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We piece together the astonishing story of how 16 men and women tried to reshape the course of US historyAt 11.30am on 14 December 2020, Greg Bluestein, a political reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, hurried into the Georgia state capitol at the start of what he knew would be a momentous day. He was one of a handful of reporters who were to witness the casting of electoral college votes which would officially hand Joe Biden victory in the critical battleground state - and with it the US presidency.As Bluestein rushed up to the state senate chamber where the 16 Democratic electors were assembling ahead of the historic vote, he passed meeting room 216. He noticed a gaggle of people milling around its heavy wooden door, among them some of the 16 Republican electors chosen to represent Donald Trump should he have won the Georgia race. Continue reading...

Tim Gioe, who was groomed as a child, is pressing for parental consent to be obtained before priests are left alone with childrenTim Gioe will never forget how his Roman Catholic priest, Patrick Wattigny, used their time alone when he was a boy. It was during these moments together - during the sacrament of confession - that Wattigny began grooming him for sexual abuse, of which the clergyman was recently convicted.So now the 36-year-old Gioe and his wife, Sarah, who are raising three sons together, are advocating for schools and other parochial institutions to be formally required to obtain fully informed parental consent before priests are left alone with children to hear about - and forgive - their sins as part of what is also known as reconciliation. Continue reading...

Former president's sit-down to discuss combat sports part of strategy to cater to young men with little interest in politicsDuring a stretch of campaign stops taking place under the specter of a potential indictment, Donald Trump managed to make time for a sit-down interview on an unlikely platform: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).Recorded just before Trump's appearance at a UFC event in Las Vegas in July, the interview offered a rare departure from the controversial president's politically charged interviews, instead focusing on his background as a boxing promoter, his all-time favorite combat sports matches, and the hypothetical walkout song he would pick if he were a fighter himself. The hosts described Trump as a genuine fight fan" and their enthusiasm was palpable as he shared insights on promoting the likes of Mike Tyson during the 1980s. Continue reading...

The former president's support base holds firm as each negative in a court of law translates to a positive in the court of public opinionIt was hardly the triumphant return to Washington that he and his campaign imagined. Donald Trump was back in America's capital this week, not as president but an accused criminal. Not guilty," he pleaded in a hushed courtroom to four charges stemming from the effort to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.But even as observers savored a sombre yet reaffirming moment for the rule of law, a follower of the former US president could be seen outside court waving a giant flag. Trump or death," it declared, not far from the halls of Congress where lethal violence erupted on January 6,2021. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak hopes to inspire a new generation of grandmasters, but he should broaden his horizons to other games for kidsWhen I first introduced my six-year-old to backgammon, his reaction was delight, quickly followed by confusion and suspicion. It has dice! Like Mousetrap! But also: loads of plain counters, an extremely non-intuitive board, and a conspicuous lack of mice, penguins or pies. Could this be - I could see the thought briefly rumple his perfect pink brow - an attempt to teach him something? Well, yes, my sweet boy, yes it was. Sorry. I think it's sort of my job.I mention this because Rishi Sunak, whose stance on backgammon I'm unsure of, is engaged in attempt to teach us all something by building the national interest in chess: with plans that reportedly include expanding instruction in schools, installing 100 chess tables in public parks, and financially backing the English Chess Federation. Continue reading...

In a new poem, the writer and author calls for bold action in this era of wildfires, overheated oceans and shrinking biodiversity

Washington championship event will close third season of US competition which gives men and women equal billingIn Premier Rugby Sevens, which stages its championship event in Washington on Sunday, eight teams field men's and women's sides and compete for a combined trophy as well as separate titles. For Abby Gustaitis, the US Olympian who has combined playing with commentating on PR7s, that level playing field is a chief part of the appeal.Equal men's teams and women's teams and equal pay, I think it's just a great model to have," says the University of Maryland grad, for whom the games at Audi Field will be a sort of sporting homecoming. Continue reading...

In the aftermath of a coup, the former colony is rejecting French influence, while powers including Russia and China circleRetreats from crumbling empires are inevitably characterised by hastily arranged evacuations. Panicked civilians make their way to rickety airport terminals, in the hope of an emergency flight out of the chaos. This was the postcolonial scene in Niamey, the capital of Niger, this week, as hundreds of French nationals joined other EU citizens in scurrying away from the west African nation.Sections of the military had staged a coup against Mohamed Bazoum, Niger's democratically elected president, just before 3 August, the country's National Day, when it marked 63 years since gaining nominal independence from France in 1960.Nabila Ramdani is a French journalist of Algerian descent and author of Fixing France, to be published in autumn 2023 Continue reading...

Kai Cenat, 21, a streamer, had announced the event to his several million followers and crowds surged beyond controlPolice in New York City detained an internet personality after his supposed video game console giveaway drew a crowd to Manhattan's Union Square which devolved into chaos Friday.Kai Cenat, who is known as an influencer on Twitch and YouTube platforms, was taken into custody, New York police said. Police were mulling possible criminal charges such as inciting a riot, Jeffrey Maddrey, the NYPD chief of department, said in the evening. Continue reading...

Hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow has contributed $20m to the Never Back Down Super Pac but is now wary of the slow campaignHotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, the biggest individual donor to a group supporting Ron DeSantis's presidential bid, has said he will not donate more money unless the Florida governor attracts new major donors and adopts a more moderate approach.The comments by Bigelow, who gave $20m to the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down Super Pac in March, to Reuters underscore donor concerns about the Florida governor's struggling campaign. Continue reading...

Jeffrey Ferguson, 72, arrested in connection with death of Sheryl Ferguson, 65, discovered at home with at least one gunshot woundA southern California judge has been arrested in connection with the killing of his wife, authorities said Friday.Jeffrey Ferguson was arrested late Thursday after police received reports of a shooting in an Anaheim Hills home and found the judge's wife, Sheryl Ferguson, suffering from at least one gunshot wound, Anaheim police said. Continue reading...

Former speaker says she didn't see any bravado or confidence' in comments likely to enrage Trump, a longtime Pelosi foeDonald Trump looked like a scared puppy" before his arraignment in court in Washington on charges related to his election subversion, Nancy Pelosi said, comments likely to anger an ex-president the former US House speaker has long delighted in baiting.I wasn't in the courtroom of course but when I saw his coming out of his car and this or that, I saw a scared puppy," Pelosi told MSNBC. Continue reading...

Ex-national security adviser calls former boss irrational' and criticizes Republicans who support him on foreign policyEx-national security adviser John Bolton issued harsh remarks against his former boss and the leading 2024 Republican presidential candidate, saying that the US will likely withdraw from Nato if Donald Trump wins the election.In an interview with the Hill on Thursday, Bolton criticized the former president's foreign policy after an op-ed he wrote earlier this week called Trump's behavior erratic, irrational and unconstrained". Continue reading...

Kathleen McElroy, whose history of promoting diversity caused pushback, receives damages and apology from Texas A&MA Black journalism professor who was hired by Texas A&M University before objections in some quarters over her history of promoting diversity foiled the job offer has secured a $1m settlement from the institution.Kathleen McElroy also received an apology from officials at Texas A&M, the largest public school in the US, who in a statement Thursday acknowledged mistakes ... made during the process". Continue reading...

2-1 ruling on policy that revoked voting rights for certain people with felony convictions is surprise victory from conservative courtA federal appeals court on Friday struck down Mississippi's Jim Crow-era policy of permanently revoking voting rights from certain people with felony convictions, ruling that it is unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment.The 2-1 panel ruling is a surprise victory from the conservative fifth circuit court of appeals just over a month after the US supreme court refused to hear a challenge to the discriminatory law. Continue reading...

Fulton county reportedly approves $4m payout after LaShawn Thompson, 35, died three months after arriving at Georgia jailGeorgia's Fulton county has reached a settlement with the family of a man who died in a bedbug-infested cell in the county jail's psychiatric wing, the family's lawyers said Thursday.The lawyers said the settlements in the death of Lashawn Thompson are for undisclosed amounts". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday that Fulton commissioners on Wednesday voted to approve a $4m settlement but said detailed terms of the agreement were not immediately disclosed. Continue reading...

Data security incident' began Thursday at facilities operated by California's Prospect Medical HoldingsA cyberattack has disrupted hospital computer systems across the United States, forcing emergency rooms in several states to close on Thursday and ambulances to be diverted.Many primary care services remained closed on Friday as security experts worked to determine the extent of the problem and resolve it. Continue reading...

Anna Netrebko requests $360,000 damages after being dropped when manager Peter Gelb demanded she repudiate Vladimir PutinSoprano Anna Netrebko, once among the Metropolitan Opera's biggest box office draws, has sued the New York opera company and general manager Peter Gelb, alleging defamation, breach of contract and other violations related to the institution's decision to drop her following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.The suit, filed in US district court in Manhattan on Friday, asks for at least $360,000 in damages for lost performance and rehearsal fees. Netrebko claims the Met caused "severe mental anguish and emotional distress" that included depression, humiliation, embarrassment, stress and anxiety, and emotional pain and suffering." Continue reading...

Spider monkeys, predominantly found in tropical rainforests, are vulnerable to extinction and were given to wildlife authoritiesTexas border patrol agents made a surprising discovery on Thursday after they discovered seven spider monkeys in a backpack.On Thursday, agents from Texas's Fort Brown Station arrested an individual who was suspected of smuggling the monkeys into the US. Continue reading...

This week's indictment may not diminish his supporters' devotion, but it will challenge his fraudulent conception of realityI blame the father. Frederick Trump raised his children, one in particular, to believe that the world was divided into winners and losers and that there was no greater crime than to fall into the latter category. In 2020, Donald Trump was ready to bring down the American republic rather than admit before the shade of his dead father that he had lost a presidential election. Scholars speak of losers' consent" as an essential prerequisite of a democratic system: without it, there can be no peaceful transfer of power. For two and a half centuries, that model held in the US. But in 2020 it ran into a man who would rather destroy his country than wear the scarlet letter L on his forehead.The result is the indictment against Trump that arrived this week, the third - with one more expected - and easily the most serious. Across 45 pages, Trump is charged with plotting to overturn a democratic election - to thwart the will of the voters who had rejected him at the ballot box and thereby remain in power.Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

National Treasury Employees Union president calls Republican's remark on federal jobs repulsive and unworthy' of campaign trailRightwing Florida governor and 2024 presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis was widely condemned after he said that if elected to the White House, he would start slitting throats" in the federal bureaucracy on his first day in power.The president of the National Treasury Employees Union, Tony Reardon, called the hardline Republican's comment repulsive and unworthy of the presidential campaign trail". Continue reading...

Jane Doe 7' identified as Karen Vergata, who disappeared in 1996, after FBI conducted a genetic genealogy reviewAuthorities have identified the remains of another victim in the Gilgo Beach murders investigation as Karen Vergata, who disappeared in 1996.Vergata was 34 years old at the time of her disappearance on approximately 14 February 1996, said Ray Tierney, Suffolk county district attorney. Continue reading...

Meme showing president with red, laserlike eyes that subverts rightwing chant is responsible for over half campaign merch salesJoe Biden's re-election team has apparently discovered a fundraising boon by subverting a foul-mouthed rightwing chant.Axios reported that Dark Brandon" items, including mugs and T-shirts, are responsible for more than half of the Biden campaign's merchandising sales. Continue reading...

The absence of USA captain Becky Sauerbrunn has been felt as the Americans navigate what's been a rocky World Cup so far. But Lindsey Horan has embraced the pressureUnited States midfielder Lindsey Horan's second-half equalizer against the Netherlands last week in the group stage of the 2023 World Cup was a quintessential moment of a captain dragging her team out of the muck of a poor performance to salvage a draw.Those moments are what the world sees, but the everyday duties of a captain take place away from the public eye: meeting with coaches, meeting with teammates, and - critically - serving as the conduit between them. Continue reading...

The 19-year-old who did it has now spent half his life in prison. Executing him won't make me feel any betterIn the summer of 1987, I recall giving a persuasive speech in the public speaking class I was taking at LSU-Shreveport. It was on why we should abolish the death penalty. At that time, this was an abstract argument to me. I never expected that I would ever be confronted with the realities of the death penalty. That was something, I thought, that only happened to others.Then, in December of 2000, that reality paid me and my family a visit.

Federal and state officials say the air, water and soil is safe - but locals in East Palestine are still suffering damaging symptomsIn the days after a fiery February train derailment that likely poisoned the environment in East Palestine, Ohio with a range of highly toxic chemicals, Amanda Kenner and her family experienced the burning eyes, nose, throat and other symptoms widely reported among the population in the small town near the Pennsylvania border.In the months since, as the media and world have largely moved, their lives have not improved much. Kenner's four-year-old son, who had asthma before the wreck, saw his symptoms become uncontrollable, forcing the doctor to change his medication, Kenner said. She and her eight-year-old son developed asthma, and they all have experienced nausea, diarrhea and headaches that they attribute to chemical exposure. Continue reading...

The greatest gymnast of all time returns to competition on Saturday for the first time in 732 days. Reports from a recent national team camp indicate she's got plenty in the tankAll eyes will be on Simone Biles when the seven-time Olympic medalist hailed as the greatest gymnast of all time returns to competition for the first time in more than two years on Saturday at the US Classic in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, in the northwest Chicago suburbs.The anticipation has mounted ever since 26-year-old from greater Houston quietly added her name to the entry list for the traditional tune-up event ahead of the US national championships later this month. The meet will be the first time Biles has competed since the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in August 2021, where she won team silver and an individual bronze on beam while withdrawing from a majority of her event finals while dealing with a bout of the twisties', the dangerous phenomenon where gymnasts are separated from their sense of spatial awareness. Continue reading...

Gosling's charm and Gerwig's mixed messages mean the real winner is Mattel's male CEO, and dude-dominated capitalism in generalIt's a shame about the weather but, in the eyes of many, the summer of 2023 is at least furnishing a triumph of feminism, and it's been cinema's privilege to host it. Supposedly, Greta Gerwig's fantasy comedy Barbie is ushering womankind on to the true path to sisterly empowerment. Really?It sounds plausible, at least at first. She's everything. He's just Ken," reads the film's tagline. Gerwig proclaims Barbie to be most certainly a feminist film", and it has frightened some male pundits out of their wits. Toby Young has accused it of unapologetic misandry", while the Critical Drinker considered it 114 minutes of spiteful, bitter, mean-spirited, borderline unhinged hatred of men". And, briefly summarised, the film does indeed sound like an almost ridiculously over-the-top feminist homily. Continue reading...

Humanitarian workers say buoys near Eagle Pass in Texas are an atrocity but have not stopped people trying to cross into the USThe deaths of two people near a floating barrier installed by Texas officials on the Rio Grande will do nothing to stop people attempting to make the illegal crossing into the US, according to migrants and activists along the border.

When it comes to creative expression, adults could learn from the playfulness, humour and imagination of childrenI'll admit I felt quite vindicated when I read of a new study this week that found that babies like Van Gogh. It seems he's as popular with the under-ones as he is with adults, or, more accurately: the adult preference for his work is mirrored in babies, suggesting certain biases in what we choose to look at are already present in infancy and carry over into adulthood. When choosing art for the baby's room, I looked at work created for that purpose, and almost all of it was saccharine and of poor quality. So I decided on fine art instead. I thought for a long time about which images to choose, wanting something that reflected what I thought he would enjoy, rather than my own specific taste. In the end I opted for The Starry Night, feeling instinctively that he would appreciate its mesmeric swirls as he drifts off to sleep.The other two I chose were the brightest Jackson Pollock that I could find, and a pleasingly exuberant landscape by David Hockney. (It hardly needs explaining that these are posters that I am talking about. Were they actual originals, I would be writing this from my villa in the Luberon.) Before you pull me up on the lack of representation of female artists, I keep meaning to move the Lee Krasner in the hall in there, and I felt Georgia O'Keeffe was too vaginal, though I suppose babies should sometimes be reminded of where they are from (She always rejected that interpretation of her work," I said to my husband, when he remarked upon the print in the bathroom. Be real," he said, It's a vag"). And so the only female artist represented is my mother, Anna, with her beautiful painting of the bay at Naoussa, Paros. It turns out that this was a good choice, too, as the study found that infants gaze longer at stretches of sky. Continue reading...

Police have issued 44 tickets in a crackdown on food sharing after the mayor vowed to retake' the downtown public libraryVolunteers with a group that has been feeding Houston's unhoused population since 1994 are facing a potential $80,000 in fines after a crackdown by local police.Food Not Bombs is currently disputing 44 tickets issued by Houston police department for giving food to homeless individuals outside of the Houston Public Library. If a jury finds them guilty, they can be fined the maximum penalty of $2,000 per fine, with the group noting they could owe over $80,000 in fines at this point. Continue reading...

Former president claims being arrested is a great honor'. Plus, meet the bands with no original members left

Thomas Klingenstein has become one of the largest donors to the party and has increasingly used his resources to pursue a hard-edged version of rightwing politicsNewly released tax and election records show that since 2020 controversial financier Thomas Klingenstein has become one of the largest individual donors to national Republicans, contributing more than $11.6m to candidates and Pac, after decades as the far-right Claremont Institute's biggest donor and board chairman.The spending spree dwarfs the total $666,000 Klingenstein spent between 1992 and 2016, and in the last election cycle put Klingenstein in the top 40 contributors to national Republican candidates and committees. Continue reading...

Republicans and rightwing commentators line up to condemn prosecution - though Pence dissents and DeSantis avoids using Donald Trump's nameIt's the third time Donald Trump has been arraigned this year, even as he is the only former US president in history to face criminal charges. Each time, Trump and his supporters, as well as detractors, have moved to gain from his time in court.Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday in a Washington federal court to three counts of conspiracy and one count of obstruction in a plot to subvert the results of the 2020 election. He similarly denied his guilt in March over hush money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, and then in June for illegally hoarding classified documents at his Florida resort. Continue reading...

Yevgeny Prigozhin seems largely unscathed, while faith in the Russian president's invincibility has taken a batteringIn late June, thousands of Wagner group paramilitary forces launched a mutiny in Russia. It seemed to constitute a significant challenge to Putin - the first from within his own country since the invasion - and yet it was over within 48 hours. What can its aftermath tell us about Putin's position? And does the group still pose a threat?The mutiny began after the country's defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, ordered the mercenary soldiers to sign new contracts directly with his ministry. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the mutiny's leader and Wagner's longtime contractor and fixer, called for the ousting of both Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov. A vociferous critic of how the war in Ukraine was being waged, Prigozhin also said that Vladimir Putin's justifications for invading Ukraine were falsehoods. Continue reading...

Trump has always loved beating his chest, but away from the TV cameras, the former president appeared meek and shrunkenThe shock of blond-grey hair was familiar. So was the blue suit, white shirt and red tie. So was the conspicuously assertive tug of the suit jacket.But the Donald Trump who walked into courtroom 22 on Thursday was a Trump that the public never sees - meek, shrunken, stripped of bravado and any sense of control. And, quite possibly, scared. Continue reading...

Antarctica's sea ice levels are plummeting as extreme weather events happen faster than scientists predictedAntarctica is currently experiencing dramatic changes at unprecedented rates, marked by repeated extreme events. These include circum-Antarctic summer heatwaves and an autumn heatwave last year, with temperatures soaring up to 40C above the average. Moreover, both last summer and this winter, sea ice extent has reached record lows. These changes have happened even faster than scientists predicted.These changes coincide with a broader global pattern of extreme air and sea surface temperatures, wildfires, floods, disease and other events deeply impacting ecosystems and society. Scientists have warned society about global climate change and its impacts since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's first report in the early 1990s. The Antarctic community has done so repeatedly too. These warnings are now being realised. Continue reading...

Ex-president arraigned on four felony counts related to criminal scheme' to remain in office as Trump laments sad day for America'

Preoccupation with sexual orientation - as seen at a recent World Cup press event - is not just dangerous for many players, it evades the larger issue of the sexual harassment they faceWhen I heard a BBC reporter ask the Moroccan captain, Ghizlane Chebbak, if there were any gay players on her squad, I was disappointed but not surprised. The reporter was aware that Morocco criminalises queer sexualities, yet asked the question anyway. A Fifa official stepped in and answered deftly: Sorry, this is a very political question."The question - for which the BBC has since apologised - is illustrative of the prurient and potentially dangerous curiosity that many female athletes face about their sexuality. Continue reading...

Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who were expelled for taking part in a gun control protest on House floor, will reclaim positionsThe Tennessee representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who became Democratic heroes as members of the Tennessee Three," reclaimed their legislative seats Thursday after they were expelled for involvement in a gun control protest on the house floor.The young Black lawmakers were both reinstated by local officials, but only on an interim basis. They advanced Thursday through a special election to fully reclaim their positions. Both faced opponents in districts that heavily favor Democrats. Continue reading...

The White House had argued that the policy was integral to its efforts to maintain order along the US-Mexico borderA Biden administration rule restricting asylum at the southern border can stay in place for now, an appeals court ruled on Thursday in a decision that is a win for the White House.The new rule makes it extremely difficult for people to be granted asylum unless they first seek protection in a country they're traveling through on their way to the US or apply online. It includes room for exceptions and does not apply to children traveling alone. The Biden administration had argued the policy was integral to its efforts to maintain order along the US-Mexico border. Continue reading...

Road closures and a huge police presence meant Trump slipped into court out of public view - but onlookers made their voices heard

Ron DeSantis's government has banned instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, effectively also banning the classFlorida has told school superintendents that the Advanced Placement psychology course offered to high school students violates the state's new law prohibiting instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, effectively banning the class, the non-profit that develops the courses said on Thursday.The move is the latest by the administration of Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor, to limit instruction about LGBTQ+ issues and race in the state. DeSantis is challenging Donald Trump for the Republican nomination for president in 2024 and has made battles over cultural issues a centerpiece of his campaign. Continue reading...

American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms support for transgender children in face of growing push for restrictions across USThe American Academy of Pediatrics has reaffirmed its support for gender-affirming medical care for transgender children, even as the treatments face a growing push for bans and restrictions from Republican lawmakers across the US.The board of directors for the group, which represents 67,000 pediatricians, unanimously voted to reaffirm its 2018 position on the treatments. The board also voted to provide additional documents to support pediatricians, including clinical and technical reports, and to conduct an external review of research regarding the care. Continue reading...