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Dean of law school orders first amendment clinic to curtail core work, including on Atlanta Police Foundation caseThe dean at the University of Georgia's law school has ordered its first amendment law clinic to cease all work related to public records law - including a lawsuit against the Atlanta Police Foundation, the non-profit organization behind a planned $109m training center colloquially known as Cop City.Dean Peter B Bo" Rutledge gave the order to clinic director Clare R Norins within weeks of the clinic's February announcement that one of its attorneys would be representing the digital news outlet Atlanta Community Press Collective, or ACPC, and the Chicago-based digital transparency research organization Lucy Parsons Labs in a lawsuit against the police foundation. Both groups filed the suit after making numerous queries to the organization under Georgia's open records act, only to be ignored. Continue reading...

The managerial merry-go-round has started to spin, there are concerns in Atlanta and the rich keep getting richer in MiamiWelcome back to the Guardian's MLS Power Rankings, where I have a beef with your specific team and your specific team alone.Now, as a reminder, these aren't your standard, run-of-the-mill power rankings. We're still ranking teams from worst to first. But along with the rankings, we're diving deep into a handful of teams from around the league who are doing particularly interesting things. Continue reading...

Benediktas Gylys admits he was surprised by the rowdy behavior that came from the exhibit connecting people in the two citiesThe artist behind the controversial Portal" art exhibit that visually linked New York and Dublin in real-time, but was then closed due to rowdy and extreme behavior by the public using it, has admitted he was surprised by the reaction.Benediktas Gylys also vowed to continue with his project, which has the aim of connecting people and communities all over the world and is hoped to reopen soon. Continue reading...

Teenagers need and want good information about sex. The government's review, and this ideological tug-of-war, is failing themImagine a teenage boy, alone with his phone late at night. A message pings in from a pretty stranger, or even from the hacked account of a girl he already knows. Either way, it's crudely calculated to grab his attention. There will be pictures, tantalising promises of something even more explicit, if he'll send nudes in response. But if he does, the brutal trap springs shut.What follows is a demand for money, if he doesn't want the compromising pictures plastered all over the internet for everyone at school to see. Some boys (the vast majority of so-called sextortion victims are boys) try to pay up. The lucky ones panic and tell their parents. Tragically, a handful are known to have killed themselves rather than risk public humiliation.Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnistDo 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...

Tenth-grader who participated in social media challenge ingested too much chili pepper extract and died of cardiopulmonary arrestA Massachusetts teen who participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge on social media died from eating a large quantity of chili pepper extract and also had a congenital heart defect, according to autopsy results obtained by the Associated Press.Harris Wolobah, a 10th grader from the city of Worcester, died on 1 September 2023 after eating the Paqui chip as part of the manufacturer's One Chip Challenge". Continue reading...

Greg Abbott on Thursday pardoned Daniel Perry, who has been serving a 25-year sentence since 2023 murder convictionGovernor Greg Abbott of Texas issued a full pardon on Thursday to a former US army sergeant convicted of murder for fatally shooting an armed demonstrator in 2020 during nationwide protests against police violence and racial injustice.Abbott announced the pardon just minutes after the Texas board of pardons and paroles disclosed it had made a unanimous recommendation that Daniel Perry be pardoned and have his firearms rights restored. Perry has been held in state prison on a 25-year sentence since his conviction in 2023. Continue reading...

Thursday's trial was all about Michael Cohen - and attempts by Trump's lawyers to make him out to be a big fat liar

Vote to confer was a 50-38 decision as students and alumni protest at Biden being commencement speaker over handling of Gaza warMorehouse College faculty voted on Thursday to confer an honorary doctorate on Joe Biden during its upcoming graduation ceremony on Sunday, for which he plans to deliver the commencement address.The vote to confer the honorary doctorate was a 50-38 decision, with about a dozen faculty members abstaining ahead of the planned visit, which has prompted protests from some students, faculty and alumni over the president's handling of the war between Israel and Hamas. Continue reading...

Trump's former fixer was questioned by defense team in historic criminal trial

House Republicans seek recordings of classified documents case interviews, in what Democrats call a purely political' moveJoe Biden asserted executive privilege to stop House Republicans obtaining recordings of his interviews with Robert Hur, the special counsel who investigated Biden's retention of classified information after his time as a senator and as vice-president to Barack Obama.In a letter reported by the New York Times and other outlets on Thursday, the White House counsel, Edward Siskel, told the Republican chairs of the House judiciary and oversight committees: The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal - to chop them up, distort them and use them for partisan political purposes. Continue reading...

Former lawyer and fixer for Donald Trump is under fierce attacks on his credibility by the ex-president's legal team

Index has more than doubled since spring 2020 as investors hope for interest rate cuts following Federal Reserve inflation figuresThe Dow Jones industrial average briefly passed 40,000 points for the first time on Thursday, powered by strong quarterly results from corporate America and rising bets of interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.The uptick was short-lived, though, as the Dow closed slightly down from earlier in the day. The index closed at 39,869 - just under the 40,000 benchmark it surpassed earlier in the day. Continue reading...

Republican-controlled House judiciary committee moved forward with a resolution to hold attorney general in contempt

The assassination attempt has shocked the country, but reflects deep divisions there and across EuropeSlovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, is an immensely divisive figure who has helped polarise his country. But Wednesday's assassination attempt has rightly united figures from across the political spectrum and the world in condemnation. The shooting was not only an attack on the prime minister but, as his domestic opponents stressed, an attack on democracy itself.The background and motivation of this attack are not yet fully known. Ministers have suggested that the suspect now in custody was a lone wolf" who disagreed with the government's justice and media policies. But the case is widely seen as a shocking manifestation of the deep ruptures in Slovakian society. What happened yesterday was an individual act. But the tense atmosphere of hatred was our collective work," warned the outgoing president, Zuzana aputova - an opponent of Mr Fico who is stepping down after herself receiving death threats. It will also fuel concerns about extremism and attacks on politicians elsewhere in the continent. Continue reading...

Police clashed with students from a pro-Palestinian encampment, clearing it of students after it had stood for more than two weeks at the University of California.The demonstration at Irvine, about 40 miles (65 km) south of Los Angeles, is the latest in a series of campus protests across the United States over the war in Gaza in which activists have called for a ceasefire and the protection of civilian lives while demanding universities divest from Israeli interests

A 91-year-old man made the donation to a struggling rural station in Missouri: It's important to have a good fire department'A 91-year-old man has donated $500,000 to a tiny rural volunteer fire department in Missouri in an act of generosity that will transform the fortunes of the struggling organization, whose members have been using equipment from the 1980s.Sam Sloan, a resident of Calhoun, Missouri, donated the lump sum to the struggling department, KMBC first reported. Continue reading...

The shock of an assassination attempt could heal the deep divisions that Fico exploited, but the omens are not promisingA few years after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, known as the velvet divorce", the newly independent Slovakian state to the south was already a cause of concern. The US secretary of state at the time, Madeleine Albright, called it the black hole" of Europe.Eventually, in 2004 Slovakia joined the EU and Nato. The assumption then in the west was that the country, finally, had a settled identity and a settled set of alliances.John Kampfner is an author and broadcaster, and made the BBC World Service documentary Slovakia DividedDo 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...

Pet owners know what it's like to form long-lasting connections with complete strangers, but remember: what's said at the dog park stays at the dog parkThere's a universal truth about dog parks: if you go to one regularly enough you'll find out people's deepest secrets even though you'll probably never know their name.The morning I was about to drive my packed car and two dogs away from our life in Hobart, I took Mabel and Goldie for their last run on the part of the beach near our house that was designated to make the lives of our canine pals joyous: the most beautiful dog park in the world. Continue reading...

Raccoon runs through pitch during game between New York City FC and Philadelphia Union before being captured in trash canFour men, including one with a trash can, were temporarily thwarted in their efforts to capture a wayward raccoon who invaded the soccer pitch during a game between New York City FC and the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on Wednesday night.The adult raccoon ran almost the length of the pitch, and swerved into the penalty box, as Major League Soccer staff attempted a capture. The furry fugitive was ultimately caught by one of the trash can men, but not before match commentators at the game in Chester, Pennsylvania, signaled their approval. Continue reading...

Community leaders denounce Eric Adams's comments as racist as mayor doubles down and says word police' out to get himThe New York mayor, Eric Adams, is facing pushback for bizarrely conflating two issues: a shortage of lifeguards on city beaches as the summer approaches and a surge in the the city's population of undocumented people.In his weekly news conference, the mayor was asked what he planned to do about New York City's lifeguard shortage and pivoted to the need for a plan to fill jobs that are in high demand with asylum seekers. Continue reading...

Leaky Old Trafford roof was almost a too perfect sign of neglect by owners who love the money but don't seem to like the clubIn February, the NFL players' union carried out its second annual survey of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and let's just say it wasn't pleasant reading. Tampa Bay players reported that the changing room was not clean, constantly smelly and has a persistent bug issue". The sauna was described as dirty and/or mouldy". This barely a decade after an MRSA outbreak infected three Buccaneers players, two of whom never competed again.In addition, players complained about being forced to pay $90 (72) for childcare on match days (most teams offer this for free), being charged $1,750 a season for the privilege of having their own hotel room on away trips and being made to sit at the back of the plane while club staff travelled first class. Most of the blame for this state of affairs was laid squarely at the team's ownership, whom the survey ranked 29th out of the 32 NFL franchise owners, and who go by the name of the Glazer family. Continue reading...

The Chiefs kicker thinks women are best advised to stay at home. He won't be happy that female employees have become a crucial part of the NFLThere is Kirsten Krug, the Kansas City Chiefs' executive vice-president of administration. She oversees player services and, during the height of the Covid pandemic, ensured the Chiefs were healthy and safe while serving double-duty as one of the club's infectious control officers. There is Tiffany Morton, an assistant athletic trainer who keeps the players stretched, iced, and taped up so they can maximize on-field performance. There's also Rosetta Shinault, a security officer who helps keep the peace so the players can do their jobs without incident. These three employees of the Chiefs are just a handful of the many women who keep the organization thriving. They are pieces of the framework that has helped the Chiefs win three Super Bowls in five seasons and allow Harrison Butker to do what he does best: kick a football.Unfortunately, sometimes Butker also opens his mouth. Continue reading...

Leading candidates for presidency to debate on 27 June and 10 September. Plus, magician David Copperfield accused of sexual misconduct, which he denies Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning,Joe Biden and Donald Trump will debate each other on 27 June and 10 September, it has been agreed, after the Biden re-election campaign proposed two TV debates, bucking a tradition of three.Fighting talk. Biden said in a video shared on social media: Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020, and since then he hasn't shown up for a debate. Now he's acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal. I'll even do it twice."Two's company, three's a crowd. The independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr accused Biden and Trump of colluding to lock America into a head-to-head matchup that 70% say they do not want. They are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win."Vote Biden, says Sanders. Biden is not running against God," Bernie Sanders writes. He is running against Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in American history, whose second term, if he is re-elected, will be worse than his first. And, on his worst day, Biden is a thousand times better than Trump."Inside the story. The Guardian is examining these allegations as part of a series of stories that has drawn on interviews with more than 100 people and analysis of court and police records obtained through freedom of information act requests.The defence. When asked about the claims, Copperfield's lawyers denied all the allegations of misconduct and inappropriate behavior. They said he had never, ever acted inappropriately with anyone, let alone anyone underage". Continue reading...

I was struck by the mystery of why so many intelligent and admirable people remained so loyal for so long to a fundamentally flawed movementI'll leave it to future historians to puzzle out the reasons why, but in the second decade of the 21st century, in the unlikely setting of the most thoroughly capitalist country in world history, large numbers of Americans, mostly young, displayed a new interest in socialist ideas, values and policy proposals, and in turn in the often neglected history of socialism and communism in the United States.Having written three books early in my scholarly career dealing with one or another aspect of the tangled history of American communism, the last appearing in 1990, I figured I'd said all I had to say on the subject, and turned to other topics. Enough time had passed by the time of the 2010s socialist revival that the several score ageing communists and ex-communists whom I'd interviewed for my early books were now long dead.Maurice Isserman teaches history at Hamilton College. His most recent book is Reds: The Tragedy of American Communism Continue reading...

Crime Victims Fund, essential lifeline for services such as hotlines and legal assistance for survivors, stands to lose $700mAdvocates are bracing for a major funding cut to a critical source of support for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse in the US that will take effect later this year.A total of 37%, or $700m, will be slashed from the national Crime Victims Fund, an essential lifeline for state and local services such as domestic violence hotlines and legal assistance for survivors, when the government's next fiscal year begins in October.In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women's Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org Continue reading...

It has been fun watching the former president's disreputable former lawyer coolly damn his one-time mentor in courtThere's no justifying it, but I have a sneaky soft spot for Michael Cohen, the former lawyer, fixer and - as Fox News is keen to remind us - ex-con" testifying against Donald Trump in the Stormy Daniels hush-money trial. Coming hard on the heels of Daniels' explosive appearance last week, Cohen's testimony could have been anticlimactic. Not so!The 57-year-old, navigating a tricky line between languid, affable and sheepish, met tough questioning by Trump's lawyers with the calmness of a man with nothing to lose and a lot of unfinished business to get through. Cohen, you'll remember, literally did time for those hush-money payments (among other things), so it's fair to say he might have a few scores to settle.Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Efforts to cut down on time-wasting are laudable. But there are flaws in the new scheme that need to be tweaked before a worldwide rolloutLionel Messi was not happy. It was a little over 40 minutes into Inter Miami's trip to Quebec to take on CF Montreal this past Saturday and the star-studded Eastern Conference leaders were 2-0 down. But it was not that Miami were losing that had vexed Messi. He just wanted to be on the pitch.Miami had won a free kick 30-yards from goal, slightly right of centre - prime Messi territory. Yet he was not allowed to take it. He'd received treatment on the pitch a minute earlier after being fouled by Montreal defender George Campbell. Due to a new set of rules adopted this season to crack down on time-wasting, Messi had to wait on the sideline for two minutes before being allowed to re-enter the game. Continue reading...

The enduring myths find new ways to be relevant. They underpin the targeting of Jewish people, whatever their views on the conflict in GazaA few weeks ago, my teenage son was in a library revising for his exams. A woman sat down opposite, looked at the star of David necklace he has recently started wearing and glared at him. Then she placed her water bottle between them with its Boycott Israeli Apartheid" sticker turned to face his way.She didn't speak to my son. She didn't ask what he thinks about Israel, Gaza, Netanyahu or Hamas. She doesn't know whether he has friends or relatives who have been taken hostage or killed (he doesn't), or if he has been on any pro-Palestine marches (he hasn't). Whether it is antisemitic or not to boycott Israel is beside the point. She seemed to be triggered by the simple sight of a Jew. There's no more basic expression of racism than that.Dave Rich is the author of Everyday Hate: How Antisemitism is Built Into Our World and How You Can Change It, which is published in an updated edition on 16 MayDo 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...

With most voters in Catalonia rejecting independence-seeking parties, the pro-separatist chaos of 2017 is a distant memoryFor the first time since 1980, parties opposing Catalonia's independence from Spain have the support of a majority of voters in the region. Elections last Sunday saw around 54% of the electorate return candidates from non-separatist parties across the political spectrum. The Socialist party scored a momentous victory for the first time.The vote appears to draw a line under a tumultuous decade marked by a 2017 rush to independence that led to an illegal referendum, a unilateral declaration of independence, mass protest and the country's worst constitutional crisis since the restoration of democracy in 1975.Maria Ramirez is a journalist and deputy managing editor of elDiario.es, a news outlet in Spain Continue reading...

This is a seismic moment as Westminster prepares for power to pass from one party to another. It will affect everything in some wayThe Conservative party's lurch into collective hyperventilation after 2016 gave Britain five prime ministers in eight years. Yet changes of government from one party to another are actually remarkably rare. There have been only three of them in the past half century: to the Tories in 1979, to Labour in 1997 and then back to the Tories in 2010. Lucy Powell, the shadow leader of the House of Commons, pointed out in a speech this week that, at the age of 49, she has only witnessed two changes of UK party government in her adult life; someone aged 30 will not have witnessed a single one in their voting life.More on Powell's speech later. But her observation about the rarity of change underlines something distinctive as well as something important. Britain's rare changes of regime make it something of an outlier. In the US, Canada and Spain over the same half century, there have been seven such changes to Britain's three. In France and Germany, there have been five. Change is just that bit rarer in the UK, and for that reason it may in some ways be a bigger deal. Continue reading...

The Loafers Lodge blaze prompted a review of safety standards at New Zealand's 800 boarding houses but more action is neededOne year ago, Wellington's mayor said her city had endured one of its darkest days" after a fire broke out at the Loafers Lodge boarding house, killing five people. On that day the air in New Zealand's capital filled with black smoke and soot, and the city later mourned the loss of some of its most vulnerable residents.Twelve months on, not enough is being done to prevent another such tragedy, experts believe.Max Rashbrooke is a New-Zealand-based writer with interests in economic inequality and democratic participation. He is a senior research fellow at Victoria University of Wellington. Continue reading...

Barrett Blade says wife, who testified in hush-money trial, wants to move past this' but admits I don't see people fighting for her'The husband of Stormy Daniels said there is a good chance" that the couple will leave the US if Donald Trump is acquitted in his criminal trial over paying hush-money payments to the adult film star.I think if it's not guilty, we got to decide what to do. Good chance we'll probably vacate this country," Barrett Blade told CNN host Erin Burnett on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Ruling on map prevents yet another new one from being drawn, and boosts Democrats' chances of gaining control of US HouseThe US supreme court on Wednesday ordered Louisiana to hold congressional elections in 2024 using a House map with a second mostly Black district, despite a lower-court ruling that called the map an illegal racial gerrymander.The order allows the use of a map that has majority Black populations in two of the state's six congressional districts, potentially boosting Democrats' chances of gaining control of the closely divided House of Representatives in the 2024 elections. Continue reading...

Republican senator tells MSNBC that frankly, the country doesn't want to have to go through prosecuting a former president'Joe Biden should have pardoned Donald Trump on all federal criminal charges the moment they were announced, the Utah senator and former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said.Had I been President Biden," Romney said, when the justice department brought out indictments, I would have immediately pardoned him. I'd have pardoned President Trump." Continue reading...

After receiving a word puzzle, Oklahoma police say they're closer to identifying another victim of murderer Dennis RaderA newly re-examined word puzzle sent to a Kansas City TV station in 2004 could strengthen leads in a cold-case investigation into the disappearance of a 16-year-old girl in Oklahoma and link it to the convicted serial killer Dennis Rader, nicknamed BTK for bind, torture, kill".At a news conference on Tuesday, Osage county sheriff Eddie Virden said he had received a package from a woman in April containing a crossword puzzle Rader allegedly used to taunt investigators. Continue reading...

Lily Greenberg Call, special assistant to chief of staff, accused the president of using Jewish people to justify US policy in the conflictAn interior department staffer on Wednesday became the first Jewish political appointee to publicly resign in protest of US support for Israel's war in Gaza.Lily Greenberg Call, a special assistant to the chief of staff in the interior department, accused Joe Biden of using Jewish people to justify US policy in the conflict. Continue reading...

A few months after 14 May 2022, a curator sought out three local artists. The resulting exhibition, Before and After Again, is thought to be the first of its kindTwo years ago, a white supremacist drove 200 miles to Buffalo, New York, and opened fire in a grocery store in the city's predominantly Black East Side neighborhood, killing 10 people and injuring three.Though the Tops Friendly Markets where the racist mass shooting took place has been remodeled, and most of the country has forgotten about the violence that occurred on 14 May 2022, Buffalo's East Side is forever changed. Continue reading...

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Kouri Richins, 33, charged in Utah with murder over death of Eric Richins, who prosecutors say was fatally poisoned with fentanylA Utah judge on Wednesday postponed a hearing to determine if prosecutors have enough evidence to proceed to trial in the case of a woman charged with fatally poisoning her husband before she published a children's book about coping with grief.Judge Richard Mrazik delayed the hearing until 18-20 June after prosecutors said they would need three days to present their evidence against Kouri Richins, whose lawyer says she is innocent. Continue reading...

McIlroy prepares for US PGA Championship at Valhalla, where he won the tournament in 2014, after back-to-back winsIn normal circumstances, Rory McIlroy returning to a scene of triumph would be cause for deep reflection. McIlroy finished in darkness at Valhalla when claiming the US PGA Championship of 2014, in what provided a theatric backdrop to his fourth and hitherto last success in one of golf's majors. McIlroy landed back in Louisville, Kentucky, this week with back-to-back PGA Tour wins to his name.These are no ordinary times. A McIlroy media appearance on the eve of this US PGA lasted a mere nine minutes and seven questions from a packed floor. The appearance of news on Tuesday that 24 hours earlier the 35-year-old had filed for divorce from his wife of seven years has suddenly distorted the scene around McIlroy. On Sunday, McIlroy stood with trophy aloft at Quail Hollow after a dominant closing 18 holes. Continue reading...

Sobering figure obscures the fact that the number of overdose deaths in the US declined for the first time since 2018An estimated 107,543 people died of drug overdoses in the US in 2023, a shocking figure that obscures a glimmer of hope - this is the first annual decline in drug overdose deaths since 2018.The grim toll represents Americans' struggle with powerful synthetic drugs, in particular the synthetic opioid fentanyl, known to be up to 100 times stronger than morphine. More than 1 million people have died of a drug overdose since 2001, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Continue reading...

Both candidates agreed upon two dates for debates: 27 June and 10 September, and Trump also posted about a third date in OctoberShortly after the Biden-Harris re-election campaign proposed two TV debates between Joe Biden and Donald Trump ahead of November's presidential vote, both men have agreed upon two debate dates: 27 June and 10 September.CNN confirmed that it would host the first debate of 2024 on that date at 9pm ET from the crucial battleground state of Georgia. Continue reading...

Clearly, our job is not just to re-elect Biden. It's much more than thatIn 1776, Americans, living in a British colony, put their lives on the line and fought for independence from the king of England. They wrote the strongest democratic constitution that had ever been written as they created a new nation. That was a pivotal moment in American history.In 1861, civil war broke out in the United States and more than 600,000 Americans died in the war between the states. Slavery was abolished. Over the ensuing decades, racist forces regained power and established an apartheid form of government throughout the old confederacy. That was a pivotal moment in American history. Continue reading...

Trump's criminal hush-money trial continues in New York, while both Trump and Biden fight for voters in swing states