13 h. ago Think you know 'Jaws'? Test your knowledge with this trivia ahead of the movie's 50th anniversary

Friday marks the 50th anniversary of “Jaws.”

Politics

39 h. ago 'Jaws' changed movies forever, but Hollywood could still learn from it

Fifty years after “Jaws” sunk its teeth into us, we’re still admiring the bite mark

Culture

3 d. ago A Biden official says Israel committed war crimes. Who else will come forward? | Ahmed Moor

The administration lied to obscure a genocide. Now a former spokesperson is revealing the disconnect between words and realityPoliticians lie, and the people around them do too. When it’s convenient – when the whole world is pulsing with revulsion, for example – they begin to reveal flavors of the truth.The Biden administration lied more than most, its public-facing members particularly. Its policy in Palestine was to embrace the Israelis in a “bear hug” – to smother them with love. And there’s thin cover for a genocide beyond lies.Ahmed Moor is a writer and fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Trump is steamrolling congressional Republicans. What’s in it for them? | David Kirp

The budget bill was a reminder: the president and House speaker don’t care about lawmakers’ views. Why not just quit?Like soldiers in a well-disciplined army, Republican members of US Congress do whatever Commander Donald Trump demands. While the foot soldiers may occasionally grumble, they quickly fall in line when Trump intervenes.Republican representatives go through contortions to satisfy the bully in the White House: we hated deficits, goes the party orthodoxy, but now we vote for adding trillions to the deficit; we supported Ukraine, but now we cozy up to the Russians; we scrutinized cabinet nominees, but now we give our “advice and consent” to a cabinet of knaves and charlatans.David Kirp is professor emeritus at the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Jaws at 50: Spielberg’s marine masterpiece transformed the movies – and us

The original blockbuster turned fear of sharks into decades of persecution but, at long last, the tide may be turningFifty yars ago the world was changed for ever by a shark. On 20 June 1975, cinemagoers in the US were the first to experience the visceral thrills and oceanic spills of Jaws.It’s the original blockbuster, it inspired an entire genre of “sharksploitation” entertainment, and it transformed what millions thought about sharks, for better and for worse. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago We are witnessing the first stages of Trump’s police state | Robert Reich

The national guard’s deployment in Los Angeles sets the US on a familiar authoritarian pathway. History shows the resultsNow that Donald Trump’s tariffs have been halted, his big, beautiful bill has been stymied, and his multi-billionaire tech bro has turned on him, how does he demonstrate his power?On Friday morning, federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted raids across Los Angeles – including at two Home Depots and a clothing wholesaler – in search of workers who they suspected of being undocumented immigrants.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 We are witnessing the first stages of a Trump police state | Robert Reich

The national guard’s deployment in Los Angeles sets the US on a familiar authoritarian pathway. History shows the resultsNow that Donald Trump’s tariffs have been halted, his big, beautiful bill has been stymied, and his multi-billionaire tech bro has turned on him, how does he demonstrate his power?On Friday morning, federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted raids across Los Angeles – including at two Home Depots and a clothing wholesaler – in search of workers who they suspected of being undocumented immigrants.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 North missed £140bn of transport investment over last government, research finds

Independent analysis by think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research looked at Treasury figures between 2009/10 and 2022/23.

Economics

2 w. ago Why is defence such a hard sell? The same reason Starmer is struggling in the polls | Martin Kettle

Decades of failures have left liberal democratic governments unable to command public confidence when it really mattersDefence reviews and foreign policy resets seem to turn up almost as often as the Sussexes’ lifestyle brand relaunches these days. Labour’s strategic defence review this week comes less than two years after the Conservatives’ hardly less detailed defence white paper in July 2023, which in turn was a “refresh” of Boris Johnson’s ambitious integrated review of defence and foreign policy of March 2021. By this measure, it must be doubtful if, come the 2030s, analysts will look back on Keir Starmer and John Healey’s review and say it broke the mould.The Labour government was entitled to try to put its own stamp on defence policy, of course, and its review team of George Robertson, Richard Barrons and Fiona Hill did a good, reasonably independent job. Yet this 2020s pattern of repeated strategic adaptation and refocus feels like the new normal now. It is also true that gr...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump gets tariff reprieve as he prepares Oval Office goodbye to Musk – US politics live

Appeals court agrees to temporary pause to previous ruling blocking tariffs; president says tech billionaire will ‘always be with us’Donald Trump’s tariff policy was derailed by a libertarian public interest law firm that has received money from some of his richest backers.The Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit against the US president’s “reciprocal” tariffs on behalf of five small businesses, which it said were harmed by the policy. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Terrifying moment massive shark trails boat as onlooker screams line from Jaws movie

Footage shows two people in a small boat at a popular holiday spot in Rhode Island, in the United States, when suddenly onlookers see a massive shark behind them

Events

3 w. ago ‘Young people and black workers at highest risk of workplace surveillance’

The Institute for Public Policy Research said there is an urgent need for legal reform so workers can have a say over how they are monitored.

Events

3 w. ago Historians needed to help with Willow House care home's 25th celebrations

On the 13th of July, Willow House Care Home in Cellardyke will be opening its doors to the public for a 25th anniversary celebration and they’d like the help of local historians to help create a photographic history of the site where they sit.

Society

3 w. 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

3 w. ago Public policy expert hails 50th anniversary of movie Jaws (even with flaws) for helping sharks

Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster film ‘provided justification for’ anti-shark crackdowns, but also inspired new enthusiasm for shark conservation

Events

3 w. ago Public policy expert praises movie Jaws (even with flaws) on 50th anniversary for helping (after harming) sharks

Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster film ‘provided justification for’ anti-shark crackdowns, but also inspired new enthusiasm for shark conservation

Events

3 w. ago Climate change fuelling spread of deadly fungal infections, study warns

Fungal infections, long neglected by global health policy, could spark major public health crisis in coming decades

Events