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A well-placed profanity is the perfect riposte to dated ideas of female delicacy. So hats off to sweary Olivia ColmanThe first time I attempted to use a naughty word at school, aged seven, has become family folklore. I was aching to try out a grownup term that I'd heard an older girl utter in the playground, so when my friend was standing at the classroom sink, washing her poster paint-covered brushes, I took my chance.Hey, move your bom," I loudly declared, my cheeks turning bright red as I realised the whole thing had come out wrong. I scuttled away as fast as I could, shocked by the power a single word could hold - and how shaming it could feel if not deployed just right.Claire Cohen is a journalist and the author of BFF? The Truth About Female FriendshipDo 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...

Jessica Gaertner, who filed a rape charge against a referee through Hockey Canada, is one of many calling for reform in how abuse is managed by sports organizationsOn 30 December 2022, a match official took to the ice for a hockey match in the British Columbia Hockey League. The match was overseen by BC Hockey, the provincial governing body for the sport. It wasn't the only hockey game this particular official was on the ice for that week. There was another on 3 January 2023, and again on 6 January. On 7 January he took charge of a high school game in the local area.Business as usual. What was unusual was that the official was under investigation by Hockey Canada's investigatory independent third party" (ITP) following a rape allegation and was under an interim suspension that should have prevented him from being anywhere near the ice. Continue reading...

Angry farmers, worried tourism workers and unprepared politicians - Catalonia is on the frontline of a drought-stricken futureWalking through Barcelona these days, you can't miss the signs and billboards picturing a red plastic bucket and the message Water doesn't fall from the sky" (l'aigua no cau del cel in Catalan). The ads are part of a campaign to get people to save water. Since the beginning of February, Barcelona and 200 other towns in Catalonia have been in an official drought emergency. That means more than 6 million people in the region live with restrictions. Daily water usage per inhabitant is limited. Parks are unwatered, fountains are dry and showers at swimming pools and beaches are closed. Farmers can't irrigate most of their crops and must halve their water usage for livestock or face fines.It's not just Catalonia. The European Drought Observatory's map of current droughts in Europe shows the entire Spanish Mediterranean coast in bad shape, with red areas indicating an alert similar to those in north Africa and Sicily. Catalonia may be going through the worst drought on record for the area, but the southern region of Andalucia has faced continuous drought since 2016. Last year, Spain's droughts ranked among the 10 most costly climate disasters in the world, according to a report by Christian Aid.Maria Ramirez is a journalist and deputy managing editor of elDiario.es, a news outlet in Spain Continue reading...

At least one person was killed and 21 injured, including multiple children, in a shooting at the Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade

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Three suspects have been arrested in connection to the shooting as the Super Bowl victory celebrations were wrapping up

Fans said they were almost trampled as they tried to escape the carnage at the Super Bowl parade, while others reportedly helped tackle a suspected shooter

Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended the parade, said it seems like almost nothing is safe' as NFL said it was deeply saddened'

Dolezal, a white woman who identified as Black for years and later changed her name to Nkechi Diallo, fired in ArizonaThe Arizona-based educator formerly known as Rachel Dolezal has been ousted from her position in a local school district due to content posted on her OnlyFans account.Dolezal, who legally changed her name to Nkechi Diallo in 2016, had been teaching at an elementary school in Arizona since August 2023, according to a report from News4 Tucson. Continue reading...

At least one person died in a shooting on Wednesday afternoon at a Super Bowl victory parade for the Kansas City Chiefs. Three people have been detained by police following the incident. Speaking after the shooting, Kansas City police chief Stacey Graves said she was 'angry ... the people who come to this celebration should expect a safe environment'

Jack Smith says the nation has a compelling interest in seeing the charges brought to trial' as ex-president presses immunity claimThe special counsel prosecuting Donald Trump on federal charges involving the former president's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss has urged the US supreme court to reject Trump's bid to further delay trial proceedings as he presses his claim of immunity.Jack Smith's filing to the justices responded to a request by Trump's lawyers on Monday to put on hold a decision by a three-judge panel of the US court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit rejecting the claim of presidential immunity from prosecution. Continue reading...

President grants deferral to about 6,000 Palestinians for next 18 months, citing worsening humanitarian conditions in GazaJoe Biden has signed an order shielding several thousand Palestinians in the United States who need protection from deportation for the next 18 months, the White House said on Wednesday, citing deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza.The move grants deferred enforced departure" to an estimated 6,000 Palestinians, a Biden administration official said.Reuters contributed reporting Continue reading...

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Parents of Brian Laundrie detail day everything hit the fan' in 2021 as son frantically called to say his fiancee was gone'Newly released documents from a pain and emotional distress lawsuit brought by the parents of Gabby Petito, the Long Island woman killed by her fiance Brian Laundrie in a Wyoming forest in 2021, are shedding light on what happened in the hours after she was killed.In depositions released on Monday, Laundrie's parents detailed the day everything hit the fan" when their son frantically called them to say his fiancee was gone" and he needed their help to find him an attorney as he drove back home across the country without her. Continue reading...

Concerns have been raised over three homes in Orange county at edge of a collapsed bluff, but owner assures no immediate threatLandslides in southern California have raised concerns about three multimillion-dollar luxury homes on the edge of the cliff side.Dramatic photos and videos of three properties in Dana Point in Orange county show that dirt and rocks on the bluff slid down to the shore below during the recent torrential rainstorms, giving the appearance that the homes were now precariously dangling at the very edge of the cliff. Continue reading...

Republican House intelligence chair, Mike Turner, says Biden officials should declassify information about threat, while House speaker Mike Johnson says there was no need for panicThe head of the House intelligence committee, Mike Turner, has called for the Biden administration to declassify information on what he called a serious national security threat", which was later reported to involve Russian plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space.In his statement, Turner, an Ohio Republican, gave no details about the supposed security threat. Continue reading...

Permission slips indicate how some schools are trying to comply with Ron DeSantis's laws targeting teaching of race and race issuesA Florida school has received backlash after it required parents to provide written consent allowing their children to engage with a Black author's book. The permission form detailed an activity in which students will participate and listen to a book written by an African American".Chuck Walter, a parent at Coral Way K-8 in Miami, posted a photo of the slip on X, writing: I had to give permission for this or else my child would not participate???" He tagged the Miami-Dade county public schools superintendent, Jose L Dotres. (Dotres's office did not immediately respond to the Guardian's request for comment.) Continue reading...

Community groups say ShotSpotter system sends police to Black and Latino neighborhoods for unnecessary and hostile encountersChicago will not renew its ShotSpotter contract and plans to stop using the controversial gunshot detection system later this year, Mayor Brandon Johnson's office announced on Tuesday.The system, which relies on an artificial intelligence algorithm and network of microphones to identify gunshots, has been criticized for inaccuracy, racial bias and law enforcement misuse. An Associated Press investigation of the technology detailed how police and prosecutors used ShotSpotter data as evidence in charging a Chicago grandfather with murder before a judge dismissed the case due to insufficient evidence. Continue reading...

We would like to speak to teachers as unions call for the site to be shut downTeachers' unions in Indiana are calling for the state attorney general to take down a site that asks parents to report potentially inappropriate materials" in classrooms.The launch of the Eyes on Education site last week follows a similar tip line opened in Virginia in 2022 and comes against a backdrop of conservative efforts to censor discussion of race and sexual identities in schools. Continue reading...

Karen Bass fears someone's going to fall or be pushed' from Oceanwide Plaza, used by graffiti artists and parachutistsAn abandoned high-rise tower in downtown Los Angeles has become a magnet for graffiti artists and parachuting stunts, leaving city officials furious.This isn't art. It's a crime," the Los Angeles police chief, Michael Moore, warned on Monday, saying the police were remaining at the site of the half-built development as the city mobilizes resources to remove the graffiti and fortify the location". Continue reading...

Susie Balfour, 62, says officials failed to provide tests and treatment for breast cancer for years, allowing it to spreadA Mississippi prison denied medical treatment to an incarcerated woman with breast cancer, allowing her condition to go undiagnosed for years until it spread to other parts of her body and became terminal, according to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday.Susie Balfour, 62, alleges that Mississippi department of corrections (MDOC) medical officials were aware she might have cancer as early as May 2018, but did not conduct a biopsy until November 2021, one month before she was released from prison. It was not until January 2022, after she left an MDOC facility, that a University of Mississippi Medical Center doctor diagnosed her with stage four breast cancer, according to her federal complaint. Continue reading...

The ex-president pledged his devotion to his wife by referencing his many indictments in a pitch for supporters' donationsIn a Valentine's Day fundraising message, Donald Trump sought to demonstrate the depth of his love for Melania Trump, his third wife, by referring to his lengthy list of criminal charges.Even after every single indictment, arrest and witch hunt, you never left my side," the message said. Continue reading...

Territory cannot be acquired by force, the far right in Israel must be shunned, and there must be genuine reform of the Palestinian National CouncilThe foreign secretary, David Cameron, recently surprised observers by raising the possibility of the UK recognising a Palestinian state before the end of a peace process with Israel. The US has also said it could recognise a Palestinian state after the war in Gaza and is reportedly drawing up policy options along these lines. These seem like remarkable developments amid the carnage of the Israeli assault on Gaza. But do they constitute a breakthrough that could lead to a positive outcome in the Middle East, or will they result in the formalisation of the Israeli occupation? The devil is in the detail.The Israeli occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem (as well as the Golan Heights and Sinai) began in 1967, and was followed by the UN security council resolution 242, which spelled out the way forward. For decades, the resolution, underpinned by a singular principle, served as the basis for negotiations between Israel and its Arab neighbours. The principle was simple: a pre-condition of peace would be Israel withdrawing from the territories it occupied in 1967. The resolution was supported by the US, and subsequent resolutions have all backed that same recognition that the acquisition of territory by military force is illegitimate in today's world. It's a pillar of the international order and is supposed to distinguish us from the great power politics of the pre-second world war era.HA Hellyer is a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Continue reading...

Republican's last rival for presidential nomination tells NBC News's Today he is not the same person he was in 2016'Donald Trump is unhinged" and diminished", said Nikki Haley, the former president's last rival for the Republican presidential nomination, on Wednesday.To mock my husband, Michael and I can handle that," the former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador told NBC News's Today, referring to comments by Trump about Michael Haley, a national guard officer deployed in Djibouti. Continue reading...

The contest between Democrat Suozzi and little-known Republican Mazi Pilip was seen as a bellwether for November's presidential electionThe Democrat Tom Suozzi won the New York congressional seat vacated by the disgraced Republican George Santos on Tuesday night, in a boost for Joe Biden ahead of the presidential election.The victory narrows the slim Republican majority in the House and gives Democrats a much-needed win in New York City's Long Island suburbs, where Republican candidates have shown strength in recent elections. Continue reading...

My cousin used to call her home in Khan Younis paradise on Earth'. Now that paradise has been lostEach Palestinian home has two hearths: the space where the family eats and the kitchen, where the food is prepared. These rooms are where the fires of life and hospitality burn most brightly.When I visit Khan Younis, one of the popular family meals we enjoy together is maghluba (upside down" in Arabic): a large, savoury cake of rice, vegetables and chicken cooked in a large pot. When the meal is ready, the pot is turned upside down and the family gather around to await the unveiling, when the pot is lifted off to display the yellow rice, red tomatoes and deep brown aubergines. Every dish of maghluba is a family celebration.Ghada Ageel, a third-generation Palestinian refugee, worked as a translator for the Guardian in Gaza from 2000 to 2006. She is currently visiting professor at the department of political science at the University of Alberta Continue reading...

US regulators are cracking down on business practices that mean workers are not paid their due, a problem exacerbated in building industry by use of labor broker systemFor years, Cristian Cespedes worked as a foreman for a construction contractor, Unforgettable Coatings, in Las Vegas, where he and his co-workers often worked over 60 hours a week without overtime pay.He recalls having to tell workers who were injured on the job that they had to deal with the injury and pay for medical care themselves. He knew the treatment and conditions imposed on himself and his co-workers were wrong, but he didn't know he could do anything about it. Continue reading...

Exclusive: memo shows anti-abortion pregnancy centers received at least $344m in government money in 2022Anti-abortion facilities raked in at least $1.4bn in revenue in the 2022 fiscal year, the year Roe v Wade fell - a staggering haul that includes at least $344m in government money, according to a memo analyzing the centers' tax documents that was compiled by a pro-abortion rights group and shared exclusively with the Guardian.These facilities, frequently known as anti-abortion pregnancy centers or crisis pregnancy centers, aim to convince people to keep their pregnancies. But in the aftermath of Roe's demise, the anti-abortion movement has framed anti-abortion pregnancy centers as a key source of aid for desperate women who have lost the legal right to end their pregnancies and been left with little choice but to give birth. Continue reading...

In a historic move the US House of Representatives voted to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas on explicitly political charges related to conditions at the southern border. Plus, the rise of romance novel bookstoresGood morning.The US House of Representatives on Tuesday impeached Alejandro Mayorkas, Joe Biden's secretary of homeland security, on explicitly political charges related to conditions at the southern border. Mayorkas is the first to face such punishment in more than 150 years.How did Mayorkas respond? He told NBC that Republicans' allegations against him were baseless", which was why he was not distracted by them. I'm focused on the work of the Department of Homeland Security. I'm inspired every single day by the remarkable work that 216,000 men and women in our department perform on behalf of the American public."And Joe Biden? History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games," the US president said. Continue reading...

By dodging the question of Trump's eligibility for re-election, the court could force a dangerous situation on to CongressImagine it is 6 January 2025. The bell tolls for the day of electoral college certification again. All the events of 2024 converge:The US supreme court's likely ruling in Trump v Anderson denying Colorado's disqualification of Trump under the constitution's 14th amendment, section 3; the exoneration of Joe Biden by special counsel Robert Hur for handling documents while sideswiping him as near senile; the ruling on Trump's immunity; the trial for his coup attempt; and Texas Governor Greg Abbott's defiance of federal court rulings in deploying his national guard to the border, supported by other Republican governors who have mobilized their guard units in similar acts of nullification - all these happenings could hurtle to a convulsive confrontation.Sidney Blumenthal is a Guardian US columnist. He is a former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton and has published three books of a projected five-volume political life of Abraham Lincoln: A Self-Made Man, Wrestling With His Angel and All the Powers of Earth Continue reading...

At 14, the wonderkid became the highest paid player in MLS and youngest-ever USMNT player. His career was ultimately defined by hype and disappointmentIn the summer of 2007, Freddy Adu had reached a crossroads.He was on his way back from the 2007 Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Canada, at which he'd played the best football of his career - a career now almost four years old, despite the fact he'd turned 18 just a month earlier, and one comprised first of immeasurable hype and latterly of disappointment. Continue reading...

After walking fine line between Israel and US Arab community, experts say Biden has justification to take harder line' before electionA long time ago, Joe Biden signed a photo for Benjamin Netanyahu. Bibi, I love you," he recalls writing. I don't agree with a damn thing you say."This twisty, best-of-frenemies relationship has been at the heart of the crisis in Gaza for the past five months. Unfortunately for the US president, the message from Jerusalem has been: he's just not that into you. Continue reading...

Tom Suozzi has achieved a much-needed win in New York City's Long Island suburbs, where Republican candidates have shown strength in recent elections. The Democrat, who previously spent six years in the House of Representatives before quitting to run, unsuccessfully, for New York governor, said: 'Let's send the message to our friends running the Congress these days. Stop running around for Trump and start running the country'

My son says it means taking out the player without getting the ball, all while shouting Brexit means Brexit'. Sound familiar?For the umpteenth time, my son, with an Ikea stuffed ball he has had since infancy, is playing football in the living room. He is joined by one of his best friends, an equally football-obsessed 10-year-old who, before slide-tackling in what can only be described as a deliberate attempt to knock my son's legs off, shouts: Brexit means Brexit!" Confused, I pass it off as an example of tweenage precocity: which 10-year-old is happy to quote Theresa May while playing football?Over the next year, however, I will hear the term used again and again when my son plays football at the local park. He turns 11 and is off to secondary school. There, too, the phrase seems to have become a thing". One evening, as he recounts the details of how he got a painful-looking graze on his shin, he quotes the attacking player's prelude to clattering into him: Brexit means Brexit!" I ask, finally, why people are saying this. Nonchalantly, as he practises skills" with the same softball, he explains that the Brexit tackle is a tackle that doesn't get the ball, only takes out the player". Urban Dictionary concurs, stating it is, among other things, when somebody hits a massive slide tackle and usually sends them flying and it hurts them servely [sic]".Lola Okolosie is an English teacher and writer Continue reading...

With Germany rocked by revelations about the AfD, the Berlin film festival's excuse for inviting them never made senseWhen the Berlin international film festival's co-director Mariette Rissenbeek declared in an interview last week that the festival doesn't strive to position itself politically, especially in times when we don't know where politics are heading", I almost laughed at the sheer clumsiness. If only it wasn't so sad. Rissenbeek was reacting to the disclosure that politicians from the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) had been invited to the festival's opening gala on 15 February, a decision that provoked an open letter of protest from 200 film-makers and outrage on social media. The excuse that all the members of the Bundestag's culture committee are automatically invited to this state-funded event is one thing. But to declare the whole festival is apolitical in order to justify the decision is another.For weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have been taking to the streets of German cities protesting against the AfD, many of them demanding a a legal ban on the party, following recent revelations that AfD figures held talks with other rightwing extremists about systematically deporting millions of people from Germany. Anyone perceived as being not German enough" would be a target for remigration", according to the reported discussions: immigrants with and without a residence status, those and their descendants with German citizenship, allies who take a pro-migration stand.Fatma Aydemir 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. Continue reading...

For decades, UK foreign policy had two pillars: the EU and Washington. Who would be our allies in a Trump 2.0 world?Nine months is a long time to hold your breath. The identity of the next US president won't be known until 6 November, but already the prospect of it being Donald Trump has America's allies clenched in strategic suspense.In European democracies, the fear is existential. For 75 years, their security has been guaranteed by the North Atlantic treaty, which Trump scorns as a bad deal for the US. At a rally over the weekend, the former president boasted of having encouraged Russia to do whatever the hell they want" to countries that weren't, in his view, paying their Nato bills.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The US House of Representatives has voted to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, Joe Biden's secretary of homeland security, on explicitly political charges related to conditions at the southern border as Republicans attempt to capitalise on the issue in an election year. Mayorkas becomes the first cabinet secretary facing charges in nearly 150 years, and the first in modern history to be impeached.

Alejandro Mayorkas, rebuked by Republicans who voted against key immigration bill, first to face such punishment in over 150 yearsThe US House of Representatives has voted to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, Joe Biden's secretary of homeland security, on explicitly political charges related to conditions at the southern border as Republicans attempt to capitalize on the issue in an election year.The evening roll call proved tight, with speaker Mike Johnson's threadbare Republican majority and in the face of staunch Democratic opposition to impeaching Mayorkas, the first cabinet secretary facing charges in nearly 150 years. Continue reading...

Votes by Republican-dominated state assembly and state senate signal that the years-long battle may be finally drawing to a closeWisconsin lawmakers voted on Tuesday to adopt legislative maps drawn by the Democratic governor, Tony Evers - inching the state closer to undoing the extreme gerrymander that has ensured Republican control of the state for more than a decade.The pair of votes in the Republican-dominated state assembly and state senate are a sign that the years-long battle over Wisconsin's legislative maps may be finally drawing to a close, giving Democrats a chance to win control of the state legislature in upcoming elections for the first time since 2012. Continue reading...

The US president, Joe Biden, condemned Donald Trump's comments on Nato as dumb, shameful and un-American during a press conference at the White House on Tuesday. Biden said: 'No other president in our history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Let me say this as clearly as I can: I never will'

This blog is now closed. You can read our full reports on Biden's remarks and the Senate foreign aid bill below:

Defense hawks such as Lindsey Graham who once demanded greater backing for Kyiv are now toeing the America First lineNearly a decade ago, as Russian troops entered the Crimean peninsula, congressional Republicans were in uproar, blaming Moscow's land grab on what they claimed was a retreat from American leadership by then president Barack Obama. Loudest among the Republican critics was the South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, who assailed Obama as a weak, indecisive leader".In a pre-dawn vote on Tuesday, Graham joined the majority of Senate Republicans in opposing a foreign aid package that would rush wartime assistance to Ukraine as it approaches the second anniversary of Russia's full invasion. Continue reading...

Biden decries Trump's comments on encouraging Russia to attack Nato allies as he gives speech to bolster support for Ukraine billJoe Biden has attacked Donald Trump's comments on the US pulling out of the Nato military alliance as dumb", shameful" and dangerous" in a blistering speech attacking Republican opposition to legislation partly aimed at providing support for Ukraine in its stand against a Russian invasion.Trump's remarks about encouraging Russia to attack Nato allies who did not contribute what Trump called their fair share of Nato funding have set off alarm bells across Europe among leaders who eye the prospect of a second Trump presidency with growing disquiet. Continue reading...

The increase in snow puts the drought-struck state in a much more optimistic spot', but experts say more moisture is neededCalifornia's mountain peaks are coated in white after a strong set of storms pummelled the state last week, with before and after images offering a promising sign for the state's snowpack.The atmospheric river-fueled storms were deadly and destructive, but also critical to replenishing water supplies in a state that has experienced a prolonged drought. The heavy rain dropped several feet of fresh snow, replenished reservoirs, and fed waterfalls and ephemeral lakes. Continue reading...

Many of 915,000 students unable to log into Zoom after city opts for remote learning instead of fully canceling classes for stormParts of the north-east US were hit on Tuesday by a snowstorm that canceled and delayed flights, made roads slippery and prompted many school districts to cancel classes or switch to remote learning - or at least try to switch.In New York City, the online learning system that serves the nation's largest school district experienced technical problems first thing in the morning, preventing many of the 915,000 students from logging into Zoom. The school system's administrators had announced the day before that all of its schools would close due to severe weather and that all instruction will take place remotely". Continue reading...

Never before have unmanned aerial vehicles been used so intensely in conflict, with even commercial devices enlisted in battleThree days into his presidency, Barack Obama ordered his first drone strikes. Over the next eight years, he oversaw a massive expansion of the US programme of targeted killings using armed drones. The initial appeal was that the US did not risk its personnel, and strikes could be carried out without attracting much attention and, supposedly, with more precision - though civilian deaths were ignored or played down.But in the ensuing years, drone wars have undergone a dramatic evolution. Never before have so many drones been used, so intensely. The US programme relied on expensive Predator drones costing about $12m (9.5m). But much cheaper drones made by Turkey, Iran and China have been credited for victories, including Ethiopia's reversal of the rapid advance of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, and for damaging attacks by non-state actors. In 2021, Gen Kenneth McKenzie, then commander of US Central Command, observed: For the first time since the Korean war, we are operating without complete air superiority." Continue reading...