US news | The Guardian

The justices, wanting to restore Trump to the ballot, didn't address the underlying question of if he incited an insurrectionElena Kagan once referred to Jonathan Mitchell sarcastically as some genius". That was in oral arguments surrounding SB8, the bounty-hunter abortion ban that Texas succeeded in passing before the overturn of Roe v Wade, which Mitchell wrote, pioneering a cockamamie scheme for evading judicial review.Mitchell, a far-right lawyer currently vying for a spot in the second Trump administration, is a fan of this kind of bald, legal bad faith: you can't quite call him duplicitous, because he never quite pretends that the law really leads him to the conclusions he'd like to reach. He's more about coming up with novel legal schemes to get to his desired outcome and trusting that the federal judiciary, captured as it is by Federalist Society acolytes and wingnut cranks, will go along with him because they share his political proclivities. Continue reading...

She's just won best album at the Grammys; he may well win the Super Bowl. Is their romance a political conspiracy, money-making enterprise or just as simple as true love?

Ahead of Sunday's Chiefs v 49ers matchup, here are 20 questions on the annals and arcana of American sport's high holy day Continue reading...

The Los Angeles Lakers have honoured Kobe Bryant with a 19ft bronze statue outside their downtown arena. The 4,000lb statue portrays the late superstar in his white No 8 jersey with his right index finger raised, depicting his pose as he walked off the court after his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006.Bryant's widow, Vanessa, said during the dedication ceremony that the statue is the first of three that will be created to honour the five-time NBA champion and top scorer in Lakers history. Another statue will feature Bryant in his No 24 jersey, which he wore for the second half of his career, while a third will depict Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who died with him and seven others in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

As Liverpool prepares to look for a new manager, and its owners look to expand their portfolio, both parties may be racing toward a reckoningWhenever Fenway Sports Group has added to its sprawling global portfolio of sports franchises, now valued at more than $10bn, the story it has told about its intentions has been the same: respect tradition, build the brand, leave the team on a more sustainable footing for future growth, and above all, win. Reflecting on the two-year anniversary of the group's 2021 acquisition of the Pittsburgh Penguins ice hockey team late last year, FSG chairman Tom Werner told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: We feel a certain responsibility as stewards to make sure we're not only preserving the legacy of the Penguins, but that we are trying to bring more Stanley Cups to Pittsburgh."In the mouth of any other sports investor, words like these would seem like standard-issue corporate smarm. But FSG has the track record, built up over more than two decades, to back them up: from Boston to Liverpool and beyond, FSG's arrival has heralded success on the field and renewal off it, bringing trophies and a fresh sense of connection between the teams it has taken over and the communities those teams represent. Continue reading...

Sunday's game contains a multitude of subplots. Here's what to watch for as the NFL's biggest game kicks off in Las Vegas

Test your knowledge of the week's events in football, cricket, tennis, rugby union and beyond Continue reading...

Joe Biden on Thursday mistakenly referred to Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as the leader of Mexico. The comment came as he was making remarks on a special counsel report concerning his handling of classified documents, and that referred to his memory as 'poor', which he denied in an angry rebuttal. The US president also said Israel's offensive on Gaza has been 'over the top' - his sharpest criticism yet of Tel Aviv's conduct during the war.

The US national security spokesperson has warned Israel against conducting an offensive against Rafah, the last refuge of Palestinians fleeing the Israeli army's assault on Gaza. John Kirby said the US would not support an attack on the southern town. He added that the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, had expressed his concern to Israeli officials during his recent visit

His plan for demographic rearmament' shifts the blame to women, while his policies make life harder for parentsAccording to the French government, France is facing a huge challenge. The birthrate has been in decline for a decade now, but in 2023 it was down by 7% on the previous year. In response, the president, Emmanuel Macron, has announced a plan for what he calls demographic rearmament" including fertility testing for those aged 25. Beside the war-like rhetoric that treats a high birthrate as a way for France to compete internationally, this discussion of people's bodies as part of a national plan makes me queasy.Such a utilitarian view of the birthrate not only puts an unhelpful burden on the shoulders of all French people of childbearing age, but is an offensive intrusion in to our intimate lives and personal choices. At 46, Macron himself has chosen not to be a father - why can't he let everyone else make their own choices?Rokhaya Diallo is a Guardian Europe columnist Continue reading...

Rambling two-hour talk with Tucker Carlson, a Trump-supporting rightwing commentator, was Russian president's first with a western media outlet since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. 'If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons. It will be over within a few weeks,' Putin said. He accused the US and the west of prolonging the war and singled out Boris Johnson, claiming that as British prime minister he dissuaded Zelenskiy from signing a peace deal in the early stages of the war

Unknown Ryan Binkley was only other candidate running, two days after Nikki Haley came second in state Republican primaryDonald Trump was anointed the victor of Nevada Republican caucuses, after staunch loyalists in the state helped maneuver the election process to assure his success.Shortly after the caucuses concluded, the AP confirmed Trump, who was the only major candidate participating, as the winner, capping off a perplexing election week in a key battleground state. Ryan Binkley, a little-known pastor and businessman from Texas, was the only other candidate running. Continue reading...

The president insisted he put the country back on his feet', but a last-minute fumble provided more fodder to his detractorsIt came out of the blue. The White House announced that Joe Biden would deliver remarks at 7.45pm - giving the press just 23 minutes to prepare. What the sudden speech would be about, no one knew. The element of surprise and uncertainty was reminiscent of the Donald Trump era.As it happened, many White House correspondents were at a meeting near the Watergate building about a mile and a half way. The Guardian was among four who jumped in a car, raced across town and sprinted up sedate Pennsylvania Avenue, greeting the Secret Service in a breathless and disheveled state. Continue reading...

The US president, Joe Biden, defended his memory in a short speech after a report from the justice department questioned his ability to remember key events and facts. The report also exonerated Biden over his handling of classified materials. Biden disputed some press reporting that he had 'wilfully retained documents' and said the special counsel report's descriptions concerning the date of his son's death were 'extraneous commentary' that 'had no place' there. Biden's remarks came after an earlier statement in which the US president welcomed the finding that he should not face criminal charges

NBA team presents the first of three statues of the late superstar, with his No 8 jersey and a signature pose after a 2006 gameThe Los Angeles Lakers revealed a statue of Kobe Bryant on Thursday, honoring their late superstar with a 19ft bronze likeness outside their downtown arena.The 4,000lb statue depicts Bryant in his white No 8 jersey with his right index finger raised as he walked off the court following his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006. Continue reading...

Trump, the only major candidate running in the battleground state, is assured of victory over Ryan Binkley

President says my memory is fine' after report on classified documents case calls him elderly man with poor memory'

Trump is only major candidate in Republican caucuses, days after Haley loses Republican primary and Biden wins Democratic vote

President Joe Biden welcomed the finding of a special counsel report that he would not face criminal charges in his handling of classified documents. Biden said he was 'pleased' the special counsel had 'reached the conclusion I believed and knew all along they would'. The US Department of Justice special counsel investigating Biden's handling of classified documents after his vice-presidency released a report concluding that he 'willfully' kept and shared classified information including 'classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan' and handwritten notes about national security and foreign policy 'implicating sensitive intelligence sources and methods'.

The president won't face criminal charges in classified documents case, but the line he is an elderly man with a poor memory' will lingerThe president is not a crook. But there may be something more unforgivable in the court of public opinion. The president is old.That is what will linger from Joe Biden's pyrrhic victory at the hands of the justice department on Thursday. True, he will not face criminal charges over his handling of highly classified documents when a private citizen, despite an awkward photo revealing papers stashed in a broken cardboard box in his garage, according to special counsel Robert Hur. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on the classified documents report, read:

The US supreme court heard arguments on whether former president Donald Trump should be removed from the ballot on Thursday after Colorado voters filed a lawsuit last year alleging he was ineligible to run for president under a little-used provision of the constitution's 14th amendment.Most justices, liberal and conservative, seemed skeptical of Colorado's arguments and seemed to agree that states could not act without action from Congress

No charges despite willfull' retention of material but Robert Hur stresses president's age and allegedly faulty memoryThe US Department of Justice special counsel investigating Joe Biden's handling of classified documents after his vice-presidency released a report on Thursday concluding that he willfully" kept and shared classified information - but that the now US president will not face criminal charges. Biden was declared pleased" but his team criticized inappropriate" comments in the report and investigative excess".Here are the key points: Continue reading...

Complete text of Robert Hur's year-long investigation into president's improper retention of classified materials

Former White House trade adviser sentenced to four months for contempt of Congress's January 6 investigation but is appealingA federal judge on Thursday denied Trump White House official Peter Navarro's bid to remain out of prison while he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction for refusing to cooperate with an investigation into the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol.Navarro was sentenced last month to four months behind bars after being found guilty of defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House January 6 committee. The former White House trade adviser under President Donald Trump had asked to be free while he fights that conviction and sentence in higher courts. Continue reading...

Search under way for Lifei Huang, who was reported missing on Sunday night after not returning from Mount Baldy areaAuthorities in southern California are searching for a 22-year-old woman who was reported missing after going hiking alone on Sunday as an atmospheric river drenched the region.Lifei Huang was reported missing around 11pm on Sunday night after not returning from the Mount Baldy area of the San Gabriel mountains, the San Bernardino county sheriff's department said in a statement. She had set out around 2pm that day and was last heard from around 4pm. Continue reading...

Previous bill that also included border security measures failed amid Republican oppositionThe Senate on Thursday advanced a wartime aid package for Ukraine and Israel, reviving an effort that had stalled amid Republican opposition to a border security bill they demanded and later abandoned.A day after blocking a measure that would have paired harsh new border restrictions with security assistance for Ukraine, Israel and other US allies, the Senate voted 67 to 32 to begin consideration of the $95bn emergency aid bill. Several Republicans who voted to block the broader border package agreed to open debate on the foreign policy-only version of the measure after securing the opportunity to propose changes, including the immigration enforcement measures that were stripped out. Continue reading...

The chief justice of the US supreme court, John Roberts, argued that removing Donald Trump from states' primary ballots for the presidential election could mean some states would remove the Democratic candidate, some states would remove the Republican candidate, leaving the presidential election to just a few states.A majority of justices, including some from the court's liberal wing, voiced concern about the chaos that would ensue if they allowed states to decide whether to disqualify candidates when they debated Colorado's decision to rule Trump ineligible to run for office for inciting insurrection

Colorado supreme court ruled the ex-president ineligible to run for office for inciting insurrection under the 14th amendment

It is hard to believe that life could get worse for Palestinians there - but there is every sign that it willThe last refuge is no longer a refuge. Around half of Gaza's 2.3 million people have found some kind of shelter in Rafah, often under canvas, raising the border city's population fivefold. Now, though desperate, traumatised and exhausted, many are readying to flee again.Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israeli troops will soon enter, despite warnings from Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, that it would increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences". Strikes on the city appeared to be intensifying on Thursday.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

House majority leader received autologous stem cell treatment after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in AugustThe Republican House majority leader, Steve Scalise, will return to work in Washington after receiving autologous stem cell treatment for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.Scalise announced he was diagnosed with the disease in August. His cancer treatment represents the second serious health scare for the representative since he took office to represent Louisiana in 2008. In 2017, Scalise was one of four people shot during practice for a congressional baseball game. Continue reading...

Austin police say attack was bias-motivated' when Zacharia Doar was attacked after attending a pro-Palestinian protest with friendsThe recent stabbing of a 23-year-old Palestinian American in Texas meets the standard for a hate crime, police announced on Wednesday.Bert James Baker, 36, was arrested on Sunday for allegedly attacking 23-year-old Zacharia Doar after Doar and friends were returning from a pro-Palestinian protest on Sunday near the University of Texas at Austin. Continue reading...

Small radio station forced to go silent after unbelievable' theft of giant tower, which would cost over $100,000 to replaceAn Alabama radio station has been forced to temporarily shut down after thieves stole a 200ft radio tower.WJLX, a station in Jasper, Alabama, was ordered to go off air by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after thieves took the station's AM tower last week, the Guardian first learned. Continue reading...

No event signals Las Vegas's arrival as a US sporting mecca like the Super Bowl, which takes place in the city after an abrupt reversal in philosophy

Led by Native people, an Oklahoma program provides life-saving supplies and addiction care to remote tribal areasTwice a week, Coleman Cox drives a white sprinter van full of life-saving supplies along winding rural Oklahoma roads from Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation, to Vinita, a town of 5,000 about 70 miles (113km) north. It's a hot spot for drug use in the northern part of the reservation.Cox, who's 38, is the director of the Cherokee Nation harm reduction program, an evidence-based public health strategy designed to mitigate the adverse effects of drug use, such as infectious diseases, overdose and death. The mobile unit was launched in September 2023 to bring harm-reduction supplies to remote areas of the reservation. Vinita is its first distribution site. Continue reading...

Former senator will star on The Residence, based on the US president's private home while in officeAl Franken, the former Minnesota Democratic senator, will play a senator on TV in a Netflix comedic drama about the White House.The show, called The Residence, is based on the residence at the White House, the president's private home while in office. Continue reading...

New Orleans man asks White House to follow through on Biden's promise to respond if you harm an American' in mother's caseA New Orleans-area man who has reported that Israeli troops kidnapped his mother - a US citizen - from a family home on the occupied West Bank Palestinian territory is asking Joe Biden's White House to follow through on the president's recent promise to respond if you harm an American".Ibrahim Hamed said he realized that Biden's remarks on Friday - if you harm an American, we will respond" - came after the United States and Britain attacked Houthi targets in Yemen in retaliation for a drone strike that killed three US army troops. But he said the sentiment should apply equally even in the case of a Palestinian American who has been taken by Israeli troops. Continue reading...

Legal documents said to suggest former bank CEO and child sex offender used third person to communicateThe former chief executive of Barclays Jes Staley allegedly stayed in contact with Jeffrey Epstein long after joining the UK bank, according to legal documents that reportedly contradict claims he cut ties with the convicted child sex offender and disgraced financier in 2015.Documents from a now-settled lawsuit, seen by Bloomberg News, allegedly suggest that the two men used an unnamed third person, who acted as an intermediary for messages between Staley and Epstein", to stay in contact after Staley took over as chief executive of Barclays in December 2015. Continue reading...

The creative industries in this country are boys' clubs. Conversations about meaningful change are long overdue

Fans and players hope for the best at the start of any season. But there are always factors holding back even the best teamsA new season brings hope - when the game is played on paper, it always seems easier to win.It also brings doubt. What if we missed on our offseason signings? What if a European suitor snags our best player in the summer window? What if we, uh, forgot to hire a coach? Continue reading...

Letter sent to UN raises concerns about Alice Wairimu Nderitu's ability to act with effectiveness and impartiality'. Plus, have the Dutch found the answer to burnout culture?

Red Cross says only a third of households who sought emergency shelter have moved into homes, as governor's pledge rings hollowEvery afternoon Diana Tevaga rushes back from work to her hotel room to feed her pitbull, Pe'a, and tabby cat, Kenzie, bracing herself for another dispiriting evening searching online for an affordable apartment in Maui.Tevaga, 41, has been living in a hotel since losing her home - a rent-controlled apartment she'd shared with her mother and pets - in the catastrophic Lahaina wildfire on 8 August. Before the fire, she spent evenings with her nephews and nieces, who lived in the same neighborhood. Now, Tevaga watches reality TV and eats Red Cross meals with other survivors who have no place else to go. Continue reading...

Zelenskiy aide says foreign policy has become a hostage of internal politics' after Republicans torpedo aid billThe repeated failure of the Biden administration to get a funding package for Ukraine approved by the Senate will have real consequences in terms of lives on the battlefield and Kyiv's ability to hold off Russian forces on the frontline, say Ukrainian officials.The latest move by Senate Republicans to torpedo a bipartisan bill that would have combined $60bn (48bn) in aid for Ukraine with aid to Israel and increased border security measures is a bitter blow for Kyiv. It could signal a very grim year ahead as the US political agenda settles into an election year with Donald Trump all but certain to be the Republican candidate. Continue reading...

The bill would require transgender people to be identified on birth certificates, a measure some compare to pink triangles'On Tuesday afternoon, the Iowa house education committee met to debate House Study Bill 649, a bill proposed by the Republican governor, Kim Reynolds. The bill, as drafted, would end legal recognition for transgender people anywhere male" and female" appear in Iowa code and would require special gender markers for transgender people on birth certificates, measures that were compared to pink triangles" once used to identify LGBTQ+ people by Nazis in the 1940s. Perhaps the most ambitious attempt to discriminate against transgender people in the proposed legislation, however, is through redefining the word equal" in the bill.The bill states that when it comes to transgender people, The term equal' does not mean same' or identical'," which raises the question: what does equal" even mean? The bill does not define the word, only declares that equal" no longer means same" or identical" within the state of Iowa for transgender people. When the sponsor was asked directly what the word equal" means in this bill, the representative Heather Hora answered: Equal would mean ... um ... I would assume that equal would mean ... I don't know exactly in this context." Continue reading...

The Palestinian nationalist, jailed for violence in the Second Intifada, may be the key to negotiating a two-state solutionThe Israeli public's desire to bring home all of the hostages from Gaza is forcing hard choices for Israel's rightwing government, which has tried to resist Hamas's demands that Israeli hostages be exchanged for specific Palestinians held prisoner by Israel, including some who took part in the 7 October attacks on Israeli civilians. The situation has put a spotlight on one man in particular - the Palestinian nationalist Marwan Barghouti, who may be the most important prisoner of all.Hamas, an Islamist group that has traditionally been bitter rivals with Barghouti's secular Fatah faction, is now demanding Barghouti's release from Israeli prison if Israel wants the hostages returned. Even if Israel refuses this demand, Hamas wins support from Barghouti's supporters. Continue reading...

Since the US supreme court's overturning of Roe v Wade, 16 states have enacted stringent bans on nearly all abortions. But that is not enough for a new generation of organised and passionate activists intent on pushing even stricter laws across the country. Carter Sherman spends time with students and organisers at the annual March for Life in Washington DC and meets the influential woman spearheading the national movement Continue reading...