Disgraced former New York Republican congressman's criminal trial was scheduled to start early next monthThe disgraced former New York Republican congressman George Santos is expected to plead guilty on Monday in a deal with prosecutors on charges that he defrauded his campaign during his 2022 midterm elections, according to multiple reports.Hints of a plea agreement came on Friday ahead of Santos's federal criminal trial, which was set to start early next month. Prosecutors and defense attorneys suddenly scheduled a hearing without explicitly saying why. Continue reading...
Speeches can boost state politician to national prominence, despite awkward challenge with Harris nominationIn 2004, Barack Obama was a relatively unknown state legislator trying to become Illinois' next senator - until his speech at the Democratic convention. When Democrats gathered in Boston to nominate John Kerry, many Americans heard Obama speak for the first time. And they were mesmerized.I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible," Obama said that evening. Continue reading...
A memoir of one couple's years in hospitality captures the strange alchemy of running a restaurantMy intense interest in restaurants may be traced all the way back to childhood, when I coolly set up my own little place in the Victorian outside loo at my dad's (somewhat of a hipster location, I think now). A short-lived but highly memorable establishment - at my funeral, there will doubtless be ye olde sibling jokes about how I misspelled lettuce - everything on the menu had been drawn by me in felt tip, and then cut out by hand. Service was brisk, orange squash was complimentary, and the atmosphere in the kitchen was straight out of The Bear. Woe betide the customer who dared to laugh on receiving a serving of peas that comprised just three tiny discs of lime green paper. What did they expect? I had no sous-chef and no decent scissors.Something stuck in my small brain in that freezing cold washhouse, and it has never left me. What works, and what doesn't? Why will one restaurant succeed and another fail? (Paper veg isn't the half of it.) On city walks, wherever I happen to be, it strikes me again and again how much passion it takes to survive in hospitality - and yet, how often such passion seems either to have gone awol, or to have sent owners in the wrong direction entirely. So many paradoxes, so many confusions. From the outside, quick fixes are obvious, even to the amateur eye. Shorten your menu! Paint over that maroon wall immediately. But it's also indubitably the case that some very bad restaurants are packed, and some very good ones heartbreakingly empty. Continue reading...
The president hoped for a speedy victory; instead, there are foreign tanks on Russian soil for the first time since the NazisVladimir Putin's war plan was simple. Russian tanks would roll into Kyiv, while special forces seized key buildings and raised the Russian flag. The operation - to conquer Ukraine and to install a puppet government - would take around three days. The west would be horrified, of course. But - sooner or later - it would grudgingly recognise this new and great Russian reality.Two and half years after his full-scale invasion, however, the triumphant parade Putin envisaged on Kyiv's Khreshchatyk boulevard has yet to happen. Victory has proved elusive. Ukrainians didn't welcome liberation" by their Slavic brothers in the way Putin's spy agency predicted. They fought back. The country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, also failed to leg it and to follow Russia's imperious script. Continue reading...
Not only will literary criticism wither, but we risk losing the campus novel entirelyAh, A-level results week, and how weirdly enjoyable it is when you're not doing them yourself, have no children of your own in the game, and nieces and nephews who aren't yet old enough. Out for a walk with my headphones, Ilisten delightedly as a triumphant candidate appears on the BBC's World at One: Evie from Southend, who sounds as pleased as punch. What will she do now, asks the presenter, who also has a smile in his voice. She doesn't miss a beat. It's all sorted. In the autumn, she'll go to Durham University to read... English literature.This stops me in my tracks. What? Surely everyone knows that English literature is dying. Since 2012, the number of students reading it at university, as I once did, has fallen by more than a third; staff are being laid off, departments are closing, scholarship is missing in action. I've just read a major" new study of the poet, WHAuden, and, as I write in my review, its gargantuan size - you could more easily slip a hardback edition of Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course into your handbag than this book - announces it as a relic even before publication. No, Stem subjects are where it's at now, and my amazement at Evie's passion" for her course is going to take a full circuit of the park to fade. Continue reading...
Students, faculty and advocates warn of chilling effect on free speech as schools across US introduce restrictionsUniversities across the US are planning tougher rules to restrict protests when students return from summer vacation, an effort to avoid the chaos of last semester when demonstrations against Israel's war in Gaza led to police crackdowns on campuses nationwide.Columbia University students, who were at the vanguard of the movement, may encounter the most changes. The university president, Minouche Shafik, resigned this week in the wake of criticism for her handling of the protests, but not before overseeing the installation of fencing around the lawns of the school's quad - the heart of campus life and the site of large protest encampments. Continue reading...
The tech giant pays billions so that its search engine is the default on our screens, but a US judge has ruled this illegal. Perhaps now we will see innovationEarlier this month, a district court in Washington DC handed down a judgment in an antitrust case that has shaken up the tech industry. In a 286-page opinion, Judge Amit Mehta announced his conclusion. After having carefully considered and weighed the witness testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly. It has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act."Now I know that for normal, well-adjusted people, antitrust cases are an excellent antidote to insomnia, but stay tuned for a moment because this is a really big deal. Apart from anything else, it shows that an ancient legal warhorse, the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, still has teeth. And to see it successfully deployed to bring an overbearing tech company to heel is a delight. After all, it was the statute that in 1911 broke up John D Rockefeller's Standard Oil as well as American Tobacco, and AT&T in 1982. It was also used to prosecute Microsoft in 1998. Continue reading...
Congress report says shot hit would-be assassin's weapon, wounding him before he was killed by Secret Service sniperThe first shot back at the would-be assassin who was firing at Donald Trump last month was from local law enforcement and hit the gunman's weapon, briefly knocking him down, a preliminary report from the US Congress has revealed.The gunman was wounded by fragments flying from the damaged weapon and then, as he got back up, he was killed by a federal sniper, the report found. Continue reading...
Does Donald Trump's running mate think there is any point to postmenopausal females' beyond free childcare?Consider, if you will, the mysterious role of the postmenopausal female. Her ovaries have shrunk and she is no longer able to fulfil a woman's biological destiny of bringing children into the world. What's the point of her? Continue reading...
by Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans on (#6Q1RX)
Before flag's 2028 Games debut, Housh Doucette says US team is already great'Darrell Housh" Doucette, the quarterback of the US's national flag football team, couldn't help but be offended at the hype video circulating online shortly after the 2024 summer Olympics wrapped in Paris.The clip showed the superstar NFL quarterback Jalen Hurts lighting a football on fire, tossing it into the torch looming over the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and igniting the Olympic flame. Then, the face of the Philadelphia Eagles turned around, stared into the camera, and deadpanned, It's our turn," before text reminded viewers that men's and women's flag football - a younger cousin to the tackle format where Hurts plies his trade - would make its debut on the Olympics program for the 2028 LA Games. Continue reading...
On Monday Democrats return to Chicago to prepare to anoint Kamala Harris as their candidate - amid striking parallels with the events 56 years agoSean Wilentz was in the convention hall when someone handed out copies of a news wire report. I remember the first line," he says. It said, The lid blew off of this convention city tonight.'" The article went on to describe chaos and bloodshed in Chicago as police clashed with protesters against the Vietnam war.Just 17 at the time, Wilentz and a couple of friends raced to the scene in downtown Chicago. It was horrible. The cops were angry and didn't like the kids and the kids were angry and didn't like the cops. I saw a motorcycle cop go on a sidewalk and pin a kid against the wall. I was very scared." Continue reading...
Health non-profit's affiliate announced changes for September, but staff say abortion access is already limitedIn the coming weeks, Planned Parenthood's Manhattan health center will stop offering core reproductive health services, including abortions after 20 weeks and deep sedation for procedures like abortion or IUD insertion.The Manhattan clinic currently offers abortion through 24 weeks and is the only Planned Parenthood location in the state that does so. The group has been beset by financial challenges, and plans to close a number of New York clinics in the near future. Continue reading...
Disconnect between what US voters want and what the Biden administration does seems to widen dailyRarely has a head of state received a more hostile welcome than that which met the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, when he arrived in Washington DC to speak before a joint session of Congress last month. While no senior US officials turned up to greet him on the tarmac, thousands of demonstrators marched in protest of his speech, including 200 from the group Jewish Voice for Peace who were arrested during an occupation on Capitol Hill, and others who burned him in effigy and replaced the American flag flying in front of Union Station with a Palestinian flag.Perhaps more telling was the decision of roughly half of congressional Democrats to boycott the address altogether. A dozen years ago, that would have been unthinkable," noted Peter Frey, board chair of J Street, a Jewish lobbying group that supports Israeli security as well as a Palestinian state. One lawmaker who did attend, the representative Rashida Tlaib, wore a keffiyeh and held a sign calling Netanyahu a war criminal" who was guilty of genocide". Meanwhile, a number of labor unions, including the National Education Association, the Service Employees International Union and United Auto Workers sent a letter to Joe Biden calling for an end to US support for Israel's war in Gaza. Continue reading...
Violence against women on UK trains is increasing - no wonder, when courts often seem more concerned about the impact' on perpetrators than their victimsViolence against women on UK trains has risen by 50% in two years, it was reported this week. The news barely raised an eyebrow among my female friends, so commonplace are sexual assaults and aggressions on public transport. Society seems to be teetering at a crossroads, perilously close to accepting that being stroked, squeezed or grabbed at is just another mundanity of women's commutes. Grim, but not unlikely. And hardly a crime. Right?Except it is. Of course it is. It's just that the system, from railways to courts, seems to have accepted otherwise. Continue reading...
This is the first time Russian territory has been occupied since the second world war. It disproves the notion Kyiv should cede territory to achieve peaceWhen video footage of the Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk region began appearing on social media, a joke started doing the rounds with Vladimir Putin asking Stalin what he should do about the German tanks rolling towards Kursk. Stalin's ghost responds that the recipe for victory is simple: send the best Ukrainian divisions into battle, like he did in 1943, and then ask the Americans for tanks and money. But neither of these options is available to Putin. He is now facing the Ukrainian army on his own soil, and regards the US as his primary enemy.Every year since the Russian invasion, Ukraine has surprised the world. First, at the very start of the war in 2022, its forces repelled a Russian assault on the capital, Kyiv. Then, in 2023, they liberated Kherson. Now, their tanks are rolling in to Russian territory. Ukrainian armed forces have been advancing for the past 10 days. They already control about 1,000 sq km of land and more than 80 settlements. Russian flags have been taken down; in the city of Sudzha, a military administration has been set up to govern the territory, and hundreds of prisoners of war have been captured. Continue reading...
Dimitri Simes, whose name appeared prominently in Mueller report, puzzled and concerned' by raid in VirginiaFBI agents have raided and searched the Virginia home of Dimitri Simes, an author and policy analyst, who advised Donald Trump's 2016 presidential election campaign and who currently hosts a current affairs program on Russia's state-run Channel One.The raid began on 13 August, the FBI told the local Rappahannock News, which first reported the story. Continue reading...
Ramone Alston will be charged with felony escape from prison after fleeing from van on way to hospitalA prisoner serving a life sentence for murder was captured at a North Carolina hotel early on Friday, three days after his escape on the way to a medical appointment, and authorities say he had help from at least one person.Ramone Alston, 30, escaped from a van on Tuesday as it arrived at the UNC Gastroenterology hospital in Hillsborough, where he was being taken for a medical appointment. He freed himself from his leg restraints and fled into the woods with handcuffs on, according to the North Carolina department of adult correction. Continue reading...
Large-scale smash-and-grab thefts have become a crisis in California as Gavin Newsom calls bill the real deal'Gavin Newsom, the California governor, on Friday signed a bipartisan package of 10 bills that aims to crack down on smash-and-grab robberies and property crimes, making it easier to go after repeat shoplifters and auto thieves and increase penalties for those running professional reselling schemes.The move comes as Democratic leadership works to prove that they are tough enough on crime while trying to convince voters reject a ballot measure that would bring even harsher sentences for repeat offenders of shoplifting and drug charges. Continue reading...
Democratic nominee unveils proposals to lower cost of living and advocates ban on price-gouging by big companiesVice-president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris unveiled her economic campaign proposal in North Carolina to build what she called an opportunity economy" focused on the middle class.She said in Raleigh: Your salary should be enough to provide you and your family with a good quality of life ... such as, no child should have to grow up in poverty. Such as, after years of hard work, you should be able to retire with dignity, and you should be able to join a union if you choose." Continue reading...
Governor Ron DeSantis and financial chief call on University of Florida board to investigate Ben Sasse's hiresIncreased spending by the recently resigned University of Florida president Ben Sasse is coming under scrutiny after a student-run newspaper found that he awarded secretive consulting contracts and gave high-paying jobs to former members of his US Senate staff and Republican allies - actions that he defended on Friday.Both Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida's chief financial officer are calling on the state university system's governing board to investigate after the Independent Florida Alligator reported this week that as school president, Sasse gave six former staffers and two ex-Republican officials jobs with salaries that outstripped comparable positions. Most did not move to Gainesville - but work remotely from hundreds of miles away. Continue reading...
Susan Lorincz faces up to 30 years for manslaughter in a case that provoked outrage from civil rights advocatesA jury on Friday convicted a white Florida woman for shooting and killing a Black mother of four through her front door in a case that provoked outrage from civil rights advocates and the victim's family.Susan Lorincz denied the manslaughter of Ajike AJ" Owens, who came to her house to remonstrate after the defendant assaulted two of Owens' children on 2 June last year. Lorincz could receive a prison sentence of up to 30 years in prison at a hearing on a date to be determined. Continue reading...
Kamala Harris's running mate has been accused of stolen valor' but his record shows 24 years' service in various rolesAl Bonnifield was an armorer for the 1st Battalion, 125 Field Artillery, when then Command Sergeant Major Tim Walz buttonholed a couple of the guys on drill in 2005 at the national guard unit in New Ulm, Minnesota, to talk about whether he should retire to run for Congress or not.I was in that room," Bonnifield said. Governor Walz is a very hard person to figure out. He's all game until something like this comes up, and then he's, Well, what should I do?'" Continue reading...
At least 50 women in the UK have allegedly been killed by men so far this year. This violence must be acknowledged - and acted uponIt is around half a century since the idea of femicide was introduced by feminists. It is, wrote the activist and scholar Diana Russell, who was key in its development, a term that specifically points to and politicises the sexist, patriarchal, misogynistic killing of women and girls by men". The point was not merely to identify a problem: it was to challenge people to recognise and act upon it.The concept was rapidly taken up by campaigners globally. Although men are the most common victims of homicide, women are far more likely to be killed by men than by other women. Most frequently they are killed by current or former partners, often after sustained domestic abuse or coercive control. As of this week, in the UK alone, at least 50 women have allegedly been killed by men this year. Continue reading...
Cobb county officials approved the devices as safety concerns for poll workers have mounted since 2020A key swing county in suburban Atlanta approved nearly $50,000 this week to purchase panic buttons" for election workers, a move that comes as those who administer elections have faced increased threats and harassments.Commissioners in Cobb county approved the purchase of about 200 of the devices, which are about the size of a credit card, according to NBC News, which first reported on the purchase. Continue reading...
Trump unexpectedly closed a gap in the polls to a photo-finish in 2020. History has taught us it is far too soon to celebrateEverything is going right for her and wrong for him. Kamala Harris has the encouraging poll numbers and, more precious still, the momentum. Donald Trump has the serial errors, the maudlin introspection and wobbling campaign team. In less than three weeks, the Democrats have pulled off one of the most extraordinary turnarounds in US political history, replacing a candidate who was shuffling towards near-certain defeat with one apparently soaring towards possible victory. And yet, even as Harris speaks of bringing the joy, contained within is a lurking danger - a peril that should be all too familiar.The sources of joy are not mysterious. Democrats are heading to Chicago for a convention that will feel like a party but was set to be a wake. Before 21 July, they were tied to Joe Biden, a man whose presidency has proved far more consequential than most predicted but who was on course to lose and lose badly in November. His passing of the baton to his number two has gone better than anyone had any right to expect.Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Financial disclosure shows presidential nominee owes $500m in civil penalties but sheds little light on solvencyDonald Trump made hundred of thousands from his branded Bible and millions from his properties - but also owes millions for defamation and fraud cases, according to his latest financial disclosures that shed little light on the perennial question of whether the Republican presidential nominee is, in fact, solvent.Voluminous disclosure documents to the US Office of Government Ethics to comply with election campaign laws show that, in addition to Trump's US real estate holdings, he has global financial interests, including registered trademarks in China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ukraine and Israel. Continue reading...
Vice-president grows newly competitive in four southern Sun belt states Trump once dominatedKamala Harris's surge in popularity since replacing Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee has opened up a surprise second path to victory in November, according to a fresh analysis of recent voter surveys.An aggregate of polls modelled by the Washington Post shows that the US vice-president has become newly competitive in four southern Sun belt states that were previously leaning heavily towards Donald Trump, the Republican nominee and former president. Continue reading...
Ex-president criticized after comment about Medal of Honor, given to those who go above and beyond' call of dutyDonald Trump has been criticized after he claimed that the civilian Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he bestowed on people including Republican supporters and donors during his time in office, is much better" than the top military award for those killed or wounded in action: the Medal of Honor.Speaking at a campaign event on Thursday, Trump made the claim as he addressed Miriam Adelson, the widow of the Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson. Trump awarded Miriam Adelson the Medal of Freedom in 2018. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Coordination and strategy are being ramped up despite academic suspensions, doxing attempts and arrestsStudent activists are planning a fresh wave of pro-Palestine protests at US colleges this fall, boosted by a summer school" led by organizers over the break, ramping up coordination and strategy in the wake of police crackdowns on campuses this past spring.Despite academic suspensions, doxing attempts and the arrests of more than 3,000 students nationwide, the students who occupied their campuses' lawns with tents last semester are gearing up for another - possibly bigger - round of demonstrations on all fronts, by all means", calling once again for a ceasefire in Gaza and for their colleges to divest from financial ties to Israel. Continue reading...
by Joan E Greve, Chris McGreal and Will Craft on (#6Q133)
The Guardian followed key congressional races affected by Aipac and similar groups for the past few monthsThe progressive US representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota easily overcame a primary challenge on Tuesday, delivering a major victory for progressives after a primary season marked by mixed success amid an onslaught of spending from pro-Israel lobby groups.The progressive Squad" in the House were early to embrace calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and criticize Israel's offensive for its toll on civilians, drawing the ire of groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac). Omar and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania were still able to easily cruise to victory in their primaries, but pro-Israel groups successfully picked off its two biggest Squad targets of this primary season: Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri. Continue reading...
Tens of thousands are expected to march in Chicago next week to pressure the party to stop the war in GazaOutside the Democratic national convention next week, organizers expect tens of thousands of people to march in Chicago to pressure the party to stop the war in Gaza. Inside the convention, uncommitted delegates plan to push anti-war demands in hopes of winning more allies to the cause.The two movements show the continued fractures among Democratic voters, even at a time of increased unity. Continue reading...
Law would empower state officials to arrest, prosecute and deport suspected violators sparking concerns of profilingArizona voters will be able to decide this November whether to approve a measure that would make it a state crime for migrants to cross the Mexico border into Arizona other than through an official US entry point, the state supreme court has ruled.If the controversial new law, currently known as Proposition 314, wins voters' favor when they cast their ballots in the presidential election, Arizona would empower local law enforcement officials to arrest and prosecute suspected violators. State judges would also be allowed to issue de facto deportation orders. Continue reading...
US Secret Service plans to surround podium with ballistic glass after former president survived assassination attemptThe US Secret Service will use bulletproof glass to protect Donald Trump at future outdoor campaign rallies, according to reports, after the former president survived an assassination attempt in July.The agency plans to surround Trump's podium with ballistic glass, multiple news outlets reported, a measure typically reserved for serving presidents and vice-presidents. Continue reading...
Republican nominee, who holds Wilkes-Barre rally on Saturday, believes he holds advantage in electoral collegeDonald Trump and his campaign remain laser-focused on Pennsylvania as the key swing state they have to win to beat Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, according to people familiar with the matter. The former president is preparing to hold a rally in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday afternoon.The Trump campaign believes it still holds the advantage in the electoral college and has the easier paths to victory, despite a torrid month that has seen Harris ride a wave of Democratic enthusiasm and draw roughly level in several polls. Continue reading...
Plus: Zuckerburg's tribute to his wife, Clooney's non-tribute to Tarantino and an ode to VelamintsMondayWithout realising it, the Olympics provided a happy background to our lives and, on Monday, after Sunday night's closing ceremony, the comedown is hard. The drama of the medals table aside, it was three weeks of constant low-key good cheer, drawing us into conversations with our kids about who could get up that wall fastest and who would call 999 if you ever attempted to do anything on the beam. Continue reading...
There is a support system around every big star, but his turned out to be made up of predatory yes menI loved the way I dedicated my services to her," wrote Dr Conrad Murray of his most noble" patient. It was totally selfless because when I agreed to serve her, I literally had no idea that she was then widely known." Sure, sure. And the name of that patient, which I feel certain this most self-effacing physician might be persuaded to offer up? The world renowned quintessential nun who is now a saint: Mother Teresa."Well, that would have been quite the two-fer. Because, of course, Dr Murray - who has yet to be canonised but who recently opened his new medical institute - is arguably better known for being the treatment professional who repeatedly bunged Michael Jackson a general anaesthetic so the singer could avoid his well earned sleepless nights. After one of these ministrations killed Jackson, Murray eventually served jail time for involuntary manslaughter, after which he wrote the book in which that Mother Teresa anecdote appears. Don't take that as a recommendation - it's a namedropping word salad/self-justification that was sadly not titled Celebrities I Didn't Kill.Marina Hyde 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...
by Kat Lay Global health correspondent on (#6Q10P)
Global gag rule' and funding cuts will be on different scale' if Republicans win again, family-planning providers sayProviders of women's healthcare around the world are preparing for potentially disastrous consequences should Donald Trump win the US presidential election in November.Policies pursued during Trump's last presidency caused devastating" harm in a number of countries, said Beth Schlachter, a senior director at MSI Reproductive Choices in the US. It meant clinics shuttered, health teams closed, women dying ... but a second Trump term will be on a different scale". Continue reading...
Karen Bass, the mayor, pledged to make the Games car-free, but the sprawling city's public transit falls far behind that of previous host citiesLos Angeles is world famous for its gridlocked traffic and endless highways. So when the city's mayor Karen Bass pledged to make the 2028 Olympics a no-car" games, more than a few eyebrows were raised.As Paris handed over the Olympics flag, Bass touted her vision at a press conference: parking will not be available at many of the venues and sports fans will need to take public transit to reach the sites, which will range from downtown to Inglewood to the beach in Santa Monica. Continue reading...
Trump and Vance are keeping extremist election-deniers in the fold to challenge the fall election,' warns watchdogThe people who served as fake electors in an effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election have continued to donate to Donald Trump, JD Vance and other Republicans since then, campaign finance records show, underscoring the role they continue to play in US politics.Some fake electors face criminal charges for their actions. Some continue to hold key government roles. Continue reading...
As Minnesota governor he took action on school meals, climate, family leave, guns and more - how does that compare with other developed countries?Within hours of Minnesota's governor, Tim Walz, being chosen by Kamala Harris to be her Democratic presidential running mate, Donald Trump and team began attacking him as a dangerously liberal extremist".Trump surrogates seized on Walz's record of expanding voting rights for former felons, combatting the climate crisis, and other measures as proof that Harris-Walz would be the most radical ticket in American history". Continue reading...
Elephant in the arena will be the memory of what happened to another female Democratic nominee who seemingly had the measure of TrumpThe Democratic national convention opens at the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls, on Monday, as a renascent party embraces its new leader Kamala Harris and attempts to supercharge her bid for the White House.Up to 50,000 visitors are expected to descend on Chicago through the week, buoyed up by a Democratic presidential ticket that is currently in the driving seat. As the Republican grandee Karl Rove put it to Fox News recently: Donald Trump is clearly in a subordinate role here." Continue reading...
The late Queen apparently brought her own pillows. There are plenty of ways for ordinary passengers to improve their experience, tooOne of the greatest perks of my job as cabin crew is observing all the little quirks and rituals of passengers up close. If I'm working in first class, I sometimes even have the honour of waking up celebrities for breakfast before landing - including one very famous rock star with a reputation for irritability who, to my extreme relief, rolled over all bleary eyed and politely asked for a cup of tea.I was interested to read, then, that the late Queen preferred not to be disturbed if she was still sleeping when her plane landed. I imagine that was a huge relief to the crew. How would one wake her majesty? A gentle whisper in the ear? A slight nudge to the shoulder? Perhaps a delicate sprinkling of Dubonnet over the royal head? It's not a role for which there is any specific training.Meryl Love is the pseudonym of a crew member working for an international airline. She hosts the podcast The Bad Air Hostess Continue reading...
Prominent advocate for child abuse survivors said sentence for former New York officer Shawn Jordan is dangerous'It is the epitome of injustice" as well as dangerous" for a judge to have given a sentence of 10 weekends in jail to a former upstate New York police officer who pleaded guilty to raping a 13-year-old girl before his forced resignation, according to a prominent advocate for child sexual abuse survivors.This sentence is the epitome of injustice and a dangerous nod to child sexual predators letting them know, No worries, we won't go too hard on you,'" Kathryn Robb, the national director of the Children's Justice Campaign at the Enough Abuse organization, said on Thursday. This little girl will be imprisoned by her memories for life, while [the rapist] loses a mere 20 days of his liberty." Continue reading...
I smugly assumed I was offering my children a crash course in wholesomeness. The reality was quite differentEarlier this week, I dropped my kids off at a day camp in a park in London and then congratulated myself all the way home. The summer holiday is long and camp programmes are expensive, and when you sign up for one, there is a hard-to-resist expectation that the kids will be not only entertained but improved - physically (swimming lessons), morally (team games - specifically rounders) and, in the case of the camp we signed up for, spiritually. By which, of course, I refer to two sacred words in the middle-class lexicon: forest school.I should say I'm completely down with the broad mission of forest school. Adults and children are improved by spending time in nature; studies and experience show this. There is a difference, however, between forest school the movement, a laudable push to get kids learning outside based on ideas that stretch back to the 19th century and popularised in the 1950s by, of course, the Scandinavians, and forest school, the modern marketing and business initiative. It reminds me of the catnip status latterly occupied by Mandarin lessons in the New York state primary system, which, when my three-year-olds started pre-school in 2018 - one of them still wearing pull-ups - saw them slogging each week through a mandatory class. There is nothing wrong with learning Mandarin, but it is perhaps not a priority for people who can't use the toilet yet.Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
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