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The country's view of the EU referendum could prove very relevant at the next election. Labour should take heedWe are often told, including not least by Labour politicians, that the debate about Brexit is over. While it is suggested that there is scope for softening some of the harder edges of Boris Johnson's Brexit deal, the prospect of rejoining the single market or the customs union, let alone reopening the debate about EU membership, are said to be firmly off the agenda.Nevertheless, seven years on from the referendum that paved the way for withdrawal, it seems that voters at least are having second thoughts.John Curtice is professor of politics at Strathclyde University, and senior research fellow at the National Centre for Social Research and The UK in a Changing Europe Continue reading...

The supreme court's decision has created a two-tiered class of US citizenship: one for men and one for women. It is a generational tragedyThat it has only been a year since the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade and ended the federal right to an abortion feels absurd, almost impossible. How horribly and dramatically our country has changed since then. In a span of just 12 months, thousands of lives have been permanently changed - dreams dashed, intentions scuttled, childhoods abruptly ended, talents and potential suppressed, health risked, and the self-determination of pregnant women snatched from them by a body of unelected jurists who believe that their own sentiments are more important than those women's dignity.The decision unleashed atrocities and morbid perversions of medical ethics that have rapidly become routine. Women experiencing miscarriages now wait around in emergency rooms and parking lots, unable to receive treatment until they sicken to the point where sufficiently brutal health outcomes (life-ending or life-altering, depending on the state) become a certainty. Other women, and no small number of girls, now gestate and give birth to infants conceived by their rapists - their coaches, abusive boyfriends, acquaintances, priests, fathers. Still others are forced into torturously monstrous exercises in medical futility, their bodies commandeered and used by the state to birth babies without lungs or heads.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Foundation for Government Accountability, backed by Richard Uihlein, exerting influence in Ohio, Missouri, South Dakota and ArkansasA Florida group primarily funded by an Illinois billionaire is driving the recent attacks on direct democracy in states such as Ohio, Missouri, South Dakota and Arkansas.The Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida-based group affiliated with the alliance of conservative thinktanks called the State Policy Network, has played a key role in recent efforts to raise the threshold for passing citizen ballot initiatives from a simple majority to a supermajority, and to make it harder to place measures on the ballot in the first place.This article was produced in partnership with Documented, an investigative watchdog and journalism project. Brendan Fischer is deputy executive director with Documented Continue reading...

The turmoil of the last six months appears to be at an end as the USMNT prepare to host the next World Cup. But there are still a few questions to resolveHere's the USMNT story so far in 2023. The second interim coach of the year is going for his second trophy of the year, even though the team has a new permanent coach, who is the former permanent coach.This new-old head coach, Gregg Berhalter, who was hired-rehired on 16 June, will not be in charge of the US's first Concacaf Gold Cup game - against Jamaica in Chicago on Saturday - because he is busy Thinking Deep Thoughts. Continue reading...

No matter how much they may squirm, the link between austerity and Britain's pandemic outcomes is undeniableDavid Cameron's government feels so long ago. Seven years of almost constant Tory turmoil, upheaval in all the other parties, huge strikes and economic crises, the war in Ukraine and the pandemic catastrophe: together, they make Cameron's calm resignation statement outside 10 Downing Street in 2016, and his jaunty humming afterwards, seem like something from another, less frightening era.In some ways, the worse things get in this country, the better it is for Cameron's reputation. Even the most damaging acts of his six-year tenure - from calling the Brexit referendum to imposing austerity to the military intervention in Libya - are steadily disappearing behind the subsequent disasters under Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. The social liberalism of Cameron's premiership can be overstated: he only overcame Tory opposition to same-sex marriage with Labour support. But his liberalism seems more of an achievement now that his party has reverted to being reactionary.Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Every child - and every stressed-out parent - deserves a holiday, even if we have to endure the hell of the travel cotThe people who design travel cots belong in prison. I'm generally in favour of restorative justice and rehabilitation, but for this I'll make an exception.We are luckier than most, in that the baby will sleep on the hard bit of plywood that's supposed to pass for a mattress, but he does need a few pats on the bum to settle, and unless you are Stretch Armstrong (a contemporary reference there for you, kids) this is all but impossible. Likewise, lowering the baby (or in our case, large toddler) into the cot, which if you're a woman of average height involves squatting over one of the corners and hoping you don't bash your crotch on it so that your swearing wakes them up, something which definitely hasn't happened to me - ever. Basically, they are designed for babies who are heavy sleepers, and tall men.Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist and author Continue reading...

The movie director and submersible maker James Cameron said he wished he had sounded the alarm earlier about the submersible, Titan, that imploded on an expedition to the Titanic wreckage, and that he found the hull design risky. 'I thought it was a horrible idea. I wish I'd spoken up, but I assumed somebody was smarter than me,' he said. The cause of Titan's implosion has not been determined, but Cameron presumes critics were correct in warning that a carbon fibre and titanium hull would enable microscopic water ingress, leading to progressive failure over time

The survivor of the Stonewall riots and mother to countless trans women has built a refuge for her community in the south: I make joy here'I'm still fucking here."Miss Major Griffin-Gracy is sitting in her living room in Little Rock, Arkansas, on a recent morning, laughing about the enemies she's defeated and outlived in her more than five decades fighting for the liberation of transgender people. Continue reading...

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is accused of passing drugs to someone on the day of on-set fatal shootingThe weapons supervisor charged with involuntary manslaughter over the shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of the Alec Baldwin film Rust has been charged with evidence tampering for allegedly passing drugs to someone else on the day of the shooting.Hannah Gutierrez-Reed did transfer narcotics to another person with the intent to prevent the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of herself", the special prosecutors appointed in the case said in a court filing in Santa Fe county, New Mexico. They gave no further details. Continue reading...

When asked about the human rights and democratic issues in India, Joe Biden said he and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi had spoken about democratic values and were 'straightforward with each other.'Modi said he was surprised by the critique, adding 'there is absolutely no space for discrimination.'Thousands of Indian Americans and other guests had gathered on the White House South Lawn to greet Modi on Thursday morning, ahead of the private meeting between the two heads of state. At the same time, dozens of demonstrators descended near the White House gates in protest against the visit.Human rights advocates have criticised Modi and his party, the BJP, for fueling the rise of violence associated with Hindu nationalism and discriminating against India's Muslim minority

The Titan submersible imploded not far from the Titanic and all five passengers onboard have died, rear admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard has confirmed, offering his condolences to the explorers' families.Two 'debris fields' were discovered by Coast Guard crews beneath the surface of the Atlantic and five different major pieces of debris including the nose cone and almost all of the pressure chamber.Coast Guard experts said the implosion was not connected to reports of unidentified 'banging' noises picked up on Tuesday night and Wednesday by sonar buoys deployed by Canadian military aircraft

India's prime minister has a notorious and extensive record of human rights abuses', said a statement from lawmakersNarendra Modi's state visit to the US has prompted condemnation and protest from Muslim leaders, lawmakers and other allies.US house representatives Rashida Tlaib, Representative Ilhan Omar, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush and Kweisi Mfume are among those who have said they will boycott the Indian prime minister's address to Congress on Thursday in light of the violence and repression of the media and religious minorities like Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Dalits carried out under his rightwing nationalist government. Continue reading...

Family members aided Republican congressman after he was charged with fraud, money laundering and theft of public fundsThe two people who guaranteed George Santos's $500,000 bail after the Republican congressman was charged with 13 counts of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds have been revealed to be his father and an aunt.The revelation that Gercino dos Santos Jr and Elma Preven were behind Santos's bail solves a running mystery that fascinated Washington-watchers and also an American public obsessed with the travails of a politician famous for playing fast and loose with the truth. Continue reading...

A handful of lawmakers boycotted the Indian prime minister's address to Congress, while protesters gathered near the White HouseJoe Biden has pronounced the US-India relationship never stronger and rolled out a series of new business deals on the second day of the Indian prime minister's state visit, but Narendra Modi's trip has been marked with controversy as many call for Biden to address India's continuing crackdown on religious and press freedoms.An official state visit is the highest-ranked diplomatic invitation extended to a foreign leader and is a sign of the US president's national security priorities as his administration courts India as a partner against China. Continue reading...

The former US president asked for a new trial after the jury awarded Carroll $5m, saying the damages were excessiveDonald Trump's push for a new trial in the civil case in which a Manhattan jury last month found the former US president sexually abused and defamed the writer E Jean Carroll is magical thinking", Carroll's lawyers said on Thursday.Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, on 8 June asked for a new trial after the jury awarded Carroll $5m, saying the damages were excessive because the jury did not find she was raped and because the alleged conduct did not cause her a diagnosed mental injury. Continue reading...

The debate over what is appropriate for children is important, but it has been co-opted at protests using abusive tacticsDrag and cross-dressing have been a part of British cultural expression for centuries. From Shakespeare plays to pantomime dames, and the late Barry Humphries' creation Dame Edna Everage; playing with representations of gender in all its forms has long been widely enjoyed by audiences. Drag shows are a modern expression of this tradition, which is now being threatened by a coordinated campaign to silence it.More than 50 family drag events in the UK were targeted by protesters from June last year to this May, according to data gathered by our researchers at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD). Ten shows were cancelled or postponed before they even took place. At the ones that did go ahead, small groups (rarely more than 12) using abusive and confrontational tactics routinely accused parents who were taking their children to the events of supporting paedophilia, or threatened to perform citizen's arrests" on the drag queens performing at them. Clashes between protesters and counter protesters or police broke out at a number of them. Continue reading...

India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, was greeted by the US president, Joe Biden, for a state visit on Thursday. Crowds gathered on the White House south lawn before the formal welcoming ceremony as Biden said the relationship with India would be vital in coming decades

Hindu nationalist PM is a divisive figure at home and prejudice based on India's hereditary classes has extended to Indian American communities

Hailstones the size of apples pelted concertgoers at a concert by former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson in Colorado, in the US, on Wednesday night. At least seven people needed hospital treatment after the powerful storm and dozens were treated at the scene.Witnesses described the onslaught at the Red Rocks amphitheater in Morrison, west of Denver, as 'straight out of a horror movie'. Some hid under cardboard boxes in an attempt to protect themselves

Meta and Twitter's bosses are squaring up online. But while they bang on about cage fights, the world is burningAre Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg going to have a cage fight? Of course they aren't. In case you missed this story, Zuckerberg's company, Meta, recently released plans for a Twitter-like app; Musk responded to tweets about it by saying that he was up for a cage fight" with the Facebook founder; Zuck shot back with a meme that only Ultimate Fighting Championship fans will actually get; and the world continues to turn/get hotter. The only thing you really need to understand about this affair is that two men who shouldn't have GSOH anywhere near their potential dating profile tried to make some funnies, and everyone else joined in the battle royale for attention. Did I mention that it's really hot outside?Anyway. On the surface, this story probably reflects better on Zuck than Musk: the former, after all, actually practises mixed martial arts (MMA), and recently competed in a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament where he won a brace of medals. As a two-decade BJJ bro with a handful of amateur MMA fights under my own (black) belt, I know how difficult that is. Even if you're hiring the best coaches in the world, you still have to do the work to get better, and there is (I'm assuming) no level of wealth that makes it feel better when another man grinds his shoulder into your face. Continue reading...

Last week's shipwreck in Greece is one of the worst tragedies there has ever been on the Mediterranean Sea. The coverage it received has been scantHave you heard about the billionaire and multimillionaires trapped on a submersible after spending up to $250,000 each to view the wreckage of the Titanic? Of course you have. The story has been headline news in anglophone countries ever since the vessel, named the Titan, went missing. Enormous resources have been deployed to try to recover the passengers. Every tiny development has been exhaustively covered. Millions of people, myself included, have been glued to the live blogs and rolling coverage. And millions of people, myself included, are now newly minted experts on the difference between a submersible and a submarine.It's completely natural to be glued to the Titan story because, obviously, it's one hell of a story. Yes, the circumstances are unfathomably awful but, also, they're so unfathomably awful that they seem unreal. The whole thing feels like a movie - like the latest instalment of the Knives Out series. I mean, come on, there's a billionaire called Hamish Harding involved. The company who made the submersible is called OceanGate: it's as if it was named in preparation for a massive controversy.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Evan Gershkovich's appeal against further pre-trial detention was rejected by a Russian court on Thursday. The Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested in March on espionage charges and is now expected to remain in detention until at least late August.The US ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, was at the hearing. Speaking to reporters after, Tracy said she was 'extremely disappointed' at the denial of his appeal and described the charges as 'baseless'. In a statement Tracy said: 'He is an innocent journalist who was carrying out journalistic activities and has been wrongfully detained'

Onslaught at Louis Tomlinson concert at Red Rocks amphitheater near Denver described as straight out of a horror movie'Dozens of people were injured by hailstones the size of apples that pelted concertgoers in Colorado on Wednesday night, with at least seven needing hospital treatment following the powerful storm.Witnesses described the onslaught, at a concert by former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson at the Red Rocks amphitheater in Morrison, west of Denver, as straight out of a horror movie". Continue reading...

Former CIA officer and Texas congressman pitches himself as moderate alternative to current crop of primary contendersFormer Texas congressman Will Hurd, a onetime CIA officer and fierce critic of Donald Trump, announced on Thursday that he's running for president, hoping to build momentum as a more moderate alternative to the Republican primary field's early front-runner.Hurd, who made the announcement on CBS Mornings, served three terms in the House through January 2021, becoming the chamber's only Black Republican during his final two years in office. He said in a video launching his White House bid that the soul of our country is under attack," reminiscent of Democrat Joe Biden's slogan about the 2020 race being a battle for the soul of the nation." Continue reading...

Anya Cook and Samantha Casiano were forced to navigate pregnancies with complications in post-Roe AmericaPregnancy has long been riskier than abortion in America. Around 650-750 US women die during pregnancy each year, the highest maternal death rate in the industrialized world.Comparatively, very few women die from abortion or suffer complications: two women died from abortion complications in 2018. So, when Roe v Wade was overturned last summer, there were fears that deaths and complications from pregnancy would shoot up - particularly among women of color. Continue reading...

Severe storms with hurricane-force winds in north-west Texas killed at least four people and caused widespread damageA line of severe storms produced what a meteorologist calls a rare combination of multiple tornadoes, hurricane-force winds and softball-sized hail in north-west Texas, killing at least four people and causing significant damage around the town of Matador. National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Ziebell says the supercell developed about 8pm local time Wednesday near Amarillo before striking Matador, injuring nine people in addition to the four killed and causing widespread destruction. Ziebell says the storm later produced 109 mph winds at Jayton in addition to the four-inch or larger hail.That is certainly rare to see all at the same time, killer tornadoes, hurricane-force winds and softball-sized hail," Zeibell said. Continue reading...

The knock-on effects of those 500 people's arrival transformed Britain, leading to the multiracial society we live in todayAfricans say to know how well you are doing in life you should compare your achievements with those of age-mates, or contemporaries. To assess the impact of the arrival of the Empire Windrush on 22 June 1948, that would mean comparing its impact with other events that unfolded around the same time. Almost a year before, a blood-soaked India slipped out of the orbit of the British empire, gaining its independence. A year after Windrush, in October 1949, the Chinese Communist party won the long civil war, establishing primacy over Chinese affairs. Three-quarters of a century later, these two countries are producing seismic transformations that are slowly, suddenly unravelling the dominant 500-year transatlantic global order.Sandwiched between these two event colossi, Windrush would seem on the surface to measure poorly against its age-mates. But the celebrations beginning on Thursday, Windrush Day, will highlight two aspects of its impact. First, the arrival of a group of 500 people from the Caribbean, which signalled the beginning of mass migration to the UK from the colonies. And second, that migration's knock-on effect of unleashing a multiracial society that, 75 years later, has so transformed these islands that we now have a prime minister of Indian descent by way of Africa, and Scotland's first minister and Labour leader both of Pakistani heritage. Continue reading...

Not only is she queering the female pop ideal as a rare middle-aged woman in the Radio 1 playlist, Kylie Minogue is also resonating at a time when frivolity is returning to cultureJust two days ago, a spokesperson for BBC Radio 1 was explaining why Kylie Minogue's Padam Padam hadn't made its playlist, despite the writhing electropop song being her first Top 10 single in 12 years and now bordering on a national obsession. (Last week, it even made it into Hansard, referenced by Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle in a speech about Pride: And finally Mr Deputy Speaker, in the words of Kylie, padam.") Each track is considered for the playlist based on its musical merit and whether it is right for our target audience, with decisions made on a case-by-case basis," the spokesperson said.Kylie turned 55 last month, leading to accusations of ageism against Radio 1. In response, the station claimed that an artist's age is never a factor" in decision-making. Technically, that bears out - David Guetta is a perpetual figure on the station, currently on the C-list with Baby Don't Hurt Me, and he's also 55. But Guetta is a fairly faceless dance producer. The stakes are evidently different for women whose appearance and physique contribute to an overall performance of pop in which the suggestion of desirability is key. As culture perceives women to become less attractive and sexually viable as they hit middle age, the assumption is clearly that an older female artist is of little relevance to Radio 1's demographic of listeners aged 15-29, even if - or perhaps specifically because - she's singing about a dancefloor infatuation so delirious that she and the song's intended have to go straight home and take off all my clothes". Continue reading...

Search for missing submersible enters fourth day, with more deep-sea vessels sent to site. Plus, the people turning to birth control after the fall of Roe

We hear so much about crime rates, opioids, and gun violence in America, but so little from our elected leaders about the poverty crisisCan you name the top 10 causes of death in America? Without too much trouble, most Americans could likely come up with some of them: cancer, heart disease, stroke, accidents. But it would come as a surprise to many to know that poverty is right up there with these other dreaded scourges - much higher, in fact, than many ills that have inspired investigative committees, major policy investments and sustained attention from the public and private sectors in American life.A recent study by one of our colleagues shows that cumulative poverty over many years is the fourth leading cause of death in this country. Current poverty - just being poor right now - is seventh on that list, and it alone causes 10 times as many deaths as homicide, close to five times as many deaths as gun violence, and 2.5 times as many deaths as drug overdoses. Cumulative poverty that lingers year after year is associated with approximately 60% more deaths than current poverty, putting only heart disease, cancer and smoking-related deaths ahead in the number of Americans it kills.The Rev Dr William J Barber II is founding director of the Yale Center for Public Theology and Public Policy and co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral RevivalGregg Gonsalves is associate professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health Continue reading...

Today's supreme court is extremely powerful, increasingly political and decreasingly trusted. We need reform nowThe US supreme court is an extraordinarily exclusive club. The nine members are unelected and employed for life, or until they step down voluntarily. And, as in many exclusive clubs, the membership likes to keep things just as they have always been.Tradition has its merits, of course, but recent events clearly show that change is urgently needed.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

Community workers say life on frontlines can be increasingly tough due to trauma, unpredictable hours and lack of fundingFor the past 24 years, Jose Gomez has been on call at any hour.Gomez works as a community violence interrupter in Stockton, California, focused on extracting high-risk youth from the cycles of violence in their own neighborhoods. Sometimes he's called to go to a hospital or a crime scene. Sometimes he's in the aftermath of a shooting to guide survivors and their families away from retaliation. Sometimes he mediates conflicts before they turn violent. Sometimes he helps clients find jobs, buy work attire, relocate, enroll in school, get a driver's license or talk through their problems. Continue reading...

Speaking out against Modi government carries risks for US politicians in diaspora constituencies where PM is popularAhead of Narendra Modi's state visit to Washington this week, Pramila Jayapal - a progressive Democrat congresswoman - circulated a letter signed by dozens of congressional lawmakers calling for Joe Biden to acknowledge the erosion of human rights and democracy during the Indian prime minister's nine years in power.A series of independent, credible reports reflect troubling signs in India toward the shrinking of political space, the rise of religious intolerance, the targeting of civil society organizations and journalists, and growing restrictions on press freedoms and internet access," it warned. Continue reading...

These are the faces of the lawmakers and governors who supported abortion bans and laws restricting access to the procedureIt's been one year since the US supreme court ended the constitutional right to abortion. The procedure is now prohibited in 14 states and restricted in six more, leaving large swaths of the midwest and south without access to basic reproductive care.To mark the first anniversary of the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, the case that overturned Roe v Wade, the Guardian has created a visual directory of state legislators who embraced the opportunity to restrict abortion access. These are the faces of lawmakers and governors whose votes helped pass bans on abortion at conception or after six weeks, before most women know they are pregnant. Continue reading...

The World Cup champions have made enemies, and many more fans. Whether they succeed or fail, they know people will be watchingA seven-a-side match featuring a collection of retired Wrexham pros and guests against a team of mostly retired US women's players isn't particularly newsworthy. But when the score wound up 12-0 in favor of the men, the knives were out.Some outlets, notably Fox News, either ignorantly or deliberately misidentified the American players as the US women's team". Some played up Heather O'Reilly's playful callout of Wrexham's celebrity owner Ryan Reynolds as a hysterical, delusional fit. From newsrooms to their parents' basements, men rejoiced at the supposed humbling of women who dared to demand a place in the sports marketplace.Celebrating wildly upon scoring goals 11, 12 and 13 against an overmatched World Cup opponent? No problem.Morgan pretending to sip tea after a goal against England? A meme-worthy moment, even though many couldn't tell whether it was a dig at the team's tea-crazed opponents, a homage to Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner's Instagram account, or a shoutout to Kermit the Frog. (As it turns out, the correct answer was Turner.)Rose Lavelle diving to get a call at the World Cup? Either we all missed the foul, or hey, the men do it all the time. (Sadly, that's not wrong.) Continue reading...

The MMA star has been the focal point for a number of serious allegations. But his ability to draw in fans means he continues to prosper financiallyConor McGregor - the Notorious' face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) - has once again found himself mired in controversy as serious allegations of sexual assault cast a shadow over his anticipated return to the sport.Last week, the Irish mixed martial artist was accused of assaulting an unnamed woman at the Kaseya Center in Miami during Game 4 of the NBA finals. In a demand letter, attorney Ariel Mitchell described her client's alleged encounter with McGregor, which took place in the VIP men's bathroom. The letter also claimed that McGregor was aided and abetted by the NBA and Miami Heat Kaseya security." Continue reading...

Britain is like a sailing boat in the middle of the Channel, struggling for direction. It needs a bold new captain and a new crewAs we approach the seventh anniversary of Britain's fateful vote, on 23 June 2016, to leave the EU, the state of UK-EU relations is superficially encouraging and structurally depressing.Britain is like a sailing boat faffing around in the middle of the Channel. Most of its passengers want it to steer closer to the continental coast and even the captain seems willing to make some modest adjustments to his course. But strong winds and currents are pushing the boat further away from the continent. It will require a much more decisive change of course from a new captain, after a different crew comes onboard next year, for the forces of convergence to prevail over those of divergence. Continue reading...

Officials set up treatment area' in Miramar and warn residents the creatures also pose a health risk by carrying a parasiteAn invasion of giant African land snails has alarmed residents in south Florida, where authorities have established a quarantine area to try to deal with the destructive pests.The invasive snails have voracious appetites and consume at least 500 species of plants, according to Florida's department of agriculture, which is fearful for the state's lucrative growing industries of citrus and other fruits and vegetables. Continue reading...

Rising costs have no doubt played a part, but so has natural justice: a sandwich should never be sharp, especially if it's only masquerading as nutritiousDo you know how many things have been invented since Otto Frederick Rohwedder perfected his bread-slicing machine in 1928? Like, loads. There have been at least 10 iPhones since then, plus a machine that can literally harness the power of the stars. Yet when someone wants to hype up a new product today, they don't say, it's the best thing since Bluetooth" or the rocket that took man to the moon" or even the polio vaccine". They say it's the best thing since sliced bread - because, nearly a century on, we still haven't invented anything better.Soft, pillowy white bread that sticks to the roof of your mouth when untoasted - that you squish into a ball and bite into as a kid, that you pack in lunchboxes and on picnics and fry in beaten eggs - is something many of us know is worth dying earlier for. It is a comfort food so comforting that, according to Warburtons chairman Jonathan Warburton, sales rose during Covid and the cost-of-living crisis. The staple white sliced bread is most certainly not dead," said the breadman after consumer behaviour firm Circana found that sales of pre-packed white loaves are up 0.6% compared with this time last year - while sales of all other surveyed bread categories declined.Amelia Tait is a freelance features writer Continue reading...

Docking 75 years ago, they had no idea of the difficulties ahead. This country made nothing easy. It should salute their achievementLook again at that picture taken 75 years ago at Tilbury docks. Look at those people as they posed for the historic photographs. Look at their faces; wearied from a month of travel, etched with joy, hope, bewilderment and lurking stage left, just out of sight, foreboding.As the descendants of that Windrush generation, we get to look at those faces every day in the pictures of our own families that we hang on the walls and in our front rooms. They have the same posed smiles, the demeanour of all adventurers who smile at the outset of an uncertain journey. There were 492 of them and they knew they had to impress and account for themselves. The attire was pin-sharp, whatever could be said of them on arrival, it was not to be that they were slovenly. They knew enough to show that they came in peace. Some sang and exuded bonhomie for Pathe News, but others interviewed on the day sought to echo the self-effacement and deprecation they saw as essentially English. They made the best of it; but they didn't know much at all. They would have to learn much quickly in turbulent decades.Hugh Muir is the Guardian's executive editor, Opinion Continue reading...

The Myrtle Beach Safari owner was accused of illegally buying endangered lion cubs for display and profit at his zooA wild animal trainer featured in the popular Netflix series Tiger King has been convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia, the attorney general's office announced Tuesday.Bhagavan Doc" Antle was accused of illegally buying endangered lion cubs in Frederick county, Virginia, for display and profit at his South Carolina zoo, Jason Miyares, the attorney general, said in a news release. A jury convicted Antle on Friday of two felony counts each of wildlife trafficking and conspiring to wildlife traffic. Continue reading...

After decades of complaints from staff and students at Jordan high school, Atlas Metals was hit with 22 felony countsThe owners of a metal recycling plant operating next to a south LA high school campus have been hit with 22 felony charges, after decades of complaints that the facility was contaminating school grounds with lead and other toxic waste.Announcing the charges on Wednesday, the Los Angeles district attorney George Gascon said that staff and students at Jordan high school in Watts, a predominantly Black and Latino neighbourhood, had been potentially exposed to dangerous levels of pollutants on a daily basis". Continue reading...

Air national guard member, 21, enters pleas in Massachusetts federal court days after being indicted by grand juryJack Teixeira, the Massachusetts air national guard member accused of leaking highly classified military documents on a social media platform, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to federal felony charges.Teixeira, 21, entered the pleas during a hearing in Worcester's federal court days after he was indicted by a grand jury on six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. Each count is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Continue reading...