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JD Vance accused of ‘gaslighting’ after saying he is ‘skeptical’ US struck Iranian wedding | First Thing
Vice-president’s claim US-Iran conflict is not war draws ridicule from Democrat Ro Khanna. Plus, iconic feminist Gloria Steinem dies aged 92 Good morning. The US vice-president, JD Vance, has responded to claims that an American strike was responsible for killing four people, including a child, at a wedding celebration in southern Iran by saying that “sometimes things happen”. The deaths were reported by the Iranian Red Crescent, which operates independently of Tehran and is treated by most international monitors as a credible source on casualty figures. In a further comment, described by the congressman Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, as “gaslighting”, the vice-president said the conflict between the US and Iran, which has stretched into a seventh month and caused the deaths of 18 US service members, was not presently “a war”. Iranian authorities have put the overall death toll from US and Israeli strikes in the thousands, figures outside observers, including US-based monitoring groups, have broadly corroborated. What did Vance say? At a White House press briefing he said: “I will say that the Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what’s happened in the conflict thus far, so I’m extremely skeptical of this. What I can say with 100% confidence is that, unlike the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the US never targets civilians in combat. We never will do that. We never have done that, and unfortunately, obviously, sometimes things happen”. Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to blow up Iran’s civilian infrastructure. What is happening with US military leadership? Trump on Thursday named Adam Telle as the acting army secretary after the departure of Daniel Driscoll amid widespread reports of tensions with the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. Telle is currently the assistant secretary of the army for civil works. What has the House decided about university boycotts of Israel? The House has passed a Republican-backed bill that would penalize universities that participate in boycotts of Israel. “This legislation is about a simple principle: our colleges and universities should not discriminate against Israel,” said Tim Walberg, the Republican chair of the House education committee. Thirty three Democrats broke with the rest of their party to vote in favor. It now goes to the Senate for consideration. Continue reading...
Missouri supreme court blocks congressional maps backed by Trump for midterms – US politics live
The decision marks a setback for Republicans in a national redistricting battle Sign up for US Breaking News emails Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. The Missouri supreme court blocked a Republican-drawn new congressional map from being used in November’s midterm elections, a blow to the party’s odds for maintaining its narrow US House majority. The Trump administration filed an emergency request asking the US supreme court to lift order blocking USPS from implementing mail-in voting restrictions. Chuck Schumer said the president was “[attempting] to destroy the integrity of our elections” with the move. Excavation work on Donald Trump’s “Great Triumphal Arch” project in Washington is set to begin in the coming weeks, interior secretary Doug Burgum said. Congressman Don Beyer, whose district includes Arlington National Cemetery, described the arch project as “illegal, gridlock-increasing [and] narcissistic”. Maryland’s supreme court has decided that a Democrat-backed congressional redistricting amendment can go before voters in the state in November in a win for Democrats. Donald Trump announced an interim replacement for army secretary, Dan Driscoll, who suddenly resigned earlier this week amid reports of tension between him and defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass has been asked to testify before a congressional subcommittee as part of an investigation into the “potential misallocation” of federal funds by the region’s Homeless Services Authority. Congressman Robert Garcia described the move as “another attempt by Donald Trump and House Republicans to launch a witch-hunt against Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles.” Continue reading...
Drones, teargas, riot squads: why has the UK gone to war against asylum seekers already fleeing conflict? | Diane Taylor
Burnham and Macron have committed to going further in the crackdown on French beaches. But little is being done to offer refugees safe alternative routes Garang*, 18, is one of thousands of refugees recently caught in the crossfire of French riot police, who threw teargas and beat them with batons when they boarded dinghies to travel to the UK. He is a victim of a war in his home of South Sudan – and one being fought on France’s northern shores. He borrows a phone from anyone with credit who will let him try to call home, where his family is displaced. Garang doesn’t have enough money on the £10-a-week allowance from the Home Office to make a long-distance call. All he wants is to speak to his mum, to hear her voice, and let her know he is alive and safe in the UK despite the violence he has faced. Diane Taylor writes on human rights, racism and civil liberties Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...
Iranian town mourns after deadly strike on wedding
Mourning turns to anger as residents of Kuhestak say Baloch communities are being placed in path of conflict People in Kuhestak, a predominantly Baloch city in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, are mourning after a strike on a wedding killed at least four people, including a child, and injured more than 60, according to local authorities. The blast hit at around 9.30pm on 1 September, turning a night of celebration into one of devastation for the small coastal community, which is on the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...
It’s time for Mark Zuckerberg to resign from Meta | Joan Donovan
The CEO is the throughline in a history of billion-dollar blunders that have caused real harm, culminating in last week’s settlement Last week, Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, agreed to a settlement of up to $18bn after dozens of US states accused it of harming children with addictive products. The settlement’s regulatory implications for social media will affect every user, far beyond teens. But if Meta is truly interested in prioritizing the safety of users, the board should request the resignation of Mark Zuckerberg and restructure to put safety above profit. Continue reading...
Private equity faces existential crisis in US as unsold companies pile up
Private equity firms and the companies they own employ over 13 million, from startups to rural hospitals and large retailers, but experts’ concerns of collapse are growing Retail stalwarts Saks and Eddie Bauer filed for bankruptcy. Kmart and JoAnn Fabrics are gone for good, a trail of layoffs and disappointed customers in their wake. Hospital giant Steward Health Care collapsed, costing thousands of jobs and leaving several communities without a local hospital. These once-trusted US companies have one thing in common: they were owned by private equity investors, who load companies with debt when they buy them and squeeze out profits as they restructure. Continue reading...
Health-tracking smart ring maker Oura to list on US stock market
Firm has celebrity fans and ambassadors including Prince Harry, Jennifer Aniston and Kim Kardashian Fans of Oura are accustomed to using its trendy smart rings to fastidiously monitor their health but now investors are preparing to track a new metric – its share price. The San Francisco-headquartered company’s filing to imminently list on the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York was made public on Thursday. Continue reading...
UK ministers hit back at Argentinian Falklands claim and insist islands remain British
Defence secretary says ‘winds of change’ remarks by Argentina’s president are more about domestic politics UK politics live – latest updates British ministers have hit back after the Argentinian president said “winds of change” favourable to his country’s claim to the Falklands were “blowing around the world”. Wes Streeting, the defence secretary, said the statement by Javier Milei on Thursday night “tells us more about domestic politics in Argentina than it does about the Falkland Islands”. Continue reading...
The wild world of LSU: from tigers on the field to wooing ex-NFL players
Recruiting ex-pros. Inflaming Ukraine-Russia tensions. Suing the SEC and being sued back. The school is adapting to a new reality – and also creating a new one In 1893, a chemistry professor named Charles Coates arrived at Louisiana State University and wrote that, to his surprise, “there was practically no athletics in the student body: no football, no tennis, and only very little baseball in the spring.” A broad program of sports struck him as the kind of thing a school should have, particularly as US universities were beginning to tout intercollegiate athletics as critical to a balanced higher-ed experience and another way to justify the cost of entry. But 133 years on, sports aren’t merely the main attraction at LSU. They’re the school’s raison d’être , the blinkered obsession that consumes the university and its most prominent ambassadors. Any doubt that the business of educating college students is just a nettlesome distraction from the business of college sports in Baton Rouge has been emphatically dispelled over the past 10 months. On the football side, the school has spent or committed roughly $162m to its last three head coaches: Ed Orgeron, the folksy national champion in 2019 who received a $17m buyout when he was fired two years later; Brian Kelly, the unloved underachiever who received a $54m buyout after being fired last October; and Lane Kiffin, the Kelly replacement whom it signed to a $91m deal a month later. Clemson, the opponent for LSU’s season opener at home on Saturday, are about to find out what all that money buys. Continue reading...
‘Astronomical’ fuel price surge hits farmers in UK and US
Intensification of Middle East conflict and ongoing Russian export ban sees diesel prices rise 10% in less than a week Farmers are facing an “astronomical” jump in the price of fuel needed to operate their vehicles and machinery after a surge in diesel costs in the UK and US. Renewed fighting between the US and Iran has driven up the price of crude oil, while last week Russia extended a ban on diesel exports, further pushing up market prices. Continue reading...
Britain’s schools are failing its young people – and 1m Neets are paying the price | Simon Jenkins
Obsessed with exams, devoid of vocational training: there is a total mismatch between schools and life beyond their gates Blame the schools. Alan Milburn’s report on Neets , published in May, was one of the most damning comments on the welfare state I have read. It described a new generation of a million mostly poor Britons now encouraged to fare worse, not better, than their parents. This means, said Milburn , that “the great British promise” – the advance of generations – is being broken. A sizeable chunk of the population is going backwards. The number of young people not in education, employment or training – one in eight of all 16- to 24-year-olds – is rising fast and will be 1.25 million by 2030. More than 80% of them claim to want to find a job, education or training. A third even have “good GCSEs”, but 44% of them are on state benefits, now costing £8.1bn. Many of them suffer from anxiety and other disabilities, according to the NHS. The number of young people with special educational needs has doubled in 10 years. Mental ill-health is bordering on pandemic levels. Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Russia maintains attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure – Europe live
The efforts are part of an ongoing attempt to cripple the country’s power grid ahead of winter Russia keeps targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities in its latest round of overnight attacks, part of an ongoing attempt to cripple the country’s power grid ahead of winter. Odesa region governor Oleh Kiper said that one was died and at least five were injured in the attack. Continue reading...
South Korea pushes back on reports it is readying Hormuz deployment amid US pressure
Seoul reportedly seeking parliamentary approval to send military assets to Middle East but president’s office plays down claims South Korea is reviewing a possible deployment of military assets to the strait of Hormuz amid pressure from Donald Trump over Seoul’s reluctance to provide support in the region, according to domestic media reports. Citing unnamed government and military sources, the reportspublished on Thursday and Friday said preparations were under way and that the government intended to seek parliamentary approval for a new deployment. The reports, which appeared in major South Korean outlets, said the exact scale and timing have not been agreed. Continue reading...
Labour asks Met police to launch criminal inquiry into Reform UK donations after undercover report – UK politics live
Two key aides to Nigel Farage have stepped down pending an internal investigation Ed Davey , the Lib Dem leader, says Nigel Farage was ultimately responsible for the apparent attempt to evade electoral law on donations exposed by the undercover investigation shown on Channel 4 News. In a post on social media this morning, he says: So much for this being a “hoax” then. Clearly very serious questions for Farage to answer given his role in the meeting. Continue reading...
Jackdaw gasfield set to be approved by ministers this month, sources say
Energy secretary could recommend new North Sea drilling as soon as next week, with Rosebank oilfield likely to follow UK politics live – latest updates Business live – latest updates Ministers are poised to approve a controversial new gasfield in the North Sea later this month, according to government sources, and are also likely to approve a major oilfield later this year. Miatta Fahnbulleh, the energy secretary, will give her recommendation to approve the Jackdaw field off the coast of Aberdeen as soon as next week, according to people close to the decision, with the formal approval following as soon as a week after. Continue reading...
Farage aides step down after undercover report on Reform UK donations
James Orr and Dan Jukes have stepped down from positions pending outcome of party investigation, says Reform UK Two key aides to Nigel Farage have stepped down from their roles pending the outcome of an investigation by Reform UK into a broadcast by Channel 4 News alleging they breached political donation rules , a party spokesperson said. James Orr and Dan Jukes are alleged to have breached donation rules by having polling paid for by an overseas company. Continue reading...
Sports quiz of the week: transfer deadline day, the US Open and rugby drama
Have you been following the big stories in football, cricket, tennis, boxing, Formula One and cycling? Continue reading...
Andy Ruiz Jr once turned boxing upside down. Can he do it again at 36?
Seven years after springing one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, the Mexican Rocky is back with his old trainer for one final run at the heavyweight summit Seven years ago, Andy Ruiz Jr became the first fighter of Mexican descent to win the world heavyweight championship in one of the biggest upsets boxing has ever seen, stopping the undefeated Anthony Joshua inside seven rounds at Madison Square Garden. A replacement opponent summoned on five weeks’ notice who went off as an 11-1 underdog, Ruiz came off the canvas in the third to knock Joshua down four times before the referee finally waved it off. Hailed as the “Mexican Rocky”, he was lionized as a border-straddling hero in his hometown of Imperial, the dusty agricultural community framed by the mountain ranges and flat deserts of south-eastern California. He made the late-night rounds , took an audience with Mexico president Andrés Manuel López Obrador and signed a $10m guarantee when Joshua activated his rematch clause. The money, cars, fame and women arrived all at once. Continue reading...
British army told to halt non-essential training exercises to save money
Collective training exercises for UK-based units to be suspended for most of this year amid budget pressures The British army has been ordered to halt non-essential training exercises in an effort to save money. Troops preparing to be deployed or on deployments, those who are on standby or in a quick-reaction role will continue to train as normal. But collective training exercises for UK-based units are being suspended for most of this year amid budget pressures. Continue reading...
Charles Perrottet denies asking brother as premier to appoint cabinet minister, Icac hears
Charles says claims by developer Jean Nassif in an intercepted phone call that ‘we’re reshuffling the government’ did not reflect promises allegedly made to Nassif Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The younger brother of Dominic Perrottet has denied asking his brother to appoint a cabinet minister to achieve outcomes for a property developer, a corruption inquiry has heard. Charles Perrottet told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Friday that claims made in an intercepted phone call featuring developer Jean Nassif days before his brother became the NSW premier – in which Nassif described Dominic Perrottet as “my boy” – did not reflect promises allegedly made to Nassif. Continue reading...
Australian ski resorts to close up to a month early due to global heating and El Niño
‘Challenging’ weather conditions and lack of snowfall are being blamed after a winter that broke multiple heat records Major Australian alpine resorts are closing their ski operations up to a month early after a winter that broke multiple records for heat with limited snow falls being washed away by rain. Predictions in June that a building El Niño could combine with global heating for a challenging ski season came to pass , with seven resorts either already closed or announcing ski lifts will stop operating this weekend. Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...
UK has not done enough to prepare for shocks to food supplies, says watchdog
National Audit Office urges government to act as climate crisis, disease and cyberattacks pose growing risks The climate crisis, disease and cyber-attacks pose growing risks to the UK’s food supplies and the government needs to act to make the system more resilient, according to the public spending watchdog. The National Audit Office (NAO) is urging the Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) to work more closely with households, communities and businesses to ensure the flow of crucial food into the country can withstand supply shocks that are becoming increasingly common and severe. Continue reading...
Revealed: how companies ‘secretly’ use billions of litres of public water in drought-hit England
Exclusive: As millions of people face hosepipe bans, many companies are not required to report, let alone cut, use of public supply Less than 1% of businesses in England use more water than the daily needs of 10 million people, as millions of households face hosepipe bans and three-quarters of the country is in drought. Businesses across England use 2.6bn litres a day from the public water supply, which includes potable and non-potable water provided by water companies. In total, businesses account for about 30% of public supply use, with two-thirds of their consumption in water-stressed areas, according to Mosl, the organisation that operates England’s business water market. Continue reading...
President Javier Milei says ‘winds of change’ support Argentina’s claim to Falkland Islands
President cites Donald Trump’s suggestion that he might reconsider US support for British sovereignty, and threatens swifter sanctions on British oil interests President Javier Milei has said “winds of change favourable” to Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands were “blowing around the world” in a televised address, citing signs that Donald Trump might reconsider the US position on the islands’ sovereignty. “Recently, President Trump declared that the US is re-evaluating its historic position in relation to the Malvinas,” he said, using the Argentinian name for the islands. Continue reading...