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Minnesota governor thanked Harris for bringing back the joy'. Plus: end-of-life patients find solace with psychedelics

Harris has chosen someone from and of the midwest and someone who is no hillbilly' with fluid valuesVice-President Kamala Harris has selected the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, as her running mate and this big decision reflects more conventional history than inside-the-DC-beltway convention wisdom. While pundits focused mainly on which possible choice could help her ticket win a battleground state, their focus was on either Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania (19 electoral votes) or Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona (11 electoral votes). In this hotly competitive race, either selection made good sense in the scramble for a majority of the electoral college.But we have to go back to 1960 when the young Massachusetts senator John Kennedy picked the Texas senator and majority leader, Lyndon Johnson, to be his running mate to find the last time selecting a candidate who actually brought a state with him was the dominant concern. Johnson and Kennedy hated each other but the ticket carried Texas, so who cared?John Zogby is senior partner at John Zogby Strategies and author of Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should Continue reading...

The billionaire has been obsessed with education since pulling his kids out of regular school' 10 years ago. And he's far from the only celebrity to dabbleIf you are not quite ready to stick one of Elon Musk's chips into your brain, you can do the next best thing: send your child to the billionaire's experimental new school. Applications are open for Ad Astra, which serves kids aged three to nine in Bastrop, Texas, close to oneof SpaceX's facilities. There is space for only 48 students, which, once you factor in Musk's many offspring, means competition to be part of the next generation of innovators" is tight.While this is a new campus, Musk's experiment with education goes back a decade. In 2014, the tech magnate pulled five of his children out of their prestigious private school in Los Angeles and stuck them in a SpaceX conference room with a few of his colleagues' kids and a tutor. In a 2015 interview, Musk explained that he didn't like the way regular schools" were run and he wanted to try out his far superior ideas. These included a curriculum that involved battling robots with flame-throwers, but no music, sports or languages; computers will do all these things in the future.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...

The US vice-president, Kamala Harris, has released footage of a phone call in which she offers Tim Walz the chance to be her running mate in the presidential election.After Harris told the Minnesota governor that she wanted him as her VP pick, he responded: 'I would be honoured'

Make sure you don't miss a thing with our full, updating localised guide to the dates and times of all the events at Paris 2024Follow all the latest action live | Support the GuardianSearch for every event and start time at the Paris Olympics with our comprehensive live schedule. From the football pitch to the pool, via track and field and much more, use our filter tool to pinpoint the sports and disciplines you want to follow most so that you don't miss a thing. Continue reading...

Find out who is leading the way at the Olympics, and drill down to see which events each country has won medals forFollow all the latest action live | Support the GuardianAs is traditional, the table prioritises the number of gold medals won. On this basis at the 2020 Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2021, the United States led the field with 39 golds, with China second on 38 and Japan third with 27. If countries have the same number of gold medals, the order is then dictated by which has the most silvers, and finally bronze if the numbers are still identical. Continue reading...

Harris's vice-presidential pick receives backing of names including Jamie Lee Curtis, Cynthia Nixon and Ken BurnsHollywood figures, including Julianne Moore and Rob Reiner, have shared their support for Kamala Harris's vice-presidential pick, Tim Walz.The 60-year-old Minnesota governor was announced as the running mate of Harris, the presumptive Democratic candidate for president, on Tuesday after weeks of speculation. Continue reading...

Progress towards Trinidad and Tobago being an accessible society has stagnated. From taking a taxi to getting medical care, accessibility is still a delusionTrinidad and Tobago has many notable attributes but, sadly, deaf awareness and public sensitisation to deaf culture is not one of them. The last 50 years of family experiences, added to my personal observations, show we still face the same problems, with deaf and hard-of-hearing people still being novelties. It's simply not our society. It may be a harsh assessment but this is my reality."

Get up to speed with the Minnesota governor - what should you know about him and how do you pronounce his name?In Kamala Harris's veepstakes" - the search for a running mate to take on Donald Trump and JD Vance - the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, came from relative obscurity to seize the glittering prize. So who is he and what should you know about him? Continue reading...

Speaking at his first rally since being announced as vice-president Kamala Harris' running mate for the 2024 election, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, who like Harris is known for his smile, started his speech by thanking Kamala Harris for 'bringing back the joy'. The Minnesota governor touched on his personal history and upbringing on the 'family farm' before taking aim at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice-presidential candidate JD Vance

St Louis prosecutor Wesley Bell defeated Missouri's first Black female member of Congress with about 51% of the voteA prominent member of the progressive Squad" in Congress, Cori Bush, has lost her Democratic primary in St Louis after pro-Israel pressure groups spent millions of dollars to unseat her over criticisms of Israel's war on Gaza.St Louis prosecutor Wesley Bell defeated Missouri's first Black female member of Congress with about 51% of the vote. Bush took about 46%. Continue reading...

Darryl George, 18, filed civil rights lawsuit after Barbers Hill school system punished him for refusing to alter hairstyleA federal judge on Tuesday dismissed most of the claims in a lawsuit filed by a Black high school student who alleged that school officials committed racial and gender discrimination when they punished him for refusing to change his hairstyle.The ruling in the case of Darryl George was another victory for the Barbers Hill school district near Houston, which has said its policy restricting hair length for male students instills discipline while teaching grooming and respect for authority. Continue reading...

Vice-president Kamala Harris and Minnesota governor Tim Walz appeared together for the first time as the Democratic party's White House ticket at the start of a multi-day tour of swing states they hope to win in November. After earlier announcing her choice of Walz as her running mate, Harris touted Walz's background before predicting that he would earn a new title in November: vice-president of the United States

Harris praises Walz's time as a football coach as her VP pick says he'll debate JD Vance if he's willing to get off the couch'Kamala Harris introduced her running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, to supporters at a packed, energetic rally at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The event, which kicks off a week-long tour through the most politically competitive US states, marks a new chapter for the Harris campaign after securing enough delegates to be the Democratic nominee. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can read our full report on the Philadelphia rally here.As we await Kamala Harris's running mate announcement, Americans in some states are heading to the polls today.Voters in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington state will cast ballots in their congressional primaries today. Results in Michigan will be especially scrutinized, as the battleground state will play a key role in the presidential election.The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) pumped more than $8.5m into the race in Missouri's first congressional district in support of Bush's rival, St Louis prosecutor Wesley Bell, through its campaign funding arm, the United Democracy Project (UDP). ...The UDP accounts for more than half of all the money spent on the race outside of the campaigns themselves. Much of it comes from billionaires who fund hardline pro-Israel causes and Republicans in other races, including some who have given to Donald Trump's campaign.With the support of 99% of all participating delegates in the virtual roll call, Vice-President Harris has historic momentum at her back as we embark on the final steps in officially certifying her as our Party's nominee.We thank the thousands of delegates from all across the country who took seriously their responsibility throughout this process to make their voices - and the voices of their communities - heard. Continue reading...

Democratic nominee calls Walz the kind of vice-president America deserves' as pair vow to take fight to Donald TrumpKamala Harris introduced her running mate Tim Walz as the kind of vice-president America deserves" at a raucous rally in Philadelphia that showcased Democratic unity and enthusiasm for the party's presidential ticket ahead of the November election.Casting their campaign as a fight for the future", Harris and Walz were repeatedly interrupted by applause and cheering as they addressed thousands of battleground-state voters wearing bracelets that twinkled red, white and blue at Temple University's Liacouras Center - a crowd Harris's team said was its largest to date. Continue reading...

Energetic voters praise Harris and her decision to tap the Minnesota governor at their first joint campaign eventAt Kamala Harris's first rally since announcing Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate, the room at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was ebullient, filled with thousands of voters cheering and waving Harris-Walz signs.I feel ecstatic," said Joseph Alston, a 69-year-old West Norriton Democratic committee member. Last week, he campaigned for Harris by knocking on doors and handing out flyers in the nearby King of Prussia area. People who he spoke to said that they were committed to vote against Donald Trump. They don't want him anywhere near the White House," Alston said. Continue reading...

State board of elections passes measure proposed by Fulton board appointee who refused to certify presidential primaryGeorgia's state board of elections adopted new rules for local election boards that permit them to withhold the certification of a vote in the face of unspecified discrepancies - a Republican-led move that could cause uncertainty and confusion after future election days.The five-person board passed the measure in a 3-2 vote. The three board members who voted for it - Dr Janice Johnson, Rick Jeffares and Janelle King - were praised by name three days ago by Donald Trump at an Atlanta campaign rally. Continue reading...

There's not a better date on the basketball calendar than the Olympic men's quarter-finals, an all-day quadruple-header of win-or-go-home ties crackling with national prideMajor League Baseball games in London, Japan, South Korea and Cuba. The NFL international series, coming next month to a South American all-seater near you. Game 39. Professional sports organizations around the world have fallen over themselves in recent years trying to break into new markets and expand their spheres of influence. But all of these flailing efforts to satisfy growth-obsessed stakeholders have failed to even approach the simple genius of NBA commissioner David Stern, who laid down the gold standard for globalization more than three decades ago when he willed the Dream Team into existence for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.The US squad featuring Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley, arguably the greatest collection of sporting talent ever assembled, was more than just a great team. It was a sentient infomercial for a sport and a culture. Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum compared it to Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, the Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East, Santana at Woodstock". The Americans' eight-game romp to the gold medal by an average margin of 44 points was a seminal moment where suddenly kids around the globe were growing up wanting to be like Mike. It was the closest thing to a big bang that a sport has ever seen. Continue reading...

The Minnesota governor is popular and experienced, and Democrats from across the spectrum appear enthusedAs Democrats weathered the upheaval caused by Joe Biden's decision to end his re-election campaign and hand the reins to his vice-president, Kamala Harris, a party stalwart piped up with a suggestion: start calling Donald Trump weird".The pioneer of the attack, which was also deployed by Harris's campaign, was the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, who insisted to CNN that it's not a name-calling or tagging him with it. It's an observation. Continue reading...

Kamala Harris VP pick leaves with warm wishes of residents who recall his work as governor, congressman and teacher

Asif Merchant, 46, tried to recruit people for scheme to assassinate figures including Donald Trump, says FBIA Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran has been charged over a foiled conspiracy to carry out political assassinations on US soil, the justice department said on Tuesday as it disclosed what officials say is the latest murder-for-hire plot to target US public figures.Asif Merchant, 46, sought to recruit people in the United States to carry out the plot in retaliation for the US killing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' top commander, Qassem Soleimani, in 2020, according to a criminal complaint. Continue reading...

Republican vice-presidential nominee continues to face questions about comment as campaign speeds upThe Republican vice-presidential nominee, JD Vance, claimed that calling leading Democrats a bunch of childless cat ladies" was merely a sarcastic remark", as he attempted to deflect charges of misogyny and redirect fire at Harris's own running mate, Tim Walz, on Tuesday.The media wants to get offended about a sarcastic remark I made before I even ran for the United States Senate," the Ohio senator and Republican vice-presidential nominee told reporters in Philadelphia. Continue reading...

Shujun Wang helped found a pro-democracy group and used it to gain information on dissidents, prosecutors sayA Chinese American scholar was convicted on Tuesday in the US on charges of using his reputation as a pro-democracy activist to gather information on dissidents and feed it to his homeland's government.A federal jury in New York delivered the verdict in the case of Shujun Wang, who helped found a pro-democracy group in the city. Continue reading...

Co-pilot had headset torn off by force of panel blowout as investigators hold hearing on January accidentThe mid-flight blowout of a panel from a Boeing 737 Max jet was so powerful that it blew open the plane's cockpit door and tore off the co-pilot's headset, and federal investigators began questioning officials from Boeing and its key supplier on Tuesday to understand how the accident occurred.It was chaos," the co-pilot of that Alaska Airlines flight on the 5 January said in documents released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Continue reading...

Overloaded vehicle carrying 10 people went off road, hit a guardrail and partially submerged in water, authorities saidNine people died and one more was seriously injured when an overloaded SUV went out of control on a south Florida road, hit a guardrail and went upside down into a canal, authorities said.The 2023 Ford Explorer carrying 10 people was traveling south on Hatton Highway near the farming community of Belle Glade at about 7.30pm on Monday when it came to a part of the two-lane road that briefly jogs west before again heading south, the Palm Beach county sheriff's office said. Continue reading...

The impact of running mates shouldn't be overstated, but Kamala Harris's selection of the progressive governor of Minnesota is good newsKamala Harris's own ascension to the top of the ticket has shone a brighter spotlight than usual on the Democrats' choice of vice-presidential nominee, underlining why the second slot on the ticket matters. The impact of the running mate is usually limited unless they prove extraordinarily popular or unpopular. Growing concerns about the state of the US economy are likely to be far more consequential. But Ms Harris's selection of Minnesota's governor, TimWalz, on Tuesday, and the enthusiasm it is engendering, contribute to the sense of a rejuvenated campaign. Democrats are not taking poll improvements for granted, but now believe that it is possible to beat Donald Trump.Ms Harris stressed Mr Walz's record of fighting for middle-class families". Originally from rural Nebraska, he is a former teacher and high school football coach who served in the army national guard for 24years. As governor he has overseen - with Minnesota's Democratic legislature - progressive policies including free school meals, abortion protections, pro-worker policies and gun restrictions. He has a better record on facing the climate crisis than rivals. Continue reading...

Twenty-five packages weighing 70lb washed up on Florida Keys beach, border patrol saysSeveral packages of cocaine with a street value exceeding $1m have washed up on a Florida beach after Hurricane Debby crashed ashore in the state on Monday and progressed up the eastern seaboard.The acting chief patrol agent of the US border patrol's division in Miami, Samuel Briggs, shared a picture of the confiscated drugs on X, showing the 25 packages - or 70lb - of cocaine washed up on a Florida Keys beach. Continue reading...

Beacon, a golden retriever therapy dog, was a crucial part of the Americans' preparations for the Olympics as he helped soothe athletes' nervesThe US women's gymnastics team is back on top of the world. Three years after the Americans settled for a team silver at the Tokyo Olympics, a five-woman squad of Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera regained the title and finished with eight medals overall. Not bad for the oldest US Olympic squad in 72 years, which played no small part in their nickname: the Golden Girls.Their rock-star showing over the past week in Paris might have had something to do with the sugar rush from the French pastries that Biles has been raving about on social media. Or one could look to another hack: their time spent with Beacon, the four-year-old golden retriever who has been trotting around with America's best and brightest gymnasts for the past year with the aim of helping keep their serotonin and stress levels in check. Continue reading...

Shares on Wall Street and in Asia and Europe start to recover after Monday's rout

Recent national head-to-head polls favor Harris, but polls battleground states present a more mixed picture

Annoying, boring, bullying - some of the worst people I've encountered in my life have been kidsI'm a parent, so people assume I must love children.But although I love my children, that doesn't mean that I love all children. Although I assumed I'd end up having kids one day, it wasn't a deep-seated desire, and I wasn't particularly interested in children before I had them. Continue reading...

Find out who is leading the way at the Olympics, and drill down to see which events each country has won medals forFollow all the latest action live | Support the GuardianAs is traditional, the table prioritises the number of gold medals won. On this basis at the 2020 Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2021, the United States led the field with 39 golds, with China second on 38 and Japan third with 27. If countries have the same number of gold medals, the order is then dictated by which has the most silvers, and finally bronze if the numbers are still identical. Continue reading...

Louisiana's Jeff Landry was defending a law requiring display of text in all public schools starting next yearThe far-right Louisiana governor, Jeff Landry, has told parents who don't want the Ten Commandments hung in up classrooms across the state - as now required by law there - to tell their children to not look at them".The Republican's remarks came at a news conference on Monday defending the mandate, about two months after Louisiana became the first state in the country to order the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public school classrooms. Continue reading...

The Minnesota governor has delivered progressive policies in his state and has a history of swaying Republican districts

Despite his granitic unpopularity, Trump's stunts always held attention. Now, Harris makes his act seem oldIt'll begin to end when the act gets tired and the audience starts walking out," Warren Beatty, a perspicacious observer, told me eight years ago, in the early summer of 2016, when Donald Trump had just secured the Republican nomination.At the time, Trump was calling in for hours to enraptured TV talk show hosts jacking up their ratings. It was a cocaine trade. In return he snorted $5bn in free media - more than all the other candidates combined. When Trump launched The Apprentice in 2004, a tightly edited fantasy of the six-time bankrupt as king of the heap, he had long been dismissed as a loser and bore in New York. His charade was popcorn fare for out-of-towners. Who knew that the fake reality show's ultimate winner, announced years after its cancellation, would be JD Vance? Continue reading...

In his remarks about the vice-president's race, Trump showed how laughably out of touch he isPredictions are a fool's game. But I'll tell you one thing any fool could have predicted: that Donald Trump's appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists' convention last week would involve him saying something stupid and racist.Lo and behold, this is exactly what happened. When asked about Kamala Harris, Trump complained that the vice-president seemed to have undergone some sort of racial metamorphosis. I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black," Trump proclaimed. So, Idon't know, is she Indian or is she Black?" Continue reading...

Proponents say mandatory service could help foster connection. Others see the proposal as a cynical political gimmick

Frank Carillo made 19 threatening comments about vice-president on rightwing platform Gettr, according to affidavitA Virginia man was charged with threatening to kill Kamala Harris.According to an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint, 66-year-old Frank Carillo, of Winchester, made 19 threatening comments about the vice-president and Democratic presidential nominee, using the rightwing platform Gettr. Continue reading...

Thugs may be rampaging in the streets, but their leaders-from-behind are more likely to be found sipping cocktails by the poolMy kids are crying. We come here so I could spend some quality time with them. Now they are scared people are coming here to get them." Thus bleated Tommy Robinson from the five-star Ayia Napa all-inclusive hotel from which he is currently influencing sustained violent disorder on Britain's streets.And yet, multiple paparazzi photos from the resort show Daddy either floating like a lonesome turd in the pool, or splayed out on a four-poster sunlounger glued to his phone, with not even a pixelated Sproginson to be seen. Perhaps they were fomenting looting in the kids' club? If not, Pops has certainly broken with the form book by not coopting them into his war games. Robinson's previous stunts have included filming his disturbingly tearful children on the day he emerged from one of his prison sentences (it was the attempting-to-collapse-a-rape-trial one, I think, as opposed to the massive-mortgage-fraud one). Continue reading...

Bob Bowman guided Michael Phelps to glory and was in tears after Leon Marchand delivered on his promise in ParisAs the unstoppable Leon Marchand swam to his fourth individual gold medal in six days, the 59-year-old American coach behind the face of the Paris Olympics was moved to tears on the pool deck.The 22-year-old from Toulouse had just swept the gold medals in all four events he entered, winning the 400m individual medley, then the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke on the same night, and the 200m medley on Friday, clocking Olympic-record times in each. One night after another, Marchand transformed the converted rugby arena in the western Paris suburbs into a white-hot cauldron of sound, holding a country of 68m souls in his thrall.Dear sir, I am a French swimmer, my name is Leon Marchand (18 years old). I would like to join the university of Arizona State in summer 2021 for swim and compete in NCAA with your amazing team. Do you think I could benefit from a scholarship? What level of education is required? (TOEFL, SAT ...) You will find attached my presentation sheet. Thank you for the time granted to my request.Sportingly, Leon Continue reading...

The Russia-based leader of the Base, which adheres to principles of accelerationism, seeks A-team leader' in USWhile far-right extremists from all corners of the internet are targeting vice-president Kamala Harris as she takes the reins of the Democratic ticket, one of the longer standing US-based neo-Nazi terror groups is also attempting to continue its covert activities as the presidential election season begins in earnest.Rinaldo Nazzaro, 51, a former Pentagon contractor and analyst at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) turned founder of the Base, wrote on his personal Telegram account that he's seeking a stateside leader for his organization and is willing to pay them a salary of up to $1,200 a month. Continue reading...

We're asking and fighting for what we deserve,' a worker says before votes this week from Boston to HonoluluAbout 13,500 hotel workers across Boston, Honolulu, Providence and San Francisco will vote on whether to strike this week as they push for significant wage increases and protections against job cuts.Employees at leading chains including Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Omni will decide in the coming days whether to approve the walkouts. The hotel industry stands accused of having used the Covid-19 crisis to reduce staffing and increase workloads. Continue reading...

The American economy is still growing. There is no reason to panic, despite Trump's world war three' commentsTwo weeks before 19 October 1987, I warned publicly that in two weeks, the stock market will lose 20% of its value." Then, on 19 October 1987, the S&P 500 had the biggest one-day fall in its history - dropping 20%.I was immediately deluged with letters and phone calls (no emails then) from people who wanted to sign up for my investment letter". I told them, with some regret, that I didn't have an investment letter.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His newest book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com Continue reading...

The Paris Games have sparkled. And nowhere has the city - and the athletes it is hosintg - shone more brilliantly than on the world's TV screensMaybe it's the effect of the global post-Covid rebound. Maybe it's a collective reprieve from the doomerism of our ecological and political end times. Maybe it's simply a reflected orgasm of the Parisian streetscape, the sense of occasion created by young athletes at the peak of physical health sweeping across this metropolis-sized monument to early-modern bombast. But for whatever reason, these Olympics have sparkled like no other Games in recent memory. A city given over to revolutions, occupations, copulations, and decapitations, in a country without a government, has come thrillingly to life for the Olympics - and nowhere has Paris shone more brilliantly than on the world's TV screens.The Olympic Games are always a media event as much as a sporting one, of course, and this edition is no exception. But thanks to the advent of streaming and the organizers' inspired decision to convert Paris into a single, city-wide stadium - to make the city, as much as the athletes, the star of the show - the 33rd Olympiad has arrived at a perfect moment to create the ultimate sports media spectacle. Volleyball by the Eiffel Tower; fencing in the Grand Palais; swimmers leaping into the Seine under the gilded Fames of the Pont Alexandre III; treacle-coated horses zig-zagging in the shadow of Versailles like members of the Sun King's court dancing a Sarabande; that Canadian guy emptying his guts at the end of the triathlon: truly, these Olympics have felt more vivid, more memorable, more saturatingly epic than any other Games this century. Even those events held away from the Parisian sights have projected a basic monumentality: from the crepe-thin margins in the men's 100m and Femke Bol's thundering finish in the mixed relay to the agony of the medal-denying dong, all the podium contenders in Paris have seemed to respond to the drama, history and scale expressed by the city around them. Continue reading...