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Billionaire funding is flooding into the ex-president's campaign. If he wins, will we see prisons on Mars and Taylor Swift shot into space?Welcome to The Maga Millions: a thrilling new contest in which you can win a million bucks if you help a billionaire buy an election. As 5 November draws closer, Elon Musk has decided to try out some interesting - and possibly illegal - tactics to get his pal Donald Trump back into the White House.First up: cash payments. On Saturday, Musk announced that America Pac", his pro-Trump political action committee, will give away $1m every day until the election to a randomly selected signatory to his petition supporting free speech and gun rights. He had previously offered to pay registered voters in swing states - and only registered voters in swing states - $47 (36) to sign the petition, upping the offer on Friday for registered voters in Pennsylvania to $100. Continue reading...

Exclusive: clip from canvasser for Musk's America Pac reveals apparent ease in which GPS location can be spoofedDonald Trump's ground game in Arizona and Nevada may be undercut by canvassers working for America Pac using GPS spoofing to pretend they have knocked on doors when they haven't, according to multiple people familiar with the practice and a leaked how-to-fake-location video.The ramifications for Trump may be far reaching, given America Pac has taken on the bulk of the Trump campaign's ground game in the battleground states, and the election increasingly appears set to be decided by turnout. Continue reading...

Revealed: outcome of coming election may determine staying power of hard-right activist Leonard Leo's crusade to reshape US courtsIn the second year of Donald Trump's presidency, a young lawyer with crisply shorn blond hair approached the podium at a gathering for Texas members of the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group that wields immense power in the US judicial system. As vice-president of the group's Fort Worth chapter, Matthew Kacsmaryk had the honor of presenting the first speaker.We are blessed to have Judge Edith Jones," Kacsmaryk announced. Jones, a longtime judge on the US fifth circuit court of appeals, stepped on stage to introduce the evening's guest, her friend, the supreme court justice Clarence Thomas. In her introduction, Jones also hailed the four new conservative judges Trump had appointed to join her on the appeals court. Continue reading...

Homelessness is the major issue in an election that's projected to be the costliest in city historyWhen the supreme court's conservative majority ruled this summer that cities could fine and jail unhoused people for sleeping on the streets, London Breed, the Democratic mayor of famously liberal San Francisco, greeted the decision as a victory.With more than 8,000 people in the city unhoused, Breed has increasingly embraced law-and-order policies. The supreme court's ruling would help cities like San Francisco manage our public spaces more effectively and efficiently", she argued. Continue reading...

Records show Thomas Klingenstein is at the forefront of donors pushing polarizing politics in the Republican partyThomas Klingenstein, chairperson of the rightwing Claremont Institute, has cemented his place in the pantheon of Republican megadonors with a more than $10m spending spree so far in the 2024 election cycle, according to campaign contributions recorded by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).Klingenstein has been one of Claremont's largest donors for decades. As the institute has made its hard-right, pro-Trump drift in recent years, Klingenstein has continued to publicly describe US politics with extremist rhetoric, calling it a cold civil war", and has encouraged rightwingers to join the fight to defeat what he calls the woke regime". Continue reading...

A conservative consumer movement is trying to create a separate economy from the woke' mainstream. So what are they selling?Last year, an intense transphobic backlash erupted in response to Bud Light using a trans influencer in a social media campaign. Bomb threats were called in to breweries, bars stopped selling Budweiser products, people posted videos of themselves pouring Bud Light down the drain, and Kid Rock filmed himself shooting several cases of it with a submachine gun.Against that backdrop, a company launched a Bud Light alternative called Ultra Right Beer, marketed as being 100% Woke-Free.".Above: Trump Town, a store in Boones Mill, Virginia. Below: the America First Warehouse, Ronkonkoma, New York. Continue reading...

Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv for talks. Plus, Liz Cheney backs Kamala Harris on abortionGood morning.At least 13 people were killed and 57 injured in an Israeli airstrike on Monday near Hariri hospital, Beirut's main government hospital, the health ministry said, revising upwards its initial death toll of four.What has the impact been on Lebanese civilians? Israel's invasion of Lebanon, launched 1 October, has displaced more than 1.2 million people multiple times, according to Lebanese authorities. At least 2,483 people have been killed, according to the health ministry.What is the US doing? Secretary of state Antony Blinken has arrived in Tel Aviv, where he will meet Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Blinken is expected to stress the need for Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and to discuss securing the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. As Israel's most powerful ally and weapons supplier, the US has sent more than 10,000 highly destructive 2,000lb bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles since the start of its war on Gaza.What did Cheney say? I'm pro-life and I have been very troubled, deeply troubled by what I have watched happen in so many states since Dobbs ... I have been troubled by the extent to which you have women who - as the vice-president said, in some cases have died - who can't get medical treatment that they need because providers are worried about criminal liability."What are the polls saying? The election is essentially deadlocked. Harris has small polling leads in Pennsylvania and Nevada, while Trump has small polling leads in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, but all are well within the margin of error and all the races in the all-important battleground states remain too close to call. Continue reading...

Our polling shows that the best way to defeat Trump is offer a compelling economic platform that puts working families firstThe 2024 campaign has entered the final stretch and, as polls tighten, it seems Kamala Harris plans to lean into attacking Donald Trump as a threat to democracy.Over the past week the Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, the Washington Post, the New York Times and even the conservative National Review have all reported or commented on the messaging pivot. In a newly unveiled official campaign ad, a disembodied voice warns gravely that a second Trump term would be worse. There would be no one to stop his worst instincts. No guard rails." At a recent rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, Harris reminded her supporters of Project 2025, the detailed and dangerous plan" that she believes an increasingly unstable and unhinged" Trump will follow to cement unchecked power". She sounded the alarm about the dire threat Trump poses to your fundamental freedoms" and how in his second term he would be essentially immune" from oversight. Continue reading...

As a showbiz publicist, I know about the Faustian pact between famous people and the public. Stars think they understand it, but they really don'tAs the worldwide tributes continue, the tragic death of Liam Payne at the cruel age of just 31 has shaken the foundations of how we perceive celebrity and fame. As a publicist and strategist who has worked with many famous people, I know something about this. They are just like us - but they are different.Fame is as seductive as it is destructive. It offers an irresistible promise: transcendence from the mundane, and the opportunity to be more than just another face in the crowd. But it also demands a sacrifice: once your head is above the parapet of anonymity, it's very rare to be able to submerge back into the crowd on your own terms. And most insiders know this, or at least they think they do.Mark Borkowski is a crisis PR consultant and author Continue reading...

Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv on Tuesday after Hezbollah said it bombed the Nirit area in the city's suburbs with missiles. The Israeli military said about 20 rockets were fired in the latest barrage from Lebanon - five toward central Israel and 15 toward the north - and that attempts were made to intercept them. The IDF said there were no immediate reports of injuries. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday for his 11th trip to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began. Blinken will meet the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and is hoping to ramp up negotiations for a ceasefire in the region

The notion that he will claim a victory and stop now is deluded. He will press on until there is the political will in the US to stop himIt's blindingly obvious Benjamin Netanyahu does not want a ceasefire in Gaza or Lebanon or anywhere else - not yet, at least. The Biden administration and Keir Starmer's government can persist with the politically convenient fiction that last week's killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has opened a window to peace if they must. But it's nonsense. Israel's prime minister violently rampages about like a drunken hooligan armed with a stack of US and UK-supplied bricks. He loves the sound of breaking glass.The unpalatable truth is Netanyahu, his far-right allies and dismayingly large numbers of Israeli citizens believe, foolishly, that they are winning the war that Hamas began on 7 October last year and that Israel has since relentlessly, criminally expanded. They view Sinwar's death, after a recent string of high-profile assassinations, as the latest vindication of Netanyahu's slash-and-burn policy - even though it will inevitably backfire eventually. His next target? Iran.Simon Tisdall is the Observer's foreign affairs commentatorDo 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...

Democrats' fate depends on winning enough non-college-educated voters in swing states. They aren't trying hard enoughKamala Harris is doing a lot of things right that recent Democratic campaigns got wrong. She took a chance on Tim Waltz - coach, solider, snow-shoveling-helper - because she hoped to build bridges to the non-college grads who have abandoned Democrats in large numbers.Nearly 60% of Bill Clinton's supporters were white people without degrees; only 27% of Joe Biden's were. Non-college white people are the largest voting bloc in the country, so if Democrats lose them overwhelmingly, they need the immense support and turnout among people of color to win. Instead, Democrats have lost ground among non-white voters. Their advantage among Latinos has fallen from 39 points in 2016 to 19 points today; that same New York Times/Siena poll found the vice-president down 12 points among African Americans compared with Biden in 2020.Joan C Williams is Sullivan Professor and the current director of the Equality Action Center at UC Law San Francisco and the author of the 2017 book White Working Class. Her next book, OUTCLASSED: How the Left Lost the Working Class and How to Win Them Back, will be released in May 2025 Continue reading...

Our writers give their verdicts on the new season, which tips off Tuesday night. Can New York or Oklahoma City thwart a Boston repeat? And will Bronny James make it to the show?I can't wait to see what Anthony Edwards looks like after his first taste of playoff success and a summer to soak up inspiration from playing alongside his heroes. As the lone No 1 overall pick remaining on the Wolves with the departure of Karl-Anthony Towns, the keys to the franchise are now his. He's primed for a true breakout season. CDL Continue reading...

The success of Herbert Kickl's FPO is no surprise - it had been normalised by the centre right for years. Let that be a warningWhile Europe may be sleepwalking into a far-right trap", Austria is consciously walking straight into it. After all, polls had predicted the most recent electoral success of the Austrian Freedom party (FPO) for almost two years. While the far-right party's leader, Herbert Kickl, heralded its victory as the beginning of a new era", it is better understood as a seemingly unavoidable progression. If anything, the country's recent election results confirmed a broader pattern of far-right normalisation in Europe in general and in Austria in particular.Although 29% was indeed its best result ever in a nationwide election, the FPO has consistently achieved results in the double digits since 1990, has been included in the national government multiple times, and currently governs in several states with the conservative Austrian People's party (OVP). After the most recent state election in Vorarlberg, the OVP is about to form its fourth regional coalition with the FPO there. As such, Austria is a perfect example of the dangerous shortsightedness of normalising far-right parties - a process led in the 21st century by, above all, conservative parties.Cas Mudde is the Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF professor of international affairs at the University of Georgia, and author of The Far Right Today. Gabriela Greilinger is a PhD student at the University of Georgia Continue reading...

The Conservatives believe that they uniquely represent British values - so what need is there to admit the UK is changing?Why exactly are the Conservatives so upbeat, barely three months after their worst-ever election defeat? At their party conference, in their leadership contest and in the Tory press, the mood has been unexpectedly positive, even unrepentant, with relatively few recriminations and little deep reflection. During the conference, I lost count of how often people told me the party would be back in power within a few years.There are some straightforward explanations: Labour's troubles trying to run the country; Tory relief that they have been given a break from that difficult task; the displacement activity of the leadership contest; and the fact that the grind of opposition has not properly begun yet - all these are making being out of office easier than many Tories feared during the long run-up to the election. Continue reading...

Kamala Harris toured swing-states with the Republican, while Donald Trump appeared with faith leaders with 15 days to go until the presidential election

Ex-Republican congresswoman, longtime abortion rights opponent, campaigns with vice-president in swing statesLiz Cheney, a former Republican congresswoman and longtime opponent of abortion rights, on Monday condemned Republican-imposed bans on the procedure and urged conservatives to support Democrat Kamala Harris for US president.Cheney was speaking during three joint events with the vice-president in three swing states aimed at prising suburban Republican voters away from party nominee Donald Trump. She has become the Democrat's most prominent conservative surrogate and is rumoured to be in contention for a seat in a potential Harris cabinet.Don't miss important US election coverage. Get our free app and sign up for election alerts Continue reading...

Republican nominee reflects on assassination attempt and says my faith took on new meaning on July 13'Donald Trump urged Christian voters on Monday to participate in the 2024 election, claiming that a Kamala Harris administration would restrict religious freedoms and casting himself as a protector of Christians.During an event in North Carolina billed as an 11th-Hour Faith Leaders Meeting", a series of conservative pastors warmed up for Trump, including Guillermo Maldonado, an apostle" and longtime Trump ally who cast the election in perilous terms. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can find more of our US elections coverage hereWe reported earlier that Kamala Harris has a huge advantage in campaign cash over Donald Trump. But the former president has his own deep-pocketed backer in the former of Tesla boss Elon Musk, who held a strange town hall in swing state Pennsylvania this weekend where he started handing out mammoth checks to voters to get them to back Trump. The Guardian's Oliver Laughland witnessed the spectacle in person:Standing before a large US flag, which spanned the breadth of a vast stage, the world's richest man told an assembled crowd that he loved them.Today, my Administration is taking a major step to expand contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act. This new action would help ensure that millions of women with private health insurance can access the no-cost contraception they need. Vice President Harris and I have worked tirelessly to protect and build on the Affordable Care Act. We lowered costs for Marketplace coverage by an average of $800 per year for millions of Americans, and more Americans than ever before have signed up for health insurance through the law.At a time when contraception access is under attack, Vice President Harris and I are resolute in our commitment to expanding access to quality, affordable contraception. We believe that women in every state must have the freedom to make deeply personal health care decisions, including the right to decide if and when to start or grow their family. We will continue to fight to protect access to reproductive health care and call on Congress to restore reproductive freedom and safeguard the right to contraception once and for all. Continue reading...

Lawmakers unhappy with handling of Robert Roberson case as doubts grow over science used to secure convictionRepublican lawmakers in Texas expressed alarm on Monday at the apparent willingness of state officials to execute a potentially innocent man on the basis of junk science, as the political fallout of the 11th-hour reprieve of Robert Roberson continued to roil the state.Several Republican members of the state's House committee on criminal jurisprudence lined up to air their discontent with the handling of the case of Roberson, 57, who was convicted of killing his two-year-old daughter Nikki Curtis in 2002 by violently shaking her. Continue reading...

Publication said decision was mutual and found no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias' in Nuzzi's coverageThe politics writer Olivia Nuzzi and New York magazine have parted ways just over a month after she was placed on leave following the disclosure that she had engaged in a personal" relationship with Robert F Kennedy Jr.The departure was announced in a statement from New York magazine on Monday afternoon. Continue reading...

Cochise county supervisor Peggy Judd agrees to plead guilty to misdemeanor chargeA Republican county supervisor in rural Arizona who refused to certify the 2022 midterm election has agreed to a plea deal, becoming the first person criminally sanctioned for refusing to certify an election since 2020.Peggy Judd, a Republican supervisor in Cochise county, Arizona, agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge for failing or refusing to perform an official duty by an election officer. She will serve an unsupervised probation of at least 90 days and pay a maximum $500 fine, Arizona's Democratic attorney general, Kris Mayes, said in a press release announcing the plea deal on Monday.Don't miss important US election coverage. Get our free app and sign up for election alerts Continue reading...

Lt Cdr Lyndsay P Evans and Lt Serena N Wileman, both 31, died when their Growler jet crashed east of Mount RainierThe US navy identified on Monday the two crew members who died last week in a fighter-jet crash near Mount Rainier as two 31-year-old female aviators from California.Lt Cdr Lyndsay P Evans, a naval flight officer, and Lt Serena N Wileman, a naval aviator, died when their EA-18G Growler jet from the Electronic Attack Squadron, known as Zappers", crashed east of Mount Rainier last Tuesday during a training flight, according to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. Continue reading...

Democratic vice-presidential candidate criticizes tech CEO's ploy that is under scrutiny for possible vote buying

Five years after playing before crowds of 2,000 fans in White Plains, the Liberty completed a stunning turnaround with a first WNBA title. And the future looks brighter than everFrom the earliest days of the Women's National Basketball Association, it seemed like winning a championship was only a matter of time for the New York Liberty. A glamour franchise by default, they first reached the doorstep of a title during the league's inaugural season back in 1997, falling to the Houston Comets in a championship game that was wiped from the headlines within hours by the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. That was the first of five times New York tripped at the final hurdle, including last season's crushing defeat to the Las Vegas Aces on their home floor. As the years became decades, much like their longtime Madison Square Garden co-tenants, coming up short became the Liberty's brand despite a parade of name-brand stars like Rebecca Lobo, Teresa Weatherspoon, Becky Hammon, Cappie Pondexter and Tina Charles.That's one way of saying that Sunday night's cathartic triumph, when New York finally hauled in the sport's biggest prize with a heart-stopping overtime win over the Minnesota Lynx and became the last of the WNBA's Original Eight franchises to win a title, was a long time coming. But as the confetti rained down inside the Barclays Center while Ellie the Elephant twerked away to Empire State of Mind amid the roars of 18,800 spectators, it was easy to forget just how down bad the Liberty were under their previous caretakers - and how extraordinary the ensuing turnaround has been. Continue reading...

Officials say no further leaks but investigation under way into how documents came to be published on TelegramUS government officials investigating the leak of two classified intelligence papers assessing Israel's plans to attack Iran have said they did believe any more documents had been compromised.However, the Biden administration remained deeply disturbed" by the unauthorized release, John Kirby, the national security communications adviser, told reporters at a White House briefing on Monday. Continue reading...

Republican candidate repeats false claims that Fema spent money on illegal migrants' in Helene-ravaged areaDonald Trump on Monday used a trip to a hurricane-ravaged part of North Carolina to double down on false claims about the federal government's recovery effort and promote baseless conspiracy theories about immigration.Trump claimed the Biden administration had not done enough work for recovery and aid in North Carolina, saying instead the federal government spent its resources on illegal migrants", three weeks after a hurricane devasted the state.Don't miss important US election coverage. Get our free app and sign up for election alerts Continue reading...

Jon Tester is fighting to keep his Senate seat amid the prospect that Democrats like him are now facing political extinction in the stateHe was a young and little-known underdog. So Max Baucus, candidate for Congress, decided to trek 630 miles across Montana and listen to people talk about their problems. As luck would have it, on the first day, I walked into a blizzard," he recalls, pointing to a photo of his young self caked in snow. It was cold! But the blizzard didn't last that long."Baucus shed 12lbs during that two and a half month journey in 1974. He also made friends. The Democrat defeated a Republican incumbent and would soon go on to serve as a Montana senator for 36 years. He never lost an election but saw his beloved home state undergo many changes. Among them is the prospect that Democrats like him are now facing political extinction. Continue reading...

The role of the United Arab Emirates in fuelling the war is under the spotlight. But other countries too are exacerbating the deadly conflictThe often denied but obvious involvement of foreign powers in Sudan's deadly civil war is now firmly in the spotlight. Tens of thousands of people, including many civilians, have been killed since it began last April. Now, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has accused the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) of bombing its ambassador's residence in Khartoum, causing extensive damage". The SAF denied it, claiming that last month's strike was the work of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), backed by the UAE.What's not in doubt is that both sides are committing war crimes and that they are able to do so because foreign governments are supporting them. The ceaseless flow of arms has resulted in a vast, growing humanitarian disaster. Last week, UN-appointed experts accused combatants of using starvation tactics" against 25 million civilians. Additionally, 10 million people have been displaced, and diseases such as cholera are rapidly spreading amid the world's largest hunger crisis.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...

First lady says family is excited to start new chapter of our lives' in Good Morning America interviewJill Biden acknowledged Monday that her husband, Joe Biden, made the right call" by stepping down from his run for re-election as president.In a candid interview on Good Morning America, the first lady spoke openly about her feelings as her family's time in the White House comes to an end. Continue reading...

Secretary of state Brad Raffensperger says false election claims will really hurt our turnout on our side'Georgia's top elections official says he believes Republicans' claims of doubting the integrity of the vote in November's presidential election will really hurt" their party's chances at the poll.In an interview on Sunday with NewsNation, the Georgia secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, defended the election process he oversees amid the casting of a record number of early votes in recent days. His comments came after the Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Raffensperger's fellow Republican, posted claims on X that a voting machine had misprinted a voter's selections to the detriment of her party.Don't miss important US election coverage. Get our free app and sign up for election alerts Continue reading...

The Minnesota coach, Cheryl Reeve, said the WNBA championship was 'stolen' from her team during her complaints about the officiating. The New York Liberty beat the Lynx 67-62 in overtime in Game 5, getting there after a disputed foul gave Breanna Stewart two free throws that tied the game with 5.2 seconds remaining in regulation. 'We know we could have done some things, right, but you shouldn't have to overcome to that extent,' Reeve said. 'This shit ain't that hard. Officiating is not that hard'

The dead, in their 70s and one woman in her 90s, were on Sapelo Island to celebrate the Gullah Geechee cultureNew details have emerged in the catastrophic collapse of a dock gangway on a small island in Georgia over the weekend that killed seven people and injured many more.The collapse, which caused at least 20 people to plunge into the water, occurred after the Cultural Day festival on Sapelo Island in honor of Gullah Geechee culture. Officials say that up to 40 people were standing on the dock gangway to board a ferry back to the mainland when the structure gave way.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

The House of Mouse taps former Morgan Stanley CEO as its new board chair, who will lead search for Iger's replacementWalt Disney said it would announce another replacement for CEO Bob Iger in early 2026 and named a veteran of Morgan Stanley as board chair on Monday, for the first time announcing a timetable for succession at the storied media and entertainment company.James Gorman will step down as executive chair of Morgan Stanley at the end of 2024 and take on the position at Disney in January. He had served as CEO of the Wall Street bank for 14 years and is credited with transforming it into a wealth management powerhouse. Continue reading...

Poll shows more voters support US vice-president's tax and housing policies compared with the Republican nomineeDonald Trump has lost his advantage over Kamala Harris on who is best qualified to manage the economy, new polls suggest.With millions of voters already casting early ballots for the presidency ahead of election day on 5 November, a fresh Associated Press/NORC poll says Harris, the Democratic nominee, has taken a slight lead when it comes to some key economic questions that concern middle-class voters. Continue reading...

Richard Hasen, a professor specializing in election law, on Elon Musk's petition and Cards Against HumanityElon Musk's new tactics for attracting votes for Donald Trump are raising red flags when it comes to election finance laws.Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania governor, suggested in an interview this weekend that law enforcement should investigate Musk's proposal to give $1m once a day to a registered swing state voter who has signed a petition supporting free speech. Continue reading...

As fans lose control of the sport and clubs they love to mega-rich owners, they turn instead on a familiar enemy: officials

As Hoy has said, there is agony in trying to predict the future. Medical advances mean we might be able to navigate an awful diagnosis with some certaintyWe can all sympathise with Chris Hoy for his terminal cancer, and admire the manner in which he revealed it. Dignity so rarely goes with celebrity. We wish him well. But Hoy has two advantages over me. First, he cycles faster. Second, he knows how long he has to live. It is four years at the outside.Hoy can therefore plan. He can draw up a final bucket list. He can complete the projects, deepen the friendships and make the trips. He still has time to climb the munros, visit Machu Picchu and see all of Shakespeare. Or he can choose not to. He can be a hedonist and take each day as it comes, revelling in what he calls his good fortune to have lived at all. He does not mention religion, but I sense that for him life itself has a sufficiency of meaning. Continue reading...

Josh Shapiro says Musk's plan, announced Saturday, to give money to registered voters in key swing states is deeply concerning'

Washington is sixth state to detect H5N1 in workers, with farm in Franklin county source of known outbreakFour workers in rural Washington state were presumptively diagnosed with bird flu at an egg farm, officials said Sunday.Washington is the sixth state to detect what is formally known as highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in workers. The farm in southern Franklin county was the source of a known outbreak where workers had already euthanized about 800,000 chickens. Continue reading...

Biden administration proposal comes days before US election as Kamala Harris vows to expand healthcare

OHCHR says Israel may be causing the destruction of the Palestinian population' by death and displacement'. Plus, is Elon Musk's $1m giveaway legal?

Musk's latest ploy to assist Trump to win the US election has been to give away $1m every day to a member of the public

Child among victims, officials say, while crash comes days after FAA notice warned some lights on tower inoperableA helicopter crashed Sunday after hitting a radio tower in Houston, killing four people on board, including a child, fire officials said.Houston authorities said the aircraft, an R44 helicopter, went down just before 8pm in Houston's Second Ward, east of the city's downtown, after apparently taking off from Ellington Field about 15 miles away. Continue reading...

Older Americans had highest number of deaths, but younger Americans of color had highest disease ratesAlthough older Americans had the highest number of deaths in the Covid-19 pandemic, younger Americans had the highest rates compared with the overall population - especially among people of color, according to a new study.And in two groups - Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander and Native American or Alaska Native - working-age people (ages 25 to 64) had the greatest increase in mortality of any age group. Continue reading...

Women and doctors describe heart-wrenching decisions under what may be the US's strictest abortion ban in Idaho. Everything that's happening is a playbook for the rest of the country'When Jennifer Adkins and her husband were considering having a second child in Idaho, they vaguely thought how the state's near-total abortion ban could affect them. But Adkins' first pregnancy had gone so smoothly, she didn't even use an epidural when she gave birth. Her next pregnancy, she expected, would be similar.But in April 2023, 12 weeks into her second pregnancy, an ultrasound scan shattered that hope. Continue reading...

Outcry in Montgomery county as Linda Coombs' book on European colonization of Native American land reclassifiedAnti-censorship advocates have joined book publisher Penguin Random House in condemning a Texas county that reclassified an account of European settlers' colonization of Indigenous Americans as fiction.The furor in Montgomery county - near Houston - follows the decision by a citizens review panel, at the behest of rightwing activists, to place Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs in the fiction section of children's libraries. Continue reading...

Four people, including a child, have been killed after a helicopter crashed into a radio tower in Houston, Texas. Authorities say the helicopter struck the radio tower just before 8pm local time to the east of the city's business district. Footage on the ground shows flames burning while emergency services attended the crash site Continue reading...