Police charge 61-year-old man after freeing girl who had been snatched days earlier in Texas from parked car in Long BeachA 13-year-old girl kidnapped in Texas was rescued in southern California when passersby saw her hold up a help me" sign in a parked car, police said.The rescue occurred 9 July in Long Beach, south of Los Angeles, when officers responded to a call and found the visibly emotional and distressed girl", police said in a press release on Thursday. Continue reading...
Doctors report busy burns units with some patients having passed out and collapsed on superheated outdoor surfacesDoctors in the US south-west have reported a rise in first-, second-, and third-degree contact burn cases amid extreme heat conditions.The reports of severe burn incidents, some fatal, came from hospitals in Arizona and Nevada, where temperatures have recently reached triple digits and deaths from heat-related conditions have surged. Continue reading...
The red in tooth and claw classic now requires parental guidance rather than being suitable for anyone. This may seem quaint in the digital age, but it raises important questionsWhen the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) changes its certificate for an old movie, it is generally to ease up a bit and concede, like strict parents letting their teens have a glass of wine at dinner, that all right, times have changed. The Alien movies were once rated 18; now they're 15.
Tourism to UK close to pre-Covid levels as Czech Republic, Ireland and Denmark also leap in popularityWhere once holidaymakers flocked south for the summer in search of scorching getaways, the climate emergency may be signalling a reversal of that trend.It seems some tourists are shunning continental Europe, where temperatures are soaring to as high as 48C in the current heatwave, in favour of Britain's cooler climes. Continue reading...
People online pretend to be jerky video-game characters - and some make tons of money doing it. What on earth?Have you ever thought about selling pictures of your feet online? I'm not ashamed to say it's crossed my mind. It's not that I have exceptionally lovely feet - in fact, they're pretty gnarly - it's just that I like scheming up ways to get rich quick. And, for a while, it seemed like feet were just the ticket. There was a period in 2022 when TikTok was inundated with videos about the photo-selling website FeetFinder; footfluencers were claiming to make thousands of dollars on the site. It was intriguing but also a little suspect ... Could you really make a living from your feet? Were there that many foot fetishists out there willing to pay top dollar for a glimpse of a stranger's toe?Having just emerged from a research rabbit hole I suggest you don't enter, it turns out, yes, there is a surprising number of foot fetishists in the world. But that doesn't mean it's easy to monetize your trotters. It seems a lot of the videos praising FeetFinder on TikTok were actually ads: sponsored content that hadn't been properly labelled as such. There are probably a few people making OK money posting online foot pics, but it's not a speedy route to riches.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
by Associated Press in Montgomery, Alabama on (#6D5QA)
Lawmakers say they are trying to satisfy US supreme court order to draw a new district but experts say proposals don't come closeAlabama Republican lawmakers say they are trying to satisfy a landmark US supreme court order to draw a new district giving a voice to Black voters, but with hours to go before a court-ordered deadline on Friday, experts said proposals fell far short of what the law requires.The Republican-controlled state house and senate were scheduled to meet on Friday and could advance separate plans increasing the share of Black voters in Alabama's second congressional district. Legislative leaders say they intended to meet the deadline, meaning the two chambers must reach one plan. Continue reading...
Investigators say painstaking' search of Rex Heuermann's home, storage facility and car also seeks blood and DNA evidenceInvestigators in Long Island, New York, said they were looking for trace evidence, blood, DNA" and trophies" that could further tie the suspect, Rex Heuermann, to the murders of three women and possibly other victims in the Gilgo Beach area.Normally people keep mementoes of significant times in their life, so that's what we're looking for," the Suffolk county district attorney, Ray Tierney, told Newsday, describing as painstaking" the search of Heuermann's home in Massapequa Park, storage lockers and vehicle. Continue reading...
Extreme weather, fueled by global heating, is affecting energy, water, insurance premiums and food and housing costsMinerva Contreras can't keep up with the bills.Recently, after a series of extreme heatwaves in California forced her family to run the AC, her monthly electricity costs rose to about $500. Her water bill averages around $100, but because the water is contaminated with pesticides from nearby agricultural fields, her family spends an additional $140 each month to purchase jugs of drinking water. Her grocery bills have gone up as well, after a spate of winter storms disrupted harvests across the state. Continue reading...
by Associated Press in Charleston, West Virginia on (#6D5HW)
Judge in West Virginia says it would impinge on rights' of incarcerated atheist to participate in religiously affiliated programA federal judge in West Virginia ruled that the state corrections agency cannot force an incarcerated atheist and secular humanist to participate in religiously affiliated programming in order to be eligible for parole.Joseph Goodwin, a Charleston-based US district court judge, said the Saint Marys correctional center inmate, Andrew Miller, easily meets his threshold burden of showing an impingement on his rights". Continue reading...
If there is any feeling that the USA's World Cup opener against Vietnam could emulate their 13-0 thrashing of Thailand four years ago, it is not coming from within the team's campA burst of laughter rang throughout the press conference room at Eden Park on Friday night as a journalist from Vietnam asked United States head coach Vlatko Andonovski what much of the rest of the world is wondering: Are you going to crush us like you did to Thailand four years ago?"Andonovski and USA captain Lindsey Horan were the only two who didn't laugh, although Horan attempted to hold back a smirk. Andonovski composed himself as the laughter petered out. Continue reading...
Lawsuit by cryptocurrency exchange, which collapsed in November, is attempt to recoup assets sought by creditorsThe bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX is suing its founder Sam Bankman-Fried and three other former executives for $1bn (780m).FTX collapsed in November and Bankman-Fried was arrested the following month in the Bahamas over allegations he stole customer funds and extradited to the US, where he has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud and conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws and bribe Chinese authorities. Continue reading...
US House panel to hold first public hearing on extraterrestrial question following whistleblower claim of intact' alien vehiclesFor decades, US politicians have been reluctant to get involved in the topic of UFOs and aliens.After a series of disclosures in recent months, however, Republicans and Democrats now appear to be lining up to inquire into the question of extraterrestrial life, as the world seems closer than ever to finding out whether we are alone in the universe. Continue reading...
Austin Dennard unable to obtain abortion in home state because of confusion surrounding exceptions under restrictive Texas banEmotional testimonies from women and doctors continued into the second day of court hearings on the confusion surrounding exceptions under Texas's restrictive abortion ban.On Thursday, Austin Dennard, an OB-GYN doctor herself, delivered a tearful testimony as she recounted her experiences of being forced to travel out of state for an abortion due to a nonviable pregnancy. Continue reading...
Florida Atlantic's search for new president halted by state officials after war on woke' Republican Randy Fine omitted from shortlistBarely three months have passed since Florida Atlantic University gained national prominence during an unlikely run to the final four of the March Madness men's college basketball championship.They were heady times for Florida's fifth largest public university, a 30,000-student campus in Boca Raton that prides itself on a claim to be the most diverse seat of higher education in the state. Continue reading...
Gavin Schmidt of Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies warns of likelihood of new high as heatwave bakes large parts of planet. Plus, the beginning of the end for the great Megan RapinoeGood morning.July is likely to be Earth's hottest month in hundreds if not thousands of years, Gavin Schmidt, the director of Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, told reporters yesterday, as a persistent heatwave baked swaths of the US south.What impact will the heat have? Successive heatwaves threaten nature's ability to provide us with food, say researchers, as they warn of an unseen, silent dying" in our oceans amid record temperatures scorching the Earth. Heatwaves are ripping through Europe, the US and China, with the global hottest day ever recorded at the start of July, endangering human life as well as the land and sea it depends on.What is happening in the US? A 71-year-old man collapsed and died in Death Valley on Tuesday as temperatures in the valley - the point of lowest elevation in North America as well as one of the hottest places in the world - reached at least 121F (49.4C). Heat may have been a factor in his death," Death Valley national park officials said in a press release.What else is happening? President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has dismissed Vadym Prystaiko as Ukraine's ambassador to Britain, according to Reuters. It reports the published presidential order gave no reason for the dismissal, but said Prystaiko had also been removed as Ukraine's representative to the International Maritime Organization. Continue reading...
Exclusive: racketeering charges based on influencing witnesses and computer trespass, sources sayThe Fulton county district attorney investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state of Georgia has developed evidence to charge a sprawling racketeering indictment next month, according to two people briefed on the matter.The racketeering statute in Georgia requires prosecutors to show the existence of an enterprise" - and a pattern of racketeering activity that is predicated on at least two qualifying" crimes. Continue reading...
Ryan Grim calls Tucker Carlson replacement a classic bully' and says fight started when he backed colleague Watters had harassedThe US political journalist Ryan Grim broke the news of allegations against Brett Kavanaugh before his 2018 supreme court justice confirmation, and he was among the first to report on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's initial ascent to Congress.Still, to some, he remains known as the guy who got into a fight at the 2016 White House Correspondents' Dinner with Jesse Watters, who debuted Tuesday as host of the coveted 8pm Fox News slot made available by Tucker Carlson's firing. Continue reading...
High temperature may have been a factor' in death of 71-year-old Steve Curry in Golden Canyon area, park officials sayA 71-year-old man collapsed and died in Death Valley on Tuesday as temperatures in the valley - the point of lowest elevation in North America as well as one of the hottest places in the world - reached at least 121F (49.4C).Heat may have been a factor in his death," Death Valley national park officials said in a press release. Continue reading...
Gavin Newsom, the state governor, said his office will provide new school textbooks and send a bill for violating state lawsA school district in southern California will be fined more than $1m after rejecting a curriculum that included Harvey Milk, the pioneering gay rights leader who the the school board's president has called a pedophile".Gavin Newsom, the California governor, announced on Wednesday that his office will send textbooks to the Temecula school district that include Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the state, as well as fine the district $1.5m for failing to adopt an updated social studies curriculum". Continue reading...
Three charges relating to the Capitol attack are reportedly being considered, among other legal challenges for the ex-presidentDonald Trump faced a deadline of midnight on Thursday to say if he would appear before a Washington grand jury convened by the special counsel Jack Smith to consider federal charges over his election subversion and incitement of the attack on Congress on 6 January 2021.Late on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the matter, the Guardian reported that prosecutors had assembled evidence to charge Trump with three crimes. Continue reading...
Women tell court about experience of carrying life-threatening pregnancies because of restrictive law with few exemptionsTexas women who were denied abortions took the stand and delivered harrowing testimonies of their experiences of carrying life-threatening pregnancies as a result of the state's high restrictive abortion laws.The women are part of a lawsuit filed in March by the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is seeking clarification on which situations fall under the medical emergency" exception in Texas's abortion bans. The lawsuit appears to be the first of its kind in which women who were denied abortions are suing a state since the supreme court overturned Roe v Wade last year. Continue reading...
by Abené Clayton in Los Angeles and agencies on (#6D4JZ)
Prize is sixth largest ever in US but identity of player who bought ticket at Las Palmitas Mini Market in Los Angeles as yet unknownA winning ticket has been sold in California for the Powerball jackpot worth an estimated $1.08bn, the sixth largest in American lottery history and the third largest ever for that game in particular.The winning ticket for Wednesday night's drawing was sold in downtown Los Angeles at Las Palmitas Mini Market. Continue reading...
The USA forward has changed soccer forever, on and off the pitch. Now she faces one final challenge as her team look to win a third successive World CupSaturday in New Zealand marks the beginning of the end for Megan Rapinoe. The United States forward announced earlier in July that this World Cup, her fourth, will also be her last. She will retire later this year after playing out the National Women's Soccer League season with her club, OL Reign.As with just about everything Rapinoe has done on and off the field in her glittering career, she is going out her way, on her terms. Continue reading...
by Gloria Oladipo in New York and agency on (#6D4WY)
City agrees payout to settle class-action lawsuit from thousands who say they were victims of police brutality in 2020 protestsNew York City has agreed to pay more than $13m to thousands of people who say they were arrested or beaten by NYPD officers during racial justice protests in 2020.On Wednesday, the city accepted a sum of $13.7m to settle a class-action lawsuit. The settlement, which must be approved by a judge, would be among the most expensive payouts ever awarded in a suit over mass arrests. Continue reading...
The UK has invited Mohammed bin Salman for an official visit. Relying on the kingdom for energy or regional stability is a grave errorFive years ago, Jeremy Hunt, then foreign secretary, echoed the widely voiced horror at the murder of the Saudi dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. He promised that Britain's response would depend upon our confidence that such an appalling episode cannot - and will not - be repeated".The UK has now invited Saudi Arabia's crown prince and de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, whom the CIA believe approved the murder despite his denials, for an official visit. His rehabilitation was already under way when Joe Biden fistbumped him a year ago, and Britain, which has profited richly from Saudi arms sales, is hungrier than ever for trade and investment. Continue reading...
Mother of Gabriel Infante, 24, sues employer for $1m, saying construction workers had no protections from extreme heatThe mother of a 24-year-old worker who died from heatstroke while working for a construction firm in San Antonio, Texas, has filed a lawsuit against his employer.Gabriel Infante was working for B Comm Constructors in San Antonio, Texas, on 23 June 2022, digging in the hot summer sun to move internet fiber optic cable, a job he had recently started with a childhood best friend while they were finishing college. Continue reading...
The new 17th hole at Royal Liverpool is unpredictable, testing and exposed to the elements. Some big scores are likelyMatt Fitzpatrick's caddie, Billy Foster, called it a monstrosity. Two-time Open champion Padraig Harrington claimed it was without doubt one of the most beautiful par-threes you will ever see". Perhaps Jon Rahm was the most accurate this week in describing Little Eye, the new 17th hole at Royal Liverpool, not as the worst or best thing in golf, but simply a turtleshell".An elevated green with perilously deep bunkers on all sides and no obvious bail out, the only way to avoid trouble is to land the ball squarely on the green. It is a lot easier said than done. It is a terrifying shot, like trying to flick a marble on to a car bonnet. Continue reading...
Eliyahu Eli' Weinstein, also known as Mike Konig, among five men accused of defrauding dozens of investors out of $35mA New Jersey man who was twice convicted of defrauding investors out of $230m and whose lengthy prison sentence was commuted by Donald Trump when he was US president is once again facing fraud charges, federal prosecutors in New Jersey announced on Wednesday.Eliyahu Eli" Weinstein, 48, of Lakewood, who is also known as Mike Konig, is among five men accused of defrauding dozens of investors out of $35m, according to an arrest complaint unsealed in federal court in Trenton. The five are charged with wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct justice, and each could face up to 25 years in prison. Continue reading...
The embrace of the country star's anti-city modern lynching song' by Republicans encapsulates their nostalgia and paranoiaJason Aldean is a country music star and a big fan of law and order. He loves the law so much, in fact, that he's willing to take it into his own hands.If you come to his (imaginary) small town and disrespect a cop or engage in any sort of protest, you will regret it. Continue reading...
Guy Walton has christened two previous heatwaves this summer Amoco and BP in attempt to name and shame fossil fuel firmsThe summer's heatwaves have been so blistering they have inspired their own names. In Europe they have been called nightmarish figures from Greek mythology, but one meteorologist in the US has taken a more pointed approach - by naming the country's heatwaves after the oil and gas companies that have worsened the climate crisis.The heatwave that has baked much of the US south-west in recent weeks, helping bring a record-breaking string of days over (43C) 110F to Phoenix, has been named Heatwave Chevron by Guy Walton, a veteran former Weather Channel meteorologist. Continue reading...
Asa Ellerup, 59, has been married to Rex Heuermann for 27 years, but police say she was out of state at time killings occurredThe wife of the suspected Long Island serial killer Rex Heuermann has filed for divorce nearly a week after the Manhattan architect was arrested and charged in the deaths of three women whose remains were found along a secluded beach roadway in 2010.Asa Ellerup, 59, who has been married to Heuermann for 27 years, lodged the petition in Suffolk county supreme court on Wednesday. The court filing indicates the action is uncontested". Continue reading...
Renee DiResta of the Stanford Internet Observatory speaks with the Guardian about artificial intelligence's influence on electionsEvery election presents an opportunity for disinformation to find its way into the public discourse. But as the 2024 US presidential race begins to take shape, the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) technology threatens to give propagandists powerful new tools to ply their trade.Generative AI models that are able to create unique content from simple prompts are already being deployed for political purposes, taking disinformation campaigns into strange new places. Campaigns have circulated fake images and audio targeting other candidates, including an AI-generated campaign ad attacking Joe Biden and deepfake videos mimicking real-life news footage. Continue reading...
Long Island lawyer John Ray says arrest of Rex Heuermann casts a shadow' over police department's inadequate' workJohn Ray, the Long Island attorney who has waged a decade-long campaign to solve the riddle of possibly 10 murder victims found near Gilgo Beach, has said the arrest of the accused serial killer Rex Heuermann has elated" the families of two victims he represents.Ray's involvement in the case centers on Shannan Gilbert, a sex worker and aspiring actor who disappeared aged 23 in May 2010 from a house several miles from Gilgo Beach. Her disappearance triggered a police investigation that later uncovered the remains of four women in their 20s who had been wrapped in burlap sacks and came to be known as the Gilgo Four". Continue reading...
Residents of Camp Hope in Las Cruces are more equipped to deal with the staggering heat than people living on streets, but residents and staff stress that it's no substitute for housingIt's unusually quiet at the entrance to Camp Hope when the temperature hits 102F (38.8C) on a sizzling Monday afternoon this week.Fewer than a dozen of the usual 50 residents at this sanctioned homeless encampment in Las Cruces, New Mexico, are milling about. Those that are around are hosing themselves off with water until their clothes are soaked through, resting in front of fans plugged into long extension cords, or sheltering in the shade that wooden structures offer. Continue reading...
Federal prosecutors say they have enough evidence to charge former president with three crimes over his efforts to overturn 2020 presidential electionDon't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Another indictment for Donald Trump appears to be imminent after federal prosecutors sent a target letter to the former president, detailing three potential charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.The target letter was sent by prosecutors from the office of special counsel Jack Smith, who also charged Trump with retaining classified documents last month.Trump called the letter HORRIFYING NEWS" in a post on his Truth Social platform. Then on Wednesday night, he hosted a screening of a movie promoted by QAnon followers.The potential charges come weeks before the Fulton county district attorney is expected to charge Trump and his allies over their efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state of Georgia. Continue reading...
On issue after issue, Republicans have fought to undermine Barbie's motto: We girls can do anything'Be vigilant, everyone. According to conservative lawmakers, Hollywood is attempting to manipulate the American public into consuming Chinese propaganda via subliminal messages about international maritime disputes. The culprit? A movie about dolls.An image from Greta Gerwig's Barbie (disclosure: I already have a ticket) has sent rightwing pundits and politicians into an uproar. Senators like Marsha Blackburn and Ted Cruz claim a cartoon map depicts the nine-dash line" which China uses to assert control over the South China Sea. They argue that the movie's supposed inclusion of the line legitimizes China's position, which gives it more power over strategically important waters.Katrina vanden Heuvel is editorial director and publisher of the NationDo 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...
Research marks first time largely unregulated subclass of flame retardants called bromophenols found in human breast milkNew peer-reviewed research has identified 25 kinds of toxic flame retardant in human breast milk in the US, and all samples contained at least some level of the dangerous chemicals.The compounds are part of the brominated flame retardant class, which are commonly used in plastic, televisions, appliances and electronics. The research also marks the first time a largely unregulated subclass of the flame retardants, called bromophenols, have been found in breast milk. Continue reading...
The use of the term unhoused has grown exponentially in the last few years, and those who have adopted it say it emphasizes a lack of affordable housingBeverly Graham was sitting in an executive leadership class in Seattle in 2006 when she first recalls using the word unhoused".The director of OSL, a non-profit that provides meals to food-insecure Seattle residents, Graham hadn't planned on speaking up. But her classmates - two dozen regional business leaders - were discussing the number of homeless people in the area, and their perspective felt very different from the one she had gained after years of helping vulnerable Seattleites. She had to pipe up.... for know, Iago,
Stumbling across my old paddleboard prompted a flood of memories, mostly of heaving the lumpen thing about. No wonder I abandoned it in my gardenHacking away recently at some weeds in the garden, I chanced upon something discarded in the undergrowth: my old paddleboard.It took me a while to get to paddleboarding. As a kid, I spent hours on those polystyrene boards, rubbing my nipples red raw. (They have been upsettingly sensitive ever since, but let's not go there.) I tried proper surfing, but was only any good flat on my belly; I couldn't stand up and quickly became discouraged. I tried windsurfing, but found I was either getting fed up with all the falling off, or going so fast that I was frightened to death. Also, I was too scared to go out on my own as I didn't trust myself to rig the bloody thing properly. Continue reading...
State rebuked in 79-page ruling for systemic institutionalization' of medically fragile childrenA pediatric doctor who saw first-hand the misery caused by Florida's antiquated" practice of locking medically fragile children in nursing facilities, and preventing parents and caregivers from looking after them at home, has welcomed a court order ending the policy.District court judge Donald Middlebrooks rebuked the state in a scathing 79-page ruling for its systemic institutionalization" of the children, and flagrant breaches of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which compels care to take place in the least restrictive environment available. Continue reading...
Yes, alcohol consumption is declining. But Britain's drinking culture still traps so many - and they can't find a way outRecently, a friend in Scotland has been griping that licensing laws are standing in the way of his summer nights out. But not in the way you might think: his grievance centres on the impossibility of buying a non-alcoholic beer from a shop after 10pm.A formerly enthusiastic drinker, he has recently discovered the delights of 0% lagers: all the fun of the fair without any of the hangover. And now he finds himself unable to buy what is essentially a soft drink, simply because you can't buy alcohol after 10pm in Scotland, and his 0% beer is categorised alongside its alcoholic equivalent. I'm going to start a social media campaign about this," he complained, only partly joking.Moya Lothian-McLean is a contributing editor at Novara Media Continue reading...
by Jeff Kassouf, Sonja Cori Missio, Beau Dure and Meg on (#6D4DJ)
The defending champions are looking to win a third successive title. But injuries and some tough opponents stand in their wayRose Lavelle. The team's creative No 10 hasn't played a competitive match in three months due to a lingering injury but was selected with the expectation that she's healthy enough to deal with stingy defensive teams. If she can perform near her usual level, she will unlock the rest of an already potent attack. JK Continue reading...
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