Deadly tornado upgraded to EF-5, first in US to get that classification in years, and at its largest was 1.05 miles wideA deadly tornado that tore across North Dakota this summer has been upgraded to an EF-5, the strongest kind of tornado and the first one to attain that classification on US soil in 12 years.The tornado on 20 June in Enderlin caused significant damage across the region and killed three people. The tornado touched down on the ground for just over 12 miles (19km), and at its largest, was 1.05 miles wide (1.69km). Continue reading...
Abigail Spanberger faces criticism for her support of fellow Democrat who speculated about Republican lawmaker getting two bullets to the head'A series of violent" texts sent by a Democrat seeking to become Virginia's attorney general has shaken up the state's governor's race, with Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears seizing on the controversy to try to reverse her opponent's double-digit polling lead.Earle-Sears has released new campaign advertisements condemning Democratic former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, her opponenent in the governor's race, for continuing to support Jay Jones, whose private texts three years ago speculated about a senior state Republican getting two bullets to the head" and breeding little fascists". Continue reading...
US president offers few concessions on tariffs after durable alliance fractured by trade war and annexation threatsDonald Trump said there is mutual love" but natural conflict" between the US and Canada as he hailed progress towards a trade deal but offered few concrete concessions on steep US tariffs during a visit by the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney.Carney's second visit to the US comes as one of the world's most durable and amicable alliances has been fractured by Trump's trade war and annexation threats. Among the topics up for discussion are trade and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which is critical to Canada's economy and is up for review next year. Continue reading...
Brian K Williams, who worked for Karen Bass, admitted he falsely told police he received call about bomb in city hallA former member of Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass's senior staff was sentenced on Monday to a year of probation for calling in a fake bomb threat to city hall while attending a virtual meeting in 2024.During his sentencing hearing in US district court, Brian K Williams admitted that he falsely told police in October 2024 that he had received a call on his city-issued cellphone from an unknown man who said he had placed a bomb in city hall, the Los Angeles Times reported. Williams was a longtime law enforcement oversight official who served as Bass's deputy mayor of public safety. Continue reading...
Far-right influencer's comments on X came after president evidently left door open to pardoning the Epstein associateA noncommittal response from Donald Trump over whether he would pardon the convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell provoked a response from the president's staunch ally and far-right influencer Laura Loomer.Do not do it," Loomer wrote on X, tagging Trump, JD Vance and Pam Bondi, the US attorney general. I repeat. Do not do it. There will be no coming back from that. I repeat again. For the love of God. Do Not Do It." Continue reading...
Officers say woman was in chase ending in ramming border patrol vehicle during Trump's immigration crackdownThe attorney for a woman who was shot by federal agents in Chicago over the weekend after she allegedly rammed a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) vehicle has claimed that body-camera footage captures one of the officers saying: Do something, bitch," before opening fire, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.The shooting occurred on Saturday morning in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood, as immigration agents, at the behest of the second Trump administration, have been scouring Illinois's largest city for people to deport. Continue reading...
To the bewilderment of researchers like me, the historical racial fertility gap has shrunk. Conventional explanations for this come up shortIn recent years, the United States' total fertility rate - the average number of children a woman will have over her childbearing years - has hovered at historic lows. The ongoing decline has bolstered fears about the nation's ability to manage its vast economy - and maintain its ever-so fragile position as a global superpower. While America's fertility dip isn't unique - after all, about half of countries worldwide have fertility rates well below replacement levels (the minimum fertility amount needed to sustain a population) - its situation is becoming uniquely intricate, maybe even irreversible. To understand why, you need only look at the case of America's Black population.Historically, Black and other non-white women have had higher fertility rates than white women, but in recent years, to the bewilderment of researchers like me, these gaps have rapidly shrunk due primarily to Black people foregoing children. In a poll conducted in March by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, only 37% of Black respondents said that having kids was important, compared with 51% of white people and 46% of Hispanics. Why? One contentious explanation is that Black people may be both consciously and unconsciously deciding not to have children over fears about increasing racism in America.Jerel Ezell is an epidemiologist and visiting professor at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He studies the cultural and racial aspects of health Continue reading...
Nearly 28,000 people relied on Glenn Medical center for its services, but now they will have to travel more than 30 miles for careFor the better part of a century, Glenn Medical center dealt with all kinds of injuries, ailments and emergencies in the far northern reaches of California's Sacramento valley - heart attacks, car collisions and even plane crashes.The only hospital in this agricultural county, not far from the rice fields and almond orchards, many of the area's 28,000 residents have a story about how the hospital saved them, or a loved one, said Lauren Still, the medical center's chief administrative officer. Continue reading...
Medical helicopter crashed on a Highway 50 in Sacramento, critically injuring three people aboardA medical helicopter crashed on a highway in Sacramento, critically injuring three people aboard - including a woman who was pinned underneath and was rescued with the help of motorists who lifted part of the aircraft, according to officials.The helicopter had taken a patient to a hospital and was on the way back to the place it had been dispatched from when it experienced an in-air emergency" just after 7pm local time on Monday, said Justin Sylvia, a spokesperson for the Sacramento fire department. He said it looked like the helicopter crashed upside-down and left a large debris field. Continue reading...
Trump's personal desire to play the part of peacemaker should not be dismissed - it should be encouragedTwo years after the horrors of 7 October, few names evoke the tragedy more than Kfar Aza, a small, bucolic kibbutz less than two miles from Gaza that came under brutal attack that day.For years, I visited Kfar Aza with groups of policymakers and American guests on trips designed to help them understand what life on the border meant and what a path toward conflict resolution might entail.Jeremy Ben-Ami is president of J Street, the pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy advocacy organization. Continue reading...
This year was the year of Partiful, a purple mess that won't even let me be passive-aggressive without chastising meStop inviting me to your parties. I think I have not only aged out of going to some non-stop rager hosted by you, specifically for your benefit, but I also can't keep track of when your unnecessary gatherings even occur. You might think I sound incredibly unfun, but actually, I'm the life of the party. It's just that at my age, all the life has been sucked out. Tom's 32nd BDay Bash!!!" at Squirrel Lodge is 2 November, but then Shelly's Pre-Turkey Day Shindig?" is two days later. You actually think I'm going to both of those?Besides, I can't recall what I ate for breakfast, let alone what day your party is. Unfortunately, technology has a solution to my memory problem. Continue reading...
The deportation hub seemed on the point of closure but has been revived as a black site ... people are being disappeared'For two weeks at the end of August Alligator Alcatraz", the harsh immigration jail in the Florida Everglades notorious for allegations of inhumane treatment and due process violations, looked like it was done.A district court judge ruled that its hasty construction in the fragile wetlands breached federal environmental laws, and state officials appeared to be complying with her closure order by shipping out hundreds of detainees and winding down operations. Continue reading...
The administration is trying to make nine universities an offer they seemingly cannot refuseSticks are bad, but sometimes corruption through carrots is worse. The Trump administration - after having brutally cut federal funding earlier this year - is now trying to make nine universities an offer that they seemingly cannot refuse. In exchange for preferential treatment in funding and bonuses like invitations to White House events" - apparently the same logic as a fancy credit card that promises you backstage access at concerts - the universities are expected to sign a compact" with the government. All nine institutions must reject this proposal: it is a thinly veiled attack on academic freedom; it is a test case for whether Trumpists can get away with demanding loyalty oaths; it exceeds the president's powers to begin with; and it is bound to achieve the opposite of its stated goal of academic excellence in higher education" (as opposed to what kind of excellence in education, one is tempted to ask).Some features of the compact might look reasonable at first sight. No one is against addressing ever-rising tuition fees (never mind that the Republican party at the same time is capping federal loan programs and shoveling money to high-cost private lenders). And some might welcome the Stephen Miller-lite version of xenophobia: capping the number of foreign students at 15% and forcing foreigners to take American civics" (it is unclear who would decide the content of lessons about how great our country is").Jan-Werner Muller is a Guardian US columnist and a professor of politics at Princeton University Continue reading...
The Monaco striker speaks on a Copa America experience that left him with frustration but also hunger' to achieve more with the USMNTThe road to the AS Monaco training center isn't an easy, linear drive from the coast. You're reeled in to higher ground on winding roads with tight turns. They keep your speed in check before you reach the beautiful facility, tucked into a mountain in the French commune of La Turbie, boasting a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean.The club officially unveiled this facility in September 2022. A year later, they bought striker Folarin Balogun from Arsenal for 40m ($44m). That fee, including add-ons, is tied for the third-highest in club history and Monaco's biggest since the pandemic by far. It carried the expectation that Balogun - who bagged 22 goals in 39 games in the previous season on loan at Reims - would resume his rise in Ligue 1 and elevate his new team in the Champions League. After a modest eight goals and seven assists in 32 games in his first season for Monaco, the pressure mounted. Continue reading...
Discovery of 1,900-year-old headstone dedicated to Roman sailor sets off effort to repatriate item to ItalyA New Orleans couple clearing away undergrowth in their home's yard unearthed a grave marker, setting off a quest for answers about how the roughly 1,900-year-old relic ended up there - and an effort to repatriate it to Italy.The remarkable discovery was the work of Tulane University anthropologist Daniella Santoro and her husband, Aaron Lorenz, according to a report published online Monday by the magazine of New Orleans's Preservation Resource Center (PRC). Continue reading...
The change may seem small, but the profit-seeking games are clearly the first step in a mass reorientation of the club gameLooking back someday, it may be hard to identify the exact moment when soccer altogether lost the silhouette that had loosely contained its shape for a century. When its governing bodies let go at last, handing the reins to the horses. When the last line holding against the sport's self-immolating avarice collapsed and all were free to just do whatever they want. When crotchety pundits were finally right and the game was fully gone.Or maybe we'll know precisely when it was: 6 October 2025, when the Uefa executive committee declared in an extraordinary release that it was opposed to domestic league matches being played abroad - while allowing two of them on an exceptional basis." Barcelona and Villarreal will stage an ostensibly domestic La Liga game in Miami in December. Milan and Como are to play a Serie A match in Perth, Australia - a mere 20-hour flight from Italy - in February.Leander Schaerlaeckens' book on the United States men's national soccer team, The Long Game, is out in the spring of 2026. You can preorder it here. He teaches at Marist University. Continue reading...
Air traffic to the Hollywood Burbank Airport would be remotely managed for six hours on Monday night causing delays for travellersHollywood Burbank Airport in Los Angeles will have no air traffic control staff for nearly six hours on Monday evening, as the effects of the US government shutdown rippled across the country.From 4.15pm until 10pm the Federal Aviation Administration anticipates there will be no air traffic controllers in their tower, although the FAA has said it is trying to bring in staffing sooner than that, according to ABC News. Continue reading...
Legislation was written by lawmaker whose aide had complained about ad breaks startling his newborn daughterCalifornia ordered its powerful entertainment industry to turn down the volume on Monday, with a new law that requires streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and YouTube to ensure that audio levels do not suddenly skyrocket during commercial breaks.The legislation, signed into state law by the governor, Gavin Newsom, forces the powerful streaming platforms to comply with existing regulations that have barred television broadcasters from bombarding the eardrums of viewers with overly loud commercials since 2010. Continue reading...
by Coral Murphy Marcos (now); Shrai Popat, Lucy Campb on (#70HXM)
This liveblog is now closed. You can find more of our politics coverage hereThe supreme court has rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's challenge of her criminal conviction for recruiting and grooming minors, who were sexually abused by her former boyfriend and companion Jeffrey Epstein - the disgraced financier who died in a New York prison in 2019.Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year-sentence for her crimes. She was recently moved to a minimum-security prison in Texas. Continue reading...
A federal judge had blocked Trump's request to deploy California national guard to PortlandBefore a federal judge blocked Donald Trump from putting members of California's national guard on the streets of Portland, Oregon, late on Sunday, the state's Republican party welcomed the planned deployment in celebratory posts on social media.President Trump on Sunday deployed 300 California National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon after a judge ruled that the Oregon National Guard could not be deployed to keep federal facilities and personnel in Portland safe," Oregon Republicans wrote on their official Facebook, Instagram and X accounts. Continue reading...
The president threatened the use of emergency powers after a federal judge temporarily halted national guard deployment in Portland. Key US politics stories from 6 October at a glanceDonald Trump threatened to use emergency powers to deploy more troops into Democrat-led cities, as his attempts to mobilise the military faced legal challenges.The president openly mulled use of the Insurrection Act after a federal judge in Oregon temporarily halted a National Guard deployment in Portland. Continue reading...
by Chris Stein in Washington and Lauren Gambino on (#70JCM)
Competing bills fail to pass 60-vote threshold, while Trump hints at possible deal with Democrats over health subsidiesThe US government shutdown entered its second week as the Senate again rejected rival bills to restart funding and Donald Trump suggested he might be open to negotiating with Democrats over the healthcare subsidies they have put at the heart of the stalemate.A fifth Senate vote to advance a Republican-written bill that would reopen the government failed on a 52-42 tally - well below the 60-vote threshold needed for advancement. The Democrats' proposal was defeated in a 50-45 party-line vote. No lawmakers changed their votes from recent days, though there were a handful of absences. Continue reading...
US president has faced backlash from judges and governors for deploying troops amid escalating campaign in PortlandA federal judge on Monday declined to immediately block the Trump administration from deploying national guard troops to Chicago, Illinois, after the state became the latest to try to use the courts to stop Donald Trump from sending in the military.The decision was the most recent turn in a three-day whirlwind of legal developments over Trump's efforts to send federal troops to Democratic-led cities. Continue reading...
Prosecutor reportedly does not believe there is probable cause to file charges against the New York attorney generalA career federal prosecutor in Virginia has told colleagues she does not believe there is probable cause to file criminal mortgage fraud charges against New York attorney general Letitia James, according to a person familiar with the matter.The prosecutor, Elizabeth Yusi, oversees major criminal cases in the Norfolk office for the US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia and plans to soon present her conclusion to Lindsey Halligan, a Trump ally, who was installed as the US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia last month. Yusi's thinking was first reported by MSNBC on Monday. Continue reading...
Authorities say federal aviation agency to investigate incident after also rescuing instructor's student from treeA 35-year-old skydiving instructor was found dead in a wooded area near Nashville over the weekend after being presumed to have fallen without a parachute, and a student of his was rescued out of a tree, authorities said.Officials added that the pair had become separated ... from a tandem rig" while on the airplane from which they were diving. Continue reading...
Essential Air Service program, popular with Republican lawmakers, faces funding cut because of US shutdownThe Trump administration has said that funds from a US government program that subsidizes commercial air service to rural airports are set to expire as soon as Sunday because of the government shutdown.The US transportation department said the subsidies in the Essential Air Service program are expected to expire as soon as Sunday after the department transferred unrelated funding from the Federal Aviation Administration as an advance.Every state across the country will be impacted," the transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, said at a press conference, noting the service had bipartisan support. We don't have the money for that program moving forward." Continue reading...
An end to the annihilation, and the release of Israeli hostages, is urgently needed. But lasting peace cannot be built on the denial of basic rightsTwo years after the Hamas atrocities of 7 October 2023, in which militants killed about 1,200 Israelis, and amidthe genocide in Gaza, in which Israel has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, the need for peace hasnever been more urgent. Palestinians are desperatefor an end to starvation and airstrikes. Israelis want the war to end for the sake of remaining hostages and soldiers. Violence has reverberated across the region. Momentum has been growing around Donald Trump's proposal, with both BenjaminNetanyahu and Hamas grudgingly indicatingacceptance under US threat.With indirect talks between Israel and Hamas beginning in Egypt on Monday afternoon, there are frail hopes of progress at last. Yet both parties have made it clear that they reject major parts of the 20-point US plan, which begins with an immediate ceasefire, the return of all hostages - followed by the release of Palestinian prisoners - and the resumption of full aid.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...
State's chief justice says fire that sent three people to the hospital appeared to have been caused by an explosion'The cause of a huge fire at the beachfront home of a South Carolina judge who had reportedly been subjected to death threats is being investigated by state law enforcement investigators.The blaze at the home of Diane Goodstein - a Democrat-appointed circuit court judge - erupted on Saturday, sending three members of her family to the hospital, including her husband, a former state senator. Continue reading...
Jeffrey Epstein associate was sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking and related crimesThe US supreme court has declined to hear an appeal from the Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell of her sex-trafficking conviction.The decision brings an end to Maxwell's legal effort to have her 2021 conviction on sex-trafficking charges overturned - and leaves presidential clemency as her only option for early release from a 20-year prison sentence handed to her in 2022. Continue reading...
Economist and YouGov poll finds president had a 16-point deficit in terms of popularity compared with late-night hostJimmy Kimmel emerged as more popular than Donald Trump after a spat with the president's administration temporarily left the talkshow host off the air in September, according to a recent poll.The survey, published by the Economist and YouGov, asked 1,656 adults in the US whether they viewed Kimmel and Trump favorably. Kimmel registered a net favorability of +3 after 44% of respondents indicated they viewed him favorably, 41% unfavorably and 15% undecided. Continue reading...
African kingdom receives second group of third-country nationals in what NGOs and lawyers say is violation of human rightsTen people deported by the US have arrived in Eswatini, its government said, the second group of third-country deportees to be sent to the southern African kingdom by the Trump administration in what lawyers and NGOs have described as violations of their human rights.A statement by the Eswatini government posted on social media before their arrival on Monday said: The individuals will be kept in a secured area separate from the public, while arrangements are made for their return to their countries of origin." Continue reading...
Discussions in Egypt expected to focus on path to peace and release of hostages, after Israel killed dozens of people in just over 24 hours. Plus, why are young Americans eating so early?Good morning.Donald Trump has urged negotiators to move fast" in talks focused on the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and a broader end to the war, as representatives arrived in Egypt for discussions today.What's happening today? The US envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to join the talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, according to Israeli media, in addition to Israel's negotiators and a Palestinian delegation headed by Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy head of the political bureau of Hamas.This is a live story. Follow updates here.How long will the ruling last? Immergut's ruling on Sunday, which will remain in effect until at least 19 October, blocks the Trump administration from sending national guard troops to Portland while Oregon and California seek a longer-term ruling in court. Continue reading...
As the super rich grow even richer, inequality expert Chuck Collins says the system is broken - but it can be fixedTo many Americans, the economy of the past five years has been rough. Prices have soared yet pay remains stagnant. High mortgage rates have made buying a home a dismal prospect. The unemployment rate has been creeping up.Most people have indicated they're delaying major life decisions, including having kids or switching jobs, because of the instability. But for a very small group of people, the last five years couldn't have been any better. Continue reading...
California governor says president attacking rule of law' as Trump-appointed judge rules twice to stop national guard from any state being used in OregonA federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying any national guard units to Oregon a few hours after the California governor, Gavin Newsom, announced he would sue the president over the planned deployment of his state's troops.Both states sought the temporary restraining order after the president sent guard members from California to Oregon earlier in the day. On Saturday, the same judge temporarily blocked the administration from deploying Oregon's national guard troops to Portland. Continue reading...
As a new term begins, the justices have continually failed to provide a check on presidential power - with disastrous consequencesTwo 0f the world's best-known authoritarian leaders - Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, and Recep Tayyip Erdoan, Turkey's president - have each had at least 15 years at their country's helm to pack the courts with loyalists and to pressure and intimidate judges. And no surprise, judges in those countries have repeatedly done what Orban and Erdoan want.Donald Trump has not had the opportunity to pack the US supreme court to nearly the same degree. Nor has he, despite his brash, bullying ways, done much to pressure or browbeat the court's nine justices. Nevertheless, the court's conservative supermajority has ruled time after time in favor of Trump since he returned to office. The six conservative justices have fallen into line much like Hungary's and Turkey's judges, even though the supreme court's justices have life tenure to insulate them from political pressures.Steven Greenhouse is a journalist and author, focusing on labor and the workplace, as well as economic and legal issues Continue reading...
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