Accusations of mismanagement go back decades, but a recent move by two board members bodes poorly for NovemberThe Fulton county elections office was calling Amanda Banwarie, again.She looked down at the number, and before even answering, Banwarie had risen from behind the plastic rec center table in Alpharetta, Georgia, to walk over to the lightly used voting machines, again, to check that everything was still working. Continue reading...
Trump and prosecutors in the classified documents case have been told to draft jury instructions that could result in ensuring acquittalThe federal judge overseeing Donald Trump's prosecution on charges of retaining classified documents appears to be entertaining his most brazen defenses that could ultimately result in ensuring the acquittal of the former president.The issue revolves around an order from the US district judge Aileen Cannon on Monday asking Trump and prosecutors in the office of the special counsel Jack Smith to draft jury instructions for two scenarios that gave extraordinary credit to Trump's defense theories. Continue reading...
There will be more money riding on the NCAA Tournament than ever before in 2024. But with higher stakes comes more pressure on the athletesMarch Madness is famously capricious, but as the tournament gets under way one prediction seems safe - there will be more money riding on it than ever before. But higher stakes carry increased risks and the threats and abuse directed at student-athletes are growing.Americans will legally wager an estimated $2.72bn on the men's and women's March Madness events this year according to the American Gaming Association, a trade group. That is only a small fraction of the likely total, with many more billions expected to be ventured through unlicensed channels such as bracket pools. Continue reading...
by Gabriel Baumgaertner, Bryan Armen Graham, Andrew L on (#6KGT3)
Can the UConn men go back to back? Are the South Carolina women unstoppable? Our writers pick the winners, sleepers and upsets in both NCAA tournament bracketsDavidson's Stephen Curry and BYU's Jimmer Fredette were the kind of electrifying guards that make the NCAA Tournament arguably the best annual American sporting event. Clark's range is comparable to those two, and her college legacy has already eclipsed theirs. Her games from here on out are appointment viewing. Gabriel Baumgaertner Continue reading...
Huge costs, mounting opposition, negligible impacts: nothing about this absurd asylum bill appears to make any senseNobody knows exactly how the first red fire ants were imported to Australia, but it happened - and now these vicious and destructive creatures are everywhere. There's a moral to this story: if you import one destructive insect, without the entire ecosystem, the consequences will be bad and you'll have to live with them.As with ants, so with policy ideas. It's now two years since the immigration deal between the UK and Rwandan governments was inked, and it was a direct rip-off of the so-called Australian Pacific solution, where asylum seekers arriving by boat would be intercepted and sent to Papua New Guinea or Nauru. That was in 2001 - the same year the ants arrived. Neither development went well.Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Gaza's health crisis has its own dreadful momentum. Even if the shooting ends today and the aid trucks begin to roll, the dying will carry on for some timeGaza is already the most intense starvation catastrophe of recent decades. The death toll from hunger and disease may soon surpass the body count from bombs and bullets.The Famine Review Committee reported this week that Gaza is facing imminent famine.'The damage caused by the 1944 Dutch Hunger Winter can still be observed generations on
Measure, a win for governor but criticized by disability rights advocates, will raise $6.4bn for housing and treatment facilitiesCalifornia voters narrowly approved a measure that will dramatically restructure the state's mental health system.The Associated Press called the race two days after polls closed. Proposition 1, which was the only statewide measure on California's ballot on Super Tuesday, is key to Gavin Newsom's plan to address the homelessness crisis. Continue reading...
Three corrections officers injured after unknown accomplice of gang member Skylar Meade stages attack after hospital tripA white supremacist prison gang member in Idaho and an accomplice remained on the loose Wednesday after the accomplice staged a brazen overnight attack to free the inmate as he was being transported from a Boise hospital, police said.Police identified the man suspected of shooting two corrections officers during the ambush as Nicholas Umphenour. A warrant with a $2 m bond has been issued for his arrest on two charges of aggravated battery against law enforcement and one charge of aiding and abetting an escape, police said.
Bill signed by governor Kay Ivey and lambasted by civil rights advocates affects public schools, universities and state agenciesThe Alabama governor Kay Ivey has signed a bill into law in effect banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across public schools, universities and state agencies, the latest move in a wave of a Republican-led legislation that aims to restrict diversity efforts.The law, known as SB129, imposes restrictions around what it calls eight divisive concepts", including assigning fault, blame or bias" to any race, religion, gender or color, or discussions of whether slavery and racism are aligned with the founding principles of the United States". It authorizes state agencies to discipline or terminate employees or contractors who violate this act". Continue reading...
World Happiness Report reveals country dropped from 15th to 23rd place, driven in part by a decline in happiness among young peopleThe US has fallen out of the top 20 happiest countries to live in for the first time ever, according to a new report.In findings released on Wednesday, the World Happiness Report revealed that the US has slid from its 15th place last year to 23rd place this year. Continue reading...
A bill working its way through state legislature seeks to stop use of AI tech in politics - but some far-right activists are opposedWhen wrangling legislation, sometimes it's best to sound out a problem in front of you.In Georgia, it sounds like the state senator Colton Moore. But it only sounds like Colton Moore. Continue reading...
Christian Dedmon described by one victim as the sickest' of six former officers who pleaded guilty to torturing two Black menA fourth former Mississippi sheriff's deputy has been sentenced for his part in the racist torture of two Black men by a group of white officers who called themselves the Goon Squad". Christian Dedmon was sentenced on Wednesday to 40 years in federal prison, hours after Daniel Opdyke was sentenced to 17.5 years.Dedmon, 29, did not look at the victims as he apologized and said he would never forgive himself for the pain he caused. Continue reading...
Potential move could coincide with ex-president's Monday deadline to find $454m bond needed to cover civil fraud judgmentAttorneys in the New York attorney general's office have written to the state appeals court dealing with Donald Trump's punishment for business fraud to say that they should disregard the former president's claims that he cannot raise a bond to cover his massive fine.Letitia James, the attorney general, could initiate action to seize Trump assets as soon as Monday, coinciding with Trump's deadline to acquire the $454m bond demanded to cover the civil fraud judgment during his appeal process. Continue reading...
This live blog is now closed. For the latest on the Israel-Gaza war, you can see all of our coverage here.Since being elected speaker of the House last year, the Republican Mike Johnson has emerged as one of Donald Trump's most prominent defenders on Capitol Hill, and today is no exception - even when it comes to the former president's recent comment that Jews who vote for Democrats hate" Israel and their religion.Asked about it at a press conference, Johnson said he understands where Trump is coming from: Continue reading...
When Eva Burch learned her pregnancy was not progressing and decided to have an abortion, Burch and her husband quickly made another decision: Burch, who is a Democratic state senator in Arizona, was going to speak up about it - from the floor of the state senate.On Monday, as her voice shook and a group of women surrounded her, Burch gave a 10-minute speech about her decision and the struggle to navigate Arizona's 'coercive' maze of abortion restrictions.With her speech, she joined the ranks of women who have spoken out since the fall of Roe v Wade about their battles to get abortions even for nonviable pregnancies. Yet Burch, who was still pregnant when she spoke on the floor as well as during an interview, is the first state lawmaker to do so
Punitive legislation is already in place. But the territory's masters are hammering home the messageResidents of Hong Kong could be forgiven for a sense of deja vu. A draconian new national security law (NSL), broad in scope and harsh in penalties, is trampling over basic rights. It first happened four years ago, in response to the extraordinary uprising that saw one in four people take to the streets to defend the region's autonomy and way of life.Beijing imposed the 2020 law upon the territory, demolishing any vestiges of its claim to run Hong Kong on a one country, two systems" basis. That legislation, both vague and sweeping, claims jurisdiction over acts committed by anyone anywhere in the world. It introduced trials without juries. It is so stringent that a police chief said that even watching a documentary on the protests might breach the law. Continue reading...
Eva Burch, who gave 10-minute speech on state senate floor, may be first pregnant state lawmaker to detail plans since fall of RoeWhen Eva Burch learned that her pregnancy was not progressing and decided to have an abortion, Burch and her husband quickly made another decision: Burch, who is a Democratic state senator in Arizona, was going to speak up about it - from the floor of the state senate.On Monday, as her voice shook and a group of women surrounded her, Burch gave a 10-minute-long speech about her decision and the struggle to navigate Arizona's coercive" maze of abortion restrictions. With her speech, Burch joined the ranks of women who have spoken out since the fall of Roe v Wade about their battles to get abortions even for nonviable pregnancies. Continue reading...
Amanda Zurawski, who nearly died waiting for procedure, says Trump will inflict chaos' in remarks released by Biden campAfter Donald Trump voiced support for a 15-week national abortion ban, Joe Biden's presidential campaign released an angry response from a Texas woman who nearly died due to that state's anti-abortion measures, enduring a nightmare" she said Trump created.My family has been forever altered by the nightmare that Donald Trump created by overturning Roe," Amanda Zurawski said. Continue reading...
Colombia-born populist once called Trump a lunatic' but now leads Republican bid to oust Sherrod Brown and seize SenateBernie Moreno won a convincing victory in the Republican Senate primary in Ohio on Tuesday night ensuring that the firebrand rightwinger goes up against the Democrat Sherrod Brown in the vital race.Moreno's victory sees the Trump-backed politician become the party's standard-bearer against Brown in a contest that could decide control of the US Senate. Continue reading...
I am shocked at how shocked I am. Why are we so unprepared when the inevitable comes to pass?Round at my mate's house, one Saturday morning when I was 17 years old, something astounding appeared on his television. This was 3November 1984. I know this for sure because I just looked it up. It was the day Indira Gandhi was cremated. Laid out on a sandalwood pyre, her head clearly visible, her body - her actual body - was in plain sight as her son lit the pyre to see his mother, in the words of most newspaper reports, consigned to flames.I was aghast, horrified. But my friend's dad said a thing that made me think again. It went something like this: No, I think it's very healthy. Death's too hidden away in our society. I was in my 40s before I saw a dead body, and it was my father's. What preparation did I have for that?" These words stuck fast in my mind.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...
Questionable timing and spelling didn't help Derek Myers from finishing dead last in a field of 11 for a House Republican primaryA Republican candidate for the House of Representatives raised eyebrows after he sent out an email conceding the election - before the polls had closed.Derek Myers, a Donald Trump devotee who was running in Ohio's second district, sent an email lamenting his loss at 3.19pm on Tuesday. Polls were not due to close in Ohio until 7.30pm. Continue reading...
Scott McAfee ruled Fulton county district attorney could continue prosecution of ex-president despite relationship with deputyThe judge overseeing the election interference criminal case against Donald Trump and others in Georgia on Wednesday ruled that the defendants can appeal the decision to allow the prosecutor Fani Willis to remain on the case despite a past romantic relationship with her deputy.Last Friday the judge, Scott McAfee, ruled that Willis, the Fulton county district attorney, could continue to head the prosecution of Trump for trying to undermine the 2020 presidential election in the state, as long as the top deputy agreed to step down. Continue reading...
An emotional Caroline Wozniacki expressed her support for Aryna Sabalenka after the Belarusian tennis player's boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov died in Miami, ahead of Sabalenka's first match in the Miami Open. The former world No 1 said the situation was 'heartbreaking', wiping away tears at the press conference. Sabalenka was pictured on social media practising a day after 42-year-old former ice hockey player Koltsov died in Miami in what police described as an 'apparent suicide'
This year's women's NCAA Tournament is more anticipated than the men's. It's a wonder it took people so long to come aroundWhen South Carolina led LSU late in the fourth quarter of this month's Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game, they looked poised to salt the game away. Then a fight broke out between the two teams that cleared the benches and sucked in a player's brother from the crowd. The game was delayed for 20 minutes while officials sorted out the punishment (the family member was arrested.) Ultimately, South Carolina held on to win the tournament, remain undefeated for the season and claim the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament, where this year the women are the main event.After decades of dribbling in the shadow of men's college basketball, the women's game has seized the spotlight. It's where the stars are, where the rivalries are, where the fights are, where the eyeballs are. The South Carolina-LSU game drew almost two million viewers, making it ESPN's most-watched women's basketball game outside the NCAA tournament in 10 years. When the two teams played in January, more people watched them than an NBA matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat playing at the same time. The numbers for last weekend's Big Ten championship game between Iowa and Nebraska were even larger: the contest drew more than three million viewers on the way to becoming CBS's most watched women's college basketball game in 25 years. Continue reading...
Kanaan VyShonne Barton says he's following all other school rules but shouldn't have to cut his hair: My locs represent strength'A Black student at a Mormon university in Hawaii said he has been told by staff to cut his shoulder-length hair because it does not adhere to school policies, he said.Kanaan VyShonne Barton, a student at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, told the Salt Lake Tribune he has been engaged in a battle with the school since September over the length of his hair, which he has refused to cut. Continue reading...
SB4 law allowing state authorities to arrest people suspected of entering the US illegally has encountered a new roadblock. Plus: young people becoming less happy Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Hours after the supreme court ruled to allow a strict new Texas immigration law, known as SB4, to take effect, a federal appeals court issued an order that prevented the state from enforcing it.What did the supreme court decide? The supreme court didn't address whether the law is constitutional and sent the measure to the appeals court. However, the panel did reject an emergency application from the Biden administration, which says the law is a clear violation of federal authority that would cause chaos.In a dissent, the liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson said their rightwing colleagues had invited further chaos and crisis in immigration enforcement" by giving a green light to a law that will upend the longstanding federal-state balance of power and sow chaos".How did the White House react to the supreme court ruling? The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said: SB4 will not only make communities in Texas less safe, it will also burden law enforcement and sow chaos and confusion at our southern border." Continue reading...
Wannabe business moguls suggest we should all outsource our work to countries where cheap labour is easily available. Sound familiar?Did you miss out on getting rich quick via bitcoin? Don't worry: TikTok's legions of personal finance influencers have you covered with a cunning new moneymaking scheme called the Young Indian Method (Yim). The viral idea is this: you set up a business doing a service such as video editing or graphic design, but outsource all the work to India or somewhere else you can find cheap labour. Then you rake in massive profits off the back of exploited workers. Genius!Now, before you dust off your pitchfork, I should note that it's not clear whether every Yim evangelist is entirely serious. It seems that the concept was coined by an influencer as a joke - a satirical take on the way some American startup bros openly boast about how they maximise their profits by paying overseas workers as little as possible. And, obviously, it's hardly just startup bros making a buck by exploiting cheap labour. That's sort of the basis of capitalism. Continue reading...
All five finalists at the last Leeds piano competition were male - a far from unique competition scenario. Now, the event's CEO explains how they are dismantling barriers for female musiciansJust over a month ago a hard-hitting report about misogyny in music was published by the UK parliamentary women and equalities committee. The report contained personal accounts that showed not only that inequality is still pervasive in the world of classical music, but that women are enduring an unacceptable level of sexual abuse and harassment, often being silenced with non-disclosure agreements to protect those in power.Like so many of my colleagues, at first I did not recognise this version of our beloved profession, which after all, is going through a difficult enough time. But recently I was challenged after presenting our own research - an interviewer said: It clearly is sexism - how can you call it anything else?" And when you see the scale of the problem, it's hard to find another explanation. Continue reading...
These threats don't just seek to intimidate leftwing politicians, it makes them seem a risk to voters, tooIn Britain and other supposedly calm democracies, the ascent of leftwing politicians can arouse unusual fears of violence. Many conservatives and centrists associate the left with mobs, intimidation and revolutionary struggle. For some on the right, leftwing politics of any sort is a kind of violence, with the upsetting of the traditional order that it promises.Such fears are not always groundless. But more often they are exaggerated, sometimes deliberately, in order to smear the left as fanatical and dangerous. In reality, the left always contains plenty of pacifists and other principled opponents of the use of force - life's herbivores", as the writer Michael Frayn called them in a perceptive 1963 essay.Andy Beckett 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...
Marianne Mair' Smyth scammed a television producer of $100,000 and will now face charges for swindling others in the UKA US-born woman who feigned being the heiress to a $30m fortune while scamming nearly $100,000 from a television producer who later sent her to prison and exposed her on a popular podcast has again been arrested, this time in connection with a raft of fraud charges in the UK.Marianne Mair" Smyth is awaiting extradition to Belfast, Northern Ireland, on charges that she bilked multiple people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars while she lived there between 2002 and 2009. Continue reading...
Doctors who have returned from volunteering at besieged hospitals to tell officials aid is meaningless without a ceasefireA delegation of American and British doctors is in Washington DC to tell the Biden administration the Israeli military is systematically destroying Gaza's health infrastructure in order to drive Palestinians out of their homes.The doctors, who have recently returned from volunteering at Gaza's besieged hospitals, are expected to meet White House officials and senior members of Congress this week to warn that pledges of increased aid to Palestinians under bombardment are largely meaningless without an immediate ceasefire to allow safe distribution of food and the revival of healthcare services. Continue reading...
A month-by-month look at Trump's evolving language as he attempts to assert it's Biden who will endanger the nation - and not himOn the cusp of the election year, Donald Trump made a decision: knowing Joe Biden would structure his campaign around the threat Trump poses to US democracy, Trump would use the same line back at Biden.It was an unlikely bet, given that Trump is facing 88 criminal charges for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. But Trump started laying out that message last summer, sprinkling into his speeches the idea that the US president was grossly incompetent" and that such incompetence posed a threat to democracy. As charges rolled in against the former president, none of them lodged by Biden himself, he added the claim that Biden was also using his power to shut down his opponent, threatening democracy by engaging in election interference".In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump calls on the audience to complete the job" by sending him back to the White House so he can reclaim our democracy". Continue reading...
Jesse Marsch and Bob Bradley faced scepticism from many in the Premier League. But the antipathy wasn't wholly deservedJesse Marsch had a point to make. He made it rather well and at length. Given a chance to be a pundit on Sky Sports' flagship Monday Night Football last month, the Wisconsinite zoomed around the studio's touchpad with the same zest he would expect of high-pressing players. His casual garb of stonewashed jeans and shiny white sneakers did not deflect from the fact that this was a presentation aimed at future employers, club owners; MNF has become a regular vehicle for unemployed managers to announce they are ready to work again.I love the Premier League and I love the power of what the league means globally, but honestly the true answer is I want to find like-minded people that are committed to developing people, relationships and building something," he said. If Jamie Carragher occasionally harrumphed through the 45-minute coaching masterclass, little doubt was left that Marsch is detailed and has an authentic grasp on modern football. Continue reading...
After witnessing the deadly attack, I struggled with daily life and lost my passion for running. At the Frankfurt marathon, six months later, the emotional toll caught up with meIt was late 2013, six months after I had run the Boston marathon - the year two men detonated two bombs near the finish line, killing three people and injuring hundreds. Back in Germany, my home country, I had been struggling with my mental health for months, but I was determined to complete another marathon and maybe make it back to Boston. I had signed up for that month's Frankfurt marathon, but told nobody except Christina, mytherapist.I went to the starting line only acouple of minutes before the racestarted. For the first half or so, I felt good. The sun was shining. Mymind was empty and I was running faster than ever. Then I felta breakdown coming on. I could no longer run. I walked the rest of the way, crying. People kept stopping to ask if I needed help, or to comfort me. I knew their intentions were good, but I felt as ifI was in a different world. All Icould think was: why am I here, running, when others were killed and many more had been injured and could never run again? Continue reading...
In interview with Nigel Farage, Trump says I hear he's not the brightest bulb' when asked about RuddDonald Trump has taken a swipe at the former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, calling him nasty" and claiming he won't be there long" as Australian ambassador to the United States.But the Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the government would retain Rudd as American ambassador if Trump won November's presidential election, backing him as doing an excellent job". Anthony Albanese, who appointed Rudd as ambassador, accused the Coalition opposition of a cheap shot" attack over the comments, as the Liberal leader, Peter Dutton, said the government now needed to repair" the US relationship. Continue reading...
Nikki Haley gains votes despite dropping out of Republican race as Trump-backed candidate wins Ohio Republican Senate primaryDonald Trump and Joe Biden swept up more delegates in Tuesday's primary elections as they set their sights on a rematch in November.Trump and Biden picked up wins in Arizona, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio. Trump also won the Republican primary in Florida, where the Democrats are not holding a primary.Biden v Trump: What's in store for the US and the world?
Retired generals Mark Milley and Frank McKenzie, who oversaw evacuation of Afghanistan, said it was poorly plannedThe top two US generals who oversaw the evacuation of Afghanistan as it fell to the Taliban in August 2021 blamed the Biden administration for the chaotic departure, telling lawmakers on Tuesday that it inadequately planned for the evacuation and did not order it in time.The rare testimony by the two retired generals publicly exposed for the first time the strain and differences the military leaders had with the Biden administration in the final days of the war. Two of those key differences included that the military had advised that the US keep at least 2,500 service members in Afghanistan to maintain stability and a concern that the state department was not moving fast enough to get an evacuation started. Continue reading...
Lawyers for UK tech tycoon facing 25 years in jail suggest US workers did not understand UK accounting principlesLawyers for Mike Lynch tried to highlight differences between UK and US accounting standards as they defended the British businessman against allegations he orchestrated a massive" years-long fraud.Lynch, who founded and led Autonomy, a UK software firm, is fighting to avoid prison after federal prosecutors in the US charged him with 16 counts of wire fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy. His criminal trial started in San Francisco on Monday. Continue reading...
Primaries are being held in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio - get up to speed with all the live results as they happenFive states - Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio - are holding their presidential nominating contests on Tuesday, with Florida holding only a Republican primary. Donald Trump and Joe Biden expect to sail to victory in their respective parties, growing their delegate counts in a march toward this summer's conventions, where they will officially secure their parties' nomination.Here are the live results from the five presidential primaries. Continue reading...
Josephine Wright caught national media attention for standing down developers trying to buy Hilton Head propertyJosephine Wright, a Hilton Head Island resident who died this year aged 94, spent her last days fighting to protect her family's ancestral South Carolina home from being taken by developers. Now, two months after her death, Wright's fight is finally over: Bailey Point Investment, the construction company that was vying for her land, has settled with Wright's family members after it initially sued for ownership early last year.The settlement concedes that the Wright family owns the property in the middle of Bailey Point's planned 29-acre neighborhood, according to South Carolina Public Radio. The company cannot contact the Wright family about purchasing the land, and there will be a privacy fence erected between the Wright family's land and the new construction. Continue reading...
Shasta county residents voted on 5 March on whether to recall Kevin Crye, the president of the board of supervisorsOn Super Tuesday, voters in northern California's Shasta county weighed the fate of a far-right official who promoted conspiracy theories that elections were being rigged and backed a controversial effort to do away with voting machines and pursue a hand-count system.But two weeks after the election, the recall remains too close to call, with the Shasta county supervisor Kevin Crye maintaining a hold of his seat by less than 50 votes. As of Friday, the county elections office still had 1,200 ballots to process and residents are anxiously awaiting results. Continue reading...
US news | The Guardian