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Couple filed for divorce on 3 May after 27 years of marriage but pledged to continue philanthropic work togetherThe divorce between Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, co-founders of one of the world’s largest private charitable foundations, was finalized on Monday, a court document showed.Related: Divorces of the rich and famous: a 1% solution or the start of a trend? Continue reading...

Biden administration lacks authority to extend moratorium because supreme court said in June Congress would have to actThe White House said on Monday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was “unable to find legal authority for a new, targeted eviction moratorium” and asked instead that states and local governments put in policies to keep renters in their homes.Related: US states brace for ‘avalanche’ of evictions as federal moratorium ends Continue reading...

Vauhxx Booker condemns ‘retaliation’ after he reported that white men assaulted him and threatened to ‘get a noose’A Black civil rights activist who reported that a group of white men assaulted him and threatened to “get a noose” at a southern Indiana lake is facing criminal charges more than a year after the confrontation that earlier led to charges against two of the alleged attackers.Vauhxx Booker, a member of the Monroe county human rights commission, was charged with misdemeanor trespass and felony battery for his involvement in last year’s Fourth of July incident at Lake Monroe, according to court documents filed last Friday by a special prosecutor in the case. Continue reading...

$2.3bn deal with TA Associates is latest in a series of UK acquisitions by overseas buyersThe UK engineering firm Smiths Group has agreed to sell its medical division to the US private equity firm TA Associates in a $2.3bn (£1.7bn) deal, in the latest of a string of UK acquisitions by overseas buyers.Smiths Medical makes ventilators, syringe pumps and tracheostomy tubes for hospitals worldwide, and its sale effectively breaks up the FTSE 100-listed engineering conglomerate. Continue reading...

Inspector general says investigation led his office to discover agent’s conduct wasn’t an isolated incidentAn FBI agent faces potential disciplinary measures after an investigation by the justice department’s internal watchdog revealed he allegedly asked a female support staffer to provide “provocative” photos of herself that he used as bait in an undercover sex-trafficking operation.Related: Crowded Lollapalooza music festival could bring cascade of Covid cases, experts warn Continue reading...

The site gives more visibility to a certain type of sex work, but like all social media, it invades every aspect of your lifeI joked to another sex worker recently that five years ago every journalist asked us, maddeningly and repeatedly, about sex robots. Now, the obsession is OnlyFans.As a full-service sex worker (“full service” is the industry term for penis-in-vagina penetrative sex), the prominence of OnlyFans in media discourse is frustrating, but I understand it in the same way I understood that last preoccupation. Combine a moral panic (prostitution) with an older generation’s feeling of being left behind by technology (AI, the gig economy) and you have an intoxicating topic. Like sugar-baby website SeekingArrangement before it, OnlyFans is giving more visibility to a certain type of sex work and, thanks to the pandemic, it’s also booming – as newcomers flock to it and in-person sex workers have had to pivot to online. Continue reading...

Relatively poor performance by US in the Olympic pool can only partly be explained by Michael Phelps’ retirement“You want to be first?” said Australia’s head coach, Rohan Taylor, at the end of the Tokyo 2020 swimming program. “Well usually you have to beat an American. They’re normally the people that get in the way.”In nine days of action at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, that remained the case. But only just. The United States’ medal tally stood at 11 gold, 10 silver and nine bronze. By anyone else’s standards, it would be an almighty haul. For America, it was their worst Olympic performance since the 1992 Games in Barcelona. Continue reading...

The USWNT tried different combinations and tactics in Japan but this was a talented team strangely lacking in joy on the pitchUnited States triumphs at the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cups were defined by squads which peaked at exactly the right time. The talent was undeniably there, but in 2015, it took half a tournament to find the right combination. Four years later, the path was more difficult, but the team clicked from start to finish, besting four tough European foes in the knockout stage.The timing at the Tokyo Olympics, however, could not have been worse. A team rich with talent could not establish any rhythm at these Games, and the Americans’ struggles culminated with a semi-final loss to Canada on Monday in which the US had ample time on the ball but few ideas in the final third – a criticism which haunted the team after its previous Olympic failure. Continue reading...

The American is into the women’s 68kg freestyle wrestling final. And she is more than happy to count her blessings in lifeAt an Olympics where infection rates are studied as closely as medal tables, smiles must be inferred from subtle crumples in face masks and signs in near-empty venues warn spectators not to mingle, Tamyra Mensah-Stock would like to make it clear that she is having a good time in Japan. A great time, in fact.That was true even before she secured a medal by progressing to Tuesday’s women’s 68kg freestyle wrestling final with a statement win over Alla Cherkasova, a former world champion. Continue reading...

Increases are thought to apply to three most junior positions across investment bankGoldman Sachs is increasing pay for its junior bankers, months after graduates raised concerns over “inhumane” working conditions and 100-hour weeks.The Guardian understands that the salary increases apply to the three most junior positions across the investment bank, with first-year analysts – who previously received about £50,000 in base pay – set to see their pay rise to $110,000 (£79,000) before bonuses. Second-year analysts are being notified that their pay will rise to $125,000, while their more senior associates will bring in $150,000. Continue reading...

The tournament was overshadowed by the Euros and Olympics but there were valuable lessons – and encouraging signs heading into World Cup qualifyingClimaxing in the middle of the Tokyo Olympics and coming at the end of a summer soccer calendar headlined by the European Championship and the Copa America, the 2021 Gold Cup had to fight for attention.But the final, at which Miles Robinson’s 117-minute header gave the United States a 1-0 extra-time victory over Mexico, delivered drama and intrigue to match anything the sporting schedule has provided in recent weeks. Continue reading...

The government has a moral duty to encourage vaccine uptake, though it must find a way to minimise the backlashAfter initially resisting the idea of Covid passports, the government has decided to introduce them in “higher risk” settings in England, such as nightclubs and large crowds, by the end of September in an attempt to coax young people into getting vaccinated. Although the details of this measure are yet to be released, it will probably involve showing proof of vaccination, a negative Covid test or recent recovery from the virus.The plans for England’s vaccine passports were announced shortly after France introduced its hardline “health pass” approach, which requires people entering restaurants, cinemas, trains and shopping malls to show proof of two vaccinations, a recent negative Covid test or recent recovery from infection. News of France’s health pass sparked mass protests; an estimated 160,000 people took to the streets on 24 July. But it also stimulated vaccine uptake. Nearly 4 million people came forward to get vaccinated after the health pass was announced. Continue reading...

The 2,700-page bill will launch what is certain to be a lengthy debate over Joe Biden’s big priorityUS senators have unveiled a nearly $1tn bipartisan infrastructure package after much delay, wrapping up days of painstaking work on the inches-thick bill and launching what is certain to be a lengthy debate over President Joe Biden’s big priority.Related: Progressive Democrats call on own party to extend evictions moratorium – live Continue reading...

Engineering firm, which operates in aerospace and energy markets, backs deal with Parker HannifinJobs are under threat at the British aerospace firm Meggitt after it agreed a £6.3bn takeover deal from US rival Parker Hannifin, in the latest approach for a UK-listed company from an overseas buyer.The board of Meggitt, the FTSE 250 engineering company that operates in the aerospace, defence and energy markets, has unanimously recommended that shareholders accept the 800p-a-share deal, which the UK government says it is closely monitoring. Continue reading...

TV’s guiltiest pleasure is a reminder of just how much we love – and have missed – being nosy and judgmentalThere are very few things that I dedicate as much time to as watching Love Island during the summer. For two months it’s on six nights a week, for at least an hour each time. I began watching it a few years ago, just because other people were doing it and I’m easily influenced, but now, in the third year of my Love Island lifetime, I found myself wanting to examine this behaviour a bit more closely.What is it that I enjoy so much about this programme? And why am I enjoying it so much this season in particular? Continue reading...

The Ohio Republican admits he spoke to Trump the day the Confederate flag flew in Congress. Aptly, the investigation of John Brown’s raid sets precedent for what must happen next

As cases surge fueled by the Delta variant, the state this weekend reported the highest one-day total of infections since the start of the pandemicGood morning.With the Delta variant tearing through unvaccinated communities, Florida reported this weekend its highest one-day total of Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. Yesterday, the state broke its previous record for hospitalizations, also set more than a year ago. Continue reading...

The American won gold in Rio but his preparations for Tokyo were hit when his running partner, Jerome Avery, was hit by injuryDavid Brown was running through Manhattan’s Central Park when he heard a familiar voice.“Is that you, baby?” asked the woman. Continue reading...

We need products we can repair, reuse and recycle – not ones deliberately built to become obsoleteNever have we wanted, owned and wasted so much stuff. Our consumptive path through modern life leaves a wake of social and ecological destruction – trainers barely worn, ignored AI-powered digital assistants gathering dust, and forgotten smartphones languishing in drawers. By what perverse alchemy do our newest, coolest things so rapidly transform into meaningless junk?Related: From fashion to field: shredded cotton clothing used to help grow future crops Continue reading...

US viewers have been able to see everything at any given moment while understanding fundamentally nothing about what’s going onIf there’s one message the Olympics unfailingly conveys, it’s that elite competition is all about making the right choices. At a certain point every athlete needs to make the decision not to do certain things: the fencer lunging for the head rather than the body, the trampolinist starting their routine on the third jump instead of the fourth, the whitewater slalom all-rounder choosing to focus, early in their career, on the kayak over the canoe.In 2014 NBC paid $7.75bn for the rights to broadcast the Olympics in the US until 2032. For these Olympics, faced with an inhospitable timezone for US viewers, the host broadcaster has taken the competing athletes’ message of elite discipline in the heat of battle, thrown it out the window, and instead tried to show a bit of everything to every viewer on every available platform all at once. Fitting perhaps for a tournament held in 2021 but still stuck with the previous year’s label, a frazzled atmosphere has suffused American coverage of Tokyo 2020. Continue reading...

The ex-president has built an arsenal of groups staffed with ex-officials and loyalists seemingly aimed at sustaining his political hopes for a comebackDonald Trump’s penchant for turning his political and legal troubles into fundraising schemes has long been recognized, but the former US president’s money hustling tricks seem to have expanded since his defeat by Joe Biden, prompting new scrutiny and criticism from campaign finance watchdogs and legal analysts.Related: Revealed: the people who signed up to the Magacoin Trump cryptocurrency Continue reading...

Beto O’Rourke and the Rev William Barber among speakers in Austin as fight to protect ballot access goes onWhen a legion of Texans descended on their state capitol on Saturday morning, the signs they carried conveyed raw terror about the erosion of their democracy.Related: Trump tries to defend ‘just say the election was corrupt’ demand Continue reading...

Shawn Michael Chock charged with murdering 58-year-old Jeremy Barrett after allegedly driving his truck into bike race participants in ArizonaAn Arizona man already facing assault charges for allegedly driving his pickup truck into people participating in a bike race nearly six weeks ago has been charged with murder.An indictment made public Wednesday adds a murder charge against Shawn Michael Chock in the death of 58-year-old Australian Jeremy Barrett. Continue reading...

Early this summer, we seemed ready to get back on the mic – but now the Delta variant is complicating mattersWhen New Orleans lifted Covid-19 restrictions for bars, restaurants, and music venues this past May, Ruston Henry Jr, 30, went to Kajun’s Pub. He had a mission: to sing at a karaoke night for the first time since the pandemic started. His comeback song was the ‘90s ballad Kiss from a Rose by Seal.“​​Normally I’m very reserved, but when I do karaoke I feel like I can show a different side of me,” he says. “I missed it so much.” Continue reading...

Progressive is angry her party allowed the clock to run out on renewing measure that lapsed Saturday nightDemocrats who control the House of Representatives cannot blame Republicans for a looming crisis over evictions, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, after a federal moratorium lapsed on Saturday night.Related: Fauci backs new masks guidance as Florida reports highest one-day Covid case total Continue reading...

US-based airline aims to tread where other have failed – and in the teeth of the Covid pandemicA low-cost airline service with a brand new business class cabin, flying London to New York? As Frank Sinatra might have said: if you can make it there, in the teeth of a global pandemic when the US bars British citizens and advises its own to stay put … well, you can make it anywhere.On 11 August, nonetheless, JetBlue will launch transatlantic flights that could rattle one of aviation’s normally most lucrative markets. The airline, one of the biggest in America but without the global presence of the “big four” US carriers, will launch its first services to the UK with the promise of driving down fares, particularly for the business traveller. Continue reading...

Nina Turner and Shontel Brown will square off Tuesday in Ohio race that has turned nasty and could foreshadow midterm risksA hip-hop rendition of I Gotta Feeling on electric violin got the crowd jumping. The first glimpse of a 79-year-old democratic socialist got them whistling and whooping. But this time Bernie Sanders was not running for president.Related: Republicans will defend their Caesar but new revelations show Trump’s true threat | Lloyd Green Continue reading...

USA’s fencers have found themselves in the news over protests, coronavirus and reports of an unwanted teammate. They still performed on the pisteThough soccer and rugby teams have taken a knee before matches at the Tokyo Olympics to protest racial injustice, how the authorities would react to a demonstration during a medal ceremony remains to be seen.Should the American hammer thrower Gwen Berry finish in the top three later this week, it seems likely the question will arise. Continue reading...

The ongoing doping war of words has continued after Lilly King said that 'a lot of people here that should not be here'. King made her statements seated next to Ryan Murphy, another US swimmer who appeared to take aim this week at Russia, who have run afoul of doping rules. King later added: 'I wasn't racing anyone from a country who should have been banned and instead got a slap on the wrist and rebranding of their national flag.' Continue reading...

NHL plans to conduct a full investigation after Anna Kane posts: ‘How does the NHL let a compulsive gambling addict still play?’The San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has denied allegations his wife made on social media that he bet on NHL games, including against his own team.Kane responded on Sunday morning to allegations made the previous day from the Instagram account of his wife, Anna. Continue reading...

Gun store owners say bullets are selling out as pandemic fuels public fears around safety and crimeThe coronavirus pandemic in the US has been accompanied by soaring gun sales attributed to fears around social unrest and crime and, in some cases, people having more time for hunting.Related: ‘We have to break through that wall’: inside America’s battle for gun control Continue reading...

If the Conservatives want to win the hearts and minds of the under-25s they’d do better by incentivising vaccination

Fans across the world enjoy complementing their Olympic viewing with some research. We meet the man who wants everyone’s story toldIn 1992, 11-year-old Guy Fraser spent his summer vacation fiddling with a radio. He was searching, sometimes in vain, for an English-language broadcast of the Olympics in Barcelona. He was trapped in France. Oblivious to the Olympics – and her son’s devotion to them – Fraser’s mother had booked a two-week break that coincided almost perfectly with the Games. Fraser was heartbroken, but he made the best of it. He found French broadcasts he could mostly understand as he sussed out how his favourite athletes were faring in Spain.Nearly three decades later, the Englishman is just as enthusiastic about the Games, especially after more than a year of Covid-19 lockdowns. So in the leadup to Tokyo, he began to do some research. Fraser is an equal‑opportunity viewer – “Once you properly understand the rules and tactics, any sport is inherently fascinating,” he told the Guardian in an email – and he wanted to be as informed as he could be. So he scrolled his phone from his home in Bath perusing rosters, trying to learn a thing or two about the people who’d earned spots on teams across the world. Continue reading...

The PM’s talk of ‘fluorescent-jacketed chain gangs’ had a similar effect to that of a misfiring new Oxford Street attractionEarlier this week a pile of mud was dumped at the west end of Oxford Street. Then some squares of grass were stuck on the mud. Then people were charged £8 to go up it. Visitor Emma Wright tweeted that going up the mud was “the worst thing I have ever done in London”. But I believe it was Dr Johnson who wrote: “A woman who thinks going up some mud is the worst thing she has ever done in London has not visited the ladies’ toilets in Crystal Palace park. And neither have I.”The mud’s purpose is to promote Oxford Street, where 17% of shops have closed since March 2020. But in the long term, the best way to save shops is to force Amazon to pay proper tax, so it cannot undercut them. Making people pay £8 to go up mud will not do this. Though British Amazon goods are delivered from British Amazon warehouses to British Amazon customers on British roads by British drivers, the sales of those goods are processed in lightly regulated Luxembourg. Can it be a coincidence that as the net tightens on Amazon, its founder, Jeff Bezos, is lobbying Nasa to put Amazon in charge of outer space? Continue reading...