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Republican governor sets up battle with Biden administration over Rio Grande buoys to prevent people crossing from MexicoWhite House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has weighed in on events in Israel, where today the far-right government won passage of a key part its judicial overhaul that opponents warn threaten its democracy.Here's what she had to say:As a lifelong friend of Israel, President Biden has publicly and privately expressed his views that major changes in a democracy to be enduring must have as broad a consensus as possible. It is unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority. We understand talks are ongoing and likely to continue over the coming weeks and months to forge a broader compromise even with the Knesset in recess. The United States will continue to support the efforts of President Herzog and other Israeli leaders as they seek to build a broader consensus through political dialogue.The House Judiciary Committee is considering a vote this week to hold Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in contempt. While this is a mostly symbolic step for the House GOP majority, it would be a huge escalation of Republicans' war on Big Tech - if it happens.Judiciary Republicans claim Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, hasn't been cooperating with the panel's effort to investigate potential censorship by Big Tech, including the failure to hand over internal company documents. Continue reading...

Yard of Long Island's Rex Heuermann - held in connection to the deaths of four people - is being dug up by investigatorsInvestigators have been digging in the yard at the Long Island home of Rex Heuermann, who was charged earlier this month with killing at least three women and burying their remains on a remote stretch of beach highway.The 14 July arrest of Heuermann, a 59-year-old architect, marked a stunning breakthrough in the long-stalled cold case that first drew headlines in 2010, when police began searching for a missing woman, Shannon Gilbert, near Long Island's Gilgo Beach. Continue reading...

Alfredo Freddy' Ramirez in critical but stable condition after shooting following earlier altercation attended by Tampa officersThe head of Florida's largest police department was in critical condition at one of the state's hospitals on Monday after shooting himself on a busy interstate following a domestic dispute.Alfredo Freddy" Ramirez, director of the Miami-Dade police department, and his wife, Jody, had earlier been asked to leave the JW Marriott hotel in Tampa's downtown, where he was attending a sheriffs' association conference. Continue reading...

British general says US-led United Nations Command gives few details of contacts over Travis King who crossed line on 18 JulyThe US-led United Nations Command has initiated talks with North Korea about the American soldier who ran into that country and crossed one of the most militarized borders in the world, according to an official.But a British lieutenant general who helps lead the UN command stopped short of saying exactly when talks about Travis King began, whether they have been constructive or how many exchanges there have been. The lieutenant general, Andrew Harrison, also would not address any known details about King's health condition. Continue reading...

Eight Democrats urge Republicans to press Tommy Tuberville to end protest over policy allowing military to travel for abortionThe Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville's block on senior US military promotions in protest of Pentagon policy on abortion is reckless and dangerous", eight Democratic senators told Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader, in a letter published on Monday.It falls to you to act now, for the safety and security of our nation," the Democrats wrote to McConnell, of Kentucky. We urge you to exercise your leadership and prevail on senator Tuberville to end his reckless hold." Continue reading...

Liberal congresswoman criticizes the wealth of studio executives as new contract negotiations remain at loggerheadsAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined the picket line of film and television actors and writers represented by Sag-Aftra and WGA in front of Netflix's New York City office on Monday.The liberal congresswoman from New York criticized the wealth of studio executives as new contract negotiations between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) - which represents the studio bosses - and unions have been at loggerheads. Continue reading...

After a series of European elections in which radical right parties gained national influence, Spain has bucked the trendIn the lead-up to Sunday's election in Spain, Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, delivered a buoyant video message to supporters of the radical right Vox party. The hour of the patriots has arrived," said Ms Meloni, ahead of a poll expected to deliver more evidence that authoritarian, xenophobic nationalism was becoming normalised in Europe's politics.It didn't happen. Instead, after a high turnout in searing summer heat, Vox lost 19 seats, as its share of the vote fell compared with its breakthrough election in 2019. The conservative People's party (PP), led by Alberto Nunez Feijoo, won the most seats but failed to come close to winning a majority. The consequent parliamentary arithmetic means that a role for Vox as junior coalition partner, in an administration led by the PP, is a non-starter. The prospect of a radical right presence in national government, for the first time since the return of democracy to Spain in 1975, has thus receded.Do 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...

Tennessee student, 17, and advocates call the punishment a violation of the first amendmentA Tennessee student is suing his school district after he was suspended for posting memes making fun of his principal.The 17-year-old student shared three memes that he made and published online with the principal's face cut out on different backgrounds. Continue reading...

Eighteen of the 23-woman Philippines squad in New Zealand were born in America. But there is no doubt where their soccer loyalties lieTahnai Annis still remembers the epiphany she had nearly a decade ago, when she realized that international soccer could be in her future.Annis was coaching in the United States and she was at a professional combine helping out a friend she had met while playing in Iceland. One of the coaches at the event was Bruno Baltazar, who at the time was an assistant coach for the Philippines men's team. Baltazar suspected that Annis might be Filipino-American, she recalls, and after confirming as much he asked a simple question: Did you know that the Philippines has a women's team?" Continue reading...

Trump and the Republicans will lose this battle. Even if they win Republican primaries, they will lose the general electionNot once has Donald Trump veered from his core campaign theme.Recall the first rally of his 2024 election campaign on 25 March in Waco, Texas - exactly 30 years after a deadly siege between law enforcement and the Branch Davidians resulted in the deaths of more than 80 members of that religious cult and four federal agents.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com Continue reading...

We must oppose plans to restrain the judiciary, portions of which were backed by the Knesset today. Everything is at stakeThere were many exhilarating moments during the days and nights of the march to Jerusalem. One of them occurred on Saturday morning, when a massive human wave, quivering with thousands of blue and white flags, slowly streamed down the hillside near Shoresh and intersected with the crowds waiting at Hemed Bridge. The two camps melded together; water bottles were given to the hot and weary walkers, along with slices of watermelon, ice pops and grapes. There was generosity, goodwill and heartfelt sharing. There was the rare understanding that each of us was composed of the many people who came to this place, who continued together up the Qastel hills to Jerusalem, sweltering in the extreme heat but with their souls uplifted.The Jewish nation has experienced rifts and divisions: Sadducees and Pharisees, Hasidism and Misnagdim, and many other opposing factions. But what has been occurring in Israel these past few months is no longer on the same continuum. We do not yet have the words to adequately describe this turn of events, and that is why it is so frightening. It may transpire that it was the beginning of a process that will crumble - and possibly resolve - our society's ossified, dangerous points. But for now it is bringing to the surface Israel's secrets and lies, the cumulative historical offences, the lack of compassion, the injustices, all of which have become an intolerable dissonance that breeds mutual revulsion.David Grossman is an Israeli author. This piece was translated by Jessica Cohen from an article originally published in the Hebrew edition of HaaretzDo 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...

As the northern hemisphere burns, experts feel deep sadness - and resentment - while dreading what lies ahead this Australian summerGuardian Australia asked seven leading climate scientists to describe how they felt as much of the northern hemisphere is engulfed by blistering heatwaves, and a number of global land and ocean climate records are broken.Dr Joelle Gergis, senior lecturer in climate science Fenner School of Environment and Society, associate investigator ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes at the Australian National University Continue reading...

Peace between Hemedti's RSF and Sudan's army will not end war crimes. As UN security council president, Britain must actAs conflict in Sudan escalates, it is becoming clear that the Rapid Support Forces has returned to Darfur to complete the genocide it began 20 years ago. The RSF is the Janjaweed rebranded, the devils on horseback" used by the Sudanese government from 2003 to implement widespread and systematic crimes against non-Arab communities across Darfur. The RSF was, and still is, commanded by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Hemedti" Dagalo.In recent weeks, what we knew was coming has been confirmed. Yale University's Conflict Observatory, which uses a combination of satellite imagery, Nasa thermal-detection data and open-source analysis, found evidence of the targeted destruction of at least 26 communities" by the RSF between 15 April and 10July. Mass graves have been discovered, and satellite imagery shows entire urban neighbourhoods and villages have been burned down. Continue reading...

Controversial owner Wendy McCaw has shut down Santa Barbara News-Press, which won Pulitzer prize in 1962The longest-running newspaper in southern California has ceased publication after filing for bankruptcy.The Santa Barbara News-Press has posted its last online edition after ceasing print publication about a month ago. Continue reading...

Bodies found after two women failed to return from hike in Valley of Fire state park in temperatures up to 114FTwo hikers have been found dead in a state park in southern Nevada, authorities said on Sunday.Nevada state police did not release any details on the hikers' identities or a possible cause of death. However, the southern part of the state remains under an excessive heat warning, and the high temperature on Saturday was 114F (45C). Continue reading...

Sean O'Brien could be leading his union in one of the biggest - and costliest - strike at a single private employer in US historySean O'Brien has a long family legacy at the Teamsters: his great-grandfather, grandfather and father were all Teamster union members in Boston. O'Brien joined the union after dropping out of college at age 19 to haul equipment on construction sites in 1991. Thirty-two years later, he is on the verge of leading the union in one of the biggest - and costliest - strikes at a single private employer in US history.The Teamsters has 1.2 million members, making it one of the largest unions in the world. Its membership is diverse, ranging from police to bakers, but it is most famous for representing freight drivers and warehouse workers. Shipping and logistics giant UPS is the single largest employer in the Teamsters Union. Continue reading...

Weeks of negotiations likely after snap election leaves left and right almost neck and neck. Plus, Twitter gets a rebranding

As a nation, the time is long overdue for fundamental changes to our national prioritiesThe US Senate is now debating an $886bn defense authorization bill. Unless there are major changes to the bill, I intend to vote against it. Here's why.As everyone knows, our country faces enormous crises.Bernie Sanders is a US senator, and chairman of the health education labor and pensions committee. He represents the state of Vermont, and is the longest-serving independent in the history of Congress Continue reading...

The questions at the center of Oppenheimer don't feel theoretical to me. From 2012 to 2017 I worked on nearly 300 nuclear silo alertsAudiences are rushing to theaters to see Oppenheimer. Early buzz is that this movie will be one of the blockbusters of the summer.One reason for the interest: the film is loaded with the philosophical questions J Robert Oppenheimer and his team faced while developing the first atomic bomb. Do nuclear weapons make us safer? Will they inspire an arms race that will push humanity into extinction? Is it possible this weapon will lead to the destruction of the world? Continue reading...

The minimum has been an unlivable $7.25 an hour under three presidents. Today's wage is worth less than at any point since 1956Researchers at the University of California-Riverside recently released a study showing poverty is the fourth leading cause of death nationwide. Poverty kills more people than homicide, respiratory disease, gun violence and opioid overdoses, the study showed.It's stress, it's starvation, it's disease. And it's all unnecessary.The Rev William J Barber II is founding director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity SchoolThe Rev A Kazimir Brown is executive director of Repairers of the Breach Continue reading...

When people asked me where I drew the line, I wasn't sure about insects - until a fateful encounter in my kitchen

The former world and Olympic champion sought escape in sex and drugs as he struggled with fame. A new documentary has helped him find peaceAfter decades of trying to live up to outsized expectations - and escaping the pressure through drugs, alcohol and sex - Oscar De La Hoya is questioning the life he once lived. But he is unsure at times where happiness fits in.I still ask myself that," he says. If I deserve to be happy." Continue reading...

The outraged reaction to Just Stop Oil's mild protests says far more about us than it does about the activists themselvesPlay was not disrupted." With those four words the R&A summed up its message after Just Stop Oil made their latest protest on the 17th green at the Open on Friday.A police statement had already done the heavy lifting, with its charges of conspiracy to commit criminal damage and its stern disapproval of public disorder. That left the golfing establishment to sound cool, calm and - unusually for them - like the good guys. They had, after all, triumphed. No one had been inconvenienced in the course of watching their sporting entertainment and that, by and large, has been the focus of anger at Just Stop Oil's activity this summer. Critics find it frustratingly hard to accuse them of anything else. The protesters haven't endangered players, or broken equipment; they haven't altered the course of the sporting action or brought it to an unwanted conclusion. They've shown up, made something temporarily orange, then disappeared peacefully in a police van. Continue reading...

American Jews are growing sceptical of Israeli policies towards Palestinians and want limits on aid to prevent settlement growthMike Levinson has been pushing back for 40 years and finally thinks he might be getting somewhere.There's a change and the politicians see it. I think it scares them," said Levinson, holding a sign demanding Stop Israeli settler violence" as he marched through New York on Thursday. Continue reading...

With the first caucuses six months away, the former president's campaign is still going strong despite his various legal problemsFor Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas, there were boos and chants of Trump! Trump!". For Francis Suarez, mayor of Miami, there were jeers and cries of Traitor!" And perhaps most tellingly, there was no Florida governor Ron DeSantis at all.The recent Turning Point USA conference brought thousands of young conservatives to Florida and there was no doubting the main attraction: former president Donald Trump, who made a glitzy entrance accompanied by giant stage sparklers. In a less than rigorous poll, 86% of attendees gave Trump as their first choice for president; DeSantis, who polled 19% last year, was down to 4%. Continue reading...

We switched close but stifling social networks for a capitalist safety net that offered modern life choices. Now we don't have eitherJane is a junior doctor working several extra locum shifts to make ends meet. Burnt out after the pandemic, and struggling with her physical and mental health, she would really like to take unpaid leave, but she cannot afford to do so. Last month, her landlord hiked up her rent, then served her with an eviction notice when she said she couldn't afford it. She now has to move for the fourth time in three years, and is back in a flat-hunting market where rents are higher everywhere.She feels trapped, she tells me. Trapped in her job, with her accommodation options diminishing and her time permanently constrained by balancing long work hours with the demands of looking for a home. There is no space for socialising or relaxation, only for a fleeting sleep, from which she wakes up to go back to work, to look at places to live that are almost certainly out of her reach, and to run her numbers again, hoping that an overlooked saving will magically appear.Nesrine Malik is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Tony Gonzales said governor Greg Abbott is doing everything he can' at the US-Mexico border despite justice department backlashA Texas Republican representative, Tony Gonzales, has called the current tactics used to deter migrants at the US-Mexico border not acceptable" and urged the Biden administration and Congress to focus more heavily on legal immigration.In an interview with CBS's Face The Nation on Sunday, Gonzales, whose 23rd district in Texas includes 800 miles of the US-Mexico border, said that the border crisis has been anything but humane" and called recent reports of Texas troopers allegedly pushing small children and nursing babies back into the Rio Grande not acceptable". Continue reading...

Bear tracks found at scene investigators say, as Montana sees increase in grizzly sightingsA woman has been found dead in Montana after coming into contact with a grizzly bear on a trail west of Yellowstone national park.The state's fish, wildlife and parks department said the woman was found deceased on Saturday on a trail near West Yellowstone, a Montana town nestled in the Custer Gallatin national forest just west of Yellowstone national park. Continue reading...

Head wounds, broken ribs and other injuries were reported after the second-story deck of the Briarwood country club collapsedMore than 30 people were injured when a deck collapsed at a country club overlooking Montana's largest city, police said on Sunday.The second-story patio floor of Billings' Briarwood country club broke and gave way Saturday evening. The collapse caused head wounds, broken ribs and other injuries as people landed atop each other and debris and scraps of food scattered over the grass next to the club's golf course. Continue reading...

Bus was carrying 44 people hailing from Colombia, China, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela, including 14 childrenA fifth bus of asylum seekers from Texas arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday as part of Texas governor Greg Abbott's plans to transport migrants away from Texas.On Saturday, Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass's office announced that the bus - the fifth one to arrive in the city since 14 June - arrived at around 11.30am at Union Station. Continue reading...

The world No 2 described his performance as solid' but suspect putting means major drought will enter a 10th yearNine years; 3,288 days. That's the length of time which has now elapsed since Rory McIlroy won a major championship. The omens had been good coming into Hoylake, the expectation as high as ever, but in the end a final round of 68 left him seven shots behind the winner, Brian Harman.There were moments, early in rounds three and four, where it looked as if McIlroy might make a charge. But in the end any promise sputtered out in the rain and seasoned Rory watchers will have seen this movie before. In a way it's like the Godfather 3, only inverted. Just as you think he's in, they pull him back out. The they" in this instance, however, refers not to the mob but the greens and McIlroy's be-hoodooed putter. Continue reading...

He may not capture the imagination of spectators but the new Open champion deserved his first win for six yearsBrian Harman is the champion golfer of the year. But who exactly is pleased for him? Certainly not the soaked crowd at Royal Liverpool on Sunday, who booed Harman on the first tee and didn't give the American his dues until his even wetter walk down the 18th fairway.Probably not the American television broadcasters, NBC, who set up a Waggle Counter" to poke fun at the number of Harman's practice swings, of which there were often a dozen or more. A sort of unofficial shot clock - a device more familiar in the NBA at the free-throw line - goading Harman to be quicker, more exciting and dynamic before an ad break. But no, the 36-year-old took his time, as is his right, and continued to stripe it down the middle. Continue reading...

Death of Curtis Davis comes days after US attorney for southern district of New York says jail complex has been in crisis for years'Calls for a federal government takeover of New York's notorious Rikers Island jail are likely to grow after a stabbing suspect died in his cell early on Sunday morning, the seventh inmate death this year and the 26th since New York's mayor, Eric Adams, took office in January 2022.Curtis Davis, 44, was found lifeless on the floor of his cell at about 5.10 am, according to correction department records. Davis had been held since 1 June for allegedly stabbing a 29-year-old man in the eye. Continue reading...

Filing comes weeks after Allison Mack, a high-ranking member of the group, was released from prisonA US prosecutor has asked a court to close down a third motion by former Nxivm sex cult leader Keith Raniere for a new trial, arguing that Raniere's claims that the government manipulated evidence against him were untimely and meritless".Raniere, 62, was sentenced to 120 years in prison following his 2019 conviction on charges of federal sex trafficking, racketeering and possession of child sexual abuse images. He has claimed that he is entitled to a new trial because the government manufactured child pornography and planted it on a computer hard drive to tie it to him". Continue reading...

High temperatures reduce engine performance and the lift airplane wings are able to produce, leading some airlines to warn of delaysExtreme temperatures in parts of the US and around the world are forcing airlines to reduce fuel loads, shed passengers or baggage, or wait for daytime temperatures to drop in the evenings, to fly some aircraft.High temperatures reduce the performance of engines and the lift airplanes wings are able to produce, which is leading Las Vegas-based Allegiant Airlines to warn that they will delay flights if there's a threat to passenger safety. Continue reading...

Renewed bid to pass stalled legislation as racial disparities in maternal health outcomes have persisted - and even worsenedAmerica is facing an intensified push to pass stalled federal legislation to address the US's alarming maternal mortality rates and glaring racial disparities which have led to especially soaring death rates among Black women giving birth.Maternal mortality rates in the US far outpace rates in other industrialized nations, with rates more than double those of countries such as France, Canada, the UK, Australia, Germany. Moms in the US are dying at the highest rates in the developed world. Continue reading...

An 11-acre plot in the California desert ruled over by a faux sultan is attracting thousands of citizens' looking for an escape from everyday lifeOne evening in late June, as the day's heat settled to a temperate 102F (38C), a small crowd gathered on a desolate plot of land in the far reaches of the California desert.An unrecognizable flag whipped high above a concrete square, where a weather-beaten wooden desk and phone booth had been strategically placed. A glassy security guard booth set in the dirt instructed visitors to register with border police", but inside stood only a stoic mannequin wearing a police uniform. Clouds of sand hung like fog on the horizon. Continue reading...

President to sign proclamation on Tuesday for monuments across three sites honoring Black teen who was lynched in 1955Joe Biden is expected to sign a proclamation to establish a national monument honoring Emmett Till, the Black teenager whose abduction, torture and lynching in Mississippi in 1955 after he was accused of whistling at a white woman helped to galvanize the civil rights movement.A White House spokesmen told the Associated Press that Biden will sign a proclamation on Tuesday - which falls on Till's birthday, 25 July 1941 - to create national monuments to the slain 14-year-old and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, across three sites in Illinois and Mississippi. Continue reading...

As a small-business owner, I don't ask employees to account for their hours - what's important is they're doing their jobsYou know what the worst thing about working for someone else is? It's wasting your time.Many years ago I worked at a small pharmaceutical company. I did a lot of time-wasting. I was a senior accountant and I reported to the company's chief financial officer. He was very old school. My hours were from 8am to 6pm and I was expected to always be at or near my desk during that period. My boss also worked the same hours, sometimes even longer. He stayed until the CEO left for the day, and it was expected that I would stay until he left for the day. Continue reading...

The governor of Illinois went viral with a speech about seeing idiots in one's midst. I have a few pointers of my own to offerIf you want to be successful in this world, you have to develop your own idiot detection system," the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, recently told the Northwestern University Class of 2023. Pritzker, a billionaire and self-described cheugy dad", clearly knows a thing or two about successful commencement speeches: his talk has gone viral. While the 20-minute speech, which was organized around quotes from characters in The Office series, wasn't entirely about idiot-spotting, that section of it seemed to resonate the most.You can see why. We live in a golden age of grifters, bullshitters and scammers. We live in an age where some of the world's most powerful people threw millions of dollars at Elizabeth Holmes, without doing proper due diligence, because she came from the right background and sounded like she knew what she was talking about. A fantasist like George Santos managed to successfully fib his way into government. And Marjorie Taylor Greene has a seat in US Congress despite routinely going on unhinged rants about, inter alia, the gazpacho police". Clearly not enough people have functioning idiot detection systems.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The QAnon adjacent' film, co-opted by the right wing, has a pay it forward' scheme resulting in sold-out shows but empty theatersSound of Freedom, the religious, QAnon adjacent" child-smuggling film that has enthralled conservatives across the US, passed the $100m mark in ticket sales on Thursday.But as the movie continues to cause controversy - with its star touring conservative media to peddle conspiracy theories about unnamed persons harvesting chemicals from children's blood and anti-trafficking experts criticizing the film's entire premise - questions are also being asked about who is actually watching it and whether that many people are watching it at all. Continue reading...

Candidates for Republican nomination attack First Step Act enacted under Trump in attempt to look tough on crimeAs a Republican congressman, Ron DeSantis was a supporter of legislation that made moderate reforms to the federal prison system intended to reduce recidivism and mass incarceration - a cause that was also championed by then president Donald Trump and his deputy, Mike Pence.Five years later, DeSantis, now Florida's governor, and Pence are struggling to overtake Trump's lead among Republicans as they vie for the party's presidential nomination, and have turned against the criminal justice measure they both supported in an effort to win over conservative voters. Continue reading...

Widespread industrial action could cloud president's Bidenomics' pitch to voters but some see a chance to shine as a champion of working peopleIt became known as the winter of discontent. After the Labour government tried to freeze wages to stem inflation, Britain was convulsed by labour strikes and disruptions in public services. Rubbish piled in the streets, bodies went unburied - and a fierce political backlash swept Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives into power.Forty-five years later a summer of strikes is roiling industries from coast to coast in America. Continue reading...

Lounging by the pool is at best ill-advised, but for residents daily life has turned into an ordealI've had my fair share of messages from friends abroad recently asking if it really is as hot as they say" in Greece. Hot, I usually retort, doesn't say it all. It's mind-meltingly blistering, baking from morning to night. You struggle to sleep, you struggle to eat, you're ill-tempered and you can't even drink; a consolatory sundown cocktail is usually the kiss of death."After the emojis and exclamation marks, the response has invariably been: Well, over here it's all cloud and rain, I'll make sure to pack my factor 30+. Looking forward!" Continue reading...

Accursed, ostracised but heedless of the misery he causes, this accused war criminal is dragging his people into a moral abyssEveryone wants a piece of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Vira Chernukha, defiant amid the ruins of her village in north-east Ukraine, curses him each morning. She wants to see him spinning in his coffin, tormented, unshriven and damned for all eternity. Chernukha might be said to speak for her nation if not the entire western world.The International Criminal Court (ICC) wants to arrest Putin for war crimes, alleging mass child abductions. Mutinous Wagner mercenaries briefly wanted to topple his regime - and gravely weakened him. Heroic opposition leader Alexei Navalny just wants him to shut up. He's been forced to listen to the same Putin speech in jail each day for more than 100 days. Continue reading...