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President touts administration's record in first interview by incumbent with LGBTQ+ outletJoe Biden believes good Republicans ... who don't have a prejudiced bone in their body" are letting far-right elements of their political party intimidate them out of stances that would protect LGBTQ+ rights, he said in the first interview that a sitting US president has given to an LGBTQ+ news outlet.In a conversation that the Washington Blade published on Monday, Biden also said Donald Trump was a different breed of cat" who had been anti-LGBTQ ... across the board". Continue reading...

Neither war fatigue nor the fear of an escalation into nuclear war seem enough to spur on negotiations to end the conflictRussia's war against Ukraine has passed the two-and-a-half-year mark, intensifying international calls for a political settlement. But Kyiv and Moscow's minimal conditions for peace remain irreconcilable. Volodymyr Zelenskiy wants to regain all territories seized by Russia not just since 24 February 2022, but in 2014 as well. Vladimir Putin wants four Ukrainian provinces - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson - plus a Ukraine that is barred from Nato membership and constrained by caps on troop numbers and armaments, which Moscow demanded in the negotiations held with Kyiv in April 2022.Both leaders have stated publicly that they are open to negotiations, but neither has abandoned his longstanding goals or given up on victory. As a result, Russia's army grinds forward in Donetsk (the main theatre of war), albeit at a heavy cost in troops and equipment, and threatens key towns. And last month, Ukrainian troops stunned Moscow by pushing into Kursk province undetected, eventually occupying some 500 square miles, more than the Russian army has in Donetsk all year.Rajan Menon is a political scientist who has travelled across wartime Ukraine on four occasions and is the co-author of Conflict in Ukraine: The Unwinding of the Post-Cold War Order Continue reading...

France is the latest country to capitulate to the demands of a poisonous, populist narrative. We need a progressive fightbackIn recent days, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has capitulated to the far-right anti-immigration agenda of Marine Le Pen. In July, in an electoral pact with the left, he sought a firewall against her. Now he has turned rightwards, giving her an effective veto over prime minister Michel Barnier's new government.By the end of the month, the Austrian Freedom party (FPO), founded by two former members of the SS, Anton Reinthaller and Friedrich Peter, is expected to form an anti-immigration, pro-Russian government. It will cement a new hard-right axis across Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, and more importantly, Italy, where step by step the far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni (who met Keir Starmer on Monday), is accused of taking control of the press and the judiciary.Gordon Brown was UK prime minister from 2007 to 2010Do 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...

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Ryan Wesley Routh charged with gun-related offenses after apparent assassination attempt against former president

Law states that candidates who submit nomination papers cannot be removed from ballot unless they die, says judgeRobert F Kennedy Jr's name will remain on the ballot in the swing state of Wisconsin, a judge ruled on Monday.Dane county circuit judge Stephen Ehlke ruled that Wisconsin law clearly states presidential candidates who have submitted nomination papers can't be removed from the ballot unless they die. Kennedy's campaign submitted nomination papers before the state's 6 August deadline. Continue reading...

While despicable, this second assassination attempt on Trump is partly a symptom of the hate he and JD Vance are peddlingThe second apparent attempt on Donald Trump's life - on Sunday at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida - occurred just over two months after he was wounded during an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. They're not coming after me, they're coming after you," the former president said after the first attempt. I'm just standing in the way."They" should not be coming after anyone. There is no place in a democracy for violence, nor for threats of violence.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy at the University of California Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His newest book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com Continue reading...

Ryan Wesley Routh was waiting at apparent assassination attempt site for nearly 12 hours, unsealed records suggest

Cause of fire was not known as more than 4,500 residents were experiencing power outages in Harris countyEmergency responders are tackling a major pipeline fire in suburban Houston, Texas, as residents in some surrounding communities have been told to evacuate, local authorities said on Monday.The pipeline fire began just before 10am local time on Monday in La Porte, a town about 25 miles from Houston in Harris county, city officials said. Continue reading...

Chief justice reportedly took unusually active role in three recent supreme court decisions centering on TrumpJohn Roberts Jr used his position as the US supreme court's chief justice to urge his colleagues to rule quickly - and in favor - of Donald Trump ahead of the decision that granted him and other presidents immunity for official acts, according to a New York Times investigation published on Sunday.The new report provides details about what was happening behind the scenes in the country's highest court during the three recent supreme court decisions centering on - and generally favoring - the Republican former president. Continue reading...

System expected to reach South Carolina coast Monday afternoon, then move inland across CarolinasTropical storm conditions were expected along a stretch of the US south-east seacoast as a low-pressure system bringing gusty winds, heavy rain and potential flooding has strengthened, forecasters said on Monday.The system was expected to reach the South Carolina coast on Monday afternoon and then move inland across the Carolinas from Monday night through Wednesday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Strong winds were approaching the coast on Monday morning and were expected to spread onshore. Continue reading...

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, had non-partisan loyalties and was arrested at least eight times before arrest in Florida

Joe Biden has said the Secret Service 'needs more help' after an apparent second assassination attempt against Donald Trump, and he called on Congress to provide more resources to the agency. US Secret Service agents opened fire after seeing a man with a firearm near Trump's West Palm Beach golf club in Florida while the Republican presidential candidate was playing golf on Sunday. The potential attempt on Trump's life came nine weeks after the Republican former president was grazed by a bullet at a rally in Pennsylvania

Dozens of ex-patients of David Farley say police and state failures meant he was not indicted despite years of abuseAn Oregon physician who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of women in his care has evaded criminal charges - but patients hope to attain some level of justice by continuing to pursue a lawsuit against him demanding damages.In a CNN article published on Sunday, patients of the former doctor, David Farley, said they hope their litigation holds him to some account after he subjected them to years of unnecessary breast, genital and rectal exams, adding to a spate of cases involving US physicians reported to have violated people in their care during their most vulnerable moments.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Tottenham have picked up 44 points from their last 32 league games and troubling patterns from last season have carried over to the new campaign

The former president's sudden passing would create an unprecedented, certainly unpredictable and possibly anarchic political vacuumIt's worthwhile trying to imagine what might have happened had Donald Trump been shot and killed after playing the fifth hole at his Florida golf course at the weekend. Though many people might love to see the back of an obnoxious man who incited others to violence, this weekend's incident has prompted calls for tighter security around the former president and weighty condemnation from his rival Kamala Harris, who says she is deeply disturbed" by the apparent assassination attempt and tweeted: I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America."Yet, with this, the second mortal threat, speculation is inevitable. And, paradoxically, Trump dead could be even more dangerous than Trump alive. Continue reading...

The FBI is investigating after Secret Service agents spotted gun barrel in bushes at former president's golf clubThe FBI is investigating what it has described as an attempted assassination of Donald Trump after Secret Service agents spotted the muzzle of a rifle poking through the fence close to where the former US president was playing golf at his club in Florida. A suspect has been arrested and an assault rifle was recovered at the course.The incident occurred at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Continue reading...

Historian Peggy Gavan created Cats About Town with Dan Rimada, who runs an Instagram account about bodega catsEmily Warren Roebling was a groundbreaking engineer who took over construction of the Brooklyn Bridge after her husband, who had been leading construction, and son died of decompression sickness. On 24 May 1883, Roebling became the first human to cross the bridge during its opening ceremony. But the first creature to cross the bridge did so about a month earlier, when a cat named Ned claimed the honor.According to a New York Times article dug up by historian Peggy Gavan, a saloon keeper named CW McAuliffe and the city alderman James J Mooney set up the stunt, searching through Brooklyn strays to find a cat that, as they put it, was inclined to see the world". The pair stumbled upon a gray cat they named Ned, who, with the blessing of the bridge's chief engineer, was placed in a basket and let out on the center of the structure, and walked toward Manhattan. Continue reading...

People struck included two bystanders, one officer and man with blade who police had confronted for fare evasionFour people were wounded at a New York City subway station on Sunday when police officers shot a man threatening them with a knife, and inadvertently sprayed bullets that hit passengers, authorities said.The people struck by gunfire in Brooklyn included two innocent bystanders, one of the officers and the man with the blade, who the police initially confronted because he had not paid his fare, officials said. Continue reading...

Politicians and allies call on Secret Service to do what's necessary' as FBI investigate events at Florida golf course

Ryan Wesley Routh spoke to the Guardian in April 2022 when he arrived in Kyiv with a plan to stand with Ukrainians'In April 2022, a little over a month after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a stream of middle-aged European and American volunteers were passing through Poland on their way into Ukraine. There was the retired attorney delivering sweets to Ukrainian orphanages; the Irish former French Foreign Legion soldier carrying luggage for refugees, and the Englishman who had moved from France to help rescue pets. One American in his 60s was transporting dead frozen chicks from Poland to a zoo in western Ukraine. They called themselves the silent army" and the get-off-the-couch crew".Ryan Wesley Routh was like them but less subtle: he was standing in the frenzied station at Przemyl draped in a US flag. He had thin, blondish hair and a zealous gleam in his eyes, and said he had arrived at the station at 7.30am having travelled for four days - from Hawaii, to Los Angeles, to Krakow, to Przemyl. Next stop: Ukraine. Continue reading...

Oran Routh says dad, accused of targeting ex-president for unknown motivations, was passionate about Ukraine cause

The suspect, arrested after pointing a firearm through a fence at Trump's golf club, is alleged to have had delusional ideas' about supporting Ukraine's war effort. Plus, JD Vance admits to creating stories' on the campaign trail

A representative from Ukraine's foreign legion says that Ryan Wesley Routh's offers of a large number of recruits were not realistic'

The choice for America's future is encapsulated in the contrast between our two biggest politically active celebritiesWhat should we make of the fact that the richest person in the world has joined forces with Donald Trump and promises now to serve the United States as some sort of czar of government efficiency"? And what should we make of the world's biggest pop star endorsing Kamala Harris for president?Why should it matter that these mega-celebrities tell us what they want from politics and government? Continue reading...

We can't pretend things are going great in the US. But we also must reject the pessimism that says things must stay like thisI love the United States. My parents came here from Trinidad and Tobago the year before I was born, and they and my four siblings eventually became citizens. My parents struggled for many years to get established here, but it has offered us everything - security, belonging, opportunity.Yet for many Americans, particularly those who have been in this country for generations building the foundations of American prosperity, the American dream is not alive and well.Bhaskar Sunkara is the president of the Nation, founding editor of Jacobin and author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequalities Continue reading...

Former first lady, who faced lock her up' calls from Trump supporters, says tears welled up in her eyes at verdictHillary Clinton admitted on Sunday that her eyes welled with tears when Donald Trump was convicted of criminally falsifying business records to keep an alleged extramarital affair from becoming public ahead of the 2016 presidential election that she lost to him.The case ... was election interference," Clinton said in a lengthy interview on CBS News Sunday Morning. Looks like karma to me," she added, referring to how Trump taunted her throughout the contest with chants of lock her up" only to become a convicted felon while seeking a return to the White House. Continue reading...

The Jaguars temporarily rebranded their home in honor of their quarterback. But it merely highlighted how he has fallen short of expectationsWhen airports, streets or buildings are named to honor an individual it is typically thanks to a long record of accomplishment. Perhaps the Jacksonville Jaguars were trying to manifest greatness by temporarily rebranding their stadium around Trevor Lawerence over the weekend, but it was a move destined to be ridiculed. There were few smiles at TrEverBank Stadium on Sunday (not the Jags' first weird attempt at a rebrand of Lawrence) as a sloppy Jacksonville fell to the Cleveland Browns 18-13. They are now are in trouble at 0-2.We suck right now," Lawrence said (correctly) during his postgame press conference, referencing his offense. I've got to play better. I'm the leader of the offense. It's on me. The wideouts have to play better. The line has to play better. The running backs have to play better. The coaching has to be better." Continue reading...

Men's golf is still divided despite last year's framework agreement and Luke Donald's 2025 team could be weakenedJon Rahm has made his second decision. Only time will tell if this proves more successful than his first. If not, Europe's Ryder Cup scene is about to get messier than anybody could have expected.By his own admission, Rahm anticipated the pace of play towards collaboration in elite men's golf to be considerably sharper than has proven the case. He probably even expected his switch to LIV last December to accelerate talks between Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and traditional tours. Instead, the sport remains in a state of flux. Each entity ploughs its own furrow. Continue reading...

Another apparent Trump assassination attempt happened - as we brace for what has been dubbed a tinderbox election'It has happened again. Another serene and sunny weekend. Another lone suspect wielding a rifle. Another apparent bid to assassinate Donald Trump. And a nation hurtling into uncharted territory 50 days from a presidential election.On Sunday, Secret Service agents opened fire after seeing a man with a rifle near Trump's West Palm Beach golf club in Florida while the Republican candidate was playing. The suspect fled in an SUV and was later apprehended by local law enforcement. Continue reading...

Ex-president safe and well' after Secret Service agents opened fire when they spotted person with firearm

Donald Trump said he was safe after what the FBI said appeared to be an assassination attempt at the former US president's West Palm Beach golf club.Officials said US Secret Service agents opened fire when they spotted a person with a firearm at the Trump international golf course, near the former president's Mar-a-Lago resort home. The suspected gunman was later said to be detained after he fled in a car

Identity has not been confirmed but suspect named in media reports is described as construction worker who opposed invasion of UkraineThe suspect in the latest apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump was in custody on Sunday night after being apprehended unarmed, having apparently abandoned his assault rifle at the golf course before fleeing.The man in custody was Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement officials told the Associated Press. The officials who identified the suspect spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation. Continue reading...

Palm Beach county sheriff Ric Bradshaw said a man was taken into custody after an apparent attempted assassination attempt of Donald Trump at his Florida golf course. Bradshaw said a man was about 400 to 500 yards away from Trump and hidden in shrubbery - while the former president played golf on a nearby hole - and had an AK-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks hanging on a fence and a GoPro camera. The incident came nine weeks after Trump survived another attempt on his life. Trump says he's safe and well

Donald Trump said he was safe after what the FBI said appeared to be an assassination attempt at the former US president's West Palm Beach golf club

Questions will be raised about Trump's exposure to attack, but Secret Service is also being commended for stopping itA US Secret Service spokesperson summed up an extraordinary afternoon at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida, in five chilling words: We live in dangerous times."The spokesperson made his assessment at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, just hours after an individual had been spotted with an AK-47-style semi-automatic rifle just a few hundred yards from where Donald Trump was playing golf. Continue reading...

Former president was unhurt in apparent assassination attempt at golf course in Florida

It was closer than many expected at the start of the day, but the USA held firm as Europe threatened a comeback, Lilia Vu emerging as the hero who regained the cup for the hostsMegan Khang is good for her birdie on 1, and it's enough to win the opening hole for the USA. The first splash of red on the board. But there's also a first splash of blue, as Charley Hull does a classic matchplay number on Nelly Korda at 2. Korda clips her second to four feet, but Hull, using a combination of backstop and backspin, responds by guiding her approach to three feet. Korda, who must have thought the hole was in the bag, misses her putt. Hull tidies up and it's not taken long for Singles Sunday to get going. Not long at all.1UP Hull v Korda (2)

Former presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr decries weaponization of our government' over 1994 incidentRobert F Kennedy Jr has said that he is being investigated by federal authorities for collecting the head from a decapitated whale carcass.During a campaign event on Saturday for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, in Glendale, Arizona, the former independent presidential candidate said, I received a letter from the National Marine Fisheries Institute saying that they were investigating me for collecting a whale specimen 20 years ago." Continue reading...

Republican vice-presidential candidate defends spreading false, racist claims demonizing Haitian immigrantsIn a stunning admission, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, JD Vance, said he was willing to create stories" on the campaign trail while defending his spreading false, racist rumors of pets being abducted and eaten in a town in his home state of Ohio.Vance's remarks came during an appearance on Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, where he said he felt the need to create stories so that the ... media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people". Continue reading...