Category Archives: Politics

2025.07.11

Paris rejoices as Moulin Rouge windmill sails turn again year after collapse
Cabaret venue marks restoration of red-painted windmill with 90-strong troupe performing signature can-can dance
Jon Henley in Paris
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/11/paris-moulin-rouge-windmill-sails-turn-again-year-after-collapse

DoJ whistleblower provides emails backing claim Emil Bove defied courts over deportations
Messages released by fired DoJ lawyer show officials were aware they might have to ignore judicial orders
Sam Levine
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/10/doj-whistleblower-deportations-emil-bove

‘I’d be proud to be thrown out of America!’ Eric Idle on Trump, life after Python and not talking before lunch
As told to Catherine Shoard
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jul/11/id-be-proud-to-be-thrown-out-of-america-eric-idle-on-trump-life-after-python-and-not-talking-before-lunch

Denver museum known for dinosaur displays finds fossil under its parking lot
A hole drilled 750ft deep to study museum’s geothermal potential yielded an unexpected surprise
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/10/denver-museum-fossil-parking-lot

Trump’s inaugural fund received $19m from fossil fuel industry, analysis shows
President raised $239m for inauguration – more than previous three inaugural committees took in combined
Dharna Noor
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/10/trump-inaugural-fund-fossil-fuel-industry

The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – review roundup
Here and Beyond by Hal LaCroix; One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford; I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman; The Reaper by Jackson P Brown
Lisa Tuttle
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jul/11/the-best-recent-science-fiction-fantasy-and-horror-review-roundup

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

2025.07.05

Owning dog or cat could preserve some brain functions as we age, study says
Fish or bird ownership showed no significant link to slower cognitive decline in study with implications for ageing societies
Amelia Hill
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jul/05/dog-cat-ownership-could-preserve-specific-brain-functions-as-we-age-cognitive-decline

Trump is waging war against the media – and winning
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/jul/05/trump-attack-us-media

‘The vehicle suddenly accelerated with our baby in it’: the terrifying truth about why Tesla’s cars keep crashing
Elon Musk is obsessive about the design of his supercars, right down to the disappearing door handles. But a series of shocking incidents – from drivers trapped in burning vehicles to dramatic stops on the highway – have led to questions about the safety of the brand. Why won’t Tesla give any answers?
Sönke Iwersen and Michael Verfürden
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/05/the-vehicle-suddenly-accelerated-with-our-baby-in-it-the-terrifying-truth-about-why-teslas-cars-keep-crashing

US debt is now $37trn – should we be worried?
Simon Jack
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1lj8rmyn5eo

2025.07.04

Palmer’s Bar to close after serving beers for 120 years on West Bank
The bar didn’t give a reason for its closure, but said it will have a “jam-packed” calendar and “plenty of time to party and say farewell” before shutting the doors.
Author: Samantha Fischer
https://www.kare11.com/article/entertainment/palmers-bar-to-close-after-serving-beers-for-120-years-on-west-bank/89-0c845523-e6cc-4fed-8be2-82e7540144cc

Trump’s Medicaid cuts are coming for rural Americans: ‘It’s going to have to hit them first’
Experts worry the tax-and-spending bill will gut healthcare and hospitals, especially in states like North Carolina
Jessica Glenza and George Chidi
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/04/rural-americans-medicaid-cuts-trump-bill

Trump’s big bill achieved what conservatives have been trying to do for decades
Chris Stein
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/03/trump-spending-bill-conservatives-law

The Nazi bunkers hidden underneath Berlin
In this episode of The Specialist, historian Kay Heyne guides us through the haunting remnants of Nazi-era bunkers. From Hitler’s final shelter in Berlin to a hidden underground ring tunnel linking eleven modest-looking farmhouses just south of the capital, Heyne uncovers the forgotten architecture of a dark chapter in history
Produced and directed by Ana Catala, Filmed by Jan Rödger, Edited by Elisabetta Abrami, Executive Producer Anna Bressanin
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0lmjjmb/the-nazi-bunkers-hidden-underneath-berlin

Wildfire forces evacuation of thousands on Greek island of Crete
Nikos Papanikolaou
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0vdkry307o

Iron age settlement found in Gloucestershire after detectorist unearths Roman swords
When Glen Manning discovered two cavalry swords, a later dig revealed two distinct chapters of British history
Steven Morris
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jul/04/roman-swords-gloucestershire-villa-iron-age-settlement-discovery

Gaylaxicon 2025 PR2: https://mailchi.mp/67977d404acf/announcing-the-special-guests-of-gaylaxicon-2025?e=a000f39080

2025.07.03

A Wisconsin brewery owner wants to shut down Fourth of July parades, both in Minocqua, where the brewery is located, and across the nation. Kirk Bangstad “says he ‘will not allow this town to comfortably celebrate its most important event of the year’ because he believes he’s been targeted by city officials,” according to Bring Me The News. Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/wisconsin-news/wisconsin-brewery-owner-plans-to-disrupt-parade-over-feud-with-officials

Scientists warn US will lose a generation of talent because of Trump cuts
Political interference and chaotic cuts to staff, programs and grants at the National Science Foundation are producing ‘devastating consequences’
Nina Lakhani
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/03/national-science-foundation-trump-cuts

New Orleans teacher fired by Catholic school for being gay says ‘it’s just time’ for discrimination to stop
Mark Richards was fired from St Francis Xavier school after an obituary identified him as his late husband’s widower
Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/03/new-orleans-teacher-mark-richards

US couple could face trial in France over stolen shipwreck gold
Novelist and husband suspected of helping to sell bullion taken decades ago from ship that sank off Brittany in 1746
Agence France-Presse
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/03/us-couple-could-face-trial-in-france-over-stolen-shipwreck-gold

America is over neoliberalism and neoconservatism. Trump is not
Samuel Moyn
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/03/trump-neoliberalism-neoconservatism

US researchers launch new mission to solve mystery of Amelia Earhart’s fate
Researchers to follow fresh clues that suggest pioneering aviator may have crash-landed on remote Pacific island
Marina Dunbar
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/02/amelia-earhart-missing-plane

The Sandman season two review – Neil Gaiman’s emo drama is so pretentious it ruins everything
The return of the mopey goth hero sees him stroppily shuffle through what could be fantastic adventures as if they are tedious obligations. And some of the dialogue: oof!
Jack Seale
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jul/03/the-sandman-season-two-review-neil-gaiman-netflix

Is this the end for Easter Island’s moai statues?
Sofia Quaglia
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250702-the-indigenous-restorers-of-easter-islands-moai-in-the-face-of-climate-change

Ancient Egyptian history may be rewritten by DNA bone test
Pallab Ghosh
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dnnyz0z6do

The European nation pioneering ‘beer diplomacy’
David Farley
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250627-the-european-nation-pioneering-beer-diplomacy

2025.07.02

Dinner du Nord invites diners to a 7-block-long table on Nicollet Mall
Dinner du Nord organizers share a toast at a model table in Minneapolis on July 1, featuring dishes from several local restaurants.
Estelle Timar-Wilcox
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/07/01/dinner-du-nord-invites-diners-to-a-7blocklong-table-on-nicollet-mall

Concerns about Uptown’s changing face are familiar and overwrought
Yes, the critical Minneapolis retail and entertainment hub is suffering. But the key to its future isn’t recreating the past.
by Bill Lindeke
https://www.minnpost.com/cityscape/2025/07/concerns-about-uptowns-changing-face-are-familiar-and-overwrought/

Judge blocks Kristi Noem from ending temporary protected status for Haitians
Homeland security secretary attempting to end legal status for approximately 521,000 Haitian immigrants
Reuters
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/kristi-noem-haitian-immigrants-tps

Kristi Noem failed to disclose $80,000 received while South Dakota governor – report
Homeland security secretary was paid by group listed as American Resolve Police Fund, according to Politico
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/kristi-noem-payment-south-dakota-governor

Trump team threatens to prosecute CNN over reporting on Ice-tracking app
Kristi Noem says ‘we’re working with [DoJ] to see if we can prosecute them’ while president fumes over Iran reporting
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/trump-kristi-noem-cnn-threat

Trump administration raises possibility of stripping Mamdani of US citizenship
Move comes after rightwing Republican accuses New York City mayoral candidate of concealing support for ‘terrorism’
Robert Tait
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/trump-zohran-mamdani-citizenship

How Mamdani connects climate policy to his affordability agenda as he runs for New York mayor
Many of the democratic socialist’s policies aim to slash carbon emissions and boost environmental justice
Dharna Noor
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/02/zohran-mamdani-climate-policy

The supreme court is cracking down on judges – and letting Trump run wild
Steven Greenhouse
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/02/supreme-court-judges-trump

Key climate change reports removed from US government websites
The national climate assessments help state and local governments prepare for the impacts of a warming world
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/01/climate-change-reports-removed-trump

Inquiry finds British committed genocide on Indigenous Australians
Lana Lam
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn413zlld4mo

Qantas data breach exposes up to six million customer profiles
Tabby Wilson
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd6gnyl9923o

Jimmy Swaggart, US televangelist brought down by scandal, dies aged 90
Swaggart, who amassed huge following and millions of dollars, gave tearful apology after sex worker revelations
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/jimmy-swaggart-dies