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Democratic NYC mayoral nominee seeks to ease tensions with business leaders and critics over controversial phraseZohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York mayor, has told business leaders in the city he will not use the phrase globalize the intifada" and discourage others from doing so, according to reports.Mamdani, a democratic socialist who won the Democratic nomination last month, has been under pressure to clarify his position on the phrase that many regard as a call to violence against Jews, and one that he had previously declined to condemn. Continue reading...

Trump has faced growing pressure from his Maga base. Plus, inflation hits 2.7% as tariffs start to show in prices

Despite high costs, working parents of K-12 children face annual high stakes to find options and fight for camp spotsSummer camp had already begun for Tasmiha Khan's two sons when a work contract unexpectedly ended. Money was suddenly tight for the freelance communications strategist - and the $1,300 price for the school district's months-long summer camp became unaffordable. Khan had no choice but to pull her children out early.To give them an enriching summer, Khan tried a few alternatives. An Arabic immersion program still had spots open, but Khan wasn't impressed. Continue reading...

Martin says the party has to show voters that Everything we're for is exactly what the American people are for'As Democrats reckon with a deep inter-party divide that threatens their ability to repair the party's image and win back voters, Ken Martin said he not focused on internal bullshit" because most people could care less about the internal drama and soap opera of the Democratic party."Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, told the Guardian that he knows Democrats have to earn back trust from communities across the country before the midterms. Continue reading...

Jo-Ann Mort and Beth Miller go head to head on Zohran MamdaniWhile headlines would have you believe otherwise, Jewish New Yorkers supported Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral Democratic primary in droves. We showed up because our communities want to live and thrive alongside our neighbors in an affordable city where no one is left behind, and because we want a mayor who believes in Palestinian human rights.Beth Miller is the political director of Jewish Voice for Peace ActionJo-Ann Mort is co-author of Our Hearts Invented a Place: Can Kibbutzim Survive in Today's Israel? She writes frequently about Israel for US, UK, and Israeli publications Continue reading...

When Richard Pryor saw the man firing in the parking lot, he sprang into action, buying time before guards arrivedA Michigan church deacon who had a hand in thwarting a rifle-wielding man's attempts to shoot worshippers at a service in June by ramming the attacker with his truck says he sprang into action because waiting for first responders' help was not feasible.I'm just realizing there's no time," Richard Pryor - who drew gunfire while protecting the congregation of CrossPointe Community church in Wayne, Michigan - said during a recent Associated Press interview in which he revisited his state of mind that day. I didn't have a weapon on me, in the truck or anything, so what are your options?" Continue reading...

We need counterstrategies against the Trumpists' usurpation of what should remain separate powersIt has been said many times, but saying it appears to have no consequences: our system of checks and balances is failing. The US supreme court allowing the president effectively to abolish the Department of Education only reinforces this sense; Sonia Sotomayor, in her dissent, explicitly wrote that the threat to our Constitution's separation of powers is grave" - but she did not explain how to counter the threat.The picture is complicated by the fact that what critics call the stranglehold the checks and balances narrative on the American political imagination" has prevented positive democratic change. Hence it is crucial to understand where the separation of powers itself needs to be kept in check and where it can play a democracy-reinforcing role. Most important, we need counterstrategies against the Trumpists' usurpation of what should remain separate powers. Continue reading...

US president talks of low tariff to give pharmaceutical firms a year or so to build, and then making it very high'Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on pharmaceutical products and semiconductors as soon as 1 August, the latest deadline for the introduction of his reciprocal" levies on individual countries.The US president told reporters late on Tuesday the taxes on drug imports could be announced probably at the end of the month, and we're going to start off with a low tariff and give the pharmaceutical companies a year or so to build, and then we're going to make it a very high tariff". Continue reading...

Scotland's domestic league has been dominated by Celtic and Rangers, but American investors see untapped potentialA club that plays in red, white and blue was always ripe for American investment. The arrival of Andrew Cavenagh and the San Francisco 49ers as Rangers' new owners has the potential to shake up a Scottish top division that has been won by Rangers' fierce rivals, Celtic, in 13 of the last 14 seasons.It's not just at the top, however, where American money is reshaping Scottish soccer. Six of the Scottish Premiership's 12 clubs are now American-owned. The 49ers' purchase of Rangers wasn't even the only US takeover of a Scottish club this summer: Calvin Ford, the great-great-grandson of Henry Ford, completed a deal to buy Livingston. Scotland's top division is now just one club away from having a majority of American owners. Continue reading...

When AI is (badly) informing health policy and enabling bad actors, it's time to regulate the tech companiesNearly a year into parenting, I've relied on advice and tricks to keep my baby alive and entertained. For the most part, he's been agile and vivacious, and I'm beginning to see an inquisitive character develop from the lump of coal that would suckle from my breast. Now he's started nursery (or what Germans refer to as Kita), other parents in Berlin, where we live, have warned me that an avalanche of illnesses will come flooding in. So during this particular stage of uncertainty, I did what many parents do: I consulted the internet.This time, I turned to ChatGPT, a source I had vowed never to use. I asked a straightforward but fundamental question: How do I keep my baby healthy?" The answers were practical: avoid added sugar, monitor for signs of fever and talk to your baby often. But the part that left me wary was the last request: If you tell me your baby's age, I can tailor this more precisely." Of course, I should be informed about my child's health, but given my growing scepticism towards AI, I decided to log off.Edna Bonhomme is a historian of science Continue reading...

There's plenty to ponder over as Major League Baseball takes a rare pause before the second-half stretch runThe Major League Baseball season has reached its halfway point, or, more accurately, we've landed at the All-Star break, with 60% of the schedule already in the books. So, how did it go? Here's a handful of storylines to chew on as we prepare for the second-half stretch run. Continue reading...

The 2011 Open winner practised on Tuesday with the Masters champion and Tom McKibbin, and is keen for all three to make their markThe 7am tee-time practice trio on Tuesday at Royal Portrush: Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy, Tom McKibbin. The galleries grew and grew. The venue for the Open this week was the site of a starstruck McIlroy meeting Clarke on his 10th birthday in 1999. Clarke's foundation played a key role in the early development of McIlroy. McKibbin, as a 13-year-old playing at McIlroy's home club in Holywood, was invited by him to play in the Irish Open's pro-am in 2016. The connections are as uplifting as they are strong.Clarke's description of seeing McIlroy win the Masters in April, completing his set of majors, is therefore understandable. I watched every shot," Clarke says. I couldn't take my eyes off it. Rory winning there was almost like watching my two boys, Tyrone and Conor, win. I was that emotional. Continue reading...

There is no guarantee the US president's impatience with Russia will last, but the Kremlin may come to regret testing his patienceBefore Donald Trump was a politician he was a property tycoon. Naturally, he thought he could fix the Ukraine war with a real-estate deal. In exchange for a ceasefire, Vladimir Putin would get to keep territory he had already seized.But before Putin was a politician he was a KGB agent who mourned the collapse of the Soviet Union. His idea of a fair solution begins with Ukraine's total submission to an imperial Russian motherland.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Grijalva beat Gen Z activist Deja Foxx in the race and will succeed her late father, Raul Grijalva, in the roleAdelita Grijalva won the Democratic House primary in Arizona to succeed her father, beating a young social media activist in a closely watched election seen as a test of the party's generational divide.Raul Grijalva, a longtime congressman in southern Arizona, died from cancer earlier this year and left a vacancy in the state's seventh district. The younger Grijalva, a 54-year-old who served for 20 years on a Tucson school board, has been a Pima county supervisor since 2020. Continue reading...

President is looking to clawback money from public media and foreign aid programs to seemingly control US debtSenate Republicans on Tuesday advanced Donald Trump's request to cancel about $9bn in previously approved spending, overcoming concerns about what the rescissions could mean for impoverished people around the globe and for public radio and television stations in their home states.JD Vance broke the tie on the procedural vote, allowing the measure to advance, 51-50. Continue reading...

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Police say suspect arrested in connection with the deaths after finding the couple's bodies with gunshot woundsLos Angeles police discovered American Idol music supervisor Robin Kaye and her husband, musician Thomas Deluca, dead in their Encino home on Monday, in what authorities are investigating as a double homicide.After responding to the neighborhood for a welfare check, officers told celebrity news site TMZ, which first reported the news, that they found blood outside the couple's $4.5m home. Inside, police discovered Kaye and Deluca's bodies, in separate rooms, with gunshot wounds, NBC Los Angeles reports, citing police statements. Continue reading...

Donald Trump told reporters he doesn't understand why his supporters are so interested in the 'sordid, but boring' crimes of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 'He's dead for a long time,' the president said. 'I think, really, only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going,' he said. Trump's comments came after the justice department announced Epstein's death was a suicide and that, despite conspiracy theories to the contrary, there was no list of his clients to be made public

Republican-led committee accused UC Berkeley, City University of New York and Georgetown University of bias

UC Berkeley, Georgetown and Cuny heads face GOP inquiry in last of House hearings that began after Israel-Gaza war

Rate is significantly below the 32% the US president had threatened but timeline for implementation of deal remains unclearUS President Donald Trump says he has struck a trade pact with Indonesia resulting in significant purchase commitments from the south-east Asian country, after negotiations to avoid steeper tariffs.Indonesian goods entering the United States would face a 19% tariff, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. This is significantly below the 32% level the president earlier threatened. Continue reading...

Michael Bell receives lethal injection for 1993 attempted revenge killings of Jimmy West and Tamecka SmithA man convicted of fatally shooting two people outside a Florida bar in 1993 as part of an attempted revenge killing was executed Tuesday evening, the 26th person put to death in the US this year.Michael Bernard Bell, 54, was pronounced dead at 6.25pm local time after receiving a lethal injection at Florida state prison near Starke, said Bryan Griffin, a spokesperson for the state governor, Ron DeSantis. Bell was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1993 murders of Jimmy West and Tamecka Smith. Continue reading...

US House speaker calls for release of files as conservative backlash continues. Key US politics stories from Tuesday 16 JulyUS House speaker Mike Johnson has waded into the Epstein files saga that is roiling Donald Trump's conservative base - by calling on the justice department to release the Epstein files.Johnson, a key ally of the US president, was asked about the controversy during an interview for a rightwing podcast. It's a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide it," Johnson told Benny Johnson, in comments released on Tuesday. I agree with the sentiment that we need to put it out there." Continue reading...

Trump has faced growing resentment over the decision of his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to withhold information

Sayfollah Musallet's relatives criticize US government over West Bank killing: Somebody needs to be held accountable'Relatives of Sayfollah Musallet, a US citizen from Florida beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, are calling for the Trump administration to arrest and prosecute those responsible for his killing.The 20-year-old from Tampa was visiting his family in an area near Ramallah, and died last week trying to protect their farm from invaders, they said at an emotional press conference in Florida on Monday afternoon. Continue reading...

Under new policy, such immigrants would not be able to request bond from immigration judge before deportationThe Trump administration is reportedly seeking to bar millions of immigrants who allegedly arrived in the US without legal status from receiving a bond hearing as they try to fight their deportations in court.The new policy would apply during removal proceedings, which can take years, for millions of immigrants who entered the country from Mexico in recent decades, according to a report from the Washington Post, which reviewed documents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). Continue reading...

Authorities admit we don't know how many we lost' as local officials receive death threatsAt least 134 people have now been confirmed to have died during the Texas Hill Country flooding on 4 July, according to an ABC News report.Crews are continuing to search for the 101 people still missing. Continue reading...

Letter calls for AG and FBI chief amid rift between Trump and supporters over files on notorious sex criminalDemocratic members of the House judiciary committee on Thursday demanded that Republicans summon the attorney general, Pam Bondi, the FBI director, Kash Patel, and their deputies for a hearing into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's death and the sex-trafficking case against him.The letter from all 19 Democratic members on the committee to its Republican chair, Jim Jordan, comes amid a rift between Donald Trump and some of his supporters over the justice department's conclusion, announced last week, that Epstein's death in federal custody six years ago was a suicide, and that there is no secret list of his clients to be made public. Continue reading...

Flash flood warnings were issued for parts of New York and Pennsylvania and an emergency was declared in New JerseyAt least two people were killed Monday evening in New Jersey amid heavy rain and flooding in that state and New York, according to authorities.The pair died in the city of Plainfield when the car they were in was swept into Cedar Brook during flash flooding, local officials announced on Facebook. Continue reading...

Pittsburgh event angers climate groups as Trump ties AI expansion to oil and gas, sidelining renewable energyDonald Trump joined big oil and technology bosses on Tuesday at a major artificial intelligence and energy summit in Pittsburgh, outraging environmentalists and community organizations.The event came weeks after the passage of a mega-bill that experts say could stymy AI growth with its attacks on renewable energy. Continue reading...

Ex-national security adviser questioned about controversy during a Senate hearing to be US ambassador to UNJust over two months after being ousted as national security adviser, Mike Waltz faced lawmakers on Tuesday during a confirmation hearing to be US ambassador to the UN, telling them that he planned to make the world body great again".We should have one place in the world where everyone can talk - where China, Russia, Europe and the developing world can come together and resolve conflicts," Waltz told the Senate foreign relations committee about the UN. But after 80 years, it's drifted from its core mission of peacemaking." Continue reading...

Jamie Dimon cautions against interference as treasury secretary says process to replace Jerome Powell has begunThe boss of JP Morgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, has defended the absolutely critical" independence of the Federal Reserve chair, as Donald Trump continues to demand immediate cuts in interest rates.The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said on Tuesday that a formal process for choosing a successor to the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, had already begun - despite the fact that his term does not end until next May. Continue reading...

Maga's obsession with the files shows how a fringe QAnon conspiracy theory has taken root in the pro-Trump movementThe release of the Epstein client list" has long been the holy grail for the Maga movement. Supposedly, this list, once released, would incriminate a veritable who's who of liberal elites complicit in Jeffrey Epstein's child sex-trafficking operation and expose the moral rot at the heart of the Democrat establishment.The mystery surrounding the Epstein files also became a vehicle for QAnon conspiracy theorists to push their ideas about a deep state" cover-up of a network of global pedophiles into the broader tent of the Maga movement. Continue reading...

The spending is not about safety': rights groups concerned as funding for data centralization increases

Seven lawyers cite punishing workload and the need to defend policies that some felt were not legally justifiableThe US justice department unit charged with defending against legal challenges to signature Trump administration policies - such as restricting birthright citizenship and slashing funding to Harvard University - has lost nearly two-thirds of its staff, according to a list seen by Reuters.Sixty-nine of the roughly 110 lawyers in the federal programs branch have voluntarily left the unit since Donald Trump's election in November or have announced plans to leave, according to the list compiled by former justice department lawyers and reviewed by Reuters. Continue reading...

James Comer has used a digital signature on documents throughout his investigation into Biden's use of an autopenA Kentucky Republican leading the Trump administration's investigation into Joe Biden's mental capacities during his time in office, including Biden's reliance, like many other presidents, on an automatic signature machine, has been shown to have used a digital signature himself in the course of the investigation.NBC reported that some letters and subpoena notices issued by James Comer, which were sent out in connection to his investigation into Biden's use of the so-called autopen, bore a digital signature. Continue reading...

US president says he will supply Kyiv with billions of dollars of military equipment paid for by European allies

The deal involves Nato countries buying US weapons destined for Ukraine, in a big shift in the president's approach to the war. Plus, a first glimpse of HBO's Harry Potter TV seriesGood morning.Donald Trump said he had sealed an agreement with Nato allies that will lead to large-scale arms deliveries to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles, and warned Russia that it will face severe sanctions if it does not make peace within 50 days.What does it mean for the war? The US will sell weapons to Ukraine, the president said, with other Nato countries paying the bill. Otherwise, specifics were scant. No sums of money were mentioned, making it hard to calibrate how much of a difference the proposed weapon supply will make to Kyiv.What about sanctions? Nothing new right now. Trump did promise to levy a 100% tariff on Russia if Putin did not agree a deal to halt the fighting within 50 days.So what's the significance? Make no mistake: tonally, Trump's statements are a significant U-turn on his approach to the war. We're very unhappy - I am - with Russia," he said. Continue reading...

MAGA did not vote for more weapons to Ukraine,' the Georgia congresswoman wrote on XMarjorie Taylor Greene has criticized Donald Trump over his new pledge to send billions of dollars" worth of weapons to Ukraine, accusing him of breaking a campaign promise by continuing the very aid that Republicans spent years blocking under Joe Biden.MAGA did not vote for more weapons to Ukraine," the Georgia congresswoman, one of Trump's most staunch allies in Washington, wrote on X on Tuesday, referring to the Make America great again" moniker adopted by Trump's base of supporters. MAGA voted for no more US involvement in foreign wars." Continue reading...

Inflation remains far below the peaks seen three years ago, when price increases reached as high as 9%Inflation shot up in June as the impacts of Donald Trump's tariffs slowly started to show in US prices.Business leaders have said for months that the high, volatile rates of Trump's tariffs will force companies to raise consumer prices. Prices remained stable in the spring, particularly as many of Trump's highest tariffs were paused; however, they started increasing in May and have continued to rise in June. Continue reading...

White House has come under fire for not releasing documents related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein

He may be insecure and lack any obvious qualifications, but he's also extremely devoted to Donald Trump. And isn't that what really matters?Once upon a time, in the land of the free, there lived a wizard called Kash the Distinguished Discoverer." That piece of verbal wizardry is the opening line of a children's book trilogy called The Plot Against the King (aimed at children aged three and above) by a Mr Kash Patel. The first book, published in 2022, is like Harry Potter for conspiracy theorists. Kash helps King Donald battle Hillary Queenton and a shifty knight", who have been spreading lies about the king working with the Russionians. In the final book in the trilogy (The Plot Against the King 3: The Return of the King) a couple of villains called Commalalala and Baron Von Biden make an appearance.Not so long ago, publishing deeply weird books about the president while also promoting wild QAnon conspiracy theories would get you put on some kind of watchlist. Now it gets you a top job as the guy in charge of watchlists. Patel is not just a children's book author; he is also the director of the FBI. His chief qualification for the role appears to be his extreme devotion to President Donald Trump. He certainly didn't have any FBI experience before getting the job as head of the agency.Do 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...

Our cartoonist on the US president's central role in the final of a tournament that seemed like it would never end

Arizona's governor calls for federal investigation into National Park Service's handling of the fire, which was sparked in early JulyA wildfire raging along the Grand Canyon's North Rim that leveled a historic lodge erupted over the weekend after burning for more than a week, raising scrutiny over the National Park Service's decision not to aggressively attack the fire right away.Katie Hobbs, Arizona's governor, called for a federal investigation into the park service's handling of the fire, which was sparked by lightning on 4 July. Continue reading...

A wildfire along the Grand Canyon's North Rim has burned for more than a week, destroying the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. The Dragon Bravo Fire, which destroyed the lodge last weekend, was sparked by lightning on 4 July. It is one of two wildfires in the area. The White Sage fire charred 63 square miles of terrain by Sunday afternoon. Katie Hobbs, Arizona's governor, called for a federal investigation into the park service's handling of the Dragon Bravo fire. In a social media post, the governor said: 'Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park'

The NWSL's transgender participation policy, thought to still be in place, was abandoned in 2022, the league confirmedAs the United States supreme court agrees to hear two cases in the fall intended to enforce bans on transgender women from sport, the Guardian can reveal that the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has not renewed its 2021 policy on transgender players and is operating with no policy on the subject.The NWSL established a policy in 2021, stating: athletes who transition from male to female are eligible to compete" if they declare their gender identity is female - subject to testosterone levels being within typical limits of women athletes". The 2021 policy also stated athletes designated female at birth transitioning to male and undergoing testosterone hormone therapy were ineligible to compete in the NWSL. Continue reading...