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Order prohibits agencies and public colleges and universities from using state funds, property or resources towards DEI initiativesOn Wednesday Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma's governor, signed an executive order in effect banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at agencies and public colleges and universities across the state.The order prohibits them from using state funds, property or resources towards DEI initiatives and orders them to dismiss non-critical personnel". It is effective immediately, but institutions are expected to comply no later than 31 May 2024. Continue reading...

Attorney for Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss asks jury to award them each at least $24m in damages to repair their reputation

Giovanni Hernandez and Miguel Solorio had their convictions vacated this year and now a judge found them factually innocentTwo men who spent decades in prison for crimes they did not commit have been exonerated and freed, the Los Angeles county district attorney announced on Wednesday.Giovanni Hernandez and Miguel Solorio had their convictions vacated earlier this year and on Wednesday a judge found them factually innocent, the district attorney's office said. Continue reading...

Autonomous vehicle unit cuts about a quarter of its workforce as it moves to reduce costs and remake itself after accidentGeneral Motors' troubled Cruise autonomous vehicle unit is cutting over 900 jobs, about a quarter of its workforce, as it moves to reduce costs and remake itself after a grisly accident in San Francisco and subsequent regulatory scrutiny. Early last month, the company recalled all its robotaxis, which it had been testing on roads in California, and regulators accused Cruise of hiding the severity of the incident.The subsidiary announced the cuts on Thursday in a letter to Cruise's 3,800 workers from its president and chief technical officer, Mo ElShenawy, who wrote that the layoffs were not the fault of the workers. The job cuts come a day after Cruise confirmed that nine key leaders are no longer with the company amid an ongoing investigation into an October crash involving one of its driverless robotaxis that forced it to suspend operations. Continue reading...

Those who follow the royals were unsurprised, and those who don't were entertained. But I'm not sure it moved the dialAfter seven years, six seasons, 60 episodes and enough airtime to last you continuously from now to next Sunday, Netflix's mammoth, popular and sort-of acclaimed series The Crown ends with the release of the last four episodes today.That takes the saga up to 2005, so the reign of Queen Elizabeth II still had another 17 years to run, but writer Peter Morgan and the series' makers have decided enough is enough. Discretion has shrouded the final years, though they do give Her 80-year-old Maj, played by Imelda Staunton, intimations of mortality, and even visitations by her younger self in the shape of Claire Foy, the young queen in seasons one and two, and Olivia Colman's mother of the nation from seasons three and four. Continue reading...

Bull was first spotted on train tracks and eventually corralled inside a fenced lot near Newark Liberty international airportLate morning rail commuters going from New Jersey to New York City experienced a wild transit delay on Thursday: a bull was loose on the train tracks.First reports of the bull came around 10.30am local time at Newark Penn Station, when the bull was seen walking on the tracks through the station. Continue reading...

For three years central banks in the US and Europe have been struggling to rein in price growth unseen in a generationFor the last three years, the US and Europe have struggled with a specter unseen for a generation - inflation. Now it looks like the phantom may finally be fading.This week the US Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and the Bank of England all held interest rates steady and cautiously signaled that the fight to tamp down soaring prices may be coming to an end. Continue reading...

Chinese-owned e-commerce firm reignites acrimonious legal battle and alleges Shein bullied and intimidated' suppliersThe Chinese-owned online marketplace Temu has sued its rival Shein, alleging that the fast fashion giant bullied, intimidated, and even detained" suppliers in China as part of a campaign of mafia-style intimidation".Reigniting an acrimonious legal battle, Temu accused Shein of trying to illegally interfere" with its business and going so far as to confiscate merchants' cellphones during meetings to obtain access to confidential information. Continue reading...

Maduro's annexation threat is only the latest move on a chessboard stretching back to the 15th century. The outcome could reverberate throughout Latin America and the CaribbeanIt is a precipitous moment for Venezuela and Guyana this week as they meet to address the longstanding dispute over the Essequibo region. Leaders from both nations have said they will come to the table with the Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the St Vincent and Grenadines prime minister Ralph Gonsalves, and the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.In recent weeks, the two have seemed to be drawing closer to conflict. Venezuela has threatened to annex the densely forested Essequibo region, which constitutes two-thirds of Guyana's territory, after holding a referendum to seek support. While the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's pseudo-referendum further exposed his disregard for international law, both countries are reenacting what was a colonial conflict between the British and the Spanish. Continue reading...

Trial tentatively set for next week, amid surge in antisemitic episodes across the US following Hamas's October attacks in IsraelA 13-year-old boy was arrested after plotting to carry out a mass shooting at a Canton, Ohio, synagogue, and posting detailed plans of the attack on social media, according to authorities.The boy faces misdemeanor charges of inducing panic and disorderly conduct in connection with the scheme aimed at Temple Israel. His family court trial is tentatively scheduled to start on 20 December, the Canton Repository newspaper reported. Continue reading...

Ryan says ex-president not a conservative' and praises Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for opposing TrumpDonald Trump is not a conservative", the former Republican House speaker Paul Ryan said, but a populist, authoritarian narcissist".The former vice-presidential pick, who led the House majority for two years when Trump was president, also praised the Republicans Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for opposing Trump to the cost of their congressional careers. Continue reading...

HB 68 bans doctors from providing gender-affirming care to trans children and blocks trans girls from playing on girls' sports teamsThe Ohio legislature has given its final approval to a bill that would impose substantial new restrictions on the lives of trans children.The bill, HB 68, prohibits doctors from providing gender-affirming care to trans youths. It also blocks transgender female student athletes from participating in girls' sports. Continue reading...

Mike McCarthy has long been cast as bozo and a child of privilege. But the Dallas coach has the Cowboys on course for their first Super Bowl appearance in nearly three decadesGather the animals two-by-two, because it's really, actually happening: The Dallas Cowboys have their best shot at winning a Super Bowl since Dez Caught It.The team's dismantling of the Eagles last week leaves them in a tier of two in the NFC: it's the Cowboys, Niners and then a drop to the Eagles and Lions. If Dallas can secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, they should enter the postseason as the favorites to come out of the NFC, despite their thorny record v the Niners.Buffalo Bills: 14.9%, 28thKansas City Chiefs: 14.9%, 27thPhiladelphia Eagles: 13.9%, 23rdMiami Dolphins: 13.7%, 22ndBaltimore Ravens: 10%, 14thSan Francisco 49ers: 8.5%, 6thDallas Cowboys: 7.6%, 3rd Continue reading...

The Fox News host's direct-to-streaming crusade, Jingle Smells, features a canceled action star and triggered youthSean Hannity has been on the front line of a forever war - on Christmas - for years. Every December, the Fox News host eagerly covers what he considers a holiday under siege" by the ruling class, which aims to cancel the beloved holiday and its time-honored traditions.Now, Hannity's yuletide crusade is getting the direct-to-streaming treatment with Jingle Smells, a so-called anti-woke" Christmas movie produced by Hannity and streaming on Rumble, the company providing a platform for Russell Brand and Matt Gaetz. Continue reading...

Court spokesperson said man set fire to papers and was later arrested, hours after conclusion of testimony in Trump caseA man deliberately started a fire at the New York state supreme court building where Donald Trump's civil trial is currently being heard, resulting in minor injuries for 17 people, according to FDNY officials.A court spokesperson said the man set fire to court papers at about 4:15pm on the fourth floor of the building, located at 60 Centre Street in Lower Manhattan, then he used a fire extinguisher to douse it. Continue reading...

I've been accused of being a soyboy' and in the pay of Big Lettuce' by one of the most destructive industries on EarthEverything that makes campaigning against fossil fuels difficult is 10 times harder when it comes to opposing livestock farming. Here you will find a similar suite of science denial, misinformation and greenwashing. But in this case, it's accompanied by a toxic combination of identity politics, nostalgia, machismo and the demonisation of alternatives. If you engage with this issue, you don't just need a thick skin; you need the skin of a glyptodon.You will be vilified daily as a soyboy", a hater of farmers" and a dictator who would force everyone to eat insects. You will be charged with undermining western civilisation, destroying its masculinity and threatening its health. You will be denounced as an enemy of Indigenous people, though generally not by Indigenous people themselves, for many of whom livestock farming is and has long been by far the greatest cause of land-grabbing, displacement and the destruction of their homes.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The final round of Champions League group games are in the books. We run through the standouts, surprises and disappointments, grading all 32 teamsEditor's note: these grades are for teams' performances in this week's round of matches rather than their chances of winning the competition as a whole. Continue reading...

With Galactic Boosters, McPops and Churro Frappes, the fast food giant's pilot focuses on customizable drinks and snacksMcDonald's fast-food universe expanded a little last week to take in CosMc's, a drive-thru-only pilot project focused on customizable drinks and snacks. After trying the intergalactically-themed restaurant's drinks and snacks I can confirm CosMc's is indeed reminiscent of space - lonely, gray, and being actively colonized by corporations.According to the fast food giant: CosMc's seamlessly blends brand-new, otherworldly beverage creations with a small lineup of food ... all designed to boost your mood into the stratosphere, if only for a few moments." Continue reading...

House Republicans rally behind inquiry despite failure to find evidence, while Democrats stand united in opposition. Plus, UN agency says conditions in Gaza now hell on earth'

Even cardinals can get distracted in the closing stages of a close football match ...I'm often oblivious to what is going on in front of me, but there are certain situations in which I miss nothing, such as when I'm giving any kind of speech. If but one person in the audience yawns, or in any way suggests they're not paying attention, I see it. And it's a dagger to my heart. This is why I always found presenting to millions on live television a lot easier than addressing even just a couple of dozen people in the flesh. Why, this very evening I am to give a speech to a gathering of dentists in Chislehurst, south-east London. Don't ask. Just be assured, I am terrified. And I'll be watching them like hawks.A couple of Sundays ago I was addressing 500 Christians, and I'm delighted to say that they seemed to stay with me throughout. Well, 499 of them did. One didn't. The offender was a gentleman in his 70s in the front row. This was an event celebrating the connection between football and Christianity, so the shirt was acceptable. What I couldn't quite accept was that this chap never took his eyes off his phone, anxiously scrolling and refreshing for all he was worth. But distracting as his distraction was for me, I had to keep my annoyance in check because the gentleman in question was a cardinal.Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster, writer and Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The messages of Andrew Tate and his ilk are as old as the patriarchy: female autonomy is a threat, and must be punishedIt's been a great year for Taylor Swift in many ways, as everything she's touched has turned to gold, and her superfans got their own proper noun, Swifties. But haters gonna hate: when she appeared on the cover of Time magazine as their person of the year, looking staggering, wearing both a catsuit and a cat, a Christian manfluencer called Eric Conn (his Hard Men podcast is tagged Reclaiming biblical masculinity in a world of softness") was quick to react: It's shameful and sad that a hyper-promiscuous, childless woman, aging and alone with a cat, has become the heroine of a feminist age."I don't want to say the manosphere reached its apogee in 2023, because things can always get worse. But if Time had a person of the year for the dark timeline, Swift's opposite, a character to embody the hostility, alienation and evangelical, triumphant stupidity of the age, it would be Andrew Tate. Figures like Tate and Conn, and their millions upon millions of disciples, have no struggle for content because they feel no duty of originality. Continue reading...

Their story is that of thousands of other Palestinians: forced to move time and time again, their homes lost or destroyedA friend sent me a cartoon this week. It showed two elderly gentlemen sitting in comfortable chairs. One says to the other: Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it." Yes," agrees the other gentleman, and those who do study history are doomed to stand by helplessly while everyone else repeats it."In the case of the heartbreaking devastation in my home town of Khan Younis, this seems like an especially cruel joke. Witnessing this genocide unfolding, I find myself failing to find much to laugh at. Continue reading...

Governments are already shifting gear on issues from Ukraine to the climate crisis - and the US election could change everythingThere has been much talk of late about a renewed far right surge in Europe, especially as the continent looks ahead to the European parliament elections next June. Is this tilt to the right likely to happen - and what could it mean for us?This fear has ebbed and flowed. It took off when Georgia Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy surged in elections last year, as did the hard-right Sweden Democrats, which entered government for the first time. The following months saw rightwing wins in Finland and Greece too. The firm conviction that there was an inexorable rise of the right then crumbled in July this year, when in Spain the hard-right Vox and the conservative Popular party failed to win a joint majority in elections, leading to the eventual return of a progressive coalition led by Pedro Sanchez. Three months later, Poles voted to oust the populist right Law and Justice party, opening the way to a liberal government led by a former president of the European Council, Donald Tusk.Nathalie Tocci is a Guardian Europe columnist Continue reading...

Although Labour has successfully kept the spotlight on Tory incompetence, difficult battles are yet to comeFor Keir Starmer, the Tory party is the gift that keeps on giving. If Labour has one overriding wish as the start of general election year approaches, it is that Rishi Sunak's party should continue to remind voters why they have given up on the Conservatives after electing them in such numbers in 2019. On Tuesday, in the Commons, the Tory party delivered handsomely on that Labour wish.As well as days of buildup, every newsflash throughout Tuesday was about Tory division and Tory difficulty. There hasn't been a spotlit display of Conservative dysfunction like this for, well, several weeks. It may not have been a gamechanging horror show on the scale of Partygate in 2021 or the Truss emergency budget in 2022. But it was a reminder that the Bertha Mason version of his party that Sunak tries to keep locked in the parliamentary attic is alive and well and ready to burn down the house if it gets the chance.Martin Kettle is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The US House of Representatives has voted to formally open an impeachment inquiry into Biden - without any evidence he has committed wrongdoingThe US House of Representatives has voted to formally open an impeachment inquiry into president Joe Biden, moving forward a process that has been promised by Republican leaders since they regained control of the lower chamber in midterm elections in 2022.Although no evidence has been produced, Republicans have accused Biden and his family of personally profiting from his position while vice-president under Barack Obama. Continue reading...

High court to consider whether obstruction statute is too broad to be used in connection with January 6 attackA decision by the US supreme court to take a case linked to the January 6 attack on the Capitol could have consequences altering the trajectory of the criminal case against Donald Trump over his effort to overturn the 2020 election as well as for hundreds of other people prosecuted for the riot.The nation's highest court has agreed to consider whether federal prosecutors can charge January 6 riot defendants with a statute that makes it a crime to obstruct an official proceeding of Congress - a charge also filed against Trump in his 2020 election-interference case. Continue reading...

House Republicans rally behind investigation authorized by party-line vote as Democrats stand united in oppositionThe House on Wednesday authorized the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, with every Republican rallying behind the politically charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the US president.The 221-212 party-line vote put the entire House Republican conference on record in support of an impeachment process that can lead to the ultimate penalty for a president: punishment for what the constitution describes as high crimes and misdemeanors", which can lead to removal from office if convicted in a Senate trial. Continue reading...

Republicans have failed to produce evidence showing president financially benefitted from family business dealingsThe House voted Wednesday to formally authorize the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, even as Republicans have failed to produce evidence showing that the president financially benefitted from his family's business dealings.The House voted on partisan lines, 221-212 to launch the inquiry. The vote came hours after the president's son, Hunter Biden, defied a subpoena to appear for a closed-door deposition with House members. Instead choosing to hold a press conference on Capitol Hill, Hunter Biden reiterated his willingness to testify publicly, an offer that House Republicans have rejected.This story was amended on 13 December 2023 to accurately reflect the House votes for the inquiry to 221-212. Continue reading...

Ruby Freeman's testimony is at center of trial to determine how much in damages Giuliani will have to pay to her and her daughterRuby Freeman sobbed on the witness stand. The former election worker said she is afraid to tell anyone her name, has been driven from her home and was terrorized with threatening phone calls and letters after Rudy Giuliani, a key Trump ally and the former New York mayor, spread lies about her in 2020.Freeman began her testimony in federal court on Wednesday by introducing herself to the jury as Lady Ruby", saying the name was special, unique and classy". But, she says, she's stopped using the name because she fears what would happen if someone were to recognize her. When she goes out, she wears sunglasses and a mask. Continue reading...

A 28-year-old Detroit man was charged with three crimes, and authorities allege he was a stranger who had broken into homeA stranger accused of breaking into the home of a Detroit synagogue leader was charged with her murder Wednesday, nearly two months after her body was found outdoors with multiple stab wounds, authorities said.There was not a shred of evidence" that Samantha Woll was killed as a result of antisemitism or any hate crime, prosecutor Kym Worthy said. Continue reading...

Protesters from a Jewish organization, If Not Now, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza disrupted traffic along the 110 highway south in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning. The activists blocked all six lanes of the busy freeway before California police cleared the demonstration. At least 75 people were detained, NBC Los Angeles reportedDozens of activists block Los Angeles highway calling for Gaza ceasefire - video

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on the Giuliani defamation trial, read our latest report:

Judge Tanya Chutkan agrees to pause proceedings while ex-president pursues claims he is immune from prosecutionDonald Trump's 2020 election interference case in Washington will be put on hold while the former president further pursues his claims that he is immune from prosecution, the judge overseeing the case ruled Wednesday.US district judge Tanya Chutkan agreed to pause any further proceedings that would move this case towards trial or impose additional burdens of litigation on defendant". But the judge said that if the case returns to her court, she will consider at that time whether to retain or continue the dates of any still-future deadlines and proceedings, including the trial scheduled for March 4, 2024". Continue reading...

Bipartisan coalition of lawmakers is determined to let kids drink full-fat milk in school, although critics say Congress is wasting its timeLet them drink milk!"A bipartisan bill to allow US schools to serve whole milk, in addition to low-fat options, is garnering support, as some call the attempts to bring back the dairy staple a waste of time. Continue reading...

Staff notified via livestream Wednesday by Josh Silverman, who acknowledged unfortunate' timing during holiday seasonEtsy is laying off 225 employees in a bid to cut costs as it grapples with very challenging" economic headwinds.The online retail company will reduce its headcount by about 11% after deciding that a leaner, more agile" workforce would help shore up growth. Continue reading...

California highway patrol detains 75 people who blocked six lanes of traffic, as drivers attempt to drag protesters out of the wayPolice in Los Angeles arrested a group of protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza after they shut down a busy stretch of freeway in the city's downtown.Dozens of people assembled on the 110 on Wednesday morning, bringing traffic to a standstill during the morning commute for more than an hour. There were tense physical confrontations as commuters attempted to remove people from the road. Continue reading...

Looming over this year's climate talks was the spectre of Donald Trump regaining the US presidencyThe climate emergency needs better than this. It has taken almost 30 years of climate talks for the world to call on nations to transition away from fossil fuels" in a just, orderly and equitable manner". Cop28's final text was stating the obvious but it needed saying, and not a moment too soon. Ahead of the Dubai summit, the UN said that under current policies, global temperatures were on track to rise 2.9C above pre-industrial levels - nearly double the goal cited in the climate summit final declaration.The measures agreed - to triple renewable capacity and double the rate of energy efficiency - could limit warming to the 1.5C threshold. But this relies on an equitable climate financing deal for developing countries. On this key issue, the Cop28 outcome had little to say. A report for the UN has stated that developing countries - excluding China - would need $2.4tn a year. This is a lot of money, but then what is the price of saving the planet? The US is the richest nation on Earth. It should take the lead as the globe's largest oil and gas producer. Instead it will expand fossil fuel extraction - reckless and inexcusable behaviour given Washington's historical responsibility. Continue reading...

Senate Democrats argue justice poses potential conflict of interest because his wife has previously supported Trump's election liesSenate Democrats are pressuring the supreme court justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from deciding whether Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution for alleged crimes he committed while president.Democrats have argued that Thomas poses a potential conflict of interest because his wife, Ginni Thomas, has previously supported Trump's false claims that the election was stolen, the Hill reported. Continue reading...

A common refrain I've heard from Black women over the years is: I wish more people talked about this. And so we are

The agreement on fossil fuel phase-out is full of loopholes, but those of us fighting for climate justice won't give upAs Cop28 ended after 14 gruelling days, many people were clutching at straws and looking for meaning in the mere mention in the text of a transition from fossil fuels. There will be headlines talking about what huge progress it is simply to say this - even without any requirement for real action.This would have been very welcome 20 or even 10 years ago, but it wasn't the gamechanger needed to prevent climate catastrophe, to end the era of deadly fossil fuels, or to save the north star of 1.5C. To claim that it is a triumph, or anything even close to that, is simply a lie.Asad Rehman is executive director of War on WantDo 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...

Case will determine future of mifepristone in first major abortion issue to reach country's highest court since it overturned RoeThe US supreme court on Wednesday agreed to hear oral arguments in a case that could determine the future of a pill used in most abortions in the US, in the first major abortion rights case to land at the country's highest court since the justices overturned Roe v Wade and abolished the national right to the procedure in 2022.A decision in the case will probably arrive in summer 2024, just months before the presidential election. The outcome of the case could affect not just access to the pill, which has been repeatedly deemed safe and effective, but the Federal Drug Administration's authority to regulate all manner of medications. Continue reading...

Woman, referred to as Jane Doe in court documents, was about eight weeks pregnant when she filed lawsuit against stateA pregnant woman in Kentucky who is suing the Republican state over its restrictive abortion laws has learned that her embryo is no longer viable, her lawyers shared on Tuesday.The woman, who is referred to as Jane Doe in court documents, was about eight weeks pregnant when she filed the lawsuit against Kentucky in a state court in Louisville. Continue reading...

House Democratic leader claims loud and growing' movement of Republican extremists want Russian leader to win warThe Democratic US House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, has dismissed certain Republican colleagues as the pro-Putin caucus" amid a congressional fight over whether to send more aid to Ukraine in its efforts to fend off Russian invaders.During an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Jeffries singled out the far-right House firebrands Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan as the face of a loud and ... growing" movement aiming to undermine a $61bn military aid package that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy lobbied for during a trip to Washington DC on Tuesday. Continue reading...

President's son refuses to appear privately for deposition before GOP investigators and insists he will only testify in publicHunter Biden on Wednesday defied a congressional subpoena to appear privately for a deposition before Republican investigators who have been digging into his business dealings, insisting outside the US Capitol that he will only testify in public.In a rare public statement, the US president's son slammed a Republican subpoena requesting closed-door testimony, saying it could be manipulated. Continue reading...

Fans of the multiply indicted former president have the chance to own a piece of the blue suit he wore to his arrest in GeorgiaDespite his claims, Donald Trump's business career has had many more failures than successes.His record of catastrophic investments has never held Trump back, however, and now the one-term, twice-impeached, 91-time felony-charged former president has embarked on a new hustle: selling little cut-out pieces of a suit he wore during one of his arrests. Continue reading...

NBA bad boy Draymond Green was ejected after hitting Jusuf Nurki in the face during the Warriors' game against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. It has been less than a month since Green was suspended for five games by the league for putting Minnesota's Rudy Gobert in a headlock during an altercation in November. Green and Nurki were battling in the third quarter when the Warriors' player appeared to slightly lose his balance before inexplicably wheeling around and smacking Nurki in the face. Nurki immediately crumpled to the ground but eventually got up and continued the game. The referees reviewed the play before calling Green for a flagrant 2 foul, which causes an automatic ejection. Continue reading...

The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, introduced a UFO transparency bill, which some Republicans want to kill. Even sceptics should oppose their effortsIt doesn't matter the topic, there always seems to be a group of lawmakers who will stop at nothing to thwart government transparency - even when it's a subject that could not be more bipartisan or in an obvious need for sunlight.This time, a small cadre of powerful Republicans have reportedly killed a provision in this year's defense authorization that would finally bring some transparency to the US government's knowledge around UFOs (now also known by the updated parlance of unidentified aerial phenomena", or UAPs).Trevor Timm is executive director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation Continue reading...