Hundreds gather in Louisville chanting ‘no justice, no peace’ for Black woman shot by police in her apartmentBreonna Taylor family has continued its call for justice as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in downtown Louisville to mark the one year anniversary of her death.“Eyes are on Louisville, Kentucky, today so let’s show America what community looks like,” said Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin, who wore her niece’s emergency medical technician jacket. Continue reading...
More than $5tn has been spent on stimulus programs in the US to fight Covid’s economic impact – and a significant amount has been earmarked for small businessesThanks to the stimulus programs, there are now five ways small can save big on their taxes in 2021 … and even get money back.Related: Lifting mask mandates in Texas has caused conflicts for small businesses | Gene Marks Continue reading...
The broadcaster caught directing the N-word at a girls’ team dredges up memories of the racism I experienced as a young player in Tulsa. But what happened the next day gives me hopeBack in 1996, my Booker T Washington High School team beat Norman High in the Oklahoma state tournament final to seal back-to-back state championships. Continue reading...
The country’s global standing is plunging as Xi Jinping attempts to whitewash atrocities in the name of empire-buildingA terrible scream of pain contorts a little girl’s face and tells the story of the army’s brutal crackdown in Myanmar. Shwe Yote Hlwar, five, is standing beside an open coffin containing the body of her father, Ko Zwe Htet Soe, shot dead by security forces.Her face is a picture of searing, bottomless grief. Women try to help. But there is no comforting her. Who can explain her dad’s needless killing? Who can say why men in uniform think it’s OK to do such things?
The New York governor faces a legendary fall from grace due to allegations of bullying, a cover-up of nursing home Covid deaths and a sexual harassment scandal involving seven women
When I was labor secretary welfare ended but now it’s back and three-quarters of Americans – and many Republicans – approveA quarter-century ago, I and other members of Bill Clinton’s cabinet urged him to reject the Republican proposal to end welfare. It was too punitive, we said, subjecting poor Americans to deep and abiding poverty. But Clinton’s political advisers warned that unless he went along, he would jeopardize his reelection.Related: Chaos Under Heaven review: Trump as raging bull in a China policy shop Continue reading...
Before Covid upended everything, the US president upended relations with Beijing – without interest or ability to build anewCovid-19 has left more than 530,000 Americans dead and China’s standing with the US at a historic low. Only Iran and North Korea fare worse. US opinion is no outlier. China’s reputation has taken a beating in Australia, the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany. Images of tanks rolling through Tiananmen Square in summer 1989 have been supplanted by Beijing stonewalling on the origins of the plague.Related: Lucky review: how Biden beat Trump – and doubters like Obama and Hillary Continue reading...
Local jurisdictions have decided to keep their coronavirus safety protocols, drawing ire from state politiciansMonths of hostility and infighting between Texas’s Republican and Democratic leaders reached a breaking point this week, when the state sued Austin and Travis county officials who were still requiring residents to wear masks in public.In a move decried as “reckless” around the United States, Texas ended almost all of its coronavirus-related restrictions on Wednesday, including a statewide mask mandate and capacity limits on businesses. Continue reading...
Once the hub of Trump World in the US capital, with the former president gone it is in danger of becoming a white elephantOnce it was like a second White House for the Maga crowd. Now it is in danger of becoming a white elephant.Clobbered first by the coronavirus pandemic, then by its owner’s election defeat, the Trump International Hotel in Washington is reeling from a huge loss of income and prestige. For critics of the former US president, it is welcome proof of how quickly the city is moving on without him. Continue reading...
Blizzard warnings issued for Wyoming and Nebraska and 2ft of snow expected in Colorado over the weekendA powerful spring snow storm was expected over the next three days to blanket parts of the US Rockies and central high plains where forecasters warned of whiteout conditions, power outages and avalanches.The National Weather Service (NWS) issued blizzard warnings for parts of Wyoming and western Nebraska, where quickly accumulating snowfall of up to 2ft (61cm) and fierce winds reaching 65mph (105km per hour) could cause dangerous conditions from Saturday through Monday. Continue reading...
No wonder one of the world’s biggest artists is turning his back on an increasingly irrelevant awardIt’s shocking, I know, but an awards ceremony with at least 683 distinct categories, which takes roughly four days to get through and almost certainly has a gong for best backing vocals on a rap-classical crossover in the Portuguese language, has again run into trouble amid accusations of an opaque and complex voting system that some artists claim damages the integrity of the process.There were no Grammy nominations this year for the Weeknd, one of the world’s biggest and bestselling pop stars, who headlined the Super Bowl half-time show in February for around 96 million viewers. After being left out, the Weeknd has announced that he will no longer submit his music for their consideration, blaming his exclusion on “secret committees” and a lack of transparency. His announcement followed tweets from Zayn Malik, who criticised the awards for allowing “favouritism, racism and networking politics to influence the voting process”. Drake and Frank Ocean have also been critical of the Grammys in recent years; the New York Times points out that, staggeringly, the last black artist to win album of the year was Herbie Hancock, in 2008, for River – his tribute to Joni Mitchell. Continue reading...
Florida-based Big Dog Ranch Rescue has spent as much as $1,883,160 on fundraising costs for events at Mar-a-LagoA dog rescue charity that has links to Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, has spent almost $2m at Trump properties in the last seven years, according to US media reports.While other companies and groups have distanced themselves from the Trumps since the 6 January attack on the capital, the Florida-based Big Dog Ranch Rescue is expected to spend another $225,000 at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago country club for an event this weekend, according to a permit filed with the town of Palm Beach, which was reported by HuffPost. Continue reading...
The president’s $1.9tn stimulus package should lift US GDP by up to 4% – and thus buoy up the whole of the global economyUS president Joe Biden did the world a favour last Thursday when he signed a bill handing $1.9 trillion (£1.4tn) of rescue funds to state and federal agencies, millions of students and workers and the US vaccination programme.The money will appear first as cheques landing on household doormats as early as this week, softening the blow of the pandemic for those in work and for the many who remain out of work and under severe financial strain. Continue reading...
The city of Minneapolis has agreed to pay $27m to settle a civil lawsuit from George Floyd's family over the Black man's death in police custody.It was not immediately clear how the settlement might affect the trial of Derek Chauvin, a white former officer charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death.The city council unanimously approved the settlement on Friday which includes $500,000 for the neighborhood where Floyd was arrested.
Criminal groups that bring people into US reportedly document payment status on the plastic bandsAlong the banks of the Rio Grande in the scrubby grassland near Penitas, south-east Texas, hundreds of colored plastic wristbands ripped off by migrants litter the ground, signs of what US border officials say is a growing trend among powerful drug cartels and smugglers to track people paying to cross unlawfully into the United States.Related: What is Joe Biden doing to cope with a rise in unaccompanied child migrants? Continue reading...
The US has far less mobility and equality of opportunity today than almost the entire European UnionThe US has long prided itself as being an exceptionally fluid society with respect to social class and economic mobility. The American Dream holds that anyone who works hard can achieve economic success – perhaps even rise from rags to riches.Underlying this belief is the assumption of abundant opportunity and meritocracy. Arriving immigrants often believe they have come to a land of opportunity, with a level playing field allowing for advancement and success. Those who fail to do so tend to blame themselves. Continue reading...
Some critics say the documentary feels formulaic. It may be because sexual abuse of the type alleged is a deeply formulaic phenomenon, with recognizable patternsOne of the most striking things about Allen v Farrow – the four-part HBO documentary about the child sexual assault allegation made against Woody Allen in 1992, and the civil suits, criminal investigations, and ugly media blitz that followed – is how familiar it all is. In part this is because the events covered are by now three decades old, and have been extensively discussed in the press, most impressively by Maureen Orth in Vanity Fair, and by Dylan Farrow, the daughter Allen allegedly molested when she was seven years old, in the New York Times. But the allegations are also familiar because of how closely Allen’s alleged conduct hews to typical patterns of abuse.Related: 'It was really an investigation': inside HBO's explosive Allen v Farrow documentary Continue reading...
Any controversy reveals the shaky foundations of a hereditary monarchy. A wise ruler would set ‘minor royals’ freeHereditary monarchy is always an accident waiting to happen. A wise monarch reduces the risk of accident. Britain’s Queen has been wise beyond endurance over her long reign in obeying the sole obligation of a non-political head of state, which is to avoid controversy. But she made one big mistake.Back in 1969, the Queen gave in to pressure from her husband, Prince Philip, and her dynamic Australian press secretary, William Heseltine, to modernise the monarchy. The decision was made to validate hereditary monarchy as a “royal family”, and present it as such to the world. Cameras were invited into royal residences, to attend royal barbecues and see the teenage royals as “ordinary”. They would gradually take on a roll-call of public duties. Monarchy was to become a collective enterprise. Continue reading...
A year after the killing of a 26-year-old in a deeply segregated Kentucky city, calls for justice – a task bigger than reforms, memorials and platitudes – have gone unansweredThree hundred and sixty-five days. Four police chiefs. Two fatal shootings tied to protests. Hundreds of protesters arrested. Zero charges for the three police officers who fired 32 bullets in the early morning raid that killed Breonna Taylor, hitting her six times.Related: These US cities defunded police: 'We're transferring money to the community' Continue reading...
The British monarchy has, for centuries, been attached to the idea of white supremacy. Now it must show it has truly changedSince Meghan and Harry’s interview last Sunday, questions have been raised about the royal family. More specifically, is the family racist? Many viewers were shocked when the Duchess of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey that their mixed-race child’s skin tone had been discussed by a family member, and that “concerns” were expressed by them.On Thursday, Prince William gave an outright denial. “We’re very much not a racist family,” he told reporters. His response was not surprising and what one would expect. Continue reading...
Environmentalists are hopeful about increase in numbers but say wolves are still in a precarious positionOnce on the verge of extinction, the rarest subspecies of grey wolf in North America has seen its population nearly double over the last five years, with more gains being reported in 2020.The results of the latest annual survey show there are at least 186 Mexican grey wolves in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona, US wildlife managers said on Friday. That marks the fifth straight year that the endangered species has increased its numbers, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Continue reading...
Analysis: critics say the US Senate has become a firewall for a shrinking minority of white conservatives to block policies – could a breakthrough be ahead?In the first 50 days of the Biden administration, the US House of Representatives has passed major legislation to strengthen voting rights, reform police departments, empower labor unions and tighten gun laws.The public strongly supports each measure, and Biden is poised, pen in hand, to sign each bill into law. It could seem like the dawn of a new progressive era. Continue reading...
by Amudalat Ajasa in Minneapolis and agencies on (#5F8YY)
City agrees to settle lawsuit with family during jury selection for trial of Derek Chauvin, former police officer charged with murderThe city of Minneapolis has agreed to pay $27m to settle a civil lawsuit with the family of George Floyd, even as jury selection was under way in the murder trial of the former police of the former police officer, Derek Chauvin, who killed him.The city council unanimously approved the settlement on Friday. The council emerged from closed session to announce the move, which includes $500,000 for the neighborhood where Floyd was arrested. Continue reading...
Pak Ho, from Hong Kong, was robbed and assaulted by a man police said had a history of victimizing elderly Asian peopleA 75-year-old man from Hong Kong died in Oakland, California, on Thursday, after being robbed and assaulted by a man police said had a history of victimizing elderly Asian people.Pak Ho had been taking his early morning walk on Tuesday, authorities said, when a man approached him to forcibly rob him. In the course of the robbery, the man allegedly punched Ho, causing him to fall to the ground, hit his head and suffer a traumatic brain injury. Continue reading...
Cyrus Vance Jr, Manhattan district attorney, said he intends to retire, signaling it is likely a new DA will see Trump case throughManhattan’s district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr, the veteran prosecutor overseeing a criminal investigation into the former US president, Donald Trump, announced on Friday that he intends to retire instead of seeking re-election, opting against a primary fight with progressive candidates who say he is a relic and not a reformer.Vance made the announcement in a memo to staffers, ending months of speculation about his future and signaling it is likely to be a brand-new DA who sees the Trump case through, although Vance could still make a decision about charges before his term expires at the end of the year. Continue reading...
Recording showed rider coughing into driver Subhakar Khadka’s face and threatening himPolice have arrested a woman who was seen assaulting a San Francisco Uber driver in a video that went viral this week.San Francisco police said on Thursday that officers with the Las Vegas police department had arrested Malaysia King, 24, who is accused of attacking Subhakar Khadka after he refused to continue to drive King and two other passengers, one of whom had failed to follow Uber policies and wear a mask during the ride. Continue reading...
The CDC is relaxing guidance on masks for vaccinated people, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing the end of face coverings any time soon. Here’s whyPublic health authorities want people to keep wearing masks and social distancing, even after they receive a vaccine. This might seem counterintuitive – after all, if someone gets a vaccine, aren’t they protected from the coronavirus?The answer is complicated: the vast majority of people who are vaccinated will be protected from Covid-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, vaccinated people may still be able to transmit the virus, even though they do not display any symptoms. Continue reading...
As the Democratic party turned sharply against the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, who faces mounting allegations of sexual harassment, he insisted on Friday that he would not resign and castigated politicians calling for him to quit as ‘reckless and dangerous’ and engaging in ‘cancel culture’. ‘I did not do what has been alleged. Period,’ he said, again calling on the public to let ongoing investigations into his conduct play out
Sale of seven-floor Manhattan mansion will directly benefit restitution fund providing compensation for his victimsDisgraced financier Jeffery Epstein’s Manhattan mansion has been sold to an unnamed buyer for $51m, which will directly benefit the restitution fund providing compensation for Epstein’s sexual abuse victims.The seven-floor mansion – once valued at $88m – was sold for considerably less after the 66-year-old was charged with sex trafficking in 2019, shortly before he was found dead in his cell in the Metropolitan correctional center in New York, where he had been awaiting trial. Continue reading...
Republicans hope that the latest crisis may finally topple the institution. But the odds remain stacked in the royals’ favourWill this be the moment? Will Meghan and Harry do to the monarchy what Diana threatened but never quite achieved, shaking the institution so severely it eventually collapses? Those who believe Britons should be able to choose their head of state have waited patiently for the crisis that finally undoes the House of Windsor, but this week they allowed themselves an excitement they had not known since the 1990s. Polling is stubbornly consistent, showing support for a republic flatlining at around 20%, but might the Oprah interview and all it revealed trigger a shift? Could this, at last, be it?The case for republican optimism begins with an acknowledgment that this latest twist is hardly unprecedented. On the contrary, each generation seems to have its own iteration of the same plotline, a tale of love and marriage revealing a cold, closed institution thwarting the happiness of its young. It was Edward and Mrs Simpson for my grandparents; Margaret and Group Captain Peter Townsend for my parents; Charles, Camilla and Diana for me – and now the Sussexes for my kids. The public splits on generational lines, the young shaking their fists at the palace as monarchists feel a tremor of fear, anxious that the public will finally turn on the institution and demand its abolition. Continue reading...
Retail giant announces decision in letter to Republican US senators about removal of book by conservative academicAmazon will no longer sell books that frame gay, lesbian, transgender and other sexual identities as a mental illness.The company made the announcement public in a letter sent to Republican senators who had asked why Amazon had stopped selling When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment, a book by the conservative academic Ryan Anderson, best known for his opposition to same-sex marriage. Continue reading...
The US international defender, on loan at Hoffenheim, on falling in love with football in Argentina, training at Bayern and his hopes for the futureChris Richards describes it as the turning point, the moment when football called him to spark a unique journey from Birmingham, Alabama in America’s deep south to Bayern Munich.The 20-year-old centre-half, who went on loan from Bayern to Hoffenheim on 1 February for the remainder of this season, was on a tour of Buenos Aires with an under-16 squad drawn from the south-east of the United States. Continue reading...
