The creator documented her battle with rare bile duct cancer, inspiring more than a million followers onlineSydney Towle, a TikTok creator who shared her battle with stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer, with over a million online followers, has died at age 26, her family announced on Thursday.Towle gained fame for her posts about her life as a spirited young woman who encouraged her TikTok followers to rethink how a cancer patient might look and live. Continue reading...
Judge issues temporary pause while he considers Trump's request to revise his libel lawsuit against BBCA federal judge has temporarily halted an order requiring Donald Trump to turn over detailed financial information about his business empire to the BBC as part of an ongoing libel lawsuit.US district judge Roy Altman issued the temporary pause while he considers Trump's request to revise and narrow parts of his lawsuit against the BBC over a 2024 documentary that aired in the UK. Continue reading...
The 2-1 vote along party lines repealed national cap' that served as a key check on consolidation of the TV industryIn a historic vote on Thursday morning, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted along party lines to overturn a key check against the consolidation of the television industry, throwing out a rule that prevented any one company from owning stations that collectively reach more than 39% of all US TV households.The vote is a win for television conglomerates that aim to expand their reach across the country, particularly conservative-leaning companies like Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar. Continue reading...
State department informs Congress of planned closures in Canada, Grenada, Japan, Indonesia and CameroonThe US state department is to shut five foreign consulates and missions across Asia, Africa, North America and the Caribbean, drawing criticism that it is leaving a diplomatic vacuum at risk of being filled by China.The US Congress has been served notice of the impending closures, which are being justified on cost grounds and follow a reassessment of the US's bilateral relationships with a range of countries since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Continue reading...
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy says she will not intervene in 85bn deal after securing guarantees on Channel 5The UK culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has said she will not intervene in Paramount's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, removing one of the remaining obstacles to the blockbuster deal.However, Paramount has made significant concessions to secure the UK government's backing for the $110bn (85bn) takeover, which will create a global media powerhouse and effectively bolster the influence of Paramount's chief executive, David Ellison. Continue reading...
Half of border agents are Latino, and they are part of a long history of Hispanic support for - and enforcement of - harsh immigration policiesSince Trump's return to power, more than 60 people have died at the hands of or in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including two Latino immigrants in one week: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Sebastian Duran Guerrero in Maine. Many Latinos have come to feel that their brown skin makes them targets, and they are not wrong.But there is another dimension of this story that we often fail to consider: many of those in charge of anti-immigrant operations also have brown skin, Hispanic names and links to the communities they terrorize. When the identities of the agents who killed Alex Pretti in January were revealed as those of two Hispanic men, many people reacted with shock. The irony seemed obvious, but it reflected a mistaken assumption: that Latinos are naturally opposed to restrictionist immigration policies. History suggests otherwise. Continue reading...
The mFlusiva vaccine for older people is first made with mRNA platform key to ending coronavirus pandemicThe Food and Drug Administration has approved a new kind of flu vaccine for older people, the first made with the same mRNA technology that was key to ending the Covid-19 pandemic, Moderna, the manufacturer, said.The shot, named mFlusiva, is intended for adults aged 50 or older. Other brands of flu shots already have begun arriving in pharmacies ahead of fall vaccination season, and Moderna said late on Wednesday that it expected some of its new version to be available soon at select retailers. Continue reading...
First runner-up, Myla Hadley, will represent the state at the Miss USA pageant after Brittany Boltinhouse's removalA pageant queen recently crowned Miss North Carolina USA has been stripped of her title after a string of alleged racist posts resurfaced.Brittany Boltinhouse, 27, was formally dethroned on Wednesday by pageant organizers A Blaize Productions after what it said was a thorough review of recently surfaced information". Continue reading...
Voters in the red district are concerned with congressman's alleged behavior and political future ahead of the midtermsDavid Griffith was a registered Republican for years.But on Sunday evening, he watched the Ohio congressman Max Miller stumble through an 18-minute statement in which the lawmaker attempted to defend himself against allegations of domestic abuse against his ex-wife and infant child. Continue reading...
We're seeing America wake up to the tyranny that's engulfed usWith the victory of progressive Abdul El-Sayed over representative Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic primary, prepare yourself to hear enormous quantities of bullshit about the Democratic party now being taken over" by the left" or by democratic socialists".Or as the reliably establishment New York Times put it: Can an insurgent candidate, with unabashedly liberal positions, win a general election in a moderate state?" Continue reading...
The left is increasingly winning within the Democratic party. But it still needs to prove that it can build general-election coalitions capable of beating RepublicansThe ideological struggle within the Democratic party continued on Tuesday night with primaries in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia and Washington. The results showed an increasingly intense conflict within the party, with high Democratic primary turnout and bruising ideological battles up and down the ballot.The Democratic electorate is shifting, becoming more progressive and more willing to challenge party leadership, but not as quickly or uniformly as many assumed. Continue reading...
Republicans are trying to scapegoat the infectious disease expert, even as they have gutted healthcare amid outbreaks of measles, cyclosporiasis and EbolaKatie Miller, an erstwhile Trump administration official and wife of Stephen Miller, once relied on Dr Anthony Fauci to get through Covid. Now, she's calling for his imprisonment - a reversal that illuminates the politicization of Fauci and of public health writ large, a trend that could have major repercussions for America's preparedness for future crises.A US Senate committee will vote on Thursday morning over whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress after the physician and former public health official invoked his fifth amendment rights during a Senate hearing last week focused on Fauci's actions during the Covid pandemic. Continue reading...
Jeanine John Taele faces new weapons charges as details of suspicious' behavior ahead of president's visit emergeA California man who was arrested at Donald Trump's Los Angeles-area golf course ahead of a presidential visit is facing more charges, as authorities released new details about the investigation.Authorities say federal agents first observed 38-year-old Jeanine John Taele near the golf grounds in Rancho Palos Verdes on 31 July, wearing an earpiece and capturing photographs and videos of security agents assessing the property. Continue reading...
Burmese pythons are an invasive species in the Everglades, and the challenge is part of initiative to remove themThe winner of this year's annual Florida Python Challenge hunted down and eliminated 96 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades national park, as part of an initiative to remove hundreds of the snakes from the area every year.The challenge invites hunters to participate in 10 days of capturing and humanely euthanizing as many of the invasive snakes as possible across eight designated hunting locations, with the winner taking home a cash prize of $10,000. The event is hosted by Florida fish, wildlife and conservation (FWC), the south Florida water management district, the National Park Service and others. Continue reading...
Changes come after report says Trump unhappy with helipad's appearance and lawn's slopeThe White House has confirmed that contractors are redoing a new helipad built on the South Lawn to accommodate a new supersized Marine One chopper recently added to the presidential transport fleet.A White House official said the changes to the circular concrete landing pad were ordered as we continue to make improvements as part of the ongoing project to best match the needs of the White House". Continue reading...
President has sued the broadcaster for $10bn, claiming a documentary on 2021 Capitol attack led to financial harmDonald Trump's legal team is making an 11th-hour attempt to block a court order that would grant the BBC access to the president's financial records, as part of his multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the British broadcaster.Trump claims that the BBC's 2024 documentary on the January 6 attacks have damaged the president's business interests. In July, a Miami-based judge ruled that the president would have to start handing over detailed financial records to the BBC by 6 August. The records would reveal details into the hundreds of businesses owned by the US president's family trust. Continue reading...
Filing by attorney general Raul Torrez comes after DoJ appears to have ignored deadline for key Epstein ranch filesNew Mexico filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Justice and the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, on Wednesday for stonewalling" its criminal investigation into the activities of the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein at a remote ranch in the state.Raul Torrez, the New Mexico attorney general, had said he was mulling the possibility of legal action if the justice department did not share with him by 31 July information about the alleged historical abuse of girls and young women at Epstein's Zorro ranch about 30 miles south of Santa Fe. Continue reading...
Schwartz, president's third pick to lead top US public health agency, confirmed in 51-44 Senate voteDr Erica Schwartz was confirmed by the US Senate as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a rare win for the Trump administration after a string of failed attempts to fill senior health posts.Schwartz was confirmed by a 51-44 vote that broke largely along party lines, with Tim Kaine of Virginia the sole Democrat to support her nomination. Continue reading...
Thomas Smith, whose name remained on ballot, beats Republican rivals in primary contest for eighth districtThomas Smith withdrew from the Republican primary contest for Michigan's eighth district last month. On Tuesday, he won the nomination.Unofficial results show Smith with more than 50% of the vote, according to the Associated Press, defeating the man he endorsed, anti-abortion activist Al Lemmo, and the man Donald Trump endorsed, former federal law enforcement officer Amir Hassan. Continue reading...
by Associated Press and Report for America on (#77G15)
An AP investigation found dozens of active-duty troops' parents and spouses detained despite protectionsThe Trump administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty US troops as it rolls back immigration protections for military families in the pursuit of its mass deportation agenda.More than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty service members have been detained since Donald Trump returned to office, and at least six have been deported, an Associated Press investigation found. It is the first accounting of such detentions, which the government does not track. Continue reading...
MTA to sell remaining machines - which weigh up to 1,050lbs - as it transitions to contactless fare systemThe Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of New York City has begun auctioning off its final MetroCard vending machines, offering New Yorkers the chance to own one of the transit system's most recognizable fixtures as the agency continues its transition to Omny.The auction opened on Wednesday morning and will run through 19 August, according to the MTA. The agency is offering a limited number of retired MetroCard Vending Machines (MVM) and MetroCard Express Machines (MEM), which have served subway riders for decades. Continue reading...
The candidate has crafted a progressive nationalism and shown his party how to turn Republicans' financial advantage against themEvery now and then, a Senate race sets the direction for an entire party. In 1991, a state official named Harris Wofford - advised by a foul-mouthed Cajun named James Carville - upset his far better-known Republican opponent to win a special election in Pennsylvania. He did it by promising to expand access to healthcare - and thus created a template for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign the following year.If Abdul El-Sayed can follow up his victory in last night's Democratic Senate primary by winning the general election in Michigan this fall, he will have created a template of his own. Despite his closer-than-expected margin of victory, his campaign offers a model for how Democrats across the country can answer the political challenge posed by Donald Trump. Continue reading...
If the progressive wins Michigan's general election, it could redefine the 2028 presidential contest. If he fails, the establishment will call him a cautionary tale
Six additional states caught up in investigation after Michigan reported first two US deaths linked to diseaseThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reportedly expanded the scope of the largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak to more states, including Arkansas and Missouri.A spokesperson from Arkansas's health department confirmed the outbreak expansion to their state in a statement to the Guardian: Arkansas is one of the states the CDC is adding to the multi-state outbreak for cyclosporiasis." Continue reading...
Federal lawsuit alleges kids are being repatriated despite many of them qualifying to remain in the US legallyThe Trump administration is deliberately targeting children who came to the US unaccompanied by a parent or guardian as it pushes to quickly return them to the countries they fled - amid drastic policy changes" in immigration courts, according to allegations in a federal lawsuit shared with the Guardian.The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are trying to prevent imminent deportation to the places from where they escaped danger or harm. Continue reading...
Much of the criticism of Ken Martin is deserved. But his actions are symptomatic of a party that fails to listen to the grassrootsKen Martin is now a convenient scapegoat. As chair of the Democratic National Committee, he has stumbled into disrepute as a dubious fundraiser and bad-tempered boss who bungled an autopsy report on the 2024 election disaster. Much of the criticism is justified. But Martin is just a symptom of what deeply ails a party that does not live up to its name.As the Democratic party's governing body, the Democratic National Committee has long operated as a fortress for party elites who expect to get their way. Martin seemed to offer a bit of a departure when, as Minnesota party chair, he won the committee leadership election last year in part because of his close ties with other state party chairs. They remain among his strongest supporters. That's one reason why Martin is very well-positioned to fend off any challenge to his hold on power when the full committee meets next week in Austin. Continue reading...
Men allegedly used exotic animals for photoshoots featuring a ring of fire in a parking garage in MarylandTwo Baltimore, Maryland, men are facing charges for allegedly using exotic animals - including snakes, a lemur and a spider monkey - in photoshoots featuring three semi-clothed models and a ring of fire in a garage beneath a luxury shopping complex.Photographer Vernon Crowfey III, the 32-year-old owner of the company Photogeniks, was arrested in Towson, Maryland, on 16 July after an undercover officer arranged a shoot with the animals. Continue reading...
Controllers allegedly failed to halt flights, leading to a loss of separation' with a departing passenger jetAn air safety incident" in which Donald Trump's Marine One helicopter came closer than permitted to another aircraft over Washington DC is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).Air traffic controllers are believed to have mistakenly failed to halt commercial flights at Ronald Reagan National airport in northern Virginia on Tuesday afternoon when the military helicopter lifted off from the White House with the president on board. Continue reading...
We would like to hear from US parents about whether they have a program comparable to New York's 2-K rolloutThe New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has rolled out a 2-K program providing free early care and learning for two-year-olds. The program has two thirds more applicants than spots available, indicating high demand.With this in mind, we would like to hear from parents across the US about whether they have a program comparable to Mamdani's 2-K rollout. If so, how has it helped or changed your life? Continue reading...
Engelbert helped vault the league to new financial heights, but still draws the ire of stakeholders. A co-commissioner for player relations would be a welcome add
The administration's proposed agreement met a scathing response. But universities must remain vigilantThe Trump administration has quietly abandoned the poisonous deal it tried to foist on American universities. Under its so-called Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, the administration offered select universities privileged access to federal grants if they agreed to conform with Donald Trump's ideology on how they should be run.Universities widely pilloried the proposal, demonstrating the power of a collective defense. Higher education in the United States certainly needs reform, as many university leaders and the public would acknowledge, but not according to the dictates of Trump.Kenneth Roth is a Guardian US columnist, a senior fellow at Yale University, and former executive director of Human Rights Watch. He is the author of Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments Continue reading...
Haley Stevens trails progressive in Senate primary as counting continues. Plus, meet the man who names cockroaches after Tolkein and Pokemon charactersGood morning.A Democratic Senate primary in Michigan remains too close to call, with Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official, holding a narrow lead over the establishment-backed congresswoman Haley Stevens. The battleground state is crucial to the party's hopes of winning back control of the Senate in November.Who won in the crowded primary in Washington state? The Democratic representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez secured one of two spots in the all-party primary, overcoming criticism from both the left and the right. She will face the Republican state senator John Braun in November.Why are citizens being denied a voice in Missouri? The state's top election official has rejected a petition seeking a statewide referendum on redistricting. Hundreds of thousands of petition signatures had been submitted in an effort to force a vote on whether to use a new US House map approved by the Republican-led state legislature. The Republican secretary of state, Denny Hoskins, said the number submitted did not matter because challenging a congressional map was unconstitutional under Missouri law.What is the dispute about? The US Department of State said Viotti's visa had been cancelled in retaliation for Brasilia's refusal to approve Trump's nominee for ambassador to Brazil and its decision last month to deny visas to two US diplomats. Brasilia swiftly condemned the decision, calling it part of a deliberate campaign to influence the outcome of the presidential election in Brazil this October. Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth, non-consecutive term against Flavio Bolsonaro, the senator son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro and a close political ally of Trump. Continue reading...
Union exploring options to oppose program that would put US airport screening into hands of private contractorsThe labor union representing workers at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is raising alarms over a new program that will expand privatizing security checkpoints at three airports.The agency informed the union last month of plans to enact the TSA Gold+ program, which would shift security and control of the screening technology into the hands of private contractors at airports in Tampa, Charleston and Des Moines. Union workers are expected to lose their union contract and benefits once a contractor takes over. Continue reading...
Larry Berg will have plenty of things on his to-do list when he officially starts as the league's commissioner in JanuaryAs Larry Berg fielded his first wave of questions as MLS commissioner-elect, he tried to make clear his ambitious vision to take the league to another level. Until a question about the league's broadcasting plans came up, that is. To his right sat Don Garber, whose 28-year tenure in the role will conclude at year's end.Well, as the incoming commissioner, I'm allowed to kick it to the current commissioner to answer that question," Berg said with a laugh as he briefly reclined in his chair at the league's headquarters in Manhattan. Only for a few months," Garber said. Continue reading...
The AI company apparently found destructively scanning all the books in the world' easier than dealing with copyright in its quest for training dataShould we destroy all the books in the world?An answer to this question can be found in the court documents of Bartz v Anthropic PBC. The northern California district court case, decided in late July this year, highlighted the improbably named Project Panama", one of the AI company Anthropic's efforts to improve its large language model Claude. What is Project Panama?" court exhibit 21 asks, in an internal memo. The answer: Project Panama is our effort to destructively scan all the books in the world." The memo advises discretion: Why use a codename? ... [B]ecause we don't want it to be known that we are working on this." Continue reading...
Amid stop-and-start threats and with a divided staff, it's clear Trump has no idea how to end a war that shouldn't have begunOn Thursday, 23 July, after weeks of escalating attacks between the US and Iran, Donald Trump told a reporter that Iran hadn't received enough pain yet", and he leveled a threat. I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before," he warned. I am close to making a decision." Then, on Monday 27 July, he called it off.A few days later, on Friday 31 July, Trump said: We'll be hitting them very hard. At some point, they're going to say: We just can't take it any more.'" This time, it took him just one day to back down. Continue reading...
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