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Criminal justice activists hope for a reset' in fresh race and urge the vice-president to embrace progressive reformsWhen Kamala Harris ran for president in 2019, criminal justice reform leaders closely scrutinized her career as a prosecutor, with some advocates branding her a top cop" who lacked a strong progressive record.Five years later, with the vice-president on track to become the Democratic nominee, the dynamics have fundamentally shifted. Harris' prosecutorial history, once something of a liability among some Democrats, is now seen as a key asset as she prepares to take on Donald Trump, the ex-president convicted of 34 felonies. Continue reading...

The GOP wants to focus on Kamala Harris's record, not her ethnicity or gender - but who will tell Trump?Republican leaders are warning party members against using overtly racist and sexist attacks against Kamala Harris, as they and Donald Trump's campaign scramble to adjust to the reality of a new Democratic rival less than four months before election day.At a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Tuesday, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Richard Hudson, urged lawmakers to stick to criticizing Harris for her role in Biden-Harris administration policies. Continue reading...

In thrall to the oil and gas industries, wealthy nations are backing calamitous projects. But the tide is turning

State law let the agency refuse to work with the Rutan-Rams - which would be more common with the conservative plan were implementedIn 2021, Liz and Gabe Rutan-Ram decided to take the next step toward growing their family and applied to foster a child. After identifying a three-year-old in Florida who they hoped to ultimately adopt, the Rutan-Rams turned back to their home state of Tennessee to start training to become foster parents.But their plans quickly fell apart when the Christian state-funded foster care placement agency informed them by email that they only provide adoption services to prospective adoptive families that share our belief system". The Rutan-Rams, who are Jewish, were out of luck. Continue reading...

Young US voters weigh in on why they like or dislike the VP as a candidate and if they think she could beat TrumpAmerican gen Z voters share how they feel about Kamala Harris's presidential bid, why they like or dislike her as a candidate and whether they think she could beat Donald Trump, as the vice-president races towards winning the Democratic nomination for November's election. Continue reading...

Vice-president makes fiery speech in the battleground state of Wisconsin. Plus, Zosia Mamet on Girls and nepo babies

It does not matter who is up and who is down in the polls. It's about if Democrats turn outNow that Kamala Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee, you'll be hearing a lot of speculation about how she might poll against Trump. What if I told you that the polls are almost immaterial to the final election result? Instead of making much ado about who is up and who is down, let's keep our eyes on a different question - in October, what will voters think this election is about?The evidence of voter behavior over the last eight years paints a clear picture of what lies ahead. Critically, we can't use polls today to predict this outcome. That's because the winner in November will be determined by what, to most voters, the election seems to be about" by the time voting starts. This will determine whether the voters Democrats need to win will turn out, or stay home.Michael Podhorzer, the former longtime political director of the AFL-CIO, is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, the chair of the Analyst Institute, the Research Collaborative and the Defend Democracy Project and writes the Substack Weekend Reading. Continue reading...

From Tanner Tessmann to Benjamin Cremaschi, we look at the players who could use this summer's tournament as a springboard for 2026The USMNT's failure to qualify from the group stage of the Copa America on home soil has thrown US Soccer into crisis.An antidote to the negativity around the team could soon arrive, though, with the Olympic football tournament kicking off in France this afternoon. Competing nations are limited to picking rosters made up predominantly of under-23 players, with just three overage exceptions allowed. Continue reading...

You'd think avoiding this sort of thing would be obvious, but the rise of good tourism' schemes suggests the oppositeIt seems as though a lot of people have forgotten how to be tourists. As a travel writer, I can't quite believe some of the behaviour we're seeing on display around the world. Summer might be a time to throw away inhibitions, but we don't need to throw away all of them.Let's start with the obvious: leave those poor statues alone. There's no need to ride them, play with them, touch them up or do unspeakable things with them, like we've seen in the past week. I won't go into details, but suffice to say that if you're doing things like that in public, your mum will be ashamed. Just don't do it.Laura Hall is a travel writer and journalist based in Copenhagen Continue reading...

The 6ft 2in USA basketball star's secret to success is keeping his motion the same every time. Here's how to emulate his accuracy and consistencyFor almost the entire history of basketball, the No 1 thing that would help a person succeed was height. From Wilt Chamberlain to Shaquille O'Neal, the taller a player, the better. While size still matters, thanks to the talent of the 6ft 2in guard Stephen Curry, shooting is prized as much as any other attribute. The four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP is bringing his shooting ability to the Olympics.Ever since Curry became a sensation thanks to his three-point marksmanship - he is the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers and attempts and a career 42.6% from beyond the arc despite myriad difficult shots - kids from New York City to Oakland have been taking their basketballs away from the rim and out behind the three-point line to shoot like Steph. But is it possible for anyone to emulate? If you ask Basketball Hall of Famer and former WNBA Coach of the Year Michael Cooper there are ways to try. Continue reading...

A surprise hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone national park has sent sightseers running for safety, after steam, rock and dirt shot high into the sky. No injuries were reported, but the Biscuit Basin area was closed for visitor safety after the falling rocks damaged a boardwalk that keeps people off Yellowstone's fragile and often dangerous geothermal areas. Continue reading...

In a kayak off the Devon coast I witnessed the kind of entitled mindlessness that has ravaged society, and our planetOn a calm and beautiful morning off the coast of south Devon last week, I was watching a small pod of dolphins from my kayak. I had spotted them from half a mile away, feeding and playing on the surface. They were heading my way, so I sat on the water and waited.But from round the headland, at top speed, came a giant twin-engined maritime wankpanzer. Though the dolphins were highly visible and it had plenty of time either to stop or avoid them, it ploughed towards them at full throttle. As it passed, missing them by a few metres, the driver turned and glanced at them, but never checked his speed. The dolphins dived. They briefly reappeared much farther from the coast, after which I didn't see them again. I could hear the boat long after it disappeared: it sounded like a jetliner. God knows what distress it might have caused the dolphins, which are highly sensitive to sound.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

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Addressing the US Senate before Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming congressional address, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders said Israel's war on Gaza has 'trampled on international law, on American law, and on basic human values'. Sanders described the conflict as 'one of the worst disasters in modern history', saying it has been 'aided and abetted' by the United States.

Independent senator says in floor speech invitation to Israeli PM, due to give address on Wednesday, is disgrace'The Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has condemned Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming address to the US Congress, calling him a war criminal" presiding over a rightwing extremist government".Sanders delivered his remarks on the Senate floor on Tuesday as Congress expects Netanyahu to give a speech to Congress on Wednesday afternoon. The speech comes after an underwhelming arrival to the US, just after President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from November's elections. Continue reading...

Move comes as director Kimberly Cheatle resigns after congressional grilling over assassination attemptSecret Service officials are reported to be encouraging Donald Trump's campaign to stop holding outdoor rallies in the wake of the 13 July assassination attempt on the former president at a fairground in Butler, Pennsylvania.The move, reported by the Washington Post, comes as Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday following a combative grilling before a congressional committee by both Democrats and Republicans over apparent security failures before an attempt on Trump's life by a 20-year-old gunman. Continue reading...

Stings from the critters invading Montecito can be painful, can displace native wildlife and are a hazard to agricultureA swank town in California's central coast where celebrities from Oprah Winfrey to Prince Harry have bought properties, has become a hot spot for another reason: an active infestation of red imported fire ants.The Santa Barbara county agricultural commissioner's office is addressing an active infestation of these ants in Montecito, California, according to a statement issued last week. Continue reading...

Complaint to Federal Election Commission Tuesday accuses Harris of violating federal campaign finance lawsDonald Trump's campaign on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against the vice-president Kamala Harris, accusing her 2024 campaign of violating federal campaign finance laws by replacing Joe Biden's name with her own to take control of his campaign funds.The complaint, filed by the Trump campaign's general counsel, David Warrington, argued that the Biden campaign could not rename its committee from Biden for President" to Harris for President" once Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday, and roll over $91m. Continue reading...

CEO Elon Musk blames bit of a hangover' from rivals' discounting but insists challenges are fairly short-term'Earnings at Tesla almost halved as discounts and price cuts pile pressure on the electric carmaker's profit margins.Elon Musk, the company's CEO, blamed a bit of a hangover" after rivals cut prices very substantially, which has made it a bit more difficult for Tesla". Continue reading...

Audio obtained by the Guardian reveals police dispatcher was told Black woman's fatal wound was self-inflicted'The family of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was shot in the face and killed by a white sheriff's deputy in Illinois, have said police initially tried to cover up her killing.Police audio obtained by the Guardian features someone on scene the night of Massey's killing - presumably a deputy - saying Massey's wound was self-inflicted". A dispatcher asks to confirm, and the person on scene repeats self-inflicted". The recording is in line with what the family says was misleading information given by police when Massey was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Continue reading...

Block on law was lifted after state supreme court said there is no fundamental right to procedure in state constitutionAn Iowa judge has ruled the state's strict abortion law will take effect Monday, preventing most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant.The law passed last year, but a judge had blocked it from being enforced. The Iowa supreme court reiterated in June that there is no constitutional right to an abortion in the state and ordered the hold to be lifted. That translated into Monday's district court judge's decision ordering the law to into effect next Monday at 8.00am CT. Continue reading...

Tigers treated to frozen fish-sicles, with blood-sicles for African painted dogs and snow for all from 10 tons of iceDozens of animals at the Phoenix zoo in Arizona, where scorching summer heatwaves are the norm, got a delightful surprise: their first snow of the season.Zoo staff and others transformed more than 500 bags of ice into snowflakes, creating a winter wonderland for the animals on Friday. Continue reading...

Vice-president speaks in battleground state Wisconsin day after securing enough delegates to win nomination

Jewish pro-Palestine demonstrators occupied the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, calling for an end to arms sales and a ceasefire in Gaza. The protest comes a day before Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address a joint session of Congress. Police were seen arresting the protesters and pulling them out of the rotunda of the building. In a statement published on Instagram, the Jewish Voice for Peace group said: 'One day before Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress, and days before his meeting with President Biden, we're here to demand an arms embargo NOW'

Vice-president Kamala Harris launched a scathing verbal attack on Donald Trump on Tuesday at a campaign rally in Milwaukee. Recalling her time as prosecutor, Harris compared Trump with the criminals and wrongdoers she used to meet in the courtroom. Before I was elected vice-president, before I was elected United States senator, I was elected attorney general of the state of California, and I was a courtroom prosecutor before then,' Harris said. She added: And in those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds: predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type'

New Jersey senator's resignation letter imminent, sources say, and follows expulsion threat from fellow DemocratsRobert Menendez, the Democratic senator for New Jersey, will resign from the US Congress next month following threats from party colleagues to expel him after he was convicted of bribery charges, according to sources on his staff.The former chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee will step down on 20 August amid an unrelenting campaign to persuade him to quit that intensified after he was convicted last week on 16 counts of corruption, including bribery, extortion and acting as a foreign agent. Continue reading...

In whirlwind campaign, vice-president raises $100m in 24 hours as Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries endorse

The man called police to confess to a crime and then killed himself before authorities arrived at the sceneA Michigan man suspected of using an all-terrain vehicle to run over an elderly man for supporting Donald Trump died by suicide as police closed in on him, according to authorities.Police in Hancock - a city located in the state's upper peninsula - said the man in question was under investigation for allegedly running over an 80-year-old man at about 5.45pm local time on Monday. Continue reading...

Israeli prime minister lands in Washington but all eyes are on president and vice-president after 2024 race shake-upBenjamin Netanyahu expected to land in Washington DC this week with a bang. So far, it has been more of a whimper.The Israeli prime minister has kept a low profile in the US capital, which was stunned by Joe Biden's decision on Sunday to drop out of the presidential race and endorse his vice-president, Kamala Harris, to challenge Donald Trump. Continue reading...

A conference call had tens of thousands of participants and raised $1.5m for the presumptive Democratic nomineeFollowing Joe Biden's decision on Sunday to end his re-election campaign and endorse Kamala Harris, Win With Black Women, a political collective, held its regular call to discuss that week's agenda: the upcoming election. Only this time, the call swelled to include more than 44,000 people - forcing Zoom to lift capacity limitations - with an additional 30,000 joining in on a Clubhouse stream, and an unknown number of others connecting to unauthorized livestreams, organizers said. Even as late as 1am, people continued trying to join the call.We were so elated and pleased to see [Biden] fully endorse Vice-President Kamala Harris, and so we all got on that Zoom, united around our joy, united around our desire to be together in history," Jotaka Eaddy, Win With Black Women's founder, said. But [we] also united around our support of Vice-President Harris and our commitment to do the work to make sure that she's the next president of the United States and that we beat Donald Trump and the Maga agenda." Continue reading...

George Lang's remark came while introducing JD Vance at event at Trump running mate's former Ohio high schoolAn Ohio Republican has apologised after appearing to threaten a civil war if Donald Trump fails to win November's presidential election.George Lang, a state senator, made the comment during a boisterously pugnacious introduction for JD Vance, the former president's running mate who is also a US senator for Ohio. Continue reading...

Spirits were sky-high at the vice-president's first rally as the presumptive Democratic nominee - and people were ready to mobilizeAt Kamala Harris's first rally as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee - a campaign stop at a suburban Milwaukee high school - spirits in the crowded auditorium were high.Oh my God, I think this is something long overdue - and she will do great," said Pat Bridges, a 65-year-old retiree who attended the event on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Kamala Harris on Tuesday, giving her campaign to become the party's official presidential nominee another boost. Schumer, the Senate Democrat leader said at a press conference that the Democrats and the country were 'brimming with excitement, enthusiasm, unity' at the prospect of her candidacy. Jeffries, the House minority leader said Harris had earned the nomination 'from the grassroots up, not the top down', and added that he 'strongly' endorsed her. 'She is ready. She is willing. She is able to energetically and emphatically lead America into the future,' he said

Charli xcx's album has taken pop culture by storm. Now the vice-president is joining the partyAfter Vice-President Kamala Harris announced her bid for president, she reportedly raised a record-breaking $81m donations in just a day - but her most culturally powerful endorsement may have come from a single tweet.As nearly all Democrats rallied behind Harris, offering support in tweets and TV interviews, a perhaps unlikely voice weighed in: the British pop singer Charli xcx, who tweeted, kamala IS brat." Continue reading...

Vice-president says Black woman who was shot in her home by an Illinois sheriff's deputy deserved to be safe'Kamala Harris added her voice on Tuesday to mounting calls for policing reforms following the killing of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was shot in her home by an Illinois sheriff's deputy earlier this month.Sonya Massey deserved to be safe," the vice-president said in a statement Tuesday. After she called the police for help, she was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a responding officer sworn to protect and serve." Continue reading...

The Palestinian American model has just been dropped from an Adidas campaign. Her only crime appears to be her heritage and her willingness to speak outOn Wednesday, Benjamin Netanyahu is having the red carpet rolled out for him in Washington DC. The Israeli prime minister, who is propped up by far-right extremists, will have the great honour of addressing Congress. The international criminal court may think he is a tad problematic, but in the twisted world we live in, he is being treated like a dignified statesman. The real villain du jour? A glance at the press suggests it's the model Bella Hadid.Hadid's crime? She is part of a campaign for Adidas's SL72 trainers. Or, rather, she was. Adidas dropped her from the campaign last week after the official @Israel X account objected to her involvement because the SL72s were released during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, when 11 Israelis were taken hostage and killed by the Palestinian militant group Black September. Continue reading...

Letter to US president says: our unions are horrified that our tax dollars are financing this ongoing tragedy'Seven major US labor unions representing about 6 million workers sent a letter to Joe Biden on Tuesday calling on his administration to immediately halt all military aid to Israel" ahead of a visit to the US from Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, this week.The unions that signed on to the letter include the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), American Postal Workers Union (APWU), International Union of Painters (IUPAT), National Education Association (NEA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Auto Workers (UAW) and United Electrical Workers (UE). Continue reading...

Alexis Smith tells audience that her abuser is in crowd and that I, and my community, deserve healthy relationships'The newly crowned Miss Kansas is emerging as an advocate for domestic violence survivors after she shocked judges and her audience in the final interview of her competition victory by calling out her abuser in the crowd.Standing on stage in a blue sequined gown in June, Alexis Smith told the crowd: Some of you in this audience saw me very emotional because my abuser is here today. But that's not going to stop me from being on this Miss Kansas stage because I, and my community, deserve healthy relationships." Continue reading...

Upsurge in activity from white supremacists and swastika-toting extremists follows rash of anti-LGBTQ+ state lawsResidents of Nashville, Tennessee, are struggling to find ways to respond to a sudden upsurge in neo-Nazi and white supremacist activity in the city as small groups of extremists have descended on the community carrying swastika flags, chanting Sieg Heil" and handing out flyers saying Diversity means fewer white people".Over the past two weeks, neo-Nazi groups and affiliated organizations, including the Patriot Front and a network calling itself the Goyim Defense League, have staged antisemitic stunts in the city center - including stopping passersby and asking them if they are Jewish. They have also disrupted a city council meeting. Continue reading...

The dropping of comedian Sebastian Hotz and Elon Musk's intervention raise serious questions about freedom of speechThe point of comedy is to make fun of everyone," a Berlin friend told me recently. What matters, he argued, is that you make yourself look silly too. But along the way, you're allowed to disrespect everyone as long as you are being creative enough. That, in his opinion, is what the genre is for.I get what he means. Yet having followed enough of Germany's tortured discussions around comedy and satire over recent years, something about this argument doesn't feel right.Fatma Aydemir is a Berlin-based author, novelist, playwright and a Guardian Europe columnist Continue reading...

Governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and Arizona senator Mark Kelly, are reportedly on the shortlist

George Clooney could star as Biden in a rich adaptation of the pathos, tragedy and triumph of the president's life in politicsGeorge Clooney can now play Joe Biden in the movie. After he urged the president to quit the race, the penultimate scene became greater than any Hollywood ending. The actor, while the King of Hollywood, has not yet won an Oscar. This part, though, drawing on a range of classic genres, moving from pathos to tragedy to triumph, will challenge his dramatic skills as never before.The curtain rises on Biden as Richard II, beleaguered and beset, facing his overthrow from within.What must the king do now? Must he submit?The king shall do it: must he be deposed?Tis done - but yesterday a KingAnd arm'd with Kings to strive - Continue reading...

This ruling lays bare the reality of Israel's occupation. Acting on it will bring us closer to peaceOver the past 57 years, Palestinians in the West Bank such as myself have suffered the rise of Israeli settlements taking over our land, restricting our own development and destroying the natural beauty of the landscape. We spared no effort in describing how this aggression was contrary to local and international law. But it was like crying into the wind. No one was listening. Israeli defenders, meanwhile, spread spurious justifications for the country's actions, raising doubts in the minds of many about the veracity of our position.Last Friday, the highest court in the world, the international court of justice (ICJ) in the Hague, ruled on the matter. In its advisory opinion to the UN, made upon the request of the general assembly, the court stated that the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem ... have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law". But the real bombshell was the court's assertion that what is required by Israel is the evacuation of all settlers from existing settlements" and that it is also under an obligation to provide full reparation for the damage caused by its internationally wrongful acts to all natural or legal persons concerned". In this way, the court confirmed the well established principle that violations of international law do not lapse by time, and are not subject to a period of limitation. Continue reading...

Christopher Dunn, 52, is latest person released from a Missouri prison due to evidence of wrongful convictionA Missouri judge on Monday overturned the conviction of Christopher Dunn, who has spent more than 30 years in prison for a killing he has long contended he didn't commit.The ruling is likely to free Dunn from prison, but it wasn't immediately clear when that would happen. He has been serving a sentence of life without parole. Continue reading...

New research shows cumulative effects of hearing gunshots near the home or the slaying of friends or classmatesAfter Nasir Bari was shot in his chest and leg when he was 28, he saw the face of his shooter in everyone he passed on the street and in the grocery store.It's him again," Bari remembers thinking constantly. Continue reading...

The NBA's midsummer party was full of intrigue despite a draft class underwhelming as far as superstar talent. Our correspondent in the desert empties her notebookBy the time draft night arrived, it was pretty widely understood that the Atlanta Hawks, in possession of the No 1 pick for the first time since 1975, were going to select Zaccharie Risacher, anointing him as the secondnd annual French Beanpole King of the Draft. Risacher, though, is no Victor Wembanyama. And just because the pick was widely predicted doesn't mean that it was widely agreed upon. Several draft boards (including that of Kevin O'Connor of the Ringer) had Kentucky's Reed Sheppard, a guard who ended up in Houston with the third overall pick, as their choice for best prospect, and his time in Vegas showcased why they appear to have been correct. Sheppard, while slightly undersized at 6ft 3in, was damned impressive in his minutes in Sin City: a sharpshooter with an extremely high basketball IQ for his age, he looked positively comfy in his first NBA minutes. By the end of the week, execs from the Wizards (who selected Alex Sarr at No 2) and Hawks were quietly doing some damage-control-explaining behind the scenes for passing him over. Continue reading...