What remains of Ukraine’s fragile democracy may not survive, regardless of the final outcome of this bloody warWar and democracy have always been more comfortable bedfellows than they should be. Our own history makes that perfectly clear.During the second world war, the US sent Japanese Americans to internment camps. During Vietnam, the FBI surveilled and attacked anti-war and civil rights movements. And the “war on terror” led to a massive assault on civil liberties, especially of Muslim and Arab communities.Phyllis Bennis is the director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies Continue reading...
The latest polls are a sobering reminder that some women will vote in ways that threaten their bodily autonomy if it helps bolster their statusThere are only a few days left until the US midterm elections and, if a new poll is to be believed, white women might help contribute to a red wave. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that white suburban women have “significantly shifted” their support from Democrats to Republicans amid “rising concerns over the economy and inflation”. The Journal found that white suburban women “now favor Republicans for Congress by 15 percentage points, moving 27 percentage points away from Democrats since the Journal‘s August poll”. Continue reading...
Kyrie Irving’s suspension is new low for one of the most talented players of his generation, a fast-falling star now likely to be remembered as a purveyor of offensive misinformationThe apology materialized close to midnight but by then it was too late. Kyrie Irving had been suspended by his NBA team after a week of widespread consternation but no contrition following his Twitter post amplifying an antisemitic film.The Brooklyn Nets excluded the point guard for at least five games on Thursday and said he is “currently unfit to be associated” with the franchise. It is a new low for one of the most talented players of his generation, a fast-falling star now likely to be remembered more as a purveyor of offensive online misinformation than for his on-court brilliance. Continue reading...
Up for re-election as secretary of state herself, Jocelyn Benson expects more electoral interference in the looming midtermsJocelyn Benson can still rattle off all the important dates.There was 17 November 2020, when two canvassers in Michigan’s Wayne county nearly refused to certify the election results. There was 23 November, when the state board almost did the same thing. There was 5 December, when dozens of armed protesters gathered outside her home as she put up Christmas decorations with her family. And there was 6 January, when an armed mob laid siege to the US Capitol. Continue reading...
More Americans have been working two or more jobs over the past few decades, census data showsMillions of Americans are currently working two or more jobs in order to make ends meet, as global inflation and corporations jacking up prices have sent prices of food, gas, housing, health insurance and other necessities soaring in the past year.Cashe Lewis, 31, of Denver, Colorado works two jobs and is currently trying to find a third job to cover the recent $200 monthly rent increase to her apartment. She works days as a barista at Starbucks, but claims it’s been difficult to get enough hours even with taking extra shifts whenever she can due to scheduling cuts as part of the crackdown on union organizing by management. Continue reading...
If the Americans are to avoid missing the finals for the first time since 1995, Bryce Campbell’s team must beat Kenya, Hong Kong and Portugal on successive weekendsBryce Campbell is not keen to linger on the defeat by Chile which sent the US Eagles to the Rugby World Cup Final Qualification Tournament which starts in Dubai on Sunday. Naturally, the Indianapolis-born centre would rather focus on Kenya, Hong Kong and Portugal, who the US must beat if they are not to miss a World Cup for the first time since 1995.No American really wants to think too much about the loss to Chile in July, other than as a very harsh lesson indeed. Continue reading...
The midterms include key elections to the state’s highest court as the judicial system becomes increasingly politicizedIn Ohio, a highly partisan fight over three state supreme court seats could determine the political direction of the court on a slew of important issues – particularly abortion.With the US supreme court increasingly handing issues such as voting rights, abortion, gun rights and gerrymandering back to the states, state supreme court races are becoming more important than ever. Continue reading...
Decades of bailouts have convinced some that the Fed will always come to the rescue – but this only papers over the fundamental flaws of the US economyWith the Federal Reserve leading the world’s central banks in a tightening cycle of interest rate rises, the likes of which we haven’t seen since 2006, commentators across the political spectrum are noting the fondness of the Fed chair, Jerome “Jay” Powell, for his legendary predecessor, Paul Volcker. On the left, the comparison is fearful; on the center and on the right, it’s one of admiration. But circumstances don’t really support the comparison.On taking office in October 1979, Volcker declared “the standard of living of the average American has to decline” as a consequence of the war against the chronic inflation of the 1970s. He quickly set to work making that happen by driving interest rates up towards 20% and creating the deepest US recession since the 1930s. Continue reading...
History shows that the president’s party typically loses seats in midterm, and Democrats seem likely to follow that patternWith just a few days left before polls close in America’s crucial midterm elections, Republicans appear better positioned than ever to regain control of the House of Representatives and potentially the Senate as well.History shows that the president’s party typically loses seats in midterm elections, and despite some optimistic signs over the summer, Democrats now seem likely to follow that pattern on 8 November. Continue reading...
As the key swing state heads into the midterms, Republicans have launched a coordinated effort to pack the process of overseeing electionsChristopher Thomas spent 36 years as director of Michigan’s elections, overseeing the laborious but uncontentious running of presidential vote counts.Then came 2020. Within hours of the polls closing in the presidential race, roving bands of Donald Trump’s supporters were moving from table to table at one of Detroit’s principal counting centres, flinging around accusations of vote rigging as they challenged and intimidated poll workers in the key swing state. Continue reading...
The US House speaker rallied grassroots activists, telling them ‘democracy is on the ballot’ in the 2022 midterm electionsThe US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has rallied grassroots activists, saying the upcoming midterm elections are a fight for democracy, in her first public appearance since the brutal attack on her husband.“People say to me: ‘What can I do to make you feel better?’ I say: ‘Vote!’” Pelosi told those on the video call on Friday. Continue reading...
The ex-president sought more time to produce responsive records and cooperate with the committee’s Capitol attack investigationDonald Trump responded to the House January 6 select committee’s subpoena deadline for documents with a letter that sought more time to produce responsive records and cooperate with the investigation into the Capitol attack, according to a source familiar with the matter and a statement from the panel.The details of the former president’s requests were not clear. But the select committee, appearing to grant Trump an extension, informed Trump’s lawyers that he must produce documents next week and that he the summons for his appearance under oath remains in place. Continue reading...
The woman, who was swimming in the waters off Del Mar, received stitches and is recoveringA shark attacked a woman on Friday in the Pacific waters north of San Diego, officials said.The woman was treated at a hospital for puncture and laceration wounds to her upper right thigh, according to Jon Edelbrock, lifeguard chief for the city of Del Mar. She received stitches and is recovering. Continue reading...
The drawing will be held on Saturday night for the prize, which hasn’t been won in three monthsStrong sales boosted a Powerball jackpot to an estimated $1.6bn on Friday, making it the largest lottery prize in history.A drawing will be held on Saturday night for the Powerball prize, which hasn’t been won in more than three months. That string of 39 consecutive drawings without a winner is a reflection of the tough odds of winning a jackpot, at 1 in 292.2m. Continue reading...
Podcast host had amplified debunked claim about furries spread by Republican politiciansJoe Rogan has acknowledged spreading misinformation after he suggested that elementary schools were installing litter boxes for students who “identify” as furries.The sensationalist urban legend was rooted in the right’s continued attacks on trans and gender non-conforming youth. Continue reading...
Most candidates from the GOP in these midterm elections refuse democracy’s most basic tenet: accepting the voters’ verdictAs in all the best horror movies, at first glance everything looks normal. It’s a classic scene of the American autumn: campaign rallies outside community centres, battle buses emblazoned with candidates’ smiling faces, kids wearing badges and holding up signs, while TV screens fill with debates, punditry and an endless loop of focus-grouped ads. Even the predicted outcome of Tuesday’s US midterm elections fits a template as familiar as falling leaves. Most experts agree that the Democrats will take a hit, losing control of at least one or perhaps both chambers of Congress, because they are the incumbent party – and incumbent parties almost always suffer in midterm – and because times are unusually tough. Inflation, interest rates, petrol prices, fear of crime: they’re all up. Couple that with a president set to turn 80 this month whose approval ratings have often plumbed the depths, and all the elements are in place for the Democrats to take a midterm beating, losing ground even in states they once counted as solidly their own.But look closer and you see something else. Because next week’s results will decide more than just whether the red team or the blue team takes control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, on which hangs Joe Biden’s ability to get things done. Next week’s elections will also help determine whether, and for how much longer, the US will remain a genuine democracy.Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist. Listen to his Politics Weekly America podcast here Continue reading...
by Chris Stein in Washington and agencies on (#65FHE)
TV host who launched Republican’s career on her daytime talkshow had previously said election was up to PennsylvaniansOprah Winfrey sprang a November surprise for Democrats in the midterm elections as the US TV host endorsed their candidate John Fetterman in Pennsylvania’s hotly contested Senate race, snubbing his Republican rival Mehmet Oz whom she originally made famous on her daytime talkshow.Until now, Winfrey had said she would leave the election to Pennsylvanians, but on Thursday evening she changed that position in an online discussion on voting in next Tuesday’s election. Continue reading...
The danger of a quick slide into all-out nuclear war between Russia and the US is less, but in other ways the risk we face is more alarmingAnyone who hoped that Vladimir Putin would declare victory in Ukraine and withdraw his failing troops must now admit that no such outcome is realistic. In a revealing quote during a meeting last week with about a hundred academics from 40 countries, Putin rejected it.Fyodor Lukyanov, a highly respected thinktank editor who was the meeting’s moderator, had the courage to ask the Russian president if he would retreat like the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev did in the 1962 Cuban crisis. “Certainly not,” Putin replied. To general laughter, according to the Kremlin transcript, he went on: “I cannot imagine myself in the role of Khrushchev. No way.” Continue reading...
Charlie Hills’ runner is a cracking bet on ITV Racing’s 10-hour marathon including all the action from the big Keeneland cardThe European runners look a cut above their locally trained rivals in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland on Saturday and Charlie Hills’s Pogo (7.10) is an interesting bet at around 16-1 to come home in front.He is most familiar as a seven-furlong performer but that is often an ideal profile for the Mile winner on a typically sharp American turf course. Pogo also likes to race up with the pace, should get a good position from stall one, and his form behind Kinross – a 4-1 chance for this – in August suggests he should not be four times the price of Ralph Beckett’s gelding, who is drawn in the parking lot in stall 13. Continue reading...
Flurry of reports suggests former president will move swiftly after midterms, as soon as 14 November – but who will challenge him?As the midterm elections loom and Republican hopes of retaking Congress rise, it appears to be a matter of when, not if, Donald Trump will announce his third White House run.The former president has trailed another campaign ever since his 2020 defeat by Joe Biden, a contest Trump refused to concede, pursuing the lie about electoral fraud which fueled the deadly attack on Congress and his second impeachment. Continue reading...
Ron Johnson’s campaign of ‘race and fear’ is affecting Senate race that Mandela Barnes once looked to have in the bagAfter months of flinging mud, Senator Ron Johnson was finally obliged to admit that his Democratic opponent in the upper midwestern state of Wisconsin had never actually made a call to “defund the police”.But that did not stop the Trumpist senator’s re-election drive from continuing to broadcast racially charged advertisements falsely claiming that Mandela Barnes, the lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, “rationalized violence” against the police and tying him to the most controversial positions of Black Lives Matter. Continue reading...
by Laurel Elder, Steve Greene and Mary-Kate Lizotte on (#65F7T)
If young pro-choice voters turn out in higher numbers than forecast models are expecting, it could provide a bounce to Democrats in key racesPolitical science-based forecasting models offer a clear prediction for the 2022 midterm elections – the results will be very bad for Democrats. Based solely on the fundamentals like the state of the economy, the type of election (ie midterm) and having an unpopular Democrat in the White House, a model by political scientists Charles Tien and Michael Lewis-Beck, generated months before 8 November, predicts a 44-seat loss for Democrats in the House and a five-seat loss for Democrats in the Senate.The forecasting models produced by FiveThirtyEight are not quite as grim about the prospects for Democrats, predicting that the party will most likely lose majority control of the House of Representatives, but have a small (and shrinking) edge in holding on to their minuscule advantage in the Senate. Unlike the political science models, FiveThirtyEight’s predictions also incorporate polling data and therefore pick up on the ground-level reality that Republicans have put forth weak candidates in key races.Laurel Elder is a professor of political science at Hartwick CollegeSteven Greene is a professor of political science at North Carolina State UniversityMary-Kate Lizotte is a professor of political science at Augusta University Continue reading...
Husband of House speaker Nancy Pelosi underwent successful surgery for a fractured skull and other injuries after assaultPaul Pelosi, the husband of House speaker Nancy Pelosi, has been released from the San Francisco hospital six days after being attacked by a man wielding a hammer in the couple’s home.The House speaker said in a statement on Thursday: “Paul remains under doctors’ care as he continues to progress on a long recovery process and convalescence. He is now home.” Continue reading...
by Rachel Leingang in Phoenix, Arizona on (#65F5H)
Drop box watchers, threatening letters and harassment – voters and election officials alike report increase in occurrencesIn suburban Mesa, Arizona, people staked out an outdoor ballot drop box, taking photos and videos of voters dropping off ballots. Some wore tactical gear or camouflage. Some were visibly armed.Others videotaped voters and election workers at a ballot drop box and central tabulation office in downtown Phoenix. They set up lawn chairs and camped out to keep watch through a fence which had been added around the facility for safety after 2020 election protests. Continue reading...
Despite this urgency, climate has not been a focal point for Democrats or Republicans ahead of midterm electionsIt’s been another catastrophic climate year for the US, with tens of millions of people across the country affected by floods, fires, drought, heatwaves and tornadoes.Climate scientists are unequivocal: time is running out to transition away from fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal and instead power our cars, heat our homes and grow our food using renewable energy sources and sustainable farming practices. Most voters agree: two thirds of Americans want the federal government to do more to tackle the climate crisis, according to one recent poll. Continue reading...
The reduction, to be delivered by email, comes amid speculation the new Twitter CEO will cut as much as 50% of staff. Plus, climate on the ballot of the midterms
Tension reflects the heated battle between Democrats and Republicans for control of the House, a fight in which the state is keyIn Orange county, California, Republican congresswoman Michelle Steel is running ads using doctored images to depict her Democratic opponent Jay Chen as sympathetic to communist China. In Los Angeles, incumbent Democratic representative Jimmy Gomez has sent out flyers accusing his progressive challenger David Kim of “campaigning with QAnon support”.In several congressional districts in the Golden state, close races in recent weeks have become vitriolic. Continue reading...
Philadelphia Union and LAFC meet on Saturday for the championship and are led by two of the best young coaches in the leagueNot since 2003 has MLS Cup been contested between two No 1 seeds. The Major League Soccer playoffs almost always produce shocks, but Saturday’s showpiece between Los Angeles FC and the Philadelphia Union was predicted by many to materialise. If LAFC have been the unstoppable force in 2022, Philly have been the immovable object. In terms of quality, the 2022 MLS Cup final has the potential to be the best ever.Steve Cherundolo and Jim Curtin are probably the best two head coaches in MLS too. LAFC and Philly will have plenty of star power to showcase down the road from Hollywood this weekend, but the men on the touchline deserve top billing – they are the reason their teams have made it this far. Continue reading...
Parties once focused on TV but now a billion-dollar effort embraces the highly targeted and almost rule-free digital worldThe advert is in grainy black and white, with an edgy horror movie soundtrack. As gunfights erupt in the streets, the narrator announces in a gravelly bass voice that John Fetterman, Democratic candidate for a US Senate seat in Pennsylvania, “has a love affair with criminals”.Fetterman has voted “over and over to release the state’s most violent criminals, including murderers”, the narrator says. If elected, he would “keep the drugs flowing, the killers killing, and the children dying”. Continue reading...
by Joan E Greve, and Erum Salam in Austin on (#65EWH)
The Vermont senator is holding nine rallies across five battleground states, hoping to deliver a closing argument to young and working-class voters• ‘They haven’t tried’: Bernie Sanders criticizes Democrats’ economic messagingSan Marcos’s Sewell Park on Texas State University’s campus, was packed with people on Saturday. Harry Styles’s As It Was’ and Dua Lipa’s Levitating provided the soundtrack to a mostly young crowd, who gathered around the stage and eagerly awaited its headliner: Senator Bernie Sanders.With just days left before polls close and Republicans’ midterm fortunes seemingly on the rise, Sanders is hitting the campaign trail, holding nine rallies across five battleground states in the week and a half leading up to election day. Continue reading...
by David Smith, Lauren Gambino, Joan E Greve and Sam on (#65EWG)
Guardian writers lay down what’s on the line and what a Republican victory could mean for the future of the countryAmerica is hurtling towards the first nationwide test of its democracy since Donald Trump left the White House and his supporters mounted a deadly insurrection at the US Capitol. The midterm elections on Tuesday will decide control of Congress as well as 36 state governorships – but will also be a referendum on Joe Biden’s presidency, and fire the starting gun for the race to the White House in 2024.Here’s why the midterms matter for some of the biggest issues facing the US – and the world: Continue reading...
In a Guardian interview, the Vermont senator urges people to turn out for next week’s ‘consequential’ midterm electionsBernie Sanders has criticized Democrats for not doing enough to motivate voters around the economic issues that have an impact on everyday life, as he warned next week’s midterm elections are the most “consequential” in modern American history.In an interview with the Guardian in Texas, the leftwing Vermont senator said: “Obviously, everybody should be turning out for what is the most consequential midterm election in the modern history of this country. Democracy is on the ballot. Women’s right to control their own bodies is on the ballot. Climate change is on the ballot, so everybody should come out.” Continue reading...
The digital platform is about more than just news and politics. It’s also a place for culture, creativity and communityAfter a seven-month saga, and a visit to Twitter HQ carrying a bathroom sink, Elon Musk now owns Twitter.In April, digital rights experts warned of the dangers of online spaces being subject to the whims of billionaires. Many have expressed concern that under Musk’s leadership, online safety, public debate and democratic participation on Twitter may falter, while there is fear that misinformation and hate speech will rise. Continue reading...
Attempts to protect students in battleground Wisconsin led to a culture-war clash that turned neighbor against neighborThe Wempner family felt like prisoners as they sat in their home in June.The kindling for what was shaping up to be their small town’s political eruption started two years ago with a documented act of racism directed at their family. Continue reading...
Specific details weren’t released but Jersey City mayor said police have been posted at city’s seven synagoguesThe FBI said on Thursday it had received credible information about a “broad” threat to synagogues in New Jersey.The FBI’s Newark office released a statement urging synagogues to “take all security precautions to protect your community and facility”. Continue reading...
Newest member of US supreme court seems to reject idea that affirmative action in university admissions is unconstitutionalThe newest US supreme court justice and the bench’s first Black woman, Ketanji Brown Jackson, made a clarion call in favor of keeping race as one of many factors in US higher education admissions, as America’s highest court heard oral arguments on the issue of affirmative action.The court is hearing two back-to-back cases brought against the University of North Carolina (UNC) and Harvard University by a conservative activist group, Students for Fair Admissions, but has not ruled. Continue reading...
Case alleges the Moab agency was negligent despite a bystander reporting conflict between the woman and her boyfriendFamily members of a 22-year-old woman whose boyfriend admitted to killing her last year have filed a wrongful death suit against the Moab police department, claiming their negligence led to her death weeks later.The lawsuit filed on Thursday is the latest development in the high-profile case around Gabby Petito’s death. What began as a missing person case last summer rode a wave of true crime obsession to become a social media sensation, drawing amateur online sleuthers and the kind of worldwide attention that can help authorities locate missing people. Continue reading...
Move will restrict his company’s ability to freely make deals, sell assets and change its corporate structureA Manhattan judge said Thursday that he would appoint an independent monitor to oversee Donald Trump’s real estate empire.The move will restrict his company’s ability to freely make deals, sell assets and change its corporate structure. Continue reading...
The former president claims civil suit mounted by Letitia James could cause ‘great harm’ to his company and reputationDonald Trump has sued the attorney general of New York state, Letitia James, over what he claims is a “relentless, pernicious, public, and unapologetic crusade” against him, in the shape of her recent civil lawsuit against the former president and three of his adult children, Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric.Filed on Wednesday in a circuit court in Florida, the lawsuit says James’s suit, which she announced in a dramatic press conference in September, will cause “great harm” to the company, brand and reputation of the thrice-married, oft-sued, twice-impeached and extensively legally imperiled former president. Continue reading...
Lloyd Austin makes remark while Kim Jong-un’s government in Pyongyang has in recent days mounted a number of missile testsThe US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, said on Thursday any nuclear attack on the US or its allies by North Korea would “result in the end of the Kim regime”.Kim Jong-un’s government in Pyongyang has in recent days mounted a number of missile tests. The South Korean military said a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday may have ended in failure. Japan called the launch “outrageous and absolutely intolerable”. Continue reading...
Scientists say the world’s largest volcano could erupt and officials are telling residents to be preparedThe ground is shaking and swelling at Mauna Loa, the legendary volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii and the largest active volcano in the world.Scientists say the shaking indicates it could erupt, though they don’t expect that to happen right away. Regardless, officials on the island are telling residents to be prepared. Continue reading...
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