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The rules of the institutions that define our lives bend like reeds when it comes to Israel - so much that the whole global order is on the verge of collapseSereen Haddad is a bright young woman. At 20 years old, she just finished a four-year degree in psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in only three years, earning the highest honors along the way. Yet, despite her accomplishments, she still can't graduate. Her diploma is being withheld by the university, not because I didn't complete the requirements", she told me, but because I stood up for Palestinian life." Continue reading...

The American could next move for Sheffield Wednesday or Watford while Palace wait to see if dealings fall favourablyA champion skateboarder in his youth, John Textor has never been averse to risk. The American businessman even warrants a mention in Craig Snyder's book A Secret History of the Ollie as one of the few who beat eight-time world champion Rodney Mullen in freestyle competitions during the turn of the 70s", but a serious head injury put an end to his competitive career.Textor surprisingly turned his attention to football club ownership in 2021 when he bought a stake in Crystal Palace after making his fortune in digital technology and the next week could prove decisive for his latest venture. Continue reading...

Mechanisms designed to limit executive power - Congress, the courts and internal safeguards - are being underminedNear corn dog and cookie vendors, Ray Seeman was washing his hands on a sweltering day. He had come to the rally in a Maga cap and a T-shirt that proclaimed: Cult 45: proud member. Is this a cult? It seems like it," he laughed. It seems like you're either in or you're out."A cult, perhaps, but not an imperial presidency, Seeman insisted, though he does understand Donald Trump's frustrations. I don't like executive orders," he said. I like it to go through due process. But at the same time you've got to get stuff done sometimes." Continue reading...

Voters want more choice at the polls and more issue-driven campaigns. In the Democratic primary, they got bothThe polls did not look good for New York progressives this winter when the Working Families party began making its endorsements for city elections. An early February poll from Emerson College showed Andrew Cuomo with a 23-point lead in a hypothetical Democratic primary matchup. None of the four leading progressives even approached double-digit support - including the then unknown assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. He polled at 1%.In the days before ranked-choice voting, the Working Families party's endorsement process might have looked quite different. Like-minded candidates would have drawn sharp distinctions between each other. Party officials might have looked to nudge candidates toward the exits, behind closed doors. Before any votes had been cast in the primary, the party would consolidate behind just one choice. It would have been bloody and left a bitter taste for everyone. Continue reading...

The 32-year-old was instrumental in high-profile national security firings, and has cheerled the attacks on IranAfter years of claiming to be the vanguard of a new America First" isolationist movement rebelling against the neoconservative policies of the George W Bush administration that led to the bloody wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Maga's online influencers are cheering for another war in the Middle East.And not just any war: they are applauding Donald Trump's high-risk decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, a move that was considered a war too far even by the Bush administration. Continue reading...

Rightwing network downplays criticism from economists and says bill is packed with massive, huge, important wins'Donald Trump's mega-bill has been widely criticized in the press. News outlets and Democrats have warned that millions of people could be stripped of their health coverage through cuts to Medicaid, that cuts to food programs would see children go hungry, and that the legislation would cause the deficit to balloon.Fox News sees it differently. Continue reading...

Family of Cynthia Olivera reconsiders support for president after Ice detained her at green card interviewThe family of a Canadian national who supported Donald Trump's plans for mass deportations of immigrants say they are feeling betrayed after federal agents recently detained the woman in California while she interviewed for permanent US residency - and began working to expel her from the country.We feel totally blindsided," Cynthia Olivera's husband - US citizen and self-identified Trump voter Francisco Olivera - told the California news station KGTV. I want my vote back." Continue reading...

Playmaker scored against his new club and should form an entertaining combination with the England internationalThe good news for Chelsea is that Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian will be on the same team when they next share a pitch. Even better, it seems two of the most gifted young forwards around already have a connection. They were on opposite sides in Philadelphia on Friday night but friends when it was over, sharing a warm embrace after Chelsea's victory over Palmeiras in the Club World Cup, swapping shirts and perhaps thinking about how much fun they are going to have at the expense of opposition defences when they line up together next season.It was a heartwarming sight. Palmer offered a reminder that he remains the main man at Chelsea, performing with craft and intelligence during a first half in which he opened the scoring in smooth fashion, but Estevao vied for centre stage on his final appearance for Palmeiras. It was an extraordinary performance given the context. Anticipation has been building ever since Chelsea agreed a 52m fee with Palmeiras for Estevao in May 2024. The 18-year-old has remained on an upward trajectory after staying with Palmeiras for one more season, but any hopes of keeping the hype machine from going into overdrive with a player regarded as the best Brazilian youth product of his generation had disappeared long before he found himself trying to knock his future employers out of the Club World Cup. Continue reading...

Some two dozen girls still unaccounted for after summer camps swept away as Guadalupe River rises 26ft in 45 minutesRescuers searched on Saturday for 27 girls missing from a riverside summer camp in the US state of Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating flooding that killed at least 50 people - with more rain pounding the region.The flooding in Kerr county killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and at least eight people died in nearby counties. Continue reading...

If the US cuts off the cash it will have world-changing effects, but it's not the only country falling short in its obligations to the United NationsThe United Nations and its agencies have long struggled with funding shortfalls. Now an entrenched problem is becoming an acute crisis in the shadow of Donald Trump's executioner's axe. The US is the biggest contributor, at 22%, to the UN's core budget. In February, the White House announced a six-month review of US membership of all international organisations, conventions and treaties, including the UN, with a view to reducing or ending funding - and possible withdrawal. The deadline for decapitation falls next month.Trump's abolition of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and scrapping of most aid programmes, has already badly damaged UN-led and UN-backed humanitarian operations, which rely on discretionary funding. Yet Trump's axe symbolises a more fundamental threat - to multilateralism and the much-battered international rules-based order. The basic concept of collective responsibility for maintaining global peace and security, and collaboration in tackling shared problems - embodied by the UN since its creation 80 years ago last week - is on the chopping block.Simon Tisdall is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Musk, the world's richest man, only departed from the White House this May but has been critical of Trump's signature policy bill - key US politics stories from Saturday 5 JulyThe fallout between the US president, Donald Trump, and tech billionaire Elon Musk has reached a new low, with Musk declaring this weekend that he will bankroll a new political party to rival the president.Musk, the world's richest man, only departed from the White House this May but has been critical of Trump's signature policy bill, which he has described as utterly insane and destructive". Continue reading...

Girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River, are still missing, says city manager. This blog is now closed.We have more from the Associated Press on Camp Mystic, the all-girls Christian summer camp from which up to 25 people are missing.Chloe Crane, a teacher and former Camp Mystic counsellor, said her heart broke when a fellow teacher shared an email from the camp about the missing girls.At least 24 people have died and up to 25 people are missing after torrential rain caused flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Texas on Friday.Rescue teams are searching for the people who were attending the Christian all-girls Camp Mystic summer camp just outside the town of Kerrville 104km (64 miles) north-west of San Antonio.As of Friday night, emergency personnel had rescued or evacuated 237 people, including 167 by helicopter, Reuters reports.The Texas Division of Emergency Management had 14 helicopters andhundreds of emergency workers, as well as drones, involved in search-and-rescue operations.A month's worth of heavy rain fell in a matter of hours. In less than an hour the river rose 26 feet (7.9m) in what Kerr county sheriff's office called catastrophic flooding".The flooding swept away mobile homes, vehicles and holiday cabins where people were spending the 4 July weekend, the BBC said.A state of emergency has been declared in several counties.Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, US President Donald Trump said, We'll take care of them," when asked about federal aid for the disaster.Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local elected official, said a disaster of such magnitude was unforeseen. We had no reason to believe this was going to be anything like what's happened here," he said. None whatsoever."More rain is expected in the state, including around Waco, and flooding is anticipated downriver from Kerr county. Continue reading...

Previously apolitical agency lauds Trump's spending bill with false statements about federal taxes, experts sayAn email sent by the US Social Security Administration (SSA) that claims Donald Trump's major new spending bill has eliminated taxes on benefits for most recipients is misleading, critics have said.The reconciliation bill - which the president called the one big, beautiful bill" before signing it on Friday after Republicans in Congress passed it - includes provisions that will strip people of their health insurance, cut food assistance for the poor, kill off clean energy development and raise the national debt by trillions of dollars. Continue reading...

Violence and shootings tend to surge during the summer, especially on one of the deadliest days of the yearFriday's US Independence Day holiday was marked by multiple shootings across the US, including one in Indianapolis that left at least two dead and five wounded as a police chief voiced frustration over the latest acts of violence in his city.Indianapolis metropolitan police chief Chris Bailey told reporters early Saturday morning that the Fourth of July mayhem a day earlier was completely unacceptable and unnecessary" - and that parents and guardians needed to better control their children. Continue reading...

Reports indicate defense secretary unilaterally acted to halt shipment even as Pentagon suggested US arsenal is stockedPete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, unilaterally halted an agreed shipment of military aid to Ukraine due to baseless concerns that US stockpiles of weapons have run too low, it has been reported.A batch of air defense missiles and other precision munitions were due to be sent to Ukraine to aid it in its ongoing war with Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 2022. The aid was promised by the US during Joe Biden's administration last year. Continue reading...

Novak Djokovic produced a masterclass, while Jannik Sinner coasted to victory and Iga Swiatek handily defeated Danielle CollinsWhile we wait, let me delve into my reserves of Wimbledon anecdotes and pick one out from middle Saturday in 2012. Five hours and 31 minutes I sat on Court 2 watching Jack Draper's conqueror, Marin Cilic, drag out a five-set epic against Sam Querrey in the third round.In the end it was 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 17-15 to the Croatian - the second longest match in Wimbledon history. The umpire, Mohamed Lahyani, had also been in the chair for that Isner v Mahut marathon two years earlier. Continue reading...

Goals from Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele helped the nine-man European champions stumble past Bayern Munich in the most chaotic style imaginable

Donald Trump's dramatic escalation in threats to deport or arrest citizens - from the world's richest person to Democratic lawmakers - should be taken seriously, experts sayThreats of retribution from Donald Trump are hardly a novelty, but even by his standards, the US president's warnings of wrathful vengeance in recent days have represented a dramatic escalation.In the past week, Trump has threatened deportation, loss of US citizenship or arrest against, respectively, the world's richest person, the prospective future mayor of New York and Joe Biden's former homeland security secretary. Continue reading...

A drone video shows the scale of devastation left by the flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Texas on Friday. At least 24 people have died and trees, houses and cars were under water as rescue teams searched for missing people, including those attending the Christian all-girls Camp Mystic summer camp outside the town of Kerrville, 65 miles (105km) north-west of San Antonio. Donald Trump said: 'We'll take care of them,' when asked about federal aid for the disaster

The courts have failed to reckon with coercive control and survivors' trauma. Same with the court of public opinionWouldn't it be nice if, just now and again, bad things happened to bad people? Wouldn't it be refreshing if violence against women was taken seriously instead of being treated like one big joke?Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

In weekly nonviolent protests that channel the civil rights tradition, the faithful rally to end poverty and injusticeOn 2 June, at St Mark's Episcopal church in Washington DC, people packed the sanctuary - elders in denim jackets, seminarians in collars, organizers clutching clipboards. Some had come in from North Carolina; others walked from their homes just a few blocks away. The seats were full, so the crowd lined the aisles and leaned against the red-brick walls beneath stained-glass windows that cast streaks of light across the floor.It was the first Moral Monday of the summer - a tradition of weekly, nonviolent protest that began in North Carolina in 2013 and now serves as the beating heart of the Rev William Barber's national movement to end poverty and systemic injustice. I am not afraid," the congregation sang. They clapped in rhythm. They swayed in place. Their voices, layered and lived in, reverberated through the rafters: I would die for liberation, because I know why I was made." It was part worship, part invocation, part warning. They folded into the center of the sanctuary as they sang covenants of nonviolence - pledges to neither resist arrest nor retaliate, to remain disciplined and dignified in the face of confrontation. One organizer stepped forward and asked them to consider the gravity of what they were saying. In every cell of your body," he said, do you believe that?" Continue reading...

The change has some users of BNPL loans worried, but financial experts say the move could benefit borrowersA new change to buy now, pay later loans means borrowers' credit scores may see a change, which has worried some users of the loans.I have a feeling that I'm just not going to have as much access to spending power and zero or really low APR rates," said Nicole Nitta, a 31-year-old Las Vegas resident, who uses BNPL and shared that she already does not have great credit. Continue reading...

Old Glory Club has at least 26 chapters with participants including military personnel, lawyers and civil servantsA nationwide US network of dozens of far-right, men-only fraternal clubs has what members describe as literally hundreds" of participants who include past and currently serving military personnel, lawyers, civil servants, and prominent antisemitic influencers, a Guardian investigation can reveal.The Old Glory Club (OGC) - which has at least 26 chapters in 20 US states and until now has drawn little attention - exemplifies the alarming rise of organized racist political groups in the past few years but especially during the rise of Donald Trump and his return to the White House. Continue reading...

What was once an independent, policy-based agency is now using its leverage to further the Maga messageIt is time to unfurl the Mission Accomplished" banner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Paramount Global, the parent of CBS Television, has agreed to pay $16m to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. Presumably, the FCC can now cease its slow-walking of the Paramount-Skydance Media merger.Just two days after the president took office, the agency's new chair, Brendan Carr, inserted the FCC into the issues in the Trump lawsuit that alleged news distortion". As the New York Post headlined: Trump's FCC pick Brendan Carr says 60 Minutes' editing scandal could affect Paramount-Skydance merger review."Tom Wheeler was the chair of the Federal Communications Commission from 2013 to 2017 Continue reading...

The double standards and hypocrisy used to justify Israel's aggression will not be forgotten here, or in other countriesA trembling ceasefire has brought a pause to what had become the familiar sounds of explosions over Tehran. I was born in 1988, a year before the Iran-Iraq war came to an end. For my generation, war was something that belonged to the past - an impossible event, until this summer.For 12 days, we lived in the capital under incessant Israeli attacks, and what we saw has changed us for good: dead neighbours, buildings gutted and worry - endless, deep-etched worry - on the faces of people.Hossein Hamdieh holds a joint PhD in Geography and Anthropology from Humboldt University of Berlin and King's College London. He is currently based in Tehran, where he works as a social researcherDo 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 decade ago I watched MMA being used to curry favor with Putin. Now Trump is using the UFC to project a nationalist cult of masculinity on America's front lawnTen years ago - before I became an investigative journalist - I found myself working as a color commentator for a Russian mixed martial arts organization bankrolled by an oligarch deep in Vladimir Putin's orbit.The job took me around the Russian Federation and its neighboring states, allowing me to pursue unique stories that would otherwise have been out of my reach. I met a Latvian fighter who escaped a black magic cult run by his coach, attended an MMA show with the president of Ingushetia (now Russia's deputy minister of defence), and knocked back vodka shots with ex-KGB officers and Russian oligarchs. Continue reading...

As Joey Chestnut, the Ronaldo of speed eating, regains his world hotdog crown, he's holding up a mirror to our worldThe Big Dog is back. And the Big Dog is hungry. Hungry, above all, for dogs. Joey Chestnut has fulfilled his sporting destiny by reclaiming his world champion crown at the legendary 4 July hotdog eating contest in Coney Island, New York. Chestnut, AKA The Silent Warrior, is basically the Messi of elite eating. Or rather he's the Ronaldo, relentless in his perfectionism, possessed of an alluring competitive arrogance, and with the GOAT-level numbers to back it up: winner of the Mustard Belt now 17 times and the world record-holder as of 2021, when he ate 76 hotdogs in 10 minutes, a huge uplift on his debut in 2005 when he ate a frankly pathetic 32 hotdogs.Above all, Chestnut had a point to prove. He was banned from competing last year over a controversial sponsor deal with a plant-based hotdog alternative. Losing the title was a kind of Icarus moment. No one is bigger than the sport. Eating had to rein him in. And so this time around it wasn't about the $100,000 (73,000) prize. It was about legacy. Continue reading...

European champions are enjoying themselves under Luis Enrique, a world away from their last game against the German clubThe last time they crossed paths, Vincent Kompany was on his way in and Luis Enrique was on his way out. It was late November at the Allianz Arena and Bayern Munich's new manager waited by the press room while his opposite number at Paris Saint-Germain spoke to the media; as he listened in, he could hardly believe what he heard. It was completely over the top," Kompany recalled in Atlanta when he again followed Luis Enrique into a chair lined up before the cameras, and before another big night, seven months later and more than 7,000 miles away. Now we're talking about the same game from a totally different perspective; it's interesting to press fast forward and see how much things can change."That night, Bayern beat PSG 1-0 in the Champions League. Five games into the competition, PSG had won just once, against Girona at the Parc des Princes and that was their third loss, fear growing that even with the new, extended format they might not get out of the group. I heard all these big statements: it's all over'," Kompany said. Most games they should win 5-0 and somehow it's 1-1, or they lose and it didn't reflect their dominance. You look at the team now, the evolution, and it's nice to see that in those moments the consistency paid off. He was strong enough to continue. And that's not a compliment, that's just a fact." Continue reading...

Those appalled by Israel's actions in Gaza, and the kind of media frenzy prompted by Bob Vylan's Glastonbury appearance, are finding their voiceIf you are in the business of anointing monsters, you can see why your eyes would light up at a punk act called Bob Vylan. Until last weekend, sure, it might have been a tough sell to proclaim them as an avatar for Britain's revolting youth: prominent though they might be on the UK's punk scene, they had about about 220,000 monthly listeners on Spotify - a mere 1,000,000 away from a place in the top 10,000. But then, at Glastonbury, they made the most powerful possible case for broad media attention: they said something controversial about Israel's assault on Gaza, and opened up a chance to have a go at the BBC.And so the following morning, on the front page of the Mail on Sunday: NOW ARREST PUNK BAND WHO LED DEATH TO ISRAELIS' CHANTS AT GLASTONBURY." Pascal Robinson-Foster, aka Bobby Vylan, had started a round of antisemitic chanting" that was broadcast live on the corporation's coverage of the festival, the story explained. Keir Starmer called it appalling hate speech". The calls for the band members' arrest were quickly picked up, and before long the Conservatives were suggesting that the BBC should be prosecuted as well. On Monday, the story splashed in the Sun, the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Express.Archie Bland is the editor of the Guardian's First Edition newsletterDo 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...

Up to 10in of rain fell overnight, prompting flash flooding in region west of Austin hit by long droughtTorrential rains unleashed flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Texas on Friday, killing at least 24 people as rescue teams scrambled to save dozens of victims trapped by high water or reported missing in the disaster, local officials said.Among the missing were 23 to 25 people listed as unaccounted for at an all-girls Christian summer camp located on the banks of the rain-engorged Guadalupe, authorities said. Continue reading...

Chelsea scored a fortuitous late own goal to snatch a 2-1 victory over Palmeiras and reach the Club World Cup semi-finals3 min: A surging run in the penalty area for Pedro Neto, perhaps reassuring anyone that he will indeed be able to play despite grieving for his close friend Diogo Jota.1 min: Palmeiras win a corner quickly. (Ignore my previous comment that Chelsea won it. I am not yet in Da Zone.) Continue reading...

To truly understand the president's style of rule, we must go beyond Scandinavian sagas and Sicilian crime loreEver since Donald Trump returned to power, pundits have struggled to find apt analogies for his style of governance. Some liken his loyalty demands, patronage networks and intimidation tactics to the methods of a mafia don. Others cast him as a feudal overlord, operating a personality cult rooted in charisma and bound by oaths, rewards and threats rather than laws and institutions. A growing number of artists and AI creatives are depicting him as a Viking warrior. And of course, fierce debates continue over whether the moment has arrived for serious comparisons with fascist regimes.While some of these analogies may offer a degree of insight, they are fundamentally limited by their Eurocentrism - as if 21st-century US politics must still be interpreted solely through the lens of old-world history. If we truly want to understand what is unfolding, we must move beyond Scandinavian sagas and Sicilian crime lore.David Van Reybrouck is philosopher laureate for the Netherlands and Flanders. His books include Congo: The Epic History of a People and Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World Continue reading...

Democrats warn the major changes will benefit the wealthy and hit low-income earners hardest - key US politics stories from Friday 4 July at a glanceDonald Trump kicked off Independence Day by signing into law his sweeping tax and spending bill during a Fourth of July picnic at the White House.The president's signature legislation, which he called the big, beautiful bill", introduces major changes including tax cuts, spending boosts for defence and more aggressive funding for an immigration crackdown. Continue reading...

Americans celebrated the US's 250th anniversary of independence from England in red-white-and-blue style Continue reading...

The world No 1 fought back in both sets to end Emma Raducanu's run, while Carlos Alcaraz kept his title defence on trackA few venerable tennis observers have spoken of Amanda Anisimova as a possible champion here given the carnage in the women's draw, especially in her quarter. The 23-year-old American started her campaign by serving up a double bagel to a distracted Yulia Putintseva, and won in straight sets in the second round too, but she's been broken in the early exchanges against Galfi and trails 3-1.Make that 3-0 Osaka. Nick Kyrgios, who will play alongside Osaka at the rebooted US Open mixed doubles event next month, is watching on with Osaka's team, and will be impressed with what he's seen so far. Continue reading...

Up to 10in of rain fell overnight west of the Texas capital, Austin, on Thursday. At least six people were confirmed dead amid fears that the floodwaters had inundated an area filled with children's summer camps. 'The state of Texas is surging all available resources to respond to the devastating flooding around the Kerr county area,' said Texas's governor, Greg Abbott, in a statement on X

EU says it favours a negotiated solution' but is prepared for potential trade war with retaliatory dutiesDonald Trump threatened to impose 17% tariffs on food and farm produce exports from Europe during talks in Washington this week, it has emerged.Such tariffs would hit everything from Belgian chocolate to Kerrygold butter from Ireland and olive oil from Italy, Spain and France, all big sellers in the US. Continue reading...

Leviathan of competitive eating fires up Nathan's Fourth of July event after yearlong ban for promoting rival wienersJoey Jaws" Chestnut reclaimed his title at the annual Nathan's Fourth of July hotdog eating contest on Friday, cementing his status as the undisputed all-time champion of hotdog consumption.A rerun of Jaws was the blockbuster attraction in Coney Island this Fourth of July holiday, but not the classic Steven Spielberg movie enjoying a new lease of life on the 50th anniversary of its release. Continue reading...

Florida state lawmakers call blockage a blatant abuse of power and an attempt to conceal human rights violations'A group of Florida lawmakers were denied entry on Thursday into the new Florida-based immigration jail dubbed Alligator Alcatraz" one day after the first immigrant detainees began to arrive.Five Democratic lawmakers attempted to enter the facility, which was previously toured on Tuesday by White House officials, but were stopped by law enforcement officers from local agencies, according to the state representative Anna Eskamani in an interview with CNN. Continue reading...

US munitions slated for Ukraine held up over shortage as Trump disappointed' by Putin's refusal to make concessionsDonald Trump spoke with Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Friday as the US president appears increasingly disheartened over his chances of fulfilling a campaign pledge to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.The call with Zelenskyy comes as Washington has halted its latest shipment of military aid to Ukraine including Patriot air defense missiles and other crucial munitions meant to support the country's defenses, and hours after Russia launched a devastating air attack on Kyiv using a record number of drones and ballistic missiles. Continue reading...