Dog meant to be friendlier version of banished predecessor Major involved in several incidents, one requiring hospital treatmentHe was introduced as a smaller and friendlier version of Joe Biden's dog Major, who was banished from the White House two years ago after numerous biting episodes.Now the first pooch", Commander, is in the doghouse himself after chomping down on several people, including a Secret Service agent who needed hospital treatment for their wounds. Continue reading...
Bargaining committee endorses five-year contract which includes wage increases and Martin Luther King Day as paid holidayThe Teamsters union announced on Tuesday that its leadership had reached a tentative agreement with UPS, averting a strike that was set to begin on 1 August involving 340,000 workers.The national bargaining committee unanimously endorsed the five-year tentative agreement. Continue reading...
Utah senator cites 90s comedy Dumb and Dumber to call on candidates to unite behind one challenger to avoid 2016 repeatRepublican donors must persuade failing candidates for the party's presidential nomination to drop out of the race quickly in order to stop Donald Trump winning, Senator Mitt Romney has said.Trump leads most Republican primary polling averages by 30 points or more, despite facing 71 criminal indictments, the prospect of more over his attempted election subversion, and deeply unfavorable ratings with American voters at large. Continue reading...
Police in Neptune Beach say a large amount of marijuana washed ashore' and that it had begun to degrade and rotA Florida beach was recently overtaken by a different type of weed than that of the sea: a large amount of marijuana" washed up on Neptune Beach over the weekend.The Neptune Beach police department wrote in a Facebook post that they had responded to a large amount of marijuana which washed ashore along the shoreline" on Saturday. Continue reading...
Latest aggressive intercept by Russia in region sees drone damaged, a week after jet flew dangerously close to US aircraftA Russian fighter jet flew within a few meters of a US drone over Syria and fired flares at it, striking the American aircraft and damaging it, the latest in a string of aggressive intercepts by Russia in the region.A senior air force commander said the Russians attempted on Sunday to knock the MQ-9 Reaper drone out of the sky. It came just a week after a Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a US surveillance aircraft carrying a crew in the region, jeopardizing the lives of the four Americans on board. Continue reading...
Florida governor and team thank well-wishers after accident while traveling to event in Chattanooga, TennesseeRon DeSantis, the right-wing governor of Florida and candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, was involved in a car crash on the campaign trail on Tuesday.In a statement to media, DeSantis's press secretary, Bryan Griffin, said: This morning, the governor was in a car accident while traveling to an event in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He and his team are uninjured. Continue reading...
Joy Alonzo accused by student of disparaging Dan Patrick in lecture on opioid crisis at Texas A&M UniversityThe Texas A&M University professor Joy Alonzo criticized the Texas lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, during a visiting lecture in March 2023 on the opioid crisis at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.Just hours later, Alonzo learned a student accused her of disparaging Patrick during the lecture. The complaint reached her supervisors and the chancellor of Texas A&M, John Sharp, who was in communication directly with the lieutenant governor's office. Continue reading...
Government action is needed to give children affordable access to healthier foods. We can't wait another decade for changeAcross high-income countries, from Britain to Denmark to the US, cancers in people under the age of 50 are becoming more common. This is quite an unusual pattern given that, for decades, cancer was seen as an affliction of old age. In fact, the high rates of cancer in high-income countries in much older people - above the age of 80 - was a sign of humans overcoming infectious diseases to live a long life before chronic diseases such as cancer would set in.So the increase in cancer rates in younger people has come as a surprise. The numbers are stark. Data from the G20 group of industrialised countries indicates that between 1990 and 2019, cancer rates increased by 22% in the age group 25-29. Rates of cancer in the next age group, 30-34, are at the highest level ever. And given cancer screening classically isn't routine in younger age groups, these cancers tend to go undiagnosed for longer with the tumours being more aggressive. Continue reading...
Bobby Smallwood stood between gunman and maternity patients and staff when he was shot and killed on SaturdayA community in the US state of Oregon is mourning a hospital security guard who was shot to death while protecting a maternity ward from an intruder over the weekend.The slain guard, 44-year-old Bobby Smallwood, started out handling administrative and computer-related tasks when he first joined Portland's Legacy Health network last year, according to a profile of him published by the news website oregonlive.com. But staffers at the hospital network often called Smallwood to help out with security because he was 6ft, 5in tall and weighed 270lbs. Continue reading...
The Kuala Lumpur regime will be delighted that the focus is on the 1975, rather than the human rights abuses the band condemnedMatty Healy of the 1975 pop group is being condemned by critics for having a white saviour complex" and seeking to impose western" values on Malaysia. The accusation comes after he used his recent Kuala Lumpur concert to denounce the country's harsh anti-LGBTQ+ laws. But he got roars of approval from the crowd. They clearly agreed with what he said.And while some Malaysian LGBT people were critical, others were supportive. They argue that queer rights are a universal human right, not a western one, and that these rights are now supported by a sizeable minority of the Malaysian population - especially young people.Peter Tatchell is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation and the subject of the Netflix documentary, Hating Peter Tatchell Continue reading...
As the new season approaches in Europe, Jonathan Wilson will be writing a newsletter for soccer fans in the US and beyondSoccer continues to grow in the US: the Premier League has just opened an office in New York City, Lionel Messi's MLS debut started with a splash and Europe's top clubs are selling out stadiums across America on their summer tours.As the new season approaches in Europe, Jonathan Wilson will be writing a newsletter for soccer fans in the US and beyond. Continue reading...
We already know the damage that mining can cause on land. It could be devastating to the deep seaThousands of feet below the surface of the ocean, so deep that sunlight can't penetrate, magma seeping through the Earth's crust mixes with cold saltwater and creates a chemical reaction. The resulting hydrothermal vent spews water at temperatures upwards of 500F. Surrounding the vent - and other underwater landscapes - are small knobs containing copper, cobalt and other minerals precious for renewable energy batteries.This spring, scientists embarked on a search for new underwater formations aboard the Falkor (too), a research vessel operated by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, which one of us co-founded. Zooming in on three newly discovered hydrothermal vent fields with an underwater robot, the scientists found something unexpected. Continue reading...
Let's guard against new versions of the demand that women work to be hyper-attractive while pretending it's no work at allYou may have noticed that in our era of body positivity, fat acceptance and feelgood feminism, the celebrity diet is out.In its place: celebrity skincare.Jill Filipovic is the author of the The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness Continue reading...
Some lawmakers have even classified the opioid as a weapon of terrorism' and want impose the death sentence for its distributionAs American states rush to curb the surging death toll from fentanyl, the supercharged opioid swirling through the US's illicit drug supply, they are increasingly reaching for laws and tactics reminiscent of the failed war on drugs" of the 1980s.Dozens of states have introduced tougher laws in recent months in a desperate attempt to hold back the tide of a drug claiming nearly 200 lives a day that is the leading cause of deaths among American adults under the age of 45. Continue reading...
Survey shows a small but significant share of Americans believe in use of force to attain political goals - on both the left and the rightThe June federal indictment of Donald Trump is radicalizing" support for the use of force on behalf of the former president and current presidential candidate, according to the author of a recent survey about threats to democracy.Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, support for violence to restore the federal right to an abortion has also increased over the last few months, researchers found, although there's little indication that any organized groups support acting on this belief. Continue reading...
League Two club's Hollywood existence has taken them to LA and they see no reason why they cannot reach Premier LeagueNorth Carolina, Los Angeles, San Diego: the three stops on the first US tour in the widening horizons of Wrexham under their Hollywood A-list owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.After losing 5-0 to Chelsea in front of 50,596 spectators at Kenan Memorial Stadium and beating LA Galaxy II 4-0 (10,553, Dignity Health Sports Park), Phil Parkinson's promoted League Two team face Manchester United at the Snapdragon Stadium at 7.30pm Pacific time on Tuesday (3.30am BST), about 20 miles from Mexico. Continue reading...
When it comes to phone etiquette, I am the worst of both worlds: boomer rules for myself and gen Z rules for everyone elseI hate getting schooled by my kids in phone etiquette. Not because I especially mind them knowing modern life better than I do, or shuffling quietly into the sidebar of the sitcom while they ascend to main character status; just because their rules are so time-consuming. Basically, you can't leave any message on read. If it's a question and you don't know the answer, you need a holding response. If it's a meme and you like it, you need to laugh. If it's an arrangement confirmed, you need a thumbs up, even if you suggested it so your cooperation is implied. If someone calls you, you have to pick up. If you don't pick up, you have to call them back, but not in due course", when you've finished whatever you're doing, but immediately, as if someone might have died.I cling idiotically to the 20th century, where my phone works for me, I don't work for it. It's not unusual for me to get a message and just nod in assent, and then do my actual, in-real-life reply three days later. I am too old to learn and unlikely ever to change, but I now run a double standard, the worst of all possible worlds: boomer rules for myself and gen Z rules for everyone else. Boomer rules go under the umbrella your mum's Nokia corkscrew". You can text her if you like, but she won't reply, because she keeps her phone in the cutlery drawer, where it lies, uncharged, for use on special occasions. But when my friends don't reply to me, I go full Snapchat generation: Why have they broken our streak? Does that previous, timely back-and-forth mean nothing to them? Was there something wrong with the way I phrased it? Do they hate me now? Continue reading...
As the barrage of bad news from places like Greece continues, all we can be certain of is there are many surprises lying aheadOver the past few decades, climate scientists have made huge strides in understanding the future climate. But after recent weeks of extreme heat and devastating floods it's clear that, although climate models have provided good information about overall rising temperatures, they can't be sure what level of destruction each notch on the thermometer will bring.Climate modelling is extremely complex, but its fundamentals rely on basic physics - X tonnes of emissions will bring Y increase in temperature, with some error bars. Supercomputers have been able to factor in shifts in land use that will change the reflectivity of the Earth's surface. Improved temperature records helped verify their findings. Continue reading...
Analysis makes it clear human-caused global heating is destroying lives with worse to come without sharp emissions cuts. Plus, US actors' strike starts to bite on red carpet
The Angels have had two brilliant players at their disposal over the last few years. And they haven't reached the postseason in almost a decadeThe good news for the Los Angeles Angels is that they're still technically in the playoff hunt heading into the 1 August MLB trade deadline. That is also the bad news. You see, that slim hope of a postseason berth complicates their upcoming decision on whether to trade the greatest player in baseball or risk losing him in free agency and gain nothing in return.In case you haven't been paying attention, starting pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is in the midst of one of the most impressive two-way performances in sports history. Ohtani leads the majors in home runs, OPS and slugging percentage, all while doubling up as one of MLB's best pitchers. Imagine an NFL player who led the league in touchdown throws and sacks. Or a soccer center-forward who scored 30 goals a season and saved penalties. Continue reading...
Tafari Campbell, who worked at the White House during Obama's presidency, was visiting the island while the family was awayBarack Obama's personal chef died while paddleboarding near the ex-president's home on Martha's Vineyard over the weekend, Massachusetts state police said.Authorities recovered the body of Tafari Campbell, 45, of Dumfries, Virginia, from the Edgartown Great Pond on Monday, police confirmed. Continue reading...
Alabama woman could face charges for fabricating story, police say, as they try to determine where she was for two daysA woman in Alabama has confessed to fabricating a story that she was kidnapped after stopping to check on a toddler she saw walking on the side of the interstate.Carlee Russell's attorney, Emory Anthony, provided a statement to police on Monday saying there was no kidnapping. Continue reading...
The suspects - including a US marine - face up to 31 years for the 2022 molotov cocktail attack on the Costa Mesa clinicUS authorities have arrested a third man for his alleged involvement in the firebombing of a Planned Parenthood clinic in southern California last year.Xavier Batten, 21, was arrested on federal charges on Friday in Florida, the US attorney's office in Los Angeles said. Officials allege that Batten, along with two other men, including a US marine, conspired to attack a women's health clinic because it had provided reproductive health services. Continue reading...
Peter Francis Stager, 44, also stood over and hurled profanities at an injured policeman during the violent insurrection on January 6An Arkansas truck driver who beat a police officer with a flagpole attached to an American flag during the US Capitol riot was sentenced Monday to more than four years in prison.Peter Francis Stager struck the Metropolitan police department officer with his flagpole at least three times as other rioters pulled the officer, head first, into the crowd outside the Capitol on 6 January 2021. The bruised officer was among more than 100 police officers injured during the riot. Continue reading...
by Martin Pengelly in Washington and agencies on (#6D81N)
Move is the latest in a growing political spat between Greg Abbott and Biden administration over immigrationThe US Department of Justice has sued the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, over his refusal to remove a floating barrier placed on the Rio Grande to stop migrants entering the US from Mexico.The move is the latest in a growing political spat between Abbott and the Biden administration, heightened by Republican attempts to scaremonger over immigration as the 2024 presidential election looms. Continue reading...
NYPD's ex-commissioner Bernie Kerik gave about 600MB of pdfs to Jack Smith, who is investigating Trump for the Capitol attackThe former New York police commissioner Bernie Kerik, a leading Trump ally who worked with Rudy Giuliani on attempts to overturn the 2020 election, has given the special counsel Jack Smith thousands of documents, Kerik's lawyer said on Monday.I have shared all of these documents, approximately 600MB, mostly pdfs, with the special counsel and look forward to sitting down with them in about two weeks to discuss," Timothy Parlatore told CNN. Continue reading...
by Chris Stein US politics live blogger (now) and Lé on (#6D7RB)
Republican governor sets up battle with Biden administration over Rio Grande buoys to prevent people crossing from MexicoWhite House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has weighed in on events in Israel, where today the far-right government won passage of a key part its judicial overhaul that opponents warn threaten its democracy.Here's what she had to say:As a lifelong friend of Israel, President Biden has publicly and privately expressed his views that major changes in a democracy to be enduring must have as broad a consensus as possible. It is unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority. We understand talks are ongoing and likely to continue over the coming weeks and months to forge a broader compromise even with the Knesset in recess. The United States will continue to support the efforts of President Herzog and other Israeli leaders as they seek to build a broader consensus through political dialogue.The House Judiciary Committee is considering a vote this week to hold Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in contempt. While this is a mostly symbolic step for the House GOP majority, it would be a huge escalation of Republicans' war on Big Tech - if it happens.Judiciary Republicans claim Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, hasn't been cooperating with the panel's effort to investigate potential censorship by Big Tech, including the failure to hand over internal company documents. Continue reading...
Yard of Long Island's Rex Heuermann - held in connection to the deaths of four people - is being dug up by investigatorsInvestigators have been digging in the yard at the Long Island home of Rex Heuermann, who was charged earlier this month with killing at least three women and burying their remains on a remote stretch of beach highway.The 14 July arrest of Heuermann, a 59-year-old architect, marked a stunning breakthrough in the long-stalled cold case that first drew headlines in 2010, when police began searching for a missing woman, Shannon Gilbert, near Long Island's Gilgo Beach. Continue reading...
Alfredo Freddy' Ramirez in critical but stable condition after shooting following earlier altercation attended by Tampa officersThe head of Florida's largest police department was in critical condition at one of the state's hospitals on Monday after shooting himself on a busy interstate following a domestic dispute.Alfredo Freddy" Ramirez, director of the Miami-Dade police department, and his wife, Jody, had earlier been asked to leave the JW Marriott hotel in Tampa's downtown, where he was attending a sheriffs' association conference. Continue reading...
British general says US-led United Nations Command gives few details of contacts over Travis King who crossed line on 18 JulyThe US-led United Nations Command has initiated talks with North Korea about the American soldier who ran into that country and crossed one of the most militarized borders in the world, according to an official.But a British lieutenant general who helps lead the UN command stopped short of saying exactly when talks about Travis King began, whether they have been constructive or how many exchanges there have been. The lieutenant general, Andrew Harrison, also would not address any known details about King's health condition. Continue reading...
Eight Democrats urge Republicans to press Tommy Tuberville to end protest over policy allowing military to travel for abortionThe Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville's block on senior US military promotions in protest of Pentagon policy on abortion is reckless and dangerous", eight Democratic senators told Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader, in a letter published on Monday.It falls to you to act now, for the safety and security of our nation," the Democrats wrote to McConnell, of Kentucky. We urge you to exercise your leadership and prevail on senator Tuberville to end his reckless hold." Continue reading...
Liberal congresswoman criticizes the wealth of studio executives as new contract negotiations remain at loggerheadsAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined the picket line of film and television actors and writers represented by Sag-Aftra and WGA in front of Netflix's New York City office on Monday.The liberal congresswoman from New York criticized the wealth of studio executives as new contract negotiations between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) - which represents the studio bosses - and unions have been at loggerheads. Continue reading...
After a series of European elections in which radical right parties gained national influence, Spain has bucked the trendIn the lead-up to Sunday's election in Spain, Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, delivered a buoyant video message to supporters of the radical right Vox party. The hour of the patriots has arrived," said Ms Meloni, ahead of a poll expected to deliver more evidence that authoritarian, xenophobic nationalism was becoming normalised in Europe's politics.It didn't happen. Instead, after a high turnout in searing summer heat, Vox lost 19 seats, as its share of the vote fell compared with its breakthrough election in 2019. The conservative People's party (PP), led by Alberto Nunez Feijoo, won the most seats but failed to come close to winning a majority. The consequent parliamentary arithmetic means that a role for Vox as junior coalition partner, in an administration led by the PP, is a non-starter. The prospect of a radical right presence in national government, for the first time since the return of democracy to Spain in 1975, has thus receded.Do 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...
Tennessee student, 17, and advocates call the punishment a violation of the first amendmentA Tennessee student is suing his school district after he was suspended for posting memes making fun of his principal.The 17-year-old student shared three memes that he made and published online with the principal's face cut out on different backgrounds. Continue reading...
Eighteen of the 23-woman Philippines squad in New Zealand were born in America. But there is no doubt where their soccer loyalties lieTahnai Annis still remembers the epiphany she had nearly a decade ago, when she realized that international soccer could be in her future.Annis was coaching in the United States and she was at a professional combine helping out a friend she had met while playing in Iceland. One of the coaches at the event was Bruno Baltazar, who at the time was an assistant coach for the Philippines men's team. Baltazar suspected that Annis might be Filipino-American, she recalls, and after confirming as much he asked a simple question: Did you know that the Philippines has a women's team?" Continue reading...
Trump and the Republicans will lose this battle. Even if they win Republican primaries, they will lose the general electionNot once has Donald Trump veered from his core campaign theme.Recall the first rally of his 2024 election campaign on 25 March in Waco, Texas - exactly 30 years after a deadly siege between law enforcement and the Branch Davidians resulted in the deaths of more than 80 members of that religious cult and four federal agents.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com Continue reading...
We must oppose plans to restrain the judiciary, portions of which were backed by the Knesset today. Everything is at stakeThere were many exhilarating moments during the days and nights of the march to Jerusalem. One of them occurred on Saturday morning, when a massive human wave, quivering with thousands of blue and white flags, slowly streamed down the hillside near Shoresh and intersected with the crowds waiting at Hemed Bridge. The two camps melded together; water bottles were given to the hot and weary walkers, along with slices of watermelon, ice pops and grapes. There was generosity, goodwill and heartfelt sharing. There was the rare understanding that each of us was composed of the many people who came to this place, who continued together up the Qastel hills to Jerusalem, sweltering in the extreme heat but with their souls uplifted.The Jewish nation has experienced rifts and divisions: Sadducees and Pharisees, Hasidism and Misnagdim, and many other opposing factions. But what has been occurring in Israel these past few months is no longer on the same continuum. We do not yet have the words to adequately describe this turn of events, and that is why it is so frightening. It may transpire that it was the beginning of a process that will crumble - and possibly resolve - our society's ossified, dangerous points. But for now it is bringing to the surface Israel's secrets and lies, the cumulative historical offences, the lack of compassion, the injustices, all of which have become an intolerable dissonance that breeds mutual revulsion.David Grossman is an Israeli author. This piece was translated by Jessica Cohen from an article originally published in the Hebrew edition of HaaretzDo 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...
As the northern hemisphere burns, experts feel deep sadness - and resentment - while dreading what lies ahead this Australian summerGuardian Australia asked seven leading climate scientists to describe how they felt as much of the northern hemisphere is engulfed by blistering heatwaves, and a number of global land and ocean climate records are broken.Dr Joelle Gergis, senior lecturer in climate science Fenner School of Environment and Society, associate investigator ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes at the Australian National University Continue reading...
Peace between Hemedti's RSF and Sudan's army will not end war crimes. As UN security council president, Britain must actAs conflict in Sudan escalates, it is becoming clear that the Rapid Support Forces has returned to Darfur to complete the genocide it began 20 years ago. The RSF is the Janjaweed rebranded, the devils on horseback" used by the Sudanese government from 2003 to implement widespread and systematic crimes against non-Arab communities across Darfur. The RSF was, and still is, commanded by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Hemedti" Dagalo.In recent weeks, what we knew was coming has been confirmed. Yale University's Conflict Observatory, which uses a combination of satellite imagery, Nasa thermal-detection data and open-source analysis, found evidence of the targeted destruction of at least 26 communities" by the RSF between 15 April and 10July. Mass graves have been discovered, and satellite imagery shows entire urban neighbourhoods and villages have been burned down. Continue reading...
Controversial owner Wendy McCaw has shut down Santa Barbara News-Press, which won Pulitzer prize in 1962The longest-running newspaper in southern California has ceased publication after filing for bankruptcy.The Santa Barbara News-Press has posted its last online edition after ceasing print publication about a month ago. Continue reading...
Bodies found after two women failed to return from hike in Valley of Fire state park in temperatures up to 114FTwo hikers have been found dead in a state park in southern Nevada, authorities said on Sunday.Nevada state police did not release any details on the hikers' identities or a possible cause of death. However, the southern part of the state remains under an excessive heat warning, and the high temperature on Saturday was 114F (45C). Continue reading...
Sean O'Brien could be leading his union in one of the biggest - and costliest - strike at a single private employer in US historySean O'Brien has a long family legacy at the Teamsters: his great-grandfather, grandfather and father were all Teamster union members in Boston. O'Brien joined the union after dropping out of college at age 19 to haul equipment on construction sites in 1991. Thirty-two years later, he is on the verge of leading the union in one of the biggest - and costliest - strikes at a single private employer in US history.The Teamsters has 1.2 million members, making it one of the largest unions in the world. Its membership is diverse, ranging from police to bakers, but it is most famous for representing freight drivers and warehouse workers. Shipping and logistics giant UPS is the single largest employer in the Teamsters Union. Continue reading...
US news | The Guardian