Ryan Fonseca

World’s oldest known pygmy hippo turns 52 at San Diego zoo Hannah Shirley, born in November 1973, was celebrated with Hungry Hungry Hippos-themed party

Go shawty, it's your birthday 🦛

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”

“We don’t deserve the trust of the nation if we’re unclear about the divisiveness of swastikas,” a Coast Guard official told the @washingtonpost.com.

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Moral rot in elite journalism is killing the whole field The Nuzzi/RFK Jr. mess and the revelation of Epstein’s journo pals lay bare a profound moral absence at the heart of our free press.

"What are young and/or struggling journalists supposed to think when the most successful people in the business are the ones with malleable ethics and poor judgement (and, to be honest, pretty bad writers)?"

@marisakabas.bsky.social with some sharp thoughts 👇🏼
www.thehandbasket.co/p/moral-rot-...

The Only Olivia Nuzzi-RFK Jr. Take You Need to Read Your group chat isn’t talking about this part of it—but they should be.

ICYMI
hellgatenyc.com/the-only-oli...

Hosting a man who (per the CIA) ordered the murder of a journalist, Trump berates a journalist who dares to "embarrass our guest" by asking about it and later threatens to take away her network's license for asking about Epstein files.

Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman pledges almost $1tn in US investments during meeting with Trump - live updates President set to sell F-35 stealth jets to the kingdom in crown prince’s first US visit since 2018 killing of regime critic Jamal Khashoggi

Trump's response to a reporter's question posed to the Saudi crown prince about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi:

- "A lot of people didn't like [Khashoggi]"

- Salman had nothing to do with it (contrary to US intelligence reports)

- "Things happen"
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Trump’s reversal with call to release Epstein files reveals inability to control Maga allies President attempts to save face politically after pressuring Republicans to back off their pushes to release files

"Donald Trump’s call for Republicans to back the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, an abrupt reversal, is a rare instance of the president being unable to tame his Maga base and being instead forced to accede to it," writes Guardian US reporter Sam Levine.

LA drivers in the rain this weekend

Hat tip to @arianelange.bsky.social for strong, human-centered reporting on an issue that tends to removes humanity from the equation

She says her brother was murdered. In California, the crash was an ‘accident’ 4,000 Californians die in car crashes each year, usually in preventable collisions. Why?

"On paper, policymakers make lofty commitments to public transportation and road safety, placing the utmost value on human life. In practice, human life is not as important as the convenience of drivers — a policy choice that endangers every person in California."

www.modbee.com/news/califor...

“Somehow the reduction in enthusiasm of the global north is showing that the global south is moving,” André Corrêa do Lago told reporters ahead of Monday's conference.

Why the BBC is apologising over a Trump documentary – and what happens next

The BBC chair, Samir Shah, has said the corporation would like to apologise for an “error of judgment” over the editing of a speech by Donald Trump for Panorama.

Big tree, little boy 😊

Pentagon is shifting weapons purchases to ‘a wartime footing’, Hegseth announces - live ‘The defense acquisitions system as you know it is dead,’ Hegesth says in a speech to industry leaders, military commanders and officials

“We are not building for peacetime,” Pete Hegseth told military and industry leaders.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...

Foreign Food Safety Inspections Hit Historic Low After Trump Cuts The dramatic shift in oversight comes at a time when the U.S. has never been more reliant on foreign food, which accounts for the vast majority of the nation’s seafood and more than half its fresh fru...

NEW: Billions of pounds of food are imported to the U.S. each year.

The FDA inspects foreign producers to ensure what we're eating is safe from pathogens and dangerous manufacturing practices.

But now, after Trump's drastic staff cuts, these inspections have plummeted to a historic low.
🧵/

Recent hire! 😀

‘New York will be the light’: Zohran Mamdani vows to protect working class and speaks directly to Trump in victory speech – live New York City mayor elect condemns forces of ‘oligarchy and authoritarianism’ in speech vowing to meet voters’ high expectations

Want to note that @us.theguardian.com team's election coverage has been phenomenal tonight. Stoked to be in the mix.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...

Tried to give my journalism students the most accurate election night experience possible 🍕🗳️

2025 New York mayoral election results See live results and county-level maps for the 2025 elections for mayor in New York City and Buffalo.

@apnews.com has called the NYC mayoral race for 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani

apnews.com/projects/ele...

Some of that personal news:

I recently joined the Guardian (@us.theguardian.com) as a deputy digital editor! I’m excited to be part of a stellar global newsroom while maintaining my West Coast lens.

Got tips or ideas? I’m at ryan.fonseca@theguardian.com ✌🏼

a man wearing sunglasses and a dodgers jersey is giving a thumbs up while sitting at a table . ALT: a man wearing sunglasses and a dodgers jersey is giving a thumbs up while sitting at a table .

What a game, y’all

a man in a suit and tie is sitting in the back seat of a car and smiling . ALT: a man in a suit and tie is sitting in the back seat of a car and smiling .

This game is insane

Morning walks got spooky real quick

US electric vehicle tax breaks will expire on Sept. 30 It is the end of the line for U.S. electric vehicle tax credits.

Big changes just hit the U.S. EV market: the federal EV tax credits ($7,500 new / $4,000 used) expired on Sept 30, 2025, and California’s Clean Air Vehicle decal program ended at the same time. Let’s break down what this means.
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

Journalist Mario Guevara Is Deported After Being Held Over 100 Days The Salvadoran journalist was arrested in June while covering a “No Kings” protest outside Atlanta. Those charges were dropped, his lawyers said.

Mario Guevara, a Spanish-language journalist known for livestreaming immigration raids, was deported on Friday by ICE after being held for more than 100 days in Georgia.

Mario Guevara faces imminent deportation after being detained by ICE for over 100 days.

His crime? Livestreaming a “No Kings” protest.

If you were outraged about Jimmy Kimmel, you should be more outraged about Guevara.

It’s time to #FreeMario now!

Disney said in a statement that it suspended production on Kimmel's show "to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country." The company said it decided to resume production following "thoughtful conversations with Jimmy."

Recallers booted Joel Engardio. Are the Sunset Dunes next? The battle over the two-mile stretch of the Great Highway that catalyzed Engardio’s axing off the Board of Supervisors has just begun.

ICYMI: In Battles Over Public Space news, a majority of voters in San Francisco's Sunset district decided to show Supervisor Joel Engardio the door. The recall was catalyzed by his support for a plan that converted a two-mile stretch of the Great Highway into a public park.

Take dangerously unreliable AI that runs on probabilities, not factual reporting, put it on social platforms that amplify sensationalism, not factual reporting, and we're condemned to wander an information wasteland where factual reporting is buried under mountains of toxic soil.

Live updates: Trump says a person is in custody linked to Charlie Kirk manhunt Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Authorities said the shooting was a targeted attack.

NEW: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tells staff to find and identify military members, and any individual associated with the Pentagon, who have mocked or appeared to condone Charlie Kirk’s murder so they can be punished, according to two defense officials.