Nearly 1,000 firefighters battle the Telegraph and Mescal fires, which have been fueled by gusty winds and high temperaturesA pair of wildfires burning in Arizona have scorched more than 138,700 acres, with nearly 1,000 firefighters battling to protect communities, power lines and highways.The Telegraph fire, burning near a district called Top-of-the-World, east of Phoenix, remained at 0% containment as of Tuesday morning, while crews made progress on the Mescal fire south-east of Globe, Arizona, now at 23% containment. No deaths or injuries have been reported so far. Continue reading...
ProPublica investigation shows how little US super-rich, including Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, reportedly paid between 2014 and 2018The 25 richest Americans, including Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett and Elon Musk, paid a “true tax rate” of just 3.4% between 2014 and 2018, according to an investigation by ProPublica, despite their collective net worth rising by more than $400bn in the same period.Related: Global economy set for fastest recovery for more than 80 years Continue reading...
The US risks being superseded by China as the prime global power within decades. For Washington, the idea is appallingJoe Biden crosses the Atlantic this week on a tide of goodwill. After four years of Donald Trump, European leaders are grateful for the mere fact of a US president who believes in democracy and understands diplomacy.Trump had no concept of historical alliance, strategic partnership or mutual interest. He saw multilateral institutions as conspiracies against US power, which he could not distinguish from his own ego. He heard European talk of a rules-based international order as the contemptible bleating of weakling nations. Continue reading...
As the ex-president hints at running once again, his future could lie in the courtroom, not the Oval OfficeHe’s Teflon Don no more, at least when it comes to court.Donald Trump, no longer insulated by claims of presidential protections, faces a host of increasingly serious legal problems in some of the US’s most high-profile courts, including both criminal investigation and civil litigation. Continue reading...
Critics say US president’s realpolitik ignores Sisi regime’s ‘hostage-taking tactics’ against dissidents“It’s a hostage negotiation and it has been all along,” said Sherif Mansour, describing the arrest of his cousin Reda Abdel-Rahman by Egyptian security forces last August as an attempt to intimidate Mansour into silence.Abdel-Rahman has been imprisoned without trial for nine months. Mansour, an outspoken human rights advocate in Washington with the Committee to Protect Journalists, has since learned that he and his father are listed on the same charge sheet, all accused of joining a terrorist group and spreading “false news”. Continue reading...
The West Virginia senator has stated, in an op-ed, that he will not back the For the People Act unless it has bipartisan supportFor months, Democrats in the US Senate have danced delicately around Joe Manchin, giving him space and holding out hope that the West Virginia Democrat would eventually come around and give his must-win vote to legislation that would amount to the most sweeping voting rights protections in a generation. Continue reading...
The Concacaf Nations League final encapsulated the good, the bad and the ugly of a feud some believed had lost its biteThe final of the Concacaf Nations League did not have the most auspicious build-up.Delayed for several months due to the Covid-19 pandemic – and awkwardly wedged between the end of many club seasons and the beginning of more noteworthy summer tournaments – the culmination of the newly-formed competition initially appeared to be something of a forced assignment. Coupled with both Mexico and the US limping into Sunday’s final with questionable performances in the semis a few days beforehand, there was also reason to believe that the championship game could prove to be a let down. Continue reading...
Fear of replacement by Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama caused ex-president to rein in attacks on Biden in the 2020 electionDonald Trump called Joe Biden a “mental retard” during the 2020 election, a new book says, but was reluctant to attack him too strongly for fear the Democrats would replace him with Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama.Related: Trump teases 2024 run but legal threat rises as investigations ramp up Continue reading...
The Republican party has turned into a genuinely illiberal party, and poses a threat to the continuation of US democracy as we’ve known itA little more than a century after the American president Woodrow Wilson promised to make “the world safe for democracy” by committing troops in the first world war, the US is now in a fight to keep its own democracy safe.The images of the 6 January siege on the US Capitol offer a stunning portrait of US democratic fragility. A violent mob, bearing red Trump flags alongside a menagerie of extremist insignias, overran police and ransacked the seat of government after attending a nearby Trump rally. Republican congressional leaders, after some initial mealy mouthed attempts to condemn Donald Trump for his role in the rally, have since gone quiet, hoping that if they cover their ears, avert their eyes, and play “culture war” instead, they can avoid a reckoning. This is reflected most starkly in congressional Republicans’ refusal to support a bipartisan commission to examine the events of 6 January. Worse, some elected Republicans have rewritten history in record time by recasting the mob as akin to peaceful tourists. In the long history of democratic declines, a telltale alarm is when partisan leaders refuse to address violent actions by their supporters, thus effectively condoning and even welcoming them. Continue reading...
We should expect price increases in the Covid recovery phase – and we have the tools to cool the economySlight increases in the rate of inflation in the United States and Europe have triggered financial market anxieties. Has Joe Biden’s administration risked overheating the economy with its $1.9tn (£1.3tn) rescue package and plans for additional spending to invest in infrastructure, job creation and bolstering American families?Such concerns are premature, considering the deep uncertainty we still face. We have never before experienced a pandemic-induced downturn featuring a disproportionately steep service sector recession, unprecedented increases in inequality and soaring savings rates. No one even knows if or when Covid-19 will be contained in the advanced economies, let alone globally. While weighing the risks, we also must plan for all contingencies. In my view, the Biden administration has correctly determined that the risks of doing too little far outweigh the risks of doing too much. Continue reading...
If Joe Manchin won’t vote yes on the For the People Act, Biden needs to convince one Republican senator – and that’s not going to happenOn Sunday, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin announced in an op-ed in the Charleston Gazette-Mail that he opposes the For the People Act. He also opposes ending the filibuster.An op-ed in the most prominent state newspaper is about as non-negotiable a position a senator can assert. Continue reading...
A judge’s decision on the 32-year-old law could have national implications if it heads to the US supreme courtIn a polarizing decision on Friday night, a federal judge struck down California’s 32-year-old ban on assault weapons, ruling that it violated Americans’ constitutional right to own guns for self protection. In the 94-page decision, Judge Roger Benitez compared an AR-15 rifle to a “Swiss army knife” and falsely claimed that more Californians had died from the Covid-19 vaccine than from mass shootings.Although the decision has sparked outrage in California, it has the potential to have a much broader national impact. If the case is appealed to the supreme court, the court’s new conservative majority could use the legal battle to rule that banning military-style “assault weapons” is unconstitutional, undermining the Biden administration’s endorsement of a national ban. Continue reading...
Former president faces increasingly serious legal issues as he teases a 2024 run. Plus, how cicada-phobes are surviving Brood XGood morning.Donald Trump faces a growing legal threat as investigations gather pace – potentially posing significant obstacles to a 2024 presidential run. Continue reading...
Nearly 10 years after her husband was killed during a race, Susie Wheldon’s sons are following in their father’s footsteps. It is a decision she supportsSusie Wheldon’s two sons want to be elite race-car drivers someday, which is no surprise. Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s father, Dan, won the Indianapolis 500 twice and an IndyCar Series driving championship, and as Susie says of her boys, now ages 12 and 10 respectively: “They have that blood in their veins.”Sebastian and Oliver started racing go-karts at a track near their home in St Petersburg, Florida, before they were even old enough to go to school. They decided they liked racing enough to focus on it, knowing that the sport is competitive. Continue reading...
Trump is out of the White House, paving the way for legal challenges against him to continue in earnestWhen Donald Trump was president, his lawyers repeatedly claimed that presidential immunity shielded him from civil litigation unrelated to his official duties, among other legal actions. Court after court rejected that position, with various judges ruling “no one is above the law” – though his numerous appeals delayed litigation.Related: Trump teases 2024 run but legal threat rises as investigations ramp up Continue reading...
Lawyer pushed officials on the call to investigate baseless allegations about Trump’s rival, CNN reportedNewly revealed audio from a 2019 phone call has shown how Rudy Giuliani pressured Ukrainian officials to investigate baseless allegations about Joe Biden, CNN reported on Monday.In the call Giuliani, then working as a lawyer for Donald Trump, pushes the Ukrainian officials on the call to publicly announce an investigation into Trump’s 2020 rival. Continue reading...
The US vice-president, Kamala Harris, said she had held 'robust' talks with the Guatemalan president, Alejandro Giammattei, as she sought to find ways of deterring undocumented immigration from Central America to the United States. Speaking during a news conference with Giammattei, Harris delivered a blunt message to people thinking of making the dangerous journey north: 'Do not come'
Cyril Derreumaux was picked up six days after he set out amid rough seas and high winds, causing him to lose his sea anchorCyril Derreumaux set out from the coastal town of Sausalito, California, on 31 May, headed for Hawaii in what was supposed to be an epic 70-day voyage across the Pacific.But his hopes of paddling solo from the mainland to the islands were cut short over the weekend by rough seas and high winds. Continue reading...
Why did I get vaccinated as an immunocompromised person? The short answer is because of youAs someone with a complex autoimmune history, I consulted widely before making my Covid vaccine decision. I read all the research I could find, I spoke to all my specialists. I chose to have the AstraZeneca vaccine on the best medical advice and research available to me. Twenty-four hours later, I was in ambulance.Back in 2012, I had a rare autoimmune disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome, which caused my immune system to shred my nervous system. Years later I have most of my arm and leg function back and only the odd bout of nerve pain. I’m considered one of the lucky ones. I didn’t die. But with such a twitchy immune system, vaccines are risky for me. Continue reading...
Law effectively forces death row prisoners to choose method of executionA South Carolina judge heard arguments on Monday on whether to temporarily halt a law effectively forcing death row prisoners to choose the electric chair or a firing squad.Related: South Carolina: new law makes inmates choose firing squad or electric chair Continue reading...
Biden faces the challenge of repairing transatlantic ties damaged by Trump as president embarks on first European tourThe United States’s reputation as the leading global power has suffered in France and Germany because of Washington’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic that has killed nearly 600,000 Americans, according to a new poll of views in 11 countries.Related: US's global reputation hits rock-bottom over Trump's coronavirus response Continue reading...
Nugget had been part of an exclusive meal offered by fast-food chain in collaboration with BTSA single McDonald’s chicken nugget that is shaped like a popular video game character has officially sold for almost $100,000 on eBay.The chicken nugget is in the shape of an Among Us character, an online, multiplayer video game that gained massive popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, with almost 500 million monthly users at one point. Leftwing congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has even played the game on Twitch, a video game livestreaming service, netting more than 400,000 viewers. Continue reading...
American celebrity lawyer who was part of the ‘dream team’ that defended OJ Simpson during his murder trialHigh-profile defence lawyers have often become celebrities in the US, starting with Daniel Webster and Abraham Lincoln and boasting ever more flamboyance since the days of Clarence Darrow.F Lee Bailey, who has died aged 87, was one of the most aggressively self-promoting modern celebrity lawyers, achieving fame then maintaining it through the defence of notable clients. In the mid-1960s Bailey attracted headlines by winning a reversal for Sam Sheppard, a doctor convicted of the killing of his wife in one of US’s most important murder trials; one that provided the inspiration for the hit television show and film The Fugitive. He went on to represent, not always successfully, clients as notorious as the Boston Strangler, Albert DeSalvo, or as controversial as the heiress Patty Hearst. Continue reading...
Confections saw a surge of support after bakery lost orders for posting a message in support of LGBTQA small Texas bakery which lost orders and Facebook followers after posting a message in support of the LGBTQ community sold out its inventory two days in a row over the weekend, after a surge of support from around the world.Confections, in Lufkin, east Texas, said it had suffered a backlash after posting a photo on 2 June of a rainbow-decorated cookie in the shape of a heart, accompanied by the message: “More LOVE. Less hate. Happy Pride to all our LGBTQ friends! All lovers of cookies and happiness are welcome here.” Continue reading...
G7 countries have been warned they will lose $5tn a year by 2050 if temperatures rise by 2.6C. Plus, the sharks who aren’t afraid of hurricanesGood morning.The world’s biggest industrialised economies will shrink by twice as much as they did during the coronavirus pandemic if they do not tackle rising greenhouse gas emissions, according to research. Continue reading...
The fight between Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul resulted in no winner, not even the viewing public, as one of the greatest boxers of all-time took on one of the world's biggest YouTube personalities. The lucrative match saw both fighters make millions despite very little in the way of action: Mayweather landing 43 blows to Paul's 28 across eight rounds. Speaking after the fight, Mayweather said 'his whole goal wasn't to come out here and knock me out, his whole goal was to survive, and that was a win for him'
In a new book about the Golden State Warriors coach, Scott Howard-Cooper explores how the NBA, China and the US president combined for an explosive mixThree years after joining the team, Kevin Durant broke up with the Golden State Warriors forcing Steve Kerr to go through a series of major line-up adjustments. But Kerr was energized by the challenge that came complete with the symbolism of the Warriors starting another new life with the move into shiny Chase Center. Plus, there was the enthusiasm of finally getting on the court with Team USA in August 2019, nine months after the announcement that he had been chosen as Gregg Popovich’s assistant and 33 years after playing for his country in his star-crossed world championships in Spain. The American squad met in Las Vegas for the same mini-camp USA Basketball often held to prepare for international competitions, only now with the head coach and a high-profile assistant jousting with the White House and heading into the delicate diplomatic waters of China for the tournament.Officials said nothing to Kerr, however, before Las Vegas or once players and staff gathered. “Not to him specifically,” former USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said. “I did it in a different manner. To the group I said, ‘We want to go about our business. We’re here to represent the United States, we’re here to play the games, we’re here to do all of that. This is not about politics. This is not the platform for that.’ I wanted a separation.” Continue reading...
The ABC’s Four Corners has delayed airing a program about the prime minister’s connection to a QAnon figure, but much of the detail is already on the public record.It has been two years since the public first learned of the prime minister, Scott Morrison’s, connection to a prominent Australian proponent of the fringe QAnon conspiracy theory.Last week, the story made an unexpected comeback, courtesy of the ABC’s crack investigative team at Four Corners and a controversial decision to delay a program about it. Continue reading...
Brazil is unsure whether to host the Copa América and attending Euro 2020 will be arduous but it is the way for nowIt was one of the more remarkable episodes in a PGA Tour season. Jon Rahm, having stepped from the 18th green on completion of his third round at Muirfield Village, put head in hands after being spoken to by tournament officials. His caddie batted aside a camera crew as they pursued what was evidently a breaking story. The simple inference was that Rahm had been told that someone close to him was seriously ill; or worse.As it transpired, Rahm had tested positive for Covid‑19. It had been a complex process, instigated by him being identified as a contact of someone who had the virus at the start of Memorial Tournament week. His involvement was now over. Continue reading...
Last month, the Republican governor revoked his lieutenant governor’s ban on mask mandates – and observers say the fight is symptomatic of a larger problemIdaho’s rightward political lurch has immersed the state’s Republicans in a political civil war that now extends all the way from the grassroots to the executive mansion.In late May, the state’s Republican governor, Brad Little, angrily revoked an executive order banning mask mandates in the state that had been put in place by his own militia-supporting lieutenant governor during a period when she was deputizing for him. Continue reading...
The bout between one of the greatest boxers of all time and the obnoxious YouTuber is lucrative. But even experienced fighters get hurtGianni Versace was a true renaissance man, a cultural figure whose name still lives on 20 years after his death.Logan Paul, standing in the late fashion designer’s mansion in Miami Beach during a media event on Thursday spouting garbage about knocking out one of the greatest boxers of all time, will also be remembered, albeit for different reasons. Continue reading...
President also expected to discuss post-Brexit difficulties in Northern Ireland with the prime ministerJoe Biden has issued a statement pledging to affirm his “special relationship” with Britain when he meets Boris Johnson at this week’s G7 summit in the UK and discuss matters including the impasse in Northern Ireland.In an article for the Washington Post published on Sunday before his first foreign travel trip as president, Biden wrote: “In the United Kingdom, after meeting with prime minister Boris Johnson to affirm the special relationship between our nations, I will participate in the G7 summit. Continue reading...
