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Governor Kathy Hochul unveils initiative to charge vehicles entering lower Manhattan, after halting earlier plan in JuneNew York is reviving plans to introduce the US's first-ever congestion charge for vehicle traffic, with a reduced $9 toll set to apply to cars entering the lower half of Manhattan from January.Kathy Hochul, the New York governor, in June halted a landmark plan to charge $15 for drivers entering Manhattan's traffic-clogged streets, sparking a furious backlash from transport and climate advocates. Continue reading...

Ex-House speaker's remarks come amid calls for release of ethics report into sexual misconduct claims against Gaetz

Former Democratic congresswoman, 43, has been publicly suspected of being groomed' by RussiaTulsi Gabbard's biography has some rare distinctions, including being the first Samoan and the first Hindu elected to the US Congress, where she sat between 2013 and 2021 as the Democratic representative for Hawaii.But nothing marks her out so much as being almost certainly the only prospective head of American intelligence to have been publicly suspected of being groomed" by Russia - a suggestion made by Hillary Clinton, Trump's defeated Democratic opponent when he was first elected president, in a 2019 podcast. Continue reading...

Rate in 2023 remains at 10.4% due to chronic conditions, inadequate prenatal care and racial disparitiesPremature birth rates in the US remain at a historic high, according to a new report.On Thursday, March of Dimes, a maternal health non-profit organization, released its latest findings which say that the national premature birth rate of 2023 remains at 10.4%, largely due to chronic conditions, inadequate prenatal care and racial disparities. In contrast, the premature birth rate 10 years ago was at 9.6%. Continue reading...

We'd like to hear from people in the US about their how they view planning for a family over the next four yearsWe'd like to find out more about how people view planning for a family over Donald Trump's next presidential term.Reproductive rights were a key focus in Kamala Harris's campaign but with Trump's return to the White House there is renewed concern about what this may mean for women's health and the future of the climate. Continue reading...

California and other states must mount aggressive, multipronged response to defend immigrants, advocates warnCalifornia, home to the largest immigrant population in the US, is bracing for Donald Trump's plan to enact the largest deportation operation in American history", with advocates pushing state leaders to find new and creative ways to disrupt his agenda.The Golden state led the fight against Trump's first term, shielding many non-citizen residents from removal by restricting local cooperation with federal immigration authorities. But the threat this time, immigrant rights groups say, is more extreme, and blue states across the US are facing pressure to mount an aggressive, multipronged response. Continue reading...

Jared Goff may be the Detroit Lions' most important player as they take aim at a first Super Bowl appearance, but Penei Sewell is the team's bestSaquon Barkley is leaping over defenders. Fred Warner is hitting everything in sight. Wherever you look, Lamar Jackson is slinging fire. And yet the best show going in the NFL through 10 weeks is one of the big guys up front: Lions right tackle Penei Sewell.It can be easy to miss tackles. They do a lot of their best work in the shadows. Like a good official, if you can get through a game without noticing them, without a commentator saying their name, you know they've done their primary job of keeping a quarterback upright. But Sewell has ascended to box-office status as the Lions rip their way through the league. Continue reading...

Four people charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy after analysis of videos and discovery of bear costumeFour individuals in Los Angeles were arrested on Wednesday and charged with insurance fraud after claiming that a bear had damaged their cars, when the bear in question was actually just a person dressed in a bear costume.The California department of insurance said that the suspects filed a claim in January of this year, stating that a bear entered their 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost while it was parked at Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino mountains and caused interior damage to the vehicle. Continue reading...

The French basketball player Victor Wembanyama led his team to a 139-130 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. The 20-year-old scored 24 points in the first half and became the fourth-youngest player to score 50 points in the NBA. Wembanyama said: 'Eventually I want the rest of our performances, the rest of our games to overshadow this one.'

Company tells shareholders it expects double-digit percentage growth' in 2026 and 2027Walt Disney is trying to roll the credits on its years-long battle to reassure Wall Street and Hollywood that it can dominate a new era of entertainment.The Magic Kingdom, which rarely issues guidance on future profits, told shareholders it expects an acceleration over the coming years - with double-digit percentage growth" in adjusted earnings in 2026 and 2027. Continue reading...

Dan Goldman's initiative will reiterate two-term clause from amendment approved by US Congress in 1947

My mum and dad eventually realised I was happy being a little freak. And so is Basil

Business moguls and world leaders are desperate to weasel into Trump's good books. It's humiliating but the payday is worth itLet the humiliation Olympics begin. As Donald Trump readies himself for his revenge tour, world leaders and business moguls are falling over themselves to show the incoming president how much they admire him. Even if it means making an embarrassment of themselves in the process.While it's only natural for the rich and powerful to try to ingratiate themselves with the incoming president of the United States, the extent to which people are lining up to kiss the ring is remarkable. This isn't just diplomacy as usual: it speaks to Trump's unapologetically transactional politics. He has made it very clear that loyalty will be richly rewarded and promised to ruthlessly pursue his enemies. As a result, we appear to have entered into a golden age of brown-nosing. Continue reading...

Ice-cream brand takes legal action against parent company which it claims threatened to dismantle board

Fox News hosts are publicly bemused to see their colleagues tapped for cabinet positions. In private, they're more shockedWhen Donald Trump tapped a Fox News host this week to run the mighty US defense department, even Pete Hegseth's colleagues at the rightwing media outlet were taken aback.What the heck - can you believe it?" wondered Jesse Watters on his primetime show on Tuesday.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

In Berkeley, advocates, activists and unsheltered people are staging a last-ditch effort to claim safe public spaceRevolution starts small, attorney Andrea Henson told the crowd around her. It was mid-October, and press had gathered on a quiet intersection in Berkeley, California. Behind Henson was a row of tents, some painted red and black with words posing the same question: Where do we go?"What started in September as a group of tents pitched on the lawn of Berkeley's Old City Hall has since swelled to more than half a dozen protest encampments scattered across the city's public spaces. They're set up by a coalition of housed and unhoused residents demanding an end to policies that criminalize unsheltered homelessness. Continue reading...

Lawrence Hecker, 93, self-admitted serial child molester, grapples with Alzheimer's dementia and had trial delayedWith less than a month to go before his latest scheduled trial date, a self-admitted serial child molester and retired Roman Catholic priest from New Orleans remains competent to proceed with his oft-delayed rape and kidnapping case - albeit marginally as the 93-year-old grapples with Alzheimer's dementia, according to his most recent medical evaluation.A pair of doctors who evaluated Lawrence Hecker on 6 November made it a point to note that his illness is a chronic and progressive disease", suggesting additional delays beyond several already seen in the case create a risk that the clergyman declines into a state of legal incompetence preventing him from ever standing trial given his advanced age. Continue reading...

Human Rights Watch says its evidence suggests Israel has committed a war crime against civilians. Plus, Mark Zuckerberg drops a cover of Get Low with T-Pain

The lesson of this election is that Democrats must attack inequality - and not cede working-class voters to TrumpA political disaster such as what occurred last Tuesday gains significance not simply by virtue of who won or lost, but through how the election is interpreted.This is known as the Lesson of the election.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His newest book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com Continue reading...

With Trump in the Oval Office, the US supreme court will find itself having to answer questions it has sidestepped for yearsA president who intends to prosecute journalists, deport student protesters, imprison flag-burners, shut down broadcasters and throw the book at whistleblowers - to list just a few of president-elect Donald Trump's speech-suppressive ideas - is likely to collide very quickly with the first amendment.But whether the first amendment will be a real obstacle to Trump's censorial agenda is difficult to predict. Some of Trump's ideas will require the US supreme court to address free speech questions it has long avoided, while others will implicate precedents that the court may be eager to revisit. Trump has already appointed three of the court's justices and he may have the opportunity to appoint more - at a time when the very meaning of free speech is deeply contested. So, yes, Trump will run up against the first amendment, but don't take for granted that he will be thwarted by it. Continue reading...

Will there be a national abortion ban? A ban on mailed abortion medication? I talked to some expertsAt around 10pm ET on election night, with prediction needles listing rightwards, and various friends' group chats starting to become inundated by the river-of-tears-down-my-face emoji - even that early, we were collectively way beyond a single tear - I left Steve Kornacki frantically bobbing and weaving around a map of Georgia, and went to bed. Somehow, I slept through until the morning, when I awoke in Trump's America", as news organizations were calling it, and to a torrent of emails and notes from friends bemoaning, among other things, the very real possibility of a federal abortion ban.Are we still gonna have birth control?" one friend texted, in disbelief.Sophie Brickman is a contributor to the New Yorker, the New York Times and other publications, and the author of Baby, Unplugged: One Mother's Search for Balance, Reason, and Sanity in the Digital Age and the novel Plays Well With Others Continue reading...

Course set to be taught by controversial British anti-woke' media commentator Andrew DoyleNew College of Florida reinstated a course on wokeness" taught by controversial British media personality and culture warrior Andrew Doyle to its catalog, after appearing to remove it from an earlier version, amid an ongoing furore over the university's transformation into a more conservative institution.The course was also restored to an internal enrollment system but without Doyle's name attached, according to students with access to the system. The moves followed criticism of the course online and local media reports on Tuesday night. Continue reading...

In new memoir Citizen, Clinton acknowledges he has not directly apologized to Lewinsky over White House affairBill Clinton, the former US president, has written of his frustration" at being questioned about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky while acknowledging that he has never apologized to her directly.Clinton became embroiled in one of the biggest political scandals in history when it emerged in 1998 that he had a sexual relationship with the then 22-year-old Lewinsky. The president, who initially lied before apologizing, was impeached by the House of Representatives but acquitted by the Senate. Continue reading...

The quest for revenue is the defining struggle of modern football, and many fans have correctly come to see higher revenue as the surest route to on-field gloryIn the grand churn of the money machine that is modern football, it ranks as a fairly small deal. But when Liverpool recently announced they will earn more than 60m ($76.3m) a year from a new kit deal with Adidas starting next season, the reaction from the club's supporters across social media said a lot about the nature of modern fandom. Apart from the habitual grumbles about what this might mean for the design of the team's kit, fans mostly seemed to respond to the announcement in one of two ways: why doesn't the new deal bring the club into line with the 90m ($114.3m) that Manchester United receives from Adidas for a comparable arrangement? And more pressingly: what kind of squad investment can an extra few million pounds a year secure? Enough to pay Virgil," declared one user on Reddit. Does that mean we will buy a RB and a 10?" asked another.These are, of course, completely normal reactions; any other club announcing any kind of commercial win" would face similar responses from its supporters. But they highlight the extent to which we, as fans, have all become psychologically colonized by the grubby extractionism that defines the modern Premier League, applauding from the sidelines as a new content deal or shirt sponsorship or asset sale or fresh suite of unaffordable subscription packages lurches into view on the club balance sheet. That seat upgrade layer" and points-based VIP fan tier might be part of the commercial drift that's making football less affordable, carrying it ever further from the communities it claims to represent, but if they nab us a quality back-up keeper to put pressure on that number one chronically fumbling under the high ball? Well, maybe they're not so bad after all. Continue reading...

The Republican party has secured a Washington trifecta by taking control of both houses of Congress as well as the White House. Here are the results in full for every seat in every state

Despite his absurd persona and obscene wealth, would-be boxer's support of female fighters is worthy of noteJake Paul is having his hands wrapped in the locker room as his older brother, Logan, who also became rich and famous on YouTube, speaks earnestly to him. You've expanded your mind, your circle, your emotional intelligence and your capabilities," Logan tells Jake.From making silly home videos to changing the entire landscape of combat sports. Everyone in this room knows just how powerful a being you are and that's why we're all here, including Netflix. One day, if I run for president, I'd be honoured to have you as my vice-president or maybe secretary of defence. You'll be in charge of the red button. The all-powerful nuke that also happens to be at the end of your right hand." Continue reading...

The acclaimed photographer spent two decades photographing his hometown of Buffalo, New York - capturing its quiet resilience and strange beauty' Continue reading...

Donald Trump wasted no time in assembling his top team, with picks like Matt Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard causing consternation among friends and foes alike

Travelling many miles across multiple states, I saw Republicans united in their disdain for facts - and a Democratic party far too relaxed about challenging themIn the early hours of Wednesday morning last week, I sped down an empty motorway as rain pounded the asphalt, heading towards a Republican election-night party in the outskirts of Detroit. It was one of those storms that distorts your vision, where the lines of the road blur in slicks of water and the street lights refract through cascading droplets on thewindscreen. The lonely roads and perilous weatherfelt like an apt backdrop. Donald Trump wasabout to be declared the next president of the United States.I went through the double doors and into the large, carpeted convention hall just seconds before Fox News called the race. The chatter began to dissipate as the crowd erupted, surging towards a stage at the back andwaving large, black flags that read Fix America Again". Elation and relief. Mayhem and incoherence. Lock them up! Send them back! Jesus! Jesus!" shoutedone woman. Continue reading...

GOP majority in House and Senate could give the president-elect ability to extend tax cuts and roll back Biden-era lawsWith the confirmation that Republicans have won a majority in the House of Representatives, Donald Trump and his party will now have a governing trifecta in Washington come January, giving the new president a powerful perch to enact his rightwing agenda.Even without majorities in both chambers of Congress, Trump's victory in the presidential race already gave him significant control over US foreign policy and the makeup of the federal government, both of which he is seeking to overhaul. Continue reading...

Party has won 218 seats in lower chamber after Democrats unsuccessfully campaigned on need to curtail dysfunction'Republicans have secured a majority in the US House of Representatives, extending their hold on the lower chamber and delivering a governing trifecta in Washington that could give Donald Trump sweeping power to enact his legislative agenda.The Associated Press determined on Wednesday evening that Republicans had won at least 218 seats in the 435-member House after a victory in Arizona, a call that came more than a week after polls closed across the US and as Trump made cabinet announcements that sent shockwaves through Washington. Continue reading...

Ex-defense department official said government employees had been injured and US conducted secret UFO retrievalsUS government employees have been injured by UFOs and the US government has conducted a secret UFO retrieval program, a former department of defense official told a congressional committee on Wednesday, though the hearing lacked any direct evidence to back up the startling claims.The hearing on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), which has become the more accepted term for UFO, also heard that the government has a huge amount" of secret information on UAPs, including photos, video, photos, other information". But it also learned, following a query from Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert, that there is no evidence of aliens having a secret underwater base" on this planet. Continue reading...

Congressman decried as person of moral turpitude' amid questions over whether Senate will confirm nominationDonald Trump's decision to nominate the far-right Republican congressman Matt Gaetz as attorney general has sent shockwaves through Washington, including the president-elect's own party.Trump on Wednesday announced Gaetz as his pick to be the nation's chief law enforcement officer in the justice department, a role that directs the government's legal positions on critical issues, including abortion, civil rights, and first amendment cases. Continue reading...

Trump's victory in the US shone a light on the growing political polarisation between between young male and female voters happening all over the worldAs the Democratic party licks its wounds and prepares for Donald Trump's return to the White House, a growing chorus of commentators is urging the party to confront a historic shift in voting patterns, which has seen Latinos, the working class and Black men all shift rightwards in 2024.But perhaps the cohort that offers the gravest warnings for the party's future prospects is young men. In 2024, men aged between 18 and 29 turned out in force for Trump, with the Republican winning the demographic by 14 points, overturning a generational trend that has for decades seen young people favour left-leaning candidates. Continue reading...

Speaker on track to keep gavel after endorsement from Trump before a full House vote in the new yearHouse speaker Mike Johnson won the House Republican nomination on Wednesday to stay on the job, on track to keep the gavel after a morning endorsement from Donald Trump in advance of a full House vote in the new year.While Johnson has no serious challenger, he faces dissent within his ranks, particularly from hard-right conservatives and the Freedom Caucus withholding their votes as leverage to extract promises ahead. Continue reading...

Decision by congressman, selected by Trump to lead DoJ, means end to ethics inquiry over alleged sexual misconductDonald Trump said he will nominate Florida congressman Matt Gaetz to be the US attorney general on Wednesday, tapping a far-right loyalist to one of the most powerful positions in US government.Late on Wednesday evening, Gaetz resigned from Congress, ending the ethics inquiry by the House ethics committee over allegations including sexual misconduct. Continue reading...

In docuseries preview, audio shows cult leader, behind 1960s killings, saying he left some dead people' in MexicoIn newly released audio, Charles Manson, the cult leader behind a string of killings during the late 1960s in California, admitted his involvement in additional killings that occurred prior to his assembly of the notorious Manson Family.An audio recording in a teaser clip from Peacock's latest docuseries Making Manson features Manson saying: There's a whole part of my life that nobody knows about." Continue reading...

Not if the US is drawing it Continue reading...

President-elect's team has China hawks, an alleged Assad defender and a Fox News host - all have been vocally loyalAs Donald Trump rushes to fill out his cabinet and enact his America First agenda in the United States and abroad, a clear throughline for his foreign policy and national security team has been a vocal loyalty to the president-elect - at least in this election cycle.The rapidly expanding roster includes established - and some Maga supporters would say establishment - foreign policy hawks, and a neophyte defense secretary who until this week was still a conservative commentator on Fox News. Continue reading...

Illnesses linked to onions served on Quarter Pounders have been detected in 14 states, and infection killed one personMcDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers are to blame for sickening at least 104 people - and hospitalizing at least 34 - after an outbreak of E coli was tied to onions served on the burgers, federal health officials said on Wednesday.Cases have been detected in 14 states, according to an update from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One person died in Colorado and four people have developed a potentially life-threatening kidney disease complication. Continue reading...

Hard-right congressman led successful charge to oust fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy as House speakerDonald Trump has announced his intention to nominate Matt Gaetz, a hard-right congressman from Florida known for inflaming tensions within the House Republican conference, as attorney general.Gaetz, a longtime Trump loyalist, gained attention last year after leading the successful charge to oust his fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy as House speaker. Gaetz and seven other House Republicans joined Democrats in voting to remove McCarthy last October, kicking off a weeks-long scramble to find a new speaker. Continue reading...

Panner went to get water for friend and got lost, police say, and helicopter crew spotted his campfire on cliff days laterAn amateur gold panner's dream of finding treasure during an expedition in California didn't go as planned after he went missing for two days and was successfully rescued over the weekend.The panner and his companion had started trailing through northern California's Plumas national forest on Thursday to search for gold. The companion became tired, so the missing hiker went to get water. That was the last time the two saw each other that day, according to the Butte county sheriff's office. Continue reading...

South Dakota senator who serves as the minority whip will replace Mitch McConnell in JanuaryJohn Thune, a Republican senator for South Dakota, will become the new Senate majority leader after winning an internal party ballot on Wednesday for the position left vacant by the imminent retirement of Mitch McConnell.His elevation - following the second round of a vote among Republican senators that was held under secret ballot conditions - propels him into a key role in advancing Donald Trump's agenda when the president-elect returns to the White House in January. Continue reading...

Trump has chosen loyalists and hardliners to lead departments that will shape US policy on immigration, defense and more

Ex-Hawaii congresswoman ran for president as Democratic candidate before quitting party to support Trump