Jay Clayton sworn in as US director of national intelligence
After a bumpy confirmation hearing, Clayton replaces acting director Bill Pulte to head US intelligence agenciesUS politics live – latest updatesJay Clayton has been sworn in as the US’s top spy after a contentious Senate confirmation hearing during which he refused to directly acknowledge that Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.The oath of office was administered to Clayton on Tuesday by the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, in the Oval Office as the president looked on and applauded. He becomes the ninth director of national intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down in June. Continue reading...
Sources & Citations
1 sourceMore Stories
Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
• Air strikes, shelling, and shooting continued in Gaza over the weekend, resulting in dozens of casualties, including civilians, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. • Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported over 150 fatalities during July, marking the highest monthly death toll recorded so far this year.
Read original · press.un.orgAfter share price crash following IPO, SpaceX to report first earnings as a public company
The company will release its second quarter earnings on Tuesday, giving investors a look at its potential profitFor the first time since SpaceX went public, the world will get a first-hand look into the trillion-dollar corporation’s financials. The Elon Musk-run business will report its second quarter earnings on Tuesday, while nervous investors look to gain more insight into the rocket ship company’s potential for profit.SpaceX had a blockbuster initial public offering in June with the largest-ever stock market debut in history. The IPO transformed SpaceX into a $2tn company and briefly crowned Musk the world’s first trillionaire. But since then, the company’s stock has plummeted by 24%, erasing nearly $500bn in market cap. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comNew York deputy police commissioner fired after attempted murder arrest
Mount Vernon official is accused of driving getaway car after son allegedly opened fire outside Bronx courtA New York state police department fired its deputy commissioner on Tuesday after she allegedly acted as a getaway driver for her son in what is being investigated as an attempted murder.The city of Mount Vernon said in an Instagram post that it had terminated Jennifer Lackard, deputy police commissioner for safety, for conduct “unrelated to her duties”. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comUniversity of Maryland ‘teacher of the year’ detained by ICE in Texas
DHS said pharmacy instructor Berhanu Kibret overstayed visa and arrested him at Dallas-Fort Worth airportAn instructor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore who only just received a “teacher of the year” award has been arrested by federal immigration agents under the command of the Trump administration.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials detained Berhanu Kibret, an instructor at the university’s pharmacy school, at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport in Texas, according to multiple news reports. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, confirmed Kibret’s arrest, citing an expired visa – but it stopped short of providing a location. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comDevastating LA wildfire sparked by utility company tower, long-awaited report finds
Investigators pin blame for Eaton fire, which killed 19 people and ruined thousands of homes, on ‘electrical arcing events’ at out-of-service towerThe deadly 2025 Eaton fire in the Los Angeles area was caused by equipment belonging to the utility company Southern California Edison, fire officials said in a report released on Tuesday.Los Angeles county fire officials found that the cause of the fire that killed 19 people and destroyed or damaged more than 9,000 homes and businesses was a tower that was not in service, according to the report. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comEx-Olympian weighing ‘all options’ after reflecting pool charges dropped
David Hearn has ‘number of potential remedies’ after being prosecuted in connection with pool damage, attorney saysAn attorney for the former Olympic canoeist who was charged with vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool has said that “all options are on table” for legal recourse after prosecutors recently abandoned the case abruptly.David Hearn “has a number of potential remedies” after being prosecuted in connection with pool damage now attributed to faulty work by a contractor, attorney Steven Levin said in a statement. Levin added that those could include “civil suits, bar referrals for the prosecutors involved, request for sanctions and reimbursement of attorneys’ fees and expenses”, and requests for investigations by various government entities, including Congress. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comIran’s president denies threatening to resign during talks over strait of Hormuz
Masoud Pezeshkian dismisses talk of internal rift as hardline Assembly of Experts call US negotiations ‘futile’Middle East crisis live – latest updatesMasoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s president, has been forced to deny claims that he has repeatedly threatened to resign as he battles hardline factions opposed to reaching a settlement with the US over the strait of Hormuz.The US and Europe hope a deal is imminent to reopen the strait and they are putting pressure on Oman to accept a temporary agreement that officials in Muscat fear will leave Iran retaining near permanent dominance of the vital oil shipping channel. Ships would enter the strait in a route close to Iran, but leave on a route that passes through Iranian and Omani waters. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comIndia’s ruling BJP suffers rare byelection loss after Cockroach student protests
Opposition parties say nationwide protests that forced resignation of education secretary are beginning to dent BJP supportIndia’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party has suffered a byelection defeat in a seat it had held for three decades following the Cockroach movement student protests that have shaken Narendra Modi’s government.Prashant Kishor, a high profile electoral strategist turned politician, scored a breakthrough win for his fledgling Jan Suraaj (Good Governance) party in the Bankipur constituency in Patna, the capital of the eastern state of Bihar. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comChipotle removes jalapeños amid US salmonella outbreak investigation
Restaurant chain pulls peppers ‘out of an abundance of caution’ as salmonella outbreak sickens 100 peopleChipotle said on Tuesday it had removed jalapeños from some of the chain’s restaurants after identifying the peppers as a potential ingredient tied to a salmonella outbreak, replacing them with supplies from different growers.The company said it began tracing ingredients through its supply chain after learning of a potential outbreak and identified jalapeños from a common lot as a possible source. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.com‘We fought for a tougher sentence’: victims’ families’ fury over early release scheme
Partner of woman killed by dangerous driver among those who say they are devastated at killers leaving jail earlyWhen Calvin Buckley, whose pregnant partner was killed by a dangerous driver in 2023, secured a tougher sentence for the man who took her life, he felt some justice had been served. Now, under plans to release prisoners early to ease overcrowding, Adil Iqbal, who filmed himself speeding at 123mph before he crashed into 38-year-old Frankie Jules-Hough, may serve less time in prison than he would have under his original sentence.“He could actually serve less time than he originally was going to before we appealed,” Buckley said. “We’ve fought for a tougher sentence. What is the point of having an actual sentence if the government can just reduce that?” Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comCalls to ban disposable barbecues in England and Wales over wildfire risk
Lib Dems and many Labour MPs join farmers, landowners and firefighters in urging temporary prohibitionFarmers and landowners are calling for a temporary ban on disposable barbecues in England and Wales, as they warn of the risk of igniting wildfires.The call, which has also been made by firefighters and is backed by the Liberal Democrats and many Labour MPs, comes as much of England faces further hot dry weather, despite rain in some areas. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.com