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One in five of us is reluctant to make flattering remarks. After an awkward moment with a stranger, I am among themHad I read the findings of a new survey about people's reluctance to give compliments before last week, I might have despaired of my fellow humans. One in five of us, apparently, fears bestowing compliments, particularly concerning a person's looks, dress sense or work achievements.What have we come to that we are scared to brighten someone else's day with our admiration? But, like I said, that was before. As in, before the other day when I had the unedifying experience of having a compliment to a stranger backfire on me.Anita Chaudhuri is a freelance journalist Continue reading...

The author has returned to the Murdoch empire for his latest book, after a bestselling trilogy on Trump. He discusses power, politics, the media and why a person can be a moron and a geniusImmediately before Michael Wolff published The Fall: The End of the Murdoch Empire, the emperor himself, driver of its expansion and its bitter divisions, stepped aside. Last week, Rupert Murdoch announced he was anointing his eldest son, Lachlan, as his successor, which per Wolff's narrative will have been a bitter blow to everyone, including Lachlan.Wolff's latest book joins an oeuvre that is remarkable for its access: in 2008, he wrote a biography of Murdoch, The Man Who Owns the News, for which the mogul gave him 50 hours of interviews. Never mind that it's the longest Murdoch has ever spoken to a journalist, it's probably the longest he's ever spoken to a friend. We really got along. He's inexhaustible on the subject of the media, and I, too, am inexhaustible on that subject. We had a very good time," says Wolff. So long as they were doing business or gossip, that is. He's very hard to talk to personally; he can't reflect on his own past and his own experience. He can talk about his family; he was weirdly transparent about his children. But about himself, what he might be feeling, no." Continue reading...

The Oakland A's are closing in on 110 losses this season. But when the franchise was on the east coast they made defeat an art formIt's been a demoralizing season for fans of the Oakland Athletics. The team announced its intention to leave for Las Vegas, and on the field, the A's are wrapping up a historically bad year, playing barely over .300.But this isn't the worst A's team in history. More than a century ago, playing nearly 3,000 miles away, the Philadelphia Athletics had not only the worst record in franchise history, but the worst record of any Major League Baseball team in the modern era. Continue reading...

Preparing for a record 15th edition, the Yorkshireman talks Darren Clarke, Seve Ballesteros and the absence of Lee WestwoodNobody has been involved in more Ryder Cup matches than Billy Foster. One stands out.Darren Clarke's participation in 2006 had been in serious doubt following the death of his wife, Heather, just six weeks earlier. Ask Foster, the esteemed caddie, whether it is hard to pick a memorable moment from a Ryder Cup connection stretching back to 1987 and the answer is immediate. Continue reading...

Germany is more resilient to populism than its neighbours. But parties such as Alternative fur Deutschland are testing it to the limitThe Germans have a term for what holds them together: Wehrhafte Demokratie. It roughly translates as fortified democracy, but that does not fully render its meaning. In essence, it refers to the idea that the state has the right to act against those who threaten the liberal democratic order.Another guarantor of German stability was the postwar constitutional settlement that founded three Volksparteien, big-tent citizens' parties" operating along carefully regulated parameters, encompassing centre-left, centre and centre-right. None would enjoy absolute power, which required coalitions, compromise and consensus at national and regional levels. As a further safety net, parties with less than 5% of the vote couldn't join parliament, excluding fringe groups.John Kampfner is the author of In Search of Berlin, published by Atlantic Books on 5 October. Continue reading...

The former president's image has always been more about illusion than reality, though no revelation seems to shake the Trump faithfulFor years Donald Trump was the host of The Apprentice, a reality TV show in which contestants vied for a management job within his organisation and he would deliver the verdict: You're fired!"It cemented the image of Trump as an assertive chief executive who had conquered New York, an image that still proves seductive to millions of voters who want him to run America like a business. But like much else about the 45th US president, it was all a lie. Continue reading...

Judge refuses to dismiss a lawsuit accusing former US president of illegally inflating assets and net worth, as his lawyers say they'll appealDonald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House, a New York judge ruled on Tuesday in a strongly worded rejection of the former president's bid to throw out a civil lawsuit against him.Judge Arthur Engoron found that Trump and executives from his company, including his sons Eric and Donald Jr, routinely and repeatedly deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork. Continue reading...

New York judge ruled the ex-president had inflated the value of his assets and ordered a cancellation of business certificatesA New York judge ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump committed financial fraud by overstating the value of his assets to broker deals and obtain financing.The ruling is an acceleration of the case the New York attorney general Letitia James has been building against Trump since 2019, that the former president fudged financial statements and inflated his net worth up to $2.2bn more than the actual figure. Continue reading...

Stopgap deal reached Tuesday is a big step forward, but hard-right House Republicans still show little sign of relenting on budgetThe Senate took a significant step on Tuesday to extend government funding beyond the end of the month, with just days left to avoid a shutdown that could force millions of federal employees to go without pay.In a vote of 77 to 19, the Senate advanced a shell bill that will become a stopgap measure to fund the government through 17 November while directing roughly $6bn toward Ukraine's war efforts and another $6bn toward disaster relief. Continue reading...

The 79-page stopgap spending bill would not include any border security measures, a major sticking point for House RepublicansIn a major blow to Bob Menendez's support, Cory Booker, his fellow Democratic senator from New Jersey, says he should resign following his indictment on corruption charges last week.I believe stepping down is best for those Senator Menendez has spent his life serving," said Booker, who supported Menendez when he previously faced corruption charges in 2015. Continue reading...

Gavin Newsom, the governor, signed a law that adds an 11% state fee to the existing federal taxes for arms salesCalifornia will double the taxes on guns and ammunition and use the money to pay for more security at public schools and various violence prevention programs under a new law Gavin Newsom, the governor, signed on Tuesday.The federal government already taxes the sale of guns and ammunition at either 10% or 11%, depending on the type of gun. The law Newsom signed adds another 11% tax on top of that - making it the only state with its own tax on guns and ammunition, according to the gun control advocacy group Brady. Continue reading...

Documents show immigration agency Ice and BI Inc gather more information on those in Isap program and store it for longerA US immigration enforcement program that tracks nearly 200,000 migrants is collecting far more data on the people it surveils than officials previously shared, and storing that data for far longer than was previously known, the Guardian can reveal.Newly released documents show that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice) stores some personal information the program collects on migrants through smartphone apps, ankle monitors and smartwatches for up to 75 years. Continue reading...

In Fort Wayne, Michigan, union autoworkers react to Biden showing up to pledge his support and to Trump avoiding themOn a damp and windy day, members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) picketed outside a sprawling Ford plant in Wayne, Michigan, burning logs in barrels for warmth.The plant makes the Ford Bronco, and workers there were among the first to strike when union contract negotiations between the UAW and the car companies collapsed earlier this month. Continue reading...

The US president became the first sitting president to address striking workers by joining a protest outside a Michigan car plant in solidarity with members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union.During a speech on Tuesday, Biden told the workers they deserve 'a hell of a lot more than they get paid now', thanking them for 'saving' the auto industry

The idea behind Mehran's Steak House might have been cribbed from an earlier faux opening in London six years agoA fake steakhouse" that started as an elaborate joke" between a group of tech industry friends has gone viral after putting on its first sitting, for 140 people and members of the media, in New York City.Mehran's Steak House, which had previously only existed as a Google Maps listing created by the roommates of Mehran Jalali, the 21-year-old founder of an AI startup, drew diners to its first - and last - night on Saturday. Continue reading...

Fellow New Jersey Democratic senator says Bob Menendez should step down in significant blowIn a significant blow to Bob Menendez's hopes of staying in the US Senate while under indictment for corruption, Cory Booker - his fellow New Jersey Democrat - joined calls for the senator to resign.The details of the allegations against Senator Menendez are of such a nature that the faith and trust of New Jerseyans as well as those he must work with in order to be effective have been shaken to the core," Booker said on Tuesday. Continue reading...

President makes historic solidarity visit to Detroit-area plant day before Donald Trump amid dispute between union and carmakersJoe Biden became the first sitting US president to appear on a picket line on Tuesday, joining a protest outside a Michigan car plant in solidarity with striking members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, which is locked in an escalating dispute with America's three biggest carmakers.The UAW president, Shawn Fain, was the first to greet Biden after he arrived in Michigan on Air Force One, and he joined him in the presidential limousine for a ride to the picket line. Continue reading...

Ballesteros is still inspiring Europe, and Patrick Cantlay plays down perceived criticism from US teammate Brooks KoepkaIn the Eternal City, the spirit of Seve Ballesteros lives on. Luke Donald's chosen tribute to the European Ryder Cup legend is a subtle one. On the inside of the shirts donned by Europe's players this week, on the reverse of the Ryder Cup badge and therefore against the heart, is an unmistakable motif of Ballesteros. The Spanish golfer died in 2011, aged 54, but has been a constant source of reference for Ryder Cup captains. Ballesteros's compatriot and longtime Ryder Cup partner Jose Maria Olazabal is one of Donald's vice-captains here. Continue reading...

Trump lawyer has boasted of accessing data from external hard drive linked to president's son's laptop computerHunter Biden has sued Rudy Giuliani and his lawyer, alleging total annihilation" of his digital privacy through attempts to tie his legal and personal problems to his father, President Joe Biden, through claims about an infamous laptop and hard drive.Filed in US district court in California, where Hunter Biden lives, the suit says the former New York mayor turned Donald Trump attorney and his own lawyer, Robert Costello, are among those ... primarily responsible for what has been described as the total annihilation' of [Hunter Biden's] digital privacy. Continue reading...

The new map in place will create a second majority-Black district that will give political power to voters in the Black beltThe US supreme court has rejected a last-ditch request from Alabama to continue to use a congressional map that diluted the influence of Black voters in the state, a significant decision signaling the justices are not backing away from a surprise ruling in June that upheld the 1965 Voting Rights Act.The court's brief, unsigned order on Tuesday offered no explanation, which is typical in cases that come to the justices on an emergency basis. It had no noted dissents. Continue reading...

The grueling profession has long kept silent about mental distress. After losing a friend and quietly grappling with illness, Carrie Cunningham found a new way to save livesCarrie Cunningham puffed out her cheeks and exhaled. She looked out at the audience filled with 2,000 of her peers, surgeons who were attending the annual meeting of the Association of Academic Surgery, a prestigious gathering of specialists from universities across the United States and Canada.Cunningham, president of the organization, knew what she was about to reveal could cost her promotions, patients and professional standing. She took a deep breath. Continue reading...

Local Labs - which calls its work both political research and journalism - is demanding voters' details across the country to back claims of election fraudVotebeat is a non-profit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the US. Sign up for our free newsletters here.In North Carolina, Local Labs wanted obscure voter records that would take weeks, or even months, to prepare. In Georgia, the company requested a copy of every envelope voters used to mail in their ballots. And in dozens of counties across the US, Local Labs asked for the address of every midterm voter. Continue reading...

Gavin Newsom says new law banning school boards from rejecting textbooks cements California's role as the true freedom state'California governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday to ban school boards from rejecting textbooks based on their teachings about the contributions of people from different racial backgrounds, sexual orientations and gender identities.Newsom called the measure long overdue". Continue reading...

Former White House aide says Trump almost destroyed democracy' and is running for president to do it againThe former Donald Trump White House aide who became a crucial witness to the January 6 attack says she believes the Republican party is facing a make-or-break moment" over whether to nominate him in the 2024 presidential race.We're talking about a man who at the very essence of his being almost destroyed democracy in one day, and he wants to do it again," Cassidy Hutchinson said of Trump during an interview with MSNBC's Rachael Maddow on Monday, a clear reference to the assault on the US Capitol that the ex-president's supporters staged after his electoral defeat to his Democratic rival Joe Biden nearly three years ago. Continue reading...

From Orban in Hungary to Fico in Slovakia, populists are looking to a Trump win to boost their power in the EUWhen Donald Trump lost the White House in 2020, Europe's strongmen, populists and climate change deniers lost a powerful ally and a protector. Yet most of Europe's mini-Trumps have survived his fall, his denial of defeat and the storming of Congress by his supporters, and are now hoping that a comeback for the Republican frontrunner in next year's US presidential election will put fresh wind in their own sails.In his four years in office, Trump described the European Union as a foe" and Nato as obsolete". He had earlier openly applauded the UK's vote for Brexit and encouraged other countries to follow suit. He pulled the United States out of global agreements to fight climate change, tore up arms control treaties, slapped tariffs on his allies and picked fights with Germany over trade and defence spending. And he rolled out the red carpet for the populist leaders of Poland and Hungary just as they were defying EU censure over moves to snuff out judicial independence, civil rights and media pluralism.Paul Taylor is a senior fellow of the Friends of Europe thinktank Continue reading...

DoD to review cases of veterans denied honorable discharges under don't ask, don't tell' policy but critics say more can be doneAdvocates are celebrating the Department of Defense's decision to correct the military records of many veterans who were discharged over their sexual orientation in the past - while adding that the agency must do more for affected veterans.The Pentagon has announced it will review cases of LGBTQ+ veterans who were denied honorable discharges after being removed from the military under the 1990s policy of don't ask, don't tell" (DADT). Thousands of veterans were removed from service following the controversial 1993 law introduced by then president Bill Clinton as a compromise step which allowed gay and lesbian military personnel to serve only if their sexuality remained secret or was not reported. Continue reading...

The Chicago Project on Security and Threats and the Guardian co-host an event on how to safeguard the future of US democracy at 5pm CT - watch hereThe Guardian US and the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (Cpost) at the University of Chicago are co-hosting an event on Tuesday focusing on dangers to democracy and anticipated threats to the 2024 election.The Guardian's Fight for Democracy project has been working with Cpost since June 2023, reporting on the project's Dangers to Democracy surveys which dive into Americans' views on political violence, conspiracy theories and threats to US elections. The first survey found that a staggering 12 million American adults, or 4.4% of the adult population, believe violence is justified to restore Donald Trump to the White House. Continue reading...

Will the Classic Learning Test bring truth and beauty' back into education - or is it fueling Ron DeSantis's extremist agenda?From the don't say gay" law, which bans discussion of LGBTQ+ issues in the classroom, to laws helping parents challenge school library books they oppose, Ron DeSantis has turned Florida's public schools into a culture war battleground - and the implementation of his laws has often veered into absurd territory.About 300 books were removed from library shelves last year. Some teachers have resorted to using only excerpts from Shakespeare plays to avoid any raunchiness" that might cost them their jobs. For DeSantis, the censorship is part of a so-called war on woke", intended to prevent the perceived indoctrination of students by leftwing influences. Continue reading...

The Scottish actor has died at the age of 90. From Illya Kuryakin in The Man from UNCLE to Professor Plum in Cluedo, here we look back at his life and career Continue reading...

Biden has pushed key policies to fight soaring US inequality. Yet he's been reluctant to name and shame its causesKudos to Joe Biden for joining the United Auto Workers picket line on Tuesday. He's the first president to join a picket line in living memory.But he shouldn't stop there.as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob ... Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me - and I welcome their hatred.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a 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 newest 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...

By abasing himself to Trump and the most hardline Republicans, Kevin McCarthy made himself a political hostageThe House Republicans have triggered a Chernobyl of their own, a chain reaction that will inexorably lead to a meltdown to their core surrounded by a radioactive forbidden zone. Saboteurs rush in unobstructed, setting blazes and planting explosives. The nominal fire chief stands dumbfounded, an observer transfixed at the raging conflagration, anxious about his escape route. This is a whole new concept of individuals that just want to burn the whole place down," the fire chief fumes. Then, smoke billowing behind him, he flees the scene and tells everyone to go home for a week.The speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, is the speaker in name. He has the part. He will do anything to retain the honorific. Gesture by gesture he dispenses with the powers of his office for the sake of wearing its polished badge. If nature abhors a vacuum, his unnatural enemies thrive in it. He agreed to their demand that instead of proposing a continuing resolution for 30 days to continue negotiations on the budget he would divide appropriations into 14 separate bills, each requiring a procedural vote to be able to consider them. Twice he dutifully brought to the floor the procedural votes for the defense appropriations bill, and twice they were contemptuously rejected. His heedless appeasement was a defeat foretold. The federal government shutdown looms. Continue reading...

The president standing in solidarity' with striking autoworkers is a powerful gesture that could resonate with key blue-collar votersIn the more than 150 years since workers first formed labor unions in the United States, no American president has ever stood in solidarity" with workers on a picket line. Joe Biden has vowed to do exactly that with striking autoworkers in Michigan on Tuesday.This is genuinely new - I don't think it's ever happened before, a president on a picket line," said Nelson Lichtenstein, a longtime labor historian at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Candidates do it frequently and prominent senators, but not a president." Continue reading...

Writers Guild of America says tentative agreement on pay and conditions due to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power'. Plus, how to deal with garlic breath, according to scientists

Strength, footwork and hand speed are vital attributes for a fighter. But it is often blood that decides who emerges from the ring victoriousLet's say you're going about your business and get whacked in the head. Blood is pouring from a wound above one of your eyes. You stop what you're doing and go to the hospital to get stitched up, right?Not if your business is fighting. If you're a professional boxer, you're likely to be told it's only blood." And then you continue to get hit. Continue reading...

Since taking over as manager at Columbus Crew, Wilfried Nancy has forged an explosive team who score plenty of goalsLionel Messi has made Inter Miami a must-watch team since his arrival in Major League Soccer two months ago, but that doesn't mean they are necessarily the league's most entertaining team. Instead, the Columbus Crew deserve that title. Their brand of attack-minded, possession soccer has compelled and captivated all season long. Inter Miami have Messi, but Columbus have Wilfried Nancy.The Frenchman has earned himself a reputation as one of MLS's most forward-thinking coaches. Hired by Columbus from CF Montreal at the end of last season, the 46-year-old knows hold to build bold, brave teams. He wants his side to have the ball, but not just for the sake of it. This is possession with a purpose - the purpose being to score goals. Continue reading...

Prosecutors say Renny Antonio Parra Paredes, 38, played a key role in selling the drugs that were stored at the childcare facilityA third person has been charged in the death of a toddler apparently poisoned by fentanyl inside a New York City daycare center, authorities said on Monday, as the search continued for the alleged ringleader of the drug peddling operation.Renny Antonio Parra Paredes, 38, was charged with narcotics distribution resulting in death, 10 days after authorities discovered four young children showing signs of opioid exposure at a Bronx daycare center. One of those children, one-year-old Nicholas Dominci, was pronounced dead last Friday. Continue reading...

The plane was en route from Ecuador to Florida, where seven passengers and one crew member were hospitalized on arrivalThe National Transportation Safety Board said it has opened an investigation into a JetBlue flight that experienced sudden severe turbulence on Monday, injuring seven passengers and a crew member.The incident occurred on Monday on JetBlue flight 1256, an Airbus A320, near Jamaica while en route from Guayaquil, Ecuador, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the board said. Continue reading...

Leaders of Pacific island states have been given star treatment in Washington but Chinese influence is the spectre at the feastJoe Biden has offered more economic aid to Pacific islands at a White House meeting with leaders from the region aimed at bolstering US engagement in the face of a growing Chinese presence.The president also announced formal US recognition of two new island nations, the Cook Islands and Niue, at the start of the Pacific Islands Forum, two days of Washington meetings with leaders from the group's 18 members. Continue reading...

The Barakat Gallery reported the theft of the 250lb bronze statue, which the director alleges took place after it was scoped out'Los Angeles police are investigating after a thief carried out an overnight heist and stole a $1.5m Buddha statue, weighing almost 250lb, from an antiquities gallery.Authorities received a report of a burglary on Monday at the Barakat Gallery, which offers museum quality" ancient art. According to surveillance footage, the thief had stolen the statue in the early morning hours in what appeared to be a planned burglary. Continue reading...

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Europe's talisman endured a rough time in 2021 but the backing of his team provided a vital boost. Now he's out to beat the USAThe tears led to fears. As Rory McIlroy blubbed during an interview at the conclusion of the last Ryder Cup, speculation rose that one of the greatest golfers of all time was in a tailspin. Nobody in European colours impressed during a brutal 19-9 defeat by the US but the extent of McIlroy's troubles until a final-day win against Xander Schauffele were especially stark.As is often the case around McIlroy, it turned out the received wisdom was wrong. He won on his next tournament outing. Another quintet of titles have been added during the intervening period. The inability to claim a fifth major gnaws at the Northern Irishman but his level of consistency postWisconsin has made a mockery of tales of woe. Continue reading...

Mark Meadows' wife complained of cost of dry-cleaning to remove smell from suits, Cassidy Hutchison writes in new memoirMark Meadows burned so many papers in his office fireplace as Donald Trump's presidency came to its chaotic end that the then White House chief of staff's wife complained about the cost of dry-cleaning his suits to remove the bonfire" smell, Cassidy Hutchinson writes in her eagerly awaited memoir.The New York Times reported the passage about Meadows burning documents, before MSNBC confirmed it. Continue reading...

Spiralling tensions between Pristina and Belgrade have again spilled over into violence. The European Union's mediating strategy is not workingAt the weekend, Kosovo's prime minister, Albin Kurti, spoke despairingly in relation to a decade of talks about normalising relations with Serbia, which continues to refuse to recognise his country's independent status. In an interview with the Guardian, Mr Kurti claimed that the negotiations, mediated by the European Union, were in danger of reaching a dead end. Shortly after publication, there was ominous confirmation that a nadir has indeed been reached. In a serious escalation of tensions, five people, including a Kosovan police officer, were killed after an ambush by unidentified armed men near the Serbian border.For the EU and its foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, the ramifications of diplomatic failure stretch well beyond the fate of the northern tip of Kosovo, with its majority Serb population. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU has redoubled its efforts to anchor the western Balkans within its orbit and combat Moscow's influence. But Sunday's shootings indicate that in this Balkan hotspot, its approach isn't working. Continue reading...

New Jersey senator strikes defiant tone to reporters and accuses some of rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat'Insisting he would not resign after being indicted on corruption charges, the embattled New Jersey Democratic senator Bob Menendez told reporters that $480,000 in cash found in a safe, clothing and closets at his home was kept there for emergency personal use.For 30 years," Menendez said, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings accounts, which I have kept for emergencies and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba." Continue reading...