Photo highlights from the quarterfinals of the Women's Euro 25 soccer tournament
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
MLS commissioner defends ban on ‘political' signage at games amid Ice crackdown
MLS commissioner Don Garber defended the league's ban on political signage from fan groups but said that teams are allowed to make political statements in a press conference with reporters before the MLS All-Star game on Wednesday evening. Asked by the Guardian US to comment on protests and statements from MLS supporters' groups against Immigration Customs Enforcement (Ice) and the federal government's broader immigration crackdown, Garber said that the league's primary concern is keeping games safe for fans to attend. The commissioner said that ensuring fan groups do not unveil displays that are political in nature is part of that goal. 'We want to ensure that we're having displays that are not going to incite anyone,' Garber said in part. 'The best way to do that is to have the policy we have, which prohibits having political signage or anything to do with legislative acts on display in our stadiums. 'I understand and sympathize with those that are impacted by this. I grew up in a very diverse environment. We are a very diverse league, but we have to be very thoughtful about how we engage in this situation.' MLS has said in the past that it estimates around 30% of its fans are Hispanic. As Ice raids have taken place in public places across the country, numerous MLS supporters' groups have spoken out about how the current environment contributes to them feeling unsafe at MLS games. In May, Latino supporters of Nashville SC paused gameday activities due to Ice's crackdown, telling SixOneFive Soccer that they feel 'targeted', and the Athletic that they feel 'hunted' given the general environment in the state. In this past weekend's LAFC v LA Galaxy match, LAFC supporters unveiled a tifo reading 'Los Angeles unidos jamás será vencido' ('Los Angeles, united, will never be defeated') after Ice raids in the California metropolis that led to more than 2,700 arrests. As of mid-June, Ice data shows there were more than 11,700 people in immigration detention who had been arrested despite having no track record of being charged with or convicted of a crime. LAFC issued a statement about the Los Angeles raids, saying that 'today, when so many in our city are feeling fear and uncertainty, LAFC stands shoulder to shoulder with all members of our community'. At time of writing, they remain the only MLS team to have made such a statement. The LA Galaxy banned fans responsible for displaying anti-Ice banners at a recent game, with other supporters boycotting the match against LAFC in protest. Anti-Ice banners have also been seen in Austin, the site of Wednesday's All-Star game, Chicago and other markets. Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion Asked whether he thinks the league has a responsibility to protect fans as Ice raids continue across the country, and how the league is thinking about this topic generally, Garber said: 'I don't think the league has the ability to serve as an entity to protect anyone. That being said, we want our stadiums to stay safe.' However, he said, 'if teams want to make a statement, they can. I don't think any team should be required to. Certainly the league is not, has not, and will not make a statement on this. We just want to continue to do whatever we can to ensure that our games are safe for all of our fans.'
The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Donald Trump's Epstein problem
Donald Trump has peddled many conspiracy theories in his time. From the baseless smear that Barack Obama was not a US citizen, to the claim that Trump did not lose the 2020 election, to ones even more far-fetched than that. But, as Washington DC Bureau Chief David Smith tells Nosheen Iqbal, there is one conspiracy theory Trump may come to regret. For when his estranged friend – and child sex offender – Jeffrey Epstein died in prison awaiting trial in 2019, Trump suggested that perhaps Epstein had not died by suicide at all … that something far more nefarious was going on in order to protect the rich and powerful whom Epstein had been partying with for decades. In the years since, 'Release the Epstein Files' has been a rallying call for the online right, not least among Trump's Maga's base. In particular, they have called for the publication of Epstein's 'client list' – a roll-call of the elite supposedly implicated in Epstein's crimes. Yet since coming to office, the president seems to have changed his tune, with his administration insisting in the last few weeks that no such list exists, and that there was nothing suspicious about Epstein's death. It has seemingly enraged some of the president's own supporters, who have accused Trump of being part of a deep-state cover up – and questioned just how involved Trump was with Epstein after all.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Fema director defends Texas flood response as ‘model' for disasters
David Richardson, the acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), on Wednesday defended his agency's handling of recent deadly floods in Texas, claiming the response was a 'model' for 'how disasters should be handled'. The comment came as Richardson faced accusations that the response to the floods was botched, characterized by ignorance and carelessness. 'This wasn't just incompetence. It wasn't just indifference. It was both,' Greg Stanton, a Democratic representative from Arizona, told Richardson at the House transportation and infrastructure committee hearing. 'And that deadly combination likely cost lives.' The hearing followed a slew of reports saying Richardson was nowhere to be found during the flood. Earlier, the acting director, who has no previous experience in disaster management, reportedly said he was unaware that hurricane season exists in the US – something the White House later said was a 'joke'. Richardson denied any agency wrongdoing in the Texas floods. 'What happened in Texas was an absolute tragedy,' he said. He and other officials under Donald Trump were aiming to restore the agency to its original goals, he said, encouraging states to take on more financial and logistical responsibility for disasters. 'Fema has lost sight of its original intent,' he said. 'Under the leadership of the President and the Secretary we are returning to this mission focus moving forward.' Anticipating this argument, Rick Larsen, a US representative and ranking member of the House committee, came to the hearing armed with the Congressional Research Service's list of the 518 actions that Fema is mandated to follow. 'Currently, Fema doesn't follow all these laws,' he said. In response, Richardson said the agency had done it 'own mission analysis'. 'What we did, and I can commit to, is that we developed eight mission-essential tasks that we have to do by statute,' he said. At the hearing, Larsen also announced a bipartisan bill to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which he is co-leading with Sam Graves, the House transportation and infrastructure chair and a Republican from Missouri, that proposes centralizing disaster assistance funding information. 'As disasters become more frequent and severe, leaving more lives, homes and livelihoods at risk, maintaining Fema's core functions remains critically important,' said Will McDow, an associate vice-president at the Environmental Defense Fund, which is backing the bill. During his first week in office, Trump floated the idea of getting rid of Fema altogether, something the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, repeated in March. John Raymond Garamendi, a Democratic representative from California, asked Richardson if he can 'commit to us today that Fema will exist in the future, will be able to carry out its functions under the law and under the needs of this nation'. Richardson provided a vague response. 'The president wants better emergency management for the American people, and that's a noble goal,' he said. In the days after the recent floods ravaged central Texas, reports showed that Fema did not answer nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance hotline, something Noem dismissed as 'fake news'. Richardson also denied the reporting. 'The vast majority of phone calls were answered, the questions were addressed,' he said. He said a key goal for Fema under his leadership is 'cutting through red tape and ensuring that when federal assistance is warranted we deliver assistance to survivors rapidly'. But Noem in recent weeks has enacted a new rule requiring any department contract or grant over $100,000 to be personally signed off by her before funds can be allocated, anonymous Fema officials told NBC News. 'To me, having someone, one person only, having to sign off on every contract of $100,000 or more is the definition of bureaucracy,' said Dina Titus, a Democratic representative from Nevada. This week, Ken Pagurek, Fema's urban search and rescue branch head, resigned, CNN first reported, after more than a decade at the agency, reportedly citing concerns about major cuts Trump has made to the agency and the result on disaster management. Study after study shows that flooding like this summer's in Texas is becoming more severe and more common amid the climate crisis. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democratic delegate from Washington DC, asked Richardson if he believes fossil fuels are the primary cause of the climate crisis, and if he thinks extreme weather is increasing. Richardson was noncommittal in his answer. 'What I believe is that we will address disasters regardless of their origin,' he said. Asked if he thought the agency had made any mistakes during the floods, Richardson said: 'I can't see anything that we did wrong. 'Nothing is perfect. However, I will say that it was a model, particularly at Fema, the region and the state level,' he said. 'It was a model how disasters should be handled.'
