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Seven House Democrats have so far called for president to quit, evidence of a party in disarray after disastrous debateAfter a day of private meetings on Capitol Hill, congressional Democrats appeared torn over whether Joe Biden should remain the party's nominee, as concerns deepen over the 81-year-old president's age, mental acuity and ability to win the White House for a second term.Lawmakers emerged from closed-door gatherings on Tuesday stone-faced, appearing uneasy about Biden's path forward, even if most weren't ready to publicly call on him to step aside. Asked if the party was on the same page after a House Democrats meeting, Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee quipped: We're not even in the same book." Continue reading...

Self-styled anti-hate group tracked Black organizer who opposed links between US police and Israeli militaryThe Anti-Defamation League has surveilled leftwing activists and regularly tracks, profiles and sends threat assessments of individuals" it perceives as a problem, according to an employee account and an internal email obtained by the Guardian.The May 2020 email was sent from ADL's head of security to chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt and unspecified employees of the Jewish group, which labels itself the leading anti-hate organization in the world". A self-styled civil rights organization, it plays an outsize role in shaping public sentiment and national policy around antisemitism, but it has been plagued by controversy in recent years over its attacks on Israel critics and social justice groups. Continue reading...

Polls indicate Biden is trailing Trump, but opinions may not have shifted radically, while Kamala Harris shows mixed resultsJoe Biden has suffered less polling damage than might have been expected after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump, while Kamala Harris, the vice-president, and the president's most likely replacement should Democrats switch candidates, had mixed results when positioned against Trump.Those were analysts' key takeaways from new polling nearly two weeks after the debate, as Biden continued to fend off calls to quit from within his own party, and majorities of Americans say he should drop out because of concerns over his age and health. Continue reading...

Company could endure biggest US strike of 2024 as unions accuse it of intimidation during contract negotiationsDisney could face the largest strike in the US this year after it was announced that thousands of theme park and hotel workers in California will vote on whether to stage a walkout.Three trade unions representing 14,000 cast members" at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney and the Disney hotels announced an unfair labor practice strike vote would be held next week amid negotiations over a new union contract. Continue reading...

Woman dies at California facility as temperatures reach 110F and residents without air conditioning beg for reliefAn incarcerated person at California's largest women's prison has died amid a brutal heatwave that has left residents without air conditioning begging for relief and warning of dire consequences for their health.A woman in the Central California Women's Facility, located in the Central Valley city of Chowchilla, died on Saturday as temperatures in the region climbed above 110F (43.3C). The California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP), an advocacy group, said it appeared the woman suffered a preventable heat death. The woman's daughter told the Sacramento Bee that her mother had complained about the physical toll of the summer weather for years. Continue reading...

Donna Vekic, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Jasmine Paolini are through to the Wimbledon semi-finals after winning their quartersBack to Djokovic, who they're discussing on BBC - and there's a general sense he overreacted - I baulked at his accusation the crowd were disrespecting him. No one with the remotest interest in tennis can possibly fail to respect the greatest male player of all time; what hurts Djokovic, I think, is that among that respect there's not always love - especially relative to how much there is, uniformly, for Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz.As for Sinner v Medvedev, it's hard to see a way the world number one loses on grass. The roof being closed, assuming it is, will help both - Sinner can hit it cleanly, while Medvedev will appreciate the sureness underfoot, sometimes unwilling to plant for fear of slipping. If he serves and returns like God, he's got a chance, but even then the confidence, authority and composure of Sinner looks likely to be decisive because almost everything Medvedev does, he does better. Continue reading...

More than 2 million homes were left without power after Beryl slammed Texas as a category 1 hurricane, before weakening to a tropical depression. Seven people were killed in the Houston area as the storm hit, officials said. Drone footage showed damaged homes and flooded streets in Surfside Beach, a coastal city 100km south of Houston

The Oklahoman brought a snowball to the Senate floor in 2015 to prove humans couldn't change the climateRepublican former senator James Inhofe, a climate denier who once brought a snowball to the chamber floor in a stunt attempting to disprove global warming, died on Tuesday at the age of 89.Inhofe resigned as senator for Oklahoma in January 2023, suffering long-term effects of Covid-19. Elected in 1994, his time as the state's longest-serving senator was notable for his ultra-conservative positions on numerous issues, including calling the climate emergency the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people". Continue reading...

University president says private text exchange during school event was unacceptable and deeply upsetting'Three Columbia University deans have been indefinitely removed from their positions after sending text messages that the university president said included antisemitic tropes.In a message sent on Monday, the Columbia president, Minouche Shafik, said that text messages revealed behavior and sentiments that were not only unprofessional, but also, disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes", the Columbia Spectator reported. Continue reading...

The new parliament better reflects a modern Britain that politicians have ignored for too longSeeing a Labour prime minister speak from the dispatch box in parliament sealed an electoral coup executed in the quiet of the country's polling booths last week. The proceedings in the House of Commons on Tuesday revealed the scale of the revolution that SirKeir Starmer led. Out of 650 parliamentarians elected, 335 have never been an MP before.Parliament now looks more like Britain. The Commons is the most diverse ever in terms of race and gender. Black, Asian and ethnic minority lawmakers will make up about 13% of the total, up from 10% in 2019. There are a record 242 female MPs, 22 more than after the last election. The Labour leader pointed out that the Commons now has the largest cohort" of LGBTQ+ MPs of any parliament in the world. It was heartening to see Sir Keir break with convention to praise the mother of the house, Diane Abbott, Britain's first black woman MP, who was almost blocked from standing as a Labour candidate. It may be a trick of the light, but the nation feels a better place. Continue reading...

Donation by former New York City mayor and alumnus will cover school fees for nearly all students from fall term 2024Medical school at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University will soon be free to nearly all students after a $1bn donation from the alumnus, philanthropist and politician Michael Bloomberg.Beginning in the fall term of 2024, the former New York City mayor's foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, will cover 100% of tuition for medical students whose families earn less than $300,000, the organization announced on Monday. And for those who earn less than $175,000, all living expenses and fees will also be covered. Continue reading...

Why didn't I spend more time actually being in the moment rather than worrying about getting the right shot of it?

Party instead opts to focus on power of states to regulate abortion in move that reflects Trump's positionFor the first time in 40 years, the Republican party has omitted a national abortion ban from its official party platform - opting instead to focus on the power of states to regulate abortion in a move that reflects Donald Trump's preferred position.Fourteen states have adopted near-total abortion bans since the supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. Roe had provided a federal constitutional right to obtain an abortion. Continue reading...

White House physician clarifies in letter that Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physicals

He thinks he can run again: the signs say the opposite. Biden's best hope for beating Trump may be to let someone else do itThe Joe Biden re-election campaign is now a situation where you want to put your hands over your eyes even when your hands are already over your eyes. Like mine, all your sets of hands may have been clamped tightly to your lids since Biden's franchise-killing performance in the first presidential debate 12 days ago, which his press secretary incredibly handwaved away by stating: He had a cold". A cold what? A cold sweat? A cold day in hell? A cold dead hand he'd like you to prise the nomination out of?In news that launched a million grimace emojis, the answer turns out to be: all of the above. Biden is on a fightback. Yesterday he railed against elites" in the Democratic party, proudly deploying that great Donald Trump innovation whereby the actual president is somehow not an elite. In a strongly worded letter you strongly know was worded by someone else, Biden ordered the Democrats to stop worrying and love the bomb (I lightly paraphrase). A neurologist repeatedly came to the White House last year to treat other people who work there, the White House insists, while Biden last week told a meeting of governors that he was fine, reportedly adding, It's just my brain". OK! Last Friday, he gave a sit-down interview in which he was asked how he'd feel if he clung on in the race then lost to Trump. As long as I gave it my all, and did as good of a job as I know I can do," Biden judged, that's what this is about."Marina Hyde 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...

A strong showing at Copa America would have built momentum for World Cup qualifying. But another early tournament exit exposed a team with no cohesionIf this isn't rock bottom for the Selecao, it's as near as makes no difference. Another early tournament exit. Another Brazil team making unwanted history. Their defeat to Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals of Copa America marks the eighth time they've been dumped from a tournament held outside Brazil before the semi-finals since 2000.It may not be 1950 or 7-1, but the latest defeat paints as grim a picture as those famous results. Continue reading...

Trump has disavowed the manifesto, but his goals for civil service cuts, deportation and more show a shared visionDonald Trump's attempt to distance himself from Project 2025 after extreme comments from one of its leaders falls flat given the extensive Trump ties and similarities between the project's policy ideas and the former president's platform.On Truth Social last week, Trump claimed to know nothing about Project 2025" and have no idea who is behind it". The disavowal from Trump came after Kevin Roberts, the president of Heritage, said: We are in the process of the second American revolution, which will remain bloodless, if the left allows it to be." Continue reading...

The bigger story is Donald Trump's appalling unfitness for office. He tried to overturn a legitimate election and is a felonIt's possible for two conflicting ideas to be true at once.And so it is with the mainstream media's unrelenting focus on Joe Biden's mental acuity, following his terrible debate performance earlier this month. Continue reading...

Lawyers for ex-president preparing to shut down possibility of high-profile officials testifying at evidentiary hearingsDonald Trump is expected to launch a new legal battle to suppress any damaging evidence from his 2020 election-subversion case from becoming public before the 2024 election, preparing to shut down the potency of any mini-trials" where high-profile officials could testify against him.The plans come after the US supreme court last week in its ruling that broadly conferred immunity on former presidents opened the door for the US district judge Tanya Chutkan to hold evidentiary hearings - potentially with witnesses - to determine what acts in the indictment can survive. Continue reading...

Having called Trump an idiot' and a potential American Hitler', the Republican senator now fawns over himThere's one thing Donald Trump knows how to do well: maximizing suspense in an elimination contest and treating contestants with exquisite cruelty. Competing for a spot on his presidential ticket is as close as politics can get to The Apprentice, the show that fooled millions of Americans into thinking that Trump was a successful businessman.A number of Republican candidates for running mate, from the endlessly self-humiliating Tim Scott to the nondescript Doug Burgum, are vying for what surely looks like a political suicide mission: they must know that Trump betrays everyone eventually, yet they seem to think that their fate as a faithful no 2 will be different. Not all aspirants are equally threatening to American democracy, though. The top prize not just for sycophancy, but for clear and present authoritarian danger must go to the man widely considered the veepstakes" frontrunner, JD Vance.Jan-Werner Muller is a professor of politics at Princeton University and a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

The best college players often go from playing for free to finding themselves with vast wealth in their teens. It can be a mixed blessingAt the start of the year, Alexandre Sarr was playing in Australia's NBL, where the average salary is around $100,000. Reed Sheppard was playing in college where, NIL deals aside, he earned nothing. Now, after going No 2 and No 3 overall in June's draft, they are millionaires. Sarr is guaranteed $23m from his rookie contract with the Washington Wizards, while Sheppard will have to make do with $20m from his deal with the Houston Rockets (both contracts could end up paying the duo north of $45m each). It's not just the top picks who suddenly have access to wealth either. Nine players in the second-round of this year's draft - guys who may not ever have a meaningful career in the NBA - have signed multimillion dollar contracts with their teams.Those contracts often change lives for the better. But they can also become a burden as young men, often still in their teens, suddenly grapple with a fortune that arrived overnight. Continue reading...

Although some domestic staff in the subcontinent are treated well, for most it is a relentlessly harsh and thankless existenceHow the Hindujas, Britain's richest family, treated their domestic staff at their Swiss mansion made it to the courts and on to the front pages last month. But in India it failed to elicit even a flicker of attention.Plenty of Indians treat their cooks, maids, drivers and nannies very well. They offer a decent wage, time off, speak to them politely, and appreciate their hard work. They educate the staff's children in good schools and help to pay for family weddings. When staff grow too old to work, they are bid adieu with a lump sum and a monthly pension for the remainder of their lives as a token of gratitude. During sickness, they are taken to good doctors for treatment without having to pay. Continue reading...

Tropical Storm Beryl brought howling winds and torrential rain to southeast Texas, killing at least three people, flooding highways, closing oil ports, canceling more than 1,000 flights and knocking out power to more than 2.5 million homes and businesses. Beryl, the season's earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, weakened from a hurricane before pounding the coastal Texas town of Matagorda with dangerous storm surges, heavy rain and then moving across Houston.

The airline said there were no injuries and it was investigating the cause of the incident, after the flight landed safely at its destination in DenverA United Airlines jet lost a landing-gear wheel during take off from Los Angeles, but was able to land safely in Denver, its planned destination, with no injuries, the airline said.The wheel has been recovered in Los Angeles, and we are investigating what caused this event," United said in a statement on Monday. It was the second such incident for the airline this year. Continue reading...

Johnston, 54, faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to felony count of civil disorder from January 6 riotJay Johnston, an actor best known for his role on the animated comedy show Bob's Burgers, has pleaded guilty to charges related to his role in the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021.Johnston, 54, faces a maximum of five years in prison and pleaded guilty to a felony count of civil disorder. He was released on a $25,000 bond in June 2023 after an initial court appearance in California. Continue reading...

Ranking Democrat on armed services committee says debate was alarming' and urges president to stand asideJoe Biden's position among congressional Democrats eroded further on Monday when an influential House committee member lent his voice to calls for him to end his presidential campaign following last month's spectacular debate failure.Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the armed services committee in the House of Representatives, issued the plea just hours after the president emphatically rejected calls for him to step aside in a letter to the party's congressional contingent. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. For more on this story, you can see full coverage here.Joe Biden is not alone in believing that all the talk of him dropping out is hurting the re-election efforts of Democrats nationwide.Ritchie Torres, a Democratic congressman from New York, said much of the same earlier today: Continue reading...

Error messages displayed on Facebook and X pages for South Dakota governor plagued by dog-killing admissionKristi Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota who has been dogged by controversy since recounting how she chose to shoot dead a puppy and a goat, attracted new questions when it was noted that some of her official social media accounts appeared to have been deleted.On Monday, a link from Noem's official website led to an error message on Facebook, which said: This content isn't available right now. When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted." Continue reading...

Defense lawyers say jury was deadlocked on manslaughter count before judge abruptly declared mistrialJurors in the trial of Karen Read unanimously concluded she was not guilty of murder or of leaving the scene of a deadly accident - and were deadlocked on only the remaining manslaughter charge before the judge abruptly declared a mistrial, her defense team said Monday.The disclosure was made in a defense motion Monday seeking the judge's permission to question all 12 jurors after they learned of three who described their conclusions. They hope to show that for reasons of double jeopardy, the state of Massachusetts cannot retry her for murder. Continue reading...

President lashes out at elites' in party, saying on MSNBC's Morning Joe: Challenge me at the convention!'Joe Biden came out swinging on Monday against critics of his calamitous June debate performance, telling Democrats in an open letter and Americans in a pugnacious live TV interview he is staying in the presidential race - rejecting growing calls to concede that at 81 he is too ineffective to beat Donald Trump and should drop out in favour of a younger candidate.The president lashed out at elites in the party" in a live telephone interview with the MSNBC show Morning Joe, saying they were behind calls for him to quit. Continue reading...

The US president is still in denial about his ability to take on Donald Trump, but his party is notJoe Biden says only the Lord almighty" could make him quit his re-election bid. I am not going anywhere," he insisted in a surprise call to a morning talkshow on Monday, having warned party colleagues off further discussion in a letter. Anyone wanting him to step aside, he said, should challenge me at the convention" in August. Perhaps he would better understand the problem if he had watched his disastrous debate appearance. But if the president is still in denial, farfewer lawmakers, donors and supporters believe that his candidacy is sustainable amid mounting concern about his capabilities.Resilience is a virtue. Mr Biden has shown it in spades, and it has served him and his country well. Hisgrit and application helped to save the United States from a second Trump term, and to recover from the first. But knowing when to quit matters too. In 2020, Mr Biden described himself as the bridge" to anew generation of leaders. Stepping aside now wouldbe a belated act of dignity and wisdom. Clingingon as the Democrats head towards Novemberin a doomspiral of division and recrimination, leading to Donald Trump's return to theWhite House, would for ever tarnish his name. Continue reading...

Prosecutor's claim that role made actor keenly aware' of safety responsibilities is denied by judge at pre-trial hearingA New Mexico judge decided on Monday that the actor Alec Baldwin's role as co-producer is not relevant to the involuntary manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of the western film Rust.

Michigan governor has been named as potential replacement for president but calls discussion a distraction'The Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, said she would not run for the Democratic nomination for president this year even if Joe Biden cedes to growing pressure and steps aside.It's a distraction more than anything," Whitmer told the Associated Press, in an interview to promote her new memoir, True Gretch, which will be published on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Senate and House back in session for first time since debate, giving those who want him to quit a chance to rally support

Daniels says Trump supporters have inundated her with threats to rape and murder her daughter and other familyStormy Daniels' supporters have raised more than $1m meant to help her move to a safe house and repay legal fees after testifying in the criminal trial that led to Donald Trump's conviction on 34 felonies.The money comes from an online GoFundMe campaign started by a friend and former manager of the adult film actor, who recently appeared on MSNBC and described how supporters of Trump have bombarded her with social media harassment as he seeks a second presidency, including threats to rape and murder her daughter and other family. Continue reading...

Trump's claim to know nothing' about radical rightwing plan recognizes it could sink his campaign, ex-Pence adviser saysDonald Trump's preposterous" efforts to disavow Project 2025, a rightwing blueprint for a radical takeover of the US government if the former president is re-elected in November, have been derided by former Republican figures.The Project 2025 plan includes calls for replacing civil servants with Trump loyalists, eliminating the education department, putting the justice department under the president's thumb and banning the abortion pill. Continue reading...

As Boeing's safety crisis intensifies, relatives of victims of the 2018 and 2019 crashes are still fighting for accountabilityPaul Kiernan struggles to talk about what happened on 10 March 2019. He walked his partner, Joanna Toole, to a taxi, put her bag in the back and kissed her goodbye. He told her he loved her, and asked her to let him know when she landed safely. The message never came.Toole's flight, Ethiopian Airlines 302, crashed minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa killing all 157 people on board. Continue reading...

With the US and Mexico falling flat at Copa America, Les Rouges have soaked up the Concacaf spotlight with a blend of star-power and full-throttle footballThe same country that finished on top of the qualifying table in Concacaf for the 2022 World Cup is the same one with a spot in the semi-finals of the 2024 Copa America. They're the only nation from North and Central America whose flame is still burning at this point in the tournament. It's not the US. It's not Mexico, either.It's Canada.This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. With Jonathan out in Germany enjoying Euro 2024, he's entrusted a series of guest writers to guide you through Copa America. He will return on 15 July to look back at both tournaments. Continue reading...

Philadelphia's WURD says host violated editorial independence by accepting questions from Biden's team

France may rediscover a taste for moderate social democracy - and find out that compromise is not a dirty wordFrance has dodged a bullet. We have no idea how the country will be governed in the coming months with a hung parliament without any natural majority. But at least we know who won't be in government for now, and that is an immense relief for millions of voters.If the first round of this snap parliamentary election was a referendum against liberal centrist President Emmanuel Macron, the second round was a referendum against Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN), just when power appeared within the grasp of the far-right party.Paul Taylor is a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre Continue reading...

US justice department says proposed deal is for company to pay fine of nearly $250m and invest $455m in improving safetyBoeing has agreed to plead guilty to a US criminal fraud charge stemming from the crashes of two 737 Max jetliners, angering the families of the hundreds of passengers killed who had wanted the case to go to trial.Federal prosecutors had found that the American aircraft manufacturer was in violation of a 2021 agreement struck after the crashes, which had protected it from prosecution for more than three years. Continue reading...

Crowds rejoice in Paris as New Popular Front pushes Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally, who led the first round of voting, into third place. Plus, is rising at 5am really the secret to happiness?

Satanic Temple objects to governor's push for more religion in schools and says members could act as student chaplainsDark messengers of satanism could soon be walking the hallways of Florida's public schools, and it's a consequence of hard-right governor Ron DeSantis's push for more religion in education.Members of the Satanic Temple say they are poised to act as volunteer chaplains under a state law that took effect this week opening campuses to additional counseling and support to students" from outside organizations. Continue reading...

Appeals court decision allows millions of borrowers to cut loan payments in half - but does not yet erase debt outrightA key piece of Biden's student loan forgiveness plan can move forward, a federal appellate court has ruled.The move allows millions of borrowers to see their loan payments cut in half, but stops short of outright erasing debts for now. Continue reading...