Biden wrote to then US ambassador to Rome on behalf of the energy firm while his father was vice-presidentHunter Biden lobbied the US government for help in securing a lucrative energy contract in Italy while his father Joe Biden was vice-president, newly released documents show.A tranche of previously undisclosed documents now made public under a Freedom of Information Act (Foia) request reveals that the president's son wrote to the then US ambassador to Rome, John Phillips, in 2016 seeking assistance on behalf of the Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, of which he was a board member. Continue reading...
Juan Merchan again denied recusal request from Trump's lawyers ahead of ex-president's sentencing on 18 SeptemberA New York judge declined for a third time to step aside from the case in which Donald Trump was convicted of charges involving hush money paid to an adult film star, dismissing the former US president's claim of conflict of interest related to political consultancy work by the judge's daughter.As he did last April and in August 2023, Juan Merchan in a decision released on Wednesday denied a request by Trump's lawyers that the acting justice of the New York supreme court recuse himself from the first case involving criminal charges against a former US president. Merchan is scheduled to sentence Trump on 18 September. Continue reading...
The American sports writer Beau Dure explains how an incorrect ruling made in haste has resulted in the US gymnast Jordan Chiles being asked to return her Olympic bronze medal, despite potential evidence that she is indeed deserving of it. During the Paris Games, Chiles was not awarded points that she should have been for one of her routines. USA Gymnastics put in an inquiry which was accepted, however the court of arbitration for sport (CAS) concluded that they were four seconds too slow in doing so. USA Gymnastics however has now submitted new evidence proving otherwise but the CAS refuses to accept an appeal of its decision
The things that happen with lips and tongues and hands are completely discounted in the latest misguided sex studyWomen are having fewer orgasms than men. No kidding. I can already picture the sardonic comments piling in: This isn't news!" What might be news, possibly, is the fact that women continue to have fewer orgasms than men throughout their lives, despite what we might assume would be an increase in experience and confidence, and an understanding (on both sides) of what they enjoy in bed.A new study, published in the journal Sexual Medicine, found that not only do men report higher rates of orgasm during sex than women, but also that these stats remain consistent with age. Researchers surveyed 24,000 single Americans aged from 18 to 100. Men's orgasm rates ranged from 70% to 85%, while women's ranged from 46% to 58%. Any hope that we might achieve parity with age quickly went out the window. Women's orgasm rates remained 22 to 30 percentage points lower than men's across all age groups.Franki Cookney is a freelance journalist specialising in sex, gender politics and social development, and hosts the sex podcast The Second Circle Continue reading...
Largest regional airline in North America also sued by flight attendant union for alleged retaliatory firingsSkyWest Airlines, the largest regional airline in North America, is facing legal action over an alleged fake" company union that the airline operates and the allegedly retaliatory firings of flight attendants who were engaged in union organizing efforts.A lawsuit was filed by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) in October 2023. The US Department of Labor also filed a lawsuit last month against the company over the company union", alleging SkyWest Inflight Association (SIA) did not perform its legal duties as a representative agency and barred two employees from running in an election for leadership positions due to their support for an independent union at the airline. Continue reading...
While tech bros pour money into cryopreservation, centenarians have a very different story to tellHealth and wellness advice tends to be obvious and irritating. Eat more vegetables! Drink less booze! Exercise! Who wants to hear all that, eh? Not me. Which is why my favourite genre of health advice is weird wisdom from the uber-elderly.Every now and then there will be a profile of one of the oldest people alive where they say something delightful such as: My secret to a long and healthy life is eating crisps and drinking gin." Admittedly, I'm not sure I have ever seen that exact advice imparted, but there have been some gems over the years. Plymouth resident Doris Olive Netting, who died aged 100, for example, credited her long life to drinking a glass of Guinness a day. Susannah Mushatt Jones, who died at 116, swore by a daily breakfast of bacon. Richard Overton, who died at 112, smoked cigars and liked a little whiskey in his coffee. And, several years ago, at the age of 102, Eunice Modlin extolled the health-giving properties of chocolate. Continue reading...
Driving a car from Asia to Europe seemed like madness in the early 20th-century. And yet rivals teams attempted the task in a remarkable feat of enduranceItalian journalist Luigi Barzini remembered the unexpected welcome he received in Russian villages east of the Ural Mountains in 1907. Peasant women spat in his direction, and made what he described as strange signs of exorcism." This treatment had to do with the mysterious contraption Barzini and his companions used to pass through the villages. It was a motorcar - an Itala, to be exact - and its occupants were heading on an extraordinary endeavor, an 8,000-mile race from Beijing, then called Peking by those in the west, to Paris. With Prince Scipione Borghese directing progress, aided by his chauffeur Ettore Guizzardi and Barzini, the Itala had been comfortably pacing the field as it motored toward the Urals.At the time, the future of the car seemed in doubt. It was widely viewed as a luxury item that paled in comparison to the horse as a means of transport. Driving a car from Asia to Europe seemed madness given the scarcity of roads, much less good roads - to one newspaper, the Peking-Paris seemed as improbable as sending humans to the moon via telegraph. Yet the eventual winner, Prince Borghese, proved that the race could be completed - and so did the international rivals he left in the dust, including a memorable French conman named Charles Godard and his Dutch-made Spyker. The Peking-Paris helped usher in the age of the automobile, a radical change of society at all levels that we're still grappling with today, as examined in a new book by British author Kassia St Clair, The Race to the Future: 8,000 Miles to Paris. Continue reading...
In first on-camera remarks in decades, Peterson, convicted in 2004 of murder, denies killing his pregnant wifeIn his first on-camera remarks in two decades, the convicted double murderer Scott Peterson called himself a total a-hole" for cheating on his pregnant wife, Laci, before her slaying - but he insisted he did not murder her or their unborn son, Conner.It's horrible. I was a total a-hole to be having sex outside our marriage," the 51-year-old Peterson said in an interview shown as part of a three-part documentary series premiering on the NBC streaming platform Peacock on 20 August, according to People.com. But, during the interview conducted over a video call from California's Mule Creek state prison, he added: I didn't kill my family." Continue reading...
If only we could recognise the wonderful creativity of Laurent Schwarz for its own sake, rather than use it to sell stuffIf you've ever spent 40 and a whole weekend trying to paint out the scrawling of your young children from your rental walls in the futile hope that this will save your 1,300 deposit, you may greet the following news as I did: with a noise somewhere between a hot-water bottle being emptied and a cry of pain.A Bavarian toddler, known already within the art world as Laurent Schwarz, has reportedly just landed himself a hefty brand deal with the German paint manufacturer Relius to create a range of colours, and another, separate deal with a wallpaper company - worth, presumably, thousands - all inspired by his own artwork. Continue reading...
Minnesota race is last in series of heated primaries for progressive Democrats who have criticized the Gaza warRepresentative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has won the state Democratic primary for her seat, according to the Associated Press, in a rematch against Don Samuels that comes two years after she barely eked out a victory against him.With 216 of 217 precincts reporting results, Omar was leading Samuels 56.2%-42.9%, according to Minnesota Secretary of State tallies.
Harris's VP pick emphasizes his labor background at LA event and says Trump and Vance waged war on workers'Tim Walz held his first solo campaign event since being selected as Kamala Harris's vice-presidential nominee on Tuesday, rallying union members in Los Angeles and denouncing Donald Trump's record on labor rights.The Minnesota governor's appearance, at an event hosted by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, was the first in a five-state fundraising campaign as Walz ramps up support for the still-young Democratic ticket. Continue reading...
by Helen Sullivan (now); Chris Stein and Léonie Chao on (#6PYCC)
This blog is closed. You can find our latest US politics coverage here.Elon Musk yesterday succeeded in getting Donald Trump to use X, the platform that he wielded as a bully pulpit throughout his presidency, but has generally avoided ever since, even after Musk reversed a ban placed on his account in response to the January 6 insurrection by the company's then owners.But Trump's return to X may not last. The former president has not tweeted since his interview with Musk last night, though he has made several posts on Truth Social, the X-like platform that he owns, and which has become one of his primary mouthpieces over the past four years. We'll let you know if that changes. Continue reading...
William Suff, convicted of 12 murders in 1995, admits killing Cathy Small, then aged 19, after police find genetic linkThe long-unsolved 1986 killing of a young southern California woman has been linked to a convicted serial killer who admitted the crime, authorities said on Tuesday.DNA from the killing of Cathy Small, 19, matched William Suff, who was sentenced to death after being convicted in 1995 of 12 murders that occurred in Riverside county from 1989 to 1991, said Lt Patricia Thomas of Los Angeles county sheriff's department. Continue reading...
Ta'Kiya Young had been suspected of shoplifting when Connor Grubb and another officer approached her carA police officer in Ohio was indicted by a grand jury on murder charges on Tuesday for the 2023 fatal shooting of Ta'Kiya Young, a pregnant Black woman who had been suspected of shoplifting, authorities said.Young, who was 21, had been suspected of stealing bottles of alcohol from a store last August when Connor Grubb, a Blendon township police officer, and another officer approached her car, the Associated Press reported at the time. Continue reading...
Gideon Cody, former Marion police chief, is also accused of persuading a potential witness to withhold informationA former Kansas police chief who led a raid last year on a weekly newspaper has been charged with felony obstruction of justice and is accused of persuading a potential witness to withhold information from authorities when they later investigated his conduct.The single charge against Gideon Cody, the former Marion police chief, alleges that he knowingly or intentionally influenced the witness to withhold information on the day of the raid of the Marion County Record and the home of its publisher or sometime within the following six days. The charge was filed on Monday in state district court in Marion county and is not more specific about Cody's alleged conduct. Continue reading...
Attack occurred near synagogue in Crown Heights neighborhood early on Saturday morningA New York City man has been arrested and charged with a hate crime after police say he yelled Free Palestine" and then stabbed a Jewish man near a synagogue over the weekend.Police say the attack happened at about 2am on Saturday in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn near the headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Continue reading...
New York City councillor Yusef Salaam may appear, highlighting Donald Trump's history of racist rhetoricYusef Salaam, a New York City councillor who was wrongly jailed for a notorious rape in the city's Central Park, has reportedly been invited to address next week's Democratic national convention in Chicago in a move that could highlight Donald Trump's key role in the case and history of racially charged rhetoric.Salaam was one of the Central Park Five", a group of Black and Hispanic teenagers who were convicted of attacking and raping Trisha Meili, a 28-year-old investment banker, while she was jogging in April 1989. Continue reading...
Sophia Rosing, who is white, attacked a Black student in 2022 while she was working in a campus residence hallA former University of Kentucky student faces up to a year in prison and 100 hours of community service after pleading guilty on Monday to a racist attack on a Black student.Sophia Rosing, 23, pleaded guilty to four counts of fourth-degree assault as well as one each of disorderly conduct and public intoxication, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. Continue reading...
With guests including Rashida Tlaib and Bernie Sanders, Daniel Denvir aims to bring critical theory to a growing audience. This month, he'll represent the uncommitted movement in ChicagoThe elected officials, party functionaries, staffers and donors descending on Chicago for the most rollicking Democratic national convention in more than half a century will welcome an unlikely guest. Daniel Denvir, who as host of the socialist podcast The Dig regularly criticizes the Democratic party from its left, will attend as an alternate Rhode Island delegate for the uncommitted movement, a nationwide effort to pressure the Democrats to change course on the war in Gaza.The movement has shifted its focus to Kamala Harris after Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race. Denvir is a forceful voice on the topic, having spent the last 10 months honing and broadcasting a leftist perspective on the US role in the Middle East. The pivot to focus on Palestine has culminated in Thawra, a 16-part, 40-hour conversation with the historian Abdel Razzaq Takriti on Arab radical movements that has spanned five months of programming. Continue reading...
If the startling incursion helps to reshape the conflict, it will do so by resetting the narrative. But it could come at a high priceThe surprise incursion by Ukrainian troops into Russian territory is not only extraordinary but risky. This is the biggest attack by a foreign army on Russian soil since the second world war. Two and a half years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbour - and 10 years after it annexed Crimea - Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that war is coming home to Putin". Kyiv says it has captured 1,000 sq km; Russia has acknowledged that its enemy's forces have seized a smaller but still significant area. At least 130,000 residents in the Kursk and Belgorod regions have been evacuated and, a week after the offensive began, the humiliated Russian military is still struggling to repel it.The smartness of the tactics is striking. Ukraine appears to have identified and capitalised on a weak spot, acting so swiftly and secretly that one fighter described driving into a Russian unit as they sat drinking coffee. The strategy is less clear. Mr Zelenskiy said that he wanted to stop cross-border shelling. That sounded like a justification for western allies, though there may have been concerns that Russia would attempt to cross the border the other way, into Sumy. Kyiv also says that the advance has complicated" Russian logistics. Vladimir Putin has suggested that Ukraine wants leverage ahead of ceasefire talks. Kyiv denies any interest in the long-term occupation of Kursk. But diverting Russian forces from eastern Ukraine, where they have been relentlessly grinding down its defenders, has obvious advantages. Continue reading...
Peters was accused of using someone else's security badge to give expert affiliated with Mike Lindell access to systemFormer Colorado clerk Tina Peters, a hero to election deniers, has been found guilty in a breach of her county's election computer system in a jury verdict returned Monday at trial.Peters was accused of using someone else's security badge to give an expert affiliated with My Pillow chief executive Mike Lindell access to the Mesa county election system. Prosecutors said she was seeking fame and became fixated" on voting problems after becoming involved with those who had questioned the accuracy of the 2020 presidential election results. Continue reading...
Democrats are hoping the Minnesota governor's pro-worker bona fides will make a crucial difference in swing statesVice-presidential picks have little effect on who wins a presidential election, many political scientists say. Tim Walz, Kamala Harris's choice as her running mate, could prove the exception to that rule. Not least because of his track record of successfully appealing to working people.Angelo Ferritto, president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, voiced confidence that Walz will help the vice-president win in three pivotal states: Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin: I strongly believe that Governor Walz will help the ticket. He has a proven track record of accomplishing things for working people." Continue reading...
Preliminary data collected from 69 major cities also shows homicides fell by 17%, according to Axios analysisViolent crime in major US cities has dropped by 6% in the first half of this year compared with last year, according to newly released preliminary data.The preliminary data, collected from 69 major US cities and published by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, shows that overall, violent crime dropped during the first six months of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023. Homicides fell by 17%, according to an analysis by Axios. Continue reading...
The latest controversy to emerge around the independent candidate may be the straw that broke the camel's backThe controversy over Robert F Kennedy Jr's exploits with a dead bear cub is just the latest bizarre twist to hit his presidential campaign and see him become a laughing stock", political experts said, but a laughing stock who, against all odds, could still seriously impact the election.Kennedy, the scion of the Democratic political family who is running as an independent candidate, was already known for unusual beliefs and actions before last week. His long shot campaign for president had survived Kennedy's claim that part of his brain was eaten by a worm, his longtime anti-vaccine activism, and his recent denials that he had eaten a dog. Continue reading...
Niccol replaces Laxman Narasimhan as company tries to fend off pressures from activist investorStarbucks named the Chipotle Mexican Grill head, Brian Niccol, as its new CEO on Tuesday in a surprise management shakeup as it tries to fend off pressures from the activist investor Elliott Investment Management.Niccol replaces Laxman Narasimhan, who was tapped in 2022 from the Lysol maker Reckitt to undertake a reinvention" of the world's biggest coffee chain. Continue reading...
Robert Wallace was killed after breaking into Christopher Casey's home after becoming enraged over his loud snoringA man from suburban Philadelphia stabbed his neighbor to death after the killer's loud snoring led the pair to argue violently, according to authorities.Christopher Casey, 56, was recently handed a relatively short prison sentence after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the 14 January death of 62-year-old Robert Wallace. Casey also pleaded guilty to possessing an instrument of crime to close the book on a case with a motive that has not been too commonly seen in the US justice system. Continue reading...
Both claim they are part of a bright new dawn, but last night the politician could only slur inanities, and the tech boss made a hash of the techWould you like to travel in the advance party to Mars, aboard the space rocket of a man who can't sort a livestream? Ideally you would have to get in line for this species-level honour behind thousands of Earth's leading shitposters, who not only trust implicitly in X owner Elon Musk, but truly believe that if they grind away for hours a day telling him that on his platform, one day he will see one of those posts. I hope he does, guys!In the meantime, my favourite recent headline on this interplanetary settlement programme ran Elon Musk denies his sperm will seed Mars colony". Sure. It's just a hunch, but I feel like they're going to have way more sperm than they need up there. It's the other bit necessary for human life that you sense will be in shorter supply.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
The former president is in freefall. But there is no room to ignore the immense danger he still posesWhat do you think Donald Trump does for stress relief? Massages, maybe? Or perhaps he binge-drinks Diet Coke while bed rotting. Maybe he writes down his grievances on pieces of paper and then flushes them down the toilet. It's also possible he lets off steam by smashing gold trinkets with his golf clubs and throwing paper towels at Puerto Ricans. That feels very on-brand.Whatever Trump does to manage his stress, I imagine he's doing a lot of it right now. The convicted felon has had a terrible three weeks. Ever since Joe Biden dropped out of the race, things have been going rapidly downhill for Trump. His campaign had been built around bashing Biden, whose frailty and mental acuity made him an easy target. With the far more energetic and coherent Kamala Harris as his opponent, Trump clearly doesn't know what to do. His campaign now seems to consist of nothing but racism, the revival of old grudges, conspiracy theories and insults. Continue reading...
Donald Trump sat down with the billionaire Elon Musk for a rambling and vitriolic interview that revisited many of the former president's most divisive talking points. The interview on X, which Musk owns, got off to an inauspicious start, with technical issues initially preventing many users from listening. Musk blamed the delay on a 'massive' cyber-attack, but the cause of the glitch was not clear. Trump attacked migrants while consistently mocking his opponent, Kamala Harris, and lied throughout the two-hour interview. A sympathetic Musk concluded the interview by telling Trump he was 'on the right path'
Russian official says Ukraine has taken 28 settlements during attack on Kursk region. Plus, the comedians telling traumatic stories after Baby Reindeer
Watchdog group's finding underscores concerns Trump and allies will attack in election certification in swing statesNearly three dozen officials who have refused to certify elections since 2020 remain in office and will play a role in certifying the presidential vote in nearly every battleground state this fall, according to a new report by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Crew), a watchdog group.The report underscores the concerns that Donald Trump and allies will attack the certification process at the local level as part of any possible effort to contest a loss in the election. In a presidential election, there are tight deadlines at the local, state and federal levels to certify the vote. Delaying the vote at the local level could cause states to miss deadlines and open up protracted court battles and give oxygen to conspiracy theories. Continue reading...
Our voices are only going to get louder', workers warn tech giant after Atlanta warehouse writes up employeesAmazon has argued the country's top labor watchdog is violating the constitution as the company fights to dismiss unfair labor practice charges, leaning on a recent conservative US supreme court ruling.In a filing last month, attorneys representing the technology giant pushed back against a complaint issued by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) after two Georgia workers alleged that they faced retaliation, surveillance and interrogation after exercising their right to organize. Continue reading...
Even if you very much hope Harris prevails over Trump, that's not a good enough reason to cheer on her press avoidanceI can understand why Kamala Harris hasn't given a sit-down interview to a major media organization or done a no-holds-barred press conference since she began her presidential campaign a few weeks ago.From a tactical or strategic point of view, there's little reason to. Continue reading...
He maintains a tyrant's grip, but Ukraine's incursion into Kursk throws further doubt on his claims about the special operation'On 6 August, a substantial Ukrainian force launched a cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk region, shelling the little town of Sudzha and reportedly occupying several villages. Scores of Russian military were killed by artillery and drone strikes, while others were seen surrendering to the triumphant Ukrainians. It quickly became apparent that the incursion was on a far larger scale than previous border raids. Two and a half years into Putin's murderous invasion of Ukraine, Russia faced an unpleasant reality. It, too, could be invaded by a neighbour.Ukraine's Kursk operation overlaps with a poignant anniversary. Twenty-five years ago, Vladimir Putin - previously the director of the Russian security service (FSB) and the secretary of Russia's security council - replaced the short-lived prime minister Sergei Stepashin.Sergey Radchenko is Wilson E Schmidt distinguished professor at the Henry A Kissinger Center, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Baltimore Continue reading...
Sara Tindall Ghazal is just trying to stop a disaster' as once obscure election board gains attention from likes of TrumpSara Tindall Ghazal was scouring her closet as 8pm approached on Wednesday night. She was preparing for her first appearance on cable news, something she has avoided her entire career.In fact, Tindall Ghazal, the lone Democrat on the Georgia state election board, has shunned media attention and appearances since she was appointed to the board in 2021. Back then, even as Georgia became the focal point of former US president Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and as rightwing media and a nationwide network of election denial activists honed in on the state, Tindall Ghazal kept to herself, quietly carrying out her duties in previously-obscure meetings of the board. Continue reading...
Bestselling writer Ian O'Connor says Jets Super Bowl win would help make up for quarterback's unforgivable' conspiracy theories and controversial behaviorAaron Rodgers could roll out of bed and create a news cycle. He's unbelievable. He's a content machine". It's true and it's why the bestselling sportswriter Ian O'Connor is talking to the Guardian from his home in the New York area, where Rodgers, a Green Bay Packers great, now plays quarterback for the Jets. O'Connor's new book, Out of the Darkness, tells Rodgers' story from childhood in California through college stardom at Berkeley to Super Bowl glory and on to something beyond fame - a sort of infamy, even.Rodgers, O'Connor says, was not this polarizing figure until really about three years ago when Covid hit and he was in the middle of a press conference in August '21, and when he was asked if he was vaccinated, he said, Yeah, I've been immunized.' Up until that point, he was not a villain at all. Continue reading...
After overcoming technical issues, Trump used the two hour interview to rehash the stuff that he trots out at every campaign rallyOscar Wilde once described the English country gentleman galloping after a fox as the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable". Elon Musk interviewing Donald Trump surely qualifies as the incoherent in full pursuit of the unendurable.The men's joint appearance in an audio conversation on X on Monday night was, as expected, a display of two planet-sized egos, toxic masculinity and breathtaking mendacity. More surprisingly it was also dull, like sitting with two drunks at a bar trying to set the world to rights over more than two hours. Continue reading...
After a 45-minute delay, the former president ran through his greatest hits - and biggest lies - to a fawning Elon MuskDonald Trump returned to the social media platform that skyrocketed his career for a live discussion with Elon Musk. The former president unleashed familiar rambling, vitriolic talking points to a sympathetic Musk.Here are key takeaways from the event. Continue reading...
by Helen Sullivan(now) with Chris Stein(earlier) on (#6PXY5)
This blog is now closed. You can read our on that interview story here.In addition to this live blogger, conservative commentator Glenn Beck is among those unable to listen to Donald Trump's interview with Elon Musk:The interview was supposed to start five minutes ago, but instead, all we are seeing is a gray box with the words Details not available". Continue reading...
Ex-president attacks migrants and denounces Kamala Harris in discussion delayed by technical glitchDonald Trump sat down with billionaire Elon Musk on Monday for a rambling and vitriolic interview that revisited many of the former president's most divisive talking points.The interview on X, which is owned by Musk, got off to an inauspicious start, with technical issues that initially prevented many users from watching the conversation. Musk blamed the delay on a massive" cyber-attack, but the cause of the glitch was not entirely clear. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins, senior China correspondent on (#6PY2Y)
Kamala Harris' vice-presidential pick taught in the country and has a history of supporting human rights in places considered sensitive by BeijingIn November 2016, the Democrats were in disarray. Donald Trump had just been declared the winner of the US presidential election, and congresspeople and staffers alike were panicking about the future of American democracy - and their own jobs. It was a tricky time to organise an event about Hong Kong, a Chinese city that few people in the Capitol had given much thought to since the Umbrella Movement of 2014.For a while, it seemed that no one from Congress would turn up to meet Joshua Wong, the bespectacled - and now imprisoned - student leader who was flying to Washington for a briefing organised by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), a government agency. Continue reading...
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