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Research shows increase in insults and harassment, with rate disproportionately high among women and minoritiesLocal elected officials in the US faced escalating insults and harassment in the immediate lead-up to the 2024 election, with women and minorities experiencing disproportionately high levels of hostility, according to new research.The latest survey from from Princeton University's Bridging Divides Initiative (BDI) and governance non-profit CivicPulse found that 53% of local elected officials reported receiving insults and 39% reported harassment between July and October, marking a significant increase from the previous quarter. Continue reading...

Victim was going to testify about being forced to see a psychiatrist for lying or face expulsion from school after rape by Lawrence Hecker, now 93The star witness in a clerical molestation case that has rocked one of the most Catholic cities in the US was going to tell a jury that his high school principal forced him to see a psychiatrist for anger issues and fantasy stories" - or face expulsion - after reporting that a priest had raped him on campus.Such shocking testimony was set to be delivered in a criminal trial against the retired priest, 93-year-old Lawrence Hecker, that was scheduled to begin Tuesday in New Orleans. But it was upended when the clergyman unexpectedly pleaded guilty to charges of child rape and kidnapping, a decision that guarantees him a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. Continue reading...

A second term for Trump has chilling implications for critical independent journalism and the media the industryDonald Trump's second term promises to deliver historic threats to US press freedom - directly from the Oval Office.The president-elect made it clear during the campaign that he had the media in his sights. He told a rally on the eve of the election that he wouldn't mind" if an assassin shot the journalists standing in front of him. Continue reading...

Hunter Biden cut the line while thousands of people who deserve similar considerations of mercy languish in prisonWhen Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he would be pardoning his son Hunter - who was facing sentencing in two federal criminal cases - he helped cement Donald Trump's much-repeated argument that the American judicial system is rotten, politicized and in need of an overhaul.It's a stupid refrain, but there are some heavy issues with Biden's choice to do this now. What are we to make of the hypocrisy of a president who promised he'd never interfere in the dealings of the justice department", and swore even up until six weeks ago that he would not pardon his son? Or the fact that he just delivered Trump and the Republican party the kind of ammunition they need to justify pardoning, say, the orchestrators of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol? More morally troubling is that there's a million other worthy causes that Biden could be using his pardon powers for. Continue reading...

Opposition parties submit motion to impeach Yoon and could vote on it as soon as Friday. Plus, how AI will rob music workers of nearly a quarter of their income within four yearsGood morning.South Korean opposition parties could vote on whether to impeach the president, Yoon Suk Yeol, as soon as Friday over his brief declaration of martial law on Wednesday after they announced they had submitted a motion for the process.Why did Yoon say he was declaring martial law? According to his address, it was to safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people's freedom and happiness".What's the context? Yoon's approval ratings have tanked and he is at bitterly odds with the opposition over next year's budget. Meanwhile, Seoul remains technically at war with Pyongyang.Is he the first nominee to withdraw? No - former Republican representative Matt Gaetz, who Trump originally picked as attorney general, also dropped out. His decision followed scrutiny over a federal sex-trafficking investigation that threw his ability to be confirmed into question. Continue reading...

No player has been as impactful, as exciting or as deserving of the Heisman Trophy than Colorado's two-way superstar. So why will he almost certainly be snubbed?The Heisman Trophy is college football's supreme individual honor, an annual tribute to the best player in the game, and more often than not it's the country's top quarterback who takes the prize. But this could be the year Colorado's Travis Hunter breaks with tradition.Hunter is college football's mind-warping dual threat, a game-changing wide receiver and cornerback. It's not uncommon for the nation's best college football prospects to play offense and defense as high schoolers, especially if there aren't enough bodies to fill out every position on the roster. At the highest levels of the college game, though, ironman" players are confined to specialty roles on one side of the ball or the other. Why? Because why double the injury risk? Why mess with convention? Continue reading...

The College Football Playoff has expanded to from four to 12 teams this season, yet the debate around it remains as intense as ever. Here's our foolproof selection methodThis season is the best of times and the worst of times to institute a 12-team playoff in the top tier of college football.It's the best of times because the results so far have yielded a muddled picture in which picking just four teams would have been extraordinarily difficult, and we'll need these playoff games to lend some clarity.1.5 adjusted wins for defeating a Tier 1 (top 5) team.1.4 for Tier 2 (6th through 10th)1.3 for Tier 3 (11th through 20th)1.2 for Tier 4 (the rest of the top 40)1.0 for Tier 5 (the rest of the top 100)0.8 for Tier 6 (everyone else)0.5 adjusted losses for losing to a Tier 1 team0.6 for Tier 20.7 for Tier 30.8 for Tier 41.0 for Tier 51.2 for Tier 61 Tier 1 win (Alabama), worth 1.5 adjusted wins2 Tier 4 road wins (Oklahoma, Vanderbilt), each worth 1.3 adjusted wins1 Tier 4 home win (Florida), worth 1.23 Tier 5 wins, worth 1.0 each3 Tier 6 wins (the Volunteers' non-conference schedule wasn't particularly strong), worth 0.81 Tier 1 road loss (Georgia), 0.4 adjusted losses1 Tier 4 road loss (Arkansas), 0.7 adjusted losses1 Tier 4 home win (Michigan), 1.2 adjusted wins6 Tier 5 wins, 1.0 each3 Tier 6 wins, 0.8 each1 Tier 1 road loss (Ohio State), 0.4 adjusted wins Continue reading...

Adam Gray wins by fewer than 200 votes, leaving Democrats with 215 House seats and Republicans 220 this election cycleDemocrat Adam Gray captured California's 13th congressional district on Tuesday, unseating Republican John Duarte in the final US House contest to be decided in the 2024 elections.Gray's win in the farm belt seat that cuts through five counties means Republicans won 220 House seats this election cycle, with Democrats holding 215 seats. Continue reading...

Somali women who speak out on social media can expect fake nude images and degrading abuse. But some are fighting backSocial media has given Somali women the space to be free, to organise themselves to effect change and to connect with their sisters. Unfortunately though, this newfound liberation has a heavy price, and women are subjected to more online harassment than their male counterparts.Since 2009, when I first created a Twitter (now X) account, I've been following the trolling, hate speech, harassment and bullying that Somalis face. However, I've also seen another trend worth mentioning: the disproportionate consequences for men and women. More often than not, the terms and phrases used to lash out against Somali women's active presence online are more derogatory, offensive, degrading and destructive than they are for men. Continue reading...

Family of Elizabeth Pollard, 64, of Marguerite, Pennsylvania, say she has not been seen since MondayAuthorities fear a grandmother who disappeared while looking for her cat may have been swallowed up by a sinkhole that recently opened up in a western Pennsylvania village.Crews lowered a pole camera with a sensitive listening device into the hole in Marguerite on Tuesday morning but detected nothing. A second camera lowered into the hole showed what could have been a shoe. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. You can read our Trump hush-money story hereNotre Dame Cathedral will reopen in Paris on Saturday with incoming US president Donald Trump set to attend the ceremony marking the resurrection of the Gothic masterpiece five years after a devastating fire.The Republican confirmed Monday he had accepted an invitation from French president Emmanuel Macron to attend the grand re-opening of the 850-year-old edifice which was nearly lost to flames in April 2019. Continue reading...

Hakeem Jeffries calls for high level of compassion' towards people in prison after president pardoned son HunterThe top Democrat in the US House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, has called on Joe Biden to pardon some working-class Americans" after the president faced criticism for pardoning his son Hunter.During his final weeks in office, President Biden should exercise the high level of compassion he has consistently demonstrated throughout his life, including toward his son, and pardon on a case-by-case basis the working-class Americans in the federal prison system whose lives have been ruined by unjustly aggressive prosecutions for nonviolent offenses," Jeffries said in a statement. Continue reading...

Florida sheriff cites gravity' of responsibility days after Trump taps him to lead Drug Enforcement AdministrationDonald Trump's pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Chad Chronister, said on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from consideration.Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I've concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration," Chronister, a Florida sheriff, said in a social media post. Continue reading...

Transition officials sign agreement after weeks-long delay as teams of investigators ready to process clearancesDonald Trump's transition team on Tuesday signed an agreement to allow the US justice department to conduct background checks on his nominees and appointees, after a weeks-long delay.The step lets transition aides and future administration staffers of the Republican president-elect obtain security clearances before he is inaugurated on 20 January to access classified information about government programs, an essential step for a smooth transition of power. It also allows those nominees who are up for confirmation by the US Senate to face the background checks lawmakers want before voting on them. Continue reading...

Eric Adams calls for accused migrants to be deported without waiting to see if they are convictedNew York City mayor Eric Adams has announced he wants migrants in the city who are charged with crimes to be deported from the US without waiting to see if they are convicted - signaling a move towards alignment with the incoming Trump administration's plans for mass deportations.Adams, a Democrat embroiled in his own criminal corruption case, in a Tuesday press conference cited safety concerns for New York residents, including law-abiding migrants, while also striking a defiant tone, clearly anticipating pushback from city liberals, or what he called cancel culture". Continue reading...

Lawyers file paperwork to formally request dismissal after judge in November put sentencing on hold indefinitelyDonald Trump's lawyers have filed paperwork pushing for dismissal of his Manhattan criminal hush-money case - and have invoked Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son, Hunter, in their argument.Yesterday, in issuing a 10-year pardon to Hunter Biden that covers any and all crimes whether charged or uncharged, President Biden asserted that his son was selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted' and treated differently'," Trump's lawyers wrote in papers filed on Monday but which were not made public until Tuesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Sylvester Stallone loans second cast for first-ever festival honoring franchise, including bus tour and mural unveilingThe city of Philadelphia is hosting its first RockyFest" in honor of the film franchise starring Sylvester Stallone as the boxing protagonist - and included an event-opening surprise at the top of the so-called Rocky Steps.The festival, which began on the franchise's 48th anniversary on 3 December and runs through 8 December, includes a bus tour, mural unveiling and movie marathon. Continue reading...

Benefield, 33, also received 10 years of probation for shooting Doug Benefield, 58, at their home in FloridaAshley Benefield, the former ballerina convicted in July of manslaughter for killing her estranged husband in what she claimed was self-defense, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison plus 10 years of probation.Benefield, 33, shot her husband, 58-year-old Doug Benefield, at her home in Florida on 27 September 2020. The subsequent media circus and trial, dubbed the Black Swan trial," has left many wondering if the act was intentional or in self-defense. Continue reading...

Stephen Feinberg's company has links to defence contractors, raising questions of conflict of interestDonald Trump has reportedly asked Stephen Feinberg, a billionaire private equity investor with extensive interests in the armaments industry, to be deputy defence secretary in his new administration.The choice, which requires Senate approval, could see Feinberg, 64, take the number two role at the Pentagon, where he would report to Trump's designated defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, whose own nomination faces an uncertain path amid allegations of past sexual misconduct, drunkenness and financial mismanagement. Continue reading...

Lawsuit filed on behalf of abortion providers argues state's 15-week ban is unconstitutionalWeeks after Arizona voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution, Arizona's attorney general, Kris Mayes, has agreed that the state will not enforce its 15-week abortion ban while a new lawsuit over the law plays out.The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in Maricopa county superior court on behalf of Arizona abortion providers, argues that Arizona's 15-week ban is now unconstitutional and should be overturned. Continue reading...

Top Meta lieutenant says company overdid it a bit' on moderation after CEO's dinner at Mar-a-LagoMark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump, who have previously engaged in bitter public feuds, are now warming to each other as Zuckerberg seeks to influence tech policy in the incoming administration.The Meta CEO dined at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida last week, talking technology and demonstrating the company's camera-equipped sunglasses, Fox News reported. Continue reading...

The craven stance of Tesla's board should not be lost in the legal back-and-forthThe first time around, judge Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware court of chancery got it right. The $56bn pay package awarded by Tesla to Elon Musk in 2018 was indeed a governance abomination, a stitch-up in which ordinary shareholders weren't told about the deeply flawed" process whereby a superstar ceo" secured wildly over-the-top terms from pliant directors.Her closely argued ruling in January spelt it out in persuasive detail. The company had inaccurately described key directors as independent and misleadingly omitted details about the process". Ira Ehrenpreis, the lead director negotiating for Tesla, had a 15-year business relationship with Musk. Another member of the working group regularly went on holiday with Musk's family. A third was the company's general counsel and Musk's former divorce lawyer. Continue reading...

Hannah Kobayashi disappeared voluntarily as she sought to step away from modern connectivity', LA police sayA Hawaii woman who vanished after landing in Los Angeles three weeks ago disappeared voluntarily as she sought to step away from modern connectivity" and was last seen crossing into Mexico, police said at a news conference.Hannah Kobayashi, 30, appeared unharmed as she walked alone with her luggage into a tunnel at the San Ysidro crossing about 125 miles (201km) south-east of Los Angeles around noon on 12 November the day after her family reported her missing, LA police said Monday. Authorities made the discovery after reviewing surveillance video from the US Customs and Border Protection late on Sunday. Continue reading...

The Georgian Dream government's suspension of EU talks has sparked an existential struggle for democracyIn recent years, Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has brazenly pursued a policy of gaslighting an overwhelmingly pro-European population. Rhetorically, it has paid enthusiastic lip service to the national goal of eventual accession to the European Union, an aim that is enshrined in the constitution. In practice, a party founded by the billionaire oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili - whose wealth was accumulated inRussia - has been pulling Georgia ever further into the authoritarian orbit of Vladimir Putin.Foreign agent" legislation passed earlier this year - provoking large protests in Tbilisi - copied and pasted Russian laws designed to curtail the influence of independent civil society organisations. Subsequent restrictions placed on LGBTQ+ rights came from the same playbook. Having awarded EU candidate status to Georgia in 2023, these illiberal moves led Brussels to belatedly conclude that it was being taken for a ride by Mr Ivanishvili's political placemen. Membership talks were accordingly paused in June. Nevertheless, in the lead-up to an election this October, GD politicians were still pledging their commitment to EU membership. Continue reading...

Canadian government scrambles to ward off tariffs as prime minister briefs politicians on meeting with TrumpCanada's federal government has redoubled its efforts to ward off potentially disastrous tariffs from its closest ally, but provincial leaders have hinted at divergent strategies in response to the protectionist threat from president-elect Donald Trump.Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, convened a rare, in-person meeting with his political rivals on Tuesday to brief them on a surprise meeting with Trump at his Florida resort over the weekend. Continue reading...

Dinesh D'Souza admits analysis in film that alleged massive 2020 voter fraud scheme based on inaccurate information'Conservative film-maker Dinesh D'Souza has issued a rare apology for his controversial documentary 2,000 Mules, a cornerstone of post-2020 election fraud conspiracy theories, but a prominent organization in the election denialism ecosystem is standing behind the film's false claims.The film alleged a massive voter fraud scheme involving individuals supposedly stuffing ballot drop boxes with illegal votes. Central to these claims was cellphone geolocation data provided by True the Vote, a Texas-based non-profit that has become a prominent actor in the election denial ecosystem. Continue reading...

The White House is trying to disburse last $7bn in aid approved by Congress before Trump begins second termThe Biden administration is rushing military equipment to Ukraine in a last-ditch effort to shore up the country's defenses against the Russian invasion before Donald Trump assumes the US presidency in January.The newly announced $725m in assistance will include Stinger anti-air missiles, anti-drone weapons, artillery shells and long-range Himars rocket munitions, and anti-armour missiles, as well as spare parts and other assistance to repair damaged equipment from US stocks, the state department said. Continue reading...

This is another example of a two-tiered justice system that routinely shields the powerful - and punishes the powerlessNo one is above the law," Joe Biden tweeted in May. He probably should have added a caveat to that because his own son appears to be floating far above the scales of justice. On Sunday the president issued a full and unconditional" pardon to his middle child, Hunter, who was facing possible prison time for convictions on gun and tax charges. Biden and his spokespeople had previously insisted - at least seven times - that the president would not pardon his 54-year-old son and Donald Trump is, predictably, having a field day with the U-turn.A little background for those who haven't been following the misadventures of Hunter Biden as closely as Republicans have. Despite the fact that, unlike Trump's children, Hunter has never held a position in Biden's administration, Republicans are obsessed with the man and have used his problems to attack the president. And Hunter has made this easy: he has a history of dubious business dealings and his struggles with addiction have led to numerous personal scandals that have been disgracefully weaponised. At one point, the Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene showed nude photos of Hunter engaged in sex acts to the House oversight committee. Continue reading...

Lawrence Hecker, 93, is set to receive a life sentence after admitting to attacking boy in church bell towerShortly before a jury was supposed to be chosen for his trial on criminal charges of kidnapping and raping a boy in the mid-1970s, the self-acknowledged serial child molester and retired Roman Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker pleaded guilty on Tuesday morning.The 93-year-old is scheduled to receive a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment on 18 December in New Orleans's state criminal courthouse, where it has been rare for a Catholic clergyman to be charged - much less convicted - in connection with the church's decades-old clerical molestation scandal. Continue reading...

Despite Minnelli's memoir not being finished and a queue of Academy award, Emmy, Tony and Grammy winners excited to talk', the star of the upcoming biopic is already obviousAs the repeatedly stalled Madonna biopic has shown, it's difficult to make a film about a real-life icon, especially when the icon in question has a say in who will play them. And so it might prove to be with Liza Minnelli. Earlier this year, Minnelli announced that she is writing what is sure to be a blockbuster memoir. The book promises to pull no punches which - when you factor in her parents, her addiction issues and her complicated love life - is a hell of a lot of punches not to pull.The book isn't due to come out until 2026. Despite this, the television rights have already been optioned and, even though it's so far in the distance, Minnelli has already got several ideas about casting. In an email to People magazine, she wrote: First, we need a great script and an actress who loves to move," adding, Honey, first, I'm a dancer ... like the great line in Chorus Line: God, I'm a dancer ... a dancer dances ... even with replaced hips and scoliosis!" Continue reading...

Nearly 2 million Mexican Americans, more than half US citizens, were deported without due process during the Great Depression, reminiscent of what is unfolding todayOne sunny afternoon in February, a large group of plainclothes federal agents descended on Los Angeles's La Placita Park, a sanctuary and bustling cultural hub for the city's growing Mexican diaspora. Wielding guns and batons, they barricaded the park and demanded proof of citizenship or legal residency from the congregants trapped within.Those who failed to produce papers were arrested. More than 400 people were detained and forced on a train back to Mexico, a place many had never been. Continue reading...

Federal investigators find children working at Sioux Falls meat processing plant for second timeNearly a dozen children were working shifts cleaning meat processing equipment used at an Iowa pork plant's so-called kill floor over a four-year period, the US Department of Labor announced.Eleven children were using corrosive chemicals to clean as well as perilous head splitters, jaw pullers, bandsaws, neck clippers and other equipment" at a Seaboard Triumph Foods pork processing plant in Sioux City, according to officials. This is the second time federal investigators have found children working at that particular Sioux Falls meat processing plant. Continue reading...

My father was more thrilled with his present than the times we gave him lovely photos, swanky dinners and a fancy laptopI waited until I was 15 years old to have my first major disagreement with my physicist dad. We were living in India, and I had just been elected (note, not appointed) captain of my high school. Shortly before I assumed office", he was offered a coveted position at an American university. My teenage self was incredulous that he would put his career over my popularity.My pleas to stay back at boarding school were to no avail. My father made no effort to reassure me that the massive geographical and cultural shift would work out. Instead, he said we were sailing uncharted waters and would have to make the best of our situation. So off we went to freezing Minneapolis where we spent a year before my dad's reputed lab was invited to move to Pittsburgh. My exasperation was complete. Continue reading...

Lake-effect snow warnings in place in parts of Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania as residents navigate disruptionSome storm-weary residents of the US's Great Lakes region have seen continued snowfall in recent days and are facing the prospect of even more accumulations this week.Lake-effect snow warnings were in place through Tuesday night in parts of Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania. That was after lake-effect snow fell on parts of western New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio that were already blanketed with a foot or more over the past four days. Continue reading...

In 2024, we have a new post-election lie - Trump didn't just win, Republicans say, but he won big. He won a landslide. That's falseRemember the big lie"? In 2020, Donald Trump lost the presidential election so Republicans just brazenly lied and insisted he won.In 2024, we have a new post-election lie from the Republican party. Trump didn't just win, they say, but he won big. He won a landslide. He won an historic mandate for his Maga" agenda.Mehdi Hasan is the CEO and editor-in-chief of the new media company Zeteo Continue reading...

Maui, struck by one of the deadliest blazes in modern US history, has seen tourism drop, a shortage of houses and persistent inflationJanssen Vergara, 35, couldn't wait to rebuild the three-bedroom house she owned in west Maui before it burned down in last year's historic wildfire. She had been granted a building permit and the burn zone had been cleared for construction.But as the months passed, rebuilding came to feel more and more out of reach. Continue reading...

Both sides have traded fire and accused the other of breaching the truce. Plus, Tori Amos talks about trauma, Trump and Neil Gaiman

Everyone I asked gave a different definition - and when a concept is so nebulous, it becomes a political cudgelIn the aftermath of the election, the working class was constantly invoked and rarely defined - invoked as a badge of authenticity, as the people who really matter, as the salt of the earth, the ones politicians should woo or be chastised for failing to woo sufficiently. Who exactly is in this category? I asked around, and the definitions didn't just vary - they wobbled, clashed and blurred.The more nebulous something is, the more it can mean anything useful to the speaker or writer. I thought of Alice Through the Looking Glass:When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.'The question is,' said Alice, whether you can make words mean so many different things.' Continue reading...

Biden could have achieved a ceasefire in Gaza months ago if he had truly applied pressure on Benjamin NetanyahuJoe Biden stood in the White House Rose Garden last week to announce a ceasefire deal, but it wasn't the one he has been desperate to secure for months. Biden confirmed that Israel and Hezbollah had accepted a US-brokered agreement to stop a war that has devastated large parts of Lebanon. But the deal does nothing to end Israel's calamitous war on Gaza, where Biden and his administration had purportedly been pushing for a ceasefire - while enabling Israel with US weapons and political cover for 14 months.Biden could have achieved a ceasefire in Gaza months ago if he had truly applied pressure on the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. On 26 November, Netanyahu made clear the importance of an uninterrupted flow of US weapons to Israel, saying the 60-day truce with Hezbollah would give Israeli troops a breather" and provide time to replenish arms supplies from Washington. Continue reading...

The running back could end up setting the single-season rushing record as the Eagles start to take shape as a Super Bowl contenderBaltimore Ravens nose tackle Travis Jones dropped the fabulous Saquon Barkley to the cold turf for a one-yard loss on his only carry of the third quarter Sunday, leaving the running back with 44 yards rushing on the day. Barkley has had four separate carries this season for more yardage.The Ravens had done a decent job to that point containing Barkley, but football games consist of four quarters, not three, and Barkley only seems to get stronger these days. As the Philadelphia Eagles ground out a 24-19 victory over a fellow playoff contender, Barkley finished with 107 yards rushing. Continue reading...

Band Aid was well meaning, but it has done more harm than good. Now the diaspora is taking back control of the narrative

An event at the European parliament featuring the French academic Maboula Soumahoro was axed after French MEPs objectedMaboula Soumahoro is a renowned French scholar and public intellectual. The holder of a PhD earned through studies both in France and at Columbia University in the US, she is an associate professor at the University of Tours, a specialist on the African diaspora, and one of France's foremost academics when it comes to race relations.So when the European parliament decided to invite her to an internal event last month as part of a dialogue to discuss ways to promote equality and inclusion in the workplace", it made perfect sense.Rokhaya Diallo is a Guardian Europe 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...

Early online reaction suggests the concept car might appear more familiar to fans of Barbie or the Pink Panther than traditional Jag owners

Christopher Collings was convicted of sexually assaulting nine-year-old in 2007 and leaving her body in sinkholeMissouri's governor on Monday denied clemency for Christopher Collings, a death row prisoner facing execution for sexually assaulting and killing a nine-year-old girl and leaving her body in a sinkhole.Collings, 49, is scheduled to receive a single injection of pentobarbital at 6pm CT on Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri, for the 2007 killing of fourth-grader Rowan Ford. It would be the 23rd execution in the US this year and the fourth in Missouri. Continue reading...