Newspaper headlines: 'American nightmare' and 'horror at the Tate' By BBC News

Staff Published duration 5 August 2019

image copyright Reuters image caption A mourner lights a candle for the victims of the Dayton, Ohio, mass shooting

The two mass shootings in the US are the lead for the Guardian and the i newspaper, which has the headline "American nightmare".

It describes the gun massacres in El Paso and Dayton as 24 hours of horror.

The Guardian's commentator, David Smith, says guns and white supremacy came together in El Paso - and US President Donald Trump has fuelled both by defending the right to bear arms and fomenting a toxic discourse around immigration and race.

For its lead, the Times reports that Boris Johnson is preparing for a "people versus parliament" general election campaign as part of plans to stop Remain-supporting MPs from toppling his government.

It says that if the country were to go to the polls, many in Number 10 believe the government would be seen as being on the side of the people over the result of the referendum.

The Financial Times says Mr Johnson has consistently ruled out an election before Brexit, but Downing Street officials are making low-key preparations in the event of losing a confidence vote when parliament returns next month.

'Giveaway Boris'

The prime minister's pledge to spend an extra £1.8bn on the NHS is, for the Daily Mail, "another day, another commitment from a bountiful Boris Johnson".

The Financial Times says he's already promised tax cuts for rich and poor, new money for schools and police, and fast broadband for every home.

The Times says Mr Johnson's boost for the NHS will signal his determination to put the healthcare system at the centre of any election.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the money for the NHS will be spent predominantly in Leave-voting constituencies in an attempt to see off the electoral threat from the Brexit Party.

The paper's leader writers acknowledge that there's a backlog of upgrade work and infrastructure projects in the NHS that requires money.

But they warn that money won't solve the crisis in the health service, because its problems are not solely financial, but systemic. They say Mr Johnson must also embrace a programme of reform.

Recall Parliament

The Mail is also uncomfortable about the prime minister's spending pledges.

Election or no election, he should be cautious about throwing money around like an exuberant lottery winner, it says, adding that he might remember we still have a substantial deficit to clear.

After the prime minister's advisers were reported yesterday to have said it's too late for MPs to stop a no-deal Brexit, the Guardian calls for Parliament to be recalled from its summer recess to sit during August

It says the "arrogant gamble" of leaving without a deal must be stopped and describes the present situation as a "matter of immediate national democratic emergency".

There's no justification for parliament not sitting at such a time, it declares - holidays must wait or be terminated.

image copyright PA Media image caption Instagram pledged to remove harmful material after the death of Molly Russell

The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Express lead on a report by MPs that calls on the government to expose pension providers that are "misinforming, mischarging, overcharging and making a fat living" off the hard-earned savings of pensioners.

"The Great Pensions Robbery" is the headline in the Express. It calls for greater protection, more openness and intense scrutiny of this part of the financial sector.

An investigation by the Daily Mirror has found what it calls "shocking" suicide and self-harm images on Instagram, six months after its boss vowed to clean up the app or consider quitting.

It says Adam Mosseri's pledge followed the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who took her own life after seeing distressing material on the site.

"Instagram's shame," is the front page headline. The company tells the paper it is making progress with harmful content and has "more to do".

The paper says Instagram removed some of the posts it found - and is clearly not ignoring the problem.

The Sun reveals that McDonald's new paper straws - described as "eco-friendly" - can't be recycled

It says the plastic versions were axed in all UK branches of the fast food giant as part of a green drive, even though they could be recycled. But, the paper goes on, an internal memo says the paper replacements are not yet recyclable and should be put into general waste.

The paper adds that customers have complained that the new straws make milkshakes hard to drink and are dissolving in cola.

McDonald's tells the Sun that the materials are recyclable, but their thickness makes it difficult for them to be processed.