Aipac and other groups targeting candidates critical of Israel’s war in Gaza – but progressives are not going down without a fight Pro-Israel groups are pumping millions into this year’s heated congressional races, singling out progressives who have voiced criticism of the Israeli government and its relentless campaign in Gaza. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) is betting that $100m will be enough to fight back a wave of progressive dissent over Israel’s war in Gaza this election cycle. After investing heavily in the 2022 midterms, Aipac is now doubling down on its electoral ..read more

Threats lean toward sexual or domestic violence, attacks on their families and criticisms that they can’t do their jobs Carly Koppes kept her pregnancy hidden from the public as long as she possibly could, fearing the potential harassment that could come from those who frequently attack the Republican elections clerk. When Koppes, who runs elections in Weld county, Colorado, did media interviews, she asked the people behind the camera to position her so her growing belly wasn’t visible, fearing her harassers would see the images or videos and make comments about her future child. She “never in ..read more

The enigmatic former first lady to appear at fundraiser on Saturday, marking a return to her husband’s side as he seeks re-election Her biggest fashion statement as first lady was a green jacket emblazoned with the words “I really don’t care, do u?” More recently, Melania Trump has given the impression that she doesn’t care whether her husband, Donald, returns to the White House. That is about to change. On Saturday Melania, 53, will appear at a fundraiser at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, for the Log Cabin Republicans, the biggest Republican organisation dedicated to repres ..read more

Navigation buoy sails 4,000 miles across Atlantic, joining storied history of wrecks upon shores of tiny Scottish island of Eriskay From Bonnie Prince Charlie’s ill-fated 1745 landing, to the shipwreck of a whisky-laden cargo freighter two centuries later that inspired a bestselling novel and blockbuster movie, the tiny Scottish island of Eriskay has a rich and outsized history of notable maritime events. Now, the arrival of a visitor from Florida following a 4,000-mile solo voyage across the Atlantic has added another curious chapter. It is a navigation buoy that slipped its mooring in the Fl ..read more

Panel finds PC Martin Briggs breached professional standards over removal of items before job-related fitness test A police trainer who used cutting equipment to remove earrings from three student officers before fitness and safety exercises has been found guilty of gross misconduct. The three female officers believed PC Martin Briggs had used bolt croppers on them, but during the misconduct hearing it was established that while he did fetch the large tool, he had used smaller “snips ..read more

Tunde Onakoya, who beat previous record of 56 hours, hopes to raise $1m for children’s education in Africa A Nigerian chess champion has broken the record for the longest chess marathon after playing the game nonstop for 58 hours. Tunde Onakoya, 29, hopes to raise $1m for children’s education across Africa from the world record attempt, which took place in Times Square in New York ..read more

Man identified by police as Max Azzarello, from Florida, dies the day after incident outside lower Manhattan courthouse A man has died after setting himself on fire outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush-money trial is taking place. The New York City police department said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital ..read more

Judgment in Bruce Lehrmann defamation case has prompted calls for anti-corruption commission to investigate the payout, but one expert says it’s ‘nonsense’ Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast On Monday, Justice Michael Lee handed down his decision in the explosive defamation case brought by Bruce Lehrmann against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson. He found – on the balance of probabilities – that Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins. Lehrmann has always denied the allegation and his criminal trial was aborted and the charge later dropped ..read more

Party hopes smaller content creators with loyal following online will attract voters missed through TV and radio Labour has appointed a dedicated employee to work with influencers and seed positive messages about Keir Starmer’s party on TikTok and Instagram, as the UK’s political parties prepare to target “microinfluencers” during the general election campaign. During previous British elections, political parties often asked big-name celebrities to send a supportive tweet or attempted to win over YouTubers with millions of followers. But this election, the focus is shifting from a top-down app ..read more

St David’s weekday services hope to draw in commuters and others with work or family pressures The prospect of sitting on a hard pew enduring a drawn-out service with, perhaps, a meandering sermon at its heart, puts off many would-be church-goers. But a Welsh church is determined to draw in worshippers who feel they don’t have the time or endurance by staging punchy “micro services ..read more