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Whatever the inquiry concludes, the current government will face the public's anger over the ex-PM's conductTowards the end, Boris Johnson looked exhausted. He was a marathon runner staggering through the finishing tape, a boxer slumped against the ropes. Though perhaps that's no surprise, judging by what the Covid inquiry had just heard about his woeful inability to focus forensically on the detail of policy or follow a scientific argument.Two whole days of being repeatedly confronted by evidence of his own inadequacies - plus accounts of his rage at having to shut down the economy just to save what he reportedly dismissed as old people who will die anyway soon" - were always going to be a struggle, and yet he was still not the biggest loser from this unedifying episode. That would be his hapless successor Rishi Sunak.Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

National Retail Federation says 2021 data was flawed and based on congressional testimony from president of an advocacy groupThe powerful National Retail Federation (NRF) lobbying group has retracted a claim that organized retail crime" accounted for nearly half" of the shopping industry's $94.5bn losses due to theft or shrink" in 2021.The industry group had said the impact of organized retail crime, which it previously claimed had increased by 26.5%, had become increasingly violent. Retail giants like Target, Walmart and Walgreens said it was threatening their businesses. Continue reading...

Failure to pass Ukraine bill reflects growing America first' trend among Republicans - and a desire for even stricter border securityIt is an astonishing bit of horse-trading over Ukraine that has left Democrats infuriated, even baffled. After Senate Republicans blocked a supplemental funding package on Wednesday to aid the country in its fight against the Russian invasion, demanding tough new southern border controls in exchange, the chamber's leading Democrat took to the floor.Calling it a sad night in the history of the Senate", Chuck Schumer bemoaned the vote as a disappointing reflection on the country, a step away from letting Vladimir Putin walk right through Ukraine and right through Europe". Continue reading...

Foreign secretary says arming Kyiv is good value for money due to large amount of Russian ordnance destroyed, on Washington visitDavid Cameron has used his first trip to the US since his appointment as the UK's foreign secretary to urge the Republican party to back Ukraine with more long-range weapons, saying the aid represented tremendous value for money.He said for 10% of the US defence budget nearly half of Russia's prewar military assets had been destroyed. Urging the west be patient about the pace of Ukraine military advances, he argued no red line should be set on western aid save Nato troops directly fighting Russia. Continue reading...

NYU professor Eli Bartov says no evidence of concealment' while ex-president says we did nothing wrong - the bank loves us'Donald Trump returned to his New York civil trial on Thursday as an accounting expert told the court there was no evidence whatsoever" that the former US president and his family company committed fraud.It was the first time that Trump had attended the $250m fraud trial in over a month. Outside the court, Trump called the witness one of the greatest experts in the country." Continue reading...

Republican presidential contender mocked for claim about Chinese-owned app during primary debate on Wednesday nightThe former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley claimed during the Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday that watching TikTok made people 17% more antisemitic, more pro-Hamas" every 30 minutes.We really do need to ban TikTok once and for all and let me tell you why," Haley said. For every 30 minutes that someone watches TikTok every day they become 17% more antisemitic, more pro-Hamas based on doing that." Continue reading...

Kate Cox sued state over ban after being unable to receive abortion care on learning her fetus had fatal diagnosisA Texas woman with a non-viable pregnancy will be able to get an abortion, a judge ruled on Thursday, after the woman sued the state over its abortion bans.Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two in Dallas, learned last week that her fetus has a lethal diagnosis and had been unable to get an abortion despite going to the emergency room three times with severe cramping and fluid loss. Her lawyers said in court that, in the two days since filing the lawsuit, Cox had to go to the ER a fourth time. Continue reading...

Philip Grillo, candidate for now vacant Long Island seat, was convicted for trying to obstruct the very body he wants to joinOf the 15-odd Republican candidates vying to replace George Santos in Congress, one stands out so far - not just because he has now been convicted for trying to obstruct the very body he wants to join, but because he claimed to have no idea" Congress met at the Capitol building he stormed on January 6.Philip Grillo, a candidate in the special election for Santos's vacant Long Island seat, was convicted this week of charges relating to the January 6 attack, when he entered and exited the building multiple times, at least once through a broken window. Continue reading...

UAW says effort at Chattanooga plant in Tennessee is booming as union aims expand membership after recent victoriesMore than 1,000 workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant in Tennessee - the automaker's flagship US manufacturing site - have signaled they want to unionize, a significant early win in the United Auto Workers' latest attempt to expand its membership.The UAW announced on Thursday that over 30% of the plant's workforce had signed on in the first week. Once a majority signs union authorization cards, the UAW can file for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. Continue reading...

Liz Cheney leads condemnation of former president, who has increasingly talked about using the state to tighten his gripWith the Republican presidential primary little more than a month away, leading figures in US politics including Liz Cheney, Joe Biden and Donald Trump himself are warning of the potential for an authoritarian takeover should Trump return to power.One of the things that we see happening today is a sort of sleepwalking into dictatorship in the United States," Cheney, an anti-Trump Republican who vice-chaired the House January 6 committee before being ejected from Congress, told CBS while promoting her memoir. Continue reading...

The winner of the last debate before the Iowa caucus was, yet again, an absent and resurgent TrumpOn Wednesday night, the Republican party staged its fourth primary debate, the last one before next month's Iowa caucus.Once again, Donald Trump won in absentia. His repeated absences from these dust-ups have burnished his image among the party faithful. He holds an insurmountable and growing lead. Indictments and headlines have only boosted his popularity. He laps the field, running 40 points ahead of Ron DeSantis nationally. Other than Chris Christie, no one on the stage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, did anything to alter these realities.Lloyd Green is an attorney in New York and served in the US Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992 Continue reading...

Parents who lost their children to suicide have spent years fighting for a barrier. Its completion brings reflection on heartbreaking loss - and a hope for a different futureHeather Quisenberry and her daughter, Mariah Gil, stopped halfway across the Golden Gate Bridge, approached the railing, and looked over the edge. Below them, the waters of the San Francisco Bay were serene, the morning fog drifting from the Pacific Ocean and hiding any signs of civilization.Heather, 52, walked towards one of the light poles that line the roadway, placed her hands on its cold steel and closed her eyes. Her son, Alexander Quisenberry, jumped from here 18 years ago. Continue reading...

The law requires that the US vet any foreign military receiving US arms. However, that doesn't happen with IsraelThere is a rare debate taking place in mainstream foreign policy circles, including among congressional Democrats, about whether the United States should condition its military support for Israel in light of the massive civilian casualties it has caused in Gaza. President Biden even said it was a worthwhile thought" last week before the White House clarified he would be doing no such thing. According to a recent report in the Israeli media, however, the Biden administration has begun doing exactly that - putting conditions on continued US support for Israel's war on Gaza.Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, joined a meeting of the Israeli war cabinet in Tel Aviv last week, where, according to a report by Israel's Channel 12 News on Sunday, he delivered an ultimatum to the Israeli government. Israel, he said, must begin taking the Palestinian civilian population into consideration in all military operations, reduce to the minimum possible the further displacement of civilians, stop blocking the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid and start designating more safe zones where Palestinian civilians can seek refuge from the non-stop bombardment. The understanding in Israel is that it must do all of that in order to get the continued support it wants from the US," the report added. Continue reading...

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers arrived in Las Vegas to news of the mass shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Three people were shot dead and a fourth critically wounded in an attack on the UNLV campus, police said. The suspected shooter was also found dead. James admitted his brother had warned him to be careful, before criticising gun laws in the country. He said, 'We keep dealing with the same story, this same conversation everybody single time it happens, and it just continues to happen ... The fact that we haven't changed anything ... it's actually been easier to be able to own a firearm. It's stupid.' Continue reading...

The next administration is more likely to appear by default than by design, something that doesn't bode well for PalestiniansTwo months into the military campaign against Hamas, and there is still little clarity about Israel's endgame or the future for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank living under occupation. The status quo was irrevocably broken on 7 October. But Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 16 years, is likely to survive in some form despite Israel's stated aim to wipe it off the map. Its survival as a political entity will have far-reaching implications for all in Israel and the Palestinian territories.It is unclear to what extent Israel's intensive bombardment of the Gaza Strip and its ground operations in the north have undermined Hamas's operational ability. Though the militants have suffered some losses, Hamas still has considerable capacities ensconced in its bunkers and tunnels underneath Gaza from which to attack Israeli ground forces or launch rockets. As Israel resumes operations in the south, the extent of the damage it has been able to inflict on the tunnel system in the north remains unclear. But even if Israel succeeds in eliminating Hamas's military wing and tunnel infrastructure, Hamas as a resistance movement will probably endure in Gaza and elsewhere for as long as Israel's occupation continues.Tahani Mustafa is the senior Palestine analyst at the International Crisis GroupDo 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...

We may want tradition to be mystical and ancient but in truth it's exactly what we say it is - be that Baileys, beef rendang or turkey and all the trimmingsIn early November, the nice woman at the checkout of my local Sainsbury's pointed out a nearby stack of Baileys. Just 10 a bottle," she said, with a cheery wink. Proper bargain." I smiled thinly. She clearly had no idea what sort of a person I am. Baileys? In November? Don't be so disgusting. Baileys is for Christmas. The annual bottle comes into my house on 20 December and not a day earlier. Because Christmas is a time for traditions, and the pre-Christmas bottle of Baileys is one of mine. I am stone-cold certain it is exactly what the Baby Jesus would have wanted. Why? Because I say so.The word tradition" is solid and reassuring; the things that word refers to are often rather less so. To mix our cultural references, the point is best made by Tevye in the opening song to Fiddler on the Roof. You may ask, how did this tradition start?" he says, having introduced the audience to his fellow villagers. I'll tell you - I don't know. But it's a tradition." Indeed it is. Continue reading...

Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie and Ron DeSantis make case to be alternative to Donald Trump. Plus, how a community in France learned to go zero waste

Three people were killed in a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, according to police, who said the suspected assailant was also dead. A fourth person was critically wounded. People locked themselves in classrooms after getting an alert about a shooter at the site, according to reports

New restaurants - serving more complex, customisable drinks - will be trialled in the USMcDonald's is launching a new kind of restaurant, CosMc's, a retro-style store with treats and customisable drinks including s'mores cold brew", churro frappes" and turmeric latte" that could rival chains such as Starbucks.The fast food company said it would open its first pilot site in a Chicago suburb near its headquarters this month, as part of efforts to solve the 3pm slump", when it gets fewer customers between the lunch and dinner rush. Continue reading...

Anthony Odiong - who gave anti-LGBTQ+ sermons - had detailed allegations abuse filed against him before his removalA Louisiana Catholic priest's sudden dismissal from the church where he had been a popular pastor for the last several years has set off a fresh scandal in the embattled New Orleans archdiocese, the second-oldest in the US.As they tell it, local church leaders rescinded Anthony Odiong's invitation to serve as a cleric in the region due to unspecified concerns ... about [his] ministry prior" to his arrival in the archdiocese - and quite possibly during his time" there. As a result, the New Orleans archbishop, Gregory Aymond, told Odiong's bishop in Nigeria to recall him to his home diocese as soon as possible to address these concerns", officials said in a statement. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Fulton county prosecutors say in emails their legal careers will continue long after defendants go to jailFulton county prosecutors have signaled they want prison sentences in the Georgia criminal case against Donald Trump and his top allies for allegedly violating the racketeering statute as part of efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to exchanges in private emails.We have a long road ahead," the Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis, wrote in one email. Long after these folks are in jail, we will still be practicing law." Continue reading...

As Major League Soccer prepares for its 28th final, players from DC United and LA Galaxy recall the inaugural championship gameAs Columbus Crew and LAFC prepare to meet in the 28th edition of the MLS Cup Saturday, US soccer's crown-jewel showdown has come a long way since its inaugural final back in 1996, played between DC United and LA Galaxy on a rain-soaked pitch in Foxborough, Massachusetts.Yet despite the unquestionable uptick in quality of play, coaching and infrastructure the league has witnesses since, the first-ever MLS Cup might never be beaten for sheer entertainment. Continue reading...

He must be defeated but not by adopting his toxic agenda. A vision of hope, fairness and justice is more likely to succeed

They've already managed to concede 55 more goals than they've scored, but the cellar-dwelling Sharks have also conjured moments of good hockeyTwenty-four points. That's the (low) bar that the 2023-24 San Jose Sharks have to clear to ensure they are not the worst version of the franchise in the team's history. For now, that dubious honor goes to the 1992-93 Sharks, who registered a measly 24 total points that season, allowing a whopping 414 goals against (including a 13-1 loss against the Calgary Flames), and finished with a 11-71-1 record. Continue reading...

Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chris Christie and Ron DeSantis make case to be alternative to Donald Trump

Four remaining candidates hurl insults at each other as debate questions range from Israel and Ukraine aid to Trump, drugs and the economy

Trump once again loomed over debate as as personal attacks flew and Vivek Ramaswamy was booed for notebook stuntThe fourth Republican debate in Alabama featured just four people - winnowing the broad pool down to Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy - but once again missing the frontrunner Donald Trump.The debate, hosted by NewsNation and moderated by Megyn Kelly, Elizabeth Vargas and Eliana Johnson, devolved into conspiracy theories and confusing personal attacks despite some clear and forthright questions. Continue reading...

Eight American service members were killed last week when tilt-rotor aircraft crashed during training missionThe United States said on Wednesday it was grounding its military fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft after a fatal crash last week off the coast of Japan that killed eight people onboard.Preliminary investigation information indicates a potential material failure caused the mishap, but the underlying cause of the failure is unknown at this time," US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) said in a statement. Continue reading...

Police confirm suspected shooter at campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has been located and is deceased'Three people were killed in a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) campus on Wednesday, according to police officials, who confirmed that the suspect was also dead.A fourth victim was critically wounded in the attack, which took place at approximately 11.45am local time, the Las Vegas metro police department said. Students and professors were forced to barricade themselves in classrooms and dormitories across the 332-acre (135-hectare) campus after getting an alert about a shooter. Continue reading...

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Democrat Henry Whitehorn's win over Republican John Nickelson in the Caddo parish invalid due to illicitly cast ballots, says judgeA Democratic politician who recently won a Louisiana sheriff's election over a Republican candidate by a single vote has been ordered to run the race again after a judge determined that a handful of illicitly cast ballots muddied up the results.The Democratic candidate, Henry Whitehorn, defeated his Republican opponent John Nickelson in an election to be the next sheriff of north-western Louisiana's Caddo parish on 18 November 2023 by a count of 21,621 votes to 21,620. A 27 November recount gave each candidate an additional three votes, but Whitehorn preserved his minimal advantage in the contest to succeed a retiring Republican incumbent. Continue reading...

Congress unlikely to approve more funding for Ukraine before end of year after GOP demanded stricter border regulationsThe Senate has blocked a supplemental funding bill that included financial aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as well as provisions aimed at bolstering border security. The vote, which fell mostly along party lines, increases the likelihood that Congress will fail to approve more funding for Ukraine before the end of the year, as the White House has warned that Kyiv is desperately in need of more aid.The vote was 49 to 51, as every Senate Republican opposed advancing the legislation. Sixty votes were needed to take up the bill. Republicans in both chambers of Congress had demanded stricter border regulations in exchange for their support, and they said the bill failed to meet their requirements. Continue reading...

State's attorney general charged the fake electors with two felonies each, with penalties up to five years in prisonSix Republicans who cast fake electoral votes for Donald Trump in Nevada in 2020 were charged with two felonies each by the state's attorney general on Wednesday.The Democratic attorney general, Aaron Ford, announced the charges, saying a grand jury had decided to charge the six fake electors with offering a false instrument for filing" and uttering a forged instrument" for sending documents claiming to be the state's electors. Continue reading...

Animal rights supporters advanced the proposal while opponents argued it attacked' and criminalized' Latino cultural traditionsProtesters on horseback demonstrated outside of Los Angeles's city hall on Wednesday as the city council advanced a measure that could ban rodeos throughout the city.The proposal for the ban has been advanced by animal rights supporters, who say rodeo events that involve animals being ridden bareback, roped or dragged to the ground are cruel and painful to the animals involved. Continue reading...

Shane James, 34, charged with two counts of murder over series of shootings that also left three injured including two police officersPolice in Austin have arrested a man after a series of shootings that left six people dead and three people injured, including two police officers and a bicyclist, over the course of eight hours.Austin's interim police chief, Robin Henderson, said at a news conference early on Wednesday that the violence occurred in two separate incidents across two central Texas communities. He said police were not aware the incidents were connected until after they arrested the man, named as 34-year-old Shane James. Continue reading...

Republican whose 10-month tenure ended when he became first speaker ousted by own party plans to serve America in new ways'

He confirmed himself as manifestly unfit. Those who gave Britain such a leader should carry the shame of it to their gravesFrancois Mitterrand once said that the most essential single attribute for success in politics is indifference. France's former socialist president possessed that quality to his core. His views could turn on a centime, from right to left to centre and back again, as the political situation and his own power required. Indifference, skilfully translated into policy and action, was an essential driver of his 14-year presidency.Boris Johnson is blessed - which may not be the right word - with an indifference of his own. Johnson is lightly encumbered with political principles, since he believes in little except himself. He famously wobbled about which side to take on Brexit. His instinctive capacity for indifference took him right to the top of the greasy pole. If that is his blessing, his curse is that, unlike Mitterrand, he could not then turn it into effective government action. Continue reading...

Inmates at Stewart detention center in Georgia file complaint alleging mistreatment, medical neglect and retaliationMore than 200 detainees held at the Stewart detention center (SDC) in Lumpkin, Georgia, are raising their voices against the inhumane conditions and mistreatment they endure daily. In a recent petition addressed to local officials and the Biden administration, organized by Sopheak Pal, an SDC detainee, the petitioners are demanding immediate action.We're treated worse than criminals [and] Ice takes advantage of our situation," Pal told the Guardian. This place is horrible, like the way they treat us ... we are all human, and we should all be treated like humans." Continue reading...

Senate banking committee chair argues lobbying fight is why people hate' Wall Street and WashingtonWall Street's most powerful banking executives warned Congress that new regulations on the industry proposed by the Biden administration risk hurting the US economy.On the eve of an election year, with the threat of recession looming large, the bosses of JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and five other large firms urged policymakers to be thoughtful" about the impact of the rules.Associated Press and Reuters contributed reporting Continue reading...

The complete cost is estimated to be $12bn and is expected to be completed before the 2028 Los Angeles OlympicsHigh-speed rail in the American west has received a major new investment with the Biden administration pledging $3bn for a project connecting Las Vegas to southern California and $3.07bn to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles.Officials have described the ambitious projects as a gamechanger" for tourism and travel in the region. Continue reading...

The group of Republicans formally acknowledged the wrongdoing and will be barred from serving as presidential electors againA group of Republican fake electors in Wisconsin acknowledged Joe Biden won the presidency and agreed they would not serve in the electoral college in 2024 as part of a settlement agreement in a civil lawsuit on Wednesday.The settlement, first reported by the Washington Post, marks the first time any of the fake electors from 2020 have formally acknowledged wrongdoing in a legal case and have faced any kind of penalty. The case was filed by a group of two Biden electors and a Wisconsin voter last year. They sought up to $2.4m in damages, in addition to permanently barring the fake electors from ever being able to serve as presidential electors again. Continue reading...

New documents seen by Drilled and the Guardian show how agencies laid groundwork for dozens of domestic terrorism arrestsThe Department of Homeland Security monitored web posts critical of a proposed police training center in Atlanta known as Cop City and shared its findings with state and local law enforcement ahead of a crackdown that left one protester dead and more than 40 others charged with domestic terrorism.The federal reports, shared with the Atlanta police and the Georgia bureau of investigation, concluded that property damage in the name of stopping Cop City, a planned $90m police training center in Atlanta's South River Forest, was consistent with anarchist violent extremist" and environmental violent extremist" ideologies. A separate report from the multiagency National Counterterrorism Center reached a similar conclusion. Continue reading...

There are times when everyone resorts to prayer. Just ask Oti Mabuse or Martin and Shirlie KempEach to their own, and all that, but I do occasionally enjoy challenging those who profess to have not one iota of religious belief. Nothing too heavy, you understand, as serious theology is quite beyond me. And I'm certainly not evangelising; often as not I'm just trying to keep a conversation ticking over. I restrict myself to a single aphorism, which goes like this: there are no atheists in a penalty shootout. I contend that most fans of the teams involved engage in something approximating prayer. The only exception, generally, will be the fans behind the goal who support the team whose goalkeeper is attempting to save the penalty about to be taken. As the player prepares to strike the ball, these fans may well pause their prayers to make hostile noises and obscene hand gestures in an attempt to put the penalty taker off. But by the time a player on their team is preparing to take the next penalty, they will silently resume praying.This aphorism began life in the context not of sport, but war - although nobody seems sure which one. I thought the contention that there were no atheists in foxholes was first expressed at the time of Vietnam, but it turns out there are examples of its use in the second world war and, albeit referencing the trenches rather than a foxhole, in the first world war. The same idea was alive and kicking in the previous century too, when sinking ships were cited as a good place for faith-testing. Before that, I suppose the idea that there wasn't some deity in charge of things was thought too absurd to merit challenge. Continue reading...

Disgraced lawmaker generating more income making personalized videos than previous salary as US congressmanThe disgraced lawmaker George Santos is reportedly making six figures by selling videos on the platform Cameo, generating more income than his previous salary as a US congressman, Semafor first reported.Santos, a former Republican representative from New York state, was expelled from Congress last Friday following a blistering ethics report that detailed his misuse of campaign funds. Continue reading...

Donald Trump claims he told his son not to testify since His young life has already been unfairly disturbed and disrupted enough'Eric Trump will not testify at his father's fraud trial against the Trump Organization Wednesday despite being scheduled to take the stand for over a week.I told my wonderful son, Eric, not to testify tomorrow at the RIGGED TRIAL," Donald Trump wrote late on Tuesday night in a rant against the trial. Trump said that his son already testified PERFECTLY". Continue reading...

Speaker Mike Johnson to release Capitol riot video but his office later acknowledges that justice department already has footageThe House speaker, Mike Johnson, said he would blur the faces of the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on January 6 before releasing new footage to the public, in order to shield the rioters from justice.In a Tuesday press conference Johnson, who was personally involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, said: We have to blur some faces of persons who participated in the events of that day because we don't want them to be retaliated against and to be charged by the DoJ." Continue reading...

Biden's rhetoric toward the Netanyahu government is toughening. But critics say his words aren't backed up by the threat of actionA soaring civilian death toll and a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza has jolted the Biden administration into a stark change of rhetoric towards the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu.Out has gone cavalier White House disavowals against drawing red lines" for Israel in Gaza; in have come blunt invocations of international law and the need to limit civilian casualties to a minimum. Continue reading...

Trump's former vice-president could be called as witness in case concerning attempt to overturn 2020 defeat, according to CNNDonald Trump's vice-president, Mike Pence, could be called to testify at the former president's Georgia election subversion trial, CNN reported.Citing anonymous sources familiar with court documents that remain under seal", the network said Pence was included on witness lists submitted by prosecutors in Fulton county, where Trump faces 13 charges connected to his attempt to overturn his defeat by Joe Biden in 2020. Continue reading...