People in remote areas of the state still resist the vaccine, either out of concern for its development, or inconvenience – or politicsWith Covid-19 cases surging across California last month, Bill Canterberry decided it was time to get the vaccine.For months, the Lassen county resident had worn his mask and waited. Worried by news reports about rare but severe side effects, he put off getting a shot. When his wife was vaccinated earlier in the year, he monitored her closely, just to be sure. Continue reading...

943,000 jobs were added last month, but 5.4% remain unemployed at a time when some employers are having difficulty recruitingThe American economy added 943,000 jobs in July, demonstrating another month of steady, positive growth. However, 5.4% remain unemployed at a time when some employers are having difficulty recruiting workers. Continue reading...

For some of us, living with Covid the past 18 months gave us permission to slow down, and to re-evaluate how we want to live when this is finally overWhen I walked out of my town’s massive conference center in early April, a second Pfizer shot fresh in my arm, a flood of emotions swelled in me. Creeping behind the feelings of joy and anticipation, I felt a strange bit of sadness that, all the way home, I could not shake. When I walked into my house and my three-year-old dashed into my arms, it hit me.‘I think I’m going to miss being locked down,’ I realised, in disbelief. Continue reading...

The New York governor’s self-defense follows the playbook of powerful men accused of sexual misconduct – but it’s shocking given his history of advocacyOn 12 August, 2019 Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, held a glitzy bill ceremony in his executive mansion in Albany to mark the signing into law of new legislation designed to beef up sexual harassment protections for women in the workplace.With a flourish of a pen, Cuomo sought to seal his reputation within the Democratic party as a champion of gender-based rights. Continue reading...

A month ago, Americans were getting vaccinated, cases and deaths were falling, and Biden seemed to have the virus in his grasp. Not so fastIt was not supposed to be this way.A month ago Joe Biden appeared to have victory over the coronavirus pandemic within his grasp. As tens of millions of Americans got vaccinated, cases, hospitalizations and deaths were falling precipitously. Continue reading...

Gymnast who captured gold at the Tokyo Olympics greeted with signs and a crowd of hundreds at airportThe chants of “Suni! Suni! Suni!” rang out in the Minneapolis-St Paul international airport terminal as soon as their new golden star, Olympic champion gymnast Sunisa Lee, stepped foot off her plane, home from Japan.Related: How Sunisa Lee overcame family tragedy and injury to win Olympic gold Continue reading...

Offer for UK company from Marlboro cigarettes maker had alarmed medical expertsUS private equity firm Carlyle has made an improved £958m takeover offer for British inhaler maker Vectura, trumping an earlier bid from tobacco company Philip Morris International that had alarmed medical experts.

Assistant to New York governor accused him of groping her while they took a selfie togetherA woman who accused New York governor Andrew Cuomo of groping her breast last year while they took a selfie photograph together has filed a criminal complaint with the Albany county sheriff’s department, the office said on Friday.Related: ‘Biden plan is working,’ says president after July’s strong jobs report – US politics live Continue reading...

Greenville, a community of about 1,000 in the Sierra Nevada mountains, reduced to ashes by California’s third largest fire ever recordedThe US’s largest wildfire raged through a beloved Gold Rush-era California mountain town this week, reducing much of the downtown and surrounding homes to ashes.Greenville, a remote community of about 1,000 in the Sierra Nevada mountains, was a place of strong character, where neighbors volunteered to move furniture, and writers, musicians, mechanics and chicken farmers mingled, resident Eva Gorman said. Continue reading...

He left in disgrace, yet all signs point to a third presidential run. And his disdain for facts is now an article of Republican faithWe have so much to worry about, it’s a relief that at least one big source of angst is no longer there to keep us up at night. Given how much psychic energy so many – inside the US and out – once devoted to him, how he came to invade even our dreams, there is solace in the fact that these days we need pay no more attention to Donald Trump. Right? I’m afraid not.True, the great orange spectre has disappeared from the social media timelines, exiled by the emperors of Facebook and Twitter, reduced to starting his own blog to get around the ban – an effort that, like so many Trump enterprises before it, was quietly abandoned in failure. It lasted a month. Continue reading...

New CDC guidance and breakthrough infections have sown confusion. Here’s some sound advice from two epidemiologists on how to keep safeIn late July, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed its earlier mask-wearing guidance for people vaccinated against Covid-19 by recommending that even those who are fully vaccinated resume masking indoors, in public, if they live in areas with “substantial or high transmission” of the virus. The update was a jarring 180 from the previous CDC mask guidance issued in May, which gave fully vaccinated individuals the green light to remove face coverings and resume activities without social distancing.Confusing? Maybe just a bit. But there’s a logic to the CDC’s about-face. Continue reading...

Mexico has tried almost everything to stop US-made guns from fueling cartel violence. So now it’s doing what any litigious American would do: suingEven as Republican members of Congress accuse Joe Biden of failing to secure the nation’s southern border, Mexico is facing a growing problem of securing its northern border. Guns from America are pouring into Mexico, arming violent drug gangs.Mexico has tried just about everything to stop the flow of firearms from the north – passing strict gun control laws, imposing stiff penalties on traffickers, and pleading with US authorities to stop the trafficking – but nothing has worked. So now it’s doing what any litigious American would do: it’s suing. Continue reading...

A shutdown of the currents would have devastating global impact and must be prevented, scientists say. Plus: the struggle to protect our oceans from sunscreen pollutionGood morning.Climate scientists have detected warning signs that suggest the Gulf Stream might collapse, one of the planet’s main potential tipping points in the climate crisis. Continue reading...

The US stumbling in the dark when it comes to breakthrough cases. Why?Breakthrough cases – infections among vaccinated people – are happening. These are normal and expected because the vaccines, though all powerfully protective against Covid, are not 100% effective. But how many people, and which populations, are having breakthrough infections? And what are the chances they will develop long Covid, the cluster of debilitating symptoms that can last for weeks or even months?Related: The latest terrible pandemic trend? Vaccine hypocrites | Arwa Mahdawi Continue reading...

Health companies see decline from record profits of last year – but where is the scrutiny of such vast sums?Five of America’s largest health insurers reported more than $11bn in profits in the second quarter – a decline from the same period last year when the Covid-19 pandemic helped drive sky-high profits.The rise in profits last year was a result of people in the US seeking less medical care because of fears about Covid-19 while still paying for health insurance. Companies warned pent-up demand could have an effect on their bottom line, but medical use still has not returned to normal rates. Continue reading...

World records have tumbled at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. Are athletes simply getting better or are other factors at play?At the US Olympic trials in June, Sydney McLaughlin became the first woman in the history of the 400m hurdles to post a time under 52 seconds. Her mark of 51.90 was a world record, and she arrived in Tokyo a favorite to win gold.On Wednesday, she did – and the 21-year-old broke her own world record in the process. McLaughlin finished in 51.46 seconds, a notable improvement upon her time from five weeks ago. Continue reading...

The fast-moving Dixie fire has continued to burn through northern California, leaving much of the gold rush town of Greenville in ashes. The three-week-old fire has burned more than 500 sq miles and destroyed dozens of homes. Greenville was previously damaged by a significant fire in 1881 but maintained some buildings that were more than a century old

Curtis Sliwa, 67, faces Eric Adams in November’s election. Can the attention-loving founder of the Guardian Angels upset the odds?Curtis Sliwa has a lot of cats.On a recent Tuesday afternoon, there were 16 felines packed into the Manhattan apartment that Sliwa, the Republican candidate for mayor of New York City , shares with his wife. Continue reading...

Nafi Thiam retained her heptathlon title and Belgium also won gold in men’s hockey, while GB’s Holly Bradshaw took pole vault bronze12.01am BSTMen’s 50km walk: Tomala has increased his lead, but we’re not getting a time or distance on it. But with that, I’m going to bid you farewell because tomorrow’s blog is here; Tom Lutz will get that away and take in the end of this race. Ta-ra!Related: Tokyo 2020 Olympics: athletics, cycling, modern pentathlon and more – live!11.54pm BSTMen’s 50km walk: Yeah, Tomala is pulling away now, nine seconds in front at 30km. Continue reading...

The northern California town of Greenville was devastated by the Dixie fire, currently the largest wildfire in the state. The town dates back to the Gold Rush era with buildings more than a century old. Firefighters did all they could against the flames but the fast-moving blaze left many structures in ashes

Joe Biden is setting a goal for half of all new US vehicle sales to be electric by 2030 while at the same time tightening pollution standards for cars and trucks, in a barrage of action aimed at reducing the largest source of planet-heating gases in America.

US spends 17% of GDP on healthcare but struggles with affordability and has the most administrative hurdlesThe US is last on a ranking of healthcare systems among 11 of the wealthiest countries in the world, despite spending the highest percentage of its GDP on healthcare, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund.The country struggles with deep problems in affordability of healthcare, which affects access and equity, and it is the country that has the most administrative hurdles when dealing with healthcare. This is despite the US spending 17% of its gross domestic product on healthcare, “far above” the other 10 countries, according to the report. Continue reading...

FAA administrator expresses concerns about serving alcohol before flights in letter sent to about 1,000 airportsThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is asking airports to more carefully monitor alcohol sales, especially in to-go cups.In a letter released Tuesday to leaders of about 1,000 airports across the US, the FAA administrator, Steve Dickinson, expressed concerns about serving alcohol to passengers in airport restaurants and bars before flights. Continue reading...

Trumka, a ‘relentless champion of workers’ rights’, had led the 12.5 million-member labor federation since 2009Richard Trumka, the powerful president of the AFL-CIO who rose from the coalmines of Pennsylvania to preside over one of the largest labor organizations in the world, died Thursday. He was 72.The federation confirmed Trumka‘s death in a statement. He had been AFL-CIO president since 2009, after serving as the organization’s secretary-treasurer for 14 years. From his perch, he oversaw a federation with more than 12.5 million members and ushered in a more aggressive style of leadership. Continue reading...

Lawmakers give governor 13 August deadline to provide any additional evidence as activists with ties to Cuomo under scrutinyNew York state lawmakers announced Thursday that their impeachment investigation of Governor Andrew Cuomo is nearing an end and have given him a 13 August deadline to provide any additional evidence over sexual harassment allegations.The deadline came as liberal activists with ties to Cuomo were under scrutiny over attempts to discredit one of his accusers. Continue reading...

The women’s national team conducted a collective emotional orchestra during their agonising defeat against USAIt came down, as football always does, to a handful of moments: the inner face of a post, a deflected clearance, a miscommunication on a back-pass, the angle and spin on a corner kick.As the bronze medal match between the Matildas and the United States heaved and tossed through the dense Kashima night, millions of fans around Australia – and around the world – hung on each of those pregnant junctures; the ones on which sport so often ricochets and spirals off into multiple futures. Continue reading...

Invoking climate change as the sole cause of terrible shortages lets those in authority off the hook

President vowed end to ‘prolonged’ detention but number of detainees has more than doubled since end of FebruaryAlexander Martinez says he fled from homophobia, government persecution and the notorious MS-13 gang in El Salvador only to run into abuse and harassment in America’s immigration detention system.Since crossing the US-Mexico border unlawfully in April, the 28-year-old has bounced between six different facilities in three states. He said he contracted Covid-19, faced racist taunts and abuse from guards and was harassed by fellow detainees for being gay. Continue reading...

FDA research sheds light on ingredients in dog food that could be associated with canine dilated cardiomyopathyA new study by the Food and Drug Administration highlights research linking certain dog foods to canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a severe heart disease.According to a new report published Thursday, researchers compared traditional dog foods with those that the FDA associated with DCM, looking at more than 800 compounds. Currently, peas are at the top of the list of ingredients linked with compounds that might be related to DCM. Continue reading...

Dixie fire tore through mountain town of Greenville on Wednesday evening, leaving much of the downtown in ashesThe fast-moving Dixie fire tore through the northern California mountain town of Greenville on Wednesday evening, leaving much of the downtown in ashes.A gas station, hotel and bar were among many structures gutted in the Sierra Nevada town, which dates to California’s Gold Rush era and has some buildings more than a century old. Continue reading...

Gates says he met with convicted sex offender hoping the financier could help raise money for global health issuesMicrosoft billionaire Bill Gates said he made “a huge mistake” in meeting with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.“It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there,” Gates told CNN on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Support falls away for New York governor. Plus: how signals for the start of menopause could help scientists extend women’s fertile years

The groundswell for Palestinian freedom has reached new levels. It’s only a matter of time before other companies take Ben & Jerry’s leadOn 19 July, Ben & Jerry’s, the celebrated ice cream company based in Vermont, where I live, set off a firestorm after it announced it would no longer allow its ice cream to be sold in Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and would not renew its licensing agreement with its franchise in Israel beyond next year. The company said that continuing to sell ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territory would be “inconsistent” with its values.