Clinton and Trump offer debate preview Clinton promises no ground troops in either Iraq or Syria while Trump calls US foreign policy 'dumbest'; Apple does away with the headphone jack; and the dire consequences of Louisiana's public defender crisis Hillary Clinton speaks during the Commander-in-Chief forum in New York. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images Edward Helmore Trump and Clinton go (almost) head-to-head During a televised forum in New York City seen as something of a dry run for the presidential debates, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton pledged that the US was "not putting ground troops into Iraq ever again, and we are not putting ground troops into Syria", and used the occasion to repeat that it was "a mistake" to use a private email while secretary of state. Republican opponent Donald Trump, appearing separately, said Russian president Vladimir Putin was "more of a leader" than Barack Obama. Trump went on to characterize his relationship with the Russian president as mutually beneficial: "I think when he calls me brilliant, I'll take the compliment. OK?" Obama, speaking in Laos before returning to the US, said that Trump proves he is not qualified to be president "every time he speaks". Here, Spencer Ackerman argues that "Clinton's gestures in hawkish directions are at least predictable. Trump is something wilder, less disciplined and far less grounded." Trump slams 'dumbest' foreign policy as Clinton vows no more troops in Iraq Louisiana's public defense crisis, part two In part two of a three-part series in collaboration with the Marshall Project, we look at the public defense crisis in Caddo and Winn parishes in Louisiana, where real estate and adoption attorneys – and even prosecutors – are filling the gaps created by funding shortfalls. Last year, anyone with a law license, a professional address in the parish and a pulse was placed alphabetically on a list and could be called on at any moment to take on a criminal case, unpaid. But as insurance attorney Ryan Goodwin concedes: "I wouldn't want me representing me." Louisiana public defenders: a lawyer with a pulse will do Oakland police fired, suspended for sexual misconduct The Oakland, California, police department has fired four officers and suspended seven in a major sexual misconduct case. The action stems from a case involving a teenage girl who was sexually exploited by more than a dozen officers, according to the young woman's testimony. Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf said she was barred from naming the officers disciplined, as critics question why there have been no criminal charges. Four Oakland police officers fired, seven suspended in sexual misconduct case 'Without Chairman Mao there would be no new China' As Beijing again warns the US to stay out of the territorial dispute over the South China Sea, we look at how China is remembering Mao Zedong 40 years after his death. The Great Helmsman is still revered by many in China despite admissions by the country's new leaders that his rule caused "grave disorder", writes Tom Phillips. But on Friday, many will still offer a solemn remembrance for the People's Leader. "If we abandon Mao's thoughts China will have no future," says Zhang Hongliang, a 60-year-old academic at Beijing's Minzu University and one of the country's most outspoken neo-Maoists. "Without Chairman Mao there would be no new China." Great Helmsman or ruinous dictator? China remembers Mao, 40 years after death iPhone 7: RIP headphone jack Apple's decision to eliminate traditional headphone jacks from its new generation of iPhones has received a mixed reception. "Taking the headphone jack off phones is user-hostile and stupid," said Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel. Julia Carrie Wong writes that "the beauty of the headphone cable is just like the beauty of a tampon string: it is there to help you keep track of a very important item". Apple's Phil Schiller said: "It really comes down to one word: courage. The courage to move on and do something new that betters us." iPhone 7 launch: Apple gambles on headphone jack and introduces new Apple Watch Pitchers still spurn helmets after devastating hit The horrifying, 105mph liner to the head of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker that caused a skull fracture and subdural bleeding on Sunday is unlikely to convince players to wear protective helmets, writes David Lengel. Earlier this year, some 20 pitchers were offered the chance to try protective carbon fiber caps but none elected to wear them. "Pitchers will not make the change on their own because pitchers have a one-track mind – it's not about their head, it's not their face, it's all about their arm." Why pitchers won't wear helmets despite Shoemaker's 105mph liner to the head A side of plastic with your fish As much as 12.7m metric tons of plastic enter the world's oceans each year and, according to the World Economic Forum, there could be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050. The massive distress of the world's oceans, unchecked climate change and pollution is only part of the story. Fish are reported to be "stuffing themselves" on plastic, which is coated in bacteria and algae, mimicking their natural food sources. Some of that plastic ultimately ends up on our dinner table. Now scientists are trying to figure out its effects. Fish for dinner? Your seafood might come with a side of plastic Dean who violated harassment policies returns to campus Sujit Choudhry, the former University of California at Berkeley law dean who was found to have violated sexual harassment policies, has returned to campus as a professor, sparking outrage from the woman at the center of the controversy. The professor's former executive assistant Tyann Sorrell told the Guardian that she was "hurt and angry" Choudhry had returned. "I'm still trying to piece myself back together," Sorrell said. "But he's backed by his credentials and status … He's a scholar who gets to return to work and a sense of normalcy." UC Berkeley dean who violated sexual harassment policies returns to campus In case you missed it ... David Bowie is rumoured to have written a score to the sci-fi classic The Man Who Fell to Earth that is locked up in a vault somewhere. But the truth is much stranger – involving screaming maids, boozy brawls and coke-induced hearing hallucinations, reports Chris Campion. Bowie and the missing soundtrack: the amazing story behind The Man Who Fell to Earth 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