US news | The Guardian

Guy Walton has christened two previous heatwaves this summer Amoco and BP in attempt to name and shame fossil fuel firmsThe summer's heatwaves have been so blistering they have inspired their own names. In Europe they have been called nightmarish figures from Greek mythology, but one meteorologist in the US has taken a more pointed approach - by naming the country's heatwaves after the oil and gas companies that have worsened the climate crisis.The heatwave that has baked much of the US south-west in recent weeks, helping bring a record-breaking string of days over (43C) 110F to Phoenix, has been named Heatwave Chevron by Guy Walton, a veteran former Weather Channel meteorologist. Continue reading...

Asa Ellerup, 59, has been married to Rex Heuermann for 27 years, but police say she was out of state at time killings occurredThe wife of the suspected Long Island serial killer Rex Heuermann has filed for divorce nearly a week after the Manhattan architect was arrested and charged in the deaths of three women whose remains were found along a secluded beach roadway in 2010.Asa Ellerup, 59, who has been married to Heuermann for 27 years, lodged the petition in Suffolk county supreme court on Wednesday. The court filing indicates the action is uncontested". Continue reading...

Renee DiResta of the Stanford Internet Observatory speaks with the Guardian about artificial intelligence's influence on electionsEvery election presents an opportunity for disinformation to find its way into the public discourse. But as the 2024 US presidential race begins to take shape, the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) technology threatens to give propagandists powerful new tools to ply their trade.Generative AI models that are able to create unique content from simple prompts are already being deployed for political purposes, taking disinformation campaigns into strange new places. Campaigns have circulated fake images and audio targeting other candidates, including an AI-generated campaign ad attacking Joe Biden and deepfake videos mimicking real-life news footage. Continue reading...

Long Island lawyer John Ray says arrest of Rex Heuermann casts a shadow' over police department's inadequate' workJohn Ray, the Long Island attorney who has waged a decade-long campaign to solve the riddle of possibly 10 murder victims found near Gilgo Beach, has said the arrest of the accused serial killer Rex Heuermann has elated" the families of two victims he represents.Ray's involvement in the case centers on Shannan Gilbert, a sex worker and aspiring actor who disappeared aged 23 in May 2010 from a house several miles from Gilgo Beach. Her disappearance triggered a police investigation that later uncovered the remains of four women in their 20s who had been wrapped in burlap sacks and came to be known as the Gilgo Four". Continue reading...

Residents of Camp Hope in Las Cruces are more equipped to deal with the staggering heat than people living on streets, but residents and staff stress that it's no substitute for housingIt's unusually quiet at the entrance to Camp Hope when the temperature hits 102F (38.8C) on a sizzling Monday afternoon this week.Fewer than a dozen of the usual 50 residents at this sanctioned homeless encampment in Las Cruces, New Mexico, are milling about. Those that are around are hosing themselves off with water until their clothes are soaked through, resting in front of fans plugged into long extension cords, or sheltering in the shade that wooden structures offer. Continue reading...

Federal prosecutors say they have enough evidence to charge former president with three crimes over his efforts to overturn 2020 presidential electionDon't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Another indictment for Donald Trump appears to be imminent after federal prosecutors sent a target letter to the former president, detailing three potential charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.The target letter was sent by prosecutors from the office of special counsel Jack Smith, who also charged Trump with retaining classified documents last month.Trump called the letter HORRIFYING NEWS" in a post on his Truth Social platform. Then on Wednesday night, he hosted a screening of a movie promoted by QAnon followers.The potential charges come weeks before the Fulton county district attorney is expected to charge Trump and his allies over their efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state of Georgia. Continue reading...

On issue after issue, Republicans have fought to undermine Barbie's motto: We girls can do anything'Be vigilant, everyone. According to conservative lawmakers, Hollywood is attempting to manipulate the American public into consuming Chinese propaganda via subliminal messages about international maritime disputes. The culprit? A movie about dolls.An image from Greta Gerwig's Barbie (disclosure: I already have a ticket) has sent rightwing pundits and politicians into an uproar. Senators like Marsha Blackburn and Ted Cruz claim a cartoon map depicts the nine-dash line" which China uses to assert control over the South China Sea. They argue that the movie's supposed inclusion of the line legitimizes China's position, which gives it more power over strategically important waters.Katrina vanden Heuvel is editorial director and publisher of the NationDo 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...

Research marks first time largely unregulated subclass of flame retardants called bromophenols found in human breast milkNew peer-reviewed research has identified 25 kinds of toxic flame retardant in human breast milk in the US, and all samples contained at least some level of the dangerous chemicals.The compounds are part of the brominated flame retardant class, which are commonly used in plastic, televisions, appliances and electronics. The research also marks the first time a largely unregulated subclass of the flame retardants, called bromophenols, have been found in breast milk. Continue reading...

The use of the term unhoused has grown exponentially in the last few years, and those who have adopted it say it emphasizes a lack of affordable housingBeverly Graham was sitting in an executive leadership class in Seattle in 2006 when she first recalls using the word unhoused".The director of OSL, a non-profit that provides meals to food-insecure Seattle residents, Graham hadn't planned on speaking up. But her classmates - two dozen regional business leaders - were discussing the number of homeless people in the area, and their perspective felt very different from the one she had gained after years of helping vulnerable Seattleites. She had to pipe up.... for know, Iago,

Stumbling across my old paddleboard prompted a flood of memories, mostly of heaving the lumpen thing about. No wonder I abandoned it in my gardenHacking away recently at some weeds in the garden, I chanced upon something discarded in the undergrowth: my old paddleboard.It took me a while to get to paddleboarding. As a kid, I spent hours on those polystyrene boards, rubbing my nipples red raw. (They have been upsettingly sensitive ever since, but let's not go there.) I tried proper surfing, but was only any good flat on my belly; I couldn't stand up and quickly became discouraged. I tried windsurfing, but found I was either getting fed up with all the falling off, or going so fast that I was frightened to death. Also, I was too scared to go out on my own as I didn't trust myself to rig the bloody thing properly. Continue reading...

State rebuked in 79-page ruling for systemic institutionalization' of medically fragile childrenA pediatric doctor who saw first-hand the misery caused by Florida's antiquated" practice of locking medically fragile children in nursing facilities, and preventing parents and caregivers from looking after them at home, has welcomed a court order ending the policy.District court judge Donald Middlebrooks rebuked the state in a scathing 79-page ruling for its systemic institutionalization" of the children, and flagrant breaches of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which compels care to take place in the least restrictive environment available. Continue reading...

Yes, alcohol consumption is declining. But Britain's drinking culture still traps so many - and they can't find a way outRecently, a friend in Scotland has been griping that licensing laws are standing in the way of his summer nights out. But not in the way you might think: his grievance centres on the impossibility of buying a non-alcoholic beer from a shop after 10pm.A formerly enthusiastic drinker, he has recently discovered the delights of 0% lagers: all the fun of the fair without any of the hangover. And now he finds himself unable to buy what is essentially a soft drink, simply because you can't buy alcohol after 10pm in Scotland, and his 0% beer is categorised alongside its alcoholic equivalent. I'm going to start a social media campaign about this," he complained, only partly joking.Moya Lothian-McLean is a contributing editor at Novara Media Continue reading...

The defending champions are looking to win a third successive title. But injuries and some tough opponents stand in their wayRose Lavelle. The team's creative No 10 hasn't played a competitive match in three months due to a lingering injury but was selected with the expectation that she's healthy enough to deal with stingy defensive teams. If she can perform near her usual level, she will unlock the rest of an already potent attack. JK Continue reading...

The Argentinian's debut for Inter Miami is approaching. But it is the terms of his contract that could change the game in North America in the long termThe symbolism of David Beckham welcoming Lionel Messi on to Inter Miami's pitch as a Major League Soccer player for the first time was unavoidable. Beckham was, after all, the catalyst for the growth of a league that now boasts arguably the greatest player of all time. Messi, who was presented to a crowd of 20,000 Inter Miami fans on Sunday, could now be the catalyst for something more.There will always be a before and after Lionel Messi," Jorge Mas said in the South Florida rain, which the Inter Miami co-owner poetically called holy water". Even amid the downpour, which threatened to wash out the event, there was a sense that Messi's unveiling marked the start of a new era for MLS. The 36-year-old is expected to make his Inter Miami debut against Cruz Azul this Friday, although he may not start the match. Continue reading...

Ex-president holds golf club screening of child sex trafficking film, with Steve Bannon, Kari Lake and Jack Posobiec in attendanceIt was an outdoor movie with a difference. Sitting in the front row: Donald Trump, the former US president. Also in attendance: extremists and election deniers. On the big screen: a box office hit promoted by followers of QAnon.Trump, who is running for president again, hosted a private screening of Sound of Freedom, a thriller about child sex trafficking, at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Wednesday night. Continue reading...

James Barber due to die on Friday but granddaughter of Dorothy Epps, the woman he murdered, doesn't want it to happenAlabama is due to resume executions on Thursday despite botching three last year and after a review of capital punishment practices in the southern state was largely kept from public view.The inmate set to die by lethal injection by 6am on Friday is James Barber. Now 54, he was convicted of the murder of Dorothy Epps, who was 75, in 2001. Continue reading...

Federal prosecutors say they have evidence to charge Trump with three crimes over efforts to overturn 2020 electionFederal prosecutors investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results have evidence to charge the former president with three crimes, including section 241 of the US legal code that makes it unlawful to conspire to violate civil rights, two people familiar with the matter said.The potential charges detailed in a target letter sent to Trump by prosecutors from the office of special counsel Jack Smith, who also charged Trump with retaining classified documents last month, was the clearest signal of an imminent indictment. Continue reading...

Soldier, identified by US and Korean officials as Travis King, gave out a loud ha ha ha"', member of tour group saysA US soldier who crossed into North Korea while on a tour group after escaping military detention was laughing as he fled over the inter-Korean border, according to media reports.US and Korean officials identified the soldier as Private 2nd Class Travis King, according to CBS News. King, 23, was being held in custody by South Korea at the airport in Incheon, near Seoul, and in the process of being expelled when he fled. Continue reading...

Police say no reports of child wandering along I-495 as questions abound over woman who went missing for 48 hours last weekOn Wednesday, the police chief in Hoover, Alabama, unveiled new details Carlethia Carlee" Russell, a 25-year-old Black nursing student, gave to detectives the day she was interviewed, as police continue to investigate what happened after she reportedly vanished for 48 hours.Russell reportedly told police that she had seen a child walking along the side of the road, called 911 as she checked on the child, and screamed when a man allegedly forced her into a car. Continue reading...

It will be the first time subway and bus fares have increased in eight years, brought on by declining ridership due to the pandemicThe price of a subway ride in New York City will officially increase next month from $2.75 to $2.90, as transit costs rise in several US cities.New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board voted to increase the base fares for subways and buses to $2.90 by late August during a Wednesday meeting, the New York Times reported. Continue reading...

If strike were to occur, it would be the largest walkout in US history at a single private employer, costing company $170m a dayThe Teamsters and the delivery giant UPS look set to return to the negotiating table next week as a strike deadline of 1 August approaches for 340,000 workers represented by the union who are seeking a new contract agreement.On 5 July, contract negotiations broke down between the union and UPS as both sides were still apart on issues that include better starting pay for part-time workers, wage increases for full-time workers and more full-time roles. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can read the latest news on this story here.Former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, who Donald Trump pressured to overturn the 2020 election, has been cooperating with special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into the January 6 insurrection, NBC reported. A spokesperson for Ducey yesterday confirmed that Smith's team had contacted the former governor. Yes, he's been contacted. He's been responsive, and just as he's done since the election, he will do the right thing," they told CNN. Continue reading...

Marc Tessier-Lavigne said he will step down because he expects continued debate about his ability to lead the universityThe president of Stanford University, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, has announced he will resign after concerns about the integrity of his research.Tessier-Lavigne announced his plans to step down on 31 August in a letter to students and staff on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Jury rules in favor of California man who says he developed a deadly cancer from heavy exposure to talc powder since childhoodJohnson & Johnson must pay $18.8m to a California man who said he developed cancer from exposure to its baby powder, a jury decided on Tuesday, a setback for the company as it seeks to settle thousands of similar cases over its talc-based products in US bankruptcy court.The jury ruled in favor of Emory Hernandez Valadez, who filed suit last year in California state court in Oakland against J&J, seeking monetary damages. Hernandez, 24, has said he developed mesothelioma, a deadly cancer, in the tissue around his heart as a result of heavy exposure to the company's talc since childhood. The six-week trial was the first over talc that New Jersey-based J&J has faced in almost two years. Continue reading...

Emergency-room doctor treating heatstroke victims with large amounts of ice as Arizona city enters ninth day of lows above 90FWith no immediate let-up anticipated for the scorching heat over the American south-west - where temperatures have reached more than 110F (43.3C) in the day and not dropped below 90F (32.2C) at night - a Phoenix emergency room doctor has resorted to using children's pools and large zip-bags filled with ice to cool heatstroke victims.Frank LoVecchio, a Phoenix-area emergency room medical toxicologist, told CBS News that he had treated three or four cases of heatstroke over the past three days using the technique, which involves covering the patient with ice until only their eyes and mouth are showing. Continue reading...

What's better than a companion who knows just what to say? A companion who knows when to zip it. But sometimes they need a little nudge ...I like a chat as much as the next chap, but a bit of quiet is nice, too. It's a difficult balance to strike. While the main thing you want with a friend is plenty to talk about, being able to coexist in companionable silence is also important. It's a lot to ask of someone, to be charmed and charming, interesting and interested, yet with the insight to sense when it's time to pipe down.It's not that I have anyone I would call a friend who bores me; if anything, the opposite is true. But that presents its own challenges. If the subject matter is interesting, it requires attention. And if there is too much of it, that gets tiring. Continue reading...

Advocates hail potential for historic moment' as city council bill bids to increase pay from $9.48 an hour for tipped employeesThe latest battle to raise the minimum wage for workers who rely on tips is set to kick off on Wednesday in Chicago with a bill being introduced in the city council that will boost pay - as labor activists herald the potential for a historic moment" for thousands of restaurant workers.A step-change is in the air for the city, which has a culinary scene of national renown and is taking advantage of fictional depictions such as Chicago being the setting for the popular TV food drama The Bear, as well acting as host for the annual James Beard Awards. Continue reading...

These incidents are spreading - and along with them, bogus narratives casting the killer whales as marine avengersIn the opening sequence of the BBC's original Blue Planet series of 2001, TV's first real look at life within the world's oceans, a pod of orca are shown hunting a grey whale and her calf. Over and over, the killer whales jump on the calf, pushing it under the waves, determined to drown it. Once it is finally dead, after a six-hour battle, they eat only its lower jaw and tongue.I vividly remember watching this as a 10-year-old in 2001 and thinking: I wouldn't like to take on a killer whale. Lately, however, their attention seems to have turned uncomfortably close to home. In the past few years, a pod of orcas has been ramming boats in the waters off south-west Europe at seemingly increasing rates. From 52 such interactions" recorded in 2020, there were 197 in 2021, 207 last year and a steady number so far this summer. In three cases, the orcas have damaged boats so badly that they have sunk.Elle Hunt is a freelance journalistDo 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...

Duvan Perez, 16, dies at Mar-Jac factory in Hattiesburg amid rollback of child labor laws across several US statesA 16-year-old from Guatemala died on Friday after sustaining a workplace injury at a poultry plant in Mississippi, authorities confirm.The child, identified as Duvan Tomas Perez, died at Mar-Jac Poultry plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, about two hours outside of Jackson, NBC News reported. He migrated to the US six years ago from the town of Huispache and was a middle school student. Continue reading...

Judge says jury did not reach a seriously erroneous result' in finding Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writerA federal judge on Wednesday rejected Donald Trump's request for a new trial in a civil case brought by E Jean Carroll, in which a jury found the former US president liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer and awarded her $5m in damages.In a 59-page decision, US district judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan said the jury did not reach a seriously erroneous result," and the 9 May verdict was not a miscarriage of justice". Continue reading...

Sister and nephew rebuke presidential hopeful over deplorable' comments about engineering' of virus to target certain groupsFamily members of Democratic presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy Jr joined the White House on Monday in condemning his deplorable" claim that Covid-19 was engineered to target some ethnic groups and spare others.The former attorney and nephew of John F Kennedy made the extraordinary assertion during a recent dinner in New York city, saying the virus was targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people". Continue reading...

Women say they were told they could not end pregnancies even though their lives and health were in dangerWomen who sued Texas after saying they were denied abortions despite serious risks to their health are headed to court Wednesday as legal challenges to abortion bans across the US continue a year after the fall of Roe v Wade.The Texas case is believed to be the first brought by women who were denied abortions since the right to an abortion in the US was overturned, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing them. Continue reading...

Scoring goals is what the USA does best. But an embarrassment of riches at the forward position means Vlatko Andonovski will face some crucial decisions when the World Cup kicks offAs the United States women's national team's final World Cup tune-up match dragged on without a goal against Wales on 10 July, a familiar question loomed: Where would the spark come from?The answer eventually came in the form of forward Trinity Rodman, who entered the game at the start of the second half and scored twice in the final 15 minutes to deliver a 2-0 victory for the United States. Continue reading...

One-time indie cinema darling Greta Gerwig is now using IP to make money for a megabucks toy company that sells vacuous, hypersexualised dolls - and no one bats an eyelidIn the early 90s, according to a story that may now have become slightly mythologised in the retelling, the actor Sarah Polley - then aged 12 - was asked by Disney executives to remove a peace sign badge she was wearing. When she refused, Disney blacklisted her. This story lost a little of its potency last month with the announcement that Polley was set to direct the new live-action" reboot of Bambi. For admirers of Polley's determinedly independent career, the record-scratch noise could not be louder: this is somebody who worked with Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg and Hal Hartley for God's sake, before the age of 22.Thoughts of Polley returned this week with the now-deafening noise surrounding the release of Barbie, directed by another former queen of independent cinema, Greta Gerwig. Coming up a few years after Polley, Gerwig was so indie that her films didn't even go to Sundance, they went to South by Southwest. She was so indie that when she moved from micro-budget mumblecore movies to a scripted film with Noah Baumbach - Greenberg, in 2010 - the Guardian called it her first tentative steps into the mainstream". Greenberg was made for a budget of $25m, which it didn't make back; now Gerwig has directed Barbie, for the film arm of mega-corporation Mattel, with a budget of $145m. Gerwig's swerve into the actual mainstream prompts the question: does the phrase selling out" have any meaning any more? Continue reading...

Red alerts expected for more cities in Italy as Greece wildfires spread and brutal conditions continue in the US. Plus, grief in the age of AI

The thousands of strikers are at the frontlines of two key battles: against a future controlled by AI, and against suffocating inequalityWe're having quite an apocalyptic summer. Wildfire smoke chokes the air of major cities. Amid a brutal heatwave, striking workers muster picket lines on scorching streets. The screenwriters of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have been on strike for nearly three months. Last week they were joined by 160,000 members of Sag-Aftra, the actors' union. Hollywood is closed for business. Everyone is scared that artificial intelligence could steal away our jobs. It's hot. Tempers are short. The whole entertainment industry is out of work and angry and ready to lean into class war. It feels a little scary. It feels a little giddy. It feels like anything might happen this year.This is good. If there wasn't a huge fight happening right now, the implications would be much, much worse.Hamilton Nolan is a writer based in New York City and a member of the WGAE Continue reading...

The warming of the planet - including the most up-to-date data for 2023 - is entirely consistent with what climate modelers warned decades agoThirty years ago, the world's nations agreed to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. But what is dangerous climate change"? Just turn on the television, read the headlines of the morning paper or view your social media feeds. For we are watching it play out in real time this summer, more profoundly than ever before, in the form of unprecedented floods, heatwaves and wildfires. Now we know what dangerous climate change looks like. As has been said of obscenity, we know it when we see it. We're seeing it - and it is obscene.Scorching temperatures persist across Europe, North America and Asia, as wildfires rage from Canada to Greece. The heat is as relentless as it is intense. For example, Phoenix, Arizona, has broken its record of 18 consecutive days above 110F (43.3C). Even the nights, generally relied upon as a chance to recover from the blistering days, now offer little relief: for more than a week, nighttime temperatures in Phoenix have exceeded 90F (32.2C). Meanwhile, severe and deadly flooding has stricken South Korea, Japan, and the north-east United States, from Pennsylvania to Vermont.Michael E Mann is a professor of earth and environmental science and the director of the Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media at The University of Pennsylvania. He is author of the forthcoming book Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth's Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate CrisisSusan Joy Hassol is the director of Climate Communication. She publishes Quick Facts on the links between extreme weather and climate change Continue reading...

The world is stressful, so an adventure holiday is the last thing you need. Instead, hotels are offering fancy sleep suites and AI-powered bedsAs my wife - and all my exes - will attest, I'm really good (at staying) in bed. I'm not one of those weirdos who jumps out from under the sheets at the crack of dawn, ready to seize the day: my modus operandi has always been to remain horizontal for as long as possible, screeching five more minutes" to anyone who tries to rouse me. Some may call it laziness; I call it self-care. After all, sleep is restorative. Quality sleep adds years to your life and is great for your mental health. Why wouldn't you snooze for as long as you can?Because you have a job that requires you to get up early, that's why. Or because you have anxiety-induced insomnia. Or because you have a child who won't let you sleep a minute past 6.49am. As I have come to realise, sleep is a luxury item. I used to take slumbering for granted, but now that I'm the mother of a hyperactive toddler (is there any other kind of toddler?), sleep is something I would pay a pretty penny for. Continue reading...

Democratic candidate's recent false claim that Covid could have been ethnically targeted' is not an aberration but fits long patternRobert Kennedy Jr, a long shot Democratic candidate for US president, has a long history of racism, antisemitism and xenophobia, and should be denied a national platform, according to a damning report seen by the Guardian.Kennedy, who provoked anger last week when he was filmed falsely suggesting that the coronavirus could have been ethnically targeted" to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people, is due to testify at the US Capitol in Washington on Thursday. Continue reading...

Kenneth Polite, assistant attorney general, leaving amid friction with the justice department's No 2 officialThe top official overseeing the criminal division at the US justice department is expected to step down this summer, according to three people briefed on the matter. His tenure included managing high-profile investigations into corporate crime and the January 6 Capitol attack.The departure of assistant attorney general Kenneth Polite is significant at the department given he occupies one of its most high-profile and influential roles and oversees 600 federal prosecutors. Continue reading...

The US Center for SafeSport was formed to protect athletes from abuse. But the mounting number of critics who say it's failed in its mission is reaching a critical massSince March 2017, the US Center for SafeSport has been charged by federal law to fight the scourge of sexual misconduct and other abuses in Olympic sports.The Center has established well-regarded training courses and a national database of nearly 2,000 suspended coaches, athletes and other personnel. But it has also faced barrages of criticism from all corners - accusers who find it ineffective, accused parties who say it's been weaponized, lawyers who prefer to let the US judicial system handle things, and lawmakers who occasionally fret but haven't done much to make sure the Center it founded. Continue reading...

A new documentary on the four-time NBA champion shows a man driven by a grudge against those who doubted him. But there is more to his successThe pre-draft scouting report on Stephen Curry was unsparing. Appears as though he'll always be skinny," the scouts huffed. Can overshoot and rush his shots. Doesn't like when defenses are too physical with him." But the part that figures to have Golden State Warriors fans breaking out into shoulders-shimmying guffaws is this: Do not rely on him to run your team." You can almost picture the line etched inside one of his four championship rings.There's just something magical about Steph," filmmaker Peter Nicks tells the Guardian. Continue reading...

Low-profile LIV Englishman fears the sport's reputation has been harmed but has high hopes for a blockbuster' OpenThe softly spoken can provide strident analysis. Laurie Canter looked on from afar - partly through his own volition, partly because he lacks the profile of fellow LIV rebels - as golf's occasionally vicious civil war rumbled on. Players traded verbal blows as the Saudi-backed LIV Golf became a reality. Old tours versus new tour. Supposed good versus supposed evil. It has all been particularly messy. The amiable 33-year-old's silence should not be mistaken for a lack of interest. He fears the reputation of his sport has been needlessly harmed.There have been points where it has been embarrassing to be a professional golfer," Canter says of the last 12 months. I have had teaching pros say to me that they have been embarrassed by some of the conduct that has gone on. That is not what being a golfer is about. Continue reading...

On the TV, radio and podcasts, we seem ever more fascinated with the wickedness of some and the misfortune of othersA day after a horrific stabbing in the Midlands, a resident took out her mobile phone and said to me: Listen to this, it's absolutely disgusting." She then played me an audio recording that seemed to capture some of the fatal attack on two students. We stood there, as the sun went down on a lovely summer's evening, appalled and dumbfounded.The woman said it was being circulated on WhatsApp, and she wanted me to expose the man she believed was sharing it. In order to describe it accurately, I've replayed the clip several times. If it's a true recording - and I think it probably is - it's the worst thing I've ever heard. Continue reading...

US climate envoy and former secretary of state is in Beijing for talks with senior Chinese officials amid strained US-China relationsJohn Kerry has said climate change is a universal threat" and has to be separated from politics during talks between the US and China.Kerry, the US climate envoy and former secretary of state, is in Beijing for talks with senior Chinese officials. The talks are hoped to repair relations between two sides - the world's two largest economies and carbon emitters - before the COP28 climate talks in Dubai at the end of the year. Continue reading...

Wednesday's scheduled drawing comes about nine months after California's Edwin Castro won $2.04bn in NovemberPowerball players across the US are bracing for the opportunity to win what would be the seventh-highest jackpot in American lottery history on Wednesday night.The jackpot is estimated to be about $1bn after the Powerball lottery has gone 38 consecutive drawings without a winning ticket being sold, according to the official website for the game of chance. Someone last won the Powerball on 19 April, when the top prize was nearly $253m, the jackpot - as is typical - has been growing steadily since. Continue reading...