President praises congressman for assault on Guardian reporter ... Votes of vulnerable groups suppressed ... US Catholics in crisis over abuse scandals

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s headlines. If you’d like to receive this briefing by email, sign up here.

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Top story: Trump threatens ‘severe’ consequences for Saudis

The search for evidence in the suspected murder of Jamal Khashoggi has moved on to the Saudi consul general’s residence in Istanbul, where Turkish investigators believe his killers may have disposed of his remains. The White House’s stance regarding Saudi involvement in the journalist’s disappearance finally shifted on Thursday, with Donald Trump threatening “very severe” consequences for the kingdom’s ruling regime, should they be found to have ordered Khashoggi’s death.

Change of opinion. For the first time, Trump acknowledged Khashoggi was probably dead. “It certainly looks that way,” he told reporters after being briefed on the case by his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo.

Conference boycott. The treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and the UK international trade secretary, Liam Fox, havepulled out of next week’s Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, joining a widespread boycott of the event.

Trump praises congressman for assault on Guardian reporter

Play Video 1:46 Laughter as Trump lauds politician's body slam of Guardian journalist – video report

Trump drew laughter and cheers from the crowd at a rally in Montana on Thursday night as he described in glowing terms an assault by Republican congressman Greg Gianforte on a Guardian political correspondent. “Greg is smart. And by the way, never wrestle him,” said the president, referring to the moment in May 2017 when Gianforte “body-slammed” the Guardian’s Ben Jacobs after Jacobs asked a question about healthcare policy. “Any guy that can do a body-slam … he’s my guy,” Trump added.

Journalists at risk. Trump’s praise for violence against a reporter was all the more disquieting amid the controversy over Jamal Khashoggi’s death.

Light sentence. Gianforte, who is fighting for re-election in November, was sentenced to 40 hours of community service, ordered to play a fine and attend an anger-management course over the assault.

Votes of vulnerable groups suppressed across US

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A 2015 protest in Washington DC, calling for the restoration of the Voting Rights Act. Photograph: Paul J Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Last week the supreme court ruled that North Dakota could keep in place a voter ID law that will probably bar thousands of Native Americans from voting in the midterms in November. That is just one example of the ways in which states across the US are hindering the voting rights of minorities and vulnerable groups, reports Oliver Laughland.

Prior offences. In Florida, America’s largest swing state, Sheila Holcomb is one of more than 1.5 million people barred from voting owing to a previous criminal conviction.

America’s Catholics in crisis over fresh abuse scandals

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Victims of clergy sexual abuse and their family members react to the grand jury investigation in August. Photograph: Matt Rourke/AP

The US justice department has opened an investigation of child sexual abuse within Pennsylvania’s Catholic church after a devastating grand jury report on the issue. The investigation became known on Thursday, adding to a growing crisis for Catholics in the US, where at least 12 other states have launched similar investigations.

Unpopular pope. Only three in 10 US Catholics believe Pope Francis is doing a good or excellent job in tackling child sexual abuse, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Centre.

Crib sheet

• The unmanned BepiColombo spacecraft is scheduled to launch from French Guiana on Friday night to begin a seven-year mission to explore Mercury.

• The US interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, abused his office by inviting his wife and other family members to travel with him in government vehicles, an internal investigation has concluded.

• Men are, on average, 33.5% more likely to have internet access than women, according to a survey of 86 countries that together account for 91% of the global population.

• The jurors who ruled against Monsanto in the case of a dying man who claimed the agrochemical company’s products caused his terminal cancer have urged the judge to uphold their landmark $289m verdict after she indicated she would grant a new trial.

Must-reads

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Amy Winehouse: back from the black? Composite: AFP/Getty/Guardian Design Team

Should stars such as Amy Winehouse really be turned into holograms?

Amy Winehouse is to embark on a world tour in 2019, seven years after her death, as a hologram projection “performing” digitally remastered arrangements of her songs. Laura Barton asks whether the spectacle is a celebration or ghoulish exploitation.

The dangerous myth of meritocracy

When the sociologist Michael Young coined the term “meritocracy” he meant it as a warning, not an aspiration. The meritocracy myth has merely deepened inequality, convincing the privileged that they deserve their good fortune, writes Kwame Anthony Appiah.

What happens when your Instagram-famous pet dies?

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Chloe, a miniature French bulldog at Lake Como. Photograph: Loni Edwards

Chloe the miniature French bulldog had amassed 180,000 Instagram followers and several lucrative brand partnerships by the time its owner, Loni Edwards, took it for routine surgery in 2017. When the dog died on the operating table, Edwards challenged not just the hospital, but the way the US legal system values pets.

With a twist: the return of the snake-infused Mexican spirit

Alongside massive quantities of tequila and a burgeoning market for mezcal, a lesser-known Mexican spirit is also growing quietly in popularity north of the border. Sotol, often bottled with a rattlesnake, is making a comeback owing to the growing appetite for authentic, hyperlocal spirits. Samuel Gilbert reports from Juárez.

Opinion

Gavin McInnes, the founder of far-right group the Proud Boys, is to visit Australia. Revoke his visa, says Jason Wilson, who has witnessed the group’s violence at home in Portland, Oregon.

That violence and disorder is predictable, consistent, and habitual. It is not an aberration, it is the group’s central purpose. McInnes himself has described them as a ‘gang’.

Sport

The Boston Red Sox completed a 4-1 series victory over the Houston Astros on Thursday night. The Sox face the Dodgers or the Milwaukee Brewers at the World Series next week and have a chance to win their fourth championship in 15 years.

The Oakland Raiders offered $100m to lure coach Jon Gruden back to the NFL after a decade away. Six dispiriting games into his reign, it looks as if they made a losing bet.

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