Trump can't reverse commutations of 37 people but says US will be Nation of Law and Order' when he is inauguratedDonald Trump has said he will direct the justice department to vigorously" pursue the death penalty for the perpetrators of violent crimes, one day after Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of most prisoners on the federal government's death row.In a post on Truth Social, the president-elect said as soon as he is inaugurated next month, he will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from violent rapists, murderers, and monsters". Continue reading...
Report comes day after Ford and GM said they'd donate $1m each as big companies look to cozy up with president-electToyota is reportedly donating $1m to Donald Trump's inauguration.The report, per Reuters citing a company spokesperson, comes one day after Ford and General Motors said they would donate $1m each to the president-elect's inaugural fund. The two US automakers will also provide vehicles to the 20 January event, the outlet reported. Continue reading...
IRS says payments going to those who did not claim under 2021 recovery rebate plan in what may be final installmentUS tax authorities have announced that special, $1,400 payments are going out to 1 million taxpayers who did not claim under the 2021 recovery rebate scheme, in what may be a final installment of pandemic-era stimulus checks.The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said in an advisory that the disbursements were a special step" after a review found that many eligible taxpayers who did not receive one or more Economic Impact Payments (EIP), also known as stimulus stimi" payments. Continue reading...
Ruling rejects part of governor-backed law that imposes criminal penalties on librarians for giving harmful' material to kidsA federal judge ruled on Monday that sections of an Arkansas law, which sought to impose criminal penalties on librarians and booksellers for distributing harmful" material to children, were unconstitutional.The law, known as the Arkansas Act 372, was signed into law last year by Republican governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. It was challenged by a coalition of organizations in the state, leading to a lengthy legal battle that concluded this week. Continue reading...
Award in advocating on behalf of women and girls' revoked after suit filed by Lively accusing him of sexual harassmentAn award recently given to actor and director Justin Baldoni, honoring him for courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls", was rescinded following a complaint filed by actor Blake Lively accusing him of sexual harassment and a coordinated effort to damage her reputation.The Voices of Solidarity Award was granted to Baldoni on 9 December by the Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international non-profit organization focused on women's empowerment. Continue reading...
In Middletown there's little indication that a local luminary will become second in line to the presidencyOrdinarily, the home town of an incoming vice-president of the United States ought to be awash with pride, vigor and celebration one month out from their big day.But across Middletown, JD Vance's home town in south-west Ohio, you would hardly know. Continue reading...
John Bolton delivers scathing critique of Trump's lack of knowledge or coherent strategy: I'm very worried'A major international crisis is much more likely" in Donald Trump's second term given the president-elect's inability to focus" on foreign policy, a former US ambassador to the United Nations (UN) has warned.John Bolton, who at 17 months was Trump's longest serving national security adviser, delivered a scathing critique of his lack of knowledge, interest in facts or coherent strategy. He described Trump's decision-making as driven by personal relationships and neuron flashes" rather than a deep understanding of national interests. Continue reading...
Ground stop, ahead of the busy Christmas travel, had threatened the holiday plans of thousandsAmerican Airlines on Tuesday lifted an hour-long ground stop of all its flights in the US due to an unspecified technical issue, a notice on the US aviation regulator's website showed.American Airlines flights arriving and departing Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky international airport showed short delays Tuesday morning, but it's unclear if those are tied to this technical issue or something else. Continue reading...
Committee found substantial evidence' for allegations including that Gaetz regularly paid for sexThe House ethics committee report on Matt Gaetz, the former Florida Republican congressman who was Trump's first pick for attorney general until he withdrew his nomination, has found substantial evidence" for allegations including that he regularly paid for sex and violated Florida's statutory rape law.Gaetz denies all of the allegations. Continue reading...
Who wants to see the Notting Hill follow-up where it all falls apart? Not me - I'd rather recover my faith in the possibility of loveIn 2003, I wanted to write a column about why Love Actually encapsulated everything bad about Britain, not just our culture, but our entire self-fashioning. The editor said no - we had to draw a line somewhere. I deferred, which was annoying, because I was completely right; everything that's wrong with that film was visible from space.And yet, give it its due, it caught the spirit of the age. It has nauseating class politics: the central love affair, between Hugh Grant's prime minister and Martine McCutcheon's tea lady, is a fairytale precisely because its emotional centre is lottery-winner gratitude, that a prince might fall for a peasant. And this, looking back, was merely the benevolent, festive face of a derision for the working class that, some years later, my colleague Owen Jones would describe in Chavs. Continue reading...
Augustus Holm helped organize a San Diego footwear drive that earned a Guinness World Record - and it started from an idea he had when he was 13Some 18-year-olds who take time off from their studies after graduating high school head off to travel, learn a new language or gain employment. Augustus Holm gathered some friends, gave away more than 21,600 pairs of shoes to families in need and set a world record that he hopes lends even more credibility to his future philanthropic efforts.The 7 December footwear drive that Holm had a major hand in organizing in his home town of San Diego clinched the Guinness World Records mark for largest donation of shoes in 24 hours. But the story neither starts nor ends there, he said in a recent interview. Continue reading...
Despite some theological differences, both denominations look to her as an inspiration for cultivating compassion and hopeI had just finished teaching a class on the Muslim Mary". Many non-Muslims who attended were puzzled to find out that Muslims had a connection with Mary at all, and had no knowledge of how important she is to our belief and practice. This came as no surprise. Half of Americans report they know not much" or nothing at all" about Islam.As a Muslim girl growing up in the overwhelmingly Catholic state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany, Mary was a constant presence in my life. Her images and statues, dotted across my city, smiled at me as I walked to school. At Christmas time, I joined with my classmates to sing songs such as Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht.Zeyneb Saylgan is the Muslim Scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore Continue reading...
North Carolina is the second-largest Christmas tree-producing state, but its farms were walloped by the powerful stormThe 2024 holiday season is in full swing, and as Christmas tree farmers in western North Carolina continue to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, they say that customers and the local community are stepping up to support them this year.North Carolina is the second-largest Christmas tree-producing state in the US, harvesting nearly 4m trees annually, mainly grown in the western part of the state. Continue reading...
We can share a Christmas ham with people who cast different ballots, even if their decisions frustrate or pain usAs Donald Trump prepares to enter his second term as president, one thing is conspicuously absent (other than Ivanka): the proliferation of articles about how to handle Trump-voting family members at the holidays.During Trump's first term, holiday time was a bonanza for pieces about how liberals could rid their lives of Maga members. Now those pieces are still published, but they seem fewer and farther between, and take a different tone. Instead of focusing on why it's OK to cut off your Trump-voting family members (although a few do still take that tack), they largely emphasize how to get along, find common values and enjoy the holidays without politics. The narrative eight years ago - that Trump voters are irredeemable and should be marginalized - has given way to pleas for understanding and finding common ground.Jill Filipovic is the author of the The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness Continue reading...
We've started building up our own yearly rituals, and asking what we really want to get out of the festive periodWhen people ask what I'm doing for Christmas this year, I've been replying, with not a little bit of glee, that we are going nowhere and entertaining nobody". The almost universal reaction is one of wistfulness, if not envy.Taking the pressure off the festive season and choosing to please only yourselves is something many people fantasise about. Some people feel so hamstrung by responsibility to others (and dare I say it, perhaps are so used to that well-established feeling of Christmas martyrdom) that they never get the Christmas they secretly want.Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
The NFL is said to be a passing league with running backs are no longer critical to success. The metrics are telling a different story in 2024 - and not just in Philly and BaltimoreIf you're remotely familiar with the National Football League these days, you know what people say about both modern offenses and the value of running backs within them. Over the last two decades, with the increase in having multiple receivers on the field, and the decreasing value of running backs both in the draft and free agency, it's now writ large that the NFL is a passing game, and that running backs don't really matter.As is the case with any absolute, there's more to the story, and that's been especially true in the 2024 season. Most people already know that Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles and Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens are re-jiggering the concept of running back value with their MVP-level seasons, but there's an undercurrent of creative and effective run games throughout the league in 2024 that is showing up more and more in the metrics. Continue reading...
The hate targeted at the 76ers' rookie star for being his extroverted self has renewed conversations over entrenched homophobia in sports, especially among Black menWhen the Philadelphia 76ers posted a composite photo of their roster ahead of the 2024-25 season, all but one of their players stared dead-eyed at the camera. The exception, showing practically all 32 teeth in a wide smile, was the first-year guard Jared McCain. The photo would come to be indicative of the 20-year-old's image as he began his rookie year in the NBA.This sentiment of smiling in a roster headshot surrounded by deadpanning teammates followed McCain, not only as a player who stands out for his skill and exuberance on the court, but also as a gleeful outsider amid the Very Serious Business that is professional sports. Now there have been eccentric players in the professional ranks prior to McCain. Think Dennis Rodman, who was constantly dogged by controversy due to past problematic statements, stylistic choices or badly practiced" behaviors. However, McCain's nonconformity has made him easily one of the most targeted players for hate and vitriol in today's NBA, giving rise to the Jared McCain Problem". His biggest controversy to date is being himself. Continue reading...
What time does it start? Why Netflix? And when does Beyonce start? We (mostly) have the answersThe NFL Christmas games are taking place on, you guessed it, Christmas. And if you're anything like millions of people around the world then you're probably wondering: what time does the Beyonce show begin?But is that all you really need to know? What about the sporty bits? The odds of a Taylor Swift sighting? And how long you'll have to stream it on Netflix before it disappears? Read on for all the answers ... Continue reading...
I left Berlin for a flat overlooking the Bosphorus - and after a decade with a partner, found even Christmas could be joyfulRecently I found this note in my 2021 diary: Moved into this apartment five days ago, waiting for loneliness to catch up, but it hasn't come." I had written it in September of that year. I had just moved from Berlin to Istanbul, alone. It was meant to be a three-month stay - the plan was to return to Berlin by Christmas. But I didn't return. It has now been more than three years and I've never felt more alive.Before the move abroad, I'd lived with my partner for more than a decade. I was well acquainted with sharing life and space. Being truly alone within four walls was as new to me as my neighbourhood on the Bosphorus.Toast with marmaladeBoiled eggFennel salad with walnutsCarolin Wurfel is a writer, screenwriter and journalist. She is the author of Three Women Dreamed of SocialismDo 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...
A complaint filed by the actor against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni paints a disturbing picture - and suggests the public is far too easily fooledShe's really giving throwback oblivious mean girl, it's kind of amazing." Omg her saying she got her husband involved, she is SO that woman." I would love to tell you that these comments, written this summer about Blake Lively, the lead actor in domestic violence drama It Ends With Us, were posted on Reddit by some anonymous misogynistic troll.Lively had made what looked like tone-deaf promotional appearances to push her haircare and drinks line alongside the film. It was revealed that she had had a scene rewritten by her husband, actor/director Ryan Reynolds, and that she took control over the final cut, which also featured a song by her best friend, Taylor Swift. Everything from Lively's conduct to her predilection for florals seemed like fair game, spawning a vast amount of negative discourse and tanking her reputation. But the comments above were texts written by me, made in my most active group chat.Laura Snapes is the Guardian's deputy music editorDo 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...
by Robert Tait and Joseph Gedeon in Washington on (#6T405)
House report finds he made payments totalling tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex and drugs on at least 20 occasionsA House ethics committee report on Matt Gaetz, the former Florida Republican congressman, found substantial evidence" that he paid for sex with a minor, among other serious violations of state law and congressional rules.The investigation concludes that Gaetz, Trump's first pick for attorney general, made payments totalling tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex and drugs across at least 20 separate occasions. The report also states that in 2017 Gaetz paid a 17-year-old girl for sex when he was 35 years old, which would constitute statutory rape under Florida law. Continue reading...
Suspect identified as Sebastian Zapeta charged with murder and arson after watching victim set ablaze die, police saidA man who allegedly set a woman on fire inside a New York subway train and then watched her die is facing charges of murder and arson, police said Monday.The suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, was taken into custody hours after the woman died on Sunday morning. Continue reading...
Three people fell into water but survived with minor injuries' as swell expected to bring waves as high as 26ftThree people fell into the water, but survived with only minor injuries", when a 150ft portion of the Santa Cruz wharf in Santa Cruz, California, collapsed on Monday and floated away, according to local officials and the National Weather Service (NWS).The collapse comes as the area is experiencing a major swell that is expected to bring waves as high as 26ft (7.9 metres) to the central coast, along with hurricane-force winds. Continue reading...
Judge said state's ban clearly contrary' to recently passed constitutional amendment but left other laws in placeMore than two months after Missouri residents voted to add abortion rights into their state constitution and overturn the state's ban on the procedure, abortions have not yet resumed in Missouri - and it's not clear when they will, according to a key Planned Parenthood official in the region.The day after the election, Missouri Planned Parenthood affiliates filed a lawsuit asking the court to eliminate a slew of abortion restrictions that, the affiliates said, made it impossible to perform the procedure. On Friday evening, the Jackson county circuit court judge Jerri Zhang ruled that several restrictions, including the state's near-total ban, were clearly contrary" to the state's new constitutional amendment and could not be enforced. Continue reading...
Eruption was confined to volcano's summit caldera, with torrents of red-hot lava and cloud-line plumes of gas visibleRed torrents of lava and billows of volcanic gas began erupting from Kilauea on Hawaii's Big Island - one of the world's most active volcanoes.The eruption was confined to the volcano's summit caldera, in a remote, closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes national park, the Hawaii Volcano Observatory reported. Increased earthquake activity began at about 2am local time and within about half an hour webcam images began to show lava emerging through fissures in the caldera or spurting in fountains. Continue reading...
Shane Lamond found guilty of leaking to Enrique Tarrio that a warrant was out for his arrest before January 6The former head of the Metropolitan police intelligence unit in Washington DC has been found guilty of tipping off Enrique Tarrio - the imprisoned, one-time leader of the Proud Boys - that a warrant was out for his arrest before the January 6 Capitol attack in 2021.Shane Lamond has been charged with tipping off Tarrio, who at the time of the Capitol attack was wanted for the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner. Continue reading...
Walkouts have caused nearly 50 stores nationwide to close in five days, says Starbucks Workers United unionThe five-day strike from the Starbucks workers' union has grown to include locations in at least 11 states.As of Sunday, the strike had caused almost 50 stores nationwide" to close after it began, according to a statement provided by the union. Continue reading...
At a moment of the year associated with renewal and new birth, reflection on inspiring acts of solidarity and courage can point the way to a better futureIn the introduction to a new, seasonal compilation of his speeches on hope, Pope Francis reflects on the legacy of the great German theologian Johann Baptist Metz. Shaped by the early experience of living through the horrors of the Nazi era, Metz's political theology was a passionate warning against the danger of a self-absorbed Christian piety. Instead he urged a hopeful mysticism with open eyes" - one that clear-sightedly bears witness to, and seeks to alleviate, the suffering of others.At a time of the year associated with renewal and new birth, it is not necessary to share Metz's religious convictions to feel the power of that message. This yearhas been filled with heart-rending images from theongoing wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere. The weekend brought reports of yet more innocent casualties of Israel's relentless bombing campaign, including children sheltering in a school. Meanwhile, more than 12,000 civilians have been killedsince the start of Vladimir Putin's assault on Ukraine, along with more than 43,000 soldiers, according to Kyiv's estimates.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...
Several aircraft collided and fell into the crowd at an holiday event in Orlando, leading to Alexander's hospitalizationSeveral drones collided and fell into a crowd observing a holiday drone show in Orlando over the weekend, according to the Federal Aviation Alliance. A seven-year-old boy was seriously injured.The FAA is investigating the incident which occurred on Saturday, according to a statement. Continue reading...
At a time when support for immigration is waning, the people of Stone Ridge, New York, adopted Afghan refugees - and helped them build a new lifeEvery third Thursday evening, an episcopal church in upstate New York transforms into an Afghan takeaway restaurant. It's a very foodie congregation", says the Rev Marcella Gillis. The church does not charge the fledgling catering company overseen by Saida Faqirzada, a refugee from Kabul, for use of its gleaming commercial kitchen.That decision, unsurprisingly, reminds Gillis of a familiar biblical parable. Several bystanders pass by a distressed person who has been mugged, who beaten up, robbed and left for dead. They say, I'm not allowed to help them. I shouldn't help them. Someone else will help them." So they walk past. Continue reading...
For years I've watched the far-right party mobilise in my home town. Friday's terrible events could galvanise it furtherOn Saturday afternoon in Magdeburg a man stood outside Johanniskirche (St John's church), contemplating a lake of candles, flowers and soft toys. Then he loudly voiced his disbelief. And then they say he supported the AfD. As if. You just can't believe the media any more."People had gathered here to mourn. The photo of a dead nine-year-old boy was being shown around. Used rescue blankets piled up at the roadside as police guarded the now empty market.Thomas Vorreyer is a Berlin-based journalist with a focus on East German politicsDo 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...
Musk's intervention helped derail a crucial government funding bill, but some political observers question how long the alliance can lastDonald Trump has moved to quash speculation about Elon Musk's outsized influence in Republican politics, insisting at a conservative gathering that the tech billionaire would not usurp his authority as incoming president.No, he's not going to be president, that I can tell you," Trump told cheering supporters at the Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix on Sunday. And I'm safe. You know why he can't be? He wasn't born in this country." Continue reading...
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham regime, which has friendly relations with Turkey, is unlikely to tolerate Kurdish autonomyThe fall of Bashar al-Assad after the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) takeover in Syria is bad news for the country's Kurds. It is worth charting how things got here from the start of the war in Syria in 2012. During the conflict, the Democratic Union party (PYD) emerged as the biggest and most influential Kurdish political actor in Syria, taking territorial control in the north and maintaining an autonomous administration, albeit a fragile one.The PYD's position is even more precarious after the HTS takeover. Turkey, emerging as the most influential foreign actor in Syria, is laser-focused on limiting any Kurdish push for autonomy domestically and regionally. Another challenge the PYD faces is that the HTS-led regime is very unlikely to tolerate existing Kurdish autonomy in Syria.Dr Zeynep Kaya is a lecturer in international relations at the University of Sheffield. She is the author of Mapping Kurdistan: Territory, Self-Determination and NationalismDo 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 two-time Olympic gold medal-winning boxer's life has been turned into rousing drama The Fire Inside, written by Oscar winner Barry JenkinsClaressa Shields was two months removed from defending her Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games when an email from Hollywood landed in her inbox. Universal Studios wanted to make a movie about her life story. For Shields, who had spent much of her career fighting for recognition in a sport that marginalized women when they weren't ignoring them entirely, the offer felt like more than just a career milestone. It was a rare mainstream acknowledgment of her achievements and a chance to amplify to a wider audience the struggles she had endured in and out of the ring.I never checked my emails back then," Shields says with a laugh. But I saw the subject line, and it said something about a movie. I thought, A movie about my life? OK, let's see what they're talking about.'" That email kicked off a series of phone calls and meetings with the Oscar-winning screenwriter Barry Jenkins and other industry heavyweights. We negotiated for a year. I was only 20, so I made sure I had a lawyer," she recalls. I wasn't going to just sign anything. But once the contract was finalized, the ball started rolling." Continue reading...
AmericaFest showcased Maga's commitment to mobilizing conservative evangelicals into the Republican party baseStriding on stage to thunderous music and strobing pyrotechnics, Charlie Kirk thanked God for Donald Trump's victory in November's presidential election during a speech that set the tone for a Jesus Christ-filled weekend at AmericaFest, Turning Point USA's (TPUSA) annual gathering which drew 20,000 rightwing politicians, media figures and activists.We cannot take credit for what happened on November 5," said Kirk, the firebrand director of TPUSA. Who deserves credit is God Almighty." Continue reading...
The clemency action applies to all federal death row inmates except three convicted of terrorism or hate-motivated mass murderJoe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates, changing their punishment to life imprisonment without parole.The decision follows mounting pressure from campaigners who warned that the president-elect, Donald Trump, backs the death penalty and restarted federal executions during his first term after a 17-year hiatus. Continue reading...
There's only two rules for summer: every body is a beach body; any book will doChances are you're flocking to the sand this summer. Perhaps you prefer to perch under a tree near the riverbank or roll out your towel on the small grassy patch at your local pool. No matter where you're dipping, I hope you've packed a book!It's officially beach read" season and as I prepare to switch off socials and close the laptop for a few weeks, I'm turning my attention to the precarious tower of novels on my bedside table. Continue reading...
Some party figures favour cooperation but others say shun at all costs - and the split has critics seeking coherenceFor months they called him an authoritarian, an existential threat, even a fascist. But for some Democrats, it seems, none of these is a deal-breaker when it comes to working with Donald Trump.As the leaderless party struggles to find its bearings after a devastating election defeat in November, a split is emerging between those who insist on shunning the US president-elect at all costs and those who see merit in cooperation. The dichotomy has left allies frustrated and demanding a coherent plan of attack. Continue reading...
US president-elect raises issue of control of Denmark territory five years after proposing to buy it during first termGreenland's elected leader said the gigantic Arctic island is not for sale after Donald Trump once again raised the issue of ownership and control" of the vast territory that has been part of Denmark for more than 600 years.Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom," Greenland's prime minister, Mute Egede, said in a written comment. Continue reading...
Republican Jim Pillen expected to remain in hospital for several days after being thrown off new horse and injuredThe Nebraska governor, Jim Pillen, was injured on Sunday after being bucked off a horse and is expected to be hospitalized for several days.Pillen, a first-term Republican, was with his family when he was thrown off a new horse and injured, according to the governor's office. He was taken to a hospital in Columbus, Nebraska, and then transported to the University of Nebraska medical center in Omaha. Continue reading...
Back away from the celeb endorsements and viral posts. As my gift to you, dear readers, I tried this stuff - so you don't have toChristmas is all about traditions: repeating the same thing over and over, however silly it might be, because that's just what you do at Christmas. But every time-honoured tradition has to start somewhere. In order to sell us tat we don't need, and keep the PR industry ticking over, the holiday season has also become the time for all manner of daft fads, and celebs promising to give our favourite festive foods, games and pressies a twist". Not wanting to miss the (gravy) boat, I embarked on a spirited mission to try them all.This year's hotly touted Christmas trends include burr baskets" - a care package of cosy items such as blankets and socks given as a pre-Christmas gift, which sounds like an unnecessary extra faff. Then there's a lot of talk about Thriftmas": re-gifting and buying secondhand gifts from charity shops, which my friend and I havebeen doing for years. The best/worst such gift, from me to him, was probably an unofficial version of Guess Who? with most of the pieces missing. And from him to me: a used chocolate Advent calendar, with all the chocolate scoffed. Also on trend in the world of gifts this year is burgundy wrapping paper, although I say: what's wrong with tinfoil, like in Gavin and Stacey? Continue reading...
The great clashes to come will be less between left and right than between those inside and outside a dying establishmentWe live, at first blush, under the absolute dominion of celebrity. The former and future president of the United States spent more than a decade as a reality TV star. Taylor Swift just concluded the largest and most lucrative pop music tour in the history of the world. Mass entertainment vehicles remain star-driven - just ask anyone flocking to see Wicked (Ariana Grande) or Gladiator II (Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington) this holiday season. And that's not to mention all the petty dramas of the attractive and famous that still keep us all gossiping.It might be strange, then, to make a completely counterintuitive claim: that we are leaving the age of traditional mass celebrity. And not only are we leaving it, but we are drifting into a new, uncertain era, one where fresh hostility has emerged against those who, even a few years ago, would have received blind worship and little more.Ross Barkan is a writer based in New York Continue reading...
Next year is going to be an enormous challenge for the free press in the US. We hope you will consider making a gift to the Guardian in this final stretch of our year-end appealHere are 20 stories from our US reporting teams this year that held the powerful to account, exposed hidden truths, helped change lives and secure justice for people across America.None of this would be possible without the generosity of our readers: thank you so much from everyone at the Guardian for your support. Continue reading...
Catholic bishop dismissed child sexual abuse allegations that was then settled out of court, says investigation reportThe Roman Catholic bishop of Birmingham, Alabama, dismissed allegations of child sexual abuse against a priest that were later deemed credible and settled out of court by church officials, according to a new prosecutors' report that scrutinized his work during a prior role in Michigan.The actions of now Birmingham bishop Steven J Raica are detailed in a report published by the office of the Michigan state attorney general, Dana Nessel's, after an investigation into the diocese of Lansing, Michigan. Continue reading...
After a bruising election year, Americans make no-political-talk deals and avoid relatives to salvage festive gatheringsOver Thanksgiving, a seat at Irena's table in New York was empty this year.Irena and her husband chose not to share the holiday with his brother, who is a fan of Donald Trump. Continue reading...
The Atlanta rookie finally took over for Kirk Cousins and showed the Falcons what they have been missing for almost two months: a legitimate starting quarterbackIt only took one drive to see the difference. The Falcons smoked the Giants 34-7 on Sunday behind a commanding performance from their rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr.It was Penix's first start after the team ejected on the Kirk Cousins experience, with the Falcons expected to release the veteran this offseason. On the sideline, Cousins stood with his helmet on, looking like a dejected figure. On the field, Penix threw lasers, showing the Falcons what they have been missing for almost two months: a legitimate starting quarterback. Continue reading...
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