Sales employees complain of understaffing, overwork and violence in frenzied run-up to Christmas seasonFor workers in retail, the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, marks the beginning of the busiest time of year.Though the nature of shopping has changed in recent years, with online purchases competing more with brick and mortar sales and sales days" lasting for weeks at a time, US retail sales between Black Friday and so-called Cyber Monday (at the end of the holiday weekend) are projected to grow 5% this year in the US, hitting a record $75bn. Continue reading...
We need to hear out family and friends who feel mainstream parties have let them down. This was a cry for helpLast Sunday, my country was jolted awake by a collective shock. For days, we've been consumed by one name: Clin Georgescu. His unexpected rise to the top in the first round of Romania's presidential elections has polarised the country to an extent unseen since we became a democracy 35 years ago.Romania's streets, screens and dining tables are abuzz with debates about how a fringe far-right and ultra-nationalist candidate managed to capture the nation's attention - and votes. Protesters, many of them young, have already taken to the streets. Continue reading...
Campaigners on both sides dub the bill a matter of conscience' - but profound ethical issues can't be reduced to right v wrongLife moves slow until, suddenly, it doesn't. The last time MPs voted on assisted dying was in 2015, with the next decade marked by near silence on the issue, as Brexit and austerity dominated the agenda. On Friday, a mere 18 days after the legislation was first published, MPs will vote on the landmark terminally ill adults (end of life) bill that could, in time, see the right to die become law in England and Wales.None of this will feel fast enough for the late-stage cancer patients waiting for the autonomy to die as they choose, of course, not least those for whom it has come too late to end their suffering, or the loved ones who had to helplessly watch. And yet by any other definition, it is hard to escape the sense that the bill has been rushed. Britain's longest-serving MPs, Labour's Diane Abbott and the Conservative Sir Edward Leigh, last week issued a joint warning arguing that MPs have not had sufficient time to scrutinise the proposed law.Frances Ryan is a Guardian columnistDo 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...
Jim Himes, Joe Courtney and John Larson report threats to their homes, a day after Trump cabinet picks targetedSeveral Democratic members of Congress from Connecticut have been targeted by bomb threats on their homes, the lawmakers or their offices said on Thursday.
Sheinbaum says she had cooperative talks with president-elect who threatened 25% tariff against Mexico on TuesdayClaudia Sheinbaum has said her very kind" phone conversation with Donald Trump, in which they discussed immigration and fentanyl, means there will not be a potential tariff war" between the US and Mexico.The president of Mexico spoke to reporters on Thursday following Trump's threat earlier in the week to apply a 25% tariff against Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% tariff against China, when he takes office in January if the countries did not stop all illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling into the US. Continue reading...
In a co-authored document presented to Trump in April, Keith Kellogg also said US should give Ukraine more weapons if Russia doesn't join negotiationsDonald Trump's plan to tap the retired US lieutenant general Keith Kellogg as US envoy to Ukraine and Russia has triggered renewed interest in a policy document he co-authored that proposes ending the war by withdrawing weapons from Ukraine if it doesn't enter peace talks - and giving even more weapons to Ukraine if Russia doesn't do the same.Trump is said to have responded favorably to the plan - America First, Russia & Ukraine - which was presented to him in April and was written by Kellogg and the former CIA analyst Fred Fleitz, who both served as chiefs of staff in Trump's national security council from 2017 to 2021. Continue reading...
US expert who predicted outcome says models showed voters were unhappy with economy but did not seek sweeping transformationDespite Donald Trump's decisive victory in the presidential election, a political scientist who developed a model that correctly predicted his sweep of battleground states warns that voters have not necessarily given the president-elect a mandate to make radical changes.In a paper released with little fanfare three weeks before the vote, Cornell University professor of government Peter Enns and his co-authors accurately forecast that Trump would win all seven swing states, based on a model they built that uses state-level presidential approval ratings and indicators of economic health. Continue reading...
by Ajit Niranjan Europe environment correspondent on (#6SJK7)
Scientists warn Fifa's wet bulb' temperature policy underestimates strain players undergo during matchesFootballers face a very high risk of experiencing extreme heat stress" at 10 of the 16 stadiums that will host the next World Cup, researchers have warned, as they urge sports authorities to rethink the timing of sports events.Hot weather and heavy exercise could force footballers to endure temperatures that feel higher than 49.5C (121.1F) in three North American countries in 2026, according to the study. It found they are most at risk of unacceptable thermal stress" in the stadiums in Arlington and Houston, in the US, and in Monterrey, in Mexico. Continue reading...
Esther Keim delivers frozen turkeys to people living in remote parts of Alaska, flying low over rural areas of the US state in her small plane. For her Alaska Turkey Bomb programme, she flies about 100 miles north from her base in Wasilla as far as the foothills of Denali, North America's tallest mountain. Sometimes she needs to enlist the help of a 'turkey dropper' to actually eject the frozen poultry from the plane. At other times, she's on turkey duty while her friend Heidi Hastings pilots the plane.Keim contacts families on social media to let them know she will be coming with the turkeys, then buzzes the house with the plane to let them know to come outside. All but two turkeys had been delivered by Tuesday, with delivery plans for the last two birds thwarted by Alaska's unpredictable weather. She makes an average of 30-40 turkey deliveries each year Continue reading...
After recent hurricanes devastated US south-east, some look to community as food and water remain in low supplyTucker Shelton grew up in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and then studied and taught yoga around the world - Italy, New Zealand, Thailand - which made him realize there was something special about life in the Blue Ridge Mountains.Being here feels like I'm being hugged by the trees and the mountains," Shelton, 36, said. People care about the town, the area they live in." Continue reading...
We want dragons, rose gardens and strong characters who are absolutely getting laid but whose relationships with men don't define themThe girls (inclusive) are fed up with reality. We are done with trying to improve ourselves or using our leisure time to learn something new. Instead we are reading smutty romance fantasy books in droves.Recently I was succumbing to a stress spiral and my friend recommended and then insisted I read a book that she enjoyed, and just like that my path into the cult was secured. Continue reading...
Hegseth's conspiracy theory- and falsehood-laden book American Crusade depicts Islam as historic enemy of westDonald Trump's defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth, who has the crusader motto deus vult" tattooed on his arm, has put bigoted anti-Muslim rhetoric at the center of several of his published books, according to a Guardian review of the materials.Hegseth, especially in 2020's American Crusade, depicts Islam as a natural, historic enemy of the west; presents distorted versions of Muslim doctrine in great replacement"-style racist conspiracy theories; treats leftists and Muslims as bound together in their efforts to subvert the US; and idolises medieval crusaders. Continue reading...
Deputy PM says we need to be smart, strong and united'. Plus: plastic lobbyists in rearguard action Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Canada's federal government and the premiers of the 10 provinces have agreed to work together against a threat by Donald Trump to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports, with one official saying the country was already examining possible retaliatory measures.What are tariffs? A tariff is a tax on imports, or foreign goods brought into a country, paid for by the importing companies. The way that tariffs work, in Trump's mind, is that high tariffs will incentivize American companies to move their manufacturing from abroad to the US.What did political commentators have to say? Jeet Heer, a writer for the leftwing Nation magazine, said: Is it too much to ask for a little humility and self-reflection from the people whose strategies failed badly?" Continue reading...
Netanyahu has not suddenly turned dovish peacemaker. He can redeploy his troops or abandon the peace deal at any timeJoe Biden is making the most of the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon that he helped to broker. It reminds us that peace is possible," he declared in the White House Rose Garden, where US presidents habitually preen rather than prune. Yet Biden's flowery self-congratulation jars at this fragile moment. It sounds like cruel mockery to the beleaguered people of Gaza.With the truce holding for a second day - despite some apparent breaches - Lebanon has been spared more death and wanton destruction, for now. Many people are celebrating and heading home to the south despite Israeli warnings. But Biden's belief that the accord will hasten a Gaza ceasefire, spike the guns of Iran and its proxies, and open the way to the wider regional settlement he has long sought finds scant justification in fact.Simon Tisdall is the Observer's foreign affairs commentatorDo 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...
The legendary American writer initiated a relationship with a homeless teenager. Don't put a romantic spin on itAugusta Britt, now 64, says that she met the novelist Cormac McCarthy in 1976 beside a motel pool in Arizona. McCarthy, who died last year, was 42 at the time. Britt was 16. Britt says that she was quasi-homeless in those years, bouncing between an abusive family home and a series of abusive foster homes, and used to go to the motel so that she could shower in the pool's changing rooms without fear of men following her into the foster home bathrooms to sexually assault her.Britt says that when McCarthy saw her at the poolside he asked about a gun in a holster at her hip, and that she described some of her history of abuse to him and said that she'd stolen the gun from a foster father so that she would never be hit again. Continue reading...
New York parade has swapped lions and clowns for character balloons, but the festivity remains 100 years laterIt was a sight to behold: elephants marching through New York City streets, thousands of spectators crushed four and five deep on the sidewalks hoping to get a glimpse of the creatures.It was Thanksgiving Day 1924, and the elephants - accompanied by bears, monkeys, tigers, camels, donkeys and lions - were residents of the Central Park zoo, trotted out for a brand-new parade, sponsored by the department store Macy's. Continue reading...
I quickly learned that the decision to terminate a pregnancy wasn't purely a matter of 'my body, my choice'Roughly 36 hours after I first heard about the horrifying Maga taunt your body, my choice", I learned that I was pregnant, despite having a contraceptive coil. My relief that I lived in the UK, not the US - where abortion is rapidly becoming illegal or inaccessible at best - was profound. Yet I realised that I had no idea how to access abortion, having complacently assumed that it would always be available if I needed it. Some fraught Googling led me to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service. A couple of days later, I had my first appointment and very quickly learned that it wasn't purely my choice", even in Britain.Of all the words you don't want to hear by surprise, transvaginal" is up there. I thought the scan to determine how pregnant I was would be the kind where a technician slathers goop on your stomach. I wasn't told until I arrived that it would be internal, because of the assumed early gestation. A second surprise: the coil was gone, most likely sucked out by my period cup. Later that day, I had a phone consultation. The nurse told me two doctors would have to sign off on the termination and asked me to justify why my life would be negatively affected if I were forced to continue with the pregnancy. Horrified, I said I should just be able to say: I don't want to. She was extremely kind and agreed, but said this was a legal requirement under the Abortion Act.The author lives in LondonDo 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...
London-listed company strikes deal with Fortress Investment Group, although shareholder approval neededThe cafe bar business Loungers has agreed to be bought by a US investment group in a deal that values it at about 338m.Fortress Investment Group said it had made an offer for the UK hospitality group through a newly formed investment vehicle. Continue reading...
We've climbed steadily from a place of little agency - waiting for the right partner to come along - before we could have childrenThe number of women without a partner having children by IVF or sperm donation has trebled in the past 10 years. IVF itself is not unproblematic; provision on the NHS varies wildly, with hurdles and prohibitions that range from random to downright cruel. There are trusts that won't offer it over the age of 35, others that won't if her partner has children from a previous relationship. Private clinics, meanwhile, can prey on people, gouging them for add-on treatments, exploiting hopes they know are unrealistic. Egg freezing - where numbers are also at a record high - is a similar racket, with the sector often accused of misleading promises or understating risks, and prices very high: the process typically costs 7,000. Fertility treatment, whether solo or with a partner, is not for sissies. Yet women's increasing confidence to do it outside of a traditional partnership illustrates a sea change in attitudes to how families are made, and a positive one.It's nearly 20 years since two obstetricians, Susan Bewley and Melanie Davies, published Which Career First: The most secure age for childbearing remains 20 to 35. I remember interviewing them at the time, feeling vexed by this intervention. In the surrounding media environment, various other ways of policing, judging and problematising female autonomy - abortion discourse, for instance - had passed out of fashion. Other hot-button issues that gave society licence to pass judgment on women's morality and fitness - such as breastfeeding and behaviours in pregnancy - were only just getting going. Fertility and the risks around leaving it too late" , however, were discussed constantly, and it had all the hallmarks of a patriarchal put-up job. People who didn't really give a stuff about infertility as a lived experience - the complexity and pain of it - nevertheless had extremely strong views over what kind of risk career women" posed to the greater good, and whether they would regret their choices down the line. The issue was used strategically to justify a broader opprobrium for women making any choices at all. I remember editors in the 90s (not at the Guardian!), always looking for starkest headline: anything along the lines of: Have a baby by the time you're 30, doctors warn", was the holy grail. Continue reading...
It took defeat in civil case against a woman who accused him of rape for brands and fans to disown UFC fighterSome good news at last for Conor McGregor. Probably there's a way of spinning it as bad news, which is what the scum mainstream media will do. But in the wake of his defeat in a Dublin civil case against a woman who accused him of raping her, as brands and fans scramble to disown him, as murals are hastily painted over across the island, you have to take your pledges of support where you can find them. Step forward: Andrew Tate.Bullshit ruling against Conor McGregor," Tate wrote from Romania, where he is facing his own legal issues, including charges of trafficking and rape. Women sleep with rich men and if that man doesn't fund their life afterwards, they lie and sue. Their brutal narcissism can't take the L of being undesired. We've set a dangerous precedent. It's literally impossible to be a man in the western world." Continue reading...
Deputy PM says we need to be smart, strong and united' after meeting on threat by US president-elect of a blanket 25% tax on imports from CanadaCanada's federal government and the premiers of the 10 provinces have agreed to work together against a threat by US president-elect Donald Trump to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports, with one official saying the country was already examining possible retaliatory measures.We agreed that we need to be smart, strong and united in meeting this challenge," deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters on Wednesday after a virtual meeting with the premiers called by the prime minister, Justin Trudeau. Continue reading...
Son of Vietnamese refugees beats Michelle Steel in seat drawn to give Asian Americans stronger voice in capitalDemocrat Derek Tran ousted Republican Michelle Steel in a southern California House district Wednesday that was specifically drawn to give Asian Americans a stronger voice on Capitol Hill.Steel said in a statement: Like all journeys, this one is ending for a new one to begin." When she captured the seat in 2020, Steel joined Washington state Democrat Marilyn Strickland and California Republican Young Kim as the first Korean American women elected to Congress. Continue reading...
It's the result of a system designed to weaponise our brain chemistry against us - oh, we shouldn't buy that, but what if we did?I procrastinated starting this article. I was all set up and ready to begin writing when I received an email from a store I've never visited with a great deal on items I do not need and cannot afford, even with an outrageously good discount.Philosophically, I am not a materialist. Practically, I really enjoy things, and the having of them. Sorry, another quick delay as I look at this $550 chess board. Seems a little extravagant but when you consider the savings, it would be silly not to have it.James Colley is the head writer of the ABC's Gruen and Question Everything as well as the author of The Next Big Thing published by Pantera Press Continue reading...
Mike Rounds submitted bill that needs supermajority to pass, unlikely even in GOP-controlled Senate next yearA bill that would accomplish Donald Trump's goal of abolishing the federal Department of Education has been introduced into the US Senate.The Republican senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota introduced the bill, called the Returning Education to Our States Act, on Thursday. If passed, the bill would see $200bn in funding and the work of the education department redistributed to other federal agencies and states. Continue reading...
by Hannah Al-Othman North of England Correspondent on (#6SHWF)
Daniel Andreas San Diego had been a fugitive from the FBI for two decades before he was found in Maenan villageMaenan, in north Wales, is not a place where very much happens. But earlier this week armed police descended on this tiny settlement, leaving neighbours in disbelief".They learned that a man they had sometimes seen near his home on the outskirts of the woods was in fact one of the FBI's most wanted men. Continue reading...
Retired US army general and former Pence aide tapped for newly conceived role to negotiate amid ongoing warDonald Trump has picked Keith Kellogg to serve as a special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, a newly conceived role given the ongoing war between the two countries.Kellogg, an 80-year-old retired US army lieutenant general, would start in the role as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues into its third year. Continue reading...
Despite 2015 settlement and consent decree, judge says conditions have worsened over the last decadeA federal judge found New York City in contempt on Wednesday over conditions in its city jails, saying things have only worsened in the nine years since the city settled accusations of abuse and violence.The judge, Laura Taylor Swain, in Manhattan issued a written ruling finding the city in contempt over 18 separate contempt claims. Continue reading...
Unusual Machines says president's eldest son has wealth of experience' as globally recognized business leader'A little-known Florida-based drones company said on Wednesday it had appointed Donald Trump Jr as an adviser - then saw its stock price surge.Don Jr joining our board of advisors provides us unique expertise we need as we bring drone component manufacturing back to America," said Allan Evans, chief executive of Unusual Machines. Continue reading...
The US-brokered agreement is a breakthrough for suffering civilians. But a deal on Netanyahu's terms offers scant hope to PalestiniansUnsurprisingly, Joe Biden struck an upbeat, optimistic note on Tuesday as he announced a US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. It reminds us that peace is possible," said Mr Biden, as the deal brought to an end the 14-month conflict, during which close to 4,000 people lost their lives andhundreds of thousands were displaced.For the outgoing American president, who hassignally failed to restrain Israel's excesses aftertheheinous Hamas massacre of 7 October 2023, the agreement amounts to a valedictory breakthroughafter months of weak and ineffective diplomacy. More importantly, it affords the suffering people of Lebanon some respite, after a bombing campaign and ground invasion that paid scant regardto the appalling impact on civilian lives. For the 60,000 citizens of Israel forced to flee the country's northern border region by Hezbollah rockets, there is the prospect of a return home after spending morethan a year in displacement camps. Continue reading...
First major report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tallies abortion provision in the post-Roe USDespite the wave of state abortion bans that took effect after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in June 2022, the number of abortions performed in the US fell by only 2% that year, according to the first major report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to tally abortion provision in the post-Roe United States.The findings in the report, released Wednesday, echo other research that has uncovered that US abortion rates have surprisingly risen in the years since Roe's demise. In 2023, the US saw more than 1m abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortions and restrictions on the procedure - the highest number recorded in more than a decade. Continue reading...
US and state acknowledge that 1980 agreement was biased and distorted' against Confederated Tribes of Siletz IndiansDrumming made the floor vibrate and singing filled the conference room of the Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City, on the Oregon coast, as hundreds in tribal regalia danced in a circle.For the last 47 years, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians have held an annual powwow to celebrate regaining federal recognition. This month's event, however, was especially significant: it came just two weeks after a federal court lifted restrictions on the tribe's rights to hunt, fish and gather - restrictions tribal leaders had opposed for decades. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins and agencies in Washington on (#6SHJY)
Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung freed after Biden administration forges rare agreement with BeijingThree American citizens imprisoned for years by China have been released in a prisoner swap, the White House has said, announcing a rare diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration.The three are Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung, all of whom had been designated by the US government as wrongfully detained. Swidan had been facing a death sentence on drug charges while Li and Leung were imprisoned on espionage charges. Continue reading...
The cost of Trump's tariffs is likely to be passed on to consumers. We would like to hear about the products you may buy ahead of his second termPrices for US goods could rise in January. Donald Trump has said he will impose tariffs of 25% on all goods from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% on goods from China, if they do not stop illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling. The cost of the tariffs is likely to be passed on to consumers.According to a Harris poll conducted for the Guardian, nearly half of Americans (44%) are planning purchases ahead of Trump entering office, in case he ends up implementing tariffs. Continue reading...
Electric guitar maker claims president-elect-endorsed merchandise infringes on Les Paul trademarkGibson, the maker of famous electric guitars, has issued a cease and desist order to the company behind a range of Trump Guitars" endorsed by the US president-elect.Gibson told Guitar World, which first reported the story, it took action because the design of the instruments being sold as Trump Guitars infringes upon Gibson's exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape". Continue reading...
Tariffs raise prices much like the GST - and like the GST it hurts people on low and middle incomes the mostIf anyone was under any delusion that Donald Trump was not going to be as bonkers as he said he would be, then his announcement on Tuesday that he would slap a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico (and deeper tariffs on China) should remove all doubt.Tariff" has become the economic word of the year thanks to the incoming US president. Continue reading...
Trump's policies could aid terrorist and far-right groups who use cryptocurrency to help quietly finance their endsThe return of Donald Trump in the White House is promising many things: mass deportations, an end to inflation, and perhaps the first cryptocurrency-friendly presidency, which is widely expected to loosen regulations on the emergent technology.While that is music to the ears of crypto investors and enthusiasts who poured money into his campaign, there are other unlikely winners for such policies, including far-right extremists and terrorist organizations who are using crypto to finance their ends. Continue reading...
Chance, demographics or even people reluctant to voice support for Trump could all be reasons for discrepancyIn the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election, Guardian polling averages showed Kamala Harris winning an incredibly close race. Still, Donald Trump won, showing that yet again his volume of support was underestimated.Though Guardian US averages had Harris winning, the final result was within the margin of errors for high-quality polls conducted this election cycle. Continue reading...
Even among a host of TV personalities and alleged sex traffickers, far-right commentator is a step too far for someDonald Trump's selection of the far-right commentator Sebastian Gorka for a senior national security post has prompted outrage and ridicule over a pick that seems extreme even amid a stream of nominations of conspiracy theorists, alleged sex traffickers, TV hosts and repeaters of Russian state propaganda.Last week, Trump named Gorka deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counter-terrorism. Unlike top national security picks - Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense - the position is not subject to Senate confirmation. Continue reading...
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