Instant streaming gratification will inevitably lead to bad TV – but first, pass the remote, it’s time for another Girls5evaI like to imagine Jamie Dornan – you might anticipate a full stop there, but do carry on – having the same issues as the rest of us over Christmas, craving a second to switch off and so switching the television on.Perhaps he, too, spent time staring at a hectic page on a streaming service, wondering for so long what to watch that scrolling became the activity and then it was time for bed, the evening having been filled by an endless click of the down button, interrupted only by arguments about whether The Wolf of Wall Street or Zero Dark Thirty is more festive or should we do a Girls5eva or three instead? (The answer is always yes.) Continue reading...

Case counts ‘don’t reflect what they used to’, experts argue, as data suggests Omicron is less severe but more contagiousSome US infectious disease experts and public health officials are questioning whether to continue using the number of coronavirus cases as a metric for determining which mitigation efforts are appropriate, as data suggests Omicron is less severe but much more contagious than previous variants.Those experts argue that the US has reached a stage in the pandemic where reports of dramatic surges in case counts prompt unnecessary worries and that government officials and the public should instead review death and hospitalization data when considering precautions. Continue reading...

On the heels of a sports year that was chock full of surprises, Guardian US contributors make their bold predictions for the months to comeHere are our bold predictions for 2022 in sports. Please note the bold (or should that be bold?) in bold predictions: these are to be taken with a pinch of salt. Continue reading...

Republicans embrace the culture war battles Trump waged, as a strategy for winning back control of the House and SenateThe debate was ostensibly over a stop-gap spending bill that would avert a government shutdown. But Chip Roy, a Republican congressman from Texas, seized the opportunity to accuse Democrats of supporting “unconstitutional” vaccine mandates, critical race theory, “woke gender ideology” and open borders. A vote to fund the federal government, he warned, was a vote to allow “tyranny over the American citizen”.The speech infuriated Congressman Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Ohio. Continue reading...

Sharing soup joumou on 1 January represents what Haitians bring to the world – but remembering that inequality prevails is arguably more important

The fire destroyed at least 500 structures, mostly homes, and more than 30,000 people fled or were evacuatedJust as the flakes of the season’s first winter storm began to fall in the Colorado foothills, Heather Diiorio, 67, and her husband walked hand in hand in a daze down South 68th Street in Louisville, a community often ranked as one of America’s most livable small towns. They had just gone to inspect their home after one of Colorado’s most destructive fires in history struck this week.“All I can say is we lived there 35 years and we lost everything,” said Diioro’s husband before emotion overwhelmed him. He declined to give his first name. He and his wife embraced neighbors, some of whom had also lost their homes in Thursday’s fires, and others who had not. Continue reading...

Being a public health expert during the pandemic has been disheartening. When the next one comes, we must do better

America’s Golden Girl has died at the age of 99. The much-loved actor and comedian was a constant presence on TV screens from the 1940s onwards Continue reading...

Tova Noel and Michael Thomas had allegedly falsified records, indicating they had checked on inmates every 30 minutes when they had notUS prosecutors have dropped charges against the two correctional officers on duty the night Jeffrey Epstein killed himself on their watch in August 2019 while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.The officers, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, had allegedly falsified government records, indicating that they had made their rounds every 30 minutes to check on inmates when they had not, and instead had fallen asleep on the job, according to an indictment.In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-8255. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Four employees and assistants were described in a 2007 non-prosecution agreement as ‘potential co-conspirators’

At least one first responder and six other people were injured in the fires after fires erupted Thursday outside DenverTens of thousands of residents were forced to flee in northern Colorado after fast-moving wildfires destroyed an estimated 600 homes.Over 30,000 residents across three communities outside Denver had to evacuate their homes after wind-fueled grass fires rapidly burned through multiple buildings including a hotel and Target shopping complex, along with 580 homes.Associated Press contributed to this report Continue reading...

Faced with profound human wickedness, the most basic question of all is the one we rarely askThe Ghislaine Maxwell case raises so many questions, and yet scarcely discussed is the one that perhaps matters most. Naturally, there’s huge interest in whether Maxwell, convicted this week of recruiting and grooming teenage girls for sex with her one-time boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, will seek to reduce her sentence by naming names – opening up the pair’s notorious little black book and telling prosecutors who else among the rich and powerful abused the vulnerable minors Maxwell trafficked for sex.In Britain, much of that interest focuses on Epstein’s longtime pal, Prince Andrew, who was so close to the couple he invited them on visits to Balmoral, Sandringham and Windsor: it’s lucky the prince doesn’t sweat, because if he did, he might be drenched now. So far he has refused to answer US investigators’ questions – not for his own sake, you understand, but according to multiple reports, to save the Queen from embarrassment. Because a 61-year-old man hiding behind his 95-year-old mother would not be in the least bit mortifying.Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

‘We’re fighting our way through this,’ says outgoing mayor Bill de Blasio, but decision is in contrast to public health messagingNew York City’s leaders are pushing ahead with plans for the annual New Year’s Eve party in Times Square despite record numbers of new Covid infections driven by the Omicron variant.Outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is set to step down at midnight on Saturday, told NBC’s Today show that pressing ahead with the public celebration would show “that we’re moving forward, and we want to show the world that New York City is fighting our way through this. Continue reading...

Forget the NBA’s top five point guards. Right now the Memphis Grizzlies’ young star looks like a top-five player who should have been the No 1 pick over Zion Williamson in the first placeWith the first pick in the 2019 NBA draft, the New Orleans Pelicans made the obvious choice. Back then 19-year-old Zion Williamson, a Duke University freshman, was inarguably the most mesmerizing player in all of basketball, pro or amateur – a 6ft 7in, 285lb flying sledgehammer who dunked with disturbing power, rejected shot attempts with stunning alacrity and otherwise defied the accepted physics of the game in ways too inconceivable not to retweet about in wonder. His rivalry game debut against North Carolina, already an NBA All-Star-level happening that featured former president Barack Obama and other bold-face names among the capacity crowd at Cameron Indoor Arena, became an even bigger deal when Williamson ripped a Nike shoe and limped off the floor with a knee injury a minute into the game.These days, though, Williamson is a mixed bag. It’s not his talent that’s in doubt. (He’s rated among the league’s more productive players at both ends.) It’s his flagging durability, either a product of his unholy alloy of size and speed or the consequence of living in the fried food capital of the world. Williamson missed most of his rookie season with a torn right meniscus and has been dogged by injuries to his hands. He has yet to play a game this season because of a broken foot. All of this has made Williamson ripe for potshots from Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. Two years ago they roasted dire reports claiming Williamson had to relearn how to walk; in November they fell out laughing over footage of Williamson lumbering through a basic warm-up drill. “It’s like me and Shaq had a baby,” Barkley cracked. “You should not get hurt when you’re young.” All the while New Orleans continues to play mediocre ball. Continue reading...

Brother protested her innocence of sex offences in five-minute interview on Radio 4’s Today programmeThe BBC has faced further complaints over its coverage of Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction for recruiting and grooming teenage girls after an interview with her brother on Radio 4’s flagship news programme.Ian Maxwell made the case for his sister’s innocence on the Today programme, casting doubt on the testimony from victims and detailing plans for an appeal while Ghislaine awaits sentencing for trafficking young girls for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004. Continue reading...

Over 2,400 flights were canceled globally as of Friday, including over 1,100 flights within the US or entering or departing itThousands of flights within the United States and internationally were delayed and hundreds were canceled early on New Year’s Eve, adding to the tally of delays and cancellations during the holiday week due to adverse weather conditions and rising cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant.Over 2,400 flights were canceled globally as of early Friday, including over 1,100 flights within the United States or entering or departing it, according to a running tally on flight-tracking website FlightAware.com. There were nearly 4,000 global flight delays in total. Continue reading...

When overwork is framed as a virtue, finding yourself grinding to a halt has emotional as well as financial consequencesWhat have you achieved this year? Perhaps that question causes your chest to swell with pride – or perhaps you are now looking back at the vista of a somewhat disappointing year, good intentions fallen by the wayside, vowing to do better in 2022.

Joe Manchin torpedoed his party’s key bill for the same reason Italy protected the sparkling wine – the local growth modelIf you get a bad taste in your mouth when you hear the name Joe Manchin – the fossil fuel industry-backed senator from West Virginia who torpedoed his own party’s “Build Back Better” bill just before Christmas – you might want to reach for a glass of something to wash it away.Given that it’s New Year’s Eve, there’s a reasonable chance you’re guzzling a glass of prosecco, which now accounts for just under half of all bubbly drunk globally. While this may take the taste away momentarily, there’s also an odd thing about prosecco I want you to consider. How that glass of Italian bubbly came to be in your hand gives us a window into understanding how a Democratic senator can derail a multitrillion dollar climate-focused national programme that promised huge amounts of money for his own state.Mark Blyth is a political economist at Brown University Continue reading...

Gusts of up to 105 mph whipped up flames, destroying hundreds of homes and prompting the governor to declare a state of emergencyTwo fast-moving wildfires driven by strong winds erupted in northern Colorado on Thursday afternoon, destroying close to 600 homes and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee.At least one first responder and six others were injured, though Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle acknowledged there could be more injuries and deaths could be possible due to the intensity of fires that quickly swept across the region as winds gusted up to 105 mph (169 km/h). Continue reading...

Two fast-moving wildfires driven by strong winds erupted in northern Colorado on Thursday afternoon, destroying close to 600 homes and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee.The fires, burning to the north and south of the city of Boulder, were fanned by gusts that whipped flames and smoke into a frenzy. Officials said during a Thursday evening news conference that the fires had already blackened 1,600 acres

Presidents share 50-minute phone call – their second conversation this month – as Russia continues to amass troops along Ukraine borderGood morning.With Russia amassing tens of thousands of troops near its border with Ukraine over the past two months, Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, hopped on a 50-minute phone call yesterday to exchange warnings.The talk – the leaders’ second conversation this month – did little to lower the political temperature, according to their governments.Biden has laid out “two paths” out of these escalating tensions, according to a senior administration official: one of diplomacy and deescalation, the other of deterrence “including serious costs and consequences” such as economic sanctions, strengthening Nato’s force posture and military assistance to Ukraine.Maxwell was found guilty Wednesday of five of six charges for her involvement in ex-boyfriend Epstein’s sexual abuse of teenage girls.There is pressure for high-profile visitors to Epstein’s properties in New York, Palm Beach and the the US Virgin Islands to be held accountable for any potential crimes – especially as the government’s case against Maxwell appeared to avoid reference to broader aspects of the conspiracy.Several obstacles stand in the way of a possible deal, however, including statutes of limitations on criminal and civil sexual crime complaints and the fact that there are just some defendants whose crimes are so egregious that the government would not want to strike a deal in exchange for testimony. Continue reading...

We would like to hear from people in Colorado on their experiencesTens of thousands of residents in the northern Colorado region have been evacuated due to two fast-moving wildfires driven by strong winds. Nearly 600 homes have been destroyed with at least one first responder and six others injured.Whether you live or work in the area, or are helping with search and rescue efforts with the emergency services, we would like to hear from you. Continue reading...

The WHO’s vaccination goal is achievable – but it will take proper funding, better vaccine distribution and jabs with longer shelf livesWhile western countries scramble with their booster rollout to deal with the Omicron wave, only 8.4% of people in low-income countries have had at least one Covid vaccination dose.The gap in the vaccination rates between high- and low-income countries is wider than ever. We cannot keep turning a blind eye to it. Continue reading...

In failing to repair relations and right land dispossession as Ubuntu demands, there is yet to be meaningful reconciliation with Black peopleUnder a 1986 newsletter headline, “Ubuntu, Abantu, Abelungu”, Black Sash, the anti-apartheid organisation founded as the vanguard of white liberal women’s opposition in South Africa, reported surprising findings from a white fieldworker in their programme against forced land removals – Black people of the land do not consider white people to be people. That is, we do not consider them to be Abantu. Instead, they are abelungu.“Ubuntu, Abantu, Abelungu” appeared a few years before the late archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu thrust Ubuntu – the African philosophy best understood through the proverb found in Bantu languages across the continent, “umuntu ngumuntu ngabanye bantu” (a person is a person through other people) – into the global imagination as he presided over post-apartheid South Africa’s truth and reconciliation commission (TRC).Panashe Chigumadzi is the author of These Bones Will Rise Again and a doctoral candidate at Harvard University Continue reading...

As many as 30,000 citizens living abroad have been unable to secure a ‘loss of nationality’ interview during the pandemicIn recent years, Michael has come to regard the United States, the nation of which he has been a citizen all his life, as an abusive parent.“I can acknowledge my past association with that person while at the same time wanting to keep future association to a minimum,” he said. Continue reading...

The US Republican mistook a Facebook post by the Australian state on New Year’s Eve party restrictions for an edict by the Democrat-run stateUS senator Ted Cruz has been ridiculed for posting a tweet in which he mixed up the American state of Washington with Western Australia while criticising Covid restrictions.The Republican politician – who tried to win the party’s presidential nomination in 2016 – retweeted a post by the government of Western Australia, whose handle is WA Government – that appeared to advise a woman that dancing would not permitted at a New Year’s Eve party at her home. Continue reading...

The governor commuted Rogel Aguilera-Mederos’s sentence and the 26-year-old will be eligible for parole in five yearsThe Colorado governor has intervened to reduce the 110-year sentence handed down to a trucker for his role in a fatal 2019 collision after widespread outcry and calls for leniency.Jared Polis announced Thursday he would commute the sentence for Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, reducing his sentence from 110 years to 10 years. Under the new sentence, the 26-year-old would be eligible for parole in five years. Continue reading...

Two leaders will discuss a range of topics, including ‘upcoming diplomatic engagements in Russia’Joe Biden will speak on Thursday with Vladimir Putin regarding the Russian president increased security demands in eastern Europe.The two leaders will discuss a range of topics, including “upcoming diplomatic engagements in Russia”, said US national security council spokesperson Emily Horne in a statement announcing the call. Continue reading...

Veteran Nevada senator who shepherded and protected Obamacare on its difficult passage into lawDuring a long, combative career in US political life, Harry Reid, who has died aged 82, made his most telling contribution as Democrat majority leader in the Senate. There, in 2010, he pushed through and then vigorously defended President Barack Obama’s groundbreaking healthcare reforms.Given the huge strength of Republican feeling against “Obamacare”, the president needed a streetfighter to drive his measures through to the statute book – and Reid was the man for the job. Quietly spoken but toughened by a hard early life and years spent swimming in the shark-infested waters of Nevada politics, he fought through the deeply polarised atmosphere that surrounded Obama’s health reforms to shepherd the Affordable Care Act through the Democrat-controlled Senate. Continue reading...

Experts say any deal depends on whether US government believes it is worth investigating network that may have been involvedNow that the British former socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has been convicted in her sex-trafficking trial, speculation is growing that she may try to cut a deal and become a government witness in any broader investigation into the elite social circle of her ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein.Maxwell would be aiming for a reduced sentence by naming powerful names when it comes to others who may be involved in Epstein’s crimes. Continue reading...

The man, who worked for an external cleaning service at the Naples Zoo, ‘put his arm through the fencing’ of the enclosureAuthorities in the US have shot and killed a critically endangered tiger after it bit the arm of a man who entered an unauthorized area of the tiger’s enclosure in a Florida zoo.The man, who is in his 20s and worked for an external cleaning service at the Naples zoo in Florida, suffered serious injuries after an eight-year old Malayan tiger named Eko bit him, authorities said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Pomerantz, 37, hit the headlines by delivering prosecution’s opening statement, which set the tone for the whole trialThe conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell in her sex-trafficking trial is a resounding victory for her prosecution team and especially assistant US attorney Lara Pomerantz, who become one of the high-profile figures in court.The prosecution team – led by former acting US attorney for the southern district of New York (SDNY) Audrey Strauss – had faced immense pressure to secure a guilty verdict and had been portrayed as relatively youthful compared to Maxwell’s heavy-hitting defense team. Continue reading...

Challenges will probably center on judicial rulings that prevented some defense witnesses from remaining anonymousGhislaine Maxwell’s lead defense attorney, Bobbi Sternheim, and members of her family vowed to appeal the five guilty verdicts on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges as they left court on Wednesday, but their efforts to clear her face considerable obstacles.The challenges will probably center on judicial rulings during the defense presentation that prevented Maxwell’s lawyers from putting some witnesses on the stand anonymously, and another that prevented defense attorneys from recalling two of Maxwell’s accusers. Continue reading...

Harsh northern hemisphere winter combines with rapid spread of Covid to hit numerous flight schedules

Maxwell was found guilty of five out of six charges – now she faces up to 65 years in prisonFormer British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell on Wednesday was convicted of recruiting and grooming teenage girls for sexual encounters with the disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein between 1994 and 2004.Maxwell was arrested last July and was charged with involvement in ex-boyfriend Epstein’s sexual abuse of teenage girls, some as young as 14.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Fictional self-published books written under a pen name also named some of Lyndon James McLeod’s real-life victimsA man accused of killing five people in Denver is believed to have written fictional books self-published online that named some of his real-life victims and described similar attacks.The writings are part of the investigation into what led Lyndon James McLeod to carry out the shootings, which took place in less than an hour Monday at several locations around the metro area, Denver police spokesman Doug Schepman said Wednesday. Continue reading...

Alleged victim says socialite preyed on vulnerable girls, and her conviction is a bittersweet momentGhislaine Maxwell’s crimes were even worse than those of the sexual predator for whom she trafficked girls because she used her ability to gain the girls’ confidence to drag them into a world of abuse, an alleged victim has said.Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was trafficked by Maxwell’s boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, but who did not give testimony in the case that concluded on Wednesday, said Maxwell and Epstein had taken a part of her childhood that she could never get back. Continue reading...

Despite a promising start to the water year, there’s a long way to go before the state overcomes deficits left by dry conditionsA series of major storms have doused the parched landscapes of the American west with rain and record-breaking amounts of snow over the past two weeks, offering a hopeful reprieve after a devastatingly dry year.In California, which has been mired in drought, the snowpack has grown to 159% of what’s considered normal for this time of year, and the state got to more than half of its 1 April average, with some areas receiving more than 122in of snow over the last seven days. It’s not just in the mountains. Rainfall records have been broken across the state, and southern California is bracing for floods, flows, and more frigid temperatures through the end of the week. Continue reading...

The people who stormed the US Capitol on 6 January don’t understand that nationalism is not the same as patriotismThere is a more accurate term than insurrectionists to describe the people who stormed the US Capitol building on 6 January, forever smearing the seat of the American republic with fear and fascism.Although their activities inspired terror and were planned in part by members of white supremacist groups, they object to being labeled as “terrorists” or “white supremacists”. Calling them “rioters” doesn’t quite capture the political motivations of the pro-authoritarian mob of Maga fanatics. Perhaps we should view them as historical re-enactors. After all, they were only recreating the effort to undermine democracy, freedom and the US constitution that has repeated itself for centuries. Yet, if you asked them, they would undoubtedly say they were “patriots”. Continue reading...

Valentina Orellana-Peralta’s killing was part of a sharp increase in lethal force during a year of police scandalsThe killing of Valentina Orellana-Peralta, a 14-year-old who died in her mother’s arms after police shot her in a department store dressing room, has sparked outrage and renewed scrutiny of the Los Angeles police department.Yet her death was just one of five killings by LAPD in a nine-day period this month, marking a brutal end to a year that has seen repeated scandals inside one of America’s largest police departments. Continue reading...

‘My soul yearned for justice and the jury gave me just that,’ said Virginia Giuffre of the outcome of the trialA victim of Ghislaine Maxwell who testified at her sex trafficking trial has said she feels “relieved and grateful” about the guilty verdict, while another woman who has accused Maxwell of involvement in her abuse said the former British socialite was “more evil” than Jeffrey Epstein.Maxwell was found guilty on five of six charges for her involvement in Epstein’s sexual abuse of teenage girls. Prosecutors said that Maxwell “preyed on vulnerable young girls, manipulated them and served them up to be sexually abused”. Continue reading...

Years of iffy personnel decisions in Seattle have culminated with the Seahawks’ first losing season in a decade. Now what?After a period of unprecedented, sustained success, the Seahawks have bottomed out. Now, they’re at a crossroads.Defeat to the Bears last Sunday dropped the Seahawks to 5-11 on the season. They have no shot at making the playoffs. The roster features a rotating morass of mediocrity. There are questions about the future of their franchise quarterback, head coach and chief personnel decision-maker. Continue reading...

After visits to Israel and Palestine, Tutu used his moral authority to speak out and, despite abuse, refused to back down. He wanted liberation for everyone

Missouri congresswoman says she was sent to Washington to disrupt the political order that had long stopped working for people like herselfIf the American political status quo was working, Congresswoman Cori Bush might not have slept on the steps of the US Capitol to demand an extension of a coronavirus-era eviction moratorium. She might not have testified about her decision to have an abortion, consigning the details of her experience to the official congressional record. Perhaps she might not have run for Congress at all.But as the St Louis congresswoman sees it, she was sent to Washington to disrupt a political order that had long ago stopped working for people like herself – a nurse, pastor and activist who has worked for minimum wage, once lived out of a car and raised two children as a single mother. And she says she is only just getting started. Continue reading...

In the summer, we spoke to four experts about the record-breaking heatwave that scorched the western US and Canada. As the year ends they share their hopes and fears for the futureThe American west faced an unprecedented year of climate disasters in 2021.A cold wave in February triggered temperatures 50F below average in Texas, killing at least 150 across the state and leaving millions without power and water. Heatwaves over the summer broke temperature records across different western states, killing hundreds in the northwestern US and Canada. Fires seared through large swathes of the west, razing the northern California town of Greenville and searing through groves of giant sequoia trees. Continue reading...

Customers go crazy for doughnuts from Filipino-inspired bakery Kora, founded after its owners lost jobs in the pandemicA Filipino-inspired doughnut shop in New York that started as a short-term project after its founders were made jobless by the pandemic has become so in demand that it attracted a waiting list of 10,000 customers.The Kora doughnuts – which are getting media attention – join a long list of hit baked goods in New York whose fame suddenly sees demand rocket. They include the cupcakes of the West Village’s Magnolia Bakery and the “cronut craze” of 2013, where the makers of a croissant-doughnut hybrid saw customers queuing up at dawn until they were forced to limit purchases to two each. Continue reading...

Americans face stay-at-home celebration again as some mayors scale back or cancel public events amid Covid surgeAmericans are again facing a stay-at-home New Year’s Eve as US political leaders and senior health advisers have urged people to scrap party plans and avoid larger public events as daily cases of Covid-19 break all previous records.In New York, attendance at the Times Square celebration known as the Ball Drop – in essence, tens of thousands of people watching a 12-foot geodesic sphere inlaid with Waterford crystals descend a long pole – has been capped at 15,000, down from pre-pandemic 60,000, with organizers encouraging revelers to watch it on TV or online. Continue reading...