Kwadjo Owusu-Ansah hasn't even promoted his latest line of brightly colored helmets, but the most amazing people are finding them'It was a zipper that propelled Kwadjo Owusu-Ansah's project into motion. There was a flannel shirt I made with bleach," the self-taught fashion designer recalls, and I hand-sewed the zipper on to the back of the shirt. I think I fell in love, because almost everything I make has a zipper now." That device, and Owusu-Ansah's fixation on it, were the seeds of Animated People, his brand of innovative streetwear.Owusu-Ansah - who goes by the name DamnKojo professionally and works full time in marketing at a wine and spirits company - sees his fashion line as less of an up-and-coming label than an ongoing art project. I want you to tell your own story," Owusu-Ansah, 31, says. Make your own meaning with my art. Dissect it. Think about it. Why is a dude wearing a miniskirt today? [I want people] to question the pieces when they see them. That's what starts a conversation." Continue reading...
Biden's program allowed undocumented spouses to remain in the country while seeking permanent residencyA federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked a Joe Biden immigration policy that allows undocumented spouses of US citizens to remain in the country while their applications for permanent residence are considered.The so-called parole in place" program was halted in a Monday night ruling by federal district court judge J Campbell Barker in the eastern district of Texas, a favorite venue of conservatives seeking to derail the president's policy agenda. Barker was appointed to his position by the Donald Trump White House. Continue reading...
Travis King, who was repatriated after crossing border in 2023, will admit four other charges, with nine more droppedA US army private who fled to North Korea just over a year ago will plead guilty to desertion and four other charges and take responsibility for his conduct, his lawyer said on Monday.Travis King's attorney, Franklin D Rosenblatt, told the Associated Press that King intends to admit guilt to a total of five military offenses, including desertion and assaulting an officer. Nine other offenses, including possession of sexual images of a child, will be withdrawn and dismissed under the terms of the deal. Continue reading...
For decades, pollsters have deemed Asian Americans others'. The vice-president's rise is changing thatAmerica, the path that led me here in recent weeks, was no doubt ... unexpected. But I'm no stranger to unlikely journeys. My mother, Shyamala Harris, had one of her own ... traveling from India to California, with an unshakeable dream."With these words, Vice-President Kamala Harris began her acceptance speech on the final night of an epic convention, embracing the unprecedented means by which she had arrived at the Democratic presidential nomination, and elevating her identity as the daughter of an immigrant mother from India. Continue reading...
League of United Latin American Citizens calls on US justice department to look into raids on at least three membersOne of the United States' oldest Latino civil rights organizations is raising alarm after several of its members had their homes raided as part of a voter fraud investigation by the Texas attorney general's office.The League of United Latin American Citizens (Lulac) wants the Department of Justice to investigate raids on at least three of its members in Texas. Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, said in a statement last week his office had executed multiple search warrants in Bexar county, which includes San Antonio, as well as neighboring Frio and Atascosa counties as part of an ongoing, two-year investigation. The office did not provide details of the investigation or respond to a request for comment. Continue reading...
Appeal marks the beginning of a lengthy legal battle that could take years. Plus, Mariah Carey's shares that her mother and sister died on the same day last weekend
US policies strengthen Benjamin Netanyahu - whose political preference in the short term is an open-ended war, not a dealThe Biden administration remains in an intense phase of Middle East diplomatic activity working to avoid a regional war while optimistically spinning the prospects for a Gaza breakthrough deal.Following the latest round of provocative Israeli extrajudicial killings in Tehran and Beirut and the intensified exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah over the weekend, the region appeared to lurch further in the direction of all-out war. Preventing that is a worthy cause in itself.Daniel Levy is the president of the US/Middle East Project and a former Israeli peace negotiator Continue reading...
The men's final is shifting its start time, putting it in a fight for eyeballs with the media behemoth and stripping away a unique moment on the tennis calendarOf all sports, baseball has claimed - somewhat arrogantly - the literary mantle with so many scribes waxing rhapsodically about the inherent beauty of the game, engendering wistful reflections upon a season's end. One thinks of the late MLB commissioner Bart Giamatti's quote about baseball being designed to break your heart" as it commences each year in spring with hope and then ends in October, leaving the fans to face the cold and chill of autumn alone.But at least baseball fans have the advantage of having their sport carry over into the middle of autumn, making the transition away from summer that much more gradual and easier. And anyway, baseball lovers shouldn't be the only inhabitants of our parallel sports universe to be granted an emotional sick day and wallow in their post post-season blues. Continue reading...
The club have won seven of eight games without their star player, clinching a spot in the MLS playoffs and picking up points at a record paceIn a game that had already seen two goals and a red card, it was a goalline clearance in the 76th minute that spoke as the clearest statement of Inter Miami's intent for the remainder of the 2024 MLS season.Hosting fellow Eastern Conference contenders FC Cincinnati at Chase Stadium, Miami raced into an early two-goal lead thanks to a Luis Suarez brace. Twice Tata Martino's side pounced on careless turnovers by the visitors inside the first six minutes, and twice the veteran Uruguayan striker finished ruthlessly inside the penalty area. Continue reading...
It's not just the AfD that poses a major threat in this weekend's regional elections - while traditional moderate parties are failing to inspire votersBritain is emerging, albeit grumpily, from eight years of Conservative mayhem. In France, voters clubbed together yet again to stave off the ever-present threat of Marine Le Pen. In the US, the Democrats have a spring in their step after the anointment of Kamala Harris as their presidential candidate. But this tentative resurgence of sensible politics is, sadly, eluding Germany.On Sunday, two former regions of East Germany are expected to support in droves two parties of the far right. The three centrist parties running the country nationally - the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) - are struggling to get over the 5% threshold that was designed to keep extremists out of legislatures. Meanwhile, the conservative CDU - Angela Merkel's old party - is struggling to counter the populists. Continue reading...
The country's traumatised people are desperate for a new approach to end atrocities and famine in beleaguered countryJeddah, Cairo, Addis Ababa - and now Geneva - are choice settings for a growing business: talking peace for Sudan. But whatever the venue, one deal seems impossible to broker: getting all the key players together at the same time and in the same place. Instead, fighting intensifies as diplomats shuttle between stakeholders unwilling to sit in the same room.The reasons are clear. The belligerents - the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) of GenAbdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti) - are not ready for peace. Well armed and resourced by external sponsors, each thinks they can win. Especially when winning means establishing future hegemony and monopolising the country's riches.Mukesh Kapila is a former UN official and current emeritus professor at the University of Manchester Continue reading...
Former 2020 Democratic candidate backs the Republican nominee and accuses Harris of abuse of power'Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, has endorsed the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, in the US presidential election.Gabbard, who served in the military in Iraq, ran for president in the Democratic primary in 2020. She quit the party two years later and has become a fixture at conservative conferences and in rightwing media. Continue reading...
Lawsuit alleges new rules that could let local state boards delay certification of presidential election are illegalDemocrats sued Georgia state election officials on Monday, alleging new rules that could allow local officials to delay certification of November's presidential results were illegal.The lawsuit was filed in the superior court of Fulton county by local Georgia Democratic politicians, the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic party of Georgia. It says the rules approved by the Republican-controlled Georgia state election board this month were intended to give individual county election officials the ability to delay or cancel the certification of votes. Continue reading...
Judge also bars ex-pharmaceutical executive, Pharma Bro', from streaming any more of Once Upon a Time in ShaolinSo-called Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli has been ordered by a federal judge to turn over all copies of the ultra-rare unreleased 2015 Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin and is barred from streaming any additional content from the record.The Wu-Tang Clan spent six years creating Once Upon a Time in Shaolin before putting a single copy of the 31-track double album up for auction in 2015 on the condition that it not be released publicly. The multi-platinum hip-hop group wanted it viewed as a piece of contemporary art. Continue reading...
Coco Gauff began her title defence with an emphatic win while the Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen was forced to come from behind in the first round*Choinski 1-2 Carballes Baena (denotes server): Choinski is such a strong server and because of the hardcourt they are quite speedy as well. It means that Carballes Baena is opting to stay so far back to recieve. He is well outside of the court lines and often times out of the camera frame as well. Choinski gets the advantage but Carballes Baena slowly moves up the court and hits a smashing forehand to make it a second deuce. We go back and forth for a while but it's at the sixth break point where after a short rally the Brit hits a shot out. That 13-minute felt never ending and had everything: foot faults, a few aces and some slicing shots.Choinski 1-2 Carballes Baena* (denotes server): On Court 16, Carballes Baena is leading by a game against Choinski. This match has been a lot more free-flowing but the unforced errors for both are mounting up. Think this might be a battle of who can hold their nerve better. Continue reading...
NeverWalz.com unexpectedly displays webpage that criticizes Trump and redirects to Harris's campaign siteIf you type in NeverWalz.com in your browser, the page that appears probably doesn't look like what you expected from a webpage donning a slogan against Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota and the current vice-presidential candidate for the Democratic party.Trump is a convicted felon. Let's vote for adults," the webpage reads. Try being joyful instead of an asshole." Continue reading...
Election-denying Matthew DePerno withdraws from race and ex-chair Kristina Karamo escorted out as division boilsA messy Michigan Republican party gathering this weekend to nominate candidates for office illustrated the diminished sway of two high-profile Michigan election deniers and highlighted longstanding divisions within the party.Matthew DePerno, who faces charges for allegedly assisting in a scheme to improperly access voting machines in the wake of the 2020 election, withdrew from the race for Michigan's top court hours before the state party convention. In a statement, DePerno said that instead of running for state supreme court, he would use my knowledge about how elections work to get Republicans elected". Continue reading...
Without a ceasefire deal for Gaza, the dangers of a drift towards a disastrous regional war will growThe wave of Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday morning, and the hundreds of drones and rockets launched soon afterwards by Hezbollah, was the biggest exchange of hostilities across Israel's northern border since the Hamas attacks of 7 October. As Gaza ceasefire negotiations continue to stall, and the appalling Palestinian death toll in that territory surpasses 40,000, the nightmare scenario of a regional war encompassing Lebanon and involving Hezbollah's patron, Iran, remains frighteningly possible.For now at least, despite the weekend's reciprocal show of force, all parties appear keen to avoid such an outcome. In the brutal choreography that governs Israel's relations with Hezbollah, Sunday's attack will have been factored in by Jerusalem following Israel's assassination of one of the organisation's top commanders last month. Hezbollah's leader, HassanNasrallah, emphasised that a decision had been taken not to risk Israeli civilian casualties in the assault, which targeted military locations and the Mossad spy base near Tel Aviv.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...
Thousands of detainees allegedly beaten, sexually assaulted and denied access to food and clean waterAbuse of thousands of migrants at federal immigration detention centers in Louisiana is rampant, inhumane and meets the legal definition of torture, according to a report published on Monday by a coalition of human rights groups.Accusations include the shackling of detainees for lengthy periods in painful positions, filthy drinking water, food contaminated by rat feces and served in meager portions, and a denial of or restricted access to medical and mental health treatment. Continue reading...
Chicago, Des Moines, Topeka and other cities experiencing extreme heat with little to no overnight relief'A heatwave has left US midwest states confronting what may be some of the most sweltering days the region has seen this summer, with 55 million people included in alerts over the conditions.A late-season high-pressure system over cities such as Chicago; Des Moines, Iowa; and Topeka, Kansas, has left them experiencing rare extreme heat" for a long period of time, with little to no overnight relief", according to the National Weather Service. Continue reading...
Death of Caden Tellier, 16, follows at least three other recent high school football fatalities related to extreme heatThe death of an Alabama teenager at a high school football game has brought new scrutiny to the safety of participants in the the US's favorite sport on campuses.Caden Tellier, 16, died in hospital after suffering a severe" brain injury during Friday night's game between John T Morgan academy and visiting Southern academy in Selma. Continue reading...
Taboos hold back some of the conversations we most need to have, especially among older women. But maybe some borscht and bloody marys can help bust through that wallTaboos are funny beasts. No one invites them in, but they hold back some of the conversations that we most need to have. I've recently found that having the guts to push past taboos and utter a few bold words can open a floodgate of much-needed dialogue.That's how I found myself around the backyard fire recently, with a bunch of 50-adjacent" female friends. We were laughing ourselves silly at the waywardness of our ageing ovaries and uteri over offerings of bloody marys and devilled eggs (get it? Our eggs are corrupted ...). This was my inaugural PPP - a Peri/meno Pause Party".Have you turned into a cranky pants, stopped sleeping like a log, and wonder why we women don't talk more about the Big Change? It's time to change that! Come to our Peri/meno Pause Party! It's meant to be a fun and safe space for some sharing of conversations with a bit of humour so we all get a bit more knowledge and feeling of solidarity. It's a bit taboo-busting but sisterhood-strengthening ... and I hope you'll consider joining! Continue reading...
Despite escalations, a full-blown conflict would be bad for both. But all this brinkmanship is diverting attention from PalestineEvery conflict that generates public attention triggers speculation about what might happen next. Some offer doom scenarios; others use scaremongering as a diplomatic tactic in the hope that presenting policymakers in the international community with worst-case scenarios will spur those leaders into action.After the latest escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, there is a tendency to assume that such a war is imminent. Resist that argument: escalation does not automatically mean all-out war is inevitable.Lina Khatib is director of the Soas Middle East Institute and associate fellow at the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House Continue reading...
The Guardian is coming to Saginaw, Michigan, before the presidential election to find out which issues people there most care about - and we want your helpIn the run-up to the US presidential election, the Guardian will be spending at least a month in Saginaw, a pivotal county in the key swing state of Michigan where voters were almost evenly divided between Donald Trump and his Democratic opponents in the last two presidential elections.We will be listening to how local people see a race that has already taken dramatic and unexpected turns. We are interested not only in how you might vote, if at all, but what you think the candidates should be talking about, whether or not they are doing so. Continue reading...
Amid a rise in gun threats, firearm-detecting dogs become popular' safety measure that also has emotional benefitsAs the new school year got under way in Tennessee, students in the Wilson county school district near Nashville welcomed two new school employees, Zander and Zena.But they are not assistants or janitors, they are black labrador dogs on a serious mission - to protect the school community from gun violence and mass shootings in a country awash in firearms carried by the public. Continue reading...
With just 5 million people, Ireland ranks sixth globally for foreign direct investment in US, above Italy and MexicoMore than 80 years since helping develop the nuclear bomb, Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the mountains of eastern Tennessee remains a critical piece of the US government's research-and-development infrastructure.Inside its walls lie the world's fastest supercomputer; fusion, fission and neutron research projects; and thousands of expert scientists and researchers. Continue reading...
by Chris McGreal in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania on (#6Q882)
Given rambling speeches and personal attacks over policy talk, supporters wonder if events do more harm than goodAs Donald Trump emerged to a thunderous roar of approval in the heart of Pennsylvania's Rust belt, he was back in his comfort zone among the people who once put him in power.But by the time he stepped off the stage nearly two hours later, even some of the former US president's supporters were wondering whether his rallies are doing his re-election campaign more harm than good. Continue reading...
The Florida native tapped as America's next great tennis star opens up about his meteoric ascent, sitting out the Olympics and where he plans on going from hereI'd say, if I had a grade myself on playing, I've played B or C tennis so far this year," Ben Shelton says. I don't think that I've played my best tennis this season. I don't think that we've seen my peak this year."Shelton is fresh off of Wimbledon when he tells me this. The same grand slam where, in a span of a week, he played three grueling five-setters and two doubles matches before falling to world No 1 Jannik Sinner in the round of 16. He also began the tournament with a bone bruise on his knee from a bad fall at a practice. I actually wasn't sure if I was going to play," he says. Continue reading...
Friendships based on sport and alcohol don't always allow us to be our true selves. Shared vulnerabilities enrich our livesIn my early 20s, I worked as a naked dancing ghost. I was a late stand-in for a production of Richard Wagner's The Flying Dutchman. A couple of evenings a week I strolled in the dark to Malmo Opera's functionalist home, with its marble-clad columns and huge, warmly lit window surfaces.Backstage in the dressing rooms, it was almost like the atmosphere before a lower-division football game, the guys shooting the breeze, talking rubbish, except that when they returned one by one from the cubicle where the makeup was being applied, they were naked and corpse-pale, their bodies dotted with splashes of black. Lips were chalky-white and eyes were adorned with dark rings that gave faces a startled expression. Continue reading...
The Democrats are hoping to win voters over on vibe alone. But feelings are fickle, and people could be persuaded either wayIf you're not across much of popular culture, the US election may require some interpretation. The Democratic National Convention has been an exercise in creating a theatrical cast drawn from celebrity, music and drama. Take, for instance, Nancy Pelosi, the Mother of Dragons" - a main character in Game of Thrones - as she was introduced at the DNC. A dragon tamer who was also introduced as brat before brat was brat" (a buzzy reference to the musician Charli xcx's album of the same name, which denotes a confident, nonchalantly rebellious woman). Kamala Harris herself was anointed as brat" the moment that Joe Biden stepped down, but already Harris's mother - who had Indian heritage and raised Harris as a single parent - has been declared the uberbrat, more brat than even her daughter.If all that's too obscure, perhaps Taylor Swift is a more familiar touchstone. Commentators have suggested that Swift's boyfriend, the NFL player Travis Kelce, has much in common with vice-presidential candidate and Harris running mate Tim Walz, and more broadly with the wife guys" of the DNC - all of whom are men who, while confident in their masculinity, are not ashamed to talk up their wives and girlfriends and take a back seat. Harris has captured this loose amalgamation of cinematic performance and cultural zeitgeist by delivering liberals what they sorely need: a Beyonce moment". She is experiencing her Renaissance", according to the New York Times columnist Charles M Blow - a reference to the spectacular pyrotechnic tour that elevated Beyonce to pop icon status. The rumour that Beyonce herself was appearing as a surprise guest at the DNC drew much speculation, as if her presence alone would bless the campaign and ordain its political legitimacy.Nesrine Malik is a Guardian columnistDo 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...
Park officials say Chenoa Nickerson, 33, who wasn't wearing a life vest, was swept into Havasu Creek last weekThe body of a woman has been discovered three days after she was swept up in a flash flood that required the rescue of more than 100 people near the Grand Canyon in Arizona, officials have said.The body of Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was discovered by a commercial river boat on the Colorado River about 20 miles (30 km) downstream of where she went missing on Thursday, the US National Park Service said in a statement. Continue reading...
Unusually strong and rare snow system dusted Sierra Nevada mountain range early SaturdayThis summer, Californians have had to endure blistering heatwaves, raging wildfires - and now snow.An unusually strong and rare snow system dusted California's Sierra Nevada mountain range early Saturday, the first time snow has fallen in August in the so-called Golden State in more than 20 years. Continue reading...
Amid close race, Harris to go on tour in Georgia as Trump surrogate insists state's governor will back ex-presidentAs Kamala Harris and Donald Trump brace themselves for what promises to be an ugly and bruising sprint to the finishing line in November, both presidential candidates' campaigns are turning their sights back on the handful of desperately close swing states where the battle is likely to be decided.Georgia is coming into view as a critical battleground for both leaders as they struggle to gain voters' attention in an epochal election. On Wednesday, the vice-president will travel from the White House to southern Georgia to hold her first campaign event in the state with her recently anointed running mate and former high school football coach, Minnesota governor Tim Walz. Continue reading...
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