31 h. ago Diner dates and bathhouse chili: the colorful, defiant history of the American gay restaurant

In his new book, Erik Piepenburg dishes on the US eateries that have served as LGBTQ+ havens and are still thrivingErik Piepenburg’s voice breaks when he speaks of the Napalese Lounge and Grille in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The restaurant known as “Naps” to locals is where a group of transgender people regularly come together to chat over beer-battered shrimp, deep-fried green beans and cheese curds. Many travel long distances to do so.“An amazing woman called Martha oversees it,” says Piepenburg, 54. “She told me the stories of people who drive there but can’t get out of the car, and of one young trans woman whose mom stayed outside so her kid could enjoy themselves. It’s not political, everyone was having fun just being able to be themselves. Naps shows how important gay restaurants are – and they are not new. Walt Whitman enjoyed eating in his era’s version of a gay restaurant. We’ve been finding one another for a very long time.” Continue reading...

Society

31 h. ago Diner dates and bathhouse chili: the colorful, defiant history of America’s gay restaurants

In his new book, Erik Piepenburg dishes on the US eateries that have served as LGBTQ+ havens and are still thrivingErik Piepenburg’s voice breaks when he speaks of the Napalese Lounge and Grille in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The restaurant known as “Naps” to locals is where a group of transgender people regularly come together to chat over beer-battered shrimp, deep-fried green beans and cheese curds. Many travel long distances to do so.“An amazing woman called Martha oversees it,” says Piepenburg, 54. “She told me the stories of people who drive there but can’t get out of the car, and of one young trans woman whose mom stayed outside so her kid could enjoy themselves. It’s not political, everyone was having fun just being able to be themselves. Naps shows how important gay restaurants are – and they are not new. Walt Whitman enjoyed eating in his era’s version of a gay restaurant. We’ve been finding one another for a very long time.” Continue reading...

Society

56 h. ago Trump’s crusade against all immigrants – even legal ones – is unprecedented | Daniel Mendiola

The administration has touted its efforts against illegal immigration. But what sets his actions apart is his crusade against those in the US legallyThe Donald Trump administration has billed itself as taking unprecedented steps to crack down on illegal immigration. While the total number of deportations has yet to surge, it may happen soon. The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, supports suspending habeas corpus to speed up deportations, and the border czar, Tom Homan, has suggested blatantly ignoring court orders. Private companies are also lining up to cash in on mass deportations.Nonetheless, Trump’s approach so far to immigration deemed illegal has not differed much from what Barack Obama and Joe Biden did. So why does everything feel different?Daniel Mendiola is a professor of Latin American history and migration studies at Vassar College. Continue reading...

Events

56 h. ago Trump has launched an unprecedented crusade against legal immigrants | Daniel Mendiola

The administration has touted its efforts against illegal immigration. But what sets his actions apart is his crusade against those in the US legallyThe Donald Trump administration has billed itself as taking unprecedented steps to crack down on illegal immigration. While the total number of deportations has yet to surge, it may happen soon. The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, supports suspending habeas corpus to speed up deportations, and the border czar, Tom Homan, has suggested blatantly ignoring court orders. Private companies are also lining up to cash in on mass deportations.Nonetheless, Trump’s approach so far to immigration deemed illegal has not differed much from what Barack Obama and Joe Biden did. So why does everything feel different?Daniel Mendiola is a professor of Latin American history and migration studies at Vassar College. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago How a new planetarium show helped scientists unlock a cosmic secret

Scientists say a new planetarium show about the Milky Way has helped them unlock one of the solar system’s many secrets

Science

5 d. ago Trump’s tax bill helps the rich, hurts the poor and adds trillions to the deficit | Katrina vanden Heuvel

The ‘big, beautiful bill’ has reaffirmed that a pledged golden age is really just a windfall for the uber-wealthyThe blush is off the rose, or, rather, the orange. The erstwhile “First Buddy” and born-again fiscal hawk Elon Musk recently said he was “disappointed” by Donald Trump’s spendthrift budget currently under debate in the US Senate. Squeaking through the House of Representatives thanks to the capitulation of several Republican deficit hardliners, this “big, beautiful bill” certainly increases the federal debt bigly – by nearly $4tn over the next decade.Equally disappointed are those who have been busy burnishing Trump’s populist veneer. Steve Bannon had repeatedly promised higher taxes for millionaires, but he has confessed he’s “very upset”. That’s because the bill would cut taxes by over $600bn for the top 1% of wage-earners, also known as millionaires. It amounts to the largest upward transfer of wealth in American history. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago A hidden measure in the Republican budget bill would crown Trump king | Robert Reich

The bill could stop federal courts from enforcing their rulings, eliminating any restraint on TrumpIf enacted, Donald Trump’s Big Ugly Bill as it emerged on Thursday from the House of Representatives would result in the largest redistribution of income and wealth in American history – from the poor and working class to the rich.Hidden within the bill is also a provision that would allow Trump to crown himself king.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago ‘An autoimmune disorder’: how Trump is turning American democracy against itself

Unlike autocracies such as Russia or China, the US has strong liberal guardrails to prevent a dictatorship. But Trump has a plan for dismantling themThere is some mystery surrounding Donald Trump’s moves to dismantle many cherished principles of American history and its culture of governance: his globalization denialism; his romance with Russia; his demolition of universities; his contempt for European values and histories; his campaign to humiliate Canada. These are all known examples, but it can be hard to see across them to discern anything like a unified theory of Trumpism.There are two possibilities here. One is that there is no rhyme or reason to Trump’s actions. He is simply a randomizing generator of chaos. The other is that there is a method. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Pope Leo XIV's inauguration LIVE as he takes first popemobile ride through St Peter’s Square

Pope Leo XIV, history's first American pope, will be installed in a formal ceremony attended by presidents, patriarchs and princes - he was met by crowds waving and cheering 'Viva il Papa!'

Politics

2 w. ago Pope Leo XIV's inauguration LIVE as he calls for 'love and unity' in first address

Pope Leo XIV, history's first American pope, will be installed in a formal ceremony attended by presidents, patriarchs and princes - he was met by crowds waving and cheering 'Viva il Papa!'

Culture

2 w. ago Pope Leo XIV's inauguration LIVE as Vance and Zelenskyy shake hands

Pope Leo XIV, history's first American pope, will be installed in a formal ceremony attended by presidents, patriarchs and princes - he was met by crowds waving and cheering 'Viva il Papa!'

Politics

2 w. ago Pope Leo XIV's inauguration LIVE as Vance and Zelenskyy shake hands amid calls for 'love and unity'

Pope Leo XIV, history's first American pope, will be installed in a formal ceremony attended by presidents, patriarchs and princes - he was met by crowds waving and cheering 'Viva il Papa!'

Politics

2 w. ago Pope Leo XIV greets the crowds before inaugural Mass where he will receive the pallium and the fisherman's ring

Tens of thousands of people had streamed into the square ahead of celebrating history's first American pope with a formal installation ceremony.

Politics

3 w. ago Pope Leo’s grandfather was immigrant from Sicily, genealogists reveal

Robert Prevost’s maternal grandparents came to US from Caribbean and at one point identified as BlackEvidence that the Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV’s bloodlines reflect the US’s legacy of immigration – and complicated relationship with race – has continued to emerge since he recently became the first American ever elected to lead the Roman Catholic church.The family history service Ancestry recently announced that a team helmed by senior genealogist Kyle Betit had determined Leo’s paternal grandfather, John R Prevost, immigrated to the US from north-eastern Sicily. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Trump to sign executive order to reduce cost of prescription drugs and pharmaceuticals up to 80%

President Donald Trump has made an announcement he describes as one of the most conesequential in American history - and it will have global impacts.

Politics

3 w. ago How Pope Leo's childhood home became drug den following the death of his parents

The first American Pope in history lived in the house for two decades with his father Louis, a teacher, and librarian mother Mildred and two brothers.

Society

3 w. ago He’s the first American Pope in history, but Leo XIV might not be able to escape the IRS

The native Chicagoan and baseball fan will likely need to get his finances in order with the IRS, like any other American, despite his new status

Culture

4 w. ago Harry Styles bizarrely spotted during Pope announcement and people were distracted by one thing

Harry Styles was among thousands of people who flocked to the Vatican City on Thursday to witness the inaugural public address of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope in history

Politics

4 w. ago New Pope Robert Prevost's shock voting history as his stance on abortion and party registration is revealed

The voting history of the first-ever American pope shocked few when it was revealed on Thursday that he participates in Republican primaries.

Events

4 w. ago What does the new American Pope's name mean for his future choices? Inside the history of the name Leo

In a historic first, the 69-year-old American missionary has been elected pope - the first American to ascend to the Catholic Church's highest office in its 2,000-year history.

Culture