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Updated 2024-10-11 09:15
Recognition at last for male divas. But if Elton John qualifies, why not Drake – or Kendall Roy? | Rachel Aroesti
A new V&A exhibition sweeps aside connotations of misogyny and scorn. Let’s hope the diva’s joyful silliness survivesWho do you think of when you hear the word diva? A trailblazing punk singer? A civil rights activist and second world war spy? A man?Well, maybe – especially if that man is Elton John: notorious tantrummer, expert celebrity feuder and wearer of fabulously ludicrous costumes, one of which – an enormous, luxuriously befeathered Louis XIV-inspired look designed for his 50th birthday party – is among the centrepieces of the V&A’s upcoming exhibition, Diva. Celebrating “the power and creativity of iconic performers”, it aims to recast the diva as a force for social change by focusing on those who have embraced, and subverted, diva-dom and “challenged the status quo” in the process, including rockstars Debbie Harry and Siouxsie Sioux, and war hero and showgirl Josephine Baker. Continue reading...
NFL and players’ union approve helmet designed to reduce QB concussions
Man admits to Basquiat forgery scheme which saw fakes displayed in museum
Michael Barzman sold paintings created in ‘maximum of 30 minutes’ by accomplice, justice department saysTo the admiring patrons of a special exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art, they were among Jean-Michel Basquiat’s finest works, the angst of the troubled 1980s neo-expressionist rebel shining through the vivid colors of the compositions before them.But what the paying public was really viewing were fakes, hastily slapped on offcuts of cardboard in 30 minutes or less by an unscrupulous auctioneer and an accomplice cashing in on the late artist’s famous name. Continue reading...
Pentagon leaks not of great consequence, says Biden – video
The US president, Joe Biden, has said that though he is concerned about the leaking of a tranche of confidential documents from the Pentagon, there was nothing of consequence contained in them. Biden told reporters during a visit to Ireland: 'There’s nothing contemporaneous that I’m aware of that is of great consequence.'He said an investigation was under way by the intelligence services and the justice department to ascertain the source of the leaks, adding that 'they're getting close'.
Foot of rain causes severe flooding in South Florida in ‘1-in-1,000 year event’
Forecasts predicted more rain on Thursday as Fort Lauderdale issues a state of emergency with flooding persisting in parts of cityStorms in South Florida brought almost a foot (30cm) of rain in a matter of hours on Wednesday, causing widespread flooding, closing the Fort Lauderdale airport and turning thoroughfares into rivers.That amount of rain in a 24-hour period was a “1-in-1,000 year event”, Ana Torres-Vazquez of the National Weather Service’s Miami office told CNN. Continue reading...
Joe Biden confuses All Blacks with Black and Tans during Ireland trip
White House edits transcript after US president referred to military force rather than New Zealand rugby teamThe White House has corrected a gaffe by Joe Biden that confused New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team with the British military force known as the Black and Tans that terrorised Ireland.An official transcript of the remarks released on Thursday crossed out “Black and Tans” and inserted “All Blacks” instead. Continue reading...
DeSantis pleads with Florida Congress members to stop endorsing Trump
Governor phones representatives, dismayed that four members of delegation have backed former president for 2024 nominationThe soft launch of Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign appears to be stuttering further after a report emerged claiming Florida’s Republican governor was calling members of the state’s congressional delegation to persuade them to stop endorsing Donald Trump.DeSantis has yet to formally declare his pursuit of his party’s 2024 nomination, but has seen an erosion in recent weeks of his formerly strong support, with Trump pulling further ahead in polling. Continue reading...
FTX could be revived as more customers’ funds recovered, say lawyers
Cryptocurrency exchange collapsed last year but assets worth $7.3bn have now been retrievedThe defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX has recovered $7.3bn (£5.8bn) of customer funds and could be restarted as a going concern as soon as next year, the company’s lawyers have said.“The situation has stabilised, and the dumpster fire is out,” its attorney Andy Dietderich said during a hearing at a Delaware bankruptcy court. Continue reading...
Pentagon leaks: how much damage will they cause?
The worst US national security breach in years could help Moscow – and prompt friction with Washington’s alliesA large batch of leaked classified US government information, including top-secret briefings, have been discovered online over the past week, with many relating to perhaps the most sensitive arena of intelligence gathering in the world today: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...
Pentagon leaks linked to young gun enthusiast employee – report | First Thing
Man known online as ‘OG’ said to have access to classified material and to regard intelligence services as repressive. Plus, why America’s most popular flower ‘never goes out of style’
‘It’s a scary time’: Florida Democrat vows to keep fighting six-week abortion ban
Lauren Book has led the fight against the ‘near-total’ ban and the ‘dangerous consequences’ of bill that is expected to pass the state house and to be signed by Governor DeSantisLast week, Lauren Book, the top Democrat in the Florida senate – was placed in handcuffs, arrested and charged with trespassing, after refusing to leave an abortion rights demonstration near the state capitol building in Tallahassee Florida.Hours before, Republican lawmakers in the state senate advanced the legislation, which would dramatically restrict the state’s current ban on abortion from 15 weeks of pregnancy to six weeks – before many women even realize they’re pregnant. Critics say the narrow window would amount to a “near-total” ban on abortions in the state. Continue reading...
Asian Americans spent decades seeking fair education. Then the right stole the narrative
Affirmative action opponents have used racial scapegoating to reframe the national debate, exploiting middle-class fears amid a toxic obsession with meritocracyFor decades, the rightwing gadfly Ed Blum, his group Students for Fair Admissions, and his shadowy rightwing funders have been trying to end affirmative action. They have finally secured an opportunity with the Trump-stacked supreme court to accomplish their mission with a decision expected in June.In the cases before the court on Harvard’s admissions, Asian Americans have been presented as victims of affirmative action and unfair admissions processes. But Asian Americans spent decades fighting for both fair admissions and affirmative action. If that appears to be a contradiction, it’s only because the history of this struggle has largely been erased. The true story of Asian Americans in higher education complicates both Blum’s and Harvard’s claims, and should lead us toward rethinking the stakes of this debate. Continue reading...
Trans people, students and teachers are besieged by DeSantis’s crusade. But he’s not done yet
Florida sees new deluge of legislation targeting trans rights and controlling public education as governor steps up courtship of Trump votersNo public school teacher or college professor in Florida has been more outspoken in his criticism of Governor Ron DeSantis than Don Falls. In the spring of 2022, the 62-year-old social studies high school teacher became the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the governor to block enforcement of the recently approved Stop Woke (Wrongs Against Our Kids and Employees) Act.The DeSantis-backed legislation banned the supposed teaching of critical race theory – a scholarly examination of how social conceptions of race influence laws, political movements and history – in the Sunshine state’s public schools and universities. When Falls heard that a Jacksonville law firm was drafting litigation to stop the new law from taking effect, the grandfather of five decided to raise his head above the proverbial parapet. Continue reading...
All Blacks or Black and Tans?: Biden confuses rugby team with British paramilitary group – video
Joe Biden appeared to mix up the New Zealand rugby team, the All Blacks, with a former British paramilitary force notorious for its brutality during the second day of his Northern Ireland and Ireland tour. The US president thanked Rob Kearney, a relative who played rugby for Ireland, for the tie he was wearing and then remarked to the press: 'This was given to me by one of these guys, right here. He was a hell of a rugby player. He beat the hell out of the Black and Tans'. Biden made the remark in the Windsor Bar pub in Dundalk before heading south to Dublin where he will meet politicians on Thursday.
What modelling King Charles’s head for the Royal Mint taught me about very public portraits – and royal ears | Martin Jennings
I’ve sculpted figures from Mary Seacole to George Orwell, but a 9.6m-strong test run of my latest image is art on a whole new scaleThe king makes a good subject. Over the months of designing and modelling his head in profile for the British coinage, I have had to examine his features with the scrutiny of a cartographer mapping a landscape.The process of modelling a bas-relief is painstaking. Commissioned by the Royal Mint, I made a model in plasticine about the size of my outstretched hand and no more than a few millimetres deep. This was then digitally scanned and reduced before dies were struck and coins started pouring into crates. When I was told a test run of 50p pieces was to be produced, I asked how many, imagining a dozen or so. “We’ll start with 9.6m,” came the reply. Continue reading...
US conservatives love to warn of creeping fascism. Do they understand what it is? | Marilynne Robinson
Trump, a shrewd opportunist, has understood tendencies in American culture that most of us would prefer to ignore or denyA few years ago a former student of mine, one for whom I had particular respect, stopped me on the street and handed me a copy of The Road to Serfdom by the British-Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek.For reasons I cannot reconstruct, I had already read that book and forgotten it, except for the impression it left of being very much a product of its place and time, the London School of Economics, 1945. Since then I have learned that, fairly or not, it is read as a supporting document for the slippery-slope catastrophism that now casts the American government, insofar as it enacts policies favored by Democrats, as a sinister and quite absolute threat to individual freedom. My student told me that a reading group had formed and I was invited. He had the glow of the convert.Marilynne Robinson is an American novelist and essayist. She has received several awards including the Pulitzer prize for fiction in 2005 and the 2012 National Humanities Medal Continue reading...
The Tampa Bay Rays are off to a historic start. What’s behind it?
Tabbed for no higher than third in the AL East by most experts, the Rays have won 12 straight and are off to baseball’s hottest start in decades. How are they doing it and how long will it last?With their 9-7 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night, the Tampa Bay Rays became just the third team to win 12 straight games to open a baseball season since the dead-ball era more than a century ago. With one more win, the Rays will tie the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers and the 1982 Atlanta Braves as the only teams to begin a season with 13 consecutive victories since the 1880s.The winning streak is the latest achievement for a team known for their modest payrolls, sparse attendance and excellent organizational development. Early adopters of the advanced analytic strategies that dominate contemporary baseball, the Rays have made the postseason for six years in a row despite playing in the same division as the famously deep-pocketed New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Continue reading...
Cincinnati barber uses day off to give kids with special needs free haircuts
Vernon Jackson began Gifted Program haircuts at Noble Barber and Beauty after ‘hearing so many horror stories’ at other shopsVernon Jackson goes in to work at his barbershop in Cincinnati even on his off days. But it’s not because he wants to make as much money as possible – it’s because that’s the day he has set aside to give free haircuts to children with special needs.The kindness which Jackson offers at his Noble Barber and Beauty shop earned a profile from CBS News this week. Jackson told the network he began his Gifted Program haircuts in 2021 after “hearing so many horror stories that parents were going through with … barbers or stylists having no patience with their [children]” at other shops. Continue reading...
Tampa Bay Rays win 12th straight, one shy of best major league start since 1900
Josh Giddey’s career night propels OKC Thunder in NBA play-in tournament
‘You can’t expel our fight’: ousted Democrat returns to Tennessee house
Memphis officials voted to reinstate Justin Pearson, the second of two lawmakers expelled from legislature by RepublicansHundreds of supporters marched Justin Pearson through Memphis to the Shelby county board of commissioners meeting on Wednesday, chanting and cheering before entering the commission chambers, where officials quickly voted 7-0 to restore him to his position.“The message for all the people in Nashville who decided to expel us: You can’t expel hope. You can’t expel justice,” Pearson said at the meeting, his voice rising as he spoke. “You can’t expel our voice. And you sure can’t expel our fight.” Continue reading...
Dianne Feinstein vows to return to her post as Democrats call for her to resign
Representatives Ro Khanna and Dean Philips tweet echoing sentiments as ailing senator has missed 60 of 82 votes taken so farSenator Dianne Feinstein, the oldest member of the upper chamber of the US Congress, said she plans on serving out her term despite growing calls for her to resign.Feinstein, 89, has not voted in Congress since February, and has been away from Capitol Hill after being hospitalized for shingles treatment in March. “I intend to return as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it’s safe for me to travel. In the meantime, I remain committed to the job and will continue to work from home in San Francisco,” she said. Continue reading...
Rough life: lost dog returned home after epic 150-mile Alaskan sea-ice journey
Nanuq, a one-year-old Australian shepherd, disappeared from a family trip and went on an adventure across the Bering SeaA one-year-old Australian shepherd took an epic trek across 150 miles (241km) of frozen Bering Sea ice that included being bitten by a seal or polar bear before he was safely returned to his home in Alaska.Mandy Iworrigan, Nanuq’s owner who lives in Gambell, Alaska, and her family were visiting Savoonga, another St Lawrence Island community in the Bering strait, last month when Nanuq disappeared with their other family dog, Starlight, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Continue reading...
Anti-rat activist hired to control New York City’s pest population
Kathleen Corradi is the city’s first director of rodent mitigation, tasked with rooting out the city’s infestation of verminEvery New York City mayor has waged war – and mostly lost – against one of humanity’s most cunning and enduring foe: rattus norvegicus. But has the city’s vilest enemy, better known as the common brown rat, finally met its match?Mayor Eric Adams introduced a former elementary school teacher and anti-rat activist as his new “rat czar” on Wednesday. Officially, Kathleen Corradi, the mayor’s new hire, will be known as the director of rodent mitigation. Continue reading...
'You can't expel our voice': expelled Tennessee Democrat Justin Pearson reappointed – video
The Shelby county board of commissioners in Memphis, Tennessee, have voted unanimously to reappoint Justin Pearson, the second of the two black Democratic lawmakers who were expelled from the statehouse by Republicans last week. After being reappointed to the Tennessee House of Representatives, Pearson gave an impassioned speech: 'So the message for all the people in Nashville who decided to expel us: you can't expel hope. You can't expel justice. You can't expel our voice. And you sure can't expel our fight.'Justin Jones, who represents Nashville and was ejected along with Pearson for protesting against gun violence, was also reappointed Monday by that city's Metro council
Umpire leaves Yankees-Guardians game after being struck in face by relay throw
Donald Trump reportedly sues former lawyer Michael Cohen for $500m – as it happened
Lawsuit claims former fixer breached attorney-client privilege and unjustly enriched himself, among other allegations
Republican election denier expelled from Arizona house
Liz Harris exits following 46-13 vote, after she invited to hearing conspiracy theorist who accused election officials of briberyLiz Harris, an election-denying Republican lawmaker in the Arizona house of representatives, was expelled by her colleagues on Wednesday after she invited to a committee hearing a conspiracy theorist who accused elected officials of unproven corruption and bribery.Republican and Democratic representatives joined together to expel Harris with a 46-13 vote. An expulsion requires a two-thirds vote of the chamber and is rare. The last expulsion from the Arizona legislature was in 2018, though before that, the most recent was in 1991. Continue reading...
The lady’s not for learning: Liz Truss tells US group she was right all along
Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister tries to channel Margaret Thatcher to buff her image – 3,500 miles from her legacy of political chaos and near economic disasterShe’s back. Sort of. Liz Truss, a former British prime minister whose tenure lasted only 50 days, sought to revive her political career and economic agenda on Wednesday with a major speech – more than 3,500 miles from home.Truss’s unlikely comeback attempt was perhaps guaranteed a warmer welcome at the Heritage Foundation (a somewhat stuffy conservative thinktank in Washington that has its own Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom) than at many places in her native Britain. Continue reading...
‘Huge honour’: Ireland breaks out the bunting for Joe Biden
US president given rapturous welcome despite bad weather as he begins celebration of his Irish heritageJoe Biden has started a three-day personal and political pilgrimage to the Republic of Ireland, receiving a rapturous welcome despite heavy wind and rain.The US president flew into Dublin on Wednesday afternoon after concluding a politically charged visit to Northern Ireland. The taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, greeted Biden after he descended from Air Force One for an expected three-day celebration of the president’s Irish heritage. Continue reading...
Fate of US abortion drug hangs in balance ahead of Friday deadline
Mifepristone will lose its FDA approval this week unless an appeals court intervenes in a case likely to reach the supreme courtFDA authorization for a key abortion drug could be nullified after Friday, unless an appeals court acts on a Biden administration request to block last week’s ruling suspending approval of the drug.The drug, mifepristone, is used in more than half of all the abortions in the US. The ruling, issued by a federal judge in Texas, applies across the country. Continue reading...
Harvard to rename school after top Republican donor following $300m gift
Graduate school of arts and sciences to be named in honor of Ken Griffin, 54, hedge-fund billionaire and world’s 35th richest personHarvard University will rename its graduate school of arts and sciences after the billionaire hedge fund executive and Republican mega-donor Kenneth Griffin, the institution announced on Tuesday, after a new $300m contribution brought Griffin’s total support of his alma mater to more than half a billion dollars.Griffin, 54, is the founder and chief executive of Citadel, a $59bn hedge fund, and Citadel Securities, which trades securities. He is the 35th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $34.9bn, according to the Bloomberg billionaires index. Continue reading...
Women’s World Cup 2023 power rankings: breaking the finalists down
The world champions suffer a blow while France ride high with Hervé Renard as all 32 teams are put under the microscopeThe European champions’ momentum suffered a blow when defeat to Australia ended their 30-game unbeaten run. In contrast, they also added the Finalissima to their ever-expanding trophy cabinet this window. The Lionesses are still favourites with time to fix any problems. Continue reading...
After being nicked three times for speeding, life in the slow lane is a revelation | Adrian Chiles
My newly mindful driving may cause fury in those stuck behind me, but I find it much more enjoyable and less stressfulI’ve never been a particularly fast driver. I can’t have been, because in four decades at the wheel, driving far too many miles every year, I’ve only been nicked three times for speeding. Once was in 1985 doing 65mph in a 40mph limit on the A456 just outside Halesowen. I was in my dad’s car, wearing mirrored sunglasses, which I decided not to remove when the police officer addressed me. Idiot. (Me, not the copper.) Perhaps he saw his own irritated reflection as he issued the reprimand. I got a fine no bigger than the speed I was doing, and three richly deserved points. It should have been more.The second time was more recently, on the Adriatic coast road in Croatia. An outstretched arm, palm facing towards me, indicated I should stop. On this occasion I removed my sunglasses; the policajac didn’t. After a brief admonishment and a spot of form-filling, his arm was outstretched again – now with his palm facing upwards, indicating I should put some cash in it. This I did. Job done. Continue reading...
US drug tsar warns xylazine tranquilizer mixed with fentanyl is ‘emerging threat’
Dr Rahul Gupta says drug has become increasingly common and is particularly dangerous when mixed with opioid fentanylJoe Biden’s drug tsar has named a veterinary tranquilizer as an “emerging threat” when it is mixed with the powerful opioid fentanyl, clearing the way for more efforts to stop the spread of xylazine.The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced the designation on Wednesday, the first time the office has used it since the category for fast-growing drug dangers was created in 2019. Continue reading...
There’s only one winner from Macron’s hardline response to pension protests: the far right | Oliver Haynes
In pushing through with this unpopular reform, the French president is doing the groundwork for Marine Le PenIt’s been a great few months for the rats of Paris. As they’ve grown fat, feasting on rubbish in the streets, citizens have been struggling to catch a train and facing fuel shortages at the pumps. Tomorrow, another rolling strike of refuse collectors will start and the streets of the capital will again fill with the pungent aroma of social conflict.President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, is missing in action, hiding in the Élysée Palace or travelling abroad. A recent front page of the left-leaning Libération newspaper declared that he was becoming increasingly out of touch with the people. Continue reading...
'I hope it happens': Biden calls for Northern Ireland assembly to be restored – video
Joe Biden has said the democratic institutions established by the Good Friday agreement are critical to the future of Northern Ireland while calling for the assembly to be restored.Biden delivered the keynote address at Ulster University on Wednesday to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement. His visit came against the backdrop of a political stalemate in which the devolved Northern Ireland assembly has not been functioning for more than a year due to a row over post-Brexit trade arrangements
Spoiler: people need to stop ruining the plot of TV shows | Stuart Heritage
A ridiculous parade of interviews and OTT newspaper front pages risked wrecking Succession’s latest episode for viewers. It’s time for some common sense (contains spoilers)I’d usually start a piece like this with a warning about spoilers. I’d point out that I’m about to discuss major events that took place during a recent television episode, and then do my best to persuade anyone who hasn’t seen it to stop reading, lest their enjoyment of the episode is ruined for ever.But, honestly, what’s the point? If you’ve seen a copy of the Daily Mail today – in the flesh, or online, or on TV – you will have seen the front page obituary for (final spoiler warning) Logan Roy. “Farewell to the foul-mouthed tyrant whose life (and death) were so explosively dramatic you couldn’t make it up!” crowed the Mail’s banner, taking up a quarter of the entire page, and adding “LOGAN ROY 1938-2023” just for the absolute avoidance of doubt. Continue reading...
US inflation at 5%, the lowest it has been since 2021
Monthly consumer price index shows US prices increased at a lower rate in March, though core inflation remains steadyUS prices increased 5% over the last year, the lowest inflation has been since 2021, when prices started to climb.The monthly consumer price index (CPI), which measures the price of a basket of goods and services, for March showed prices made a decent jump down over the last year. In February, inflation stood at 6%, already a steep decline from its peak of 9.1% in June. Continue reading...
Incite, smear, divide: why are the Tories and Labour copying the tactics of America’s vilest strategist? | Nels Abbey
Lee Atwater was master of attack and dog-whistle politics. We should be alive to his methods and their effects – not emulating themWill 2024 be a repeat of 1992 or 1997, is the (binary) question people ask: a repeat of Neil Kinnock’s shock defeat to the Tories in 1992 or Tony Blair’s triumphant landslide victory in 1997.But while we are talking about the what will happen next time, we had better discuss the how. The means matter. The means help shape society. They impact how cohesive we are, how we treat each other. The means last longer than victory or defeat. And by many current indications, the means suggest we are looking at neither 1997 nor 1992, but at a mirror image of the 1988 US presidential election. Continue reading...
To protect abortion access, the FDA should decline to enforce a mifepristone ban | David S Cohen, Greer Donley and Rachel Rebouché
Try as it might, the Food and Drug Administration cannot escape the abortion debate. The agency must be bolderOn Friday, the nation was treated to dueling decisions from federal judges regarding the first drug in a medication abortion: mifepristone. A judge in Texas ruled that the Food and drug Administration (FDA) likely improperly approved the drug, staying its approval while the case plays out. Minutes later, a judge in Washington state ruled that the FDA could not change the status quo regarding mifepristone’s availability.In response to these two cases and two other less-publicized cases involving the FDA and medication abortion, the agency needs to chart a course consistent with its mission to protect patient health and to follow the evidence. As the Biden administration has stated, protecting medication abortion is a public health imperative now that states can ban all abortion outright. If the agency does not respond to these conflicting rulings in a manner tailored to provide the greatest access possible to medication abortion, it will be telling of Biden’s commitment to reproductive justice.David S Cohen, a law professor at Drexel University, is a co-author of Obstacle Course: The Everyday Struggle to Get an Abortion in America, a board member of the Abortion Care Network and a consulting attorney with the Women’s Law ProjectGreer Donley is a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh and a board member of the Women’s Law ProjectRachel Rebouché is the dean of the Temple University Beasley School of Law and a faculty fellow at the Center for Public Health Law Research Continue reading...
‘All the doors are closed to Afghans’: from fall of Kabul to limbo in Mexico
Thousands of Afghans are believed to have made their way to Mexico hoping to claiming asylum in the US. Most are still thereWhen the Taliban stormed Kabul, Wali Modaqiq, 54, began calling every American, Briton and European with whom he had worked on environmental projects, pleading for help to evacuate him and his family.“The message I received back was: ‘You’re not our direct employee, so we cannot help you,’” he said. “But I brought them in, I took them around, I helped them work in Afghanistan.” He says environmental activism with foreign conservationists had made him an enemy of the Taliban. Continue reading...
Zelenskiy urges world leaders to act over beheading videos | First Thing
Ukrainian president calls for action after videos circulated online appear to show soldiers beheaded by Russian forces. Plus, Nasa prepares for life on Mars
How Ron DeSantis waged a targeted assault on Black voters: ‘I fear for what’s to come’
In gerrymandering voting maps and gutting one of the biggest expansions of voting rights, the Florida governor seeks to dilute Black political powerAl Lawson felt the weight of his victory the night he was elected to Congress in 2016.He was born in Midway, a small town that’s part of a stretch of land in northern Florida dotted with tobacco fields once home to plantations. A former basketball star, he was once reprimanded for drinking out of a whites-only water fountain. In some of his early campaigns for the state legislature, he ran into the Ku Klux Klan. Continue reading...
Spencer Haywood: the NBA star who opened the door for generations of prodigies
The basketball legend whose legal case improved the landscape for generations of young stars may finally be getting his due in history with a forthcoming biopicSpencer Haywood was standing in the Cincinnati snow, freezing his butt off. The stylish green and gold bellbottom Seattle SuperSonics warmups he wore did little for the cold wind, which would blow up the thighs thanks to the wide ankle hem. The short-sleeve top didn’t help much, either. The 1970s had just begun but Haywood’s career, remarkable as it was, as a former ABA Rookie of the Year and MVP, had stalled again. But for the future multi-time All-Star, who later dealt with substance abuse issues while in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers, he wasn’t standing in the sub-freezing night because of any personal or professional infraction. No, he was in the process of changing the league forever. As such, he wasn’t even allowed to stand on the Cincinnati Royals court, opposite Tiny Archibald and Norm Van Lier, or go back into the locker room and get his street clothes. He was an “illegal player” and banned from the game before it started because, simply, he was in court fighting a bigger battle.“‘We’ve got an illegal player on the floor,’ blah-blah-blah,” Haywood tells the Guardian, remembering back to his first year in the NBA with the SuperSonics. “There was another injunction against me. So, they put me out into the snow.” Continue reading...
Joe Biden to meet Rishi Sunak before keynote speech at Ulster University
President expected to emphasise US’s commitment to ensuring peace in Northern Ireland as he begins visit to island of IrelandJoe Biden will hold a meeting with Rishi Sunak in Belfast on Wednesday before a keynote speech in which he is expected to emphasise the US’s commitment to ensuring lasting peace and prosperity for Northern Ireland.US officials said the president would be “underscoring the readiness of the United States to support Northern Ireland’s vast economic potential to the benefit of all communities” with the prospect of major investments if power-sharing is restored in Stormont. Continue reading...
After Ivanka Trump's strategic exit, is Tiffany the new 'first daughter'? | Arwa Mahdawi
Trump’s only child with Marla Maples seems to have gone from avoiding the spotlight to being her father’s biggest fanWell, it looks like Melaniawatch is officially over. The former first lady has a habit of periodically disappearing, sparking fanciful theories that she has left her philandering husband and is crashing at the Obamas’ mansion to write a tell-all. Her latest vanishing act came, understandably, after Trump was arrested last week for hush money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels. Melania was conspicuously absent from Trump’s arraignment and he failed to mention her in a speech where he thanked his entire family, and – bizarrely – praised his son Barron for being very tall. Like Jesus, however, Melania made a public reappearance on Easter Sunday.As soon as the where-is-Melania speculation was laid to rest, the what’s-Tiffany-up-to conjecture started. Eyebrows were raised when Trump thanked Tiffany, his youngest daughter, in his post-arraignment speech, because Trump famously has a habit of forgetting that Tiffany exists. Her siblings reportedly aren’t much kinder. According to Michael Cohen’s memoir about his time as Trump’s lapdog, Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka (Trump’s children with his first wife, Ivana Trump) referred to Tiffany, who Trump fathered with his second wife, Marla Maples, as the “red-haired stepchild”. Cohen also claims the former president and Ivanka were rude about Tiffany’s looks. Continue reading...
Removing Black lawmakers is voter suppression – and the US has done it for centuries
Despite the claims of politicians and the media, the expulsion of Justin Jones and Justin Pearson is far from ‘unprecedented’When Tennessee lawmakers expelled two Black legislators from the state’s Republican-dominated house of representatives, pundits described the decision as “stunning” and “historic”. Joe Biden called it “shocking, undemocratic and without precedent”. The New York Times characterized it as “an extraordinary act of political retribution”.Sorry, have you met America? Continue reading...
Alana Cook’s birthday strike lifts USA women over Ireland in friendly
NBA play-in tournament: LeBron’s 30 lift Lakers to No 7 seed as Hawks prevail
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