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Reporter Lee Sanderlin ate nine waffles to shave nine hours off his original 24-hour stay in Jackson, MississippiFor Lee Sanderlin, defeat was hard to stomach.Sanderlin, an investigations and politics reporter at the Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi, had to spend 24 hours in a Waffle House restaurant after losing in his fantasy football league. Continue reading...

Starbucks uses complex tax structure in Europe and has faced criticism for lack of transparencyStarbucks received a tax credit worth £4.4m in the UK because of losses in 2020, despite the coffee chain’s US parent company making a profit during the same period of $1.2bn (£870m).The loss comes after a year in which Starbucks was forced by the pandemic to temporarily close all of its 935 UK shops, leading to a steep fall in revenues. Continue reading...

Prospect of Fed slowing its emergency stimulus package triggers heavy selling of sharesThe FTSE 100 posted its biggest fall in more than a month on Friday as the prospect of America’s central bank slowing its emergency stimulus package triggered heavy selling across the financial markets.London’s blue-chip stock market index fell by 136 points, or 1.9%, on Friday to 7017 points, its worst one-day drop since mid-May, and its lowest closing point in a month. Continue reading...

Officials ‘deeply saddened by the mistake that was made’ after Morgyn Arnold, 14, not included in Shoreline yearbook pictureA Utah junior high school that took two official photos of its cheerleading squad did not include the 14-year-old team member with Down syndrome in one of these pictures – and chose to use that image in its yearbook and on social media, according to reports.Shoreline junior high school cheer squad member Morgyn Arnold had been the team’s manager, and “knew all the routines by heart”, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. In the photo that included Arnold, she was seated in the front row, whereas in the second image she was clearly absent. Continue reading...

Democratic candidate for president languishes in fourth place in race to replace Mayor Bill De Blasio, poll showsAndrew Yang has fallen to fourth place in two polls ahead of New York City’s mayoral Democratic primary election on Tuesday, weeks after being depicted as a tourist candidate.Related: Digested week: I’ve belatedly become an American. Congratulations, people say | Emma Brockes Continue reading...

The president’s visit to Europe isn’t about trade deals but repairing US domestic politicsDuring his first trip abroad as US president last week, Joe Biden kept telling Europe that “the US is back”. Before the G7 meeting, Biden signed a new Atlantic charter with Boris Johnson that agreed to protect democracy and open societies. After Cornwall, he went on to more meetings in Brussels with the European Union, as well as a Nato summit and a head to head with Vladimir Putin in Geneva. Past presidents have viewed the EU as an irrelevant bureaucracy or a sinister threat. Biden described it as an “incredibly strong and vibrant entity”.In his press conference with Emmanuel Macron, Biden seemed to promise that the US was returning to its normal role in international politics. After Donald Trump, some nostalgic politicians might even hope for a reinvigoration of the so-called rules-based liberal order which has purportedly prevailed since the second world war. Continue reading...

The tennis star has helped to shine a light on an issue that is only growing by the dayIn late May, the tennis champ Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open, after officials fined her $15,000 and threatened to suspend her from the tournament for opting out of mandatory media activities. In her statement, Osaka explained that she was having to contend with “huge waves of anxiety” before each speaking engagement, and that she’d also struggled with depression following her 2018 US Open win against Serena Williams, where she was booed and jeered by the crowd during the trophy ceremony for defeating the US legend.The series of events sent a clear message: that in the world of elite sports, mental health is still not a priority. Yet rather than bow to the organization’s demands, Osaka opted to remove herself from a situation that she knew would jeopardize her mental wellbeing (the 23-year-old four-time Grand Slam winner has since also withdrawn from the Berlin WTA tournament, raising questions about whether she will be competing at Wimbledon later this month). Continue reading...

In a sport that is often predominantly white and upper middle class in the US, Black players are working together to have their voices heardFirst it was the killing of Breonna Taylor. Then the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery. But the final straw was the inescapable image of George Floyd calling out to his deceased mother while a police officer fatally knelt on his neck.“Enough had been enough,” says Jeremy Ebobisse, Portland Timbers forward and co-founder of Black Players for Change. “But enough was enough again.” Continue reading...

Welcome to the worst drought in an estimated 1,200 yearsIf water is the lifeblood of planet Earth, the American south-west is in big trouble.John Wesley Powell, the one-armed US army civil war veteran who led the first white expedition down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon – a daring boat run in 1869 – later became an ethnographer who wrote a prescient 1878 government paper titled: Report on the Lands of the Arid Regions of the United States. In it, he unflinchingly described the scarcity of water, and summarized that much of the American south-west, if it must be settled, should be settled lightly and modestly. Overpopulate it, and it will be unforgiving. Continue reading...

Republicans are pushing hundreds of bills to limit voting access. Some measures may get in the way of their own votersAs the coronavirus wreaked havoc around the world, lawmakers in the US were faced with a monumental task: carrying out a presidential election in the middle of a once-in-century pandemic.Concerned about the possibility of virus spread at polling places, Democrats pushed the federal government to approve more funding for states to expand absentee and early-voting options. Continue reading...

The 23-year-old is set to be one of the stars of the Olympics, where he will showcase his charisma, fashion sense and blistering speedNoah Lyles has already run the Olympic 100 metres final in Tokyo.A hundred times. In his head. Continue reading...

The end of the academic year brings joy and reflection for students who pushed boundaries Continue reading...

Soaring temperatures raise fears over drought and fire, and Juneteenth is now a federal holiday. Plus, the man who swallowed an AirPodGood morning.With summer yet to officially begin and temperatures soaring, a record-shattering heatwave in the US is raising fears over drought and fire. Continue reading...

Despite audit after audit, the CEO of MyPillow, a state senator and a rightwing TV host remain convinced of election fraudOn 7 November 2020, after several days of vote-counting, Donald Trump lost the US presidential election. More than 60 unsuccessful lawsuits and one insurrection later, Trump has still lost the election, but the former president refuses to accept defeat.Egged on by a group of sycophants and fantasists, including a small-time Pennsylvania politician, a host on a far-right news network, and the CEO of a pillow company, Trump now plans to hold rallies at the end of June where he is likely to continue his fraudulent claims of a stolen election. Continue reading...

The Elaine race massacre of 1919 is understood as one of the worst in US history. Parts of the story are still in disputeThe history of the race massacre in Elaine, Arkansas, has always been contested. Continue reading...

In 1919, white mobs and federal troops killed hundreds of Black residents – and America has tried to forget the storyNearly a century and a half after the end of Reconstruction and the emergence of Jim Crow in the US south, a debate is raging over a Biden administration plan to forgive loans for Black and Latino farmers. Rural whites and lending banks are protesting against what right-leaning Americans consider “reverse racism”, ignoring decades of discrimination and violence against communities of color working in agriculture. Eventually a federal judge put the plan on hold. Continue reading...

Summer has yet to officially begin and temperatures are soaring, bringing bad air quality and worsening the mega-droughtThis week the temperatures hit 106F (41C) in Billings, in northern Montana. In Arizona, animals were scorching their paws on blistering asphalt. In Texas, authorities asked residents to limit cooking and cleaning to preserve a creaking power grid.These were just some of the scenes emerging from one of the most excruciating heatwaves to ever hit the western United States this early in the year. From California to Montana, a staggering 40 million people are experiencing temperatures of 100F (38C) or hotter this week, and 50 million were under excessive heat warnings and heat advisories. Continue reading...

The US will officially recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday on 19 June after Joe Biden signed a bill into law which commemorates the end of slavery in the country. The president described a day to remember the moral stain of slavery but also to celebrate the capacity to heal. Before signing the bill, Biden said: 'I’ve only been president for several months, but I think this will go down for me as one of the greatest honors I will have had as president'

Biden signs bill at jubilant ceremony as US takes steps to confront shameful historyThe US will officially recognize Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in America, as a federal holiday after Joe Biden signed a bill into law on Thursday.At a jubilant White House ceremony, the president emphasized the need for the US to reckon with its history, even when that history is shameful. Continue reading...

The commemoration marks when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas on 19 June 1865, ending slaveryThe United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the nation.Congress has approved a bill that would make Juneteenth, or 19 June, a holiday – a bill Joe Biden is expected to sign into law. Continue reading...

Michael Fanone said on Wednesday he was ‘very cordial’ in interaction with Andrew Clyde in Capitol elevator earlier that dayA Republican congressman “ran as quickly as he could, like a coward” when a police officer injured in the attack on Congress on 6 January saw him and tried to shake his hand, the officer said.“I was very cordial,” Michael Fanone told CNN on Wednesday of his interaction with Andrew Clyde, in a Capitol elevator earlier that day. Continue reading...

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

• Lawyer tried to extort millions of dollars from Nike• Avenatti represented Stormy Daniels against Donald TrumpProsecutors have urged a judge to impose a “very substantial” prison sentence on Michael Avenatti for trying to extort millions of dollars from the sports giant Nike.Prosecutors noted in a Manhattan federal court submission on Wednesday that probation office officials recommend an eight-year prison term for the California attorney who gained fame three years ago through his representation of the adult-film producer and actor Stormy Daniels against the then president, Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Coalition emerged because medical marijuana users are barred from holding firearms permitsGun rights and medical marijuana legal reform advocates are seeking to join forces in Minnesota, where they hope to petition the federal government to drop its severe classification of marijuana.The coalition of strange political bedfellows has emerged because medical marijuana users are barred from holding firearms permits, as the federal government designates marijuana a schedule I illegal drug – on a par with heroin, LSD and ecstasy – unsafe and without medicinal benefit. Continue reading...

Heatwave blankets US south-west as officials call on residents to avoid putting ‘undue stress on the electric grid’California and Texas urged residents to conserve energy to reduce stress on the grid and avoid outages as homes and businesses crank up air conditioners to escape a scorching heatwave blanketing the US south-west.Related: US supreme court upholds Obamacare, preserving healthcare for millions – live Continue reading...

Some members of Congress were given advanced details about Pentagon report, which is scheduled to be released before 25 JuneA group of senior American politicians have warned that UFOs pose “national security concerns” after getting a confidential briefing on a highly anticipated report on unidentified aerial phenomena that is set to be released later this month.Some members of Congress were given advanced details about the contents of the Pentagon report, which is scheduled to be released before 25 June, and several said they are deeply worried about the findings. Continue reading...

Author of Fire and Fury’s final book on Trump, Landslide, will cover his ‘tumultuous last months at the helm of the country’Michael Wolff’s third book about Donald Trump, focusing on the final days of his presidency, will be published in July under a provocative title: Landslide.Related: Trump tells Fox News he ‘didn’t win’ election but doesn’t drop fraud lie Continue reading...

Justices affirm constitutionality of Affordable Care Act amid Republican attacks on key provisionThe US supreme court has upheld the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, after Republicans attempted to gut an important provision of the law during the Trump era.In a 7-2 decision, the court ruled Republican states ultimately did not have “standing” or the right to sue. The ruling avoided the issue of whether the tax provision of the law called the “individual mandate”, and therefore the entire law, was unconstitutional. Continue reading...

Ex-president says ‘We got 75m votes and we didn’t win but let’s see what happens’ seven months after election calledDonald Trump has told Fox News he “didn’t win” the 2020 presidential election, and wishes Joe Biden well.Related: New York grand jury stores up trouble for Trump Organization executives Continue reading...

Election officials were the target of rage after Trump’s baseless claims – and a new report details how many workers feel unsafeHappy Thursday,In the United States, a quiet army of people work in towns, cities, and states across the country to make sure that elections hum along smoothly. They’re responsible for all the mechanics that ensure Americans can exercise their right to vote – like keeping track of complex data files, making sure that mail-in ballots get printed and go out on time, ensuring that polling places have enough workers, and making sure that every valid vote gets counted. Continue reading...

The real reason Republicans want to ban schools from teaching CRTWhatever Republican politicians and rightwing media are referring to when they talk about “critical race theory”, it has little to do with critical race theory as an actual discipline. Developed in the 1970s and 80s by law professors – notably Derrick Bell and his acolyte, Kimberlé Crenshaw, at Harvard – the real CRT is analytic framework through which academics can discern the ways that racial disparities are reproduced by the law, and how the legacies of historical racism can persist even after discriminatory policies are revised.Related: Idaho governor signs bill to ban critical race theory from being taught in schools Continue reading...

Critics say senator is indicative of the Democratic party in a state where marginalized people have been shut outThe West Virginia senator Joe Manchin has emerged as one of the biggest stumbling blocks to the passing of Joe Biden’s ambitious domestic agenda, declaring he will vote against a key voting rights bill and also blocking reform of the filibuster – a rule that at the moment allows Republicans to kill Democrat legislation.Yet Manchin is no Republican. He is a key member of Biden’s party, and in a 50-50 Senate his vote is the linchpin of political power and crucial for passing Biden’s plans. Yet Manchin is seen by many Democrats as sabotaging his own president’s efforts to be a transformational leader who can help the US recover from the pandemic in the same way Roosevelt helped America recover from the Great Depression. Continue reading...

• Nicholas Kraus, 35, was allegedly drunk at the time• Deona Knajdek, 31, was killed and two other protesters injuredA St Paul man accused of speeding up and driving into a group of protesters in Minneapolis while he was drunk, killing one person, will appear in court on Thursday after being charged late on Wednesday with intentional second-degree murder.Prosecutors say Nicholas Kraus, 35, was visibly intoxicated on Sunday night when he sped up and tried to “jump” a car that was being used as a barricade by protesters in the city’s Uptown neighborhood. Deona Knajdek, 31, also known as Deona Erickson, was killed. Continue reading...

UK and US agree to suspend retaliatory tariffs on goods also including cashmere and stiltonWhisky makers are raising a glass after the UK and US agreed to suspend retaliatory tariffs on goods including Scottish malts for five years, in the de-escalation of a transatlantic trade dispute stretching back almost two decades.Liz Truss, the UK international trade secretary, said a “historic deal” had been reached with Washington to ensure tariffs, which affected UK exports to the US worth £550m, remain suspended. Continue reading...

Wimbledon 1984 found John McEnroe at the absolute peak of his powers, yet he was only the second most dominant force in the sportOn its face, it was a benign American summer. Big budget movies filled the theaters. Sugary pop songs wafted from the radio. An elderly woman asking “Where’s the Beef?” was a national laugh line. Ronald Reagan Era was in full free-market, take-cutting bloom, a few months before his resounding re-election. Continue reading...

An investigation found that popular baby food products are tainted with dangerous levels of chemicals. Yet not enough is being done about itNo parent would intentionally feed their baby arsenic. Yet a disturbing number of parents may be unknowingly doing just that.An investigation by the US Congress earlier this year found that commercial baby foods sold under the brands Gerber, Beech-Nut, Earth’s Best Organic, and HappyBABY are tainted with up to 91 times more inorganic arsenic, 117 times more lead, and 69 times more cadmium than the Food and Drug Administration’s maximum allowable levels in bottled water. (The current FDA standard recommends inorganic arsenic in baby food not exceed 100 parts per billion – ten times its recommended limit for bottled water – and the standard is not legally binding.) Of the four, only HappyBABY’s parent company, Nurture, routinely tested its products for mercury – which it found. Continue reading...

Public officials have taken the idea of affordable college from something everyone should have to a luxury item only for the super-rich and super luckyBernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Chuck Schumer have spent months asking Joe Biden to use his authority to eliminate or reduce crushing student debt. Biden promised to do so, and all he has to do is sign this piece of paper. But he has refused, despite new Roosevelt Institute research showing that educational debt relief “would provide more benefits to those with fewer economic resources and could play a critical role in addressing the racial wealth gap and building the Black middle class”.As student debt crushes the elderly and people of color, into this vacuum comes a rescue … for a lucky few. Public officials have taken the idea of affordable college from something the world’s wealthiest nation should be able to provide to everyone, and converted it into an expensive luxury item only for the super-rich, those unfortunate enough to be the victim of a terrorist attack, or those lucky enough to win the lottery. Continue reading...

We must develop a common plan to produce and distribute vaccines for all. That’s the only way to end this pandemicWe have the power to end this pandemic. We have the technology, materials and productive capacity to vaccinate the world against Covid-19 this year. We can save millions of lives, protect billions of livelihoods and reclaim trillions of dollars worth of economic activity along the way.But instead, our countries are now moving into the pandemic’s deadliest phase. Mutant strains are spreading into regions where the vaccines are not only scarce; they have barely arrived. At present rates of vaccination, the pandemic will continue to rage until at least 2024. Continue reading...

‘No-kill’ meals offer environmental and ethical benefits. They could also give a few companies control over what we eatThe salad looks relatively normal: fried chicken, leafy greens, red cabbage, slices of mandarin, a mango-sesame dressing on the side. But this is no ordinary salad. Getting hold of this particular lunchbox involved staking out a hotel lobby and quick fingers on a delivery app. The prize? Not tickets to a K-pop concert, but one of the world’s first servings of cell-cultured meat.Our modest serving has been breaded and fried and tastes like a diced chicken schnitzel. With some poking and prodding, the nugget reveals none of the long muscle fibers you would expect to find in a chicken breast. This is perhaps responsible for a slight hint of rubber-ball bounciness, but overall the texture is impressively avian. We’d eat it again. Continue reading...