Oscar-winning actor Angelina Jolie has said 'I don't recognise my country' amid the threats to free speech in the US. 'Anything anywhere that divides or limits personal expressions and freedoms from anyone, I think, is very dangerous,' she said at Spain's San Sebastian film festival. Jolie added: 'These are such serious times that we have to be careful not to say things casually. These are very, very heavy times we are living in together'
In a packed arena in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump officials and prominent members of the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement gathered to remember the late rightwing activist Charlie Kirk. His widow, Erika Kirk, as well as Donald Trump and many of his cabinet members gave speeches weaving politics with evangelical conservative Christianity. We need to bring back religion to America,' the US president told the crowd, while vice-president JD Vance said: I always felt a little uncomfortable talking about my faith in public. I have talked more about Jesus Christ in the past two weeks than I have my entire time in public life'
Musk, who bankrolled Trump's presidential campaign and later became an advisor to him, greeted the president at the memorial for Charlie KirkDonald Trump met with billionaire Elon Musk, his once trusted adviser with whom the president had a spectacular public falling out, at a memorial event for right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, raising speculation that the two could be reconciling.Trump shook hands with and chatted to Musk, who once led the president's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which took a hatchet to the US federal workforce and agencies in the early months of Trump's second administration. Continue reading...
President says I hate my opponents'; Kirk's widow forgives shooter; Murdochs could be part of TikTok deal - key US politics stories from 21 September at a glanceDonald Trump gave a rambling, freewheeling address at the Charlie Kirk memorial in Arizona on Sunday, taking aim at Joe Biden and trailing a major announcement on autism as well as praising Kirk, who was shot dead on 10 September.In front of a crowd of tens of thousands, Trump said Kirk was a great American hero" and martyr" for freedom. During the event he sat side-by-side with billionaire Elon Musk, a once trusted adviser with whom the US president had a spectacular public falling out. Continue reading...
Vice-president was in confessional mode as he eulogized his friend in Arizona - but speech could have political utility tooJD Vance went into confessional mode. I was telling somebody backstage that I always felt a little uncomfortable talking about my faith in public," he said. As much as I love the Lord, and as much as it was an important part of my life, I have talked more about Jesus Christ in the past two weeks than I have my entire time in public life."The crowd at rightwing political activist Charlie Kirk's memorial service at a football stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday rose to its feet and roared its approval. Continue reading...
Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro says US stands at inflection point' after Charlie Kirk killing and urges unity over divisionPennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro has said Americans must universally condemn political violence, no matter where it is" after the killing of rightwing youth organizer Charlie Kirk as well as a deadly shootout in Shapiro's state that left three police officers dead and two others injured.Hours before Kirk's funeral, Shapiro said that the nation stands at an inflection point" and urged Americans to choose shared values over division, pointing to the solidarity shown by Pennsylvanians in the aftermath of the officers' killings in York county last week. Continue reading...
Chuck Schumer and Chris Murphy condemn president's call for justice department to act against perceived enemiesTop Democratic leaders on Sunday warned that Donald Trump's drive to go after his political opponents is putting the US on a path to becoming a dictatorship and a banana republic" just eight months into his second presidency.The warnings came a day after Trump's public call for the justice department to take action against perceived enemies - and after ABC yanked its late-night talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel off the air in the wake of a threat from regulators at the Federal Communications Commission who are loyal to the president. Such behaviors, along with others since his return to the Oval Office in January, has prompted many who are not fiercely aligned with him to describe him as an authoritarian. Continue reading...
DoD previously said journalists would lose passes if they did not sign pledge' not to release certain informationDonald Trump appeared to talk down about Pentagon restrictions that aim to severely limit journalists' abilities to report on US military issues.The president faced questions about the directive as he departed the White House for Charlie Kirk's memorial service on Sunday. Asked whether the Pentagon should be in charge of deciding what reporters can report on, Trump said: No, I don't think so." Continue reading...
Thousands of people lined up early to fill a football stadium in Arizona for Charlie Kirk's memorial service, where the US president, Donald Trump, the vice-president, JD Vance, and other prominent Maga allies will pay tribute to the slain conservative activist.
From a Dickensian romance to the mythology of student loan forgiveness, it's been a long decadeElla Scheuerell is an editorial cartoonist Continue reading...
Fascist regimes pushed narratives of domestic bliss, yet relied on women's unpaid labor. In the US today, womanosphere' influencers promote the same fantasiesIn 1980, Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, an unrepentant former leader of the Nazi women's bureau in Berlin from 1934 to 1945, described her former job to historian Claudia Koonz as influencing women in their daily lives".To her audience - approximately 4 million girls in the Nazi youth movement, 8 million women in Nazi associations under her jurisdiction, and 1.9 million subscribers to her women's magazine, Frauen Warte, according to Koonz - Scholtz-Klink promoted what she called the cradle and the ladle", or reproductive and household duties as essential to national strength. Continue reading...
Changes to regulatory or information environments will help states decouple from federal health recommendationsSeven US states and the nation's largest city announced this week that they have formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative, in an effort to strengthen the region's health guidance as the national health landscape fractures.As national health agencies revisit their recommendations, including high-profile restrictions on the updated Covid shots and the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine, the pressure is increasingly falling on states to navigate recommendations and new federal rules. Continue reading...
Carrie Edwards, a widow and grandma, gave the money to dementia research, food access and aid for military familiesCarrie Edwards of Virginia wasn't the big winner when she won $150,000 playing the Powerball recently - instead, that honor went to dementia research, food access and support for military families, the charitable causes to which she donated her entire prize.Edwards, described by lottery officials as a widow and grandmother, has gained praise in parts of the web dedicated to finding uplifting news stories - along with the charities benefiting from her windfall - after buying an online ticket for the Powerball drawing on 8 September. Continue reading...
Such properties are a housing alternative for younger people, but longterm residents worry about being priced out of their homes and losing communityIn the heart of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, a property management firm has opened a 19-bed co-living complex with rooms as small as 74 sq ft for rent. For almost $1,900 a month, it is touting authentic Brooklyn energy" on a block with real local charm".The firm, Cohabs, dubbed the site Crown 120. But for longtime residents, it was the Kingston Lounge, a storied jazz club and bar. Its transformation serves as a tangible reminder of cultural erasure and gentrification. Continue reading...
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates this week. But the aggressive action Trump seeks could dramatically backfireDonald Trump has once again taken a wrecking ball to the rule of law and long-standing norms as he seeks to fire Lisa Cook, the Federal Reserve governor, and pursue his unprecedented assault on the central bank's independence. Just as he failed to understand the huge problems his tariffs would create, Trump fails to understand the serious damage his attacks on the Federal Reserve could cause.In April, Trump launched repeated attacks on the Fed, threatening to fire its chairman, Jerome Powell, and demanding it slash interest rates. Trump called Powell a stupid guy" and said Powell's termination cannot come fast enough!" Trump ultimately chickened out on firing Powell after financial markets tumbled at the prospect, but he hasn't stopped pressing the Fed to chop its rates - suggesting they should be below 1% - to spur the slowing economy. Although Trump keeps denying it, he inherited a robust economy from Joe Biden. It's Trump's tariffs and the humongous economic uncertainty they created that have dragged down economic growth.Steven Greenhouse is a journalist and author, focusing on labour and the workplace, as well as economic and legal issues Continue reading...
Lindsey Halligan appointed as US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia after president demands investigations of his political enemiesDonald Trump said he was appointing his former lawyer Lindsey Halligan to be US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia after an extraordinary outburst in which he overtly put pressure on his attorney general to more aggressively pursue senior public officials he regards as his political enemies.Pam Bondi is doing a GREAT job as attorney general of the United States. She is very careful, very smart, loves our country, but needs a tough prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, like my recommendation, Lindsey Halligan, to get things moving," Trump wrote on Truth Social post, announcing his decision. Continue reading...
Critics worry Donald Trump will use memorial service for Charlie Kirk to turn collective grief into revenge campaign against radical left' - key US politics stories from 20 September 2025 at a glanceOn Sunday the late rightwing activist Charlie Kirk is set to be hailed by Donald Trump as a martyr of the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement.But Kirk's memorial service at a football stadium in Arizona could, critics fear, be exploited by the US president to turn collective grief into a campaign of vengeance against his political opponents. Continue reading...
Alleged handoff occurred before Trump won second presidency, after which administration killed federal corruption caseThe FBI reportedly recorded Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan accepting $50,000 in cash from undercover agents who were posing as business contractors last year.A new report from MSNBC on Saturday reveals that the agents recorded Homan, six weeks before the 2024 election, allegedly promising to assist in securing government contracts across the border security industry during Trump's second term. Continue reading...
Schools would be required to build memorial plaza and describe slain activist as civil rights leader or face finesRepublican lawmakers in Oklahoma introduced legislation this week that would require every public university in the state to construct a Charlie Kirk Memorial Plaza", with a statue of the assassinated Republican activist and a sign calling him a modern civil rights leader", or pay monthly fines.The proposed legislation comes as conservatives pay tribute to the murdered activist and podcaster, whose life will be commemorated by the president at a service in Arizona on Sunday, by comparing him to martyred political and spiritual leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr and Saint Paul. Continue reading...
Exclusive: White House only realized afterwards that clearances at the CIA and in Congress had been rescindedTulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, did not inform the White House that her office was revoking the security clearances of 37 people - including top deputies to the CIA director, John Ratcliffe - before it happened last month, according to three people familiar with matter.The move caused consternation because it resulted in the White House not having an opportunity to closely vet the list before it became public and there appeared to be no paper trail from the president directing the effort, the people said. Continue reading...
Local and federal agents, including immigration officials, may not wear masks while conducting official businessCalifornia will be the first state to ban most law enforcement, including federal immigration agents, from covering their faces while conducting official business under a bill signed by the state's governor, Gavin Newsom, on Saturday.The ban is California's direct response to a recent series of immigration raids in Los Angeles where federal agents wore masks while making mass arrests. The raids prompted protests and led Donald Trump to deploy national guard troops and marines to the city. Continue reading...
Lawyers argue authorities prejudiced the case against Mangione by turning arrest into a Marvel movie' spectacleLuigi Mangione's lawyers urged a judge on Saturday to bar federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, arguing that authorities prejudiced the case against him by turning his arrest into a Marvel movie" spectacle and by publicly declaring their desire to see him executed.Fresh from a legal victory that eliminated terrorism charges in Mangione's state murder case, his lawyers are now fighting to have his federal case dismissed, seizing on US attorney general Pam Bondi's declaration prior to his April indictment that capital punishment is warranted for a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America". Continue reading...
Young liberals challenged Kirk's conservative views on the viral YouTube series Surrounded - an unnerving' spectacle, according to a rhetoric expertIn the days after his killing, Charlie Kirk was remembered by his allies as a great debater. A quote taken from a widely shared video of Kirk discussing his life's work - when people stop talking, that's when violence happens" - emblematized such eulogies.Kirk toured American college campuses with his rightwing non-profit Turning Point USA, where he would set up a tent, table and microphone, and debate with undergrads. The goal, he said, was to save western civilization", and remembrances after his death positioned him as a budding statesman - a conservative hero who strode across the political divide for the sake of open dialogue. Continue reading...
US Secret Service in Phoenix says man said he was law enforcement and there to provide private securityA man armed with a gun and a knife was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly pretended to be a member of law enforcement outside State Farm Stadium near Phoenix a day before Charlie Kirk's planned memorial service at that venue.On Saturday, the Arizona department of public safety said that 42-year-old Joshua Runkles was charged with carrying a weapon into a prohibited place and impersonating a police officer. Continue reading...
If they don't agree to limits, including restricting movement within building, Pentagon press passes will be revokedThe US military has issued new media restrictions demanding that journalists pledge not to gather any information - including unclassified documents - that has not been authorized for release or else risk revocation of their press passes.In a memo issued Thursday, the Pentagon stated that it remains committed to transparency to promote accountability and public trust". However, using an abbreviation for the recently rebranded Department of War headed by the Trump administration's Pete Hegseth, the memo added: DoW information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified." Continue reading...
The barely there iPhone Air is in line with trends in tech, design and art - unsullied by thought, risk or humorThere's a new iPhone. Again. Improbably, we are on the 17th iteration (give or take) of the product that single-handedly ruins our lives every day with incessant vibrations alerting us to some horrifying calamity, plus every song in the Bruce Springsteen back catalog. Coming up with new features for the never-ending information machines we all keep in our pockets isn't easy, but this time, Apple managed to develop a big (or should I say small) one. There's now a thinner iPhone Air, which is being marketed as the thinnest iPhone ever. These gadgets have never exactly been gargantuan, so it's kind of like identifying the tiniest grain of sand in the desert. Still, people around the world are fascinated by the sheer lack of phone here.Technology, design, and art are all trending toward a certain scarcity model, prepping us for a lack of bells and whistles, as though both your parents are unemployed and they want you to expect fewer trips to Disneyland. Life on Earth feels more and more like the experience of entering a Sweetgreen - beige, spartan and unobtrusive. Sure, iPhones haven't gotten cheaper, but they have certainly gotten ... lesser. The iPhone Air is so small, I feel like I'll sit on it and it will slide seamlessly up my rectum, never to be seen again. For some, I'm sure losing your device inside your bowels might be a feature, but I think it's a rather uncomfortable bug.Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...
The Trump administration is trying to harness outrage over the rightwing activist's killing to crush dissent, experts sayThey will gather to mourn one of their own. On Sunday the late rightwing activist Charlie Kirk is set to be hailed by Donald Trump as a martyr of the Make America great again (Maga) movement.But Kirk's memorial service at a 63,000-seat football stadium in Arizona could, critics fear, be exploited by the US president to serve a darker purpose: turning collective grief into a campaign of vengeance against America's enemy within. Continue reading...
Police say the ABC10 building was occupied when shots were fired into the lobby but no one was injured'Police have arrested a man suspected of shooting into the lobby of Sacramento's ABC affiliate on Friday.Though the shooting occurred just a day after protesters gathered outside to the station to condemn ABC's suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talkshow, Sacramento police said the motive in the case remained under investigation, with it not being immediately clear whether the gunfire was targeted or random. Continue reading...
The rightwing pundit's meteoric career was in some ways a microcosm of the rise of Trump-era Christian nationalismChristian nationalists in the US are positioning Charlie Kirk as a martyr for their movement, one that has grown in popularity and whose rise was intertwined with Kirk's own political ascent.After Kirk's killing, his widow, Erika Kirk, wrote on social media that the world is evil", but God so good." The sound of this widow weeping [echoes] throughout this world like a battle cry," she said. They have no idea what they just ignited within this wife." Continue reading...
Three teenagers and one adult arrested in Renton after an alleged attack left a 39-year-old woman hospitalizedFour people - including three teenagers - are accused of a hate crime in Washington state after being arrested in connection with an alleged attack on a transgender woman that left the victim hospitalized, according to authorities.The Renton police department said the four suspects in the case first argued with the 39-year-old woman on Monday evening - then beat her after she saw them again later. Investigators say they hurled homophobic slurs at the victim, who was attacked on a street near a transit center in Renton and suffered serious injuries. Continue reading...
by Emillia Hawkins and Luke McLaughlin on (#705WN)
Katarina Johnson-Thompson dug deep to claim a joint-bronze medal while Emmanuel Wanyonyi won 800m goldJohnson-Thompson has thrown 38.82m with her first of three attempts in the javelin. She's been pushed out of the medal positions for now.Kate O'Connor of Ireland has mustered a phenomenal personal best of 53.06m. Continue reading...
Erik Siebert leaving after his investigation finds insufficient evidence to charge New York's attorney general Letitia James with a crimeThe federal prosecutor for the eastern district of Virginia resigned Friday under intense pressure from Donald Trump, after his office determined there wasn't sufficient evidence to charge New York's attorney general, Letitia James, a political rival of the president, with a crime.Erik Siebert told colleagues he was resigning in a letter sent Friday, NBC News reported. Meanwhile, in an early Saturday post on his Truth Social platform, Trump maintained that Siebert didn't quit - but rather: I fired him!" Continue reading...
Large egos and competing interests were on display in Las Vegas during fight week. At times it seemed two of the few players of note who weren't fighting with each other were Canelo and CrawfordOn 13 September, Terence Crawford solidified his status as a great fighter with a hard-fought, unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.The event was conceived, financed, and marketed by Turki al-Sheikh, the chairman of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority, and Dana White, the president and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). It was to act as a foundation stone for their plan to make Zuffa Boxing, a company controlled by interests they represent, the dominant force in professional boxing. Continue reading...
The former Fox News host is speaking out against the administration's response to the Charlie Kirk shootingForgive me; I'm sorry; mea culpa! Having spent considerable time analyzing the events of the past week, I've realized I should probably issue a public apology for some of my statements over the years. Here we go: I'm sorry for expressing radical and dangerous opinions like women deserve equal rights and shouldn't be treated like walking wombs". I'm sorry for suggesting Palestinians shouldn't be systematically exterminated while Donald Trump posts about building a resort in Gaza. Going forward I will do better and ensure that I double-check all my opinions with the government. There isn't an official Department of Thought Control yet, but no doubt we'll get there soon.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Educators worry about absenteeism and smartphones as NAEP report shows scores at lowest levels in two decadesThe average reading and math scores of American high school seniors fell to their lowest levels in two decades in 2024, according to new national data released last week.The results, from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), found that, on average, reading scores for 12th graders were 10 points lower in 2024 than they were in 1992, when the test was first administered, and that math scores fell to their lowest levels since 2005, when the math assessment began. Continue reading...
Though they make up just over 6% of the total workforce, Black women account for more than 12% of federal workersOn 30 May 2025, Dr Ravon Alford received an email from leadership at her job that the federal government had chosen to revoke the organization's active federal grants. At the time, Alford, who's 33, had been working as a senior policy analyst at a criminal justice reform non-profit organization in Detroit. As a result of the budget cuts, all work related to projects that were funded by these grants were ceased. Organization-wide layoffs followed, affecting Alford and 75% of the staff.Alford is among the nearly 300,000 Black women who exited the US labor force in just three months - a shift tied directly to federal policy decisions. The most immediate cause has been sweeping cuts across public-sector agencies, historically one of the few reliable pathways to middle-class stability for Black women. Though they make up just more than 6% of the overall workforce, Black women account for more than 12% of federal employees. These positions have long offered pensions, benefits and more equitable pay than the private sector, where wage disparities remain stubbornly fixed. Continue reading...
The frontrunner for New York mayor has won social media with clips that are always fun - and resolutely on-messageZohran Mamdani's commanding lead in the New York City mayoral election owes much to his ability to tap into the concerns of New Yorkers - putting affordability and housing at the center of his campaign.But he's been helped, too, by a superstar social media presence. The charismatic 33-year-old regularly beams out slick videos on TikTok and Instagram that have helped raise his profile and attract a swathe of voters and volunteers. Continue reading...
It comes amid US efforts for deal after punishing trade war and hours before Trump and Xi Jinping spoke on phoneDonald Trump's reported pause on $400m (297m) in weapons aid to Taiwan has fuelled fears he is using US support of the island to negotiate with China.Trump's pause on weapons provisions, if confirmed, included orders for lethal munitions and autonomous drones, but could still be reversed, the Washington Post reported on Friday. Continue reading...
Nazis used the 1933 Reichstag blaze to justify snuffing out civil liberties. In the US, the calls for a crackdown have already begunOn the night of 27 February 1933, six days before national elections, the German Reichstag was set on fire. Firefighters and police discovered a Dutch communist named Marinus van der Lubbe at the scene, who confessed to being the arsonist. The Nazi Reichstag president, Hermann Goring, soon arrived, followed by the future propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and Adolf Hitler, who had been dining together.Two competing, still unresolved, conspiracy theories would circulate about the real culprit: the Nazis, with van der Lubbe as front; or a communist cabal. But the three men had no doubts. Goring pronounced the crime a communist plot. Hitler called it a God-given signal", adding: If this fire, as I believe, is the work of the communists, then we must crush out this murderous pest with an iron fist."Judith Levine is Brooklyn-based journalist, essayist and author of five books. Her Substack is Today in Fascism Continue reading...
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