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Months after Alex Murdaugh was found guilty in the killings of his wife and son, defense lawyers are accusing the county clerk of influencing the juryTales of intrigue and gossip encircling the Murdaugh dynasty continue to unfold in South Carolina's low country where only six months ago, after a lengthy trial culminating in barely three hours of deliberations, jurors handed down guilty verdicts to Alex Murdaugh in the killings of his wife and son.The speed of those jury deliberations, and what may have moved jurors to swiftly decide the six-week case, now lies at the heart of the most shocking twist in the saga yet - a claim of jury tampering brought by Murdaugh's defense team against the court clerk. Continue reading...

Those who moan that we're losing our religion are quick to demonise the most vulnerableA shape less recognisable each week,A purpose more obscure. I wonder who Continue reading...

The state voted twice for Trump but although many in the party admit they got things wrong not everyone agrees on whatDavid Cox is trying to persuade his members that Joe Biden has done more for working-class Americans than any US president in his decades as a construction worker and union organiser in eastern Ohio.But Cox is not sure they really want to hear it in a state where the Democratic brand was in decline long before Donald Trump snatched victory in Ohio in 2016 and then increased his support four years later. Continue reading...

Coruscating was originally a sparkling synonym, but now we understand that it's something more scathingGrayson Perry's coruscating repartee", a silky head of hair used to coruscating effect", and a coruscating verdict" expected from the privileges committee. Which one of these references from the Observer over the summer prompted a reader to cry foul? Surely, excoriating" was meant, he said. Perhaps you could correct it and add it to the Guardian and Observer style guide."In early June, the imminent verdict on whether the former prime minister Boris Johnson had misled parliament about gatherings at 10 Downing Street during the pandemic was unlikely to be glittering, so I had halfway reached for the digital red pen to make an amendment. Coruscating" was, as far as I knew, already in the style guide. The entry I had last read went as follows: [It] means sparkling, or emitting flashes of light; people seem to think, wrongly, that it means the same as excoriating, censuring severely, eg a coruscating attack on Clegg's advisers'." Continue reading...

Its Russian taxes pay for 39 bullets every second but still it boasts how ethical its products areSo long as you are not Ukrainian, it is difficult to imagine a more caring and sensitive ally than the food, cosmetic and hygiene giant, Unilever. We strive to do more good for our planet and our society," its website tells everyone.If you are poor, marginalised, old, young, unhappy, persecuted, fearful for the planet or just feeling ugly, the manufacturer of Marmite and Domestos, Cornetto and Hellmann's mayonnaise, feels your pain. Though not the bloody, battlefield kind. Stereotypes," it warns, are making Gen Z consumers feel unsafe on social media." Continue reading...

Saturday's temperature had triggered an excessive heat warning across Arizona as lows were expected to range between 80F and 86FThe temperature in Phoenix, Arizona continues to rise as the city broke its previous record of the most consecutive days at or above 110F (43C).On Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service announced that the temperature at Phoenix Sky Harbor international airport reached 110F, making it the 54th day this year with temperatures of at least 110F. Continue reading...

At first, it happened subconsciously, but in time it became a more conscious act ... but no need to lock up your grandparentsIn the American sitcom New Girl, on a park bench in Los Angeles, twentysomething shambles Nick Miller (Jake Johnson) befriends an old man named Tran (Ralph Ahn), who helps him work through a conundrum without uttering a word.Tran pops up throughout the show's seven seasons, his soothing, silent counsel helping Nick navigate adult life. It's worth watching the entire, criminally underrated series just for this beautiful, untypical friendship. Continue reading...

Picking a career can be daunting for students, so try to make good choices but also remember you can change your mindThere's a story our year 11 and 12 students are hearing, one I heard at that age too, that isn't true. The details change, but the take-home point is the anxiety-inducing idea that what they'll do with the rest of their lives" is a decision they must make now or very soon and that failing to make the right choice" will have disastrous consequences.The myth is so pervasive that they might not question it; might fail to stop and realise there is no singular right choice" or that the wrong" choice or even score needn't rule out future flourishing. That choice is an important one, but whatever choice they make will lead to other choices and no single one will guarantee success or happiness. Continue reading...

Wildlife enthusiasts watching live feed from remote national park spot hiker in distress and alert authorities to rescue himThey logged on hoping to see brown bears gorging on salmon, fattening themselves up for their winter hibernation. Instead, what the wildlife enthusiasts viewing one of Alaska's most remote national park webcams saw was a disheveled and weather-beaten hiker shuffling into view, mouthing the words help me" into the lens.The episode captured by a camera at the Katmai national park sparked a chain of events that ended with the safe recovery of the unknown hiker by search and rescue teams, according to rangers. Continue reading...

Leo Brent Bozell IV convicted on charges that he invaded Senate floor to try to disrupt certification of Biden's victoryThe son of a prominent conservative activist has been convicted of charges that he stormed the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, bashed in a window, chased a police officer, invaded the Senate floor and helped a mob disrupt the certification of Joe Biden's presidential election victory.Leo Brent Bozell IV, 44, of Palmyra, Pennsylvania, was found guilty on Friday of 10 charges, including five felony offenses, after a trial decided by a federal judge, according to the federal justice department. Continue reading...

Gregory Aymond's letter contradicts promises made to schools and churches when archdiocese declared bankruptcy in May 2020Contradicting promises he made when his archdiocese declared bankruptcy in May 2020, New Orleans's archbishop, Gregory Aymond, told the area's Catholic churches, schools and other ministries that they will now have to share some of the costs of resolving hundreds of clergy abuse claims.Aymond's notice came in a letter on Friday, at the end of a particularly bad news week for his organization. One day earlier, a grand jury in New Orleans indicted the retired archdiocesan priest Lawrence Hecker on charges of aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime against nature and theft. Continue reading...

The Russian has been one of the few players able to compete with the 23-time grand slam champion in recent yearsThe fourth round of the 2019 Australian Open would prove a far more significant event in recent tennis history than anyone present could have foreseen. As Novak Djokovic continued his attempts to regain the title that had evaded him for two years, he came across a 22-year-old Russian named Daniil Medvedev.While most players step on to the court with Djokovic wary of his defensive and physical capabilities, Medvedev, then ranked 19th in the world, was merely curious. He wanted to see just how far he could push those strengths, how much he could make Djokovic hurt. From the beginning he deliberately forced his opponent into endless, excruciating exchanges, breathlessly defending the baseline and refusing to miss. Countless 30-40 stroke rallies followed, with both players frequently reduced to gulping in air from behind the baseline with hands on knees. Continue reading...

Britons should learn to love onshore renewables as part of a long tradition of robust, practical, rural structuresGrowing up in the countryside, it was a feature of drives with my parents that electricity pylons would be deplored. So I am familiar with the instinct to oppose wind turbines, which like pylons are large, energy-providing infrastructure, among some country dwellers, leading David Cameron to tighten up rules in 2015 in a way that led to a 97% reduction in the numbers granted planning permission.Although the current government has just announced an easing of these rules, they still give plenty of power to objectors. But I would ask country dwellers still inclined to block them to see that they are in fact beautiful. They are prettier than power stations, less destructive than fracking, certainly lovelier than floods, fires, droughts and other effects of climate change. They enrich the nation with the help of its abundant wind, and make us less dependent on fossil-fuel despots. Wind turbines are in a long rural tradition of robust practical structures that also includes barns, mills, viaducts, canals and others that have become beloved and protected. On those same drives I was always happy to see an old windmill. It shouldn't be too hard to love their modern equivalents. Continue reading...

Lawyer for family threaten federal civil rights lawsuit against Senatobia if demand not met after boy detained and placed in cellThe family of a 10-year-old Black boy who was arrested and placed in a cell for relieving himself in a parking lot say they will file a federal civil rights lawsuit against a Mississippi city unless police officers involved in the detention are fired.Quantavious Eason was detained and taken to a police station in Senatobia after an officer spotted him urinating behind a car outside a law office last month while his mother was inside getting advice on a housing issue. Continue reading...

Males certainly have their problems, but a Tory MP forgets they are still on top in the most important aspectsThe first thing to say about the idea of appointing a minister for men, as suggested last week by Tory MP Nick Fletcher and taken rather seriously by many, is that it is insulting.Some people seem to have missed this, perhaps because sexism is less taboo than some other types of discrimination. So let's make it clearer. Imagine appointing a minister for any other dominant group - a minister for white people, say, or heterosexuals, or the able-bodied. Continue reading...

Trump ally describes ex-president's reaction to news his former adviser Peter Navarro convicted of contempt of CongressDonald Trump was really, really upset" when he learned that his former White House adviser Peter Navarro had been convicted of contempt of Congress, according to the ex-president's close ally Rudy Giuliani.This one really got to me," Giuliani - the former New York City mayor and Trump attorney - said Friday on the far-right media outlet Newsmax. I was with former president Trump when we found out about it [on Thursday], and I've got to tell you, he was really, really upset about it." Continue reading...

Democratic governor issues emergency order restricting carrying firearms for at least 30 days amid spate of gun violenceNew Mexico's governor on Friday issued an emergency order suspending the right to carry firearms in public across Albuquerque and the surrounding county for at least 30 days amid a spate of gun violence.The Democratic governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, said she is expecting legal challenges but felt compelled to act in response to gun deaths, including the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy outside a minor league baseball stadium this week. Continue reading...

Russia's isolated war-criminal president is seeking out useful idiots like North Korea's Kim Jong-un to bolster his military rampage against UkraineVladimir Putin must be feeling fairly desperate if he's relying on Kim Jong-un for friendship and support. There's a reason why North Korea's unpredictable dictator is among the world's most ostracised leaders.Nobody likes him and he don't care, as the saying goes. Yet Russia's despised, isolated war-criminal president is in much the same leaky boat these days, slowly sinking, calling out for help. Continue reading...

The singer and actor's divorce is nobody's business - but the tabloid narrative that she's a party lover while he's a devoted father should be questionedThis time last week I wouldn't have been able to pick pop star Joe Jonas out of a police line-up. If you'd asked me what I'd thought about him I'd have said: Uh ... nothing?" Over the past few days, however, I've had the misfortune of seeing his face everywhere and hearing about him nonstop. It's possible you have too. After four years of marriage, Jonas and the actor Sophie Turner are getting a divorce; the news has sparked endless coverage, scurrilous rumours and a lot of online outrage about mom-shaming. Continue reading...

Flipping the state senate would allow Republicans to push through Governor Glenn Youngkin's plan for a 15-week banAs she addressed about 120 Democratic voters at a rally in rural Orange, Virginia, Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger made a point to impress upon her constituents just how much is on the line this fall.This is personal. And politics is personal," Spanberger told the crowd. This year more than any other year, this election matters." Continue reading...

Minnesota advocates hope to end exploitation of construction workers by making developers make ethical standards pledgeAfter putting up a new interior wall for a six-story dorm for University of Minnesota students, Ivan Gonzalez confessed to some problems with a job that he, along with dozens of other immigrant workers, were rushing to finish.Inside a second-floor dorm room-to-be, Gonzalez said he typically worked 10-hour days, six days a week doing drywall, and was paid $220 a day, often in cash. There's no overtime pay, no benefits," Gonzalez said, noting he sometimes worked 13-hour days. Continue reading...

Decades after the city displaced thousands of mostly Black families, private investigators are helping them reclaim housingWhen Hubeline Jasper was a child, her family was kicked out of their San Francisco apartment - but her mother was determined to stay. Even after the landlord turned off the utilities, they remained in their home in the Fillmore district, the city's thriving Black cultural and economic hub. To make it work, her mother cooked over an open fire in the dining room, using skills she had learned growing up in rural Texas, and daisy-chained extension cords to borrow electricity from a neighboring building.In those days, families had to look out for each other," Jasper recalled. Continue reading...

Sean McVay's team were always going to suffer in the long-term after trading away draft picks for quick success. How will it affect an already shaky fanbase?It was a typical February weekday in Los Angeles. Mild weather. Massive traffic. Downtown was bustling but not much more than usual, even though the newly crowned Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams took to the streets for a victory parade. Only about 20,000 people showed up. One social media jokester quipped that there were more Aaron Donald abs than there than fans. In comparison, the Kansas City Chiefs attracted more than 800,000 fans to their Super Bowl victory parade after the 2019 season.Despite the sparse attendance, there was plenty of excitement around the Rams. Sure, the franchise was fresh off a few missteps and unfortunate events. There was the controversial, financially driven move from St Louis in 2016, which alienated a massive chunk of the team's fanbase. Playing the 2020 season in an empty SoFi Stadium due to Covid-19 was not ideal. And sharing that stadium (and a market) with the Chargers didn't help build a new fanbase either. Continue reading...

The US Open's breakout star didn't get the result he wanted in Friday's semi-final against Novak Djokovic, but promises to remain an exasperating foe on tour for years to comeAfter dispatching with upstart Ben Shelton to advance to his 10th US Open final, Novak Djokovic glowered at the Arthur Ashe crowd as he pantomimed himself answering an imaginary phone and slamming down the receiver. There was no question the cold call was meant for the American, who turned off many observers by celebrating his semi-final victory over compatriot Frances Tiafoe in similar fashion. The Serb was also chilly to Shelton when they met at net for the customary post-match handshake.But in his post-match news conference Shelton - to his immense credit - didn't answer the immediate call to hit back. I didn't see it until after the match," Shelton said of Djokovic's riposte. I don't like when I'm on social media and I see people telling me how I can celebrate or can't celebrate. I think if you win the match, you deserve to do whatever you want." Continue reading...

The PM is keen to show India as the mother of democracy', but this is one of the most undemocratic periods in its historyOver the last few months, billboards across India, especially in the capital, New Delhi, have been plastered with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The hoardings welcome international delegates to the G20 summit with the words Mother of Democracy to host G20". On the eve of the summit, which begins on Saturday, the prime minister has penned an article citing the diversity of the Indian democracy. He writes: For India, the G20 presidency is not merely a high-level diplomatic endeavour. As the mother of democracy, and a model of diversity, we opened the doors of this experience to the world."Over the past year, through his much-publicised state visit to the United States and through his much talked-about international trips, including the G7 meetings, Modi has extolled the virtues of democracy, of a secular and inclusive nation, paying obeisance to Mahatma Gandhi at every available opportunity. But this grandstanding is, in fact, a diabolic facade. The ugly reality of present-day India is that minorities are under relentless attack. Continue reading...

Ruling means the prosecution of Meadows brought by the Fulton county district stays in the superior court of AtlantaA federal judge denied a request from former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to transfer his Georgia 2020 election interference case from state to federal court on the basis that some of the charged conduct was within the scope of his official duties.The ruling from US district judge Steve Jones on Friday means the prosecution of Meadows brought by the Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis stays in superior court in Atlanta, unless Meadows appeals and the decision is reversed by the US court of appeals for the 11th circuit. Continue reading...

The company, formerly known as Twitter, argued an assembly bill violates its free speech rights under the first amendmentElon Musk's X sued California on Friday, challenging the constitutionality of a state law establishing new transparency requirements for social media companies, including how they police disinformation, hate speech and extremism.X, the social media platform once called Twitter, said the law, known as Assembly Bill 587, violates its free speech rights under the US constitution's first amendment and California's state constitution. Continue reading...

Meadows faces two felony charges, including racketeering and solicitation of a violation of oath by a public officerLindsey Graham's name appeared early as Donald Trump's attempts to stay in the White House began shortly after his re-election defeat in November 2020.Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger told the press that the South Carolina senator had called him to ask if it was possible to throw away mail-in ballots in counties crucial to Joe Biden's win in Georgia. From the Guardian's Lauren Gambino's report at the time:Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, has said that Senator Lindsey Graham asked whether it was possible to invalidate legally cast ballots after Donald Trump was narrowly defeated in the state.In an interview with the Washington Post, Raffensperger said that his fellow Republican, the chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, questioned him about the state's signature-matching law and asked whether political bias might have played a role in counties where poll workers accepted higher rates of mismatched signatures. According to Raffensperger, Graham then asked whether he had the authority to toss out all mail-in ballots in these counties. Continue reading...

The No 2 seed looked in total control before a third-set wobble gave his opponent hope - only for Djokovic to take it in a tie breakFirst set: Shelton 1-1 Djokovic* (*denotes next server)Shelton shows off his powerful serve, whistling one down the court at 136mph. He delivers a 138mph second serve to clinch the game, holding to love. He's a crowd pleaser, for sure. Djokovic looks quietly impressed. Continue reading...

Democrat, 83, has represented San Francisco since 1987 and served as House speaker twiceThe former House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced that she will be seeking re-election in 2024. The 83-year-old Democrat representing California's 11th district announced the news on Wednesday among volunteers and labor allies in San Francisco.Pelosi went on to tweet about her plans, saying: Now more than ever our city needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery. Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection - and respectfully ask for your vote." Continue reading...

Brandon Johnson took a drastically different approach than his counterpart to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in their citiesChicago's mayor, Brandon Johnson, has attacked his New York counterpart, Eric Adams, for the latter's aggressive comments that the large number of migrants arriving from the US-Mexico border will destroy" his city.The two Democrats took sharply contrasting stances earlier this week on their handling of the humanitarian crisis aggravated since the far-right Texas governor, Greg Abbott, has been unilaterally bussing migrants to Democratic-led cities over the last year. Continue reading...

Mark Dial surrenders on criminal warrant as district's attorney office releases body-cam footage of death of Eddie IrizarryA Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver who was sitting in his car turned himself in Friday morning to face criminal charges.Officer Mark Dial surrendered on a criminal warrant, according to his attorney, Fortunato Perri Jr, who said he has not yet been made aware of the specific charges against the officer. Continue reading...

Dangerous surf and rip currents expected along most of Atlantic coast from Sunday, according to the National Hurricane CenterHurricane Lee is making its way through the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to remain a powerful hurricane through early next week, prompting warnings of dangerous beach conditions on the US east coast over the weekend.Between Wednesday and Thursday night, Lee evolved from a category 1 tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane. It then dropped down to a category 4 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center announced on Friday morning. Continue reading...

Meeting in Delhi overshadowed by press freedom questions as US journalists kept awayJoe Biden took fresh steps on Friday to lure India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, into an alliance designed to contain China, at a bilateral meeting in Delhi where the pair struck a series of commercial and defence deals covering remote-controlled aircraft, semiconductors and quantum computing.However, the question of press freedom also dominated the agenda on the eve of the full G20 summit as journalists were blocked from covering the event. Before the bilateral at the prime minister's residence, the US press corps, used to being given privileged access to the president, were told to remain outside in a van, out of eyesight of the two leaders. Continue reading...

Recommendations of special purpose grand jury that investigated Trump's efforts to overturn 2020 election made publicA special purpose grand jury in Georgia that investigated Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election for nearly two years recommended bringing criminal charges against several people who ultimately were not charged, including the US senator Lindsey Graham, former senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, as well as the influential conservative figure Cleta Mitchell.The special purpose grand jury also recommended indicting Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, Lin Wood, a lawyer who spread some of the most fantastical claims about election fraud after the 2020 race, and Boris Epshteyn, who remains a top Trump aide. Continue reading...

American is reaping the benefits of hiring new coaches and getting to work on her forehand this summerBy the time Coco Gauff arrived at the French Open this year to defend the points she had compiled as a finalist in 2022, all eyes, from opponents to pundits, were on one shot in her game.There was never any doubt about her first serve, which she fires down at a vicious pace with growing precision, nor her excellent backhand, athleticism, variety and court sense. But her forehand was one of the most glaring weaknesses in the top 10. Continue reading...

Citizen Lab discovers alleged attack using zero-click exploit' on individual employed by DC organizationAn individual employed by a Washington DC-based organization with international offices was targeted with powerful hacking software made by NSO Group, researchers have claimed, raising new concerns about the proliferation of spyware that can infect Apple devices.The alleged attack was discovered by researchers at the Citizen Lab at the Munk School at the University of Toronto while they were checking the individual's device. Continue reading...

Ex-president's net worth was exaggerated by between $1.9bn and $3.6bn between 2011 and 2021, court filing saysDonald Trump overstated his net worth by as much as $3.6bn between 2011 and 2021, the attorney general of New York state said in a court filing first reported by CNBC on Friday - a $1.4bn increase on a previous filing that put the top amount at $2.2bn.In the new filing, CNBC said, the attorney general, Letitia James, said she was still [making] a conservative estimate" about by how much Trump's net worth was overstated in annual financial statements. Continue reading...

With Trump looming, Biden could still lose the White House. But this has been a transformative period of achievementThe tragedy of Joe Biden is that people see his age, his frailty and his ailing poll numbers and they miss the bigger story. Which is that his has been a truly consequential presidency, even a transformational one. In less than three years, he has built a record that should unify US progressives, including those on the radical left, and devised an economic model to inspire social democratic parties the world over, including here in Britain.Sadly for Biden, politics and government are different things: it takes more than a record of good governance to get reelected. For one thing, voters cast their ballots less as a verdict on the past than as an instruction (or hope) for the future. And the fear, shared by 76% of Americans, according to a poll this week, is that Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is simply too old to lead them there. Put aside the fact that his near certain opponent in November 2024, Donald Trump, is only three years younger. Trump has a presence and vigour, an ability to project himself, that Biden does not. And that simple fact affects - distorts - the entire way the Biden administration is seen. As one observer puts it, the vibes are off".Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist. He will host a Guardian Live event with Gordon Brown on Tuesday 26 September at 7pm BST. The event will be live in London and livestreamed - book tickets here Continue reading...

Five of seven justices on court were selected by Governor Ron DeSantis and decision would have ramifications across south-eastIn arguments in a case that could drastically limit abortion access in the south-eastern United States, the Florida supreme court on Friday seemed open to arguments to uphold a law that bans abortion past 15 weeks of pregnancy.If the state's high court upholds the 15-week ban under consideration, a separate, stricter law would take effect prohibiting abortion after six weeks, before many people know they are pregnant. Continue reading...