by Oliver Milman in New York and Gabrielle Canon in O on (#6E1BD)
Damage from rare tropical storm is less than feared, but experts warn of further danger as it heads to Nevada and OregonVast swaths of the US south-west are reeling after Tropical Storm Hilary pummeled the region with historic amounts of rain and strong winds, even as the storm weakened on its path northward on Monday.The rare tempest left downed trees, flooded streets, and cascades of mud and debris in its wake after slamming into the US west coast on Sunday. In California, the storm had largely cleared by Monday afternoon, and officials celebrated that damage had been less severe than feared. Continue reading...
CDC must now weigh in on vaccine to fight respiratory infection in vulnerable newbornsUS regulators on Monday approved the first RSV vaccine for pregnant women so their babies will be born with protection against the scary respiratory infection.RSV is notorious for filling hospitals with wheezing babies every fall and winter. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Pfizer's maternal vaccination to guard against a severe case of RSV when babies are most vulnerable - from birth through six months of age. Continue reading...
by Abené Clayton (now) and Léonie Chao-Fong (earlie on (#6E18H)
The Bidens are accompanied by the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne CriswellDonald Trump continues to hold a dominant lead over the rest of the GOP field in Iowa, the site of the nation's first presidential caucuses, with 23 points ahead of his closest competitor, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, according to a new poll.The survey by the Des Moines Register, NBC News and Mediacom of likely Republican caucus-goers, was conducted before and after Trump's latest indictment in Georgia, and shows the former president's lead over DeSantis increased after his latest charges. Continue reading...
From secret energy weapon' starting fires to a global cabal razing the town for an experiment - false theories are fast gaining groundIn the aftermath of the devastating wildfires in Maui, misinformation and conspiracy theories have spread online, underscoring the shortcomings of social media firms' enforcement policies following disasters.Conspiracy theories including that the fire was started intentionally by a secret energy weapon" and that a shadowy cabal of global elites set the blazes purposefully to clear the land for their own nefarious uses have gained popularity. Continue reading...
Tracy Marie Fiorenza, 41, allegedly made first threat in email in May and allegedly sent another in June, officials sayA Chicago woman was arrested on Monday on charges of emailing threats to shoot Donald Trump and his youngest son Barron Trump, the US attorney's office in the Illinois city said.A formal complaint was filed against Tracy Marie Fiorenza, 41, earlier this month in the US district court for the southern district of Florida. Continue reading...
Kristopher Coody pleads guilty to sexual battery over groping of Glenda Hatchett last year and sentenced to year on probationA Georgia sheriff pleaded guilty on Monday to groping TV judge Glenda Hatchett, who recalled being so stunned that she froze when the lawman grabbed and squeezed her breast at a hotel bar last year during a law enforcement conference.Bleckley county sheriff Kristopher Coody pleaded guilty in Cobb county state court to a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery and was sentenced to a year on probation, news outlets reported. He also resigned from the office he had held since 2017. Continue reading...
Storm Hilary flooded streets and downed power lines across southern California and the US south-west on Monday after unleashing record-breaking downpours overnight, but there were no deaths reported in the US and fears of widespread damage were dissipating.Hilary triggered California's first ever tropical storm warning, extending from the Mexican border to just north of Los Angeles.The storm made landfall on Sunday in Mexico, where it caused flash flooding in the Baja Peninsula that killed one person when their car was washed away
Such storms landing on California are extremely rare - but experts say they could become more common as the ocean heats upAs Storm Hilary continues to batter California and the US south-west, questions loom about what role the climate crisis played in supercharging the storm and whether there could be more like it in the future.After a year of weather extremes in California and the US west - including record-breaking winter rain and snowfall and punishing summer heatwaves - the tropical cyclone's appearance in the region remains extraordinary. Continue reading...
The ex-president's 46-point lead over the other candidates compels them to use Wednesday's prime-time slot to gain supportDonald Trump's rivals for the Republican presidential nomination reacted in mostly muted fashion to his declaration that he will skip all the party's primary debates, not just the first in Milwaukee on Wednesday.Trump's team have strategized that as the overwhelming frontrunner, the former president would gain little from appearing on stage with his many rivals. At the same time, his legal team are probably wary Trump may be tempted to wade into subject matter at the heart of proliferating legal cases against him. Continue reading...
Ignore Piers Morgan. Most people aren't angry about the royal no-show - they just want to take our future king down a peg or twoA certain amount of indignation was only to be expected, post-World Cup, about the disparities in the treatment of the men's and women's games. Not to get too granular about it, because male footballers get paid so much that sometimes the world runs out of currency and has to top up their pay with panda cubs, and female footballers get paid slightly less than primary school teachers, I definitely expected at least some murmurs about fairness and equality, maybe even the spectacle of a Lioness bringing an equal pay claim to tribunal, which might not succeed but would be fun to watch.The question I was not expecting was Where was Prince William at the World Cup final?", still less to hear it endlessly examined, by news anchors, bigmouths, football pundits and politicians. Who was the angriest, between Jon Sopel, who tweeted: Happy to accept might be impossible for the PM, given other commitments. But Prince William? Why?" and Piers Morgan, who went in on: With respect, YRH [Your Royal Highness], you should have got on a plane."Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnistDo 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...
Injury-hit squad's journey to the final indicates that far being the end of a cycle, this is just the startAfter England's Euros triumph and defeat of the USA in a friendly in October, confidence was overflowing looking towards the World Cup. The Lionesses appeared strong enough to seriously challenge for football's biggest prize.The loss of the Euros golden boot and golden ball winner Beth Mead to an ACL injury that would almost certainly end her World Cup dream was a blow, but one that could be taken; the depth was there. Then came knee injuries to the captain Leah Williamson, another ACL, and magical No 10 Fran Kirby. All that remained of England's Euros spine, with the retirement of the striker Ellen White, was the goalkeeper Mary Earps and defensive midfielder Keira Walsh. Continue reading...
Amid record profits, workers want to roll back concessions made to auto industry after the 2008 economic recessionFor decades, the head of the powerful United Auto Workers (UAW) union has started negotiations with the CEOs of the US's top auto executives with a ceremonial handshake. Those days are over.As UAW members become the latest American workers to consider a massive strike over their union contract, newly elected UAW president Shawn Fain chose to mark the start of the talks by shaking hands with workers instead. There's no point in having a big pomp and ceremony where we act like we're friends, and we're working together, when we're not," said Fain, while meeting with workers at a Ram truck factory in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The membership comes first. That's our job." Continue reading...
Cooperation is not only in the best interests of all countries, but is absolutely necessary for the survival of the planetClimate change is a global crisis and cannot be solved by any one country alone. If the United States, China and other industrialized countries do not come together to dramatically decrease greenhouse gas emissions, the world we leave our children and future generations will become increasingly unhealthy and uninhabitable. Tragically, the cooperation required to address this existential threat is being undermined by hawks in both the United States and China who are moving us toward a disastrous cold war.Now is the time for a radical rethinking of geopolitics to reflect the reality that international cooperation is not only in the best interests of all countries, but is absolutely necessary for the survival of the planet.Bernie Sanders is a US Senator and chairman of the health, education, labor and pensions committee Continue reading...
These criminal entanglements are not only means but ends - not a sideshow, but the heart and soul of Trump's campaignOn 16 or perhaps 17 July 2024, in Milwaukee, the Republican national convention will likely nominate as its presidential candidate a convicted criminal. When Donald Trump ascends the podium to accept the nomination for his third time he will probably have been found guilty months earlier of having staged an attempted coup to overthrow American democracy - conspiring to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election, obstruct the certification of the election results, and discount citizens' legitimate votes", in the words of special counsel Jack Smith.The US district court judge Tanya Chutkan has announced that she will set the trial date at the next hearing on Trump's case on 28 August. Smith has sought a 2 January 2024 start date for a trial to last an estimated six weeks into mid-February. Trump's attorneys have preposterously suggested a date in April 2026. If Judge Chutkan fixes the trial for any time before 1 June 2024, Trump will accept the Republican nomination after its verdict is rendered. Continue reading...
Planners say the facility will help heal the criminal justice system. But local residents see a brutal symbol of incarcerationFor nearly two centuries, New York City's Chinatown has been home to a quintessentially American story: immigrant workers and their families living shoulder-to-shoulder in low-slung tenements. Workers like Dennis Chung, the owner of Pasteur Grill and Noodles, a Vietnamese pho joint he's run at the neighborhood's western edge for 27 years - weathering disasters like 9/11, Hurricane Sandy and Covid.Now another symbol of the American condition is taking shape, directly across from Chung's shop: a vast new jail. At about 300ft, the new structure is expected to be the tallest correctional facility in the world. And Chung says it could be the thing that finally sinks his business. With the jail on top of the pandemic, it might be over," he tells me in Cantonese. Continue reading...
Noni Battiste-Kosoko died days after her 19th birthday, amid a series of deaths in Fulton county custodyNoni Battiste-Kosoko was found alone, face down and unresponsive in her cell at the Atlanta city detention center, managed by the Fulton county jail, on 11 July. Her death came just six days after her 19th birthday.The Fulton county sheriff's office announced the death a day later, saying the teen had no apparent signs of injuries". Now, her family is demanding answers from Fulton county, which has found itself embroiled in a civil investigation after a series of deaths happened in its custody. Continue reading...
The Argentinian has transformed his new team since he arrived in the US. And the effects are being felt beyond his new home in south FloridaNearly every Inter Miami match is now a home matchForty minutes was all Lionel Messi needed to truly settle into his new home. The Argentinian marked his Inter Miami debut with a free-kick winner off the bench. Every match Messi has played at DRV PNK Stadium since then has been a party, but the true measure of Messi Mania has been in the matches he has played away from south Florida. Continue reading...
With motivation and passion undimmed, senior players serve up a constant reminder of their longstanding greatnessVeronika Kudermetova is 26. Having spent 11 years as a tennis professional, scaling the top 10 in singles and doubles, she is not far from being classed as a veteran of her sport. And yet, still, last week in Cincinnati the No 14 was toppled by an opponent whose career long precedes her entire existence.In the year Kudermetova was born, 1997, Venus Williams reached her first grand slam final at the US Open. Now 43, her passion for the sport is so great that her motivation is undimmed. Williams trailed by a double break in both sets, 1-4 in the first set and 1-5 in the second, before recovering to win 6-4, 7-5 and secure her first top-20 win in four years. Continue reading...
Giving up on eternal life made me realise I had one chance to achieve something meaningful. For me, that was a submission of a different kindAre you the people who don't have blood transfusions?" was the first thing most people asked if any of us mentioned our religion. We weren't supposed to say yes", because we weren't meant to allow our faith to be defined by what we didn't do. We were supposed to emphasise the positives, such as the promise of eternal life on Earth.But the inconvenient fact was that we weren't allowed blood transfusions. Furthermore, we were known for not celebrating Christmas, Easter or birthdays, for not being allowed into school assemblies, and for knocking on people's doors to evangelise to them at weekends.Ariel Anderssen is a BDSM model and author of Playing to Lose - How a Jehovah's Witness Became a Submissive BDSM ModelDo 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...
A new report meticulously analyses the true cost of the transatlantic slave trade, showing how past and present are bound togetherDelving into a deeply unsettling chapter of history and seeking to reshape the discourse, a groundbreaking report, Reparations for Transatlantic Chattel Slavery in the Americas and the Caribbean, has calculated that Britain owes a staggering sum of 18.6tn.Other nations with a legacy of slaveholding, such as the US, Portugal, Spain and France, also stand accused of owing trillions. The total economic toll is thought to be as high as $131tn (103tn). The revelation lays bare the enduring ramifications of the transatlantic slave trade and the struggle for reparative justice on a global scale. Continue reading...
Images of the struggle for human rights and freedoms around the world this week, from a women's march for justice in Brazil to an attack on churches in Pakistan Continue reading...
This live blog has now closed, you can read more about this story hereThe White House has released a statement from president Joe Biden on the federal response to Tropical Storm Hilary.The president has said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had deployed personnel and supplies to the state, while the US Coast Guard has aircraft on standby to help in search and rescue efforts.This afternoon I spoke to California Governor Gavin Newsom about the emergency preparedness measures in place, and the initial response to Tropical Storm Hilary ... My Administration stands ready to provide additional assistance as requested. I urge people to take this storm seriously, and listen to state and local officials." Continue reading...
Will Hurd hasn't qualified for this week's Republican debate, but he's pulling no punches in his attacks on the ex-presidentOffering free advice" to his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, the former Texas congressman Will Hurd said: If Donald Trump is leading in the polls, and he's your opponent, then kissing his butt is not going to help you win."Trump is indeed leading national and key state polls by wide margins, despite facing 91 criminal charges under four separate indictments for election subversion, retention of classified documents and hush-money payments to a porn star. Continue reading...
Ex-president is said to believe counter-programming would benefit his campaign and humiliate Fox NewsDonald Trump has confirmed that he will not attend the first Republican primary debate on Wednesday, in a post on Truth Social, amid reports that he is weighing several options in an attempt to upstage the opening event in the party's nominating contest.The former president confirmed on his social media platform that he would be attending no primary debates. New CBS poll, just out, has me leading the field by legendary' numbers... I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES." Continue reading...
Ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows' admission could complicate the ex-president's defense in his classified documents caseThe former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told investigators he had no knowledge of Donald Trump either talking about or declassifying confidential information, it was reported on Sunday, potentially skewering the ex-president's defense in his classified documents case.Meadows' alleged admission to the special counsel Jack Smith, reported by ABC News, suggests Trump made no blanket declassification of secret papers later seized from his Mar-a-Lago resort by FBI agents, leading to 40 criminal counts against him. Continue reading...
Brooklyn councilwoman Inna Vernikov was visibly shocked after being accosted by a stranger on Brighton BeachA New York City councilwoman was left shocked when in the middle of a television interview a stranger approached and kissed her on the cheek without asking for her consent.In video posted on Twitter, Inna Vernikov can be seen being interviewed on Brighton Beach in Brooklyn by Hannah Kliger of CBS New York. A man wearing a gray hat approaches Vernikov and kisses her on the cheek before walking off. Continue reading...
by Associated Press in Cedar Glen, California on (#6E0RB)
An man made comments about flag at Laura Ann Carlton's store in Cedar Glen and killed her before being shot and killed by policeA business owner in California was shot and killed after a dispute over a LGBTQ+ Pride flag displayed outside her store, authorities said.Officials from the San Bernardino county sheriff's office said Laura Ann Carleton, 66, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting on Friday night. Continue reading...
Deanne Criswell says the president will visit Lahaina on Monday to meet with first responders, officials and victimsThe administrator of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, said Joe Biden will on Monday reassure the people of Lahaina they will be in control of how they rebuild when he visits the Maui community devastated by a historically deadly wildfire.The president and the first lady, Jill Biden, will meet first responders, officials and victims, getting a first-hand look at the widespread devastation, Criswell told CNN's State of the Union. Continue reading...
Former vice-president who once voted to expel felon from Congress says American people should decideDonald Trump's former vice-president, Mike Pence, refused to say if Trump should be barred from returning to the White House if he is convicted on any of 91 criminal charges against him.I think that he's to be left to the American people," Pence told ABC's This Week, on Sunday. Let's have the former president have his day in court. Let's maintain a presumption of innocence." Continue reading...
Death stalks my garden, while everyone on social media shows off their perfect tomatoes and dazzling bloomsEverything in the garden is not rosy. It's not even green; it's yellow or brown, or yellow with brown spots. It's my third summer and it has all gone wrong. The various pollinator-friendly flower seeds I carefully planted and tended managed to produce the grand total of: one self-seeded weed. Any flowers that predated - and survived - my arrival have fallen over and are lolling on the ground. The apples all fell off the tree and are rotting in a wasp-infested heap that smells like a cider festival toilet. My sole success, a Central American vine, succumbed to some novel plague this week.Worst of all were the tomatoes: one day fine (to my ignorant eye), the next, catastrophic blight. All my precious ones," I whispered, like a character from a Jacobean tragedy whose children have been murdered, clutching putrid brown bunches to my chest. That's it for me and tomatoes: I can't go through that again. Every time I go outside, something else has died. I don't want to be overly dramatic, but my happy place now feels like a plague house (OK, fine, I do want to be overly dramatic). Continue reading...
It wasn't the World Cup result we in England wanted, but what's clear is that women's sport of all kinds is triumphingDespite the heartbreak for the Lionesses in today's final, this Fifa Women's Football World Cup has made compelling viewing. From the very first round, fans enjoyed a heady mix of thrilling, breathtaking skill, dramatic incidents and unexpected results, with record attendances and viewing figures at every stage of the tournament.But it's not just women's football that's enjoying momentous growth. Rugby, cricket and netball have seen record-breaking crowds this year, vast increases in TV viewing figures and new sponsorship deals, with our national women's sides enjoying unprecedented success on the world stage - far more so than their male counterparts.Sue Anstiss is a podcaster, film-maker and author of Game On: The Unstoppable Rise of Women's Sport Continue reading...
It's clear we're in the final chapter,' Josh Carter says of grandparents, the first couple between 1977 and 1981, in interviewJimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, are still holding hands" as they enter their final chapter" together at home in Plains, Georgia, the former US president's grandson said.It's clear we're in the final chapter," Josh Carter said of his grandparents, the first couple between 1977 and 1981, in an interview published by People magazine on Saturday. Continue reading...
Aides to Florida governor say he meant allies in Congress, not Hillary Clinton-esque deplorables' comment Trump backers claimHis presidential campaign widely seen to be listing badly, Ron DeSantis fired a broadside at supporters of Donald Trump on Saturday, calling them listless vessels".A movement can't be about the personality of one individual," DeSantis told the Florida Standard. Continue reading...
The Internal Revenue Service is woefully underfunded, and badly needs money - but Biden has made a PR blunderAsk any accountant and we'll tell you that the Internal Revenue Service is woefully underfunded. Our clients complain about the long delays for refunds, the interminable waits for getting answers and the frustrations waiting for guidance on issues that affect their businesses.But it's not just accountants that are clamoring for more IRS funding. Most taxpayers I know will admit that the IRS needs a serious upgrade. So why the big brouhaha over the $80bn approved last year to hire more auditors and upgrade the agency's pathetically outdated systems? The answer lies not in why it's so badly needed. It's in how badly it was sold to the American public. Continue reading...
Burgum, Christie, DeSantis, Haley, Pence, Ramaswamy and Scott will be present in Milwaukee on Wednesday but will anyone dent ex-president's lead?It may end up being Hamlet without the prince or, perhaps more aptly, Jaws without the shark.When Republicans gather in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday for the first debate of the presidential primary season, a milestone in any election campaign cycle, the clear frontrunner in the opinion polls will be missing. Continue reading...
Experts suggest language in section 3 of 14th amendment is actually very clearcut' and could mean disqualificationAs Donald Trump fights a mountain of criminal charges, a separate battle over his eligibility to run for president in 2024 is fast emerging.The US constitution sets out just a handful of explicit requirements someone must meet to be the president. They must be at least 35 years old, a natural-born" citizen, and a United States resident for at least 14 years. The constitution also bars someone who has served as president for two full terms from running again. Continue reading...
Trump has been engaged in a several-years-long attempt to undermine the institutions of the US government and it shows no sign of abatingTrump's attempted coup against the US continues. We are now in phase three.Phase one was his refusal to concede the loss of the 2020 election and his big lie that the election was stolen" from him, without any basis in fact.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...
President Kennedy's nephew has struck an anti-establishment nerve but his anti-vax views and far-right flirtation have prompted outrageWearing a Robert Kennedy Jr campaign T-shirt, Kevin O'Keeffe found there was standing room only as the candidate, introduced as Bobby Kennedy", walked on a sunbaked stage decked with hay bales to whoops and applause.He supports freedom of speech, and he's questioned the efficacy of the vaccine, which is legitimate at this point," said O'Keeffe, 52, who works for a telecommunications company in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I like his views on foreign policy and keeping us out of the war. He cares about his fellow Americans in a way that a lot of the politicians nowadays I don't think really do." Continue reading...
Rich Men North of Richmond represents the poor but lets the wealthy off the hookThere is mean things happening in this landOh the rich man boasts and brags Continue reading...
The media mogul's new girlfriend, just like recent exes, falls within his favourite demographicDelightful photos of Rupert Murdoch and his latest girlfriend, Elena Zhukova, contribute so much to our understanding of human age-assortative mating that the couple will understand the enthusiasm for closer study of their courtship before it's too late. For a 92-year-old who recently embarked, he said, on the second half" of his life, Murdoch's romantic life looks unleisurely.An engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, for instance, was called off after two weeks, before anyone could figure out what led to this particular mate choice. Academics studying age-assortative pairing in migrating birds, such as the pied flycatcher, probably face the same sort of problem. Continue reading...
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