US news | The Guardian

China's paramount leader, like his Russian counterpart, is making a fine mess of his country's economy and world standingIt must be tough, being a dictator, when your diktats are ignored, thwarted and scorned. Vladimir Putin is a sad case in point. He ordered the glorious reintegration of Ukraine into his imaginary Russian empire. What he got was an existential crisis that he couldn't control.China's president, Xi Jinping, is another paramount leader with dictatorship issues. Xi presumes to exercise supreme control, channelling Mao Zedong like a card-carrying Communist party Zeus - yet repeatedly messes up. Xi's signature tune could be the chorus to Moby's Extreme Ways: Then it fell apart ... Like it always does." Continue reading...

It's not only creatives whose work can be fuelled by a bit of downtimeAs a freelancer, I often have days when I just work for my employer. A story is assigned to me, I write professionally, impersonally, efficiently - and then I have days when I write for myself; I choose what I want to say and how, and who to send it to for publication.One is productive. It consistently results in published work and payment. The other is hit and miss. Rejection and self-doubt abound. On those days, it's tempting to procrastinate - take walks, do chores, text friends, read books ... Even when I write a story that I'm happy with, I can't always give it an ideal home. But sometimes - just often enough to make this crazy caper feel worthwhile - I can.Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...

Fani Willis's office will have former lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan and journalist George Chidi testify before a grand juryThe office of the Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis, has issued summonses to former Georgia lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan and journalist George Chidi to testify before a grand jury on Tuesday regarding Donald Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in that state.The announcement of the summonses confirmed previous reporting by the Guardian that Willis's office in Atlanta on Tuesday would present evidence to a grand jury weighing charges against the former president. Prosecutors could ask the grand jury to hand up charges on Tuesday as well, having completed an internal review of evidence in the case weeks ago. Continue reading...

At least 1,000 people reported missing following fires, as a new fire burns in Kaanapali in West MauiHawaii resident Ella Tacderan spoke to the Guardian about her experience of the devastation in Maui where her family home once stood.A nightmare" scene, Tacderan said: Continue reading...

Rangers say Joy Cho fell off Teewinot mountain before dawn on Friday during a hike and seven companions rescuedA woman has died after falling off a mountain during a hike in Wyoming's Grand Teton national park.According to a National Park Service press release reviewed by CNN, Joy Cho of Simi Valley, California, fell off the west side of Teewinot mountain before dawn on Friday. Continue reading...

The Sofronoff inquiry shows that our legal system still needs drastic reform when it comes to matters of sexual violenceThis week the public was finally provided with a copy of Walter Sofronoff's inquiry into the conduct of Bruce Lehrmann's rape trial. Its release, however, has brought with it more misreporting around sexual violence, including the perpetuation of rape myths".A central finding of the inquiry - that the prosecution against Lehrmann was properly brought by the director of public prosecutions, Shane Drumgold SC, who moved to charge Lehrmann after ACT police declined to - has been overlooked in much of the reporting. The inquiry's findings do not establish Lehrmann's guilt or innocence, just that the police and the DPP acted appropriately in bringing charges. Brittany Higgins alleged Lehrmann, a former colleague, raped her in Parliament House in 2019. Lehrmann, who pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent, has always denied the allegation of rape and no findings have been made against him. He was tried by the ACT supreme court in October but a mistrial was declared due to juror misconduct.Dr Rachael Burgin is a senior lecturer in criminal justice at Swinburne Law School and the CEO of Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy (RASARA)In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, family or domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000. International helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org

Isaiah Wartman and two others ordered to pay restitution over role in fraudulent fund claiming to help East Palestine victimsThe manager of the 2020 campaign that launched the far-right politician Marjorie Taylor Greene to Congress has been ordered to pay $25,000 for his role in a charity scam aimed at capitalizing on the East Palestine train crash.Isaiah Wartman and his business partner Luke Mahoney must each pay $22,000 in restitution as well as $3,000 in investigative costs and fees as part of a settlement with the Ohio attorney general's office, which prosecuted the case. Meanwhile, the settlement calls for a co-founder of the fake charity, Michael Peppel, to pay a $25,000 civil penalty and be banned from starting, running or soliciting for any charitable organization in the state. Continue reading...

At least 80 people killed in deadliest disaster in the state's history, as questions asked about the local warning systemThe death toll from the Maui wildfires in Hawaii has risen to 80 as search teams comb through the smouldering ruins of Lahaina and a new fire triggered the evacuation of another community on Friday night.The Maui police department said the new fire was burning in Kaanapali in West Maui, to the north-east of the area that burned earlier this week. Continue reading...

Key legal principles are threatened by the growing rightwing attacks on our judiciaryOn 4 November 2016, the Daily Mail's front page was wholly devoted to a screaming attack on the three judges who had ruled that parliament had to pass an act of parliament before the UK could lawfully leave the European Union. The enemies of the people", who included, the Mail yelled, an openly gay ex-Olympic fencer", were accused of defying 17.4 million Brexit voters.That was the beginning. Continue reading...

Fleeing violence at home, Aura surrendered to US authorities. She aims to fulfill a promise to her daughterAura pointed at the corner of her left eye, where a scar, she said, reminded her of why she had left the Colombian coastal region of Cordoba seven months ago. Her ex-boyfriend, a local police officer, had beaten her and threatened to kill her if she reported him to the authorities, she said. Fearing for her life, the 31-year-old decided to embark on a more than 2,000-mile-long journey north to a country she considered to be the safest in the world.I told my eldest daughter I was leaving for the US," said Aura, whose last name the Guardian is withholding due to concerns for the safety of her family in Colombia. But I promised her that I will find a job and provide her an education." Continue reading...

City's entire five-officer police force seize computers, cellphones and reporting materials from Marion County RecordLocal police in Marion, Kansas, conducted a raid on the offices of a local newspaper on Friday as well as the homes of the publication's publishers and reporters.Eric Meyer, the owner and publisher of the Marion County Record, told the Kansas Reflector that the city's entire five-officer police force and two sheriff's deputies conducted the raid, which included the seizure of computers, cellphones and reporting materials. Continue reading...

Residents of the Hawaiian island of Maui made desperate escapes from oncoming flames, some on foot, as wildfires raced toward their homes on Tuesday. Ella Tacderan, whose family home was in Lahaina, a town in the west of the island that was almost entirely wiped out, describes her experience of the devastation

Fast & Furious actor claims staffers at hardware store discriminated against him and two of his workersThe US actor and singer Tyrese Gibson is demanding more than $1m from Home Depot after he says staffers at one of the American hardware giant's stores racially discriminated against him and two of his workers.Gibson's lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday, recounts how he and two men who regularly provide construction services for the Fast & Furious actor went to a Home Depot in West Hills, California, on 11 February to buy some materials for a building project at the entertainer's home. Continue reading...

Damien Pickett, who is Black, describes being attacked by white boaters after attempting to move their pontoon boatAn Alabama boat co-captain was hanging on for dear life" as men punched and tackled him on the riverfront of the state's capital city, he told police after video of the brawl circulated widely online.Damein Pickett, a crew member of the Harriott II in Montgomery, described the brawl in a handwritten statement to authorities included in court documents, saying he was attacked after moving a pontoon boat a few feet so the city-owned riverboat could dock. Continue reading...

Teen rapper Lil Tay returned to the spotlight after five years with a false death announcement - did she really want to be famous at such a young age?As it turns out, Lil Tay is not dead. Which is great, anyone who isn't extremely young or Extremely Online, might respond, but I had no idea this person was alive in the first place. What on earth is a Lil Tay? Continue reading...

As California became the frontier of leisure" in the early 1900s, Black Americans established recreational sites along the oceanfront, building thriving communities that helped shape the culture of the Golden State. Historian Dr Alison Rose Jefferson has collected archival photos from the Jim Crow era that bring to life the stories of African Americans who settled by the beach, creating popular gathering places that challenged white supremacy.

Few think the former VP can win the Republican nomination. One analyst says he may only want to rehabilitate his imageMike Pence and wife Karen strolled through the Iowa state fair, their little fingers locked together, as soap bubbles drifted by and chairlifts trundled overhead. The couple donned red aprons - his said Vice President Mike Pence" - and flipped pork chops on a giant grill while smiling for photographers.Then, with a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead and settling on his cheek on a hot August day, Pence told reporters that he was the most qualified candidate" and most consistent conservative in the field" for the Republican nomination for US president in 2024. Continue reading...

Case of Zi Alan Cheng, accused of sexual abuse and rape, one of many that speak to institutional failures, advocates sayWhen prosecutors last week announced a litany of sexual crime charges against the New York City doctor Zhi Alan Cheng, their allegations presented a shocking description of apparent serial predation.Cheng, a gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian-Queens hospital, stands accused of sexually abusing three patients at the medical center - and raping three other women in his apartment. Continue reading...

Sackler family members had been granted immunity from civil claims via $6bn settlement but activists hope that could changeActivists are celebrating a US supreme court decision to review Purdue Pharma's controversial $6bn settlement of opioid lawsuits for bringing a sense of optimism to an otherwise bleak situation".We've been saying that this is a misuse of the bankruptcy court, and [that] the Sacklers have been using it as defense because they were the ones that put Purdue into bankruptcy," says Mike Quinn, a New York lawyer who represents Prescription Addiction Intervention Now (Pain), an organization that has questioned if some members of the Sackler family could be liable for the prescription opioid crisis that ramped up in the US in the early 2000s. Continue reading...

US footballers have slowly but surely broken down barriers in Europe - gaining places in top leagues, becoming fan favorites, even winning the Champions League. Here are 10 of the bestIn the early 1990s, two phenomena coincided. US soccer players, having emerged from 40 years in the World Cup wilderness, started to find steady work in Europe. There was also this new-fangled thing called the World Wide Web, which allowed the scattered pockets of soccer supporters in the US to find each other and share information about the exploits of the latest American soccer saviors lurking somewhere in the Luxembourg fifth division or perhaps in Germany's Oberliga.Since then, US soccer players have slowly but surely broken down barriers in Europe -- gaining places in top leagues, becoming supporters' favorites, and even winning the Champions League. From Fulham to ... well, mostly Fulham, but also Borussia Dortmund, Everton, Tottenham, Rangers, Hannover and Chelsea ... it's where a handful of players have made indelible impressions. Continue reading...

The towering Spaniard won titles with Kobe Bryant and helped pave the way for today's glut of international stars. But he'll be remembered just as much for his healthy perspectivePeople are complex, multi-layered and nuanced. It's why the longstanding cliche that likens human beings to onions holds up so well. But, occasionally, an anecdote can succinctly capture the essence of a person. I found this to be the case for one such story about basketball legend Pau Gasol. Barcelona, Spain, in the year 1991: an 11-year-old Gasol, the son of a doctor mother and nurse father, and an avid NBA fan from afar, watches with the rest of the world as his hero Magic Johnson announces that he is HIV-positive - a diagnosis which, at the time, is perceived as a death sentence. In that moment, a moved Gasol makes up his mind to follow his parents into the medical profession and seek out a cure for Aids.Gasol, the eventual two-time NBA champion, six-time All Star and three-time Olympic medalist who is set to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday night, clearly ended up on a path that led him away from professional healthcare (although he did complete a year of medical school before he was forced to choose between the two). But that glimpse into a moment from his childhood tells you everything about who Gasol is, at his core. Continue reading...

Lacking policies or ideas, today's Tories sow division and spread hopelessness in a bid to disrupt the unity of progressive votersAs Rishi Sunak transforms himself into the driver's champion and rightwingers savage net zero targets as a fascist plot of the wokerati, get ready for the thing you thought impossible: a general election even stupider than the last. Essentially, it's looking as if it will be a referendum on whether climate change exists. What better time for such a dumb question, than right when we can all see it?It won't always be expressed so simply. Sometimes it will be: Who will stand up for the humble driver of diesel cars, already squeezed in so many directions, in ways that I, not even quite a billionaire, can totally understand?" Other times it will be: What can we do about Just Stop Oil protesters, who pose an existential threat to society with their vile and undemocratic tactics?" Probably only at the Faragist fringes will people openly repudiate the goal of net zero, while the Conservative core picks more contestable battles on low-traffic neighbourhoods, oil and gas licences, heat pumps.Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Democrats make demand in letter to attorney general Merrick Garland and condemn judge's blatant disregard for judicial ethics'Five House Democrats led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York wrote to the US attorney general, Merrick Garland, to demand a federal investigation of the conservative supreme court justice Clarence Thomas, over his acceptance of undeclared gifts from billionaire rightwing donors.We write to urge the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into ... Clarence Thomas for consistently failing to report significant gifts he received from Harlan Crow and other billionaires for nearly two decades in defiance of his duty under federal law," the Democrats said. Continue reading...

Three days later, Maui is mourning loss of life and land, with governor Josh Green warning there will be more fatalitiesThe loss of life from the wildfires that have ravaged Maui rose to 67 on Friday as firefighting crews continue to fight the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii's history.Authorities confirmed 12 more fatalities as of Friday afternoon, bringing the total above the 61 confirmed deaths from a tsunami in Hilo in 1960. Continue reading...

From Venezuela, the child died at a local Illinois hospital on Thursday evening after showing signs of illnessA three-year-old girl from Venezuela being transported to Chicago from Texas by bus with other migrants died at a local Illinois hospital after showing signs of illness, the Texas department of emergency management said on Friday.Once the child presented with health concerns, the bus pulled over and security personnel on board called 9-1-1 for emergency attention," the TDEM said in a written statement. Continue reading...

Although some wish they were Continue reading...

Court filing alleges Jeffrey Ferguson, accused over death of wife Sheryl earlier this month, texted court clerk to say I just lost it'A southern California judge accused of killing his wife during an argument while drunk texted his court clerk and bailiff afterward to say he had shot her, prosecutors said Friday as they charged him with murder and sought new bail conditions.A court filing from prosecutors says Orange county superior court judge Jeffrey Ferguson texted: I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won't be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I'm so sorry." Continue reading...

Dinh's exit another major departure from the network since its $787.5m settlement with Dominion Voting Systems in AprilFox Corp said Friday that its chief legal officer Viet Dinh was stepping down, a high-profile exit that follows the media company's $787.5m settlement in April of a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems over its 2020 US election coverage.Dinh, who will exit the role at the end of 2023, joined Fox in 2018 and headed its legal and compliance divisions during the months-long legal battle sparked by the network's coverage of false claims that Dominion rigged the election. Continue reading...

Lewis Kaplan says he has cause to believe defendant had tried to tamper with witnesses at least twice' since December arrestSam Bankman-Fried's bail has been revoked ahead of his October fraud trial after prosecutors accused the indicted founder of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX of tampering with witnesses.Bankman-Fried is expected to report to jail later on Friday after Judge Lewis Kaplan announced the decision at a hearing over Bankman-Fried's bail conditions in federal court in Manhattan. Bankman-Fried was taken directly into custody at the conclusion of the hearing. He was led out of the courtroom by members of the US Marshals Service. Continue reading...

Officials say evidence linked to case of Timothy Haslett could be located in river after remains of potential witness discoveredMissouri police are warning that more evidence linked to an alleged violent kidnapper could be located in the state's namesake river after the remains of a potential witness were found there last month.Authorities made the announcement after the discovery of the body of Jaynie Crosdale, 36, in July. Continue reading...

US attorney general makes announcement deepening inquiry into Joe Biden's son ahead of 2024 election

The fate of a historic landmark has certainly struck a chord: neglected and then reduced to rubble. Uncanny isn't it?Has anyone seen Adam and Carly Taylor, owners of the Crooked House on Himley Road in Staffordshire? The Taylors took ownership of the historic wonky pub just over a fortnight ago, only for it to be gutted by fire nine days later. Within 48 hours of the night-time blaze, which has sparked national outrage, the structural remains of the Crooked House were hastily reduced to rubble by a digger - without council permission. Which has also sparked national outrage. But still no public sign of the Taylors. Normally in a case such as this, you would expect to see the owners weeping on the local TV news about their loss and the cruelty of it. Yet even as the story goes international with a big write-up in the New York Times, Adam and Carly are nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they are simply too devastated to come before the TV cameras.We should note right from the get-go that the couple have not been identified as suspects - indeed, the local police show impressive commitment to modernspeak by announcing that they continue to engage" with the owners. A way of putting it that suggests the force reached out" to the pair, opened a constructive dialogue", and hope to land on the same page" in due course. We must wish them all the best with their investigation, at the same time as encouraging any Belgian or deerstalkered detectives to make their way immediately to the Dudley area to assist with inquiries. Continue reading...

Critics argue that university's preference toward legacy applicants exacerbates existing inequalities in higher educationIn the aftermath of the supreme court's decision to strike down race-conscious admissions at universities in June, progressive Democrats have turned their outrage into motivation. They are now using their fury to power an impassioned campaign against a different admissions practice that they consider unjust and outdated: legacy admissions.The century-old practice gives an advantage to the family members of universities' alumni, a group that tends to be whiter and wealthier than the general pool of college applicants. Critics argue that legacy applicants already enjoy an unfair leg up in the admissions process and that university's preference toward those students exacerbates existing inequalities in higher education. Continue reading...

Underlying longer-term weaknesses in the economy are bound up with Beijing's repressive political systemAt a Politburo meeting last month, China's leaders referred to the economic recovery this year as torturous". You won't often hear such candour coming from a Chinese Communist party institution, let alone such an elevated body. They were referring to current conditions, of course, but China's problems reveal much that is systemically out of kilter in its economic and political system.During the past few days, some of the statistics China has published have caused a stir. Consumer prices in July were lower than a year ago, suggesting it might be on the cusp of deflation, which reflects a chronic shortage of demand in the economy. And China's foreign trade in the same month showed a sharp fall in exports due to weak global demand, with a sharper decline in imports signifying weakness in demand at home. There were murky factors affecting both but the message is that something more serious is amiss in China. Continue reading...

Our country is locked in a spiral of killing and violence. We can end this narco nightmare, but the omens are not goodWednesday's assassination of a presidential candidate is the second high-profile political killing in less than a month in Ecuador. Fernando Villavicencio was killed as he left a political rally - and popular city mayor Agustin Intriago was shot dead while attending a public event only two weeks ago. During Guillermo Lasso's presidency, eight public officials or candidates for office have been killed and several have survived murder attempts.How can we understand the spiral of political violence in Ecuador? How did Ecuador go from being one of the safest countries in Latin America to being one the most violent countries in the region?Jorge Nunez is an anthropologist and currently visiting scholar at SUM, University of OsloDo 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...

Baltimore have been the baseball season's unlikeliest success story. But their ownership's taste for self-made controversy has threatened to dwarf the feelgood tenor at Camden YardsWith her Baltimore Orioles-themed Hawaiian shirt draped over her Baltimore Orioles T-shirt, Maureen Hall has been hooked on baseball since she was seven years old. The clacking sound of metal baseball spikes reminds her of the time she caught eyes with franchise legend Brooks Robinson as he jogged onto the field at Baltimore's old Memorial Stadium. The muffled sounds of AM radio remind her of the nights she tucked a transistor radio underneath her pillow so she could listen to the Orioles before falling asleep. Weekday afternoon games remind her of when she ditched the nuns at Seton High School in favor of a deli sandwich and a daytime ballgame.Standing beneath the brick buildings that tower over the right field pavilion at Camden Yards, Hall has the Orioles logo dangling from her earlobes, adorning the temples of her sunglasses and tattooed on the inner part of her left arm. She worked for 25 years as a middle school teacher, but that didn't stop her from attending every opening day and, if she was able, around 50 games per season. Since Camden Yards opened in 1992, she spends as much time in the stands as she can. Continue reading...

Her withdrawal from the Edinburgh book festival was a blow to the event, and raises questions about how best to demand changeThe Edinburgh international book festival opens on Saturday. I will be there, but it will go ahead without its headline event, one that would have seen 3,000 climate activists and readers gather to hear Greta Thunberg speak. The environmental campaigner cancelled just over a week before she was due to appear, after a piece in the Scottish online investigative journal the Ferret pointed out that the festival's main sponsor, fund manager Baillie Gifford, invests in companies connected with fossil fuels. Greenwashing efforts by the fossil fuel industry, including sponsorship of cultural events, allow them to keep the social licence to continue operating," she said in a statement.It points to a wider narrative: the story of many cultural organisations across the UK over the past decade has been an increasing reliance on sponsorship and donors - especially in England, where private funding has been touted by Tory ministers as the answer to the ideologically motivated austerity cuts of 2010 onwards, a situation that has become more acute since the depredations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The result, though, has been problem piled upon ethical problem. Some organisations have found themselves rapidly untangling themselves from Russian money. (Tate, for example, severed ties last March with sanctioned Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, removing the former donor from an honorary position after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.) Continue reading...

Hawaii emergency management records show no indication that warning sirens were triggered before the devastating firesMaui residents who made desperate escapes from oncoming flames, some on foot, asked why Hawaii's famous emergency warning system didn't alert them as wildfires raced toward their homes.Hawaii emergency management records show no indication that warning sirens were triggered before devastating fires killed at least 55 people and wiped out a historic town, officials confirmed. Continue reading...

No team has been more affected by World Cup player absences than North Carolina. Which makes their ongoing success all the more remarkableMany of the best footballers in the world have been with their national teams at the Women's World Cup for well over a month and yet, during that time, it's been business as usual in the National Women's Soccer League, the highest level of professional women's soccer in the US and, arguably, the world. (More on that admittedly contentious claim in a moment.)The NWSL's regular season runs from March to October and, with no break incorporated into clubs' schedules to accommodate for this summer's World Cup, many of the 12 teams have been forced to compete with depleted rosters. Such hurdles make the recent success of the North Carolina Courage all the more impressive. Continue reading...

Diverse neighborhood of Jefferson Chalmers faces climate gentrification' as home prices and flood defense costs rise

The unprecedented wildfires that raged through Maui Island in Hawaii have also claimed a tree described as the 'heartbeat' of the historic Lahaina beach town. Before and after images of the 150-year-old banyan tree show it sustained significant damage in the fire, which raced through dry vegetation in the hills and into the town of 13,000 people on Tuesday evening. The ferocious blaze quickly incinerated historic wooden buildings and forced thousands of people to flee

Global heating is drying out vegetation, priming it as fuel for wildfires, say scientists. Plus, the plight of the adopted children of Bangladesh's Birangona women

Aileen Cannon, the judge assigned to the documents case, is under increasing scrutiny - reflecting Leonard Leo's impact on the US judiciaryDonald Trump must have thought all his Christmases had come at once. As federal investigators explored his alleged hoarding of sensitive documents in 2022, Aileen Cannon, a judge nominated by the former president, was assigned the case.It wasn't just that Trump had appointed Cannon, who has since made rulings which would appear to help his defense. It was that Cannon was from an emerging rightwing cadre of the judiciary - a cabal of conservative judges created by Leonard Leo, the ultimate Republican kingmaker and a close Trump ally. Continue reading...

As ash settles and search for survivors carries on, residents band together to locate loved ones and help those strandedThe former capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Lahaina is a place with a rich landscape, sacred to Kanaka Maoli or Native Hawaiians, one that long has provided a connection to their ancestors.On Thursday, the town of 9,100 lay in ruins, destroyed by the largest natural disaster to hit Hawaii since Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Fulton county DA has evidence to charge Trump allies with computer trespass, two people briefed on the matter sayThe Fulton county district attorney investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia has evidence to charge multiple allies of the former president involved in breaching voting machines in the state, according to two people briefed on the matter.The potential charges at issue are computer trespass felonies, the people said, though the final list of defendants and whether they will be brought as part of a racketeering case when prosecutors are expected to present evidence to the grand jury next week remain unclear. Continue reading...

Officials warned death toll could rise after state's largest ever natural disaster' left dozens of people injuredThe ferocious wildfires that ravaged the Hawaiian island of Maui have killed at least 55 people, officials said Thursday, warning that the death toll will likely continue to rise.The catastrophic fires, which turned neighborhoods into barren wastelands and destroyed more than a thousand structures, are likely the state's largest ever natural disaster, the governor said. Deaths are expected to surpass that of a 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people. Continue reading...

The movement born at a New York block party in 1973 is now global, an instrument for learning and a weapon for protestOn 11 August 1973, Clive Campbell (popularly known as Kool Herc), an 18-year-old DJ, hosted a party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx. Unbeknownst to the men and women dancing the night away, they were witnessing the birth of a socioeconomic and political miracle, which came to be known as hip-hop.If you consume rap music in a fleeting manner - possibly via the gatekeepers of commercially focused entertainment conglomerates - then you may find the point above easy to scoff at. Indeed, you may consider hip-hop a problematic musical phenomenon, typified by bling, boisterousness, violent beefs, exaggerated drug tales and bikini-clad women, all set to banging beats. Continue reading...

Calls for the supreme court justice to resign grow as new details of 38 more undeclared gifts and vacations from rich donors emergeConservative US supreme court justice Clarence Thomas has been condemned for maintaining unprecedented" and shameless" links to rightwing benefactors, after ProPublica published new details of his acceptance of undeclared gifts including 38 vacations and expensive sports tickets.Pramila Jayapal, a Washington state Democrat and chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, rendered an especially damning verdict. Continue reading...