Denied a Senate hearing as Obama’s supreme court nominee, as attorney general Garland would face an decisions on racial justice, politically sensitive prosecutions and voting rightsPerhaps the most patient man in Washington, Merrick Garland is not likely to be late for his appointment with senators on Monday. He has, after all, been waiting five years for this moment.Related: Growing number of Republican donors aim to prise party from Trump influence Continue reading...
Customers and staff opened fire on a person who walked into the Metairie store and fatally shot two peopleThree people are dead and two more in hospital after a person in a New Orleans gun store opened fire, killing two before dying when customers and staff shot back, police say.The shooting happened at the Jefferson Gun Outlet in the suburb of Metairie around 2.50pm on Saturday, according to a release from the Jefferson Parish sheriff’s office. Continue reading...
Harry and Meghan should take note of the good deeds being done out of the spotlightThe latest skirmish between the royal family and Harry/Meghan may be a good moment to remember that there’s “public” in “public service”. First off, if I were the Windsor family therapist, I’d have something wise and stern to say about engaging in public slanging matches.However disappointing the loss of royal duties, Harry should not have been snitty with his 94-year-old grandmother (viz. that sign-off, “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal”). At the same time, the passive aggression of the royals and their supporters towards the Sussexes is fast becoming so swollen and gaseous that it won’t be long before it’s visible as a royal-crest-shaped mist. Continue reading...
The director has mounted a spirited attack on those who insist on branding cinema – and all art – as a commodityI have long harboured an irrational loathing for the word “content”, especially when used as a casual stand-in to mean something like a film, a television show, or a piece of art or music.I suspect that often when people use the word it is to make them feel as if they’re in Succession, when it’s more like we’re all languishing in an endless episode of The Apprentice. It is representative of the kind of insidious business speak that has become normal for non-business people to say, like “personal brand”, or “blue-sky thinking”. Don’t get me started on touching base. Continue reading...
Twigs told an interviewer this week ‘We have to stop asking that question’ – pointing to a much-needed reframing of how we think about abuse Continue reading...
For nearly a year, anything I didn’t want to do could be blamed on Covid. I’d better mend my ways soon, thoughLike a lot of parents, I made a vague rule for myself when my children were born, which was never to lie about their health to get out of something. One of the best things about having kids is that they give you a solid decade of excuses not to go, do or see anything you don’t want to, and there’s a lot of room for tweaking the truth within that.In my mind, however, I drew a firm line between “we have a play date, can’t come” and the “my kid has a fever” get-out-of-jail-free card, which, on the off-chance that the universe functions exactly in line with my superstitions, seemed too tempting an invitation to fate. I will lie, but not, you know, like that. Continue reading...
An art program is helping Milwaukee teens see themselves in their own light, rather than the narratives that surround themAmir Williams pictured himself as an African king, supported by his family’s ancestors. Miguel Rivera imagined holding a Rubik’s cube, layered with infinite possibilities. DeMarcus Staples saw himself as a hero, confident and steady while saving lives.The students, all 16, recently completed a year-long art program that helps students in Milwaukee explore their identity through video, photography and oral histories. The project, which is run by New York based non-profit Art Start, culminates with the youths staging a portrait that represents how they see themselves. Continue reading...
Although it is difficult to prove recent incidents were fueled by bigotry, activists and community leaders say race has played a major roleAs an increase in anti-Asian bigotry continues to sweep across America, politicians and community advocates have called for action to combat a disturbing surge in physical attacks and harassment.During a press conference last week, top congressional Democrats condemned the increase and said much of the blame lies in former president Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric about Chinese people and the coronavirus. Continue reading...
It was a show set in New York that managed to ignore 9/11. So why are they going to mention the pandemic?You know, after the Covid crisis, Brexit, Trump, Labour’s antisemitism meltdown and the return of skinny jeans, I thought I’d hardened my hide to bad news. But a new development might finally break me: it was recently confirmed that And Just Like That, the rebooted Sex And The City , will include references to the pandemic. According to Sarah Jessica Parker, the show’s star and executive producer, “It will obviously be part of the storyline, because that’s the city [the characters] live in.”Now, I have two issues with this, and one of them is about Sex And The City, and the other is about the pandemic. Let’s deal with the former first. The appalling SATC films already proved that Michael Patrick King, SATC’s director, writer and producer, and Parker completely misunderstood their show, given that they jettisoned all the things that made the series so great – the smart scripts, the respect for the characters – and replaced them with jokes about how all a woman needs is a walk-in closet and how weird the Middle East is. So Parker and King didn’t really get the appeal of their own show: that doesn’t make much sense, but neither did Carrie getting back together with Mr Big. So fine: we soldier on somehow. Continue reading...
At the start of the pandemic, the New York governor found himself on the national stage with his daily briefings. Now he faces calls for his resignation and a federal investigationOn 20 March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic was rampaging through New York, Andrew Cuomo announced new restrictions on home visits for older and vulnerable people. Unveiling the rules, named Matilda’s Law after his mother, at his televised daily briefing, the governor spoke passionately about the need for New Yorkers to care for one another.“Those three-word sentences can make all the difference,” he said. “ ‘I miss you’, ‘I love you’, ‘I’m thinking of you’, ‘I wish I were there with you’, ‘I’m sorry you’re going through this’.” Continue reading...
Texas has a unique power system with little connection with the two national grids – but it was unprepared for what residents neededThe Texas power outage, which has left millions without power, happened for a multitude of reasons. But it’s important to understand how those causes are connected, because they’ll continue to be relevant as the state experiences more extreme weather events.It all starts with the winter storm that began on 13 February, which brought some of the coldest weather the state has experienced since 1989. Continue reading...
Five US territories float in constitutional limbo, but impetus is growing to put and end to a ‘fundamental democratic flaw’One of the most powerful prosecutions of former US president Donald Trump last week came from Stacey Plaskett of the US Virgin Islands, the first delegate from an American territory to hold the position of impeachment manager.Yet Plaskett’s status meant that she was unable to vote for Trump’s impeachment because she has no vote on the floor of the House of Representatives. The US Virgin Islands has no representation at all in the Senate. Its residents cannot even vote for president. Continue reading...
Alex Tresniowski’s story of a 19th-century Rosa Parks would have worked perfectly well without a detour to New JerseyThis is a book about an important and long-overlooked Black woman civil rights leader, and an intrepid New York City private investigator who solved a murder at the seashore in New Jersey in which a Black laborer was wrongly accused of the crime.Related: Trump's defeat and the death throes of the Civil War – podcast Continue reading...
Move is milestone in undoing ‘Remain in Mexico’ program, which forced those seeking US entry to wait outside borderThe US government on Friday released 25 asylum seekers into the country with notices to appear in court, marking a milestone in unraveling a key immigration policy of Donald Trump.The asylum seekers were enrolled in Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” program, which forced people seeking protection in the US to wait south of the border until their court hearings. They tested negative for Covid-19 in Mexico and were taken to San Diego hotels to quarantine before taking a plane or bus to their final destinations in the US, said Michael Hopkins, chief executive officer of Jewish Family Service of San Diego, which is playing a critical support role. Continue reading...
by Martin Pengelly in New York and agencies on (#5EDKT)
Ocasio-Cortez says she stands with local officials urging inquiry while governor admits information wasn’t produced fast enoughAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez has joined growing calls for an investigation into New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s handling of nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...
President says US will have to work to earn back the trust of its allies in video remarks to the G7 and Munich Security ConferenceJoe Biden has pledged “unshakable” US support for the transatlantic alliance in what he portrayed as an epoch-defining struggle to safeguard democracy.Biden used his virtual debut on the world stage on Friday, in videoconference remarks first to the G7 and then the Munich Security Conference, to assure America’s allies of his determination to bury the legacy left by his predecessor. Continue reading...
Osaka ‘never had to fight so hard’ as against Brady at the US Open. Now they meet again in the Australian Open finalNaomi Osaka has never lost a big grand slam match in her life. After piecing together another impressive run to her fourth final, her record after passing the fourth round of any major tournament now stands at 11-0.Throughout the past two weeks in Melbourne, she has frequently been asked about that record. But each time it has been brought up, Osaka has pushed back. “It’s not really doing too much for me,” she said after her quarter-final victory over Hsieh Su-wei, shaking her head. “I would be more impressed if I didn’t lose in finals. If it says 10-0 in finals.” Continue reading...
Child drowned while crossing the freezing Rio Grande with his family amid unprecedented weather conditions at US-Mexico borderAn eight-year-old Honduran boy has become the latest victim in a string of drownings on the US-Mexico border as migrants attempt to cross the Rio Grande in treacherous winter conditions.The child, who has not been named, drowned on Wednesday while attempting to cross the freezing river with his family amid unprecedented Arctic conditions in the borderlands which have killed more than 30 people and left millions in Mexico and Texas without power, water and food. Continue reading...
Pop-up site set up to offer vaccinations for residents of two zip codes in well-off area rather than across the countyFlorida Democrats have slammed the state’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, claiming that he is “playing politics” with Covid-19 vaccine distribution after a new pop-up vaccination site was set up in a wealthy area with predominantly white residents.The pop-up vaccination site in Manatee county, just south of Tampa, was set to offer additional vaccinations for residents of two zip codes covering well-off neighborhoods, rather than residents across the county. Continue reading...
Bill that would restrict early voting on Sundays denounced as ‘concerted effort to suppress the votes of Black Georgians’Georgia Republicans have unveiled sweeping new legislation that would make it dramatically harder to vote in the state, following an election with record turnout and surging participation among Black voters. Continue reading...
Millions of Texans are facing water shortages after a winter storm caused pipes to burst and treatment plants to back up. Officials ordered 7 million people – a quarter of the population of the nation’s second largest state – to boil tap water before drinking it. The storms have also left millions without power for days
Constituents, late-night hosts and politicians have lined up to lambast the Texas senator’s tropical trip while constituents frozeWintry conditions eased in Texas on Friday, but a storm of outrage continued to build over Senator Ted Cruz’s quick trip to Cancún, Mexico, at a time when millions of his constituents were still stranded without heat, food and water.“Texans’ anger with Ted Cruz right now could power an entire electrical grid,” a Houston Chronicle editorial blasted. “He plopped himself down on a direct flight to paradise and left us to fend for ourselves in this frozen hell.” Continue reading...
I have tried to find calm through meditation and yoga, unblinking in my focus on my belly button.My favourite misunderstanding – which lasted an embarrassingly long time – was around the phrase navel-gazing. I knew what it meant, introspective at the cost of wider perspective, but for years I thought the literal translation was “staring at boats” (“naval” gazing).It made sense. Boats are on the sea, and the sea is very spiritually moving, with its unknowable depths and changeable temper. Of course boat-staring would be considered myopic. Plus, navel-gazing is a phrase pejoratively hurled at artists, and I don’t know if anyone else has noticed but, historically, artists sure did paint a lot of boats. Continue reading...
Texas senator rebuked over decision to fly to Cancún while constituents endured food, power and water shortages. Plus, Nasa successfully lands a rover on Mars
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo’s movie is crammed with ridiculousness. Who doesn’t crave that right now?Poor Jamie Dornan. All those years playing the hideous serial killer in the determinedly depressing TV show The Fall; another gig as the frankly ludicrous sadist Christian Grey in the 50 Shades franchise; marooned in the Irish countryside with a wonky accent in Wild Mountain Thyme. And all along, if he is now to be believed, he just wanted to be a goofball. He was simply waiting for the writer-actor-comedians Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo – who most famously collaborated on the script of Bridesmaids a decade ago – to come up with the right part.Much of life is currently surreal, so you’d be forgiven for doing a double-take watching Dornan cavort on a Florida beach while ripping his shirt off to a cheesy power ballad; for scrunching up your eyes as he whimpers plaintively to a commitment-phobic super-villain; for wondering if you might be mistaken as he courts a couple of middle-aged Nebraskan ladies in culottes. But such is the magic of Wiig and Mumolo’s utterly crackers comedy Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar that you’ll end up believing – as Dornan has been telling everyone in interviews for the film – that he’s a natural-born clown. Continue reading...
The Canadian found that his Russian and Guinean ancestry made him an outsider at most rinks. Since his retirement he has been skating his own wayOn a sunny winter day, Elladj Baldé soars beneath the snowy peaks of the Canadian Rockies, floating to weightless chords of a piano ballad.Few things compare to the singular beauty of skating on wild ice. It creaks, pings and groans. As it shifts, it fractures in deep, silvery lines. And for Baldé, it’s a place to make art. Continue reading...
With grocery stores empty and school meals suspended, the need for food is soaring – even as weather forces pantries to closeFood banks in Texas have gone into disaster mode as they ramp up operations to tackle a surge in hunger after unprecedented freezing conditions disrupted almost every part of the food supply chain in the state.Grocery stores are empty, school meal programs suspended, and deliveries disrupted by untreated treacherous roads that have left millions of Texans trapped in precarious living conditions with dwindling food supplies. Continue reading...
Ted Cruz has provoked an outcry after the Republican senator from Texas left the state for a trip to the sunny Mexican tourist resort of Cancún, as millions of his constituents endured deadly power outages and freezing temperatures.Cruz was spotted waiting for, then later boarding, a flight to Cancún on Wednesday night.A day later, after the images went viral, he returned to Texas
by Presented by Kenya Evelyn, with David Bowen. Produ on (#5ECG2)
As Joe Biden visited Milwaukee, Wisconsin this week, our guest presenter Kenya Evelyn spoke to the state representative David Bowen about the administration’s early obligations to the Black voters who swung the election in the Democrats’ favour, racial equity in pandemic and vaccine plans, and how the president should combat white supremacyJoe Biden took the stage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this week for his first town hall since entering the White House. For some, it was a necessary first step toward combatting racial inequities in the economy and healthcare made worse by the coronavirus. People in the audience asked the president how he was going to make sure everyone got a vaccine, and how he planned to combat white supremacy in the country.Watching intently was David Bowen, a state lawmaker and one of the young progressive Democrats leading the party forward. He told Kenya about his thoughts on the new Biden administration. Continue reading...
The Texas senator has become the target of jokes on the internet after he fled the state in the middle of a deadly cold snapTexas senator Ted Cruz, who fled Texas in the middle of record-breaking cold temperatures that left millions of his constituents without power or water, was unable to escape Twitter’s ire on Thursday, with users gleefully skewering what was seen as the senator’s poor judgment and poorer excuses.Related: Ted Cruz flies to Cancún as millions of Texans freeze in the dark Continue reading...
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