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When students are struck down by firearms, some parents take the emotional walk to accept diplomas for their slain childrenAcross the US, high school graduations are serving dual roles as rites of passage for teenagers entering adulthood and memorials for those who were killed – often with guns – before they could don their caps and gowns. Amid rows of optimistic graduates are empty seats adorned with regalia or grieving parents who are there to walk the stage and accept diplomas on their children’s behalf.Some of the youths were killed before they reached their senior year, others in the days, weeks or months leading to their graduation. The unoccupied seats in auditoriums and photos of smiling young faces shown on large screens serve as a stark reminder of the growing risk of gun injury and death that teenagers face and the far-reaching impact that these losses have on their families and peers. Continue reading...

The Golden Knights won the championship on Tuesday. It’s a testament to the decision to move hockey into uncharted territoryA month after Las Vegas was awarded an NHL team in the summer of 2016, a local paper held a series of, in the publication’s own words, “wildly unscientific” unofficial polls asking its readers to pick the franchise’s name. The Black Knights, the Knights, and the Neon Knights were all among the early choices. But only the Knights made it past the second round of voting, proving less popular than Scorpions and the eventual winner, the Outlaws. The Knights name – and variations of it – wasn’t a winner.It is now. The Vegas Golden Knights are Stanley Cup champions, taking home the coveted trophy with a commanding 9-3 win over the Florida Panthers Tuesday evening in Las Vegas. And while the speed with which the Golden Knights have climbed to the top of the NHL has been surprising, to many (this was the franchise’s second visit to the Final in its first six years of existence) it’s exactly what team owner Bill Foley promised in 2017. It was a bold prediction, given the only other team to ever do it were the Edmonton Oilers with some kid named Wayne Gretzky. Continue reading...

As a coal-fired power station is readied to meet the exploding demand for portable units, let’s face it: this is just extravaganceFifteen years ago, it was the wood burner: an unnecessary middle-class indulgence that, despite causing untold environmental damage, started popping up in homes across the country. They became symbolic of a certain affluence that allows a privileged few to live in optimum comfort at all times.Now there’s a new kid on the block: the portable air-conditioning unit. As we adjust to a changing climate, with mid-summer temperatures regularly exceeding 25C and occasionally reaching 35C or even higher, this is the new “must have”. Sales of air-conditioning units were up more than 500% during last year’s heatwave and, according to property website Rightmove, searches for homes with air-conditioning tripled over the same period. At between £300 and £1,000 a pop, they’re not cheap – but they certainly make three or four weeks of good UK weather each year easier to handle. Continue reading...

After photos were released of boxes piled high in one of Trump’s bathrooms, the House speaker defended the location – but construction experts say otherwise

Former president rallies supporters in New Jersey after appearing in court in Miami on federal charges

Instant Brands, which blames rising interest rates for financial problems, will continue to serve retailersThe maker of Pyrex kitchenware and the Instant Pot pressure cooker has filed for bankruptcy protection, blaming rising interest rates for its financial difficulties.Instant Brands, controlled by the private equity investor Cornell Capital, said late on Tuesday it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of Texas, as it tries to restructure liabilities of as much as $1bn (£790m). Continue reading...

The company claims there have been no corporate policy changes and stated its ‘unwavering support’ of the LGBTQ+ communityCoffee giant Starbucks is caught up in a row with a labor union over claims that workers at some of its stores in the US have been told they cannot put up Pride decorations this year.The dispute comes as a rightwing backlash against many American businesses sweeps across the US, with conservative activists and consumers attacking expressions of support for LGBTQ+ Americans. Some of the biggest corporate names in the US – such as retailer Target and beer giant Anheuser-Busch – have been hit by boycotts. Continue reading...

The World Cup winner’s pending arrival will be transformative, but Inter Miami must grow up fastThe Miami Heat were the runners-up in this month’s NBA finals, while the Florida Panthers reached the NHL’s Stanley Cup final down the road in Sunrise. And then there’s the small matter of Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami CF of MLS.The 2022 World Cup winner will join his new teammates within weeks and locally there’s disbelief to accompany incredible excitement. It probably won’t feel real until Messi is pictured with the club’s co-owner, David Beckham, holding aloft a pink and black team scarf. Continue reading...

Writers here in the UK are joining a global march to protest at worsening pay and conditions, and new threats to our livelihoodsI’m a working screenwriter with more than two decades of experience on UK shows such as Call the Midwife, Midsomer Murders, New Tricks and Fat Friends. I’m also chair of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), a union that represents about 3,000 writers across TV, film, theatre, books, video games and radio. Today, we’re joining colleagues from over 20 countries in a Global Day of Solidarity, organised by the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds and Federation of Screenwriters in Europe.Screenwriters in the US have warned that their profession is increasingly being reduced to a gig economy. Despite the streaming boom producing hundreds of new TV shows, media conglomerates and streamers seem only too willing to sacrifice workers’ rights for their bottom line, using the transition to streaming as an excuse to cut writer pay and erode working conditions. Continue reading...

The junior welterweight belt-holder continues looks to consolidate titles in a suddenly red-hot division while making New Orleans a destination for big-time boxingRegis Prograis would never look past an opponent. But few in the world of men’s professional boxing would blame him for making plans beyond his junior welterweight title defense Saturday in his hometown of New Orleans.In Prograis’s first fight since he knocked out Jose Zepeda in Los Angeles in November to win the World Boxing Council’s 140lb belt, Danielito Zorrilla stands in his way. Continue reading...

The contrasting fortunes of the flamboyant promoter and his fellow boxing dealmaker, Bob Arum, were on full display over the weekendLarry Merchant, the venerable sportswriter and TV commentator recently observed, at the age of 92, that “it’s easy getting into your 80s but hard to get out of them.”That wisdom applies to two men who dominated boxing for a half-century and shaped the business as we know it today. Don King will turn 92 on 20 August. Bob Arum will be 92 on 8 December. Continue reading...

Justice for the lawless Trump has been far too long in coming. But who knows whether he really will be held responsible in the long runAmid the palm fronds and the red baseball caps, after a motorcade on a Florida highway and before a shameful fundraiser at a New Jersey golf resort, the moment finally arrived.Donald Trump was arrested and formally charged with federal crimes – a first for an American former president. He was hit with 37 counts, to be precise, related to his retaining and failing to return the reams of sensitive classified documents that weren’t his to keep. Continue reading...

Given the strengths that Kennedy possesses as a candidate, we should expect him to continue to build momentum. Ignoring him is not an option Continue reading...

A new lesbian dating show drummed the point home to me: therapy speak is now ubiquitous

A systemic sickness produced the hallucination of merit in the former prime minister, then disgorged him. Understanding those events will be criticalThere is no crisis at Westminster so serious that it cannot be made to look trivial by the inclusion of Boris Johnson. And there is no scandal involving Johnson that cannot be explained, partially or wholly, by his lies. Those are axioms of post-Brexit politics.The House of Commons committee of privileges is due to publish a report concluding that a former prime minister turned his back on truth and put himself in contempt of parliament. The gravity of the offence invites a serious discussion about the safeguards in British democracy. Or it should.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Australia’s alliance is with the US, a country that stands for freedom, democracy, liberty and civil rights. Under Trump, that could be destroyedCan Australia – should Australia – continue its alliance with the United States if the United States is no longer the United States?This is the existential question Australia must face if Donald Trump, or a Trumpist, wins the US election in 2024 because at that point, American democracy as we have known it will probably come to an end.Democracies are more than a form of government. They’re a way of being, a way of seeing the world – a way that defines who we are, what we believe, why we do what we do.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Fox was the only major cable news network to carry the former US president’s speech live following his arraignment hearing earlier in the dayFox News labelled US president Joe Biden a “wannabe dictator” who attempted to have “his political rival arrested” during a live broadcast of Donald Trump’s post-arraignment speech.The network was the only major cable news network to carry Trump’s Tuesday evening speech live, with CNN and MSNBC choosing not to air the address. Continue reading...

With mordant wit and stark description, the literary great wove a tapestry of anger, humour, decency and bad behaviour – and of the perpetual terror of man

In the latest case to upend the scandal-plagued board, Curren Price Jr was also charged with perjury and conflict of interestProsecutors charged a Los Angeles city councilman with 10 counts, including embezzlement and perjury, on Tuesday in the latest criminal case to upend the scandal-plagued governing board of the nation’s second-largest city.Curren Price Jr faces five counts of embezzlement of government funds, three counts of perjury and two counts of conflict of interest, according to the Los Angeles county district attorney’s office. Continue reading...

Former US president addresses supporters after pleading not guilty to federal charges in MiamiMeanwhile in Washington, Donald Trump’s allies in Congress are vowing to do all they can to help him fight Jack Smith’s prosecution.Here’s the judiciary committee’s Republican chair Jim Jordan hinting to CNN that he may demand testimony from Smith, the special counsel appointed by attorney general Merrick Garland specifically to handle the investigations into Trump: Continue reading...

Former president accused of wilfully withholding classified documents and obstructing justice, and is charged with 37 countsHours after facing criminal charges for the alleged mishandling of classified documents, Donald Trump told a crowd of supporters at his golf resort in New Jersey that his indictments were a “corrupt” and “political pursuit” designed to destroy him.Donors and supporters chanted Trump’s name, cheered him on and sang “happy birthday”. “I just got charged,” joked the former president, who turns 77 on Wednesday. “A wonderful birthday.” Continue reading...

Ex-president arraigned and charged in Miami court over allegations he mishandled classified documents

Ex-president sat quietly during the 45-minute hearing, folding his arms and clenching his fingers, and occasionally grimacingEven by Florida’s already unorthodox standards, the arraignment of Donald J Trump, the ultimate carnival barker, in Miami on Tuesday afternoon was something of a circus.The concept of a former leader of the free world appearing before a federal judge to deny he stole and retained some of the nation’s most sensitive secrets – keeping some in a bathroom – was surreal enough. Continue reading...

Gershkovich was arrested in March on espionage charges, which both he and his employer, the Wall Street Journal, denyThe US House of Representatives voted unanimously on Tuesday for a resolution calling for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been imprisoned in Russia for three months.The vote was 422-0 in favor of the nonbinding measure. Continue reading...

Ex-president enjoyed the upsides of ruling the news cycle, but none of the downsides of public humiliation before a judge he must obeyWith a presidential-style plane and motorcade, a bunch of flag-waving fans and a lawyer shouting alternative facts, the latest season of The Trump Show – let’s call this one The Defendant – again filled every TV screen on Tuesday.But the most important scene of all was missing. And no one was happier about that than Donald Trump himself. Continue reading...

Access to Escondido beach was cut off in the 1980s by wealthy homeowners who craftily hindered the path to the coastlineCalifornia’s “hidden” beach will now be fully accessible to the public for the first time in 40 years, after the state approved an agreement for wealthy landowners to create a new path to the coastline.Escondido beach, known for placid waters and golden sand, had been mostly inaccessible to the public since the 1980s, when homeowners in the area cut it off from the public. Though California law requires that land below the high tide line remain open to all, complicated legal and construction maneuvers had obscured access to the strip of coastline. Continue reading...

The former president has pleaded not guilty to charges related to allegedly hoarding government secrets at his Mar-a-Lago resort and frustrating efforts by the federal government to retrieve them at his arraignment in Miami, Reuters reports

Section 702 of Fisa is set to expire at the end of the year, but its reauthorization is facing backlashThe White House is stepping up pressure on lawmakers to renew a section of electronic surveillance law which permits the government to conduct targeted surveillance of foreign persons located outside the US.The provision, known as section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), is set to expire at the end of the year. But its renewal is facing pushback from privacy advocates and lawmakers, some citing examples in which law enforcement search requests were misused to conduct illegal surveillance on US citizens. Continue reading...

City will lose one of its largest shopping centers as ‘challenging conditions’ downtown compel company departureWestfield is ceding control of its San Francisco mall, the latest business to leave the city as it struggles to recover its pre-pandemic commerce levels.The mall, located at 865 Market St, is among the city’s largest shopping centres. In a statement, to the San Francisco Chronicle, which was the first to report news of the planned closure, the company cited “challenging operating conditions” in the city’s downtown area as the reason for its departure. It has seen a decline in sales, occupancy and foot traffic, the company added. Continue reading...

Peyton Hillis tells Good Morning America about rescuing son, nine, and niece, eight, from rip current off Florida coast in JanuaryFormer NFL running back Peyton Hillis has said it was “100% a miracle” everyone survived when he saved his son and niece from drowning but ended up hospitalized himself.Hillis opened up about the near-death experience in an interview with fellow former NFL player Michael Strahan on the talkshow Good Morning America. Continue reading...

Burger outlet was owned by Turkish butcher sensation Nusret Gökçe, famous for bouncing flakes of salt off his forearm on to foodThree years after it was declared “The Worst Restaurant In NYC Right Now,” Salt Bae’s Manhattan burger joint has closed.Salt Bae, of course, is the social media tag for the New York celebrity chef and butcher Nusret Gökçe, who became famous for bouncing flakes of salt off his forearm and on to just about anything edible, giving customers varying degrees of salt-shock. Continue reading...

Hardline Republicans brought chamber to halt in revolt against speaker for working with Joe Biden to agree debt-ceiling dealThe US House of Representatives is set to resume votes on a handful of Republican-backed bills on Tuesday after a week-long impasse between Kevin McCarthy, the speaker, and a small group of far-right Republicans.Business is set to resume on the House floor on Tuesday afternoon. A slate of previously stalled votes, including a procedural measure to advance legislation protecting gas stoves, are expected to move forward. Continue reading...

Karine Jean-Pierre breached rule limiting political activities of federal employees with ‘mega Maga Republicans’ referenceWhite House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre violated the Hatch Act by referring to “mega Maga Republicans” before last year’s midterm elections, an official watchdog said.In a letter first reported by NBC News and confirmed by other outlets, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) said: “Because Ms Jean‐Pierre made the statements while acting in her official capacity, she violated the Hatch Act prohibition against using her official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election.” Continue reading...

The former president is facing 37 federal criminal charges – what can we expect to see on his first day in court?Donald Trump will make his first court appearance on Tuesday after being charged with 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified documents after leaving the presidency. He is set to appear at 3pm at the federal courthouse in Miami.It will be Trump’s second arraignment this year. In April, he was arraigned in Manhattan on separate criminal charges related to his hush money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels. Continue reading...

Things may look dark but his acolytes are determined to go down fighting. And, true to type, he is determined to let themCan I just check something before we begin, because it feels as though we’re dealing with a weight of irony that defies all known physics? Is Boris Johnson leaving British politics absolutely howling with anger because someone supposedly told him a lie? Is Boris Johnson wetting his pants thrice daily over the injustice of him being supposedly misled? Is Boris Johnson now appalled at someone else’s supposedly casual relationship with the truth? It seems, incredibly, that he is. In which case I honestly don’t think I could take this story more seriously. It’s too perfect. Boris Johnson has been Boris Johnsonned.To the event horizon of irony, then, and the ongoing row over whether Rishi Sunak did or didn’t tell Johnson he could bend the rules to get peerages for a set of political inadequates completely devoid of ministerial achievements, and notable only for their slavish loyalty to a guy who would have betrayed them in a heartbeat if he thought there was some minuscule, fleeting advantage for himself at that moment. I note there is also some hokey cokey about why Johnson, 58, couldn’t get a knighthood for his daddy (genuinely one of the worst people in the country). But let’s face it: that one can’t even be dignified with discussion. Continue reading...

As well as defiant stories of empowered kids, we need to offer reminders that the responsibility isn’t theirs aloneWhen I was in primary school my favourite Baby-Sitters Club member was Dawn Schafer, the environmental crusader. This was the 1990s, when we were all very concerned about CFCs and other greenhouse gases, although not enough to lose sleep over them. I remember carefully spelling out CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS in bubble letters on poster paper for a school project. I had a thing for dolphins and wanted to be a marine biologist. Clean Up Australia Day was still in its infancy.

Exclusive: Trump is expected to be represented by existing lawyers Todd Blanche and Chris KiseDonald Trump is expected to be represented at his first court appearance to face federal criminal charges for retaining national security materials and obstruction of justice by two of his existing lawyers, despite trying to recruit a local Florida lawyer willing to join his legal defense team.The lawyers making an appearance with Trump on Tuesday will be the top former federal prosecutor Todd Blanche and the former Florida solicitor general Chris Kise, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump’s co-defendant, his valet Walt Nauta, will be represented by Stanley Woodward. Continue reading...

Three people critical in hospital from shooting near Ball Arena, while three killed in Anapolis, Maryland on Sunday eveningNine people were injured in a shooting early on Tuesday in Denver, and police arrested a suspect, authorities said.The shooting – which left three of the victims in critical condition – happened about a mile from Ball Arena, where the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat on Monday night to claim their first NBA title. It was not immediately known whether the shooting was connected to any post-game celebrations. Continue reading...

Ex-president to be arraigned in Miami, accused of intentionally retaining hundreds of classified documents at Mar-a-LagoDonald Trump, the former US president, is set to face the sobering reality of a courtroom on Tuesday afternoon as he stands accused of illegally hoarding classified information in a case watched around the world.The justice department’s first prosecution of an ex-president concerns conduct that prosecutors say jeopardised national security and involves Espionage Act charges carrying the threat of a significant prison sentence in the event of conviction. Continue reading...

The Nuggets have their first championship in their 47-year history. With a young core and the world’s best player more titles beckonBefore Denver had the Nuggets, there were the Larks – the original name given to the city’s local basketball franchise on its foundation in 1967. The lark is Colorado’s state bird, so the original name made a certain sense, but a small, unimposing passerine that rarely leaves the ground always seemed like a difficult sell as the avatar of a team playing a sport in which height and flight are two of the key ingredients for success. Eventually, the Larks became the Denver Rockets, and the team’s final name change – to the Nuggets – came in 1974.Height always loomed as the Nuggets’ decisive advantage in this finals series – height, and their possession of the world’s best basket player – but on Monday night, as Denver sealed their inaugural championship with a squeaky Game 5 victory over Miami, the team played in a manner that seemed to pay tribute to the franchise’s original mascot: rooted to the ground, at one with the floor. Continue reading...

Inflation year-over-year in May was down 0.9% compared with April and is the lowest rate since April 2021The prices of goods and services in the US rose 4% over the last year, showing a cooling of prices as the Federal Reserve considers pausing interest rate hikes this week.Inflation year-over-year in May was down 0.9% compared with April and is the lowest rate since April 2021, when prices started to climb, according to the latest consumer price index (CPI) data, which measures the prices of a basket of goods and services. The slowing of price increases can largely be attributed to energy prices, which were soaring this time last year because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

Sajak, 76, has presided over the gameshow, which features contestants guessing letters and words to win prizes, since 1981Pat Sajak is taking one last spin on Wheel of Fortune, but then that’s it.He announced Monday that its upcoming season will be his last as host of the venerable gameshow, a gig he has held for more than four decades. Continue reading...

The former prime minister was a symptom, not the cause, of a political culture that gorges on spectacle and triviaPoliticians, journalists and assorted hangers-on have been regaling each other with their risque Boris Johnson anecdotes for as long as I can remember. “Boris” this, “BoJo” that. Even his detractors used his first name. The braggadocio, the enjoyment of watching his ascent, reached a peak during his tenure as mayor of London. Commentators, even those on the left, joked about how fun it was to have a Conservative in charge of the capital city who whizzed around on a zipwire.The bonhomie suddenly turned to buyers’ remorse when he embraced the Brexit cause in 2016. What, I ask now, as I asked then, took people so long? It was abundantly clear to me from the moment I met him (he and I were foreign correspondents at the same time for the Telegraph) that Johnson was a charlatan. While I was covering the collapse of communism from Moscow, he was in Brussels inventing stories about straight bananas. Continue reading...

The endurance athlete is attempting to win the 3,000 mile Race Across America for a second time. And women are excelling in ultra-distance eventsWhen Leah Goldstein sets off from Oceanside, California on Tuesday morning to begin this year’s Race Across America (Raam), it will most likely be 40 hours before she is next able to grab some sleep. And that’s if everything goes to plan.“In the practice ride,” says the ultra-endurance cyclist, “I left at 10 [in the morning] and I went down the next day at midnight for about 45 minutes … in [Raam], we’re going to probably do the same thing. We’re going to go through the first night and into the second night as much as I can.” Continue reading...

Case against the former president names several people who allegedly played a role in mishandling classified documentsDonald Trump’s 44-page federal indictment depicts a varied cast of characters orbiting around the former president as he mishandles, flaunts and conceals top secret documents and reveals classified military information. The case involves numerous individuals, some named and others referred only by their titles, but all who allegedly played a role in Trump committing crimes related to the boxes of classified documents he took from the White House after leaving office.The indictment, which was unsealed last week, sets up a criminal case that could lead to significant time in prison if Trump is convicted and further complicate his presidential campaign for the 2024 election. Along with the Trump world staffers mentioned in the indictment, it will also put attorneys on both sides of the case on the national stage. Continue reading...

The former president, who faces 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified documents after leaving the presidency, is to make his first court appearance in the case in Miami

Move follows reports of extortion by Mexican officials in Nuevo Laredo who threaten migrants with missing asylum appointmentsThe Biden administration has stopped taking mobile phone app appointments to admit asylum seekers at a Texas border crossing that connects to a notoriously dangerous Mexican city after advocates warned US authorities that migrants were being targeted there for extortion.US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) gave no explanation for its decision to stop scheduling new appointments via the CBP One app for the crossing in Laredo, Texas. Continue reading...