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Andrey Rublev, Madison Keys and Carlos Alcaraz made it to the quarter-finals during a humid day's play at Flushing MeadowsOne of the more adorable sorry not sorries.Already, Vondrousova is mixing it up, taking pace off in a bid to quell Stearns' fire. I imagine she'll also target the backhand as it's the weaker flank and she's a lefty, but so far it's not yet the case. Vondrousova holds to 30 and is on the board at 1-3. Continue reading...

Ferry captains, mates and engineers appear to be reaching deal after more than a decade without a union contract with the cityOne of the lengthiest wage disputes in the US is reported to be drawing to an end, as Staten Island ferry captains, mates and engineers appeared to be reaching a deal after 13 years without a union contract with New York City.A deal between the marine engineers' beneficial association, which represents some 150 ferry workers, that has eluded negotiators since 2010, was set be announced Monday, according to the Daily News, Continue reading...

With different planting, and by rejecting insecticides, even small green spaces can promote biodiversityGardeners' attitudes to insects, like those of humans in general, are a mixed bag. Butterflies' brief, fluttering lives make them beloved wonders. Bees have long been a source of fascination as well as honey. But the reason why some creepy-crawlies have been classified as pests while others haven't goes beyond appearances. Horticulturalists, like farmers, generally object to insects that eat what they grow.This hasn't saved the creatures that don't consume crops or garden plants. Habitat loss resulting from urbanisation and deforestation, and pesticide use in agriculture, mean that global insect populations are in steep decline. In the UK, the number of flying insects is estimated - by looking at vehicle number plates - to have fallen by 58.5% between 2004 and 2021. Awareness of the importance of bees and other pollinators has risen in the past decade. But human dependence on insects goes beyond this. They form a crucial part of multiple ecosystems. Continue reading...

Swede's rapid rise is no surprise with the former world No 1 amateur unlikely to be overawed by his team debut in RomeIt did not take long for Ludvig Aberg to turn heads among professional golf's elite. In an infamously selfish environment, Aberg's rapid progress prompted intrigue. Just ask Justin Rose.I don't follow the college scene that closely so I wasn't really aware of all the names coming through but obviously I was very much aware of this European stud, turning pro," the former world No 1 says. His name was very quickly on the leaderboard. It became easy to follow him. Continue reading...

Facility put on lockdown after inmates refused to return to cells amid extreme high temperaturesA Minnesota prison was put on lockdown after about 100 incarcerated people refused to return to their cells on Sunday morning amid extreme temperatures.The dispute at the Stillwater prison, Minnesota's largest close-security institution for adult men, was resolved peacefully" on Sunday, according to an update from Paul Schnell, commissioner of the Minnesota department of corrections. Continue reading...

It's not utopian thinking to imagine that, for the first time in world history, everyone could have a decent standard of livingAs we celebrate Labor Day, 2023 let's take a quick look at the economy over the last few years.Never before in American history have so few owned so much and has there been so much income and wealth inequality. Continue reading...

Franklin Foer, author of biography of president, makes comments amid widespread questions about Biden's age and competencyThe author of a new biography of Joe Biden has said it wouldn't be a total shock" if the president cancels his re-election bid by the end of the year.Franklin Foer, whose book The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future is published this week, told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that it doesn't take Bob Woodward to understand that Joe Biden is old", referring the Watergate reporter who, like Biden, is 80. Continue reading...

Even if Erik Ten Hag's men had burgled a win on Sunday, it could not have disguised the issues of investment, personnel and tactical structure

I have started listening to a Jungian podcast full of fascinating conversations and dream analysis. But I can hear my dad turning in his graveMy dad was a criminologist, but he self-identified as a behavioural psychologist. I only ever knew two things about behaviourism. One was a joke: two behaviourists have sex, and one turns to the other and says: That was great for you; how was it for me?" There's a funnier joke about a guy who has a fear of monsters under his bed, and after cycling through all the therapy in the world lands at a behaviourist who tells him to cut the legs off his bed.You get the picture, right? Humans' deepest motivations are all right there to see in their behaviour. Whatever you do, make it literal and solutions-based, and don't get any metaphors involved. There's probably a bit more to it than that, but never mind. None of us has to practise as a behaviourist in the next 20 minutes, and if and when we do, someone will train us. Continue reading...

Festivalgoers were stranded at the annual event in Nevada's Black Rock Desert due to floods, as police launched an investigation into a death at the site, but released no further details.The stranded attendees were finally able to begin leaving the site on Monday, after days of heavy rain made conditions too wet and muddy for vehicles to get out. Footage showed people trudging through thick mud. The events traditional finale - the burning of an effigy - has been postponed until Monday night according to organisers, as a result of the weather

I read so many horror stories I started to see potential abusers everywhere - it was time to log offThere are few places on the internet as misunderstood as Mumsnet. To the uninitiated, it is a safe space where home counties housewives bicker about the correct way to slice an avocado. But people who've actually been on the site know it for what it is: a forum where desperate, often disadvantaged, women go for help.If you ever want to get an idea of how many mothers in this country are living impecunious half-lives, with the boot of an abuser on their necks, spend an hour on the Mumsnet relationship boards. It's eye-opening, and not in a good way. Small wonder that the feminism espoused there is pretty hardline. There is very little in the way of girl-boss, all-choices-are-great cheerleading on Mumsnet. The women who write back to posters are feminists of the radical kind. They have experienced the sharp end of male entitlement. Their wisdom is hard-won and their advice is tough and practical.Tabitha Lasley is the author of Sea StateDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Continue reading...

During Hollywood strikes, studios turn to reality TV. But reality stars are sick of poor treatment - and ready to fight backLast month, UPS workers, organized by the Teamsters, won a historic agreement that significantly raises the pay and benefits of more than 300,000 workers. In a statement, Fred Zuckerman, the Teamsters general secretary-treasurer, hailed it as the richest national contract I've seen in my more than 40 years of representing Teamsters at UPS".There have been at least 72 labor actions across the country this summer, with no signs of slowing down. The struggle for workers' rights is a tale as old as labor itself. This clash of forces between workers and management is as compelling now as it was more than 100 years ago when Upton Sinclair published The Jungle, a fictional expose on the very real horrors workers experienced at meat-packing plants. It's the stuff that makes for excellent cinema - if only Hollywood writers and actors weren't also striking for fair pay.Nelini Stamp is the director of strategy and partnerships for the Working Families Party, the co-founder of the Resistance Revival Chorus and the founder of the Instagram account Real Housewives of Politics (@rhopol) Continue reading...

Four decades after their incarceration in the second world war, survivors received redress. Now veterans of the movement are fighting for reparations for Black AmericansKay Ochi still remembers the small, brown envelope her family received from the US Department of Justice more than 30 years ago.It looked like any other piece of official government mail, with a Washington DC postmark. But inside was a printed letter, signed by President George HW Bush - and two checks for $20,000, one for each of her parents. Continue reading...

Rat tourism become latest must-experience trend in city besieged by infestations that affect residents' quality of lifeThe Empire State Building. The Statue of Liberty. Central Park. Times Square. A horde of rats sprinting between an underground nest and a restaurant, squeaking and squealing as a group of tourists cheer them on.New York has never lacked for attractions, but that last one on the list is one of its most unexpected. Continue reading...

The National Labor Relations Board has reinstated 28 of the more than 200 pro-union workers fired since late 2021Alicia Flores had worked at Starbucks in Portland, Oregon, for seven years until June, when she received a voicemail from a manager - filling in for her usual boss, who was taking a leave of absence - who informed her she was being fired.Flores is far from alone. Continue reading...

Natal conference, to be held in Austin in December, promoted on far-right podcast circuit and set to host self-described eugenicists. Plus, the age problem neither US political party wants to talk aboutGood morning and happy Labor Day!Due to an error, Friday's First Thing was not sent out. We apologize for the inconvenience.What is eugenics? Broadly, eugenics is a group of beliefs and practices aimed at improving the genetic quality of a human population. It became the basis of a popular movement from the late 19th century, and led to governments around the world adopting policies such as forced sterilization of disabled and mentally ill people. The field was discredited after the second world war due to its association with racial policies in Nazi Germany, and many critics have attacked it as a pseudoscience.What does the future look like for the center? The future of the procedure in the state is decidedly uncertain. Although Florida already bans abortion past 15 weeks of pregnancy, Ron DeSantis, the governor, signed a six-week abortion ban into law earlier this year. (It is on hold pending a review by the state's supreme court of the 15-week ban.) Continue reading...

Enough pandering to wealthy foreigners: amendments to a new bill could boost transparency and toughen sanctionsToday, this government will have an unprecedented opportunity to end Britain's role as a hub for kleptocrats and criminals who want to launder their cash. The long-awaited economic crime and corporate transparency bill returns to the House of Commons, where MPs will vote on a slew of amendments from the Lords that seek to close gaping loopholes.The role of the UK and its offshore territories in pandering to wealthy foreigners was thrown into sharp focus by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Those closest to Vladimir Putin and his war machine - many of whom have long used Londongrad" as a playground - were slapped with sanctions, and their known assets frozen. The government hastily passed its Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022, making it easier, among other measures, to prosecute anyone involved in busting sanctions. Continue reading...

Natal conference, to be held in Austin in December, promoted on far-right podcast circuit and set to host self-described eugenicistsA high-end hotel in the liberal Texan enclave of Austin is playing host to a conference whose theme is boosting global birth rates, but which will in fact feature racist and eugenicist internet personalities and far-right media figures.The Natal conference - whose website warns that by the end of the century, nearly every country on earth will have a shrinking population, and economic systems dependent on reliable growth will collapse" - is scheduled to be held on 1 December at the Line Hotel. Continue reading...

Selecting Justin Thomas as a wildcard because of his previous exploits and popularity is a risky strategy that could backfireZach Johnson's experience of team environments did not originate in golf. Until the age of 18, he was an avid footballer. A striker, he says. I had a good left foot for a rightie. I was the setplay guy; corner-kicks and freekicks." Individual sport soon took over, Johnson's career elevated by two major wins, but one assumes memories from the dressing room lingered.The coming weeks will see typical, contrived nonsense spouted about the importance of Ryder Cup captains and, as is even more the case, their deputies. It is possible to be a disastrous leader of men in this context but organising 24 of the finest golfers in the world into something even remotely resembling competent order should never be overly complicated. Nonetheless, the recent rising of wildcard numbers on both the European and US sides does give captains a significant role. Half of each team is delivered on the nods of Johnson and, for Europe, Luke Donald. Continue reading...

Ben Shelton beats Tommy Paul and Coco Gauff sees off Caroline Wozniacki, while Karolina Muchova and Sorana Cirstea also winMuchova makes 40-0 but two tame points and Wang has a sniff at 40-30, al the more so facing a second serve ... which completes a deuce-inducing double. From there, though, an overhead from a way back, superbly despatched, is followed by a backhand winner cross-court right onto the line and that's 4-2.Wang can't be getting involved in net exchanges with a player with hands like Muchova, but she does and finds herself 15-30 down; a forehand winner clobbered down the line follows. And Wang can't withstand the pressure, netting tamely on break point to trail 3-2. I daresay Muchova takes greater care with her consolidation attempt this time. Continue reading...

At least one death after severe weather that flooded streets, prompted various water rescues and shut down portion of I-15Las Vegas residents on Sunday were drying out after two days of heavy rainfall that flooded streets, prompted various water rescues, shut down a portion of Interstate 15 south of the city and possibly resulted in at least one death.The National Weather Service in Las Vegas issued a severe weather outlook for the region, warning of strong winds and hail as the storm activity leaves eastern Clark county. Continue reading...

Tim Kaine says clause on insurrection against the constitution' could preclude ex-president from running in next year's electionDemocratic senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said that he believes there is a powerful argument" to be made that Donald Trump can be disqualified from running in the 2024 presidential elections under the 14th amendment.In my view, the attack on the Capitol that day was designed for a particular purpose at a particular moment and that was to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power as is laid out in the constitution," he said in an interview with ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. So I think there is a powerful argument to be made." Continue reading...

Upper Sioux Agency state park in Minnesota, where bodies of those killed after US-Dakota war are buried, to be transferredGolden prairies and winding rivers of a Minnesota state park also hold the secret burial sites of Dakota people who died as the United States failed to fulfill treaties with Native Americans more than a century ago. Now their descendants are getting the land back.The state is taking the rare step of transferring the park with a fraught history back to a Dakota tribe, trying to make amends for events that led to a war and the largest mass hanging in US history. Continue reading...

The top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, 81, has suffered high-profile lapses but Democrats are reluctant to question his age when Joe Biden, 80, is America's oldest presidentThe question was simple: what are your thoughts about running for re-election in 2026? Oh," said Mitch McConnell with a half-chuckle, a mumble and then: silence. The most powerful Republican in the US Senate stared into space and said nothing for more than 30 seconds.It was the second time in little more than a month that 81-year-old McConnell had frozen while speaking to reporters. But there were few voices in the Democratic party calling on him to step down. Continue reading...

Circuit court judge rules proposal results in the diminishment of Black voters' ability to elect their candidate of choice'A judge in Florida has ruled in favor of voting rights groups that filed a lawsuit against a congressional redistricting map approved by Ron DeSantis in 2022. Voting rights groups had criticized the map for diluting political power in Black communities.In the ruling, Leon county circuit judge J Lee Marsh sent the map back to the Florida legislature to be redrawn in a way that complies with the state's constitution. Continue reading...

Whatever the problem, some TikToker or YouTuber is offering to solve it. How did a wonder of science end up in the hands of astrologers and witches?I've just been doing my semi-regular roundup of what's new in the world of woo-woo, so let me fill you in. Grazia has a $15k an hour intuition coach" teaching A-listers to tap into their sixth sense, which is a little tame, but I struck gold with the Atlantic, which has introduced me to the concept of subliminals". This is properly out there: TikToks or YouTube videos that, the claim goes, can work magic, giving you a smaller nose, making you smell of vanilla (?) or getting your crush to call you IMMEDIATELY". They remind me of the slips of paper that used to arrive in our letterbox when I lived in Brussels from local marabouts (sorcerers), promising sexual potency, the removal of curses, weight loss, guaranteed parking spots and more.It's another iteration of a wave of magical thinking that shows no sign of weakening. I've ticked off manifesting (willing what you want into being), lucky girl syndrome (erm, believing you're lucky?), ghost, psychics and #witchtok. There are people all over Instagram drawing tarot and offering blessings, spells, virtual aura readings and cures". Astrology never went away, but it's in rude health: Chaos awaits as Mercury retrograde spins into Venus," reads my latest unsolicited email. What next? Perhaps alchemy is due a reboot? God knows we could all do with some free gold. Continue reading...

Keep our Republic aims to educate voters about elections and democracy, while North of 29 pushes debunked fraud claimsIn Wisconsin, two groups of activists are touring the state spreading seemingly opposing information about the state's election system. One of them, led by a former Republican state senator, aims to restore trust in the administration and outcomes of elections, while the other rejects the results of the 2020 election and promotes debunked claims about widespread voter fraud in the state.Former state senator Kathy Bernier's efforts form part of a multi-state push by the non-partisan group Keep Our Republic to educate the public about elections and democracy issues before it is too late", according to the organization's website. Continue reading...

Twice re-elected and comfortable in her political skin, the Democratic congresswoman makes clear that Biden can't take progressives for grantedThe campaign office of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sits deep in the Bronx, across the street from a Chinese takeaway and 99-cent discount store, near enough to a railway bridge to hear the rumble of passing trains. The front window of the plain redbrick building is dominated by a big, smiling photo of the US congresswoman and notices that say: We welcome all races, all sexual orientations, all gender identities, all religions, all abilities," and We say gay in the Bronx". Inside, the words AOC! ORGANIZING BASE" are printed in giant purple letters on a wall.Ocasio-Cortez, who at 29 became the youngest woman and youngest Latina to serve in the House of Representatives, is now 33, twice re-elected and comfortable in her political skin. She could hardly be described as an old hand but nor does she channel the shock of the new. She deploys social media with enviable authenticity; she grills congressional witnesses like a seasoned interrogator; she is an object of perverse fascination for Fox News and rightwing trolls; she has been around Washington long enough to draw charges of co-option" and selling out". Continue reading...

National wealth can mask, or even create, other problems. After all, we're more than an economy: we're a societyNow, more than ever, complaining about the state of the country is one of the main ways that Britain talks about itself. But in all the endless exchanges about the decay of public services and the cost of living, there is one theme that typically is raised only briefly before the conversation moves on.How does today's Britain compare with other rich countries? The answer is increasingly unsettling. Despite facing many of the same problems, such as an ageing population, the climate crisis and the diminishing returns for most people from modern capitalism, Britain seems to be struggling more than other western states. From our fragile education and transport infrastructure to our sluggish productivity, our unusually high inflation to our relatively poor public health, it appears to be falling behind traditional peers such as France and Germany, while being steadily caught up by previously much poorer societies such as Slovenia and Poland.Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

This kind of behavior is a way to contradict women's achievements, and knock them downIt was a moment of superlative achievement for Jenni Hermoso, the prolific scorer on Spain's women's national team. The 2023 tournament was Hermoso's third World Cup - and, at 33, it may well have been her last. But it was the first Women's World Cup she had won: in fact, the first Spain ever won. Sweaty and exhilarated, Hermoso joined her teammates after the match for a medal ceremony, a moment that for any athlete would mark the pinnacle of her career. And then Luis Rubiales, a Spanish soccer official, decided to make the moment about him. He grabbed Hermoso, in front of television cameras and thousands of onlookers, and forced his mouth on hers.Hermoso, in that moment, was demeaned and downgraded by Rubiales, denied her triumph, stripped of her status, and shown not as the victorious athlete that she was, but as a woman, subject to men's violence and whims. It was supposed to be the high point of her career; instead, he made it the moment when she was internationally humiliated, subjected to a sexual assault broadcast around the world.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Small liberal arts college is being steadily eroded by a DeSantis-aligned board, in ominous sign for higher studies in a country torn by culture warsWhen Nicholas Clarkson submitted his letter of resignation as an assistant professor of gender studies at New College of Florida (NCF) on 17 August, he became the 41st faculty member who has chosen not to return to its Sarasota campus during this year's fall semester.The decision was not a hasty one: throughout the first half of 2023, Clarkson went about his teaching responsibilities even as he witnessed how the progressive, inclusive ethos of the small liberal arts college was being steadily eroded by a board of trustees dominated by political allies of Ron DeSantis, the rightwing Florida governor, whom he named in January. Continue reading...

A proposed ban on abuse of religious objects only helps to silence critics and dissentersShould governments ban the improper treatment of objects of significant religious importance to a religious community"? That is what the Danish government is suggesting in a new law it announced last week that could see offenders imprisoned for two years. The proposed ban comes after a spate of incidents in Sweden and Denmark in which Qur'ans have been publicly burned, provoking an outcry across the Muslim world.The answer to the question is both simple and complex. It is simple because any law outlawing any kind of blasphemy is unacceptable and should be opposed. Having abolished its blasphemy law in 2017, for Denmark to seek to reintroduce it in a new form is retrogressive.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Continue reading...

Tens of thousands of 'burners' at the Burning Man festival have been told to stay in the camps, conserve food and water and are being blocked from leaving Nevada's Black Rock desert after a slow-moving rainstorm turned the event into a mud bath. As of noon on Saturday, Nevada's Bureau of Land Management declared the entrance to Burning Man shut down for good. There was no estimated time for reopening. The event is officially over on Monday, but many attendees usually begin leaving on Saturday night or Sunday. However, the wet weather showed no signs of easing

Messi Mania swings through Los Angeles on Sunday night, the city where David Beckham's leap of faith on a barely profitable league nearly two decades ago made all of it possibleOn Sunday night, Messi Mania makes its next stop when Inter Miami visit LAFC at BMO Stadium and the latest chapter of the great American soccer superstar experiment comes full circle in Los Angeles.In many ways, the latest away scene on Leo's Magical Mystery (and Soccer Mythmaking) Tour is nothing new: an urban metropolis galvanized for a breathless, priceless night (see: Philadelphia, Nashville, and New York, er, Harrison, New Jersey, in recent weeks). Apple and Adidas marketing teams smiling once more, and over again. Continue reading...

Despite their Global Britain' rhetoric, both the UK's soft and hard power has diminished under 13 years of Conservative ruleFor a leader who is under siege at home, travel abroad can offer an alluring escape from domestic woes. When Rishi Sunak flies east this week to attend the G20 summit in New Delhi, he will be glad to put more than 4,000 miles between himself and the cost of living crunch, public services that are falling over and grisly opinion poll ratings. His international peer group will treat him with more courtesy than do many of his own MPs. Performing on what is loosely called the world stage" will be a salve to the prime minister's self-esteem.What else it will achieve is moot. There is little expectation that this G20 will come to much, not least because of the divisions between its western and non-western members about the war in Ukraine. It is being reported that Xi Jinping won't even turn up, scotching earlier talk from Number 10 of a bilateral between Mr Sunak and China's leader. Continue reading...

Telling a friend or spouse a secret can be complicated. So how about a stranger, who simply bears witness to what you have to say?When you turn up to do a celebrity interview, you never know how it's going to go. A famous actor known for their openness and jollity might greet you four hours into their film junket with a headache and growling list of notes on the conduct of your newspaper. They might be exhausted after fielding six previous interviewers' questions about their divorce, and unwilling or unable to perform warmth for even one more journalist. Even with decent wifi, Zoom might lead to a lack of connection. Or they might simply not like the interview process, admittedly a deeply weird experience for everyone involved, where two strangers meet in a hotel room and are forced to immediately talk about, for example, the death of the prettier one's father.Even when it works, you never really get to know who a person is - at best you get to know who they want to be. But I've noticed recently how very occasionally, even under these oddly pressurised circumstances - perhaps in fact because of them - an interview can reshape itself into something else entirely. Continue reading...

Let's see: he has brought Andrew back into public life, managed to grow his hair longer and, er...Now it's a year since a glut of articles asking what kind of king will Charles be?", maybe it's not too soon for a first appraisal. Even allowing for the coronation - you try finding a conductor who doesn't have anger management issues - some differences in reigning quality should by now be evident.Has he met expectations? It's not as if Charles lacked time or opportunities to plan for a job that, although it dawned on him early with the most ghastly inexorable sense", he never decided, like his reputation as a bit of a reformer, to repudiate.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Continue reading...

Having children can create a welcome shift in perspectives, not least among politiciansSo many politicians strive to make the personal the political in their quest to explain how their own life story relates to what they want to do. The hope is that in humanising themselves they become more likeable; the reality is more often realised in clunky cliches than powerful stories. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is something of a rarity in cheerily poking fun at himself for labouring his status as the son of a bus driver".One of Rishi Sunak's favourite points of reference is his daughters. Back in July 2022, he said that as a father of two girls" he wanted them to feel safe walking at night. Last November, the prime minister told voters he had taken safety for granted and wanted his daughters to be able to walk to school safely. In April, he wrote that as a father, women's rights are important to me". Continue reading...

Alex de Minaur has surged into the US Open final 16 and is now on the verge of being Australia's first top 10-ranked male player in 20 yearsSit close enough to a tennis court when Alex de Minaur is at full velocity and the sound of shrieking, audible and ever-present during a point, tells the story of the busiest feet in tennis.The shoes of the Australian, who has played with rare verve at the US Open over the past week, squeak and squeal as he scampers to retrieve shots that would pass most others by. Like the roaring and purring of a Formula 1 car racing around a track, the noise made by the No 13 seed's dancing feet alters depending on how fast and furiously a rally is unfolding. Continue reading...