Agreeing to Donald Trump's claims about the rigged' 2020 election ensures your fealty by making you complicitWhy do seemingly serious people repeat crazy political lies? This was the question the American anthropologist and political scientist Lisa Wedeen explored when she studied the Syrian dictatorship in the 1990s.She was struck by how people who were usually rational in private would repeat the utterly absurd slogans of the regime, such as claiming that the dictator Hafez al-Assad was the greatest chemist in the world. Continue reading...
Safeguards are vital even if artificial technology helps unlock the answers to our biggest questionsWill it destroy us, or will it save us? An age-old debate between tech optimists and tech pessimists that has played out over centuries as the steady march of human progress delivers new technologies, from the wheel to the printing press to the smartphone. Today it is a conversation being conducted with increasing urgency about artificial intelligence.The optimists point out that history has proved the doomsayers wrong countless times. Take the printing press: the 15th-century Catholic church worried that the spread of information would undermine authority and stability across Europe; some intellectuals worried that information would be dangerous in the hands of the plebs; craft guilds opposed the democratisation of their skills via manuals. In the end the printing press did enable harms - the publication of a witch-hunting manual in 1486 paved the way for centuries of persecution of women suspected to be witches - but they were utterly dwarfed by its enlightenment benefits. Modern-day luddite is not a particularly attractive mantle, and at the first global AI safety summit, being hosted in the UK this week, there will be a lot of industry pressure on the politicians attending to drop the doomerism and join the cool gang. Continue reading...
For more than 150 years hatemongers have felt powerful by making the public feel vulnerable and afraidFor more than 150 years, we have been living with terrorism. Like an inherited illness, it is passed from generation to generation. Waves of violence succeed one another. Early anarchists, fascists, 1960s revolutionaries, hijackers of the 1970s, militant nationalists in the 1980s, Islamist extremist or extreme rightwing hatemongers, all are variations on a dismal theme.Decades of security strategies and debates over definitions have come to no conclusion about the elusive root causes" of terrorism. Since the 9/11 attacks of 2001 we have seen the most sustained research effort ever made. This has led to much deeper knowledge and innumerable thwarted plots, but not a foolproof answer as to how we can prevent a relatively small number of individuals causing massive disruption, loss of life and instability on a planetary scale with a single act. Continue reading...
Once a concept is established it becomes harder for opponents to mansplain it awayDid you know that grooming" only began to be used in courtrooms in the 1990s? Before then, the word was seduction". And did you know that the term revenge porn" was only coined in 2007? Over a decade too late," writes Sarah Ditum in her new book Toxic, to be of any use in explaining the injury done to [Pamela] Anderson."Reading about the ills of 90s pop culture this week - Britney Spears also has a new memoir out - I was struck by a recurring theme. Of the many forces that helped push us out of that particularly misogynistic decade, a non-trivial element, I think, was the invention of new phrases to describe what was happening to women. Slut-shaming", body-shaming" and, of course, revenge porn" - these synthetic words had yet to take off when Lindsay Lohan and Amy Winehouse were being bullied by the media on a daily basis. And this, I think, mattered. Continue reading...
After three days of lockdown, fear and grief, residents of Lewiston and Lisbon prepare to move forward as manhunt endsThe terrified residents of Lewiston, Maine, were afforded a sense of relief amid their shock and grief on Saturday after the armed and dangerous" gunman who had kept them on lockdown since killing 18 people on Wednesday was found dead.The body of suspected shooter Robert Card, 40, was found on Friday evening near a recycling area 10 miles from Lewiston, with what the authorities confirmed on Saturday was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Continue reading...
by Gloria Oladipo in New York, Edward Helmore in Lewi on (#6FXQ7)
Gunman killed 18 people in attacks at a restaurant and a bowling alley, and details are now emerging of those who diedThe mass shooting in Maine left 18 people dead in attacks by a gunman at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston on Wednesday night.The fatalities included an avid bowler, staff at the alley and at the eatery - one of whom ran at the shooter with a knife to try to stop him - parents, a group from the local deaf community gathering for a games night, and a father and son. The ages of those so far confirmed dead range from 14 to 76, while many others were wounded. Continue reading...
by Joanna Walters in New York and agency on (#6FYEY)
The former vice-president to Donald Trump says that after prayer and deliberation he concludes it is not my time'Mike Pence, the former vice-president under Donald Trump, has suspended his campaign to become the Republican nominee for president in the 2024 election.Pence announced at an event held by the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas on Saturday that he was dropping out of the race, in which he has been lagging, along with others, far behind frontrunner Trump. Continue reading...
Going on holiday solo is a rare opportunity to call all the shots, remind yourself what you like and learn to enjoy your own companyI got my first glimpse of Paris in almost 20 years on a sunny afternoon stepping out of the Metro at Pont de l'Alma. I could see the Eiffel Tower through the trees and, despite the jet lag, my luggage was the only thing stopping me from heading towards it. Once offloaded, it was the first thing I did. I spent less than 10 minutes in the hotel after 21 hours travelling, but off I went. When you're on your own, you can do just that.In the lead-up to going on holiday there are always many questions. Where, when, for how long? But quickly after, one more always follows: who with? Continue reading...
Negotiators will outline terms to local union officials on Saturday, including reopening automaker's Belvidere plant, sources sayThe United Auto Workers (UAW) reached a tentative labor deal with Chrysler owner Stellantis on Saturday, two sources said, moving closer to securing record wage hikes and a new life for a Jeep factory shut down earlier this year.The tentative deal is a big step towards ending the first simultaneous strike against the so-called Detroit Three" automakers, and will follow a template set just days ago by UAW and Ford, including a 25% wage hike over the 4.5-year-long contract. Continue reading...
Gucci tennis bags at Wimbledon, Arsenal stars on Burberry's front row ... the link between the stadium and the catwalk is closer than everSerena Williams will receive the Fashion Icon award at the high-profile CFDA awards in New York next month. As a sharp dresser with her own clothing line, an honour from the fashion industry makes sense. But this is also the first time an athlete has got this award. It's a sign of the increasing closeness between sport and fashion - something set to increase in the run-up to the Paris Olympics next year, which will be sponsored by the world's biggest fashion conglomerate, LVMH.According to a report by the trend analyst Lefty, alliances between sports and fashion have generated $78.5m (64.7m) in earned media value (EMV) - the metric that measures the earnings a brand can expect from mentions on social media - so far this year. Continue reading...
As the death toll in Gaza mounts we must see through the fog of war and find compassion; only that will stop the bloodshedThree weeks into this latest eruption of violence, one emotion prevails. It's what I felt as news broke of more than a thousand Israelis being murdered on 7 October. The same as Gaza is pounded night after night, Palestinians slaughtered in their thousands; or when I hear of civilians routinely killed by Israeli weapons in the West Bank, long before the world once again took notice. I worry for the safety of loved ones in the region. Yes, harrowing images shock. But really, I'm struck, again, by a total lack of surprise at all that's happening: these events all feel so predictable. That's not said with nihilism, nor as a detached pragmatist, but as someone who empathises deeply with all those caught up in this perpetual conflict, in ways I've long struggled to articulate or admit. I've marched waving both flags, and understand the psyche of both sides" in ways I for a long time wished I didn't: that would be far easier. Recently, I've come to see that this empathy may be a privilege.Raised in a liberal, London Jewish community, I long viewed the state of Israel as a place to which I had a deep commitment and connection; its staunch defender. In adulthood, exposed to other outlooks, my views profoundly changed. I felt cheated, only taught a selected history. This affords me a generosity to parties that some others might never allow themselves to feel. Continue reading...
The country faces multiple crises under a leader who is unpopular at home and distrusted abroad. Can it repair the damage? Israel and Hamas at war - live updatesWhile unprecedented in scale and horror, the Hamas terrorist attacks on 7 October that killed more than 1,400 people were tactically and geographically limited. They did not pose a strategic, let alone an existential threat. The state - and the idea - of Israel were not placed at immediate, serious risk.That's changing. Since that terrible day, Israel has been drawn with astonishing rapidity into a complex web of five interlinked crises that together pose the biggest challenge to national survival since the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago, perhaps even since its founding in 1948. Continue reading...
Hundreds of people were arrested when police broke up a large demonstration of mostly Jewish New Yorkers who had taken over the main hall of Grand Central station. The organisers said they were rallying against Israel's bombardment of Gaza and wanted a ceasefire. The New York police department said at least 200 people had been arrested, while protest organisers said it was closer to 300
Army reservist Robert Card, 40, was suspected in two shootings that also injured 13 in Lewiston on Wednesday nightA suspect in the killing of 18 people and wounding of 13 in two mass shootings in Maine was found dead late on Friday after authorities had issued arrest warrants for multiple counts of murder and launched a huge manhunt for him.Robert Card, who was wanted in connection with the shootings at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley in Lewiston, was believed to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a law enforcement official told the AP. Continue reading...
by Tom Dart at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on (#6FY91)
The Fall Classic that no one expected began on Friday with a presidential cameo, a walk-off home run in extra innings and first blood to the Rangers. But don't count Arizona out just yetWith one of the most conservative fanbases in Major League Baseball, there could only be one choice to throw out the ceremonial first pitch as the Texas Rangers returned to the World Series for the first time since 2011.The toss from the Dallas librarian and former Rangers co-owner was so low that not even a hall-of-famer, former catcher Ivan Pudge' Rodriguez, could grab it before it scuffed the dirt. Continue reading...
A crackdown by Ron DeSantis and Florida Republicans has spent millions pursuing rare voter fraud, hampered voter registration and weakened Black voters' influenceSince taking office in 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republicans who control the Florida legislature have led one of the most aggressive efforts to restrict voting - particularly in Black communities - in the United States.It's an attack that has unfolded on many fronts. The state has prosecuted people confused about their eligibility to vote. DeSantis's administration has levied significant fines against voter registration groups, in some cases for minor errors. Republicans have rewritten Florida's election laws to create new voting barriers, weakened Black political power in the state, and used a new state agency to intimidate voters. Continue reading...
The high-profile Breeders' Cup meeting next weekend will be the first since the new measures on drugs and track safetyThe past, present and possible future of the horse racing industry in the United States - which is still, by many measures, the biggest in the world - were summed up in a few sentences by trainer Jena Antonucci earlier this year, a few weeks after she became the first woman to saddle the winner of the prestigious Belmont Stakes.Asked for her views on the recently launched Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), a federal-level body to oversee both racecourse safety and anti-doping measures, Antonucci did not hold back. It isn't a secret that there's different availabilities at different levels," Antonucci said. Continue reading...
Studies show incarceration does not improve public safety but tough-on-crime' Republicans are driving investment in prisonsAt a time when the US has narrowly skirted a recession, and people around the country are still struggling with the cost of living, a curious number of states have found billions of dollars for one thing: building prisons and jails.In September, Alabama announced that a new prison, currently under construction, would have a final cost of $1.082bn. The same month Indiana broke ground on a $1.2bn prison. Nebraska is spending $350m on a new prison, while some in Georgia are lobbying for $1.69bn for construction of a jail in Fulton county. Continue reading...
In the bitter and politically fraught gun ownership debate in the US, distinctions are often lost, leaving some frustratedThe mass shooting deaths of 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, has again shone a spotlight on gun ownership and safeguards around mental health in a state that has prided itself both on high levels of gun ownership and low levels of violent crime.The suspect, an experienced marksman and US army reservist Robert Card, is believed to have used an AR-15 military style weapon with an expanded magazine, perhaps carrying 60 rounds, similar to the gun that was found later in his abandoned car. Card was found dead Friday night and is thought to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a law enforcement official said. Continue reading...
Only 12 countries joined Washington and Israel as Jordan's motion was passed at the general assembly Israel and Hamas at war - live updatesThe US has ended up looking quite badly isolated after only 12 countries joined Washington and Israel at the UN general assembly in opposing a motion calling for a sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.One hour after Israel had extended its offensive in Gaza, Jordan's motion was passed in New York by 120 votes to 14, with 45 countries abstaining. The outcome was remarkable for showing the limited direct support for the world's greatest superpower, with even France, Spain and the UK refusing to join the US in voting against the motion. Continue reading...
The ex-president faces two trials that will set the tone for the messy ones ahead: his New York fraud trial, and an unofficial trial in the court of public opinionIn a scene that could have been pulled from a Hollywood courtroom thriller, Donald Trump was called to the witness box last week and accused of threatening a clerk of the court.The former president had already been fined for attacking the judge's clerk. Now he had done it again and the usually jocular Judge Arthur Engoron angrily threatened to lock Trump up. Why should there not be severe sanctions for this blatant, dangerous disobeyal of a clear court order?" asked Engoron. Continue reading...
Saturday's fight between Tyson Fury and former UFC champion Francis Ngannou is the latest bizarre boutPromoted as The War of the Worlds", Muhammad Ali taking on Japan's biggest pro-wrestling star Antonio Inoki was a contest that helped inspire modern mixed martial arts and ended with the world heavyweight champion in hospital. Unfortunately, the in-ring action was a total flop. Originally planned as a staged contest, Ali reportedly got cold feet beforehand about engaging in a fixed" fight and a baffling set of crossover rules were hastily cobbled together. Ali fought in boxing gloves, Inoki did not but was prohibited from grappling, throwing or kicking, unless he had one knee on the canvas. Wisely, Inoki chose to lie down, away from Ali's fists and land a series of leg kicks while the boxer tried to goad him into standing up. This lasted 15 interminable rounds. By the end Ali had blood clots in his swollen right leg, the bout was declared a draw and the crowd in Tokyo pelted the ring with rubbish while chanting money back!" There really was no winner here. Continue reading...
Amid tragedy, the demonstrations in our name make us feel that we are heard, and our cries are not in vainAs I wake up this weekend, I will be in an unfamiliar place: sheltering with dozens of other people in a relative's home. Hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza find themselves in a similar position.My siblings and I have moved four times already since the war started three long weeks ago - first, from our home in the north of Gaza to go and stay with our grandparents because the airstrikes were too close. We had to move again after a few days because the bombing got closer still. Entire families were being wiped out every night. We were then told to move to the south. Yet when we did, we were attacked and bombed on the very road we were told to take to safety. It's fair to say that nowhere is really safe from the bombs. Not even the hospitals and schools.Nowar Diab is a student from Gaza City. She is part of the We Are Not Numbers collective, which works with young Gazans to help improve their English language skills and tell their stories to the world Continue reading...
The hard-right leader aims to cement traditional values by cracking down on LGBTQ+ rights. Is this really what Italians want?The family may be the cultural bedrock of Italian society, but an entirely conservative and patriarchal idea of family is what our current leaders and the country's most powerful institutions want to promote. Giorgia Meloni's words are always carefully chosen: a child needs a mum and a dad", there is only one type of family - the one formed by a man and a woman". Italy's first female prime minister, who leads a hard-right coalition, likes to invoke the slogan God, country and family"; she campaigned against what she calls the LGBT lobby", describes herself as a woman, a mother, a Christian" and opposes same-sex marriage. But her statements about parenthood are a deliberate punch in the gut to anyone whose family doesn't fit her narrow definition.Meloni rose to power with the support of some political moderates, who hoped that once in the job she would not actually challenge the gains that had been made by rights campaigners in recent years. These hopes were misguided.Luisa Rizzitelli is the Italy coordinator of One Billion Rising, which campaigns to end violence against women Continue reading...
US president and senior aides meet with Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, after which White House says it is working towards' top-level talksThe US and China have agreed to work towards setting up a meeting between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping after the US president met with China's foreign minister on Friday.Biden has invited Xi to San Francisco in November for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit. The Chinese president has not yet confirmed he will come. Continue reading...
by Edward Helmore in Lewiston, Maya Yang and agencies on (#6FX9R)
Shelter in place order for the region rescinded almost 48 hours after the shooting even as ban on hunting continues onMaine authorities continued a massive manhunt on the second day of their intensive search for an army reservist accused of fatally shooting 18 people and wounding 13 at a bowling alley and a bar in the town of Lewiston.People scoured the woods and searched hundreds of acres of family-owned property. They event sent dive teams with sonar to the bottom of a local river and scrutinized a possible suicide note as they hunted for Robert Card who disappeared shortly after the massacre. Continue reading...
A three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based court found that immigration advocates lacked the legal authority to sue AbbottA US federal appeals court on Friday sided with Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, on technical grounds over a 2021 executive order that restricted transport of migrants through the state, saying a lower court should dismiss a related legal challenge.In a 2-1 split, a three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based fifth US circuit court of appeals found that immigration advocates lacked the legal authority to sue Abbott over the transportation prohibition. Continue reading...
With gunman still on the loose, police warned residents to shelter in place in their homes and businessesThe shootings in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday that killed 18 and wounded several others shook the country, becoming the deadliest mass shooting in the US this year.An immediate lockdown went into effect for residents of Lewiston as the shooter, who had just murdered nearly two dozen people in a bowling alley and restaurant, was - and still is - on the loose. Schools were closed and stores and businesses were shuttered. Continue reading...
Retired army officer German Alejandro Rivera Garcia, 45, is second of 11 suspects detained and charged in MiamiA retired Colombian army officer has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 2021 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise, which caused unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation.German Alejandro Rivera Garcia, 45, is the second of 11 suspects detained and charged in Miami to be sentenced in what US prosecutors have described as a conspiracy hatched in both Haiti and Florida to hire mercenaries to kidnap or kill Moise, who was slain at his private home near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on 7 July 2021. Continue reading...
Democrat Jared Golden says the time has come for me to take responsibility for this failure' after shooter killed 18 people in stateUS House representative Jared Golden, of Maine's second district, has made a stunning reversal of his opposition to efforts to ban assault rifles in the wake of the mass shooting in a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston on Wednesday night, which killed 18.In 2022, Golden was among the few Democrats to vote against a bill in Congress that would have banned the sale of assault weapons to the American public for the first time since 2004. Joe Biden has repeatedly sought such a ban and, on Thursday, a day after the worst such massacre in his state's history, Golden joined the US president's call. Continue reading...
Louisiana congressman told audience at 2013 anti-abortion event Americans should live by 250-year-old religious and moral valuesBefore entering elected office, Mike Johnson, the new Republican speaker of the US House, praised 18th-century values" and told an audience that Americans should live by them when it came to morality and religion.In video footage of a forum hosted in 2013 by Louisiana Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, Johnson, a devout Baptist and then an attorney for rightwing groups and causes, is asked about the condition of conscience" in Europe and Canada regarding abortion policy. Continue reading...
Republican accused of making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to campaign donorsUS congressman George Santos pleaded not guilty on Friday to revised charges accusing him of several frauds, including making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to some of his campaign donors.The New York Republican appeared at a courthouse on Long Island to enter a plea to the new allegations. He had already pleaded not guilty to other charges, first filed in May, accusing him of lying to Congress about his wealth, applying for and receiving unemployment benefits, even though he had a job, and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses like designer clothing. Continue reading...
This isn't a contest of heroes and villains - but two peoples in deep pain, fated to share the same landThis is not a football match. Though the way some spectators behave, watching from afar, you could be forgiven for making that mistake. At Wednesday's game against Atletico Madrid, Celtic supporters defied a Uefa ban on political symbols by flying the Palestinian flag, expressing a long-established solidarity that has become part of the club's identity. So strong is the allegiance to their chosen side - their team - that at a home game on the afternoon of 7 October, hours after the men of Hamas had begun their massacre of civilians in southern Israel, and while the torture and murder of families in their homes was still under way, a group of Celtic fans unfurled a banner. It read: Victory to the resistance!!"The club is trying to manage the situation, but it won't be easy. Not least because this is a phenomenon that goes far beyond Celtic Park. Many millions around the world watch the Israel-Palestine conflict in the same way: as a binary contest in which you can root for only one team, and where any losses suffered by your opponent - your enemy - feel like a win.Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Maine's public safety department said authorities were 'continuing to do searches at the Just-In-Time bowling alley and the Schemengees bar where the shootings took place, 18 people were killed while 13 more were injured on Wednesday.In a press briefing on Friday morning, Maine's public safety commissioner, Mike Sauschuck, said it would also be 'putting divers in the water along the Androscoggin River'.Law enforcement officials have instructed Maine residents to continue sheltering in place as the hunt for the Lewiston shooting suspect, 40-year-old Robert Card, stretches across the region
Decision by little known Minnesota representative has led to criticism from many of his colleaguesThe little-known Democratic congressman Dean Phillips has launched a campaign to challenge sitting President Joe Biden, leaving many of his supporters and colleagues confused, if not outright upset.After weeks of speculation and behind-the-scenes manoeuvreing, Phillips finally publicly announced he's running in an interview on CBS. Continue reading...
Florida governor receives pushback for falsely declaring he worked with Israel's consul general in Miami to send weaponsRon DeSantis is receiving pushback from Israeli diplomats, Florida Democrats and the White House after he falsely claimed credit for a gun-running operation to assist Israel's military operations in Gaza.The Florida governor and 2024 presidential hopeful declared on Thursday that he had worked with Israel's consul general in Miami to send military equipment, including drones, body armor and helmets. Continue reading...
A number of Trump's lackeys and consiglieres have been swept up in criminal prosecutions. And most are falling like dominoesIt happened the way Ernest Hemingway, in The Sun Also Rises, described going bankrupt: Gradually, then suddenly." Last month in Georgia, Scott Graham Hall, an obscure bail bondsman and Trump supporter, took a plea. Hall had been indicted in Fulton county prosecutor Fani Willis's Georgia election fraud case on charges of helping Trump surrogates steal election data from voting machines in rural Coffee country. Hall bargained his felony conspiracy and racketeering charges down to misdemeanors, for which he would pay nominal fees and serve no jail time. To many of his 18 co-defendants in the Georgia case, it must have looked like an appealing deal.Hall was a small fish in the Georgia scheme, just a minor player in what Willis had charged as a sprawling conspiracy. But the bizarre excursion to Coffee county that he had agreed to testify about was central to the charges against a much bigger fish: Sidney Powell, a Trump lawyer who pursued the most bizarre and brazen of the president's post-election lies. Last week, she flipped too. Powell, who was facing multiple felonies, accepted probation and restitution fees in place of jail time - conditioned, of course, on her willingness to testify against her co-defendants. Continue reading...
Utah senator calls former president a whack job' after Trump called book much like him - boring, horrible and predictable'Confronted with Donald Trump's abuse, the Utah senator and former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said: Ha, ha, ha. He's such a whack job."Romney's view of the former president and current Republican presidential frontrunner was communicated to McKay Coppins, author of a new biography, Romney: A Reckoning, written in co-operation with its subject. Continue reading...
Police still looking for suspected gunman who killed 18 people, with no sign of his whereabouts - or even if he is dead or aliveHomes and businesses in Lewiston and surrounding counties in Maine have closed their doors and the streets are almost devoid of people. It is an eerie and surreal scene as the hunt for the suspected gunman who killed 18 people continues with no sign of his current whereabouts - or even if he is dead or alive.A sense of dread pervades the area and comes as various shelter-in-place orders remain in effect. Law enforcement patrol in armored vehicles, helicopters and drones buzz in the sky. The Coast Guard has searched the Kennebec River. And all in pursuit of 40-year-old Robert Card, named Thursday as murder suspect in eight of the killings with a further ten charges sure to follow. Continue reading...
Republican House speaker, who has advanced extreme views as attorney and legislator, says I am a Bible-believing Christian'Questioned about comments and actions deemed by many to be homophobic, the new Republican US House speaker, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, told Fox News his worldview was: Go pick up a Bible."Speaking on Thursday, Johnson said he genuinely love[d] all people regardless of their lifestyle choices. Continue reading...
US news | The Guardian