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Eighteen people were killed in Wednesday's shooting, the largest mass shooting of 2023 so far

Milton Martin, 56, of First Pentecostal Church of Chalmette, accused of abuse of girl, now 28, who was member of congregationAuthorities in Louisiana have charged a Pentecostal pastor with sexually molesting a teenage girl who was a member of his church.Milton O Martin III, 56, faces one charge each of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile - colloquially referred to as statutory rape - and of indecent behavior with a minor, records obtained by the Guardian show. Continue reading...

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In small town ready for Halloween, every resident seems to know someone injured or killed in Wednesday massacreHalloween decorations for spooky season were up in the Maine city of Lewiston but the community's streets were mostly quiet on Thursday, a day after a gunman killed 18 people at a local bowling alley and nearby bar in an act of horror that was all too real.Police roadblocks prevented access to some areas of the town - part of a partial lockdown announced after the 40-year-old murder suspect, Robert Card, fled the scene, leaving his car several miles away near a boat dock. He is still on the run as hundreds of police search for him. Continue reading...

Special counsel says ex-president trying to send threatening message to a foreseeable witness' in election interference caseThe special counsel Jack Smith accused Donald Trump of trying to send an unmistakable and threatening message to a foreseeable witness" in the federal election interference case against him, after it was reported that Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows had been granted immunity.The claim from Smith came in a court filing late on Wednesday seeking a limited gag order. The judge in the case, Tanya Chutkan, issued such an order last week but suspended it when lawyers for Trump appealed. Continue reading...

Mike Johnson represented Kentucky project said to have used Christian beliefs as a litmus test for hiring decisions'Mike Johnson, the newly elected Republican speaker of the US House, won taxpayer funding for a Noah's Ark amusement park while working as a lawyer, in a graphic illustration of his uncompromising rightwing Christian beliefs.Working for Freedom Guard, a non-profit proclaiming a commitment to defending religious liberty, Johnson was hired by Answers in Genesis, a creationist ministry, in 2015, after the state of Kentucky rescinded an offer of tourism tax incentives for the project in Williamstown, citing discrimination against non-Christians. Continue reading...

Decision regarding congressional and state legislative maps could result in an additional Democratic seat in CongressGeorgia Republicans must redraw congressional and state legislative maps to give Black voters in the state a fair shot at electing the candidate of their choice, a federal judge ruled on Thursday in a decision that could result in an additional Democratic seat in Congress.When Georgia Republicans drew the state's 14 congressional districts last year, they placed the lines in such a way that they weakened the influence of Black voters in the west metro-Atlanta area, violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Judge Steve Jones ruled on Thursday. Continue reading...

Democrat pleads guilty to misdemeanour charge for pulling fire alarm in congressional building as crucial funding vote loomedPleading guilty to a misdemeanour charge and pledging to pay a fine for pulling a fire alarm in a congressional building as a crucial vote loomed, the Democratic New York congressman Jamaal Bowman hit out at Republicans for making crazy" comparisons to rioters who attacked Congress on January 6.That's crazy," Bowman told reporters outside court in Washington on Thursday, laughing as he did so. Continue reading...

The governor of Maine, Janet Mills, says 18 people have been killed and 13 injured in the Lewiston shootings during a press conference on Thursday, warning the suspected gunman is still large. Addressing reporters, Mills said: 'Maine state police have issued a shelter in place order for Lewiston, Lisbon and Bowdoin, as the manhunt for that person of interest, Robert Card of Bowdoin, continues.' William Ross, a colonel at Maine state police, added that the suspected gunman 'should be considered armed and dangerous', adding: 'We believe this is someone that should not be approached'

Officials hunt for army reservist, 40, suspected of killing 18 people as America confronts yet another mass shooting

As her state mourns 18 dead in latest shooting spree, Susan Collins is now facing criticism for her votes against gun control lawsThe Republican senator Susan Collins is facing sharp criticism for her previous voting record on gun control after a mass shooting in her home state of Maine that killed 18 people and injured more than a dozen.Collins, a US senator for Maine since 1997, received backlash to a statement she posted after a mass shooting on Wednesday in Lewiston, in the south of Maine. The attack happened when a gunman opened fire at a local bowling alley and restaurant. Continue reading...

Maine senator says he is deeply sad' while advocacy groups demand stricter gun control lawsPoliticians and advocates reacted with outrage, anger and despair on Thursday after yet another mass shooting, with at least 16 people killed and many injured at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston, Maine.A gunman, who on Thursday morning was still at large, opened fire on Wednesday evening in the city in southern Maine, about an hour outside Portland. Police issued a shelter-in-place order and named a person of interest. Continue reading...

Republicans have elected an obscure and extreme Trumpist, Mike Johnson, as speaker of the HouseOn Wednesday, House Republicans rallied around Mike Johnson, a little-known Trump-loving congressman, and propelled him into the speakership. The Magafication of the congressional Republican delegation is complete.After three weeks of infighting and internal bloodletting, so-called Republican moderates waved the white flag of surrender. The line between Republican and neo-Confederate grows dimmer by the day.Lloyd Green is an attorney in New York and served in the US Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992 Continue reading...

Mike Johnson of Louisiana has continued to champion anti-abortion bills even as some in his party beware US voter backlashThe day after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in June last year, Mike Johnson of Louisiana celebrated his home state's new penalties for abortion providers. The right to life has now been RESTORED!" the Republican crowed on X, formerly known as Twitter, on 25 June. Perform an abortion and get imprisoned at hard labor for 1-10 yrs & fined $10K-$100K."Opposition to abortion is virtually a job requirement for Republicans these days. But Johnson, the newly minted speaker of the House, is a committed abortion opponent even by the standards of his fellow conservative colleagues. Continue reading...

There is fondness to my memories of those endless, unstructured days, when it was as simple as just being presentOn the final day of the last school holidays, my friend and I went to the Royal Melbourne Show. Neither of us has young children any more, but a while back we were reminiscing about times we'd gone as kids - and then as teens, and later as parents with our own small people - and we decided we wanted to experience all that again.The last time I'd been to the show was pre-pandemic, when I took a tribe of my own and other people's children and I trailed along behind as they ran from ride to ride, from showbag stall to showbag stall, spending all their pocket money and eating as much sugar as they could. I was a sort of hanger-on that day, a chaperone, only needed to ensure nobody got lost or wandered off with somebody else's family. Continue reading...

Nearly two decades ago Congress imposed restrictions on gun violence research, and the effects are still reverberatingAfter every mass shooting the same questions seem to arise: how did the shooter get their gun? What were the warning signs? What's the relationship between domestic violence and white supremacist ideology and mass killings? How can we stop this from happening again?What few people ask, however, is why, after decades of high-profile mass shootings and nearly 50,000 gun-related deaths each year, we're still trying to understand the causes of gun violence. Were it not for a nearly two-decade stoppage in federally funded gun violence research, we may have been closer to having these answers, says Garen Wintemute, an emergency room physician and longtime gun violence researcher. Continue reading...

Twenty years after watching LeBron James make his NBA debut from press row, our correspondent returns to watch the most hyped teenage prospect in a generationIn October 2003, I flew to Sacramento, California, to watch LeBron James play his first pro basketball game. Even at 18 his physical presence was incredibly impressive. I wrote at the time (for this paper) that most tall men look etiolated, like the normal amount of human material has been stretched too thin. LeBron by contrast looked like a statue of a normal person - not just taller, but substantially more solid. The scouting report suggested that his jump shot was still shaky, and I noticed him missing short in the pre-game warm-ups. There seemed to be a hitch in his stroke, a kind of hesitation; he leaned back a little on the release. Then the game started and this teenage kid playing with grown men swished his first three mid-range jumpers without any hesitation at all.Twenty years later I flew to San Antonio, Texas, to watch the most hyped teenage prospect since ... LeBron James, even while LeBron himself remains one of the handful of best players in the NBA. (It helps, as Michael Jordan once joked, to start while [you're] young".) Victor Wembanyama is the etiolated kind of tall man. Even the way he runs reminds you of the kind of long-limbed lightfootedness that might not break the surface tension of a body of water. Tall basketball players sometimes fudge their heights - they pretend they're shorter than they are. I've heard him listed everywhere between 7ft 3in and 7ft 5in. He's 19 years old. He may still be growing. Continue reading...

US toymaker says strong quarter reflects strategy to expand entertainment offering

Far-right Florida congressman who triggered ousting of former speaker Kevin McCarthy says the swamp is on the run'Mike Johnson's ascent to be speaker of the US House of Representatives proves Donald Trump dominates the Republican party and Maga is ascendant", the Florida congressman Matt Gaetz said, using an acronym for Trump's campaign slogan, Make America great again.The swamp is on the run, Maga is ascendant and if you don't think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to Maga Mike Johnson shows the ascendance of this movement, and where the power of the Republican party truly lies, then you're not paying attention," Gaetz told the former Trump campaign chair and White House strategist Steve Bannon on his podcast on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Army radio describes relatively large' ground incursion backed by tanks and infantry vehicles. Plus, why Dutch maternity care is the envy of the worldDon't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Israeli troops backed by tanks have attacked Hamas targets in a brief ground raid in the Gaza Strip, the military has said.Was Joe Biden against the ground offensive? US media have reported that Biden has been pushing Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on a ground invasion while Hamas still holds hostages, but on Wednesday Biden denied such reports. What I have indicated to him is that if that's possible to get these folks out safely, that's what he should do. It's their decision ... But I did not demand it," Biden said.How many hostages are there? The confirmed number of people held hostage in the Gaza Strip since the 7 October cross-border raids by Hamas is now 224, Reuters reports, citing the Israeli military, which said the number could rise further.Do police have a suspect? Lewiston police said Robert Card, 40, was a person of interest" and should be considered armed and dangerous". A state police bulletin reviewed by the AP news agency said he was a firearms instructor trained by the military.How many people have died in US mass shootings this year? The shooting in Lewiston is the 36th mass killing this year, according to a database maintained by the Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. At least 188 people have died in those killings. Continue reading...

The newly-elected speaker, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, had a leading role in trying to overturn the 2020 electionThe process was appalling, and the outcome even more so, as Republicans in the House of Representatives finally found someone they could more or less agree on.That agreement, though, may be more accurately described as simple exhaustion after three weeks of embarrassing misfires.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

The UN charter is a commitment to our shared humanity. Civilians - wherever they are - must be protected equally

The former USA captain, who retired after Toronto FC's final regular-season game last Saturday, was a true general: someone who cared more about the club, than his individual careerTwice in my life, I have been heartbroken over a parasocial relationship.The first time was 31 May 1998; I was 11 years old and Geri Halliwell announced that she had left the Spice Girls. I remember going to bed, refusing to eat dinner, crying my eyes out because I could not imagine a world without all five of the Spice Girls. Continue reading...

In four of the last five years, a 2-4 or 2-5 team has made the playoffs. Can anyone repeat the trend this season?The Packers are either an early-season disappointment or running right on schedule, depending on your perspective. Continue reading...

Military spending is up and global conflict is looming. Intellectuals, scientists and the public must speak out for the future of the planetIn the autumn of 1914 a frantic race to build weapons and decouple economies was under way among the countries of Europe. As the war cry on both sides intensified, a young Albert Einstein, together with the astronomer Wilhelm Foerster, physiologist Georg Friedrich Nicolai and philosopher Otto Buek, signed a Manifesto to the Europeans, inviting scholars and artists, those of whom one should expect such convictions", to speak against the escalation, think in terms of a common culture, transcend nationalist passions and call for a union of Europeans" to prevent Europe from perishing in a fratricidal war". Few listened. Europe sank into the catastrophes of the two world wars, which led to the end of its pre-eminence.We are in a similar situation now. This time it is the entire planet at stake, hanging between prosperity and catastrophe. The world has changed since 1914: western economic and cultural dominance is fading. A rapid and welcome global development is redistributing power. The major challenges are global. Opportunities are global as well, opened up by technological developments that have generated widespread prosperity and taken hundreds of millions out of misery.Carlo Rovelli is an Italian physicist and writer. His latest book, White Holes, Inside the Horizon, is out this monthDo 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...

Authorities in the city of Lewiston in Maine have named Robert Card as a person of interest as they continue the search for a gunman behind two shootings, with 16 people feared dead. Card, from Bowdoin, Maine, was described as armed and dangerous, with authorities warning residents from Lewiston and Lisbon to shelter in place as the manhunt continues.

After much ado, the GOP made their choice - a leading figure in the Republican attempt to overturn the 2020 election - but he faces the same bind as his predecessor Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. If you want to take a break from the dysfunction in Westminster then cast your eyes to the dysfunction in Washington DC. The House of Representatives had been out of action for three weeks since the Republicans ousted their own speaker, Kevin McCarthy, until yesterday when they finally agreed upon Mike Johnson - their fourth nominee in that time.He takes up an incredibly important and powerful role: the speaker oversees Congress, sets the legislative agenda and can completely derail the president's plans. The person who occupies that role also becomes the second person in line to the presidency, after the vice-president. Without a speaker, the US government has been at a standstill, unable to legislate or allocate any spending - even to provide financial support to allies abroad.US gun violence | At least 16 people were killed overnight when a man opened fire at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, Maine. The shooter remained at large as authorities ordered people to stay off the streets. Lewiston police named Robert Card as a person of interest" and said he should be considered armed and dangerous". This morning we are covering the situation live.Israel-Gaza | Joe Biden has called for an immediate end to Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, saying: Pouring gasoline on fire is what it's like." Biden said Hamas was hiding behind" Palestinian civilians in Gaza and he had no confidence" in their civilian casualty figures. The Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, said a ground offensive was being prepared - Hamas is doomed."University | Students in England are left with the equivalent of 50p a week to live on from their loans after paying for accommodation, the cost of which has soared by nearly 15% over the last two years, research has revealed.AI | Artificial intelligence brings new dangers to society that must be addressed head on", Rishi Sunak will warn on Thursday, as the government admitted it could not rule out the technology posing an existential threat. The government is preparing to host an AI safety summit in Bletchley Park next week.Media | Bidders for the Telegraph are concerned the Barclays' 1bn back door" offer could have a chilling effect" on the official auction, according to a source close to the process. The family confirmed they would make a Middle Eastern-backed offer to keep control of the Telegraph and Spectator titles. Continue reading...

Politicians and much of the media ignore, stereotype and demonise protesters. This lack of engagement is a risk to us allAs a million Britons marched through London in 2003 against war with Iraq, William Rees-Mogg gazed on from outside the Athenaeum Club in Pall Mall. In the Times, he sniffed at the protesters' outfits (they dressed as they might for a football match") and scowled at their arguments. However well-intentioned, their very presence helped maintain the torture chambers of Baghdad". They were, he said, Saddam's useful idiots".Those protesters were as British as the former Times editor, but that didn't matter. The country was at war against an axis of evil". It was us versus them, and those who objected or worried or wanted more evidence were little more than traitors. Continue reading...

Local authorities say agencies are investigating two active shooter events' as police warn residents to shelter in place

The murder of the US president left millions convinced their government lied and covered up. Decades on, it continues to twist the truth about everything from Covid to G5 to Trump's defeat at the pollsOn 22 November 2021, a crowd of 100 or so people gathered in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, the site of John F Kennedy's assassination 58 years before. They were convinced that JFK's son, John F Kennedy Jr, was about to return, to take his place as vice-president alongside a reinstated Donald Trump, to battle the satanic paedophile cabal that had taken over Washington. Some even waved Trump-Kennedy 2024" banners. Never mind that JFK Jr died in a plane crash in 1999: these people were credulous enough to believe the QAnon conspiracy theory.When JFK Jr failed to materialise, they promised he would appear at the Rolling Stones' concert in Dallas that night. Some also reckoned JFK Jr would be accompanied by other not-really-dead figures, including Robin Williams, Michael Jackson and a 104-year-old JFK. Continue reading...

The defeat of Poland's Law and Justice party and Turkey moving towards ratifying Sweden's Nato bid have further isolated Hungary's PMViktor Orban is more isolated than ever - but he is still fuelling frustrations across Europe.The Hungarian leader, one of Europe's most prominent far-right politicians, has long been an outlier on the European stage. But, as he arrives in Brussels on Thursday for a summit of EU leaders, he will be even more lonely than usual. Continue reading...

At least 16 reported killed, dozens wounded in Lewiston shooting; police warn residents to stay inside as they search for gunman

US president calls for end to attacks by West Bank settlers and accuses Hamas of hiding behind civilians in Gaza, but that Israel also must follow the laws of war'. Speaking at a joint press conference with the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, the president said US support for Israel's defence was ironclad, but criticised the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank by some Israelis. Continue reading...

Australian contingent at black-tie affair included singer Vance Joy and Indigenous voice co-designer Prof Tom Calma, with a notable absence from News Corp chair Lachlan Murdoch

Agreement is pending union leadership approval and is the first settlement in the strike against big three automakersFord Motor Company and the negotiators of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union reached a labor deal on Wednesday, pending union leadership approval.A deal would be the first settlement of strikes against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. Continue reading...

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The relatively little-known Louisiana Republican has been thrust into the spotlight and the attention has fallen on his extreme beliefsMike Johnson's emergence as the new speaker of the US House of Representatives has earned the relatively little-known Louisiana Republican a turn in the national spotlight.In turn, that spotlight has illuminated positions and remarks many deem extreme.You think about the implications on the economy. We're all struggling here to cover the bases of social security and Medicare and Medicaid and all the rest. If we had all those able-bodied workers in the economy, we wouldn't be going upside down and toppling over like this ... I will not yield I will not. Roe was a terrible corruption of America's constitutional jurisprudence." Continue reading...

The previously little-known rightwinger from Louisiana shows all the hallmarks of the ex-president's voiceAfter engineering this month's unceremonious defenestration of the hapless Kevin McCarthy, some far-right Republicans openly dreamed of installing their hero Donald Trump to replace him as speaker of the House of Representatives.Trump himself, meanwhile, suggested that only Jesus Christ was certain to be elected to the role - apparently overlooking practical concerns of presumed unavailability. Continue reading...

Louisiana congressman known as Maga Mike', elected House speaker Wednesday, is staunch Trump supporter and election denierThe Louisiana congressman Mike Johnson, whom Republicans in Congress elected as their speaker after more than three weeks of leaderless chaos, played a key role in Donald Trump's attempts to subvert the results of the 2020 election.Johnson amassed enough support to win the speakership because of his allegiance to Trumpian ideals, earning him the nickname on the far right of Maga Mike". A litmus test of sorts for the speakership was alignment with rightwing views, including believing in a stolen election, though the firebrand approach of failed speaker candidate Jim Jordan soured moderate members, despite his election-denying bonafides. Continue reading...

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Louisiana congressman - and the party's fourth nominee - wins support of all 220 Republicans who cast a ballotRepublican Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected speaker of the House on Wednesday, winning the top job in a party-line vote and ending a standoff that had stretched on for more than three weeks.In the floor vote, Johnson won the support of all 220 Republicans who cast a ballot, while all 209 Democrats present voted for their leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Due to four absences in the chamber, Johnson needed 215 votes to become speaker. Continue reading...

In court on Wednesday, Judge Arthur Engoron tells former president: Don't do it again, or it will be worse'Donald Trump was briefly forced to testify at his civil fraud trial in New York and fined a further $10,000 after the judge found that he had breached a gag order.The former president, who had already been fined $5,000 over a disparaging social media post about a key court staffer, was reprimanded for comments he had made outside court but denied he had violated the order, wherein he had been ordered to cease posting about court staff. Continue reading...

Mike Johnson, a rightwing Louisiana congressman, won a floor vote to be speaker of the House on Wednesday, ending weeks of deadlock after Republicans ousted former speaker Kevin McCarthy. The vote came out at 220-209, with every House Republican voting for Johnson

Louisiana congressman is solid part of party's right wing and played role assisting Trump's efforts to overturn 2020 election

The actions taken by Spears in response to the madness around her were, in the circumstances, only proof of her sanityThe rollout this week of Britney Spears's memoir, The Woman in Me, seeks, among all the usual aspirations of the celebrity memoir, to execute a strange brief: to prove, finally and decisively, just how competent the 41-year-old is. Spears, who for 13 years toiled under the Grimms' Fairy Tale-like curse of a conservatorship overseen by her father, has been legally in control of her life for 18 months. With the exaggerated care of someone trying to prove they're not drunk, her appearances this week have seemed, at times, contrived to illustrate independence", fun", and an occasionally grim-looking levity in the service of convincing everyone she's free and in charge.The irony is that from the outside, the trajectory of the singer's life and career looks like a classic catch-22 in which the central trauma is so profound that no single position in regards to it is preferable to another. In the book, Spears recounts how, from her earliest success as a 16-year-old pop star to her relationship with Justin Timberlake and the birth of the two children she had with Kevin Federline, she was harassed, taunted and belittled at every turn. The abuse took place within her own home and more resonantly without. Even after seeing the details of Spears's life recalled and documented multiple times in recent years, this latest retelling still triggers incredulity: of the double standard between Spears's and Timberlake's early interviews (he is taken seriously as a music person, which is hilarious - it's Justin Timberlake - while she is asked whether she's had a boob job) and the unbelievable level of goading she suffered from paparazzi. Who, in these circumstances, wouldn't freak out?Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Rescuers had to abandon attempt at freeing man due to safety concerns over using torches to cut through steel platingA man was trapped inside a steel-reinforced concrete jewelry vault in New York City overnight after firefighters had to abandon an attempt to rescue him for safety reasons. Fortunately, the vault was on a timer and opened on its own on Wednesday morning, officials said.The fire department was called to the midtown Manhattan building on Tuesday evening after the man became trapped while trying to access his safe deposit box, said John Sarrocco, the assistant fire chief. The building at 580 Fifth Avenue is known as the World Diamond Tower and houses several jewelry businesses. Sarrocco did not explain how the man became trapped. Continue reading...

Cohen sparred with Trump lawyer Alina Habba and said former president told him to inflate assetsDonald Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen continued giving evidence at his fraud trial on Wednesday in another combative day in which the disgraced lawyer alleged the former president instructed him and other executives to inflate his apparent fortune.In an often theatrical performance, Trump's attorney Alina Habba painted Cohen as a serial liar and a perjurer who was angry to have been spurned by Trump. You have made a career of publicly attacking President Trump, haven't you?" asked Habba. Yes," replied Cohen. Continue reading...