Cyclosporiasis: officials looking at Taco Bell lettuce supplier as potential source of outbreak 17. July 2026 (02:23) Taylor Farms reportedly linked to outbreak thought to be in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and KentuckyWhat is cyclosporiasis, the parasitic illness causing ‘explosive’ diarrhea?Amid an ongoing outbreak of cyclosporiasis, federal health officials are reportedly looking at iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms that was supplied to Taco Bell as a possible source.On Thursday afternoon, the Washington Post, CNN and other media outlets reported that the lettuce supplier had been linked to the outbreak, citing unnamed sources “familiar with the investigation”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Brazen corruption’: critics denounce Trump Media plan to sell priority access to Truth Social posts 17. July 2026 (02:13) Move would allow Wall Street trading firms and other institutions to potentially profit from seeing president’s posts firstDonald Trump’s media company is planning to charge for special high-speed access to Truth Social posts, including possibly his own, affecting national security and financial markets.The move announced Thursday would allow Wall Street trading firms and other institutions to get news from top Truth Social contributors in milliseconds so they could profit off subsequent moves in stocks, bonds and interest rates. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Florida House write-in candidate arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Trump 17. July 2026 (00:47) William Upham, a 35-year-old former marine, faces federal charges and up to five years in prison, officials sayA former marine and Republican write-in candidate for the US House in Florida has been arrested and charged in federal court with threatening to kill Donald Trump, according to the US attorney’s office.William Upham, 35, was taken into custody on Thursday after appearing in federal court in Jacksonville, Florida. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison. According to public records, Upham is a write-in candidate, running in the Republican primary for Florida’s fifth congressional district. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kalshi to offer betting on drug trial results and FDA regulatory decisions 16. July 2026 (23:11) Move comes as prediction platforms rapidly gain popularity and offer opportunities to bet on virtually anythingKalshi is expanding its wagers to include bets on drug trial results, an expansion into new predictions territory as platforms continue to rapidly gain popularity and offer opportunities to bet on virtually anything.The betting platform said the expansion into clinical trials and FDA regulatory decisions would help surface information on drug trials that otherwise go unreported. A publicly listed contract on a drug trial would produce a “continuously updated, public probability that reflects the weight of the evidence, rather than the preferred message of the trial sponsor”, the company said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Enemies of civilization’: top Trump officials launch sweeping attack on left 16. July 2026 (23:09) Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller took aim at only leftwing activism at meeting of 66 nations against political violenceTop Trump officials on Thursday hosted a gathering of 66 nations to discuss the supposed threat of leftwing violence, and launched a series of diatribes, harsh even by the standards of the Trump administration, against leftism.The conference, convened by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, and attended by Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser, and Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, was billed as a “ministerial on the resurgence of political violence”, but the focus was solely on crushing leftist violence. It came as Donald Trump ramps up his efforts to label his political opponents, and a rising number of politicians identified with the Democratic Socialists of America as “communists”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
White House teleprompter operator put on leave over alleged bets on Trump speeches 16. July 2026 (23:04) Karoline Leavitt calls apparent bets on Kalshi prediction platform ‘deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace’Donald Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator has been placed on administrative leave, the White House said on Thursday, after reports that he used his position to win $100,000 by placing bets on the president’s speeches using the online prediction market Kalshi.The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the president had been informed about the situation, which she described as “deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Remains of LA millionaire missing since 1981 identified after more than 40 years 16. July 2026 (22:59) After Thelma Gaston disappeared, her companion was convicted of second-degree murderAuthorities in southern California announced this week that, after more than 40 years, they had identified the remains of a Los Angeles millionaire missing since 1981.The Riverside county sheriff confirmed in a statement that investigators, using genetic genealogy and dental records, had determined the remains found in a rugged area near Sugarloaf Mountain were those of Thelma Gaston. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Energy drinks to be banned from sale to under-16s in England 16. July 2026 (20:53) About 100,000 children across the country drink the high-caffeine beverages dailyHigh-caffeine energy drinks “have no place in children’s hands” and will be banned from sale to under-16s in England from April next year under new laws designed to improve health outcomes in young people.About 100,000 children across the country currently drink high-caffeine energy drinks daily, with those in more deprived areas and households more likely to consume them, according to the government. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Continuity Keir’: Burnham keeping on many of Starmer’s No 10 advisers 16. July 2026 (20:46) Lack of change in key roles could mean next week’s policy announcements may lack radicalism many hoped forAndy Burnham’s Downing Street operation is beginning to take shape, with many of Keir Starmer’s aides due to remain at the centre of government.The incoming prime minister has now picked most of the senior No 10 jobs, according to those who have been involved in the process, and the names of several key staff were confirmed on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Political crisis and protests in Ukraine as Zelenskyy defends sacking defence minister 16. July 2026 (20:25) President says he had to choose ‘one side or the other’ after breakdown of relations between ministry and military leadersUkraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has defended his decision to dismiss the country’s popular defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, and confirmed reports that relations had broken down between the ministry and the country’s top army leadership.Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv with the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, Zelenskyy said there had been a “challenging dialogue” between Fedorov – widely seen as a reformist and moderniser – and the military’s commander in chief, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
