Michael Flournoy with his mother, in Brooklyn. Photograph: Ali Smith/Ali Smith for The GuardianMichael Flournoy with his mother, in Brooklyn. Photograph: Ali Smith/Ali Smith for The GuardianUS prisonsIn the US, most criminal justice reform focuses overwhelmingly on nonviolent drug offenders. But violent offenders might deserve leniency, too – here’s why
Michael Flournoy attempted to murder someone just a few blocks away from the cafe where we’re now eating brunch. That’s what his records say, anyway.
California This article is more than 7 months oldThis article is more than 7 months oldThe decision to observe Pride did not spark street brawls last year. This time, things were very different
Hundreds of furious demonstrators. Police in riot gear. Barricades on the street and helicopters overhead. This was the scene outside a suburban California school board meeting this week, as the board planned to vote on whether the district should officially recognize June as LGBTQ+ pride month.
TheatreReviewGaiety theatre, Dublin
A terrific Adrian Dunbar stars in this wonderfully unshowy revival of a Dublin drama that is full of tiny observations
Conor McPherson’s modest, subtle 2013 play, already seen in London and New York, looks particularly persuasive on its Irish premiere. The events unfolding in a single room in a crumbling Dublin house are magnified by Europe’s refugee crisis and the squabble among governments as to who should take responsibility and give practical help.
The Santa Cruz Mountains rise behind the Santa Clara Valley in California. It is alleged Speedway driver Luke Nardini had failed to cross back onto the right side of the road while driving through the mountains. Photograph: yhelfman/Getty Images/iStockphotoThe Santa Cruz Mountains rise behind the Santa Clara Valley in California. It is alleged Speedway driver Luke Nardini had failed to cross back onto the right side of the road while driving through the mountains.
The ObserverFrancis SpuffordReviewThe writer’s alternative history – a thriller set in a 1920s US with a huge and thriving Native American population – underlines the range and power of his imagination
In his 1953 novel, Bring the Jubilee, Ward Moore imagined an alternative history in which General Lee won the battle of Gettysburg and became the president of a Confederate America. It’s a fine story, although, like many books in the genre, the author is forced to spend an uncomfortable amount of narrative time doling out chunks of information to his reader: setting in place what has changed – and, crucially, what has not – as a result of the nudge given to history.
AlabamaFive-year-old boy shot and killed while getting hair cut, say Alabama policeBrandon Jamal Nation III was reportedly fatally shot in a Bessemer home on Sunday and his barber, also shot, was taken to a hospital
A five-year-old boy was killed when someone shot into a home where he was getting his hair cut, according to Alabama police.
The shooting happened at about 10am on Sunday in Bessemer. The child was identified as Brandon Jamal Nation III, of Fairfield, according to the Jefferson county coroner’s office.
There's a podcast for thatCultureFrom married comedians to polyamorous players, if it’s insights from couples you want, well there’s a podcast for that
Shagged. Married. AnnoyedCouples’ podcasts are very much not for everybody. If they lean a little too far one way, they’re overbearing and smug; too far in the other direction and they become unbearably tense psychodramas. The safest place for you to start is probably Shagged. Married. Annoyed, hosted by married comedians Chris and Rosie Ramsey.
Joe Alwyn: ‘Soulful? I’ll take it.’ Photograph: Elliott Wilcox/The Guardian. Shirt: brioni.comJoe Alwyn: ‘Soulful? I’ll take it.’ Photograph: Elliott Wilcox/The Guardian. Shirt: brioni.comTelevision & radioInterviewJoe Alwyn on Conversations With Friends and sex scenes: ‘They’re like filming fights – quite mechanical’Rebecca NicholsonHe’s about to make you swoon in the new adaptation of the Sally Rooney blockbuster. The actor talks about earning the author’s seal of approval and winning a Grammy alongside Taylor Swift
Short storiesReviewA bruising, enthralling debut collection of interlinked tales portrays precarious lives in HoustonBryan Washington focuses on his native Houston for his first book, Lot. Houston is prosperous yet, like many cities in the US, thousands of its inhabitants are only one missed paycheck away from ruin. In this enthralling collection of interconnected short stories, Washington vividly portrays the interior lives of his marginalised fellow citizens, often overlooked in literature save as characters sketched to elicit pity and despair.
Mark Kennedy, who was exposed as a police spy by his ex-girlfriend after a six-year relationship. Photograph: Philipp EbelingMark Kennedy, who was exposed as a police spy by his ex-girlfriend after a six-year relationship. Photograph: Philipp EbelingUndercover police and policing This article is more than 7 years oldSex and drugs off limits for undercover policeThis article is more than 7 years oldCovert officers can have sex or take drugs with suspects only when ‘necessary and proportionate’ under new guidelines