Hillary Clinton seals the deal
“We’ve reached a milestone – the first time a woman has been named a party’s presumptive nominee.” Those were Hillary Clinton’s words last night as she basked in a victory 14 months in the making. Convincing primary wins in California, New Jersey and New Mexico pushed Clinton comfortably over the Democratic party delegate threshold, but Bernie Sanders has vowed to fight on until the Democratic national convention in July. “The struggle continues,” he vowed. Clinton thanked him for bring the issues of racial, social and economic to the forefront.
Meanwhile, Clinton called Donald Trump “temperamentally unfit to be president” and a candidate determined to “wall off Americans from each other”. Trump hit back, saying the Clintons have turned the “politics of personal enrichment into an art form for themselves”. He invited Sanders supporters into the Trumpian carnival tent and came close – or as close as the candidate may come – to apologising for alienating members of his party for launching personal attacks on members of the judiciary.
And David Smith considers 10 pivotal campaign moments, from the birth of the Bernie movement to the Trump speech that have defined the US presidential election campaign. “It’s been a wild ride on the campaign trail so far,” he says.
Clinton celebrates ‘milestone’ victory as Sanders refuses to end presidential bid
Stanford student: party culture to blame for sexual assault
As Stanford University students protest the handling of sexual assaults at the prestigious university, the Guardian has obtained the full statement made by Brock Turner, the former Stanford student convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, to Judge Aaron Persky, the jurist who gave him a lenient sentence of six months in county jail.
In it, Turner placed the blame on alcohol and “party culture”. Brock’s reluctance to admit that he committed an assault – despite overwhelming evidence that the woman was unconscious – has contributed to the widespread outrage over the handling of the case. Judge Persky, who is now subject to a campaign to have him removed from duty, said Turner’s lack of remorse or “lack of complete acquiescence to the verdict should count against him”.
Brock Turner’s statement blames sexual assault on Stanford ‘party culture’
World peace? Not yet
Global peace index estimates that political instability, terrorism and conflict cost the global economy $13.6tn last year. The 2016 index, which analysed 163 countries and territories, rated Syria as the world’s least peaceful country, followed by South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. The world’s most peaceful countries are Iceland, Denmark, Austria, New Zealand and Portugal. The report found that while 81 countries had improved in terms of peace, another 79 had declined, meaning that peace declined at a faster rate than in the previous year. “Terrorism is also at an all-time high, battle deaths from conflict are at a 25-year high, and the number of refugees and displaced people are at a level not seen in 60 years,” the report found.
Conflict and terrorism cost the world trillions, says peace index
Passenger drone cleared for take-off
China’s Ehang 184, the world’s first passenger drone capable of carrying a person autonomously, will begin FAA airworthiness testing in Nevada later this year. The founder and chief executive of Ehang, Huazhi Hu, said the move would kickstart the autonomous aerial transportation industry. The company envisages a system whereby a passenger simply inputs the destination and the drone takes care of the rest.
World’s first passenger drone cleared for testing in Nevada
More American women now classified as obese
The US has reached a “scary” milestone in its battle with obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, relying on government figures, says obesity rates among American women have surged ahead of men. Rates for men and women had been roughly equal for about a decade, the report found. But in recent years, women have pulled ahead. Just over 40% of women are obese, compared to 35% of men.
Four in 10 American women now classified as obese
The happiest Warriors
Les Carpenter in Oakland reports on how the Golden State Warriors became the happiest team in sports. “You hear the word ‘joy’ a lot around the Warriors, who are two wins from a second straight NBA title. This is not a common sports term,” Carpenter reports. The team could be the best team in NBA history, he reasons. Their secret? “Their motivation is not the fear of losing, but the jubilance of winning together.”
The Golden State Warriors, the happiest team in sports
Trump impersonators: who does it best?
It’s a bizarre consolation, but Donald Trump has been a gift to comedy. The hair, the hands, the hair, the suit, the hair, the voice, the hair, the tie, the hair – Peter Bradshaw considers who does it best. In years to come, he writes, “it will be a role like Andy Warhol or Richard Nixon, a role steeped in postmodern comedy and irony, a huge vaudeville turn for an actor to show a dark kind of flair. But as Donald J Trump approaches his date with destiny, actors are increasingly drawn to this extraordinary character.”
Streep, Depp, Fallon … who’s the top Trump impersonator?
USA thrashes Costa Rica in Chicago
An impressive win for Jürgen Klinsmann’s team offered the USA team hopes of a renaissance in Copa América tournament. Tom Dart finds the same players who played poorly against Colombia last week shone against the Los Ticos team.
USA use style and guile to thrash Costa Rica in Copa América
Pablo Escobar’s enforcer takes his message online
He killed around 300 people, ordered the murder of thousands more, and was behind some 200 car bombs for Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel. Now, after two decades in prison, John Jairo “Popeye” Velásquez has a new venture: a YouTube channel devoted, he claims, to expressing remorse and discouraging young people from the life of crime. In one post, the Colombian hitman is asked when he will meet the families of his victims. “That’s a painful question for me,” he says. “It’s important that we could meet so I can ask for your forgiveness face to face and accept my responsibility.”
Ex-Pablo Escobar enforcer who killed 300 seeks new career as YouTube star
And in case you missed it …
There’s a moment in every Rolling Stones show when the spotlight falls on Lisa Fischer and she delivers the high parts to Gimme Shelter. Now the singer who has sung in the studio with everyone from Luther Vandross, Billy Ocean, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin and Alicia Keys, and live with Tina Turner, Chaka Khan and Dolly Parton, is setting off on her own tour. “It has taken me almost 50 years to get there,” she tells the Guardian.
Lisa Fischer on life in the shadows of the Stones and Tina Turner: ‘I got used to keeping quiet’
