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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Trump climbs down on Iran strikes after Saudi alarm and threats from Tehran
President claims delay is ‘subject to being able to rapidly make a deal’ as intervention by Saudi crown prince is revealed and Iran warns neighbours Donald Trump said on Saturday night that the US would hold off on any new strikes on Iran provided a deal to end the months-long conflict is quickly reached – marking the president’s latest climbdown from extravagant threats to hit the Tehran regime hard. The Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Saturday to express concerns about his strike plans, it was reported. Trump’s reversal also came after Iran threatened to retaliate decisively against its neighbours in the event of US strikes, while Kuwait reported being hit by Iranian drones on Saturday and two ships were attacked off Oman in the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...
Anti-LGBTQ+ laws are on the rise across west Africa, campaigners warn
Activists in the region say politicians regard LGBTQ+ people as ‘the easiest scapegoats to maintain their power’ A growing number of west African countries are implementing or strengthening anti-LGBTQ+ laws, amid local political pressures and a global pushback against LGBTQ+ rights. In March, Senegal doubled the maximum prison sentence for gay sex to 10 years and criminalised the “promotion” of homosexuality. Niger criminalised “sexual relations with a person of the same sex” in February, the first time same-sex intimacy had been outlawed in the country. Continue reading...
Shooting at In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Idaho leaves multiple people dead, police say
Police chief says the shooter is among the dead in ‘very chaotic scene’ near busy shopping area in Twin Falls A shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon left multiple people dead and others injured, police said. The shooter was among the dead, Twin Falls police chief Matthew Hicks said in a news conference. Police were still trying to determine the shooter’s identity and motive. Continue reading...
Moscow restaurant bombing kills three people as device carried by woman explodes
More than 20 people injured in explosion near Italian restaurant on Saturday night, authorities say A homemade bomb carried by a woman killed three people and injured at least 21 in an explosion near a restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, authorities said. The explosion occurred just before 8pm close to an Italian restaurant located in one of Moscow’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya Square, the police said. Continue reading...
Capital One says it closed Trump Organization’s accounts after anti-money-laundering review
Disclosure from 2021 investigation marks first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald Trump Capital One Financial hit back on Friday against a lawsuit over its decision to close the Trump Organization’s bank accounts years ago, stating that it did so after a review by anti-money-laundering experts. The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald Trump ’s family business. Capital One is seeking to dismiss the case by casting doubt on claims of illegally debanking – or denying services on religious or political grounds – the Trump Organization. Continue reading...
Heatwave scorching western US ups risk of hazardous fire conditions
In Oregon and Washington, low humidity and powerful winds have put officials on alert for wildfire spread A heatwave scorching the western US region has elevated the risk of hazardous fire conditions particularly in parts of Oregon and Washington, where low humidity and powerful winds have put officials on alert for wildfire spread. The National Weather Service has forecast blistering temperatures through early next week that could climb from 110F to 120F across the south-west. In the Pacific north-west, highs reaching into the 90s are expected in the days to come. Continue reading...
Devolution plans strengthen case for written UK constitution, says Burnham
PM argues for codified model of decentralisation that would fundamentally change centuries-old workings of state Andy Burnham has said his programme of devolution strengthens the case for a written constitution for the UK, a move that would fundamentally alter the workings of the state that have developed over centuries. The prime minister has long believed the UK’s “antiquated” political system needs a dramatic overhaul if opportunity is to be shared equally across the country. Continue reading...
Australia news live: aged-care nurses get pay rise; fuel excise cut due to end at midnight
Increase in annual pay packets began from August 1. Follow updates The deputy leader of the opposition, Jane Hume , will appear on ABC’s Insiders after 9. Petrol prices set to rise as fuel excise relief ends Obviously we always monitor the situation and take steps as necessary, but our policy decision is clear. Continue reading...
Sopranos actor Vincent Pastore, known for playing mobsters and tough guys, dies aged 80
Veteran actor best-known for playing Salvatore ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero, friend of Tony Soprano who becomes FBI informant Vincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best-known for playing Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, has died. He was 80. Bob McGowan, who had managed Pastore since his run on The Sopranos, told the Associated Press that he learned of his death Saturday from another client and actor on the show, Vincent Curatola. Continue reading...
At least 13 dead as tourist plane crashes during flight over Peru’s Nazca Lines
Plane crashes into field after departing from the nearby city of Ica, according to local authorities At least 13 people have died after a plane carrying tourists crashed into a field in Peru, local authorities said. Nazca’s municipal government said the plane was taking tourists on a sightseeing flight of the Nazca Lines, a group of extensive geoglyphs scraped into the desert around Nazca hundreds of years ago by Peru’s Indigenous inhabitants. The lines form images of animals that can only be fully appreciated from planes or viewing towers. Continue reading...
California announces minimum wage increase as governor taunts Trump
Gavin Newsom says new pay floor of $17.40, set to become highest of any US state, will go into effect on 1 January California governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state’s minimum wage will rise to $17.40 next year, a ay floor set to become the highest of any US state. The pay bump will go into effect starting 1 January, Newsom announced on Friday. The state’s current minimum rate is $16.90. In a news release, Newsom touted the move as a salve for working families amid high living costs and took a jab at the Trump administration. Continue reading...
Trump offering early access to online posts in move seen as corruption
Truth Social, where Trump’s account is by far the largest, to offer users early access for up to $100,000 per month Donald Trump is now offering early access to his Truth Social posts in a move that has been seen as corruption benefitting a sitting president. Trump Media and Technology Group officially rolled out its new subscription-based data service on Saturday, giving paying customers faster, real-time access to Truth Social posts from Trump and other high-profile accounts. Continue reading...
Trump’s reflecting pool saga: a timeline of failure and finger-pointing
As charges are dropped against ex-Olympian, flawed work by Trump-connected contractor emerges as culprit Donald Trump ’s Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool saga appears to be winding down after prosecutors dropped vandalism charges against former Olympian David Hearn. On Friday, Trump appointee and US attorney Jeanine Pirro and assistant US attorney Michael Spence petitioned a judge to dissolve the justice department’s case against Hearn, 67, who had been accused of pool sabotage, and instead blamed the “botched installation” of pool liner materials that caused it peel, and “less than fulsome information” offered by the Department of Interior. Continue reading...
US reporter fighting back after border patrol seized his cell phones
Max Blumenthal says he was singled out at airport after Trump ally Laura Loomer targeted him in online posts When reporter Max Blumenthal went to a cafe in Tehran one night a few weeks ago to upload videos from his reporting on the funeral of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, he began seeing social media posts from Trump ally Laura Loomer targeting him, including one that suggested he should be “taken off the plane by US Marshalls when he lands back in the US … [and] detained”. “I began to prepare myself for being harassed on my return,” Blumenthal said. Continue reading...
‘Agony and despair’: Nancy Guthrie’s family issues new plea for information on her whereabouts
Police also released notes received from presumed abductors of mother of Today anchor Savannah Guthrie The family of Nancy Guthrie issued a new appeal on Saturday for information on the whereabouts of their missing grandmother, six months after she disappeared from her home in Tucson, Arizona , and a day after local investigators released two purported ransom notes. “Six months ago, someone took her out of her bed in the dead of night. We have lived every moment, every breath, and every heartbeat in agony and despair ever since,” a post on Instagram said . Continue reading...
Sophie Cunningham says protests over transgender sports stance are not distracting Fever
Cunningham says rallies aren’t a distraction Supporters gather outside second straight game White: team wants focus to stay on basketball Sophie Cunningham says she’s unconcerned that the rallies against transgender participation in women’s sports that have accompanied the Indiana’s Fever’s recent games are a distraction for the WNBA team. Cunningham made the comments before the Fever’s game Friday night against the Portland Fire. Outside, a group rallied for the second straight game in support of Cunningham and her recent comments about transgender athletes. Continue reading...
Trump vows to push $1.8bn slush fund as Senate committee set to reconsider AG nomination
After declaring ‘anti-weaponization’ fund ‘dead’, Trump reverses and says he’ll revive it despite Senate opposition The US Senate judiciary committee has scheduled a meeting early next week to consider Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general, as Donald Trump promised to revive the controversial $1.8bn “anti-weaponization” fund. The meeting, set for Tuesday, comes as Blanche’s confirmation has stalled over a dispute between the president and outgoing Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, who are seeking written confirmation that the justice department would not establish the proposed fund. Continue reading...
Top mountaineer Nirmal Purja confirmed dead after 11 hit by avalanche in Pakistan
World-renowned climber had been leading expedition on Broad Peak when avalanche struck A world-renowned Nepali mountaineer and former UK Special Forces member has died after being among 11 climbers caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak. Nirmal Purja was killed leading an expedition of 10 other people on the world’s 12th-highest mountain when an avalanche struck at around noon on Thursday. Continue reading...
New York City’s Flatiron building enters new era with $58.5m apartments
Manhattan’s triangular building will open this fall to wealthy residents, with 36 apartments exposing Flatiron’s ‘steel skeleton’ New York City’s Flatiron building has had many lives: as a structure seen as a deathtrap; as a nuisance which created a deadly, petticoat-lifting, wind current and, mainly, as a commercial space. Now, the triangular building, a favorite of tourists and locals alike, is entering a new era: as a residential building, where apartments cost up to $58.5m. Continue reading...
D4vd hearing details high hopes and brutal end of girl at heart of murder case
Texts reveal that singer and Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been in touch stretching back to when she was 11 years old The rising pop singer D4vd and 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were in the throes of a clandestine relationship months before her mangled and decomposing body turned up last September stuffed in an impounded car registered to the musician. D4vd, born David Anthony Burke, is set to stand trial for murder, child sexual abuse and mutilation of human remains in connection to the teenager’s death. Continue reading...
The Manchester mayoral result holds the key for the future of progressive politics | Neal Lawson
Voters on the left are more fragmented than ever – but they will pull together behind a convincing cross-party message The author is director of the cross-party campaign organisation Compass The results of the election for a new mayor to succeed Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester show progressives standing at the threshold of a new era. But only if they work together. New mayor Bev Craig was elected using the supplementary vote which uses voters’ second preference if no one wins more than half the vote in the first round. Despite the Burnham bounce, Labour received only 47% of the vote in the first round, well down on Burnham who never achieved below 63% in his three campaigns. But when second preferences kicked in, it’s estimated that about seven in 10 progressives who had backed other parties piled in behind Craig. Continue reading...
Democrats’ ‘climate hushing’ prompts activists to turn up the volume
Nationwide actions seek to counter view that talking about climate crisis distracts from affordability messaging This summer, torrential rains have washed away Texas neighborhoods, dangerous heat has blanketed swaths of the country, and smoke from Canadian wildfires has choked communities as far south as Florida. Research makes clear that global warming is making extreme weather events more frequent and severe. Yet the climate crisis has largely disappeared from the political agenda, with many Democrats who once described it as an existential threat now shying away from talking about it. Continue reading...
Purple reign: how shade became British gardeners’ favourite
Britons move away from trend of grey paving and pristine lawns in an embrace of colour, with lavender a top choice If you manage to spot a garden in bloom this summer, beyond the strips of bleached and torched grass, there may be one colour you see more than any other: purple, the horticultural hue of the season. Plants such as lavender, salvias and catmint are in vogue, according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which conducted extensive research into the colours Britons best love to see in their gardens. Continue reading...
Biohacker Bryan Johnson is keeping his girlfriend’s menstrual blood in his freezer | Arwa Mahdawi
The longevity influencer and his girlfriend, Kate Tolo, say they’re studying women’s health – a worthy goal, but perhaps some skepticism is in order The tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has devoted his life to dodging death . The 48-year-old is obsessed with becoming the healthiest person in the world and is on a quixotic quest to reverse his biological age and live forever. As such, Johnson is disciplined about what he eats, takes dozens of supplements a day, and measures every single biomarker possible, boasting that he is “certainly the most biologically measured person ever”. In short: good luck finding any ice cream in his freezer. But you know what you will find? His girlfriend’s menstrual blood. On Thursday, Johnson, a chronic oversharer, posted a photo of his 30-year-old girlfriend, Kate Tolo, on X with the caption : “Kate’s period blood is in my -80 °C freezer. Around 10 mL.” Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...