First Thing: ‘Corrupt kleptocracy' – Democrats furious over passage of Trump bill
The House of Representatives passed Donald Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill by 218 to 214 votes yesterday, handing the president a significant legislative victory.
The Democratic House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, made an unsuccessful last-ditch effort to halt the bill's passage by giving a floor speech lasting eight hours and 44 minutes, the longest ever. Among other things, the plan will increase immigration enforcement, cut social security, damage the green energy industry and extend and deepen the large-scale tax cuts – which benefit wealthy earners most – that Trump first enacted in 2017.
Democrats erupted in outrage over the bill's passage. The congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Bluesky: 'I am grieving the barbarism that is going to unfurl from all this. People are going to die. Livelihoods gone. All to feed a corrupt kleptocracy.'
What will it mean for deportation policy? Thousands of new immigration enforcement officers; tens of thousands of extra detention beds; fees on asylum applications; and further construction on the border wall. Here's how Trump's bill will supercharge mass deportations by funneling $170bn to Ice.
What about social security? According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the welfare cuts will result in about 10.6 million people losing their Medicaid healthcare and 8 million people losing their Snap food stamp benefits.
And the deficit? It comes with a huge price tag, increasing the deficit by $3.3tn through 2034, according to the non-partisan congressional budget Office. Most of that is the extension of the 2017 tax cuts.
Israel has escalated its offensive in Gaza before imminent talks about a ceasefire, with warships and artillery launching one of the deadliest and most intense bombardments in the devastated Palestinian territory for months.
Medics and officials in Gaza reported that about 90 people were killed overnight and on Thursday by Israeli bombing, including many women and children. On Tuesday night and Wednesday the toll was higher, they said. Casualties included Marwan al-Sultan, a cardiologist and director of the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza, who died in an airstrike that also killed his wife and five children.
In all, about 300 people may have been killed this week and thousands more injured, the officials say.
What's the latest on ceasefire talks? Hamas leaders are close to accepting a proposed deal for a ceasefire in Gaza but want stronger guarantees that any pause in hostilities would lead to a permanent end to the 20-month war, sources close to the group have said. Hamas officials met on Thursday in Istanbul to discuss the ceasefire proposals.
Barack Obama sounded the alarm about Joe Biden's ailing re-election attempt almost a year before polling day, warning his former vice-president's staff 'your campaign is a mess', a new book reveals.
The former president's intervention came amid tensions between the Obama and Biden camps as they braced for a tough fight against Donald Trump.
Obama's prescient anxiety is captured in the forthcoming book 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, by the journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf.
What does the book say? It says that at a lunch meeting with Biden in December 2023, Obama argued dividing the campaign leadership between Wilmington and Washington was not suitable for the fast decision-making required in a modern presidential election. Obama allegedly bluntly told White House staff: 'Your campaign is a mess.'
Tributes have poured in for the actor Michael Madsen, who died at home in Malibu after a cardiac arrest. The star of Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill and Donnie Brasco was 67.
A wildfire fanned by gale-force winds has forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people on the Greek island of Crete, as swathes of continental Europe faced a continuing heatwave.
Moscow confirmed a deputy commander of the Russian navy has been killed near the frontline with Ukraine. Maj Gen Mikhail Gudkov had previously led one of the military's most notorious brigades.
It came as Russia launched a devastating attack with a record number of drones and ballistic missiles on Kyiv, hours after Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke by phone.
The Liverpool soccer player Diogo Jota has been killed in a car accident in north-western Spain. He was 28, recently married and had three young children.
The US economy added 147,000 jobs in June, surpassing expectations as economists largely anticipated a fall in openings. There were job gains in state government and healthcare of 47,000 and 39,000 respectively. But in the same month employment in federal government and the private sector fell, by 7,000 and 33,000 respectively.
The phrase 'time blindness', which can be a symptom of ADHD or other conditions such as anxiety or autism spectrum disorder, seems everywhere right now. But, asks Alaina Demopoulos, is it always a get-out-jail-free card? 'Everyone has their slow days, but some TikTokers argue that people who are habitually 30 or 45 minutes late are claiming time blindness when in reality they're being inconsiderate,' she writes.
Dairy production will be threatened by the increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves, suggests a study from researchers at the Universities of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Chicago. Drawing on records from more than 130,000 cows over 12 years, the report suggests extreme heat reduces dairy cows' ability to produce milk by 10%.
Last year Joey 'Jaws' Chestnut, 41, was excluded from entering Nathan's annual hotdog-eating competition in New York City after he signed a deal with a rival plant-based meat company. But this year the world champion – who won the accolade for scoffing 83 dogs and buns in a single 10-minute period – returns, in pursuit of his 17th mustard belt.
Happy 4 July!
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The Guardian
21 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Diddy's trial is more proof the legal system can't handle domestic violence
Wouldn't it be nice if, just now and again, bad things happened to bad people? Wouldn't it be refreshing if violence against women was taken seriously instead of being treated like one big joke? Yes, but alas, that is not the world we live in. Over here in reality, we've got an adjudicated sexual predator as president, a defense secretary who has been accused of sexual assault and aggressive behaviour towards his second wife, and a supreme court where a third of the male justices who get a final say on legal issues have been accused of sexual misconduct. And we've got Sean 'Diddy' Combs: the disgraced entertainer who escaped this week with what many people consider to be a slap on the wrist after a New York jury delivered a mixed verdict in his seven-week federal sex-trafficking trial. The trial was focused on allegations that Combs had coerced two women, including his ex-girlfriend Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, to take part in 'freak offs': drug-fueled sexual encounters involving hired male prostitutes and humiliating acts. I don't want to downplay the Diddy verdict. While Combs was acquitted on the most serious federal charges, of racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking, he was still found guilty of the lesser charges of transporting the male prostitutes he allegedly forced women to have sex with across state lines. The disgraced musician was also denied bail and is facing a barrage of new civil cases alleging abuse and assault. While we still don't know how much time (if any) Combs will be sentenced to, he did not get off scot-free. I also don't want to boil the results of a complex trial down to 'misogyny'. It would be overly simplistic to say that the jury of eight men and four women in the Diddy trial simply didn't believe women. The fact is Diddy was not on trial for being an abuser, or a bad person, or for his highly publicized battery of Cassie, one horrifying instance of which was caught on camera and the subject of a previous civil case. He was on trial for a specific set of charges, the most serious of which the prosecution did not have enough evidence to prove. But this is not to say that justice was done. Far from it. The trial is yet another demonstration that the legal system is ill-equipped to deal with the complexities of intimate partner violence, the ways in which survivors deal with trauma, and the uneven power dynamics weaponized by abusers. If we had better legal frameworks for domestic violence and coercive control, perhaps prosecutors would not have turned to trafficking charges to try to secure justice. 'Trafficking cases come with longer statutes of limitations, more severe penalties and more public support,' notes the human-trafficking expert Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco in USA Today. 'And existing domestic violence statutes are often outdated or ill-equipped to address coercive control, especially when the abuser is wealthy, powerful and legally savvy.' It's not just the law that is ill-equipped to address coercive control – this complex issue is still minimized by some factions of the media. A Washington Post piece (written by two women), for example, described Combs as a 'music producer turned modern-day Gatsby', a framing which casts the 'freak offs' as hedonism rather than something more sinister. The writer Sarah Kendzior notes that allusions to F Scott Fitzgerald's Jay Gatsby have been used to soften the image of high-level sexual predators like Jeffrey Epstein for decades. In the courts of public opinion, men like Combs are also far too often seen as playboys rather than predators. After the verdict on Wednesday, CNN reported that several spectators could be seen pouring baby oil on themselves, along with wearing T-shirts reading: A Freako is not a RICO (RICO is a reference to the racketeering charges). Perhaps what is most depressing about the Diddy verdict is that it is all too easy to imagine a path in which Combs finds his way back to prominence in public life. Donald Trump hasn't ruled out pardoning Diddy and it is not inconceivable that he might; birds of a feather stick together, after all. Chris Brown still has a music career despite being charged with felony assault following a domestic violence incident when he beat up Rihanna in 2009. Brett Ratner is directing the very expensive Prime Video documentary about Melania Trump despite being accused of sexual misconduct by six women (he has denied the claims). With enough money, good lawyers and the right connections, you can get away with almost anything. The indictment against Diddy is titled United States of America v Sean Combs, AKA 'Puff Daddy', AKA ' AKA 'Diddy', AKA 'PD', AKA 'Love'. And yet some people think that calling someone by their preferred pronouns is too complicated. 'Tigray is often described as a forgotten war,' Tess McClure writes in an incredibly disturbing but essential read. 'If it has been forgotten, it is not by those who endured it, but by the global powers that looked away from one of the most brutal conflicts of this century.' That brutality includes reported wartime sexual abuse by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers against tens of thousands of Tigrayan women. More brilliant reporting from ProPublica on the devastating effects of abortion bans. There's a longstanding idea that women are fine-tuned to hear babies crying in a way that men aren't. A new study has debunked this. Turns out there's no excuse for the fact mothers are still performing three times more night-time care than fathers. Sign up to The Week in Patriarchy Get Arwa Mahdawi's weekly recap of the most important stories on feminism and sexism and those fighting for equality after newsletter promotion Wired invited a bunch of people in serious relationships with AI partners to a romantic weekend getaway at a remote Airbnb. Agatha Christie would have had a field day with this. Denmark colonized Greenland in the 18th century, then turned it into an autonomous territory. The 'Danization' of Indigenous Greenlanders continues, however. Countless Greenlandic mothers living in Denmark have been separated from their children after failing highly controversial 'parenting competency' tests. These tests 'have been criticised by campaigners and human rights bodies that say they are culturally unsuitable for people from Inuit backgrounds, and therefore discriminatory', the Guardian reports. Médecins Sans Frontières calls for the immediate dismantling of 'the Israeli-US proxy operating under the name the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation'. There is nothing humanitarian about a system where 'over 500 people have been killed and nearly 4,000 have been wounded while trying to get food'. Shame on everyone trying to rebrand and obfuscate Israel's use of starvation as a weapon of war, including all the media companies trying to censor documentaries coming out about the horrors in Gaza and the media personalities and politicians who are more appalled by musicians at Glastonbury than babies dying from engineered starvation. Moira Donegan analyzes the Trump administration and the supreme court's attacks on Planned Parenthood, which mean nearly a third of their clinics may have to close: 'The result is a de facto ban not just on abortion, but on any healthcare provision by pro-choice providers for vast swaths of American women.' Forget snakes on a plane, Santa Barbara has been dealing with sheep on the street. More than 300 sheep caused a traffic jam after escaping from their pens in California. They were eventually returned to safety but for a little while the traffic situation was very baaaaaad. Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist
The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Lost Jefferson letter on arms and democracy resurfaces for Fourth of July sale
A rare, handwritten letter by Thomas Jefferson, in which the founding father and third president expounds the right of citizens to bear arms in a revolutionary cause, has been uncovered in New England and offered for sale to mark the Fourth of July holiday. The holiday also marks the 199th anniversary of his death. Jefferson penned the letter to Virginia's then governor Benjamin Harrison on 31 December 1783, shortly after the conclusion of the revolutionary war that ended British opposition to the US declaration of independence seven years earlier. Written from Annapolis, the temporary capital of the fledgling country, the letter is notable for Jefferson's observation of a rising tide of revolutionary fervor in Europe, and his citing of the insistence of citizens there to be able to take up arms against their rulers, as residents of the 13 colonies had done against the British crown. He tells Harrison that 'citizens of the Dutch states are all in commotion' against the stadtholder regime of William V, the prince of Orange. He goes on to say that 'of 80,000 men able to bear arms among them it is believed scarcely any will refuse to sign this demand'. The original was in the hands of a private collector for more than half a century, dealer Nathan Raab of the Pennsylvania-based Raab Collection said. It was considered missing by custodians of the Jefferson papers at the University of Virginia. 'We are not aware of any letter having reached the market from a signer, let alone author of the declaration of independence on the right of democratic citizens to bear arms and oppose autocracy,' said Raab, who values the document at about $90,000. 'To see Jefferson, whose declaration of independence lit the spark of … western hemisphere liberty, rejoicing that these independence movements are gaining steam, and the people are making demands … it's about as evocative an expression of the democratic right to bear arms of the people as you can get. 'He's basically saying the momentum is toward democracy, not royalty.' While the letter showcases Jefferson's thoughts on justice overseas, his life in the US was much darker and less stable. He was the owner of more than 600 slaves – more than any other person who became president. Another letter uncovered by Raab last year highlighted Jefferson's financial misadventures that left him also penniless immediately before, and during, his time in the White House from 1801 to 1809. The letter to Harrison, Raab said, also reflects Jefferson's growing anxiety over ratification of the Treaty of Paris, which was signed in France in September 1783 by Britain, the US and others, to end the revolutionary war. The agreement required at least nine of the 13 new states to sign the document at a congressional summit in Annapolis called for November, and send it back to London – a two-month voyage away – by March 1784. But bad weather prevented several delegations from reaching the summit, and in his 31 December letter Jefferson wrote: 'We have yet but seven states, and no more certain prospects of nine than at any time heretofore. We hope that the letters sent to the absent states will bring them forward'. Raab said: 'It's like you're at the finish line and waiting to cross it. This is not a situation where you send it over by email; it had to cross the Atlantic twice. It's also the 1700s. You're not hopping on transatlantic flights, these people are coming from distant destinations on horseback.' Representatives from Connecticut and South Carolina eventually arrived days later, and the treaty was ratified on 14 January and dispatched urgently to London. The letter, Raab said, provides an intriguing snapshot of a crucial time in American history, with a brand new nation beginning to find its feet and in turn inspiring others to challenge centuries of established rules of governance overseas. 'It speaks to us today on many levels,' he said. 'We can see the power and inspiration of Jefferson's pen as he can begin to reflect on the success of his work and the American revolution, and witness democratic ideals spreading worldwide.'
The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Summer without cherry pie? Michigan's signature crop faces battery of threats
Nearly 100 years ago, north-west Michigan cherry farmers and Traverse City community leaders started a festival to promote the city and their region's tart cherry crop as a tourist destination. Now known as the 'cherry capital of the world', Traverse City's National Cherry Festival draws 500,000 visitors over eight days to this picturesque Lake Michigan beach town to enjoy carnival rides and airshows, and to eat cherries. It also sparked a thriving agrotourism industry amid its rolling hills that now boasts dozens of shops, wineries, U-pick orchards, and farm-to-table restaurants helmed by James Beard-award-winning chefs. All the sunshine, hustle and bustle, however, can't hide an ugly truth: Michigan's cherry farmers are in dire straits. Climate change, development, labor shortages and tariffs threaten their ability to grow one of Michigan's signature crops. Cherries are the epitome of Michigan's 'specialty crop' production that also includes apples, asparagus and other fruit and vegetable crops. Altogether, the total economic impact of Michigan's specialty crop industry is $6.3bn, according to Michigan State University. The state overall grows 75% of the US's tart cherries, most coming from multigenerational family farmers in the unique microclimate along Lake Michigan's eastern shore, with the bulk of production in the north-west. 'Cherries are a volatile crop all of the time. But over the last 10 to 15 years, we've really seen more of those ups and downs,' says Emily Miezio, a second-generation farmer and part-owner of Cherry Bay Orchards in Leelanau county. Climate change makes early spring hazardous for northern Michigan fruit farmers. Lake Michigan's sandy soils and cool breezes are ideal for cherry production, but warmer temperatures cause trees to break dormancy earlier, making them more susceptible to late brief cold spells, such as what happened this year. A prime example of the weather volatility happened in late April when a cold snap damaged the fruit-producing flower buds. Farmers will start picking cherries in mid-July, and Dr Nikki Rothwell, extension specialist and Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center coordinator at MSU, estimates north-west Michigan will harvest 30m pounds, versus 100m last year. Climate change is causing other adverse weather events. Rothwell says the late-April temperatures weren't typically cold enough to harm buds, but wind accompanied the cold, which caused unexpected damage since previously scientists didn't think wind chill harmed trees. A rare hailstorm in June also caused some damage. Rothwell says an unusually dry fall may have left cherry trees susceptible as well. 'It blows my mind a little bit as a scientist because you think you can find answers in the chaos … but I feel like we're always being thrown curveballs,' she says. Land prices are rising sharply as wealthier residents move to the area seeking either primary residences or vacation homes, and developers can edge out farmers for prime orchard land, often on top of rolling hills that offer scenic vistas. Labor issues are also hampering cherry production. The supply chain relies on a mix of local and migrant labor, and there is a shortage of both. Some migrant laborers are hired through the H-2A visa, a temporary work visa for agricultural jobs, and some migrant laborers are undocumented, says Dr David Ortega, a professor at MSU's department of agricultural, food and resource economics. Cherrypicking is often done mechanically, but packing and processing relies on human labor. Ortega says producers and other stakeholders have seen how Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids make some workers afraid to show up because of deportation fears. Without enough agricultural workers, many of Michigan's specialty crops could spoil. Specialty crop farmers rely on shared equipment, facilities and workers, and this interdependency means the loss of one crop has a domino effect. Unlike farmers who grow annual crops such as grains, cherry trees can produce for nearly 30 years and farmers need to continually care for trees even when they lose money. Estimates by MSU show the land, operational and harvest costs for productive farmers is about 44 cents a pound, but last year the average farmer received 11 cents a pound for cherries. Tariffs are a double-edged sword for Michigan farmers, Ortega says. Farmers will pay more for imported fertilizer or equipment, and tariff uncertainty makes it harder to plan. However, farmers may see a slight benefit from tariffs if it raises the costs of imported cherries, as the food industry relies on imports to meet year-round consumer demand, he adds. Local retailers also work with farmers. Bob Sutherland, founder of Cherry Republic, a regional, 37-year-old cherry-focused snack and gift retailer, works exclusively with local farmers and other suppliers to promote the area's bounty. The firm's longstanding relationships means Cherry Republic can acquire enough local cherries to ensure a year-round supply. Still, the destination-retailer has allowed some cranberries and blueberries as part of their line of more than 200 products out of necessity because of climate change's unpredictability, he adds. Michigan's farmers are facing stiff odds, but Rothwell says despite all the hardships, farmers remain optimistic. 'Every spring they're like, 'this is it. This our year. We're gonna do it.' They always remain optimistic,' she says.
