Trump attorney general pick accused of racial slur against black official in 1981
As Donald Trump faces criticism of his business interests and transition team, his nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for US attorney general has reopened a decades-long dispute over Sessions' views on race. Sessions, who has been a senator since 1997, was once accused of calling a black official in Alabama a "nigger", and then gave a false explanation to the US Senate when testifying about the allegation. In 1981, Sessions was said to have used the racist term to refer to Douglas Wicks, the first black man to be elected as a county commissioner in Mobile, where Sessions was a Republican party official and a federal prosecutor. When asked about the remark five years later during Senate confirmation hearings on his nomination for a federal judgeship, Sessions denied saying the remark and said there was not a black county commissioner at that time. However, records show Wicks was elected in September 1980 – more than a year before Sessions allegedly referred to him using the racist term. Sessions' nomination to the southern Alabama judgeship was ultimately rejected by a Republican-controlled US Senate judiciary committee. Trump attorney general pick accused of racial slur against black official in 1981 'Please I am out of options': inside the world of DIY abortions Self-induced abortions were supposed to have become a thing of the past, after the US supreme court established a right to a legal abortion in its landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision. But opponents of the law have since whittled those rights away, and now president-elect Trump has promised even more restrictions. Self-induced abortions are still a significant, if largely hidden phenomenon – one that even pro-abortion rights groups are only just beginning to grasp. In 2015 alone, a Dutch nonprofit received over 600 emails from women in the United States seeking a way to end their own pregnancies. Molly Redden reviewed these emails and spoke to advocates, doctors and to Martina, a woman from Texas who traveled to Mexico when she could not afford an abortion in the US. 'Please I am out of options': inside the murky world of DIY abortions To vote, or not to vote? For many the answer is simply: why bother? Millions of Americans didn't vote in the US presidential election. Then on 9 November, the day after the election, Trump declared victory over Hillary Clinton and the country was facing mass protests and questions about who turned out to vote. Some voters abstained as an act of rebellion. For others, voter registration deadlines or a feeling that nothing would change were to blame. To vote, or not to vote? For many the answer is simply: why bother? Standing Rock protest: hundreds clash with police over Dakota Access Pipeline Law enforcement officials in North Dakota have deployed tear gas and water hoses against hundreds of activists protesting against the Dakota Access Pipeline on Sunday night, in the latest clash between unarmed activists and police. Protesters also reported being hit with rubber bullets and percussion grenades on a bridge just north of the encampments established by indigenous and environmental activists in opposition to the controversial pipeline. One person was arrested, 167 were injured and seven were taken to the hospital. Standing Rock protest: hundreds clash with police over Dakota Access Pipeline Support the Guardian's fearless journalism Never has America needed fearless independent media more. Help us hold the new president to account, sort fact from fiction, amplify underrepresented voices, and understand the forces behind this divisive election – and what happens next. Support the Guardian by becoming a member or making a contribution. Dreams of undocumented young people start to crumble after Trump victory Fears that a Trump presidency could force hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants back into the shadows have already started to materialize, as young Hispanics are giving up hope of acquiring legal status just days after the presidential election. Immigration lawyers are advising undocumented youths, known as "Dreamers", to stop applying for temporary work permits through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program introduced by Obama, on the grounds that it could expose them to potential deportation once Trump is in power. The president-elect has plans to scrap the scheme as one of his first acts in office. Dreams of undocumented young people start to crumble after Trump victory India train crash: death toll rises as survival hopes fade The death toll of Sunday's train derailment in northern India rose to 138 as rescue workers said hopes were fading that they would find anyone else alive. The Indore-Patna express train swerved off the tracks near the village of Purwa at 3am on Sunday. Witnesses described being jolted awake as 14 carriages crumpled into one another, leaving hundreds of people trapped for hours on Sunday morning. Police said the cause of the crash was still unknown and will be announced only after a full investigation was completed. India train crash: death toll rises as survival hopes fade In finally: why was everyone was talking about Hamilton this weekend? You probably heard that vice-president-elect Mike Pence went to see Hamilton on Friday night. After a lead actor in the show read a statement from the stage, Trump criticized the hit broadway musical in a series of tweets. Experts say Trump's decision to lash out was a distraction from his $25m Trump University settlement and transition troubles. While we're on the subject of Hamilton, check out our profile of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creative mind behind the show, from the weekend. Trump's Hamilton baiting distracts from transition 'scandals', experts say | 
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Barack Obama speaks Sunday in Lima, Peru. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images 
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