Category Archives: Movies

2025.07.10

Redrawing Texas: the Republican plan to stack the decks for the midterms
Tyler Hicks
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/10/texas-republican-redistricting-maps

The CEO who never was: how Linda Yaccarino was set up to fail at Elon Musk’s X
Ex-NBC executive was tasked with building an ‘everything app’, but billionaire owner was biggest obstacle in her path
Johana Bhuiyan and Nick Robins-Early
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/10/linda-yaccarino-resigns-x-elon-musk

Trump announces 50% tariff on Brazil, citing a ‘witch-hunt’ against Bolsonaro
Latest threats heighten fears that the president’s erratic trade strategy risks exacerbating inflation across the US
Callum Jones in New York
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/09/trump-tariffs-brunei-libya-moldova

US supreme court blocks Florida from enforcing anti-immigration law
Judge finds Republican-crafted law probably unconstitutional for encroaching on federal authority
José Olivares
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/09/supreme-court-florida-law-immigration

Think you know Trump’s new bill? Try this big, beautiful quiz
Lawrence Douglas
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/10/trump-bill-big-beautiful-quiz

Haze of confusion in Thailand as government flips on cannabis law
New rules banning recreational cannabis use have put Thailand’s $1bn cannabis industry in limbo, with some stores fearing they will have to close
Rebecca Ratcliffe in Bangkok
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/10/thailand-recreational-cannabis-ban-new-laws

Vienna has been declared a renters’ utopia – here’s why
Justin Kadi
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/10/housing-crisis-in-europe-vienna-renters-social-housing

DoJ subpoenas clinics and doctors who offer gender-affirming care to minors
It was not immediately clear to whom the requests were sent and the kind of information that was requested
Sam Levine in New York
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/09/gender-affirming-care-minors

High-risk HIV groups facing record levels of criminalisation as countries bring in draconian laws
Curbs on LGBTQ+ rights and a halt to US funding may reverse decades of progress in fight to end Aids epidemic, warns UNAids
Kat Lay, Global health correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/10/unaids-high-risk-hiv-groups-lgbtq-record-criminalisation-usaid-funding

Discovery of ancient riverbeds suggests Mars once wetter than thought
Scientists spot traces of 10,000 miles of rivers in area where many believed ‘there wasn’t any evidence for water’
Ian Sample Science editor
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jul/10/mars-once-wetter-than-thought-surprise-discovery-10000-miles-ancient-riverbeds

Everybody’s favourite manic pixie dream aunt: Celia Imrie’s 20 best films – ranked!
As Imrie turns 73, and ahead of her star turn in next month’s The Thursday Murder Club, we revisit the greatest big-screen hits of the actor who is so much more than Miss Babs
Ryan Gilbey
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/jul/10/everybodys-favourite-manic-pixie-dream-aunt-celia-imries-20-best-films-ranked

2025.07.09

Local News
Cafe & Bar Lurcat in Minneapolis to close after more than 2 decades near Loring Park
By Eric Henderson
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/cafe-bar-lurcat-closing-minneapolis-loring-park/

Undocumented builders face unchecked exploitation amid Trump raids: ‘It’s more work, less pay’
In a new series on undocumented workers, construction laborers tell the Guardian fear is fueling wage theft and workplace abuse
Michael Sainato
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/09/construction-workers-builders-immigration-trump

Far-right conspiracy theories spread online in aftermath of the Texas floods
Some social media users falsely claimed that the extreme weather was being controlled by the US government
Ben Makuch
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/09/texas-floods-conspiracy-theories

Has the Trump-Putin bromance finally run its course?
US president appears to have run out of patience with his Russian counterpart – but how that transmits into practical support for Kyiv remains to be seen
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/09/has-the-trump-putin-bromance-finally-run-its-course

How Miami’s city commission gave themselves an extra year in office without voters’ permission
Commissioners for the city of Miami rewrote their election laws to push the off-year 2025 local races to 2026 without input from voters. The decision has sparked outrage
George Chidi
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/09/miami-city-commission-elections

The end has no end: The Old Guard 2 and the curse of the cliffhanger ending
The sequel to the Netflix hit leaves viewers hanging with a tease for an unconfirmed sequel, highlighting a problem with the state of Hollywood
Spoilers ahead
Jesse Hassenger
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/09/the-old-guard-2-cliffhanger-ending

US airports lift shoe removal requirement at security screenings
Brandon Drenon
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0m8p3e93m8o

You think our Post Office is bad?
Post Office Horizon IT scandal: five things we learned from the report
We look at what volume one of the inquiry report describes as the ‘disastrous’ human impact
Post Office scandal may have led to more than 13 suicides, inquiry finds
‘We lost so many along the way’: Horizon scandal victims welcome report
Julia Kollewe
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jul/08/post-office-horizon-it-scandal-five-things-we-learned-from-the-report

2025.07.08

Texas pediatrician ‘no longer employed’ after post about pro-Trump flood victims
Physician made a post wishing that Maga supporters in Kerr county ‘get what they voted for’ amid flash flooding
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/08/texas-floods-pediatrician-maga

‘Deep rooted’ camp tradition continues in Texas despite flood devastation
Mothers say it is important to return to normalcy after deadly floods in which 27 campers and counselors were among those killed
Edward Helmore in Kerrville, Texas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/08/texas-floods-campers-children-continue-camp

Floods are swallowing their village. Trump’s EPA cut a major lifeline for them and others
The administration has wiped over $2.7bn in climate grants, hitting underserved communities across the US the hardest
Ames Alexander for Floodlight
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/07/trump-administration-epa-grants-floods

‘Could become a death spiral’: scientists discover what’s driving record die-offs of US honeybees
Experts scrambling to understand losses in hives across the country are finally identifying the culprits. And the damage to farmed bees is a sign of trouble for wild bees too
Phoebe Weston
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/08/record-us-bee-colony-dieoffs-climate-stress-pesticides-silent-spring-aoe

The life swap dream – or a marketing gimmick? The Italian towns selling houses for €1
Frustrated with my life back in the US, I was captivated by the idea of a new home – and new life – for less than the price of an espresso. So I travelled to Italy to find out whether it was too good to be true
By Lauren Markham
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jul/08/the-life-swap-dream-or-a-marketing-gimmick-the-italian-towns-selling-houses-for-1

Studios are rewriting movies steered by Reddit. A dangerous development – or long overdue?
Ben Child
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/08/spider-man-no-way-home-director-jon-watts-reddit

Is the New York Times trying to wreck Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral bid?
Margaret Sullivan
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/07/is-the-new-york-times-trying-to-wreck-zohran-mamdanis-mayoral-bid

Review
Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes review – eye-opening snapshot of New York’s queer scene
Documentary celebrates the American photographer who lived, breathed and captured the shimmering fever dream of NYC’s gay culture in the 1940s and 50s
Leslie Felperin
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/07/hidden-master-the-legacy-of-george-platt-lynes-review-eye-opening-snapshot-of-new-yorks-queer-scene

A new start after 60: I quit my job, bought a camera – and became a successful wildlife photographer
On retiring at 56, Michelle Jackson needed a big new challenge. So she picked up her first proper camera and was soon spending 20 hours a week in the field, and winning awards
Paula Cocozza
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jul/07/new-start-after-60-quit-job-bought-camera-became-successful-wildlife-photographer

First malaria treatment for babies approved for use
Dominic Hughes
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c89e872jdjxo

2025.07.07

Mosquitos with West Nile found in Twin Cities. From Bring Me The News: “The findings suggest West Nile activity is starting to pick up in the area. Officials say the timing of the positive tests aligns with when mosquitoes have historically first shown signs of the virus.” Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/first-west-nile-positive-mosquitoes-of-the-year-found-in-twin-cities-counties

Michael Douglas says he has ‘no real intentions’ of acting again: ‘I had to stop’
The 80-year-old, two-time Oscar winner said he had been ‘working pretty hard for almost 60 years’ – and is ‘quite happy’ watching his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones work
Sian Cain
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/07/michael-douglas-says-he-has-no-real-intentions-of-acting-again-i-had-to-stop

‘Chipping away at democracy’: authors fear outcome of US supreme court’s LGBTQ+ book ruling
Some parents can now opt students out of LGBTQ+ book readings. The writers warn of increased book bans and bias
Melissa Hellmann
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/07/authors-lgbtq-book-ruling-supreme-court

The radical 1960s schools experiment that created a whole new alphabet – and left thousands of children unable to spell
Decades ago, a generation of UK schoolchildren unwittingly took part in an initiative aimed at boosting reading skills – with lasting consequences
Emma Loffhagen
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/jul/06/1960s-schools-experiment-created-new-alphabet-thousands-children-unable-to-spell

At least 81 dead and dozens missing in Texas floods as more rain looms
Gary O’Donoghue Chief North America correspondent
Ana Faguy BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddzrj323zzo

2025.07.06

Weedkiller ingredient widely used in US can damage organs and gut bacteria, research shows
Diquat is banned in the UK, EU, China and other countries. The US has resisted calls to regulate it
Tom Perkins
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/06/weedkiller-diquat-organ-damage-study

‘I want my vote back’: Trump-voting family stunned after Canadian mother detained over immigration status
Family of Cynthia Olivera reconsiders support for president after Ice detained her at green card interview
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/06/trump-voting-family-canadian-mother-detained-immigration-status

Reboots and remakes: why is Hollywood stuck on repeat?
Catherine Shoard
https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2025/jul/06/reboots-and-remakes-why-is-hollywood-stuck-on-repeat

Archaeologists unveil 3,500-year-old city in Peru
Jessica Rawnsley
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07dmx38kyeo

2025.06.27

Bill Moyers, Lyndon Johnson press chief and celebrated broadcaster, dies at 91
Moyers, who served as Johnson’s press secretary for two years, became one of television’s most revered journalists
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/26/bill-moyers-broadcaster-dies

Road rash: Construction to close 3 major interstates this weekend
Road and bridge projects will shut down I-494 in Bloomington and Richfield, I-35W in Richfield, and I-94 in St. Paul between Friday night and Monday morning.
Author: Dana Thiede
https://www.kare11.com/article/traffic/traffic-nightmare-stretches-of-3-major-interstates-closed-this-weekend/89-76c556df-9be4-4dfa-952c-e77d6978230c

Wild, safe and sober: An antique mall in Fridley centers the queer community
Married couple David Wenzel and Joshua Larson are co-owners of Wild Things Antiques in Fridley, pictured here on June 16. “It’s very important to us that our identity as a queer couple was going to be on the forefront of what we were doing as a business,” Larson says.
Alex V. Cipolle
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/06/26/wild-safe-and-sober-an-antique-mall-in-fridley-centers-the-queer-community

Fireball in the sky as suspected meteor rattles Georgia and the Carolinas
Possible meteor rattled windows in three states, with a fragment crashing through the roof of a house near Atlanta
George Chidi in Atlanta
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/26/fireball-meteor-georgia-north-south-carolina

Six arrested at protest of Palantir, tech company building deportation software for Trump admin
Six of demonstrators were arrested at protest against the company’s work for Ice to help deport people from the US
Johana Bhuiyan
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/26/trump-palantir-protest-arrests

Elizabeth Warren presses oil companies on tax break lobbying for Senate bill
Democratic senator leads calls for answers over provision that could cut fossil fuel firms’ income tax to zero
Dharna Noor
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/26/elizabeth-warren-oil-companies-tax-break-lobbying

Supreme court paves way for South Carolina and other states to defund Planned Parenthood
Decision could embolden red states in US to block clinics that provide abortions from receiving Medicaid funds
Carter Sherman
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/26/supreme-court-planned-parenthood-decision

RFK Jr’s new vaccine panel votes against preservative in flu shots in shock move
Decision to restrict thimerosal in immunizations could impact future vaccine availability on a global scale
Jessica Glenza
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/26/rfk-flu-shot-vaccines-panel

Group of high-profile authors sue Microsoft over use of their books in AI training
Writers alleged that company used nearly 200,000 pirated books to train its Megatron artificial intelligence
Guardian staff and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/26/microsoft-ai-authors-lawsuit

Cuomo to stay in New York mayoral race despite Mamdani besting him in primary – report
Ex-governor failed to secure Democratic nomination this week but still plans to run on ‘Fight and Delivery’ ballot line
Edward Helmore in New York
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/27/cuomo-new-york-mayor-race-mamdani

Zohran Mamdani has struck a blow to the Democratic party’s passivity
Moira Donegan
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/27/zohran-mamdani-democratic-party

Superman to I Know What You Did Last Summer: 10 of the best films to watch this July
Nicholas Barber
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250625-10-of-the-best-films-to-watch-this-july

2025.06.26

Mamdani’s defeat of Cuomo offers Democrats a path out of the wilderness
David Smith in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/25/zohran-mamdani-nyc-mayor-election-democrats

Zohran Mamdani offered New Yorkers a political revolution – and won
Bhaskar Sunkara
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/25/zohran-mamdani-offered-a-political-revolution-and-won

Trump is angry with a world that won’t give him easy deals
Rafael Behr
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/25/donald-trump-angry-middle-east-ukraine

Dollar falls to three-year low after report Trump may name next Fed chair early
US president has clashed with incumbent Jerome Powell, whose term is due to run for 11 more months
Joanna Partridge
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/26/us-dollar-falls-to-three-year-low-after-report-trump-may-name-next-fed-chair-early

Pam Bondi denies knowing Ice agents wore masks during raids despite video evidence
At hearing, US attorney general claims she’s unaware of reports that officials have hid their faces during roundups
Robert Tait in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/25/ag-pam-bondi-ice-masks-raids

The alarming rise of US officers hiding behind masks: ‘A police state’
Sam Levin in Los Angeles
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/25/immigration-officers-wearing-masks

RFK Jr’s new CDC vaccine panel holds first meeting amid controversy
Health secretary unilaterally appointed ACIP’s eight new members, several of which are critical of immunizations
Jessica Glenza
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/25/cdc-vaccine-panel-rfk-acip

RFK Jr’s vaccine panel recommends new RSV treatment for infants
Move comes after health secretary replaced advisory board with ideological allies and several vaccine skeptics
Jessica Glenza
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/26/rfk-jr-vaccine-panel-rsv-treatment-infants

Costa Rican court orders government to free migrants who were deported by US
About 200 people were brought to the country in February under an agreement with the Trump administration
Agence France-Press in San José
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/25/costa-rica-court-deportations-trump

BBC to start charging US-based consumers for news and TV coverage
‘Premium experience’ for US users will include BBC News livestream as broadcaster looks overseas for income boost
Michael Savage Media editor
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jun/26/bbc-usa-paid-subscription-news

California vice-mayor under fire after allegedly urging gangs to ‘organize’ over Ice
Cynthia Gonzalez of Cudahy appeared to call on street gangs for ‘help’ amid immigration raids in Los Angeles
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/25/california-vice-mayor-cynthia-gonzalez-ice

James Webb telescope captures direct images of Saturn-sized exoplanet
TWA 7b is 110 light years away and by far the smallest-mass planet to be observed by direct imagery
Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jun/25/james-webb-space-telescope-first-direct-images-exoplanet

A dog cemetery would not be treated like this’: the fight to preserve Black burial grounds in the US
In the absence of federal oversight, Black communities band together to stave off development on historic resting places
Melissa Hellmann
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/25/black-burial-grounds

Local News
Mikayla Raines, founder of Minnesota’s Save A Fox rescue, dies at 29, husband says
By Stephen Swanson
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/mikayla-raines-dies-save-a-fox-rescue/

DOC updates Stillwater prison closing
Commissioner Paul Schnell says inmate transfers to other facilities have already begun, while decisions on what programs remain at Stillwater are being made.
Author: Dana Thiede
https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/doc-updates-stillwater-prison-closing/89-7f18c013-a18f-415c-b880-e81e6e91ef81

Well! There’s a name you don’t see every day:  Patches Magickbeans
Man charged in North Shore tunnel crash that injured two construction workers
Estelle Timar-Wilcox
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/06/25/man-charged-north-shore-tunnel-crash-injured-two-construction-workers

Employment opportunities on the rise in Rochester
By Aaliyah Demry
https://www.kttc.com/2025/06/25/employment-opportunities-rise-rochester/

‘A belter of a movie’: Guardian readers’ best films of 2025 so far
From repressive military regimes in I’m Still Here to funny French teenage delinquents in Holy Cow, readers pick films that have moved them this year
Guardian readers
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/25/a-belter-of-a-movie-guardian-readers-best-films-of-2025-so-far

Mel Brooks turns 99: the comedy icon’s best films – ranked!
Following the announcement of a sequel to Spaceballs, we assess the film-maker’s funniest movies, from the Hitchcock spoof High Anxiety to the impeccable Young Frankenstein
By Anne Billson
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/26/mel-brooks-ranked-movies

The Bear season four review – finally becoming the show it was always destined to be
It’s outgrown the ‘Yes, chef!’ rages and screaming matches in the pantry and morphed into something more tender, beautiful – and endlessly moving. Let the happy tears flow
Jack Seale
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jun/26/the-bear-season-four-review-finally-becoming-the-show-it-was-always-destined-to-be

‘Intense’ novel about robot abused by her boyfriend/owner wins Arthur C Clarke science fiction award
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer wins £2,025 for ‘compelling tale that, like all good stories about robots, is ultimately about the human condition’
Lucy Knight
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/25/arthur-c-clarke-science-fiction-award-annie-bot-sierra-greer

Unheard works by Erik Satie to premiere 100 years after his death
Pianist Alexandre Tharaud performs previously lost material by experimental French composer on a new album
Dalya Alberge
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jun/26/unheard-works-by-erik-satie-to-premiere-100-years-after-his-death

How to turn the whole carrot into a Moroccan-spiced stew – recipe
Save those bright green carrot tops from the compost bin by whizzing them up into a spicy sauce for topping a North African-spiced carrot stew
Tom Hunt
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/jun/25/how-to-turn-the-whole-carrot-from-leaf-to-root-into-a-moroccan-spiced-stew-recipe-zero-waste-cooking

2025.06.25

Zohran Mamdani declares historic victory in New York City mayoral primary after Cuomo concedes
‘Tonight is his night,’ says ex-governor as progressive state representative tells supporters ‘we made history’
‘We made history’: Mamdani celebrates after shocking Cuomo in New York City mayoral primary – US politics live
Adam Gabbatt
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/24/new-york-mayoral-primary-results

Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Nada Tawfik and Rachel Hagan
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly2rgzye9no

Union leaders’ exit from DNC exposes ‘mind-boggling’ tensions inside Democratic party
Lee Saunders and Randi Weingarten say party not standing up for working people amid ‘existential battle’ under Trump
Steven Greenhouse
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/25/dnc-union-leaders-democratic-party

CDC vaccine report cites study that does not exist, says scientist listed as author
Robert Berman, cited in report on preservative thimerosal, says he ‘doesn’t endorse this misrepresentation of research’
Reuters
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/24/cdc-vaccine-presentation-autism

RFK Jr grilled on vaccine policies and healthcare fraud in bruising House hearing
US health secretary faced hours of questioning over budget cuts and accusations he lied to senators
Joseph Gedeon in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/24/rfk-congress-hearing-vaccines

DoJ leader suggested defying courts over deportations, whistleblower says
Trump ally Emil Bove reportedly said the justice department would consider telling courts ‘fuck you’
Rachel Leingang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/24/emil-bove-justice-department-whistleblower

Man charged in bombing of Palm Springs fertility clinic dies in prison
Daniel Park, 32, was accused of supplying chemicals to the bomber, Guy Edward Barktus, who died in May explosion
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/24/california-fertility-clinic-bombing-death-prison

Quebec provides universal childcare for less than $7 a day. Here’s what the US can learn
Public childcare network is a win for everyone – kids, parents and the government, and the Quebec model is a shining example
Isabeau Doucet in Montreal
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/24/quebec-universal-childcare-us-learn

Millions of children at risk as global vaccine rates fall, study finds
Decline blamed on health inequalities, Covid disruption and soaring levels of misinformation and hesitancy
Andrew Gregory Health editor
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/24/children-global-vaccine-rates-fall-study-finds

How to get the most out of your window air conditioner during extreme heat
When a ‘heat dome’ hits, AC units can provide relief, but they need more maintenance than you think
Sarah Sloat
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/article/2024/aug/05/how-to-choose-clean-ac-units-tips

Not just rice and peas: lifting the lid on the radical roots of Caribbean cuisine
Caribe is more than a cookbook, says its author Keshia Sakarah, it’s also a homage to family – with a dash of history and a sprinkling of joy
Nesrine Malik
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/jun/24/caribbean-cuisine-history-caribe-keshia-sakarah

It Used to Be Witches by Ryan Gilbey review – an idiosyncratic guide to queer cinema
This engaging and experimental book explores the complex politics of LGBTQ+ representation in film
Ralf Webb
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/25/it-used-to-be-witches-by-ryan-gilbey-review-an-idiosyncratic-guide-to-queer-cinema

‘It validated the experiences of black women who loved women’: The 1928 song that is one the world’s first gay anthems
Deborah Nicholls-Lee
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250624-the-1928-song-that-is-one-the-worlds-first-gay-anthems-ma-rainey

Bobby Sherman, 60s teen idol and singer of hit Little Woman, dies aged 81
The teenage heartthrob, who become an LAPD instructor, had announced he had stage 4 cancer earlier this year
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jun/24/bobby-sherman-death-singer

2025.06.21

Harvard hired a researcher to uncover its ties to slavery. He says the results cost him his job: ‘We found too many slaves’
When the extent of the university’s involvement with slavery was unearthed, a scholar tracking descendants of enslaved workers was suddenly fired
Michela Moscufo
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/jun/21/harvard-slavery-decendants-of-the-enslaved

The Minnesota shootings illuminate the character of the Trump era
Sidney Blumenthal
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/21/minnesota-shootings-trump-mike-lee-vance-boelter

Social success not about who you know – it’s about knowing who knows whom
Knowledge trumps popularity in the long haul of trying to be influential, researchers say
Nicola Davis Science Correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/20/social-climbing-stanford-university-research

Why the summer solstice is a ‘celestial starting gun’ for trees
Research suggests longest day is a cue for beeches and other species to launch their growth strategies
Linda Geddes
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/21/trees-summer-solstice-celestial-starting-gun

Week in wildlife: acrobatic dolphins, a lost baby raccoon and a pair of Bambis
The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world
Joanna Ruck
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2025/jun/20/week-in-wildlife-acrobatic-dolphins-a-lost-baby-raccoon-and-a-pair-of-bambis

Summer reading: the 50 hottest books to read now
From dazzling debuts to unmissable memoirs, prize-winning novels to page-turning histories … Plus our pick of paperbacks and children’s fiction
Justine Jordan, David Shariatmadari, Imogen Russell Williams and Guardian staff
https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2025/jun/21/summer-reading-the-50-hottest-books-to-read-now

Ghibli’s midlife crisis: as beloved Japanese studio turns 40 will the magic fade?
Much of Studio Ghibli’s success is down to one man: 84-year-old Hayao Miyazaki, a master animator whose presence towers over the studio’s output
Justin McCurry in Tokyo
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/21/ghiblis-midlife-crisis-as-beloved-japanese-studio-turns-40-will-the-magic-fade

‘In every theatre, people would leave’: How ‘gay cowboy movie’ Brokeback Mountain challenged Hollywood – and the US
Nick Levine
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250620-how-gay-cowboy-movie-brokeback-mountain-challenged-hollywood-and-the-us

‘Miners showing solidarity at Pride 40 years ago was significant’
Miriam Barker
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqnzp278lvo

China has millions of single men – could dating camp help them find love?
Helen Bushby
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e0p9eg6gyo

Parties, pyres and pharaohs: Africa’s top shots
Natasha Booty
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly2r4lnwgwo

2025.06.18

New York City mayoral candidate Brad Lander arrested by Ice agents
Lander, who has been released, was arrested at courthouse, where he said he intended to ‘accompany’ immigrants out of the building
Jenna Amatulli
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/17/brad-lander-arrested-new-york-city-comptroller

‘Ice raids while the wealthy party next door’: the migrants living in the shadow of Mar-a-Lago
Five residents of Lake Worth Beach – just 10 miles from Trump’s Maga fortress – share their stories of survival as an immigration crackdown takes its toll
Clare Considine
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/18/lake-worth-beach-immigration-crackdown-trump

Tough, whip-smart and selfless: Melissa Hortman, ‘singular force for democracy’, remembered
Colleagues speak of Hortman’s legislative accomplishments, a ‘steely negotiator’ who went into politics ‘to do something, not to be something’
Rachel Leingang in Minneapolis
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/18/melissa-hortman-remembered

New Orleans archdiocese bond investors accuse church of ‘securities fraud’
Catholic church says it won’t make nearly $1m interest payment but calls fraud accusation ‘extreme stretch’
Ramon Antonio Vargas and David Hammer of WWL Louisiana
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/18/new-orleans-archdiocese-church-securities-fraud

Bali flights cancelled after Indonesian volcano spews 10km-high ash tower
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the island of Flores, east of Bali, erupted on Tuesday afternoon, leading to several airlines cancelling flights
Agence France Presse and Nick Visser
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/18/bali-flights-cancelled-volcano-eruption-indonesia

Pragmata, the quirky science-fiction game that’s back from the dead
Originally meant to release in 2022, Capcom’s futuristic game – featuring an astronaut and a mysterious blond-haired little girl – has just re-emerged from stasis; and it looks like it will be worth the wait
Alyssa Mercante
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/jun/17/pragmata-quirky-science-fiction-game-capcom

From Joyce’s death mask to Bono’s sunglasses: a look around the Little Museum of Dublin’s grand curiosities
This people’s museum is crammed with curios donated by Dublin residents. A major facelift has added a library, archive and exhibition on ‘fearless women’
Fergal McCarthy
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/jun/18/the-little-museum-of-dublin-reopens

Tight Lotus? Patrick Schwarzenegger reacts to White Lotus parody
The actor, who played Saxon on The White Lotus season 3, has had some “weird experiences” with fans.
Mey Rude
https://www.out.com/gay-entertainment/white-lotus-patrick-schwarzenegger-reaction-tight-lotus-gay-adult-film

Deliver Me From Nowhere: first trailer for Oscar-tipped Bruce Springsteen biopic
The hotly anticipated music drama stars The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White as the rocker with Jeremy Strong and Stephen Graham also starring
Benjamin Lee
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/18/bruce-springsteen-deliver-me-from-nowhere-trailer

Celebrated pianist and writer Alfred Brendel dies aged 94
Widely regarded as the ‘musicians’ musician’ Brendel was the first pianist to record all of Beethoven’s piano works during a much-garlanded career spanning 60 years
Imogen Tilden
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jun/17/celebrated-pianist-and-writer-alfred-brendel-dies-aged-94