Imagine spending some of your remaining hours on Earth with the US vice-president - or, as Queen Elizabeth did - with Liz TrussWhat do Liz Truss and JD Vance have against elderly people? Specifically, those who are kind, decent and compassionate.Take Radon Liz. In September 2022 she made a fleeting visit to Balmoral to be sworn in as prime minister by the queen. The last picture that was taken of Queen Elizabeth was of her standing in front of a fireplace next to Truss. You can't escape the desperation in her eyes. Please, please, she seems to be pleading, get me away from her. Continue reading...
Bill Owens says in staff memo it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it'Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, says he is leaving the flagship news program because he lost his journalistic independence.In a staff memo obtained by the New York Times, Owens said that over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience". Continue reading...
The US vice-president contrasts India's potential with west's self-loathing' in speech in JaipurJD Vance has described the US-India partnership as the cornerstone of global progress, warning that the 21st century could be a very dark time for all of humanity" if the two countries fail to cooperate.In the keynote policy speech of his four-day visit to India, the US vice-president contrasted the country's incredible" potential with a self-loathing" west. Continue reading...
Effective Monday, the agency suspends its proficiency testing program for grade A' raw milk and finished productsThe Food and Drug Administration is suspending a quality-control program for testing fluid milk and other dairy products due to reduced capacity in its food safety and nutrition division, according to an internal email seen by Reuters.The suspension is another disruption to the nation's food-safety programs after the termination and departure of 20,000 employees of the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the FDA, as part of Donald Trump's effort to shrink the federal workforce. Continue reading...
With his outspokenness about Israel's outrages, the late pope showed up the hypocrisy of the media and politiciansThe deaths of major public figures can provoke the most grotesque outpourings of hypocrisy. So it goes for Pope Francis, now lauded by leaders and media outlets that were complicit in the very evils he condemned. Pope Francis was a pope for the poor, the downtrodden and the forgotten," said Keir Starmer, a prime minister who stripped the winter fuel payment from many vulnerable pensioners before launching an assault on disability benefits predicted to drive up to 400,000 Britons into poverty. He promoted ... an end to ... suffering across the globe," wrote Joe Biden, enabler of Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza.Indeed, the fate of Gaza seemed to preoccupy the pope's final years. In his last Easter address, he condemned the death and destruction" and resulting dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation" - a powerful sermon that hardly any western media outlets covered. Indeed, you will struggle to find much prominent coverage of any of his courageous statements on Gaza, such as: This is not war. This is terrorism." In his final published piece, the pope reiterated his support for a Palestinian state, declaring: Peace-making requires courage, much more so than warfare."Owen Jones 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...
Anything is possible with Trump ripping up all the rules - and I'm going to take full advantageMy haters are going to rejoice when I say this, but I think it's high time I changed careers. Being a half Palestinian, wholly homosexual freelance writer based in the US isn't currently looking like the most stable situation. Either my livelihood is going to get obliterated by AI, or I'm getting shipped to a detention centre for thoughtcrimes and gender treachery. It's anyone's guess which comes first.Having mulled over the various directions my future could take (dog-cloning saleswoman, astronaut, head of sanitation for the city of Philadelphia), I have finally decided what I want to be when I grow up. And I'm going to exclusively reveal the result in this column. I'm ... going into politics! Continue reading...
Trump's defense secretary denies he was texting war plans' after reports of second chat to discuss military operationsThe embattled US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has defended his most recent use of the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss sensitive military operations, blaming fired Pentagon officials for orchestrating leaks against the Trump administration.In an interview with former colleagues at Fox News on Tuesday morning, the defense secretary suggested the problems stem from former officials, appointed by this administration, for leaking information to damage him and Donald Trump, adding that there was an internal investigation and that evidence would eventually be handed to the justice department. Continue reading...
Trump's anti-media diatribes are part of the authoritarian playbook. Congress must reject his planned cutsIt was entirely predictable that Donald Trump would go after public media in America. Harming the reality-based press - in every form, whether public or private - is a central part of his playbook for controlling the political narrative as he moves the country toward an authoritarian model of government.For Trump, the message is all, and anything that gets in the way should be portrayed as an evil to society and stamped out.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...
Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wagesThe education department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said Monday.Currently, roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans. Continue reading...
The double Oscar-winner responded to the president's criticism of his New York Times op-ed last summer urging Joe Biden to step down for re-election, saying it was his civic duty'George Clooney has said he is unconcerned about the persistent verbal abuse levelled at him by Donald Trump, after the president labelled him a fake movie actor" on Truth Social.Speaking to Gayle King on CBS Mornings, Clooney said: I don't care. I've known Donald Trump for a long time. My job is not to please the president of the United States. My job is to try and tell the truth when I can and when I have the opportunity. I am well aware of the idea that people will not like that." Continue reading...
University fights back against threats to cut about $9bn in funding for school after it refused to comply with demandsHarvard University has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging it is trying to gain control of academic decision-making at Harvard".The university is fighting back against the administration's threat to review about $9bn in federal funding after Harvard officials refused to comply with a list of demands that included appointing an outside overseer to ensure that the viewpoints being taught at the university were diverse". Harvard is specifically looking to halt a freeze on $2.2bn in grants. Continue reading...
The US administration's reassuring' words, after deporting two German teens, have made it plain that the border authorities will have a problem with anyone who doesn't echo their politics
Demonstrations rarely lead to immediate policy change. But they are essential to building community and long-term resistanceOpinions about the protests this month keep oscillating between two extremes. Optimists point to the larger-than-expected numbers (larger than expected by many police departments for sure); they enthusiastically recall a famous social scientific finding according to which a non-violent mobilization of 3.5% of a population can bring down a regime. Pessimists, by contrast, see protests as largely performative. Both views are simplistic: it is true that protests almost never lead to immediate policy changes - yet they are crucial for building morale and long-term movement power.Earlier this year, observers had rushed to declare resistance cringe" and a form of pointless hyperpolitics", a vibe shift" (most felt by rightwing pundits, coincidentally) supposedly gave Donald Trump a clear mandate, even if he had won the election only narrowly. Meanwhile, Democrats were flailing in the face of a rapid succession of outrageous executive orders - many of which were effectively memos to underlings, rather than laws. But taken at face value, they reinforced an impression of irresistible Trumpist power. Continue reading...
The US health and human services secretary dismissed autistic people in recent comments. It's not hard to disprove his theoriesWhen Tarik El-Abour was in middle school, his teacher asked him and his classmates a simple question. What do you want to be when you grow up? When it was time for him to answer, El-Abour gave a reply that thousands of children have said before. He wanted to be a baseball player. But his teacher shot back with something less than encouraging: You'd better have a Plan B." El-Abour, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, remained undeterred. Rather than listening to his pessimistic instructor, he distanced himself from her.He thought that if he continued to talk to her, she might convince him he was unable to achieve his goal. In the end, he was right, and the teacher was wrong. El-Abour grew up to become a baseball player after receiving a degree in business administration from Bristol University in California. He first played professionally in the Empire League, where he was named rookie of the year in 2016 and was an All-Star in 2017. Then, in 2018, he signed a deal with the Kansas City Royals, a franchise just three years removed from winning the World Series. He played outfield in the minor leagues during the 2018 season, flourishing under the mentorship of JD Nichols of World Wide Baseball Prospects and Reggie Sanders of the Royals, becoming the first recorded autistic player in MLB history. Continue reading...
The draft makes for brilliant television and maintains interest in the league even during the offseason. But it's worth considering other optionsThere is something funky about the draft being one of the NFL's marquee events. At root, it's a man stepping to the podium, being booed and reading names. The NFL still dominates Sundays ... and Mondays ... and Thursdays ... and playoff Saturdays during the season; the draft allows the league to gobble up the offseason months too. But as interest continues to grow, there has been relatively little pushback from those who make the draft work: the prospects, particularly those slated to go at the top of the first round.Think about it. Your reward for being one of the best college athletes in the country is to wind up on one of the worst rosters in the NFL, typically one beset by mismanagement at the top, iffy coaching or a third-rate roster. Quarterbacks can win with teams that draft them No 1 overall - Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman are a couple of examples - but more often than not, the top quarterbacks end up in a spot where they're likely to fail. There is a reason that Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield found success after they were let go by the teams that selected them in the top three. Environment is king - having no say over where they start their career puts the best prospects at the whims of blundering franchises. Is there a system that can maintain the interest and parity the league craves, while handing some agency to players over their careers - or at least not reward floundering franchises? Continue reading...
Harvard president issues damning statement accusing Trump administration of harming health research - key US politics stories from 21 AprilHarvard University has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in a bid to halt a freeze of $2.2m in funding, as a battle between Trump and the Ivy League institution escalates.In a damning legal complaint filed with the Massachusetts district court, Harvard's president, Alan M Garber, accused the Trump administration of trying to gain control of academic decision making at Harvard", adding that no government should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue". Continue reading...
Palestinian activist, held in Louisiana detention facility, only allowed to call in as wife delivered their first childNoor Abdalla, the wife of detained Columbia university graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, has announced the birth of their son.In a statement released on Monday evening, Abdalla wrote: I welcomed our son into the world earlier today without Mahmoud by my side. Despite our request for ICE to allow Mahmoud to attend the birth, they denied his temporary release to meet our son. This was a purposeful decision by ICE to make me, Mahmoud, and our son suffer." Continue reading...
Passport, driver's license and keys also reportedly taken but not clear if theft was random or if Trump ally was targetedA purse belonging to Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem, that contained $3,000 in cash, her passport, driver's license and her apartment keys was stolen while she ate dinner at a restaurant in downtown Washington on Sunday night.The secretary revealed the theft to reporters at the White House Easter egg roll on Monday. Noem said the incident remained unresolved. Continue reading...
President amps up attacks against Jerome Powell, pushing him to lower interest rates to offset impact of tariffsUS stock markets fell again on Monday as Donald Trump continued attacks against the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, who the US president called a major loser" for not lowering interest rates.There can be a slowing of the economy unless Mr. Too Late, a major loser, lowers interest rates, NOW," Trump wrote on social media. Continue reading...
by Joseph Gedeon in Washington and agencies on (#6WRSJ)
At issue is constitutionality of taskforce that decides which services insurers must cover without cost to patientsThe US supreme court on Monday heard arguments in a case that could threaten Americans' access to free preventive healthcare services under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.At issue is the constitutionality of the US preventive services taskforce, which plays a critical role in determining which preventive services health insurers must cover without cost to patients. The 16-member panel of medical experts, appointed by the health secretary without Senate confirmation, has designated dozens of life-saving screenings and treatments as essential preventive care. Continue reading...
Flight headed for Atlanta, Georgia, had left gate when flames began to rise, forcing people to clear jet via slidesA Delta aircraft caught on fire on the tarmac at the Orlando international airport on Monday morning, forcing frightened passengers to evacuate the jet via slides.The Delta flight, which was headed for Atlanta, Georgia, had left its gate at about 11.15am ET when one of the aircraft's engines caught fire, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Continue reading...
The Argentine pontiff was a vital progressive influence on issues such as migration, and fought for a more merciful, less rigid Catholic churchDefying doctors' orders to rest following his battle with double pneumonia, a weak Pope Francis last week visited Rome's Regina Coeli prison, where he blew kisses towards inmates and spent half an hour in discussion with some of those incarcerated. Sadly, this Maundy Thursday encounter turned out to be one of the last acts of a supremely hardworking papacy. Inretrospect, its location was entirely appropriate.Throughout his 12 years in Saint Peter's chair, Francis sought admirably to refocus the Catholic church's energies on the marginalised, while challenging the power of entrenched interests. Coming, as he put it, from the ends of the earth", the first non-European pontiff of modern times was an outsider pope and a radical one. Within the church, the Argentine was a sometimes spikily direct reformer; outside it, he was asignificant, high-profile ally of progressive causes.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...
Shooter Patrick Crusius was sentenced to life in prison without parole for 2019 massacre near US-Mexico borderThe gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas - one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history - pleaded guilty on Monday to capital murder in a state district court.Patrick Crusius was automatically sentenced to life in prison without parole for the massacre near the US-Mexico border. The change of plea comes after local prosecutors took the death penalty off the table. Continue reading...
Coaching has brought me into close and uncomfortable contact with aspects of my own character that had been hitherto concealed - much like parentingKarma may not be instant, but it is invariably ironic. So it is that, after four decades of remaining steadfastly opposed to competitive sport, I now spend early mornings, late afternoons, occasional evenings and every weekend driving my children to an ever-expanding range of sporting activities.The sharpest twist of the irony blade is that, having spent my own childhood as the player no wise coach would want on his team, I am now the coach of four separate floorball teams. (Yes, I know you haven't heard of floorball, look it up.) To coach one team may be regarded as an accident; four looks like a weird addiction. But here I am.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...
A study shows that toxic flame retardants used in mattresses can seep into air and be absorbed by childrenAlarming levels of highly toxic phthalates, flame retardants and UV filters in the air in small children's bedrooms likely stems from kids' mattresses off-gassing the chemicals, new research suggests.The peer-reviewed study measured air in the rooms of children under four years old, and the highest volumes were detected around the kids' beds. An accompanying study checked for the same chemicals in 16 common kids mattress brands, and found them at concerning levels in each. Continue reading...
Price hikes worry restaurants and online markets as uncertainty stymies their ability to plan for the futureChang Chang, a Sichuan restaurant in Washington DC, was already noticing that some of its business had dropped off after tens of thousands of federal workers living in the area lost their jobs. But the recent tariff rate hikes mark an even greater blow for the restaurant.Sichuan peppercorns, which create the signature numbing spice of the regional Chinese cuisine, along with other ingredients, face an at least 145% tariff after last week's tit-for-tat trade battle between China and the United States. The steep rate is an existential threat for restaurants across the country that rely on specialty ingredients imported from China to craft the authentic flavors of their dishes, said operators who were blindsided. Continue reading...
by Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans on (#6WRK7)
Barry Davis says Joseph Fitzgerald Hall molested him in the 90s, yet Hall kept working for the church nearly unimpededA US man serving in various administrative roles for the Jehovah's Witnesses sexually molested a child whom he met while working for the Christian religious sect in New Orleans - then continued his career virtually unimpeded and moved to North Carolina after completing a disciplinary suspension of less than a year, he has admitted in writing and in a sworn deposition.The stunning revelations about Joseph Fitzgerald Hall and how he has been managed by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York that runs the Jehovah's Witnesses are contained in a lawsuit that the abuse survivor has been pursuing against both the group and the administrator. Continue reading...
At least 11 state colleges enroll in program that trains officers for limited' involvement in immigration operationsFears of a new wave of deportations and student visa cancellations are rising at a number of Florida's most diverse universities after administrators signed agreements recasting campus police as federal immigration agents.Miami's Florida International University (FIU) is one of at least 11 state colleges to enroll in the top tier of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) 287(g) program that trains local police departments for limited" involvement in immigration operations. Continue reading...
What Did I Miss? features a smarmy host quizzing sequestered contestants on the headlines. But politics is not funny any moreThe classic television gameshow is one of the simplest pleasures available to the sedentary, socially maladjusted people we used to call couch potatoes". An average Joe is required to perform a task - ranging from answering a trivia question or spinning a large, colorful wheel to keeping a hand on a Toyota Land Cruiser for as long as possible - in exchange for the possibility of winning a cash prize (or a truck). For the viewer, there is the satisfaction of believing, perhaps falsely, that you could win the prize if you were in the contestant's place. Maybe you identify with that contestant and actively root for their success. Or perhaps you just want to see some poor bastard shot out of a cannon, like on TBS's dearly departed series Wipeout. Whatever your pleasure might be, it's not an uncommon or esoteric one.We watch gameshows because they are basic human drama distilled into an easily repeatable format. TV development executives have tried to modernize it with the fancy graphics of something like NBC's The Wall or the gratuitous flesh-baring of the 2000s disasterpiece Are You Hot, in which a panel of celebrity" judges such as Lorenzo Lamas critiqued people on the number of visible abs on their bodies. The simpler a gameshow premise - guessing the cost of basic household items, answering multiple choice questions in a spooky room, or doing menial tasks for a man who combs his hair forward - the better. Perhaps this is why my initial reaction to the press release for the forthcoming mini-series Greg Gutfeld's What Did I Miss?, on the Fox Nation streaming service, was so immediately negative. Continue reading...
Concerns raised address would be inappropriate because of president's comments about UK, Nato and UkraineA number of MPs and peers have called for Donald Trump to be blocked from addressing parliament when he visits the UK.The US president has suggested Buckingham Palace is setting a date for September" for him to come to Britain. Continue reading...
US news | The Guardian