Senate panel votes to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress over Covid hearing

• Two Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon, marking the first Israeli fatalities since a ceasefire was established with Hezbollah in June. • The deaths occurred during an escalation of tensions despite the existing truce intended to stabilize the border region.

• Tensions are escalating in Lebanon, causing the second day of diplomatic talks to end prematurely due to volatile events on the ground. • U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed optimism that a deal to resolve the conflict could be reached in the near future.

• Prof. Michel Chossudovsky reports on a secret U.S. War Department "Doomsday Blueprint" dated September 15, 1945, which allegedly planned a nuclear strike to "wipe the Soviet Union off the map." • The article asserts that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki served as a "dress rehearsal" for this larger strategic objective.

As another summer of extreme heat rumbles on, warnings about excess deaths, ageing infrastructure and potential food shortages are growing louder. So how well prepared is the UK to cope, both now and in the years ahead? Jessica Elgot and Alexandra Topping examine why politicians have been so slow to act. Plus, Kemi Badenoch has distanced herself from the former neo-Nazi turned Tory council candidate Joshua Bonehill-Paine, only to offer him him an advisory role instead. What was she thinking?You can read Jessica Elgot’s interview with the health secretary on heatwaves hereYou can read about Kemi Badenoch’s action on Joshua Bonehill-Paine herePlease keep sending your comments and questions to [email protected] and subscribe to the Politics Weekly YouTube channel here Continue reading...

Half of border agents are Latino, and they are part of a long history of Hispanic support for – and enforcement of – harsh immigration policiesSince Trump’s return to power, more than 60 people have died at the hands of or in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including two Latino immigrants in one week: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine. Many Latinos have come to feel that their brown skin makes them targets, and they are not wrong.But there is another dimension of this story that we often fail to consider: many of those in charge of anti-immigrant operations also have brown skin, Hispanic names and links to the communities they terrorize. When the identities of the agents who killed Alex Pretti in January were revealed as those of two Hispanic men, many people reacted with shock. The irony seemed obvious, but it reflected a mistaken assumption: that Latinos are naturally opposed to restrictionist immigration policies. History suggests otherwise. Continue reading...

GMB says that as a top-rated ethical company, UK’s largest energy firm should welcome involvement of unionsWorkers are pushing for union recognition at the UK’s largest energy company, Octopus Energy, known as a progressive organisation with a focus on renewable energy.The GMB union is planning to submit a formal proposal for voluntary recognition at the London-based company and says Octopus, as a top rated ethical business, should welcome the involvement of trade unions. Continue reading...

The mFlusiva vaccine for older people is first made with mRNA platform key to ending coronavirus pandemicThe Food and Drug Administration has approved a new kind of flu vaccine for older people, the first made with the same mRNA technology that was key to ending the Covid-19 pandemic, Moderna, the manufacturer, said.The shot, named mFlusiva, is intended for adults aged 50 or older. Other brands of flu shots already have begun arriving in pharmacies ahead of fall vaccination season, and Moderna said late on Wednesday that it expected some of its new version to be available soon at select retailers. Continue reading...

Crown court rules architecture firm not responsible for fatal incident but project managers and engineers found guilty of safety breachesThe architecture firm founded by Norman Foster has been cleared over the death of a man killed by a window that fell 90 metres from a newly constructed London penthouse.Foster + Partners, the practice behind some of the world’s most recognisable buildings such as the Gherkin and revamps of the British Museum and Germany’s Reichstag, were not held to be responsible for the death of Mick Ferris, a 53-year-old coach driver, in 2018. Continue reading...

Iran players stayed in country after Asian Cup in MarchDuo condemned as traitors in Iran for not singing anthemTwo former Iranian footballers said on Thursday they were “proud” to have been granted Australian citizenship after being called traitors at home for refusing to sing the national anthem before a game.Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh were members of a group of seven from Iran’s delegation who asked for Australia’s protection after the high-profile protest during the women’s Asian Cup in March. Continue reading...

Academic who resigned as a Cambridge professor on Wednesday did not specify if amount from Simon & Schuster was in pounds or US dollarsJason Arday, the former Cambridge professor accused of plagiarism and embellishment, claimed he was paid “1.4 million” for his forthcoming memoir detailing his extraordinary backstory.Arday was dogged by a growing series of questions over his academic work and credentials before he resigned on Wednesday night, saying the “relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love”. Continue reading...

First runner-up, Myla Hadley, will represent the state at the Miss USA pageant after Brittany Boltinhouse’s removalA pageant queen recently crowned Miss North Carolina USA has been stripped of her title after a string of alleged racist posts resurfaced.Brittany Boltinhouse, 27, was formally dethroned on Wednesday by pageant organizers A Blaize Productions after what it said was “a thorough review of recently surfaced information”. Continue reading...

Figure raises questions about deal with France despite UK ministers insisting repeat arrivals will be removedAlmost 50 asylum seekers deported using the “one in one out” scheme have been recorded as returning to the UK a second time, the Guardian has learned.It is believed that in addition to the 49 returnees detained by the Home Office, an unknown number are likely to have arrived in the UK undetected. Continue reading...