State condemned as the bottom of the barrel on rights restoration' after change by state's division of electionsTennessee, already one of the strictest and most complicated states in the country for voting rights restoration, has enacted a new policy that makes it nearly impossible for people with felony convictions to regain their right to vote.Tennessee has one of the highest rates of disenfranchisement in the United States. More than 9% of the voting age population, or around 471,600 Tennesseans, can't vote because of a felony conviction, according to a 2022 estimate by the Sentencing Project, a criminal justice non-profit. More than 21% of Black adults are disenfranchised. Continue reading...
A spectacular 94th-minute winner sealed a dream debut for the Argentinian at Miami's sold-out home ground, where Messi Mania has reached fever pitchAs soon as I saw the free kick was given, I thought: This is the way it's meant to end,'" a teary-eyed Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham - who knows a thing or two about planting dead balls into top corners - said at full time.It unfolded just as the owner foresaw, with the absurd inevitability of his new signing's brilliance. In the 94th minute, the debutant Lionel Messi curled in a signature 25-yard strike to secure a 2-1 win over Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup, a tournament between clubs from MLS and Liga MX. Continue reading...
The state has emerged as an example of how Democratic lawmakers can take proactive steps to bolster abortion accessWhen the US supreme court upended the federal right to abortion enshrined in Roe v Wade, the immediate task before Democrats seemed simple: keep abortion legal in as many states as possible.But over a year since Roe's demise, some leaders in the reproductive rights movements worry that Democrats have tunnel vision, focusing their messaging and resources entirely on the legal tug-of-war over abortion bans in the midwest and south. Continue reading...
The internet has become transfixed with the idea of watching Greta Gerwig's bubblegum comedy next to Christopher Nolan's dark drama but it proved to be a nightmarish combo
The crown estate no more belongs to the monarch than No 10 does to Rishi Sunak. So why such a huge handout?There have been growing calls for an end to royal secrecy in recent months, with historians, campaigners and journalists demanding greater access to the official records of the UK's head of state. That secrecy has been compared unfavourably to MI5, with the royals having an absolute exemptionfrom the Freedom of Information Act while squirrelling away thousands of official records in their archives in Windsor.There is a reason why the monarchy is more secretive than our security services: it has plenty to hide. It is not unreasonable to conclude that the institution is corrupt, if corruption is the abuse of public office for personal gain. Whether it's using tens of millions of pounds each year to cover costs such as travel or palatial homes, or lobbying the government in pursuit of their private interests or political agendas, the royals exploit their status and position week in, week out.Graham Smith is CEO of Republic and the author of Abolish the Monarchy: Why We Should and How We Will Continue reading...
Anxious Democrats say centrist No Labels group - which could back Joe Manchin - would act as spoiler against Joe BidenOn a small stage in New Hampshire this week, West Virginia senator Joe Manchin and former Republican Governor Jon Huntsman sat together extolling the virtues of bipartisanship and talking very much like running mates. They were there on behalf of the centrist political advocacy organization No Labels, which is considering fielding a third-party ticket in the 2024 presidential election, and had enlisted the two men to debut its 67-page policy manifesto.Early on in the evening, the moderator asked the question looming over the event: were Manchin and Huntsman running for president? After a smattering of applause died down, Manchin deflected, saying they were simply there to explain to you that we need options". But Manchin's refusal to announce whether he will seek re-election for the US Senate next year, and his presence at the town hall, has drawn speculation that he and No Labels may combine to upend the 2024 election. Continue reading...
Shelby White, collector and benefactor of the prestigious New York art museum, did not knowingly buy stolen antiquities, lawyer saysA major collector of antiquities and benefactor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art took a reputational hit this week as efforts by the Manhattan district attorney to return looted artifacts to their countries of origin moved into high gear.Shelby White is a Met trustee whose name, with that of her late husband, Leon Levy, hangs over the spectacular Greek and Roman Art galleries at the museum on Fifth Avenue. White also sat on a committee advising the museum on acquisitions. Continue reading...
Dae Young Lee paid Jose Huizar and his assistant to help resolve a labor organizations appeal blocking development of residencesA real estate developer was sentenced Friday to six years in federal prison for paying $500,000 in bribes to a Los Angeles city councilman for help with a downtown project.Dae Yong Lee, AKA David Lee," was also fined $750,000 and a company that he controlled was fined $1.5m plus prosecution costs, the US attorney's office said in a statement. Continue reading...
by Gloria Oladipo in New York and Maya Yang on (#6D5Q4)
Vice-president decries extremist so-called leaders' and says new teaching standards will rob children of knowing true US historyKamala Harris went to Florida on Friday to address the state board of education's controversial new standards for Black history, which include the contention that some Black people benefited from being enslaved.In an impassioned afternoon speech, the vice-president predicted the standards would rob children of knowing true US history that the rest of the world has been taught. Continue reading...
The state's snowpack, full from winter storms, has not yet melted, while the rest of the region bakes in summer temperaturesWhile most of California swelters through a prolonged, extreme heatwave, Mammoth Mountain ski resort in the eastern Sierras announced that it would be extending its season into early August.We are stoked to announce that we're staying open," the resort, which saw its snowiest season on record this winter, announced on Instagram. Mammoth Mountain had planned to remain open through the end of July and is now planning to close on 6 August. Located along eastern Sierra Nevada, the resort often stays open into June or July - but this season will be only the third to extend into August in its 69-year operating history. Continue reading...
by Aliya Uteuova and Andrew Witherspoon on (#6D60X)
Phoenix and Californian town of Needles experiencing 70th day in which temperatures have reached 90FA brutal heatwave is persisting throughout much of the US, with cities across the south-west reaching all-time records for hottest consecutive days. Intense heatwaves are becoming more frequent as a result of the climate crisis, but alarmingly, these streaks of hot days are also lasting longer.People living in cities in Arizona, California and Texas are entering their second month of days in which the temperature reaches 90F (32.2C) and above. Cities such as Phoenix, and Needles in California, have had no relief from this extreme heat in the past 70 days, with Phoenix recently experiencing three consecutive weeks of temperatures reaching 110F (43.3C) and above. Continue reading...
Lawsuit filed against FTX founder, 31, includes memo that detailed plans to purchase Pacific island in case world came to an endThe disgraced cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried, who founded the FTX exchange, had planned to purchase the small Pacific island nation of Nauru in case the world came to an end, according to a new lawsuit.The lawsuit, filed on Thursday by FTX against its 31-year-old founder and three other former executives, and seeking $1bn, included a memo created by Bankman-Fried's younger brother Gabriel and an FTX Foundation executive. The memo detailed plans to buy Nauru. Continue reading...
Katherine Banks leaves role amid pushback over Kathleen McElroy's work to promote diversity and inclusion in newsroomsTexas A&M University said on Friday its president had resigned, after the hiring of a Black journalist at one of the largest US campuses unraveled amid pushback over her work to promote diversity and inclusion in newsrooms.Katherine Banks said in a resignation letter she would retire immediately as president, because negative press has become a distraction" at the nearly 70,000-student campus in College Station. Continue reading...
Last year's US PGA Championship winner shot 11 over par on Thursday having managed just three top-10 finishes this yearIt just doesn't make sense," said Justin Thomas with a look of genuine mystification on his face. I'll hit shots like the No 1 player in the world and then I'll make a nine on the last hole of the tournament. I made two doubles and a quad. It's eight-year-old, nine-year-old stuff, not someone who's trying to win the British Open. I mean, you just can't do stuff like that!"Thomas, the two-times major winner and indeed a former world No 1, was speaking on Friday afternoon shortly before his failure to make the cut at this year's Open was confirmed. Just 24 hours earlier he had entered its annals of infamy. Continue reading...
Women from Honduras and El Salvador recount border experience as justice department investigates troubling reports'Two pregnant migrant women who were trying to turn themselves in to US immigration authorities have alleged that Texas national guard soldiers refused to provide them with water.Speaking to CNN at a shelter in Eagle Pass, Texas, the two women, identified as Carmen from Honduras and Maria from El Salvador, recounted their experiences at the border amid recent reports of inhumane" behavior by American border authorities. Continue reading...
The latest anime from director Hayao Miyazaki aced at the box office without any marketing. All credit to his unique vision and passionate fansIn the razzmatazz that has greeted the big releases of the last fortnight, Mission: Impossible and Barbie, a far more interesting event has passed almost unnoticed in the west. A film with virtually no advance publicity had fans in Japan queueing around the block, taking $17.5m (13.5m) in its first weekend.How Do You Live? is a new anime by the revered director Hayao Miyazaki, who reversed an earlier decision to retire for what he has intimated will be his final full-length film. Until the eve of its opening, when a free-to-use illustration was released, the film's only publicity was a single poster, published last year. It showed a crayon sketch of what - given the film's stated debt to a 1937 novel by the Japanese children's author Genzaburo Yoshino - was surmised to be a blue and white heron. Continue reading...
Police charge 61-year-old man after freeing girl who had been snatched days earlier in Texas from parked car in Long BeachA 13-year-old girl kidnapped in Texas was rescued in southern California when passersby saw her hold up a help me" sign in a parked car, police said.The rescue occurred 9 July in Long Beach, south of Los Angeles, when officers responded to a call and found the visibly emotional and distressed girl", police said in a press release on Thursday. Continue reading...
Doctors report busy burns units with some patients having passed out and collapsed on superheated outdoor surfacesDoctors in the US south-west have reported a rise in first-, second-, and third-degree contact burn cases amid extreme heat conditions.The reports of severe burn incidents, some fatal, came from hospitals in Arizona and Nevada, where temperatures have recently reached triple digits and deaths from heat-related conditions have surged. Continue reading...
The red in tooth and claw classic now requires parental guidance rather than being suitable for anyone. This may seem quaint in the digital age, but it raises important questionsWhen the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) changes its certificate for an old movie, it is generally to ease up a bit and concede, like strict parents letting their teens have a glass of wine at dinner, that all right, times have changed. The Alien movies were once rated 18; now they're 15.
Tourism to UK close to pre-Covid levels as Czech Republic, Ireland and Denmark also leap in popularityWhere once holidaymakers flocked south for the summer in search of scorching getaways, the climate emergency may be signalling a reversal of that trend.It seems some tourists are shunning continental Europe, where temperatures are soaring to as high as 48C in the current heatwave, in favour of Britain's cooler climes. Continue reading...
People online pretend to be jerky video-game characters - and some make tons of money doing it. What on earth?Have you ever thought about selling pictures of your feet online? I'm not ashamed to say it's crossed my mind. It's not that I have exceptionally lovely feet - in fact, they're pretty gnarly - it's just that I like scheming up ways to get rich quick. And, for a while, it seemed like feet were just the ticket. There was a period in 2022 when TikTok was inundated with videos about the photo-selling website FeetFinder; footfluencers were claiming to make thousands of dollars on the site. It was intriguing but also a little suspect ... Could you really make a living from your feet? Were there that many foot fetishists out there willing to pay top dollar for a glimpse of a stranger's toe?Having just emerged from a research rabbit hole I suggest you don't enter, it turns out, yes, there is a surprising number of foot fetishists in the world. But that doesn't mean it's easy to monetize your trotters. It seems a lot of the videos praising FeetFinder on TikTok were actually ads: sponsored content that hadn't been properly labelled as such. There are probably a few people making OK money posting online foot pics, but it's not a speedy route to riches.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
by Associated Press in Montgomery, Alabama on (#6D5QA)
Lawmakers say they are trying to satisfy US supreme court order to draw a new district but experts say proposals don't come closeAlabama Republican lawmakers say they are trying to satisfy a landmark US supreme court order to draw a new district giving a voice to Black voters, but with hours to go before a court-ordered deadline on Friday, experts said proposals fell far short of what the law requires.The Republican-controlled state house and senate were scheduled to meet on Friday and could advance separate plans increasing the share of Black voters in Alabama's second congressional district. Legislative leaders say they intended to meet the deadline, meaning the two chambers must reach one plan. Continue reading...
Investigators say painstaking' search of Rex Heuermann's home, storage facility and car also seeks blood and DNA evidenceInvestigators in Long Island, New York, said they were looking for trace evidence, blood, DNA" and trophies" that could further tie the suspect, Rex Heuermann, to the murders of three women and possibly other victims in the Gilgo Beach area.Normally people keep mementoes of significant times in their life, so that's what we're looking for," the Suffolk county district attorney, Ray Tierney, told Newsday, describing as painstaking" the search of Heuermann's home in Massapequa Park, storage lockers and vehicle. Continue reading...
Extreme weather, fueled by global heating, is affecting energy, water, insurance premiums and food and housing costsMinerva Contreras can't keep up with the bills.Recently, after a series of extreme heatwaves in California forced her family to run the AC, her monthly electricity costs rose to about $500. Her water bill averages around $100, but because the water is contaminated with pesticides from nearby agricultural fields, her family spends an additional $140 each month to purchase jugs of drinking water. Her grocery bills have gone up as well, after a spate of winter storms disrupted harvests across the state. Continue reading...
by Associated Press in Charleston, West Virginia on (#6D5HW)
Judge in West Virginia says it would impinge on rights' of incarcerated atheist to participate in religiously affiliated programA federal judge in West Virginia ruled that the state corrections agency cannot force an incarcerated atheist and secular humanist to participate in religiously affiliated programming in order to be eligible for parole.Joseph Goodwin, a Charleston-based US district court judge, said the Saint Marys correctional center inmate, Andrew Miller, easily meets his threshold burden of showing an impingement on his rights". Continue reading...
If there is any feeling that the USA's World Cup opener against Vietnam could emulate their 13-0 thrashing of Thailand four years ago, it is not coming from within the team's campA burst of laughter rang throughout the press conference room at Eden Park on Friday night as a journalist from Vietnam asked United States head coach Vlatko Andonovski what much of the rest of the world is wondering: Are you going to crush us like you did to Thailand four years ago?"Andonovski and USA captain Lindsey Horan were the only two who didn't laugh, although Horan attempted to hold back a smirk. Andonovski composed himself as the laughter petered out. Continue reading...
Lawsuit by cryptocurrency exchange, which collapsed in November, is attempt to recoup assets sought by creditorsThe bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX is suing its founder Sam Bankman-Fried and three other former executives for $1bn (780m).FTX collapsed in November and Bankman-Fried was arrested the following month in the Bahamas over allegations he stole customer funds and extradited to the US, where he has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud and conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws and bribe Chinese authorities. Continue reading...
US House panel to hold first public hearing on extraterrestrial question following whistleblower claim of intact' alien vehiclesFor decades, US politicians have been reluctant to get involved in the topic of UFOs and aliens.After a series of disclosures in recent months, however, Republicans and Democrats now appear to be lining up to inquire into the question of extraterrestrial life, as the world seems closer than ever to finding out whether we are alone in the universe. Continue reading...
Austin Dennard unable to obtain abortion in home state because of confusion surrounding exceptions under restrictive Texas banEmotional testimonies from women and doctors continued into the second day of court hearings on the confusion surrounding exceptions under Texas's restrictive abortion ban.On Thursday, Austin Dennard, an OB-GYN doctor herself, delivered a tearful testimony as she recounted her experiences of being forced to travel out of state for an abortion due to a nonviable pregnancy. Continue reading...
Florida Atlantic's search for new president halted by state officials after war on woke' Republican Randy Fine omitted from shortlistBarely three months have passed since Florida Atlantic University gained national prominence during an unlikely run to the final four of the March Madness men's college basketball championship.They were heady times for Florida's fifth largest public university, a 30,000-student campus in Boca Raton that prides itself on a claim to be the most diverse seat of higher education in the state. Continue reading...
Gavin Schmidt of Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies warns of likelihood of new high as heatwave bakes large parts of planet. Plus, the beginning of the end for the great Megan RapinoeGood morning.July is likely to be Earth's hottest month in hundreds if not thousands of years, Gavin Schmidt, the director of Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, told reporters yesterday, as a persistent heatwave baked swaths of the US south.What impact will the heat have? Successive heatwaves threaten nature's ability to provide us with food, say researchers, as they warn of an unseen, silent dying" in our oceans amid record temperatures scorching the Earth. Heatwaves are ripping through Europe, the US and China, with the global hottest day ever recorded at the start of July, endangering human life as well as the land and sea it depends on.What is happening in the US? A 71-year-old man collapsed and died in Death Valley on Tuesday as temperatures in the valley - the point of lowest elevation in North America as well as one of the hottest places in the world - reached at least 121F (49.4C). Heat may have been a factor in his death," Death Valley national park officials said in a press release.What else is happening? President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has dismissed Vadym Prystaiko as Ukraine's ambassador to Britain, according to Reuters. It reports the published presidential order gave no reason for the dismissal, but said Prystaiko had also been removed as Ukraine's representative to the International Maritime Organization. Continue reading...
Exclusive: racketeering charges based on influencing witnesses and computer trespass, sources sayThe Fulton county district attorney investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state of Georgia has developed evidence to charge a sprawling racketeering indictment next month, according to two people briefed on the matter.The racketeering statute in Georgia requires prosecutors to show the existence of an enterprise" - and a pattern of racketeering activity that is predicated on at least two qualifying" crimes. Continue reading...
Ryan Grim calls Tucker Carlson replacement a classic bully' and says fight started when he backed colleague Watters had harassedThe US political journalist Ryan Grim broke the news of allegations against Brett Kavanaugh before his 2018 supreme court justice confirmation, and he was among the first to report on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's initial ascent to Congress.Still, to some, he remains known as the guy who got into a fight at the 2016 White House Correspondents' Dinner with Jesse Watters, who debuted Tuesday as host of the coveted 8pm Fox News slot made available by Tucker Carlson's firing. Continue reading...
High temperature may have been a factor' in death of 71-year-old Steve Curry in Golden Canyon area, park officials sayA 71-year-old man collapsed and died in Death Valley on Tuesday as temperatures in the valley - the point of lowest elevation in North America as well as one of the hottest places in the world - reached at least 121F (49.4C).Heat may have been a factor in his death," Death Valley national park officials said in a press release. Continue reading...
Gavin Newsom, the state governor, said his office will provide new school textbooks and send a bill for violating state lawsA school district in southern California will be fined more than $1m after rejecting a curriculum that included Harvey Milk, the pioneering gay rights leader who the the school board's president has called a pedophile".Gavin Newsom, the California governor, announced on Wednesday that his office will send textbooks to the Temecula school district that include Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the state, as well as fine the district $1.5m for failing to adopt an updated social studies curriculum". Continue reading...
Three charges relating to the Capitol attack are reportedly being considered, among other legal challenges for the ex-presidentDonald Trump faced a deadline of midnight on Thursday to say if he would appear before a Washington grand jury convened by the special counsel Jack Smith to consider federal charges over his election subversion and incitement of the attack on Congress on 6 January 2021.Late on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the matter, the Guardian reported that prosecutors had assembled evidence to charge Trump with three crimes. Continue reading...
Women tell court about experience of carrying life-threatening pregnancies because of restrictive law with few exemptionsTexas women who were denied abortions took the stand and delivered harrowing testimonies of their experiences of carrying life-threatening pregnancies as a result of the state's high restrictive abortion laws.The women are part of a lawsuit filed in March by the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is seeking clarification on which situations fall under the medical emergency" exception in Texas's abortion bans. The lawsuit appears to be the first of its kind in which women who were denied abortions are suing a state since the supreme court overturned Roe v Wade last year. Continue reading...
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