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This blog is closing now, thanks for following along. Here is our full story on Kamala Harris's campaign event with Liz Cheney:

Republican and former Wyoming representative appeals to undecided voters in Ripon, Wisconsin, on ThursdayLiz Cheney, one of Donald Trump's most prominent conservative critics, appealed to the millions of undecided Americans who could decide the outcome of the 2024 election, asking them to reject the depraved cruelty" of the former president.A former representative from Wyoming, Cheney cast the stakes in November as nothing less than the future of American democracy as she appeared alongside Kamala Harris in Ripon, Wisconsin, on Thursday, the symbolic birthplace of the modern Republican party. Continue reading...

The Born to Run singer praises Harris and Tim Walz's commitment to the vision of America I've been consistently writing about for 55 years'Bruce Springsteen has officially thrown his support behind Kamala Harris, endorsing her for president and simultaneously opposing Donald Trump, calling him the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime".The Born to Run singer made the announcement in a video posted to his Instagram on Thursday evening (US time) in which he described the upcoming election as one of the most consequential elections in our nation's history". Continue reading...

Ex-first lady calls reproductive freedom an essential right' in first public response to news of abortion rights defenseMelania Trump doubled down in her first public response to news of her passionate support for abortion rights, a position starkly at odds with that of her husband, Donald Trump, and the Republican party he leads.Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard," the former first lady said in a video released on Thursday. Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth. Individual freedom. What does, My body, my choice' really mean?" Continue reading...

Hurricane that made landfall as category 4 last week is described as one of deadliest storms in US historyA week after Hurricane Helene made landfall in the US, search-and-rescue teams continue to look for missing people in parts of the south-east that were devastated by the storm, and nearly a million people in the region remain without power.Officials have reported at least 215 deaths across six states, and have warned that the toll is expected to rise as recovery efforts continue. A separate NBC News tally found that at least 202 people have died, including at least 98 in North Carolina, 19 in Florida, 33 in Georgia, 39 in South Carolina, 11 in Tennessee and two in Virginia. Continue reading...

International Longshoremen's Association announces agreement for wage hike and immediate work resumptionThe US ports strike that shut down shipping on the east and Gulf coasts for three days came to an end on Thursday after dock workers struck a tentative deal with port operators.The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) announced that the union had reached an agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) on wages, suspending their walkout until January. Work would resume immediately, the union said. Continue reading...

Ruling by Matthew Schelp hands victory to six Republican state attorneys general who challenged planA US district judge on Thursday temporarily blocked Joe Biden's administration from implementing a plan to forgive student loan debt held by millions of Americans.The ruling by St Louis-based Matthew Schelp handed a victory to six Republican state attorneys general who challenged the US president's plan. Continue reading...

Anonymous hair and makeup artist alleges sexual assault and battery during 2019 in suit filed in Los AngelesA hair and makeup artist has accused the country singer Garth Brooks of sexual assault and battery in a civil lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, CNN reported.The anonymous accuser, referred to in the complaint as Jane Roe", alleges that Brooks raped her during a work trip to Los Angeles in 2019, and that he repeatedly groped her and made sexually explicit comments while she was doing his hair or makeup throughout 2019. Continue reading...

Kobe Williams, 27, and boys Khyzier and Khazmir died after relatives say tree fell through roof in Thomson, GeorgiaTwin babies who died alongside their mother in Georgia on Thursday became the youngest known victims of the monster Hurricane Helene and the storm's devastating aftermath.Obie Williams could hear babies crying and branches battering the windows when he answered his daughter's daily phone call last week as the storm tore through her rural Georgia town after roaring across the Gulf of Mexico and making landfall in northwestern Florida. Continue reading...

It could be that she is being sincere, but that does not mean her choice to make them now is not cynicalJust how stupid does Melania Trump think we are? On Wednesday, my colleagues at the Guardian published a leaked excerpt of the former first lady's memoir, in which the Slovenian-born former model and Donald Trump's third wife claims to be passionately pro-choice. The leak comes just a month before November's presidential election, a contest in which Trump's hopes of returning to the White House are severely threatened by voter anger over the 2022 reversal of Roe v Wade, and the suffering of women caused by sadistic abortion bans across the country.In her memoir, Mrs Trump speaks of abortion rights as a matter of women's dignity and fundamental freedom. It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government," she wrote. She later reiterated the sentiment in a short video posted to Truth Social, her husband's social media platform. Continue reading...

David Adam of USMX made coarse remarks about president and appeared to endorse rightwing conspiracy theoryAn executive representing ports where tens of thousands of workers went on strike this week made a series of critical and crude remarks about Joe Biden, tied Kamala Harris to concerns about over-taxation, and appeared to endorse a rightwing conspiracy theory.David Adam, chairman and chief executive of the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), attacked prominent Democrats in a string of social media posts uncovered by the Guardian. Continue reading...

It's unclear whether the ex-first lady is trying to help or hurt husband Donald by revealing pro-choice views in new bookWhen news broke on Wednesday evening that Melania Trump supports abortion rights - and apparently has for her entire adult life - it was greeted with surprise and confusion.Melania's husband, Donald Trump, is trying to rapidly recalibrate his approach to abortion as he races towards election day. Is his wife trying to help him? Hurt him? Or neither? Continue reading...

To avenge 7 October, crimes of all kinds are condoned. But politicians should take note: the British public disagreesConsider these two parallel universes. One is Gaza, the scene of some of the worst atrocities committed in the 21st century, as Israel's genocidal rampage offers a new reminder of our species' capacity for depravity. According to research by Oxfam, more women and children have been killed by the Israeli military in the last year than the equivalent period of any other conflict over the past two decades".What makes this all the more disturbing is that the figures are conservative: the 11,355 children and 6,297 women listed as violently killed are only those who have been officially identified. Many of the dead have not been recorded in this way, not least the thousands buried under rubble, listed as missing, or incinerated by Israeli missiles, leaving not a trace. Israel's destruction of Gaza's hospitals, too, has laid waste to the system of reporting fatalities. Those caveats notwithstanding, in no 12-month period were so many women and children butchered in the killing fields of Iraq and Syria, despite those populations being much greater than Gaza's.Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Exclusive: I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life,' former first lady writes in memoir

It is uncomfortable when the people we love are in pain. But we need to sit in this discomfort - it's the least we owe each otherThe other day I was stopped on the street by someone who told me that during a particularly bad depressive episode in which she was hospitalised, she just thought of me and realised her life wasn't actually that bad. Um, thanks? I'm not sure if that comment was more or less offensive than the guy who told me he wasn't sure how I got out of bed each day". Cheers bro.The short version is that in my twenties my boyfriend died suddenly while we were sleeping, nine years later my brother died suddenly at work and in 2022 our lives imploded (again) when my son was diagnosed with cancer and severe Guillain Barre Syndrome which has left him paralysed.Natasha Sholl is a writer and lapsed lawyer living in Melbourne. Her first book, Found, Wanting was published by Ultimo Press in 2022 Continue reading...

In unsealed court filing federal prosecutors argue Trump acted in private capacity as he tried to overturn 2020 result

Sam Dutcher, 18, was in SUV that sped up to 113mph on its own before he was advised to run into trooper's vehicleA teenager from North Dakota says he thought he was going to die" when his SUV sped up on its own to more than 110mph (177km/h) and wouldn't slow down - but he saved himself by intentionally crashing into the back of a Minnesota state trooper's patrol cruiser.As the North Dakota television station WDAY told it, 18-year-old Sam Dutcher was driving near Harwood - relatively close to the state's border with Minnesota - as night fell on 17 September. His Honda Pilot suddenly accelerated on its own to 113mph, a speed so high that it would be virtually impossible to survive crashing. Continue reading...

The Argentinian has helped his team claim MLS's Supporters' Shield. But he has also set up the club, and league, for success when he steps awayAnother year, another trophy for Lionel Messi.With two goals in a 3-2 win over the defending MLS Cup champions, Columbus Crew, on Wednesday, Inter Miami's global superstar secured the MLS's Supporters' Shield - awarded each year to the team with the best regular season record. Continue reading...

From Villa's emotional win to a Dortmund blitz, we hand out honours (and dishonours) from the the second round of actionAston Villa - There wasn't a dry eye in the house - among home fans anyway - as Aston Villa celebrated beating mighty Bayern Munich. For the German giants, who suffered a first group-stage defeat since 2017, Vincent Kompany's coaching experience at this level could be in question. But credit Villa's manager. Just as in the Premier League at Burnley last season, Unai Emery did a number on Kompany, and of the two World Cup-winning keepers, it was Emi Martinez who outshone Manuel Neuer on Wednesday night. Just as in 1982's European Cup final, Villa beat Bayern 1-0. The goal came from a player who (sort of) shares his surname with Birmingham's most famous pop group. Jhon Duran's beautiful, first-time finish caught Neuer roaming. I never saw where the goalkeeper was," admitted Duran. He was almost sold in the summer, but has scored six times this season, five as a sub. The Colombian, once of Chicago Fire, is a brilliant finisher, a true wildcard to throw into what was already a dangerous forward line of talented Englishmen in Ollie Watkins, Jaden Philogene, Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey. Villa Park swelled with pride and emotion in England's second city. Continue reading...

As some Americans are informed they need to prove their citizenship, Trump and other Republicans are spreading the false idea non-citizens could vote in vast numbersJames Cozadd, a 49-year-old plumber born in Montgomery, Alabama, has no idea why he got a letter from Alabama's top election official telling him he's potentially ineligible to vote. He was born in the US, yet the letter said he was suspected of being a non-citizen and he would have to prove his citizenship to vote.I've been racking my brain to try to figure out how I ended up on the list of purged voters, but I have no clue," Cozadd said in a court filing in September. Continue reading...

Ex-first lady says she told Trump to stop separating children from parents and addresses jacket controversy in bookMelania Trump describes in her new memoir how she made her husband, then president Donald Trump, drop a signature hardline immigration policy under which migrant children were separated from their parents, stoking domestic and international uproar.This has to stop," the former first lady says she told her husband, emphasizing the trauma it was causing these families" and seeing him swiftly comply, ending the policy on 20 June 2018. Continue reading...

Lebanese health ministry says another seven were injured in attack on district of Bachoura. Plus, the hunger emergency in Haiti

In a new series of Anywhere but Washington, the Guardian's Oliver Laughland and Tom Silverstone travel to the crucial swing state of Georgia, where election deniers and rightwing conspiracy theorists are facing a new generation of Gen Z candidates and voters who could tip the race in favor of the Democrats Continue reading...

The All-Pro receiver wants out of Las Vegas. And there is no shortage of teams who could improve their Super Bowl chances by trading for himThe writing has been on the wall for Davante Adams for a while. Once the Las Vegas Raiders ejected on the Derek Carr experience, it was clear that Adams' exit would not be far behind.The three-time All-Pro joined the Raiders to reunite with Carr, his old college quarterback and friend, and to get paid. Two years on, Carr is now in New Orleans and Adams is reportedly on the trade block, with a plump bank account. Continue reading...

The England star on leaving Manchester United, embracing a new challenge and the competitive edge of the NWSLIf you were walking your dog in your local park near Manchester this summer and thought you saw two England internationals doing one-on-one training drills, don't worry - you weren't seeing things. That was indeed the former Manchester United captain Katie Zelem and her Lionesses teammate Laura Coombs, trying to keep themselves in shape. Coombs, who was putting in extra yards while returning from injury before pre-season with her club, Manchester City, had agreed to help Zelem, who was weighing up numerous options after her Manchester United contract had concluded at the end of June. Zelem Googled some one-on-one sessions" and brought the cones along, and she knows the extra effort was worth it.I was running up and down every field I could find, keeping as fit as possible," the 28-year-old tells the Guardian, reflecting on her time between clubs. I felt so motivated because I had quite a few offers. I thought, Wherever I end up, this is going to benefit me.' But running is very different to team training, with the sharpness and connecting passes. It was a unique situation because I basically had no pre-season. Continue reading...

US Islamophobia stands out for its enormity' but movement for Palestinian rights is unprecedented in size and visibilityArafat Issa hangs Palestinian flags across a pedestrian bridge in Durham, North Carolina, almost every week. But on 28 July, a man in a baseball cap pulled out a knife and cut the flags down from the steel railing. Issa says the man cursed at him and his family before waving the knife in their direction. They had two small children, including Issa's four-month-old daughter, with them.He told us: go back where you came from," Issa says. I was scared ... it's not like we were doing anything wrong. We were peacefully protesting." Continue reading...

When less than half of us feel safe holding our partner's hand in public, true equality is still out of reachYou can't move for representations of LGBTQ+ people now, apparently. There are many of us in parliament, for instance - 69 out of 650 MPs - and you only need to stumble into A&E to be surrounded by rainbow lanyards. We can be seen everywhere on TV, film and runways, and we can be heard all across the music industry. It could be assumed that if we regularly manifest the first half of that popular Pride slogan, we're queer, we're here ...", those outside our delightful social bubbles will do their bit and get used to it".However, for all of LGBTQ+ people's increased visibility, not everyone has got used to us. Recent research from Stonewall showed that only 44% of LGBTQ+ couples in the UK feel safe holding their partner's hand in public.Sophie Wilkinson is a freelance journalist who specialises in entertainment, celebrity, gender and sexuality Continue reading...

Rightwing tech lords are betting that Vance will be the Republican presidential pick in 2028. They're probably rightJD Vance, the Republican candidate for vice-president, will almost certainly be the Republican presidential candidate in 2028, regardless of whether Donald Trump wins in November.But who is JD Vance, really? An opportunist chameleon who once viewed Donald Trump as Hitler" and is now his pit bull? Continue reading...

The NHL's business is booming with docuseries on tap. But at what point does content become sport and not vice versa?By many metrics, the NHL has a good story to tell. Amid the Stanley Cup final in June, the NHL announced that its regular-season attendance had set a record in 2023-24, hitting 97% capacity on the year (or about 22.5m people). League revenue last season was roughly $6.2bn, also a new high. And the final between Edmonton and Florida pulled good TV numbers, especially in Canada. Arizona lost its team, but Utah immediately, excitedly adopted them. Over the summer, the salary cap went up and the unveiling of the new Fanatics jerseys went well. Even the fact that participation increased in the NHLPA's player assistance program, which offers help with addiction and mental health issues, was good news, hinting that the stigma of admitting vulnerability is beginning to fade.Financial growth, audience growth, salary growth, and emotional growth. Is there any kind of growth left for the NHL? Continue reading...

In hoovering up some of the lost college talent, the USL Super League is thriving in cities where NWSL doesn't playTwo years ago, Amanda Vandervort was unveiled as the first president of a new fully professional women's league, the USL Super League, in the United States. For a country with a thriving professional league, the NWSL, there were many questions. How? Why? Where? Would it take off?Many of those questions were answered on the opening weekend just under seven weeks ago. A sellout crowd of more than 10,000 at the American Legion Memorial Stadium watched Carolina Ascent beat DC Power 1-0. Two more sellout crowds watched Spokane Zephyr's 1-1 draw with Fort Lauderdale United and Tampa Bay Sun's draw with Dallas Trinity. The crowds have naturally dipped a little but have still averaged 2,929 for the 12 of 14 subsequent fixtures that have had attendances announced - a total of 35,152 fans. Continue reading...

Labour's squandering of its political capital has given hope to the right. But Britain's voters want a leftwing agendaBusiness confidence is plunging. Retailers are slashing prices in an attempt to drum up sales. Higher energy bills have arrived amid continued anger about the means-testing of winter fuel payments to pensioners.No question, the government's message that times are tough and likely to get tougher is cutting through, but not perhaps in the way ministers intended. One snapshot of public opinion this week showed voters would actually prefer Rishi Sunak's administration to the current one. Given that the Tories suffered the biggest drubbing in their history only three months ago, that's quite an achievement. Continue reading...

A decade ago, Europe helped broker the Iran nuclear deal. Now, it seems at a total loss, absent from efforts to stop the unfolding crisisSometimes, you have to ask why the EU seems to operate in a vacuum, seemingly unable to fathom how it relates to the rest of the world. Violence is raging in the Middle East and the prospect of all-out war, after Iran's latest missile attack on Israel, is growing by the day. Yet Europe's core political community is missing in action.Internally, the political dust is settling after June's European parliament elections and a new five-year cycle is starting in Brussels. Ursula von der Leyen is back for a second term as the president of the European Commission, having sailed through her confirmation hearings in the European parliament. The policy glass on a range of key questions from climate to technology is at least half full.Nathalie Tocci is a Guardian Europe 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.

In her memoir, former first lady has voiced support for the procedure, the right to which was overturned by a court of her husband's justicesThe revelation on Wednesday evening that Melania Trump's forthcoming memoir includes a full-throated defense of abortion rights, an issue her husband Donald Trump has repeatedly flip-flopped on during his presidential campaign, left people on both sides of the issue less than impressed.Restricting a woman's right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body," Melania Trump wrote in her memoir. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life." Continue reading...

Massachusetts court to decide whether internet-famous diva' beaver will stay with rescuers or be released into wildWhether a two-year-old beaver named Nibi gets to stay with the rescuers she has known since she was a baby or must be released into the wild as winter approaches in Massachusetts has ended up in court - and caused such an uproar that even the governor has weighed in.To literally see people from around the world come together to protect this beaver is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life," said Adam Teper, an attorney representing Nibi's rescuers. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can find our latest US elections coverage here.Three weeks on from the presidential debate, Tim Walz and JD Vance took to the stage on Tuesday night for a vice-presidential head-to-head. The two candidates largely avoided attacks on each other in what was a more policy-driven discussion.If you live in a swing state such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin, we would like to hear what you thought of the debate. Continue reading...

Newly unsealed court filing argues former president is not entitled to immunity from prosecutionDonald Trump resorted to crimes" in a failed bid to cling to power after losing the 2020 election, federal prosecutors said in a newly unsealed court filing that argues that the former US president is not entitled to immunity from prosecution.The filing was unsealed on Wednesday. It was submitted by special counsel Jack Smith's team following a supreme court opinion that conferred broad immunity on former presidents and narrowed the scope of the prosecution. Continue reading...

Trump running mate says debate went pretty well' and derides rival for friends with school shooters' slipJD Vance took a self-proclaimed victory lap after his vice-presidential debate against the Democrat Tim Walz, appearing on Wednesday at a campaign rally in the crucial battleground state of Michigan.Vance told supporters in Auburn Hills that he thought the debate went pretty well" on Tuesday, as snap polls showed viewers considered it to be a tie between the two vice-presidential candidates. Continue reading...

More than 1 million people remain without power and hundreds of people are missing after the devastating stormAt least 166 people have died from Hurricane Helene, many are still missing and more than a million people remained without power as rescue and recovery efforts continued from the devastating storm.Hundreds of people were missing in Buncombe county, home to Asheville, earlier this week, and 85 people were missing in Tennessee, CNN reported. Continue reading...

Democratic vice-presidential candidate calls opponent a slick talker' in first comments on Tuesday's televised clash

Drone footage shared by Republican congresswoman Kat Cammack revealed the extent of the destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Helene in north central Florida. The hurricane triggered days of torrential rain that destroyed homes and infrastructure. The death toll surpassed 100 people after the storm tore through the south-eastern US. Continue reading...

Trump's running mate is now trying to put on a civilised face. But that is clashing queasily with his extreme outlookThe overriding and at times darkly comic impression, watching JD Vance's exchange with Tim Walz in the vice-presidential debate on Tuesday night, was that Vance's top-line imperative was to demonstrate to America just how extravagantly not-weird he is. Nothing to see here! Just a guy with a placid expression, nice manners, a noble desire to find common sense, bipartisan solutions", and a lovely little quiff. His affect was so relaxed, so urbane, that at points during the debate he could have been twirling a cane and slinking around a corner like Top Cat.And while the event itself is unlikely to move the election needle, the performance of the two contenders for vice-president was a useful measure of where each campaign thinks its weaknesses lie. Both men were required to perform sincerity, a tough call in such a rehearsed and high-pressure setting, but only Vance was tasked with having to perform normality - which he did, up to a point. Walz, meanwhile, had to struggle to back up his charm with something steelier and more purposeful than relatability. Whereas a candidate for president can be all flamboyance and jazz hands, it is the role of the vice-president to be a sober voice in the room - and for 90 minutes, both men tried to out-grownup each other.Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Democrats' prospects in Montana and West Virginia look grim - and money is pouring in to help Trump-backed Dave McCormickPennsylvania has come into laser focus in the 2024 election as the must-win state of the presidential election. But further down the ballot is another race in the battleground state - one that could decide whether Democrats are able to hold on to a one-seat majority in the Senate.With the party bracing to lose a seat in West Virginia and incumbent Jon Tester's prospects looking grim in Montana, a lot of attention and money is flowing into the Senate race between Democrat Bob Casey and Republican Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania. Continue reading...

North Carolina lieutenant governor who has been criticized for alleged explicit posts was the only member to not voteMark Robinson, North Carolina's lieutenant governor and Republican gubernatorial candidate, skipped a vote on declaring a state of emergency in advance of Hurricane Helene's arrival to the southern state, according to a report.Robinson, who has been under attack recently over alleged racist and explicit posts on a pornography website's message board, was the only council of state member who did not vote on Democratic governor Roy Cooper's emergency declaration, WRAL News reported. Continue reading...

GOP lawmakers had reportedly told donors weeks ago that Senate was all but guaranteed for themRepublican Senate contenders are falling behind Donald Trump in voter polling, vexing GOP leaders who had thought that aspiring senators would catch up to the party's presidential candidate.In Ohio, Trump is polling at an average of 8.7 percentage points above the Republican Senate nominee Bernie Moreno, RealClear Politics averages suggest. In Wisconsin, Trump has polled 2.2 points ahead of the Senate candidate Eric Hovde; they also both remain under 50% in the polls. Continue reading...

As much as 5% of all deaths along US eastern coast since 1930s have been the result of such storms, research findsMajor storms such as Hurricane Helene, which obliterated towns and turned roads into rivers after surging inland from Florida last week, have a far longer and more devastating impact upon lives than previously thought, contributing to thousands of deaths up to 15 years after they have swept through, a new study has found.In terms of lives lost, hurricanes are generally thought to be short, sharp events. More than 150 people are thought to have died across five states after Helene tore across the southern US as a category 4 storm, with fatalities caused by rising floodwaters, car crashes or falling trees and debris. Continue reading...

Some states are moving to ban proposition bets', a type of side wager, but big firms are lobbying against itCollege athletes are facing significant abuse" amid a surge in harassment unleashed by America's gambling boom, according to US sports officials who say students are increasingly subject to death threats, harassment and demands for money.A handful of state regulators have moved to ban legal gambling platforms from offering certain types of bets on collegiate sports as a result of the inherently problematic" surge in harassment of college athletes online, at venues and in dorms. Continue reading...