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The president reset the tone from the Trump era and passed a huge Covid relief bill but other priorities have hit formidable political obstaclesAngela Merkel thrice called him “dear Joe”. He pledged unity in taking on “democratic backsliding, corruption, phony populism”. But he also warned: “If we don’t leave right now, we’re going to miss dinner” – one that included crispy sea bass, black pepper tagliatelle and kabocha squash.Joe Biden’s meeting with German chancellor last week offered comfort food for anyone nostalgic for the old global order. But as Merkel leaves the stage after 16 years, certain of her legacy as a towering figure in European politics, Biden is still striving to make his mark. Continue reading...

The water park near Houston was closed after a bleach and acid leak left patrons with minor skin irritation and respiratory issuesA chemical leak at a Houston-area water park has left dozens suffering from minor skin irritation and respiratory issues, authorities said.Twenty-nine people were taken to local hospitals on Saturday following the incident at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown in Spring, the Harris County fire marshal’s office tweeted. Thirty-nine others declined to be taken to a hospital after undergoing decontamination procedures. Continue reading...

• South African one shot ahead of Collin Morikawa

Bootleg is now the largest US forest fire at 281,208 acres and just 22% contained as ‘excessive heat’ forecastAt least 70 large wildfires are burning across the US west and nearby states – engulfing more than 1m acres in flames – as fears mount that shifting conditions can worsen an already dire situation. Significant areas of these states are in the grips of drought conditions that are considered “extreme” and “exceptional” – the most severe categories.Related: Heat exhaustion, apocalyptic scenes: what it’s like fighting the US’s biggest wildfire Continue reading...

Plenty of home players were in striking distance of the leaders but none were able to put a fluent round togetherThe tide in Sandwich Bay ran high at 5.16pm on Saturday, waves lapping in from a sapphire blue sea and bringing the boats closer to shore. It was forecast to be the highest tide of the weekend but inevitably it ran out again, and in the evening where the sea once glinted there were only pebbles and rocks.As with the tides so with the English charge some 200m inland. Sixteen golfers from the host nation made it past Friday’s cut at the Open and a number of them were in good nick. Across the duration of a sun-drenched third round, however, their fortunes ran high then ebbed away. Are dashed hopes as inevitable as the tides? Sometimes in sport it feels that way. Continue reading...

Scot held 60ft putt on the 18th at Royal St George’s from the dip where Lyle two-putted his way to the Open title in 1985

Texas federal judge’s ruling prevents government from approving new applications but doesn’t affect current recipientsJoe Biden has said the US Department of Justice intends on appealing a new court decision that effectively halts an Obama-era program aimed at protecting young immigrants from deportation.Texas federal judge Andrew Hanen on Friday deemed illegal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) program. This program prevents the deportation of immigrants who were brought to the US unlawfully as children, known as “Dreamers”. Continue reading...

Our insurance covers most of it, but the extortionate prices in America’s healthcare system – and the absurd bureaucracy – boggles the mindFor the last couple of months my wife and I have been playing a quintessentially American game of Guess the Baby Bill. The rules are simple: try to guess exactly how much we would be charged for the birth of our daughter earlier this year. Last week the hospital bill finally came, putting an end to the guessing game. The cost of an uncomplicated vaginal birth? $37,617.69. Continue reading...

Outdated views of their sport frustrate professional surfers who will showcase their talent on the biggest stage if conditions allowAt the prestigious Billabong Pipeline Masters in 2019, the final event of the last completed World Surf League Championship Tour (CT) season, Italo Ferreira and Gabriel Medina emerged in the final to duel each other for the world title. It was a significant event. Paddling into the sparkling, clear waters of Oahu, Hawaii, the two most prominent Brazilian surfers of the moment faced off for the biggest prize in the sport, a reflection of both the present and possible future of surfing. Once a sport dominated by Americans and Australians in turn, Brazil has usurped both as the focal point of the men’s field today.As the competition began, it demonstrated one of the most underrated and fascinating aspects of competitive surfing. Medina, a two-time world champion, is renowned for his mental fortitude but 10 seconds into the contest, Medina tentatively backed out of the first wave as Ferreira swept forward and seized it for himself. He thundered down the side of the wave, smoothly turning at the bottom before emerging triumphant at its end. The crowd down on the beach cheered. The tone was set. Ferreira had immediately asserted himself and in the ensuing 39 minutes, an unsettled Medina was unable to perform well enough to deny him a first world title. Continue reading...

Boris Johnson’s lie that there was no need for a border in the Irish Sea may be a chance, at last, for reconciliationIf I had lost a family member on Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland in 1972, I am sure I would want someone brought to justice. Nor would I care when. Indeed, though ardent about forgiveness and rehabilitation, in such a case I am sure I would want punishment. I am human, and revenge is a human emotion – though I would call it “justice”. But such justice must be subject to two limitations. One is that it should be blind and impartial; the other is that justice should to some degree be proportionate over time. Costs are relevant. Life must move on.The government’s decision this week to declare an amnesty in Northern Ireland and close down charges against the soldiers involved in Bloody Sunday was driven by such limitations. Guilt may be clear to some, but half a century has passed. Unjustified killings are not uncommon in war, not least in so-called “wars among the peoples”; witness the continuing cases against British troops in Iraq. Here the accused are old men, and convictions in such cases are hard to achieve. Continue reading...

Phoenix have taken a battering by Milwaukee in the last two games of the NBA finals. But their coach has overcome grief and adversity to get hereTime has not been kind to the Phoenix Suns. Seven days ago they appeared to be on an inexorable march toward their first championship in franchise history while slapping the Milwaukee Bucks with double-digits losses and reducing Giannis Antetokounmpo to a one-man band. But since the series migrated from Phoenix to Milwaukee, the home team hasn’t just come alive behind Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and other supporting players; the Greek has been at his freakiest – pouring in a combined 61 points (on 60% shooting), 27 rebounds and a lead-preserving block in Game 4. Continue reading...

The president’s speech in Philadelphia decried Republicans’ assault on voting rights but critics say it offered few answers, especially on Senate rules that let the minority to block reformFew in the audience applauding Joe Biden could have questioned the sincerity of his warning about a momentous threat to American democracy.But they may have walked away with lingering doubts about his ability to meet the moment or answer fears that even the office of the presidency will be found politically impotent in the face of the challenge. Continue reading...

‘Death followed Michael Gargiulo everywhere he went’, says judge, in case which included the murder of the girlfriend of actor Ashton KutcherA man dubbed the “Hollywood Ripper” has been sentenced to death for the home-invasion murders of two women and the attempted murder of a third in a much-delayed case stretching back 20 years.Victims’ family members wept as Los Angeles superior court Judge Larry Fidler handed down the sentence to 45-year-old Michael Thomas Gargiulo on Friday. Continue reading...

Pyrocumulus clouds viewable from 100 miles away as Bootleg fire grows beyond size of New York CitySmoke and heat from a huge wildfire in south-eastern Oregon are creating giant “fire clouds” over the blaze – dangerous columns of smoke and ash that can reach up to six miles (10km) in the sky and are visible from more than 100 miles (160km) away.Authorities have put these clouds at the top of the list of the extreme fire behavior they are seeing amid the Bootleg fire, the largest wildfire burning in the US. The inferno grew on Friday to about 377 sq miles (976 sq km), an area larger than New York City, and was raging through a part of the American west that is enduring a historic drought. Continue reading...

Findings undermine Trump’s claims after Biden beat him by more than 10,000 votes in stateArizona county election officials have identified fewer than 200 cases of potential voter fraud out of more than 3m ballots cast in last year’s presidential election, undercutting Donald Trump’s claims of a stolen election as his allies continue a disputed ballot review in the state’s most populous county.The 182 cases identified by the Associated Press represent instances where problems were clear enough that officials referred them for further review. So far, only four cases have led to charges, including those identified in a separate state investigation. No one has been convicted. No vote was counted twice. Continue reading...

LAPD said it was responding to calls of a ‘man armed with a gun’, but photos showed an object that appeared to be a lighterLos Angeles police fatally shot a man on Hollywood boulevard on Thursday, causing chaos at a busy tourist strip and prompting a state investigation into the use of deadly force.LAPD officials said officers had received 911 calls about 11.20am of a “man armed with a gun”, but police photos from the scene showed an object that appeared to be a lighter. Continue reading...

• South African leads Collin Morikawa by two shots

Effort aims to reduce false confessions, as other measures seek to reduce prison population and support restorative justiceThe governor of Illinois has signed the country’s first law prohibiting police from lying to juveniles during criminal interrogations.The measure, which is intended to reduce false confessions by young people, was one of four pieces of legislation JB Pritzker, a Democrat, signed, he said, “to change the laws that have failed the people they serve”. Continue reading...

In Tucson, a fire department swift water team rescued a father and his two daughters from the roof of their vehicle on Wednesday after they drove into a usually dry wash and got stranded in floodwaters, said Golder Ranch Fire District spokesman Capt Adam Jarrold. In Flagstaff, floodwaters have inundated communities in the shadow of a mountain that burned in 2019 and adjacent neighbourhoods, sending at least one vehicle floating down a city street.

• Californian remorseful after claiming club ‘sucked’

Ian Benjamin Rogers and Jarrod Copeland accused of conspiring to attack Democratic targets after the 2020 presidential electionTwo California men have been indicted on charges they conspired to attack the Democratic party headquarters in Sacramento, the US justice department said on Friday.According to the unsealed indictment, Ian Benjamin Rogers, 45, of Napa and Jarrod Copeland, 37, of Vallejo started plotting to attack Democratic targets after the 2020 presidential election. They also tried to get support from an anti-government group to further the cause. Continue reading...

Speaking during a White House briefing, Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control, said US coronavirus cases were up about 70% over the last week, with nearly all hospital admissions and deaths among the unvaccinated. The White House Covid-19 coordinator, Jeffrey Zients, added that the pandemic is 'one that predominantly threatens unvaccinated people' and that the administration expects cases to increase in the weeks ahead because of spread in communities with low vaccination rates

The lip of a hole came between the Argentinian and a course record on Friday, and he is anxious to keep up the good workEmiliano Grillo is savouring the moment. The Argentinian is currently having a ball at the Open, only the lip of a hole coming between him and the course record on Friday. He has also had the pleasure of watching his country lift an international football trophy this past week, something his hosts can’t quite say themselves. “It’s a nice week to be in England,” he admits. “Not for you guys, but for me it is.”Recording a second-round score of 64 means the 28-year-old is six under par for the tournament and well placed going into the weekend at Royal St George’s. “Sixty-four is definitely a good round”, he said. “I got a little look at the 63. I didn’t know it was the course record but it doesn’t matter. Playing under par in a major is what you’re looking for.” Continue reading...

New cases surging 10% on last week nationally with several states reaching 50% increase while LA resumes mask-wearing indoorsCovid cases are rising in all 50 US states as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads rapidly across the country, news outlets reported on Friday morning, with half the US population yet to be fully vaccinated.Nationwide, new cases are surging 10% on last week, with several states reaching a 50% increase. Four states – Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, and Nevada – are in the throes of full outbreaks. Continue reading...

• State law forbids asking passengers to prove their vaccine status• Lawsuit is ‘last resort’ as company considers leaving FloridaA cruise ship company has filed a federal lawsuit against the Florida surgeon general, over a state law that prohibits companies from asking or requiring customers and employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19.Related: As Covid cases rise in Florida, Governor DeSantis digs at Fauci with merchandise Continue reading...

A Guardian investigation revealed that western intelligence agencies have been examining for some time the papers appearing to document a Russian plot to put Donald Trump in powerDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Yesterday the Guardian broke the story of the Kremlin papers, documents purportedly revealing that Vladimir Putin personally authorized a secret, multi-agency spy operation to support Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election. Continue reading...

Efforts to interest New Yorkers in Euro 2020 are met with blank stares so I find another fair-weather football fanThe highs are lower, when you watch England play from abroad, on the other hand, the lows aren’t as crashingly bad. Efforts to interest New Yorkers in England’s championship defeat are mostly met with blank stares. “You know, the UEFA championship final,” I say, pleadingly, to an American friend. “What words are coming out of your mouth?” she says. It’s hard not to grow petulant. “The whole rest of the world understands.” Continue reading...

The lawmakers energized voters during a months-long attack by Republican legislatures on voting accessGeorgia Roth wasn’t planning on making the two-and-a-half hour drive to the state capitol building in Austin on Tuesday. But when she saw dozens of Democrats in the legislature abruptly leave the state on Monday, blocking Republicans’ plan to enact new legislation to restrict voting access, the 74-year-old hopped into her car and drove east. Continue reading...

The hammer thrower made headlines when she was involved in a controversy over the US national anthem. But she says she is fighting for American valuesAt the US Olympic Track and Field trials in June, hammer thrower Gwen Berry earned a spot on her second Olympic team, placing third in her event. She also became a face of athlete activism. She raised her fist when she was introduced before the hammer throw, and when she was on the podium, she turned around and draped a T-shirt that said “activist athlete” over her head.Berry emerged as a visible activist athlete in 2019, when she won gold at the Pan American Games and raised her fist on the podium, near the end of the national anthem. She did it to draw attention to racial injustice in the US that doesn’t get enough attention, she said. “You can see the racial wealth gap, you can see voter suppression, you can see that Black communities don’t have resources, like grocery stores, water, and access to public transportation.” Continue reading...

Glaring absences in US data despite disproportionate effect on Black, Latino and Native American communitiesThe full picture of the racial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is clouded by systemic failures to collect race and ethnicity data, even in states that are leaders in promoting health equity.In California, for example, a key benchmark for reopening and allocating vaccines doesn’t fully incorporate race and ethnicity data. Meanwhile, nationally there remain glaring absences in testing and hospitalization data by race and ethnicity a full year after it was shown Covid-19 had a disproportionate effect on Black, Latino and Native American communities. Continue reading...

Understanding seasonality can help us to work out when the pandemic is likely to be overThere is a paradox at the heart of Sars-Cov-2 transmission that has yet to be fully explored. While it’s firmly established that the virus transmits best in winter, in common with most other respiratory viruses, the UK is currently experiencing a summer surge. There have also been major Covid-19 epidemic waves in regions such as South America and India outside winter. Why is this?From the beginning of the pandemic, one major question was to what extent Covid would display a seasonal behaviour with higher case numbers in winter. Most respiratory viruses in circulation, including the flu and the four endemic coronaviruses contributing to “common colds”, display strong seasonal patterns, with most infections happening in winter in each hemisphere. Continue reading...

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, was one of nine people arrested during a voting rights protest at the US Capitol on Thursday. Beatty was participating in a protestcalling for the Senate to pass asweeping election reform bill. The bill passed the House in Marchbut is being held up in the Senatebecause of a Republican filibuster. Beatty and others were arrestedby Capitol police for 'demonstratingin a prohibited area on Capitol grounds', said police

State is the first to enact a broad ban of PFAS compounds, which are found in everything from cosmetics to cookwareMaine has enacted a groundbreaking law that will ban the use of toxic PFAS compounds in all products by 2030, except in instances deemed “currently unavoidable”.Though states and the federal government have passed piecemeal laws regulating the dangerous chemicals’ use, Maine is the nation’s first state and world’s first government to enact a broad prohibition on the class of about 9,000 compounds, which are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they don’t fully break down and accumulate in the environment and humans. Continue reading...

The US president praises the German leader but reiterates his concerns about the pipeline that will run from Russia to GermanyJoe Biden hosted Angela Merkel at the White House on Thursday for bilateral meetings as the outgoing German chancellor prepares to step down, in a visit that marked Biden’s latest attempt to strengthen relationships with US allies.The two leaders met in the Oval Office and later held a joint press conference. Biden and Merkel vowed to work together to defend against Russian aggression and stand up to anti-democratic actions by China, and also spoke to the importance of the US-German alliance. Continue reading...

The 100m favourite has had an extraordinary journey to the Tokyo Games – now he wants to use his platform to inspireThe man anointed by Usain Bolt as the favourite to succeed him as Olympic 100 metres champion is detailing his extraordinary journey to the Tokyo Games. It is quite the tale. Trayvon Bromell grew up on the south side of St Petersburg, Florida, where poverty and gangs were rife. His mother worked 7pm-7am every day to keep a roof over their heads. His best friend ended up in jail. And yet, despite also breaking both his knees and a hip as a child, he ended up winning bronze at the 2015 world championships as a 20-year-old – behind Bolt – only to spend years being unable to run due to severe injuries.So when the 26-year-old American is asked whether the lack of crowds in Tokyo will present a challenge, he quickly puts things into perspective. “Not for me,” he says. “I grew up with no eyes watching me. People weren’t there when I struggled. People weren’t there when me and my mom could barely pay the bills. And when we didn’t know whether we were going to have a house over our heads there were no eyes on me. So now when I run, it doesn’t factor for me. It’s the same 100 metres.” Continue reading...

Joyce Beatty, chair of Congressional Black Caucus, was calling on the Senate to pass a key election reform billCongresswoman Joyce Beatty, a Democrat of Ohio, was one of nine people arrested during a voting rights protest at the Capitol this afternoon.Beatty, who serves as the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, shared a photo on Twitter of US Capitol police (USCP) officers putting a zip-tie on her and escorting her out of the building. Continue reading...