by Robert Mackey, Shrai Popat; Lucy Campbell and Tom on (#6ZX25)
White House press secretary denies that president wrote Epstein a card that included the outline of a woman's body for the sex trafficker's 50th birthday. This blog is now closed.
Mauricio Pochettino made big changes to the US setup, and the moves paid off with the team's most complete performance in a long whileThis United States' international window once looked like it could be disastrous. Now, it has been upgraded to strangely uneven.A much-improved US got goals from Alejandro Zendejas and Folarin Balogun to beat a heavily rotated Japan side 2-0 at Lower.com Field in Columbus. The result lends some credence to Mauricio Pochettino's insistence that the US's recent subpar results were all part of a plan with a single target: arriving at the World Cup in peak form. Continue reading...
Trump, who was friends with Epstein before becoming president but had a falling out with the former financier, has denied giving him a letter. Key US politics stories from 9 September 2025The White House has said it would support a forensic analysis of the signature on a letter purportedly given by Donald Trump to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that Trump's aides say is not the president's.Trump, who was friends with Epstein before becoming president but had a falling out with the former financier years before his death, has denied giving him a letter that appears in a birthday book for Epstein with the sketch of a woman's body and a note about secrets. Continue reading...
Charge for Decarlos B Jr, accused of killing Iryna Zarutska in apparent random attack on train, could carry death penaltyThe justice department on Tuesday charged a man accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina commuter train last month with a federal crime that could carry the death penalty.The federal charge comes amid growing questions about why Decarlos Brown Jr was on the street despite 14 prior criminal arrests before he was accused of pulling out a knife and killing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska in an apparently random attack captured on video. Continue reading...
Move is expansion of existing program that has helped lift tens of thousands of people out of povertyNew Mexico will become the first state to offer free universal childcare, the governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced this week, an expansion of an existing program that has helped lift tens of thousands of people out of poverty.Beginning 1 November, the state will guarantee no-cost childcare to all residents, regardless of their income level in what the governor's office described as a groundbreaking new initiative". Continue reading...
Typically full of brio and swagger, the White House is scrambling because Trump is behaving so out of characterIt took Trump chronicler Maggie Haberman to cut to the chase: if Trump didn't sign the birthday card or other documents released by Jeffrey Epstein's estate, the reporter asked in a quiet yet insistent tone, what's the working theory as to why he's in there?The president has one of the most famous signatures in the world," Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, replied on Tuesday. The president did not write that letter. He did not sign those documents." Continue reading...
Trump had stopped foreign aid funds by use of pocket rescission'; aid groups now have until Friday to respondThe US supreme court on Tuesday temporarily halted a lower court's order that the Trump administration spend nearly $5bn in congressionally appropriated foreign aid money that it is seeking to cancel.The order from the conservative chief justice, John Roberts, comes amid legal wrangling over Donald Trump's moves to aggressively downsize US support of global development and emergency response, which has resulted in the dismantling of USAID. Continue reading...
In State of the State speech, governor hails California's resilience and criticizes federal government's onslaught'California's governor, Gavin Newsom, used his State of the State address on Tuesday to celebrate California's achievements on its 175th anniversary of statehood but also to criticize Donald Trump for targeting our state" as it battled wildfires this year, accusing the president of a relentless, unhinged California obsession".The Democratic governor delivered his annual message in the form of a letter to the state legislature, and a video, instead of an address. Newsom, widely seen as a potential presidential contender for 2028, also criticized the president and his policies for bringing chaos and disruption to California, without mentioning Trump by name. Continue reading...
Report omits limiting pesticides and ultra-processed foods even as RFK Jr pledges to fight against childhood obesityThe Trump administration released its second Make America Healthy Again (Maha) report, this time on chronic illnesses in children, confirming a leaked report from last month that the administration would stop short of proposing direct restrictions on pesticides and ultra-processed foods.On Tuesday, the Make America Healthy Again commission published a 20-page report that attempts a balance for the priorities of health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr's supporters with the interests of influential farming corporations. It also urges an overhaul of the nation's vaccine injury system and tighter oversight of certain prescriptions. Continue reading...
Elizabeth Tsurkov, who entered Iraq to do research for Princeton, had gone missing in Iraq in early 2023Israeli-Russian academic and Princeton student Elizabeth Tsurkov has been released after being kidnapped by Kata'ib Hezbollah and spending more than two years in captivity, Donald Trump said in a post on social media.I am pleased to report that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton Student, whose sister is an American Citizen, was just released by Kata'ib Hezbollah (MILITANT Hezbollah), and is now safely in the American Embassy in Iraq after being tortured for many months. I will always fight for JUSTICE, and never give up. HAMAS, RELEASE THE HOSTAGES, NOW!" the US president wrote in a TruthSocial post on Tuesday. Continue reading...
US southern-style restaurant chain was met with outrage for changing branding to more minimalist styleCracker Barrel announced on Tuesday that it's suspending plans to remodel its restaurants just weeks after reversing a logo change that ignited a political firestorm.The 56-year-old restaurant chain, known for southern-style cooking and country-store aesthetic, faced intense backlash last month after unveiling a rebranding effort aimed at modernizing its image. The company rolled out a new minimalist logo and plans for more contemporary interiors, and it updated menu items. Continue reading...
Judge says sufficient evidence of intent wasn't given against those who signed files claiming Trump won 2020 electionA judge in Michigan dismissed the felony charges against a slate of electors who falsely signed on to documents claiming Donald Trump won the 2020 election in the latest blow to efforts to hold the president and his allies accountable for attempting to overturn the results of the White House race he lost to Joe Biden.Sixteen people were initially charged with eight felonies each related to forgery and conspiracy by the Democratic attorney general, Dana Nessel, in 2023, though one of them had his charges dropped after he agreed to cooperate with the prosecution. The fake electors in Michigan will not go to trial. Continue reading...
Figures including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the UK ambassador to US, Peter Mandelson, apparently contributedDemocratic politicians have released a 238-page scrapbook given to Jeffrey Epstein as a present on his 50th birthday, with contributions attributed to high-profile figures including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the current UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson.Much of the book seems to be a collection of flattering and celebratory letters - often highly sexualised - from people who knew Epstein. They include photos of him embracing women in bikinis whose faces were redacted, and others showing scenes featuring wild animals having sex. Continue reading...
Whatever happened between the pair, questions about their relationship are not going away. This enigma is ageing like raw milkYou have to keep this hush-hush, OK? I have top-secret information to share. You know Donald Trump has been reluctant to release the Epstein files? Well, it's not because there's anything nefarious going on. Trump may be an adjudicated sexual predator accused of sexual misconduct by at least 27 women (all of which he denies), who publicly boasted in 2002 about how his terrific" pal Jeffrey Epstein liked women on the younger side", but you shouldn't read too much into all that. Nor should you overanalyse a Wall Street Journal report claiming White House officials told Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in the files. Or that House Democrats have now released a sexually suggestive letter and drawing sent to Epstein in 2003 for his birthday that appears to show Trump's signature, the same note the president has denied writing. Nor should you worry yourself with the photo that has been released showing Epstein holding a novelty check signed by Trump with the suggestion that Epstein sold" him a woman for $22,500.No, the real reason Trump is being weird about Epstein is ... drum roll, please ... because the president may or may not have been covertly operating as an FBI informant and investigating the disgraced financier. Continue reading...
Prosecutors say Michael James Pratt used force, fraud and coercion to recruit hundreds of women for adult videosThe founder of a California-based pornography empire that recruited women with false modeling offers was sentenced on Monday to 27 years in federal prison for sex trafficking.Michael James Pratt pleaded guilty in June in federal court in San Diego. Federal prosecutors said Pratt and his co-defendants used force, fraud and coercion to recruit hundreds of women, many of whom were in their late teens, for their adult videos. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Ari Emanuel, whose entertainment agency owns UFC and WWE, looks to buy TodayTix GroupHollywood power broker Ari Emanuel is poised to acquire the parent company of Secret Cinema, the London-based immersive film and TV business that has put on shows themed on movies such as Star Wars and Stranger Things.Emanuel, who co-founded US entertainment group Endeavor and now runs the company behind World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), is to buy TodayTix Group, the Guardian understands. Continue reading...
Trump's view of the prerogatives of husbands towards their wives mirror his own sense of his entitlements as president towards his abused countrySpeaking at a Christian museum on Monday, Donald Trump claimed, falsely, that his deployment of national guard troops to invade the nation's capital has eliminated crime in Washington. He complained, however, that domestic violence was being counted in the crime statistics, which he claimed meant that the influence of his policy was not being seen as significant enough. They said, Crime's down 87%,'" the president claimed, not explaining who they" were. I said, no, no, no. It's more than 87%, virtually nothing. And much lesser things, things that take place in the home they call crime. You know, they'll do anything they can to find something. If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this was a crime. See? So now I can't claim 100%, but we are. We are a safe city."If Trump wanted to endorse domestic violence decriminalization, he may take some comfort in the status quo: as it is, about 24% of adult American women have been the victims of severe physical violence" by an intimate partner, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline; the Centers for Disease Control, meanwhile, puts the proportion of women who have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner" at 41%. and many of those incidents are not reported or not prosecuted - meaning that the perpetrators are free, and that their assaults have not been treated as fully criminal".Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...
US Democrats have made public a 238-page scrapbook given to Jeffrey Epstein as a present on his 50th birthday. The letters repeatedly reference the sex offender's lecherous reputation Continue reading...
Jonathan Braun of New York faces up to five years after he was arrested and charged in connection to recent crimesA convicted New York drug dealer whose federal prison sentence was commuted by Donald Trump during Trump's first presidency has been found guilty of violating the terms of his release after being arrested and charged in connection with several recent crimes.Jonathan Braun now faces up to five years in prison during a sentencing hearing tentatively scheduled for 9 October. Continue reading...
Innovations in MSHS were adopted by the broader Head Start programs, and possible enrollment eligibility changes would affect allIt has been a challenging year for Head Start.The Trump administration first froze funding and cut staff, forcing many centers to close temporarily or permanently. It then asked Congress to eliminate the early childhood education program in a leaked budget proposal (the White House ultimately reversed course). Continue reading...
As president ramps up immigration takeover in Chicago, here are limitations of Ice officers and what can be expectedThe Department of Homeland Security ramped up immigration raids in Illinois on Monday afternoon in an operation they dubbed Midway Blitz," a continuation of military-themed rhetoric promoting Donald Trump's larger crackdown on sanctuary cities. Chicagoans have turned out by the thousands in protest suggestions that the president would attempt to send national guard troops into the city, and in opposition to similar acts that courts have rules as illegal or unconstitutional.This ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets," DHS said on X today. President Trump and Secretary Noem stand with the victims of illegal alien crime while Governor Pritzker stands with criminal illegal aliens." Continue reading...
The 18-year-old US international marked her debut in France with a goal - continuing her fast start to life as a professionalLily Yohannes wastes no time. The 18-year-old scored on her international debut for the US at age 16 last year, having become a starter for Ajax before that. Now, with a move to European power OL Lyonnes over the summer, Yohannes scored a goal and was named player of the match in her debut for the club, a 3-1 win over Olympique Marseille.Born in Springfield, Virginia, to Eritrean parents, Yohannes was 10 when she moved to Europe after her father accepted a job in Amsterdam. She played on an amateur boys' team and quickly earned the attention of Ajax, who signed her to their youth academy at 13 years old. Continue reading...
Beverly Daniel Tatum on antisemitism, the hardest in the US', and DEI as the White House targets higher educationWhen Beverly Daniel Tatum told a friend that she was writing a book about higher education, he replied: I think being a college president has to be the hardest job in America." Indeed, the academic year 2023-24 was an annus horribilis for college presidents", according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.And that was before Donald Trump returned to the White House and sought to bend them to his will. Continue reading...
After 13 months out with a torn ACL, the Sparks' rising star has returned to the WNBA with renewed purpose, a sharpened game and a determination to help othersIt's the fourth quarter of a tense, close bout in Los Angeles between the hometown Sparks and the Indiana Fever. The game has serious playoff implications for both teams, so every bucket feels fraught, and it's going down to the wire. Cameron Brink, the 6ft 4in second-year Sparks center with an unmistakable Rapunzel-esque blonde braid has fouled out of the game, but you wouldn't know it from her enthusiasm on the bench. No one is clapping harder, cheering louder, for her teammates.That's fundamental to who Brink is, according to everyone I talk to around the team in their final push for the playoffs in recent weeks - the Sparks are in a battle with Seattle Storm for the final spot. Brink is one of the brightest young stars in the W, securing a slew of endorsements (including a high-profile deal with New Balance which made her the first female basketball player on their talent roster), but Brink is a far cry from the myopic, self-centered stereotype of a star. Continue reading...
Letter contains purported message from Trump to Epstein in which the president says, May every day be another wonderful secret'. Key US politics stories from 8 September at a glanceQuestions over his friendship with convicted sex offender, Jeffery Epstein, continue to haunt Donald Trump, this time with the release of a birthday letter that Trump had previously denied writing.An image of the birthday letter, the existence of which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in July, was released by House Democrats after the House oversight committee received the 2003 birthday book" from Epstein's lawyers. It is dated three years before allegations of sex abuse by Epstein became public in 2006. Continue reading...
Big police operation for US president's second state visit will involve two days of drone patrolsDonald Trump's second state visit to the UK will see a big policing operation led by drones in the airspace over Windsor, police have said.King Charles is to host the US president and his wife, Melania Trump, at Windsor Castle from 17 to 19 September, where they will be entertained with a ceremonial welcome and state banquet. Continue reading...
Evanston urges residents to report sightings of federal agents as Trump has threatened immigration crackdownA Chicago suburb has warned its residents that federal immigration agents may be present in the coming days as Donald Trump continues to threaten an immigration enforcement crackdown and national guard deployment in the nation's third largest city.The city of Evanston issued a statement urging its residents to report sightings of federal agents, after local officials said they were informed over the weekend about the likelihood of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) activity. Continue reading...
Head of US border patrol says operations will start back up in city after temporary restraining order reversedUS immigration officers are ramping up immigration sweeps in Los Angeles again after the supreme court reversed a temporary restraining order that banned the Trump administration from stopping people solely based on their race, language or job.In a post on Twitter/X, Greg Bovino, the head of US border patrol in Los Angeles, called the temporary restraining order very poorly" written and the worst" he's ever seen. He also said that border patrol would be starting operations back up again today. Continue reading...
by Ramon Antonio Vargas and David Hammer of WWL Louis on (#6ZWK1)
The increase from an initial guarantee of $180m is enough to persuade certain attorneys who were opposed to striking a deal to instead favor settlingJust as the Roman Catholic archdiocese of New Orleans was beginning to ask victims of clergy sexual abuse to approve a settlement plan assuring them of $180m, the church has now guaranteed $230m - enough to persuade certain attorneys who were opposed to striking a deal to instead favor settling.The church's largest insurer, Travelers, for now has evidently held out against a settlement. However, the Guardian and local reporting partner WWL Louisiana understand that the insurer is in active talks to contribute an amount of money that could substantially increase the worth of the proposed settlement. Continue reading...
Group of men in 20s found in Catskill Mountains by forest rangers, who later hiked up to retrieve one man's keysFour hikers who had consumed psychedelic mushrooms - including one experiencing a debilitating high" - had to be rescued from New York's Catskill Mountains after they got lost there, according to state authorities.In a news release, forest rangers from the the New York state department of environmental conservation (DEC) said that they were alerted to the situation at about 5pm on 29 August after the receipt of a satellite text. Continue reading...
Request is fraught as department would have to confront appearance it dropped case in order to shield Navarro after he was tapped as Trump's senior adviser
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