Move comes as director Kimberly Cheatle resigns after congressional grilling over assassination attemptSecret Service officials are reported to be encouraging Donald Trump's campaign to stop holding outdoor rallies in the wake of the 13 July assassination attempt on the former president at a fairground in Butler, Pennsylvania.The move, reported by the Washington Post, comes as Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday following a combative grilling before a congressional committee by both Democrats and Republicans over apparent security failures before an attempt on Trump's life by a 20-year-old gunman. Continue reading...
Stings from the critters invading Montecito can be painful, can displace native wildlife and are a hazard to agricultureA swank town in California's central coast where celebrities from Oprah Winfrey to Prince Harry have bought properties, has become a hot spot for another reason: an active infestation of red imported fire ants.The Santa Barbara county agricultural commissioner's office is addressing an active infestation of these ants in Montecito, California, according to a statement issued last week. Continue reading...
Complaint to Federal Election Commission Tuesday accuses Harris of violating federal campaign finance lawsDonald Trump's campaign on Tuesday filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against the vice-president Kamala Harris, accusing her 2024 campaign of violating federal campaign finance laws by replacing Joe Biden's name with her own to take control of his campaign funds.The complaint, filed by the Trump campaign's general counsel, David Warrington, argued that the Biden campaign could not rename its committee from Biden for President" to Harris for President" once Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday, and roll over $91m. Continue reading...
CEO Elon Musk blames bit of a hangover' from rivals' discounting but insists challenges are fairly short-term'Earnings at Tesla almost halved as discounts and price cuts pile pressure on the electric carmaker's profit margins.Elon Musk, the company's CEO, blamed a bit of a hangover" after rivals cut prices very substantially, which has made it a bit more difficult for Tesla". Continue reading...
Audio obtained by the Guardian reveals police dispatcher was told Black woman's fatal wound was self-inflicted'The family of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was shot in the face and killed by a white sheriff's deputy in Illinois, have said police initially tried to cover up her killing.Police audio obtained by the Guardian features someone on scene the night of Massey's killing - presumably a deputy - saying Massey's wound was self-inflicted". A dispatcher asks to confirm, and the person on scene repeats self-inflicted". The recording is in line with what the family says was misleading information given by police when Massey was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Continue reading...
Block on law was lifted after state supreme court said there is no fundamental right to procedure in state constitutionAn Iowa judge has ruled the state's strict abortion law will take effect Monday, preventing most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant.The law passed last year, but a judge had blocked it from being enforced. The Iowa supreme court reiterated in June that there is no constitutional right to an abortion in the state and ordered the hold to be lifted. That translated into Monday's district court judge's decision ordering the law to into effect next Monday at 8.00am CT. Continue reading...
Tigers treated to frozen fish-sicles, with blood-sicles for African painted dogs and snow for all from 10 tons of iceDozens of animals at the Phoenix zoo in Arizona, where scorching summer heatwaves are the norm, got a delightful surprise: their first snow of the season.Zoo staff and others transformed more than 500 bags of ice into snowflakes, creating a winter wonderland for the animals on Friday. Continue reading...
Jewish pro-Palestine demonstrators occupied the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, calling for an end to arms sales and a ceasefire in Gaza. The protest comes a day before Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address a joint session of Congress. Police were seen arresting the protesters and pulling them out of the rotunda of the building. In a statement published on Instagram, the Jewish Voice for Peace group said: 'One day before Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress, and days before his meeting with President Biden, we're here to demand an arms embargo NOW'
Vice-president Kamala Harris launched a scathing verbal attack on Donald Trump on Tuesday at a campaign rally in Milwaukee. Recalling her time as prosecutor, Harris compared Trump with the criminals and wrongdoers she used to meet in the courtroom. Before I was elected vice-president, before I was elected United States senator, I was elected attorney general of the state of California, and I was a courtroom prosecutor before then,' Harris said. She added: And in those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds: predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type'
New Jersey senator's resignation letter imminent, sources say, and follows expulsion threat from fellow DemocratsRobert Menendez, the Democratic senator for New Jersey, will resign from the US Congress next month following threats from party colleagues to expel him after he was convicted of bribery charges, according to sources on his staff.The former chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee will step down on 20 August amid an unrelenting campaign to persuade him to quit that intensified after he was convicted last week on 16 counts of corruption, including bribery, extortion and acting as a foreign agent. Continue reading...
The man called police to confess to a crime and then killed himself before authorities arrived at the sceneA Michigan man suspected of using an all-terrain vehicle to run over an elderly man for supporting Donald Trump died by suicide as police closed in on him, according to authorities.Police in Hancock - a city located in the state's upper peninsula - said the man in question was under investigation for allegedly running over an 80-year-old man at about 5.45pm local time on Monday. Continue reading...
Israeli prime minister lands in Washington but all eyes are on president and vice-president after 2024 race shake-upBenjamin Netanyahu expected to land in Washington DC this week with a bang. So far, it has been more of a whimper.The Israeli prime minister has kept a low profile in the US capital, which was stunned by Joe Biden's decision on Sunday to drop out of the presidential race and endorse his vice-president, Kamala Harris, to challenge Donald Trump. Continue reading...
A conference call had tens of thousands of participants and raised $1.5m for the presumptive Democratic nomineeFollowing Joe Biden's decision on Sunday to end his re-election campaign and endorse Kamala Harris, Win With Black Women, a political collective, held its regular call to discuss that week's agenda: the upcoming election. Only this time, the call swelled to include more than 44,000 people - forcing Zoom to lift capacity limitations - with an additional 30,000 joining in on a Clubhouse stream, and an unknown number of others connecting to unauthorized livestreams, organizers said. Even as late as 1am, people continued trying to join the call.We were so elated and pleased to see [Biden] fully endorse Vice-President Kamala Harris, and so we all got on that Zoom, united around our joy, united around our desire to be together in history," Jotaka Eaddy, Win With Black Women's founder, said. But [we] also united around our support of Vice-President Harris and our commitment to do the work to make sure that she's the next president of the United States and that we beat Donald Trump and the Maga agenda." Continue reading...
George Lang's remark came while introducing JD Vance at event at Trump running mate's former Ohio high schoolAn Ohio Republican has apologised after appearing to threaten a civil war if Donald Trump fails to win November's presidential election.George Lang, a state senator, made the comment during a boisterously pugnacious introduction for JD Vance, the former president's running mate who is also a US senator for Ohio. Continue reading...
Spirits were sky-high at the vice-president's first rally as the presumptive Democratic nominee - and people were ready to mobilizeAt Kamala Harris's first rally as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee - a campaign stop at a suburban Milwaukee high school - spirits in the crowded auditorium were high.Oh my God, I think this is something long overdue - and she will do great," said Pat Bridges, a 65-year-old retiree who attended the event on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Kamala Harris on Tuesday, giving her campaign to become the party's official presidential nominee another boost. Schumer, the Senate Democrat leader said at a press conference that the Democrats and the country were 'brimming with excitement, enthusiasm, unity' at the prospect of her candidacy. Jeffries, the House minority leader said Harris had earned the nomination 'from the grassroots up, not the top down', and added that he 'strongly' endorsed her. 'She is ready. She is willing. She is able to energetically and emphatically lead America into the future,' he said
Charli xcx's album has taken pop culture by storm. Now the vice-president is joining the partyAfter Vice-President Kamala Harris announced her bid for president, she reportedly raised a record-breaking $81m donations in just a day - but her most culturally powerful endorsement may have come from a single tweet.As nearly all Democrats rallied behind Harris, offering support in tweets and TV interviews, a perhaps unlikely voice weighed in: the British pop singer Charli xcx, who tweeted, kamala IS brat." Continue reading...
Vice-president says Black woman who was shot in her home by an Illinois sheriff's deputy deserved to be safe'Kamala Harris added her voice on Tuesday to mounting calls for policing reforms following the killing of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was shot in her home by an Illinois sheriff's deputy earlier this month.Sonya Massey deserved to be safe," the vice-president said in a statement Tuesday. After she called the police for help, she was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a responding officer sworn to protect and serve." Continue reading...
The Palestinian American model has just been dropped from an Adidas campaign. Her only crime appears to be her heritage and her willingness to speak outOn Wednesday, Benjamin Netanyahu is having the red carpet rolled out for him in Washington DC. The Israeli prime minister, who is propped up by far-right extremists, will have the great honour of addressing Congress. The international criminal court may think he is a tad problematic, but in the twisted world we live in, he is being treated like a dignified statesman. The real villain du jour? A glance at the press suggests it's the model Bella Hadid.Hadid's crime? She is part of a campaign for Adidas's SL72 trainers. Or, rather, she was. Adidas dropped her from the campaign last week after the official @Israel X account objected to her involvement because the SL72s were released during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, when 11 Israelis were taken hostage and killed by the Palestinian militant group Black September. Continue reading...
Letter to US president says: our unions are horrified that our tax dollars are financing this ongoing tragedy'Seven major US labor unions representing about 6 million workers sent a letter to Joe Biden on Tuesday calling on his administration to immediately halt all military aid to Israel" ahead of a visit to the US from Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, this week.The unions that signed on to the letter include the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), American Postal Workers Union (APWU), International Union of Painters (IUPAT), National Education Association (NEA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Auto Workers (UAW) and United Electrical Workers (UE). Continue reading...
Alexis Smith tells audience that her abuser is in crowd and that I, and my community, deserve healthy relationships'The newly crowned Miss Kansas is emerging as an advocate for domestic violence survivors after she shocked judges and her audience in the final interview of her competition victory by calling out her abuser in the crowd.Standing on stage in a blue sequined gown in June, Alexis Smith told the crowd: Some of you in this audience saw me very emotional because my abuser is here today. But that's not going to stop me from being on this Miss Kansas stage because I, and my community, deserve healthy relationships." Continue reading...
Upsurge in activity from white supremacists and swastika-toting extremists follows rash of anti-LGBTQ+ state lawsResidents of Nashville, Tennessee, are struggling to find ways to respond to a sudden upsurge in neo-Nazi and white supremacist activity in the city as small groups of extremists have descended on the community carrying swastika flags, chanting Sieg Heil" and handing out flyers saying Diversity means fewer white people".Over the past two weeks, neo-Nazi groups and affiliated organizations, including the Patriot Front and a network calling itself the Goyim Defense League, have staged antisemitic stunts in the city center - including stopping passersby and asking them if they are Jewish. They have also disrupted a city council meeting. Continue reading...
The dropping of comedian Sebastian Hotz and Elon Musk's intervention raise serious questions about freedom of speechThe point of comedy is to make fun of everyone," a Berlin friend told me recently. What matters, he argued, is that you make yourself look silly too. But along the way, you're allowed to disrespect everyone as long as you are being creative enough. That, in his opinion, is what the genre is for.I get what he means. Yet having followed enough of Germany's tortured discussions around comedy and satire over recent years, something about this argument doesn't feel right.Fatma Aydemir is a Berlin-based author, novelist, playwright and a Guardian Europe columnist Continue reading...
George Clooney could star as Biden in a rich adaptation of the pathos, tragedy and triumph of the president's life in politicsGeorge Clooney can now play Joe Biden in the movie. After he urged the president to quit the race, the penultimate scene became greater than any Hollywood ending. The actor, while the King of Hollywood, has not yet won an Oscar. This part, though, drawing on a range of classic genres, moving from pathos to tragedy to triumph, will challenge his dramatic skills as never before.The curtain rises on Biden as Richard II, beleaguered and beset, facing his overthrow from within.What must the king do now? Must he submit?The king shall do it: must he be deposed?Tis done - but yesterday a KingAnd arm'd with Kings to strive - Continue reading...
This ruling lays bare the reality of Israel's occupation. Acting on it will bring us closer to peaceOver the past 57 years, Palestinians in the West Bank such as myself have suffered the rise of Israeli settlements taking over our land, restricting our own development and destroying the natural beauty of the landscape. We spared no effort in describing how this aggression was contrary to local and international law. But it was like crying into the wind. No one was listening. Israeli defenders, meanwhile, spread spurious justifications for the country's actions, raising doubts in the minds of many about the veracity of our position.Last Friday, the highest court in the world, the international court of justice (ICJ) in the Hague, ruled on the matter. In its advisory opinion to the UN, made upon the request of the general assembly, the court stated that the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem ... have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law". But the real bombshell was the court's assertion that what is required by Israel is the evacuation of all settlers from existing settlements" and that it is also under an obligation to provide full reparation for the damage caused by its internationally wrongful acts to all natural or legal persons concerned". In this way, the court confirmed the well established principle that violations of international law do not lapse by time, and are not subject to a period of limitation. Continue reading...
Christopher Dunn, 52, is latest person released from a Missouri prison due to evidence of wrongful convictionA Missouri judge on Monday overturned the conviction of Christopher Dunn, who has spent more than 30 years in prison for a killing he has long contended he didn't commit.The ruling is likely to free Dunn from prison, but it wasn't immediately clear when that would happen. He has been serving a sentence of life without parole. Continue reading...
New research shows cumulative effects of hearing gunshots near the home or the slaying of friends or classmatesAfter Nasir Bari was shot in his chest and leg when he was 28, he saw the face of his shooter in everyone he passed on the street and in the grocery store.It's him again," Bari remembers thinking constantly. Continue reading...
The NBA's midsummer party was full of intrigue despite a draft class underwhelming as far as superstar talent. Our correspondent in the desert empties her notebookBy the time draft night arrived, it was pretty widely understood that the Atlanta Hawks, in possession of the No 1 pick for the first time since 1975, were going to select Zaccharie Risacher, anointing him as the secondnd annual French Beanpole King of the Draft. Risacher, though, is no Victor Wembanyama. And just because the pick was widely predicted doesn't mean that it was widely agreed upon. Several draft boards (including that of Kevin O'Connor of the Ringer) had Kentucky's Reed Sheppard, a guard who ended up in Houston with the third overall pick, as their choice for best prospect, and his time in Vegas showcased why they appear to have been correct. Sheppard, while slightly undersized at 6ft 3in, was damned impressive in his minutes in Sin City: a sharpshooter with an extremely high basketball IQ for his age, he looked positively comfy in his first NBA minutes. By the end of the week, execs from the Wizards (who selected Alex Sarr at No 2) and Hawks were quietly doing some damage-control-explaining behind the scenes for passing him over. Continue reading...
Sonya Massey was killed by Illinois state police after being shot three times inside her home. Massey called 911 after fearing an intruder in her home. Newly released body-cam footage shows Massey ducking and apologising for telling the officers 'I'll rebuke you in the name of Jesus' seconds before one officer shot her in the face. Sangamon county sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson has pleaded not guilty to the charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. If convicted, he faces a prison sentence of 45 years to life for murder
Residents of Berkeley, California, acknowledge Harris has a lot stacked against her' but are hopeful for her victoryAs Kamala Harris emerged as the Democratic frontrunner to replace Joe Biden, residents of her home town of Berkeley, California, greeted the news of her potentially history-making White House run with enthusiasm - and some trepidation.Those who once knew her as a little girl living above a daycare on Bancroft Avenue were proud of their home town hero and - like many Democratic supporters in the US - hopeful she has a better chance than Joe Biden of beating Donald Trump. Continue reading...
Trump supporters are already readying the stage to cast doubt on any election result that is not a victory for themSpeaking on the sidelines of the Republican national convention last week, Chris LaCivita, one of Donald Trump's campaign managers, repeatedly used an incendiary word to describe the pressure campaign to get Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. Those efforts, he said, were a coup".This is nothing more than an attempted coup by the Democratic party," he said. They are actively engaged in an attempt - in my view and a lot of people share this view - in deposing the president of the United States." Continue reading...
This week I have eaten Pom-Bear crisps, Coco Pops, a Petits Filous yoghurt and an ice lolly in the shape of a rocket. They were all absolutely deliciousI don't want to undermine my international standing as a gourmand (you are, after all, looking at the woman who once ate the entire Bella Italia Valentine's Day menu on her own, in a single sitting) but I think I may be giving up on so-called adult food".It probably says something about my life, in terms of nutrition, shopping and planning, but this week I have eaten: three packets of Pom-Bear crisps, a bowl of Coco Pops, two Bear yoyo bars, a Petits Filous yoghurt and an ice lolly in the shape of a rocket. They were all absolutely delicious. Put them on a restaurant menu and you'd be rich. Continue reading...
The Teamsters president took a gamble and accepted Trump's invitation to speak at the Republican convention - it backfiredWhen Teamsters president Sean O'Brien spoke at the Republican national convention on opening night, it seemed to hint that the Republican party - long a lapdog for corporate interests - was turning an important page and would stop being so hostile toward labor unions.But when Donald Trump gave his hugely divisive acceptance speech three days later, he seemed to forget he was supposed to act lovey-dovey toward labor unions. The former president essentially kicked the United Auto Workers (UAW) in the teeth, and the UAW fired back by calling Trump the mascot and lapdog" of billionaires. Continue reading...
The suffering of animals in the tourism sector is depressingly common. But we can all help shut down such cruel tradesIt won't surprise anyone to know that I'm not the sort of person who'd choose to go to tourist attractions that keep animals in captivity for human entertainment. But like many of us, when it comes to interacting with animals while on holiday, there are things I look back on that I would do differently now.Tourist attractions such as dolphin parks and tiger temples exist only for commercial gain at the price of a lifetime of mental and often physical pain for those held captive - something most of us have come to understand and abhor. But there are some experiences that many animal lovers might not realise are harmful. Thousands of tourists visiting Asia, for example, have taken an elephant ride.Chris Packham is a naturalist, environmental and animal welfare campaigner, author and television presenter on BBC Two's Springwatch Continue reading...
The 7ft 4in basketball star's stature, both literal and figurative, says something about France's ability to project itself beyond EuropeIn France, the days leading up to the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics have unfolded amid a frazzled atmosphere of heightened anxiety. Traffic bans, QR codes, and security barriers have effectively barred public access to the center of Paris, where the bulk of Friday's opening ceremony will take place. Parliamentary elections have thrown the country's politics into disarray, with the outlines of a new government still not clear weeks after left-wing parties united to form an electoral coalition to prevent the far right from gaining power. A small industry of panels and podcasts has emerged to debate whether France has any realistic hope of meeting President Emmanuel Macron's target of a top-five medal finish in the home Olympics. And everywhere a broader cultural worry about France's place in the world - of sport, of politics, of language - amid the ongoing supremacy of the United States and the rise of China and India has accompanied the countdown to Friday. The modern Olympics were, of course, the creation of a Frenchman - Pierre de Coubertin - and French remains one of the two official languages of the Games. But over the last 30 years," laments a recent piece in the French press, the language of Moliere" has lost ground to the language of Shakespeare." Will we speak French at these Olympics?" asks Le Figaro, mournfully.Into this unusual climate of hope and declinism steps the scarcely believable frame of Victor Wembanyama. Everything about the 20-year-old prodigy of French basketball is big: the potential, the hype, and of course the height, which is impressive whether it's quoted according to American convention (7ft 4in) or European (224 centimeters). After years of watching various Greeks (Giannis Antetokounmpo), Serbs (Nikola Joki), and Slovenians (Luka Doni) capture all the headlines for non-US players in the NBA, the French now have an authentic superstar to call their own, and he's perhaps the closest to a sure thing that the world of basketball has seen since LeBron was stomping around high school courts in Sampras shorts. After just one season in the NBA - which saw him record a string of miraculous scoring performances, dominate players in the prime of their careers at both ends of the court, claim the rookie of the year award by unanimous vote, and richly deliver on the promise announced by his selection as the number one pick in the 2023 draft - Wembanyama has become, along with Kylian Mbappe, the most recognizable French athlete on the planet, and the expectations he carries into these Games are immense. Continue reading...
Another tournament failure has seen the dismissal of a coach and criticism of the current USMNT squad. But the problems start at the youth levelsNine days after the USMNT were eliminated from the 2024 Copa America at the group stage, head coach Gregg Berhalter was fired.Berhalter's dismissal was the correct, if easy, way forward for the national team after a poor showing. But any review of this summer's failing must be broader than one coach. Questions about the quality of the current squad are fair, but there is another potential culprit: the pay-to-play model. Continue reading...
Harris must initiate a new era in American policy towards Israel. It's not just the right thing to do - it's also politically savvyOn a late summer day in 2019, I packed up my life into an old Nissan Altima and drove across the country from San Francisco to Waterloo, Iowa, to work to elect then senator Kamala Harris as president. After four years of a Trump presidency that stripped away the rights of the most marginalized in this country, I was driven by her vision that justice is on the ballot" and that every individual should have their fundamental rights guaranteed and have the opportunity to thrive.I would eventually join the Biden administration as a political appointee at the US Department of the Interior, eager to apply the values that so inspired me from the Harris campaign. Those very same values drove me to become the first Jewish American political appointee to resign from the Biden administration in May in protest of the president's unconditional support for Israel's assault on Gaza. Now, Harris is poised to be the Democratic nominee to take on Donald Trump in November. Continue reading...
US Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance has insinuated that his political rivals label everything as racist, even certain beverage choices. While speaking about voter ID laws at a rally in Virginia, he told the audience, 'If you're going to cast a ballot, show a piece of identification.' He added, 'Democrats say that it is racist. Well, they say it's racist to do anything. I had a diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today and I'm sure they're going to call that racist, too. But, it's good.'
Support of California delegation puts vice-president over threshold needed when party meets at Chicago conventionMore Democrats come out for Harris - liveKamala Harris has said she is looking forward to formally accepting the [presidential] nomination" of the Democratic party after she earned enough support from delegates including hundreds from her native California.When I announced my campaign for President, I said I intended to go out and earn this nomination," she said in a statement late Monday. Continue reading...
A day after he announced he would drop out of the 2024 presidential race, Joe Biden called into the campaign headquarters and urged staffers to 'embrace' his vice-president, Kamala Harris. Biden, who is isolating with Covid-19 at his Delaware home, vowed he is 'not going anywhere' and said he will be 'out on the road' for Harris. 'If I didn't have Covid, I'd be standing there with you,' said Biden, whose voice sounded a touch gravelly.
In her second appearance since Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, Kamala Harris attacked the Republican nominee Donald Trump. 'Before I was elected as vice-president, I was a courtroom prosecutor,' Harris said. 'In those roles I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type,' she said, to loud cheers from the audience
by Justin Glawe in Springfield, Illinois on (#6PDAJ)
White deputy Sean Grayson shot Sonya Massey, who called police in fear of a home intruder, after boiling water disputeAuthorities have released shocking video that shows a white police officer in Illinois shooting a Black woman - who called police in fear of a home intruder - in the face, killing her.Sonya Massey, 36, was killed early on the morning of 6 July by deputy Sean Grayson of the Sangamon county sheriff's office in her home in Springfield, the Illinois state capitol. Continue reading...
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