US news | The Guardian

Tim Walz accepted the VP nomination, and celebrity power continued with Stevie Wonder and John Legend performing and Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Amanda Gorman and more speaking

If you simplify your English, you are freed from the worst follies of orthodoxy, wrote Orwell. That applies today more than everI would like to start a petition for journalists - and everyone else - to immediately stop using the C-word. Centrist. It's an insidious word that has degraded how we think about politics and distorted how we see the world.Perhaps that statement sounds a little over the top. After all, being a centrist" sounds eminently reasonable, doesn't it? A centrist is a moderate, right? Someone who is rational and practical and takes the middle ground. Someone who isn't extreme like those crazy ideologues on the far right or far left. A centrist, logic dictates, is really what everyone should strive to be. Continue reading...

The Democratic national convention continued with a packed celebrity lineup. Oprah Winfrey garnered huge cheers when she made an unannounced appearance; Saturday Night Live's Kenan Thompson drew laughs by entering with a large book lampooning Project 2025; Stevie Wonder urged voters to choose 'joy over anger'; and the actor Mindy Kaling had the crowd cheering for Kamala Harris

In a huge speech, Harris's running mate won over delegates' hearts and minds - Friday Night Lights never had it so goodYou might not know it, but I haven't given a lot of big speeches like this," Tim Walz said demurely towards the end of his keynote Democratic national convention address on Wednesday night.The moment wreaked of understatement. The look on his face, the way he raised his white eyebrows as if he were apologizing, the shrug of his shoulders. Even the phrase big speech". Continue reading...

We can continue to bury the bodies of murdered women. Or we can get serious about misogynistic violenceAustralia's domestic, family and sexual violence commissioner, Micaela Cronin, said this week that the scourge of violence against women and children in this country should be treated with the same degree of seriousness as terrorism.She is right. Continue reading...

This blog is closed. You can read our full story on Walz's speech here.Kamala Harris's campaign raised four times as much money last month than Donald Trump's campaign, Reuters is reporting, citing federal disclosures filed late on Tuesday.The Harris campaign told the Federal Election Commission it raised $204m in July, compared to $48m reported by Trump's main fundraising group. Continue reading...

Harris's running mate emphasizes coach background and takes swipe at JD Vance in Democratic convention speechMinnesota governor Tim Walz accepted the Democratic party's vice-presidential nomination by emphasizing his rural bonafides and Americana background as a teacher and coach in a more sweeping speech than the unassuming midwesterner has given before.You might not know it, but I haven't given a lot of big speeches like this," Walz said as he closed out Wednesday's Democratic convention in Chicago. But I have given a lot of pep talks." Continue reading...

Vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz headlines the third day of the Democratic national convention, using his past as a high school football coach to pull out a sporting metaphor to describe the party's place in the election campaign: 'It's the fourth quarter. We're down a field goal, but we're on offense and we've got the ball. We're driving down the field, and boy do we have the right team ... Kamala Harris is ready.' In a heartwarming moment, Walz's son, Gus, could be seen crying in the stands, mouthing 'that's my dad', as Walz spoke on his personal experience with fertility treatments and hit out at Republicans, telling them to 'mind your own damn business' on IVF care.

Ex-House speaker calls Biden's term one of most successful presidencies of modern times' at Democratic conventionDemocrats rose to their feet when Nancy Pelosi walked on stage at the United Center in Chicago for the Democratic national convention. They applauded, and then applauded louder. Pelosi waved before quieting the room.The former House speaker began by expressing her gratitude to Joe Biden, calling his term one of the most successful presidencies of modern times". even though she had pushed subtly but forcefully for the president to step aside.Tim Walz rallies Democrats: We're gonna leave it on the field'Watch speeches from Bill Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, Josh ShapiroOprah Winfrey takes swipe at Vance's childless cat lady' comment in surprise appearanceHere are the rising stars and politicians to watch this weekWhat to know about Kamala Harris and Tim Walz Continue reading...

Harris's VP pick pitches supporters as Stevie Wonder, Pete Buttigieg and prominent Republicans back party's ticketThe third night of the Democratic national convention featured a surprise speech from Oprah Winfrey, along with scheduled remarks from Bill Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, Tim Walz and other major party figures, many emphasizing the joy" of Kamala Harris's campaign.Here are some key takeaways:Tim Walz rallies Democrats: We're gonna leave it on the field'Watch speeches from Bill Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, Josh ShapiroOprah Winfrey in surprise speechHere are the rising stars and politicians to watch this weekWhat to know about Kamala Harris and Tim Walz Continue reading...

With a ringing endorsement of Kamala Harris, star's speech made an appeal to independent and undecided voters at the Democratic convention

Oprah Winfrey has made an unscheduled appearance at the Democratic convention, strolling on stage to deafening cheers. The media mogul's message was one of inclusion and unity and notably included a swipe at Donald Trump's running mate, JD Vance, who has criticised women who don't have children. Oprah told the crowd: When a house is on fire, we don't ask about the homeowner's race or religion ... We just try to do the best we can to save them,' adding, 'and if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out, too'

Pete Buttigieg, the US transportation secretary under Joe Biden - who is widely seen as having presidential ambitions - tore into JD Vance for saying childless people have no stake in their country, on the third day of the Democratic national convention. 'You know, senator, when I deployed to Afghanistan, I didn't have kids,' Buttigieg said. 'Then, many of the men and women who tied the wire with me didn't have kids either, but let me tell you, our commitment to the future of this country was pretty damn physical'

A soft-spoken Bill Clinton made his first major speech of the 2024 presidential election cycle, landing several jabs at the Republican nominee Donald Trump. Clinton appeared frail on the podium and spoke at a slow pace, but he delighted the crowd when he said: 'I'm still younger than Donald Trump.' He also laid out the case for Kamala Harris, calling her the 'president of joy'

Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania governor who was a contender to be Kamala Harris's running mate, spoke on the third night of the Democratic national convention in Chicago, taking Donald Trump and the GOP to task over their tendency to say that they're fighting for the freedom of Americans. 'It's not freedom to tell our children what books they're allowed to read. And it's not freedom to tell women what they can do with their bodies. And, hear me on this, it sure as hell isn't freedom to say you can go vote, but he gets to pick the winner. That's not freedom,' Shapiro said

Tim Walz and Bill Clinton headline the third night, with Oprah Winfrey also addressed the crowd. Here's a look at the other noteworthy speakers

Georgia's Republican former lieutenant governor drew some of the most enthusiastic applause on night three of the convention while condemning Donald Trump. These days, our party acts more like a cult, a cult worshipping a felonist thug,' he said. He urged his fellow Republicans to vote for Kamala Harris, saying it would not make them Democrats but patriots. A similar message was made by former homeland security adviser to vice-presidentMike Pence, Olivia Troye. Being inside Trump's White House was terrifying. But what keeps me up at night is what will happen if he gets back there,' Troye said

Independent candidate's campaign says he will make address to nation on Friday in Arizona

Mark Geragos says special counsel guilty of character assassination' by trying to bring salacious details into trialAn attorney for Hunter Biden has accused prosecutors of wanting to introduce salacious details about partying and spending by Joe Biden's son to smear his character in front of jurors at his upcoming trial on federal tax charges.During a lengthy hearing in Los Angeles federal court, Hunter Biden's lawyer said special counsel David Weiss's team was intent on character assassination" by seeking to bring in evidence of spending on things like strippers in the case alleging a scheme to avoid paying at least $1.4m in taxes. Continue reading...

Kamala Harris's running mate will speak on the third night in Chicago

Robert Telles on trial over murder of Jeff German, who wrote critical articles about the public administratorA Las Vegas politician accused of murdering a local investigative journalist who wrote critical articles about him took the stand in his own defense on Wednesday, giving his testimony in narrative style, without being asked questions.Right now I want to say unequivocally: I'm innocent. I didn't kill Mr German. And I've got a lot to share with you all," said Robert Telles, a former Clark county public administrator. Continue reading...

Move is latest step in case of Crystal Mason that has captured US attention because of severity of sentenceTexas's highest criminal court announced on Wednesday it would again consider the case of Crystal Mason, a Texas woman who was sentenced to five years in prison for trying to cast a provisional ballot in the 2016 presidential election when she was ineligible to vote.The announcement from the Texas court of criminal appeals is the latest step in a nearly eight-year case that has captured national attention because of the severity of Mason's sentence. Mason, who lives in Fort Worth, attempted to vote in 2016 while on supervised release - which is like probation - for a federal tax felony. Texas, like several other US states, bars people convicted of a felony from voting until they have completed their sentence. Continue reading...

Her career has been defined by her status as an insurgent critic. But she and the Democratic establishment need each otherShe spoke loudly and with confidence, gesticulated broadly, and returned, several times over the course of her seven-minute remarks, to the struggles of working families. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the congresswoman from New York and standard-bearer for the post-Bernie Sanders US left, may have been an unlikely choice for a lengthy primetime speech at the Democratic national convention's opening night. The last time she spoke at the Democratic convention, in 2020, she was given just a minute and a half, in which she indicted the party establishment from the left and endorsed Sanders' campaign for the nomination, which by then had failed.But this time, the party showcased Ocasio-Cortez as one of its prime talents, and her rhetoric was starkly different. Though she focused her remarks on her trademark politics of class, emphasizing the struggles of whose who worry about rent checks and groceries", she spoke, this time, in the Democrats' most comfortable terms. Ocasio-Cortez used to speak of the working class". On Monday night, she praised Kamala Harris as for the middle class because she is from the middle class".Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Former president condemns Kamala Harris and accuses Democrats of election fraud at North Carolina event

Family of Jessie Peterson, 31, spent a year searching for her before learning hospital had shipped body to storage facilityJessie Peterson's family spent a year searching for her after they were told that she had checked herself out of a California hospital against medical advice - before they learned that she had been dead all along.The 31-year-old died in the care of Mercy San Juan medical center in Sacramento in April 2023. The hospital shipped her body to a storage facility and did not inform her mother and sisters. The family only learned her fate the following April after months of trying to find her, according to a civil lawsuit against the hospital. Continue reading...

Mariann Belair, 24, found guilty of first-degree murder after son picked up gun on couch and killed four-year-old sisterA Kansas mother whose two-year-old son fatally shot his four-year-old sister has been sentenced to life in prison.Mariann Belair, 24, will not be eligible for parole until she has served 25 years under the sentence imposed on Tuesday in Shawnee county district court, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported. Jurors found her guilty in May of aggravated child endangerment and first-degree murder in the commission of a felony. Continue reading...

Former first lady lampooned and belittled Trump's exploitation of race for political gain in her speechMichelle Obama is being widely applauded for delivering a devastating takedown of Donald Trump in a speech at the Democratic national convention.The former first lady artfully lampooned Trump and belittled his exploitation of race for political gain in a 20-minute speech that was greeted ecstatically by Democratic delegates in Chicago, her hometown. Continue reading...

Alleged murderer Joshua Zimmerman had been on the run since June before being recaptured after all-night standoffA man who escaped from a courthouse in Mississippi and went on the run while wanted for murder and armed robbery was recaptured in Chicago after an all-night standoff that occurred just blocks from the Democratic national convention.The standoff with a tactical Swat team took place while, close by, convention delegates from all the US states and territories were nominating Kamala Harris for the presidency and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, and former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama were giving speeches. Continue reading...

The terror of the election campaign is yet to come. But good vibes at the convention are surely an opportune sign for Harris and Tim WalzHe looks perkier," said my nine-year-old, passing the screen as I watched footage of Joe Biden speaking on the first day of the Democratic national convention in Chicago. The president did, indeed, look perkier, borne aloft by the gratitude of 23,000 people in the hall and the millions beyond it for the fact he is no longer seeking re-election. By itself, this moment would have lifted the occasion above the norm. But the Democratic convention this year is so uniquely dramatic, so unprecedented in US history, that it rivals and possibly outstrips even President Obama's nomination in 2008. And Biden's heart-wrenching appearance was just the beginning.When we fight, we win," said Kamala Harris in her opening speech on Monday and there it was, that strange moment of realisation that what she was saying might actually be true. Strange because it's the kind of thing Democrats always say and that, in recent years, has been accompanied by a terrible wah-wah downward arpeggio on the trombone. Limp, disorganised, outshone by Donald Trump; that had been the campaign to date. The speed of the turnaround and the sheer force of the narrative that now propels Harris forwards, has unleashed a psychic energy so strong that on stage in Chicago it practically gave off sparks. Democrats have the scent of blood in their nostrils and thank God, they're finally chasing it. Continue reading...

Carmaker opts to produce hybrid version due to profitability concerns, citing pressure from Chinese EV competitionFord has written off $1.9bn as it cancelled plans for an all-electric large SUV in the US, opting to produce a hybrid version instead in the latest sign of western carmakers struggling to make profitable electric cars.The US carmaker said on Wednesday that it would not be able to reach a profit on the electric SUV within a year, its measure of whether a new car is viable, citing the stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers. It will initially write off the cost of $400m (300m) in tooling for the vehicle, plus another $1.5bn (1.15bn) in extra costs in the future. Continue reading...

Party tries experimental tech to persuade voters of color to choose Kamala Harris over Donald TrumpLatino and Black-led Democratic and progressive organizations are mobilizing to come up with novel uses of AI to reach voters of color.On Discord, a social messaging app that connects gamers, it's taking the form of a smiling chatbot powered by artificial intelligence that evokes Pixar's animated robot Wall-E. When you click, a conversation opens up that says: This is the very beginning of your legendary conversation with Vote-E." Continue reading...

All the jobs I wanted to do - from fixing the tap to replacing the shower curtain - are done. Why? Because of the terrifying prospect of strangers coming to look at itHere is a short and by no means comprehensive list of things that have been at the bottom of my fruit bowl for about a year: two screwdrivers, a small plastic Pikachu, four marbles, the inner mechanism of a door handle, a drawing of a clown, an unidentified key, the receipt for our wedding wine and a pipe cleaner. Today, after at least 12 months of wishing someone would rid me of this troublesome shrapnel, I finally cleared out the bowl.Why? An attack of efficiency? Is someone's grandma coming to stay? Have I discovered a wealth of spare time? No. We are trying to sell our house. Continue reading...

White House says plan was approved earlier this year and was not a response to a single country or threatJoe Biden has approved a US nuclear strategy to prepare for possible coordinated nuclear confrontations with Russia, China and North Korea, according to a New York Times report on Tuesday.On Tuesday, the White House said the president approved the plan earlier this year and it was not a response to a single country or threat. Continue reading...

Former US national security adviser HR McMaster claims Russian president had a hold over Trump in new memoirVladimir Putin exploited Donald Trump's ego and insecurities" to exert an almost mesmeric hold over the former US president, who refused to entertain any negative evaluation of the autocratic Russian leader from his own staff, and ultimately fired his national security adviser, HR McMaster, over it.The bold assessment of Trump's fealty to Putin comes in McMaster's book At War With Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House, published by HarperCollins and arriving on 27 August. The Guardian obtained a copy. Continue reading...

Derek Chauvin was moved to a low-security facility in Texas after being stabbed 22 times in an Arizona prison last yearDerek Chauvin, the former police officer who triggered a summer of racial justice protests when he murdered George Floyd on a Minneapolis street in 2020, has been transferred to a Texas prison after being stabbed at a different facility nine months ago.Chauvin, 48, was convicted in 2021 of killing Floyd, 46, and sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for second degree murder, then later given a separate 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights. Continue reading...

Politicians assuming working-class roots for votes isn't new - but this year's election pits the VP picks against each otherFor 30 years, Michael Bailey worked at the former Armco steel plant in Middletown, Ohio, eventually becoming president of a union that represented thousands of workers. Among them was James Vance, grandfather and sometimes stand-in father of the Republican party's current vice-presidential candidate, JD, who worked as a skilled tradesperson at the plant.So Bailey, today a 71-year-old pastor at the Faith United church in downtown Middletown, says he's confused by claims from Donald Trump's running mate that he grew up as a poor kid" in Middletown. Continue reading...

Mobico also reports 24% increase in half-year profits to 71.2m as group tries to reduce 1.2bn debtThe owner of National Express has revealed it has begun the sale of its North American school bus business in an effort to reduce its 1.2bn debt, sending its shares sharply higher.The share price of Mobico, which changed its name from National Express Group in June 2023, jumped by more than 20% after markets opened on Wednesday, before settling at 14% up at 66p by mid-morning. Continue reading...

Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin hold the election key - can the Democrats see off the challenge from Trump?Away from the deafening roar of the party faithful that nightly fills the Democratic national convention in Chicago an urgent question is being asked behind the scenes: how can the party convert the energy that has exploded around Kamala Harris's belated candidacy into actual votes on election day?All eyes are on the blue wall" states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, where the identity of the 47th US president is likely to be settled. The outsized significance of the three states in the race is evident in the scramble of the presidential candidates to woo them. Continue reading...

I learned a crucial lesson when I moved abroad: fighting loneliness is all about finding meaningful connectionsLoneliness is often seen as an old people" problem, something that affects us much later in life. But data published last month shows that single women are disproportionately affected by this little-discussed issue.Researchers found that loneliness follows a U-shaped pattern: there's an uptick at the start and end of adulthood, but it drops during middle age, when many of us are preoccupied with families, relationships and career building. But for single women who don't follow this trend, self-reported loneliness is disproportionately high.Georgina Lawton is the author of Raceless: In Search of Family, Identity, and the Truth About Where I Belong Continue reading...

Gen X and millennials are still embracing the drug, with all its drink-more, work-more, pre-2008-crash associations. But this mentality is no longer in vogueThere is one thing that defines London socialising, which is noticed by tourists and visitors from across the globe. It's not the price of pints. It's not even the lack of late-night venues. It's the proliferation of gak. Londoners, famously, love coke so much that five years ago it began seeping into the River Thames, stoking fears about hyperactive eels who all want to tell you about their ideas for a new podcast. As far back as a decade ago traces were being found in the city's sewage, the cokiest greywater in all of Europe.Despite its obvious ethical issues - violent drug deaths both in the UK and at the drug's organised-crime controlled sources - and financial ones - a gram of cocaine in the capital can cost about 100 - cocaine, long associated with the City due to long hours and finance bros, is everywhere, still. These days, it's a way to supplement rounds in pubs that would cost the guts of a gram anyway. No longer an aid to a big night out, it's a Thursday after-work thing. It's part of many parties, every festival, and every football tournament abroad - videos from the Euros attested to this - with fans cheering each other on to do bumps in Trafalgar Square, before losing in the final anyway.Roisin Lanigan is a freelance writer and the author of I Want To Go Home But I'm Already There, to be published in March 2025Do 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.

Harris's running mate is lauded for bringing free meals to students in Minnesota, but it's little known that Valerie Castile's work - inspired by her son - helped drive legislationWhen the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, named the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, as her running mate two weeks ago, the public lauded Walz for bringing free breakfast and lunch to all students throughout the state. Ever since, the topic of universal school meals has become a nationwide discussion. But it's little known that the work of Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile, helped drive Walz's legislation.After Philando was fatally shot by Minnesota police during a traffic stop in July 2016, Castile learned from her son's co-workers about his passion for reducing school lunch debt - the amount of money that households owe to school districts for covering meals they can't afford. As a school nutrition supervisor in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Philando was intimately familiar with food insecurity. He often paid for students' meals when they couldn't afford them and interjected when kids were bullied for receiving free lunch. Affectionately deemed Mr Phil" by students, he knew the names of all 500 children at JJ Hill Montessori school, their food allergies and how to keep them safe. Continue reading...

Ex-president praises Kamala Harris as a champion of the people. Plus, US woman breaks record for widest tongue

What matters to Michael Luttig is getting past January 2025 with democracy intact. We can argue later about how to governJ Michael Luttig has never endorsed a Democrat before. That's no surprise since the well-respected legal scholar - a retired federal appeals court judge - leans well right of center.Appointed by the first President Bush in 1991, Luttig is from the old school of the Republican party. He once worked in Ronald Reagan's White House and served as a law clerk to Antonin Scalia.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

Chicago police officers with batons pushed protesters away from the Israeli consulate, two miles from where the Democratic national convention was being held. Democratic delegates formally nominated Kamala Harris as the party's candidate for the 2024 presidential election. Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza had gathered for a third consecutive day. On Monday, they had marched through the city to rally against the Biden administration before protesting outside the convention centre the following day

The joyful warrior' will seek to build on the momentum of his and Kamala Harris's campaignTim Walz will seek to build on the intense enthusiasm surrounding his and Kamala Harris's campaign on Wednesday, as the newly anointed vice-presidential nominee headlines the third night of the Democratic national convention in Chicago.The speech will give Walz an opportunity to introduce himself to a much wider audience of voters, as most Americans were unfamiliar with the Minnesota governor before Harris selected him as her running mate earlier this month. An ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted last month, shortly after Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race and endorsed Harris, showed that only 13% of Americans knew enough about Walz to register an opinion of him. Continue reading...

The former All-Pro cornerback talks about his transition to acting, breaking out of the athlete-turned-action-star stereotype and his directorial debut, which tells a story of family turmoil, police brutality and racial biasAs soon as he hears the question, Nnamdi Asomugha can't help but light up.The writer and director of The Knife, which premiered at the Tribeca film festival earlier this summer to impressive reviews, has just been asked about the similarities between film-making and being an athlete. Continue reading...

Michelle and Barack Obama energized the crowd with jabs at the Republican nominee Donald Trump on the second day of the Democratic national convention in Chicago. The former first lady brought the crowd to their feet when she turned Trump's words against him, asking: 'Who's going to tell Trump that he's campaigning for a "Black job"?' Barack Obama mocked Trump for his 'weird obsession with crowd sizes'. And with a self-deprecating tone, the second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, told the DNC how he courted his now wife, Kamala Harris. He said he left a long and awkward first voicemail that Harris now plays for him every year on their anniversary

The 2024 US presidential election may come down to a high school football coach whose run to an improbable state title 25 years ago was straight out of Friday Night LightsWe're hiring another football coach," Mankato West high school principal John Barnett told Scarlets head football coach Rick Sutton after interviewing Tim Walz about a geography teaching position. You're definitely gonna want to talk to him."This was back in the spring of 1997, when Walz was a 30-something national guardsman relocating to Minnesota from Nebraska so his wife could be closer to her family. So Sutton arranged a second informal interview at his house, one that would ultimately decide whether Walz's $25,000-a-year teaching gig would come with a $2,500 bonus for working with the football team. I knew very, very early on in our conversation that this was a guy that I definitely wanted on my staff," Sutton recalls of Walz, who took the job. Continue reading...