13 h. ago Golf for them, grind for us: Trump, Vance and the hellish US holiday divide | Arwa Mahdawi

While American workers battle burnout and ‘infinite workdays’, the men at the top are living the endless vacation dreamYou know what the problem is with the US? Nobody wants to work any more. People feel entitled to cushy jobs with fat salaries and unlimited holiday time. And by “people” I mean American politicians, who seem to treat public office as an excuse for endless vacations. Because the president and vice-president are technically always on duty, there’s no official holiday policy – and it rather feels as if they are taking advantage of this.Take the vice-president, JD “OOO (out of office)” Vance. When he’s not inspiring memes or threatening to deport menswear influencers, he always seems to be off on a jolly. So far this year, the man has been skiing in Vermont, shut down bits of Disneyland for his family’s use and apparently raised the water level of a river in Ohio for a kayaking trip. Now, the Vances are summering in the Cotswolds. Continue reading...

Politics

23 h. ago Georgina Hayden’s recipe for grilled peach, gorgonzola and thyme tartine

Griddled, tiger-striped peaches with thyme and chilli on top of oozy gorgonzola and rocket? You’ll never think of ‘cheese on toast’ in the same way again Essentially a fancy name for “things on toast”, a tartine is a topless sandwich that can be piled high with delicious things with no threat of being squished together. I love the simplicity and elegance of this recipe: it is the perfect balance of sweet and sour, spicy and salty, and it feels special at the same time. Griddle and marinate the peaches ahead of time, if you like, and feel free to switch them for nectarines, apricots or whatever you have to hand that looks good for griddling. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago I know I did the wrong thing by going through my daughter's bag... but I'm so shaken by what I found. Should I confront her? Tread carefully says CAROLINE WEST

I want to talk to her, but I'm afraid she'll be angry and feel betrayed. At the same time, I don't want to shame her or make her think she can't come to me in the future. Caroline West-Meads answers...

Politics

5 d. ago Promethea review – a stylishly creepy supernatural drama you’ll want to binge

This French thriller about a teenage girl who turns up with no memory is a nicely paced, emotionally intense mystery – that spills over into the realms of fantasy The greatest mystery in any French mystery drama is how the characters look so much better than any English person has ever looked. How did the cast of The Returned (more than 10 years ago now, though it feels like yesterday) look so gorgeous all the time, despite seemingly ordinary costumes, hair and makeup? Is Gallic bone structure really that different? Do clothes just hang better on the other side of la Manche? Is that why they call it “the sleeve”? Is it a clue?Forgive me. I am consumed by this puzzle. The success of a French drama can be measured by how successfully the official narrative mystery distracts me from the conundrum, and here the new six-part series Promethea does just fine.Promethea launches on Channel 4 on Sunday and is available from streaming now. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Americans are slashing their spending as worries over the economy grow: ‘This time feels different’

The U.S. economy added just 73,000 jobs in July

Economics

3 w. ago ‘I am elated each time I watch’: why Rushmore is my feelgood movie

The next in our series of writers drawing attention to their most-watched comfort films is a reminder of Wes Anderson’s idiosyncratic 1998 comedy“Let’s hope it’s got a happy ending,” Herman Blume, played by Bill Murray in one of his best roles, says near the end of Wes Anderson’s 1998 film Rushmore. He makes the remark about an over-the-top, literally pyrotechnic school play that his teenage friend Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) has just debuted to an audience of dazed teachers and parents. But his comment stands in for the whole movie, an audacious and risky comedy that should not work, but does. I am elated each time I watch this poignant, wise and wildly funny film – and, yes, there is a happy ending.Rushmore is about children trying to act like adults and adults acting like children. Fischer is a precocious scholarship student at Rushmore, a prestigious private boys’ school. He is the sort of bright but naive young person who tries to impress an adult by telling them, with a st...

Politics

3 w. ago Mum plays 90s cartoon to four kids for a week and change leaves her floored

With the rise of tablets, smartphones and streaming services, it can feel tougher than ever to get on top of screen time. So one mum found a way to combat this issue

Politics

3 w. ago Why summer’s a time to pass the port | Hannah Crosbie on drinks

When the sun’s out, try using port as a mixer and surprise yourself with a port tonic or any number of citrus punchesSome drinks are so inexorably tied up with specific seasons and circumstances that it’s hard to imagine them anywhere else. Like bumping into a teacher outside school or witnessing someone take off their shoes during a flight. It’s legal, sure, but there’s always a moment of deep discomfort and confusion before acceptance. And that’s pretty much how I imagine many people feel about drinking port in summer. Or, indeed, at any time of the day that isn’t evening, or served alongside anything that isn’t an intriguing, veiny cheese.Consider Porto, the city responsible for bringing the drink to the rest of the world – do you think that, when the temperatures creep up, everyone there stops drinking the stuff? No, they find new ways to enjoy it. Improvise, adapt, overcome. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Jess Phillips agrees the economy ‘isn’t going well’ and it will take time before people feel ‘less skint’

The Home Office minister said the latest rise in unemployment figures were ‘disappointing’

Politics

3 w. ago Purity Ring: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)

The electropop duo’s vocalist mj shares what brings her joy online – including odes to napping, crying and rainbowsI try to spend as little time on the internet as possible. I didn’t get a cell phone until I was 19. I stayed mostly away from screens and spent a lot of time in the woods, on the water and in my head. As far as I’ve seen, those were and always will be better places to find ourselves.I ended up skipping some of the internet’s best years – they’re long gone, along with the dream of what the internet could have been. In all the hours I spend doomscrolling I can say I haven’t gained much but the following makes some of that time feel worth it. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago I’m not keen on the Clooneys’ ‘no phones’ rule for guests | Emma Beddington

Amal Clooney says the policy allows for ‘safe and frank’ conversation. But what if you want to show George a cool meme of an anteater posing?Would you willingly surrender your phone if you were invited to the Clooneys’? Because that’s the deal, apparently. “I now have a phone basket that I use to take everyone’s phones away!” Amal Clooney recently told Glamour magazine in a rather stilted “conversation” with the cosmetics diva Charlotte Tilbury. “It’s important to get that balance where you have time alone with your family and with your friends where people feel like you can have a safe and frank exchange,” she explained.Hmm. I’m fine with shoes-off households (although you reap what you sow when it comes to the state of my socks or my toes). But the phone basket is reminiscent of those aggressively jocular pub signs that say: “No wifi – talk to each other.” What if you’re dealing with a family or work situation, need to hide in the loo and stroke your shiny pocket rectangle to rech...

Politics

4 w. ago Struggle to sleep during hot nights? Try this 'game changer' cooling blanket

Shoppers are beating the heat with a cut-price cooling blanket from Amazon that feels 'cool and at the same time cosy'.

Sport