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Gavin Newsom says California will sue Trump administration again to block ‘Orwellian rules’ meant to curb mail-in voting – as it happened

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Donald Trump has threatened to increase tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, auto parts and steel to 50% today, after trade negotiations between Washington and Ottowa broke down last week.

On Truth Social, the president blasted Canada, and said the new duties will go into effect on 1 January 2027.

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© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

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Website behind widely shared fake election polls run by 21-year-old

Exclusive: Rahil Prakash tells the Guardian: ‘I wanted to see if fake polls could penetrate the ecosystem that easily’

A 21-year-old recent college graduate was behind an anonymous website that put out widely shared fake election polling in Wisconsin, Nevada and California, the Guardian can reveal.

The website, Median Strategies, abruptly shut down and withdrew its polling earlier this week following questions from a reporter from the Los Angeles Times. In an unsigned statement, it described a “short-term social experiment” to examine how fake polling “could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification”.

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© Photograph: Kayla Wolf/AP

© Photograph: Kayla Wolf/AP

© Photograph: Kayla Wolf/AP

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US aircraft carrier arrives in Middle East to relieve troubled USS Lincoln

USS George Washington will replace warship families say suffers from shortages, plumbing problems and low morale

The USS George Washington aircraft carrier has arrived in the Middle East, where it is expected to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln from its record deployment amid concerns about poor living conditions and morale.

US Central Command announced on Thursday that the Washington arrived in the area on Wednesday, and posted an image of sailors working on the flight deck as the ship transited the Arabian Sea. No date has yet been announced for the Lincoln to return to the US.

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© Photograph: US Navy/Reuters

© Photograph: US Navy/Reuters

© Photograph: US Navy/Reuters

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US justice department defends prosecution of James Comey over ‘8647’ seashell post

Justice department claims there’s ‘no dispute’ over whether ex-FBI head’s post could be read as a threat against Trump

The US Department of Justice has defended its prosecution of former FBI director James Comey, claiming in new court documents there is “no serious dispute” that his social media post last year featuring a photo of seashells arranged to read “8647” could be interpreted as a threat against Donald Trump.

“There is no serious dispute that an objective viewer of Comey’s post could read it to mean ‘Kill President Trump’,” prosecutors wrote in a document filed on Tuesday in response to efforts by Comey’s efforts to have the case dismissed.

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© Photograph: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

© Photograph: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

© Photograph: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

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US supreme court again rejects Trump’s bid to overturn E Jean Carroll verdict

Decision leaves intact $5m civil judgment against Trump after jury found him liable for sexually abusing writer

The US supreme court has rejected for a second time Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn a jury verdict in 2023 that found him liable for sexually ​abusing writer E Jean Carroll, and later defaming her.

The court announced the decision in an unsigned order on Monday, without providing an explanation of their decision. The order just listed the US president’s petition, along with several other petitions, under “rehearings denied”.

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© Photograph: Adam Gray/Reuters

© Photograph: Adam Gray/Reuters

© Photograph: Adam Gray/Reuters

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US navy veterans and military health experts express concern over USS Abraham Lincoln sailors

Prolonged deployment is coupled with reports of water shortages, plumbing issues and attempts to jump overboard

US navy veterans and military health experts are expressing concerns about the strain on sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has spent nearly nine months at sea supporting US operations in the Middle East, amid reports of poor living conditions and worsening mental health among its crew.

The San Diego-based aircraft carrier left port on 21 November, originally bound for the Pacific, but was redirected to the Middle East as the US-Israel war with Iran began. It has now spent more than 250 consecutive days at sea without a significant port visit, with its deployment repeatedly extended.

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© Photograph: Us Navy/Reuters

© Photograph: Us Navy/Reuters

© Photograph: Us Navy/Reuters

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US Forest Service chief reportedly pressed staff for more support for wildfire near his ranch

Michael Boren requested more aircraft for 7-acre Cabin Creek fire, some of which were diverted from other fires

Michael Boren, the US undersecretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment who oversees the US Forest Service, reportedly pressed agency staff last month to deploy more aircraft to a 7-acre (2.8-hectare) fire that was burning near his Idaho ranch, according to a Washington Post report on Friday.

The Cabin Creek fire in Idaho began on about 12 July as a result of an unattended campfire, and spread across several acres in Idaho’s Sawtooth national forest. By 15 July, the forest service said that the fire was 100% contained.

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© Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

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