The National Park Service is in disarray
O N A HOT DAY in July, several visitors to Yosemite National Park, along the mountainous spine of California, go on a bear walk. No bears are spotted, but the group learns about what they eat (wild raspberries), where they frolic (lush meadows) and what to do if you encounter one on the trail (don't run!). In the busiest part of the park, tourists trek to waterfalls and queue for snacks and T-shirts at the visitor centre. The bathrooms are dirty, but no worse than when your correspondent visited last summer. All seems well, yet there is trouble lurking.
But the Democrats' response is self-defeating
Could factory-made units ease America's housing shortage, too?
Under pressure, America's oldest university may make a deal
Beyond the WWE, liberals grapple with a MAGA bastion
Some brawl in public while others pursue cross-party deals
The administration hopes to undo perverse incentives
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Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Aberdeen 'gambles' as it approves Scotland's highest tourist tax - bigger than Edinburgh or Glasgow
The city said the money would be a 'huge boost' to the local economy. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Aberdeen will bring in Scotland's highest tourist tax rate so far in a move described as a 'gamble' by business leaders. The north-east city has agreed a 7 per cent levy on each overnight stay in the city's hotels, bed and breakfasts and self catering apartments. The uplift compares to a 5 per cent rate now agreed in both Edinburgh and Glasgow and under consideration in the Highland council area. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Aberdeen has agreed to introduce a 7 per cent tourist tax on most overnight stays in the city. | Getty Images A spokesman for Aberdeen City Council said people could expect to pay an extra £4.90 on the average price of a hotel room, said to be £70. At this price, the levy is expected to generate up to £6.8 million a year for the city. However, with hotel rooms in high demand during energy conferences held at various points of the year, the cost of the levy will likely be significantly higher for visitors. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Scotland said the 7 per cent charge woulf be among the highest in Europe. The organisation described the move as a 'gamble' with Aberdeen's reputation as a visitor destination. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mike Duncan, the FSB North Scotland development manager, said: 'Aberdeen's levy implementation process must be handled with extreme care. It has the potential to raise vital funds to support the local tourism industry and enhance the area as a destination, which would benefit visitors, tourism businesses and residents alike. READ MORE: Edinburgh must be careful how it spends its tourist tax 'However, one size most definitely does not fit all. Research suggests some so-called tourist taxes can deter visitors and negatively affect the local economy. What works for Paris or Barcelona, for example, might be very different to what works for Aberdeen. 'Aberdeen's businesses deserve greater clarity on the levy's likely effects.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The tourist tax in Barcelona has recently been raised to 15 Euro a night (£13.11) and in Paris the tax varies depending on the type of accommodation. Charges range from 0.65 Euro for a basic campsite to £15.60 Euro (£13.63) for a palace. For a four star hotel, the tax is 8.45 Euro £7.38. Mr Duncan called for a new Aberdeen-specific impact assessment to provide a clearer understanding of the potential impact of the tax. The organisation has also highlighted a recent impact assessment commissioned by the Welsh Government, which found a visitor levy could reduce tourist numbers by up to 2.5 per cent and cut visitor spending by as much as £35 million a year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Duncan raised concerns about the disproportionate impact on the city's smallest accommodation providers, such as some guesthouses and B&Bs. He added: 'What is surprising is that the Council has chosen at this stage not to support the smallest, most vulnerable accommodation providers in the city by not exempting those below the VAT threshold. Non-VAT registered accommodation providers will be disproportionately impacted by this decision.' Aberdeen's Convener of Finance and Resources Councillor Alex McLellan said the levy would provide a 'huge boost' to the local economy and allow investment in bringing major events and conferences to the city on a more regular basis. He said: 'Across Europe we are paying similar amounts to stay per night subsidising their thriving economies, and we should do the same to ensure we can compete in terms of attracting both business and leisure tourism to Aberdeen.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The council said money raised would go towards projects including a new Convention Bureau-managed fund to attract one-off and repeat business events, expos and major conferences. More funds will go into a culture and events fund to attract more business to the P&J Live venue. The tourist tax will also channel funds towards larger creative organisations in the city to support new work from emerging local talent. Steven Gow, chair of Visit Aberdeenshire, said: 'A well-managed scheme that supports the aims of the region's Destination Strategy will drive continued growth of Aberdeen's visitor economy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Aberdeen welcomed 2.2m overnight visits in 2024, contributing to an economic impact from tourism of over £500 million. The headroom for growth in the leisure and conference sectors will be fulfilled through effective investment in promotion, events, and development of the tourism sector.' Councils have been given powers to introduce a visitor levy by the Scottish Government with the local authority given the discretion to set what the rate is. The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill allows local authorities in Scotland to charge a fee on overnight stays in some types of accommodation. The levy would be calculated as a percentage of the chargeable transaction for accommodation, after deducting any commission costs. Local authorities set different rates for different purposes or areas meaning that different rates can be set for particular events, such as arts festivals or special conferences and that local authorities can vary the area in which the levy applies within their boundary.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
JD Vance visits Indiana to discuss redistricting amid Trump pressure on GOP states
Update: Date: 2025-08-07T09:54:01.000Z Title: The vice president's trip comes as Donald Trump ramps up pressure on GOP states to redraw congressional boundaries and give the party more winnable seats in the 2026 midterm elections Content: Good morning and welcome to our coverage of US politics as JD Vance prepares to visit Indiana on Thursday to discuss redistricting with Republican leaders. . In Texas, Democrats who left the state in an effort to block a new congressional map from being implemented say they experienced a bomb threat at their Illinois hotel on Wednesday morning amid the standoff. Vance is scheduled to hold private meetings with Gov. Mike Braun and others before attending a GOP fundraiser on Thursday night in the solidly Republican state. Braun had earlier told he expects to discuss several matters with the vice president — including redistricting — but said no commitments have been made. 'It looks like it's going to happen across many Republican states,' Braun said. As Associated Press reports, Indiana is staunchly Republican outnumbering Democrats in Indiana 7-2, limiting the possibilities of squeezing out another seat. Opponents of any redistricting attempt are planning to make their objections known on Thursday with protests and a news conference by the two Democratic members of the state's congressional delegation. The constitutionality of the move would also almost certainly be challenged in court. We'll bring you all the developments throughout the day. In other news: Donald Trump has claimed 'great progress was made' during talks on ending the war in Ukraine between his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Wednesday. The three-hour talks came two days before a deadline the US president set for Russia to reach a peace deal in the war or face fresh sanctions. The White House is placing an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, bringing total tariffs up to 50%, in retaliation for the country's purchase of oil from Russia, according to an executive order signed on Wednesday morning. India has 21 days to respond to the potential tariffs before they go into effect. The tariffs will be tacked on to a 25% tariff on India Donald Trump set last week as a 'penalty' for the country's trading relationship with Russia. A new report has found hundreds of reported cases of human rights abuses in US immigration detention centers. The alleged abuses uncovered include deaths in custody, physical and sexual abuse of detainees, denial of access to attorneys, and child separation. Donald Trump on Wednesday celebrated a commitment by Apple to increase its investments in US manufacturing by an additional $100bn over the next four years. Apple's plan to up its domestic investment comes as it seeks to avoid Trump's threatened tariffs, which would increase the tech giant's costs as it relies on a complex international supply chain to produce its iPhones. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa held a telephone call with US president Donald Trump on bilateral trade matters, Ramaphosa's office said in statement. Switzerland's government will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to decide its next move after its president returned home empty-handed from an 11th-hour trip to Washington aimed at averting a crippling 39% US import tariff on Swiss goods. An urgent meeting of the seven-member Federal Council - Switzerland's governing cabinet - will take place in Bern in the early afternoon, the government said a post on X. Swiss president Karin Keller-Sutter left Washington on Wednesday without a new deal and did not meet with Donald Trump or any of his top trade officials, two sources told Reuters. The man charged with killing the top Democrat in the Minnesota House and her husband, and wounding a state senator and his wife, is expected to plead not guilty when he's arraigned in federal court on Thursday, his attorney said. Vance Boelter, 58, of Green Isle, Minnesota, was indicted 15 July on six counts of murder, stalking and firearms violations. The murder charges could carry the federal death penalty, though prosecutors say that decision is several months away.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
A new generation of populists is showing Democrats how to defeat Trump
As Democrats continue to sift through the wreckage of the 2024 election, one truth should be impossible to ignore: they are bleeding support among working-class voters and Donald Trump's stumbles alone will not save them. From Black and Latino men to young and low-income voters, Trump's re-election made it clear that working Americans increasingly feel alienated from the Democratic party. Democrats today might not be as sanguine about sidelining the working class as Chuck Schumer was before the 2016 election, when he claimed that for every blue-collar voter Democrats lost, they could pick up two college-educated Republicans. But it's clear that many Democrats still don't see winning back working-class voters as essential – either to defeat Maga or to build durable, majoritarian progressive coalitions for the future. A new report from the Center for Working-Class Politics (CWCP) and Jacobin magazine, based on an analysis of hundreds of public opinion questions spanning six decades, suggests that blue-collar voters are not out of reach – if Democrats are willing to lead with economic populism. The report shows that American workers have long supported – and still overwhelmingly favor – a bold progressive economic agenda. If Democrats placed these policies consistently at the heart of their platform, they could not only improve conditions in working-class communities but also begin to rebuild trust with the very voters they need most. Progressive economic reforms – from raising the federal minimum wage and implementing a federal jobs guarantee to expanding social security, taxing the rich, and investing in public goods such as education and infrastructure – are supported not only by Democratic-leaning voters but also by substantial segments of Donald Trump's base. And while national Democrats remain unsure how to reconnect with these voters, a new generation of economic populists across the country is already showing the way. In New York City, Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic mayoral primary campaigning to tax the rich, fund public goods and confront corporate landlords. In Nebraska, independent union leader Dan Osborn – a mechanic and labor activist – ran on a tight platform of workers' rights and corporate accountability and over-performed Kamala Harris by 14 points in a deep-red state. In difficult House swing districts, Democrats are leaning into economic populism with promising results. In Pennsylvania's 17th district, Chris Deluzio, a representative and navy veteran, champions 'economic patriotism', calling out economic elites and damaging trade agreements while pushing to rebuild domestic industry and strengthen labor rights. In New Mexico's second district, Gabe Vasquez has built his platform around a sharp critique of corporate greed – condemning CEOs and wealthy investors for inflating profits while shortchanging workers – and has pushed for a $15 minimum wage and cutting taxes for working families. Meanwhile, in Wisconsin's third district, Democrat Rebecca Cooke – a waitress and small business owner who grew up on a dairy farm – is mounting a 2026 comeback bid after over-performing other Democrats and losing by less than three points in 2024, running on a platform that targets corporate price gouging, expands affordable rural housing and defends family farms. These candidates come from different regions and backgrounds, and hold diverse ideological positions, but nonetheless share a core political strategy: they are highly disciplined economic populists who speak to working-class voters in language that's grounded, direct and relatable. And, contrary to many centrist pundits, while they do need to avoid fringe rhetoric, Democrats don't have to embrace social conservatism to do it. The CWCP study shows that while working-class voters are generally to the right of middle-class voters on cultural issues, most hold moderate, and in some cases even progressive, views on issues such as immigration, abortion and civil rights. These voters do not want Democrats to mimic Republicans on controversial wedge issues, but they do want a commonsense message focused on the economic realities of working Americans. Yet working-class voters don't just embrace politicians who support the right policies. Our previous research shows that they want leaders who understand people like them, share a similar class background and speak plainly about what they'll do and why it matters. The path to winning back working-class voters runs through authenticity, clarity and a credible commitment to improving people's lives. Unfortunately, the national party has been slow to adapt. Harris's 2024 campaign offered ambitious economic proposals that could have benefited millions of working Americans. But as the race wore on, she grew increasingly reluctant to lead with economic populism, instead doubling down on a strategy rooted in fear of Trump. That may have comforted donors and consultants, but it left many working-class voters cold – and opened the door for Republicans to posture as the party of the people. This vacuum has given Republicans room to pose as economic populists, despite an agenda that overwhelmingly serves corporations and the wealthy. Trump's so-called Big Beautiful Bill Act delivered massive tax cuts for the rich while masquerading as a working-class boon. House Republicans have attacked union protections and slashed social welfare programs – moves wildly out of step with working-class preferences. But without a compelling Democratic alternative, the right's billionaire populism can take hold. If Democrats want to rebuild a durable majority, they need candidates who stay focused on populist economics and steer clear of the culture wars. Reversing the Democratic party's working-class decline will not be solved by platitudes or photo ops with hard hats. It demands a real shift in priorities. It means crafting campaigns that focus relentlessly on tangible economic outcomes and elevating candidates who reflect the experience of the working class. And it demands a clear, consistent message that puts class and dignity back at the center of Democratic politics. Jared Abbott is the director of the Center for Working-Class Politics Bhaskar Sunkara is the president of the Nation magazine and the founding editor of Jacobin
