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Reagon used her stirring alto and lyrics to fight racism, and was a music scholar and professor emeritus of historyBernice Johnson Reagon, an American civil rights activist who used her stirring alto and lyrics to fight racism, died on Tuesday at age 81, her daughter said on Wednesday.As a scholar, singer, composer, organizer and activist, Dr Reagon spent over half a century speaking out against racism and systemic inequities in the US and globally," said daughter Toshi Reagon, who like her mother is a musician and activist, in announcing her death on Facebook. Continue reading...

South LA has the highest levels of gun violence in the county - local organizations want to address how that affects kidsOne night in April last year, Dolores Munoz was jolted awake by a barrage of bullets ricocheting off her home. The rounds crashed through her living room window and tore through the bedroom wall of her 15-year-old daughter, who was spending the night at her cousin's house.Instinctively, Munoz ran to check on her five other children who were in the home with her. Thankfully, none of them were harmed. Thank God my daughter wasn't here," Munoz, 35, said through a translator days later, as her children sat quietly in the living room. Bullet holes in the wall had recently been patched and the shattered front window had been covered up with plywood. If she was home, she could have been killed." Continue reading...

Police detain 21-year-old carrying backpack including AK-47 pistol, loaded rifle magazine, flashlight and black gloves

Secret Service official says it is an insult' to imply women unqualified to be agents based on genderThe US Secret Service decried as an insult" rightwing attacks on the performance of female agents during the failed assassination attempt against Donald Trump, and claims the presence of such agents and a woman as agency director are the result of diversity policies.It is an insult to the women of our agency to imply that they are unqualified based on gender," Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service communications chief, told NBC News. Continue reading...

The work of Justin Hardiman documents the lives of Black southern farmers, long sidelined in mainstream narrativesOn a hot afternoon in June, four people stood in the lobby of Travelers Hotel off Third Street in Clarksdale, Mississippi, each taking in the images that lined its walls. The photographs are part of Soil, an exhibition depicting Black farmers in the Mississippi Delta.The town's art and culture district, where Travelers Hotel is located, serves as a living monument to the region's history - with signs, murals and banners every few feet that immortalize famous current and former residents, such as Early Wright, the first Black disc jockey in Mississippi, and the musicians Leo Welch and Kingfish" Ingram. If Mississippi is known as the birthplace of America's music, Clarksdale is the home of the blues. Continue reading...

Toxic response to prayer from pro-Trump Harmeet Dhillon, leading figure on Republican national committeeA toxic, racist, far-right response to Harmeet Dhillon's Monday-night Sikh prayer at the Republican national convention is just one sign of the difficulties Donald Trump and Republicans have in selling a more diverse version of Trumpism to the party's base.Social media posts following Dhillon's prayer indicated that some far-right Trumpists had been polarized by the sight of a non-Christian form of religious devotion on the convention stage in Milwaukee. Continue reading...

Pressure rising once again for Biden to step aside in election race after president tested positive for Covid and cancelled events to self-isolate at his home in Delaware. Plus: the power of proprioception

I'm not one for competitive sport but if the Games added the long lunch mixed doubles I'd be in with a shoutIn a few days the Paris Olympics will begin. This should be a moment of true joy and excitement but, honestly, I'm not feeling it. This is because I find the whole sporting shebang terribly unrelatable. It's about people who can jump high, throw things a long way or run fast. I can do none of these things; I haven't run anywhere since that unfortunate incident during cross-country in 1980. The Olympics weren't always like this. From 1912 to 1948, they included cultural contests in things such as painting, music, literature and town planning. That's more inclusive but I'm still not sure I'd thrive. I'm not up to planning a whole town under competition conditions.What's needed, so that people like me can get involved, is a food aspect. I am of course aware there are already a bunch of competitions that style themselves as culinary Olympiads, but those mostly involve intense, young people in chefs whites fashioning the Wreck of the Hesperus out of pulled sugar and aspic, or a fully functioning submarine entirely out of chocolate. That's about as relatable as a bout of acrobatic gymnastics to the theme from Succession. Continue reading...

His near assassination transformed Trump's theology, giving the decidedly earthly ex-president a powerful spiritual sheenThe attempted assassination of Donald Trump has transformed the theology of Trump. He has long portrayed himself as an innocent lamb falsely accused, the target of slings and arrows to bear the suffering of believers. Now the bullet and the blood of Butler, Pennsylvania, have sanctified him for the faithful and brought forth a new gospel.Earlier this month, the Republican National Committee endorsed the party platform, a document that contained a plank pledging to create a new federal agency to defend Christian nationalism: To protect Religious Liberty, Republicans support a new Federal Task Force on Fighting Anti-Christian Bias that will investigate all forms of illegal discrimination, harassment, and persecution against Christians in America." The document casts Christians as though they are a sect still persecuted by the Romans, about to be dragged into the Colosseum to face ferocious beasts.As we move forward in Uniting our Nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts - The January 6th Hoax in Washington, D.C., the Manhattan D.A.'s Zombie Case, the New York A.G. Scam, Fake Claims about a woman I never met (a decades old photo in a line with her then husband does not count), and the Georgia Perfect" Phone Call charges. The Democrat Justice Department coordinated ALL of these Political Attacks, which are an Election Interference conspiracy against Joe Biden's Political Opponent, ME. Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System, and Make America Great Again!Sidney Blumenthal, former senior adviser to Bill and Hillary Clinton, has published three books of a projected five-volume political life of Abraham Lincoln: A Self-Made Man, Wrestling With His Angel and All the Powers of Earth. He is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

When we can't make sense of a dramatic event, fake news pedlars rush to social media to fill the information gapAccusations that the assassination attempt on Saturday was staged have proliferated all over social media. Many on the left are arguing that the attack was meant to garner pity for Trump and ensure a kind of Reichstag fire" scenario so Trump could seize power unilaterally. Many of these focused on the photos of Trump in the immediate aftermath, his fist raised in defiance, as evidence that the entire event was set up to garner sympathy and show the ex-president as unbowed. Meanwhile, on the right, rumours swirled that it was an assassination attempt by President Biden - on Sunday, Alex Jones blasted out an email with a subject line that read in part: Desperate Deep State Will Try to Assassinate Trump Again".None of this is surprising - the United States has a long history of presidential assassination and assassination attempts, and a long love affair with conspiracy theories of all kinds. But the ease with which conspiracists of all political alignments have been able to assimilate Saturday's shocking, unexpected news with their preformed opinions tells us what political conspiracy theories do for people and how they operate. Continue reading...

Judge Cannon acted like part of Trump's defense team. Her dismissal of his documents case is predictable yet disturbingDonald Trump stole thousands of classified documents when he left the White House in 2021, according to prosecutors, and shoved them in unsecured areas around the tacky Florida golf club where he lives. He kept them in basements, bathrooms and ballrooms; they were often unlocked, accessible to anyone who happened to wander by, as dozens or hundreds of people do, every day, at Mar-a-Lago. Trump refused to return the documents when asked; he also lied about what he had.On at least one occasion in 2021, he was recorded showing off one of the classified documents to a visitor, apparently for the sake of his own aggrandizement. It is like highly confidential. Secret," Trump said to the man, who was not authorized to see the information. See, as president, I could have declassified it. Now, I can't, but this is still a secret." Continue reading...

Denzel Washington has been accused of inauthenticity in Gladiator II. But why is upper-class, southern English considered the norm?Whose head could I give you that would satisfy this fury?" asks Denzel Washington's crafty Macrinus in the long-awaited trailer for Ridley Scott's Gladiator II. With its medley of aquatic gladiatorial games and charging battle rhinos, a vengeful Paul Mescal, a wearied Pedro Pascal, imperial Rome's answer to Tweedledum (Joseph Quinn) and Tweedledee (Fred Hechinger), and Connie Nielsen providing an enticing link to the previous film, the trailer looks and sounds epic. So of course some viewers have come out in a fury.A chief complaint appears to be Washington's use of his natural New York accent, with one observer asking: How did Ridley Scott ... allow Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington to do a NY accent in a movie set in Ancient Rome?" Conversely, there seems to be little furore over the English accent of Quinn or Mescal's loose adoption of what appears to be (from the trailer at least) received pronunciation - despite them being equally anachronistic. As it has been pointed out in the Hollywood Reporter, when combined with criticism of the music choice (Jay-Z and Kanye West's No Church in the Wild), it starts to look rather dog whistle-y". Continue reading...

Speaking at the Republican national convention in Milwaukee, JD Vance accepted the GOP's nomination as vice-president and made a speech in which he praised Donald Trump, harkened back to his Ohio upbringing and condemned past leaders for creating a divide across the US. He also said there would be 'no more free rides' for the US's allies in terms of defence spending.

The president won 99% of the vote. But that isn't a sign of popularity - it's a sign of a democracy' that silences all dissent

JD Vance's addressed an enamored audience that chanted his name and a ringing silence on the topic of abortionRepublicans had a new chant on Wednesday night: not just Trump! Trump!" but also JD! JD! JD!" in honor of Trump's new vice-presidential pick, Ohio senator JD Vance, who introduced himself to the country Wednesday night in a confident and personal primetime address.Also new: the professionally printed signs reading Mass Deportations Now," a reference to Trump's campaign pledge to engage in the biggest mass deportation of undocumented migrants in US history. Continue reading...

So this is what it feels like, the presidential hopeful must be telling himself, to be admired, praised and respectedReports from the first two days of the Republican national convention in Milwaukee suggest that the mood of the room isn't merely energised but giddy. Some of us know that feeling; the sense of jubilation that comes after suffering a near-death experience (or, for those who haven't, see losing then finding one's wallet) that the Republicans and their leader are at present enjoying.Two days after a failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump, delegates in Wisconsin crashed around with the hysterical relief of people whose plane just dropped 4,000ft, then discovered, after all that, they're not going to die.Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Junior senator of Ohio leaned into his own background and attacked Biden in Republican national convention addressJD Vance formally accepted the Republican vice-presidential nomination on Wednesday with a deliberate, and at times divisive, pitch to re-elect Donald Trump in November.Addressing delegates in Milwaukee on the third night of the convention, Vance, the junior senator of Ohio, presented the Republican party as a champion of working-class Americans while denouncing Democrats as out of touch and ineffective. The populist-tinged rhetoric offered the latest sign of how Trump has reshaped the Republican party and rejected much of the traditional conservatism of its past. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. You can read some of our latest stories on the RNC below:

Tensions amid party members rise as Biden tests for positive for Covid and will be in self-isolation in DelawarePressure for Joe Biden to step aside as the Democrats' presidential pick to face Donald Trump had eased since the Republican survived an assassination attempt last weekend, but began to rise again on Wednesday.The tension rose as Biden was diagnosed with Covid and cancelled events to self-isolate at his home in Delaware. Continue reading...

NBC News reports New Jersey Democrat, 70, found guilty of 16 federal charges, has told allies he will quitThe Democratic US senator Bob Menendez is refuting early reports that he told allies he was considering resigning from Congress after being convicted on corruption charges.I can tell you that I have not resigned nor have I spoken to any so-called allies ... Seems to me that there is an effort to try to force me into a statement," Menendez told CBS News late Wednesday evening. Continue reading...

US president Joe Biden has said he would end his presidential campaign if it emerged that he had a 'medical condition'. Biden's remarks came amid growing concern about his fitness to hold office, brought into sharp focus after a sluggish debate performance against Donald Trump on CNN. Defending his candidacy, Biden said his age gave him added wisdom and he had a lot left to do, so he was 'reluctant to walk away from that'

At the Republic national convention in Milwaukee, some Trump supporters have a new way of showing their support for their favourite presidential candidate beyond a red Maga cap: wearing bandages on their ears, as Donald Trump did himself when he first appeared at the convention on Monday in his first public appearance since Saturday's assassination attempt.

Ex-Trump official portrayed his contempt of Congress charges for obstructing January 6 inquiry as overreach

This blog is now closed. You can read our full report here on Biden's Covid news and follow the latest from the Republican national convention here

The White House confirmed the US president tested positive for Covid-19 and was experiencing 'mild symptoms', saying he had a runny nose and 'general malaise'. Biden was slated to make a campaign speech at the UnidosUS annual conference as part of an effort to rally Latino voters ahead of the November election. Unidos CEO Janet Murguia told guests at the conference that Biden had sent his regrets and could not appear because of his positive test

Trump campaign sees senator's past criticisms of the ex-president as an asset with voters who once disliked TrumpDonald Trump and his campaign see his running mate, Senator JD Vance, as a way to expand Trump's voter base, according to sources familiar with the matter, intending to lean into Vance's previous criticisms of Trump to convince voters who dislike both 2024 candidates to back the former president.In the years before Vance ran for the US Senate, he repeatedly criticized Trump and his presidency in interviews where he made clear he never liked the former president and considered him cultural heroin" and in private conversations, where he suggested Trump was America's Hitler". Continue reading...

Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, 72, who oversaw notorious Adra prison, detained at LAX on immigration fraud chargesA former Syrian military official who oversaw a prison where human rights officials say torture and abuse routinely took place has been arrested in Los Angeles, court documents show.Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, 72, was taken into custody last week at Los Angeles international airport on immigration fraud charges, specifically that he denied on his US visa and citizenship applications that he had ever persecuted anyone in Syria, according to a criminal complaint filed on 9 July. Investigators are considering additional charges, the complaint shows. Continue reading...

President, who has mild symptoms, returning to Delaware to self-isolate but will continue to carry out the full duties of the office'Joe Biden has caught Covid-19 and cancelled a speaking engagement at the last minute, before he was due to address a conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon, the White House has confirmed.The US president had developed symptoms, and just before he was going to address the UnidosUS annual conference in Nevada, and after a long delay, the organization's president and chief executive, Janet Murguia, told those gathered he would not be taking the podium. Continue reading...

Nuclear proliferation talks halted as tensions rise over Biden and Trump's calls for increased trade restrictionsChina has suspended talks over arms control and nuclear proliferation with the US in protest against arms sales to Taiwan, the democratically governed island aligned with Washington that China claims as its own territory.The decision, announced by China's foreign ministry on Wednesday, halts the early nuclear-arms talks in a period of growing tensions between China and the US, with both US presidential candidates calling for increased trade restrictions and efforts to contain Chinese influence in east Asia. Continue reading...

Trump's messages to his followers during this election season has had a constant undercurrent of violenceMy first thought on hearing about the attempted shooting of Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday was I hope to God he's OK".I thought this for the usual reasons we human beings hope that other humans are safe from harm.They're not after me. They're after you. And I just happen to be standing in their way."Our enemies are desperate to stop us and our opponents have done everything they can to crush our spirit and to break our will. But they failed. They've only made us stronger. And 2024 is the final battle, it's going to be the big one. You put me back in the White House, their reign will be over and America will be a free nation once again."In 2016, I declared: I am your voice. Today, I add I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution."Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His newest book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com Continue reading...

Law scholar Laurence Tribe says the conservative court majority is destroying' framework of checks and balancesLaurence Tribe, a constitutional law scholar who has advised Joe Biden as the president prepares to back dramatic reforms to the US supreme court, has criticized the court's ultraconservative justices for acting as a center of self-aggrandizement" threatening the checks and balances on which the US has historically depended.In comments to the Guardian a day after news broke of Biden's plans to endorse major changes to the country's most powerful court, the Harvard Law School professor said the justices were out of step with basic constitutional premises. The court had reached the point of assuming ultimate power over our entire legal and political system". Continue reading...

British contender is ready to enjoy himself after preparing with one of the great nights'Bob MacIntyre bowled up a day late for the Open. He was supposed to be here early on Monday for a press conference, but had to change his plans at the last minute after his victory in the Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick.I don't think I'll be able to get to Troon," he said thatnight. I don't think I'll be legally able to drive." Continue reading...

California Democrat and US Senate candidate calls on Joe Biden to end his campaign, stating he has serious concerns'Adam Schiff, the high-profile California Democrat and US Senate candidate, on Wednesday called on Joe Biden to end his presidential campaign, stating he had serious concerns" about the president's ability to beat Donald Trump in November.In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles-area congressman joined almost 20 other congressional Democrats in asking the president to step aside. Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation's history", Schiff said, but it was time to pass the torch". Continue reading...

Unconfirmed report says Biden considering sweeping regulation to further restrict sales of equipment to ChinaGlobal stocks fell on Wednesday as technology shares sank after a report said the US plans tighter import controls on companies that share chipmaking technology with China.London's FTSE 100 edged 0.1% higher to 8,169.24 as data showed the inflation rate remained steady at the Bank of England's 2% target in June. That hit hopes for a central bank rate cut, though the better-than-expected data pushed the British pound above $1.30 early on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Deleted post said, unions gain nothing from endorsing the racist, misogynistic, and anti-trans politics of the far right'The Teamsters' social media account attacked its own president on Wednesday, saying unions gain nothing from endorsing the racist, misogynistic, and anti-trans politics of the far right," two days after Sean O'Brien addressed the Republican national convention in MilwaukeeO'Brien spoke at the convention on Monday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the first leader of the union to appear at the convention in the union's history. Continue reading...

President makes comment in convention speech, referring to remarks made by Trump in June debateWielding a potentially potent attack line in his re-election campaign against Donald Trump, Joe Biden told the NAACP: I know what a Black job is: it's the vice-president of the United States."Biden was speaking to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the group staged its 115th national convention. Continue reading...

The parents glow with pride, while the students cringe with embarrassment. Underneath it all is the terrifying awareness of time getting a march on usI just went to a graduation ceremony. I wasn't the only one. On station platforms at every stop there were graduation groups in evidence, in the spirit of the newlyweds and their families in Larkin's Whitsun Weddings.Graduation parties are generally three in number. One is young, the other two are older. The older ones will have sore hands from clapping long and hard, as hundreds of soon-not-to-be students file on stage to receive their degrees. There are plenty to get through - in the UK, well over 1m undergraduates and postgraduates are awarded their certificates every year. Parents' eyes will hurt from all the squinting, trying to keep tabs on where loved ones are in the queue, working out when their turn will come. Continue reading...

The ex-president is believed to be softening his convention speech, but top Republicans are sticking with a caustic tone

Exclusive: senior House members write letter seeking information on child labor violations in federally funded programsTwo senior members of Congress have asked the acting secretary of labor, Julie Su, for information and data on child labor violations and protections in federally subsidized youth work programs amid a rise in reports of labor abuses against minors, according to a letter obtained by the Guardian.Child labor violations have been on the rise in the US in recent years as eight states so far in 2024 have passed legislation to roll back child labor protections, though elected officials in 24 states have introduced bills to strengthen child labor protections. Continue reading...

The former first daughter has spent the past few years distancing herself from Donald. Now she's voicing fond memories of working in the White HouseIf you're a woman freaking out about the imminent possibility of another Trump term, don't despair quite yet. Yes, Project 2025 is hoping to turn the US into a Christian nationalist country. Yes, JD Vance, Donald Trump's running partner, has been primed for the job by Peter Thiel, a man who has mused that women having the vote is problematic. Yes, experts are raising the alarm that a Trump-Vance administration will be the most dangerous administration for abortion and reproductive freedom in this country's history." But it's not all doom and gloom: there may well be a beacon of light and female liberation coming into the White House as well. Signs suggest Ivanka Trump is considering a return to politics. Ladies and gentlewomen, the patron saint of female empowerment may selflessly serve us once again!To be clear: the younger Trump hasn't explicitly said that she's interested in another go at being Daddy's special adviser. In fact, she's spent the last few years getting as far away from politics as possible. A renaissance woman, Trump has sold everything from handbags to shoes to real estate - but her most valuable product has always been herself. The former first daughter has always been very careful about protecting her personal brand. And, for a while, that meant staying well clear of her father. Continue reading...

Viewers will expect compelling battles and a big finish at Royal Troon, not a repeat of Harman's casual victoryThe Open Championship can encounter problems in years such as this. Even dedicated sports fans suffer exhaustion when a European Championship and Olympic Games bookend the summer. The Open - like Wimbledon or Test matches - can feel as if it is jammed somewhere in the middle of frenzy.Against this backdrop, Royal Troon comes under pressure to provide something special. A repeat of last year, when Brian Harman coasted to victory under ugly skies at Hoylake, will not do. History is on this wonderful Ayrshire venue's side; Henrik Stenson's epic joust with Phil Mickelson here, eight years ago, was on the last properly compelling Open Sunday. Continue reading...

The commission president can no longer command a convincing majority. Rejecting her would be good for European democracyAfter being hand-picked by the 27 EU leaders as the nominee to preside over the European Commission for a second five-year term, Ursula von der Leyen now needs to win the approval of the European parliament. The 65-year-old German politician needs an absolute majority when the 720 MEPs vote on Thursday: 361 votes. For this she can rely on the three pro-European political groups that won a majority of the seats in the European elections last month and supported her in 2019 - her own centre-right European People's party (188 seats), the Socialists (136), and the liberals of Renew (77).Yet individual MEPs from all three groups have already gone public to say they won't back von der Leyen. They include France's conservative Les Republicains from the EPP, German, Irish and Romanian liberals as well as French and ItalianSocialist delegations, among others. Moreover, as the vote is held by secret ballot, some may support her candidacy in public but still push the no" button in Strasbourg.Alberto Alemanno is the Jean Monnet professor of EU law at HEC Paris and Europe Futures Fellow at IWM in Vienna Continue reading...

No foul play suspected, but case won't be closed until cause of death established by medical examiner's investigationThe sudden death of fitness icon Richard Simmons is under investigation by the medical examiner, according to the Los Angeles police department (LAPD).No foul play is suspected, but the police case will not be closed until a formal cause of death is established by the medical examiner's investigation, which could take several weeks as lab tests are conducted. Continue reading...