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Investigation found Botstein - who had claimed he wasn't friends with Epstein - made 25 visits to his townhouseLeon Botstein has announced he is stepping down from the helm of Bard College, after an independent review of his contacts with Jeffrey Epstein found the college president's frequent interactions with the convicted sex offender could have alerted" him to the possibility that he and Bard would be facilitating Epstein's abuse of women.An investigation by the WilmerHale law firm, which had been commissioned by Bard's board of trustees earlier this year to review Botstein's interactions with Epstein, found the Bard president - who had previously claimed he was not friends with Epstein - made about 25 visits to Epstein's townhouse, a two-day visit to Epstein's Little St James Island, and that there were two visits by Epstein to Bard. These visits, WilmerHale reported, included multiple women" who have since been identified as victims of Epstein. Continue reading...

Thousands of people take to the streets to protest the Trump administration, the Iran war, immigration and social injustice

Walkouts, marches and other gatherings held for May Day Strong' demonstrations across the country

Leo, who has criticized Trump's hardline immigration policy, selected Evelio Menjivar-Ayala as state's new bishop

Amid Trump's unrelenting assault on the rule of law, it is drearily unsurprising to see the ex-FBI director targetedConsider the following screed: If any other President had the ability, foresight, or talents necessary, to build this ballroom, which will be one of the greatest, safest, and most secure structures of its kind anywhere in the World, there would never have been a lawsuit. But, because it is DONALD J. TRUMP, a highly successful real estate developer, who has abilities that others don't ... this frivolous and meritless lawsuit was filed. Again, it's called TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME."The rant, with its tantrum of capitalization, has all the trademarks of a typical post from the president's Truth Social account. But that is not its source. Rather, the tirade appeared in an official legal document filed by the Department of Justice on 27 April seeking a court order that would lift legal barriers to the construction of Trump's controversial East Wing ballroom. Continue reading...

Coventry-supporting Japanese has used his rebel streak and risk-taking instincts to spur on Oliver Bearman this seasonThere is no one quite like Ayao Komatsu in Formula One. Haas's Japanese team principal, a rugby-playing Coventry City fan who left his home country to escape the constraints of conformity, is F1's rebel without a pause.As Haas enter their first home race of the season in Miami this weekend, they are on no little roll. Fourth place in the championship is the highest position held by a US team after three races in the sport's history and Komatsu has engineered it in a sport he once viewed as his great escape. Continue reading...

The Artemis missions are paving the way to civilizational decisions. It's time to ask not just what we can do - but whether we should do itThis month's splashdown of Artemis II was rightly celebrated as a technical achievement. Four astronauts traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history and returned safely. It is an extraordinary thing to send people into deep space and bring them home again. Nobody should deny that.But the real significance of Artemis II lies elsewhere. Continue reading...

The King charmed Americans - including the president - while artfully asserting his views on climate and executive powerIn the end, it was a royal triumph, as King Charles and Queen Camilla managed to avoid all the mines in their path (the strait of Hormuz is not the only place where they exist), and deftly repair the special relationship". For another few weeks, anyway.There were plenty of reasons to be anxious, on both sides of the Atlantic, before the king's visit to Washington and New York. It is no secret that Donald Trump's war of choice against Iran has alienated Great Britain, and all of the Nato allies, who were not consulted in advance of the decision and have since been browbeaten for what Trump perceives as insufficient fealty.Ted Widmer is a former presidential speechwriter, and the author of a forthcoming book in June, The Living Declaration: A Biography of America's Founding Text (Library of America) Continue reading...

US president faced a 60-day deadline on Friday to end the Iran war or make the case to Congress for extending itA US-Iran ceasefire that began in early April has terminated" hostilities between the two sides for the purposes of an approaching congressional war powers deadline, a senior official of the Trump administration said on Thursday.Donald Trump faced a deadline on Friday to end the Iran war or make the case to Congress for extending it, but the date was most likely to pass without altering the course of the war. Continue reading...

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Religious group reviewing all available remedies' after clips of young people rushing its buildings in raids' go viralOn any given day, Los Angeles's Hollywood Boulevard teems with tourists and street performers clustered near the area's many landmarks. But in recent months, the strip has been set abuzz for a new reason.Throngs of mostly adolescent boys and young men have been rushing the Church of Scientology's international headquarters on the famed street. Continue reading...

Trump also said he may consider pulling US troops from bases in Italy and Spain, after being prompted by rightwing reporter - key US politics stories from Thursday 30 AprilDonald Trump has again lashed out at Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, saying he should focus on fixing his broken country" and trying to end the Russia-Ukraine war - and spend less time interfering" in Iran.Trump's latest outburst came a day after he suggested the US military presence in Germany was being reviewed, with a possible reduction" of troops under consideration. Then on Thursday, the president was baited into saying he may consider withdrawing troops from other US bases in Europe. Continue reading...

Workers wrote Katrina declaration', warning that funding cuts made US dangerously unprepared for natural disastersFourteen employees with the US Federal Emergency Management Agency returned to work this week, after spending eight months on administrative leave for signing a public letter criticising the Trump administration.The so-called Katrina declaration", sent last August to members of Congress and a federal council formed to help determine Fema's future, was written as a rebuke from the workers about the dangerous erosion in US capacity to prepare for and respond to natural disasters. Continue reading...

Foil boarders were pursued by shark - likely a great white - off Santa Barbara before it lost interest and swam away

Lawmakers agree 45-day extension but Republican and Democratic critics urge reform of surveillance programThe US Congress has passed a 45-day extension of a law that grants US intelligence agencies warrantless spying powers.Bitter infighting over section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in the Republican wing of Congress has repeatedly tanked conservative leaders' plans to renew the controversial surveillance law for multiple years. The deadlock continued on Thursday, as the Republican House speaker Mike Johnson refused to include key reforms pushed by hardliners in his party and progressive Democrats. Continue reading...

Rightwing justices ordered Louisiana in 6-3 vote to redraw congressional maps in blow to the Voting Rights ActThe US supreme court issued a landmark ruling on Wednesday, Louisiana v Callais, relating to how states draft congressional maps under the key civil rights statute, the Voting Rights Act.By a margin of 6-3, the rightwing justices who control America's top court ordered Louisiana to redraw congressional maps that gave African Americans the chance to elect their candidates of choice proportionate to their population size. The majority dismissed this as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander". Continue reading...

Decision follows pressure from lawmakers and families as investigations continue into response to deadly disasterCamp Mystic, the Christian summer camp in Texas where 27 campers and counselors died in a catastrophic flood last year, has halted plans to reopen this summer, after months of intensifying pressure and outrage by state leaders and victims' families.In a statement on Thursday, the camp said: No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July's tragedy." Continue reading...

Democratic senator for Rhode Island, Jack Reed, opened the Senate armed services committee on Thursday by accusing Pete Hegseth of 'dangerously exaggerating' his statements about a US victory in Iran. Later during the hearing, Democratic senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand called the war 'unauthorised' and confronted the defence secretary over the unpopularity of the war among Americans

DoJ announces changes including loophole' that allows people to buy guns at shows without background checkThe US justice department has rolled back several significant restrictions on guns, including reinstating the so-called gun show loophole", which allowed people at such events to buy firearms without a background check.The changes, announced by the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, amount to a shift in firearm policy advocated by supporters of the second amendment, who are prominent in Donald Trump's supporter base. Continue reading...

Brendan Carr claims agency's renewal order is strictly related to investigation into network's DEI initiativesBrendan Carr, the Trump-picked chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), denied speculation that the agency is forcing ABC to apply early to renew licenses for its eight owned and operated local television stations as punishment for an ill-timed joke made last Thursday by the late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel.The decision drew backlash from the industry group National Association of Broadcasters, whose chief executive called it nearly unprecedented"; from the Republican senator Ted Cruz, who said the agency should not operate as the speech police"; and from press freedom organizations that have derided it as an example of a disfavored network being punished for editorial purposes. Continue reading...

More governors call for special sessions following supreme court's decision severely weakening Voting Rights ActLouisiana moved to postpone its May primaries on Thursday in a move that came as other southern states are also scrambling to redraw congressional districts in response to the supreme court's Wednesday ruling that severely weakened the landmark Voting Rights Act.Before the supreme court's decision eliminating a key protection against racial discrimination in drawing voting maps, some states had already begun initiating processes to redraw districts and gut Black voting power. More states have now followed, with governors calling for special sessions to redraw congressional districts, potentially before the midterm elections in November. Continue reading...

Middle school students managed to stop their school bus after the driver passed out from an asthma attack while on a four-lane highway in Mississippi. The bus had just left Hancock middle school, in Hancock county, on Wednesday with about 40 children onboard when Leah Taylor, 46, had an asthma attack. Taylor was treated by emergency services, while the children were honoured at a pep rally and will be treated to a field trip lunch at a restaurant of their choice Continue reading...

Move comes after mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke of return of the Koh-i-noor diamond after UK royals' visit to New YorkHundreds of antiquities valued at $14m have been returned to India by New York authorities, including some connected to the alleged art smuggler Subhash Kapoor, in a move that is likely to raise the pressure on others to make similar gestures.The return of 657 antiquities was announced by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg Jr, on Tuesday, and came as New York City's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, waded into the historically contentious ownership of the 105.6 carat Koh-i-noor diamond. Continue reading...

Lee Zeldin claims before Senate that Trump administration plan will make Environmental Protection Agency more efficient'Senate Democrats accused the Trump administration of abandoning the Environmental Protection Agency's mission to protect human health and the environment at a congressional hearing Wednesday, slamming agency leadership over a proposal to cut its budget in half.Lee Zeldin's appearance before the Senate environment committee was the EPA administrator's last of three budget hearings this week where he argued for sharply reduced funding for the agency, which already has seen its staffing reduced to its lowest level in decades under his leadership. During much of the week, the former Republican congressman from New York took an aggressive approach, responding to Democrats in the House and Senate with his own questions and at times accusing them of being unprepared or failing to care about the EPA's record. Continue reading...

The US was not a true democracy before the Voting Rights Act. Wednesday's decision has essentially destroyed the lawIs America a democracy? The term implies an equality of rights and dignity among citizens, a collective and uniform right of individuals to participate in self-government and to shape the laws that rule them. In that sense, the answer is no: though it has been a republic since its founding, America has only rarely been a true democracy, one where all citizens have the full right to vote and to have that vote counted.Political scientists such as the University of Notre Dame's Christine Wolbrecht have argued that America wasn't really a democracy, not in the meaningful sense of the term, until the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the law that formed the signature achievement of the civil rights movement and sought to end racial barriers to voting across the south when it was passed in 1965. If you accept that premise, you could say that the era of American democracy officially ended on Wednesday, when the supreme court finished its project of dismantling the VRA in its 6-3 decision in Louisiana v Callais. Whatever this country has become now, democracy" does not describe it.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Pair apologise in court after being accused of defrauding buyers including some of New York's most prominent fine art auction housesA father and daughter in New Jersey have pleaded guilty to running a years-long counterfeiting scheme to trick art galleries and auction houses into buying forged paintings of works by prominent artists such as Andy Warhol, Banksy and Pablo Picasso.Federal prosecutors said Erwin Bankowski, 50, and Karolina Bankowska, 26, commissioned an artist in Poland to create at least 200 of the fakes and ultimately defrauded buyers of at least $2m. Continue reading...

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Claudio Neves Valente, who killed himself after deadly attack, began planning for violence in 2022, authorities sayThe gunman behind a deadly shooting at Brown University in December appeared to have been aggrieved by personal failures and sought retribution against those he deemed responsible, federal authorities said on Wednesday.More than four months after Claudio Manuel Neves Valente opened fire on the Ivy League campus, killing two students and injuring nine others, officials with the FBI's Boston division announced they had concluded a significant portion of their investigation into the shooter. Continue reading...

Court's 6-3 decision is a major upheaval in US civil rights law and gives lawmakers permission to draw districting plans that weaken the influence of Black and other minority voters- key US politics stories from Wednesday 29 April at a glanceThe US supreme court has ruled that Louisiana will have to redraw its congressional map, in a landmark decision that effectively guts a major section of the Voting Rights Act, the landmark 1965 civil rights law that prevents racial discrimination in voting.The court's 6-3 decision is a major upheaval in US civil rights law and gives lawmakers permission to draw districting plans that weaken the influence of Black and other minority voters. Some states may even rush ahead to try to redraw districts before this year's midterm elections. Continue reading...

US senator holds panel with leading Chinese scientists and warns of risks to society unless new technology is regulatedThe US senator Bernie Sanders espoused the importance of international cooperation in regulating AI at a Wednesday panel on Capitol Hill alongside two leading Chinese scientists.As startups and tech giants, most prominently in Silicon Valley and Beijing, race to advance and scale their artificial intelligence, Sanders has been among the AI skeptics advocating for safeguards. Continue reading...

USS Gerald R Ford to sail home after 10-month spell including role in Maduro capture and Middle East warThe world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, will be heading home following a record-setting deployment of more than 300 days that included participating in the war against Iran and capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, two US officials said Wednesday.The Ford will be leaving the Middle East in the coming days and returning to its home port in Virginia in mid-May, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive military movements. The Washington Post reported the development earlier. Continue reading...

Vote comes on same day the US supreme court rolls back a key provision of the Voting Rights ActThe Florida legislature approved a new congressional map intended to maximize Republicans' advantage in the state as part of the national redistricting battle that Donald Trump launched before this year's midterms.The vote came just two days after the governor, Ron DeSantis, unveiled his proposal and the same day the US supreme court rolled back a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. The decision could make it harder for Democrats to challenge Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts in ways that limit the influence of voters of color. Continue reading...

New court document made public in case of singer charged with murder and sexual abuse of Celeste Rivas HernandezProsecutors described in a new court document how D4vd, who has been charged with the murder and sexual abuse of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, allegedly fatally stabbed her to prevent the teen from speaking out about the abuse.The singer, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, killed Celeste to protect his music career, prosecutors said in a brief. He met Celeste when she was 11 and began a sexual relationship" with her when she was 13 and he was 18, according to the document. Continue reading...

Susan Hutson accused of malfeasance and other crimes that enabled 2025 mass escape from Louisiana jailThe sheriff of New Orleans was hit on Wednesday with a sweeping 30-count indictment alleging malfeasance and payroll fraud amid an outside investigation into her office that was prompted by a massive jailbreak nearly a year earlier.The indictment against sheriff Susan Hutson, whose duties include operating the New Orleans jail, was brought by Louisiana state attorney general Liz Murrill. It came days before Hutson was set to leave office, bringing a sudden and sharp conclusion to a tenure that began in 2022 with promises of sweeping reform. Continue reading...

Democrats had filed civil contempt resolution against former attorney general for not appearing for deposition

A Senate committee advances Trump's pick as doubts linger over the Fed's independence and Powell's future

Article 42.7 had languished in obscurity for decades - until Donald Trump began casting doubt on US commitment to Nato Don't get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereMost people have heard of Nato's article 5. The one for all, all for one" clause states an armed attack on one member country should be considered an attack on all, requiring member states to come to the victim's aid - including with the use of armed force".Not so many, till this week, had heard of the EU's own mutual defence clause, article 42.7 (pdf), which says that if a member state comes under armed attack, the others shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power". That's perhaps because there hadn't, until recently, been much need for Europeans to consult article 42.7. More than 40 US military bases and 85,000 troops across the EU (and UK) were testament to Washington's defence commitment to the old continent. Continue reading...

Colette Delawalla launched Stand Up for Science to push back against the Trump's cuts to medical and scientific researchNineteen days into the second administration of Donald Trump, Colette Delawalla reached her limit.The 30-year-old budding clinical psychologist and mother of a toddler had been eager to finish her dissertation and launch a scientific career dedicated to teaching and research on addiction. Now that plan seemed seriously at odds with where the country was headed. The Trump administration had just announced $4bn in cuts to medical and scientific research. Government scientists had been ordered not to speak at conferences or in public for the time being. The National Institutes of Health was purging grants that conflicted with presidential orders on gender ideology" and diversity". Continue reading...

A few days of joviality will hardly change American foreign policy or guarantee Trump's ever-erratic affections for long Continue reading...

Ahead of the US's 250th birthday, the president has launched six mobile museums that celebrate a white, Christian rewriting of the nation's storyGeorge Washington greets you as you enter the truck. The great man, dressed elegantly in a black velvet coat and white cravat, stares out from the 1796 Lansdowne portrait, the lifesize image of America's first president painted during his final year in office.As you step towards the painting, something strange happens. Washington's outstretched arm begins to move. His lips part. And lo and behold, the legend is talking to you! Continue reading...

Ed Davey attacks Reform calling it Maga franchise' and says Elon Musk funnels far-right ideas into UK via X

American soccer will have truly progressed when cases like the teenagers are common enough to be unremarkableThere's something about a 16-year-old making his debut among fully grown senior professionals that makes him look like a fawn. A scrawny, wobbly baby deer, the function of his arms and legs not yet figured out, jogging on to the pitch in a kit and shin guards that always seem a few sizes too big, like a boy wearing his dad's suit.So, too, appeared Mathis Albert when coming on in the 88th minute of Borussia Dortmund's 4-0 romp over Freiburg on Sunday, which secured the team a place in next year's Champions League. Continue reading...

Republican Chris Carr accused of trying to revive bid for governor with indictment - the last gasp of a dying man'Georgia's top law enforcement official has drawn accusations of using the weight of his office to lift his own political fortunes by bringing a new indictment against protesters of the Atlanta police training center known as Cop City.Amid bluster about holding the line against antifa", Georgia attorney general Chris Carr announced charges against three activists late last week even as his bid to become Georgia's Republican nominee for governor limps along, with less than double-digit support in polling ahead of a 19 May primary. Continue reading...

Republicans hold a 217-212 majority in the House, but they could lock in more seats if reapportionments go their wayRepublicans and Democrats have been engaged in a political tug of war in legislatures, courts and the ballot box to narrow the battlefield of 2026 before a single vote is cast.Normally, redistricting only occurs after the US census counts residents in each state every 10 years. A demand from Donald Trump to lock in more Republican-leaning districts in Congress, together with a changing legal landscape around partisan gerrymandering, set off a chain of mid-decade reapportionments.

Family Connects New Orleans provides crucial postpartum support to mothers through home-based nurse visitsAbout three months ago, Amber Leduff, gave birth to her daughter, Autumn, at New Orleans' Touro hospital. The room was hectic after the delivery, with nurses and doctors bustling in and out. In the chaos, Leduff, who is 30, only half registered the representatives from Family Connects New Orleans, taking paperworks from them and moving on.But when her doctor encouraged her to enroll in the program, which provides up to three in-home visits to parents of newborns up to 12 weeks old, Leduff took it seriously. Continue reading...