The supreme court draft ruling on abortion shows how desperate some are to control our bodies. But we are never going backTo All Those Who Dare Rob Us of Our Bodily Choice, I ask you:What is it about our bodies that makes you so afraid, so insecure, so cruel and punishing?V (formerly Eve Ensler) is a playwright and activist and the founder of V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and girls Continue reading...
The longtime NBA player has shined in his rookie year as a basketball analyst, but his viral takedown of Chris Russo this week on ESPN’s First Take showed what makes him specialJJ Redick’s emergence as a rising star for ESPN since joining the network as a basketball analyst in October has been one of the more notable stories in US sports media over the past year.The 37-year-old Redick, who launched a popular podcast while he was still a player, spent 15 seasons in the NBA after a decorated four-year stint at Duke, where he was the consensus national college basketball player of the year in 2006. He’s brought the keen insight and deep knowledge of an ex-pro to the broadcasting booth, but it’s been his regular appearances on ESPN’s breakfast-time debate show First Take that have made the biggest splash. Continue reading...
The Biden administration’s proposal is cynicism masquerading as populism – and it will enrage everyone and hurt the Democrats’ electoral chancesDuring the 2020 Democratic primary, Pete Buttigieg’s personal ambition led him to poison the conversation about education in America. Desperate for a contrast point with his rivals, the son of a private university professor aired ads blasting the idea of tuition-free college because he said it would make higher education “free even for the kids of millionaires.”The attack line, borrowed from former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, was cynicism masquerading as populism. It was an attempt to limit the financial and political benefits of a proposal to make college free. Worse, it was disguised as a brave stand against the oligarchs bankrolling Buttigieg’s campaign, even though it actually wasn’t – almost no rich scions would benefit from free college.David Sirota is a Guardian US columnist and an award-winning investigative journalist. He is an editor-at-large at Jacobin, and the founder of the Lever. He served as Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign speechwriterAndrew Perez is a senior editor at The Lever and a co-founder of the Democratic Policy CenterA version of this piece was first published in the Lever, a reader-supported investigative news outlet Continue reading...
We are engaged in an existential battle over the identity of this nation. The Biden administration’s tepid midterm strategy is failingThe surest way to lose a battle is to not fight. Despite this fairly obvious logic, President Joe Biden and too many Democrats seem to have adopted a political strategy for the midterm elections of avoiding as many fights as possible. This path-of-least-resistance approach has resulted in plummeting presidential approval numbers and will further plunge the party off the cliff in the midterms if Democrats do not quickly reverse course. To turn things around, Biden should leap into the fundamental fights over what are called “culture wars” – and he should do so with gusto.It is unmistakably clear that we are engaged in an existential battle over the very identity of this nation. Is the United States of America primarily a straight, white, cisgender, male, Christian country, or is it a multiracial and multicultural democracy? The adherents of the former view are waging war with glee and abandon. From rightwing state legislatures to the supreme court, they are holding nothing back in attacking voting by people of color, the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, multicultural education, reproductive freedom and commonsense public health protections during a global pandemic, to name just a few fronts in this fight.Steve Phillips is a Guardian columnist, host of the Democracy in Color podcast and author of the forthcoming book How We Win the Civil War Continue reading...
The Democrats now have a fighting chance to maintain control of the Senate. Their odds of retaining and flipping seats have improved overnightOn Monday night, Politico reported that a majority of the US supreme court is poised to overturn Roe v Wade, eviscerate a half-century of precedent, and leave the issue of abortion to the states. Five of the court’s nine justices are prepared to give the Republican base exactly what it demanded. The remaining question for the Republican party is whether answered prayers are the most dangerous.If the leaked draft of the majority opinion in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization is close to the final cut, the court stands to energize otherwise dejected Democrats and put Republican members of Congress in Democratic-leaning states at risk. Expect the anticipated Republican House majority in the midterms to be smaller than currently projected. Continue reading...
As a large-scale Russian propaganda campaign gets under way, fighting continues in the steel plant in Mariupol. Plus, Karine Jean-Pierre named new US press secretaryGood morning.A third United Nations operation was under way this morning to evacuate Ukrainian civilians from the Russian-besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, which the UN secretary general has described as a series of “hellscapes”.Why is Putin so determined to capture Mariupol over the next few days? As Victory Day, 9 May, approaches in Russia, Vladimir Putin has yet to win any prize in two months of war in Ukraine that can be shown off to the Russian people. But Mariupol could be close. Here’s how Victory Day became central to Putin’s idea of Russian identity.What else is happening? Here’s what we know on day 72 of the invasion.What has Biden said about her appointment? Biden lauded Jean-Pierre’s “experience, talent and integrity”. He said: “Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this administration.”When will Psaki leave? Her last day will be 13 May. Continue reading...
As the WNBA tips off its 2022 season on Friday, uncertainty remains over the future of one of the league’s most beloved starsEvery team begins its season hoping to win the championship, but that goal may appear inconsequential in this year’s WNBA when one of the league’s leading players, Brittney Griner, continues to languish in a Russian jail.WNBA players are attempting to remain focused on the court, while worrying about Griner’s condition and any news of a potential release after she was detained over allegations she brought cannabis into Russia. Continue reading...
Karine Jean-Pierre has been announced as the new White House press secretary, succeeding Jen Psaki and becoming the first black and openly gay person to serve in the role. Jean-Pierre, a political analyst, was Kamala Harris’s chief of staff during the vice-president’s presidential campaign in 2020 and served on Barack Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012
From anti-Hillary Democrats to Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who clung on at Supreme Court, unlikely targets are being identified for blameAfter the initial shock, the blame. On Monday, when news broke of the leaked US supreme court draft opinion overturning Roe v Wade, millions of horrified Americans sought emotional release. “I am angry,” said Elizabeth Warren, voice shaking, leading a pack of reporters straight over a flowerbed outside the supreme court. Her face ignited with rage as she reminded them that 69% of Americans are against overturning the abortion legislation. “The Republicans have been working towards this day for decades,” she said. In the background, a man shouted, “You want to dismember children in the womb!”For many of us, that man – the you-want-to-kill-babies guy – and his ilk were not the first target for righteous abuse. It’s hard, in moments of duress, to get much satisfaction from reiterating an existing and long-held revulsion, particularly when its subject is beyond reasonable reach. When considering the rightwing architects of this moment, there was no “what if” in attendance; all the what ifs belonged to the left. Political purists who in 2016 urged Democrats to avoid voting for Hillary Clinton (hi, Susan Sarandon) were the first in line, and social media echoed to the sound of, “We told you this would happen.”Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Special panel in New York reportedly investigated discrepancies in the Trump family’s valuation of real estate, but charges look unlikelyAs a New York grand jury investigating Donald Trump appears poised to expire, questions have emerged about what could now happen to the high-profile criminal inquiry into the former US president.The six-month special grand jury, which started under former Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr in late 2021, and continued under the current DA, Alvin Bragg, reportedly investigated discrepancies in the Trump family’s valuation of real estate. Continue reading...
Mark Esper writes in new memoir of how worried he was that Trump would try to use US military to hold on to powerA week before election day 2020, the US secretary of defense was so worried that Donald Trump would seek to involve the military in the election in an attempt to hold on to power, he told the general commanding the US national guard to notify him of any communication from anyone at all at the White House.“Without being too explicit,” Mark Esper writes in a new memoir, “my message was clear: the US military was not going to get involved in the election, no matter who directed it. I would intercede.” Continue reading...
by Sebastian Duchene and Ashleigh Porter for the Conv on (#5YY51)
The emergence of new variants has raised questions about whether previous infection offers protection and what the future holdsBy now, many of us will be familiar with the Omicron variant of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid. This variant of concern has changed the course of the pandemic, leading to a dramatic rise in cases around the world.We are also increasingly hearing about new Omicron subvariants with names such as BA.2, BA.4 and now BA.5. The concern is these subvariants may lead to people becoming reinfected, leading to another rise in cases. Continue reading...
Memoir from ex-defense chief Mark Esper details extraordinary outbursts he says he helped to defuseIn the heated summer of 2020, thwarted in his desire for a violent crackdown on protesters for racial justice, Donald Trump included his vice-president in a complaint that senior advisers were “losers”.Trump’s second defense secretary, Mark Esper, details the Oval Office outburst in a new book. A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Defense Secretary in Extraordinary Times, will be published next week. The Guardian obtained a copy. Continue reading...
Former Trump lawyer was expected to appear at the interview on Friday, but canceled when the panel denied his request to record itDonald Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani is not expected to appear at an interview scheduled for Friday with the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack, throwing into jeopardy the prospect of his cooperation, say sources familiar with the matter.The move by Giuliani to cancel his appearance after the panel declined his request to record the interview means it may not secure documents and testimony from a central figure in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election in time for public hearings in June. Continue reading...
The current principal deputy press secretary will be first Black person and first out gay person to hold jobJoe Biden has named his new press secretary, after it was announced that Jen Psaki will leave the administration, expected to become a TV host at MSNBC.Karine Jean-Pierre, currently the principal deputy press secretary, will be taking over the role after Psaki leaves in mid-May. Jean-Pierre, a political analyst, was Kamala Harris’s chief of staff during the vice-president’s presidential campaign in 2020 and served on Barack Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012. She was also an adviser and spokesperson for MoveOn.org, a progressive Pac. Continue reading...
Dow falls 3.1% a day after the Fed chair announces biggest hike in two decades to combat inflationUS stock markets suffered their worst day of the year on Thursday as investors worried about the Federal Reserve’s plans to raise interest rates to tackle soaring inflation.The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost over 1,000 points (3.1%). The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite fell 3.5% and 4.9% respectively. Tech stocks were particularly hard-hit, with Amazon dropping 7.6% and Tesla falling 8.3%. Continue reading...
Heard continued her counterargument to Depp’s claim of defamation, telling jurors her former husband would become angry if any of her movies were scripted with sex scenes. Heard claimed she compensated for his jealousy by declining more sexually provocative parts or petitioning wardrobe managers to allow her to dress more conservatively. She also said Depp was surrounded by security guards and assistants who enabled him to avoid the consequences of his drug and alcohol issues
Since supreme court draft ruling was published, Democrats have warned of a likely torrent of challenges to established rightsRepublicans in Louisiana have advanced a bill to make abortion a crime of murder, as a draft decision that would end abortion rights continues to spark nationwide protests and police in Washington raised “non-scalable” fences around the supreme court.Supporters admitted the bill, under which a woman terminating a pregnancy or anyone assisting her could be charged, was unconstitutional – as long as Roe v Wade was law. Continue reading...
Kyrgyzstan-born Russian boxer has been reduced to a ghostly figure in Las Vegas but remains quietly confidentThere have been times this week when Dmitry Bivol, the unbeaten and outstanding WBA world light-heavyweight champion, has been reduced to a ghostly figure in Las Vegas. Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, his challenger on Saturday night, dominates boxing and so the layered and complex life of Bivol has been ignored.The 31-year-old Russian is regarded by many as simply the next opponent for the imperious Mexican. Canelo, the undisputed world super-middleweight champion, is jumping up to light-heavy to presumably dispatch Bivol before returning to his regular weight class in September to face his bitter rival Gennady Golovkin. Continue reading...
Actor tells court that Depp would deny what had taken place when he was drunk, and that she suffered suspected broken nose by himAmber Heard continued her explosive counter-argument to Johnny Depp’s claim of defamation, telling jurors her former husband was surrounded by security guards and assistants who enabled him to avoid the consequences of his drug and alcohol issues.The court was shown photographs of Depp passed out, which Heard said she starting taking in 2013 because he would black out and later deny what had taken place when he was intoxicated. Continue reading...
Hit Netflix documentary has been crucial in sparking American interest in F1, and has announced two new seasonsFormula One will revel in its new found success in the US at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. The sport is resurgent in the country F1 has long wanted to break and a key factor has been the popularity of the Netflix documentary series Drive to Survive. Little wonder then that the streaming service chose Miami as the backdrop to announce the series has been recommissioned for a further two seasons.F1 is holding two races in the US for the first time since 1984, with Miami and the US GP in Austin. Next year it will add Las Vegas to the mix. The sport’s owners, Liberty Media who took over F1 in 2017, have made no secret of their ambition to build F1’s profile in the US, and Drive to Survive has been vital. Continue reading...
Nashville public library patrons can now get limited-edition cards as part of ‘Freedom to Read’ campaignThe Nashville public library has debuted new library cards celebrating banned books amid attempts to censor literature throughout the state.Patrons of the Nashville public library system can now get limited-edition bright yellow library cards that say: “I read banned books.” Continue reading...
Pharmacy giant agrees to pay state government over 18-year period but does not admit to wrongdoing as part of the dealPharmacy giant Walgreens said on Thursday it has reached a $683m settlement with Florida to resolve claims that the chain exacerbated an opioid epidemic in the state.The settlement includes $620m to be paid to Florida over 18 years, plus $63m for legal fees. Florida is the first state to settle its opioid claims against major pharmacy chains Walgreens and CVS, collecting more than $1.1bn from the two companies. Continue reading...
The most important primary in the US might be the Georgia secretary of state race, where Brad Raffensperger is in a tough re-election battle after standing up to TrumpHello, and Happy Thursday,I’m writing from Atlanta, where I’m spending this week reporting on the Republican primary for secretary of state.Georgia’s department of driver services quietly eliminated automatic voter registration on its website, but has since restored it.A decision striking down New York’s congressional map is a major blow to Democratic efforts to keep control of the US House this yearMississippi’s governor vetoed a bill that would make it moderately easier for people with felony convictions to get their voting rights back. Continue reading...
Cave in northern Alabama home to carvings that experts say were probably made during the Woodland periodThe largest cave figures in North America have been discovered in Alabama as a result of advanced photography.In a study published on Tuesday in the journal Antiquity, researchers revealed that a cave in the northern Alabama countryside is home to carvings dating back about 1,000 years. Experts estimate that the carvings were made during the Woodland period. Continue reading...
JD Vance once pondered if Trump was the next Hitler. Then he kissed Trump’s ring – and has been rewarded with the Ohio Republican Senate nominationOn Tuesday, JD Vance won Ohio’s Republican nomination for US Senate. After lagging in the polls for months, Vance hit the tape first after garnering Donald Trump’s endorsement. Although Vance received under a third of votes cast, more than half of Buckeye state Republicans voted for a candidate who made his personal devotion to Trump a political cornerstone. The Republican party still belongs to 45th president.By contrast, Matt Dolan, a state senator whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians, the area’s Major League Baseball team, finished third with less than a quarter of the vote. Dolan publicly accepted the outcome of the 2020 election. He is the latest in a series of cautionary tales.Lloyd Green is an attorney in New York. He was opposition research counsel to George HW Bush’s 1988 campaign and served in the Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992 Continue reading...
by Maanvi Singh in Berkeley with photographs by Prest on (#5YX0R)
For many unhoused Californians, disabilities make life at a temporary shelter nearly impossible“I just don’t know where to go.”Sarah sighed as she looked past her tent off the I-80 highway, at the edge of the San Francisco Bay. Continue reading...
The Democratic party is encouraging president to be more forward-leaning as he broadened US objectives in the conflictThe visit of the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, to Kyiv at the head of a congressional delegation this week was a reminder that in Washington the Ukraine war is not just an issue of national security but is an increasingly important domestic political issue too.In his approach to the conflict, Joe Biden, has the wind at his back in terms of US public opinion and Democratic party sentiment which is encouraging him to be ever more forward-leaning. Continue reading...
Actor tells US court he hit her repeatedly in drug-induced rages and once carried out ‘cavity search’Amber Heard has accused Johnny Depp of being a self-described “monster”, hitting her repeatedly during jealous drug-induced rages, breaking furniture, and at one point sexually assaulting her in what she described as a “cavity search” for cocaine he believed she had hidden from him.Heard took the witness stand in a Virginia court on Wednesday afternoon during Depp’s defamation lawsuit against her – a make-or-break moment for the actors in a four-week trial that had so far largely focused on Depp’s version of events during their turbulent 15-month marriage. Continue reading...
As horse racing returns to the spotlight with the 148th Kentucky Derby, a respectable future for the sport that prioritizes equine welfare remains the longest shot of allMoments after crossing the wire second in a field of 20, the big lanky filly Eight Belles collapsed in the dirt with two shattered front ankles. Bone pierced flesh as she struggled to stand but could not. The lather on her dark coat and the blood on her mangled legs glistened under the late afternoon sun. In the charming grandstand of Churchill Downs, a sea of rainbow costumes and made-up faces froze in horror and disbelief. Fists gripped wagering tickets and sweating cocktails while jaws hung agape beneath garish hats decorated with netting and cheap plastic flowers. Her life, just entering its third year, ended there in the dirt against the backdrop of the antique twin spires, the pain and suffering in her eyes witnessed only by those standing over her as the track vet pushed in the lethal dose to end her suffering.Had Eight Belles survived the 2008 Kentucky Derby she would be 17 now, a horse approaching her golden years. But it was not to be, due the overwhelming stress brought upon her by what she was made to do. Such has also been the fate of countless racehorses since her. A number in the thousands to be sure though, due to a long-running lack of racing industry regulation, record keeping, transparency and willingness, the true statistic can never be known. Continue reading...
The elections bill will deter non-Tory supporters from voting and scrap any oversight. Reform is needed more than ever beforeToday is the last time you will go to the polls before the government’s shameful and shameless new elections bill becomes law. It was squeezed through parliament late at night last week in the final “wash-up” of bad bills before the end of the session.The bill’s Trumpish voter suppression is designed to deter poor and young people from voting. Its passing also makes these the last elections to be monitored and scrutinised by a genuinely independent Electoral Commission. This habitually timid outfit tried to stand up for itself: “The independence of the Electoral Commission is vital to the functioning of a healthy democracy,” it said. But, as of now, Boris Johnson and his allies will set their own terms for the commission, including its scrutiny of finance.Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
With this year’s draft in the rearview mirror, we have a chance to look at the most intriguing quarterback situations heading into the new seasonBubbling away in the background this offseason are Lamar Jackson’s protracted contract negotiations with the Ravens. Jackson has still not signed a long-term deal. While the Ravens’ AFC rivals have locked their young quarterbacks into record-shattering extensions, Jackson has continued to run his contract down. Continue reading...
Robert Samuel’s business has put him at the forefront of cultural events – and shines a light on the state of capitalism in 2022At 5am, it’s as dark as it ever gets in Times Square, where massive digital billboards never stop blasting light into the sky, illuminating city blocks across midtown.The square is among the most-visited tourist attractions in New York City, but at this time it’s deserted, save for five people standing outside the Winter Garden Theatre. Continue reading...
The former president was once pro-choice – but the threat he posed to reproductive rights was hiding in plain sight“I’m very pro-choice.” So said Donald Trump in an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press in 1999, attributing his views on abortion to “a little bit of a New York background”.Two decades later, the businessman and reality TV star is the unlikeliest of heroes for social conservatives and Christian evangelicals because he delivered the ultimate prize: the end of America’s constitutional right to abortion. Continue reading...
We could all do with a little more solidarity between those entering into parenthood, regardless of their gender“Hey, Mama!” This is how I was greeted by a friendly member of staff every morning during my week-long stay in hospital after my baby’s birth. Theoretically, I had had my whole pregnancy to get used to the idea of being a mother in the eyes of the world, because almost immediately you become, to the professionals you interact with, “Mum”. As in: “could Mum pop herself up on the bed, please?” (Mums seem to do a lot of “popping”). But nonetheless, it was still surreal to feel my identity shift.Meanwhile, the baby’s father wore a name tag that proclaimed: “I am [name]. I am husband.” It made me laugh, recalling as it did “I am woman, hear me roar”, or at least a labour ward version of that: “I am husband, hear me … ask politely once again for pethidine.”Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
by Lauren Gambino and Lauren Burke in Washington on (#5YWV0)
Despite controlling the White House and Congress, Democrats seem powerless to fight the assault on Roe v Wade but hope it will energise midterm votersVisibly shaking with fury and brandishing megaphones and posters, thousands of women defending reproductive rights in America thronged below the marbled columns of the US supreme court to protest against what appears to be the imminent demise of the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling recognizing abortion as a constitutional right.“Do something, Democrats,” the crowd chanted at one point. Continue reading...
House panel also released text messages in which Donald Trump’s son begged the White House to get his father to condemn the riotDonald Trump’s oldest son has met with the congressional committee investigating the January 6 insurrection, according to two people familiar with the matter.The interview Tuesday with Donald Trump Jr comes as the bipartisan House committee moves closer to the former president’s inner circle of family members and political advisers. Continue reading...
The justice department has alleged that Oath Keepers leadership called the president’s confidant to allow them to use forceStewart Rhodes, the Oath Keepers militia group leader charged with seditious conspiracy over the January 6 attack on the Capitol, asked an intermediary to get Donald Trump to allow his group to forcibly stop the transfer of power, the justice department has alleged in court papers.The previously unknown phone call with the unidentified individual appears to indicate the Oath Keepers had contacts with at least one person close enough to Trump that Rhodes believed the individual would be a good person to consult with his request. Continue reading...
Actor Amber Heard took the witness stand for the first time on Wednesday in the defamation case brought by her former husband Johnny Depp, saying it was painful to relive the couple's relationship in the courtroom. Depp, 58, is suing Heard, 36, for $50m, saying she defamed him when she claimed she was a victim of domestic abuse. Heard has counter-sued for $100m, saying Depp smeared her by calling her a liar.
President warns of new attacks by Trump-dominated political party after supreme court ruling draft leak on abortionJoe Biden has warned of new attacks on civil rights as the supreme court prepares to strike down the right to abortion, telling reporters at the White House that LGBTQ+ children could be the next targets of a Trump-dominated Republican party he called “this Maga crowd” and “the most extreme political organisation … in recent American history”.“What happens,” the president asked, if “a state changes the law saying that children who are LGBTQ can’t be in classrooms with other children? Is that legit under the way the decision is written?” Continue reading...
Maxwell Berry, 23, who was restrained in his seat with tape, also was sentenced to a year of supervised release after his jail timeAn Ohio man who had to be restrained in his seat with tape after groping and assaulting flight attendants during a flight from Philadelphia to Miami last year has been sentenced by a federal judge to 60 days in prison.Maxwell Berry, 23, also was sentenced by US district judge Robert Scola Jr to a year of supervised release after his jail time. Continue reading...
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