Treasury department said entities tried to stoke socio-political tensions and influence' the 2024 US electionsThe United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on entities in Iran and Russia, accusing them of attempting to interfere in the US election this year.The US treasury department in a statement said the entities - a subsidiary of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps and an organization affiliated with Russia's military intelligence agency - aimed to stoke socio-political tensions and influence the US electorate during the 2024 US election". Continue reading...
Officials have faced threats and harassment campaigns since 2020. Here's where election denialism stands nowWhen the Gwinnett county board of elections held its monthly meeting on 20 November just outside of Atlanta, the county's election director, Zach Manifold, noticed something was different.For months leading up to the presidential election, there had been a steady stream of people who would come to speak at the board's meetings, many of them concerned about the potential for fraud or wrongdoing. But this time around, weeks after Donald Trump's victory both in Georgia and in the US presidential election, fewer than a half-dozen people signed up to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting. Continue reading...
Attorney wants case to be transferred to state before new prosecutor takes office as resentencing hearing nearsThe public and legal drive to free Erik and Lyle Menendez, the notorious Los Angeles brothers who murdered their parents Jose and Mary Kitty" Menendez in 1989, has taken a new political turn as they await a resentencing hearing a month into the new year.An attorney - representing 24 family members of Kitty and Jose Menendez who support the brothers' release - plans to file a petition to transfer the case from Los Angeles county to the California attorney general's office, citing a conflict of interest. Continue reading...
Op-ed highlights business interests of tech billionaire who spent $250m to elect TrumpElon Musk's mounting influence in Donald Trump's inner circle has triggered alarm from a former US military chief, who warns the tech billionaire and Trump confidant's deep ties to Beijing could compromise national security.Lt Gen Russel Honore condemned Musk's web of Chinese business interests - including $1.4bn in state bank loans and a Tesla factory subject to Beijing's stringent information-sharing laws - in a New York Times op-ed as he questioned the SpaceX chief's fitness to shape White House policy. Continue reading...
Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi was held without charge for more than 20 years as prison facilitates burst of transfersA Tunisian national who had become one of Guantanamo Bay's longest-held detainees has been released from the US military compound, the Pentagon announced on Monday night.Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi was transferred to his home country after being held without charge since the detention facility opened in January 2002. The 59-year-old appeared in one of the detention centre's most iconic photographs, showing detainees kneeling in the open-air compound of Camp X-Ray. Continue reading...
The government has promised to fix the housing affordability crisis. Relying on the private sector will only make things worseThis Christmas, bailiffs have been busy. Evictions in England and Wales rose by 11.2% compared with the same period last year, leaving thousands of families without a home in the coldest months. Now, new research has revealed that private landlords in England are charging such high rents that nearly two-thirds of workers are struggling to pay it.The study, commissioned by the housing charity Shelter, found that nearly 4.5 million people are falling behind on their rent or having trouble covering its rising cost. It is gloomy news for the government, which has put fixing Britain's chronic housing-affordability crisis at the heart of its agenda, but under whose watch life for private renters continues to deteriorate.Phineas Harper is a writer and curator Continue reading...
The Georgian was a campaigner for human rights, democracy and public health - and a devoted husbandIt was the spring of 2014 and I was at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Washington to interview Jimmy Carter. The former president had just published a new book on women's rights and was keen to make his case. The abuse of women and girls was, he believed, the worst human rights violation of the time and he was determined to issue a global call to action on the subject.He argued passionately and eloquently, rolling though a litany of abuses women and girls around the world face: rape and violence in war, trafficking, infanticide and, in his own country, an epidemic of sexual assault at universities. Continue reading...
The problem with the 4B movement is that it plays into the idea that sex is labour: work women do for menSince Trump's election win in the US, the idea of a sex strike", linked to a form of women's activism that began in South Korea, has taken hold on social media. Like many things that become a mainstream buzzword, it is in fact about much more than the literal meaning of those words.This iteration of the 4B movement" is giving a voice and useful banner to women's fear and rage across a nation that is increasingly refusing to provide basic reproductive rights and healthcare. Women are understandably scared about the consequences of unplanned pregnancy or pregnancy complications after the repeal of Roe v Wade. In addition, the so-called attitude gap between young adult women and men - that has seen young men move to the political right, while young women have remained largely more liberal - is no doubt also adding to what is being labelled by policy experts as a fertility crisis, but which is, in fact, a crisis in women's lack of choice.Finn Mackay is the author of Female Masculinities and the Gender Wars, and a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of the West of England in Bristol Continue reading...
In Plains, residents remember the 39th US president as just a regular guy', good neighbor and Sunday school teacherThe signs, made by hand or machine, less than a meter squared or the size of a truck, were everywhere in this small town on Monday: Thank you, Jimmy Carter." Home of Jimmy Carter." And, left over from October: Happy 100th birthday."Smiling portraits of the 39th president of the US were hanging around the town where he was born and raised - at city hall, in a restaurant. Continue reading...
Israel uses it to silence critics of its Gaza war while the right uses it to attack opponents. Meanwhile, the issue itself goes unaddressedWhen the international criminal court issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials in November, the response from the country's government was all too familiar. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected outright the warrants for alleged war crimes in Gaza against him and the former defence minister Yoav Gallant, calling them an antisemitic decision". The ultranationalist national security adviser, Itamar Ben-Gvir, declared that the court had shown once again that it is antisemitic through and through". And the transport minister, Miri Regev, chimed in, claiming: This is modern antisemitism in the guise of justice."Bleakly, none of this was a surprise. Over a year into Israel's assault on Gaza, which some experts have described as a genocide, accusations of antisemitism raised to counter criticism of Israel have gone into overdrive. Such claims have been made against protesters crying out for an end to the bloodshed in Gaza and against the UN and aid agencies warning of a humanitarian catastrophe. They have been levelled at global news channels and the international court of justice; against actors, artists, pop stars and even British-Jewish film-makers. So sweepingly and speech-chillingly are such claims made by Israel's diehard defenders that the very term antisemitism" is losing its meaning. It is exactly as the British-Jewish philosopher Brian Klug warned 20 years ago: When antisemitism is everywhere, it is nowhere." Blanket misuse has, troublingly, turned the term into a feature on an Israeli politician's lingo-bingo scorecard.Rachel Shabi is the author of Off-White: The Truth About AntisemitismDo 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 progressive Missouri representative says she won't stop fighting for wages, housing justice and police accountabilityCori Bush may be leaving Congress this month, but she is determined to stay in the fight for the future of the Democratic party and the direction of the country.Bush, a two-term progressive representative from Missouri who lost her primary race in August amid an onslaught of spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), looks back on her four years in the House with pride as she prepares to start a new chapter of her political career. Continue reading...
Life can seem like an endless process of ticking off bucket-list items. But I've learned that a simpler year can be a blessingTime is elusive: there are entire years where nothing seems to happen, and then a day comes by where it feels as though everything happens at once. I've listened to conversations over the last few weeks about resolutions and goals - people want to effect change, measure their progress in targets achieved over months. This time last year, I had every intention of making 2024 add up to something substantial. But the vague futility of that human urge to make every calendar year count" was laid bare. Nothing much happened.I've since concluded that 2024 was a filler year". To me, this type of year is best understood by what it isn't: a big year". In the latter, you might check off a bucket-list milestone. A serendipitous meeting with a future partner could change the course of your life. You could start your dream job, or take on a new role as a parent or godparent. Conversely, a big year could be shaped by profound loss or a random cruelty that redefines who you are. In comparison, a filler year feels empty, insubstantial, unmemorable. Continue reading...
I'd planned the perfect one-woman sober New Year's non-party. The night turned into something odder and more catharticI scattered my parents' ashes in the backyard of my childhood home on New Year's Eve 10 years ago, drunk on grief and prosecco, and buzzed on a borrowed joint and stale fruitcake.This wasn't exactly how I'd planned to memorialize my parents. The evening had started innocently enough. A few hours earlier, I had been sipping tea and spooning my cat under a waning moon, with a new Ikea comforter and a fresh bag of Swedish fish. I had resigned myself to an evening devoid of social expectations and alcohol, of endlessly searching for the perfect plan and of the disappointment of never finding it.Shanti L Nelson is a writer and photographerDo 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...
Tenth and final payment means the 40,000-plus Ponzi scheme victims will have recovered 93% of investment lossesA US government fund to compensate people swindled by Bernie Madoff is making its final round of payments, taking the total paid from the fund to the late fraudster's victims to $4.3bn (3.4bn).The Madoff Victim Fund is paying out $131.4m from forfeited assets to 23,408 people around the globe in the 10th and final distribution, according to a statement by the Department of Justice (DoJ). Continue reading...
The 61-year-old coach has a Chargers team that finished 5-12 last year headed to the playoffs. All they needed was the sort of attitude adjustment he's famous for inspiringNot long after Jim Harbaugh was hired in January to coach the Los Angeles Chargers at a handsome $16m per season, he picked out the stalwarts on his roster. Stalwarts is not a typical football term, but Harbaugh loves stalwarts - those who are truly committed to the cause.The Chargers were coming off a 5-12 season in which head coach Brandon Staley was fired with three games to play, so it would figure that the quirky Harbaugh's stalwart safari would not be too fruitful. But he found maybe 15 stalwarts, and there would be a great place to start. Continue reading...
by Bryan Armen Graham, Melissa Jacobs, Tom Dart, Step on (#6T8AH)
On the heels of another sports year that was chock full of surprises, Guardian US contributors make their bold predictions for the months to comeHere are our bold predictions for 2025 in sports. Please note the bold (or should that be bold?) in bold predictions: these are mostly to be taken with a pinch of salt. Continue reading...
Brutal cuts to culture subsidies are about to make the city a welcoming place only for the lazy work of rich kid artistsIn 2003, Berlin had just woken up from a decade-long fever dream: the Wall had fallen, the city had reunited and the two German states had a common capital once again. Financially, Berlin's awakening was a total hangover: billions in debt had piled up and unemployment had reached an all-time high. Culturally, however, the city was blooming. The arts and nightlife were bustling like a never-ending after-hours party on the leftovers of the cold war. This parallelism of decay and pleasure was described by the then mayor, Klaus Wowereit, in an interview that year as poor but sexy".The phrase was so cheesy and so powerful, it became a slogan for Berlin's image in subsequent years, drawing young creatives from all over the world to the city's promising subculture scenes and its relatively affordable housing. One of these young people was me. In 2012, when I had just graduated from university, I planned to stay in Berlin for the summer. Twelve years on, I am still here.Fatma Aydemir is a Berlin-based author, novelist, playwright and a Guardian Europe columnist Continue reading...
For years I was dismissed as lightweight and camp. Now I have a platform to educate people about the mistakes of the pastI am thrilled that in the new year honours list I am being made an MBE. I know some people disapprove of the honours system and others will be outraged that I am accepting an award in the name of the British empire. But I welcome the opportunities I'm hoping the award will bring.I am being honoured as a writer and broadcaster for services to LGBTQ+ culture, but when I was growing up in the 1980s there was hardly any queer culture, and what we had was pretty much underground and undiscussed. When gay men did feature in the media we were demonised as dangerous, Aids-carrying sexual predators who couldn't be trusted around children. At school I suffered terrible homophobic bullying, and when the Tory government introduced section 28, any teachers who may have wanted to defend me weren't legally allowed. So when a letter arrived from the Cabinet Office, telling me I was being recommended by the prime minister to the king for an MBE, I was so proud I burst into tears.Matt Cain is the author of novel One Love, published by Headline. He was formerly editor-in-chief of Attitude and culture editor of Channel 4 NewsDo 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 funeral to be held for former president on national day of mourning before he is buried next to wife in PlainsJimmy Carter, the former US president who died aged 100 on Sunday, will be honored with a state funeral before being laid to rest in his home town of Plains, Georgia, next to his wife, Rosalynn.The proceedings to honor the 39th president of the United States will start on Saturday, when a motorcade accompanying Carter will travel through Plains to his boyhood home. The procession will briefly pause in front of his family's farm. Continue reading...
Aubrey Vanlandingham charged with animal cruelty after reportedly confessing to force-feeding pesticide to goatA Texas teenager has been charged with animal cruelty after she was accused of using pesticide to poison and kill a rival's competition show goat.Authorities allege that Aubrey Vanlandingham, 17, used a drench gun to force-feed toxic pesticide to the goat, named Willie, at a barn at the Vista Ridge high school in Cedar Park in October. Continue reading...
by Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Joanna Walters and Martin on (#6T7MC)
This live blog is now closed. You can see more coverage of the late Jimmy Carter here.Writing in the New York Times, the administrator of the US agency for international development (USAid) Samantha Power, says of Jimmy Carter's legacy:The former president's regard for human rights was an outgrowth of his Christian faith - a faith so animating that he continued to teach Sunday school while president. Carter's embrace of international human rights also grew out of his commitment to civil rights at home.His human rights message had broad appeal in the wake of Watergate and Vietnam, with Americans and many in Congress clamoring for ethics and decency from their leaders.Upon the death of former US president Jimmy Carter, the Norwegian Nobel Committee would like to repeat its praise for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."Earlier this fall, the committee had the pleasure of congratulating him on his 100th anniversary, stating that his work in favour of peace, democracy and human rights will be remembered for another 100 years or more. Continue reading...
Letter allegedly written by US official shows contradictions in how government handled mysterious health incidentsA leaked letter purportedly written by a senior US military official and published on social media on Monday highlights stark contradictions in the government's approach to victims of Havana syndrome - a mysterious series of health incidents affecting personnel at embassies and consulates overseas.The letter, dated 24 March 2024 and signed by air force Brig Gen Shannon O'Harren, reassures victims of the anomalous health incidents" (AHIs) that the defense department believed that their experiences and symptoms were real while promising them quality healthcare that never came. Continue reading...
Ian Cramer, 43, son of North Dakota senator Kevin Cramer, sentenced over incident last year in which he fled hospitalThe adult son of the Republican North Dakota US senator Kevin Cramer has been sentenced to serve 28 years in prison in connection with a wild chase in which he fled from a hospital and drove into a deputy's vehicle, killing the deputy.Ian Cramer, 43, pleaded guilty in September to all of the charges against him, including homicide while fleeing a peace officer, preventing arrest, reckless endangerment, fleeing an officer and drug- and driving-related offenses. Those charges related to the chase and crash in December last year that killed the Mercer county sheriff's deputy Paul Martin, 53. Continue reading...
President-elect gives total endorsement' amid discontent among fellow Republicans with speaker's leadershipDonald Trump has endorsed Mike Johnson for another term as speaker of the House of Representatives, following intense speculation that the Louisiana congressman could face a challenge amid unhappiness with his leadership among fellow Republicans.The president-elect - whose own continued support had appeared uncertain - trumpeted his backing in a social media post that appeared to assure Johnson's re-election speaker after the new Congress is sworn in on Friday. Continue reading...
The UN security council held a minute's silence on Monday in honour of the former US president Jimmy Carter. Before rising to observe the silence, the deputy US ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Camille Shea, read a statement on behalf of the council.The US will observe a national day of mourning for Carter on Thursday 9 January, the White House said in a statement. Carter lived longer than any US president and, after leaving the White House, earned a reputation as a committed humanitarian
CBS correspondent Jan Crawford castigates US journalists for not digging deeper into Biden's alleged loss of acuityJoe Biden's decline has, on one of America's longest-running current affairs shows, been labelled the most underreported story of 2024.The designation was made on CBS's Face The Nation, which has been airing since 1954, by Jan Crawford, the network's chief legal correspondent, after the show's moderator, Major Garrett, asked reporters in a panel discussion to identify the most uncovered issues in a review of the year's events. Continue reading...
Retellings of novels like Huckleberry Finn and David Copperfield help to keep the canon aliveIt might have lost out at the Booker, but James, a reworking of Huckleberry Finn by Percival Everett, was the unofficial book of 2024, topping best-of-the-year lists and winning the prestigious US Book Award for fiction. Everett retells Mark Twain's 1884 picaresque novel about a 13-year-old boy's escapades on the Mississippi from the perspective of runaway slave Jim. Shocking, gripping and surprisingly comic, it's a bravura performance that celebrates and subverts the original.Its success follows that of last year's Women's prize-winning Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, a dazzling 550-page updating of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield transported to the author's home region of Appalachia during the 1990s opioid epidemic. As the supreme chronicler of social injustice, Dickens provided Kingsolver with a masterclass" in how to use narrative to make readers care about a latter-dayunderclass. Continue reading...
Musicians and actors pay tribute to three-time Grammy-winning former US president, who died on Sunday aged 100Jimmy Carter will likely be remembered for his contributions to the arts - beyond being a three-time Grammy winner - more than any other US president, and one who is nominated again in 2025 for an audiobook, Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration.Carter, who died on Sunday aged 100, was well-known for his association with musicians, particularly the Allman Brothers Band, the Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels, and Willie Nelson, who later confirmed he had smoked marijuana on the roof of the White House with the late former president's son, Chip Carter. Continue reading...
Outgoing president lauds fellow Democrat while Trump, who had clashed with Carter, praises truly good man'Joe Biden said Donald Trump should learn decency" from Jimmy Carter's legacy, in remarks delivered hours after the former president's death on Sunday at age 100.Speaking to reporters during a family vacation in the US Virgin Islands, the outgoing US president drew sharp contrasts between Carter's character and that of his predecessor Trump, who is set to begin a second term in January. Continue reading...
Federal appeals court upholds $5m sexual assault and defamation verdict in setback for president-electA federal appeals court has upheld the $5m verdict against Donald Trump for sexually abusing and defaming the magazine writer E Jean Carroll, dealing a legal setback to the president-elect.The three-judge panel at the second US circuit court of appeals in Manhattan rejected Trump's arguments for a new trial, ruling that evidence including testimony from other accusers - as well as the infamous Access Hollywood tape that captured him boasting about how it was normal for him to grab [women] by the pussy" - was properly admitted. Continue reading...
Republican figures are using their influence to sell a variety of goods, preying on people's political affiliationsIf you wanted to, you could smell like Donald Trump. Or you could drink coffee developed by Rudy Giuliani. You could also use a nicotine product developed by Tucker Carlson, read your children a Trump-themed book written by Mike Huckabee, take health pills hawked by Dr Oz and wear T-shirts designed by Kash Patel.These are only a few of the products that Trump and people in his circle are selling to the American public, as Republicans and the right wing have established an unprecedented culture of grifting - hawking everything from Bibles to scraps of fabric to NFTs in a ruse that has become a multimillion-dollar micro industry. Continue reading...
There is a clear benefit in taking responsibility for mistakes. So why do so many leaders fob off the public with obfuscation?The Korean chief executive of Jeju Air, Kim E-bae, could not have been more direct. After the crash of one of the airline's planes he went straight to the microphone, bowed deeply and said, Regardless of the cause, as CEO, I feel profound responsibility for this incident." He offered his deepest condolences and apologies to the families of the passengers who lost their lives".The statement seemed unusual. Last week, another plane crash, this time in Kazakhstan, was acknowledged by a man similarly responsible", Russia's Vladimir Putin. In a contorted message to his fellow leader in Azerbaijan, he said how sorry he was about a tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace". He expressed condolences but no responsibility for what has been widely accepted as a Russian missile attack, however unintended. Putin appeared not sorry, but devious.Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnistDo 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...
Carter signed treaties to hand over the Panama Canal and criticized Israel, drawing respect and fury past his one termIn May 1989, the former US president Jimmy Carter walked into the lobby of a hotel in Panama and made it known he was determined to be heard in spite of attempts by the country's military ruler, Gen Manuel Noriega, to shut him up.Carter was still widely held in contempt in his own country, where his reputation as a one-term president was crucified in the late 70s by interminable gas lines, Iran's taunting seizure of American hostages and a general perception that he lacked the mettle to lead the free world. Continue reading...
Canyon independent school district briefly removed text - and then reinstated it - to comply with state's Reader ActA school district in the Texas panhandle temporarily removed the Bible - and reinstated it soon after - in an effort to comply with a controversial new state law that bans sexually explicit materials in schools.House Bill 900 - also called the Restricting Explicit and Adult-Designated Educational Resources (Reader) Act - took effect in September 2023 and requires library vendors to rate materials for explicit content, inform parents of potentially explicit books and recall materials already in circulation when required. More broadly, the law requires library content to align with state educational standards. Continue reading...
The US is in urgent need of well-funded, truly independent journalism in 2025. Please make a gift to the Guardian now to help reach our year-end fundraising goal.As a media critic and longtime journalist, I have serious worries about today's news environment and its effect on democracy.I'm concerned about corporate or chain ownership of news outlets that can skew the decision-making and priorities of media leaders. The bottom line seems to loom larger, at times, than tried-and-true journalistic standards do.If you are able, please support the Guardian before our year-end fundraising deadline. Thank you for helping protect the free press. Continue reading...
Young people in Alameda county, California, reflect on how gun violence has destabilized their lives - and urge local officials to find solutionsBy the time Aaliyah Bobina turned 18 she had already seen two people die from gunshot wounds. One was a neighbor who was shot in the apartment complex she lived in. The other was a teenage girl who was shot at a party last summer. She didn't know the girl, but held her hand as she bled from her chest.[The police] came hecka late and she passed away right in front of of us. It was so sad and traumatizing," Bobina said. I told her she would be OK and I feel so bad because I couldn't keep my word." Continue reading...
Joe Biden praised Jimmy Carter for a life 'measured not by words but by his deeds' after the former president died at his home in Plains, Georgia, aged 100. Carter was elected as the 39th president in 1977. The Carter Center said he died peacefully, surrounded by his family
A trade war started by Donald Trump is seen as the biggest risk to market stability next year Business live - latest updatesGlobal stock markets are tipped to keep rising in 2025, led by more gains among US shares, despite anxiety about inflation and fears that Donald Trump could spark a new trade war.Wall Street analysts are forecasting the S&P 500 will rise by roughly 9% in 2025, taking the index of US companies up to about 6,500 points by the end of the year, according to Bloomberg datar. Continue reading...
The Aaron Rodgers experiment has been a slow-motion car wreck in New York. After Sunday's latest catastrophic loss, it's clearer than ever the Jets must turn the pageThe score was 40-0. Buffalo had dominated New York in every sense of the word: offense, defense, special teams, body language, camaraderie. They were probably breathing superior air at that point. Finally, after another three-and-out to start the fourth quarter, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich benched Aaron Rodgers. It should have happened much earlier.Backup Tyrod Taylor swooped in and immediately ran an efficient offense. The 15-play drive culminated with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson, placed in a position that screamed: I trust you. Wilson fell to the ground as he caught the ball and stayed there for a few extra seconds. Whether it was cathartic, or Wilson was simply happy to put up the Jets' first points of the day, the vibe had shifted.Two interceptions, one of which perfectly illustrated Rodgers' loss of arm zipSacked in the end zone for a safetyGiving up on a fumble recovered chase that Matt Milano took to the houseA late hit penalty (really)Underthrowing too many short-to-mid range passes that landed at his receivers' feet and then openly blaming them for the incompletions Continue reading...
Critics often imply his time in the White House was a failure, but Carter got more done in four years than most presidents accomplish in twice the timeJimmy Carter has died. He is sometimes referred to, especially by Republican critics, as America's best former president - implying that his time in the White House was, by contrast, a failure. In fact, he was by most measures a highly successful one-term president, getting more done in four years than most presidents accomplish in twice the time.It is true that his post-presidency accomplishments were unprecedented - a fact attested to by, among other things, his receipt of the 2002 Nobel peace prize for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development".Peter G Bourne served in the Carter White House as special assistant to the president. He is the author of Jimmy Carter: A Comprehensive Biography from Plains to Post-Presidency and a visiting senior research fellow at Green Templeton College, University of Oxford Continue reading...
These little wonders will give you a much-needed boost, and this is the perfect time to practice. Go on, you only need 10 minutesI'm a big napper. World class, in fact. I can go from awake to the bottom of the ocean in five minutes flat, like a high diver off a cliff. It's a longstanding talent of mine, but I've noticed, lately, that unlike other facilities that wane with middle age, my napping skills are only growing stronger. Times were when I wouldn't have dared reach for a nap unless I had a clean hour before the next commitment. Now, with even 15 minutes to spare - 10 at an absolute push - I'll risk it. It might look like narcolepsy, but I know the truth: that micro-napping is the key to everything.I mean, not everything, obviously. But it is definitely the key to functionality after 4pm, the second shift when your kids come home from school and you reward them with your frazzled, after-work energy. Too much screen-time happens in my house because the idea of sitting on the floor to play Anarchy Pancakes or Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza with my nine-year-olds feels like a request to put on iron trousers and climb a steep hill. (And, as I've discovered, the only thing worse than not playing is playing in a limp, half-arsed way then calling the game off after one round with a bright that was fun!" that makes everyone scowl.) Continue reading...
There are many challenges facing feminism, but a recent global gathering was a sanctuary and a rallying cryLast month, 3,500 feminists from every corner of the world came together in Bangkok for a conference hosted by the Association for Women's Rights in Development (Awid). Eight years of planning went into the event, years that coincided with some of the most challenging and transformative global moments. The Covid pandemic, for example, ensured that an in-person 14th forum could not be held in 2020.This December's theme, Rising Together, spoke not just to the collective resilience of feminist movements but to the journey I have witnessed over decades of activism: one defined by courage, solidarity and a refusal to give up, no matter the odds. Continue reading...
Carter was a man of extraordinary integrity. No president after him succeeded at doing as much post-White House goodJimmy Carter's presidency has been etched into historical memory as a failure. That judgment is curious, particularly when it comes from American conservatives; many of the right's favorite policies - deregulation and a ruthless fight against inflation, no matter the cost in unemployment - were actually started under Carter. Of course, the more that malaise can be associated with the peanut farmer from Georgia, the shinier becomes his successor, Ronald Reagan, conservatism's greatest 20th-century hero.What should be beyond dispute is that Carter was the most successful ex-president of the postwar period, and perhaps the greatest former president, period. That has a lot do with his sheer integrity. But the fact that no former chief executive after Carter managed to emulate his model - using their skills and access to do genuinely important things in politics, rather than mostly cashing in - says much about our times. Continue reading...
The ex-president was pilloried for his characterisation of the Palestinians' plight but some say an apology is in orderJimmy Carter's terminal illness reignited a bitter dispute over accusations the former president was antisemitic after he wrote a bestselling book likening the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories to South African apartheid.Prominent American supporters of Israel lined up to denounce Carter and the book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, when it was published in 2006. Continue reading...
LeBron James' birthday on Monday will make him the first NBA player play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. Knowing when to walk away may be the hardest part of his journeyIt's Christmas Day and a scrum of journalists surround a smiling, exhausted LeBron James in the visiting locker room at Chase Center in San Francisco, minutes after the latest installment in a decades-spanning catalog of thrilling battles with his friend and foe, Stephen Curry. James is asked, in light of all the recent hand-wringing about the state of the NBA as an entertainment product, what he thinks the good stuff" is in the league on a given night. LeBron and Steph", he shoots back, grinning. And he's not wrong. But it's just a few days out from 30 December, which marks his 40th birthday, and the quadragenarian elephant in the room casts a somewhat melancholy shadow over the joy of the high-level basketball being played. No one, maybe not even James, knows exactly how much time is left in his illustrious NBA career. But it isn't much.Since his return from a still-mysterious nine-day excused absence from the Lakers a few weeks ago, James has been playing that aforementioned high-level basketball again following a rocky spell in the beginning of the season. For maybe the first time of note, James showed flashes of true, marked decline during that stretch, putting forth his worst shooting numbers since his rookie season more than two decades ago. His recent return to form calls into question if that regression was less of a bellwether and more of an aberration, perhaps brought forth by fatigue after a summer of intense (and wildly entertaining) Olympic play en route to his third gold medal. But fluke or not, it did shine a light on a topic that has been ominously hanging over every step of James' trajectory over the last few seasons: his imminent retirement, which he has alluded to coming sooner rather than later on several occasions, and the cavernous, face-of-the-league-sized hole that will be left in his wake whenever he does decide to hang it up. Continue reading...
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