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Trump is floundering because the attention and positive energy generated by Harris and Walz have threatened his egoAs the Harris-Walz team soars (polls are already showing Kamala Harris taking the lead) Trump is cracking up.His ego can't take it. He is incapable of running against a Black woman who's trouncing him.If Kamala has 1,000 people at a Rally, the Press goes crazy,' and talks about how big' it was - And she pays for her Crowd. When I have a Rally, and 100,000 people show up, the Fake News doesn't talk about it, THEY REFUSE TO MENTION CROWD SIZE. The Fake News is the Enemy of the People!"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...

Documents show organization's staffing initiative is going strong as it seeks to replace government employees

Worrying pre-season results and ill-conceived recruitment leave manager Enzo Maresca with a series of headaches before the new campaign

In Paris, I've seen a city drop its aloof cool for giddy cheering. Now that could transform the story France tells about itselfI'm hardly the only one to remark on the qualitative ways in which France has felt different over the past two weeks. Perhaps the Spanish newspaper El Pais said it best when it remarked that the country seems to have taken a vacation from itself", by which it meant that grumbling had been sidelined by unabashed joy.The police could barely refrain from dancing, France TV's commentators couldn't hide their emotion, the live traffic information signs on the peripherique were all in for Leon Marchand, Snoop Dogg seemed to be everywhere all at once, Parisians who stayed in the city dropped their aloof cool for giddy cheering; Parisians who fled in advance found themselves wishing they had stayed. I heard the Marseillaise and throwback pop choruses alike spontaneously break out. Hospitality houses" set up by more than a dozen nations in Parc de la Villette hosted cheering fans from far more countries than just their own, mainly for free.Alexander Hurst is a Guardian Europe columnist Continue reading...

After a thrilling spectacle in France, our writers give their verdicts on the Americans' performance, and look forward to LA 2028Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone deserve every bit of attention they get. They're GOATs, as are Vincent Hancock and Ryan Crouser. But the top performer overall was Torri Huske, who claimed gold in the 100m butterfly and anchored two relays that set world records. Honorable mentions to Huske's fellow triple gold medalist Gabby Thomas and two-time champion Kristen Faulkner, who took a stunning gold in the cycling road race along with her more-expected triumph on the track. BD Continue reading...

Rightwing activist urges conference of Protestant leaders to enlist congregants into deployments' to swing states

A major attack would strengthen the Israeli leader and scupper peace talks over Gaza. A ceasefire should be Tehran's priorityOn 31 July, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated in what is believed to have been an Israeli operation. Haniyeh died in a facility in north Tehran, not long after he attended the inauguration of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. How exactly Haniyeh was killed remains unclear. Israeli sources claim it was done using a bomb that had been smuggled into a bedroom in the facility ahead of Haniyeh's visit. The bomb was then remotely detonated. Iranian sources insist that he was killed by a rocket fired into the building from a nearby hillside. Whatever the method, the assassination was yet another humiliating intelligence failure for Iran.For the second time this year, the region is on the brink of a major war as Iran considers its response to a major Israeli provocation. In the view of Iranian analysts, such provocations are traps" set by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who wants to drag Iran into a wider war - especially as pressure mounts for a ceasefire in Gaza. Netanyahu, who is increasingly unpopular, is unlikely to remain prime minister in the aftermath of a ceasefire. For years, he has exaggerated the threat posed by Iran, and particularly its nuclear programme, to fuel his political ascendence. Now he is seeking war with Iran to avert his personal downfall.Esfandyar Batmanghelidj is the founder of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation, a thinktank focused on economic policymaking in the Middle East and Central AsiaDo 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...

The former president has persisted with his signature dance move at campaign rallies - what does it all mean?Amid the lies, the vindictiveness, the dystopian portrayal of an America in decline, one aspect of Donald Trump's political rallies tends to get overlooked: the dancing.At many campaign stops, the former president engages in what has become a signature dance: to the tune of Village People's YMCA, Trump pumps his arms alternately, while staring blankly into the crowd. Continue reading...

Routine audit found school food service director took more than 11,000 cases of wings intended for remote learnersA school district official in Chicago was given nine-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to stealing a staggering $1.5m worth of chicken wings.Vera Liddell, the food service director for Harvey School District 152 near Chicago, stole the huge amount of fast food during the pandemic and its aftermath, when the wings were meant for children doing remote learning but who were still picking up school meals, local TV station WGN reported. Continue reading...

Swifties4Kamala has 180,000 followers as fans of world's most famous childless cat lady' emerge as political forceWhen Emerald Medrano learned Joe Biden was dropping out of the 2024 presidential election and endorsing Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, Medrano knew he had to speak now - as his favorite artist, Taylor Swift, would say.I feel like us US Swifties should mass organize and help campaign for Kamala Harris and spread how horrendous Project 2025 would be to help get people's butts down to the polls in November," the 22-year-old posted to his 70,000 followers. He added a sobbing emoji. Like if we don't want democracy to end we really need to move and push blue votes." Continue reading...

A progressive father on how Maga drove a wedge between him and his son - and how he's trying to salvage their relationship

Advocates are enthused by Harris's running mate, who as Minnesota governor called healthcare a basic human right'When Kamala Harris picked the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, as veep for the Democratic presidential ticket, advocates for healthcare reform felt a jolt of electricity.Here, they saw a man who proclaimed healthcare a basic human right", reformed medical debt collections, and who laid the groundwork for expanded government insurance and denied corporate health insurers contracts with Medicaid, a state-run health insurance program for the poor. Walz even once joined Harris at an abortion clinic in support of abortion rights. Continue reading...

Whether the issue is shattered relationships or the ugly deaths of those who are fighting, these works give voice to often unspoken horrorsWar is made of blood and terror, but it is also made of emotion, not all of it logical, easy, pretty or comfortable to express. In Ukraine, there is a maelstrom of guilt", the film-maker Iryna Tsilyk told a book festival audience in Lviv recently. Each of us finds something to be guilty about ... Those who left the country feel guilty for those who have stayed. Those who have stayed but live in the rear feel guilty for the military. The military have their own guilt - they feel guilty for their brothers and sisters who have had different levels of experience."There is survivor's guilt when your fellow soldier was killed and you escaped unscathed. There is guilt for not doing enough" to help the war effort. There is the guilt felt when your friend's boyfriend is serving, but your own partner is exempt from mobilisation. Russia's war has snatched territories from the Ukrainians, but has also insinuated itself into people's relationships, where it squats, monstrously, between friends and lovers and family members.Charlotte Higgins is the Guardian's chief culture writer Continue reading...

Tens of thousands descend for the D23 conference - will familiar faces and bigger parks maintain their loyalty?It was Friday night, and the southern California stadium was packed with cheering fans. They wore light-up bracelets and homemade costumes, and screamed every time a new A-list celebrity made a surprise appearance.This wasn't a pop concert or a sports game. It was a marketing event for Walt Disney, a company with a legion of fans so devoted that about 15,000 were willing to buy a ticket and come to Anaheim, California, to see its newest film and TV advertisements first. Continue reading...

Trump's refusal to accept the 2020 election results serves as a preview to expected challenges in NovemberThere wasn't anything particularly controversial about Georgia's presidential primary in March this year. Donald Trump won the Republican contest - picking up a little more than 400,000 more votes than Nikki Haley, who had long dropped out of the race.Nonetheless, two Republicans on the five-person Fulton county election board refused to certify the election. Continue reading...

The Thames is often treated badly: pumped with effluent by water companies and viewed as just a geographical gap or dividing line. It is worth remembering its magicPull on your effluent suits and ring the sewage bell because, friends, Thames Water is being fined. Or at least it might be. The industry regulator, Ofwat, finally said out loud what we have all known for some time: that the privatised water company has been pumping raw sewage into our waterways for years. As a consequence, the company is facing a fine of 104m; just to put that number into context, according to the BBC, Thames Water reported an increase in annual profits to 157.3m last year, but is also facing a debt of 15.2bn. It makes huge profits and has no money; it's almost as if turning one of life's most essential building blocks into a commodity to be distributed for private gain wasn't a great idea in the first place.The thing about the Thames is that many of us - particularly residents of London and the towns and cities further upstream - don't really think of it as a river at all. We treat it as a geographical gap; a dividing line between north and south, or between local wards, or between different demographics. It might be scattered with boats, sure, but it's also scattered with plastic bottles, old shopping trolleys, timber pallets and crisp packets, just like any rundown city car park or alleyway. But the Thames is a river. In many ways, it is one of the most beautiful rivers in Britain; aesthetically and for all the history and culture it holds. Continue reading...

The American gymnast, and her Romanian counterpart, have been on a rollercoaster. They should be allowed to keep the medals they earnedIn 1972, the US Olympic men's basketball team took a one-point lead over the Soviet Union in the gold-medal game in Munich with three seconds left. Through a chaotic sequence of events, those three seconds were played three times. The third time was the charm, for the Soviets at least, and they took a one-point win.The US men have, for 52 years, refused to take their silver medals. They sit unclaimed in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the International Olympic Committee has refused to reconsider the outcome of the game. Continue reading...

Family call for $3m in licensing fees stemming from Trump's frequent use of the Hayes-penned Sam & Dave track Hold On, I'm Comin'The family of late soul and funk singer Isaac Hayes has ordered Donald Trump to stop using the Hayes-penned song Hold On, I'm Comin' at campaign rallies.A letter sent to Trump and his campaign team, shared by Hayes's son Isaac Hayes III, threatens Trump with legal action if he continues to use the 1966 Sam & Dave song, written by Hayes and David Porter. It alleges copyright infringement, and also demands $3m in licensing fees incurred from the use of the song between 2022 and 2024. Continue reading...

As a new author, it was a thrill to read what people were saying about me. Then I found out that I wasn't alone. The habit just had to goLooking at my computer screen, I blinked in disbelief. I had just typed my name into Google and was flabbergasted to see page after page of results about me. It was April 2009 and I was a new author in Nigeria. My first book was just about to be released and I had been completely unaware of just how much pre-publication buzz the international publishing scene generates. A year earlier, Googling my name had presented just four results - mostly related to my old school's alumni website. Now there were 600 and I devoured every one of them; reviews, blogs and comments. But my fascination quickly spiralled into something much darker as I become addicted to searching my name on Google every hour of every day.The signs of my addiction were subtler than those of an alcoholic or drug addict, yet they disrupted my life just the same. Mobile internet and smartphones were uncommon luxuries in Nigeria at the time, with only 9% of the 156 million population having internet access. My habit of searching for my name online was confined to when I was working in the office, or at home tethered to an unreliable external modem. If I was out with friends, I would ask to borrow their laptop or phone. I would excuse myself from gatherings, shutting myself away in the corner of a friend's room to be close to the internet modem.Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani is a Nigerian novelist and journalist. She is the author of I Do Not Come to You by Chance and Buried Beneath the Baobab TreeDo 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...

There is little doubt anti-racist activists led the pushback, but it is also important to know why so many others took a standIn some ways, the counterprotests across the UK against the far right have been a straightforward, much-needed good news story. A great array of people, right across the country, mobilising almost spontaneously to protect refugees, Muslims and other minorities from the worst wave of racist attacks for decades. The counterprotests are a sign that this country has become less tolerant of racism and more politically engaged, in a fundamental rather than party-political sense.At the counterprotest I went to in north-east London, people of different ages, races, sexualities and religions filled the road and pavements. The crowd was tense at first, but then grew chattier, almost festive, as it became clear that the racists weren't going to turn up. Continue reading...

Take note, Deutsche Bank, if there is anything that is not Brat, it's the bank-industrial complex

Vice-president returns to San Francisco for event attended by ex-House speaker Pelosi and governor Gavin NewsomKamala Harris returned home to the San Francisco Bay area for a Sunday fundraiser that drew top California Democrats and captured more than $12m for the conclusion of a swing state tour by the vice-president and her running mate, Tim Walz.Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and California governor Gavin Newsom attended the event in San Francisco at the Fairmont Hotel, where nearly 700 people had purchased tickets that cost at least $3,300 and as much as $500,000. Continue reading...

The Olympic flag has now passed to the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, via Tom CruiseParis is hugged by a pink sky and looks resplendent on the TV footage. Have the Beeb put some sort of filter on that? Seems almost too perfect. It's beautiful enough to bring a tear to the eye and send you grasping for the Gauloises. C'est magnifique.Over the next few hours we'll see the Olympic flag ceremonially transferred from Paris to LA and more than likely an entire country's GDP of fireworks spaffed into the inky Parisian sky at the close.Celebratory moments from previous Olympic Games have seen a reunion of the Spice Girls, the British pop group arriving into the arena standing atop the famous London black cab taxis singing Spice up your Life' at London 2012.At Sydney 2000, Australian popstar Kylie Minogue brought the curtain down on the first Games of the new millennium with a rendition of ABBA's Dancing Queen' clad in a bright pink showgirl costume, complete with feathers."More than 100 performers, acrobats, dancers, and circus artists will join world-renowned singers in various musical performances. Part of the show will take place in the air, accompanied by spectacular lighting effects and the flair of the French in the costumes, with the overall effect taking spectators - both those at home and in person - on a journey into the past, to the origins of the Games, but also into the future, and ultimately to a timeless universe".On 11 August 2024, the Olympic Games will be over, and the Olympic flame will be extinguished, that moment will remind us just how precious these Olympic Games are - a unique monument to a shared experience - and therefore fragile." Continue reading...

Some of the biggest American stars at Paris 2024 may be tempted to extend their careers when they would otherwise be riding off into the sunsetThe run-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics officially began on Sunday night with a closing ceremony at the Stade de France featuring a death-defying stunt" by Tom Cruise - who repelled off the stadium to collect the Olympic flag before riding off to LA through the streets of Paris - with performances by California emissaries Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.But for more than a few American athletes, the countdown to LA 2028 began at some point over the past two weeks after their business here in Paris was finished and they began openly weighing their own missions impossible: extending their careers for a chance to compete in an Olympics on home soil when they might otherwise be riding off into the sunset. Continue reading...

City officials release trove of records including 911 calls, text messages, body camera footage and surveillance videosNewly released records by the city of Uvalde are offering another devastating glimpse into the deadly mass school shooting that unfolded on 24 May 2022.On Saturday, following a years-long lawsuit brought forth by the Associated Press and other news organizations over Uvalde officials' refusal to publicly disclose records related to the Robb elementary school shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead, city officials released a trove of records including 911 calls, text messages, body camera footage and surveillance videos. Continue reading...

Senior Democrat points to press conference where Trump told 162 distortions or lies, according to fact-checkersThe Republican presidential ticket of Donald Trump and JD Vance might be slipping in the polls, but remains unmatched in the Olympics of lying", according to transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg.The senior Democrat was responding Sunday, the final day of the Paris Olympics, to remarks by the Ohio senator criticizing Tim Walz for misstating his military service in an interview six years ago. Continue reading...

Fear has driven campaigning in the US and elsewhere in recent years. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz hope a brighter mood can encourage voting tooThank you for bringing back the joy," Tim Walz told Kamala Harris in his first speech after agreeing to become her running mate. He has continued to invoke the emotion, describing himself and Ms Harris as joyful warriors" against opponents who try and steal the joy". Donald Trump has attacked Ms Harris's ready laughter, but the Democrats are embracing an upbeat coconut-and-brat-meme atmosphere while Republicans invoke American carnage.Rarely have two presidential campaigns had such contrasting moods. Asked by a reporter what made him happy, Mr Trump's running mate, JD Vance, retorted that I smile at a lot of things including bogus questions from the media", and that he was angry about what Kamala Harris has done to this country". Mr Trump - along with other rightwing populists globally - has channelled fear and rage to extraordinary effect. Continue reading...

Several potential candidates say they had talks with Green party nominee about VP position for her long shot 2024 bidGreen party presidential nominee Jill Stein is seeking Palestinian Americans as potential running mates for her long shot White House bid, according to reports.Speaking to NBC on Friday, several potential candidates said that they had multiple conversations with Stein about the vice-president position. Continue reading...

Amid a faltering campaign, Republican VP hopeful claims pair are uncomfortable in their own skin'Republican vice-presidential hopeful JD Vance lashed out at Kamala Harris and Tim Walz during a whirlwind tour of political shows on Sunday as he attempted to seize back momentum to his own faltering campaign.The Ohio senator claimed the pairing on the Democratic presidential ticket were uncomfortable in their own skin" over their policy positions ahead of November's election. Continue reading...

The Trump campaign has been praised as tighter - but when Harris became the opponent, it lost control of its candidateHis name was spelled out in bright lights reminiscent of a Broadway show. Donald Trump thanked God for sparing him from an assassin's bullet. To thousands of devoted fans, the carefully stage-managed Republican national convention felt like the coronation of a man poised for victory over an ageing, ailing incumbent.But Trump's long and grievance-filled address that night hinted at trouble to come. For months his US presidential election campaign had been praised as tighter, smoother and more professional this time around. Then, when Democrats upended the race by replacing Joe Biden with Kamala Harris as their nominee, the wheels came off. Continue reading...

In interview, president says if Trump wins a second term it would be a genuine danger to American security'Joe Biden has said it was his obligation to the country" to drop out of the 2024 presidential election and prevent what he said would be a genuine danger to American security" if Donald Trump won a second term of office.The US president gave his reasoning for stepping aside in at-times an emotional interview with CBS News on Sunday, his first since quitting the race in July. He explained that losing the confidence of senior House and Senate Democrats, who feared his unpopularity would hurt them at the polls in November, had weighed on his mind. Continue reading...

Red Rock Island, a 5.8-acre hunk of stone with a colorful history, is an outlier in the luxury market. We joined the realtor tasked with finding a buyerChris Lim gazed across the water, perched at the hull of a small speedboat hurtling over choppy waves towards the only private island in the San Francisco bay.The stony cliffs of Red Rock Island loomed in the distance, encircled by seagulls, the noise of traffic on the nearby Richmond-San Rafael Bridge droning overhead. Continue reading...

This summer's events - Biden bowing out, Harris running and Walz as VP pick - show Pelosi's considerable influenceWhen you've lost Nancy Pelosi, you might as well clear out your desk.Amid all the chaos and whiplash in US politics over the past few weeks, one law remained constant: Pelosi is uniquely influential and has the power to make or break careers - even those of American presidents. Continue reading...

As the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad draws to a close, we take a look at of the best images from day 16 in Paris Continue reading...

Microsoft appears to confirm that alleged hackers with ties to Iran sent email from account of a former senior adviser'Donald Trump said that only publicly available information" had been stolen by a hack of his campaign for the presidency as he pinned the dramatic theft on the Iranian government.The news of an alleged hack emerged amid reports from the news website Politico that it had begun getting emails from an anonymous account with internal documents from the Trump campaign, including a vetting dossier on his running mate JD Vance. Continue reading...

Beneath his folksy, aw, shucks' midwestern demeanor, the Minnesota governor is a skilled political operatorTim Walz must be having the wildest month of his life.After the Minnesota governor was announced as Kamala Harris's pick for running mate, progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and independent senator Joe Manchin both put out statements praising him, an indication of his appeal across Democratic constituencies. Continue reading...

Head coach's late father inspired her to take the US job and tapestry of emotions led to glittering gold in ParisTwelve years ago Emma Hayes was sitting next to her father, Sid, at Wembley watching the United States women's national team win their fourth Olympic gold medal. Hayes, to all intents and purposes unemployed, after she had been sacked by the Chicago Red Stars, leaned across to Sid and, as he recalled it, said: Dad, you see those 50 people out there? I've coached 40 of them."It was a poignant moment for Sid, one he remembered in an interview with the Guardian in 2021 as the moment he truly understood just how good a coach she was. Continue reading...

Make sure you don't miss a thing with our full, updating localised guide to the dates and times of all the events at Paris Olympics 2024Follow all the latest action live | Support the GuardianSearch for every event and start time at the Paris Olympics with our comprehensive live schedule. From the football pitch to the pool, via track and field and much more, use our filter tool to pinpoint the sports and disciplines you want to follow most so that you don't miss a thing. Continue reading...

Find out who is leading the way at the Paris Olympics, and drill down to see which events each country has won medals forFollow all the latest action live | Support the GuardianAs is traditional, the table prioritises the number of gold medals won. On this basis at the 2020 Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2021, the United States led the field with 39 golds, with China second on 38 and Japan third with 27. If countries have the same number of gold medals, the order is then dictated by which has the most silvers, and finally bronze if the numbers are still identical. Continue reading...

Schools' investment in social-emotional support appears to pay off, especially for girls, but work is far from complete'A recently released study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows levels of sadness and hopelessness are improving in some US teenagers, and notably among girls.However,, the survey and experts said, challenges remain, as some metrics worsened in the most recent report. Of particular concern is a growing group of students who missed school because they did not feel safe. Continue reading...

The new presidential ticket is accentuating the positive on a swing through battleground states but opinions differ on whether they can shift the mood in rural AmericaWhen Vice-President Kamala Harris and the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, stepped onstage together for the first time on Tuesday, Philadelphia's Liacouras Center glittered red, white and blue as Beyonce's Freedom blared and the crowd pulsed.Walz, who was plucked from relative obscurity just hours, when he accepted Harris's offer to join the Democratic presidential ticket, placed his hand over his heart, almost bewildered by the reception. He waved. He bowed. He pointed to the crowd, and back to Harris. He grinned and laughed and bowed again. Continue reading...

Politico's Meridith McGraw reminds us of Trump's limited vetting skills and aversion to Ron DeSanctimonious'JD Vance is only the latest in a parade of personnel misfires launched by Donald Trump. The junior senator from Ohio turned unpopular vice-presidential pick follows other bad staffing ideas like Omarosa Manigault Newman, Anthony Scaramucci and Rob Porter.In Trump in Exile, her new book on the former president's time out of power, Meridith McGraw of Politico reminds us of Trump's limited vetting skills, as well as his antipathy toward Florida's Ron DeSantis, and his cravings for cash. Oh - and his fetish for being tanned.Trump in Exile was published in the US on 6 August 2024 by Penguin Random House Continue reading...

US economy has staying power but China's growth prospects have worsened and too little attention is paid to war in GazaBack in the 1930s, the French government constructed what it thought was an impregnable defence system to prevent a repeat of the German invasion at the start of the first world war. The Maginot Line might have looked impressive but proved to be a white elephant because when the attack came in 1940 it was in a different place altogether.In the past week the financial markets have displayed something of a Maginot Line mentality. They are right to think there is a threat lurking out there but they are wrong to think the biggest danger is a recession in the US. The real threat comes from elsewhere. Continue reading...

Traditional news outlets flagellate themselves when inaccurate. But the rightwing instigators of last week's riots aren't restricted by concepts such as truthLet's get ready to rhumble! As heroic locals and beleaguered police battle to stop cocaine-fuelled hard-right rioters burning people to death, the laughing faces of ITV's Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly hang suspended in the smoke shrouding buildings in Rotherham and Tamworth. Watch us wreck the mike!! Psyche!!!The greatest trick Nigel Farage ever pulled, appearing in December's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, was looking normal to the ITV millions by eating a pizza covered with some penises. How Ant and Dec laughed as Nigel's EU views were left un-factchecked by current affairs titans such as Britney Spears's sister and a man from JLS. Psyche!Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Continue reading...