Good morning.
Organisers of what turned out to be one of the deadliest live music events in US history are facing mounting questions about why the rapper Travis Scott continued performing when first responders were already dealing with a mass casualty situation.
Eight people aged from 14 to 27 were killed and dozens injured at the Astroworld festival in Houston on Friday night, when fans were crushed against the stage. Lawyers representing some of those who were injured have begun to file lawsuits.
According to the Houston Chronicle, which reviewed videos and social media, people had begun to collapse by 9.39pm. Soon after, the show’s promoter agreed to stop the performance. Yet Scott appeared to complete his set, the newspaper reported. The artist finished at 10.15pm – 36 minutes after the disaster was already apparent.
Analysis by the Washington Post also suggested the concert continued for about an hour after audience members first appeared to be in distress.
Who were the victims? Franco Patino, 21, John Hilgert, 14, Brianna Rodriguez, 16, Rudy Peña, 23, Jacob E Jurinek, 20, Axel Acosta, 21 and Danish Baig, 27, have been named so far.
Were many people injured? Hundreds of people, including a 10-year-old child, suffered injuries. Seventeen people were taken to hospital, including 11 in cardiac arrest while more than 300 people were treated in a field hospital.
Cop26 legitimacy questioned as groups excluded from crucial talks
The legitimacy of the Cop26 climate summit has been called into question by civil society participants who say restrictions on access to negotiations are unprecedented and unjust.
As the Glasgow summit enters its second week, observers representing hundreds of indigenous, environmental, academic, climate justice and women’s rights organisations, warn that excluding them from negotiating areas and speaking to negotiators could have dire consequences for millions of people.
Observers act as informal watchdogs of the summit – the eyes and ears of the public during negotiations – to ensure proceedings are transparent and reflect the concerns of communities and groups most likely to be affected by decisions.
But their ability to observe, interact and intervene in negotiations on carbon markets, loss and damage and climate financing has been obstructed during the first week, the Guardian has been told.
“The level of restrictions was unprecedented,” said Sébastian Duyck, from the Centre for International Environmental Law. “It’s alarming, because the relationships we build at the start of Cop are crucial to the work we do after.”
“Without our voices this risks the creation of rules that will continue to violate human, territorial and spiritual rights of indigenous peoples,” said Eriel Deranger, an observer for Indigenous Climate Action.
Virginia victory gives Republicans glimpse of future without Trump
Prominent Republicans are seizing on the victory of Glenn Youngkin in the Virginia gubernatorial race last week to call for a realignment of the party that would move beyond Donald Trump and his “big lie” that the 2020 election was stolen.
While most Republicans remain either in lockstep with, or silent about, the former president’s campaign of misinformation surrounding his defeat by Joe Biden, a number of voices have begun tentatively to argue for a reboot.
Chris Christie, a longtime confidant of Trump, nonetheless called for the party to move beyond the former president’s obsession with the last election.
“We can no longer talk about the past and the past elections – no matter where you stand on that issue, no matter where you stand, it is over,” said the former governor of New Jersey and candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. “Every minute that we spend talking about 2020 – while we’re wasting time doing that, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are laying ruin to this country.”
Trumpism without Trump appears to be gaining ground among Republicans in the wake of Youngkin’s success in a state that has been trending Democratic.
Trump, however, is hinting at another bid for the White House, and with his threat still hanging over the party that he will endorse primary challengers to anyone who defies him, many Republicans continue to act with extreme timidity.
Liz Cheney condemns ‘false flag’ Capitol attack claim seen in Tucker Carlson film
In an apparent swipe at the Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the anti-Trump Republican Liz Cheney said on Sunday it was “dangerous” and “un-American” to suggest the deadly assault on the US Capitol on 6 January was a “false flag” attack.
Conspiracy theorists say “false flag” attacks are staged by the government to achieve its own ends. A documentary produced by Carlson for the Fox Nation streaming service, Patriot Purge, contains such a suggestion about the Capitol attack.
Five people died around the events of 6 January, when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn his election defeat by Joe Biden.
Trump was impeached for inciting the attack but escaped conviction when sufficient Republican senators stayed loyal.
What did Cheney say? She said: “It’s the same thing that you hear people saying 9/11 is an inside job. It’s un-American to be spreading those kinds of lies, and they are lies.”
Did she vote to impeach Trump? Yes and she is one of two Republican members of the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack.
In other news …
Republicans have condemned a new Covid mandate for large companies claiming it could have negative economic consequences. However, Biden’s plan to get US companies with more than 100 or more workers to vaccinate their staff or bring in regular tests have been welcomed by public health groups.
A missing teenage girl was rescued in the US after she used a hand gesture that signals distress or domestic violence to capture the attention of a passing driver. The 16-year-old was spotted travelling inside a silver Toyota near London, Kentucky, about 150 miles south-east of Louisville, on 4 November.
Senior figures in Iraq believe a brazen drone attack on the home of Iraq’s prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, marks an unprecedented escalation between the country’s leaders and Iran-backed militant groups attempting to overturn last month’s election.
The world’s only openly gay top‑flight men’s footballer says he would be “scared” to play at the World Cup tournament in Qatar next year because of the emirate’s harsh ban on homosexuality and legal penalties ranging from flogging to lengthy prison terms and execution.
Stat of the day: Tesla shares fall by 9% after Elon Musk’s Twitter poll backs sell-off plan
Tesla’s Frankfurt-listed shares fell about 9% in early trading on Monday as investors prepared for the chief executive Elon Musk’s proposed sale of about a 10th of his holdings in the electric carmaker after his Twitter poll. Musk, the world’s richest person, tweeted on Saturday that he would offload 10% of his stock if users of the social media network approved the proposal. The poll attracted more than 3.5m votes and 57.9% of people voted “yes”. As of 30 June, Musk’s shareholding in Tesla came to about 170.5m shares and selling 10% would amount to close to $21bn based on Friday’s close, according to Reuters calculations.
Don’t miss this: The return of touch – after almost two years without it
In a pandemic that has meant keeping 2 metres away from one another whenever possible, it appears that physical contact is beginning to return. Even handshakes are starting to make a comeback. “We are wired to respond to emotional touch,” says Francis McGlone, a professor at Liverpool John Moores University. “My analogy is that [touch is] like a vitamin – if we are depleted, there are consequences in terms of our physical health. For many people, social distancing and lockdowns left them bereft of physical contact. Here, touch experts explain why it is so essential.
… Or this: I sold my eggs for an Ivy League education – but was it worth it?
An increasing number of women are selling their eggs for as much as $20,000 a cycle to cover essential costs – but some have found other motivations and others have experienced negative consequences. “It wasn’t until I was matched with a family, met them, [and] spoke with them that I realized the impact,” said Jordan Whaley Finnerty, who has donated four times. “You don’t realize the lengths couples have to go through to have children.” Being exposed to the parents’ gratitude changed her mind. Now, the goodwill of element, not the money, is her favorite part.
Climate check: Republicans’ Cop26 hopes undermined by colleagues’ climate disdain
A handful of Republican members of Congress have arrived at the UN climate talks in Glasgow in an attempt to portray the party as engaged on the climate crisis, with this message already badly undermined by colleagues back in the US who have downplayed and even dismissed the impacts of global heating during the summit. “Republicans care deeply about the environment and preserving it for future generations,” insisted John Curtis, a Republican congressman from Utah.
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Last thing: SpaceX toilet leak forces astronauts to use diapers on trip back to Earth
Astronauts who were due to leave the International Space Station yesterday will have to use diapers on the way home because of a broken toilet in their SpaceX capsule. The Nasa astronaut Megan McArthur described the situation as “suboptimal” but manageable. High wind off the Florida coast prompted SpaceX to delay the return of four astronauts who have been in orbit since spring. The good news for the American, French and Japanese astronauts was that their return is projected to take eight hours rather than 20. That means they will have to spend considerably less time wearing and using diapers.
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