Mexican authorities are sending conflicting messages about the violent death of a leading LGBTQ+ figure after thousands of Mexicans marched demanding justice

Wall Street is mixed and holding a bit steadier after sliding for three straight weeks through what’s been a dismal August

Fans are convinced that D’Amelio and Richards are dating after the duo was spotted on a double date alongside Charli and her boyfriend Landon Barker

At least three people are dead and six more have been injured in a mass shooting that took place at an annual Fourth of July block party in Shreveport, Louisiana on Tuesday evening. It is unclear how the shooting unfolded, how many shooters were involved or how many more people may be injured. Shreveport police lieutenant Van Ray told local news outlet KSLA that when authorities arrived at the scene on Pearl Avenue, two people were found dead. A third person died at the hospital. Mr Ray was unsure what conditions the six injured people were in. Police had a difficult time reaching the victims because there was still “an enormous amount” of people and vehicles at the scene when authorities arrived. “Getting here and getting EMS here was a difficult thing. A lot of us had to park our cars and take off running because there were so many cars on the side of the street,” Mr Ray said. Shreveport District A Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor expressed her frustrations with the shooting to KSLA. “This should not happen. Now we are the victims of a mass shooting in our community,” Ms Taylor said. “It is trauma for those individuals that only wanted to have a very good time on this holiday,” she added. Louisiana joins several states in experiencing a deadly mass shooting over the holiday weekend. Three people died in Forth Worth, Texas and five others were killed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday, 3 June. Nine people were injured during a drive-by shooting in Washington DC on Wednesday. There are been 350 mass shootings in the US this year, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. The Independent has reached out to the Shreveport Police Department for comment. Read More Fourth of July travel weekend in disarray after airport meltdowns, wildfire smoke and extreme heat Fort Worth shooting – live: Dramatic video captures chaos at ComoFest two of three victims identified Nine victims including two children injured in drive-by shooting in Washington DC

Police in New Mexico’s capital city are investigating the partial destruction of a public monument to 19th century frontiersman Christopher “Kit” Carson

The sleepy countdown to the 2024 presidential primaries got a jolt on Monday when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped his primary challenge to President Joe Biden and announced plans to run as an independent -- a move that triggered a barrage of attacks from former President Donald Trump and Republicans worried over polling that shows the longtime Democrat could gnaw into Trump's support.

Russian textbooks praising President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine are an attempt to encourage “self-sacrifice” among schoolchildren, experts have warned. In September, Russia rolled out new history textbooks to schools that claim Ukraine is an “ultranationalist state” being used as a “battering ram” by the United States to “destroy Russia”. One chapter claims Ukrainian membership of NATO could have led to a catastrophic war and “possibly the end of civilisation” that Russia had to prevent. Jaroslava Barbieri, academic and author of dozens of articles on Russian affairs, said the textbooks and lessons instructing children on how to use drones were all part of a wider plan. “Patriotic education is nothing new,” Ms Barbieri, doctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham, told The Independent. “But it has acquired new momentum under Putin. It is an attempt to indoctrinate the next generation, by equating patriotism to self-sacrifice.” The textbook, which devotes 28 pages to Russia’s war in Ukraine, is also intended to convince children Russia has “always been surrounded by enemies,” Ms Barbieri said. “It is about militarising the youth, making them believe they have always been surrounded by constant enemies and that they should serve the needs of the state,” she said. In July, the Russian Defence Ministry approved plans for new lessons instructing schoolchildren on how to operate combat drones, assault rifles and hand grenades. Deputy Minister of Defence Ruslan Tsalikov said the programme will include basic operating information and methods to counter enemy weapons, including UAVs. Ms Barbieri said this was evidence the Kremlin had recognised the changing nature of warfare and Ukraine’s extensive use of commercial drones – as well as contributing to a militarised society. Katie Stallard, Global Fellow at the Wilson Center think tank, said Putin has always been obsessed by history and the textbooks reflect his desire to have a firmer grip on Russia’s historical narratives. “Mr Putin has poured government money into patriotic education and other so-called patriotic initiatives during his two decades in power,” she told the Independent. “It has long been clear he was not just seeking to promote a glorious, idealised version of the Russian past, but to limit challenges to the official narratives so he can consolidate power.” Between 2016 and 2020, Russia’s federal budget allocated about £18.5m to military-patriotic education, research shows. The implementation of military-patriotic education is guided by the military, schools and clubs, research suggests. “Control of the past has become a political priority as Mr Putin attempts to consolidate power in the present, particularly since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” Ms Stallard added. But so far, the Kremlin’s indoctrination tactics have not led to “queues of would-be soldiers lining up outside recruitment offices”, Ms Stallard said. “In fact, the opposite has happened, with the authorities tightening controls to make it harder for citizens to avoid military service,” she added. “There is little evidence that this will make much difference to the Russian war effort in the short term by generating an outpouring of public support.” In February 2022, an estimated 300,000 people fled Russia when its military invaded Ukraine. This number increased to about 700,000 by the end of the year, some estimates suggest. “Tighter education doesn’t mean Mr Putin will succeed and people will unquestionably believe what they read in their school history books. “The Soviet approach did not succeed either. It was a population skilled in understanding the correct sentiments to voice in public, while voicing their dissatisfaction in private,” Ms Stallard said. Read More Russian students are returning to school, where they face new lessons to boost their patriotism The Ukraine war, propaganda-style, is coming to Russian movie screens. Will people watch? Kremlin rushes out schoolbook praising Putin’s Ukraine invasion

Joe Rogan is a marijuana advocate and cigar smoker but he avoids cigarettes for a variety of reasons

Former Vice President Mike Pence said he would comply with the law if he were compelled to testify in former President Donald Trump's trial in the 2020 election case.

Reality star Bethenny Frankel has emerged as a vocal advocate, accusing execs of exploiting 'young, doe-eyed talent'

Donald Trump’s public statements have changed in line with advice from his lawyers, a legal expert has suggested. Harry Litman, a former US attorney and former deputy assistant attorney general for the Western District of Pennsylvania, wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Monday night that the former president “continues to employ the same braggadocio. But listen carefully, he’s begun to pepper his proclamations with hedges, such as ‘in my opinion’ or ‘that’s what I think.’ That’s lawyer-prescribed to try to shield him from outright lies”. One example of this came when Mr Trump was speaking to Megyn Kelly of SiriusXM. Mr Trump insisted that there’s no “ritual” to declassifying secret information as he argued that he was allowed to have the boxes of files found at Mar-a-Lago which led to one of the indictments against the former president. Mr Trump was speaking to Kelly when he returned to one of his familiar talking points, calling Special Counsel Jack Smith “deranged”. “We have a deranged guy named Jack Smith who has been overturned at the Supreme Court a number of times, and he gets overturned ... because he goes too far,” Mr Trump told Ms Kelly. “They don’t even mention the Presidential Records Act. This is all about the Presidential Records Act.” “I’m allowed to have these documents, I’m allowed to take these documents – classified or not classified. And frankly, when I have them, they become unclassified. People think you have to go through a ritual – you don’t, at least in my opinion, you don’t,” Mr Trump added. But a number of social media users didn’t seem to think slipping in “in my opinion” would help Mr Trump in the courts. Responding to Mr Trump’s comments to Ms Kelly, Jennifer Rubin, a Washington Post columnist, wrote that it was “another public confession. Like taking candy from a baby”. “Someone should tell him, that the US isn’t governed by opinions, it’s governed by laws,” one user said. Conservative anti-Trump lawyer George Conway also noted that Mr Trump appeared to be making comments putting him in further legal jeopardy, saying that “interviewers should be required to read him his rights”. “Credit to @megynkelly for letting him confess to the crimes in the indictment. She’ll see this played at the trial by the government,” Bradley Moss added. “I want Dude to say this to Jack Smith in open court during his criminal trial,” Tony Michaels said. Mr Trump’s shift in language comes as Mr Smith’s office has asked for a narrow gag order from Judge Tanya Chutkan in the federal election interference case against Mr Trump in Washington DC to prevent him from attacking possible witnesses and jurors. Read More Dominion’s $1.6bn defamation case against Newsmax will go to trial weeks before Election Day Trump ex-aide claims he wrote ‘to-do lists’ on back of classified documents – live updates White House hits back after House sets first Biden impeachment hearing for 28 September

The Vatican says that Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy will meet with Pope Francis during a trip to Rome