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Representative Jim Jordan will call on Covid truthers and January 6 skeptics in his inquiry into the politicization of federal law enforcementWitnesses set to testify to Congress about the “weaponisation” of the US government on Thursday have links to far-right groups and a history of supporting conspiracy theories about coronavirus vaccines and the January 6 insurrection, a congressional watchdog has warned.In February, Republicans in the House of Representatives created a panel on what they say is the politicisation of the FBI and justice department against conservatives. Critics saw it as an attempt to entangle Joe Biden in spurious investigations ahead of next year’s election. Continue reading...

Ukraine war and China’s Taiwan ambitions are expected to dominate G7 discussions, but Fumio Kishida will have a powerful backdrop. Plus, the rise and fall of Rudy GiulianiGood morning.The war in Ukraine and Chinese aggression towards Taiwan will dominate G7 discussions this week, but the host, Fumio Kishida, the Japanese prime minister, is expected to carve out time to push for a pledge on nuclear weapons when leaders meet in Hiroshima, the first place on Earth targeted by an atomic bomb.What has Kishida said in the run-up to the summit? He spoke of his desire for “a world without nuclear weapons”, although campaigners point to the failure by Japan – part of the US nuclear umbrella – to sign a 2021 UN treaty banning the possession and use of nuclear weapons. “I believe the first step toward any nuclear disarmament effort is to provide a first-hand experience of the consequences of the atomic bombing and to firmly convey the reality,” Kishida said of the planned group visit to the peace museum.What has Biden said in response to the criticism? The president said: “I’ll be in constant contact with my team while I’m at the G7 and be in close touch with speaker McCarthy and other leaders as well. What I have done in anticipation that we won’t get it all done till I get back is, I’ve cut my trip short in order to be [here] for the final negotiations and sign the deal with the majority leader.”What has McCarthy said? Speaking to CNBC, he said: “I think at the end of the day we do not have a debt default. The thing I’m confident about is now we have a structure to find a way to come to a conclusion. The timeline is very tight. But we’re going to make sure we’re in the room and get this done.” Continue reading...

It is time to end the international embarrassment of the US being the only major country that does not guarantee healthcareLet’s be clear. The current healthcare system in the United States is totally broken, dysfunctional and cruel. It is a system which spends twice as much per capita as any other major country, while 85 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured, one out of four Americans cannot afford the cost of the prescription drugs their doctors prescribe, and where over 60,000 die each year because they don’t get to a doctor on time.It is a system in which our life expectancy is lower than almost all other major countries and is actually declining, a system in which working class and low-income Americans die at least ten years younger than wealthier Americans.Bernie Sanders is a US Senator and the ranking member of the Senate budget committee. He represents the state of Vermont Continue reading...

Advanced money-laundering techniques and clandestine precursor imports combine to stoke the opioid crisis – can the US stem the flow?For a few days in April, news sites across Latin America were running Instagram photos of a glamorous blond woman enjoying trips around the world.There were pictures of Ana Gabriela Rubio Zea, 32, posing in a blue dress and Yves Saint Laurent handbag outside San Miguel de Allende, ice skating in a miniskirt in Central Park and laughing in the Forbidden City. Continue reading...

The US and China have a complex relationship, yet the movie business is one area where the two nations have enjoyed collaboration. But in the last few years, even this partnership has become more competitive. However, as the two countries' political relationship grows more rancorous, China is opening the door to US blockbusters once again. The whole thing is starting to resemble a romance straight out of the movies. So why is China's film industry so dependent on Hollywood? Continue reading...

In an adapted extract from his new memoir, the former NFL player reflects on coming to terms with his queerness in college and the life-altering conversation that gave him salvationBack in Texas, everyone I knew had strong feelings about homosexuality. If you were straight, you would use slurs like faggot and pussy boy and rant about masculinity and manhood – things no teenage boy knows anything about. If you were gay, you had to fight for your freedom and sometimes even your life. I only knew of one openly gay kid at Creekview; our lockers were near each other’s junior year. Sometimes I would catch him at his locker, not opening it, not rushing to class, not coming or going, just standing there, staring off into the distance and trying to breathe, hiding in plain sight.I hid at Creekview, too, I guess, acting happy when I was spiraling, being popular when I was filled with self-loathing.This is an adapted excerpt from The Yards Between Us by RK Russell. Available to buy now Continue reading...

This weekend’s Arab League summit will embolden the regime to continue its crimes, including the forced disappearances of hundreds of thousands of innocent SyriansWhen the protests first started in Syria in 2011, my father changed. He was very calm. He told me: “I had hoped my whole life that this would happen, but I never thought I would witness it. Even if I don’t get to see victory for the Syrian people, it is enough for me that I have been there at the beginning.”I can’t help but think of these words today. Continue reading...

The president had no mandate to dismantle France’s social model. His contempt for the people risks opening the door to extremismAs France was commemorating the end of the second world war in Europe this month, Emmanuel Macron cut an isolated figure on a near-empty Champs-Elysées, surrounded by steel security barriers to prevent any member of the public from getting within shouting, let alone pot-banging, distance.For the first time, and by police order the French people were barrred from a large area ringing the official 8 May remembrance of the liberation. Six years after his first presidential victory and a year after winning a second term in the Elysée, Macron can scarcely show his face in public without being booed, heckled or insulted.Rokhaya Diallo is a French writer, journalist, film director and activist Continue reading...

Exclusive: Sporting goods company may have misclassified thousands of temporary office workers, according to documentsNike may have misclassified thousands of temporary office workers and faces potential tax fines of more than $530m, according to documents obtained by the Guardian.The sporting goods company employs more than 79,000 people worldwide and like many large corporations relies on an army of independent contractors to do much of the work, includingbusiness consulting, T-shirt graphics, photography and event planning.Last year Uber agreed to pay $100m after an audit in New Jersey concluded the ride-hailing company had misclassified its drivers as independent contractors.In 2016 FedEx agreed to pay drivers in 20 states $240m to settle lawsuits claiming the parcel delivery company misclassified them as independent contractors.In 2000 Microsoft paid $97m to settle claims that workers had been classified as “temporary” workers for years, denying them standard benefits such as health insurance and participation in the employee stock purchase plan. Continue reading...

Republican-led group expected to lobby Ben Wallace at informal lunch meeting during Westminster visitA Republican-led group of China hawks from the US Congress will visit Westminster on Friday where they are expected to meet the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, for lunch and press for the UK to take a tougher line on Beijing.The 11-strong delegation is led by the Republican congressman Mike Gallagher, who chairs a high-profile, newly created China committee. Some fear a strident anti-Beijing tone will alienate centrist and left-leaning politicians in the UK. Continue reading...

Herman Ellis Dyal spent two years photographing the interior of his family’s Texas church – capturing the dried flowers and ‘cry rooms’. What did he learn about religion in the United States? Continue reading...

Otis Taylor attended Denver’s Manual high school in 1966 when administrators forced him out because he wouldn’t cut his hairUS blues musician Otis Taylor – whose critically revered song Ten Million Slaves has been featured on major films and television shows – has received his diploma from the high school which expelled him decades ago because of his hairstyle.As CBS News Colorado reported Wednesday, the 74-year-old Taylor was studying at Denver’s Manual high school in 1966 when he drew unwanted attention from administrators because of his long hair. Continue reading...

An investigation by the state into adolescent transgender care resulted in the curtailment of treatment for transitioning childrenAn investigation led by Republican Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, has sent doctors at an Austin hospital into a panic, causing all the physicians in its adolescent medicine department to depart.Earlier this week, Dell Children’s Clinic, which provides gender-affirming care for trans children, announced to parents that they would need to find new providers for their children in transition. Continue reading...

At many of these companies a sizeable percentage of workers, in some cases as much as half, had no money in their 401(k)s – reportThe top five executives at the US’s largest companies have amassed close to $9bn in tax-free retirement saving accounts while many of their employees have struggled to set aside any funds for retirement, according to a new report released on Thursday.The report, A Tale of Two Retirements, from the Institute for Policy Studies and Jobs With Justice found the top five executives at S&P 500 firms held a combined $8.9bn in special tax-deferred accounts at the end of 2021. Income taxes will be due on this compensation when they withdraw the funds, but in the meantime, they benefit from the tax-free compounding of investment returns. Continue reading...

Jack Teixeira was admonished repeatedly for accessing and taking notes on intelligence documents, says court filingJack Teixeira, the US air national guard member charged with being behind the so-called Pentagon leaks of highly classified military documents, was warned repeatedly over his mishandling of classified material, according to a court filing.Justice department lawyers made the disclosure in court papers that urged Teixeira be kept behind bars while he awaits trial in the case stemming from the most consequential intelligence leak in years. The judge is expected to hear more arguments on Friday before issuing a ruling. Continue reading...

Members voted along party lines to refer a resolution to remove the lying congressman to the House ethics committeeRepublicans successfully sidestepped an effort to force them into a vote to expel George Santos, the New York representative, from Congress, which could have narrowed their already slim four-seat majority.The House voted along party lines, 221-204, to refer a resolution to expel the congressman to the House ethics committee, with Santos himself joining his Republican colleagues in voting to do so. Continue reading...

Greg Gianforte, the governor, signed legislation prohibiting mobile app stores from offering the video-sharing platform by next yearMontana has became the first US state to ban TikTok after the governor signed legislation prohibiting mobile application stores from offering the app within the state by next year.The move is among the most dramatic in a series of US escalations against TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance. TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny over its ties to China, amid concerns that such links could pose a national security threat. Continue reading...

Company averts a trial to determine damages as drug-related deaths surged by 41% in the city in the first quarter of this yearSan Francisco has reached a $230m settlement with Walgreens over the corporation’s role in the city’s unprecedented opioid crisis.The settlement is the largest ever awarded to a local government amid years of continuing, nationwide opioid-centered litigation, according to San Francisco’s city attorney. Continue reading...

The MIT linguist says the late sex offender helped on a ‘technical matter’ related to his and his late wife’s financesJeffrey Epstein helped move $270,000 for renowned linguist Noam Chomsky and also paid $150,000 to Bard College president Leon Botstein, the Wall Street Journal has reported.According to the newspaper, and also confirmed by Chomsky and Botstein, the late sex offender and financier had financial dealings with the two academics and had met with them multiple times. Continue reading...

Senators including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders argue in letter that Republicans are not negotiating ‘in good faith’As concerns about the debt ceiling heat up, a group of Democratic senators is planning to send Joe Biden a letter requesting he use his authority under the 14th amendment of the constitution to continue paying the US government’s bills, even if the debt ceiling is not raised.Democratic senators including Tina Smith, Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey and Bernie Sanders, an independent, argued that Republicans are not negotiating “in good faith”. They called into question the GOP’s attempt to apply work requirements to programs like Medicaid and SNAP, which provide healthcare and food vouchers for low income family. Continue reading...

Terry Martin allegedly stole one of four remaining pairs of shoes worn by Judy Garland for the filming of the 1939 movieA man has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of stealing a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz.The shoes were stolen in 2005 and recovered by a 2018 FBI sting operation, but no arrests were made at the time. Continue reading...

Senators want to use amendment that says validity of US debt cannot be questioned, arguing Republicans not acting in good faithJoe Biden says he is “confident” that a deal will be reached to increase the debt ceiling and avoid a US government default.“I’m confident that we’ll get the agreement on the budget, that America will not default,” the president said in a speech at the White House following his meeting yesterday afternoon with the Republican House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, and other leaders of Congress. Continue reading...

Koepka and Johnson could be in the mix at Oak Hill which would make things awkward for the US Ryder Cup captainBrooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson want to play in the Ryder Cup. There are influential members of the United States team who want Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson to play in the Ryder Cup. Yet speaking on the eve of the US PGA Championship, team captain Zach Johnson was as dismissive of the prospect of LIV rebels boarding September’s charter to Rome as someone of his mild disposition could possibly be. LIV golfers appear to be out of sight and out of mind.Zach Johnson was asked directly whether his namesake, Dustin, is currently among their nation’s best 12 golfers. “Really difficult for me to judge that,” said the captain. “I don’t know the golf courses they’re playing. Never seen them. I’m not there on foot in person. Continue reading...

Daniel Gill seeks monetary damages for assault charges in 2022 after slapping mayor on back and saying: ‘What’s up, scumbag?’A heckler who was charged with assaulting Rudy Giuliani at a Staten Island grocery store last year – after slapping him on the back and saying, “What’s up, scumbag?” – filed suit against the former New York City mayor and prominent Trump ally on Wednesday, alleging he levied an empty accusation.The lawsuit filed by Daniel Gill in Manhattan federal court also names as defendants the city and several police officers. Continue reading...

House speaker tells CNBC ‘I think at the end of the day we do not have a debt default’ as Biden says ‘We’re going to come together’Joe Biden and the Republican speaker of the US House, Kevin McCarthy, said on Wednesday they thought a deal to avoid a US debt default was in reach.Speaking at the White House, Biden said: “I’m confident that we’ll get the agreement on the budget, that America will not default. Continue reading...

Move expected to deal fresh blow to one of last bastions of abortion access in the southNorth Carolina has passed legislation banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy after the state’s Republican-controlled general assembly successfully overrode the Democratic governor’s veto on Tuesday evening.Both the state senate and house voted along party lines, with the senate voting 30-20. The house completed the second and final part of the override with a vote of 72-48. The bill will repeal the current law, which bans abortions after 20 weeks. Continue reading...

Despite his standing as a top prosecutor and mayor, the warning signs were there – we just chose to ignore themFrom “America’s mayor” to a human punchline, Rudy Giuliani’s descent continues unabated. On Monday, news broke of the septuagenarian Giuliani being slammed with a $10m sexual harassment and unpaid wages lawsuit brought by Noelle Dunphy, 43, a former aide. The mighty have fallen.Once he was the toast of town. As a federal prosecutor he sent a congressman to jail, locked up mobsters and indicted white-collar criminals. As mayor, he made the streets again feel safe. Love him or hate him, crime precipitously dropped on his watch. Continue reading...

Joe Flood confronted mask-wearing Patriot Front group during protest on Saturday and interrupted far-right addressA Washington-based writer and photographer has found viral fame after confronting a fascist group demonstrating on the National Mall in the US capital.Saying he aimed to “get in the heads” of the marchers, Joe Flood added: “Now get out of my town.” Continue reading...

PEN, Random House and parents file lawsuit after rightwing groups seek to ban books that address racism or sexual identityPEN America, a non-profit US organization that works to protect freedom of speech, along with publishing company Penguin Random House, and individual parents, have filed a lawsuit against a Florida school district for implementing book bans.The suit argues the removal and restriction of access to books discussing race, racism and LGBTQ+ identities violates the first amendment. It comes after rightwing groups have sought to remove books from libraries and schools in the US – often ones that address issues of racism or sexual identity. Continue reading...

Kayla Unbehaun disappeared in 2017 aged nine while under supervision of her mother and was discovered in North CarolinaA 15-year-old Illinois girl allegedly kidnapped by her mother six years ago was found alive in North Carolina on Saturday, less than a year after her disappearance was featured on the Netflix series Unsolved Mysteries.“I’m overjoyed that Kayla is home safe,” the girl’s father, Ryan Iskerka, said in a statement issued by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “We ask for privacy as we get to know each other again and navigate this new beginning.” Continue reading...

Relaxing into the boredom, it occurred to me that moments like these might just be what life is all aboutIt is a truism of parenting that it goes so fast, but as anyone who has been forced to sit on a bench and watch their children run tireless circuits of the playground knows, sometimes it goes so slowly you feel as if you’re losing your mind.I know people who will do anything to avoid playground duty, will beg their friends to coordinate so they don’t have to do it alone, or will discreetly wear headphones throughout so that, while maintaining eyes on their children, they can listen to a podcast and be entirely mentally absent. As the weather heats up and we crawl out of our screen-dependent winters, New York playgrounds are alive with the shriek of, “Joshua, 10 minutes!”Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Matt Harvill came across gator in waves off Dauphin Island on 7 May and says ‘it didn’t hiss, charge or open its mouth’An Alabama alligator was spotted basking in waves off Dauphin Island, bobbing calmly near human beachgoers but showing no sign of aggression.Matt Harvill, a 27-year-old Mobile resident, came across the lengthy gator on 7 May while at the beach taking pregnancy announcement photos with his girlfriend. Continue reading...

Daniel Cameron, backed by Trump, beats Florida governor’s preferred choice of Kelly Craft in Republican primaryDonald Trump scored a proxy victory over Ron DeSantis on Tuesday, the Republican presidential frontrunner’s preferred candidate beating the choice of the Florida governor, Trump’s closest rival, in a gubernatorial primary in Kentucky.Daniel Cameron, the first major-party Black nominee for governor in Kentucky history, will face the Democratic incumbent, Andy Beshear, in November. Continue reading...

It turns out there were two winners in the Wembayama sweepstakes: the French teen hailed as the best NBA prospect since LeBron James could not have handpicked a better organization to develop his craftThe NBA draft is still more than a month away, but its biggest question has already been answered. After winning Tuesday night’s draft lottery, the San Antonio Spurs are almost certain to use this year’s No 1 pick to select teenage French basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama. “Almost certain” is no exaggeration – according to oddsmakers at time of writing, a $100 wager on the Spurs to take Wembanyama with their pick would net the bettor just 50 cents.It’s easy to see why Wembanyama is a shoo-in to be drafted first. At 19 years old and 7ft 4in tall, he’s already bigger than nearly everybody in the NBA and is possibly still growing. His height, however, is only a (metaphorically) small part of Wembanyama’s appeal. He does things on a basketball court which people have never seen before. He can collect his own missed three-point shot for a putback dunk, score at will over one of the best defenders in basketball and dribble past opponents like a player half his size. In what may be the greatest accomplishment of his nascent career, Wembanyama even seems to have already won the admiration of his NBA elders (not always a given, even for most heavily hyped prospects). Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, for example, thinks Wembanyama will eventually serve as the archetype for all future NBA players, predicting that “in 2045, everybody is going to look like Victor”. Continue reading...

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett tells why she’s backing an assault weapons ban – and why Republicans are ‘cowards’Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett was in Dallas when the shocking news broke. At a shopping mall in the suburb of Allen, a gunman shot and killed eight people, including three children. He was later revealed to have posted photos online displaying Nazi tattoos on his arm and torso.“I was texting my mom to see where she was, because it’s a suburb 30 miles north of my district, and on the weekends she usually goes shopping,” Crockett, 42, recalls in an interview at her office in Washington. “She texted me: ‘I’m at my friend’s house. Why?’ ‘Because of Allen.’ ‘What’s going on in Allen?’ And I’m like, ‘There’s a shooting at the mall.” Continue reading...

Donna Deegan becomes city’s first female mayor by beating Daniel Davis, Republican backed by hard-right governorIn a major electoral upset on Tuesday, voters in Jacksonville elected their first female mayor, defeating a Republican backed by business leaders and endorsed by Ron DeSantis, the state governor and prospective presidential candidate.Jacksonville is the most populous Florida city, with about 950,000 residents. Donna Deegan, a Democrat, earned 52% of the vote, beating Daniel Davis. About 217,000 people voted, a turnout of 33%. Continue reading...

National security adviser confronted apparently intoxicated man at 3am then told his protectors what happened, report saysThe US Secret Service was investigating after an apparently intoxicated and confused man walked past agents and into the Washington home of Joe Biden’s national security adviser.Jake Sullivan confronted the man and told him to leave, the Washington Post first reported, of an incident that happened at about 3am one night in late April. There were no signs of forced entry. Continue reading...

Ex-prosecutors express criticism as key Republican allies attempt to derail investigations into former presidentAs Donald Trump’s legal troubles mount at the federal, state and local levels, the ex-president and his lawyers are banking on their political allies in the Republican party to make attacks on a New York prosecutor who has charged Trump with criminal offenses and to also get them to help derail investigations that endanger his 2024 campaign.Former prosecutors and members of both parties have voiced strong criticism about the drives by Trump, his lawyers and Republican House allies to attack prosecutors who have filed charges against Trump, or are investigating him, calling such moves antithetical to democratic principles and the rule of law, as well as fruitless. Continue reading...

Leaders will instead meet on sidelines of G7 in Hiroshima this weekend. Plus, how mifepristone became a target of the US anti-abortion movement

The New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces could change the landscape of the WNBA as they assemble star-packed rostersOver the course of its 27 year history, the WNBA has come to be defined by dynastic superteams and fierce rivalries.It dates back to the league’s humble beginnings in the late 1990s, when the now-defunct Houston Comets won the first four WNBA finals, defeating the New York Liberty in three of them. The Minnesota Lynx were next, appearing in six finals between 2011 and 2017, winning four titles. Continue reading...

State assembly member introduced law to prohibit tax-deductible donations from being used to expel Palestinians from their landNew York’s state assembly is to consider legislation to stop registered charities from sending tens of millions of dollars a year to fund illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.State assembly member, Zohran Mamdani, has introduced the “Not on our dime!: Ending New York funding of Israeli settler violence” act to prohibit tax-deductible donations from being used to expel Palestinians from their land and other activities widely regarded as war crimes under the Geneva conventions. Continue reading...

From Rebekah Vardy trademarking ‘Wagatha Christie’ to Drake’s ‘God’s Plan’, we live in a world where absolutely anything can be monetisedHannah Gadsby, a feted, award-winning comedian, has curated an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, about Pablo Picasso’s complicated legacy, called It’s Pablo-matic. This has absolutely nothing to do with the subject at hand – which is lettuce. Rather, I am alerting you to the exhibition because it’s proof that terrible puns are now high art. Bear this in mind as I proceed to make as many terrible leaf puns as I can in the next few paragraphs.OK, lettuce get back to the point. A US company called Little Leaf Farms is trying to trademark the curvy shape of its baby crispy green leaf lettuce. Is this some kind of GM-nightmare leaf, you might be wondering? Has big lettuce deviously planted cells in order to create a super-curvy salad? I wouldn’t rule it out, but in this instance it seems the lettuce’s shape is natural and the result of a particular seed being grown in a way that results in ruffled edges. Can you trademark that? US trademark experts seem to think it’s a long shot, but possible. Continue reading...

Ammar al-Baluchi was a human experiment for interrogators learning brutal techniques. Now prosecutors have proposed a plea bargainWarning: this article contains graphic images and descriptions of tortureOn 29 April 2003, 25-year-old Ammar al-Baluchi was snatched off the streets of Karachi by Pakistani authorities and handed over to the CIA. Continue reading...

Appeals court hears case brought by anti-abortion groups calling on the FDA to suspend decades-old approval of mifepristoneThree US appeals court judges who have previously favored abortion restrictions prepared to hear oral arguments on Wednesday on the future of the major abortion drug mifepristone.The case – which has landed before judges Jennifer Walker Elrod, James Ho and Cory Wilson – essentially calls on them to rule on whether the federal government should suspend or scale back the federal Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone in 2000, along with later actions that made the pill more widely accessible. Continue reading...

New York representative is subject of a privileged resolution, which would need two-thirds support to succeedDemocrats moved on Tuesday to expel George Santos from Congress.The New York Republican won election in November last year but his résumé has been shown to be largely made up and his campaign finances and past behaviour, some allegedly criminal, have been scrutinised in tremendous detail. Continue reading...

Three killed and six injured in shooting in Farmington as police say suspect, 18, shot dead by police, appeared to fire ‘randomly’An 18-year-old man who stalked a New Mexico neighborhood, fatally shooting three people “at random” on Monday, armed himself with at least three guns, one of which was the style of powerful rifle used during many mass shootings, officials said, renewing calls for legislation to combat gun violence.The attack, which also left six people injured, came as the US is poised to see its worst year in recent history for mass killings. Continue reading...

President had been due to address parliament next week, the first US leader in 10 years to do so, as part of Asia tour