US briefing: Britain’s crunch election, Nato membership …

Good morning, Im Tim Walker with todays essential stories.

British voters are heading to the ballot box on Thursday in what both main parties have described as the most important general election for a generation. The principal choice is between Boris Johnsons Conservatives, whose key promise is a swift, hard Brexit, and Jeremy Corbyns Labour, which is offering a second Brexit referendum, the nationalisation of key public services and increased spending on health and education. You can follow developments throughout the day on our live blog.

The House judiciary committee held a rare evening session on Wednesday as its members began considering the impeachment case against Donald Trump by editing the two articles of impeachment published by the Democrats on Tuesday. The committee will meet again on Thursday morning to debate amendments and then vote on the articles, which accuse the president with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. If the votes pass, the next step would be a vote of the whole House, possibly next week.

Im inevitable. In response to the articles of impeachment, the official Trump war room re-election campaign tweeted a video depicting him as the Marvel villain Thanos, a genocidal warlord bent on destroying half of all living organisms in the entire universe.

The Senate foreign relations committee has voted unanimously in favour of a bipartisan bill that would prevent Trump from unilaterally withdrawing the US from Nato. The isolationist-inclined president is a noted sceptic of the transatlantic military alliance, and last week left the Nato summit in London early after the emergence of a hot mic video in which other world leaders appeared to be mocking him. The bill will now await a slot for a full vote in the Senate.

Police in the New York metropolitan area remained on high alert in Jewish neighbourhoods on Wednesday following an attack on a kosher supermarket in nearby Jersey City, in which six people lost their lives. The two suspects, who were linked to an antisemitic hate group called the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, shot dead a police detective at a local cemetery before driving to the store, where they killed three civilians and engaged in a four-hour shootout with police, at the end of which they too were dead.

Attackers motives. Law enforcement officials are still investigating the attackers motives but Jewish leaders and the mayors of Jersey City and New York City have all described the killings as a hate crime.

Previous killing. The suspects, 50-year-old Francine Graham and 47-year-old David Anderson, are also thought to be responsible for the death of a Jersey City Uber driver whose body was found in the trunk of a car last Saturday.

Scientists have called on the worlds governments to set a date for peak meat when livestock production will reach its upper limit in order to mitigate the environmental effects of animal agriculture, which is a significant factor in the climate crisis.

Harvey Weinstein has reached a $25m settlement with more than 30 women whom he is alleged to have subjected to sexual misconduct. If approved, the deal would end most of the civil lawsuits against the disgraced film mogul, without him having to admit wrongdoing or pay a penny from his own pocket. He maintains that any sexual activity was consensual.

The Saudi state-backed oil company Saudi Aramco has briefly touched a staggering valuation of $2bn the target set by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on its second day of trade on Riyadhs Tadawul stock exchange.

Chris Wallace, one of the few Fox News anchors known for breaking ranks by asking tough questions of the Trump administration, has said the president is engaged in the most direct sustained assault on freedom of the press in our history.

Where in the world is the notorious Ghislaine Maxwell?

Lawyers for Jeffrey Epsteins accusers claim Ghislaine Maxwell, his partner and former right-hand woman, was integral to his sex trafficking operation. But in the months since the disgraced financiers death in prison, Maxwell has gone to ground. Emine Saner asks where she is, and whether she should face justice.

How ancient cave art puts us in our place

A cave painting discovered in Indonesia in 2017 has been dated to be almost 44,000 years old, making it the earliest known example of humans making art. As Barbara Ehrenreich writes, in a world corrupted by personal and political narcissism, such anonymous, ancient images are a reminder of our true place in nature.

Trump food stamp rules threaten to cut a lifeline for millions

The Trump administration is rolling out new rules reducing food stamp benefits, making millions ineligible to receive them. Many vulnerable Americans already struggle to get by on current benefits, reports Michael Sainato and the strict new requirements could make their situations even worse.

Is Clint Eastwoods new movie built on a lie?

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is taking legal action over the portrayal of its reporter Kathy Scruggs in Clint Eastwoods new movie, Richard Jewell. Benjamin Lee ask why the film-maker includes such controversial fiction in a story about the importance of facts.

Republican attempts to turn the impeachment process into a circus may work as a short-term strategy, says Geoffrey Kabaservice. But in the long run, it could alienate the very voters the party needs to retain power in 2020.

When those of us who want the Republican party to appeal to a wider demographic called for it to become a big tent party, this wasnt what we had in mind.

Gabriel Jesus racked up a hat-trick as Manchester City strolled past Dinamo Zagreb and into the Champions League knockout stages with a 4-1 win at Stadion Maksimir on Wednesday night. Tottenham also progressed to the last 16, but not before another definitive defeat to Bayern Munich.

Major League Baseball has widened its investigation into allegations of cheating by the Houston Astros, interviewing almost 60 witnesses and obtaining tens of thousands of emails and instant messages to assess whether the team broke rules by using a TV camera to steal signs.

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US briefing: Britain's crunch election, Nato membership ...