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All the latest as we look ahead to the quarter-finals

Vermont senator is latest figure to call for Democratic nominee to step down after sexual assault allegationsRepublican leaders have moved to quash speculation about Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader in the US Senate, amid a growing revolt over the lack of transparency around his health.The 84-year-old Kentucky politician, who led Senate Republicans for longer than anyone in history before stepping down last year, was admitted to hospital on 14 June but his office declined to say what he was being treated for. Continue reading...

John Thune says he spoke to McConnell on phone as secrecy over 84-year-old's health prompts Maga backlashRepublican leaders have moved to quash speculation about Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader in the US Senate, amid a growing revolt over the lack of transparency around his health.The 84-year-old Kentucky politician, who led Senate Republicans for longer than anyone in history before stepping down last year, was admitted to hospital on 14 June but his office declined to say what he was being treated for. Continue reading...

The Americans crashed out in disappointing fashion, but there were positives from the tournament on the whole. We look at how the roster performedStats from fotmob.com, Opta and Fifa; players listed in order of minutes played.Weston McKennie, center/attacking midfield (Juventus) Continue reading...

I can't blame my patients for turning to its straightforward assessments. But it has real risks - and care may require human messinessChat told me I should break up with him."I instructed my face to remain therapist-neutral, but I must have smirked. The truth is, I was annoyed. We had been discussing the viability of this relationship for weeks, and in an instant AI had brought the answer. How do you feel about it?" She said this had been her gut feeling all along. The following session, her relationship was over. Continue reading...

Even voters who identify as foot soldiers of his political army are increasingly willing to blame Trump for their economic troublesThe political consequences of Donald Trump's policy mayhem are now coming into view: Maga" America is getting pissed.It has been a sight to see how every one of the president's policy initiatives has sabotaged some core constituency or other. From farmers and rural Americans to manufacturing workers and every American struggling to make ends meet, Trump has torched pretty much his entire political base. For all his efforts to rig the midterm elections in his favor, it's as if he is daring the Maga faithful to drop him. Continue reading...

We assess the teams who played in the tournament's last 16 before the next round of games beginsA very different side of France came to the fore, proving they are not mere showboaters, there is plenty of steel, grit and determination among the ranks. It was a brutal encounter as they became targets for Paraguay, who added menace to the low block. No one in blue retreated to the shadows, instead taking the overaggression head on, using it as fuel. To anyone who wants to go to war with us, this is what you should expect," Rayan Cherki said. It was the biggest test they have faced this far but intimidation tactics do not work, it transpires, leaving everyone else wondering how to stop them. Continue reading...

From Philly's blockbuster coup to LeBron James once again dominating the market, here are the early winners and losers from a frantic first week of NBA free agencyOnce again, it's time to pass judgement prematurely. After all, I would have my basketball writer card revoked were I to not evaluate before the dust has fully settled: that's why they pay me the modestly-sized bucks, I'm told. So, without further ado, the Winners and Losers of week one of 2026 NBA free agency. Continue reading...

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Defense attorneys say prosecutors coerced Anthony, 19, into waiving his right to testify, and cite additional reasonsKarmelo Anthony's legal team is seeking a new trial and the recusal of a state judge a month after a Texas jury convicted the 19-year-old of murder and sentenced him to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, 17, at a track meet in 2025.In a Tuesday motion, Anthony's defense attorneys argued that their client's conviction should be overturned because prosecutors coerced him into waiving his right to testify, among other reasons. Continue reading...

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed by immigration enforcement as he was looking to hire workers, his son saysA federal immigration agent fatally shot a driver in Houston on Tuesday morning, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) has said.Agents stopped Lorenzo Salgado Araujo at around 6.50am and tried to arrest him, according to ICE, which described Salgado Araujo as a Mexican national and an illegal alien" whom the agency was seeking as part of a targeted enforcement operation". Continue reading...

Utah county attorney's office says evidence against Tyler James Robinson is sufficient for case to move to trial

Officers say they saw signs of life multiple times, and after hospital treated the child, he was taken to hospital's morgueA toddler who was declared dead after being discovered in a backyard pool in February was actually alive and found hours later in a room that serves as the hospital morgue, recently released police records show.Two Gilbert police officers saw possible signs of life multiple times, but the child was still taken to the hospital's cold room" after being treated by staff, according to the documents. Continue reading...

Thousands of people descend on Newport Beach, drawn by flash mob-style meetup organized onlineAn alleged TikTok takeover" sparked mayhem in a southern California beach town over the Fourth of July weekend, leading to fires, roughly 400 arrests and officers on horseback for crowd control.Thousands of people descended on Newport Beach, California, on Saturday night, many drawn by an online flash mob-style meetup, according to a city statement. Balboa Peninsula was already packed with tens of thousands of Fourth of July revelers, but as night fell, officials said, a large crowd obstructed traffic, set fires and hurled explosives at law enforcement officers. Continue reading...

Officials also find multiple cracks and sagging floors in building that is being converted into apartmentsA high-rise building in Manhattan was deemed unstable on Tuesday after authorities determined that support columns buckled, spurring evacuation of nearby buildings, according to officials and reports.Officials said they also found structural issues" on the 21st floor of the former Pfizer pharmaceutical building, which is being converted into residential apartments. Two structural columns buckled, and there were multiple cracks and sagging floors," the fire department said on X. Continue reading...

Sanders, one of Platner's earliest and most influential backers, is latest to call on him to withdraw from Maine raceThe progressive senator Bernie Sanders called on Graham Platner to withdraw from the US Senate race in Maine, citing very serious allegations" of sexual assault, hours before the embattled nominee faced another claim of sexual misconduct.While Platner has denied the new allegations, reported by Politico, and later by the Washington Post, the initial report prompted a wave of prominent Democrats to urge him to stand aside as the party's nominee in the consequential Senate contest. Continue reading...

Report finds widespread overbidding as rapid AI growth generates increased wealth in city where housing is scarceSan Francisco's AI boom has buyers spending unprecedented amounts of money on homes - much more than sellers are asking for.A new analysis from real-estate brokerage Compass, found that in the first half of 2026, more than 140 homes in the city sold for at least $1m above their asking price, 44 of them in June alone. Continue reading...

Novak Djokovic beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in Wimbledon's longest-ever quarter-final, while Karolina Muchova saw off Naomi Osaka and Jannik Sinner also wonNow a love hold for Struff, who's started pretty well and leads 3-2 He looks confident, but he's not yet been put under pressure and I wonder if he can offer more testing returns. Even if he needs to stand back to give himself a better look at Sinner's serve, he has to try and dig into it rather than hope e can struggle to a tiebreaker.Nana Sinner appears to have been busy knitting Jannik's top; that, or Nike have rinsed him with gear yet again. Continue reading...

President also threatens to pull all American troops from Europe and rails against Nato stance on Iran warDonald Trump has revived his bid for the US to acquire Greenland, threatening to pull all American armed forces out of Europe after the continent repeatedly pushed back.Arriving at the Nato summit in Ankara on Tuesday, the US president also suggested his commitment to defending Europe had been tempered by political decisions by leaders on immigration and energy. Continue reading...

Hilton in a statement said Provo Canyon school failed the children in its care' and faced abuse allegations for decadesThe state of Utah has revoked the license of a boarding school where socialite Paris Hilton said she was abused as a teenager, saying the school had failed to provide applicable health and safety services for clients".The state's action, which took effect on Monday, cites multiple noncompliance issues against the Provo Canyon school's campus in Springville. The school has 15 days to request a hearing before Utah's health and human services department. Continue reading...

The company's target to hit 1bn profitability is intact. Why isn't the board putting up a proper fight?Some foreign takeover swoops on UK listed companies are easier to swallow than others. Sometimes it is hard to mount an argument that shareholders should stick to the virtuous path of independence and say no to an offer of hard cash at a fat premium. The current 10bn bid for Intertek, the FTSE 100 product testing and quality inspection firm that had been going sideways for a while, probably falls into that category. The bid premium on that one was about 60%.EasyJet, on other hand, looks to be a case of a board giving up before it has put up a proper fight. The story so far at the budget airline is that three non-starter offers from Castlelake, a US private investment firm that is big in aircraft financing and leasing, were rejected in the standard manner as fundamental" undervaluations. The last of those was at 625p. A fourth, at 650p a share, was dismissed in the softer language of substantial". Then an agreement in principle" was reached at the weekend at 690p, or 5.5bn. Castlelake has until 3 August to put up or shut up. Continue reading...

Democrats weigh options as controversial Senate nominee faces calls to drop out of race after sexual assault allegation

Chokwe Antar Lumumba had previously called FBI sting while mayor of Jackson a political prosecution'The former mayor of Mississippi's capital city pleaded guilty on Monday to bribery, wire fraud and money laundering, after saying a corruption case brought against him two years earlier was a political prosecution".Chokwe Antar Lumumba was the mayor of Jackson in November 2024 when he was indicted by a federal grand jury after an FBI investigation and sting operation in which he and two other elected Democrats allegedly accepted illegal payments to secure a real estate deal. Continue reading...

For much of the star's career, this tournament has been held as a high-water mark. Instead much of the USMNT's success came without his involvementThere was a quiver in Christian Pulisic's voice as he answered the final question posed to him at the 2026 World Cup.On its face, the question was straightforward: how did the overall experience of this tournament meet his expectations? The subtext was overwhelming. For eight years, this World Cup co-hosted by the United States has been viewed as the potential high-water mark of his career and those of his teammates. Every machination of American soccer has operated with signposts displaying 2026" in bold. Continue reading...

The fallout from USA's defeat to Belgium gathered pace, with criticism of Fifa growingLet's talk about everyone's favourite subject: England!What a game that was against Mexico, by the way. I feel asleep about 1am (BST), woke up with England winning 2-1, just before Quansah got sent off and all hell broke loose. England's defending in the final 20 minutes or so was an absolute work of art (thank you Dan Burn), even if Mexico's attacking play lacked a certain amount of imagination. A magnificent performance by the players, not to mention Thomas Tuchel, who I feared had gone too early with the: Play a back five, and just hack the ball anywhere' strategy. Continue reading...

Several top Democratic figures call on beleaguered Maine Senate candidate, who denies accusation, to step downCalls for Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for US Senate in Maine, to withdraw his candidacy intensified on Monday after a woman accused him of sexual assault in an exclusive report by Politico.While Platner denied the claims, many top Democratic figures quickly called on the beleaguered nominee to step down. Continue reading...

Hourly concentrations of particulate matter rose to 6.7 times their pre-fireworks levels, according to an analysisWashington DC residents breathed in unhealthy" air for hours after a 40-minute Independence Day fireworks show over the National Mall on Saturday night, with the country's capital briefly recording the worst air quality of any major city in the world.The highly emitting display, which the president called spectacular", came as the Trump administration rolls back an unprecedented number of pollution controls. Continue reading...

The USMNT's run at a home World Cup had attracted people who usually ignore soccer. Instead of triumph, they saw a humbling at the hands of BelgiumIn the closing moments of the United States' 3-2 win over Portugal at the 2002 World Cup, ESPN commentator Jack Edwards took a moment to remind viewers who had stayed up all night of the profound result they were witnessing. From his perch in Suwon, South Korea - where he was watching the first match of a campaign that would end in a quarter-final that remains the high-water mark for the modern US men's national team - Edwards delivered a soliloquy that cut straight to the heart of the profound role World Cups play not just for the US men's national team, but for soccer as a force in American life.The players on that 1950 team that beat England ... this [result] is about the foundation that they laid," Edwards said in his booming bravado as the hour crept toward 7am ET. This is about the thousands of American families who have helped this sport grow, and the people in those pockets all over the country who have stuck with soccer. And it's also for those seven- or eight- or nine-year-old kids, who are going to hear about this result when they wake up in the morning and rush outside, and knock a ball against a wall, and dream of something even greater than this." Continue reading...

Almost 700 cases were reported to Michigan health department by Monday, up from 170 six days earlierCases of cyclosporiasis - a parasitic illness that causes explosive", watery diarrhea - have grown exponentially in recent days, health officials said, with an abnormally large outbreak reported in Michigan.Almost 700 cases were reported to the state's health department by Monday, ABC News said, up from 170 six days earlier, and almost 14 times Michigan's average annual caseload of 50. Continue reading...

Leaders meeting in Ankara urged to show concrete steps towards increasing their budget contribution. Plus, why Madonna's new album is a triumphGood morning. Nato leaders will gather in Ankara today for their latest summit after a turbulent six months, hoping to mollify an unpredictable Donald Trump, as Washington continues to pressure its allies to increase defence spending.On Friday, Trump posted a graphic on his Truth Social platform showing Nato members' defence budgets, comparing a vast US spend of $999m (747m) with smaller figures from European states saying the situation was ridiculous" and one-sided". The US is planning to cut the number of troops and materiel it assigns to Europe in the event of a war with Russia.What is causing tension between the US and the rest of Nato? Since threatening to take control of Greenland from ally Denmark, Trump has failed to consult European leaders before the US and Israel launched their economically disastrous attack on Iran, and complained countries including the UK did not allow US jets to bomb Iran from their territory. He has bizarrely accused Italy's Giorgia Meloni of being obsessed with him, and relations with Canada's Mark Carney are strained after Trump voiced an interest in a takeover of the US's northern neighbor.What are the allegations against Platner? In an exclusive Politico report, Jenny Racicot, 41, who previously dated Platner, said he forced her to have sex despite repeated objections. The report cited accounts from a man Racicot later confided in, as well as recent therapist emails, and messages where she warned an acquaintance about Platner in 2023.How has Platner responded? Platner denied the claims in a statement to Politico. These allegations are troubling, serious, and false. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue," he said. Continue reading...

Passengers say they paid extra for outside views but were seated beside blank cabin walls insteadA federal judge on Monday rejected United Airlines' bid to dismiss a lawsuit by passengers who complained they paid extra money to sit in window seats - only to discover their seats had no actual windows.US district judge James Donato in San Francisco rejected United's defense that window" referred to the location of a seat relative to the cabin wall and aisle, and the carrier also contended it never contractually promised that seats in the window position would have views outside. Continue reading...

Defunding, mandated in Trump's 2025 policy, has been blamed for closure of clinics as well as reduction in screenings for cancer and STDsPlanned Parenthood and two smaller regional abortion providers are resuming billing Medicaid for services other than abortion after being cut off for most of a year.The defunding, which was mandated in Donald Trump's big tax and spending legislation in July 2025, has been blamed for the closure of multiple clinics as well as a reduction in the number of Planned Parenthood patients being screened for breast cancer or tested for sexually transmitted infections. Continue reading...

With the economy, foreign policy and immigration all going poorly for the president, he's scrambling before the midtermsTrump has run out of cards to play in the midterm elections, which is why he's now talking about the communist menace".He can't talk about the economy because prices continue to rise faster than wages, which means most Americans are getting poorer. He can't talk about foreign policy because his war in Iran has been a debacle, his tariffs an utter failure, and he obviously hasn't settled the war in Ukraine on day one". He can't talk about immigration because his raids and mass deportations have become so unpopular. Continue reading...

About 57% of polled Americans also believe economy is worsening in grim portrait of cost of living crisis, according to Harris survey for the GuardianNinety-five per cent of Americans believe the US is suffering an affordability crisis, as many report trouble with the rising cost of groceries and gas, according to an exclusive new poll conducted for the Guardian.The survey, conducted by Harris Poll, paints a bleak picture of how people feel about the US economy amid the war in Iran and ahead of the key midterm elections this fall. Continue reading...

Ruling is huge blow for residents with temporary protected status, many of whom have resided here legally for decadesThe US supreme court dealt a huge blow this term to roughly 1.3 million immigrants in the US, many of whom have resided in the country legally for decades with temporary deportation protections that the Trump administration will now be able to end much more easily.How does the justices' ruling affect these people and what happens next? Continue reading...

In wake of primary wins by leftwing candidates in New York and elsewhere, president has resorted to well-worn tacticMoments after Donald Trump rang the ceremonial opening bell on Monday, starting the trading day from the Oval Office, 232 miles north on Wall Street, the US senator Ted Cruz celebrated the president's new savings accounts as his administration's New Deal".But instead of having government taking care of everyone," the Republican senator declared, Trump accounts are about making every child and every American a capitalist." Continue reading...

Laws banning trans athletes claim to defend science, fairness, and women's safety. They do the oppositeLast week, the US supreme court ruled that states may restrict participation in girls' and women's sports to biological females" and exclude transgender athletes from competing. In the past six years, 27 states have enacted such bans; before the court were challenges to West Virginia's Save Women's Sports Act and Idaho's Fairness in Women's Sports Act.The majority opinion, penned by justice Brett Kavanaugh, upholds the laws' legality under Title IX, the federal statute that guarantees women's equal participation in college sports, and their constitutionality under the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. It also vindicates Donald Trump's February 2025 executive order Keeping Men out of Women's Sports". That directive withdraws funding from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy". US policy, the order continues, will oppose male competitive participation in women's sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth". Continue reading...

Scratch their surface and you see exactly what he's trying to do: stand up strong for intolerance and corruptionGiven how impetuous Donald Trump is, his vice-president, JD Vance, strikes some Americans as a more stable alternative. A good bet, some of the Maga faithful believe, as the 2028 Republican nominee for president, and the eventual occupant of the Oval Office.Every bit as rightwing as Trump but more serious and predictable - that seems to be Vance's pitch to the public. And he clearly wants to be president; he's as ambitious as they come.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

Kelsey Pfendler, 32, says she hopes her solo 2,400-mile trek across the mid-Pacific inspires other women to take risksA Grand Canyon river-rafting guide who recently became the first US woman to row solo from California to Hawaii - traveling in record time - says she hopes her accomplishment inspires other women to push their limits and take risks.It's really motivating to think [that], maybe one day, I will get to see another woman work even harder to do what I did," Kelsey Pfendler, 32, told ABC's Good Morning America program on Monday, three days after completing the record-setting journey across the mid-Pacific. And it would be so special to watch." Continue reading...

Joy is unbounded and when it dies down perhaps the guilty will be held to account for cheating and facilitation: perhaps they won't. Still, enjoy the momentOh dear. Such a shame to see the US lose at football after their insanely embarrassing president cheated for them. Still, it really brought the world together. The last time this many people cheered on a Belgian resistance, it was 1914 and the Germans had just crossed the Meuse. As you'll be aware, the US were dumped out of their own World Cup on Monday night by a wholly superior Belgium, after Donald Trump boasted that he'd personally intervened in three phone calls with Fifa president Gianni Infantino to get the red card shown to USA striker Folarin Balogun rescinded. Yes, the US cheats at football. Pass it on.You've heard a lot about shithousery during this tournament. We have even, excruciatingly, seen a few American commentators attempt to use the word in conversation. Guys, please, just - no. It's not for you. You have 'erbs, a couple things", and a ways to go". But let's call the events of the past few days by the name they deserve in all the languages of the world: Whitehousery.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The tournament co-hosts crashed out with a disappointing display as Belgium proved too strong an opponentThrough four games, Belgium have retained 57% of possession with a 65% field tilt - a possession metric weighing only final-third touches - but haven't found a way to maximize that advantage.While possession can be a noisy statistic, viewing it in stylistic terms can be informative. So far at this World Cup, Belgium have won the possession battle in all four of their games, with Senegal playing them closest in a 52-48 split. The United States have maintained a 58% share of the ball in their four games, neck-and-neck with Garcia's Belgium. If Mauricio Pochettino's side can keep the ball off Belgian feet more often than not, it could unsettle the Red Devils. Continue reading...

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The United States' quest to get Folarin Balogun's red card overturned may have opened a Pandora's box - one specifically designed to contain the national team's worst nightmares.With a country on the verge of falling in love with this team, and tens of millions eager for a reason to embrace the glory and pride this sport can provide, there were instead questions of fairness and propriety. A star striker, who made an honest, unintentional mistake - and said and did all the right things - became a talking point. And a day later, on an otherwise beautiful Monday evening in the Pacific north-west, the United States' World Cup dream ended with a thud. Continue reading...

Staff decline to give updates on senator's health and whether he will be at Capitol when Senate returnsStaff for Mitch McConnell said last week that the Kentucky senator was continuing his recovery" in a hospital while the Senate is out of session. But his office has released no details about the former Republican leader's condition during his weeks-long hospitalization or whether he will be at the Capitol when the Senate returns next week.McConnell was admitted to the hospital on 14 June, according to a statement from his office that only said he was receiving excellent care". A statement a week later said that he would not be voting that week. And on Thursday, a new statement said that he continues to improve" and "appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital". Continue reading...

The tournament co-hosts wilted against Belgium for a 4-1 defeat, costing them a quarter-final spot. We look at the best images from the showdown in Seattle Continue reading...