Mystery of Ryan Lochte robbery deepens in Rio Two US swimmers detained by Brazilian authorities; Bernie Sanders' vision alive in upstate New York; Amy Schumer responds to writer's rape comments American Olympic swimmers Gunnar Bentz, left, and Jack Conger leave the police station at Rio international airport early Thursday. Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/AP Edward Helmore in New York American swimmers detained in Rio Two US swimmers who were with Ryan Lochte when he claimed to have been robbed on Sunday have been detained by Brazilian authorities. Team USA members Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were stopped as they tried to board a flight out of the country yesterday. Earlier on Wednesday, a judge in Brazil had issued an order to prevent Lochte and another swimmer, James Feigen, from leaving the country, but Lochte had already left. At issue are claims made by Lochte that the group were held up at gunpoint by men posing as police but inconsistencies in their story has created Brazilian judicial interest and a media sensation. A British athlete was reportedly held up at gunpoint on Tuesday. Swimmers in Ryan Lochte 'robbery' case taken off flight at Rio airport USA clean sweep in 100m hurdles Brianna Rollins raised her arms into the Rio night as she crossed the finish line to capture the gold medal in the 100m hurdle with American team-mates Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin among the cluster in close pursuit. The win marked the first sweep by any country in the history of the 100m hurdles, the first 1-2-3 win by American women in any event. Meanwhile, Elaine Thompson erased any doubts about who is the fastest woman on the planet by completing a famous 100m and 200m sprint double – the first since Florence Griffith Joyner at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. Meanwhile, Tianna Bartoletta pips USA team-mate Brittney Reese to long jump gold. In today's briefing, Usain Bolt plots to take two more gold medals. Brianna Rollins leads US clean sweep in 100m hurdles final Can Stephen Bannon engineer a Trump comeback? The hiring of the Breitbart News chairman makes perfect sense – but only from the inside of the Trump campaign bubble where it is seen as an opportunity to let the real Donald loose again, freed from the constraints of traditional party campaign rules. Bannon is a 60-year-old former investment banker who has already been at the vanguard of a pitchfork revolt that has terrorised both the Republican mainstream and Democrats alike. Stephen Bannon: can Trump's fiery new campaign chief spark a comeback? Amy Schumer responds to writer's rape comments The comedian said she was "saddened and disappointed" after a male writer for her TV show made derogatory comments about sexual assault. Kurt Metzger, a regular writer for Inside Amy Schumer, mocked rape survivors online and suggested that women lie about being victims. Metzger had made fun of women who report sexual assault and people who support victims. Schumer weighed in on Twitter on Wednesday, saying she "couldn't be more against his recent actions", though she apparently also blocked Twitter users responding to Metzger's comments. Amy Schumer faces backlash for response to writer's rape comments Syrian child pulled from Aleppo rubble A photograph of a boy sitting dazed and bloodied in the back of an ambulance after surviving a regime airstrike in Aleppo may help to refocus attention on the desperation of the Syrian civil war. The child has been identified as five-year-old Omran Daqneesh. He was injured late on Wednesday in a military strike on the rebel-held Qaterji neighbourhood of the war-ravaged city. Omran was rescued with his three siblings, aged one, six, and 11. Boy in the ambulance: shocking image emerges of Syrian child pulled from Aleppo rubble Bernie's vision alive in upstate New York In August 1969, more than 500,000 people travelled to a music festival at a New York dairy farm. Adam Gabbatt goes in search of its echo and finds Zephyr Teachout, a law professor and activist, who is up against billionaire Republican John Faso for New York's 19th congressional seat. Teachout says that if elected, she will work to try to overturn Citizens United. "Billionaires buying congressional seats without ever having to show their face is connected to jobs getting off-shored," Teachout says. Sabrina Siddiqui has also looked at the Bernie faithful, who are concerned they will be forgotten as Clinton woos Republicans. Zephyr Teachout aims to keep Bernie Sanders' vision alive in Woodstock McDonald's withdraws fitness device The fast food giant hoped Step It! Activity Band would be a means of getting kids active but reports of skin irritation derailed that plan. The colorful plastic device strapped on like a watch and tracked steps. It blinked as the wearer walked and blinked more rapidly the faster they moved. A McDonald's spokesman said reports of potential skin irritations were "limited". Fitness trackers in McDonald's Happy Meals lead to rashes and backlash California to crack down on fire starters Although around 95% of wildfires are caused by human activity of some kind, only 7% of the total are considered arson. Arson or accidental, California is planning to take a more aggressive attitude toward people who set fires. The move comes as the state struggles with yet another never-ending fire season – worsened by climate change, widespread tree death and a five-year drought. Fire starters: California cracks down on those who ignite blazes, arsonist or not Airships to stage a comeback The makers of a new, helium-filled airship designed to carry a 10-tonne payload, say we are at the dawn of a new age of aviation. At 300 feet long and 140 feet wide, Airlander is the world's largest aircraft, dwarfing heavyweights such as the Airbus A380. The US air force poured about $300m into the project, envisaging a battlefield surveillance mothership capable of floating above conflict zones for 21 days at a stretch. Bruce Dickinson, the frontman of the heavy metal group Iron Maiden, is also an investor. Airlander 10: is this the dawning of a new age of the airship? In case you missed it ... A remake of Hollywood classic starring Britain's Jack Huston and Toby Kebbell as the former boyhood buddies who find themselves on opposite sides of the racial and religious divide in Roman-occupied Jerusalem, makes no mention of the gay subplot of the Gore Vidal-penned 1959 original starring Charlton Heston. "It wasn't something we avoided but it wasn't something we had," Kebbell explains. "In 1959, the gay context was very important. That was their own thing they wanted to portray and we didn't need to." Why has Hollywood put Ben-Hur back in the closet? Manage your emails | Unsubscribe | Trouble viewing? You are receiving this email because you are a subscriber to Guardian US Briefing. Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC. Registered Office: 222 Broadway, 22nd and 23rd Floors, New York, New York, 10038