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Trump reverses decision to cancel Kansas and Iowa rallies ahead of midterms
The president cancelled the events in favor of tele-rallies, as Republicans face a fight to retain control of Congress Donald Trump cancelled, and then promptly uncancelled, two in-person rallies in Kansas and Iowa this weekend as polls suggest US midterm election races in the previous Republican strongholds could go down to the wire. On Thursday, just five days before election day, the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced the president would no longer host the Kansas and Iowa rallies and instead participate in “a large number of tele-rallies”. The RNC claimed it felt it was in a “strong position” in Kansas and Iowa. Continue reading...
'You look like hell': Trump blows up at reporter when asked about canceled events – video
Donald Trump attacked the appearance of a Reuters reporter and called him 'disgusting' after the reporter asked a question about the president's cancellation of two upcoming campaign events. A day later, Trump rescheduled the canceled rallies in Kansas and Iowa. Continue reading...
ExxonMobil and Chevron top estimates for Q3 as Americans feel gas price pain
Business is booming for two biggest US oil companies, with both benefiting from higher prices and record production ExxonMobil and Chevron both reported better than expected quarterly results on Friday as the oil majors benefited from higher prices and record production. The boon for oil companies has simultaneously been a major pain point for consumers, who say the higher cost of living, especially gas prices, will affect how they vote in the upcoming midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Continue reading...
Perfume bottle and child’s necklace among treasures found in Pompeii wardrobe
Archaeologists uncover jewellery, cosmetics and coins in cabinet sealed since eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79 Fragments of personal objects, from makeup tools and a perfume bottle to coins and a child’s necklace, have been found tucked away in a wooden wardrobe sealed off for almost 2,000 years in the ruins of Pompeii. The artifacts provide an intimate glimpse of daily life in the ancient Roman city before it was devastated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. The wardrobe was discovered in a room of a home on Via dell’Abbondanza, which was one of the most bustling streets in Pompeii. Continue reading...
Alaska Democrat says she ‘knew nothing’ about effort to put two Dan Sullivans on ballot
Senate candidate Mary Peltola speaks out as US justice department escalates criminal investigation Alaska Senate race: what to know about Democrats’ alleged ballot-stacking effort Mary Peltola, a Democratic Senate candidate, has denied that she knew anything about an effort to put another candidate on the Alaska ballot with the same name as the Republican incumbent, as the US justice department escalated a criminal investigation this week with new grand jury subpoenas. “I just want to clear the air,” Peltola said Thursday at the top of a speech in a downtown bar in Juneau, Alaska’s capital. “I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about. I am not interested in tricking voters.” Continue reading...
Billionaire tax: how a union leader’s ‘crazy’ idea became the defining issue of California’s midterms
It was an ambitious notion – now Californians will vote on a one-time 5% billionaire tax, and state’s super rich have pulled out all the stops in opposition One year ago, the idea of a billionaire tax in California was still in its infancy. It wasn’t yet one of the most contentious ballot measure fights in state history – pitting Democrats against Democrats, drawing national attention from political heavyweights, and netting hundreds of millions of Silicon Valley dollars to fight it. Back then, it was a bold and desperate answer to Donald Trump’s healthcare cuts. Continue reading...
Police watchdog to investigate Met’s handling of Meghan warning letter
IOPC launches independent investigation after referral by Scotland Yard over 2019 letter about Thomas Markle Scotland Yard faces an independent investigation into its failure in 2019 to pass claims alleging wrongdoing by Thomas Markle, the father of the Duchess of Sussex, to law enforcement agencies overseas. The force had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over its handling of a letter written by Markle’s former wife, Roslyn Loveless. Markle, 82, is now facing claims of child sexual abuse in the Philippines, which he denies, and is under investigation by authorities there. Continue reading...
Cost of living protests to spread to Germany and reignite in France on Halloween
Activists call for people to make their anger known over poor public services including education and housing Europe live – latest updates Street protests sweeping Europe are expected to spread to Germany and reignite in France on Saturday, with police mobilised to stop potential looting and rioting on the fringes of what organisers hope will be peaceful rallies. Weeks of, at times violent, student demonstrations have rocked Italy, Spain, Portugal, Albania and France, where activists on Halloween have again called for people to make their anger over the cost of living and deficient public services felt across the country. Continue reading...
Christa Pike makes first public comments since failed execution: ‘There is pain in my mind and in my soul’
Pike is facing death penalty for 1995 murder of classmate, despite surviving a botched execution last month Christa Pike has marked a month since her failed execution by Tennessee and released a statement in which she laments the “incompetence” that has led to this moment, adding that despite ongoing healing she remains in constant physical pain and mental anguish. In comments released by her legal team on Friday, the prisoner said that there had not been a moment since she was injected with a massive dose of the sedative pentobarbital that she had not been in pain. “My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts. I still struggle to speak. And the pain isn’t just physical. There is pain in my mind and in my soul,” she said. Continue reading...
Spain’s trust in high-speed rail ‘broken’ after second deadly crash this year, says PM
Pedro Sánchez says government’s task is to investigate causes of Wednesday’s crash that killed 69 people, but also to try to restore trust Europe live – latest updates Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has admitted “trust in high-speed rail has been broken” after Wednesday’s deadly train collision that killed at least 69 people, injured more than 100 and prompted a national debate on the safety of the country’s rail network. Sánchez said the Spanish state was “working tirelessly” to provide information as quickly as possible to the families of the victims – who include people from at least 23 different foreign countries – adding that his government was committed to finding what had caused Spain’s second deadly train collision this year. Continue reading...
‘Amateur morons’: Flávio Bolsonaro’s short-lived ‘president-elect’ claim met with mockery
Brazilian media ridicule defeated candidate over ‘shameful’ absconsion to US and bizarre letter with wrong coat of arms Flávio Bolsonaro had hoped that by Sunday night people would be calling him the next president of Brazil. Instead, the far-right politician’s decision to flee to the United States after losing the election and – for 58 minutes – declare himself “Brazil’s true president-elect” , has made him a laughing stock, with Brazilian newspapers and commentators raining a barrage of scornful adjectives down on the conquered candidate. Continue reading...
Andreas Malm condemns UK travel ban as ‘drift into authoritarianism’
Swedish climate academic says he has been ‘kept in the dark’ over Home Office decision to revoke his travel authorisation The Swedish climate academic Andreas Malm has condemned a travel ban imposed on him by the UK government as a “drift into authoritarianism” amid criticism of the move. Malm, the author of How to Blow Up a Pipeline, said he had been “kept in the dark” by the UK’s immigration authorities over the reasons for his electronic travel authorisation (ETA) being revoked. Continue reading...
The Iran war is deepening the US energy crisis. A bad winter is ahead | Mark Wolfe
Congress must act to ensure that families are able to heat their homes before the start of the season Heating oil may be the clearest warning yet of how the war in Iran is deepening the US’s energy affordability crisis. Families who heat their homes with oil are facing bills that could be 50% higher this winter, adding nearly $900 to the cost of keeping their homes warm. These families were already struggling before the war began. As the Guardian recently reported , research by my organization found that electricity shutoffs in 10 states had increased 28% over the past two years. Millions of Americans were already falling behind on their utility bills, forced to choose between paying for energy, food, medicine and rent. Now they face another round of increases in gasoline, electricity and home heating costs. Continue reading...
‘His honesty gave courage to survivors’: domestic abuse charities praise Patrick Stewart’s legacy
Actor first shared his childhood experiences as part of Amnesty International campaign and became Refuge ambassador When Patrick Stewart was growing up in the 1940s, he witnessed how, after his father beat his mother, home doctors and ambulance workers would tell her: “You must have done something to provoke him.” Stewart knew the violence was never warranted, a conviction that became the spark for a lasting commitment to campaigning for greater understanding of domestic abuse. Continue reading...
Experts warn AI copyright changes could breach Australian constitution and spark huge compensation rights case
Scraping copyrighted material from internet could ‘potentially’ amount to acquisition of property by government, Anne Twomey says Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast Altering copyright law to allow AI companies to scrape music, books and journalism could trigger a constitutional breach, Coalition senators and the recording industry have warned, as they raise new fears it could open Australia to massive legal action and compensation claims from rights holders worldwide. The attorney general’s department admitted it was “extremely alive” to the issue, and Australia’s leading constitutional expert, Anne Twomey, agreed there was “potentially” a concern – depending how legislation was drafted – that granting AI companies permission to scrape copyrighted material from the internet could amount to an acquisition of property by the government. Continue reading...
Serial killers, set designers, and hordes of skeletons: welcome to the Halloween capital of America
In the placid LA suburb of Burbank, residents spend months – and thousands of dollars – turning their homes into Disney-style attractions. Why does it go so hard for Halloween – and is it becoming too popular for its own good? Every night, starting in mid-September, Diego Linares puts on a serial killer costume and stands in his front yard for three hours. The 40-year-old alternates outfits: some nights he’s Michael Myers, the masked murderer from the Halloween films. Other nights he’s Jason Voorhees, from the Friday the 13th franchise. His family’s modest suburban yard in Burbank, California, has been transformed into a slasher movie set. Fake mist leaks out of the door of a cabin labeled “Crystal Lake”. Jack-o-lanterns, monsters, corpses and illuminated gravestones jostle for space across the ground. From the roof above the front door, a giant skeleton blinks its digital eyes. Continue reading...
Ousted 60 Minutes correspondent Cecilia Vega on overhaul at CBS News: ‘It hurts to watch’
Vega said she still doesn’t know why she was fired from the show, which has experienced a slump in ratings. Cecilia Vega, the 60 Minutes correspondent fired as part of a dramatic overhaul of the CBS News show this spring, said it “hurts” to see what has happened to the storied newsmagazine and other segments of the network, and repeated allegations that she was told to insert “factually untrue” information into her work. “It pains me. It hurts to watch, from afar. It hurts to talk to my colleagues who are still there. It hurts to see the ratings slump that is happening right now,” Vega said during a Thursday evening talk for students at American University in Washington DC. Continue reading...
British student pilot among three dead after two helicopters collide in Oregon
Flight instructor, 22, and pilot, 38, among other fatalities after mid-air collision occurs near small airport Three people have been killed after two helicopters collided in mid-air near a small airport in Oregon on Thursday, authorities have confirmed. The Yamhill county sheriff’s office said on Thursday that it received reports at about 2.10pm local time about an aircraft incident involving two helicopters that had crashed south-east of McMinnville, near McMinnville municipal airport. Continue reading...
Mercury, lead and methanol found in counterfeit beauty products seized across UK
Copies of popular cosmetics and skincare products more likely to contain toxic substances, Trading Standards warns Mercury, lead and methanol have been found in counterfeit beauty products seized across the UK, Trading Standards has said. There is a rising problem with fake beauty products, with scammers selling copies of popular and expensive brands. Cosmetics, skincare and perfumes are now among the watchdog’s most commonly investigated fakes. Continue reading...
Public sector an ‘afterthought’ to North Sea oil jobs, says Unison leader
Andrea Egan calls for same political focus on teachers, care sector and NHS and says Jackdaw decision ‘a serious misstep’ UK politics live – latest updates The leader of the UK’s biggest trade union has called for the same political focus to be given to NHS, education and care sector workers as there has been on those employed in North Sea oil and gas. Andrea Egan, the general secretary of Unison, said too often public sector workers were treated as an “afterthought” by the government compared with the “massive political focus” on protecting jobs in the North Sea. Continue reading...
‘Ceilidh renaissance’ lures gen Z offline in search of real-life joy
Young dancers at the Ivy House in south-east London join the older crowd amid a renewed appetite for authentic, community events The Ivy House pub in Nunhead, south-east London, has long been associated with raucous music, with the rock legends Ian Dury and Elvis Costello gracing its stage in the 70s, and indie favourites caroline and Kiran Leonard pulling in crowds today. But last Friday, it was a traditional Scottish ceilidh dance rather than a grassroots gig luring London’s cool kids to its sticky dancefloor. The event is emblematic of a renewed appetite for analogue, in-person experiences among a younger generation plagued by a loneliness epidemic and fatigued by meeting people on dating apps . Continue reading...
Man who ran over cyclist and dragged him under car for a mile convicted of murder
Simon Richardson knew headteacher Michael Mullins was under his 4×4 as he kept driving in Manchester, jury heard A motorist who mowed down a cyclist and dragged him under his car for more than a mile has been found guilty of murder. Headteacher Michael Mullins, 56, was travelling home from Stretford grammar school in Manchester in the early evening of 20 April this year when he was struck by a Volvo XC90 driven by Simon Richardson. Continue reading...
James Comey lawyers seek to have third criminal case dismissed
Federal judge to hear arguments on Friday over leak case that was twice previously investigated with no action taken Lawyers for the former FBI director James Comey will ask a federal judge on Friday to block the US justice department from pursuing its third criminal case against him. Comey is an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, in open feud since the US president fired him from that post early in his first term, and he is a frequent target of Republican outrage. Continue reading...
Packers’ Josh Jacobs says hands-behind-back TD celebration was not mocking recent arrest
Green Bay RB claims gesture was an ode to gospel song Jacobs pleaded no contest to battery charges last month Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs says he was paying homage to a gospel song rather than making light of his recent arrest when he briefly had his hands behind his back while celebrating a touchdown Thursday night. This was Jacobs’s second game of the season after coming off the commissioner’s exempt list. He was placed on that list after charges were filed against him in August stemming from a May altercation with his then-girlfriend during which she said he threw her to the ground. Continue reading...