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Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie and Ron DeSantis make case to be alternative to Donald Trump. Plus, how a community in France learned to go zero waste

Three people were killed in a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, according to police, who said the suspected assailant was also dead. A fourth person was critically wounded. People locked themselves in classrooms after getting an alert about a shooter at the site, according to reports

New restaurants - serving more complex, customisable drinks - will be trialled in the USMcDonald's is launching a new kind of restaurant, CosMc's, a retro-style store with treats and customisable drinks including s'mores cold brew", churro frappes" and turmeric latte" that could rival chains such as Starbucks.The fast food company said it would open its first pilot site in a Chicago suburb near its headquarters this month, as part of efforts to solve the 3pm slump", when it gets fewer customers between the lunch and dinner rush. Continue reading...

Anthony Odiong - who gave anti-LGBTQ+ sermons - had detailed allegations abuse filed against him before his removalA Louisiana Catholic priest's sudden dismissal from the church where he had been a popular pastor for the last several years has set off a fresh scandal in the embattled New Orleans archdiocese, the second-oldest in the US.As they tell it, local church leaders rescinded Anthony Odiong's invitation to serve as a cleric in the region due to unspecified concerns ... about [his] ministry prior" to his arrival in the archdiocese - and quite possibly during his time" there. As a result, the New Orleans archbishop, Gregory Aymond, told Odiong's bishop in Nigeria to recall him to his home diocese as soon as possible to address these concerns", officials said in a statement. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Fulton county prosecutors say in emails their legal careers will continue long after defendants go to jailFulton county prosecutors have signaled they want prison sentences in the Georgia criminal case against Donald Trump and his top allies for allegedly violating the racketeering statute as part of efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to exchanges in private emails.We have a long road ahead," the Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis, wrote in one email. Long after these folks are in jail, we will still be practicing law." Continue reading...

As Major League Soccer prepares for its 28th final, players from DC United and LA Galaxy recall the inaugural championship gameAs Columbus Crew and LAFC prepare to meet in the 28th edition of the MLS Cup Saturday, US soccer's crown-jewel showdown has come a long way since its inaugural final back in 1996, played between DC United and LA Galaxy on a rain-soaked pitch in Foxborough, Massachusetts.Yet despite the unquestionable uptick in quality of play, coaching and infrastructure the league has witnesses since, the first-ever MLS Cup might never be beaten for sheer entertainment. Continue reading...

He must be defeated but not by adopting his toxic agenda. A vision of hope, fairness and justice is more likely to succeed

They've already managed to concede 55 more goals than they've scored, but the cellar-dwelling Sharks have also conjured moments of good hockeyTwenty-four points. That's the (low) bar that the 2023-24 San Jose Sharks have to clear to ensure they are not the worst version of the franchise in the team's history. For now, that dubious honor goes to the 1992-93 Sharks, who registered a measly 24 total points that season, allowing a whopping 414 goals against (including a 13-1 loss against the Calgary Flames), and finished with a 11-71-1 record. Continue reading...

Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie and Ron DeSantis make case to be alternative to Donald Trump

Four remaining candidates hurl insults at each other as debate questions range from Israel and Ukraine aid to Trump, drugs and the economy

Trump once again loomed over debate as as personal attacks flew and Vivek Ramaswamy was booed for notebook stuntThe fourth Republican debate in Alabama featured just four people - winnowing the broad pool down to Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy - but once again missing the frontrunner Donald Trump.The debate, hosted by NewsNation and moderated by Megyn Kelly, Elizabeth Vargas and Eliana Johnson, devolved into conspiracy theories and confusing personal attacks despite some clear and forthright questions. Continue reading...

Eight American service members were killed last week when tilt-rotor aircraft crashed during training missionThe United States said on Wednesday it was grounding its military fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft after a fatal crash last week off the coast of Japan that killed eight people onboard.Preliminary investigation information indicates a potential material failure caused the mishap, but the underlying cause of the failure is unknown at this time," US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) said in a statement. Continue reading...

Police confirm suspected shooter at campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has been located and is deceased'Three people were killed in a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) campus on Wednesday, according to police officials, who confirmed that the suspect was also dead.A fourth victim was critically wounded in the attack, which took place at approximately 11.45am local time, the Las Vegas metro police department said. Students and professors were forced to barricade themselves in classrooms and dormitories across the 332-acre (135-hectare) campus after getting an alert about a shooter. Continue reading...

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Democrat Henry Whitehorn's win over Republican John Nickelson in the Caddo parish invalid due to illicitly cast ballots, says judgeA Democratic politician who recently won a Louisiana sheriff's election over a Republican candidate by a single vote has been ordered to run the race again after a judge determined that a handful of illicitly cast ballots muddied up the results.The Democratic candidate, Henry Whitehorn, defeated his Republican opponent John Nickelson in an election to be the next sheriff of north-western Louisiana's Caddo parish on 18 November 2023 by a count of 21,621 votes to 21,620. A 27 November recount gave each candidate an additional three votes, but Whitehorn preserved his minimal advantage in the contest to succeed a retiring Republican incumbent. Continue reading...

Congress unlikely to approve more funding for Ukraine before end of year after GOP demanded stricter border regulationsThe Senate has blocked a supplemental funding bill that included financial aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as well as provisions aimed at bolstering border security. The vote, which fell mostly along party lines, increases the likelihood that Congress will fail to approve more funding for Ukraine before the end of the year, as the White House has warned that Kyiv is desperately in need of more aid.The vote was 49 to 51, as every Senate Republican opposed advancing the legislation. Sixty votes were needed to take up the bill. Republicans in both chambers of Congress had demanded stricter border regulations in exchange for their support, and they said the bill failed to meet their requirements. Continue reading...

State's attorney general charged the fake electors with two felonies each, with penalties up to five years in prisonSix Republicans who cast fake electoral votes for Donald Trump in Nevada in 2020 were charged with two felonies each by the state's attorney general on Wednesday.The Democratic attorney general, Aaron Ford, announced the charges, saying a grand jury had decided to charge the six fake electors with offering a false instrument for filing" and uttering a forged instrument" for sending documents claiming to be the state's electors. Continue reading...

Animal rights supporters advanced the proposal while opponents argued it attacked' and criminalized' Latino cultural traditionsProtesters on horseback demonstrated outside of Los Angeles's city hall on Wednesday as the city council advanced a measure that could ban rodeos throughout the city.The proposal for the ban has been advanced by animal rights supporters, who say rodeo events that involve animals being ridden bareback, roped or dragged to the ground are cruel and painful to the animals involved. Continue reading...

Shane James, 34, charged with two counts of murder over series of shootings that also left three injured including two police officersPolice in Austin have arrested a man after a series of shootings that left six people dead and three people injured, including two police officers and a bicyclist, over the course of eight hours.Austin's interim police chief, Robin Henderson, said at a news conference early on Wednesday that the violence occurred in two separate incidents across two central Texas communities. He said police were not aware the incidents were connected until after they arrested the man, named as 34-year-old Shane James. Continue reading...

Republican whose 10-month tenure ended when he became first speaker ousted by own party plans to serve America in new ways'

He confirmed himself as manifestly unfit. Those who gave Britain such a leader should carry the shame of it to their gravesFrancois Mitterrand once said that the most essential single attribute for success in politics is indifference. France's former socialist president possessed that quality to his core. His views could turn on a centime, from right to left to centre and back again, as the political situation and his own power required. Indifference, skilfully translated into policy and action, was an essential driver of his 14-year presidency.Boris Johnson is blessed - which may not be the right word - with an indifference of his own. Johnson is lightly encumbered with political principles, since he believes in little except himself. He famously wobbled about which side to take on Brexit. His instinctive capacity for indifference took him right to the top of the greasy pole. If that is his blessing, his curse is that, unlike Mitterrand, he could not then turn it into effective government action. Continue reading...

Inmates at Stewart detention center in Georgia file complaint alleging mistreatment, medical neglect and retaliationMore than 200 detainees held at the Stewart detention center (SDC) in Lumpkin, Georgia, are raising their voices against the inhumane conditions and mistreatment they endure daily. In a recent petition addressed to local officials and the Biden administration, organized by Sopheak Pal, an SDC detainee, the petitioners are demanding immediate action.We're treated worse than criminals [and] Ice takes advantage of our situation," Pal told the Guardian. This place is horrible, like the way they treat us ... we are all human, and we should all be treated like humans." Continue reading...

Senate banking committee chair argues lobbying fight is why people hate' Wall Street and WashingtonWall Street's most powerful banking executives warned Congress that new regulations on the industry proposed by the Biden administration risk hurting the US economy.On the eve of an election year, with the threat of recession looming large, the bosses of JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and five other large firms urged policymakers to be thoughtful" about the impact of the rules.Associated Press and Reuters contributed reporting Continue reading...

The complete cost is estimated to be $12bn and is expected to be completed before the 2028 Los Angeles OlympicsHigh-speed rail in the American west has received a major new investment with the Biden administration pledging $3bn for a project connecting Las Vegas to southern California and $3.07bn to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles.Officials have described the ambitious projects as a gamechanger" for tourism and travel in the region. Continue reading...

The group of Republicans formally acknowledged the wrongdoing and will be barred from serving as presidential electors againA group of Republican fake electors in Wisconsin acknowledged Joe Biden won the presidency and agreed they would not serve in the electoral college in 2024 as part of a settlement agreement in a civil lawsuit on Wednesday.The settlement, first reported by the Washington Post, marks the first time any of the fake electors from 2020 have formally acknowledged wrongdoing in a legal case and have faced any kind of penalty. The case was filed by a group of two Biden electors and a Wisconsin voter last year. They sought up to $2.4m in damages, in addition to permanently barring the fake electors from ever being able to serve as presidential electors again. Continue reading...

New documents seen by Drilled and the Guardian show how agencies laid groundwork for dozens of domestic terrorism arrestsThe Department of Homeland Security monitored web posts critical of a proposed police training center in Atlanta known as Cop City and shared its findings with state and local law enforcement ahead of a crackdown that left one protester dead and more than 40 others charged with domestic terrorism.The federal reports, shared with the Atlanta police and the Georgia bureau of investigation, concluded that property damage in the name of stopping Cop City, a planned $90m police training center in Atlanta's South River Forest, was consistent with anarchist violent extremist" and environmental violent extremist" ideologies. A separate report from the multiagency National Counterterrorism Center reached a similar conclusion. Continue reading...

There are times when everyone resorts to prayer. Just ask Oti Mabuse or Martin and Shirlie KempEach to their own, and all that, but I do occasionally enjoy challenging those who profess to have not one iota of religious belief. Nothing too heavy, you understand, as serious theology is quite beyond me. And I'm certainly not evangelising; often as not I'm just trying to keep a conversation ticking over. I restrict myself to a single aphorism, which goes like this: there are no atheists in a penalty shootout. I contend that most fans of the teams involved engage in something approximating prayer. The only exception, generally, will be the fans behind the goal who support the team whose goalkeeper is attempting to save the penalty about to be taken. As the player prepares to strike the ball, these fans may well pause their prayers to make hostile noises and obscene hand gestures in an attempt to put the penalty taker off. But by the time a player on their team is preparing to take the next penalty, they will silently resume praying.This aphorism began life in the context not of sport, but war - although nobody seems sure which one. I thought the contention that there were no atheists in foxholes was first expressed at the time of Vietnam, but it turns out there are examples of its use in the second world war and, albeit referencing the trenches rather than a foxhole, in the first world war. The same idea was alive and kicking in the previous century too, when sinking ships were cited as a good place for faith-testing. Before that, I suppose the idea that there wasn't some deity in charge of things was thought too absurd to merit challenge. Continue reading...

Disgraced lawmaker generating more income making personalized videos than previous salary as US congressmanThe disgraced lawmaker George Santos is reportedly making six figures by selling videos on the platform Cameo, generating more income than his previous salary as a US congressman, Semafor first reported.Santos, a former Republican representative from New York state, was expelled from Congress last Friday following a blistering ethics report that detailed his misuse of campaign funds. Continue reading...

Donald Trump claims he told his son not to testify since His young life has already been unfairly disturbed and disrupted enough'Eric Trump will not testify at his father's fraud trial against the Trump Organization Wednesday despite being scheduled to take the stand for over a week.I told my wonderful son, Eric, not to testify tomorrow at the RIGGED TRIAL," Donald Trump wrote late on Tuesday night in a rant against the trial. Trump said that his son already testified PERFECTLY". Continue reading...

Speaker Mike Johnson to release Capitol riot video but his office later acknowledges that justice department already has footageThe House speaker, Mike Johnson, said he would blur the faces of the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on January 6 before releasing new footage to the public, in order to shield the rioters from justice.In a Tuesday press conference Johnson, who was personally involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, said: We have to blur some faces of persons who participated in the events of that day because we don't want them to be retaliated against and to be charged by the DoJ." Continue reading...

Biden's rhetoric toward the Netanyahu government is toughening. But critics say his words aren't backed up by the threat of actionA soaring civilian death toll and a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza has jolted the Biden administration into a stark change of rhetoric towards the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu.Out has gone cavalier White House disavowals against drawing red lines" for Israel in Gaza; in have come blunt invocations of international law and the need to limit civilian casualties to a minimum. Continue reading...

Trump's former vice-president could be called as witness in case concerning attempt to overturn 2020 defeat, according to CNNDonald Trump's vice-president, Mike Pence, could be called to testify at the former president's Georgia election subversion trial, CNN reported.Citing anonymous sources familiar with court documents that remain under seal", the network said Pence was included on witness lists submitted by prosecutors in Fulton county, where Trump faces 13 charges connected to his attempt to overturn his defeat by Joe Biden in 2020. Continue reading...

When Tories row back on previous climate pledges, they are merely marching in lockstep with extreme parties across EuropeNot only did Rishi Sunak spend more time travelling to Cop28 on his private jet than attending the conference itself, he also delivered a speech at the Dubai summit doubling down on the decision to abandon crucial climate policies on heat pumps and energy efficiency, as revealed in his September announcement. All this while using the diminishing strength of the UK's green credentials as a shield. These actions lay bare the troubling path the Conservatives have chosen ahead of the next general election. But across western states, abandoning long-held climate commitments is becoming the norm for rightwing parties.In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders' Freedom party has secured the most votes in the country's recent general election and wants to undo the green transition. In New Zealand, the National party has formed a coalition with the populist NZ First party and ACT, a rightwing party that wants to repeal the Zero Carbon Act. In Germany, the AfD, the far-right party that is second in national opinion polls, has previously called for an end to all climate action efforts. In Canada, polls show that the Conservatives, who voted not to recognise the climate crisis as real two years ago, would win the upcoming 2025 election if it were held today.Diyora Shadijanova is a journalist and writer Continue reading...

Kash Patel, who held senior positions in Trump administration, said of members of the media, we're putting you all on notice'A Donald Trump ally who worked in his justice department said on Tuesday that if the former president is elected again, his administration will retaliate against people in the media criminally or civilly".Kash Patel, who was also chief of staff in the defense department and held a role on the national security council, made the comment on Steve Bannon's podcast. He said that, in a second Trump administration, We will go out and find the conspirators not just in government, but in the media," over the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden. Continue reading...

Humanity faces devastating domino effects' including mass displacement and economic ruin as planet warms, scientists warn. Plus, why are shopping malls pushing teenagers away?

Experts warn new and troubling trend is emerging: more victims are found to have consumed both fentanyl and methamphetamineSan Francisco is facing its deadliest year ever for drug overdoses, a trend blamed on the surge of powerful synthetic fentanyl in the US's illicit drug supply.In the first nine months of 2023, the northern California city saw 692 people die of overdoses, more than in the entire year of 2022, according to new data reported by the city's medical examiner. The city is on track to see more than 800 deaths this year, topping its highest year ever, 2020, when it saw 720. Continue reading...

40-year-old has amazed with her 190 goals, inspired with her voice, and bows out as her country's most iconic sporting figureLast night Christine Sinclair, the all-time leading goalscorer in international football, played her final minutes on the global stage. With more than 330 appearances for Canada, the 40-year-old stands second in the list of most-capped female players behind the US's Kristine Lilly. She has featured in six different World Cups, won two bronze Olympic medals and a heroic gold from the most recent edition in Tokyo. The Canadian has had an unparalleled international career and has promised to give one more year of club football with her beloved Portland Thorns in the National Women's Super League (NWSL), for a 12th season.Sinclair single-handedly put Canadian football on the map and her name is synonymous with the nation. The legacy she leaves behind is enormous, having touched every aspect of sport in North America. Current players praise her leadership and humility, the younger generation calls her a role model, head coaches say they become her students and her trophy cabinet is filled with silverware from every professional year she has played. Continue reading...

The modern-day Republican party is nothing but a Potemkin villageThe next Republican debate, like every previous one, is a staged performance simulating a debate. It is in the spirit of a Potemkin Village, the painted wooden facade of a thriving town transported place to place on the orders of Prince Gregory Potemkin to impress his lover Catherine the Great on her grand tour of the new lands of the Russian empire in 1783. The legend of the Potemkin Village gained currency with the publication of the Marquis de Custine's Russia in 1839. Inspired by the first volume of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, Custine decided he would secure his fame by the parallel feat of traveling through Russia. The Russians have only names for everything, but there is nothing in reality. Russia is a country of facades," he wrote. His insight has never faded, from the Romanovs through the Soviet Union down to Putin, where nothing is true.The Potemkin Village of the Republican contest, conducted under the shadow of a tyrant, is more Custine than Tocqueville, more Russia in 1839 than Democracy in America. It is the triumph of scenography above ideology. Revealing the reality behind the theatrical setting is too terrifying to contemplate for the participants. The pasteboard facade of a debate is shuttled into the pasteboard facade of an impeachment. Continue reading...

More than ever, franchises are a profit play as owners seek to boost income by building developments where people can live, work, shop, dine, drink and playPitching his vision of shifting the St Louis Rams to an ultra-modern stadium anchoring a massive land redevelopment near Los Angeles international airport, Stan Kroenke told his fellow NFL owners: This is what we do".Nearly eight years later, with the Rams successfully relocated and playing in the $5bn, 70,240-capacity SoFi Stadium complex, Kroenke is delivering on his declaration with the help of retailers, homebuilders, Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny. Continue reading...

As the anniversary of John Lennon's murder approaches, we are reminded again that the band's magic never disappearsMy friend Michael is a musicologist whose speciality is Johann Sebastian Bach. An author and lecturer, he speaks to erudite groups in many countries about, for example, Bach's Mass in B minor.Michael doesn't think much of most popular music.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

As clubs at the top of the European game continue to get richer and richer, they are looking for coaches with the one thing money cannot buyThe cascade of tributes that followed Terry Venables's death last week all circled around a single quality that made the former England, Spurs, and Barcelona boss a coach of such glinting gifts: charisma. El Tel's legendary talent as a man manager, tactician, and crooner, and even his notorious failures as a wig salesman and publican, were all an expression of this basic trait, his barrow-boy charm and scheming witAs a species, up-and-at-'em managers like Venables - artful dodgers reinvented as practitioners of the flexible 4-4-2 - may have gone the way of the upfield hoof, but the basic alchemy that explains their unique strength - the quality of charisma - is very much still with us. Continue reading...

The row over Omid Scobie's new book has reignited a depressing debate about mixed-race identity, with our voices barely heardThere are a few words and phrases I've muted on X (formerly Twitter) for a while, including: mixed-race, biracial, interracial relationship, and royal race row. But I would have had to have thrown my phone in the sea to avoid part two of the latter, involving Archie's skin tone, Meghan and Harry's unofficial biographer, Omid Scobie, and his new book, Endgame - in which the two royals who apparently commented on Archie's skin colour before he was born were named in the Dutch-language version of the book (which was promptly pulped by the publisher).I do sympathise - with Archie first and foremost, that is. Before he is even able to talk, his heritage has been loaded with meaning, his very existence described as progressive, transgressive, a step forwards or a step backwards, depending on whom you speak to. Being born into a story over which you have little control is a heavy load to bear. Many people of colour in white spaces and mixed-race" people will relate.Georgina Lawton is the author of Raceless: In Search of Family, Identity, and the Truth About Where I BelongDo 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 league has made noises recently about growing beyond 30 teams. But who would get a new franchise? And is a move outside North America possible?The NBA may boast the most talent it's ever had. There are all-time greats still dominating (LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant) and one-of-a-kind rookies (Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama). The league has 30 teams and only a few (Detroit, Washington, Portland) are devoid of an All-Star or a surefire future one.In short, the NBA is robust. That also makes it the perfect time for expansion, something NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the league intends to explore when its current media rights deals ends in 2025. But where would the league look, and what are its best options? The first stage of expansion would probably be for two more teams but a couple more in the years after that is not out of the question. Continue reading...

The onslaught on Gaza is not just harmful to US and western interests, but risks further destabilising the entire Middle EastJoe Biden has a Benjamin Netanyahu problem - and how he deals with it grows more urgent with each brutal, bloody day that passes. Thousands of Palestinian lives hang on the answer to this question. So, too, do hopes of stopping this hugely destructive war spreading beyond Gaza, and of progress towards a lasting peace.The Israeli prime minister's post-truce bombardment and ground invasion of southern Gaza is shaping up to be even more hellish", in a UN official's words, than the indiscriminate mayhem in the north that preceded it. The US president has the potential leverage and clout to rein him in where European and Arab leaders do not. Biden must take the lead.Simon Tisdall is a foreign affairs commentator. He has been a foreign leader writer, foreign editor and US editor for the Guardian Continue reading...

Whether shooting civil rights marches or Studio 54 style icons, the politically conscious photographer - who died last month - cast a critical eye on the American class system Continue reading...

Longtime PM Mark Rutte was a bulwark against the far right. Now he's gone - and Geert Wilders' party can start a wildfireIt has become something of a cliche to reflect on the state of your country after you have woken up to - putting it somewhat euphemistically - disappointing election results.Be it the Brexit referendum in 2016, Donald Trump's victory mere months after that, or the election victory of Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) in the Netherlands, the reactions were very similar. Analysts claimed that voters hadn't been properly listened to and that neoliberalism had left a trail of destruction, and the failure of the left was pointed out. Then came the obligatory mention of the elite, who are said to have alienated part of the electorate. The citizen no longer recognises himself in the administrators. As if citizens would have done so a few decades ago.Arnon Grunberg is a Dutch novelist and essayist Continue reading...

Agents will explore how lawyers and accountants in Cyprus helped shield assets of Kremlin-linked business peopleFBI agents tasked with investigating sanctions-busting have been dispatched to Cyprus as the global crackdown against Russian oligarchs, and the web of enablers who have helped hide their wealth, intensifies.The 24-strong team was expected to start assisting Cypriot police" with immediate effect after arriving on the eastern Mediterranean island late Sunday. Continue reading...

At town hall event in Iowa with Fox News host Sean Hannity, the former president was asked to deny that he would use power as retribution'Former president Donald Trump declined to rule out abusing power if he returns to the White House after Fox News host Sean Hannity asked him to respond to growing Democratic criticism of his rhetoric.The Republican presidential frontrunner has talked about targeting his rivals - referring to them as vermin" - and vowed to seek retribution if he wins a second term for what he argues are politically motivated prosecutions against him. As Trump has dominated the Republican presidential primary, president Joe Biden has stepped up his own warnings, claiming Trump is determined to destroy American democracy". Continue reading...