Anger after Trump’s secret flight swap appears to offer up staff and media as decoys | First Thing
Democrats demand congressional briefing after passenger-laden Air Force One sent on decoy flight despite security scare
Good morning.
Democrats have called for a congressional briefing after a charade in which Donald Trump was secretly spirited into a different plane than the one the public and press believed he was travelling on.
When US intelligence allegedly found a credible threat that Iran plotted to kill the president last month, Trump left Air Force One in a catering truck. More than a hundred aides, officials and reporters were kept onboard to fly towards Britain from Turkey, without being told there was a threat to their lives.
“It appears that the idea was we can reduce the danger to President Trump by offering up 100 or so people to be killed by the Iranians in his place,” said Steven Cash, the executive director of the non-profit Steady State who is a former CIA intelligence officer and senior adviser to the Department of Homeland Security’s intelligence branch.
How did the plot to smuggle Trump off the plane unfold? In this video, the Guardian breaks down the footage from that day, showing how the president reportedly boarded the old Air Force One jet in view of television cameras, and then was secretly shuttled minutes later to a smaller plane via an airport catering truck typically used to load meals and other supplies before flight.
David Crowley defeats Francesca Hong to win Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor
David Crowley, a Milwaukee county executive, pulled off a last-minute victory after re-entering the Wisconsin governor’s race and defeating Francesca Hong. Hong, a chef and former restaurant owner from Madison, ran on a platform that included free childcare up to 400% of the federal poverty level, free school meals and a one-year moratorium on the construction of new datacenters, which differentiated her from her Democratic colleagues in the governor’s race.
Where have progressives enjoyed electoral success this week? Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, won her Democratic primary for US Senate in a race centered on immigration enforcement. Flanagan, who beat the congresswoman Angie Craig, recently told the Guardian: “So often I think Democrats are like: ‘What do we think we can win?’ Instead of: ‘What are the fights that we should be picking?’”
What happened in South Carolina’s abbreviated special Republican primary? Darline Graham, appointed to complete the Senate term of her late brother, Lindsey, will face the congressman Ralph Norman in a runoff on 25 August. The winner will face the Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in November’s midterms.
Judge blocks Trump’s order aimed at using USPS to restrict mail-in voting
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the US Postal Service from implementing part of Donald Trump’s executive order that aims to tighten rules for mail-in voting before November’s midterm elections. The ruling expanded on an earlier order that had prevented Trump’s administration from implementing it in 23 mostly Democratic-led states.
Where else are Trump policies facing a new legal challenge? The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other advocacy groups have asked a federal judge to block Donald Trump from enforcing his latest attempt to restrict eligibility for birthright citizenship. The supreme court previously said Trump’s original executive order, which he issued the day he began his second term in the White House, violated the 14th amendment to the US constitution.
ICE to spend up to $20m on gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks
ICE plans to spend up to $20m to purchase thousands of gloves for officers and agents that can deliver painful electric shocks, according to a notice published Monday by the Department of Homeland Security. The devices, called Glove (generated low output voltage emitter), are manufactured by Compliant Technologies of Lexington, Kentucky.
According to the manufacturer: “The discomfort associated with the stimulation is usually effective in bringing individuals into compliance in less than three seconds and leaves no burns, marks or scars.” It has advertised the device as a “humane, low-optics, de-escalation solution for many situations facing our men and women in uniform.” The gloves have previously been used in settings such as jails in the US.
In other news …
Colombian rescue workers are racing to find survivors after the country’s deadliest earthquake this century killed at least 240 people and left at least 3,000 missing.
Firefighters and residents of south Lebanon have accused the Israeli military of lighting wildfires in the region, as forested areas burned down in blazes sparked by Israeli bombing.
Gianni Infantino’s opponents are working together to produce a new framework for running world football to replace what they regard as a system of patronage that the governing body Fifa has adopted under his presidency.
The Bumble dating app said it was dropping its women-first messaging rule that has been a defining feature since its launch in 2014.
Stat of the day: Samuel Alito gained up to $2.9m from oil and gas assets since joining supreme court
Critics argue the US high court justice should recuse himself from an upcoming climate accountability case involving fossil fuel firms after a review of financial disclosures showed Samuel Alito gained up to $2.9m from his oil and gas interests between 2005 and 2024.
Well Actually: The 11 biggest wellness trends of 2026 so far
Every year, the wellness industry churns out new products and practices. Sometimes, these trends are legitimate. Sometimes they’re utter nonsense. Often they’re somewhere in between. Madeleine Aggeler lists the wellness trends that have provoked controversy and interest in 2026.
Don’t miss this: Drowned the day her visa came through – the tragedy of a Moroccan footballer trying to reach Ceuta
Faten Ben Omar El Azizi was among at least 141 people who died during last month’s mass crossing to the Spanish territory in north Africa. In the cruellest of ironies, on the day she drowned her mother was told that the footballer had just been granted a visa to go to Spain. This is their story.
Climate check: Europe is the world’s fastest warming continent. What is to blame?
The climate crisis is hitting Europe hard in 2026, warming twice as fast as any other continent – and the consequences are deadly. The Guardian’s environment editor, Damian Carrington, explains the multiple factors behind it.
Last Thing: High school football player in Arkansas practises with viper in helmet
Rather him than me – a Maumelle high school student felt unusual movement inside his headgear after warmups last week and discovered a slithering 2ft venomous cottonmouth. The snake was captured and released in a wooded area far from the school.
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