US news | The Guardian

George Stephanopoulos, who interviewed president days ago, says he should not have answered passerby's questionThe ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos was captured on camera saying he did not think Joe Biden could serve another four years in office, four days after a major TV interview with the US president and amid a re-election campaign in crisis.The comment came after Biden attempted to assuage concerns among Democrats about his age and mental acuity, including in the recent interview with Stephanopoulos, previously a prominent political operative. Continue reading...

The government should send a clear message to creators and sites that advertise this abusive contentMost people's fears about AI are focused on the future. But we're not paying nearly enough attention to how these technologies are already dramatically increasing cases of sexual abuse in the present.Take deepfake pornography, a form of image-based sexual abuse in which digitally altered sexual images of victims are created and shared without people's consent. This is rising dramatically in Britain: Google deepfake porn" and the top results will not be critical discussions of this abuse, but sites where one can buy and access these abusive images. I've been writing about sexual abuse for years, and I'm deeply concerned that we're not doing enough to stop this. Continue reading...

Critics were chastised as radical when bringing up Biden's age before the debate - now it's the center of discussionConcerns about Joe Biden's fitness for re-election on the left may have been muted over the last year. But they were not absent.There's a lot of people, especially on the left, that have been talking about this," said Alex Johnson, an IT worker in Atlanta. Continue reading...

Republicans to push Safeguard American Voter Eligibility bill in effort to quell unproved fraud of non-citizens votingCongressional Republicans will vote this week on a bill to require people to show proof of citizenship to register to vote, a move that comes as they lay the groundwork for undermining election results in November.The House will vote on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility bill, or Save bill, which would make states require, in person, documents that prove a person is a US citizen when registering to vote. This can include a Real ID, passport or other kinds of identification that show a person's place of birth. It wouldn't include a standard drivers license as a sole form of identification and calls for a secondary proof of place of birth alongside it, like a birth certificate. Continue reading...

Seven House Democrats have so far called for president to quit. Plus, Israeli strike on Khan Younis shelter kills at least 25

The Democratic establishment says this election is about preserving democracy - yet are more worried about looking disunited than winning the electionIn France, more than 200 candidates dropped out of their races to consolidate the left-center vote and defeat the extreme right. In Israel, Labor and the leftwing Meretz party are merging to offer a real alternative to the path of the failed and dangerous government".And in the US, the Democrats are on a death march behind the zombie Joe Biden, more worried about looking disunited than winning the election.Judith Levine is a Brooklyn journalist and essayist, a contributing writer to the Intercept and the author of five books Continue reading...

The manifesto rebrands historically liberal stances, like guarding entitlements and growing bluecollar jobs, as RepublicanThe new Republican platform was released yesterday. Some liberal journalists - the opinion-makers of what has been called the Democrats' shadow party" - dismissed the new platform as a joke". They're wrong. The Republican party platform is scary. Not because it rolls out the usual litany of conservative policy preferences, but precisely because of where it breaks from that orthodoxy.The new party platform is scary, because it can win. Continue reading...

The term has become a useful way for Trump and his fellow Republicans to rearrange the goalposts of debate. So why is the US president now sinking to that level?A quick quiz for you: define the elite". Perhaps you answered with something along the lines of people with superior abilities"? Or maybe you defined it as: the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world"? Neither of those is correct. Nope, the elite" is now a derogatory term used by politicians to mean anyone who disagrees with them. It's the defining political insult of our time.Donald Trump kicked off this trend. The former president owns a multimillion-dollar Manhattan penthouse dripping with gold, but, starting around 2015, he has carefully distanced himself from evil media and political elites. The idea that he's not included in the elite" is so laughable that sometimes he's even confused himself. At one point in 2018 he told a crowd in Minnesota: You ever notice they always call the other side the elite'? The elite! Why are they elite? I have a much better apartment than they do ... I'm richer than they are."Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Idea floated by loose affiliation of party stalwarts say alternative would invigorate Democrats by putting spotlight on young talentIn the morass in which the Democratic party now finds itself over Joe Biden's troubled presidential candidacy, a prominent narrative is that the party is confronted by two dire options: an aged and weakened Biden stumbles on to November, or he stands down, igniting an acrimonious and chaotic scramble for his replacement.Either way, Donald Trump wins. Continue reading...

Zhiying Zeng thought her Olympic dream was over after she quit China's table tennis team in 1986. Now, 38 years later, she will compete at Paris 2024Zhiying Zeng isn't fussed about travelling to Portugal's world-class table tennis training facility, the Mirandela Center, to prepare for Paris alongside her Olympic cohorts. I'd prefer to train here," she says, gesturing to her surroundings in a Santiago de Chile sports complex. The table tennis hall is in the basement, and subject to tremors from the team sports thundering around above.Zeng trains here Monday to Friday, three hours a day. She would like to do more but she has an excuse as she contemplates her Olympic debut: she will turn 58 just before the Games start in Paris later this month. When you're young, nothing hurts," she says with a smile. Now, if I play too much I get shoulder ache." Continue reading...

Lionel Messi's first goal at this edition of Copa America, and his 14th in the tournament overall, sealed Argentina's 2-0 semi-final victory over Canada in front of more than 80,000 fans at a hot and humid MetLife Stadium on Tuesday night.The Argentina captain deflected an Enzo Fernandez shot into the net from close range early in the second half to seal his team's place in Sunday's final. Messi's goal added to a first-half Julian Alvarez strike against the run of play, which curtailed a spirited opening from Jesse Marsch's side. Continue reading...

Ex-president returns to campaign trail in Doral and makes baseless accusations but doesn't name running mateDonald Trump returned to the campaign trail in Florida on Tuesday night, hurling insults at Joe Biden and airing a litany of familiar grievances, but declining to name a running mate for November's general election.The former president and presumptive Republican nominee was speaking to a crowd of several hundred supporters at his golf club in Doral, a western suburb of Miami, keeping them waiting in 90F heat for a freewheeling monologue that began more than an hour later than scheduled. Continue reading...

Rangers fatally shot Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner, 28, when he fired at a dining facility with nearly 200 people insideA gunman killed by Yellowstone national park rangers, as he fired a semiautomatic rifle at the entrance of a dining facility with about 200 people inside, had told a woman he had held at gunpoint earlier that he planned to carry out a mass shooting, park officials said Tuesday.Park rangers shot and killed the man during the attack Thursday morning. Yellowstone officials identified the lone shooter Tuesday as Samson Lucas Bariah Fussner, 28, of Milton, Florida. Continue reading...

Vice-president warns Trump would turn US to dictatorship if re-elected at event focused on AANHPI communitiesKamala Harris doubled down on her support of Joe Biden on Tuesday, describing the embattled president as a fighter" as she warned Donald Trump would turn the country from a democracy into a dictatorship if he is re-elected to the White House in November.The vice-president, speaking at a campaign event in Nevada, alluded to Biden's struggles since his calamitous debate performance last month. We always knew this election would be tough, and the past few days have been a reminder that running for president of the United States is never easy," Harris said. Continue reading...

Actor faces up to 18 months in prison over 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on New Mexico film setAlec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial in the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the Rust film set began on Tuesday at a New Mexico courthouse where 16 people were selected to serve on the jury.After a full day of proceedings, which were initially delayed by technical issues for several hours, a jury of 11 women and five men were seated in the long-awaited trial. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on Biden's address, read our full report:

Seven House Democrats have so far called for president to quit, evidence of a party in disarray after disastrous debateAfter a day of private meetings on Capitol Hill, congressional Democrats appeared torn over whether Joe Biden should remain the party's nominee, as concerns deepen over the 81-year-old president's age, mental acuity and ability to win the White House for a second term.Lawmakers emerged from closed-door gatherings on Tuesday stone-faced, appearing uneasy about Biden's path forward, even if most weren't ready to publicly call on him to step aside. Asked if the party was on the same page after a House Democrats meeting, Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee quipped: We're not even in the same book." Continue reading...

Self-styled anti-hate group tracked Black organizer who opposed links between US police and Israeli militaryThe Anti-Defamation League has surveilled leftwing activists and regularly tracks, profiles and sends threat assessments of individuals" it perceives as a problem, according to an employee account and an internal email obtained by the Guardian.The May 2020 email was sent from ADL's head of security to chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt and unspecified employees of the Jewish group, which labels itself the leading anti-hate organization in the world". A self-styled civil rights organization, it plays an outsize role in shaping public sentiment and national policy around antisemitism, but it has been plagued by controversy in recent years over its attacks on Israel critics and social justice groups. Continue reading...

Polls indicate Biden is trailing Trump, but opinions may not have shifted radically, while Kamala Harris shows mixed resultsJoe Biden has suffered less polling damage than might have been expected after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump, while Kamala Harris, the vice-president, and the president's most likely replacement should Democrats switch candidates, had mixed results when positioned against Trump.Those were analysts' key takeaways from new polling nearly two weeks after the debate, as Biden continued to fend off calls to quit from within his own party, and majorities of Americans say he should drop out because of concerns over his age and health. Continue reading...

Company could endure biggest US strike of 2024 as unions accuse it of intimidation during contract negotiationsDisney could face the largest strike in the US this year after it was announced that thousands of theme park and hotel workers in California will vote on whether to stage a walkout.Three trade unions representing 14,000 cast members" at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney and the Disney hotels announced an unfair labor practice strike vote would be held next week amid negotiations over a new union contract. Continue reading...

Woman dies at California facility as temperatures reach 110F and residents without air conditioning beg for reliefAn incarcerated person at California's largest women's prison has died amid a brutal heatwave that has left residents without air conditioning begging for relief and warning of dire consequences for their health.A woman in the Central California Women's Facility, located in the Central Valley city of Chowchilla, died on Saturday as temperatures in the region climbed above 110F (43.3C). The California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP), an advocacy group, said it appeared the woman suffered a preventable heat death. The woman's daughter told the Sacramento Bee that her mother had complained about the physical toll of the summer weather for years. Continue reading...

Donna Vekic, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Jasmine Paolini are through to the Wimbledon semi-finals after winning their quartersBack to Djokovic, who they're discussing on BBC - and there's a general sense he overreacted - I baulked at his accusation the crowd were disrespecting him. No one with the remotest interest in tennis can possibly fail to respect the greatest male player of all time; what hurts Djokovic, I think, is that among that respect there's not always love - especially relative to how much there is, uniformly, for Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz.As for Sinner v Medvedev, it's hard to see a way the world number one loses on grass. The roof being closed, assuming it is, will help both - Sinner can hit it cleanly, while Medvedev will appreciate the sureness underfoot, sometimes unwilling to plant for fear of slipping. If he serves and returns like God, he's got a chance, but even then the confidence, authority and composure of Sinner looks likely to be decisive because almost everything Medvedev does, he does better. Continue reading...

More than 2 million homes were left without power after Beryl slammed Texas as a category 1 hurricane, before weakening to a tropical depression. Seven people were killed in the Houston area as the storm hit, officials said. Drone footage showed damaged homes and flooded streets in Surfside Beach, a coastal city 100km south of Houston

The Oklahoman brought a snowball to the Senate floor in 2015 to prove humans couldn't change the climateRepublican former senator James Inhofe, a climate denier who once brought a snowball to the chamber floor in a stunt attempting to disprove global warming, died on Tuesday at the age of 89.Inhofe resigned as senator for Oklahoma in January 2023, suffering long-term effects of Covid-19. Elected in 1994, his time as the state's longest-serving senator was notable for his ultra-conservative positions on numerous issues, including calling the climate emergency the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people". Continue reading...

University president says private text exchange during school event was unacceptable and deeply upsetting'Three Columbia University deans have been indefinitely removed from their positions after sending text messages that the university president said included antisemitic tropes.In a message sent on Monday, the Columbia president, Minouche Shafik, said that text messages revealed behavior and sentiments that were not only unprofessional, but also, disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes", the Columbia Spectator reported. Continue reading...

The new parliament better reflects a modern Britain that politicians have ignored for too longSeeing a Labour prime minister speak from the dispatch box in parliament sealed an electoral coup executed in the quiet of the country's polling booths last week. The proceedings in the House of Commons on Tuesday revealed the scale of the revolution that SirKeir Starmer led. Out of 650 parliamentarians elected, 335 have never been an MP before.Parliament now looks more like Britain. The Commons is the most diverse ever in terms of race and gender. Black, Asian and ethnic minority lawmakers will make up about 13% of the total, up from 10% in 2019. There are a record 242 female MPs, 22 more than after the last election. The Labour leader pointed out that the Commons now has the largest cohort" of LGBTQ+ MPs of any parliament in the world. It was heartening to see Sir Keir break with convention to praise the mother of the house, Diane Abbott, Britain's first black woman MP, who was almost blocked from standing as a Labour candidate. It may be a trick of the light, but the nation feels a better place. Continue reading...

Donation by former New York City mayor and alumnus will cover school fees for nearly all students from fall term 2024Medical school at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University will soon be free to nearly all students after a $1bn donation from the alumnus, philanthropist and politician Michael Bloomberg.Beginning in the fall term of 2024, the former New York City mayor's foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, will cover 100% of tuition for medical students whose families earn less than $300,000, the organization announced on Monday. And for those who earn less than $175,000, all living expenses and fees will also be covered. Continue reading...

Why didn't I spend more time actually being in the moment rather than worrying about getting the right shot of it?

Party instead opts to focus on power of states to regulate abortion in move that reflects Trump's positionFor the first time in 40 years, the Republican party has omitted a national abortion ban from its official party platform - opting instead to focus on the power of states to regulate abortion in a move that reflects Donald Trump's preferred position.Fourteen states have adopted near-total abortion bans since the supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. Roe had provided a federal constitutional right to obtain an abortion. Continue reading...

White House physician clarifies in letter that Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physicals

He thinks he can run again: the signs say the opposite. Biden's best hope for beating Trump may be to let someone else do itThe Joe Biden re-election campaign is now a situation where you want to put your hands over your eyes even when your hands are already over your eyes. Like mine, all your sets of hands may have been clamped tightly to your lids since Biden's franchise-killing performance in the first presidential debate 12 days ago, which his press secretary incredibly handwaved away by stating: He had a cold". A cold what? A cold sweat? A cold day in hell? A cold dead hand he'd like you to prise the nomination out of?In news that launched a million grimace emojis, the answer turns out to be: all of the above. Biden is on a fightback. Yesterday he railed against elites" in the Democratic party, proudly deploying that great Donald Trump innovation whereby the actual president is somehow not an elite. In a strongly worded letter you strongly know was worded by someone else, Biden ordered the Democrats to stop worrying and love the bomb (I lightly paraphrase). A neurologist repeatedly came to the White House last year to treat other people who work there, the White House insists, while Biden last week told a meeting of governors that he was fine, reportedly adding, It's just my brain". OK! Last Friday, he gave a sit-down interview in which he was asked how he'd feel if he clung on in the race then lost to Trump. As long as I gave it my all, and did as good of a job as I know I can do," Biden judged, that's what this is about."Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

A strong showing at Copa America would have built momentum for World Cup qualifying. But another early tournament exit exposed a team with no cohesionIf this isn't rock bottom for the Selecao, it's as near as makes no difference. Another early tournament exit. Another Brazil team making unwanted history. Their defeat to Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals of Copa America marks the eighth time they've been dumped from a tournament held outside Brazil before the semi-finals since 2000.It may not be 1950 or 7-1, but the latest defeat paints as grim a picture as those famous results. Continue reading...

Trump has disavowed the manifesto, but his goals for civil service cuts, deportation and more show a shared visionDonald Trump's attempt to distance himself from Project 2025 after extreme comments from one of its leaders falls flat given the extensive Trump ties and similarities between the project's policy ideas and the former president's platform.On Truth Social last week, Trump claimed to know nothing about Project 2025" and have no idea who is behind it". The disavowal from Trump came after Kevin Roberts, the president of Heritage, said: We are in the process of the second American revolution, which will remain bloodless, if the left allows it to be." Continue reading...

The bigger story is Donald Trump's appalling unfitness for office. He tried to overturn a legitimate election and is a felonIt's possible for two conflicting ideas to be true at once.And so it is with the mainstream media's unrelenting focus on Joe Biden's mental acuity, following his terrible debate performance earlier this month. Continue reading...

Lawyers for ex-president preparing to shut down possibility of high-profile officials testifying at evidentiary hearingsDonald Trump is expected to launch a new legal battle to suppress any damaging evidence from his 2020 election-subversion case from becoming public before the 2024 election, preparing to shut down the potency of any mini-trials" where high-profile officials could testify against him.The plans come after the US supreme court last week in its ruling that broadly conferred immunity on former presidents opened the door for the US district judge Tanya Chutkan to hold evidentiary hearings - potentially with witnesses - to determine what acts in the indictment can survive. Continue reading...

Having called Trump an idiot' and a potential American Hitler', the Republican senator now fawns over himThere's one thing Donald Trump knows how to do well: maximizing suspense in an elimination contest and treating contestants with exquisite cruelty. Competing for a spot on his presidential ticket is as close as politics can get to The Apprentice, the show that fooled millions of Americans into thinking that Trump was a successful businessman.A number of Republican candidates for running mate, from the endlessly self-humiliating Tim Scott to the nondescript Doug Burgum, are vying for what surely looks like a political suicide mission: they must know that Trump betrays everyone eventually, yet they seem to think that their fate as a faithful no 2 will be different. Not all aspirants are equally threatening to American democracy, though. The top prize not just for sycophancy, but for clear and present authoritarian danger must go to the man widely considered the veepstakes" frontrunner, JD Vance.Jan-Werner Muller is a professor of politics at Princeton University and a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

The best college players often go from playing for free to finding themselves with vast wealth in their teens. It can be a mixed blessingAt the start of the year, Alexandre Sarr was playing in Australia's NBL, where the average salary is around $100,000. Reed Sheppard was playing in college where, NIL deals aside, he earned nothing. Now, after going No 2 and No 3 overall in June's draft, they are millionaires. Sarr is guaranteed $23m from his rookie contract with the Washington Wizards, while Sheppard will have to make do with $20m from his deal with the Houston Rockets (both contracts could end up paying the duo north of $45m each). It's not just the top picks who suddenly have access to wealth either. Nine players in the second-round of this year's draft - guys who may not ever have a meaningful career in the NBA - have signed multimillion dollar contracts with their teams.Those contracts often change lives for the better. But they can also become a burden as young men, often still in their teens, suddenly grapple with a fortune that arrived overnight. Continue reading...

Although some domestic staff in the subcontinent are treated well, for most it is a relentlessly harsh and thankless existenceHow the Hindujas, Britain's richest family, treated their domestic staff at their Swiss mansion made it to the courts and on to the front pages last month. But in India it failed to elicit even a flicker of attention.Plenty of Indians treat their cooks, maids, drivers and nannies very well. They offer a decent wage, time off, speak to them politely, and appreciate their hard work. They educate the staff's children in good schools and help to pay for family weddings. When staff grow too old to work, they are bid adieu with a lump sum and a monthly pension for the remainder of their lives as a token of gratitude. During sickness, they are taken to good doctors for treatment without having to pay. Continue reading...

Tropical Storm Beryl brought howling winds and torrential rain to southeast Texas, killing at least three people, flooding highways, closing oil ports, canceling more than 1,000 flights and knocking out power to more than 2.5 million homes and businesses. Beryl, the season's earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, weakened from a hurricane before pounding the coastal Texas town of Matagorda with dangerous storm surges, heavy rain and then moving across Houston.

The airline said there were no injuries and it was investigating the cause of the incident, after the flight landed safely at its destination in DenverA United Airlines jet lost a landing-gear wheel during take off from Los Angeles, but was able to land safely in Denver, its planned destination, with no injuries, the airline said.The wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles, and we are investigating what caused this event," United said in a statement on Monday. It was the second such incident for the airline this year. Continue reading...

Johnston, 54, faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to felony count of civil disorder from January 6 riotJay Johnston, an actor best known for his role on the animated comedy show Bob's Burgers, has pleaded guilty to charges related to his role in the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021.Johnston, 54, faces a maximum of five years in prison and pleaded guilty to a felony count of civil disorder. He was released on a $25,000 bond in June 2023 after an initial court appearance in California. Continue reading...

Ranking Democrat on armed services committee says debate was alarming' and urges president to stand asideJoe Biden's position among congressional Democrats eroded further on Monday when an influential House committee member lent his voice to calls for him to end his presidential campaign following last month's spectacular debate failure.Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the armed services committee in the House of Representatives, issued the plea just hours after the president emphatically rejected calls for him to step aside in a letter to the party's congressional contingent. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. For more on this story, you can see full coverage here.Joe Biden is not alone in believing that all the talk of him dropping out is hurting the re-election efforts of Democrats nationwide.Ritchie Torres, a Democratic congressman from New York, said much of the same earlier today: Continue reading...