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Statement outlines pause on protracted war US president has struggled to end after almost eight monthsDonald Trump has promised not to attack Iran before November's US midterm elections, outlining a pause on the protracted war he has struggled to end after almost eight months.In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump said Washington was having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran", which he claimed was in very bad condition, both Economically and Militarily". Continue reading...

How will the Buccaneers and Cowboys fare today? Here is what to know, including kick-off time, TV channels and live stream optionsThe bad news for the Buccaneers: Their 0-4 start has been an unmitigated disaster that, in normal circumstances, would have already evaporated their playoff chances. The good news for Tampa Bay, however, is that they play in the NFC South, meaning they're still just two games out of a tie for the lead in what is often the worst division in the NFL. All is not quite lost yet.If the Bucs want to join the 1992 Chargers and become the second team to make the postseason after an 0-4 opening, they'll need to stop the bleeding on Thursday night in north Texas. They'll have to do it without Baker Mayfield, who continues to nurse an injury to his throwing thumb. Continue reading...

Residents in areas from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Florida urged to evacuate if told to do so'Millions of people from Louisiana to Florida are under hurricane warnings on Thursday as Hurricane Isaias heads toward the US Gulf coast with weather officials warning of dangerous storm surge, hurricane-force winds, heavy rainfall and flooding.Isaias intensified into a hurricane from a tropical storm on Wednesday night, becoming the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. Continue reading...

The US have been defined for so long by the next singular player. This past perfect window shows that era may be over

Lawyers for Wells's family have called for a federal investigation into 18-year-old's disappearance and deathOn Wednesday, Donald Trump said he was considering asking the FBI to investigate the death of Nolan Wells, a Black college freshman who was last seen alive on a 4 July boating trip with friends.Wells, 18, went missing while on Horn Island, a barrier island off the coast of Mississippi. His body was found on the island two days later. Wells's cause and manner of death are still undetermined. Continue reading...

State residents express anger at Republicans who allowed chaotic voting maps saga to unfold ahead of the midterms

Some of the biggest names in European football will bid for a franchise in ESL-style league, now due to launch in 2028The launch of NBA Europe will be delayed 12 months until 2028, with a pre-qualifying competition planned for next year to find four temporary members to join the 16-team league's inaugural season alongside 12 permanent franchises.The NBA is planning to invest about $10bn (7.6bn) over 10 years in what sources have described as the sporting world's biggest-ever startup competition. It is understood to have received multiple offers for the 12 franchises that exceed their targets, with prices expected to range from $500m to more than $1bn for the London franchise. Continue reading...

Our business, labor and consumer rights reporters will answer your questions in a live Q&A on Thursday 15 OctoberThe US economy is top of voters' minds ahead of the November midterms with food and gas prices remaining high, the job market unstable, consumers angrier than ever, and a new Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, in place.We'll be hosting a live midterm election Q&A on Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 12pm EDT on the Guardian US site with a panel of our business, labor and consumer rights reporters: Lauren Aratani, Michael Sainato, Heather Timmons and Gaya Gupta. The team will cover cost of living challenges, tariffs, inflation and new federal policy proposals from local candidates.Will the Iran war cost Trump in the US midterm elections? Your questions answeredWho are the groups financially backing the candidates in the midterms?The makeup of the Democratic party, plus key races to watch Continue reading...

According to city's rent board, eviction notices are up 44% and tenants are on edge over landlords swooping in over their homesTo say that Maria Zamudio and her team have been busy lately would be a gross understatement.Every Monday at 9am, the phone lines at the downtown clinic of San Francisco's Housing Rights Committee start ringing, and they keep ringing until closing at 5 pm. In-person counseling appointments for renters facing eviction or landlord misconduct fill days in advance. After every weekend, the staff of seven sits in their office and sifts through more than 150 voicemails. The rental assistance hotline averages 200 calls a week. Continue reading...

Recovery marks a dramatic turnaround for Pike, who remains in hospital after a botched execution in TennesseeChrista Pike is up and walking" in hospital, her lawyer said, just more than a week after she survived two lethal injections during a botched execution in Tennessee.The recovery marks a dramatic turnaround after Pike was declared brain dead on Monday, before waking up and beginning to speak on Tuesday. Her ordeal has shocked many in the US and overseas and galvanized critics of the death penalty. Continue reading...

The president was repeatedly interrupted at a rally, and faces a legal challenge over taxpayer-funded adverts. Plus Jonathan the giant tortoise, who may have the secret to longevityGood morning. Donald Trump suffered a torrid night at a rally in Texas that was rocked by repeated protests. The US president briefly stepped away from the microphone after one protester appeared to approach the stage. At least half a dozen demonstrators interrupted Trump during his remarks in San Antonio, with some led away by police. One was physically assaulted by an older Trump supporter as he tried to leave the arena.What is the latest development in the saga over taxpayer-funded pro-Trump ads? The Democratic National Committee has sued the Trump administration in federal court, asking a judge in Washington to stop the president from using taxpayer funds to air a series of ads promoting himself. The ads have cost taxpayers more than $12m so far, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact.Why has Trump been forced to distance himself from two top aides? Trump claimed he did not have any idea who else they work for" after it was reported that Chris LaCivita, the co-manager of his 2024 presidential campaign, and James Blair, a campaign adviser and White House deputy chief of staff on leave of absence, spent the weekend assisting the pro-Russia government in Republika Srpska in the Balkans. Trump said: I will terminate them, immediately" if he determined there was a conflict of interest.What is the latest in the diplomatic dispute between the UK and Israel? Britain is rebranding its East Jerusalem consulate as a UK mission. The move was forced by the Israeli government as punishment for Britain's decision to ban trade with illegal settlements. There has been some dispute within the UK government over whether taking tough measures at this time against Israel could help Benjamin Netanyahu's re-election prospects this month. Continue reading...

Global bond market sell-off continues and stocks fall amid reports White House has asked to see options for more strikes against Iran

A coalition of Democratic attorneys general is working to make sure voters across the spectrum have their voices heardElections have consequences. So do the Trump administration's exhaustive efforts to undermine them.Voters will be confident in their choices, but less certain whose voice will count in the face of myriad intrusions by the executive branch. A coalition of Democratic attorneys general are working to make sure voters across the political spectrum have their say.Nick Brown is the attorney general of the state of Washington Continue reading...

Wren Michelle Roberts was born with heterotaxy, a syndrome so rare a specialist could only find 15 similar casesSouth-eastern Louisiana couple Nick and Savannah Roberts planned to bury their infant daughter the weekend after she was born in September with an exceedingly rare combination of birth defects that her doctors feared was unsurvivable.But an unforeseen congenital trait in Wren Michelle Roberts' heart, combined with her parents' dedication to her complex medical care, has allowed her to defy her bleak initial prognosis and meet weeks' worth of milestones that each are a miracle in [their] own way", according to her doctor. Continue reading...

Donald Trump's latest campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas, was rocked by repeated protests as the US president urged Texas voters to back the embattled Senate candidate Ken Paxton. At least half a dozen demonstrators interrupted the US president during his speech, with some led away by police. One was physically assaulted by a Trump supporter as he tried to leave the arena. The Republican campaign to maintain control of the Senate has become increasingly focused on Texas, where the Democrat James Talarico has emerged as a serious threat Continue reading...

Children are being detained in record numbers, sometimes alone and where lawyers and family cannot find themThe image of immigration officers arresting five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos - in a blue bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack - in January sparked outrage across the country.Celebrities from Ms Rachel to Madonna called for the closure of the Dilley immigration processing center, the Texas immigrant camp that held Ramos and many children like him. Lawyers filed complaints about contaminated food and shoddy healthcare, and hundreds of activists protested outside the detention camp. Within months, the government began sending fewer children to Dilley. Continue reading...

Teams have always symbolized division within America. And the Fever have come to prominence during a time of dark political intensityIt's over for now, but no professional sports team spent more time receiving and drawing attention to itself than did the Indiana Fever this season. The Fever has broken, the team eliminated by the defending champion Las Vegas Aces for the second straight season, but Indiana succeeded in being the WNBA's canary in the coal mine, embodying both the obvious and unintended consequences of rapid growth, while also allowing themselves to be a season-long distraction: part-time professional basketball team, part-time right-wing culture war centerpiece. Less than a decade ago, Atlanta and Minneapolis were praised for their unified political stances. Today, Trumpism has replaced social justice as the defining characteristic of the league - and as the curtain closed on the 2026 WNBA regular season, Indiana stood at its epicenter.The Fever were the most polarizing team in professional sports, known less for their basketball than their culpability in pulling the league from its old cultural identity as a Black/queer league into the current ugliness of the Magasphere - a calculated and dangerous path to popularity. There was the basketball of the WNBA, and then there was the Indiana Fever.This article originally appeared on Howard Bryant's Substack. You can subscribe here. Continue reading...

Trump briefly stepped away from the microphone after one protester appeared to approach the stageDonald Trump's latest campaign rally was rocked by repeated protests on Wednesday as the US president urged Texas voters to back embattled Senate candidate Ken Paxton.At least half a dozen demonstrators interrupted the US president during his remarks in San Antonio, with some led away by police. One was physically assaulted by an older Trump supporter as he tried to leave the arena. Continue reading...

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A warning for this episode - it covers details of a murder and an execution that some might find distressing.In this episode of Guardian Australia's US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad examine what happened when the state of Tennessee tried to execute prisoner Christa Pike. They also look at the controversy over taxpayer-funded ads promoting US president Donald Trump, midterm AI attack ads and the Elon Musk-Trump bromance that appears to be back on. Continue reading...

Jamaal Howard, 46, executed by fatal dose of pentobarbital after lawyers' bid for stay had been deniedA Texas man was put to death Wednesday in the first US execution since the botched lethal injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee last week.Jamaal Howard, 46, was pronounced dead at 8.03pm after receiving a fatal dose of pentobarbital, a sedative, at the state prison in Huntsville. Continue reading...

The 78-year-old has spent nearly six decades in prison and California governor has overturned last two parole grantsPatricia Krenwinkel, a former Charles Manson follower, was granted parole on Tuesday after nearly six decades in prison for her role in the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders in Los Angeles.This is the third time that Krenwinkel, 78, has been approved for release by California's board of parole hearings. After both of her last two parole grants, Gavin Newsom, California's governor, reversed the parole board's decisions and denied her freedom, and Krenwinkel's attorneys are now urging the Democrat to allow this latest ruling to stand. Continue reading...

Jamie Raskin says startling' email asked whether young woman was for me, or are you keeping her for yourself'A powerful Democratic lawmaker has called for a criminal investigation into former Bard College president Leon Botstein after congressional investigators uncovered an email from Botstein to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein in which he says Botstein asked if a young woman was for me, or are you keeping her for yourself".The latest development appears to have triggered the immediate resignation of Botstein from all Bard-affiliated positions, including his professorship and roles in Bard's music programs. Botstein had led the college for 50 years and only recently stepped down as president. Continue reading...

Ads promoting the president have cost more than $12m and his Super Pac has refused to reimburse taxpayers

Attorneys say Pike was set to be taken off life support before she woke up, as judge orders officials to preserve evidenceChrista Pike awoke angry and confused" after surviving two lethal injections, her attorneys said on Wednesday, as a judge ordered Tennessee state officials to preserve all evidence related to the failed execution.Pike, 50, was taken to hospital unconscious but alive from Tennessee's execution chamber last Wednesday after two supposedly lethal doses of the barbiturate pentobarbital. Continue reading...

President floats firing Chris LaCivita and James Blair over any conflict' after reports of work in Republika SrpskaDonald Trump distanced himself from two top advisers on Wednesday, claiming he did not have any idea who else they work for", after it was reported they spent the weekend assisting a pro-Russia government in the Balkans.On Truth Social, Trump wrote that Chris LaCivita, the co-manager of his 2024 presidential campaign, and James Blair, a campaign adviser and White House deputy chief of staff on leave of absence, are outside consultants" and do not work for me other than as outside consultants". Continue reading...

Authorities say they arrested an 18-year-old who was planning a shooting attack at the Mall of AmericaFBI officials stopped a potential terrorist attack on the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, authorities announced Wednesday. An 18-year-old was arrested on one count of obtaining a firearm to carry out an act of terrorism.Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud had been investigated over the last nearly two years by the FBI. He was arrested Tuesday in a public park after he paid $600 to an undercover FBI employee posing as a member of the Islamic State for an AK-47 and 200 rounds of ammunition, according to the criminal complaint. Continue reading...

Lawyers for Christa Pike, who survived two lethal injections, gave updates on her condition, saying she is severely unwell, and angry and confused about everything right now'. Following a court hearing on Wednesday, a judge ordered Tennessee officials to preserve all evidence from the botched execution Continue reading...

Bernadette Greene-Placentia says she is sharing her story in order to fight for victims of sexual assaultThis article contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault.A congressional candidate in Arizona says she was attacked and raped in August while trying to repair one of her damaged campaign signs.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Donald Trump's unpopularity and the economic struggles of voters have boosted Democrats. But with less than a month to go, there is no complacencyFor once, Democrats and Donald Trump might be in agreement: Pretend I'm on the ticket," the historically unpopular president has instructed supporters. Midterms are in large part a referendum on the incumbent, and Trump's war on Iran and its impact on the cost of living have boosted support for Democrats. With less than a month to go, they have reason to be upbeat. The party has a mountain to climb after the devastating defeats of 2024, and the gerrymandering of Republicans, but surveys give it a lead of about nine points on the generic ballot, which measures preference for parties rather than specific candidates.Attention has turned from the prospects of seizing the House, where Democrats are forecast a clear majority, towhat once seemed like the highly optimistic possibility of taking the Senate too. That would require flipping four seats, with 35 in play. Remarkably, Democrats are prospering in red states from Texas to Alaska. In Kansas - which Mr Trump carried by 16 points, and which has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932 - the race is neck and neck. Continue reading...

Christa Pike, a death row inmate who survived the state of Tennessee's attempt to execute her last week, is conscious and speaking. The 50-year-old is recovering in hospital after surviving two lethal injections in a case that has shocked many in the US and prompted a debate about the death penalty. She was due to be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. Michael Safi speaks to the chief reporter for Guardian US, Ed Pilkington - watch on YouTube Continue reading...

Listening to the president at a rally these days is a mix of deja vu and word salad, but his decade-long project of division remains abnormal and dangerous

Jorge Messi wanted his country to fall in love with his son. That ambition was fulfilled during a brilliant international career that ended this weekWhat Argentina is doing in this World Cup is of a sacred order," Brazilian writer Milly Lacombe posted at the height of the tide of anti-Argentinian sentiment during this year's tournament. She was exploring the contradiction she felt around her support of Lionel Messi: a player who is a God and a man who shakes Trump's hand".Lacombe highlighted the importance of acknowledging the complexities around Messi and the Argentinian team. How is it possible that Messi was not speaking out against the racist incidents we all saw around the Argentina team, she asked. That's why it hurts so much to see someone with Messi's power choosing to make himself small," she wrote. Continue reading...

Texas attorney general acknowledged affordability was his party's biggest problem' heading into the midterms

Four people and a dog may have been exposed to rabies from the animal, Los Angeles public health officials sayLos Angeles county recently documented its first rabid raccoon in more than 50 years, and health officials are urging residents to never touch wild animals.The county's department of public health announced in a statement this week that four people and a dog may have been exposed to the animal at a backyard work site in the city of Westlake Village. The raccoon appeared in ill health but was not aggressive. Continue reading...

Lawyers seek preservation of evidence after prisoner received two doses of pentobarbital on 30 SeptemberChrista Pike, a Tennessee prisoner who survived the state's attempt to execute her, is awake and speaking as she receives treatment at a hospital, her attorneys said, as they head to court on Wednesday seeking a court order requiring preservation of all evidence relating to the botched exercise by the state.Pike, 50, survived two doses of pentobarbital, a sedative, as Tennessee officials attempted to put her to death last Wednesday in a case that shocked many in America and created headlines around the world. She was set to be the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. Continue reading...

These graphics explain what the Democrats would need to do to flip the Senate and House of RepresentativesA turning point in Donald Trump's second term will soon arrive. On 3 November, voters across the US will decide whether to keep the president's Republican allies in control of Congress, or return Democrats to the majority.Many indicators of voter sentiment suggest the Democrats are favored to take back control of the House of Representatives, and potentially the Senate. Winning either would be a significant victory for the party and give it the power to block Trump's legislative agenda and more aggressively investigate his administration. Continue reading...

We appear to be entering a new era, in which political desperation at home leads to increasingly unhinged threats abroadDonald Trump was in Nebraska on Monday, and though his long rally speech had elements of a performance, this was no Bruce Springsteen album. He offered another dark meditation on a world spiraling out of control, one in which the destruction of American cities is increasingly a possibility, unless Americans trust him to use the vast powers of the presidency to annihilate his foes.The president drew fury when he suggested that Iran could launch a nuclear attack and take out" Los Angeles or San Diego. California leaders reacted with scorn at Trump's alarmism.Ted Widmer, a former White House speechwriter, is the editor of American Speeches, and the recently published The Living Declaration: A Biography of America's Founding Text, both published by the Library of America Continue reading...

Sir James Goldsmith's links to Hilton Head, South Carolina, add to mystery of Jane Doe 4, who claimed she was abused by Epstein in the 1980sFor Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire Goldsmith family was a gateway to elite society and he wanted to be in their circle.The disgraced financier, who died in prison in 2019 facing sex-trafficking charges, longed for a billionaire's lifestyle and cultivated the family's friends, bankers, business associates and advisers. Continue reading...

NAACP files lawsuit after head of DoJ's civil rights division says she hopes to send election monitors to pollsThe Trump administration has been sued over its plans to deploy a historic number" of election monitors to polling stations during next month's midterm elections.The bid stands to jeopardize" the elections and could interfere with the right of voters to participate in the election free from intimidation", according to the NAACP, which filed a lawsuit against Harmeet Dhillon, head of the justice department's civil rights division, who has said she hopes to send 1,000 monitors to midterm polling sites in November. Continue reading...

A mix of natural disasters could all befall the state at once as it finds itself in the crosshairs of the climate phenomenonOn a cloudless autumn afternoon, sunlight sparkled on the water that had quietly swallowed a busy intersection to the north of San Francisco, as the surrounding rush-hour traffic slowed to a painful crawl.There were no crashing waves or storm surges to blame for the flood. Marin county was one of many areas up and down the California coast affected by high tides last week, as parts of the Pacific swelled with excess warmth. Continue reading...

The US midterms may not be as much of a spectacle as the presidential elections, but they are just as important and can completely change not just the course of a presidential term, but federal legislation for years to come. The Guardianunpacks how these elections work, what the results mean and how they affect American life. Continue reading...

Immigration enforcement agency has signed $16.7m deal for devices that induced excessive' fear in military subjectsThe electric-shock gloves immigration agents could soon use to control detainees and protesters worked so powerfully during a military exercise that participants felt intense pain, stopped fighting immediately and feared additional exposures, according to a previously unreleased army study.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leaders were aware of the findings before signing a $16.7m contract in August to purchase 6,000 pairs of shock gloves, according to records obtained by the watchdog group American Oversight and shared with the Associated Press. Continue reading...

The United States winning four of four benefits many that were involved, and may hurt those who were left behindCavan Sullivan Continue reading...

There's an unsung reason for the organization's success even as other leftwing groups face a bumpy roadA lot has been written recently in an effort to understand the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and how we've risen to such prominence in a short time.It is clear that we reflect a growing disillusionment with the Democratic party, and a further radicalization of the American population. But many leftwing social movement organizations, such as Black Lives Matter and the Women's March, have risen in the last decade or so, and many groups, from MoveOn to the Sunrise Movement, have attempted to absorb large numbers of people, influence the Democratic party and enter the public consciousness with lower levels of success. Continue reading...

At least 73 people estimated to have joined protest against prolonged detention and Folkston facility's violations'A group of people detained inside a privately run Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) jail in Georgia have launched a mass hunger strike this week to protest against their prolonged detention and the facility's conditions, according to advocates and family members.Advocates estimate at least 73 detained immigrants are participating in the hunger strike inside the Folkston D Ray James ICE processing center in south-east Georgia. The Folkston facility, a former state prison, is run by the private prison company GEO Group under a contract with ICE. Continue reading...

Site of the Nova music festival near Re'im one of the locations where grieving relatives have gathered. Plus, the unlikely legal tussle over a brain rot' meme