The Guardian — page 7

Coverage, page 7

page 7 of 95

House votes for a third time to end Iran war in symbolic move as conflict drags on – US politics live

The action is likely the last House vote on issue ahead of the midterm elections Sign up for the US Breaking News email Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. For a third time, the US House has voted to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution that would halt president Donald Trump’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval. As part of a $2.8bn package of military aid, the Trump administration plans to send Israel a type of one-ton bombs that were withheld by the Biden administration over concerns that they were being used to kill Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Donald Trump “threw a tantrum” when he heard that Democratic congresswoman Joyce Beatty , a trustee of the Kennedy Center whose lawsuit forced Trump’s name to be removed from the facade of the memorial, had again prevailed in court . A televised Michigan Senate debate in Detroit on Tuesday was distinctly one-sided, because the Democratic nominee, Dr Abdul El-Sayed turned up, while his Republican rival, Mike Rogers , chose not to attend. Todd Blanche , the US attorney general, alerted reporters at the White House to stand by for what he called “a big development” in the federal crackdown on voting by non-citizens to be announced by Ryan Raybould , the US attorney for the Northern District of Texas. When it came, however, Raybould’s announcement , that his office had charged six lawful permanent residents and one undocumented immigrant for voting in federal elections over the past eight years, hardly lived up to the billing. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Tom Ambrose14h ago

‘If you’re building Frankenstein, stop’: JD Vance dismisses calls for AI regulation

US vice-president’s comments come as former Anthropic researcher revisits recent claim AI could destroy humanity The US vice-president has dismissed calls for global regulation of AI safety risks, telling companies creating the most advanced models: “If you’re building Frankenstein, stop.” In remarks addressed towards Dario Amodei, the co-founder of Anthropic who has called on Washington DC to coordinate control of AI systems , including with China, JD Vance said: “If you’re gonna create Frankenstein, don’t come to the government and say we need regulation.” Continue reading...

The Guardian•Robert Booth UK technology editor14h ago

Sunderland gets its Kicks: Nissan to invest £170m to build new hybrid SUV

Latest attempt to secure future of Britain’s biggest car factory may be subject to UK weakening EV sales mandate Nissan has said it will invest £170m to build a new SUV at its factory in Sunderland – but said the move was subject to the UK weakening its electric vehicle sales mandate . The new hybrid model, the Kicks, is Nissan’s latest attempt to secure the future of the plant, which employs 6,000 people in Tyne and Wear and is Britain’s biggest car factory. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Alex Daniel14h ago

Your mission, Tom Cruise, is to improve at interviews. And please keep sending the cakes

He risks his life for entertainment, but getting an anecdote out of him is a trickier matter. Happily, Cruise is no stranger to knuckling down and pulling off the impossible By now, we’ve grown used to watching Tom Cruise excel at everything he does. Running in films? The best. Risking his life in action scenes so preposterously dangerous that audiences need to have their sphincters manually unclenched with a crowbar? Absolutely, none better. Singlehandedly ensuring that theatrical exhibition didn’t go extinct after Covid? The man deserves all the praise in the world for that. But nobody is perfect. Live long enough and a few flaws will worm their way to the surface. This is as true for Tom Cruise as it is for anyone else. And while I realise that this might do me out of a cake this Christmas , the following really needs to be said: Tom Cruise isn’t very good at interviews. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Stuart Heritage15h ago

The US government is failing Americans on AI | Shakeel Hashim

Trump and Republicans want companies to regulate themselves. It’s a dereliction of duty that will make AI less safe It is hard to get Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Dario Amodei to agree on much. But over the weekend, all three AI company CEOs called for AI development to slow down in the face of growing, alarming risks. Their employees are sounding the siren too, with one researcher publicly quitting and accusing OpenAI and Anthropic of “gambling with our lives”. The combination of dire warnings from insiders and growing real-world evidence of rogue AIs should, in a sane world, lead to government action. Instead, Donald Trump and the Republican leadership have their heads in the sand. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Shakeel Hashim15h ago

New Orleans priest accused of abusing children in deaf community dies from apparent fall aged 87

Archdiocese knew of allegations against Gerard Joseph ‘Jerry’ Howell for 40 years but continued to support him A New Orleans Catholic priest whose prolific sexual abuse of children in the local deaf community was known for at least four decades by the city’s archdiocese without meaningful consequence has died after evidently falling in his Texas apartment. Gerard Joseph “Jerry” Howell, 87, was found dead at about 5pm on 8 September by Austin police department officers who were responding to a welfare check on the block listed for the senior living community where he had been residing, the agency said in a statement. The statement – which didn’t name Howell but was provided when police were asked about his death specifically – said first responders had gone to the block to investigate a report that an 87-year-old individual had fallen. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Ramon Antonio Vargas and David Hammer of WWL Louisiana in New Orleans15h ago

Whisper of the Heart review – Studio Ghibli deep cut is pep talk on how to live the artistic life

Hayao Miyazaki-scripted 90s teen romance sees an aspiring writer drawn to a potential soulmate thanks to library books and a curmudgeonly cat While 2013’s The Wind Rises and 2023’s The Boy and the Heron saw Hayao Miyazaki break his wizard’s staff, artistically speaking, this lesser-known Studio Ghibli cut from 1995, based on his screenplay, shows he was dwelling on creative responsibilities from early on. Featuring a typical Ghibli protagonist on the brink of adulthood – aspiring schoolkid writer Shizuku (voiced by Yōko Honna) – this teen romance doubles up as an earnest pep talk on how to commit to the artistic life. It’s not quite as sophisticated, though, in its understanding of the interplay between imagination and reality as Miyazaki’s later masterpieces. It also features highly inventive use of that 2010s soundtrack favourite: John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads . Shizuku shows off her fledgling penmanship for a school performance of the song devising hilarious Japanese lyrics that satirise Tokyo’s “concrete roads”. But while her writing shows promise, her love life remains in the fantasy realm. Mainlining library books, she realises that the same name, Seiji Amasawa, keeps appearing on the lists of previous borrowers. It feels like fate is pointing her towards a soulmate – especially when a curmudgeonly cat leads her “like in a story” to an intriguing curio shop near the library. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Phil Hoad15h ago

Trump’s $5,000 pledge to voters is a shameless bribe | Steven Greenhouse

Not only would the plan do vast economic damage – it assumes that Americans are easily bamboozled Whenever Donald Trump gives a speech, it’s filled with so many lies and self-serving exaggerations that when he does utter something true, I see that as a sort of marvel. That’s what happened nearly an hour into Trump’s marathon speech last Wednesday at the Republican midterm convention, when he declared: “Only I can make this promise to you.” Trump said that just before he made a promise that was so shameless and irresponsible that what he said was indeed true: only Donald Trump could make such a preposterous promise. Feeling very generous with other people’s money, Trump promised to give $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in November. It certainly looked and smelled like a bribe. Steven Greenhouse is a journalist and author, focusing on labor and the workplace, as well as economic and legal issues Continue reading...

The Guardian•Steven Greenhouse15h ago

‘We’re near a breaking point:’ firefighters say US government is failing them amid intense wildfire season

US grapples with federal firefighter shortage as crews say they’re spread thin and lack resources during unrelenting year of fire Firefighters battling enormous wildfires in the United States say the federal government is failing them at a time when supercharged blazes have made their jobs exponentially more dangerous. While the US continues to grapple with a critical shortage of federal firefighters – with especially large gaps in essential management positions – the Trump administration has increased pressure on firefighting forces to rapidly and aggressively contain the flames. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Gabrielle Canon15h ago

‘It’s payback time’: the WNBA-leading Lynx are on the hunt for title redemption

Ten seasons ago, Minnesota entered the playoffs with a chip on their shoulders and won a championship. Can they channel the same energy this year? Williams Arena (now known as The Barn) in Minneapolis was packed to capacity on 4 October 2017, when Cheryl Reeve sent Sylvia Fowles into Game 5 of the WNBA finals and watched her take off. Reeve, chasing her fourth championship after losing out in 2016, had learned her lesson the previous year, when she put Fowles back into a finals game too late. Fowles answered the call. She racked up 17 points and broke her own WNBA rebounds record with 20. Her effort was matched by that of Maya Moore, with 18 points and 10 rebounds; Lindsay Whalen, who had 17 points and eight assists; and Seimone Augustus, who added another 14 points, six assists and six rebounds. The Lynx showed out , clinching the franchise’s fourth title, with Fowles named finals MVP. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Stephanie Kaloi15h ago

Why Coventry, Tottenham and Aston Villa should not panic about their slow starts

Coventry have no points, Spurs have no goals and Villa have dipped again. But what does a bad start really mean? By Opta Analyst That optimism we feel at the start of a new season can be intoxicating. Whatever happened last season, there has been a whole summer to correct things. New signings, possibly a new manager, and new possibilities. What could go wrong? Oh, everything. Terrific. We’re only in mid-September but that early optimism has melted away and been replaced by anxiety for some fans. Coventry had every reason to look forward to the season, their first in the Premier League since 2001. They were coming off the back of a superb title-winning campaign in the Championship and were riding the crest of a wave. Now, though, they have fallen off their surf board and are frantically trying to keep their heads above water as the ferocity of the top flight becomes increasingly apparent. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Ali Tweedale15h ago

Golden Boy review – Great Depression boxing melodrama swings between hope and despair

Almeida theatre, London Josh O’Connor makes a powerful return to the stage as a New York violinist driven by dire straits to risk everything in the ring Clifford Odets proved himself a contender during the Great Depression but has grown unfamiliar on this side of the Atlantic. Here is a rare outing for his 1937 drama, bolstered by the stage return of Josh O’Connor after a decade on screen. He plays Joe Bonaparte, a New York violinist who, after years of careful endeavour, dismisses a precarious career in music to turn a quick buck as a boxer – risking his precious hands in the process. He is spurred on by a zealous manager, Tom, who even deploys his own lover, Lorna, to keep him satisfied. O’Connor transforms seamlessly as Bonaparte who hardens, bout by bout, with a resolve he deems fitting for the desperate 30s. His professional success and emotional spiral are observed by an anxious father, who irresistibly hymns music over money, and the ruthless gangster who has bought a stake in him. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Chris Wiegand15h ago

Ladbrokes owner prepares to cut 400 jobs weeks after profit boost

Entain, which also owns Coral and BetMGM, starts consultation process over customer care roles The Ladbrokes owner, Entain, has said it is preparing to cut 400 jobs, only weeks after the FTSE 100 business reported better than expected profit in its first half of the year. The gambling group, which also owns Coral and BetMGM, has started a consultation process that could remove one in five of its 2,000 customer care jobs. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Lauren Almeida15h ago

The Spin | Robots bowling the perfect doosra are some way off but AI is already reshaping cricket

Artificial intelligence is not replacing the player, coach or analyst, but it is certainly allowing them to do more Daniel Kokotajlo, a former researcher at OpenAI, warned last week that it was possible we would end up “creating a new species that ends up ruling the world” . Once the initial shock wore off, and I’d considered what this could mean for my young children and the future of the planet, another thought popped into my head: will this new species be able to swing an old cricket ball or navigate a seaming green top? It sounds frivolous. It is frivolous. But the question is not quite as ridiculous as it first appears. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Daniel Gallan16h ago

David Bowie: The Shel Talmy Recordings review – these unheard 60s tunes are actually pretty flimsy

(Parlophone) On this new compilation of his mid-60s Davie Jones years, Bowie can’t distinguish himself from the era’s other bands – and ends up hedging his bets In 1973, David Bowie released Pin Ups, a loving if slightly over-wrought collection of covers from the mid-60s: the moment when the previous driving forces of British pop, Merseybeat and the blues revival started giving way to something noticeably weirder, noisier and more expansive. In an accompanying promotional interview, he waxed lyrical about his memories of seeing the Pretty Things, the Who, the Creation and the nascent Pink Floyd “with dear old Syd” in impeccable mod lingo (“up the Windmill or the Elephant, get blocked, bust over to Richmond”) but tactfully neglected to mention that he was more than an amphetamine-fuelled fan: he’d wanted to be a participant, and had recorded a handful of mid-60s singles inspired by his idols. That elision shows what a strained relationship Bowie had with his pre-fame material. For most of his career, he simply tried to ignore it, although it doggedly refused to go away: his former labels kept re-releasing it, usually in sleeves that attempted to fool the buyer that it was current. Then, in his 50s, he seemed to reconsider, revisiting his 60s oeuvre on Toy, a 2001 album that was rejected by his then-label EMI – a baffling decision, if you buy the posthumous rewriting of Bowie’s history that insists his Glastonbury performance in 2000 utterly reinvigorated his career and made him as revered as he was in his peak years. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Alexis Petridis16h ago

‘We need to get it right’: union gusto for Burnham to face make-or-break tests

TUC conference rings with praise for new No 10 team, but battles loom over workers’ rights and north sea drilling Louise Haigh, the UK first secretary, got a standing ovation from trade union members in Brighton this week, as she acknowledged what she called “the necessity to be bolder in this second chance that we’ve been allowed”. Haigh was the stand-in at the annual TUC congress for Andy Burnham, absent because of his father’s death. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Heather Stewart16h ago

Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant fined for serving dessert topped with ants

Prosecutors sought jail term for chief executive of Evett after insects not approved for consumption were on menu A South Korean court has fined the operator of one of Seoul’s most celebrated restaurants and its chief executive for serving a dessert topped with ants, an insect not approved for consumption under local food safety law. The operator of Evett, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in the affluent Gangnam district, was fined 10m won (£5,400) and its chief executive 15m won, Newsis reported . Continue reading...

The Guardian•Raphael Rashid in Seoul16h ago

Sali Hughes on beauty: lip gloss is back in vogue and these new formulas have me hooked

Personally, I’ve never been a fan of painting on the gloss, but thanks to a range of fresh formats in sophisticated shades and textures, my head – and lips – have been turned I’m deeply suspicious of people who never change their minds. To be so completely sure of anything as to be permanently entrenched in any position isn’t something I admire, which is why I shove an olive into my mouth every couple of years and hope it finally takes. I do the same with lip gloss, with historically similar results. Fashion has, until recently, been on my side. Less sophisticated than lipstick, overshadowed by TikTok trending lip oils, less effortless cool-girl than tinted lip balm, gloss has barely had a look-in these past few years, but new formulas steal from other formats for a better user experience and, well, like everything eventually, lip gloss is back in vogue. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Sali Hughes16h ago

New report reveals prevalence of physical and sexual violence in US

Study finds more than half of US adults have experienced physical violence and nearly half sexual violence In their lifetime, more than half of US adults have experienced physical violence – and nearly half have experienced sexual violence, according to a startling new national study . The study, led by researchers from Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute and the University of California, San Diego, examined experiences of physical, sexual and intimate partner violence, along with how they intersect with behavioral health, economic hardship, neighborhood safety and substance use, among other factors. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Maya Yang16h ago

‘I thought I would lose my career’: Orville Peck on addiction and creating his best album yet

Though the masked country singer has a No 1 album and duets with superstars under his belt, his demons and mental health caught up to him Orville Peck was in the middle of a soundcheck when he found out that his idol Dolly Parton had died. It was late August and the masked, pseudonymous country singer was due to perform an intimate set at London’s Rough Trade East in half an hour. The news hit him like a truck. With no chance to process it, he decided to grieve in real time, on stage, before a roomful of fans. “I’m a little bit of a mess right now,” Peck told the audience, perched on a stool with an acoustic guitar. “Dolly was my hero,” he continued, his voice cracking. “As a gay man coming into country music and feeling sort of alone, I think the thing that always felt comforting is, like, just knowing Dolly existed in country. It made me feel like I had a friend there.” He then launched into a rendition of Parton’s iconic hit I Will Always Love You. Continue reading...

The Guardian•Jason Lamphier16h ago