George Papadopoulos and others involved in Intelligencer, increasingly popular source of news in rightwing circlesAmid the recent crackdown on Russian influence in American media, a group of former Trump advisers and operatives have quietly helped build a pro-Russian website that frequently spreads debunked conspiracy theories about the war in Ukraine, election fraud and vaccines.Working alongside contributors for Kremlin state media, the former Donald Trump policy aide George Papadopoulos, his wife, Simona Mangiante, and others have become editorial board members of the website Intelligencer, which is increasingly becoming a source of news for those in the rightwing ecosystem. Continue reading...
The energy drink with 200mg of caffeine per can has gained a cult following in the US due to its wellness-coded imageOn Dakota Johnson's first day on set to film her directorial debut Loser Baby, she grabbed a can of Celsius and started drinking. She said she spent much of the rest of the shoot with a Celsius in her hand. She recalled feeling exhilarated, and though she also found it hard to sleep, surely that was just inspiration from the creative process flowing through her body.Then her costume designer let her in on a secret: Celsius is an energy drink that contains 200mg of caffeine per can. That's why she was staying awake all night. Continue reading...
The vice-presidential candidate seems to feel no remorse about spreading dangerous misinformation that has put lives at riskThere was a moment when JD Vance could have turned back from the story.After the vice-presidential candidate posted on social media about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating pets - based on the flimsiest of supposed evidence - a Vance staffer checked it out.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...
US presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he hopes his wife, Melania, wrote 'good things' about him in her forthcoming memoir, which is set to be published in September. At a campaign rally in Uniondale, New York, Trump encouraged the audience to 'go out and buy the book'.'And if she says bad things about me I'll call you all up and say don't buy it,' he added
Joe Biden jokingly asked Jessica Alba for a job during an event celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at the White House on Wednesday. 'Can you get me a job?' the US president asked as he spoke about the actor and entrepreneur's achievements on stage. Biden withdrew from the race for the US presidency in July, just four months before the November election against Donald Trump after pressure from the Democratic party Continue reading...
Concern around Tua Tagovailoa's health is understandable. But quitting football means athletes must confront life without a sport often crucial to their identityFootball is one of the most violent sports in the world - a fact that is both its downfall and allure. As players, we are acutely aware of the risks we take every time we step on to the field. And if we aren't, it's often a chosen ignorance, a conscious decision to embrace the reckless freedom that the sport demands. I don't know a single teammate from my career in the NFL or college who doesn't suffer daily pain from their playing days. Yet, that pain often brings back memories of treasured moments - the locker room camaraderie, the weight room grind and the battles on the field. In the NFL, these injuries can feel like medals of honor, testaments to having survived a game that those who have not played it cannot truly fathom. Despite the suffering, most of us continue to play the game we love while we still can, accepting the consequences of the life we've chosen. Few regret it, though some do. And tragically, some lose their lives too soon because of it. But what happens when the risk finally outweighs the reward?The recent discussion around the health of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have reopened a familiar debate: when is it time for a player to walk away? After his third documented concussion in two years, many in the football world urged Tua to retire, to shut it down". People point out that he has already made $73m - enough to set up the 26-year-old and his family for life. Why risk his health for a job that could kill him? But walking away isn't a simple choice; it's a deeply personal reckoning that goes beyond the physical.RK Russell is a former NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Hawaii's Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, is again erupting in a remote area of the Hawaii Volcanoes national park. The eruption began in the volcano's east rift zone on Monday and continued within the Napau crater on Thursday. Geologists conducted an aerial assessment to document the eruption. Kilauea is Hawaii's second largest volcano and last erupted in June Continue reading...
A new book from Columbia University professor Frank Andre Guridy examines the successful repurposing of the US sports stadium into a hub of American public lifeFifty-two years ago last month, 100,000 Black Angelenos gathered at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Although the historic stadium had long served as a venue for many of the city's sports teams, that wasn't the draw on 20 August 1972. Rather, it was Wattstax 72, a celebration of Black culture meant to channel positivity and pride in a community devastated by the Watts riots of 1965 and mourning the assassination of the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr in 1968.The Rev Jesse Jackson was an emcee, touting co-sponsor Schlitz Brewing Company's initiative for Black jobs and urging the audience that no matter how impoverished they were, they should remember the motto I am Somebody". The police were not asked to maintain order - the organizers managed things themselves. One member of the talented lineup of performing artists, Prince of Dance" Rufus Thomas, led attendees in a spontaneous on-field rendition of the Funky Chicken. (Many of the stars, including Thomas, had ties to co-sponsor Stax Records.) Afterward, one crowd member disobeyed a request to get off the field - until Thomas persuaded spectators to act as an escort. Overall, it was a successful repurposing of a sports stadium into a public square - a phenomenon that Columbia University history and African American studies professor Frank Andre Guridy further explores in his new book, The Stadium: An American History of Politics, Protest, and Play. Continue reading...
Despite Americans paying nearly double that of other nations, the US fares poorly in list of 10 countriesThe United States health system ranked dead last in an international comparison of 10 peer nations, according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund.In spite of Americans paying nearly double that of other countries, the system performed poorly on health equity, access to care and outcomes. Continue reading...
If Trump and Vance can't take responsibility for their actions now, why would they take responsibility for the country later?During his debate with Kamala Harris on 10 September, Donald Trump proffered the outrageous lie that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were stealing and eating residents' pets. He wasn't alone in promoting this little bigoted nugget, either. Earlier that day on X, formerly known as Twitter, JD Vance, the Republican candidate for vice-president, had already pushed the idea that Springfield's residents have had their pets abducted and eaten" by Haitian illegal immigrants".Vance subsequently tripled down on the falsehood, even later admitting to CNN: If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do." Continue reading...
by Ed Pilkington in Uniondale, New York on (#6QV8Z)
The former president claimed God saved his life twice and vowed to win in New York despite polls suggesting otherwiseDonald Trump on Wednesday night staged his first rally since he became the target of a second attempted assassination in as many months, telling his supporters in a sports venue outside New York City that what he called these encounters with death" had only hardened him.God has now spared my life. It must have been God, not once, but twice," Trump said to loud cheers from the ecstatic crowd. Continue reading...
After nearly two-week search, police think they found body of Joseph Couch, man suspected of wounding five peopleA body found in rural south-eastern Kentucky is believed to be the man suspected of shooting and wounding five people on an interstate highway, authorities said Wednesday night.Kentucky state police commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr said at a news briefing that the body discovered earlier in the day is believed to be Joseph Couch, of Woodbine. Authorities hoped the discovery would end an intense, nearly two-week search that had area residents on edge. Continue reading...
by Helen Sullivan (now); with Lois Beckett ,Chris Ste on (#6QTE1)
This blog is closed. You can find the latest election coverage here.The US is still not prepared for inevitable Russian attacks on its elections, the former special counsel Robert Mueller, who investigated Russian interference in 2016 and links between Donald Trump and Moscow, warns in a new book.It is ... evident that Americans have not learned the lessons of Russia's attack on our democracy in 2016," Mueller writes in a preface to Interference: The Inside Story of Trump, Russia and the Mueller Investigation by Aaron Zebley, James Quarles and Andrew Goldstein, prosecutors who worked for Mueller from 2017 to 2019.As we detailed in our report, the evidence was clear that the Russian government engaged in multiple, systematic attacks designed to undermine our democracy and favor one candidate over the other." Continue reading...
Body of Javion Magee, 21, discovered under tree in North Carolina last week as authorities say no sign of foul playThe family of a Black man found dead in North Carolina with a rope around his neck under a tree are demanding answers and transparency from authorities, who say there were no signs of foul play.The Vance county sheriff's office, meanwhile, issued a statement on Wednesday saying an examination by the North Carolina chief medical examiner's office has determined that there were no defensive wounds or signs of physical or sexual assault. Full autopsy results, including a determination on cause of death and toxicology, were still pending. Continue reading...
Contentious package championed by Mike Johnson voted down 202-220 with potential stoppage looming 1 OctoberA government funding package championed by Republican House speaker Mike Johnson failed to pass on Wednesday, with less than two weeks left to prevent a shutdown starting 1 October.The final vote was 202 to 220, with 14 House Republicans and all but three House Democrats opposing the bill. Two Republican members voted present". Continue reading...
Republican John Kennedy of Louisiana accuses thinktank director of supporting Hamas in heated hate crime hearingA congressional hearing on hate crimes drew charges of the bigotry it was meant to address after a Republican senator told the female Muslim head of a thinktank to hide your head in a bag" and accused her of supporting Hamas and Hezbollah.John Kennedy, the GOP senator for Louisiana, drew condemnation from Democrats as well as Muslim, Jewish and civil liberties groups for the remark, aimed at Maya Berry, the executive director of the Arab American Institute, at a hearing staged by the Senate judiciary committee. Continue reading...
New allegations against disgraced film mogul, currently jailed in New York, not related to his overturned convictionHarvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to a new sex crime charge in New York, as he awaits retrial in his landmark #MeToo case.Details of the new allegations were not immediately available. He was charged with committing a criminal sex act. Continue reading...
Two University of California professors also included in charges of failing to disperse after demonstrations in springProsecutors in southern California have charged 10 people, including two professors, with failing to disperse during a pro-Palestinian protest last spring at the University of California, Irvine, that led to a clash with police, officials said Wednesday.The Orange county district attorney's office said those charged included two UCI professors and four students. All are due to appear in court on 16 October to be arraigned on misdemeanor charges, the office said. Continue reading...
by Lauren Aratani in New York and Phillip Inman in Lo on (#6QTFZ)
The Fed has announced an interest-rate cut for the first time in four years - what effect will it have on consumers?The Federal Reserve announced a half-percentage point interest-rate cut on Wednesday, the first decrease in four years. It's a moment that many economists see as the end of an era, and the beginning of the end of the central bank's fight against inflation.The Fed's prime rate - used to set the rates on everything from mortgages to car loans - has sat at a 20-year high for the last year, making it more expensive to borrow money. Continue reading...
Benjamin Netanyahu's hold on power depends on his nation being at war. The region is paying a high priceIn the second world war, guerrilla forces scattered large quantities of booby-trapped objects likely to be attractive to civilians. The idea was to cause widescale and indiscriminate death. The Japanese manufactured a tobacco pipe with a charge detonated by a spring-loaded striker. The Italians produced a headset that blew up when it was plugged in. More than half a century later, a global treaty came into force which prohibited in all circumstances to use booby-traps or other devices in the form of apparently harmless portable objects that are specifically designed and constructed to contain explosive material". Has anyone told Israel and its jubilant supporters that, as Brian Finucane of the International Crisis Group points out, it is a signatory to the protocol?On Tuesday, pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least 12 people - including two children and four hospital workers - and wounding thousands more. This situation is directly analogous to the historical practices that current global arms treaties explicitly prohibit. US media say Israel was behind the attack, and the country has the motive and the means to target its Iran-backed enemies. Israel's leaders have a long history of carrying out sophisticated remote operations, ranging from cyber-attacks, suicide drone attacks and remote-controlled weapons to assassinate Iranian scientists. On Wednesday it was reported that Israel blew up thousands of two-way personal radios used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon, killing nine and wounding hundreds. Continue reading...
Move comes after about 33,000 workers in Pacific north-west began strike on FridayBoeing's CEO said on Wednesday that the company would begin furloughing a large number" of employees to conserve cash during the strike by union machinists that began last week.The chief executive, Kelly Ortberg, said the layoffs would be temporary and affect executives, managers and other employees. Continue reading...
With thousands injured in a coordinated attack, the Lebanese group is seriously hobbled but under unprecedented pressure to strike backThe extraordinary 17 September pager attack in Lebanon, followed by today's walkie-talkie attack, constitute the biggest security breach that Hezbollah has encountered in its history. The attacks - widely attributed to Israel's Mossad agency though not yet officially claimed by Israel - present a serious dilemma for Hezbollah. They add to the pressure on the group to retaliate against Israel but at the same time severely limit its military options. The attacks also deal a blow to Hezbollah's morale and credibility as an armed group purporting to possess high security standards.Hezbollah can no longer claim to be impenetrable when it comes to its security. For decades, the group presented observing secrecy in its operations and communications network as necessary for its role in supporting Lebanon's defence. This is why it insisted on having a telecommunications network that is completely separate from the national grid. It is also why Hezbollah defended its clandestine activities in Beirut's port and airport. It has been importing and exporting goods through those public facilities as well as across Lebanon's border with Syria without any supervision or intervention by Lebanon's state authorities. Continue reading...
by Lauren Gambino and Joan E Greve in Washington on (#6QTQV)
Data shows more Americans supporting political violence in nation where firearms outnumber peopleAfter the second apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump in two months, gun safety advocates say the episode underlines the perilous political landscape of potentially lethal violence against public officials in a nation where firearms outnumber people.A 58-year-old man, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, was apprehended by authorities on Sunday after Secret Service agents spotted the barrel of a rifle peeking through foliage at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the former president was playing golf. Routh appeared in federal court in Florida on Monday and was charged with federal gun crimes. Continue reading...
The undisputed heavyweight world champion, Oleksandr Usyk, said he has been released after he was briefly detained by Polish authorities in Krakow airport. It was not immediately clear why the 37-year-old Usyk was detained but in a statement on Instagram after the incident Usky said: 'Everything is fine, I am free, there are some misunderstandings'. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said: 'I was outraged by this attitude towards our citizen and champion'
The US Coast Guard has released a video that shows the Titan submersible for the first time since the vessel's deadly implosion in June 2023. In the video, a broken tail cone can be seen on floor of Atlantic Ocean, with fragments of the vessel visible around the cone. The images were revealed as authorities opened a public hearing into the deaths of five people who were onboard Continue reading...
Donald Trump's pet eating' conspiracy shows how falsehoods driven by political bias are spreadIn recent weeks, racist conspiracy theories about immigrants have dominated the election cycle. High-ranking Republicans have doubled down on unsubstantiated rumors about Black and brown migrants, tapping into anxieties that immigrants are responsible for increased crime in US cities.During last week's presidential debate, Donald Trump echoed a baseless claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets. In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating - they're eating the pets of the people that live there," the Republican nominee said. Continue reading...
Khalil Allah is set to be killed by lethal injection despite a key witness saying last month he made false remarks at trialSouth Carolina is on track to execute a man on death row for the first time in 13 years, despite new evidence raising doubts about critical testimony used to secure his conviction.Khalil Divine Black Sun Allah, 46, is scheduled to be killed by lethal injection on Friday, one of six executions that could move forward in the coming months in South Carolina, marking a brutal resurgence of capital punishment since the state's last execution in 2011. Continue reading...
From banging on about childless cat ladies' to spreading racist rumours about Haitians eating pets, Trump's running mate can't seem to move on from his strange fixation with felinesWant to know the secret to winning elections and influencing people? Cat memes. This is according to JD Vance, who, you might have noticed, has a bizarre fixation with felines. Donald Trump's running mate - a man who might soon become one of the most powerful people in the world - has been widely ridiculed and condemned for his comments about childless cat ladies". But instead of trying to move the news cycle on from cat-related matters, he seems to have doubled down on them. Vance is now in the headlines for spreading outrageous, and wildly racist, false rumours about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. Trump amplified those rumours during his debate with Kamala Harris last week.These accusations, which partly stemmed from a Facebook post some random woman wrote (and has now apologised for) about a friend of a neighbour losing a cat, have wreaked havoc in Springfield. There have been bomb threats against local hospitals and Haitian community members are reportedly terrified. We all know Trump doesn't have a conscience - but is Vance even the slightest bit contrite?Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Matt Stutzman, Team USA's self-described armless archer', wants to follow up gold with a move into a new sportHollywood has been turning Olympic stories into biopics for decades, but - documentaries aside - studios rarely give the blockbuster treatment to Paralympians. After his gold medal at this year's Paralympics in Paris, however, Team USA archer Matt Stutzman's career now has the kind of feelgood ending tailor-made for a sports movie.Indeed, if Stutzman's life were a film, a fitting climax would feature his Paris semi-final against reigning Paralympic champion He Zihao. It's worth setting the scene. Each athlete is down to their final arrow. China's He shoots first and, releasing the arrow with his right hand, strikes the 10-point circle, finishing the round with an almost-perfect cumulative score of 148 (a 150 score is theoretically possible, although no one has ever achieved it at the Paralympics). Sitting on 138 with one arrow remaining, Stutzman needs a 10 to tie the contest. Seemingly nonplussed, he loads the arrow and uses his right foot to pull the bow taut. Continue reading...
As the English top-flight grapples with spending regulations, the US league offers a blueprint for improved parity and financial transparencyThe pre-Profit and Sustainably Rules age was a simpler time. Premier League clubs were broadly allowed to spend freely. So freely that occasionally a club would spend their way into oblivion (looking at you, Leeds United and Portsmouth), but at no point was it expected that a club would have to sell a hotel to balance the books. Many supporters - and club executives, for that matter - are still getting their heads around the Premier League's PSR.Major League Soccer fans know how they feel. Spending limits and complex roster rules have been part of the league's DNA since its inception nearly 30 years ago. In MLS, it's not just about what you can spend, it's about what you're allowed to spend, often to the frustration of those who believe the league is holding itself back from reaching its full potential. Continue reading...
Life as a professional athlete brings plenty of unwelcome attention. But many basketball players started getting stares when they were still in their early teensWhen Paul Mokeski traveled to China several years ago to teach a month-long basketball clinic, he says he couldn't help but feel like Godzilla. For the 7ft former NBA center, who played 12 years in the league, many of them on a Milwaukee Bucks team that battled Larry Bird's Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, it was a familiar feeling. People would come out of stores and point as if they were seeing a giant from a storybook. That's all part of the gig when you're as tall as I am," says Mokeski.For decades, when it came to the NBA, height was king. And while that trend has diminished some, thanks to players like Steph Curry and his small ball" Golden State Warriors team, players of Mokeski's stature are hardly a rarity in the NBA. But to be 7ft in the wider world is a different matter. Some estimates show that there are fewer than 3,000 seven-footers in the entire world. And that means for people like Mokeski, life is often defined by being super visible. I don't know any other way," he says with a laugh. Continue reading...
Boxing's power brokers have again chosen short-term gain over the long-term health of the sport by marketing Joshua-Dubois as a fight for the world heavyweight championshipOn Saturday Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois will meet in the ring before more than 90,000 screaming fans at Wembley Stadium. It's a quality match-up between two good fighters. But once again, boxing's powers that be have chosen short-term gain over the long-term health of the sport by marketing Joshua-Dubois as a fight for the heavyweight championship of the world.It isn't. Continue reading...
Elon Musk's America Pac replaces voter turnout operations in Arizona and Nevada with less than 50 days until electionAmerica Pac, one of the largest and the most ambitious of the groups supporting Donald Trump's campaign, is replacing its voter turnout operations in the crucial battleground states of Arizona and Nevada, according to two people familiar with the matter.The political action committee, backed by billionaire Elon Musk, has ended its contract with the September Group and will hire a new company to knock on doors with fewer than 50 days left until the election. Continue reading...
Jimmy Carter doesn't turn 100 until 1 October, but the red carpet was nevertheless rolled out at the Fox Theater to pay homage to America's oldest living former presidentFormer president Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday is on 1 October. His supporters didn't want to wait that long to throw a party.A parade of Georgia luminaries on Tuesday lit up the venerable Fox Theater on Peachtree Street. In a city that boasts new, swanky modern glass and steel venues like the Cobb Energy performing arts center or the Eastern befitting the city's rising prominence, organizers chose Atlanta's oldest concert hall to celebrate Carter's centennial. Continue reading...
Former president talks up tariffs in Flint, Michigan, and warns attendees of dangers of nuclear obliteration'Trump held his first campaign event on Tuesday since the thwarted assassination attempt over the weekend, telling a packed 6,000-seat arena in Flint, Michigan that the assassin couldn't even get a shot off" while describing the Secret Service's great" response to the threat.During a town hall moderated by former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump took audience questions about manufacturing and the economy, among other issues. Like his first appearance after the attempt on his life in July - also a rally in Michigan - Trump appeared ready to return to business as usual on the campaign trail, and his supporters were eager to see him in action. Continue reading...
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