New York representative, with Florida Republican and fellow veteran Mike Waltz, spoke of getting US back to national service'New York Democratic representative Pat Ryan said that having only 1% of Americans serving in the US military is deeply problematic as a democracy".In an interview with CBS's Face The Nation ahead of Memorial Day, Ryan, who is a veteran of the US army, said: When you lose touch between those that are fighting our wars and their families and everyone else, that's something so essential that we have to figure out how to bring folks together, and get more folks serving." Continue reading...
President, Republican rival and RFK Jr eager to recruit big names whose reach is bigger than ever - will it be decisive?Once heard, never forgotten, the voice is familiar to admirers of The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Heat, The Irishman and countless others. Trump wants revenge," says Robert De Niro, and he'll stop at nothing to get it."This was an ad released on Friday by Joe Biden's campaign to remind voters of Donald Trump's dark and divisive presidency and warn that his return to power could be even worse. The use of De Niro - a fierce Trump critic - as narrator was no accident but a reminder of the power of celebrities at the ballot box in America. Continue reading...
It wasn't even my decision. But being forced to ditch them after surgery was a revelation. Who cares what people think?Society has unwritten rules that we're all expected to follow and that can dictate some of the most intimate choices in our lives - from family structure and career and lifestyle decisions to the underwear we wear. That last one may seem out of left field, but it's true that society tells girls of all ages that as soon as their breasts start forming wearing a bra is the appropriate and decent thing to do.When I was a little girl, I could hardly wait to start wearing a bra. To me, it was a symbol of growing up, becoming a woman, and I began wearing one long before it was necessary". As a teenager, I found it fun to buy every different colour and style available until I had dozens to choose from. Back then, I accepted the discomfort of strapping down my breasts as one of the many unfair consequences of being female. I thought there was no other choice.Becki Jacobson is an American writer and entrepreneurDo 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 96th Scripps National Spelling Bee, which begins Tuesday, is a celebration of discipline and focus in a world where those things appear to be in vanishing supplyA question that I perennially encounter when I tell people that I am a professional spelling bee tutor is: Why bother with spelling bees when we have spell check?" It's an eminently understandable response, especially when it comes from people who have never watched a bee. Cell phones and computers have no problem storing the entire corpus of the English dictionary and consulting it at a moment's notice. Like all games and sports, spelling bees aren't strictly speaking necessary or useful - at least not in an immediately practical way. Yet questions about spelling bees' utility (or lack thereof) miss what makes them so beloved - why it broke spellers' and logophiles' hearts when the Scripps National Spelling Bee was cancelled in 2020 amid the pandemic; why the Bee was quickly revived in 2021 and 2022, with altered rules and a partially virtual format; and why the Bee continues to captivate people internationally, motivating countries like Jamaica, China, and Ghana to send teams to Washington DC to compete.The rise of artificial intelligence is provoking a great deal of anxiety these days. The development of machine-learning technologies which vastly outstrip human abilities forces us to meditate upon what, in the final analysis, differentiates us from AIs. It also compels us to consider which spheres of human life we think ought to be automated, and which activities we feel should be defended against AI incursions. Continue reading...
I cannot forget how badly my family was treated. I live each day with the toll this has takenIt is now 31 years since the death of my son Stephen. Thirty-one years during which I have witnessed countless young people being knifed and shot on Britain's streets, and seen the devastation that has been wrought on the families of those sons and daughters murdered in their youth.While my story will resonate with others whose lives have been changed irrevocably, and whose grief has no ending, each story is unique. Mine has been shaped not only by Stephen's brutal and untimely death, but by the long fight for justice and to expose the failings of the Metropolitan police. It has also been shaped by the institutional racism identified in the Macpherson report (1999) - and by the enduring disbelief that complete strangers could attack and kill my son for no reason other than their hatred of black people.Neville Lawrence OBE is an anti-racism campaignerDo 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 brutal repression of student protests from Amsterdam to Los Angeles is exposing failings at the heart of our universitiesAcross the world, university students have set up encampments to protest against the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza and put pressure on academic institutions and governments. Whatever one thinks of their message and of their requests, their moral indignation in the face of avoidable human suffering is one we should all be able to share.I find it inspiring that this student movement has been spearheaded by a generation that was too quickly labelled apolitical and self-absorbed. Think about it: these students grew up in the bleak post-9/11 world, with a future foreclosed by the 2008 financial crisis and the climate meltdown. They are still reeling from two years of pandemic that have taken a heavy educational and emotional toll. Still, this generation has succeeded in organising a global movement that is coordinated, smart and humane. It deserves much better than condescension.Prof Patrizia Nanz is president of the European University Institute Continue reading...
Holding actors like Putin to account relies on international law. If Israel's allies flout it, how can they convince others to respect their rules?Since its inception, the international criminal court (ICC) has charged 50 people, 47 of whom were African. Its investigations have also been overwhelmingly focused on war crimes and crimes against humanity in African nations. What has long been understood but never stated is that the court and its processes, to put it bluntly, target a certain type of political leadership that is easier to go after. The court is built for Africans and thugs like Putin," is what one appalled elected senior leader reportedly told the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, when his team made a recent application for arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, its defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders.Again, blunt, but not revelatory. At least not to the parts of the world that are more familiar with the court and its investigations. The lineup of suspects and defendants has long solidified the impression below the equator that the ICC is a court for Africans, and lately maybe Russians. How can that not be the takeaway when, in the years since the court was founded, the US - often with British support - has calamitously invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, established an extrajudicial prison for terror suspects, and created a CIA torture and detention network? African conflicts are seen as intimate, tribal and intentional in a way that those in other places are not. The underlying suggestion is that civilians in western wars are killed and illegally detained by accident, while other countries do this on purpose. Continue reading...
Storms obliterate homes, a truck stop and more across the central US as police report the dead include two children, ages two and fivePowerful storms killed at least 15 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where drivers took shelter during the latest deadly weather to strike the central US.Seven deaths were reported in Cooke County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, where a tornado Saturday night plowed through a rural area near a mobile home park, officials said. Storms also caused damage in Oklahoma, where guests at an outdoor wedding were injured. Tens of thousands of residents were without power across the region. Continue reading...
Possible Trump running mate makes extreme remark as former president steps up efforts to woo Black and minority votersDonald Trump's inner circle is stepping up efforts to woo Black and other minority voters, with a leading candidate to be his vice-presidential running mate claiming falsely on Sunday TV that Joe Biden was resegregating US public schools.Tim Scott, the US senator from South Carolina who has been open about his desire to be on Trump's ticket, made one of the most extreme claims yet. Speaking on CNN's State of the Union show, he described President Biden as a supporter of educational segregation. Continue reading...
Donald Trump was booed and heckled during a raucous speech to the Libertarian National Convention as he appealed for them to vote for him.The Libertarian party, which prioritises small government and individual freedoms, typically gains 3% or less of the national vote but its members could yet prove crucial in swing states this November
Even with a ban, gen alpha will find a way to connect with people online. It's up to the platforms - and grownups - to ensure a safer internetIn the olden days, I sat in front of an enormous CRT monitor and waited for my 14,400-baud modem to connect. For a few hours I talked to my friends via internet relay chat (online"). When I was finished I stood up, left the family room and hung out with my cats (offline").The distinction between online and off has changed a lot since then. Relationships moved from LiveJournal to IRL. We had to use email for work. Banks closed their physical branches in favour of apps. Slowly but surely, our online life" just became life. Society now straddles the two worlds, with the same terrible people gathering in dog parks and neighbourhood Facebook groups. Continue reading...
A blogger falsely claimed Eric Posey exposed himself to a crowd, including childrenA jury has awarded more than $1.1m to an Idaho drag performer who accused a far-right blogger of defaming him when she falsely claimed that he exposed himself to a crowd, including children, during a Pride event in June 2022.The Kootenai county district court jury unanimously found that Summer Bushnell defamed Eric Posey, a resident of Post Falls, Idaho, when she posted a doctored video of his performance that included a blurred spot that she claimed covered his fully exposed genitals", the Coeur D'Alene Press reported.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...
For thirty years I longed to turn down the volume on my life. But since I have, I can see the problem with insulating yourself from the worldIt's all so quiet. Just the way I like it: my husband is out; it's pouring, so no one is mowing (the only thing that ever breaches the peace around here) and even the birds are taking a rain check. I can hear my own breathing; hear myself think. But what I'm thinking is: is it too quiet?I craved quiet for so long. For 30 years, actually, since my first year at university. I was living with three others who did an entirely normal amount of partying, dancing and shagging. But I was quietly falling apart and hearing all that ordinary, raucous life made me feel desperately sad and out of control. Since then, I've passed through shared accommodation where I was the weird 21-year-old knocking on doors in my pyjamas to ask neighbours to turn their music down; city blocks where you knew exactly what everyone was watching on TV; a street frequented by 5am glass-recycling lorries; and, for a particularly challenging time, a house next to a family of brass instrumentalists. Continue reading...
Conservatives have created a guide for how Trump and allies could dismantle the US government if he wins the electionHeavyweight conservatives joined together to create a roadmap for a potential second Trump presidency, and they are working to recruit and train the people who would work in an incoming conservative administration.Project 2025 details across more than 900 pages how Trump and his allies could dismantle and disrupt the US government. It suggests ridding the federal ranks of many appointed roles and stacking agencies instead with more political appointees aligned with and more beholden to Trump's policy prescriptions. Continue reading...
Trump has railed against urban centers run by Democrats, and Project 2025 lays out how to crack down on themTo hear Donald Trump tell it, America's cities are in dire shape and in need of a federal intervention.We're going to rebuild our cities into beacons of hope, safety and beauty - better than they have ever been before," he said during a recent speech to the National Rifle Association in what has become a common refrain on the campaign trail. We will take over the horribly run capital of our nation, Washington DC." Continue reading...
More than 3,000 people have used the law, inspiring legislation in Australia and Canada and debate in the UK, France and JapanIt's three decades since Ann Jackson voted against the first assisted-dying law in the world.But after watching two partners succumb to cancer, and fearing the prospect of a lingering death herself as she grapples with autoimmune diseases, Jackson is now a vigorous proponent of the Oregon legislation used by thousands of people to end their own lives, and providing a blueprint for other US states and countries considering similar laws, including the UK. Continue reading...
We all start our journey into motherhood with a Plan A for the birth, but wouldn't it be helpful if we had a Plan B or C or even D?Oh God, I mean, I laugh about it now. Which is funny in itself really, the idea that 10 years later I'd be laughing about the day, the dawn, where, white-faced in a room with blood up the walls, I would hand our new raw blinking baby to my boyfriend in order to frantically find, in my Notes app, the document I had grandly named Birth Plan. What was I hoping to find there, I wonder now. It's funny, it is funny, how I scoured it - I want a mobile epidural", I want gentle guidance rather as opposed to being forced to push" - this plan, written as if ticking off boxes on a dim sum menu, written in the voice of the person I was before. It seemed crucial, in that moment, to see if perhaps I'd given them the wrong piece of paper. Had it been an admin error? The forceps, the lack of drugs, the breast milk not coming in, the blood, was it my fault? I remember reading it again and again, I hadn't slept for some time, of course, and the baby was crying, but I felt, I think I felt, that even though I had tried to do everything right, something had gone terribly wrong.It turned out, despite my shock, despite the horrors and their ripples that followed me for years, my experience of giving birth was almost comically pedestrian. It reminded me of the time I got my ears pierced, I must have been about 12, going home on the bus looking at other women's earrings and thinking, OK, you've felt that same agony" - now I traipsed around London with the baby strapped to me looking at other mothers, thinking, and yet, you are walking, you are smiling, you are putting on red lipstick in the reflection of a phone?" As the years have passed I've talked to other people about their births with a kind of hunger - these are stories of babies almost dying and mothers almost dying, and worse, of course - so when last week's report on birth trauma was published, no part of me was surprised at the findings. I can't imagine many parents were. Continue reading...
Jeers suggest Republican presidential candidate faces a challenge in broadening his appealDonald Trump, the former US president, has suffered the rare humiliation of getting booed and heckled during a raucous speech to the Libertarian National Convention.Trump's rocky ride at a Washington hotel on Saturday night, including cries of Bullshit!" and Fuck you!", underlined the challenge that the Republican presidential nominee faces to broaden his appeal both left and right on the political spectrum. Continue reading...
by Oliver Milman in New York and agency on (#6N2CD)
President entreats graduates at commencement to hold fast' to oath to US constitution in veiled reference to Trump's threat to democracyJoe Biden has called newly graduating US military officers the guardians of American democracy" at a commencement speech in New York state, where the US president, without mentioning Donald Trump by name, gave strong warnings of unprecedented threats to US freedom.Biden told the West Point military academy graduating class of 2024 that it is being called upon to tackle threats across the globe as well as preserve America's ideals at home. Continue reading...
by Joanna Walters in New York and agency on (#6N2EV)
Senate Democrats seek meeting with Chief Justice John Roberts to discuss issue and seek Alito's recusal on January 6 casesThe wife of US supreme court justice Samuel Alito reportedly justified the display of an upside-down American flag at the couple's home by saying it was an international signal of distress", as senior Democrats have requested a meeting with the chief justice over the growing scandal.Martha-Ann Alito made the comments to a Washington Post reporter, the outlet reported on Saturday, when the journalist visited the couple's Virginia home in January 2021, not long after the attack on the US Capitol by extremist supporters of Donald Trump. Continue reading...
United Auto Workers filed petition Friday, accusing company of relentless' campaign including firings and captive-audience meetingsThe United Auto Workers (UAW) union is seeking a new election at a Mercedes-Benz vehicle plant in Alabama after losing a vote there last week, according to a petition filed on Friday with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).The union accused Mercedes of engaging in a relentless anti-union campaign" including the firing of employees who were pro-union and holding frequent captive-audience meetings to spread anti-union views, according to the filing. Continue reading...
US and Britain condemn Hamas and Putin, yet balk at attempts to hold Israel's leaders to account. But no one should be above the lawIndignant protests by Israeli and US leaders over last week's decision by the prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) to seek Benjamin Netanyahu's arrest for alleged war crimes shone new light on an old reality: for those at the top who wield decisive political power, all people are equal - but some are more equal than others.At the heart of objections to Karim Khan's gutsy move is the unspoken implication that violence against Palestinians, a dispossessed, marginalised and largely voiceless people, is less wrong, or somehow more acceptable, than violence against Israelis, the privileged, protected citizens of an established nation state. To demur is to be accused, inanely yet inevitably, of antisemitism. Continue reading...
The state wasn't the best place to get pregnant in the first place, with some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the USLouisiana is not a great place to get pregnant. If you need an abortion, a near-total ban means it's almost impossible to get one, even in cases of rape or incest - anyone who provides an abortion deemed illegal can go to jail for 15 years. And if you plan on having the baby, you have to deal with some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the US. Although, as Senator Bill Cassidy has helpfully noted, if you correct our population for race, we're not as much of an outlier as it'd otherwise appear". In other words, if you ignore Black people (a third of his constituents), things look a little better. So that's OK then! Continue reading...
by David Smith in Atlanta, Georgia, and Detroit, Mich on (#6N28S)
Veteran Democrat embraces a gruelling schedule in swing through Michigan and Georgia as he seeks to avoid joining ranks of one-term presidentsThe fact is that this election, a lot is at stake," said Joe Biden, collar unbuttoned, mic in hand, watched by about 50 guests at tables dotted with small US flags at Mary Mac's Tea Room in downtown Atlanta. It's not about me. It's about the alternative as well."The off-the-cuff remark was telling. After more than half a century in national politics, Joe Biden's final campaign is defined not by his record but his opponent: Donald Trump. The outcome of November's presidential election will decide whether he is remembered by history as the man who saved democracy twice - or as a mere interregnum in the onward march of Trumpism. Continue reading...
The Grammy-winning singer suffered an ugly incident with a security guard - but Rowland stood her ground. Good for herKelly Rowland is holding her own after she was filmed calling out a security guard who disrespected her as she posed for photos at the Cannes film festival earlier this week.In the video, you can see the security guard rush the Grammy-winning singer off the steps, blocking photographers' view of Rowland while speaking to her in a way to which Rowland clearly took objection. The singer initially appears to engage with the security guard calmly, placing a hand on the security guard's arm after she apologized for stepping on Rowland's dress. A verbal back-and-forth ensues and then, it appears, Rowland had enough.Tayo Bero is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...
Abraham Arceo was diagnosed with cancer a year ago, and family not sure he would make it to ceremony - until hospital intervenedHospital staff in California helped a dying man fulfill his wish of walking his daughter down the aisle by hosting the pushed-up wedding ceremony it in the facility's chapel.Abraham Arceo was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a year ago, and his condition worsened in recent weeks to the point his family members were not sure he would make it to the planned date of his daughter Brittny's marriage to her fiance, Alan Tran, on 28 June. Continue reading...
Service members are more likely than the general public to become problem gamblers, but screening - and help - is lackingDave Yeager didn't join the US army to become a pathological gambler. But after re-enlisting as a food inspection specialist in the wake of 9/11, Yeager arrived at his base hotel in Seoul, Korea, feeling overwhelmed and restless. I'm walking around and find a casino-style slot machine room," says the 57-year-old former sergeant. As soon as I sat down, the first thing I noticed was that my shoulders started to relax. Then I won, and it was like a dopamine hit. In that moment, all of the fear and anger and stress that I was feeling just went away."Suddenly and without warning, a night of gambling here and there became a seven-day-a-week addiction - one that had him phoning home for more money, pawning personal effects and stealing from his unit. When a demotion in rank failed to curb Yeager's reckless behavior, his bosses threw up their hands. Continue reading...
Former White House trade adviser is currently serving four months in federal prison for contempt of CongressDonald Trump has said he would absolutely" rehire his federally imprisoned former economic adviser Peter Navarro if returned to the presidency in November.I would absolutely have Peter back," Trump - who has spent more than a year grappling with more than 80 of his own criminal charges - told the Wall Street Journal. This outrageous behavior by the Democrats should not have happened." Continue reading...
CNN reports video published on Truth Social and removed hours later was made from template and placeholder text not changedA video posted on social media by Donald Trump referencing a unified reich" has been traced to a template made by a Turkish designer more than a year ago, according to a report from CNN.Critics, including Joe Biden, condemned Trump over a video posted to his Truth Social account on Monday featuring a hypothetical headline from his second presidential term reading industrial strength significantly increased ... driven by the creation of a unified reich". Continue reading...
Independent candidate pledges to pardon Snowden and drop Assange charges, and says Trump caved' over pandemic responseRobert Kennedy Jr, a longshot independent candidate for US president, has sought to woo Libertarian party voters by casting rivals Donald Trump and Joe Biden as enemies of individual freedom.Kennedy, 70, brought Libertarians to their feet by promising to pardon government whistleblower Edward Snowden, currently exiled in Russia, and drop espionage charges against Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder battling US attempts to extradite him from Britain. Continue reading...
Two were arrested on Thursday after Swat team raided rapper's rented mansion in suburban Fort LauderdaleRapper and singer Sean Kingston and his mother committed more than a million dollars in fraud in recent months, stealing money, jewelry, a Cadillac Escalade and furniture, documents released Friday allege.Kingston, 34, and his 61-year-old mother, Janice Turner, have been charged with conducting an organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, identity theft and related crimes, according to arrest warrants released by the Broward county, Florida, sheriff's office. Continue reading...
Unholy trinity' of Instagram, Activision and Daniel Defense accused of working to convert alienated boys into mass shooters'Families of children who were killed in the 2022 Uvalde mass shooting have filed wrongful death lawsuits accusing Instagram, game maker Activision and weapons manufacturer Daniel Defense of enabling the massacre.The suits were filed on the second anniversary of the school shooting, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed, and accuse the unholy trinity" of Instagram, Call of Duty, and Daniel Defense of working together to convert alienated teenage boys into mass shooters". Continue reading...
Officers threatened to kill the dog of Thomas Perez Jr as they pressured him to falsely confess to killing his father, who was aliveA California city has agreed to pay $900,000 to a man who was subjected to a 17-hour police interrogation in which officers pressured him to falsely confess to murdering his father, who was alive.During the 2018 interrogation of Thomas Perez Jr by police in Fontana, a city east of Los Angeles, officers suggested they would have Perez's dog euthanized as a result of his actions, according to a complaint and footage of the encounter. A judge said the questioning appeared to be unconstitutional psychological torture", and the city agreed to settle Perez's lawsuit for $898,000, his lawyer announced this week. Continue reading...
Duties of US defense secretary, 70, whose cancer treatment in December was initially undisclosed, were briefly carried out by deputyThe US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, underwent hospital treatment for a bladder issue for the second time in just over three months, the Pentagon announced.A Pentagon spokesperson, Maj Gen Pat Ryder, said the 70-year-old Austin entered Walter Reed military medical center on Friday evening to undergo what he called a scheduled, elective, and minimally invasive follow-up non-surgical procedure" to treat his previously disclosed bladder condition. Continue reading...
Shruthi Kumar gives unscripted condemnation of university after 13 students barred from graduation over involvement in protestsA graduating Harvard University student went off script and upbraided Harvard over the university's treatment of students protesting against what they say is a genocide being carried out by Israel in Gaza.As I stand here today, I must take a moment to recognize my peers - the 13 undergraduates in the class of 2024 that will not graduate today," said student Shruthi Kumar, who was chosen to deliver the English commencement remarks for the undergraduate class. Continue reading...
Ali Abbasi's film, which shocked audiences at its world premiere at Cannes, depicts former president raping his first wifeLawyers for Donald Trump have sent a cease-and-desist letter to the producers of The Apprentice in an attempt to block its US sale and release after the film - which depicts the former US president raping his first wife - shocked audiences at its world premiere at the Cannes film festival.The Trump campaign said earlier this week they would take legal action against Ali Abbasi's film, with spokesperson Stephen Cheung vowing to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend film-makers". Continue reading...
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