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Mason Mount sends video message to Chelsea fans on social media, confirming departure ahead of Man Utd transfer.

Jurors in Pittsburgh have begun considering whether the gunman in a white supremacist 2018 shooting at a local synagogue complex should get the death penalty. In June, Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue, was convicted on 63 federal counts. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, experts called by his attorneys have been arguing in court in recent days that he was so mentally damaged by the time of the shooting he shouldn’t face the death penalty, which is forbidden against people with certain intellectual handicaps. They pointed out how Bowers had been in multiple psychiatric hospitals by the time he was 13 years old, diagnosed with depression and other ailments. As a teenager, he also attempted to kill his mother by spraying an aerosol toward her and trying to light it on fire. By 16, he was voluntarily committed again to a mental facility and had made “repeated suicide attempts,” according to the defence. Richard Rogers, a forensic psychologist who met with Bowers four times while he was in prison, told jurors the gunman showed signs of delusional thinking tied to his white supremacist ideas. “He did not just believe [his conduct] to be correct,” Mr Rogers said, “he believed it absolutely had to be done.” A majority of families whose loved ones died in the shooting have voiced their support for the death penalty in the case. “We are not a ruthless, uncompassionate people; we, as a persecuted people, understand when there is a time for compassion and when there is a time to stand up and say enough is enough — such violent hatred will not be tolerated on this earth,” they wrote in a 2022 letter in the Pittsburg Jewish Chronicle. “Our beloved 11 were taken from us in a brutal, cold-blooded act of hatred and violence. We, the undersigned, will feel further violated by letting the defendant have the easy way out. His crimes deserve the death penalty.” Others tied to the tragedy, the deadliest antisemitic shooting in US history, argued the death penalty violates Jewish tradition. “Jewish practice as I understand it does not — outside of self-defense — allow humans to take the lives of other humans. Not even the life of a murderer whose guilt is beyond doubt,” Beth Kissileff, whose husband, a rabbi, was in the Tree of Life facility during the shooting, wrote in The New York Times. “The death penalty does nothing to promote healing; it only continues more killing,” she added. The Independent and the nonprofit Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) have launched a joint campaign calling for an end to the death penalty in the US. The RBIJ has attracted more than 150 well-known signatories to their Business Leaders Declaration Against the Death Penalty - with The Independent as the latest on the list. We join high-profile executives like Ariana Huffington, Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson as part of this initiative and are making a pledge to highlight the injustices of the death penalty in our coverage. Read More A copycat Zodiac Killer terrorised New York years after the California original. This is how he got caught Pittsburgh synagogue killer has extensive history of mental illness, defense expert testifies Doctors give mixed testimony on whether tests show brain damage in the Pittsburgh synagogue killer

Mike Trout has a left hamate fracture.

Minutes before the Houston Astros opened a two-game set on July 4 against the Colorado Rockies, All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve was scratched.HOUSTON — Just minutes before the Houston Astros opened a two-game set against the Colorado Rockies inside Minute Maid Park, All-Star second bas...

Suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will not testify in his impeachment trial, according to his attorney, who called the proceeding a "sham" that would "encourage future kangaroo courts."

Five victims, including one teenager, who were killed during a mass shooting in Philadelphia have been identified by police. Four adult men and one child were killed during the shooting which took place in Kingsessing on Monday evening. The victims are Lashyd Merritt, 20, Dymir Stanton, 29, Ralph Moralis, 59, Joseph Wamah Jr, 31, and Daujan Brown, 15. Police said two children were also injured as a result of the shooting – a 13-year-old and a two-year-old. As of Monday evening, both children were in stable condition. The names of the two injured have not been released yet. The tragic shooting unfolded on Monday evening after a gunman, armed with an AR-15-style rifle, a handgun, multiple magazines and wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire in a neighbourhood. Police responded to reports of gunfire around 8.30pm local time and apprehended the suspected shooter after pursuing him on foot. The suspected shooter, an adult male, was taken into custody Monday night. Local authorities later took another suspect into custody but said they were unsure how the second suspect may be connected to the suspected gunman. In a press conference on Monday night, police commissioner Danielle Outlaw said authorities had “no idea” why the suspected gunman chose to open fire in the neighbourhood. Police were working to determine if the suspected shooter had any connection to the victims. Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney expressed frustration over the tragic shooting on Tuesday saying the United States needs to “re-examine” how it approaches gun laws. “Where does a person like this get an AR-15,” Mr Kenney said to reporters before the city’s Fourth of July celebrations on Tuesday. “Where does a person like this get a semi-automatic handgun? Where does a person like this buy a Kevlar vest?” “This country needs to re-examine its conscious when it comes to Congress or the state legislature and figure out how we get these guns out of these people’s hands,” Mr Kenney added. President Joe Biden also issued a statement on the shooting saying he and First Lady Jill Bien are grieving for the victims and their families while asking Congress to enact stricter gun control l aws. Mr Biden said: “We pray for the day when our communities will be free from gun violence.” Read More Philadelphia mass shooting – live: Five victims identified as 40-year-old Kingsessing gunman’s motive unclear Biden renews call for assault weapons ban after ‘tragic and senseless’ spate of July 4 shootings Five adults dead and two children wounded: What we know about mass shooting in Philadelphia

Former Philadelphia Eagles player C.J. Gardner Johnson believes they would have defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57 for this reason.Super Bowl 57 had the makings of a true football classic, considering Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts broke numerous records and Patrick Ma...

Most presidents, current and former, typically spend America’s Independence Day celebrating the values of US society that bring its citizens together, joining in the festive and unifying themes of the national holiday. And then there’s Donald Trump. The twice-impeached, twice-indicted former president spent his 4 July morning fuming at his enemies from behind a keyboard, re-”Truth”-ing a vulgar message aimed at President Joe Biden and the tens of millions of Americans who voted for the Democratic commander-in-chief in 2020. ““F**k Biden and f**k you for voting for him”, read the post. It was just another pebble in the avalanche of bizarre behaviour that Mr Trump has long known for; the attack was amplified by the former president at roughly 2am, hours before he would apparently wake up and decide to share a slightly-less caustic message to his followers. “Happy FOURTH OF JULY to everyone. We are working hard, we will take back our Country, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”. Though, he added that the 2024 election would be “our LAST GREAT CHANCE” to do so. Read More Trump’s own words about an indicted president come back to haunt him Ex-Trump spokesperson claims she saw him show off documents on Mar-a-Lago dining patio Chris Christie reacts to ‘control freak’ Trump’s classified documents comments: ‘He’s scared’

Georgia's Foreign Ministry criticized Ukraine on Tuesday for urging the Georgian ambassador to return to Tbilisi for consultations over the poor health of imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili, who is also a Ukrainian citizen. The Foreign Ministry called Ukraine's action “an extreme form of escalation.” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry had summoned Georgian Ambassador George Zakarashvili to express its protest over the apparent significant deterioration in the health of Saakashvili, who was convicted of abuse of power while he was president in 2004-2013. “The decision of the Ukrainian authorities causes serious damage to the strategic relations between the two countries and represents a direct interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state,” Georgia’s Foreign Ministry said in its statement. Saakashvili appeared severely emaciated Monday during a videolink testimony to a court considering a new abuse-of-power case against him. Saakashvili and his supporters claim that he has been poisoned while imprisoned and that he now weighs about 60 kilograms (132 pounds), half of what he weighed when he was arrested in October 2021. Speaking from a private clinic where he is being held, he told the court that despite his poor health, he is “spiritually fit and determined to serve the country,” according to local news site Agenda. Saakashvili, who became Georgia’s president after leading the Rose Revolution protests that drove the previous president out of office, left for Ukraine after the end of his second term. He was later convicted in absentia of abuse of power and sentenced to six years in prison. He was arrested in October 2021 after returning to Georgia to try to bolster opposition forces before nationwide municipal elections. He is now on trial on charges connected to the violent dispersal of an opposition rally in 2007. Saakashvili holds Ukrainian citizenship and was governor of that nation’s Odesa region in 2015-16. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday called on Georgia to send Saakashvili to Ukraine for medical treatment. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

A federal judge has blocked key agencies within President Joe Biden’s administration from communicating with social media companies about certain online speech in an extraordinary ruling as part of an ongoing case that could have profound impacts on the First Amendment. The preliminary injunction granted by Donald Trump-appointed US District Judge Terry A Doughty in Louisiana on 4 July prohibits the FBI and the US Department of Health and Human Services from speaking with platforms for “the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech.” The ruling – which could obstruct the administration’s attempts to combat false and potentially dangerous claims about vaccines and elections – is a victory for Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri who have alleged that the federal government was overreaching in its attempts to combat Covid-19 disinformation and baseless election fraud narratives. Judge Doughty, who has yet to issue a final ruling, stated in his injunction that the Republican plaintiffs “have produced evidence of a massive effort by Defendants, from the White House to federal agencies, to suppress speech based on its content.” He did make some exceptions that would allow the government to warn platforms about national security threats, criminal activity or voter suppression. This is a developing story Read More Suspicious powder found at the White House when Biden was gone was cocaine, AP sources say Biden renews call for assault weapons ban after spate of July 4 shootings Watch live: Joe Biden addresses National Education Association

The agencies say infrastructure is being destroyed and medics cannot not reach all the injured.

Elena Milashina, a prominent Russian journalist who uncovered the horrific crackdown on gay men in Chechnya, was "severely beaten" alongside a lawyer in an attack in the southern Russian republic, according to her employer Novaya Gazeta.