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When a house is on fire, more fire won't helpWhen Texas Republicans unveiled yet another contorted congressional map last week - one that would all but erase Austin's Latino-led seat and increase the Republican party's federal House tally by up to five seats in total - the outcry from Democrats was immediate and justified. But beyond the Democratic state legislators' brave effort to stymie the proposal by boycotting the vote, a different refrain has also been heard by leading Democrats in other states: if they do it, why can't we?Governor Gavin Newsom of California has vowed to fight fire with fire", advancing a proposal that would redraw California's own congressional map to offset Republican gains in Texas. New York's Kathy Hochul has also embraced the prospect of aggressive gerrymandering in Democratic-controlled states, sidestepping the independent commissions that Democrats themselves had once championed and successfully implemented in both California and New York. Continue reading...

Exclusive: In the third of a three-part special report, disturbing video highlights the death in Cibola of a young man suffering from mental illness

The Octagon is more international than ever - so why is Dana White still tied to an administration that seeks to isolate large parts of its audience?Forget for a moment the stereotype that MMA athletes and their fans are All-American bar fighters. The MMA community is far more diverse and far more cerebral than the casual onlooker realizes.Has Dana White forgotten that? Continue reading...

Second fatality reported after body of one worker pulled from wreckage of coking facility in Clairton after explosion sent black smoke into the skyAn explosion at a US Steel plant in Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, has killed two people and injured at least 10 on Monday, officials said.The body of one worker was pulled from the wreckage hours after an explosion that sent black smoke spiraling into the sky in the Mon Valley, a region of the state synonymous with steel for more than a century. Allegheny county emergency services said a fire at the plant started around 10.51am. Authorities later said a second person had died. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. Read our latest story hereDonald Trump said on Truth Social today that DC will be LIBERATED today".Ahead of his press conference, in just over an hour, the president said that crime, savagery, filth, and scum will disappear" from the city.I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN! The days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people, are OVER! I quickly fixed the Border (ZERO ILLEGALS in last 3 months!), D.C. is next!!! Continue reading...

Trump's depiction of lawless' city at odds with crime statistics while local officials say move illegal - key US politics stories from Monday 11 AugustDonald Trump has seized control of Washington DC's police force and ordered the national guard to the capital in an extraordinary move that bypassed the city's elected leaders.The US president claimed his actions were needed to rescue" Washington from a wave of lawlessness - but experts say his portrayal of crime there is rooted in false and misleading claims. Continue reading...

Message comes after Texas Democratic lawmakers stymied another GOP effort to gain more seats at president's behestTexas Democrats once again stymied a Republican effort to redraw the state's congressional maps at the behest of Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom, the California governor, urged the president to stand down and defuse the redistricting arms race that has spread across the country.Enough Texas Democrats remained outside of the state on Monday to deny the Republican-led state legislature the quorum necessary to proceed with Trump's desired congressional map. Dozens of Democratic state lawmakers left the state on Sunday, taking refuge in blue states such as Illinois and New York. They have spent the last week working to raise awareness and rally support for their efforts to block the Republican redistricting plan. Continue reading...

EJ Antoni, longtime critic of Bureau of Labor Statistics, nominated to replace Erika McEntarfer, who Trump firedDonald Trump has announced he is nominating EJ Antoni, the chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, as the next commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Our Economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Continue reading...

As mayor calls US president hyperbolic', experts say portrayal of crime rooted in false and misleading claimsDonald Trump is deploying the national guard in Washington DC and seizing control of its police force, claiming that the nation's capital has become lawless" and is one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world".The president portrayed himself as DC's savior, vowing to rid it of crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor and worse". Continue reading...

Washington DC mayor, Muriel Bowser, has pushed back on Donald Trump's move to take control of the local police force and deploy the national guard. 'While this action today is unsettling and unprecedented,' Bowser said. 'I can't say that, given some of the rhetoric of the past, that we're totally surprised.' Trump said he was deploying 800 national guard troops to Washington and temporarily taking over the city's police department, an extraordinary assertion of presidential power in the US capital

Austin police chief said the suspect fled the scene and stole two cars before being captured and taken into custodyA gunman opened fire at a Target store in Austin, Texas, killing at least three people, and a suspect has been arrested, police said.Austin police chief Lisa Davis said the suspect stole a car after the attack and fled the scene. But he wrecked that car and stole another before being captured in south Austin, where he was taken into custody, she said during a news conference. Continue reading...

Nearly 200,000 residents under advisory which asks people not to fill large containers, water lawns or open hydrantsResidents in a northern New Jersey city grew more frustrated on Monday as they endured a fourth day with little or no water service following a water main break. Some were relying on portable showers and toilets to meet their basic needs.But officials in Paterson - the state's third-largest city - said some relief should arrive by Tuesday night. Continue reading...

Federal judge began hearing evidence and arguments on deployment of national guard and marines to curb protests

An explosion at a US Steel plant in Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh on Monday has left dozens wounded and people trapped under the rubble. Officials said emergency workers are on site at the coking facility in Clairton, Pennsylvania, trying to rescue people

Judge wrote transcripts from case of Jeffrey Epstein associate couldn't be released because it would risk unraveling secrecy' of grand juryDismissing it as little more than a diversion," a federal judge in New York has formally rejected the Trump-led US justice department's request to release transcripts of pre-indictment, grand jury interviews with witnesses in the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and associate of Jeffrey Epstein.Judge Paul Engelmayer wrote that the transcripts could not be released publicly - casually or promiscuously" - as Donald Trump's government had pushed for because it would risk unraveling the foundations of secrecy upon which the grand jury is premised". Continue reading...

The US president says he is placing the Washington DC police department under federal control and deploying the national guard. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Trump invoked section 740, of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, to combat what he said was a wave of lawlessness, despite statistics showing violent crime hit a 30-year low in 2024

It was only the Community Shield, but issues from pre-season popped up again for Arne Slot in Liverpool's loss on penalties to Crystal Palace

Officials said they had no reports of someone hearing a smoke alarm' amid blaze that took 70 firefighters to controlA fire killed four children and two adults after ripping through a house in Charles county, Maryland, on Sunday, authorities said.Oliver Alkire, the master deputy state fire marshal, told reporters that the blaze was the deadliest fire in Maryland in more than 10 years.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

FBI arrested Suffolk county sheriff for allegedly threatening to revoke his office's partnership with the retailer unless it agreed to the dealA prominent Massachusetts sheriff has been arrested after federal investigators allege he shook down a national cannabis retailer for more than $50,000 worth of stock before the firm went public.The FBI said it arrested Steven Tompkins, the sheriff of Suffolk county - which encompasses Boston and the outlying counties of Chelsea and Revere - for allegedly threatening to revoke his office's partnership with the company unless it agreed to the deal. Continue reading...

School districts are responsible for transporting private and charter school kids, leaving thousands of public school students behindFor about 2,000 students attending high school in Dayton, Ohio, there won't be a bus in sight when they walk out the door for the beginning of the school year this week.Ruben Castillo, an 11th grade student at Meadowdale Career Technology Center, is one of them. Continue reading...

Experts say white supremacists have benefited from president's policies but anger remains among neo-NazisDonald Trump has faced an onslaught of criticism from opponents and Maga diehards alike, on issues such as Jeffrey Epstein, the war with Iran, and his steadfast alliance with Israel in the face of genocide. But among the ever dangerous far right, which has generally applauded Trump's efforts to deport thousands of people a day, his actions of late have stirred rage among a group experts say has benefited greatly from his administration's law-enforcement pivots.The FBI, headed by Trump acolyte Kash Patel, has reassigned the jobs of thousands of agents and eviscerated parts of the bureau tasked with investigating rightwing extremists that are considered the most dangerous domestic security threat facing the US today. Those same types, which includes a locus of fascist street-fighting gangs known as active clubs and accelerationist neo-Nazis, increasingly view Trump as an enemy, but are freer than ever to organize - almost entirely due to changes instituted in his latest presidency. Continue reading...

International visitors to one of the world's largest tourist destinations dropped 13% in June as workers face layoffsThe Trump administration's immigration policies are affecting workers and driving, in part, a decline in tourism, including international tourists, to Las Vegas, according to workers and the largest labor union in the state of Nevada.Visitors to Las Vegas overall dropped 11.3% in June 2025, compared to the same month last year. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, international visitors to one of the world's largest tourist destinations dropped 13% in June. Continue reading...

Trump's trade war has pushed up inflation, slashed US job gains, slowed economic growth and caused the manufacturing sector to sputterThe ever-bombastic Donald Trump has boasted repeatedly of his trade victories, while White House news releases trumpet his historic trade wins". The Wall Street Journal echoed Trump's triumphalism with a headline saying, Trump is Winning His Trade War", and last week the New York Times used the exact same words in a headline. That must have been music to the president's ears.Forgive me for being a spoilsport, but I don't see where the victory is or how Trump is winning. I keep reading how Trump's trade war and tariff machinations have pushed up inflation, slashed US job gains, slowed economic growth and caused the manufacturing sector to sputter.Steven Greenhouse is a journalist and author, focusing on labour and the workplace, as well as economic and legal issues Continue reading...

Departures are exacerbating existing shortages and creating very unsafe' conditions for patients, veterans and health workers sayThe Department of Veterans Affairs has lost thousands of healthcare professionals deemed core" to the system's ability to function and without which mission-critical work cannot be completed", agency records show.The number of medical staff on hand to treat veterans has fallen every month since Donald Trump took office. The VA has experienced a net loss of 2,000 registered nurses since the start of this fiscal year, the data show, along with approximately 1,300 medical assistants, 1,100 nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses, 800 doctors, 500 social workers and 150 psychologists. Continue reading...

Gemfields, which owns brand, agrees deal with SMG Capital, controlled by Sergei Mosunov

Ignore suggestions that further occupation would be temporary. Act now! This outrageous landgrab is ethnic cleansing in plain sightIt is hard to describe in words the pain of witnessing your people being destroyed for more than 670 days. It is even more unfathomable to contemplate another Israeli escalation, after witnessing so much suffering and so many crimes committed against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. How can this be allowed in full view of the world for so long? Will the world stand by?Israel's security cabinet declared this escalation when it approved a plan to fully occupy" the Gaza Strip and attack concentrations of population, starting with Gaza City itself. The consequences of this newest military onslaught are foreseeable and predictable. In May 2024, Israel attacked Rafah despite international warnings and in defiance of an international court of justice order - Rafah no longer exists. In November and December 2024, Israel attacked the northern towns of Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun and Jabaliya, and destroyed them in a campaign that former minister of defence Moshe Ya'alon described as ethnic cleansing". More recently, Israel unilaterally violated the ceasefire agreement, imposed starvation on the 2 million survivors and destroyed the southern city of Khan Younis. Continue reading...

With the AfD surging, it could soon be the largest party here. But, if he acts now, that dark scenario need not come to pass

Vice-president tries to deflect criticism of government's refusal to release so-called Epstein files, triggering renewed calls for transparency - key US politics stories from Sunday 10 AugustVice-president JD Vance's attempt to deflect attention away from the Trump administration's handling of the case against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has backfired, triggering renewed calls for transparency.In an interview with Fox News broadcast on Sunday, Vance tried to brush off criticism of the administration's refusal to release documents related to the scandal, accusing Joe Biden of doing absolutely nothing" about it when he was in the White House. Continue reading...

Lee fire chars more than 167 sq miles with 6% containment as California crews reach 62% containment on Canyon fireA Colorado prison was evacuated as one of the largest wildfires in state history continued to grow, and officials warned residents of remote areas to be ready to leave on Sunday as gusty winds and low humidity fed the flames.Evacuation orders were already in place for mountain communities as the Lee fire charred more than 167 sq miles (433 sq km) across Garfield and Rio Blanco counties, with just 6% containment. No injuries or structural damage has been reported. Continue reading...

Vice-president tries to deflect criticism and blames Biden for doing absolutely nothing' about convicted sex offenderFour days after JD Vance reportedly asked top Trump administration officials to come up with a new communications strategy for dealing with the scandal around the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he appears to have put his foot in it, sparking a new round of online outrage even as he tried to defuse the furor.In an interview with Fox News broadcast on Sunday, the vice-president tried to deflect criticism of the administration's refusal to release the Epstein files by blaming Democrats. He accused Joe Biden of doing absolutely nothing" about the scandal when he was in the White House. Continue reading...

President demands unhoused residents leave US capital or face eviction and vowed to use officers to make arrestsIn a social media post on Sunday, Donald Trump has demanded homeless residents of Washington DC leave the country's capital or face eviction, and again promised to use federal officers to jail criminals, even though violent crime in the city was at a 30-year low when he took office in January.The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Sunday morning, shortly after being driven from the White House to his golf club in Virginia. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital." Continue reading...

The UN security council met on Sunday after Israel said its military would 'take control' of Gaza City.Many ambassadors condemned Israel's plans, including the coordination director of the UN's humanitarian office, Ramesh Rajasingham, who said they would take a 'further human toll'

Deadly violence not random as staff have endured months of mistreatment, neglect and vilification', says unionA union representing US Centers for Disease Control employees has demanded that the federal government condemn vaccine misinformation after a man who evidently blamed the Covid-19 vaccination for making him depressed and suicidal aimed gunfire Friday at the CDC's headquarters in Atlanta.The 30-year-old shooting suspect, who killed a police officer and died during the attack, had also tried to get into the CDC's headquarters - but he was stopped by guards before driving to a pharmacy across the street and opening fire, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press on Saturday. Continue reading...

Governor warns lawmakers who left to foil redistricting plan that he coould call special session to extend battleTexas governor, Greg Abbott, has stepped up his war of words with Democratic lawmakers who have left the state to foil an aggressive redistricting plan aimed at giving his Republican party five additional seats in Congress, saying on Sunday that the fight could literally last years".Abbott issued his new threat on Fox News Sunday, saying that he would use his powers to call a special session of the Texas legislature to extend the battle indefinitely. The special session lasts 30 days, he said, and as soon as this one is over, I'm going to call another one, then another one, then another one, then another one". Continue reading...

A woman died and a man was trapped inside a vehicle after strong winds toppled a large tree and crushed carStrong storms in eastern Nebraska early Saturday killed one person, seriously injured another in a state park and displaced hundreds of inmates after two prison housing units were damaged, officials said - as other midwest US states also braced for bad weather.Meanwhile, more than 40 million Americans have been put on alert for dangerous heat and fire weather. In terms of fire weather, a blaze which prompted mandatory evacuations in two Colorado counties was of particular note.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

Nobody told us anything,' one of women said after all other passengers were rebooked on earlier flight amid delaysThe US's Southwest Airlines has publicly apologized after two women who are blind were both left behind by a plane flying to Orlando that the pair evidently should have had the opportunity to be on.Southwest eventually ended up flying the women, Camille Tate and Sherri Brun, on another flight for which they were the only two passengers, with the rest being rebooked on a plane that left earlier, according to recent reporting from the Orlando news stations WSVN and WOFL. Nonetheless, as WSVN noted, the two friends from Florida remained outraged at their experience, which resulted from their not being able to see information about the rebooked flight and not being verbally notified of the switch by the airline. Continue reading...

Republicans see it as the epitome of Trump keeping his promises, while for Democrats it's an opportunity to return from the political wildernessEarlier this summer, Republican lawmakers gathered around Donald Trump and applauded as he sat before a desk outside the White House and put his signature on what he calls his one, big, beautiful bill".But there were few claps for Mike Flood this week when the Republican congressman appeared before an auditorium of his Nebraska constituents to extol the tax and spending legislation's benefits - just boos and jeers. Continue reading...

Having fled Castro's Cuba at age five, Jorge Malagon Marquez honors the landmark reopening in SeptemberJorge Malagon Marquez's first sighting of Miami's iconic Freedom Tower, the so-called Ellis Island of the south for its role in processing more than half a million Cubans fleeing Fidel Castro's communist revolution, was through a flood of tears.It was May 1967, and his family had just arrived from Havana on one of the first so-called Freedom flights ferrying refugees allowed to escape the dictator's tightening grip on the island. Continue reading...

Donald Trump's second term has seen a sustained assault on democratic institutions - political, judicial, media, cultural, academic - that appears to be only acceleratingThe anger was raw and resolute. Speaking at the Republican congressman Mike Flood's town hall in Lincoln, Nebraska, a woman pointed to the estimated $450m cost of Alligator Alcatraz", an immigration detention facility in Florida. How much does it cost for fascism?" she demanded. How much do the taxpayers have to pay for a fascist country?"The crowd erupted in applause and whoops. In the week that Donald Trump marked his 200th day in office, few mainstream political commentators are bandying around terms such as fascist". But many are warning of a societal march towards authoritarianism that, far from losing momentum, appears to be gathering pace. Continue reading...

The puerile standoff between the US and Russia ought to alert a slumbering public to a risk that is in many ways greater than during the cold warNuclear weapons - their lethal menace, dark history and future spread - are back in the headlines again and, as usual, the news is worrying, bordering on desperate. Russia's decision last week to formally abandon the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty banning medium- and short-range nuclear missiles completes the demolition of a key pillar of global arms control. It will accelerate an already frantic nuclear arms race in Europe and Asia at a moment when US and Russian leaders are taunting each other like schoolboys.Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, has repeatedly threatened the west with nuclear weapons during his war in Ukraine. Last November, Russian forces fired their new Oreshnik hypersonic, nuclear-capable intermediate-range missile at Dnipro. It travels like a meteorite" at 10 times the speed of sound and can reach any city in Europe, Putin boasted - which, if true, is a clear INF violation. Moscow blames its decision to ditch the treaty on hostile Nato actions. Yet it has long bypassed it in practice, notably by basing missiles in Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave on the Baltic sea, and Belarus.Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator Continue reading...

Commerce secretary begins process could let the government seize Harvard patents; Tammy Bruce nominated for deputy US ambassador to UN - key US politics stories from 9 August 2025The Trump administrations has threatened Harvard's lucrative portfolio of patents amid its long-running dispute with the university, accusing it of breaching legal and contractual requirements tied to federally funded research.In a letter, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick demanded that Harvard provide within four weeks a list of all patents stemming from federally funded research grants, including how the patents are used and whether any licensing requires substantial US manufacturing". Harvard did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Continue reading...

White House escalates offensive on Ivy League university by calling for review of federally funded researchThe latest phase of the Trump administration's offensive against Harvard University is a comprehensive review of the university's federally funded research programs, and the threat to strip the school's lucrative portfolio of patents.In a letter to the Harvard president, Alan Garber, posted online on Friday, Donald Trump's commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, accused Harvard of breaching its legal and contractual requirements tied to federally funded research programs and patents. Continue reading...