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Rodman rule has been revised but the fight to keep stars in the NWSL goes on | Moving the Goalposts
Gone are the eight criteria to be a High Impact Player so clubs can spend their money on whichever player they want – and the solution makes sense When Washington plays Chicago this Sunday in DC, “Rowdy Audi” will probably be full. It will also be full when the post-season starts, should they lock up their top-four position with a positive result on Decision Day. Equipped with an accessible stadium in a big city, a proud fanbase, and a formidable roster rife with players qualifying for the High Impact Player (HIP) rule’s initial criteria (including Trinity Rodman, who gave the rule its moniker), the Spirit hold sway in the attendance charts. But starting next season, everyone on the Spirit will qualify for the “Rodman Rule” . So will every player in NWSL. Announced Friday, NWSL settled a grievance with the league’s Players Association, who argued that the initial criteria violated federal labor law. Continue reading...
Minnesota officials surveilled activists urging closure of waste incinerator, emails show
Local officials tried to grow close to activist groups and collected information that was then shared with industry Newly released emails show local government officials in Minneapolis have quietly surveilled environmental justice activists who are working to close a controversial waste incinerator that is emitting pollution into low-income neighborhoods around it, activist groups allege. County officials sent an employee who is also an environmental justice activist to collect intelligence, among other tactics, emails show. The information was then used to help successfully kill state-level environmental legislation opposed by the incinerator’s leadership, and try to stay one step ahead of activist campaigns and protests. In another instance, a county employee presenting himself as an ally allegedly tried to obtain the identity of a whistleblower, a recording shows. Continue reading...
It’s easy to see through Trump’s Ukraine ploy | Kenneth Roth
In advance of the midterms, Trump is blaming Kyiv for high gas prices while making clear moves to support Russia As the US midterms approach, Donald Trump is abandoning Ukraine’s democracy in a desperate effort to deny responsibility for worsening inflation. Yet this past weekend’s dramatic elections in Brazil and Serbia show that voters can see through such subterfuge. There is nothing like a political party’s corrupt indifference to the plight of ordinary people to galvanize voter turnout. If US voters follow in the footsteps of their Brazilian and Serbian counterparts, a Democratic landslide is likely. Continue reading...
‘Solidarity among young people’: four lessons the US can learn from the youth protests in France
Despite structural differences between countries, protests are a reminder of what makes demonstrations so powerful Since mid-September, students in metropolitan France have been mobilizing against poor conditions in public high schools. The mouvement lycéen has spread from a single campus in a Parisian suburb to include high schoolers and university students nationwide, with public sector workers, climate activists, labor unions and everyday people joining in solidarity. The unifying concerns have largely centered on the climbing costs of daily life, shrinking funds for social services and general anxiety about the future. For two weekends running, France has seen hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets: first on 17 October, when a day of largely peaceful gatherings ended in looting and vandalism; then on 24 October, as the state met the movement with aggressive policing and protest bans intended to keep people at home. Continue reading...
Rare love letters to French aristocrat shed light on Louis XVI maritime mystery
‘Miracle’ cache of letters written by French scientist who died in ill-fated La Pérouse mission give personal account of 1785 voyage As he prepared to climb the scaffolding to be publicly executed by guillotine on 21 January 1793, Louis XVI is reported to have asked: “Is there news of Monsieur de la Pérouse?” He was referring to Jean-François de Galaup, the count of Pérouse , a naval officer and navigator whom the French king had dispatched in 1785 on a round-the-world scientific mission to rival discoveries made by the English explorer Captain James Cook. Continue reading...
Poundland on brink of administration, with 12,000 jobs at risk
Owner Gordon Brothers files notice of intent to begin process after rejecting management-backed rescue bid Business live – latest updates The owner of Poundland has said it is preparing to appoint administrators, putting up to 12,000 jobs at risk at the retail chain across the UK and Ireland. Gordon Brothers filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators at the high court on Wednesday night, with the advisory firm Alix Partners lined up to run the process. The legal measure, which is expected to be approved by a court on Thursday, protects Poundland from the demands of creditors for 10 days while a solution to its problems is sought. Continue reading...
Europe’s central bank chief Christine Lagarde to step down nine months early
Departure of Lagarde, seen as candidate to take over World Economic Forum, comes as eurozone struggles with weak growth and inflation Christine Lagarde, the eurozone’s top central banker, is stepping down nine months early. The European Central Bank announced on Thursday morning that Lagarde would step down as its president on 7 February 2027; her term was scheduled to run until the end of October next year. Continue reading...
Trump and Obama trade barbs on campaign trail in final days before midterm election – US politics live
Former president says ‘these are not serious people’ as Trump holds rallies for Republican candidates Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. President Trump and the former president Barack Obama have continued to trade barbs on the campaign trail, with less than a week to go before congressional races that could shift the balance of power in Washington. A federal judge declined to order California election officials to segregate ballots from people the Trump administration claimed were non-citizens, rebuffing a legally thin request from the justice department that appeared designed to cast doubt over the results of the midterms. Jason Turkish , who is engaged to Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens , appeared at a campaign event for Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in Michigan and told reporters he was voting for the Republican, not Democrat Abdul El-Sayed , who narrowly defeated Stevens in the Democratic primary. A heckler disrupted Trump’s speech in Ohio by shouting “Trump went on the Jeffrey Epstein plane!” The president then congratulated himself for banning his friend of at least 17 years from his beach club. “I threw Jeffrey Epstein out of a club like 20 years ago, because I thought he was a whack job,” Trump said. Continue reading...
Lloyds executive criticises Healey for linking bank tax rises to energy bill support
Bank’s chief financial officer hopes measure in budget is temporary as sector provides loans that could fuel growth A top Lloyds Banking Group executive has criticised the chancellor for linking bank tax increases to energy bill support for UK households, as he warned the government against extending the higher levy beyond March 2028. Lloyds’ chief financial officer, William Chalmers, acknowledged that the economic environment was “challenging but said this should not come at the expense of the banking sector, as it provides loans that could fuel UK growth. Continue reading...
Trump’s plea – ‘pretend I’m on the ballot’ – deserves to backfire | Margaret Sullivan
With his poll numbers tanking and his behavior getting odder, the remark seems more appealing to himself than to voters As he criss-crosses the nation, stumping for Republican candidates, Donald Trump keeps asking voters to use their imaginations. “In this election, I’m asking you to pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot. Just pretend,” he urged at a Kansas rally as he campaigned for the incumbent senator Roger Marshall and gubernatorial challenger Ty Masterson last month. Continue reading...
Democratic lawmakers decry Osha’s push to roll back worker respiratory protections
Elizabeth Warren and others joined by unions and industry experts in warning against the weakening of regulations The senator Elizabeth Warren , the congresswoman Ilhan Omar and several other Democratic lawmakers are calling on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha) to abandon a rollback of respirator mask regulations, a change the lawmakers say would weaken worker protections against hazardous substances. Under the proposed rules, employers would face fewer requirements to provide workers with respirators masks when working with substances including “lead, asbestos, formaldehyde and inorganic arsenic, among other chemicals”, the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the Osha assistant secretary, David Keeling, a former UPS and Amazon executive. Continue reading...
New elementary school in Texas named after beloved longtime school custodian
Marilyn Hampton, who regularly bought supplies for and gave rides to children, was honored at public meeting US schools are often named after presidents, historical figures and civil rights leaders. And soon joining those ranks is a retired longtime Texas school custodian known for going above and beyond her duties by buying classroom supplies for children in need and helping students with their assignments. That heartwarming story centers on Marilyn Hampton, whose former employer of 39 years – the Aubrey independent school district (AISD) – recently moved to rename its new elementary school No 5 in her honor. Continue reading...
New Mexico megachurch endorses Republican candidates, testing federal ban
Legacy Church’s endorsements violate law banning tax-exempt nonprofits from endorsing political candidates A megachurch in New Mexico has endorsed two Republican candidates running in this year’s midterms, including a Donald Trump-backed candidate running in one of the blue state’s few competitive races. The church’s endorsements, which violate federal law banning tax-exempt nonprofits from endorsing political candidates, come as the Trump administration is challenging that ban in federal court. In mid-August, pastor Steve Smothermon of Legacy Church, a nondenominational church with nine locations across the state, told his congregation about one of the candidates: “Greg Cunningham has faithfully served our church for 14 years and shares our biblical values. Let’s pray for him, support his campaign, get registered, and vote to flip this seat for someone who will stand for God, our Constitution, and a better New Mexico!” Continue reading...
FTC orders Delta, Uber and others to hand over data on algorithmic pricing
Regulator demands companies explain how and why they charge different prices for the same product or service The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is demanding some of the US’s biggest airlines, ride-share companies and retailers divulge how they are using algorithms and loyalty programs to target customers and drivers with different prices and wages. Nine companies – Delta, United, JetBlue, Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, Target and Walmart – were named in the inquiry, which comes after investigations and lawsuits alleging consumers are charged different prices based on their buying histories and drivers paid different fares based on their personal histories. Continue reading...
Was Ralph Nader right about (almost) everything? His challenge to Democrats ahead of the midterm elections
‘Really change things for the working class,’ the ex-presidential candidate says A corporate plutocracy. A broken healthcare system. Massive and widening inequality. Cash-soaked elections. Angry people struggling to pay their bills and disgusted with lawmakers in Washington DC . Nearly everything that pushed famed consumer-rights advocate Ralph Nader to launch the 2000 presidential run that made him a political pariah in Washington is front and center as the US gears up for the 2026 midterm elections. But this time, things are much, much worse. Continue reading...
Everybody hates Pat: is a cabal of college kids really trying to bring down ESPN’s star meathead?
Pat McAfee’s reaction to a few mild jokes shows how the ubiquitous ESPN personality is happy to whip up a crowd into a hostile frenzy but is terrified of any criticism It was all shaping up to be a golden year for Pat McAfee. The man who landed a five-year, $85m deal in 2023 to take The Pat McAfee Show to ESPN had cemented himself as the star attraction of the sports broadcaster’s bold new era of stunts, stupidity and memebrain swill . His persistently honking presence on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay had helped push ratings to new heights. ESPN executives were so impressed with McAfee they were reportedly in negotiations to award him a new contract worth between $60m and $65m a year; one even went so far as to describe him as a “generational” media talent. Then, over the weekend, disaster struck. A handful of college kids attacked him online ahead of his appearance with College GameDay at the University of Utah. Well, “attacked” is maybe overstating things: they made a few mild jokes at his expense . But it was all too much for ESPN’s brightest blimp. Suddenly, McAfee’s world came crashing down. His initial reaction, to be fair, was mild: “The university’s Instagram account posted something talking a little trash about me last night, which I certainly love,” he said ahead of the Utes’ clash with the Houston Cougars last week. Continue reading...
The NFL has a host of Hall of Fame caliber receivers. But which one is the best?
Quarterbacks in 2026 have a series of dazzling weapons at their disposal. We rank the best of the receivers in the NFL at the moment NB: We have restricted the list below to players in their prime years, so excellent, older receivers such as Mike Evans and Davante Adams have been left out. Continue reading...
‘Scattergun’ budget will still leave Britons facing higher energy bills, says leading thinktank
Healey’s bid to provide ‘breathing space’ over Iran war gives rich almost as much as poor, says Resolution Foundation Business live – latest updates Budget 2026: what it means for your wallet, your mortgage and your pay John Healey delivered a “scattergun” budget that did little to boost living standards and left Britain facing “a painful second half” of the parliament, a leading economic thinktank has warned. The Resolution Foundation said on Thursday that measures to ease household gas and electricity costs would still leave energy bills higher this year than during the last energy shock. Continue reading...
Healey accused of a ‘complete failure’ to target energy bill support at those most in need – UK politics live
Resolution Foundation says ‘poorest half of households will gain… just £14 more than the £144 received by the richest half’ Good morning. The day after the budget is often the moment when big initiatives announced by the chancellor the day before with a flourish start to unravel as experts pore over the small print. There is not much of that happening this morning – mainly because John Healey did not have any really big initiatives up his sleeve. Compared with a normal budget, his tax and spending initiatives were mostly relatively minor . That means that the opposition parties have been struggling to find things to attack, and so instead they have resorted to criticising Healey for what he did not do: slash welfare (the Tory/Reform UK solution), or join the EU’s single market (the Lib Dems’). Healey has given interviews to all the main broadcasters, which are playing out this morning, but they were recorded last night and they don’t have any sensational new revelations. As Rowena Mason reports, one of the top lines was Healey saying he would cut welfare spending before the election. It accuses Healey of a “complete failure” to target help with energy bills at those most in need. It says: The poorest half of households will gain £158 on average from cost of living support this year and next, just £14 more than the £144 received by the richest half – highlighting a complete failure to target help at those who need it most. It says long-term public spending plans imply a return to austerity. It says: Tight spending plans beyond 2028-29 imply departmental budgets will take more of the strain in the future. But if the 3% defence target is met and real health spending continues to grow at 2.6%, pencilled-in spending totals imply that funding for 13 ‘unprotected’ departments will fall to just 4.7% of GDP by 2031-32, close to the post-austerity historic low. It says people will get poorer between now and the end of the parliament. It says: Median real annual disposable incomes for working age households are set to grow by a paltry £600 over the course of the parliament. Worse still, those gains are already behind us. Between now (2026-27) and the end of the parliament (2028-29), typical incomes are forecast to fall in total by £1,050 (3 per cent). Continue reading...
One Nation accuses PM of trying to ‘exert undue political influence’ by offering David Farley an extra staffer
Pauline Hanson says Anthony Albanese made ‘unsolicited’ offer of adviser with $200,000 salary to one of her MPs Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, offered the One Nation MP David Farley an additional staff member in what the party has called an “unsolicited” move, made in an attempt to win over the new politician using taxpayer funds. In a statement posted on social media, Pauline Hanson claimed the move, which would cost taxpayers as much as $200,000 in additional salary, was an attempt to “exert undue political influence” over politicians. Continue reading...
Hello Kitty company cuts ties with Japanese spy show after China outcry
Sanrio ends association with TV drama Vivant after China says portrayal of ruthless Chinese agents is ‘deliberate smear’ The company behind the successful Hello Kitty franchise has apologised and ended its commercial tie-up with a Japanese TV drama after Chinese state media and netizens condemned the show’s “deliberate smears” against China. Sanrio, a Japanese firm whose characters are popular around the world, said in a post on the Chinese social media site Weibo that it had decided to end its association with the TV drama Vivant after concluding that it “contained elements inconsistent with Sanrio’s core values”. Continue reading...
Shell profits double to $10.8bn as Iran war pushes up profit margin on oil
Energy firm to return $5bn to shareholders as climate campaigners criticise high profits Shell has doubled its profits in the last quarter after the Middle East conflict drove up the price of oil and gas and created shortages in the global market. Shell reported on Thursday morning that it made an adjusted profit of $10.8bn (£8.1bn) in the July-September quarter, up from $5.432bn in the third quarter of 2025. The results beat analyst expectations for a rise to $10.33bn. Continue reading...
A three-year-old soccer prodigy went viral. The adults have already let him down
From Ms Rachel to Roc Nation, the internet embraced a Florida toddler. Police records reviewed by the Guardian complicate the story – and raise troubling questions There is real tragedy in this week’s story of the three-year-old Florida boy whose parents claimed he was so good at soccer that police were called to do what opposing defenders couldn’t . But it doesn’t lie where the outrage cycle wants you to think. It’s broader, implicates more people, and to me, is far more depressing. You may have seen the video by now. Here was a toddler with fabulous soccer talent, running end-to-end and scoring goal after goal against opponents who have seemingly just found their feet. The cameraman, later identified as the child’s father, loudly and proudly cheers his son on. Way to go, kid. Continue reading...
Reader Q&A: Our money and economics correspondents answer your Budget 2026 questions
The 2026 budget has been revealed; how will it affect you personally, will it change the country and has chancellor John Healey done enough to prepare for the challenges ahead? Our money and economics editors Hilary Osborne and Heather Stewart will be answering your questions from 3pm (GMT) today. Sign up or sign in to join the discussion. Post your questions in the comments below. Yesterday Chancellor John Healey gave his maiden budget under Andy Burnham’s leadership, announcing measures to cut energy bills funded by a windfall tax on banks. He characterised his plan as “ a budget built on fiscal discipline ” fit to face “global economic storms” that are driving up up energy prices. Does Healey’s budget represent a break with the past, or is the lower-than-expected tax on banks just another example of tinkering around the edges by another Chancellor fenced in by self-imposed fiscal rules? Continue reading...