Dems sit in
Democrats staged a remarkable and unruly 16-hour sit-in in the House of Representatives on Wednesday to protest at the lack of progress on gun control. The House officially adjourned at 3.14am on Thursday without voting on new measures, but some Democrats were still speaking on the floor well into the morning. The next votes are scheduled for 5 July. Democrats stayed on the floor, shouting “No bill no break!” , as some waved papers with the names of victims of gun violence. Around 10pm on Wednesday, the speaker, Paul Ryan, was shouted down and his office switched off the cameras and microphones covering proceedings. Democrats retaliated by live-streaming their message on their cellphones. “We have been too quiet for too long,” said Representative John Lewis, 76, who was leading the protest and who half a century ago took part in sit-ins and acts of disobedience during the civil rights struggle. “There comes a time when you have to say something. You have to make a little noise. You have to move your feet. This is the time.”
The Guardian continues a five-part exploration of the gun control issue.
Democrats continue House sit-in demanding vote on gun control
UK voting begins in crucial EU referendum
British voters are going to the polls today, in a referendum that will determine whether the country remains part of Europe. Neither side – remain or leave – seemed confident enough to predict the result of their close-fought, highly emotive campaigns. Politicians on both sides made their final pitches yesterday in efforts to win over waverers and opponents. “It is a fact that our economy will be weaker if we leave and stronger if we stay,” the British prime minister, David Cameron, told supporters in Birmingham. Fearing a leave result, banks are preparing to temporarily shut down trading operations. Meanwhile, UK market and currency indices have risen as investors appear more confident that voters will side with the remain camp. We look at how panic replaced denial as European leaders misjudged the British mood.
Voting begins in EU referendum as polls say result too close to call
Same message, different delivery from Trump
Donald Trump’s much anticipated “pivot” seems to be more about style than substance, writes Ben Jacobs, as the presumptive Republican nominee read his remarks off a teleprompter. He may be a master of Twitter insults, but Donald Trump’s failure to embrace digital fundraising or volunteer networks highlights how his campaign is not merely lagging behind – it’s not even on the map. That comes on top of problems raising campaign cash, a ten-to-one deficit in organizational staff with Hillary Clinton, and tanking opinion polls in key swing states. Meanwhile, if you think the “Never Trump” movement was finished, think again.
Trump’s latest attack on Hillary Clinton: same message, different delivery
Demand for abortions soars over Zika fears
Women in Latin America, where abortion is often illegal, are seeking online help in unprecedented numbers in response to fears over the Zika virus and its link to birth defects, a new study revealed. In Brazil, Venezuela and Ecuador the requests for help have doubled, while in other Latin American countries they have risen by a third.
Abortion demand soars in countries hit by Zika outbreak, study finds
Elizabeth Warren as VP: what would she do?
As the election debate turns to economics, Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren’s background as an advocate for ordinary Americans suggests she could bring strength to the Democratic ticket where it is lacking: a willingness to get tough with Wall Street that has haunted Hillary Clinton since it became known that she earned $675,000 for speaking to three Goldman Sachs client conferences.
Warren would give a middle finger to Wall Street as Clinton’s vice-president
Can the oceans’ plastic problem be solved?
Dutch scientists have developed a clean-up boom that collects rubbish on the sea’s surface. On a large scale, it could be used in the “great Pacific garbage patch”. At least that’s the idea. Today, the 300ft barrier will be towed 20km out to sea for a year of tests, followed by sea trials off the coast of Japan and, finally, a full-scale deployment of a 100km-long version will take place in the plastic-rich Pacific between California and Hawaii in 2020.
Dutch prototype clean-up boom brings Pacific plastics solution a step closer
The West Wing, 10 years on
It’s been a decade since the ground-breaking show folded. You could say it never really went away, writes Brian Moylan. “because it is as much about the world we live in now as it is about the world as it was then. In fact, it might be even more relevant today than it was 10 years ago.”
Ten years on from the West Wing finale, the show’s shadow still looms large
And in case you missed it …
Zuckerberg cover-up
The world’s wealthiest millennial showed us that he doesn’t trust technology, when it emerged that he covers up the webcam of his laptop with masking tape. Alex Hern says this makes total sense: the Facebook founder doesn’t want to be anyone’s “slave” – or a person whose computer have been broken into and taken control of. Should you follow him? “Probably. It doesn’t hurt, most of the experts do it, and it could minimise damage – even if it’s just emotional – in the case of a catastrophic hack.”