Good morning.
The suspect who camped out at Donald Trump’s golf course with a gun has been charged in federal court with two firearms-related crimes, as the former president amped up tensions by blaming Kamala Harris and Joe Biden for the incident.
Ryan Wesley Routh was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and with having a gun with an obliterated serial number; further charges are likely. Routh did not fire any shots, according to the Secret Service.
Adding to the already febrile atmosphere, Trump blamed the president and vice-president for the incident, because they have described him as a threat to democracy following his attempt to reverse the 2020 election result.
“Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country and they are the ones that are destroying the country – both from the inside and out,” Trump told Fox News Digital. He called Biden and Harris “the enemy from within”.
What else did he contribute to the discourse? He claimed the suspects in both this week’s incident and July’s assassination attempt were “radical lefts” – but Routh’s political positions seem incoherent, while Thomas Matthew Crooks’ motivation remains unclear.
Israel expands war goals to include return of residents near border with Lebanon
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has committed to expanding his country’s war aims to encompass the return of northern Israeli residents who were evacuated because of attacks by Iran-backed Hezbollah from southern Lebanon.
With Israel and Hezbollah trading near daily fire since the start of the Gaza war, tens of thousands of Israelis have been evacuated from towns along Israel’s northern border that have been seriously damaged by rocket fire.
The decision was approved during an overnight meeting of the security cabinet, Netanyahu’s office said. Earlier on Monday, the defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said that the “possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to ‘tie itself’ to Hamas, and refuses to end the conflict.” He said that the only available manner to return Israel’s northern civilians to their homes was “via military action.”
How many people have been killed in conflict between Lebanon and Israel? Hundreds in Lebanon, mostly fighters, and dozens of civilians and soldiers on the Israeli side. Civilians have fled on both sides of the border.
Biden says ‘good Republicans’ are scared out of pro-LGBTQ+ stances by far right
“Good Republicans … who don’t have a prejudiced bone in their body” are being intimidated out of supporting LGBTQ+ rights by far-right elements in their party, Joe Biden said, in the first interview of a sitting US president by an LGBTQ+ news outlet.
Speaking to the Washington Blade, Biden contrasted Trump’s position on gay and transgender rights with his administration’s record, describing the former president as “anti-LGBTQ … across the board”.
Biden’s administration has signed into law acts requiring all states to recognise the validity of same-sex marriages, making it easier for gay and bisexual people to donate blood, and reversing Trump’s ban on transgender military service members.
What is the situation in Republican-led states? They have enacted a range of laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender young people and, sometimes, adults, and made it arduous for schoolchildren to express their gender.
In other news …
At least 10 children are dying of hunger each day in Tawila, in Sudan’s North Darfur state, a small town people have fled to amid the country’s relentless civil war.
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been arrested in New York, the mogul’s lawyer has told the US press, following a grand jury indictment.
Robert F Kennedy Jr’s name will remain on the ballot in the swing state of Wisconsin, a judge has ruled, despite his efforts to remove it following his endorsement of Donald Trump.
Stat of the day: Superbugs will kill more than 39 million people by 2050
Superbugs are expected to kill more than 39 million people before 2050, according to a new global analysis, which has shown older people to be increasingly in danger. While in 2021, 1.14 million people per year died directly because of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – in which bacteria evolve to evade the medicines that target them – the figure is expected to rise to 1.91 million by 2050.
Don’t miss this: Surgery, shame and self-erasure … The tyranny of impossible beauty standards
Botox has become ubiquitous in many circles, and even teenagers are splurging on expensive anti-wrinkle creams and serums. As a new movie featuring Demi Moore, The Substance, unpicks society’s obsession with beauty and youth, four female writers consider their own experiences over the years.
Climate check: Biden’s green policies will save 200,000 lives and have boosted clean energy jobs, data shows
Joe Biden’s green policies are projected to save some 200,000 American lives from pollution in decades to come, and have boosted employment, two independent reports have shown. One in 16 new jobs are now in clean energy, a sector that has grown twice as fast as overall US employment growth in the last year, with the south home to a disproportionate number.
Last Thing: Rock’n’roll’s biggest onstage bust-ups
Jane’s Addiction had a fight last weekend in the middle of a set – and they’re far from the first band to do so. Here, Guardian music critic Dave Simpson runs us through the times when relations got tense between band members, from Oasis and the Beatles to the Eagles – and featuring the memorable line from the Californian band’s guitarist: “Only three more songs till I kick your ass.”
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