US news | The Guardian

After the Oasis ticket debacle, this much is clear: the fan experience' is an excuse to be exploited while having to look gratefulTicketmaster has a dream. A dream that one day, it will be pleased to have partnered with" your child's school, making it easier for you to buy tickets" to the nativity play. Which will henceforth be known as the nativity experience. But listen - Ticketmaster wants to make the whole process run more smoothly, freeing you up to connect with the performers you love (your kids) while being gifted" the paper cup that forms part of the package in these platinum seats (the tiny chairs from the classroom).No, none of the standard seat tickets are still available. But you can upgrade to the ultimate VIP package, meaning you have access to the Bethlehem lounge (the reception reading corner) an hour before the event. If you want to experience magic this Christmas, do remember to clear all cookies, have only one tab open, and prepare nevertheless to be ejected from the queue four hours in after being accused of being a computer, by a computer.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Colin Gray, 54, faces several counts of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder and cruelty to children. Plus, why so many models shoot for pop stardom Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.The father of the 14-year-old suspect in the Georgia school shooting has been arrested in connection with the incident that killed four people, the Georgia bureau of investigation has said.Was Palestinian resettlement lower under Trump? Similar numbers of refugees from the territories have been admitted under the Trump and Joe Biden administrations - 114 in three years under Trump, and 124 in the same length of time under Biden. Continue reading...

Contract negotiations have hit impasse ahead of expiration of current agreement on 13 SeptemberBoeing workers could strike next week over a dispute between their union and the company over wages, safety, pensions and job security.The 32,000 workers represented by the International Machinists Union have pushed for significant wage increases of at least 40% in three or four years, reinstatement of defined pension benefit plans that Boeing took away in 2014, lower healthcare costs, safety improvements, easing mandatory overtime and ensuring Boeing's next airplane model is produced in Washington. Continue reading...

China has a huge population and thereby a large pool of people with disabilities, and starts developing their talents earlyAt the Olympics, as in geopolitics, China is locked in a continuing battle for global dominance with the US. In the all-important gold medal tally at the Tokyo Games three years ago, the Americans edged their Chinese rivals by 39 golds to 38; in Paris last month, they finished with 40 apiece.When it comes to the Paralympics, however, China leaves the US (and everyone else) in the dust. At each of the past five Summer Paralympics - dating back to 2004 - China's gold medal tally has been, at a minimum, the same as the second- and third-placed countries combined. In Paris, as of this morning, they have 73 - with the UK and US trailing at 37 and 27, respectively.Mark Dreyer is the founder of China Sports Insider and Beijing-based author of Sporting Superpower: An Insider's View on China's Quest to Be the BestDo 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...

It would be unfair to say these guys represent everyone in Israel, so I'm not going to say that. They said it themselvesFor a while I used to play a little game called What Would It Take? What would it take for the Biden administration to do something meaningful in order to put an end to the carnage in Gaza? What would it take for the Biden administration to stop the ethnic cleansing currently taking place in the West Bank? What would it take for the anchors of popular US cable news outlets to show any real empathy towards Palestinians?Would video evidence of a Palestinian being raped by Israeli soldiers at Sde Teiman, a military prison that resembles a torture camp, make any difference? Nah. Judging by the US state department's response, that's no biggie. The US, we've been told, has asked Israel to investigate itself and we can trust them to do a great job of it. Continue reading...

The press is still pursuing the appearance of fairness by treating the true and the false, normal and outrageous, as equally validThe first thing to say about the hate and scorn currently directed at the mainstream US media is that they worked hard to earn it. They've done so by failing, repeatedly, determinedly, spectacularly to do their job, which is to maintain their independence, inform the electorate, and speak truth to power. While the left has long had reasons to dismiss centrist media, and the right has loathed it most when it did do its job well, the moderates who are furious at it now seem to be something new - and a host of former editors, media experts and independent journalists have been going after them hard this summer.Longtime journalist James Fallows declares that three institutions - the Republican party, the supreme court, and the mainstream political press - have catastrophically failed to meet the moment' under pressure of [the] Trump era". Centrist political reformer and columnist Norm Ornstein states that these news institutions have had no reflection, no willingness to think through how irresponsible and reckless so much of our mainstream press and so many of our journalists have been and continue to be". Continue reading...

Autobiography of Montana's Tim Sheehy recalls special forces service but no record it was submitted for vettingTim Sheehy, the Republican candidate for US Senate in Montana, a race that could decide control of the chamber, appears to have failed to follow Pentagon rules for clearing portions of his autobiography about his time as a US navy Seal, documents obtained by the Guardian show.Responding to freedom of information requests, officials with the Defense Office of Prepublication and Security Review (DOPSR) said that after thorough searches of the electronic records and files", they found no record of Sheehy submitting a DD 1910 form, required for all such projects, or any communications at all concerning review and approval of Mudslingers, the book Sheehy published with Permuted Press last year. Continue reading...

Harris doesn't need to impose a full embargo on Israel - but she can pledge to enforce US laws restricting arms transfers to human rights violatorsSince she emerged as the Democratic presidential nominee after Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Kamala Harris has expressed more sympathy for Palestinians than the president she is hoping to replace. But so far, Harris has made clear that she won't deviate from Biden's core policy on the Gaza war: unconditional US support for Israel and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, no matter what he does to block a ceasefire and prolong the conflict.I'm unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel's defense and its ability to defend itself," Harris told CNN on 29 August, in her first major TV interview since securing the nomination. She added: Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed." These comments reinforced her acceptance speech at the Democratic national convention a week earlier, where she pledged to always stand up for Israel" and also called for Palestinian freedom and self-determination". Continue reading...

Japanese group says Couche-Tard plan undervalues firm, but leaves door open to higher offer

How many are now second-guessing their own treatment after the model's dangerous intervention?Elle Macpherson believes, for some reason, that disease thrives in an acidic body. The Australian ex-supermodel swears by the benefits of limiting red meat, wheat, dairy, sugar and processed food, and by something she calls alkalising greens" (no, me neither). Through her glossy wellness brand, WelleCo, she tirelessly promotes her Super Elixir - a blend of vitamins and minerals apparently devised by her naturopath when she was feeling rundown and menopausal - to women who want to look as incredible as she does at 60, and are willing to believe that has something to do with kale.So far, so relatively benign, though admittedly things took a darker turn when Macpherson dated Andrew Wakefield between 2017 and 2019, the former doctor behind the now thoroughly debunked junk science linking the MMR jab to autism. But mostly Macpherson has occupied the safer side of the line between crunchy moms" - devotees of organic food, herbal remedies and tech detoxes - and cranks. Or she had, until she started talking about saying no to standard medical solutions" for cancer.Gaby Hinsliff 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...

After months of dithering, the French president's choice of prime minister leaves him more vulnerable than everWaiting two months for a new prime minister may be standard procedure for the Belgians, Dutch, Germans or Italians, inured to extended coalition negotiations, but to the French 50 days has seemed like an insufferable eternity. This was not the way things were supposed to be in the Fifth Republic, with a constitution framed in 1958 to deliver stable parliamentary majorities for a powerful president, Charles de Gaulle. Le general must be spinning in his grave.His distant successor in the Elysee Palace, Emmanuel Macron, spent all summer dithering over a way out of the mess he created himself when he dissolved the national assembly and called a snap election in June. The option he finally chose on Thursday, bringing Michel Barnier, a conservative Gaullist former European commissioner, foreign minister and Brexit negotiator, out of retirement at 73 to lead a government, seems unlikely to offer a stable solution. Continue reading...

We are nonplussed every time one emerges, as if it's something new. But there are patterns that are totally predictableI've been thinking about a famously orange-skinned former presenter of trashy TV programmes, who lives on a luxurious coastal estate. He has a history of racist and Islamophobic remarks, of blaming asylum seekers for bringing disease into the country and ranting about the supercilious metropolitan elite". He swept into a rightwing political party and refashioned it in his image, presenting himself as the antidote to politics-as-usual, whipping up culture wars and using the platform to boost his planet-sized ego.I am, of course, describing the British former politician Robert Kilroy-Silk. Continue reading...

The men are hoping to emulate Mick Fanning's success in 2013 while Molly Picklum carries the women's hopes in the one-day winner-takes-all eventJack Robinson and Ethan Ewing will both be out to put a run of near misses behind them and at the same time break Australia's 11-year men's surfing title drought when the World Surf League finals competition window opens on Friday.The pair finished in the top five in the WSL rankings to book their ticket to the winner-takes-all, one-day showdown in California, while hopes will also rest with their compatriot Molly Picklum in the women's final. Continue reading...

The father of the teenager suspected of opening fire at a Georgia high school - killing four people and wounding nine - 'knowingly' let his son possess a weapon, authorities said at a press conference announcing the man's arrest. 'These charges stem from Mr Gray knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon,' the Georgia bureau of investigation's Chris Hosey said

Colin Gray faces four involuntary manslaughter, two second-degree murder and eight cruelty to children countsThe father of the teen suspected in the Georgia school shooting has been arrested, the Georgia bureau of investigation has said.Colin Gray, 54, was arrested by the bureau in connection to the shooting at Apalachee high school. Colin is the father of Colt Gray, the 14-year-old who is suspected of fatally shooting two students and two teachers with an assault-style rifle at the high school on Wednesday. Continue reading...

This blog is closed, thanks for following along. You can read the latest on the mass shooting in Georgia below:

Homes of first deputy mayor, deputy mayor for public safety and mayoral adviser searched, with devices seized from police headFederal agents have raided the homes of high-ranking officials within New York City mayor Eric Adams's administration, according to reports. Agents also reportedly have seized devices from the home of the New York police department commissioner.On Thursday, local news outlet the City cited sources familiar with the situation who said that federal agents carried out the raid on early Wednesday in the homes of Sheena Wright, the first deputy mayor, and Philip Banks III, the deputy mayor for public safety. The home of Timothy Pearson, a mayoral adviser and former high-ranking police official, was also reportedly searched. Continue reading...

Canberra is focused on what a second Trump presidency could mean for Aukus - its deal to acquire nuclear-powered submarinesAustralians have already had a taste of the turbulence of dealing with Donald Trump, courtesy of a leaked 2017 phone call between the newly inaugurated president and the then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.I think it is a horrible deal, a disgusting deal that I would have never made," Trump said as Turnbull implored him to honour a refugee resettlement agreement made with the Obama administration. Continue reading...

In Las Vegas summit speech, Republican candidate paints potential Harris presidency in cataclysmic terms for IsraelDonald Trump told Jewish donors on Thursday that they would be abandoned" if Kamala Harris becomes president.In his speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas, the Republican presidential candidate also said he would ban refugee resettlement from terror-infested" areas such as Gaza and arrest pro-Hamas thugs" who engage in vandalism, an apparent reference to the college student protesters. Continue reading...

Cause of death is unknown for Atlanta rapper best known for songs such as Type of Way and Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)The Atlanta rap artist Rich Homie Quan, known for Type of Way and Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh), died on Thursday in Atlanta.DeQuantes Devontay Lamar, 34, was one of Atlanta's bedrock artists. Lamar grew up in DeKalb county, on Atlanta's east side, and entered Atlanta's evolving rap music scene in 2011 after a string of burglaries led to a stint in Georgia prison. His first hit, Type of Way, on his third mixtape led to deeper connections in Atlanta's music circles, with connections to Gucci Mane and Birdman, and ultimately to the rapper Young Thug. Continue reading...

Briton hopes to extend his New York run beyond semi-finals against an opponent he recalls facing at junior levelJack Draper has taken inspiration from Emma Raducanu's US Open triumph three years ago as he looks to continue his own spectacular breakthrough run in New York before his tough semi-final against Jannik Sinner, the world No 1, on Friday.What Emma did was obviously incredibly inspiring," said Draper, who is a year older than Raducanu. I've known her from a young age and to see what she did was incredible. I was very proud of her, very excited, watching it thinking, obviously we've watched the likes of Andy Murray winning a grand slam from Great Britain, but her winning, it was just really a fairytale run. I definitely think as a competitor, it fuelled my fire. I really wanted to achieve what she'd done, winning a grand slam." Continue reading...

US president's son, who earlier pleaded not guilty, avoids potentially embarrassing trial on day it would have begunHunter Biden pleaded guilty to tax charges in federal court in Los Angeles on Thursday, after a day of legal wrangling and in a dramatic move that will avoid a potentially embarrassing trial for Joe Biden's son.Biden, 54, pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges on a day of courtroom twists and turns, after prosecutors earlier objected to his surprise intention to enter an Alford" plea, an unusual legal maneuver where a defendant pleads guilty but does not acknowledge wrongdoing. Following prosecutors' objections, lawyers said Biden was ready to change course and enter an open" plea, where a defendant pleads guilty to the charges and leaves his sentencing fate in the hands of the judge. Continue reading...

We're playing a deciding set in the table tennis; it's intense but for now, Korkut leads 3-0. Can Twomey compose herself to respond?In the Stade de France, it's the medal ceremony for the Men's T13 400 metres, in which Buinder Bermudez won bronze. No snaps as yet, but the Colombian trackies are excellent - below is from the men's long jump T38 final. Continue reading...

Dimitri Simes, who had contacts in Donald Trump's orbit, charged as White House targets Kremlin influencers before US presidential electionsUS investigators have indicted a prominent Russian state television personality and his wife for violating sanctions and for money laundering as the White House targets Kremlin influence operations before the US presidential election.Dimitri Simes, a television presenter and producer for Russia's state-owned Channel One, was charged with receiving more than $1m (759,000) in compensation, a personal car and driver and a stipend for a flat in Moscow, despite the television station's designation as sanctioned in 2022 by the US's Office of Foreign Assets Control. He and his wife, Anastasia, were charged with money laundering to hide the proceeds of his work for Channel One. Continue reading...

Officials say 14-year-old charged with fatally shooting four at Apalachee high school used assault-style rifle

Tech billionaire has been pushing ex-president to take on policy idea, which would walk back government regulationsDonald Trump announced in a speech on Thursday that, if elected, he would form a government efficiency commission, a policy idea that Elon Musk has been pushing him to take on. The former president claimed the tech billionaire had agreed to lead the commission.Trump made the attention-grabbing announcement during a campaign event at the Economic Club of New York, but gave no specific details about how the commission would operate. Continue reading...

The devastating toll of recent attacks and the advance of Russian troops are prompting questions at homeUkraine's audacious August incursion into Russian territory was a welcome fillip for national morale, and a message to foreign backers that Kyiv could still take the initiative after the disappointing counteroffensive of 2023. A more sober mood has now asserted itself with Moscow's retaliation for the humiliation.A strike on Lviv on Wednesday left at least seven dead and 53 injured, while another killed more than 50 people at a military training institution and hospital in Poltava the previous day. At the weekend, a 14-year-old girl was among at least seven people killed in Kharkiv when a bomb hit a playground. The Russian advance in eastern Ukraine also appears to be picking up steam, with tens of thousands preparing to flee. Losing Pokrovsk, a big logistics hub, would be a serious blow. There are also reports that Iran is expected to ship missiles to Russia imminently". Continue reading...

Ex-president diverts resources from states he boasted about winning while Biden was Democratic candidate

Grief and shock mix with fond memories of the two students and two teachers killed in Wednesday's shootingFour people were killed in the shooting on Wednesday at Apalachee high school outside Atlanta, Georgia. Two were students, both aged 14, and two were mathematics teachers.Christian Angulo, 14 Continue reading...

Identifying clusters of Black voters and their motivations can help tailor voter engagement strategies, organizers sayBlack voters in the US are often lumped into one bloc, but a new national survey has found that they are actually defined by specific clusters: legacy civil rights, secular progressives, next-gen traditionalist, rightfully cynical and race-neutral conservative.These clusters indicate that there are incredible differences within the Black community, in terms of how people think about democracy and their role in our democracy," said Katrina Gamble, CEO of Sojourn Strategies during a press conference on Wednesday, Continue reading...

I assumed Bianca wanted to regress to the role of little girl. But she had a story to share with them about a life well livedMy elderly neighbour said something to me that has haunted me for the past two years.She said, I am old. I could die soon. When? Two or three years? Even so, I would give up two years of my life to spend one afternoon with my mum and dad." Continue reading...

Conservatives think giving children free lunch at school is socialism, but vast, powerful private monopolies are freedomThe Trump campaign, flanked by an army of online trolls commanded by Elon Musk, has been struggling to settle on an attack line against the Democratic ticket. Of course, a decade or so ago no one would have thought a candidate unable to think of nasty nicknames had a problem; but Donald Trump has made us all ask stupider questions and have stupider thoughts. If in doubt, though - and no matter what any Democrat actually does or says - the Republican party will level the charges of socialism" and communism" against them.To state the obvious: free lunches - ensuring that poor kids won't go hungry - are not communism. The one time in recent history that the US clearly resembled the Soviet Union - empty shelves and long lines outside shops - was under Trump; to be sure, other countries also had supply chain problems during Covid-19, but the former president proved exceptionally irresponsible and incompetent. But there's another, less obvious similarity with the late Soviet Union in particular: the experience of being at the mercy of bureaucrats. No, not the DMV, but vast private corporations with quasi-monopoly power, something with which Trump's Republican party, unlike the Biden administration, is evidently fine.Jan-Werner Muller is a professor of politics at Princeton University and a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Maricopa county supervisor Bill Gates revealed he had post-traumatic stress in 2023. Now, he's passing the batonBill Gates, an election official in Arizona, revealed in 2023 that he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress from the threats that came along with his job.But he doesn't want to focus on that. The soon-to-be retired Maricopa county supervisor wants to talk about his new role, training the next generation of elections officials. Continue reading...

The firebrand lieutenant governor is being outspent, largely on ads using his own extreme rhetoric to define himThe North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson's campaign ad spending appears to have completely collapsed in the wake of the Republican's mounting scandals and increasingly dire poll numbers.The lieutenant governor's apparent shortfall comes despite changes to North Carolina's campaign finance laws, which would make it easier for national donors to contribute to his campaign without leaving fingerprints on their money. Continue reading...

Tennis is still the main attraction at the US Open. But it has become a more of a background feature at a monument to conspicuous consumption and wealthThe latest harbinger of doom at the US Open isn't a bad call or a broken superstition. It's tennis balls the size of a pumpkin.As the action on court winds towards the finish, hordes of children can be observed overwhelming ushers to take up position in the front row with these giant balls, a pen and the expectation of a signature. For a player on the brink of defeat, these cherubic autograph seekers aren't just a sign that their tournament has come to an end. The autograph hoarders, as well as the cocktail fiends and commemorative towel collectors, reveal the extent to which the hunger for personal moments and mementoes has overshadowed the appetite for actual tennis. Continue reading...

For almost a century, opponents have removed the ic' from Democratic'. Is it doing them any good?The Democratic party? Robert F Kennedy Jr's never heard of it.On Tuesday, the former presidential candidate issued his latest condemnation of the Democrat party", endorsing a bizarre linguistic tradition among haters of the institution. As Donald Trump told a rally in 2018: I call it the Democrat party. It sounds better rhetorically." By better", of course, he meant worse", as he explained the next year: he prefers to say the Democrat party' because it doesn't sound good". Continue reading...

A pause for polio vaccinations is welcome, but the disease's presence is a window on the true cost of Israel's warIn August, a 10-month-old baby in Gaza was partly paralysed from polio, the first confirmed case there in 25 years. The paralysis is probably permanent, and there are no treatments for polio. We have a safe and effective vaccine to prevent serious disease, but the ongoing war in the region has meant vaccination campaigns have stopped. A polio outbreak seems inevitable given that the disease spreads through dirty water and rubbish, which surrounds those living in tents in camps.Fortunately, a series of nine-hour pauses over sequential days has been agreed so that children can be vaccinated as part of an emergency UN health campaign. The first of these three-day periods concluded on Tuesday; the next will continue to the end of the week. But whether the fighting will stop completely is a major worry: Israeli forces have attacked hospitals, schools, aid trucks and UN workers in the past. UN agencies like the World Food Programme are no longer sending staff into Gaza after Israeli forces opened fire on a marked World Food Programme truck - even after the vehicle had received clearances from Israeli authorities. It's all very well agreeing a pause on paper; the true test will be whether it is honoured in real life.Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of EdinburghDo 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...

Jails where NaphCare is contracted have seen the highest death tolls compared with any healthcare providerWhen Isaiah Trammell experienced a mental health episode while detained at Ohio's Montgomery county jail in February last year, he pleaded for a blanket, a mat and a phone call.He was denied them because he was on suicide precautions. Continue reading...

Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Nevada submit election deniers who attempted elect Trump in 2020State Republican parties have nominated 14 of the 84 fake electors from the 2020 presidential election to serve again as Republican party presidential electors, an indication of the legitimacy that election deniers continue to hold in some quarters of the GOP.The Republican parties of Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Nevada have each nominated one or more electors who attempted to submit themselves as electors for Donald Trump and Mike Pence in 2020 despite the former president losing in their states. Continue reading...

As gambling revenue has increased in recent years, so has the need for gambling prevention and treatment - but the industry has largely avoided this issueThe gambling industry contributes billions to the US economy, provides jobs and has become a popular form of entertainment. Legislators and government officials celebrate the huge tax revenue generated by this booming industry.But this financial focus should not overshadow the importance of addressing the growing number of problem gamblers. Continue reading...

FBI says it investigated suspect and his father a year ago. Plus, con artist Anna Sorokin to don ankle monitor on Dancing With the Stars

Officials from civil rights division to investigate two prisons that have been plagued by allegations of endemic' abuseThe US justice department has opened a civil rights investigation into sexual abuse by staff at California's women's prisons, which have for years been plagued by misconduct scandals.The department said on Wednesday that it was investigating the state's two women's prisons - the Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Chino - and would evaluate whether the state protects incarcerated residents from sexual abuse by correctional employees. Continue reading...

What happens to our hearts when we are encased in a field of malevolence and hatred that daily threatens our stability and peace?I have been thinking about fascism long before I even knew I was thinking about it. I lived for years inside the mind, the home, the terror of my tyrannical father who used violence as the methodology to sustain his power over every aspect of our existence. In order to achieve that power he separated and divided us. He isolated us, used us against each other and made us lonely.Hannah Arendt wrote about loneliness in the Origins of Totalitarianism, published in 1951: What prepares men for totalitarian domination in the non-totalitarian world is the fact that loneliness, once a borderline experience usually suffered in certain marginal social conditions like old age, has become an everyday experience." Continue reading...