has been clocked at nearly 80mph and her curveball has a devastating spin rate that is higher than many Major League Baseball pitchers. As a member of the Japan National Team since 2010, Sato has won six gold medals. She is the only player in Women's Baseball World Cup history to win three consecutive MVP awards. As a member of the now-defunct Japan's Women's Baseball League, Sato led the league in strikeouts in three of the last four seasons. And most recently, in 2024 she became the first woman to play pro baseball in Canada as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League. Continue reading...
The World Cup gave MLS unprecedented momentum. Keeping it will depend less on signing aging icons than convincing America's best young players to stayThanks World, we'll take it from here," is Major League Soccer's message to the American public. Yet two moves in the last week were emblematic of the issues the league faces in taking on the mantle of North America's hosting of the game's grandest stage.A rising, under-the-radar homegrown player left for Europe, and a veteran with immense pedigree arrived, likely to close out his career. Sebastian Berhalter's swapped title-chasing Vancouver Whitecaps for Middlesbrough of the EFL Championship. Free agent Brazil legend Casemiro traded Manchester's Old Trafford for Nu Stadium in Miami. Continue reading...
by Andy Vasoyan with visuals by Rajah Bose on (#77CAA)
The handcrafted leather boots are a century-old tradition - but with money tight, the cost of up to $800 is harder to justifyFor 18 years, one of the most important relationships in Luke Mayfield's life was with his boots. As a hotshot - one of the US's elite firefighting crews sent deep, on foot, into wildfires - Mayfield hiked a thousand miles a fire season in his boots, stood in them 16 hours a day and slept near them on assignments that lasted weeks in terrain no truck could reach.Like every wildland firefighter, he learned the rituals of their upkeep: how to grease them, how to lace them, how soon before the season to break in a new pair so the blisters came during training instead of on duty. Continue reading...
Move seeking $3.25m in damages six months after mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie was last seen safeTwo men questioned early in the search for NBC's Today Show host Savannah Guthrie's missing mother said they will file a $3.25m wrongful arrest lawsuit against the sheriff who detained them, as the investigation passes the six-month mark this weekend.Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen safe while at her Tucson, Arizona, home on 1 February. Authorities, including the FBI, believe she was kidnapped. But despite a number of leads and blood spatters at the house, no further trace of her has been found, and no suspects have emerged. Continue reading...
You've got to admire the Fifa president's chutzpah in trying to flog off football's greatest prize. If only Uefa wasn't being so pesky about it allImagine a plan so distasteful that even the Americans and a Middle Eastern nepo-royal football boss can't be doing with it. Such is the status of Fifa president Gianni Infantino's scheme to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors. More historically, perhaps, the 55 nations that make up Uefa have reacted to this horror show by voting unanimously to boycott Fifa tournaments, including World Cups, if Infantino presses ahead. That would mean Spain and Portugal boycotting their own men's World Cup next time around, which you'd think - not to call it too soon - would come off as slightly bad vibes.A testing moment, then, for the haunted cue-ball. Again. Can it really already be time to turn to Infantino once more, even after he appeared in this spot only on Tuesday, after his 15-page Instagram crash-out about his haters? Yes. Yes, I'm afraid it can. Demanding the federations of the world sell off the World Cup to some fund led by Donald Trump's son-in-law's brother will regrettably draw attention to you in ways that will prove difficult to control. As indicated, the Fifa president's plan has contrived to appear vulgar to the North American confederation, Concacaf, as well as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Senators Warren and Van Hollen attack Republican rubber stamps' in Congress for surrendering authority to Trump. Plus, could AI take your job? Some workers in China already know the answerGood morning.Senior Democrats accused Republicans in the US Congress of becoming gelatinous blobs" who will not stand up to Donald Trump and rubber stamps" for his war on Iran.What else is happening in Washington? Trump has said a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and for Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza. However, briefings from both sides exposed disputes over its implementation that could prove difficult to overcome.What has Blanche said? Blanche has already said publicly that the payout fund to compensate victims of so-called government weaponization is not moving forward amid bipartisan backlash. But Cornyn and Tillis had sought assurances in writing, something Blanche has refused to do. Cornyn also sought to clarify the terms of the tax immunity portion of the agreement. Continue reading...
Contender, largest tagged male great white, heading north as overheating oceans alter range of several shark speciesThe largest tagged male great white shark in the Atlantic Ocean has been identified traveling up the US and Canada coastline amid a surge in sightings of sharks that are increasingly shifting their movement patterns due to the overheating of the oceans.The great white shark, named Contender, is nearly 14ft long and weighs more than 1,650lbs. The hulking fish has been pinged in several locations off North Carolina and Maine as he headed north for the summer, with Contender's last known location located off Nova Scotia in Canada on 11 July. Continue reading...
Temporary protected status allowed me to rebuild my life. Now thousands like me help keep this country runningRight now, across the country, there are more than 330,000 Haitians collectively holding their breath over the future of lifesaving immigration protections provided through temporary protected status (TPS). Three hundred and fifty thousand is a big, meaningful number - but for many, it's still just a number.In the case of Donald Trump and his supporters in Congress, the number of lives at stake has mattered little. Trump has been incessant in his efforts to eliminate TPS for Haitians. In doing so, he's broken with a bipartisan tradition dating back to 1990 of prioritizing the safety of people from other countries who cannot return home because of dangerous conditions. And it's how he's done it, too: without consideration for the ongoing violence, civil unrest, lack of infrastructure, and political instability in Haiti. But what Trump has also failed to acknowledge are the lives built here by that same huge number of people. Continue reading...
by Hosted by Jonathan Freedland, produced by May Robs on (#77C5M)
Leftwing Democrats are having their political moment in the sun, with Zohran Mamdani in New York, Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and the endless calls for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for president in 2028. Has Democratic socialism shifted from the political fringe to the mainstream? And can this group lure back the all-important swing voters? Jonathan Freedland speaks to Bhaskar Sunkara, the president of the Nation magazine, founding editor of Jacobin and author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality Continue reading...
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