US news | The Guardian

US and Iran exchange a series of strikes in latest threat to fragile ceasefire. Key US politics stories from 6 June at a glancePessimistic" predictions that the Middle East war could push tens of millions more people into acute hunger if drawn out are being proven right, the UN says, as the US and Iran again exchanged fire, threatening the already fragile ceasefire.The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) warned weeks ago that soaring oil prices were devastating global food security, but now, nearly three months into the conflict, the negative scenario is unfortunately materialising", said Jean-Martin Bauer, the director of WFP's food and nutrition analysis service. Continue reading...

A search for the suspects continues as victims are taken to nearby hospitals, police sayA shooting near a community festival in Toledo, Ohio, wounded at least 12 people on Saturday, with police saying a search for the suspects was ongoing.Two of the wounded were in a critical condition, Toledo deputy police chief Joe Heffernan said. He said it appeared there were at least two people firing weapons who were probably shooting at each other". Continue reading...

Donald Trump pardoned Stephen Buyer of Indiana, who served nearly two years in prison after convictionAs his administration promotes what it calls a crackdown on fraud in states run by Democrats, Donald Trump once again used the pardon power to excuse financial crimes committed by a Republican, granting a pardon this week to Stephen Buyer, a former Republican congressman from Indiana who served nearly two years in prison for making illegal stock trades based on inside information after he left office.Buyer was sentenced to 22 months in prison in 2023 for trades made while working as a consultant and lobbyist. He was ordered to forfeit more than $350,000, representing the amount of the illegal gains, and pay a $10,000 fine. He was released in 2025. Continue reading...

The party may reclaim the US House and even Senate, but primary candidates are far from united on how to move forwardAcross the country, in front yards and on main streets, at dairy breakfasts and inside breweries, voters are delivering a similar message to Democratic primary candidates: they're tired of both parties, and sick of being ignored.The Democratic party brand is bruised after its disastrous 2024 presidential loss. A botched review of the defeat by the Democratic National Committee, and a drawn-out process over releasing the so-called autopsy, created another round of handwringing over the party's direction. Continue reading...

Governor issues disaster declaration as agencies move to stop spread of parasite, including release of sterile fliesA second case of the flesh-eating screwworm fly has been confirmed in Texas by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), days after an initial case in a one-year-old calf set off an aggressive response to stop the spread of the parasite in the dominant cattle-producing state.Texas's governor, Greg Abbott, said on Friday that state officials were working with the federal government to slow the spread of the fly and the infestations caused by larvae that feed on the living flesh of warm-blooded animals and humans. Continue reading...

Increase in complaints about the hazardous eye sore has prompted city to take action to curb irresponsible ownersKumar Satya has lived in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood since 2017 and said he loves the local parks, how people talk on the street and the sound of children screaming, playing".It was a very hot day two weeks ago, and you noticed tiny children just offering lemonade to people," said Satya, a physician who has a 13-year-old son. Continue reading...

Robin Pendery died after she fell while climbing on patrol on the mountain known locally as Denali

Karmelo Anthony, who is Black, is accused of stabbing Austin Metcalf, who was white, at track meet in an affluent Dallas suburb

Congressional Democrats say GOP majority is unraveling, but moves may in fact be aimed at retaining powerThe wrath of Donald Trump has kept congressional Republicans in line for much of his second term thus far. But as the November midterm elections draw closer, the president's allies in the Senate and House of Representatives appear increasingly willing to defy a president who appears to have asked lawmakers for too much in some areas and too little in others, all while the public sours on his administration.In both chambers, small groups of Republicans have in recent weeks joined with Democrats to advance resolutions requiring that Trump receive Congress's permission before continuing hostilities against Iran. Republican dissidents in the House helped pass another round of aid for Ukraine, as well as an effort to protect Haitians from deportation. In the Senate, a critical mass of Republican senators has given Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, a cold reception. Continue reading...

CNN anchor Jake Tapper joined a chorus of voices accusing the former first lady of rewriting history and dodging accountability for the 2024 lossForget the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight being held on the White House lawn, if you want to tune in to a far more amusing brawl, may I suggest Hunter Biden v Jake Tapper? The CNN anchor is categorically unimpressed with Jill Biden's new memoir, View from the East Wing, and has joined a chorus of voices accusing the former first lady of rewriting history and dodging accountability for the 2024 loss. In response, Hunter has accused Tapper of having the wrong priorities.So let me get this straight," Hunter wrote on Twitter/X on Wednesday. Jake Tapper is focused on attacking my Mom. Jared and Ivanka are building a private island paradise on Albanian protected land. Don Jr married the daughter of Epstein's banker, and a startup his fund backs just got a record $620M Pentagon loan. Eric is taking an Israeli drone company public for $1.5B in the middle of a war with Iran that nobody wanted. And I know: But what about your paintings, Hunter?' Please."Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, briefly stepped away from City Hall to tackle the ultimate soccer challenge: predicting the entire World Cup bracket In the Guardian's exclusive interactive game. From shocking early exits to his definitive pick for the final, see how Mamdani maps out the world's biggest tournament

I love soccer. But absurd ticket prices and odious politics are keeping me away from the stadiumsForgive me if I'm not excited for the World Cup. After a heartbreaking loss for my beloved Arsenal in the Champions League Final, I'd love a break from soccer. A respite from the drama and misery of the beautiful game would do a lot of good for my soul right now. But Fifa, the sport's sprawling governing body, doesn't have time for me to lick my wounds. They demand my wallet.With the World Cup coming to North America, I have no chance of escaping the monstrous hype, even if I can't even imagine affording the exorbitant ticket prices. Thousands of seats remain available for the US's opening group stage match against Paraguay in Los Angeles, which was an unthinkable result when the competition was awarded to the US, Mexico and Canada.Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...

The justice department decision to launch a criminal investigation into Carroll is a troubling, dark turnDonald Trump is accused of raping E Jean Carroll, the magazine writer, in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store sometime in the mid-1990s. Trump denies this, as he denies all the sexual abuse allegations that have been made against him by more than two dozen women, but he was found to have sexually abused Carroll by a federal jury; later, another jury found that he defamed her when he said that she had lied about it. She didn't lie.Trump has vowed to appeal the rulings, but he's so far been frustrated: a federal court panel declined to hear his appeal of one verdict, and the US supreme court has so far delayed a decision on whether to hear another of his appeals in the matter no fewer than 12 times. She won two judgments from Trump: $5m for sexual abuse and defamation, and more than $83m for defamation. The president has used his office to enrich himself so blatantly that he almost certainly has the money to pay her. But Carroll hasn't seen a dime; it's not clear that she ever will. Continue reading...

Mark, 17, struggled to make it through senior year after his dad was deported to El Salvador. Getting his diploma was bittersweet for the Maryland teen - as his dad watched on a livestreamAs Mark was getting ready for his high school graduation, he thought about how his dad would have probably insisted on adjusting his slacks - they were a bit tight - and fixed up his tie. He would want me to look my best," he said.But his dad and namesake, Marco, was 2,000 miles away. He had been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Maryland just before Christmas and deported to El Salvador in March. Continue reading...

Trump says Bill Pulte is less shackled' because he has only been appointed director of national intelligence temporarily. Key US politics stories from 5 June 2026 at a glanceDonald Trump has said that he wants Bill Pulte, his new acting director of national intelligence, to cut the office, which has already been significantly scaled back during the president's second term.Trump noted that the size of the office as been way too high for way too long," and that if he cut, I wouldn't mind". Continue reading...

Becerra advanced to the general election after emerging from California's crowded primary field in the race to succeed Gavin NewsomXavier Becerra has advanced to the November general election in California's gubernatorial race, cementing a stunning come-from-behind primary victory in one of California's most turbulent campaign seasons in recent memory.Election officials are continuing to count ballots to determine whether he will face fellow Democrat Tom Steyer, the environmental activist who championed progressive policies like universal healthcare and more taxes on billionaires like himself, or Republican Steve Hilton, the former UK political operative turned Fox News personality who was endorsed by Donald Trump, in the fall. Continue reading...

Handy, 81, died after being stabbed, allegedly by Michael Gledhill, whose mother was in relationship with HandyA man has been charged with murder in the stabbing of Jumanji and Top Gun: Maverick actor James Handy, who was in a relationship with the suspect's mother.Michael Gledhill, 44, was charged after police say officers found the 81-year-old Handy stabbed in the chest and unconscious outside his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Handy was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead. Continue reading...

Experts warn ballot-counting could drag on in primaries for governor, LA mayor and Congress, as Trump claims rigging'The US justice department on Friday sent a federal prosecutor to observe ballot processing in Los Angeles, as Donald Trump continues to make baseless claims that California Democrats were rigging" the results to win primary elections in the nation's biggest blue state.State officials have rejected the allegations, but the delay in results immediately fueled misinformation about the integrity of California's elections, with the president, who has long fanned election-conspiracy theories, repeatedly accusing the state of cheating". Continue reading...

Case draws nationwide attention amid debate over racial tensions, as defendant is Black and slain student was whiteTestimony has been unfolding in the murder trial of a 19-year-old accused of fatally stabbing a fellow high schooler during a track meet in Texas more than a year ago.The case has drawn nationwide attention amid debate over racial tensions, as defendant Karmelo Anthony is Black and slain 17-year-old Austin Metcalf was white. Prosecutors allege Anthony stabbed Metcalf during a Frisco independent school district track meet at Kuykendall Stadium on 2 April 2025. Continue reading...

Vice-president and state department look to push far-right idea that mass migration is causing civilisational decline

Brendan Banfield convicted of killing Christine Banfield and man lured to couple's Virginia home as fall guyA Virginia man who was having an affair with the family's Brazilian au pair was sentenced on Friday to life in prison without parole for the murder of his wife and a man who was lured to the couple's home as a fall guy.Brendan Banfield, a former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) law enforcement officer, claimed he shot Joseph Ryan after he came across Ryan attacking his wife on the morning of 24 February 2023. But prosecutors said Brendan Banfield and au pair Juliana Peres Magalhaes set Ryan up in a scheme to kill Christine Banfield, a pediatric intensive care nurse. Continue reading...

After winning Game 1 of the NBA finals, the New York Knicks are one step closer to winning a championship that has eluded them for 53 years. New Yorkers are feeling elated, but the Knicks are going to have to get through 7ft4in Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, who just might be the next face of the league. Kai Wright speaks with the Guardian's Andrew Lawrence about who exactly these teams are, and why despite all the money flowing through the sport, this is a series for the people

Acting director David Venturella rescinds Biden-era policy that required agency to report and investigate such deathsA memo issued by the acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director, David Venturella, has ordered the federal agency to cease reporting the deaths of newly released detainees, in a change that could obscure the full human cost of the Trump administration's anti-immigration mass detention policies.The move, first reported by the Washington Post, rescinds a 2021 policy implemented by the Biden administration that required ICE to report to Congress and investigate deaths of detainees that occur within 30 days of their release. Continue reading...

Attacks on police in Southampton, Russian strikes in Kyiv, the Ebola outbreak and PSG win the Champions League - the past seven days as captured by the world's leading photojournalistsWarning: this gallery contains images some readers may find distressing Continue reading...

Federal judge rules policies unlawfully barred applicants from receiving decisions on asylum, green cards and moreThe Trump administration unlawfully barred applicants from 39 travel-ban countries from receiving decisions on asylum, work permits, green cards and citizenship applications, a US federal judge ruled on Friday.The decision came on the same day that the US Senate voted to pass legislation to fund Donald Trump's controversial immigration crackdown Continue reading...

Thousands have protested in the streets of the Albanian capital, Tirana, this week against a planned luxury resort backed by Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Senate votes 52-47 to fund ICE and border patrol for three years, ending partial shutdown, with House still to vote

Claims of discrimination at UCLA and Yale show how laws meant to foster inclusion are being used for the oppositeThe Department of Justice's civil rights division was once known as the crown jewel of the agency, but under Trump it has become just another tool of this administration's politicized and racialized attacks targeting Black, Latino and other people of color. The latest examples are the sham findings of discrimination the division issued against the medical schools of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Yale University for admitting high-achieving Black and Hispanic students. The administration is cynically wielding its anti-discrimination authority to tear down civil rights advances at the cost of equal educational opportunity.In its findings, the justice department claimed the grades and test scores of Black and Hispanic admitted applicants were less competitive than those of white and Asian admits and said the schools intentionally discriminated against white and Asian applicants. But the justice department's conclusions overstate the difference in scores between applicants and ignore other applicant data completely, including student transcripts, letters of recommendations and essays. The differences among GPAs and test scores - one standard deviation or less - were too small to be legally or statistically significant and may be explained by random factors unrelated to race. Comparatively, two standard deviations is the commonly accepted threshold that federal courts and social scientists consider statistically significant in racial discrimination cases.ReNika Moore is director of the ACLU's Racial Justice Program Continue reading...

Republican states rebrand June as nuclear family month' or fidelity month' in latest attack on LGBTQ+ communitiesJune is widely marked as gay Pride month - when LGBTQ+ communities march to protest discrimination and celebrate their identities in the month that the modern US gay liberation movement was born out of the 1969 uprising at New York's Stonewall Inn - although not so much in certain Republican-led states this year.Some Republican governors have suddenly come up with alternative labels for the month, which both supporters and opponents view as counterprogramming. Continue reading...

Downing Street says it does not share state department's view, which Lib Dems condemn as flagrant interference

Protesters say Mikie Sherrill has failed to address the dire hunger and labor strike at the immigration detention centerA few dozen protesters rallied outside the New Jersey statehouse in Trenton on Monday afternoon. They carried handmade signs with messages like U made it worse" and Gov Sherrill, stop lying about Delaney Hall". One led a collective chant that summed up the rally's mood: Hey, Mikie, WTF?"The target of their ire: the governor, Mikie Sherrill. Protesters say the newly elected Democratic governor has failed to adequately address the dire situation at the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, where at least 300 detainees are on a hunger and labor strike. Continue reading...

School of the Art Institute of Chicago professor put under investigation after a student complained about a case studyA tenured art therapy professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) was suspended from teaching and placed under investigation following a student's complaint about an assigned case study that mentioned violence against Palestinians.Savneet Talwar, a faculty member with the school's art therapy and counseling program, assigned the case study in April to a class on the cultural dimensions of therapy. The assignment asked students to develop an ethical treatment plan for a hypothetical queer, Muslim woman living in the US. Continue reading...

The wing-back's advanced positioning paid off against Senegal. More impressive play at the World Cup could go far for the US's hopes and his transfer prospectsIn the sixth minute of last Sunday's friendly against Senegal, the US men's national team were midway through what became a 20-pass sequence of sustained possession. Beginning with a throw-in along the left touchline, just inside the opponent's half, the World Cup co-hosts tried to break down the visitors to no avail, eventually recirculating back to the center-backs to survey their next route.Amid all that, Sergino Dest stayed upfield to offer an outlet if a line-breaking window presented itself. Even when lined up as a nominal defender - he has logged most of his 38 international caps as a right-back or right wing-back - the 25-year-old has posed a threat with his determined dribbling and eagerness to join the attack. Continue reading...

My father joined the program when I was eight months old and retired 46 years later. He would be encouraging journalists at CBS to speak outThe end of the 60 Minutes broadcast as we know it has sickened millions of longtime viewers, colleagues, and all of us who are offended and threatened by our current administration and its cronies' assaults on the first amendment. The news of Scott Pelley's firing hits particularly hard. He spoke of risking my life and the happiness of my family because of my devotion to the broadcast".Having literally grown up with that broadcast - my father, Morley Safer, joined the program when I was eight months old and retired 46 years later - I am acutely aware of the costs of that devotion. 60 Minutes, particularly in its early days, demanded commitments of time and travel that were keenly felt at home.Sarah Safer is the daughter of Morley Safer, who was a 60 Minutes correspondent for 46 years Continue reading...

Israel and its lobby will use section 224 of the National Defense Authorization Act to bind the US to a state that has gone rogueCongress is considering legislation that would embed Israel's military deeply within the US military-industrial complex. Stunned by the cratering of public support for Israeli policies in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank and towards Iran, Israel's advocates are frantically seeking to preserve and even escalate US support for the Jewish state in ways that do not rely on defense of its policies or permit scrutiny of the manipulations involved.Politically, this means avoiding public discussion of Israeli policies in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank or Iran and disguising the sources of massive amounts of money pouring into election races to defeat candidates raising questions about US support for Israel. The proposed legislation shows what this means bureaucratically. Continue reading...

A new book looks at how rituals, charms and curses are central to the identity of America's pastimeIt's a Chicago legend, nurtured like a hot dog with everything except ketchup. During the 1945 World Series, local bar owner William Sianis brought his pet goat, Murphy, to a game between the hometown Cubs and the Detroit Tigers. Murphy was denied entry, because he smelled. Thus began the Curse of the Billy Goat, dooming Chicago's NL entry to decades of also-ran status. As Sianis reportedly wrote team owner Philip Knight Wrigley after the Tigers won in 1945, Who smells now?" The Cubs would not win another title until 2016.Welcome to the world of magic in baseball. On the macro level, a goat can apparently change the fortunes of an entire team; on the micro level, batters engage in elaborate rituals at the plate, and no one dares to say no-hitter" until the final out. It's a narrative that goes back to baseball's 19th-century origins, and it's all chronicled in a new book out this week - The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball's Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses by author, journalist, astrologer and New York Mets fan Addy Baird. Continue reading...

Inside New York's notorious jail complex, nearly 2,000 incarcerated people watched Game 1 of the NBA finals, arguing calls, roasting celebrity fans and sharing in a rare citywide momentIt's nearly half past eight on Wednesday evening and approximately 30 men in tan uniforms drift into the common area of a housing unit deep inside the George R Vierno Center, an 850-bed jail and one of eight active facilities on New York's Rikers Island. Some hover around a folding table piled to the edges with snacks. Others make their way into the smaller rooms on the perimeter of the two-floor communal space and drag plastic chairs closer to the flat-screen televisions mounted inside. The excited chatter and nervous energy bubbles as a familiar refrain cuts through the din.Knicks in four.Pictured above: An exterior view of the Rikers Island jail complex on 3 June 2026. Pictured below: The bridge connecting Rikers Island to Queens crosses a sprawling employee parking lot before reaching the jail complex, which houses the vast majority of people held in New York City's custody. All photographs by Lauren Caulk. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Global powers are focused on oil markets and elections but those living through conflict in the Middle East feel abandonedGood morning. It's been another week of brinkmanship via Truth Social and ceasefires broken before they've been announced.While US president Donald Trump claims an agreement with Iran could happen soon, for those living in the Middle East it does not feel like peace is anywhere near. People have seen more bombs dropped in Lebanon this week; and the death toll continues to rise, national economies falter, and displacement abounds.UK politics | Andy Burnham has signalled he would begin transforming the broken social care system this year if he became prime minister, he has said in an interview with the Guardian, accusing Westminster of flinching away" from tackling difficult policy problems.Environment | Humanity can raise living standards, reduce inequality and keep global heating within a 2C rise, according to a sweeping vision for planetary survival.Ukraine | The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has called for face-to-face negotiations in a public letter addressed directly to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.England news | The poorest and most nature-deprived communities in England will be further left behind in their access to green spaces if proposed changes to planning laws go ahead, a report finds.UK news | Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received private income from subletting three cottages on his Windsor Royal Lodge estate while paying a peppercorn rent" to the crown estate, a report into royal property arrangements has revealed. Continue reading...

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Workers say they deserve a greater share of the windfall and want protection from ICE and invasive data collectionWorkers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, are voting on whether to authorize a strike one week before World Cup soccer games are slated to begin in the Los Angeles area.Unite Here Local 11's strike authorization vote comes as ongoing negotiations for a new contract with stadium operator Legends Global have stalled, with workers saying they deserve a greater share of the windfall from a packed schedule of coming mega-events that include the World Cup, the Super Bowl and the Olympics. Continue reading...