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Hurricane Helene is expected to bring life-threatening storm surges as high as 20ft. Plus, Eric Adams chargedGood morning.Hurricane Helene made landfall as a category 4 hurricane in the Florida Big Bend region around 11.10pm ET on Thursday, one of the strongest hurricanes on record to hit Florida. The storm weakened to a category 1 overnight.How dangerous is a storm surge? As a hurricane approaches a coast, the churning winds force ocean water up onto land; atmospheric pressure from the storm also helps squeeze the water ashore. The shallower the continental shelf, the higher the threat of a dangerous surge. Water is heavy, and it can move fast in a surge, sweeping people to their deaths, throwing about boats and vehicles, and pulverizing structures.Follow our live blog here.What did Netanyahu say? We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force, and we will not stop until we reach all our goals - chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes." He addresses the UN today.What is the scale of the war? Israeli airstrikes have killed about 700 people since Monday - with that day representing the highest death toll in a single day in Lebanon since the civil war of 1975-90 - and reports have suggested Israel is making plans for a ground offensive. Continue reading...

Network includes derogatory profiles of figures such as UN experts and food writer Michael Pollan, and is part of an effort to downplay pesticide dangers, records suggestIn 2017, two United Nations experts called for a treaty to strictly regulate dangerous pesticides, which they said were a global human rights concern", citing scientific research showing pesticides can cause cancers, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and other health problems.Publicly, the pesticide industry's lead trade association dubbed the recommendations unfounded and sensational assertions". In private, industry advocates have gone further. Continue reading...

Surge could rise to as much as 20ft in some spots after huge storm strengthened as it careened across Gulf of MexicoHurricane Helene made landfall along the Florida coast on Thursday night as a powerful and potentially disastrous category 4 storm, bringing chaos to a wide swathe of the Gulf coast and threatening high winds, storm surges and drenching rainfall.Helene was located about 70km east-southeast of Tallahassee, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 225 kph, the Miami-based UA National Hurricane Center said late on Thursday. Continue reading...

After a final win before a sellout crowd, the Oakland A's are finally moving to Las Vegas as baseball's inexplicable lose-lose deal continues to move forwardA's fans lingered long after the third out of their 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers, soaking up every last minute inside the massive concrete Oakland Coliseum one final time. Now the club, one of Major League Baseball's most storied franchises - founded in Philadelphia before a stint in Kansas City - is set to abandon the city of Oakland and its colorful fanbase after 56 seasons. The Athletics aren't departing for greener pastures, but potentially - and we still don't really know for sure - for a desert locale that didn't ask for them. Oakland-born Dave Stewart, an All-Star hurler on the city's last World Series champion in 1989, posed the question of the day on the A's pre-game broadcast.What happened?" Stewart said. There's no real explanation for it. And any explanation that you give, it doesn't cover the impact, and it doesn't cover all the details of what really took place, for the Oakland A's to be leaving this city, playing [in at] minor league baseball [stadium] in Sacramento for three years, and then eventually ending up in Las Vegas." Continue reading...

Forecasters warn that storm, one of the most powerful to hit the US this year, could create a nightmare'

They've been my favourite since doing work experience at Sydney's Taronga zoo. I hope the viral moment sweeping the globe turns into an enduring devotion like mine

Alan Miller, 59, second person in US to be executed via controversial technique, shook and trembled on gurneyAlabama has carried out the second execution in the US using the controversial method of nitrogen gas, an experimental technique for humans that veterinarians have deemed unacceptable in the US and Europe for the euthanasia of most animals.Alan Eugene Miller, 59, was pronounced dead at 6.38pm local time at a south Alabama prison. Continue reading...

Rockville Centre diocese in New York settles with more than 530 victims after proposed deal comes close to failureA Roman Catholic diocese in Long Island, New York, announced a new bankruptcy settlement on Thursday that would pay more than $323m to about 530 sex abuse survivors who alleged they were abused by priests when they were children.The diocese of Rockville Centre, which serves about 1.2 million Catholics in Nassau and Suffolk counties, said earlier this year that it did not think a bankruptcy settlement would be possible after abuse survivors rejected the diocese's previous $200m settlement offer. Continue reading...

Executive order aims to crack down on conversion devices and 3D guns as Harris and Trump spar on campaign trailJoe Biden and Kamala Harris unveiled a new executive order aimed at tackling gun violence on Thursday, as the vice-president and Donald Trump clash over the issue on the campaign trail.The order establishes a new emerging firearms threats task force" to crack down on machine-gun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D-printed guns. The policy also calls on federal agencies to develop guidance for schools on active shooter drills to mitigate potential psychological harm to students. Continue reading...

Former police officer is the first sitting New York City mayor to be criminally charged and has vowed to stay in officeEric Adams, the mayor of New York City, has been charged with accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources after an indictment was filed against the leader of one of the world's biggest cities.In a five-count criminal indictment, US prosecutors allege that before and during his terms as mayor, Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits, such as luxury international travel, including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him". Continue reading...

Stopgap bill, passed by House and Senate with bipartisan majorities, extends funding until DecemberJoe Biden signed a three-month government funding bill on Thursday, averting an imminent shutdown and delaying a fuller conversation about government spending until after the November elections.The stopgap spending bill, known as a continuing resolution or CR, will extend government funding until 20 December. It will also provide an additional $231m for the Secret Service for operations necessary to carry out protective operations including the 2024 presidential campaign and national special security events", following the two recent assassination attempts against Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Pair reach agreement days before case, filed after rightwing network aired false voter claims, was due to go to trialThe voting machine company Smartmatic and the conservative outlet Newsmax have settled a closely watched defamation lawsuit days before it was set to go to trial in Delaware.A spokesman for the Delaware courts said the case had been settled on Thursday. He did not offer additional details. The trial was set to begin in Wilmington on Monday. Continue reading...

The US president, Joe Biden, has announced more than $8bn in military assistance for Ukraine. The aid includes the first shipment of a precision-guided glide bomb called the Joint Standoff Weapon, with a range of up to 81 miles. The Ukrainian president met the US president and the vice-president, Kamala Harris, in Washington

Prosecutors claim Turkish president showered the New York mayor with illegal donations and luxury stays

Ex-New York mayor, who played key role in promoting 2020 election lies, permanently suspended from practising lawRudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor who built a career as an uncompromising crime-fighter, has been permanently disbarred from practising law in Washington DC in a ruling stemming from his role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Donald Trump's favour.The decision came in the form of a one-page order issued by the US capital's court of appeal and followed a similar order issued in July in New York, Giuliani's home state. Continue reading...

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, jailed for 18 months, alleges prosecutorial misconduct and seeks to be releasedA judge heard arguments on whether to dismiss a criminal conviction against a movie armorer in the shooting death of a cinematographer by the actor Alec Baldwin and said she would rule next week on whether to scuttle the case or order a retrial.In a remote court hearing, an attorney for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed challenged her March conviction for involuntary manslaughter, alleging that prosecutors failed to share evidence including ammunition that might have been exculpatory in the shooting death that occurred on the set of Rust in 2021. Continue reading...

The US attorney for the southern district of New York, Damian Williams, held a press conference following the unsealing of a 57-page indictment against the mayor of New York, Eric Adams.The document details charges against Adams that include bribery, wire fraud and acceptance of illegal foreign campaign contributions, including from Turkish government officials.Adams has remained defiant since the indictment was made public and denies the charges

North Carolina-based Advocate Health takes action amid scrutiny of its aggressive debt collection methodsAdvocate Health, the third largest non-profit health system in the country, has announced it will cancel more than 11,500 debt judgments it holds against people who failed to pay medical bills.The move comes after more than a year of public scrutiny of the hospital conglomerate's aggressive debt collection practices - including news articles by the Guardian and other media outlets and a study by the Duke University School of Law and the state treasurer of North Carolina, where the chain is headquartered. Continue reading...

An all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah would have devastating consequences for civilians in the proximity, and perhaps beyondIt is not yet certain that a ground invasion of Lebanon will follow Israel's intense attacks on Hezbollah. But the signs increasingly point that way. The swift Israeli dismissals of the US and French-led call for a temporary ceasefire followed the mobilisation of IsraelDefense Forces brigades to the northern border and the chief of staff's announcement of a possible ground operation.Many in Israel have long believed that such an assault is inevitable at some point if citizens in the north are to live safely, given Hezbollah's entrenchment in, and attacks from, the south of Lebanon. They see it as more necessary than ever after the Hamas attack of 7 October in southern Israel. Air and other remote assaults, however devastating, will not be enough to eradicate the threat from fighters. Hezbollah is vulnerable after the killings of so many senior figures, the loss of confidence resulting from Israeli intelligence penetration, and attacks upon its weapons stores. A delay may allow it to regroup. Continue reading...

If you have been impacted by the storm, we would like to hear from you. Share your experiencesSouth-eastern US states are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Helene, which has been forecast to be the most severe US storm this year.The hurricane is expected to reach Florida's coast late on Thursday evening or early Friday morning, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. Continue reading...

New indictment leaves Anthony Odiong facing seven sexual assault charges - all in connection with three womenA grand jury in Texas has handed up more felony sexual assault charges against a Roman Catholic priest accused of preying on women whom he met while ministering to them in that state as well as in south-east Louisiana, officials said.Anthony Odiong is now facing a total of five charges of sexual assault in the first degree and two more such counts in the second degree - all in connection with three separate women - after a new indictment was handed up against him on Thursday in the McLennan county, Texas, state courthouse. Continue reading...

During a press conference outside his official residence, New York City's mayor, Eric Adams, maintained his innocence after he was charged with accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources. 'I do not take money from foreign donors,' he said. Hecklers shouted: 'Resign, resign, resign' as he walked back inside, which Adams has said he will not do

Louisiana's Clay Higgins called Haitians thugs' in now-deleted X post after Ohio group filed charges against TrumpA Republican congressman provoked a hail of outrage after posting a racist attack on Haitian immigrants on social media, which he subsequently deleted amid calls for him to be censured.Clay Higgins used his congressional X account to repeat debunked accusations - spread by Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee - about Haitians eating pets and broadened the attack to call them thugs" and brand Haiti as the nastiest country in the Western hemisphere". Continue reading...

Emmanuel Littlejohn put to death for role in 1992 shooting, which would be state's third execution this yearOklahoma executed a man by lethal injection on Thursday morning, despite conflicting evidence regarding his guilt.Emmanuel Littlejohn, 52, was executed by lethal injection for his role in the 1992 shooting death of a convenience store owner during a robbery in Oklahoma City. Littlejohn was the third inmate put to death by the state this year. He was 20 years old at the time the crime was committed. Continue reading...

Unfortunately, what's happening to Tlaib is far from unique. Advocating for basic Palestinian human rights has always been billed as controversial'Here's a handy tip: before you comment on an article, read the whole damn thing. Don't just read the headline, don't just read a paragraph someone screenshot and put on social media - read the whole thing. This one weird trick is very helpful when it comes to ensuring you're not taking something dangerously out of context or just making up facts entirely.This advice isn't addressed to you, dear reader. I'm sure that you don't need to be told something so basic. Rather it is addressed to everyone - including some very prominent cable news anchors - who has spent the last few days spreading inflammatory misinformation about the Michigan congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. It's addressed to everyone who has falsely and dangerously claimed that Tlaib said that the Michigan attorney general, Dana Nessel, only filed charges against pro-Palestinian activists at the University of Michigan because she is Jewish. Which, if this is what Tlaib actually said, would obviously be an outrageous statement. Continue reading...

Democrats including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez say mayor should step down as federal agents search official residence

The last Republican House speaker was ousted by the hard right over a bipartisan bill to keep the government openThe Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, pursued the same strategy as his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, to prevent a government shutdown this month - working with Democrats to pass a bipartisan funding deal.Now Johnson has to hope he can avoid the same fate as McCarthy, the California congressman who was ousted from the speakership by hard-right members of his own conference last year just days after the House voted to keep the government open. Continue reading...

Federal investigators have raided home of the former police officer whose career is dotted with inconsistencies

WNBA players were subject to racist abuse online and in person in the build-up to and during Indiana Fever's and Connecticut Sun's second game of the series. It followed a foul by Connecticut Sun's DiJonai Carrington on Caitlin Clark in game one that left the Indiana Fever star with a black eye. Although both players said the injury was unintentional, Carrington shared an email on social media which referred to her by a racist slur and threatened her with sexual violence. The Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas said: 'I think in my 11-year career, I've never experienced the racial comments [like those] from the Indiana Fever fanbase.' The Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White said it was 'unacceptable' while the Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides added: 'It is just not acceptable when it gets personal'.

The images of Israeli troops shutting down our bureau are a warning to journalists everywhere - but we will not be silenced

Sharing these posts may seem harmless, but don't be drawn in. There are better ways to combat the threats to our dataIf you've spent any time on Instagram or Facebook lately, you will probably have encountered concerned citizens sharing posts denying Meta, the parent company of both platforms as well as WhatsApp, the right to use their data to train AI systems.If it wasn't your slightly oddball old schoolfriend who posted the message, which begins Goodbye Meta AI" and concludes I do not give Meta or anyone else permission to use any of my personal data, profile information or photos", then it'll have been a Hollywood celebrity. Actor James McAvoy and former NFL player Tom Brady are among those who have posted the disclaimer. Continue reading...

The Republican secretary of state and two Republican ex-governors have said the new rules are destroying confidence' in Georgia's election systemsA rule passed last week, which bipartisan election officials in Georgia say will delay the counting of votes in November, was introduced by an election denier who appears to believe in various rightwing conspiracies and whose apparent experience in elections dates only to February.The rule - which requires poll workers to hand-count ballots at polling locations - was passed by an election-denier majority on the Georgia state election board on Friday. It was introduced by Sharlene Alexander, a Donald Trump supporter and member of the Fayette county board of elections, who was appointed to her position in February. Alexander's Facebook page alludes to a belief in election conspiracies, the Guardian has found. Continue reading...

Republicans are making anxiety around masculinity a key voting issue - but the Democratic nominee is hoping to turn it to her advantageA man in a baseball cap strides through a field of corn. A woman in flannel turns and smiles, a line of trucks visible behind her. As piano music swells, an American flag ripples in a gentle breeze. This video is pure, uncut Americana. Naturally, it's a political ad.Specifically, it's an ad made by the Lincoln Project, a group of moderates and former Republicans united by a desire to topple Donald Trump and support Kamala Harris. And it's making one of the most obvious appeals to men and masculinity yet in the 2024 election. Continue reading...

Ten states will vote on abortion in November, with most seeking to protect abortion up until fetal viabilityThis November, abortion will be on the ballot in 10 states, including the states that could determine the next president.In the two years since the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, abortion has become the kind of issue that decides elections. Outrage over Roe's demise led Republicans to flounder in the 2022 midterms, and abortion rights supporters have won every post-Roe abortion-related ballot measure, including in red states such as Ohio, Kentucky and Kansas. Continue reading...

Trump and his supporters are happy to deploy vile sexual slurs. It's a timeworn tactic - and the fight against it must not ceaseOh no, here we go again. The Donald Trump admirer Laura Loomer makes claims that Kamala Harris used sex to advance her career and reach striking distance of the White House, and it all feels horribly inevitable. A vile sexual joke comparing Harris and Hillary Clinton appears on social media. Trump quickly reposts it.Now 59 and happily married to a lawyer, Harris's relationship with the former San Francisco mayor and California power-player Willie Brown was in the mid-90s when she was barely 30. But then, the sex life of a woman in public life is always fair game to her detractors, even decades later.Sonia Purnell is the author of Kingmaker: Pamela Churchill Harriman's astonishing life of seduction, intrigue & powerDo 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...

Longshoremen's union says wage demands must be met or members will strike on Tuesday for first time since 1977Ten of the busiest ports in North America are at risk of shutdown next week, as a leading union warns that 45,000 workers stand ready to walk off the job if industry operators fail to make key concessions.The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) has accused the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents 40 ocean carrier and terminal operators, of making insulting offers" to staff demanding higher pay and commitments on automation. Continue reading...

Israeli prime minister's office did not even respond' to the plan. Plus, how Britishisms invaded the US

With SpaceX, Starlink and X, Musk has more foreign policy sway than probably any unelected person in US historyShortly after the apparent second assassination attempt against Donald Trump, Elon Musk wrote in a now deleted post on X, formerly known as Twitter: And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala," with an emoji of a person thinking.Musk later said his post was intended as a joke. But it could be interpreted as a call to murder Joe Biden and Kamala Harris - at least by one of Musk's almost 200 million followers - which is presumably why the Secret Service is investigating it. Continue reading...

Harris is leading in five of seven key battleground states - but her leads are only one or two percentage pointsAmid the turbulence, conflict, hyperbole, unprecedented misogyny, and downright hate that provides the backdrop for US elections this year, one thing remains in equilibrium: the 2024 presidential election. Vice President Kamala Harris may lead following a honeymoon, a great nominating convention, and a solid debate performance, but she never leads by much. Former President Donald Trump may at other times lead nationally and in a few battleground states, but by one or two percentage points, more or less.Around 5%-8% of voters remain undecided but they are probably not really focused on anything more than keeping their job, getting the kids off to school, grocery shopping, and the other demands of everyday life. And there is only a little wiggle room, with so many decided voters firm in their support for their candidate or their intense disgust for the other candidate.John Zogby is senior partner at the polling firm of John Zogby Strategies and is author of Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read the Polls and Why We Should Continue reading...

The burden of expectation has been heavy for years, but the American is having no problem carrying it for club and country right nowMilan - and their under pressure manager Paulo Fonseca - simply had to win Sunday's Derby della Madonnina and Christian Pulisic ensured they did. The American's dribble and finish to open the scoring against Inter after only 10 minutes set the tone for the Rossoneri. It was the highlight reel moment of the match and Pulisic was the best player on the pitch too.Milan supporters are used to Pulisic being their best player by now. The winger registered 20 goal involvements (12 goals and eight assists) in his maiden Serie A season and has started this campaign in even better form, notching three goals and two assists in just five games. Fonseca has endured a difficult start as Milan manager, but it would have been much worse if not for Pulisic. Continue reading...

A lovable goofball who is happy to cheerlead for his wife, the vice-president of the US? Thank God for Doug EmhoffFor the past month, every woman I know has been having versions of the same conversation, roughly opening with: for the love of God, how rapey is the news? No period of history has been free from accounts of male sex-offending. But the present roll call of alleged offenders - Diddy, Fayed, the French rapist and his endless accomplices, various scandals in broadcasting, and last week, new charges for the man who keeps giving on this subject, Harvey Weinstein - is particularly grim. For just one day, I would like to turn on the news without having to hear a presenter struggling to find a way to say lube" in a BBC voice. So let's talk about something else: Doug Emhoff.Doug Emhoff! Kamala Harris's husband and consort, a man very possibly in line to be the first first gentleman of the United States and, as far as we can tell, an antidote to lousy men everywhere. This week, I heard Emhoff referred to as a wife guy", which made me smile - wife guy being simultaneously a nice term of affection for men who unreservedly support their wives, and also a reminder that no word for a female equivalent can exist. (What use the tautology of being a husband chick" when, for straight women, embedded in the definition of the word wife" is total, unwavering support of your husband).Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

During the first world war, Americans across society were expected to contribute. And that included baseball's biggest starsGreat Bambino ... Sultan of Swat ... steelworker?Yes, Babe Ruth, the man who would hit 714 home runs in Major League Baseball had a stint as a steelworker early in his career. Why the move to working for Bethlehem Steel in Lebanon, Pennsylvania? The career change was a result of a US government directive during the first world war called the Work-or-Fight Order: Eligible men had to either register for the draft or find essential work - such as at a steel mill. But there was a loophole for Major Leaguers like Ruth. Bethlehem Steel had its own baseball league and was all too happy to hire professional athletes, ostensibly for war-related jobs but actually to enhance its league's competitiveness. This story rises from obscurity in a book published earlier this year - Work, Fight, or Play Ball, by Pennsylvania-based journalist William Ecenbarger. Continue reading...

It's still early in the season but alarm bells are already ringing for a number of players and teams. Some problems are more grave than others thoughA slow start is familiar territory for Cincinnati. In six seasons under Zac Taylor, the Bengals have started 0-2 five times. But dropping their opening three games is new ground, and the odds are now stacked against them. Only four out of 162 teams that have started a season 0-3 have made the playoffs since 1990. The expanded format helps tilt the odds slightly in Cincy's favor, but not by much. Continue reading...

The decision by Olaf Scholz's government to reimpose checks at Germany's frontiers is chilling for those of us born behind the iron curtainWhen we were teenagers in Poland, it was the end of the 1990s and by then we had already acquired the freedom to travel to Paris or London to go to language school and work. To afford this, we travelled by shabby, worn-out buses. It took dozens of hours, and the journey was always further prolonged by a stop of several hours at the Polish-German border.The border was real and symbolic. It was the beginning of European space, but in our heads, we were making a journey through time - a trip into the future, to a time when as members of the European Union we would be realising the promise of a better life. Continue reading...

Mayor says he will stay in his role after reports emerge that he may soon become the first sitting mayor of the city to be criminally chargedEric Adams, the New York City mayor, has said he will stay in office despite reports emerging that he had been indicted following a federal corruption investigation.It is still unclear what charges Adams, 64, will face but federal prosecutors are expected to layout the details of the charges Thursday, the New York Times reported. Continue reading...