10 h. ago ‘Mouthpieces for Trump’: inside the rightwing takeover of the Pentagon press corps

Pentagon press passes once held by credentialed journalists are now in the hands of rightwing pundits and Trump alliesBeing a member of the Pentagon press corps was once one of the more prestigious assignments in US journalism, a position reserved for heavy hitters from venerable newspapers and news channels, reporters at the peak of their powers.Not any more. A press conference last week – held at a crucial time for a Pentagon embroiled in scandal – was instead attended by more than a dozen rightwing activists, with the government being held to account by a close ally of Donald Trump, an employee at Turning Point USA and someone from a pillow salesman’s nascent media company. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Argentinian football plunged into chaos as new champions crowned under bizarre new rule and entire team banned

A FOOTBALL row has erupted in Argentina with several figures banned following an on-pitch protest in response to a bizarre new rule which saw new champions crowned. Rosario Central's first league title since 1987 has sparked huge backlash. Rivals are unhappy after a rule change midway through the season allowed their success. Rosario were crowned...

Events

2 w. ago Digested week: Trump’s weird ‘piggy’ jibe expands his cutesy

Plus Vanity Fair’s plucky decision to feature only men in its Hollywood Issue and the reporter fired after RFK Jr ‘sexting scandal’We’ve all said things that didn’t come out right, and it’s my instinct – stand by for some counter-intuition! – that Donald Trump’s “quiet, piggy” admonishment of a female reporter on Air Force One this week, was a very weird attempt at affection, or possibly, flirtation. As with everything the man does, the effect was disastrous and totally inappropriate. But rewatching the video, I saw from the president less an example of his usual bigotry and more an attempt at what looked like “OK, kiddo” cuteness that, catastrophically, and before I could nip it in the bud, had triggered a tiny sprig of sympathy. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Venezuelans sent by Trump to El Salvador endured systematic torture, report finds

Human rights groups accuse Trump officials of complicity and draw comparison with scandal at Abu Ghraib prisonMore than 252 Venezuelans expelled to El Salvador under Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy suffered systematic and prolonged torture and abuse, including sexual assault, during their detention, according to a report published on Wednesday.The report, compiled jointly by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Cristosal – a group investigating violations in Central America – says conditions at El Salvador’s sprawling “terrorist continent center” (Cecot) breached the UN’s standard minimal rules for the treatment of prisoners. It cites “inhumane prison conditions, including prolonged incommunicado detention, inadequate food” and other shortcomings. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago MLB, sportsbooks cap bets on individual pitches in response to pitch rigging scandal

Major League Baseball said its authorized gaming operators will cap bets on individual pitches at $200 and exclude them from parlays, a day after two Cleveland Guardians were indicted and accused of rigging pitches at the behest of gamblers

Politics

3 w. ago US sports betting crisis grows as MLB’s Clase and Ortiz indicted over alleged rigged pitches

Pair could face 65 years in prison if found guiltyNBA also caught up in its own gambling scandalThe betting crisis in US sports has spread further after Cleveland Guardians players Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted over an alleged scheme to rig pitches during games.Bettors in the US can gamble on whether individual pitches will be balls or strikes. Prosecutors allege claim that Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball during a game on 15 June. His teammate Clase, a three-time All-Star, is alleged to have been given $5,000 for facilitating the rigged pitch. Prosecutors claim the pair did so again in a game on 27 June, receiving $7,000 each. Continue reading...

Events