Snowden makes his case for a pardon FBI warns of murder spike; violence erupts at Trump rally; Clinton campaign admits mistakes; US military wants to turn island into target practice Snowden currently faces up to 30 years in prison if he returns to the US to face espionage charges. Photograph: Frederick Florin/AFP/Getty Images Edward Helmore in New York Obama should grant me a pardon – Edward Snowden US whistleblower Edward Snowden has set out the case for Barack Obama granting him a pardon before the US president leaves office, arguing that the disclosure of the scale of surveillance by US and British intelligence agencies was not only morally right but had left citizens better off. He said any evaluation of the consequences of his leak of tens of thousands of National Security Agency and GCHQ documents in 2013 would show clearly that people had benefited. "When we look at them morally, when we look at them ethically, when we look at the results, it seems these were necessary things, these were vital things," Snowden said, speaking via a video link from Moscow. He currently faces up to 30 years in prison if he returns to the US to face espionage charges. Edward Snowden: why Barack Obama should grant me a pardon Reports of new violence at Trump rally A Trump supporter apparently punched a protester at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Monday. Prior to being punched, the protester reportedly directed an obscene gesture in Trump's direction. The incident happened as Trump attempted to attack Clinton for her statement that half of his supporters belong in "a basket of deplorables". The scuffle was the first violent incident at a Trump rally in months. Meanwhile, Trump's new luxury hotel was unveiled in Washington DC and we meet Trump's feng shui master. Fresh violence at Trump rally as supporter allegedly punches protester Clinton campaign: 'we could have done better' The Clinton campaign has acknowledged mishandling news of her pneumonia diagnosis, as some Democrats began questioning whether the campaign had been fully transparent in accounts of her health last weekend. "We could have done better yesterday," wrote communications director Jennifer Palmieri. Clinton told CNN she hadn't initially thought her pneumonia "was a big deal". Hillary Clinton campaign admits 'we could have done better' handling pneumonia news Lochte TV re-boot interrupted In the first public event since his scandal at the Rio Olympics, swimmer Ryan Lochte's debut on Dancing with the Stars was interrupted when two men attempted to rush the stage after his Call Me Irresponsible foxtrot. Lochte later said he felt "a little hurt". The swimmer was making his return to public life after being charged with filing a false robbery report by Brazilian police after vandalizing a gas station, which led to a 10-month swimming ban. Ryan Lochte's Dancing with the Stars debut interrupted by protesters Island under threat from Pentagon According to plans outlined by the US Department of Defense, as many as 5,000 marines will descend on the island of Pågan – part of the US Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas – to conduct war games as part of the Obama administration's pivot towards the Asia-Pacific. Opponents of the exercises say the move will end any hopes of 300 residents displaced by a volcanic eruption three decades ago from returning to their ancestral home, lead to the destruction of ancient cultural relics and threaten wildlife, including indigenous endangered animals such as fruit bats and tree snails. Former residents and environmental campaigners now plan to launch a lawsuit against the Pentagon's plan. Pågan: the tropical paradise the US wants to turn into a war zone FBI warns of murder spike The FBI's national crime data for 2015 is expected to show a substantial overall increase in murders. The data will be published on the morning of September 26 – the day of the first presidential debate – and could show the largest increase since 1990, or even 1968. The release of the data is likely to give Donald Trump, who has branded himself the "law and order candidate", new evidence to back his fear-mongering claims that Americans are at risk. FBI to reveal likely murder spike on same day as first presidential debate Florida man 'executed' by police A black man who was shot dead by police officers at his Florida home was "executed" as he sat eating chicken wings in his backyard, relatives claimed on Monday. The family of Gregory Frazier, 55, initially called 911 after he threatened family members with a knife but was said to be quietly eating when he was shot. Frazier's family said they wanted to know "why police felt the need to execute him as he ate his supper in the backyard of his house rather than use negotiation tactics." Florida black man killed by police was 'executed' in his back yard, relatives say South Sudan president profits from 'violent kleptocracy' George Clooney has delivered a report on corruption in South Sudan that accuses President Salva Kiir, his former deputy Riek Machar and associates of both men of looting the country and accumulating wealth that includes multimillion-dollar mansions, top-of-the-range cars and stakes in a number of overseas businesses. "The simple fact is they're stealing the money to fund their militias to attack and kill one another," Clooney told a press conference in Washington. Unrest in the country has claimed tens of thousands of lives and forced 2.5 million people from their homes. George Clooney-backed report: South Sudan president profits from civil war The Beatles revisited Director Ron Howard's new documentary, Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years, captures the sweat, screams and cultural significance of the four years the group spent touring Britain, Germany, the US and then the world – years that made them, and also broke them. It strips away the screaming – that wall of sexualised hysteria that was the signature soundtrack to Beatlemania – and it places us inside the bubble of their skyrocketing fame. Eight Days A Week: how Ron Howard brought the Beatles back to life In case you missed it … The perfectly preserved hull of HMS Terror has been found 168 years after two British warships were lost during an expedition to discover the Northwest Passage. The warship, and British polar explorer Sir John Franklin's flagship HMS Erebus, were abandoned in heavy sea ice far to the north of the eventual wreck site in 1848. All 129 men on the expedition died. On Sunday, a team from the charitable Arctic Research Foundation captured stunning images that give insight into life aboard the vessel. Ship found in Arctic 168 years after doomed Northwest Passage attempt 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