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Jesse Marsch: ‘We Americans have been inundated with propaganda since we were young’

As he prepares to face his home nation, the Canada manager reflects on his adopted country’s soccer, its prime minister, and its place in the world

Peak leaf hasn’t yet arrived in Montreal but the bursts of gold and butterscotch up on the hill that gave this place its name still mushroom out by the hour.

Sitting in a glass-panelled hotel mezzanine at the foot of Mount Royal, Canada men’s coach Jesse Marsch has his mind on another harvest. When this extended autumnal international window ends he will decamp to Italy, where the olive crops at his Tuscan villa are ready for reaping.

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© Photograph: Chris Young/The Canadian Press/AP

© Photograph: Chris Young/The Canadian Press/AP

© Photograph: Chris Young/The Canadian Press/AP

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The desperate, failed attempt to keep one Florida district Black

Efforts to consolidate the Black vote here were frustrated, handing the Democratic nomination to a white party insider

A major plot line of the hyper-partisan, mid-decade redistricting arms races – launched at the urging of Donald Trump – has been the elimination of traditionally Black congressional seats in the south. In the midst of that battle, a subplot emerged: a challenge to one of those Black seats from inside the Democratic caucus itself as the veteran congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose own district was splintered, chose to seek re-election in Florida’s 20th congressional district, which had been represented for decades by a Black legislator.

Her candidacy and primary win raise prickly questions about the value of lived experience as a prerequisite for effective representation of minority communities, about how Black Democratic candidates should deal with friendly fire from non-Black opponents, and about internal economic vulnerabilities of so-called Black seats which are in districts where candidates generally raise less money than others.

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© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

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Trump sets off on midterm blitz – are his trademark rallies a liability for Republicans?

Rallies have been mainstay of president’s brand but even some in his own party fear voters are sick of the sight of him

“Get your asses in that car.” That was Donald Trump’s order, he later recalled, to his motorcade after foul weather grounded Air Force One in Texas on Thursday. The 85-mile dash to Oklahoma at nearly 100mph was proof that nothing can keep Trump from a Trump rally.

Which might not be the good news for Republicans it once was. As the US president embarked on a 32-day campaign blitz aimed at helping them defend narrow congressional majorities in next month’s midterms, some fear that he is driving them towards an electoral wipeout.

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© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

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Hegseth is obsessed with testosterone therapy. If anything, I’d like the opposite | Dave Schilling

Maybe the key to life is being able to bench press 300lb at 75. But do we need more muscle-bound, angry guys around?

I loathe going to the doctor.

Not a controversial opinion, compared to some of the other ones in this section of the Guardian. I’m not exactly arguing for universal basic income or for Manchester City to be relegated to the Saudi Pro League here. No one looks forward to a doctor visit, with its recriminations for bad habits or various intrusive blood tests. People don’t have cocktail parties to celebrate their yearly check-up, and yet, it seems like every day, there’s a new reason to go get prodded by a stranger in a lab coat.

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© Illustration: Fortunate Joaquin/The Guardian

© Illustration: Fortunate Joaquin/The Guardian

© Illustration: Fortunate Joaquin/The Guardian

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Republicans say they hate communists. So why do they like Donald Trump?

Trump supporters may be surprised to learn the state takeover of means of production is not driven by the left

Americans will never accept the Democratic party’s slide to the left, or so desperate Republicans are hoping.

With the midterm elections fast upon us, Zohran Mamdani’s promise of a few city-run bodegas in New York City will scare the bejeezus out of middle America. Disgust over the democratic socialists’ unicorn-and-puppy promises of a world without capitalism will keep the Republicans in power.

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© Photograph: Mark Makela/Getty Images

© Photograph: Mark Makela/Getty Images

© Photograph: Mark Makela/Getty Images

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Trump wants control of the entire western hemisphere. Brazil might become his biggest prize | Steve Bloomfield

While the US president’s meddling could win Brazil’s election for the right, curbing gang violence is what voters care about

Donald Trump has enjoyed very few foreign policy victories since returning to power. From failed wars to failed peace processes, his second term in office has been marked by one costly blunder on the world stage after another. In Latin America, though, the US president has a different story to tell.

His administration’s national security strategy outlined how the US wanted to “restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere”. It was a brazen document, laying out how his government would interfere in the political life of countries it considered part of its sphere of influence, rewarding governments and movements that are “broadly aligned with our principles and strategy”.

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© Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images

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Jacob Rees-Mogg accuses Tucker Carlson of ‘verging on defending Hitler’

Former Tory minister defends UK decision to enter war in podcast with US rightwinger and Putin sympathiser

The former Tory minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has found himself defending Britain’s decision to fight against Adolf Hitler after inviting the US rightwinger and Vladimir Putin sympathiser Tucker Carlson into his home for an interview.

During the encounter, Carlson repeatedly suggested the west was to blame for inviting aggression from Russia and said of the prospect that Britain could have lost to Hitler: “Who cares?”

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© Composite: Chip Somodevilla, Leon Neal/Getty Images

© Composite: Chip Somodevilla, Leon Neal/Getty Images

© Composite: Chip Somodevilla, Leon Neal/Getty Images

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Pennsylvania health officials brace themselves as measles outbreak expected to spread

Most counties don’t have their own health agencies, and some specific population groups have low vaccination rates

Pennsylvania is bracing for a wave of measles cases, with some public health officials concerned that it’s “only a matter of time” until the disease spreads beyond the outbreak’s epicenter.

Last week the state reported its fifth measles-associated death amid 943 confirmed cases across 39 counties. The outbreak comes amid concerns that public health in the US has been hit by increasing vaccine skepticism, especially due to the power and influence of controversial health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.

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© Photograph: Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

© Photograph: Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

© Photograph: Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

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The Tejano singer trying to win back Latinos who voted for Trump, one quinceañera at a time

Bobby Pulido has a strategy: show up at the 15th birthday parties that are a rite of passage in the Texas borderlands – and flip a key House district for Democrats

It took all of two minutes for Bobby Pulido’s electoral stealth weapon to come into play. The Tejano music star turned Democratic congressional candidate had barely begun canvassing in the high school football stadium in Edinburg, Texas, when a 15-year-old girl came rushing up to him.

“Señor Pulido! Señor Pulido!” she cried. A few months ago, she told him, he had made a surprise appearance at her quinceañera, the coming-of-age girls’ 15th birthday party that is a rite of passage in these US borderlands.

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© Photograph: Brenda Bazán/The Guardian

© Photograph: Brenda Bazán/The Guardian

© Photograph: Brenda Bazán/The Guardian

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Conservative US supreme court justice Samuel Alito hints at retirement in interview

Alito, 76, delivers comment in rare interview with CBS News scheduled to air on Monday

Samuel Alito, the conservative US supreme court justice, has said “I think I have to” contemplate retiring every year at his age.

Alito, 76, delivered that comment in a rare interview with CBS News scheduled to air on Monday, a little more than six months after a widely publicized hospital visit invited speculation about his potential retirement.

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© Photograph: Vincenzo Livieri/Reuters

© Photograph: Vincenzo Livieri/Reuters

© Photograph: Vincenzo Livieri/Reuters

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Cornell University to take ‘serious look’ at fraternities after rape allegations

Par : Reuters

Ivy League school’s president promises action after woman alleged she was drugged ⁠and raped by fraternity members

Cornell University will examine the role of fraternities and sororities on campus after an outcry over the school’s handling ⁠of a student’s rape allegations, the Ivy League school’s president has said.

A civil lawsuit filed last month by the woman, who ⁠alleges she was drugged ⁠and raped in ​2024 by several members of the Chi Phi fraternity, has prompted outrage and soul-searching at Cornell over its campus culture at the ⁠school in Ithaca, New York.

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© Photograph: Lauren Petracca/Reuters

© Photograph: Lauren Petracca/Reuters

© Photograph: Lauren Petracca/Reuters

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Cavan Sullivan’s stunner makes his youngest ever USMNT scorer in romp over Mexico

  • 17-year-old scores brilliant long-range chip

  • Julian Hall and Mailk Tillman also grab goals

  • US have scored 11 goals in last three games

The last time the United States and Mexico played at this building, Jimmy Conrad and Landon Donovan provided the goals in one of several 2-0 wins for the US. On Saturday, the US squad included eight players who hadn’t yet been born when that happened.

This young US team went one better than their forebears, though, silencing a sizable pro-Mexico contingent in a composed 3-0 triumph that fully announced the arrival of an exciting new generation of players. Cavan Sullivan, just a few days after turning 17, became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the program with an eye-catching long-range chip. Julian Hall, 18, scored his third goal in as many games. Malik Tillman capped the scoring in the 85th minute, humbling a 10-man Mexico after they’d opened the match with far more strength.

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© Photograph: Vanessa Luna/ISI Photos/Getty Images

© Photograph: Vanessa Luna/ISI Photos/Getty Images

© Photograph: Vanessa Luna/ISI Photos/Getty Images

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Cavan Sullivan and Julian Hall lead USMNT to 3-0 win over Mexico – as it happened

Sullivan became the youngest-ever goalscorer in USMNT history, while Mexico self-implodes with mistakes and a red card. Read Alexander Abnos’ play-by-play.

The players are in the tunnel. The lights are flashing. The little kids are getting high fives. It must nearly be kickoff time.

A really interesting note from Pardeep Cattry at CBS Sports: This will be the first time Gio Reyna has started six consecutive matches for club or country since 2020.

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© Photograph: Omar Vega/USSF/Getty Images

© Photograph: Omar Vega/USSF/Getty Images

© Photograph: Omar Vega/USSF/Getty Images

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Episcopal bishop who urged Trump to ‘have mercy’ to resign post in Washington DC

Mariann Budde gained national attention for calling on US president to consider immigrants and LGBTQ+ people

Rev Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington DC who gained national attention when she called on Donald Trump to “have mercy” on the country’s immigrants and LGBTQ+ community after his second inauguration, is resigning.

Budde shared in her resignation letter that she will be leaving her post on 3 June 2028 after the consecration and ordination of the new diocesan bishop.

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© Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

© Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

© Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

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USMNT v Mexico today: how to watch, TV channels & live stream Saturday 3 October

How will the USA and Mexico fare today? Here is what to know, including kick-off time, TV channels and live stream options

Mauricio Pochettino’s youthful revolution continued with a 4-2 win for the US men’s national team over Chile in St Louis just a few days after an even more complete 4-2 victory against Peru. A high standard has been set by the next generation.

A clash with Mexico, however, will be something the likes of Cavan Sullivan, Mathis Albert and Julian Hall have never experienced before. There is no such thing as a friendly match when the USA and El Tri meet.

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© Photograph: Taylor Nickerson/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Taylor Nickerson/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Taylor Nickerson/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

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Trump appears to share personal phone number of US senator in ploy to push permanent daylight savings

US president urges Americans to call Tom Cotton to support bill to make daylight saving time permanent

Donald Trump on Saturday put pressure on the US senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas to support a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, urging Americans to call what appeared to be the personal cellphone number of his fellow Republican and the chair of the Senate intelligence committee.

The Sunshine Protection Act passed the House in July, but it faces roadblocks in the Senate, where some Republicans are strongly opposed to it. Proponents, including the president and his administration, argue that the change would provide more daylight during the times that Americans are most active. Detractors said permanent daylight saving time would lead to darker and potentially more hazardous winter mornings when children will be waiting for school buses and parents will be driving to work in darkness.

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© Photograph: REX/Shutterstock

© Photograph: REX/Shutterstock

© Photograph: REX/Shutterstock

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Tennessee’s top prison official resigning after botched execution of Christa Pike

Frank Strada leaving position as state launches independent investigation into what went wrong

Tennessee’s top prison official is stepping down in the aftermath of the failed execution of death row prisoner Christa Pike, the state’s governor Bill Lee announced Saturday.

Frank Strada, the department of correction commissioner, will leave his position later in October as the state launches an independent investigation into what went wrong during Wednesday’s botched execution of Pike, according to Lee.

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© Photograph: George Walker IV/AP

© Photograph: George Walker IV/AP

© Photograph: George Walker IV/AP

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US Coast Guard searches for missing air ambulance off coast of Massachusetts

The plane was undertaking a medical evacuation from Bermuda with six people onboard when it lost contact

The US Coast Guard said late on Saturday it had found debris from a medical transport aircraft off the shore of ⁠Massachusetts’ Nantucket Island and ⁠was searching for ​the six people who were on board.

The jet lost contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during a flight from Bermuda to Boston on Saturday morning. In a statement to the Guardian, an FAA spokesperson said that the agency issued a search-and-rescue alert notice for a Gulfstream G-100 at about 1.20am local time Saturday.

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© Photograph: AP

© Photograph: AP

© Photograph: AP

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Florida jury finds ex-sheriff’s deputy not guilty in shooting death of Black air force airman

Roger Fortson was shot by deputy when he opened door with gun in hand after a false domestic disturbance call

A Florida jury recently found former sheriff’s deputy Eddie Duran not guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in the fatal shooting of Roger Fortson, a Black US air force airman who was killed inside his apartment after authorities responded to an unfounded report of a domestic disturbance.

An Okaloosa county jury acquitted Duran, 38, on Thursday after about two hours of deliberations. He had faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

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© Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

© Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

© Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

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Shop clerk and son charged with selling illegal kratom after two Ole Miss students die from suspected overdoses

Aidan Hamilton and Robert Strang died after apparently ingesting kratom product last month

Federal authorities investigating the recent deaths of two University of Mississippi students have charged a store clerk and his son with selling an illegal kratom product, prosecutors announced on Friday.

A drug taskforce in Mississippi had previously urged people to avoid kratom, an herbal substance that acts as a stimulant at low doses and a sedative at high doses, after authorities found packages of kratom derivatives while investigating the deaths on 21 September.

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© Photograph: Joe Burbank/AP

© Photograph: Joe Burbank/AP

© Photograph: Joe Burbank/AP

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TSA to prohibit airport security officers from sitting down while checking travelers’ IDs

TSA says rule change is meant to keep officers ‘alert’, but union says it ignores safety and ‘common decency’

US airport security officers who verify boarding passes and IDs ahead of security checkpoints will no longer be allowed to sit down while working.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was moving forward with this change in policy to keep officers “alert”, the agency confirmed recently.

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© Photograph: Nam Y Huh/AP

© Photograph: Nam Y Huh/AP

© Photograph: Nam Y Huh/AP

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Florida court reverses felony murder charge for death of baby left in hot car

Rhonda Jewell was sentenced to 17 years for forgetting 10-month-old Ariya in car’s back seat, leading to child’s death

A state appeals court in Florida reversed the felony murder conviction of a woman who accidentally left a baby in her car, resulting in the child’s death.

In July 2023, while babysitting four children from two different families, 46-year-old Rhonda Jewell forgot 10-month-old Ariya Paige was in the back of her car, and went inside to care for the other kids. Strapped into her carseat in the Florida summer heat, Ariya died of hyperthermia before Jewell realized her mistake. Jewell was convicted the following year of third-degree felony murder, predicated on the underlying felony of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. She was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

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© Photograph: MacArthur Justice Center

© Photograph: MacArthur Justice Center

© Photograph: MacArthur Justice Center

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Trump says US to send one-time $90 payment to 20m seniors enrolled in Medicare

Par : Reuters

President says payments, to be sent in early October, are meant to offset cost of monthly insurance premiums

Donald ⁠Trump has said the US government will send a one-time $90 payment to more than 20 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, the ⁠health insurance program for ⁠elderly people, ​to help offset the cost of their monthly medical insurance premiums.

The president said on social media late on Friday that the ⁠payments would come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, which he said was given $2bn by Congress to improve the Medicare fee-for-service program.

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© Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

© Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

© Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

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Southern California swelters as late-season heatwave smothers region

Temperatures expected to hover around 100F in downtown LA and even hotter inland, raising concerns about wildfires

Southern California faced scorching heatwaves this summer that made locals wonder what happened to their famed Mediterranean climate.

Now, the fall is bringing heatwaves too.

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© Photograph: Caroline Brehman/Reuters

© Photograph: Caroline Brehman/Reuters

© Photograph: Caroline Brehman/Reuters

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Soaring diesel prices take their toll on US farmers in midwest corn belt

Fuel costs are biting for crop growers, trucking firms and a host of other industries as Iran war stokes record prices

Joe Hamilton farms corn and soybeans on 2,500 acres in Indiana’s Delaware county. Next week, when his soybean harvest kicks off, four tractors, two combine harvesters and five semi-trucks will roar to life.

And with that, a record bill for about 9,000 gallons of diesel awaits him.

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© Photograph: Sarah Rice/Getty Images

© Photograph: Sarah Rice/Getty Images

© Photograph: Sarah Rice/Getty Images

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‘Trump? I think he’s a disaster’: Ohio voters aggrieved as president prepares to visit

President’s popularity has plummeted in solidly Republican state – will his presence at midterm rallies help or hinder?

Kelly Savage-Radich grew up in a Republican-supporting Ohio family and voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. But today the mother of three, who lives in a Montgomery county suburb of Dayton, is facing the prospect of having to sell one of her family’s vehicles due to the high cost of gas. Her grocery bill has gone up about $100 a week.

She lays the blame squarely at the Trump administration’s door.

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© Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters

© Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters

© Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters

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The DSA has a believability problem with older Black voters. But young people want to take more risks

Black voters reveal a generational divide, with younger voters drawn to the Democratic Socialists of America, and older voters focused on what can realistically be achieved

One of the most heated debates in the Democratic party is how left it should go – especially after a year that has seen several democratic socialists win their primary races. Moderate Democrats worry that left-wing candidates will struggle to win general elections, while progressive voters want fresh solutions to healthcare and the rising cost of living. But largely left out of this debate is one of the most critical bases of the party: Black voters.

A Pew Research Center study found that among Democrats, only 21% of Black voters are likely to positively view candidates who align with democratic socialists, compared to 40% of white, 30% of Asian, and 20% of Hispanic voters.

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© Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

© Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

© Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

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Pete Hegseth just took his personal crusade to a new level | Arwa Mahdawi

The US defense secretary who hates ‘beardos, weirdos and wimps’ has announced an Office of Religious Affairs at the Pentagon

Apart from money and McDonald’s, there’s nothing Donald Trump seems to love more than a “big, beautiful” wall. The government is currently spending billions of taxpayer dollars to fulfill the president’s fantasy of lining the US-Mexico border with 30ft steel bollard walls and high-tech surveillance.

What the Trump administration is apparently not so keen on is the wall of separation between church and state. While the president may hawk bibles as a side hustle, he is not exactly devout; he serves only mammon. The top levels of his government, however, are stuffed full of religious fanatics who appear hellbent on remaking the country as a Christian theocracy.

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist

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© Photograph: Alex Wong/Pool Getty Images North America/AP

© Photograph: Alex Wong/Pool Getty Images North America/AP

© Photograph: Alex Wong/Pool Getty Images North America/AP

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‘It’s enraging’: lawmakers call for action after Guardian investigation into convenience store overcharges

Congress members say pricing practices at 7-Eleven and Circle K stores underscore everyday Americans’ affordability struggles

Five US House members have called out pricing practices at the US’s two largest convenience store chains in response to an investigation by the Guardian.

The Guardian found that 7-Eleven and Circle K stores frequently charge customers more at the register or pump for snacks, gas and other items than the prices they promise on the shelf or on outdoor fuel signs.

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© Photograph: Liz Moskowitz/The Guardian

© Photograph: Liz Moskowitz/The Guardian

© Photograph: Liz Moskowitz/The Guardian

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Outgoing prison chief in Christa Pike case oversaw five ‘botched’ executions, lawyers say

Par : Sam Levin

Frank Strada will leave role next month after uproar over execution attempt, which sent Pike to hospital in critical condition

Tennessee’s prison chief is resigning after the failed execution of Christa Pike, which lawyers say was the fifth “botched” execution under his leadership across two states since 2022.

Frank Strada, the commissioner of the Tennessee department of correction, has faced mounting questions about the state’s highly secretive death penalty protocols since Wednesday evening when Pike became the first death row prisoner in the US to to be injected with lethal drugs and survive.

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© Photograph: Mark Humphrey/AP

© Photograph: Mark Humphrey/AP

© Photograph: Mark Humphrey/AP

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A billionaire is one of Trump’s loudest critics. Will Democrats send him to the White House?

As the Illinois governor seeks a third term, his growing national profile has fueled speculation about a possible White House bid

When Donald Trump returned to power, 20 long months ago, some state leaders wrung their hands, worrying what explicit resistance might cost their citizens – and their careers – during the second term of a vengeful president. JB Pritzker was not among them.

Two days after Trump’s re-election, the Democratic governor of Illinois warned the president would need to “come through me” to reach the people of his state. He waited all of 30 days after the inauguration before drawing a comparison with Nazi Germany.

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© Illustration: Guardian Design / Getty Images

© Illustration: Guardian Design / Getty Images

© Illustration: Guardian Design / Getty Images

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We live in a rape-prone society. The horrific Cornell case reveals what that looks like | Rebecca Solnit

Public outcry to punish the alleged perpetrators in the Cornell case misses the point – the only solution is political, legal and cultural equality of women

Sometimes a story is so so appalling, it captures the public’s attention, including the attention of people who don’t focus on the issue otherwise. Such is the case with the alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University.

For feminists who focus on violence against women or anyone who has ever cared about campus rape, the claims made in Jane Doe’s civil lawsuit against the alleged perpetrators may be unusual in its severity – but we know the statistics that show that somewhere between 20% and 25% of women college students will be the victim of a sexual assault (no statistics tell us what percentage of men students will be rapists).

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© Photograph: Lauren Petracca/Reuters

© Photograph: Lauren Petracca/Reuters

© Photograph: Lauren Petracca/Reuters

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‘It’s been hard’: families await the return of the USS Abraham Lincoln

Sailors’ relatives are relieved as the ship is expected to dock in San Diego this week after a record-breaking 250-plus days at sea

A mother in San Diego is counting down the days until her son comes home.

“I had a big sign made, welcoming him back,” she said. “I can’t wait to see him.”

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© Illustration: Guardian Design

© Illustration: Guardian Design

© Illustration: Guardian Design

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The American dream remains elusive in the valley that inspired East of Eden

John Steinbeck’s hometown of Salinas is the least affordable city in the US for the middle class, a recent Brookings Institution analysis found

Nestled between two mountain ranges at the crook of central California’s coastline sits a valley known as the “salad bowl of the world”.

Farm workers stoop over neatly lined rows of crops off Highway 101 to harvest more than half of the nation’s supply of lettuce and nearly a third of its strawberries. The soil here is so rich that author John Steinbeck made the Salinas valley the promised land in his literary depictions of people chasing the American dream: immigrants, farm workers, westward-moving hopefuls, hungering for a better life.

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© Composite: Rita Liu/The Guardian/Getty Images/Monterey County

© Composite: Rita Liu/The Guardian/Getty Images/Monterey County

© Composite: Rita Liu/The Guardian/Getty Images/Monterey County

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‘Elon is my prophet’: how Musk’s Doge team took a wrecking ball to Washington

When the new ‘department of government efficiency’ sent young techies to disrupt federal agencies, not everyone complied. Here’s what happened when one worker fought to protect immigrant data

In the early hours of Saturday 22 February 2025 the following email landed in the inboxes of the entire US federal workforce:

From: HR hr@opm.gov

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© Illustration: Justin Metz/The Guardian

© Illustration: Justin Metz/The Guardian

© Illustration: Justin Metz/The Guardian

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Cyclospora found at Mexican farm linked to lettuce outbreak, FDA says

Announcement from US officials comes after CDC declared end to outbreak that infected nearly 13,000 people

The Food and Drug Administration said on Friday its inspectors had detected cyclospora at the Mexican farm blamed for the largest foodborne illness outbreak of the parasite in US history.

FDA inspectors said Friday they found cyclospora in two places: a wastewater tank and a drainage ditch used for lettuce cultivation. They said it was unclear how the lettuce became infected.

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© Photograph: Daniel Becerril/Reuters

© Photograph: Daniel Becerril/Reuters

© Photograph: Daniel Becerril/Reuters

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Federal judge halts Big Bend border wall construction in blow to Trump agenda

Plan to install barriers through popular national park sparked outrage from advocates and politicians alike

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from expanding the border wall and other security infrastructure across the Big Bend region of west Texas, where contentious plans to build roads and vehicle barriers through a popular national park have led to furious backlash and public protests.

US district judge Kathleen Cardone’s ruling after a Friday hearing in El Paso deals a major blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to expand the border wall through west Texas at breakneck pace, while riding roughshod over the objections of local business owners, landowners, public land advocates and politicians from both parties.

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© Photograph: Scott McWilliams/AP

© Photograph: Scott McWilliams/AP

© Photograph: Scott McWilliams/AP

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DoJ declines to reopen investigation into former Fed chair Jay Powell

Par : Reuters

Kevin Warsh’s predecessor had been investigated over cost overruns related to central bank renovation project

The US ⁠justice department is not reopening a criminal investigation into former Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell ⁠for cost overruns ⁠related ​to the central bank’s building renovation project, a department spokesperson said on Friday.

Attorney general Todd ⁠Blanche – in comments to Bloomberg News, which first reported the development – said he has not ruled out ⁠continuing to look into the project’s oversight and potentially take ​action if evidence of ‌wrongdoing came to ‌light.

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© Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

© Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

© Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

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US sanctions three individuals and two charities over alleged Hamas financing

The justice and treasury departments said they sent $2m to Hamas through charities and cryptocurrency, while six people were arrested across the US and France

The Trump administration on Friday unveiled sanctions against three individuals allegedly related to the Islamist militant group Hamas and against two charities based in France while also announcing six arrests – actions that the government called an “extraordinary counter-terrorism work” to expose “a sophisticated, multi‑year financing architecture”.

Investigators alleged that the network moved more than $2m to Hamas “through deceptive charitable fronts and cryptocurrency channels”.

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© Photograph: Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images

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Partner of Gypsy Rose Blanchard found dead in Louisiana home

Kenan ‘Ken’ Urker, 34, who died of apparent drug overdose, was partner of woman convicted of murder of mother

The on-and-off partner of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who spent time in prison for her role in the murder of her abusive mother, was found dead inside his Louisiana home on his 34th birthday on Thursday in what authorities described as an apparent drug overdose.

The sheriff’s office in Lafourche parish, Louisiana, confirmed Kenan “Ken” Urker – the father of Blanchard’s daughter – was discovered on Thursday after relatives asked police to conduct a welfare check at his residence.

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© Photograph: Ken Urker via Instagram

© Photograph: Ken Urker via Instagram

© Photograph: Ken Urker via Instagram

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‘That’s 100% him’: new video shows police arrest of Luigi Mangione

Judge unseals bodycam footage from officers who responded to 911 from McDonald’s in Pennsylvania

Police bodycam footage released Friday shows the moment officers located and arrested Luigi Mangione at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s in connection with the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan.

In one video, officers ask Mangione to lower the face mask he was wearing to hide his identity.

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© Photograph: Altoona Police Department/AP

© Photograph: Altoona Police Department/AP

© Photograph: Altoona Police Department/AP

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Newly released bodycam video shows arrest of Luigi Mangione – video

Newly released police bodycam footage shows officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, approaching, searching and arresting Luigi Mangione at a McDonald's on 9 December 2024 in connection with the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The Guardian has edited the video from multiple cameras to show the moments of the arrest

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© Photograph: Atloona Police Department via AP

© Photograph: Atloona Police Department via AP

© Photograph: Atloona Police Department via AP

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Michigan state police rule out claim that Larry Nassar was removed from sex offender registry

Eaton county prosecuting attorney’s office had said court ruling forced removal of Nassar’s name – but he wasn’t on list because he was imprisoned out of state

Michigan has removed more than 20,000 entries from its sex offender registry, but convicted serial abuser Larry Nassar is not one of them – the former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor was not in that system, as a local prosecutor’s office claimed, because he was serving an out-of-state federal prison sentence, according to state police.

On 9 September, the Michigan supreme court ruled that the state’s Sex Offender Registration Act (Sora) cannot be applied retroactively to cases involving offenses committed before the law’s relevant date. Michigan’s state police, as a result, removed more than 20,000 people whose offenses occurred before 1 July 2011 from the agency’s online sex offender database.

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

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© Photograph: Matthew Dae Smith/AP

© Photograph: Matthew Dae Smith/AP

© Photograph: Matthew Dae Smith/AP

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Hundreds gather in Mississippi to protest Republican redistricting: ‘This fight is familiar territory’

Dozens of residents testify to legislature’s redistricting committee in heated hearing, the last of eight

Hundreds of people gathered across from the Mississippi state capitol building on Thursday evening to rally against the aggressive Republican efforts to draw maps that favor their own party.

Shortly after the US supreme court’s decision in Louisiana v Callais, which severely weakened section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Tate Reeves, the Mississippi governor, moved in lockstep with other Republican governors and lawmakers to call for a special session to redraw maps. However, before that special session could occur, Reeves canceled it and wrote on X that he expected “lawmakers to redraw congressional lines BETWEEN NOW and 2027 elections!”

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© Photograph: Rogelio V Solis/AP

© Photograph: Rogelio V Solis/AP

© Photograph: Rogelio V Solis/AP

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Hawaii’s centuries-old sea arch collapses into Pacific after series of rough storms

Hōlei sea arch, formed 550 years ago by erosion from ocean waves, no longer standing, National Park Service confirms

A famed centuries-old sea arch on Hawaii’s remote and rugged coastline has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean, the National Park Service confirmed on Friday, following a stretch of rough storms in the region in recent weeks.

The beloved landmark, Hōlei sea arch, stood at around 90ft high for over half a millennium in Hawaii’s Volcanoes national park, located on the dramatic southern coast of the Big Island. It was naturally formed around 550 years ago due to differential erosion by ocean waves.

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© Photograph: Janice Wei/ NPS Photo

© Photograph: Janice Wei/ NPS Photo

© Photograph: Janice Wei/ NPS Photo

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Republicans pull funding of Trump-backed Senate candidate in critical North Carolina race

Senate Leadership Fund is redirecting ad spending from Michael Whatley’s campaign to support other candidates

A major Republican political action committee pulled the plug on financial support for its Senate candidate in North Carolina, Michael Whatley, according to multiple reports, as the party begins to triage resources amid increasingly dire midterm polling.

The Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the campaign arm of the Senate majority leader, John Thune, has withdrawn its ad spending in North Carolina to redirect support to other candidates, Semafor reported on Friday. The New York Times, CNN and other publications have confirmed the report with sources close to the fund.

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© Photograph: Kent Nishimura/POOL AFP/AP

© Photograph: Kent Nishimura/POOL AFP/AP

© Photograph: Kent Nishimura/POOL AFP/AP

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Kennedy Center Honors awards moved to new venue amid Trump’s onslaught

Ceremony will not be hosted at its traditional home for the first time since awards began in 1978

The Kennedy Center Honors will take place away from its traditional home this year for the first time in its history as the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts remains in jeopardy amid Donald Trump’s ongoing battle to have it named after himself.

The Capital One Arena in Washington DC is now set to host the ceremony on 7 December, a Kennedy Center spokespersonsaid. The list of honorees this year has not yet been announced.

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© Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

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UCLA law school accused by justice department of illegally using race in admissions

University denies allegations, saying it is committed to making admissions decisions in compliance with all laws

The Department of Justice said on Thursday that the law school at the University of California, Los Angeles illegally considered race in admissions.

The announcement follows a similar accusation against the university’s medical school and comes as the Trump administration ramps up scrutiny of colleges’ processes for selecting students.

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© Photograph: Damian Dovarganes/AP

© Photograph: Damian Dovarganes/AP

© Photograph: Damian Dovarganes/AP

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Christa Pike remains on ventilator after failed execution in Tennessee

Attorneys say hospital staff are working to clear pentobarbital she was administered from her system

Christa Pike remained hospitalized, unconscious and on a machine helping her breathe after her failed execution in Tennessee, her attorneys said in a court filing Friday.

The attorneys said hospital staff were working to save Pike’s life and clear the pentobarbital she was administered from her system as of late Thursday.

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© Photograph: George Walker IV/AP

© Photograph: George Walker IV/AP

© Photograph: George Walker IV/AP

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