US-Iran peace talks abruptly cancelled amid renewed Israeli strikes in Lebanon | First Thing
JD Vance lambasts Israeli critics of proposed deal but does not travel to Europe as planned
Good morning. Talks due to take place today between the US and Iran to implement a peace deal were abruptly cancelled. The White House said the US still looked forward to “beginning technical talks as soon as possible”. Hezbollah-linked media reported Tehran was delaying sending its delegation due to Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon.
The talks had been set to begin in the Swiss village of Obbürgen two days after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that opened a 60-day window to negotiate a permanent agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme, while reopening the strait of Hormuz. The centre of the strait is blocked with about 80 mines that will need clearing for normal shipping to resume, the independent tanker owner trade body has said.
What is happening in Lebanon? Hezbollah targeted Israeli forces near Nabatieh with several salvoes of rocket fire after Israeli shelling. Israel responded with a wave of airstrikes, killing at least 18 people and injuring 33. Iran has said Israel’s attacks on Lebanon must end as part of any peace deal.
What did JD Vance say to Israeli critics of the deal? In sharp words, the vice-president said: “Donald J Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”
Why does Trump’s Iran entanglement echo the Jimmy Carter years? In this excellent analysis piece, Robert Tait reminds us that one of Trump’s earliest political forays was lambasting the Democratic president during the 1980 Iran hostage crisis. Tait says Trump now finds himself in a position that uncannily resembles that of his predecessor – unable to bend Iran to his will despite superior US military power.
Mangione lawyers abandon psychiatric defense over health CEO’s killing
Luigi Mangione’s legal team said they would no longer pursue a psychiatric defense in his upcoming state trial over the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges. His state trial is scheduled to start on 8 September. His federal trial, which involves stalking charges, is due to begin on 13 October.
Star-studded opening for Obama library in Chicago delivers implied rebuke to Trump
The Barack Obama presidential center opened in Chicago amid a musical fanfare and paeans to democratic principles. Featuring appearances by a cast of musical stars and retired politicians from across the spectrum, it was a seemingly perfect antidote to the crass spectacle of cage fights on the White House lawn.
Without naming the current White House occupant, Barack and Michelle Obama launched full-frontal attacks on Trump’s authoritarian approach, depicting it as an affront to American values.
What did the former president say? Obama defined American democracy as “a belief that our military and law enforcement owe allegiance not to any president or political party, but to the people and our constitution … a belief in the peaceful transfer of power”. With the former Republican president George W Bush in attendance, Obama went out of his way to namecheck adversaries in a tribute to a bipartisanship largely forgotten during Trump’s era.
In other news …
The Grammy-nominated producer Tay Keith has been found dead at his apartment in Nashville. The 29-year-old worked with Drake, Travis Scott and Beyoncé.
California’s “billionaire tax” will make it on to November’s ballot, despite opposition from tech moguls.
The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, is returning to Westminster after winning a byelection, paving the way for a likely leadership challenge to the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer.
Barbados’s prime minister, Mia Mottley, has announced a new reparations manifesto from Caribbean leaders, asserting the “moral, ethical and legal case” over the damage caused by hundreds of years of enslavement.
The professional baseball team York Revolution chose to forfeit a game after some of its players refused to participate in the club’s Pride Night.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a three-year-old boy ended up in a crocodile enclosure at a zoo in England and was injured.
Stat of the day: CDC to tap $107m in emergency funding for Ebola response in DRC and Uganda
Dr Satish K Pillai, the incident manager for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Ebola response, said: “CDC activities are focused on controlling the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of [the] Congo, controlling the outbreak in Uganda and ensuring our domestic readiness to respond in the unlikely event of cases.” African health officials have said the outbreak could become the worst on record.
Culture pick: Toy Story limps into a new chapter while Thirst thrills
Peter Bradshaw judged that the beloved franchise needs new batteries, in a two-star review of the latest Toy Story instalment, with his devastating conclusion that it is “played out, and IP exhaustion has set in”. More intriguing sounding is Thirst, an Icelandic movie featuring a 1,000-year-old vampire obsessed with removing men’s genitals. Definitely aimed at a different audience, Cath Clarke says it is filmed in a trashy 1980s synth-heavy style. I’m sold.
Don’t miss this: Inside the city of grief hit hardest by Israel strikes on southern Lebanon
William Christou has been in Nabatieh, in Lebanon, attending the religious ceremony marking Ashura. It mourns the slaying of a holy figure in 680 but is also a symbol for Shia Muslims of resistance. This year it has a renewed meaning because of the Hezbollah-Israel war, which has killed more than 3,900 people in Lebanon, mostly Shia Muslims.
… or this: Keith Richards on life as an 82-year-old great-grandad – and jousting with Mick Jagger
There was a time when the general consensus was that Keith Richards probably wouldn’t live to see the end of the year, let alone see the birth of his great-granddaughter. Alexis Petridis interviews the 82-year-old Stones legend who just keeps rolling on.
Climate check: Trump administration reverses decision to scrap ocean monitoring system
Since returning to office in January, the Trump administration has rolled back numerous science and climate initiatives, but after an outcry from scientists and lawmakers it has reversed its decision to dismantle a vital $368m deep-sea observation system.
Last Thing: The small town fending off a new California gold rush
There’s something of a new gold rush under way in the American west after the Trump administration reclassified gold and silver as critical minerals. With demand for gold at record levels and new mining projects approved in California, Oregon and Nevada, lands that long enjoyed protection are in effect up for grabs. Lone Pine, population 1,882, is fighting back.
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