Morgan Akin, 84, has taken down his American flag - and taken to the streets in his conservative California communityEarlier this year, Morgan Akin took down the American flag that had flown for decades outside his home in deep-red far northern California. It was a small gesture, one that did not echo through the halls of the US Capitol or make headlines.But for the 84-year-old Vietnam-era veteran and retired game warden, it represented a monument shift, one his family immediately took note of. It was Akin's way of taking a stand in response to a country that had become increasingly unrecognizable to him. In the weeks before, masked officers arrested an international student who had co-authored a campus newspaper op-ed about Gaza in the street, the defense department temporarily removed Jackie Robinson's biography from its website, and the president planned to host a massive military parade to celebrate his birthday. Continue reading...
Plan would give descendants of one of the worst racial attacks in US history scholarships and housing helpThe new mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Sunday proposed a $100m private trust as part of a reparations plan to give descendants of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre scholarships and housing help in a city-backed bid to make amends for one of the worst racial attacks in US history.The plan by Monroe Nichols, the first Black mayor of Oklahoma's second-largest city, would not provide direct cash payments to descendants or the last two centenarian survivors of the attack that killed as many as 300 Black people. He made the announcement at the Greenwood Cultural Center, located in the once-thriving district of North Tulsa that was destroyed by a white mob. Continue reading...
Exclusive: rampant anti-Asian hate in 2024 reflected divisive election season, survey findsAsian Americans and Pacific Islanders faced chilling levels of hate in 2024, a new survey has found, reflecting the impact of a divisive presidential election year that included historic representation and rampant anti-immigrant rhetoric.The report by Stop AAPI Hate, shared exclusively with the Guardian ahead of its release, shines a light on underreported incidents largely overlooked in government data and national news media. The coalition conducted its second annual survey with Norc at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization. Fifty-three percent of respondents said they experienced a race-based hate act in 2024, a small rise from 49% in 2023. Incidents ranged from bullying at school and workplace discrimination to harassment and physical violence. Continue reading...
Current students, recent students and parents, tell us your recommendations at thefilter.us@theguardian.comWe're putting together a guide to dorm room essentials - and we need your help.Students and parents alike, we want to know the must-have items that got you (or your child) through college. What small gadget made living in a tiny space more manageable? What do you wish you'd brought from home? Continue reading...
A 45-year-old man, named as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was arrested on Monday in Boulder, Colorado, after he allegedly threw an incendiary device at a crowd gathered to support hostages held in Gaza. 'It is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism,' Mark Michalek, an FBI special agent, told a press conference.Those injured were aged between 67 and 88, police said. Four were taken to a local hospital and two were airlifted to a hospital in Aurora
Frustration and anger mount as Trump administration contemplates new trials and restrictions for Covid vaccinesAs the Trump administration contemplates new clinical trials for Covid boosters and moves to restrict Covid vaccines for children and others, parents whose children participated in the clinical trials expressed anger and dismay.It's really devastating to see this evidence base officially ignored and discarded," said Sophia Bessias, a parent in North Carolina whose two- and four-year-old kids were part of the Pfizer pediatric vaccine trial. Continue reading...
The big, beautiful bill' has reaffirmed that a pledged golden age is really just a windfall for the uber-wealthyThe blush is off the rose, or, rather, the orange. The erstwhile First Buddy" and born-again fiscal hawk Elon Musk recently said he was disappointed" by Donald Trump's spendthrift budget currently under debate in the US Senate. Squeaking through the House of Representatives thanks to the capitulation of several Republican deficit hardliners, this big, beautiful bill" certainly increases the federal debt bigly - by nearly $4tn over the next decade.Equally disappointed are those who have been busy burnishing Trump's populist veneer. Steve Bannon had repeatedly promised higher taxes for millionaires, but he has confessed he's very upset". That's because the bill would cut taxes by over $600bn for the top 1% of wage-earners, also known as millionaires. It amounts to the largest upward transfer of wealth in American history. Continue reading...
The word has lost all meaning, we are told. Could my favourite dad-jectives replace it?Vogue has spoken: chic is dead. Not being it, but the word. Chic has, Lauren O'Neill argues, lost its essence, co-opted to cover whatever glazed-doughnut-skinned influencers on TikTok decide it should, from monogrammed lip balm to iced matchas. Chic has come to be mistaken for certain monied strains of taste, rather than the sort of unique je ne sais quoi that I think the word at its purest actually means."Baudelaire - the 19th century's Nicky Haslam, given how many things he disapproved of: photography, Belgium, Victor Hugo - would have agreed. He called chic an awful and bizarre word". Are he and Vogue right? Continue reading...
PSG left little doubt as to who the best team in this season's Champions League was, but there was individual brilliance on plenty of other squadsGianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain) Continue reading...
A new book explores the impact of birth order, but how we measure up against our brothers and sisters can be complexA new book about sibling relationships, The Family Dynamic by Susan Dominus, examines how things like birth order and the specific achievements of your siblings affect a person's life trajectory. As such, some of my favourite research is back in the public eye: the studies that suggest that I, as the eldest of three children, am the cleverest.I'm kidding. I don't actually think this is true in my own sibling group, but sure, I'll take it, and say so in the national press: I'm smarter than you guys, science confirms. I am very interested in siblings and their influences, though. So much so that I wrote my first novel about a brother-sister relationship. Siblings shape you in ways that are less deliberate than parents, which means their influence is less discussed, though just as important. That said, birth order has remained a public fascination, with parents agonising over whether a middle child is overlooked or eldest is overburdened.Imogen West-Knights is a writer and journalist Continue reading...
Police alleged the man yelled Free Palestine' as he threw an incendiary device at people gathered to show support for Israeli hostages in GazaEight people were injured in an attack in Boulder, Colorado after a man is alleged to have thrown an incendiary device into a crowd and yelled Free Palestine", in what the FBI is treating as an act of terrorism".The 45-year-old man, identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is alleged to have thrown the device into a group of people who had assembled in a pedestrianised zone for a peaceful protest for Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. Continue reading...
The Mexican side started scoring in short order and never let up en route to winning their seventh continental title.3 min: The opening moments have been cagey, to say the least. Vancouver is happy to sit back with Cruz Azul in possession in their own defensive third, and vice-versa. This will certainly change, and a lot, in the next 20-30 minutes or so.The game is on in Mexcico City. Continue reading...
VA physicians and scientists ordered not to publish in medical journals without seeking clearance from Trump appointees. Key US politics stories from Sunday 1 JuneSenior officials at the US Department of Veterans Affairs have ordered VA physicians and scientists not to publish in medical journals or speak with the public without first seeking clearance from political appointees of Donald Trump.Veterans advocates say the decision fits into a pattern of censorship by the Trump administration, and came hours after the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published a perspective co-authored by two pulmonologists who work for the VA in Texas. Continue reading...
Officials say about 100 people, many high school students, were present when one or more people began firingAt least 80 shots were fired in a North Carolina neighborhood, killing one person and injuring 11 others, authorities said Sunday.The shooting early Sunday took place in Hickory, the Catawba county sheriff's office said. No arrests have been made, but authorities said there was more than one shooter. Continue reading...
Move that seeks political control of doctors' and scientists' published research fits a pattern of censorship by the Trump administration, veterans advocates saySenior officials at the US Department of Veterans Affairs have ordered that VA physicians and scientists not publish in medical journals or speak with the public without first seeking clearance from political appointees of Donald Trump, the Guardian has learned.The edict, laid down in emails on Friday by Curt Cashour, the VA's assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs, and John Bartrum, a senior adviser to VA secretary Doug Collins, came hours after the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published a perspective co-authored by two pulmonologists who work for the VA in Texas. Continue reading...
President of sheriffs' association says noncompliant' list violated the core principles of trust' with law enforcementThe US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) removed a list of sanctuary" states, cities and counties from its website following sharp criticism from a sheriffs' association that said a list of noncompliant" sheriffs could severely damage the relationship between the Trump administration and law enforcement.DHS on Thursday published a list of what it called sanctuary jurisdictions that it deemed were included in areas that have a policy of limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The list prompted a response from the National Sheriffs' Association, which represents more than 3,000 elected sheriffs across the country and generally supports federal immigration enforcement. Continue reading...
Amid bipartisan opposition, director of management and budget office says Trump prefers to use executive tools'Russell Vought, the director of the office of management and budget (OMB), on Sunday cast doubt on the constitutional obligation of the White House to ask Congress to sign off on Donald Trump's massive cuts to the federal workforce spearheaded by Elon Musk.Vought indicated the White House preferred to rely on executive tools" for all but a necessary" fraction of the cuts instead of submitting the whole package of jobs and agency slashing that took place via the so-called department of government efficiency" (Doge), to the congressional branch for its official approval. Continue reading...
AB Hernandez, 16, ties for first place in two events as Trump administration threatens to withhold federal fundingA teenage transgender athlete in California, who has been at the center of widespread political attacks by rightwing pundits and the Trump administration, won in two track events over the weekend. The 16-year-old athlete, AB Hernandez, tied for first place alongside two other athletes in the high jump, and tied for first place in the triple jump.This comes as the Trump administration threatened to withhold federal funding from California for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls' sports. Continue reading...
Russ Vought defends Trump's sweeping tax-cut bill that will slash safety net programs Medicaid and SnapThe White House budget director Russ Vought on Sunday dismissed as totally ridiculous" fears expressed by voters that cuts to benefits in the huge spending bill passed by the House will lead to premature deaths in America.Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill act, now awaiting debate in the US Senate, will slash two major federal safety net programs, Medicaid, which provides healthcare to poor and disabled Americans, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), which helps people afford groceries, which will affect millions of people if it becomes law. Continue reading...
John Miller and Chinese national Cui Guanghai are facing extradition in connection with an FBI investigationA British businessman has been indicted in the US with attempting to traffic sensitive American military technology to China and silence a critic of the Chinese president.John Miller, 63, was named by US authorities at the weekend after his arrest in Serbia, where he is facing extradition in connection with an FBI investigation. The Mail on Sunday reported that he was from Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Continue reading...
As Altadena prepares to rebuild after the devastation of the LA fires, an exhibition centers its creative historyOn the walls of the gallery, Keni Arts" Davis's watercolors show Altadena before and after the fires. There is a local hardware store, a beloved diner, the quirky local Bunny Museum, which held tens of thousands of rabbit-related items.Then, in gentle strokes of paint, there is the wreckage of each place: rubble, charred beams, burnt-out cars. Davis labels each of these images BFA", beauty from ashes. Continue reading...
The beloved children's entertainer has been speaking out as tens of thousands of children are killed or injured in GazaIf you believe that babies can tell when a person is truly good, then it should be no surprise that Ms Rachel - the beloved kids YouTube sensation - has remained on the right side of every socio-political debate since the image of her pink tee and denim dungarees became ubiquitous in households with children across the world.But when Ms Rachel, whose given name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, began speaking out about the genocide in Gaza, pro-Israel rightwingers put a massive target on her back. Continue reading...
I've spoken to white nationalists in Tennessee and Black activists in Texas - and learned about what it takes to connect across differenceThe residential community was lodged near a national forest on the outskirts of Scottsdale, Arizona. Forbidding gates and sentry posts restricted access to the exclusive development and its elegant homes. But security here went much further.Each cul-de-sac in the colony had its own individual railway gate, and many of the homeowners had installed gates across their own driveways as well. Anyone coming in or out of those houses would have to clear three checkpoints that set them apart from the wider world beyond. Continue reading...
Ever since lockdown we've supposedly all been in it together, doing conference calls in our slippers. But in straight couples, guess who gets the spare bedroom and the proper desk?I'm wary of gendered generalisations. They rightly raise hackles: we are unique, not defined by gender, not all men! But I was struck by one I read from Ella Risbridger in her review of Jessica Stanley's recent novel, Consider Yourself Kissed. Exploring one of its themes, Risbridger wrote: I have long noticed that in a house with one spare room and a heterosexual couple who both work from home, the spare room is where he works - with a door that shuts and perhaps even a designated desk - and she works somewhere else. (Always for good reasons, but always.)"This stopped me in my tracks. Not because it's my experience: my husband and I are lucky enough to have an office each, and mine is bigger and objectively nicer. I get the garden view; he has the ballet of Openreach and Amazon vans. (See - not all men.) It's not Stanley's experience either: she uses the spare bedroom; her husband has half the living room, she told the Cut's Book Gossip newsletter.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
From warnings about president to Kermit's innocuous remarks, speeches respond to a politically charged USIt is graduation season in the United States and with it a tradition of commencement speeches to departing college students, usually from high-profile figures who seek to inspire those leaving academia.But, as with many things under Donald Trump's second term in the White House, commencement season this year has been far from normal, especially as the US president and his allies have waged conflicts against the nation's universities. Continue reading...
Lawsuit challenges president's move to cut federal funding as station says it is matter of necessity and principle'In the Trump administration's unprecedented war on the American media, a lawsuit brought by public broadcasters could mark a much-needed strike back for press freedom.The lawsuit, brought by NPR and three Colorado-based public radio stations, challenges an executive order that cut federal funding to what Donald Trump described as biased media", with lawyers arguing that the order violated the first amendment right to free speech. Continue reading...
by Rev Dr Liz Theoharis and Noam Sandweiss-Back on (#6XNTT)
Anti-poverty activism has provided a model for transformational power, based on four strategic principlesFor tens of millions of people, Donald Trump's big, beautiful bill" is a grotesque nightmare. The proposed legislative cuts, including historic attacks on Medicaid and Snap, come at a time when 60% of Americans already cannot make ends meet. As justification, Maga Republicans are once again invoking the shibboleth of work requirements to demean and discredit the poor, even as they funnel billions of dollars into the war economy and lavish the wealthy with tax cuts.As anti-poverty organizers, we've often used the slogan: They say cut back, we say fight back." It's a catchy turn of phrase, but it reveals that for too long we've been on the back foot. In the world's richest country, in which mass poverty exists beside unprecedented plenty, we're tired of just fending off the worst attacks. Too much ground is lost when our biggest wins are simply not losing past gains. Amid Trump's cruelty and avarice, it's time to fight for a new social contract - one that lifts from the bottom of society so that everybody rises.The poor must unite across their differences and assume strong leadership within grassroots movements.These movements must operate as a politically and financially independent force in our public life.The leaders of these movements must attend to the daily needs and aspirations of their communities by building visionary projects of survival.These projects of survival must serve as bases of operation for broader organizing, political education, and leadership development.The Rev Dr Liz Theoharis is the director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign and co-founder of the Freedom Church of the Poor. Noam Sandweiss-Back is the director of partnerships at the Kairos Center. They are co-authors of You Only Get What You're Organized to Take: Lessons from the Movement to End Poverty (Beacon, 2025) Continue reading...
Despite being up for sale and unfancied, the Canadian side have been MLS's best as they seek to stun the region.In his post-election victory speech late on the night of 28 April, Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, celebrated a momentous political comeback by reinforcing what he felt were the country's three core values: humility, ambition and unity.But in the face of constant threats, gleeful taunts and mounting tension, there was also a warning to the United States. Continue reading...
If the US's oldest university bends the knee, the door to authoritarianism opens and democracy fades, experts warnIn mortarboards and crimson-fringed gowns, thousands of students were joined by smiling families for the centuries-old ritual of graduation day. But this year was different.Alan Garber, the president of Harvard University, received a standing ovation and welcomed graduates from down the street, across the country and around the world", drawing applause for the last words: Around the world - just as it should be." Continue reading...
Proposal to limit student loans for professional programs' risks driving people away from medicine, critics sayDoctors' associations, medical schools and student advocates warn that a proposal in the Republican-led budget bill being considered by Congress restricts graduate federal student loans and could worsen a national shortage of doctors.The new Republican proposal would limit federal student loans for professional programs" - such as medical school - to $150,000, eliminate a federal graduate loan program and put limits on loan forgiveness. Continue reading...
LAFC trailed for much of the second half but scored in the 89th minute to force extra time, where Bouanga and Olivier Giroud took over.Let's get em in! Who do you think will win this game to qualify for the Club World Cup?And how do you think they'll do once they're in the CWC? Continue reading...
The US president's strange mix of weakness and anti-Beijing hostility may be pushing Xi Jinping towards a fateful decisionThe belief that bad things come in threes is an old superstition with scant basis in fact. Still, in these disordered times, it's natural to wonder whether war in Europe and the Middle East will be followed by war in Asia. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, firing off insults and missiles, recently demonstrated how real that prospect is. Emboldened by its alliance with Russia, North Korea's unpredictable rogue regime threatens almost everyone.Yet it is China's accelerating confrontation with US-backed Taiwan that forms the most alarming panel in this gloomy Asian triptych. China's president, Xi Jinping, has reportedly told his generals to be ready by 2027 to conquer the self-governing island, which he regards as stolen sovereign territory. US officials warned last week that China already has sufficient capability to invade now, with amphibious landing craft, D-day-style floating docks, paratroopers and expanded air combat and missile forces in a constant state of readiness.Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator Continue reading...
Prior associations' appear to cost billionaire the chance to be Nasa administrator, as US president says new nominee will be mission aligned'The White House has withdrawn Jared Isaacman as its nominee for Nasa administrator, abruptly yanking a close ally of Elon Musk from consideration to lead the space agency.Donald Trump said he would announce a new candidate soon. After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head Nasa," the US president posted online. I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be mission aligned, and put America first in space." Continue reading...
At Singapore summit, US defense secretary says Beijing could be preparing to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. Key US politics stories from Saturday 31 May at a glancePete Hegseth has called on Asian countries to increase their military spending to increase regional deterrence against China which was rehearsing for the real deal" of taking over Taiwan.The US defense secretary, addressing the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, reiterated pledges to increase the US presence in the Indo-Pacific and outlined a range of new joint projects. Continue reading...
Emmy award-winning TV, stage and film actor also known for her role in Young Sheldon died of cancerValerie Mahaffey, the Emmy-award winning actor known for her roles on Northern Exposure, Desperate Housewives and Young Sheldon, died on Friday. She was 71.Her husband, actor Joseph Kell, said in a statement to Variety: I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses. She will be missed." Continue reading...
Washington state officials swarmed to scene to find 70,000lbs of hives and bees abuzz in a sticky situationOfficials near the US border were abuzz after being relentlessly attacked on Friday morning by a swarm of fugitives: honeybees had escaped after a truck carrying hives overturned near the Canadian border. About 250 million honeybees flew free of the truck around 4am a few miles south of Canada.The truck that was transporting around 70,000lbs of hives and honeybees rolled over on a road in north-western Washington state. Local sheriff deputies and bee experts swarmed to the scene, where they removed the box hives to help recover and rescue as many bees as possible. The driver of the truck was not injured. Continue reading...
The middle Saturday saw the world No 1 in awesome form, as was the British No 1 in beating the teenage BrazilianMake that 3-0. Sinner wants to get this one done, and perhaps get himself settled before the Champions League final later. He lands three break points for 4-0. And takes the second one.Sinner, rangy and usually implacable, is already 2-0 up on Lehecka, who has never previously taken a set off him. This is awesome stuff, and already. Continue reading...
Ramon Morales-Reyes might have been set up by man who allegedly attacked and robbed him in 2023An undocumented man who was accused by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, Kristi Noem, last week of threatening to assassinate Donald Trump in a letter may have been framed by someone accused of previously attacking the man, according to news reports.Investigators are said to be looking into whether the letter was an attempt to get the man deported, to prevent him from testifying against his alleged attacker. Continue reading...
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