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The hardened Ryder Cup veteran we will see at Bethpage this week was a little more slipshod in his youth. Particularly at a crucial moment in 2012Has it really been 13 years since rosy-cheeked Rory McIlroy caused teammates, coaches, and a continent's worth of fans to hyperventilate by coming within a hairsbreadth of missing his tee time for a crucial singles match?The scene at the 2012 Ryder Cup, recall, looked like something out of The Blues Brothers, except there weren't any nuns or Nazis around. Having barreled down Illinois highways at upwards of 100mph, its siren blaring, an unmarked cop car came screeching into the parking lot of the Medinah Golf Club, skirted the camera crews huddled to record McIlroy's frenzied arrival, and deposited him just steps away from the locker room.Timothy M Gay, an American writer and historian, is the author Rory Land: The Up-and-Down World of Golf's Global Icon, now available from Regalo Press/Simon & Schuster-UK. Continue reading...

TV host and comedian says 'it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man ... I don't think there's anything funny about it' Continue reading...

There is no credible evidence linking autism with maternal paracetamol use. But the US president's tough it out' message could harm mothers and babies

Eli Lilly CEO says Britain's strict regime means it could miss out on new drugs being rolled out unless it pays more

Press secretary speculates the escalator stopped on purpose to humiliate president, but UN says safety function may have been inadvertently triggered'Donald Trump appeared to laugh it off Tuesday when an escalator and a teleprompter both malfunctioned during his United Nations visit - but for US officials it was no laughing matter.The White House said an investigation had been launched into whether the moving stairway was stopped on purpose to humiliate the US president, who later bashed the global body in his speech to the UN general assembly in New York. Continue reading...

The host's monologue noted that the suspension of his late night programme had ignited a national debate over free speechJimmy Kimmel returned to air on Tuesday night, calling government threats to silence comedians anti American", as he broke his silence about the suspension from ABC which ignited a national debate over free speech and outcry over the bullying tactics of the Trump administration.This show is not important" Kimmel said during his first monologue since Disney, which owns ABC, suspended his late-night show from the network last week under pressure from Trump officials over his comments on the shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this." Continue reading...

Bronze statue by an anonymous creator shows the two men frolicking and holding hands with a foot kicked back in joyThere's a new statue on the east end of the National Mall for Washington DC residents and tourists to enjoy. The bronze statue shows two men frolicking, grinning wide and holding hands, each with a foot joyously kicked back.We celebrate the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his closest friend,' Jeffrey Epstein," a plaque at the bottom of the spray-painted bronze installation reads. A permit from the National Park Service will allow the statue to stay on the National Mall grounds through 8pm on Sunday. Continue reading...

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Trump shows support for Kyiv, attacks allies over immigration and denounces the UN on its 80th birthday. Key US politics stories from 23 September at a glanceDonald Trump has said he believes Ukraine can regain all the land that it has lost since the 2022 Russian invasion in one of the strongest statements of support he has given Kyiv.Writing on Truth Social after meeting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the UN on Tuesday, the US president said Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form". Continue reading...

Footage contrasts from Trump officials' account that officer was seriously injured' by immigrant who was fatally shotPolice body camera footage released on Tuesday shows a federal immigration agent who fatally shot a Mexican immigrant describing his own injuries during a vehicle pursuit as nothing major", a contrast from the Trump administration's characterization of events in suburban Chicago earlier this month.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said the officer was seriously injured" by Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, who allegedly tried to evade arrest after agents pulled over his car in Franklin Park. Nearly three hours of video and audio clips obtained by the Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request shed new light on the shooting that has escalated tensions amid a federal immigration crackdown in the country's third-largest city. Continue reading...

Oregon state police say remains of Oak Grove Jane Doe' have been recovered after nearly 80 yearsThe dismembered body parts of an unknown Oregon woman found along the Willamette River in April 1946 are thought to be the remains of Oak Grove Jane Doe, Oregon state police said on Monday.The remains of a woman had been wrapped in multiple burlap sacks before being dropped into the river, and over the years, several parts or clothing would be found along the shores. Authorities said Oak Grove Jane Doe was a petite white woman between the ages of 30 and 50. She is Oregon's oldest unidentified victim. Continue reading...

Aakash Singh's elevation to high-ranking post given criminal charges four years ago is unusual, experts sayA top official at the Department of Justice (DoJ) who is directing aggressive prosecutions of minor crimes in Washington DC pleaded guilty to driving under the influence four years ago, the Guardian has found. His subsequent elevation to a high-ranking post is unusual in light of that arrest, experts said.Aakash Singh, 33, became an associate deputy attorney general this year and has been instructing attorneys to prioritize charges against protesters and people committing misdemeanors, even allegedly advising them to call new grand juries if they fail to get felony indictments. Continue reading...

Trump told the assembled European leaders that they were destroying their own countries in a move that was basically Maga madlibs'

Routh represented himself in trial over botched attempt on Trump's life at West Palm Beach golf courseThe man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on his West Palm Beach golf course two months before Trump clinched his second presidency in the 2024 White House election has been found guilty by a jury in Fort Pierce, Florida.Ryan Routh - who now faces up to life in prison at a later sentencing hearing - reportedly tried to use a pen to stab himself in the neck as the guilty verdict was read in court. Officers quickly swarmed him and dragged him out of the courthouse. Continue reading...

Bodies of Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko found by rescue crews after storm that likely killed them in split second'Lightning strikes in Colorado earlier this month killed two elk hunters who were caught in a storm, authorities concluded this week.Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko, both 25, had been hunting in the Rio Grande national forest in southern Colorado the week of 11 September when they stopped making contact. After extensive search-and-rescue operations, crews came upon their bodies a week later. Continue reading...

Rex Heuermann is charged with killing and dismembering seven women on Long IslandAccused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann will face a single trial for all seven alleged killings, a judge in Long Island, New York, ruled on Tuesday.Heuermann's trial, which had originally been scheduled for August, was delayed after he was charged with two new alleged killings in the case - and after his defense lawyers' decision to again challenge the admissibility of advanced nuclear DNA evidence. Continue reading...

Luke Donald can trumpet his side playing for love and glory while the hosts duck questions over their $500,000 eachThe merchandise tent is always a decent place to start when assessing the commercial vulgarity associated with modern-day Ryder Cups. At Bethpage, they are flogging 24-carat gold coins - 100 were available on Tuesday morning, presumably still are now - with Keegan Bradley's signature attached. The price? $7,500 (5,500). There must be an assumption Ryder Cup fans leave their senses at the gates.Money. The one subject the American Ryder Cup team would rather is not discussed this week and the theme Europe are more than happy to promote. As soon as it was confirmed the United States would be paid $500,000 a head to play at Bethpage - $300,000 must be given to charity, the rest is a stipend - half of Luke Donald's team talk was written. Europe play for their cause, their tour, their big picture. The US? Now quite easily portrayed as over obsessed with dollar signs. Twelve players, $2.4m, zero caveats. Continue reading...

US president accuses European countries specifically of destroying your heritage' by allowing migration

Trump officials froze California university's federal grant funds in August over allegations of civil rights violationsA federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore $500m in federal grant funding that it froze at the University of California, Los Angeles.US district judge Rita Lin in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction on Monday, saying the government probably violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires specific procedures and explanations for federal funding cuts. Instead, the government informed UCLA in generalized form letters that multiple grants from various agencies were being suspended but offered no specific details. Continue reading...

Yes, the Democratic congresswoman is flawed - but she's a fighter. Let's not write her off as too young or too femaleQuiz time, and the category is American gerontocracy. Here goes: how many sitting Democratic members of Congress have died in office since November 2022? The answer is a mind-boggling eight. While Republicans aren't dropping dead at the same rate, they're arguably clinging to power for longer than is dignified. Last year, a Texas journalist discovered Kay Granger, a high-ranking octogenarian Republican congresswoman, had stopped coming to work because she was in a senior living facility, suffering from dementia issues". And while he is not in a facility yet, Donald Trump's nonsensical ramblings, including a recent weird and completely fictitious story about his uncle knowing the Unabomber, suggest he may be suffering some sort of issue with his mental acuity.I'm not trying to be ageist here (the older I get, the more worried I become about ageism). I'm simply setting the scene. Behold: the US is ruled by out-of-touch elites who would rather die at their desks than cede power to fresh blood. Meanwhile, many Americans are frustrated with the status quo and desperate for change. You can see this in the excitement around Zohran Mamdani, the incoming Democratic mayor of New York City - unless the billionaire class can pull off an upset. You can also see it in a recent poll that found more than half of likely Democratic voters prefer socialism-aligned politicians such as Bernie Sanders (who, to be fair, is 84), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Mamdani to establishment figures like Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer. Continue reading...

We want to hear from people of color about how they feel that immigration agents can continue to stop people in Los Angeles based on race, language, job or locationOn 8 September, the supreme court's conservative majority temporarily lifted restrictions on roving" immigration patrols across the Los Angeles area after a lower court found that federal agents were indiscriminately targeting people on the basis of race, language, employment or location.Immigration advocates warned that the court has effectively legalized racial profiling" and opened the door to a broader unraveling of civil rights protections nationwide. Continue reading...

Officials say tiger unexpectedly bit and shook Ryan Easley in front of wife, child and onlookers at Growler PinesThe tiger handler who was fatally mauled by one of his charges in Oklahoma recently was killed as horrified onlookers - including his wife and daughter - watched during the end of a big cat show, local officials said Monday.Ryan Easley, 37, was dead when deputies arrived on Saturday at the Growler Pines Tiger Preserve near Hugo, not far from the Texas border, just minutes after dispatchers received an emergency call, said the Choctaw county sheriff, Terry Park. Continue reading...

Suspect accused of firing into KXTV lobby left notes citing politics and Trump allies, court docs showA man accused of shooting up an ABC affiliate station in Sacramento, California, on Friday may have been motivated by the network's suspension of talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel, prosecutors say.There's circumstantial evidence" that Anibal Hernandez Santana, 64, had a political motive behind" the shooting, Sacramento county district attorney Thien Ho said. There are some indications here that the motive behind the shooting of the ABC news station was political in kind," Ho remarked. Continue reading...

Harrisburg hosts one of the largest clusters of Bhutanese refugees in the US. Families are unsettled as Trump's policies divide their communityIt was 2022, and the Nepali flea market in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, buzzed with life -handmade hats and colorful flags hung outside the homes of families just yards from the market, who had built new lives after being expelled from Bhutan. Elderly men sat in circles, smoking cigars and playing folk songs, unwilling to let the past slip away.In the early 1990s, Bhutan expelled more than 100,000 Nepali-speaking Bhutanese people during a campaign of ethnic cleansing. Most fled to refugee camps in eastern Nepal, where many remained for nearly two decades. Beginning in 2007, about 85,000 were resettled across the US through a program coordinated by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the US government. Today, central Pennsylvania is home to several thousand Bhutanese refugees, with Harrisburg and nearby towns hosting one of the largest clusters in the country. That concentration carries political weight: Pennsylvania is a swing state, and Trump won it in 2024 by a slight margin. Continue reading...

There is no evidence to support the president's assertions about autism. But they exploit fears that already come with pregnancyRobert F Kennedy Jr continued his futile search for a single pharmaceutical cause of autism on Monday, when the Trump administration claimed that distorted recent studies and misstated scientific evidence to allege a link between women's Tylenol use during pregnancy and the development of autism in children. Kennedy has long spoken with disturbing disgust about autistic people, claiming at one press conference that autistic children destroy families" and will never pay taxes. They'll never hold a job. They'll never play baseball. They'll never write a poem. They'll never go out on a date." He had previously pledged to find the cause of autism by this month.As part of his apparent quest to eliminate this vast and varied group of people - who do, in fact, pay taxes, hold jobs, play baseball, write poems, go on dates, and function as beloved and caring members of functional families - Kennedy has already sought to restrict access to common vaccines. In June, he fired every member of the advisory committee on immunization practices, an influential group of vaccine experts whose recommendations had long shaped policy for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In place of the experts, he reconstituted the panel with a number of vaccine critics and cranks, whose incompetence has led to chaotic meetings and bizarrely changing vaccine recommendations. Donald Trump has recently joined his health secretary in casting aspersions on childhood vaccines - safe and effective treatments that have saved countless lives and are among the more wonderful miracles of human innovation. It's too much liquid," the president said of the early childhood immunizations on Monday. Too many different things are going into that baby at too big a number. The size of this thing, when you look at it." Continue reading...

US agency dismantled hidden telecom network that would have unleashed chaos ahead of UN general assembly

Dr Audrey Brumback, an autism expert and researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, refutes Donald Trump's claims that acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol, is linked to autism.The advice from the US president, who has no medical training, goes against that of medical societies, which cite data from numerous studies showing acetaminophen plays a safe role in the wellbeing of pregnant women

Survey by American Association of Professors shows nearly quarter of respondents are switching due to states's politicsMany professors in the US south, particularly in Florida, South Carolina and Texas, are considering leaving their state because of the impact the political climate is having on education, according to a new survey by the American Association of Professors.Of those interviewed in the survey, roughly a quarter of respondents said they applied for a job in higher education in another state since the start of 2023. Continue reading...

Celebrating a bigoted rage-baiter sends a clear message to people of color, LGBTQ+ folks and womenThe streets of Washington DC, are unmistakable. In addition to noting the city's signature architecture and public monuments, one will know they are in the nation's capital when they can barely go half a city block without spotting a US flag. Two weeks ago, those flags were flying at half-staff, but not in recognition of the passing of a high-ranking public official, as would be customary. Instead, the half-staff was ordered by the White House in a highly politicized effort to memorialize the 10 September killing of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old podcaster, hard-right party operative, and Maga youth influencer, as an event of national tragedy.Kirk ruled over an online fiefdom peddling his signature brand of rage-baiting racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic and misogynistic commentary. It wasn't just his vitriolic style, but also his popularization of cruelty, humiliation and dehumanization of political opponents - especially college students - that attracted millions to his audience. He famously said empathy was a made-up, new age term that does a lot of damage". Continue reading...

After Cornelius Taylor's death, the city made promises to change its homelessness policy - but his friends say it didn't follow throughFor the first time since she stopped calling it home, Lolita Griffeth set foot on Old Wheat Street, tucked behind Atlanta's historic Auburn Avenue.She gingerly walked down the alley, leaning on her walker, and pointed. Continue reading...

We would like to hear from pregnant women and medical professionals about their views on Trump's commentsPresident Trump has advised pregnant women not to take acetaminophen, usually branded as Tylenol in the US or paracetamol elsewhere, as he claims it heightens the risk of autism in children.Despite his assertion being contested by scientists internationally and contradicted by studies, Trump said: Taking Tylenol is not good ... All pregnant women should talk to their doctors about limiting the use of this medication while pregnant." Continue reading...

Disney saw hurricane-level blowback over the talkshow host's suspension, thanks in large part to consumersABC says Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will return to the airwaves next Tuesday - less than a week after Trump's henchman Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, said on a podcast that Kimmel's remarks were part of a concerted effort to lie to the American people".Carr threatened that the FCC could do this the easy way or the hard way" - suggesting that either ABC and its parent company, Walt Disney, must remove Kimmel or the regulator would have additional work" to do. Continue reading...

Alfredo Juarez Zeferino spent a harrowing few months in Ice jail - and, under threat of deportation, chose to leaveAlfredo Lelo" Juarez Zeferino spends much of his days outdoors, harvesting bananas and hiking vast, bramble-laden trails. But for more than a quarter of 2025, he barely saw the sun. After being arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) in March, the farm-worker activist was placed in a detention center in Washington state, where he remained until he agreed to voluntarily leave the US.I probably would say five times, in the three months and a half I was in there, they offered me to go outside," he explained on a Zoom call from his family farm in Guerrero, Mexico, where he has been for over a month. Continue reading...

Influencer creep symbolizes a broader rot at the heart of the broadcaster as it attempts to stop interrogating the very sports it coversFor a certain segment of American sports fans, all change is automatically bad - especially when it comes to their favourite shows. Minor tweaks to beloved theme songs, shuffles to commentary booths and analysis teams, new scoreboard graphics, even changes to the duration and placement of ad breaks: all of these can trigger days, sometimes even years, of volcanic debate. For a certain type of sporting masochist it's possible to plug into corners of the online sportingverse that are still litigating, say, the chyrons from the 2010 NBA finals, or ESPN's decision - originally made in 2011, reversed in 2017, then reinstated in 2020 - to cut ties with Hank Williams Jr and his legendary All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night intro song for Monday Night Football.The outrage prompted by the latest upheavals at ESPN certainly fits the pattern of involuntary fan resistance to change, but on closer inspection this is more than a case of a few disgruntled cable TV subscribers reenacting the old man yells at cloud" meme. In August ESPN announced it was bringing on Katie Feeney, a recent Penn State graduate with 14 million followers across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, to produce sports and lifestyle content - offering a blend of on-site access, fashion, and culture", as the press release put it - for the network's main broadcasts and digital channels. Continue reading...

Claims of a link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism have been repeatedly disproven - despite what the US administration suggestsI have treated more than 200,000 patients in almost 40 years of practising medicine. Autism is a complex disorder which can present in many different ways and in a spectrum of severity. Causation is a very important consideration and, as a paediatrician, I know that parents often ask why their child has autism.Particularly in the severe end of the autism spectrum, genetic disorders can present with autistic features; for example Angelman syndrome, Smith-Magenis syndrome, Williams syndrome and many others. However, for the majority of the children who are diagnosed with autism, no cause is found. We also know that the number of children diagnosed with autism in the developed world is increasing. There are many reasons for this, not least that we are better at diagnosing it. However, in my work I often heard the question why is my child autistic?" Continue reading...

For years, the EU followed the US's lead when it came to China. That is no longer an option and Beijing has other prioritiesEurope's relationship with the US is unmoored, but it has also lost its bearings with regard to China, caught by competing forces that pull and push in opposite directions.Europe's China policy used to be a function of Washington's. When Barack Obama tried and then failed to pivot to Asia in 2011, sucked into turmoil in the Middle East instead, Europeans lulled themselves into the belief that their relationship with Asia could continue to be driven by trade, with security an afterthought.Nathalie Tocci is a Guardian Europe columnist Continue reading...

This blog has closed. Read our latest story herePer my last post, it's important to underscore that autism has been a focus for Kennedy. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Kennedy planned to announce that use of Tylenol by pregnant women was potentially linked to autism spectrum disorder. Kennedy has claimed that the US is in the grip of an autism epidemic" fuelled by environmental toxins".A reminder that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) says there's no clear evidence" linking prudent" use of acetaminophen to issues with fetal development. Continue reading...

Doctors call president's warning that pregnant women should limit use of acetaminophen - also known as paracetamol - highly concerning' and irresponsible'Medical experts are raising alarms after Donald Trump warned pregnant women to avoid taking Tylenol, baselessly linking the painkiller - also known as paracetamol - with a rise in autism among children.From the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), doctors have endorsed the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy after Trump said pregnant women who can't tough it out" without the painkiller should limit their intake. Continue reading...

New York mayoral candidate had withdrawn from WABC event in protest at network's suspension of talkshow hostZohran Mamdani, the New York Democratic mayoral candidate, said on Monday evening he was willing to appear at a town hall hosted by a local ABC station after the national network said it would reinstate Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show.Mamdani had announced his withdrawal from the televised town hall hosted by a local ABC station in protest of the network's suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's talkshow. Continue reading...

Having now won four successive 200m world titles, Noah Lyles has expressed a desire to surpass Usain Bolt's record with a fifth at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing in 2027. But when asked about the future of the sport, Lyles said: 'The future of sprinting is hazy right now. There is so much talent, there is so much room for growth and there are so many new personalities coming up, but I feel the way that the sport is right now, nobody knows which direction to go in.'

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists hits back at linking of key painkiller, known widely as Tylenol or paracetamol, to autism - key US politics stories from 22 September 2025Donald Trump announced on Monday that pregnant women should limit their use of acetaminophen, usually branded as Tylenol in the US or paracetamol elsewhere, which he claimed heightens the risk of autism when it used by pregnant women, an assertion hotly contested by scientists internationally and contradicted by studies.The president said he had waited for 20 years for this meeting" and added: It's not that everything's 100% understood or known, but I think we've made a lot of strides." Continue reading...

White House proclamation announcing new visa fees has prompted questions and confusion - here's what to knowDonald Trump's administration has announced an annual $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, a type of US visa that allows companies to hire foreign workers in skilled occupations such as IT, healthcare and engineering.The new proclamation, signed on Friday, brought a mixed bag of emotions for hundreds of thousands of workers on H-1B visas, as well as many question. Here's what you need to know. Continue reading...

President's announcement latest move in campaign that seeks to valorize the natural' - often at women's expenseDonald Trump has, allegedly, found the answer to autism": Tylenol.On Monday, Trump announced that pregnant women should dramatically limit their use of acetaminophen, known by the brand name Tylenol or internationally as paracetamol, because, he claimed, it raises the risk of autism. Continue reading...

Executive order revives controversial pledge from Trump's first presidency in wake of Charlie Kirk's killingDonald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that designates antifa as a domestic terrorist organization", reviving a controversial pledge from his first presidency in the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing on 10 September and yesterday's memorial service.Antifa is a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law," the order reads. Continue reading...

More than 22,000 people report feeling early-morning quake, which occurred east-south-east of BerkeleyAn earthquake with a magnitude of 4.3 rocked the San Francisco Bay Area early on Monday, waking up many people in the northern California region.The quake hit just east-south-east of Berkeley, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, and more than 22,000 people said they felt it. Continue reading...