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On traffic safety or foreign policy, I get through life by assuming the worst - and occasionally being pleasantly surprisedRules are great. I think most of us over the age of five will agree that having them is preferable to not. Perhaps there are a few stragglers out there reading this who would love to cosplay a lesser sequel of The Purge, swinging baseball bats at strangers and urinating in the street, but I would imagine you are in the minority on that. Rules are the backbone of what we have left of society. I'm not happy about where we are, but I don't make the rules. At least not yet. I just need to host a popular reality show - then my political career can really take off.A recent interaction has me reflecting on this. I was wandering over to my local coffee shop one morning, off a wide boulevard where motorists scream through intersections like the car from Ghostbusters late for a particularly aggressive haunting. A crosswalk, with accompanying yellow yield light, was recently installed to combat the minor issue of pedestrians being flattened by drivers on their way to the hair salon or texting about being late to the hair salon. The light has been mostly successful in preventing the human waffle-ironing, but it requires walkers to actually press the button to activate it. This is a step that people often dismiss, hoping and praying that the drivers out there are lucid enough to acknowledge the existence of others. Without the yellow light, we're all operating on the honor system for not killing each other. Continue reading...

Court's conservative justices said Texas law requiring online age verification didn't violate free expression. PornHub had gone dark in Texas in protest of the lawThe US supreme court ruled that a Texas law requiring that pornography websites verify the ages of their visitors was constitutional on Friday, the latest development in a global debate over how to prevent minors from accessing adult material online.HB 1181 simply requires adults to verify their age before they can access speech that is obscene to children," Clarence Thomas wrote in the court's 6-3 majority opinion. The statute advances the state's important interest in shielding children from sexually explicit content. And, it is appropriately tailored because it permits users to verify their ages through the established methods of providing government-issued identification and sharing transactional data." Elena Kagan dissented alongside the court's two other liberal justices. Continue reading...

California governor accuses network of falsely claiming he lied about a phone call with Donald TrumpThe governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has sued Fox News for defamation and demanded $787m, almost exactly the same amount Fox paid in a previous defamation case over election misinformation.In the new lawsuit, filed on Friday, Newsom accuses the Fox host Jesse Watters of falsely claiming Newsom lied about a phone call with Donald Trump, who recently ordered national guard troops into Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Judge rejects former CEO's request to dismiss case, paving the way for class action also against chair Nigel Higgins

Nato chief Mark Rutte derided for calling US president daddy' and showering him with praise over IranHistory may record this week as the one in which Donald Trump came to Europe to discuss defence spending.Diplomats may remember it as the week in which the art of obsequiousness reached new highs and the sycophants plunged new lows. Continue reading...

Edward Coristine, 19, has been given a job at Social Security Administration after quitting Elon Musk's department'

The Australian Open winner is ready for another tilt at Wimbledon after her injury heartbreak in last year's tournamentBefore she won her first grand slam tournament at the Australian Open in January, Madison Keys had spent more than a year talking to a therapist about her life rather than just her tennis career. When I'd gone to see sports psychologists in the past it had been a little tunnel-focused on routines and big moments on the court," she says on a sleepy Sunday afternoon in London. So being able to talk to someone about broader life philosophies helped me get to the root of why I was feeling that way instead of just being uber-focused on decisive moments in a match."The 30-year-old American, who is ready for another tilt at Wimbledon, remembers some of the wayward suggestions that specialist sports psychiatrists would advise her to follow at crucial stages of a match. It would be, like: Make sure you look at your strings and do this specific thing and that'll just help the nerves go away.'" Continue reading...

Ex-governor failed to secure Democratic nomination this week but still plans to run on Fight and Delivery' ballot lineFormer New York governor Andrew Cuomo reportedly plans to run as an independent candidate in the New York City's mayoral race, days after finding himself bested in the Democratic primary by progressive insurgent candidate Zohran Mamdani.Several news outlets reported late on Thursday that Cuomo, 67, part of a long and powerful political dynasty in New York, would not withdraw after conceding the primary to democratic socialist newcomer Mamdani, who is now the favorite in the race and could become the city's first Muslim mayor at the general election in November. Continue reading...

A partisan split was revealed as the president claimed the Democrats leaked a draft Pentagon report on the strikes' impact. Plus, an exclusive interview with Kneecap on Palestine, protest and provocationGood morning.A delayed, behind-closed-doors intelligence briefing on the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities has divided senators down party lines, while Donald Trump ignited a fresh debate by claiming the Democrats had leaked a Pentagon assessment that found last weekend's strikes had limited success.What did the defense secretary say? Pete Hegseth maintained that the strikes, which Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has sought to downplay, had decimated Tehran's nuclear program - an assessment largely based on AI modeling.Democrats have labeled the bill the big, ugly betrayal". Why are they so opposed? Because it would slash Medicaid by the largest amount since its creation and cost an estimated 16 million people their insurance. The bill also cuts funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), which helps low-income Americans buy food. Continue reading...

European pharmaceutical body says it would be negative for both sides' if Brussels hits back on threatened US leviesThe European pharmaceutical industry has urged Brussels not to retaliate if Donald Trump brings in threatened tariffs on imported drugs, amid fears he could impose the levies as early as next week.The US president said last week that the sector-specific tariffs were coming very soon". There is concern in Brussels that he could impose them imminently to give himself further leverage ahead of his self-imposed 9 July deadline for trade deals with the EU and about 60 countries. Continue reading...

The Trump administration is now promoting the option once seen as a joke, but experts say the reality is complexTheir stories have emerged in new reports and on social media feeds: individuals and families, sometimes of mixed immigration status, who have lived in the United States for years and are now choosing to leave. Or, as it's sometimes called, self-deport".There was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's former deputy communications director Diego de la Vega, who lived as an undocumented New Yorker for 23 years before he and his wife left for Colombia in December, shortly after Donald Trump's election. Or the decorated army veteran, a permanent resident in the US for nearly 50 years, who left for South Korea this week after being targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). Or newlyweds Alfredo Linares, an undocumented chef, and his wife, Raegan Klein, a US citizen, who recently moved their lives from Los Angeles to Mexico. Continue reading...

In places like Dayton, Ohio, and Indianapolis, blighted neighborhoods and economies have been transformedAt a time in life when many are winding down, Gunash Akhmedova, aged 65, fulfilled a lifelong dream of opening her first business.A member of the Ahiska, or Meskhetian, Turk community who came to the US as a refugee from western Russia in 2005, Akhmedova opened Gunash's Mediterranean Cusine two years ago on the site of a converted freight house alongside other international food vendors in a formerly industrial corner of Dayton, Ohio. Continue reading...

Democrats' actions have not matched the passions of its energized voters. You can only antagonize your base for so longWe're told that the Democratic party is at a crossroads, that leaders have lost their identity and their way. We're told that they must spend millions discovering their own Joe Rogan", or espouse deregulation, or surrender the fight for the rights of targeted minorities. The Democrats, we're told, are in a moment of soul searching, of trying to find out how they lost young men and the white working class. They're still thinking, half a decade on, of how to undo the supposed damage of the 2020 summer, when protesters opposed to the extrajudicial killings of Black civilians shouted: Defund the police." The subtext of this handwringing, which has been incessant in the media and among party insiders since the November election, is that the party must move, yet again, to the right. It is presumed that they can't attract voters otherwise.The apparent victory (still unofficial because the counting won't technically be complete until July) of a 33-year-old socialist in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary this week suggests otherwise. Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblymember from Queens, was a little-known leftwing activist whose campaign against the former governor and New York household name Andrew Cuomo was polling in the single digits. But with immense personal charisma and a talent for retail politicking, airtight message discipline centered on making life affordable, and a small army of motivated young volunteers, Mamdani defeated a political dynasty, defied conventional wisdom, and is expected to win the American left its biggest electoral victory since Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's primary coup in 2018.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Madonna Donna' Kashanian, 64, was taken by plainclothes officers from her home in New OrleansA 64-year-old Iranian woman, who has lived in the US for 47 years, was detained by immigration agents on Sunday morning while gardening outside her home in New Orleans.According to a witness, plainclothes officers in unmarked vehicles handcuffed Madonna Donna" Kashanian and transported her to a Mississippi jail before transferring her to the South Louisiana Ice processing center in Basile, reports Nola. Continue reading...

Argentina midfielder has been Chelsea's best player at the Club World Cup, continuing a trend of recent monthsEnzo Fernandez is no stranger to the big stage. The midfielder took his chance when he broke through at the 2022 World Cup, earning a starting role for Argentina after coming off the bench to score a vital goal against Mexico in the group stage.Fernandez looked as if he had been in the team for years by the time Argentina beat France in the final. He was named young player of the tournament and inevitably became a target for several big clubs. It was not long before word was filtering out of Portugal that Chelsea and Liverpool were looking at signing the former River Plate midfielder in the January 2023 transfer window. Continue reading...

Brazil's four teams - Flamengo, Botafogo, Palmeiras and Fluminense - breezed through the group stageMany people didn't believe this would happen. It is happening," said Fluminense manager Renato Gaucho as he reflected on the performances of the Brazilian teams at the Club World Cup. With Fluminense, Palmeiras, Botafogo and Flamengo all on their way to the last 16, Renato said that Brazilian football and people should be very proud" of what their clubs have done in the US.The results in the group stage were impressive. Botafogo beat European champions Paris Saint-Germain; Flamengo won convincingly against Chelsea; and the only defeat for a Brazilian team - when Botafogo lost to Atletico Madrid - came when they had an eye on the knockout stage. In all, they played 12 games, lost one and only conceded nine goals. Continue reading...

Here is a collection of 20 of the more outrageous statements by Israeli lawmakers or public figures since 7 October 2023 Continue reading...

The United States struggled in friendlies but went on to win all three of its Gold Cup group games. On Sunday against Costa Rica, they face their biggest test yet.For as much as the Gold Cup gets denigrated, it's a much tougher tournament than it might appear. The ongoing tournament is the 11th edition in the last two decades, and this year's US are just the 10th team to make it through three group matches unscathed (Panama became the 11th on Tuesday).US manager Mauricio Pochettino has to be pleased with his team's performance. After rough showings in the pre-tournament friendly matches, a 5-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago was cathartic, while a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia and a 2-1 victory against Haiti also showed that the US are trying to make winning a habit as their manager has asked. Continue reading...

Sportswear company to reduce manufacturing in China to soften the impact of US trade policies

The SaberCats hooker, 20, faces New England on Saturday as a striking talent formed by South African coaching but also nine years of Texas rugbyIt's less than two years since Seth Smith became the youngest player ever in Major League Rugby and he only turned 20 this week. The hooker's birthday fell on Tuesday, during the Houston SaberCats' preparation for their first MLR Championship Game, against the New England Free Jacks in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday.The Free Jacks are seeking a third title in a row but in the SaberCats camp, Everybody's very positive," Smith said, contemplating the challenge for a team that had previously played three postseason games and lost them all.Martin Pengelly writes on Substack at The National Maul, on rugby in the US Continue reading...

A 'fireball' that may have been a meteor burned through the sky on Tuesday just after noon in north Georgia. Reports say the fireball could also be seen from parts of North Carolina and South Carolina.The National Weather Service did not initially recognise what it saw on its radar, said Dylan Lusk, a senior meteorologist at the service's Peachtree City station, as the fireball resembled a lightning strike on the service's global lightning mapper. The Atlanta area has had a spate of strong lightning storms over the last day, which led many to dismiss the boom as more lightning

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Defense chief says US bombings degraded Iran's nuclear sites, citing AI models over leaked intel doubtsThe US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, has defended the US strikes on Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities and said that Donald Trump had decimated ... obliterated" the country's nuclear program despite initial intelligence assessments that last week's strikes had failed to destroy key enrichment facilities and they could resume operations within just months.But he and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen Dan Caine, largely based that assessment on AI modeling, showing test videos of the bunker buster" bombs used in the strikes and referred questions on a battle damage assessment of Fordow to the intelligence community. Continue reading...

Trump appears to have dropped his expectations that his marquee tax spending bill will pass before the holidays as it faces roadblocks in the Senate - key US politics stories from Thursday 26 June at a glanceJust two days ago, Donald Trump told Republican members of Congress to cancel their vacation plans until his big beautiful bill" is sewn up and ready for his signature on 4 July.But in his final pitch to congressional leaders and cabinet secretaries at the White House on Thursday, he made no mention of deadlines, as his marquee tax-and-spending bill develops a logjam that could threaten its passage through the Senate. Continue reading...

Partisan splits on display as president accuses Democrats of leaking draft Pentagon report on bombings' impactRepublican and Democratic senators have offered starkly contrasting interpretations of Donald Trump's bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities after a delayed behind-closed-doors intelligence briefing that the White House had earlier postponed amid accusations of leaks.Thursday's session with senior national security officials came after the White House moved back its briefing, originally scheduled for Tuesday, fueling Democratic complaints that Trump was stonewalling Congress over military action the president authorized without congressional approval. Continue reading...

President calls for passage of signature tax bill but it's not yet clear whether Senate Republicans have sufficient votesDonald Trump convened congressional leaders and cabinet secretaries at the White House on Thursday to make the case for passage of his marquee tax-and-spending bill, but it remains to be seen whether his pep talk will resolve a developing logjam that could threaten its passage through the Senate.The president's intervention comes as the Senate majority leader, John Thune, mulls an initial vote on Trump's big, beautiful bill" on Friday, before a 4 July deadline Trump has imposed to have the legislation ready for his signature. Continue reading...

City swept aside Juve with a statement victory in Orlando to progress to the last 16 as group winners4 min: Ait-Nouri turns Locatelli inside out down the left and crosses long for Silva, whose downward header is awkwardly kicked off the line by Di Gregorio. The ball pings back to Silva but he's swarmed and the chance is gone. Ait-Nouri's impressive start at his new club continues apace.3 min: ... and after that brief sortie, City quickly get into ping-it-about mode. Juve pressing but they can't get a sniff. Continue reading...

Moyers, who served as Johnson's press secretary for two years, became one of television's most revered journalistsBill Moyers, the former White House press secretary who became one of television's most honored journalists, masterfully using a visual medium to illuminate a world of ideas, died on Thursday at age 91.Moyers died in a New York City hospital, according to longtime friend Tom Johnson, the former chief executive of CNN and an assistant to Moyers during Lyndon B Johnson's administration. Continue reading...

Andrea Velez, 32, a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, had just been dropped off at work by her mother and sisterA US citizen was arrested during an immigration raid in downtown Los Angeles this week in what her family described as a kidnapping" by federal immigration agents.Andrea Velez, 32, had just been dropped off at work by her mother and sister, the pair said, when they saw agents grab her. Continue reading...

Ice and CoreCivic, a private prison contractor, to transform shuttered 2,500-bed prison in California CityPlans to open an enormous federal immigration processing center in a California desert community have sparked outrage among advocacy groups who argue it will come at a long-term cost" and fuel harm".US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has partnered with CoreCivic, a private prison contractor that operates several facilities in California, to transform a shuttered 2,500-bed prison in California City into the state's largest immigrant detention center. Continue reading...

Possible meteor rattled windows in three states, with a fragment crashing through the roof of a house near AtlantaA fireball" that may have been a meteor burned through the sky on Tuesday just after noon in north Georgia, with a meteorite fragment crashing through the roof of a house in metro Atlanta.It pierced through the roof all the way through and cracked through the laminate flooring to the concrete," said Ryan Morrison, director of emergency management for Henry county, a suburban area south-east of Atlanta. That's why we think it's part of this meteor storm." The homeowner requested the homeland security office refrain from identifying them, because they have a small child, Morrison said. Continue reading...

Elissa Slotkin criticized fellow Democrats for losing their alpha energy' at a Center for American Progress eventA Democratic senator has sounded the alarm about her own party's failings, urging colleagues to slaughter some sacred cows" if they want to combat Donald Trump and win back power.Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan castigated fellow Democrats for losing their alpha energy" and bravado", being scared" to enforce immigration rules, taking an elitist" approach to the climate crisis and having a bias towards navel gazing". She painted a bleak picture of a leaderless party pulling in different directions. Continue reading...

Mayor's entry comes as the city's business community reacts harshly to democratic socialist's primary successEric Adams, the New York mayor, launched his re-election campaign on Thursday, days after democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani sent political shockwaves through the New York and national Democratic party by leading in its mayoral nomination for November's election.Adams, who did not mount a campaign for the Democratic nomination as his popular support cratered due to a corruption scandal, will now run as an independent candidate. Mamdani's decisive win against the former governor Andrew Cuomo could see Adams get wider appeal in his, though much will depend on if Cuomo also runs in the November race. Continue reading...

State officials say decision to euthanize black bear with history of confronting humans was not taken lightly'A California black bear with a history of confronting humans and breaking into homes was euthanized this week after swiping at a camper near Lake Tahoe and sending her to the hospital with cuts and bruises, officials said.The woman was woken up around 4.30am on Sunday when the female bear broke into her trailer at a campground near Emerald Bay state park, according to the California wildlife department. Continue reading...

We'd particularly like to hear from Republicans on what you want from the US president's major piece of tax-and-spending legislationThe one big beautiful bill act, which would enact Donald Trump's taxation and spending priorities, is currently being considered in the US Senate. The legislation was passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in May.Republicans, who also have a narrow Senate majority, are likely to make changes to the more than 1,000-page tax-and-spending bill. Trump wants to sign the legislation by 4 July, but it's unclear whether Republicans in both chambers can agree on its provisions by that deadline. Continue reading...

Tailoring assessments to suit political prejudices undermines their very function and led us to the Iraq warIn the run-up to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, journalists covering the preparations for war became familiar with the concept of stovepiping".The term described the tactic of pushing intelligence to key political decision makers, bypassing checks and balances within the system. Continue reading...

Decision to restrict thimerosal in immunizations could impact future vaccine availability on a global scale

Pediatric health experts slam ACIP's plans to reassess current vaccination schedules for childrenRobert F Kennedy Jr's newly appointed vaccine advisory panel is facing criticism from pediatricians after its announcement of plans to reassess the current vaccination schedules for children and adolescents.Experts warn that the move appears designed to undermine public trust in immunization. Continue reading...

Green card holder Sae Joon Park left for South Korea after saying he was being targeted by Trump administrationA US army veteran who lived in the country for nearly 50 years - and earned a prestigious military citation for being wounded in combat - has left for South Korea after he says past struggles with drug addiction left him targeted by the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.I can't believe this is happening in America," Sae Joon Park, who held legal permanent residency, told National Public Radio in an interview before his departure Monday from Hawaii. That blows me away - like [it is] a country that I fought for." Continue reading...

State assembly member subjected to death threats and xenophobic rhetoric from Republican figuresHamas terrorist sympathizer", jihadist terrorist", calls for deportation and predictions of another 9/11 - these are among the torrent of Islamophobic attacks that have erupted across social media and conservative political circles following Zohran Mamdani's success in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor.The 33-year-old state assembly member, a democratic socialist who would become the first Muslim mayor of America's largest city, has been subjected to a barrage of death threats and xenophobic rhetoric from prominent Republican figures and online activists since his primary win became apparent. Continue reading...

US health secretary says US will decline to renew funding for Gavi, a partnership that works to provide vaccines for poorest countries

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has threatened to respond to any future US attack by striking American military bases in the Middle East, in his first public comments since a ceasefire with Israel was declared. The 86-year-old, who has not been seen in public since taking shelter in a secret location after the outbreak of the war on 13 June, said his country had 'delivered a slap to America's face' - a reference to an Iranian missile attack on a US base in Qatar on Monday, which caused no casualties

Former leaders urge current state heads to work together to end poverty amid potential of first trillionaires emergingThe world is facing a looming crisis of inequality that could see the first trillionaires emerge while nearly half of humanity still languishes in poverty, a group of 40 former presidents and prime ministers warns.In a letter seen by the Guardian, the group - which includes ex-British prime minister Gordon Brown - issues a joint appeal to current world leaders for a new economic coalition of the willing" to address the escalating threats of inequality, poverty and environmental breakdown. Continue reading...

Decision could embolden red states in US to block clinics that provide abortions from receiving Medicaid funds

Few issues highlight how out of touch Democratic leaders are than the issue of Palestine - Mamdani chose a different pathAs the ballots were counted on Wednesday in the Democratic primary election for mayor in New York City, a young candidate with little national name recognition, Zohran Mamdani, stood atop a slate of candidates including the runner-up, and favorite, Andrew Cuomo.

We should be the party of peace abroad, good jobs at home. Donald Trump took that from us,' says congressmanIn the days since Donald Trump authorized strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, and then forged a shaky ceasefire agreement, Congressman Ro Khanna has called on Democrats to reclaim a political identity he says they lost: being the party of peace.Now is the time for the Democratic party to be the anti-war party - the party against wars of choice," Khanna said in an interview. We should be the party of peace abroad, good jobs at home. Donald Trump took that from us in 2016 and 2024 and my leadership this past week has been trying to reclaim the anti-war mantle." Continue reading...

Democratic socialist tells MSNBC his campaign against Cuomo shows leftist politics can thrive beyond New YorkZohran Mamdani, in his first major interview since his upset victory in the Democratic party's mayoral primary in New York shook up US politics, said his brand of campaigning and leftist political stances can translate to anywhere in the US.Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, stunned many observers by beating Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday night, delivering a devastating blow to the former New York governor who ran a centrist campaign backed by most of the party establishment. Continue reading...

Order bars US government from deporting undocumented immigrants for at least a day after they file legal challenge