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    The pro-Trump prosecutor trying to stop California ballots from being counted

    Bill Essayli has launched a crusade against ‘voter fraud’, in his latest push to pursue Maga-aligned casesSince he was sworn in last year, Bill Essayli, the top US prosecutor in southern California, has devoted his office to Donald Trump’s agenda – bringing splashy cases against sanctuary policies, protesters and the rights of young trans athletes.But Essayli’s latest crusade has significantly raised the stakes of his partisan remaking of one of the country’s largest US attorney’s offices: he is fighting to block thousands of votes from being counted in the upcoming midterms. Continue reading… More

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    We are seeing the rise of psychopatriarchy everywhere | V (formerly Eve Ensler)

    Psychopatriarchy is jet fuel to racism, colonialism, imperialism and capitalismFor those of us who have spent our lives trying to dismantle this endlessly destructive paradigm of patriarchy, it has become increasingly clear in recent months that something more terrifying is afoot.The wheels are off the cart. We are in the midst of a chaotic, demented acceleration of the most violent and cruel aspects of this system which has evolved into what I am calling Psychopatriarchy.V (formerly Eve Ensler) is a playwright and activist and the founder of V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and girls Continue reading… More

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    Will ‘prairie populism’ defeat Republicans in the midterms? – podcast

    Adam Hamilton in Kansas, Dan Osborn in Nebraska, Joshua Turek in Iowa. They’re all hoping to flip ruby red states in the midterm elections next Tuesday. Jonathan Freedland speaks to Rachel Leingang about her reporting across the midwest, where she has charted the renaissance of progressive populismBuy your tickets to the Guardian’s post-midterms live event, hosted by Jonathan Freedland.Watch Jonathan Freedland on our new Politics Weekly YouTube channel.Send your questions and feedback to [email protected] Stateside’s episode on the Latino vote influence on next week’s elections. Continue reading… More

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    Trump tells Texas campaign rally crowd he’s rolling back environmental rules to curb methane pollution – as it happened

    This live blog is now closed.Sign up for the Breaking News US emailUS voters: tell us what issues will decide your vote?Speaking to reporters on the tarmac before departing for a campaign event in Michigan, JD Vance responded to a question about President Trump’s remarks branding Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as a “jihadist.”Vance, who has sparred with the progressive El-Sayed repeatedly on the campaign trail, took a somewhat softer tone. But he didn’t walk away from Trump’s remarks. Continue reading… More

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    Federal judge disqualifies Trump-appointed prosecutor for ‘unlawfully serving’ in role

    Bill Essayli, a former GOP lawmaker and ally of president, has not been confirmed by the Senate in his roleA US judge ruled on Tuesday that Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in southern California, was “unlawfully serving” as the head of the US attorney’s office and was disqualified from overseeing two criminal prosecutions.The order, however, will not immediately go into effect, and the Department of Justice (DoJ) has said it intends to appeal. Continue reading… More

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    ‘Shameful’: Alex Pretti’s parents accuse Trump officials of shielding son’s killers

    Susan and Michael Pretti say they have been ‘ignored and misled’ in quest for justice over son’s killing by US agentsThe parents of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old nurse killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year, accused federal officials of stonewalling them and shielding their son’s killers.During a press conference on Tuesday, Michael and Susan Pretti made their first public remarks since their son’s death in January, calling for the Department of Justice to hold those involved in their son’s death accountable. The federal government has not provided them with meaningful information about the case, they said. Continue reading… More

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    Trump shows off tanker with ‘1m barrels of oil’ and floats Venezuela as 51st state

    President at Texas campaign rally hails deal struck with post-Maduro government as ‘greatest oil victory in history’Donald Trump suggested Venezuela would become the 51st state of the United States on Tuesday as the president showed off a tanker he claimed had “one million barrels of oil on it” from the country, nine months after deposing its president.At a campaign rally in Corpus Christ, Texas, Trump touted a US oil deal with Venezuela, which the US attacked in January, capturing its long-serving leader Nicolás Maduro. Continue reading… More

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    The Epstein files are a sledgehammer for the US midterms | Katie Phang

    Voters have a chance to break America’s two-tiered system of justice and hold powerful people accountableWelcome back to How We Win, a Guardian opinion series with leading thinkers, offering bold ideas for America’s political future. Last week, Guardian US columnist Rebecca Solnit wrote about the GOP’s alignment with the tech overlords. Today’s edition was written by Katie Phang, an independent journalist, trial lawyer and political analyst. Sign up for future editions here.When Americans go to the polls a week from now, accountability will be front and center.Instead of enforcing the law, the attorney general of the United States has been busy subverting it Continue reading… More