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Politics
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Michigan heckler the son of Republican adviser paid for ‘influencer marketing’ against El-Sayed
Timmy Teepell’s firm paid $250,000 by America Next, which has been trying to gin up ‘organic’ opposition to El-Sayed Man who heckled El-Sayed is former Josh Hawley aide, records show The man who attempted to ambush Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed with a question about his supposed allegiance to the Muslim Brotherhood – which El-Sayed parlayed into a viral clip for his campaign – is the son of a political operator who recently received $250,000 for “canvassing and influencer marketing” against El-Sayed, the Guardian has learned. In the now-famous exchange, a man – first identified by the Handbasket as Thomas “Tommy” Teepell – asked El-Sayed if he would “disavow” the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed said he would, but then asked: “What are you implying? Do you assume that I wouldn’t?” What followed was a five-minute exchange that has drawn over 50 million views across several social media platforms, in which El-Sayed queries the man about the guarantees of religious freedom in the constitution. Continue reading...
Curious black bear wanders around California library, sniffing books and stealing snacks – video
Security cameras captured the moment a black bear walks into the Mammoth Lakes branch of the Mono county free library in California before opening time, reportedly raiding the staff's snack supply and helping itself to a jar of honey. The surprise visit coincided with the 100th anniversary of the publication of AA Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh Black bear breaks into California library to raid snacks and eat jar of honey Continue reading...
US bans use of China’s DeepSeek AI tools by government agencies
Use of tools ‘may result in the transfer of sensitive data to (China)’, defense department says The US government on Monday ordered its agencies to stop using artificial intelligence (AI) tools from Chinese startup DeepSeek , as the countries race for dominance in the fast-moving sector. A notice from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the ban on products developed by DeepSeek – and tools created using DeepSeek by third parties – saying they must be removed from IT devices. Continue reading...
I’m a CTO. AI still needs your human expertise | Madhu Shashanka
AI is increasingly getting good at doing some tasks, but it can never replace human workers’ judgment Autonomous cars, which may be the safest we have built, keep getting easily avoidable parking tickets. While Waymos crash far less often than human drivers over tens of millions of miles, they’re still terrible at performing basic tasks – keeping out of disabled parking spots and tow-away zones, or steering clear of a church garage during Sunday service, according to the Wall Street Journal . That is the state of AI today: impressively capable at something complex, yet embarrassingly clumsy at something easy. And it has implications for what work will remain human and what will be automated by AI. Madhu Shashanka is co-founder, chief scientist and chief technology officer at Concentric AI, a data security software company Continue reading...
Trump continues midterm campaign blitz in North Carolina – US politics live
President to stump for Michael Whatley, who is facing an uphill battle against Democrat Roy Cooper for the Senate, as elections are just two weeks away Sign up for the Breaking News US email Welcome to the US politics live blog! I’m Shrai Popat and I’ll be bringing you the latest lines from Washington and beyond. We start today with Donald Trump’s upcoming to trip to Greenville, North Carolina – where he’ll stump for Michael Whatley , the Republican nominee for US Senate, facing an uphill battle against Roy Cooper , the state’s former Democratic governor who has consistently led Whatley in the polls for the open seat. Continue reading...
Giving £2 a day to people in the Amazon helps protect rainforest, pilot project finds
Researchers say almost 90% of participants in unconditional basic income scheme in Peru adopted environmentally beneficial practices A pioneering project to provide Indigenous people in the Peruvian Amazon with an unconditional basic income has contributed to the protection of the rainforest, according to a study. The analysis from the University of Bath is expected to contribute to a growing debate about the role of direct payments to communities that maintain globally important ecosystems. Continue reading...
Downtown datacenter? AI plan floated for boarded-up San Francisco mall
Developers propose turning San Francisco Centre into not a server-based facility but a ‘community-based AI exhibit’ Downtown San Francisco has shown signs of revival since being battered by the Covid pandemic, which led to what many called a “doom loop” of vacant buildings, a worsening homelessness crisis, and dwindling public transit. But one highly visible reminder of the city’s struggle to recover remains: the San Francisco Centre mall, which sits at the heart of these urban renewal efforts and has been conspicuously boarded up since January of this year. A number of ideas have been floated for the mall’s reopening, including a multi-level sports complex , housing , and more traditional retail uses . But now, another potential plan has emerged: the shuttered mall is being considered for an AI datacenter project, the San Francisco Chronicle reported . Continue reading...
Storm Austen forecast to hit southern UK
Yellow severe weather warning issued for first named storm of season with gusts of up to 60mph expected The first named storm of the season, Austen, is expected to bring gusts of up to 60mph to southern areas of the UK at the end of the week, forecasters said. While there would be spells of rain and showers for many on Tuesday and Wednesday, by Thursday Storm Austen would be approaching the south-west of the UK, the Met Office said. Continue reading...
UK to deploy fighter jets to protect Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks
RAF Typhoon fighters will fly defensive missions over cities and infrastructure, in extension of UK support for Riyadh RAF Typhoon fighters are to protect Saudi Arabia from attack by Yemen’s Houthis, flying defensive missions over the country’s cities and critical infrastructure, as western allies step up their intervention in the escalating conflict. The operation – the most significant military mission signed off by Andy Burnham as prime minister – will involve RAF pilots attempting to shoot down Houthi missiles and drones, after attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities. Continue reading...
‘It’s the most heartbreaking thing’: the active-duty soldiers who have to visit Texas food banks
Nearly half of enlisted families struggled to afford enough food last year. Congress has known for decades how to solve the problem • This article was produced with the Food & Environment Reporting Network , and supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project The Armed Services YMCA in Harker Heights, Texas, is a state-of-the-art facility, with a swimming pool, gym and coffee shop. There’s also a food pantry tucked away in a small room at the far end of a hallway on the second floor, where active-duty soldiers stationed nearby at Fort Hood can receive free groceries. More than a dozen pantries surround the army base, where about 40,000 soldiers are stationed. The pantry’s parking lot is where I found Miguel Pérez on a July morning, lugging a heavy reusable grocery bag to his pickup under the already blazing central Texas sun. Continue reading...
UK government failures led to Covid spreading ‘like wildfire’ in care homes, inquiry finds
Inquiry chair says failure to advise care homes to isolate people discharged from hospital was ‘significant oversight’ • UK politics live – latest updates The care sector was “an afterthought” during the Covid-19 pandemic, and government failures caused the virus to spread “like wildfire” among vulnerable and elderly people, a public inquiry has found. Heather Hallett, who is leading the Covid-19 inquiry, said it was a “significant omission” that the government did not advise that patients discharged from hospitals into care homes should be isolated, causing the virus to spread rapidly among residents and staff. Continue reading...
Solder-darity forever: how ‘fixit’ clubs are helping Americans save money and make new friends
Community repair clinics around the country are teaching people how to fix their belongings and push back against throwaway culture On a recent Monday night, a volunteer-run workspace in Brooklyn, New York, bustled with dozens of fixers. Some tinkered with sewing machines while others soldered circuit boards at a workbench. Caleb Young, co-founder of the Brooklyn Spark space, fit a DIY suction device on to the handle of a Dyson vacuum cleaner. “It’s in our culture to throw things away, but sometimes the fix is easier than you’d think,” Young said. Continue reading...
Thames Water creditors secure former Labour minister to drive rescue deal
Stricken UK water supplier lines up John Hutton as independent chair designate if takeover goes ahead The group of Thames Water creditors pursuing a £10bn rescue deal for Britain’s largest water supplier has lined up a former senior Labour minister to chair the company, as it tries to win over the government. The creditor consortium, called London & Valley Water, said on Tuesday that Lord John Hutton had been selected as independent chair designate of the Thames Water board, if the consortium’s takeover of the utility goes ahead. Continue reading...
Federal efforts over alleged noncitizen voting escalate with California arrests | First Thing
The DoJ has charged 28 green card holders in California, accusing them of fraudulently registering to vote. Plus, is the world really ready for AI actors? Good morning. The US Department of Justice has charged 28 green card holders in California, accusing them of fraudulently registering to vote and casting illegal ballots. The arrests – 11 people are in custody – mark the latest escalation in federal efforts against alleged noncitizen voting. The crackdown comes days after the DOJ sued California to block the state from tabulating certain ballots in November’s midterms. California’s secretary of state, Shirley Weber, called the demands “outrageous”, pointing out that federal officials have spent months making “vague and unsubstantiated allegations”. Democrats and voting rights groups say the administration is laying the groundwork to sow doubt over November’s election results. How are Congress members being targeted before the midterms? More than three dozen members of US Congress have had their offices targeted with envelopes containing white powder , less than three weeks before the election, as federal agents try to identify who is behind the campaign. What has Donald Trump said about the French protests? At a rally in Kansas Trump described France as a once-great nation that had been “conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists”. Earlier in the day, Trump repeated his baseless claim that migrants had “taken over” France, and also claimed that “Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon”. Muslims make up 10-15% of the population of the capital. Continue reading...
Kansas Senate race on a knife edge as Democrats aim to end 94 years of Republican dominance
Kansas has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1932 – does Adam Hamilton have the courage, brain and heart to cause an extraordinary upset? Just two years after Donald Trump won Kansas by 16 points in his fight to regain the White House, Republicans in the state are scrambling to retain their dominance. The battle for one of its two seats in the US Senate is too close to call, setting the stage for a potentially extraordinary upset. Some recent polls even put Democrat Adam Hamilton on course for a historic victory. Kansans have not sent a representative of the party to the US Senate since 1932. Continue reading...
We can stop Trump’s assault on the international criminal court | Kenneth Roth
Here’s what we need to do to stand up for international law Many applauded when Navi Pillay was awarded the Nobel peace prize. The South African human rights lawyer had chaired the UN commission of inquiry that found Israel to have committed genocide in Gaza and served for five years as a judge on the international criminal court (ICC). Donald Trump responded a few hours later by imposing sanctions on the ICC. He chose a moment for celebrating the rule of law to try to undermine it. Kenneth Roth is a Guardian US columnist, a senior fellow at Yale University and a former executive director of Human Rights Watch. He is the author of Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments Continue reading...
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani launches India’s biggest-ever IPO
Low-cost broadband provider Jio Platforms aims for £81bn valuation when it floats on the stock market on Wednesday Business live – latest updates India’s second-richest man, Mukesh Ambani, is launching what could be the country’s biggest-ever initial public offering (IPO), despite a stock market downturn. Mumbai-based Jio Platforms, a telecoms company backed by Meta Platforms and Google, is hoping to raise up to 302bn rupees (£2.4bn) and is targeting a 10.3tn rupees (£81bn) valuation when it floats on the stock market from Wednesday. Continue reading...
Millions unable to use Revolut app or cards as company suffers ‘service disruption’
UK banking company insists customers’ funds and data are safe despite problems with sign-in, card payments, transfers and withdrawals Business live – latest updates Revolut customers have been unable to access their money after the banking app went down, affecting a number of services including card payments, cash withdrawals and transfers. The UK banking company said its app was down because of a “service disruption” affecting several services, but insisted that customers’ funds and data were safe. Continue reading...
Man facing three charges over alleged attack on MP Helen Haines
Victoria police arrested the 43-year-old Tarrawingee man on Monday afternoon after the incident in Wangaratta Who is Helen Haines, the MP allegedly attacked in Victoria? Brendan Nugent’s family say Haines has been their friend for more than 20 years Get our new political email , free app or daily news podcast Helen Haines’ alleged attacker, Brendan Nugent, has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally cause serious injury and the Commonwealth offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official. He will be held overnight to appear at Wangaratta magistrates’ court on Wednesday, Victoria police confirmed in a statement. Continue reading...
NBA 2026-27 season predictions: A Knicks repeat and LeBron’s villain arc
Our writers give their verdicts on the new season, which tips off Tuesday. Who will claim the title? And which youngster will make the superstar leap? Seeing all the fruits borne of an incredible summer of player movement. It feels like three years ago that Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Heat, because since then, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James went to the 76ers , and a ton of other deck chairs were reshuffled. This is the most intriguing NBA opening week in eons. Claire de Lune Continue reading...
Serbian prosecutor who investigated Belgrade Trump tower project ‘targeted with spyware’
Apparent attempt to hack Rade Bajić’s iPhone comes amid efforts to undermine landmark criminal case A Serbian prosecutor who investigated the authorities’ allegedly illegal scheme to help the Trumps build a tower in Belgrade has been targeted with advanced spyware, expert analysis indicates. The finding suggests a disturbing new element in the authoritarian Serbian regime’s campaign to undermine what is believed to be the first criminal case related to global moneymaking drive of the US president’s family, which critics describe as a “pay to play” scheme trading the Trump administration’s favour for business opportunities. Continue reading...
Ex-Greens co-leader urges council groups to reject Zionism policy
Exclusive: Adrian Ramsay calls conference motion a distraction and says councillors should maintain coalitions where possible UK politics live – latest updates Adrian Ramsay, the former co-leader of the Greens, has urged his party’s councillors to reject the newly adopted “Zionism is racism” motion if it will help them stay in power in local government, in a fresh sign of internal dissent over the policy. Ramsay, one of the Greens’ five MPs, said he was pleased that a number of Green council groups had already condemned the policy, which was adopted at the party’s conference and also calls for a single Palestinian state in place of Israel. Continue reading...
French cities ‘calm overnight’ after targeted curfews, prime minister says – Europe live
Sébastien Lecornu suggests more curfews could be introduced to quell unrest after weekend protests A 40-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of being involved in the arson attack that ravaged Limoges town hall over the weekend, French media reported. The man is reportedly a “far-left activist” with a prior record that saw him placed on the security services’ watchlist, according to Le Figaro. Continue reading...
Badenoch says Healey’s budget will be worse than Reeves’s if he doesn’t slash spending – UK politics live
Conservative leader to give a speech later, while Treasury sources say Healey has ruled out a rise in capital gains tax Good morning. John Healey , the chancellor, is delivering his first budget a week tomorrow, and this morning there are two news developments that will help to frame the way it is received. The most important is on the front page of the Times, where Steven Swinford has a story firming up that has already been hinted that: that Healey has decided not to raise capital gains tax in the budget. This is significant because a capital gains tax hike was for a while seen as the government’s preferred money-raising ploy, not least because several senior figures in the cabinet were lobbying for one earlier this year. But now it is off the table, according to Swinford. He says: Senior allies of Andy Burnham, including several cabinet ministers, have been pressing for a rise in capital gains tax on the sale of second homes, shares and other assets to help repair the public finances. However, the chancellor has ruled this out after warnings that it could ultimately cost the government money if wealthy individuals left the UK or deferred selling assets … John Healey is not Rachel Reeves. Many people see that as an improvement. Continue reading...