Good morning.
Kamala Harris said yesterday that the midterm elections in November would determine whether the “age-old sanctity” of the right to vote would be protected in the US or whether “so-called extremist leaders around the country” would continue to restrict access to the ballot box.
With 56 days to go until the elections, and with a paper-thin Democratic majority in both chambers of Congress, the vice-president said: “Everything is on the line in these elections.”
In an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press, she said the country was facing a rising domestic extremism threat. “I think it is very dangerous and I think it is very harmful, and it makes us weaker,” she said.
Harris pointed to the plethora of extreme election deniers, many endorsed by Donald Trump, who have embraced Trump’s lie that the 2020 election – won by Joe Biden – was “stolen” from him.
What else did she say? “There are 11 people right now running for secretary of state, the keepers of the integrity of the voting system of their state, who are election deniers,” Harris said. “Couple that with people who hold some of the highest elected office in our country who refuse to condemn an insurrection on January 6.”
Russian strikes knock out power and water in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region
Russian strikes have knocked out power and water to much of the Kharkiv region, plunging its cities into darkness and cutting power in hospitals in what Ukraine described as an act of “revenge” by Russia for its recent battlefield successes.
Over the last few days, Ukrainian forces have recaptured the majority of Russian-occupied territory in the region in a lightning counteroffensive.
Ihor Terekhov, the mayor of Kharkiv city, said work was under way to restore power and some areas reported that the electricity was back on at about 1am on Monday local time.
However, Ukrainian presidential advisers said earlier that a fire was raging at Kharkiv’s number 5 power station.
There were also initial reports of blackouts in neighbouring Sumy and Poltava regions, as well as in Dnipropetrovsk, potentially affecting millions of civilians. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said power had now been restored.
What has Ukraine’s president said? Volodymyr Zelenskiy blamed “Russian terrorists” for the blackouts. “No military facilities [were attacked],” the Ukrainian president said in a statement on social media. “The goal is to deprive people of light and heat.”
‘A wakeup call’: more Republicans are softening staunch anti-abortion stance
A growing number of Republicans are changing their positions on abortions since the fall of Roe v Wade as midterm elections approach in the US, signaling a softened shift from their previously staunch anti-abortion stances.
Since the supreme court overturned the federal right to abortion in June, many Republicans are adopting more compromised positions in attempts to win votes in key states through a slew of changes in messaging on websites, advertisements and public statements.
The moves come amid a ferocious backlash to the decision that has revived Democrat hopes in the midterm elections and even had a solidly red state like Kansas vote in a referendum to keep certain abortion rights.
With midterm elections approaching, abortion has also served as a prime motivator for female voters across the country, especially among Democrats, fueling striking special-election successes for the party seeking to hold both houses of Congress.
What else is happening with regards to the supreme court’s decision? US supreme court chief justice John Roberts has defended his conservative-leaning bench from attacks over its decision in June to overturn federal abortion rights, as Harris launched a fierce attack on what she called today’s “activist court”.
In other news …
There were loud cheers and generous applause as Queen Elizabeth II’s cortege made its way down the cobblestoned Royal Mile in Edinburgh, watched by tens of thousands of people. It capped a day in which the new King was proclaimed in Scotland as a minority of republicans also made themselves heard.
The Democratic chair of the US Senate intelligence committee has demanded that a federal judge allows the committee to be briefed on the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago and the potential damage caused by Donald Trump hoarding top secret documents at his private club.
The far-right Sweden Democrats party was a big winner in the country’s election yesterday, increasing its share of the vote by two to three percentage points and becoming the second-largest party, but the overall result was too close to call as counting continued.
Two women who allegedly lured a driver to death may be part of a growing religious sect, the University of Cosmic Intelligence, whose leader is currently awaiting trial for child abuse in Georgia. The off-grid bandits accused of killing Adam Simjee have been charged with murder, kidnapping and robbery.
A novel by the punk feminist writer Virginie Despentes has pushed the #MeToo movement back into spotlight in France. The irreverently titled Cher Connard – which roughly translates as Dear Asshole – has become a bestseller, prompting a debate about sexual harassment and equality in the social media age.
Don’t miss this: Lights, camera, corgis! How movies tackled the enigma that was Elizabeth II
Wise, witty, patient, crisp, faintly martyred or skydiving with James Bond … our film critic looks at how cinema portrayed the monarch – and recalls the night she put him on the spot at Windsor Castle.
“The Queen asked me crisply, her eyes boring into mine: ‘What’s the name of that horror film that begins with a G?’ Various courtiers and functionaries turned expectantly to me, looking like the giant playing cards from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The silence extended. The room was melting. I couldn’t think of a single word beginning with a G. Eventually I said: ‘Is it The Grinch, Your Majesty?’ ‘Yes!’ said the Queen, beaming. ‘The Grinch,’ Peter Bradshaw writes.
Climate check: Tourism is sucking Utah dry. Now it faces a choice – growth or survival?
It was a typically hot summer day in Utah’s Zion national park, where early-afternoon heat hovered near 100F. But the extreme conditions did little to dissuade the throngs of tourists, writes Gabrielle Canon. Thousands descend on this waterway year after year, even as the region falls deeper into drought. Fueled by the climate crisis and the overuse of dwindling water resources, the drought threatens the safety and sustainability of the spectacular sights; at the same time, tourists and the industries that cater to them contribute to an unfolding crisis in the cherished lands that brought them there.
Last Thing: Meaty, cheesy, coconutty: a chef’s quest to prove insects taste delicious
Insect consumption has been highlighted by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization as an important tool in addressing food insecurity for a growing global population. Insect-eating presents a compelling climate solution, too – crickets, for example, can provide the same amount of protein as cows for less than 0.1% of the emissions. Some people might shy away from eating bugs off their plates, but chef Joseph Yoon is popularizing the age-old practice of entomophagy – with mouthwatering results
Sign up
First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com
