Move follows cancellation earlier this summer of $4bn in federal grants for state's ambitious but long-overdue planThe Trump administration is cancelling another $175m in funding for California's high-speed rail, marking another setback for the state's much-delayed project.The US transportation department said on Tuesday it was withdrawing funding the $175m for grade separation, over-crossing and design work and to build a high-speed rail station in Madera. The move follows the cancellation earlier this summer of $4bn in federal grants for the state's ambitious but long-overdue plans. Continue reading...
Police placed protesters in harnesses and took them in after sit-in urging tech giant to cut ties with Israeli governmentAt least two current and three former Microsoft employees - as well as two other tech workers - were arrested at the company's headquarters after staging a sit-in demonstration at the company president's office urging that Microsoft cut ties with the Israeli government.Police placed the protesters in full-body harnesses and carried them out of the building, according to Abdo Mohamed, a former Microsoft worker and who helped organize the demonstration. No arrests, no violence, will deter us from continuing to speak up," he said. Continue reading...
Haboob swept through capital, rattling homes, terrifying drivers and leaving tens of thousands without powerA powerful storm kicked up a towering wall of dust that rolled through the city of Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday, darkening the sky, blinding drivers, knocking out power and damaging one of the nation's busiest airports.The dust storm, known as a haboob, is pushed by the wind and produced by a weather front or thunderstorm. It typically occurs in flat, arid areas. The storm came from the south-east, and was followed by heavy rain, wind and lightning. Continue reading...
The organization's suit also says that the redrawn Texas maps violate section 2 of the Voting Rights ActTexas's redrawn congressional maps have drawn a lawsuit from the NAACP, accusing the state of committing a racial gerrymander with its maps that strip Black voters of their political power.The lawsuit, joined by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, names Texas's Republican governor, Greg Abbott, and secretary of state, Jane Nelson, as defendants. It asks a federal judge for a preliminary injunction preventing the use of the redrawn maps, arguing that the redistricting violates the US constitution by improperly reducing the power of voters of color. It also argues that the maps violate section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Continue reading...
by Taha Hashim and Luke McLaughlin (for a bit) on (#6ZJT8)
Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek cruised to victory as Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal made early exitsSwiatek has two break points as Arango trails 1-2. The defending Wimbledon champion converts immediately after Arango slices a backhand into the net. Swiatek leads 3-1 in the first set, with no real signs yet of a potential upset.Kostyuk takes the first set against Boulter 6-4. A tough start for the Brits. Continue reading...
Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, told reporters to 'act civilised' and not be 'animalistic' as they called out questions after the US delegation's meeting with the Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun. The union of journalists in Lebanon said Barrack's remarks were 'a reflection of an unacceptable arrogance in dealing with the media' and called for an official apology. In a statement on X, the Lebanese presidency expressed regret at 'remarks made inadvertently from its podium by one of its guests'
A condo is at the heart of extraordinary battle over the future of the Federal Reserve - and its independenceWhen Donald Trump stepped up his campaign to influence the US Federal Reserve, he traveled less than a mile from the White House, to tour the central bank's headquarters. But as the administration considers how to actually get what it wants, one of the US president's acolytes looked about 500 miles south.A condominium above the Four Seasons hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, is at the heart of an extraordinary battle over the future of the Fed, and the independence of its power of the world's largest economy. Continue reading...
The coast guard said it had interdicted 61,740lbs of cocaine and 14,400lbs of marijuana with a street value of $473mThe US coast guard announced on Monday that it had seized more than 76,000lbs of illegal drugs off the coast of Florida - marking the largest drug offload in the 110-year history of the maritime law enforcement agency.According to a news release from the branch of the US military, officials offloaded approximately 61,740lbs of cocaine and approximately 14,400lbs of marijuana at Port Everglades, Florida, on Monday. The officials said that the total estimated street value of the haul was $473m. Continue reading...
National contest aims to encourage kids to work together to address community issues with artificial intelligenceMelania Trump on Tuesday invited students in grades K-12 to participate in a government-sponsored nationwide contest that is designed to encourage them to work together to use artificial intelligence tools to solve community issues.As someone who created an AI-powered audio book and championed online safety through the Take It Down Act, I've seen firsthand the promise of this powerful technology," the first lady says in a short video announcing the Presidential AI Challenge. Now, I pass the torch of innovation to you. Continue reading...
A powerful storm kicked up a towering wall of dust that rolled through Phoenix on Monday, darkening the sky, knocking out power and damaging one of the US's busiest airports
More than 100 organizations advocate for freedom of 16-year-old dual citizen detained for more than six monthsMore than 100 US human rights, faith-based and civil rights groups have demanded that the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, immediately secure the release of a 16-year-old dual American-Palestinian citizen who has been in an Israeli prison for six months over allegations of rock throwing.The coalition, which includes the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the Center for Constitutional Rights and Pax Christi USA, warned that Mohammed Zaher Ibrahim's deteriorating health puts his life on the line" and demanded urgent US intervention in the most significant organized pressure campaign on the imprisoned teenager's case yet. Continue reading...
The California governor is imitating Trump's attention-grabbing style. It's time for the party to embrace an all-out digital brawlGavin Newsom's recent mockery of Donald Trump proves that imitation isn't always the sincerest form of flattery. Amid the ongoing battle over congressional redistricting, Newsom's pitch-perfect posts about Trump's TINY HANDS" and California's PERFECT MAPS" have been wildly entertaining, and, at least by one measure, wildly successful - the posts have garnered millions of views and counting.While it's refreshing to see a prominent Democrat unapologetically standing up to the current administration, Newsom's jabs also reinforce the staying power of Trump's blustery and incoherent style. And they reveal the degree to which the attention economy has disrupted our focus and degraded our language. Continue reading...
JB Pritzker says Trump is not in good shape' as president weighs sending troops into Chicago against local wishesThe Democratic governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, has hit back at Donald Trump for commenting on his weight, saying the Republican president is himself not in good shape" amid escalating tension over the possible deployment of the national guard on the streets of Chicago.Trump said on Monday that Pritzker ought to spend more time in the gym". While successfully campaigning in 2024 for a second presidency that began in January, Trump said that the Illinois governor was too busy eating" to lead his state. Continue reading...
The California governor is one of the few Democrats who seems ready to play the president at his own game. But he also has to show voters that he has empathy and a vision for their futureEvery time you think US politics could not possibly get any stupider, it does. Today's instalment of we live in hell, where politicians are passing around the last remaining brain cell" comes via New York and the latest shenanigans of the city's mayor, Eric Adams. Desperate to distract voters from a steady stream of scandals, the latest of which involves a former aide giving a reporter a crisp packet filled with cash after an Adams mayoral campaign event, he is trying hard to flex his social media muscles.This weekend, Adams joined Andrew Cuomo, the former governor who is running as an independent in November's election, and others in mocking Zohran Mamdani, the charismatic Democratic candidate and frontrunner, for his weightlifting efforts at a community event. Adams posted a side-by-side video on X of himself and Mamdani bench-pressing with the caption: 67 vs. 33 ... The weight of the job is too heavy for Mamscrawny.' The only thing he can lift is your taxes." This post was quickly deleted and replaced with one that got Adams's age right: he is 64. Continue reading...
In its allegations against the Maryland man, the Trump administration is claiming authority over reality itselfIn a way, you could think of the brief stint that Kilmar Abrego Garcia spent in a Tennessee jail after his return from a Salvadorian prison camp in June as a kind of protective custody. Abrego, a Maryland resident who had never been charged with any crime either in the US or in his native El Salvador, became a symbol of the Trump administration's ambitiously sadistic anti-immigration efforts when he was kidnapped by I agents in March and sent without due process to Cecot, a massive prison in El Salvador from which few detainees are ever released, as a result of what representatives for the Trump immigration authorities called an administrative error. Abrego became a symbol for the several hundred men who had been deprived of their liberty and deported to the distant foreign prison without due process and in defiance of both American and international law.It was only after extensive public pressure on the issue - including visits to Cecot and demands to see Abrego from prominent Democratic politicians, including Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland senator - that Abrego was returned to the US. The Trump administration ginned up a fake, face-saving excuse for his return, claiming Abrego needed to be tried for alleged crimes in the US. But that was never anything but a cover, a lie to avoid admitting that they were bringing him back under political pressure and that such pressure could make them cave again. Still, Maga does not forgive Abrego for his innocence; its adherents decided to make an example of him. Now, released from jail on those trumped-up and unproven allegations, Abrego has been arrested again by Ice. This time, the Trump administration says it plans to deport him to Uganda - a country he has never been to - as part of a new third-country deportation scheme recently blessed by the supreme court. Continue reading...
Cook has said that Trump has no authority to remove her from the job over over allegations she committed mortgage fraud. Plus, a look at the AI-led agency advocating for AI rights'
Festivalgoers battled winds of 45mph in Black Rock City, Nevada, over the weekend. Festival organisers said the grounds reopened on Monday but more adverse weather conditions are expected. At least four people were reportedly injured
From an executive order and redistricting to seeking to kill mail-in ballots, the party is conducting an all-out assault on voting rightsChristians, get out and vote, just this time," Donald Trump exhorted the audience at a campaign event organized by the conservative Turning Point Action in July 2024. In four years, you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good you're not going to have to vote."Since his defeat by Joe Biden in 2020, Trump has been building toward delivery on that promise, first by fomenting suspicion of widespread election fraud, then by trying to overturn the results via legal challenge and intimidation, and finally, on 6 January 2021, by force. Now the White House and Republicans both in Washington and the states are colluding more brazenly than ever to fix it" - it" meaning free and fair elections they might lose.Judith Levine is Brooklyn-based journalist, essayist and author of five books. Her Substack is Today in Fascism Continue reading...
The Frenchman became the first European-born coach in the league when he joined the Sun. Now he finds himself in a tough rebuildAfter achieving three of his biggest career accomplishments in eight months, Rachid Meziane crossed the Atlantic to make personal history.The native of southern France joined the WNBA's Connecticut Sun in December as the league's first European-born head coach. Four months earlier, Meziane guided Belgium to their best finish ever in Olympic women's basketball: fourth place at the Paris Games. Four months before that, he led French club ESB-Villeneuve d'Ascq to their first national women's championship since 2017 and their first EuroLeague final ever. Continue reading...
World No 11 would be first playing captain since 1963 if he hands himself a wildcard in his announcement on WednesdaySix players have qualified automatically to represent the US in New York next month: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, JJ Spaun, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau. Keegan Bradley will name his halfdozen wildcards on Wednesday. These announcements are ordinarily mundane; this one will be far from that. Continue reading...
Suspensions including from Australia and Europe come after Donald Trump removed a rule exempting parcels worth less than US$800 from his tariffsPostal services around the world have stopped sending some mail to the United States as they ready for expanded tariffs, after Donald Trump removed an exemption on packages worth under US$800.Carriers have been temporarily suspending services since Friday to avoid delivering packages after 29 August, when they will start to be charged full tariff rates for most parcels. Continue reading...
In an Oval Office meeting with South Korea's new president, Lee Jae Myung, Donald Trump says he would like to meet the North Korean leader this year. Trump said, 'I have a great relationship with Kim Jong-un ... I spend a lot of free time with him talking about things that we probably aren't supposed to talk about.' Lee, deploying a well-worn strategy by foreign visitors to the Trump White House, talked golf and lavished praise on the Republican president's interior decorating and peacemaking. Trump also suggested the US could seek to take over land in South Korea, saying, 'I would like to see if we could get rid of the lease and get ownership of the land where we have a massive military base.'
Republican-controlled body drew boundaries in 2021 in violation of voters' rights and is unlawful, says judgeThe Utah legislature will need to rapidly redraw the state's congressional boundaries after a judge ruled on Monday that the Republican-controlled body drew them in violation of voters' rights.The current map, drawn in 2021, divides Salt Lake county - the state's population center and a Democratic stronghold - among the state's four congressional districts, all of which have since elected Republicans by wide margins. District court judge Dianna Gibson declared the map unlawful because the legislature circumvented a commission established by voters to ensure districts aren't drawn to favor any party. Continue reading...
South Korean president Lee Jae Myung uses Oval Office meeting to encourage Trump to engage with North Korean leaderDonald Trump has said he wants to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, possibly this year, in an attempt to revive the failed nuclear diplomacy of his first term as US president.I'd like to have a meeting. I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong-un in the appropriate future," Trump said during an occasionally awkward meeting at the Oval Office with South Korea's new president, Lee Jae Myung, in which he raised the prospect of taking ownership of South Korean land that hosts a US military base. Continue reading...
Trump attempts to go around court's 1989 ruling that right to burn flags is protected speech - key US politics stories from Monday 25 AugustDonald Trump has signed an executive order instructing federal prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against individuals who burn American flags during protests.The order on Monday tells the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, to look at cases where people burned flags and see if they can be charged with other crimes such as disturbing the peace or breaking environmental laws. Continue reading...
US government is seeking to show a pattern of corruption among Smartmatic executives that allegedly involved bribes and money laundering, new court filing showsThe justice department is alleging in a new court filing that one of three Smartmatic executives indicted last year on bribery and money-laundering charges transferred money from a 2018 voting machine contract with Los Angeles county into slush funds" that were originally set up to pay bribes to an election official in the Philippines to obtain and retain lucrative election contracts.Prosecutors say one of the executives of the voting machine company transferred an undisclosed amount from the $282m LA county contract into the slush funds" in 2019, but did not say if anyone actually received bribes from the county's money at that point. The government is seeking to prove the Smartmatic executives were part of an alleged years-long scheme to pay bribes to the election official and kickbacks to at least one of the executives from Smartmatic, which sued Fox News for defamation after the 2020 election.The article and headline have been amended on 25 August 2025 to reflect that money transfer allegations concerning LA county involve only one of the indicted Smartmatic executives. It further amended to clarify that prosecutors allege bribes from the purported slush funds were distributed to a Philippine election official only, and not to Venezuelan election officials. Continue reading...
by Taha Hashim and Luke McLaughlin (for a bit) on (#6ZHYR)
Madison Keys suffered an early exit as Jack Draper returned to singles action for the first time since WimbledonKorda goes long - just - with a forehand and Norrie has break point. But Korda matches Norrie's trick in the previous game, launching an ace to get out of trouble. A passing forehand, from way behind the baseline, puts a smile on Norrie's face: he's got another break point. And it's another ace from Korda! That's his 10th of the match. Norrie gets his third chance to break with a backhand down the line but Korda's serve is a serious force. The American battles on to take a 5-4 lead in the first set.Korda has a break point against Norrie ... but out comes an ace down the middle. Norrie's then up to the net, a delightfully delicate volley bringing him the advantage. He escapes danger and we're 4-4 in this rather even fight. Continue reading...
Maryland man, back in US after being wrongly deported to El Salvador, detained again and faces deportation to UgandaKilmar Abrego Garcia - who has been thrust into the middle of an acrimonious deportation saga by the second Trump administration - has been detained after reporting to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents in Baltimore on Monday, but a judge later ruled that he cannot be deported for now.His detainment comes just three days after his release from criminal custody in Tennessee.Shrai Popat contributed reporting Continue reading...
Pickett fire chars Napa wine country while predicted thunderstorms add to danger of Oregon's Flat fireWildfires raging in northern California wine country and central Oregon have destroyed multiple homes and threatened thousands more as hot, dry weather created challenges for firefighters battles the blazes.Ten structures - including four homes - have been destroyed in Oregon's Deschutes County as of Monday, where a wildfire dubbed the Flat fire continues to burn. Continue reading...
Republican congresswoman posted image online of man and inaccurately called him shooter in now deleted postSouth Carolina Republican Nancy Mace is facing criticism for posting an online image of a man she falsely described as a campus shooter after the state university issued a credible report" alert of a shooter in the library on Sunday.School officials at the university of South Carolina had issued a warning of an active shooter at the university's Columbia campus at around 6.30pm, later describing the suspect as a white male with black pants, approximately 6 feet tall and still in the area". Continue reading...
Ismael Zambada was co-founder of Sinaloa cartel led by Joaquin El Chapo' Guzman, now imprisoned in USThe Mexican drug lord Ismael El Mayo" Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges as well as running a criminal enterprise on Monday, more than a year since he was arrested in Texas after what has been described as a kidnapping.I recognize the great harm illegal drugs have done to the people in the United States and Mexico," the 77-year-old Zambada said in court through a Spanish-language interpreter. I apologize for all of it, and I take responsibility for my actions." Continue reading...
Southaven police said a man was arrested and charged with murder in connection with Baltimore entertainer's killingThe Baltimore comedian Reginald Reggie" Carroll has died after being shot in northern Mississippi, according to authorities and media reports.The entertainer was 52, and among those who have paid tribute to him was the Oscar-winning actor Mo'Nique, who called Carroll a brother" in comedy. Continue reading...
Move is an escalation in president's efforts to take control of law enforcement in the capital city and beyondDonald Trump on Monday signed two executive orders aimed at eliminating cashless bail for people accused of crimes in Washington DC and other jurisdictions, an escalation in his efforts to take control of law enforcement in the capital city and beyond.The executive orders direct Washington and other localities to end their cashless bail programs, which allow people charged with crimes to leave jail while they await trial without paying what can be large sums of money. The order says that the federal government will reconsider funding decisions, services or approvals if Washington does not comply. Continue reading...
US president attempts to circumvent 1989 supreme court decision which said flag burning is protected speechDonald Trump signed an executive order on Monday instructing federal prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against individuals who burn American flags during protests.The order tells the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, to look at cases where people burned flags and see if they can be charged with other crimes like disturbing the peace or breaking environmental laws. Continue reading...
Jeffrey Epstein associate attended Clinton Global Initiative conference in 2013 as advocate for ocean conservationGhislaine Maxwell was honored by the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in 2013, four years after sexual abuse accusations against her emerged - and two years after the former president Bill Clinton's staff recommended banning her from official events, CNN has reported.Maxwell - who in 2022 was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking and related crimes - attended the CGI conference as a guest of merit, where she was applauded for her work on ocean conservation alongside other Commitment to Action" leaders, according to the network. Continue reading...
Questions around goalkeeping and style of play raise questions about whether Man City can regain the aura of invincibility that once surrounded themThe truly great sides always come with an aura. One of the elements that makes them so hard to beat is that beating them seems so inconceivable. Even when they hit a bad run, the expectation is always that at some point they will rediscover their form. To some extent, Manchester City did that last season. As miserable as much of the campaign was, after losing to Nottingham Forest at the beginning of March, they put together a run of 10 games unbeaten and ended up third - even if defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final demonstrated the shortcomings that remain.That game showcased City's flatness at times going forward but also a strange openness at the back that was apparent again in the 4-3 defeat to Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup. Pep Guardiola sides, given how high their line is, will always be susceptible to direct balls played in behind them if something goes awry with the press; it's an inevitable part of the risk-reward of that style of play.This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he'll answer the best in a future edition. Continue reading...
HHS told Reuters patient had returned from El Salvador but beef industry said person had traveled from GuatemalaThe US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Sunday reported the first human case in the US of travel-associated New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, from an outbreak-affected country.The case, investigated by the Maryland department of health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was confirmed by the CDC as New World screwworm on 4 August - and involved a patient who returned from travel to El Salvador, an HHS spokesperson, Andrew G Nixon, said in an email to Reuters. Continue reading...
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