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Health secretary faces questions in packed House Ways and Means committee hearing

US Commission of Fine Arts reviews plan while judge lets below-ground work at White House ballroom site proceedPresident Donald Trump's design for the triumphal arch he wants built at an entrance to the nation's capital moved a step forward on Thursday after a key agency reviewed the proposal for the first time.One commissioner suggested changes, including losing the Lady Liberty-like statue and pair of eagles that would sit on top of the arch and add to its height. Continue reading...

The defense secretary said his prayer drew on Ezekiel, but wording closely matches Quentin Tarantino dialogueIt was perhaps inevitable that a braggadocious Christian nationalist defense secretary elevated from his role as a weekend Fox News television host would pluck a fake Bible verse from a violent Hollywood blockbuster and present it at a Pentagon prayer session to rally the troops for the holy war" in Iran.Certainly among a glut of stories swirling around Pete Hegseth this week, including articles of impeachment brought against him by a group of ambitious Democratic lawmakers, the bizarre allegation that the Bible-thumping Hegseth was passing off a fire-and-brimstone script by Quentin Tarantino, an Oscar-winning director, as the word of the Lord was far too compelling to ignore. Continue reading...

Democratic lawmakers urged Republican leaders to postpone the confirmation hearing of Kevin Warsh

Men aged 18-29 who see religion as central rises to 42%, Gallup survey finds, compared with 30% of young womenYoung men are now more likely than young women in the US to say religion plays a major role in their lives, according to the newest findings from Gallup.Data covering 2024-25 indicates that 42% of men aged 18 to 29 describe religion as very important to them, a significant rise from 28% in 2022-23. In comparison, young women's responses have remained largely unchanged over the same period, holding at roughly 30%. Continue reading...

Health secretary in a diary entry said his kids were in the car as he cut off animal's genitals in 2001 to study them later'Robert F Kennedy Jr once cut the penis off a road-killed raccoon in an incident that is just one of several involving dead animals that the controversial US health secretary has been involved in.A new book called RFK Jr: The Fall and Rise was published this week and reveals a diary entry for Kennedy that describes the prominent vaccine critic and leader of the Make America healthy again" (Maha) movement stopping his car on a New York highway on 11 November 2001. Continue reading...

Hampshire is latest school to fall to declining enrollment amid a decades-long crisis affecting liberal arts colleges

Meenu Batra, the state's only licensed Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu interpreter, says she was treated like a criminal'

It's a relief to see the pontiff decrying brutality, because it seems most current world leaders lack the necessary spineI have never been a religious or spiritual person, even though I grew up in a religious area and had friends (and strangers) throughout school and university trying to lure me into whatever prayer disguised as organised fun they were up to. I did try it out shortly for a desperate period when I was young, attempting to pray to a god I didn't really believe in to make me not gay, but blessedly he never answered.Despite my resistance to organised religion, I have always had a soft spot for nuns and their counterparts. The girlies.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

New York mayor Mamdani calls footage of arrest of wrongly identified suspect extremely disturbing and unacceptable'

Police say the couple's teenage children called 911 after a domestic dispute at their Annandale home during divorce

US defense secretary says Iran's energy infrastructure is not destroyed yet' while also lambasting the mediaIran's energy infrastructure is not destroyed yet" and the US is locked and loaded" to finish the job, Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, said on Thursday as he called many of the press corps gathered the moral equivalent of the Pharisees who conspired to destroy Jesus Christ.Hegseth's comments from the Pentagon podium came as a naval blockade of Iranian ports began this week and he called on Tehran to accept a nuclear deal or face consequences for its remaining infrastructure, power generation and energy industry. Continue reading...

The semi-finals are set after a dazzling meeting between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. But there was plenty more to talk about in the last eightBayern Munich's thrilling 4-3 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday, which gave them a 6-4 victory on aggregate and set up a semi-final meeting with PSG, was a stone-cold classic. If either of the semis is as good as Real and Bayern's quarter-final, this season will have been blessed. Arda Guler showed off his brilliance on Wednesday, first with his presence of mind after Manuel Neuer's mistake led to the opening goal and again from a free-kick in the 29th minute. Guler's goals gave Madrid hope, but Harry Kane made another difficult finish look routine before Luis Diaz and Michael Olise's late goals settled the tie. Bayern's wing wizards were crucial in defeating the 15-time champions. This game had it all. That includes controversy, with a post-match scuffle set off by Madrid players enraged by Eduardo Camavinga's dismissal for two quickfire yellow cards. Neuer, the hero of the first leg, had his blushes saved by his Bayern teammates, though one save from Kylian Mbappe was him at his best, combining reflexes with brute strength. Fine margins decided a battle of the giants. Continue reading...

In prison, I witnessed the gap in accountability between the poor and the elite. A banker's message to Epstein is racist and reductiveHere is an email that should bring shame to Jes Staley:you want to know why we are not Sao Paolo, watch the TV adds on the Superbowl. Its all about hip blacks in hip cars with white women.The group that should be in the streets, has been bought off. By Jay Z Continue reading...

After two devastating hurricanes, El Yunque national forest has built a new visitors center that hosts a vibrant arts festival Continue reading...

Washington and Tehran will have to make compromises and the current deadline must be extended. But with the will there's clearly a wayThe failure of the Islamabad talks to end the US-Israel war on Iran was hardly surprising, given the stark differences between Washington's 15-point proposal and Tehran's 10-point equivalent. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which capped Iran's uranium enrichment, took more than two years to negotiate, and its roots actually reach back to 2003. The US vice-president, JD Vance, spent less than a full day in Islamabad for negotiations that included the nuclear question and several others.The surprise was Vance's explanation for the failure - that Iran rejected the terms presented by the US. The American side was not in a position to dictate terms because Iran stood firm when the 8 April ceasefire took effect. But Vance seemed to believe, as does his boss Donald Trump, that the Iranians had been defeated and the US didn't have to budge.Rajan Menon is professor emeritus of international relations at Powell School, City University of New York, and senior research fellow at Columbia University's Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies Continue reading...

Risks from cancer and other diseases could be hidden with little accountability if justices favor big firms, critics warnThe US could face foreign attacks, food shortages and agricultural devastation" if the supreme court rules against Monsanto in a closely watched case over pesticide regulation that is set for arguments later this month, according to a series of legal briefs supporting the company.In contrast, opposing legal briefs warn that if the court sides with Monsanto, consumers will be stripped of their rights to sue when they develop cancer or other serious diseases they attribute to exposure to dangerous chemicals. Companies will be able to hide product risks with little accountability, they warn. Continue reading...

Guardian readers describe how their lives have been upended by cost hikes stemming from Trump's Iran warWith the US and Israel's war on Iran now in its seventh week, with a fragile ceasefire in place since earlier this month, Americans are continuing to feel the effects at the pump as global fuel prices rise.For several readers who spoke to the Guardian, the impact has forced difficult trade-offs - from accessing essential medicines and groceries to facing the brink of homelessness amid an already rising cost of living. Continue reading...

The case of two fired judges - and one who kept his job - offers a lesson in the administration's view of free speechThe Trump administration believes some noncitizens may not even have first amendment rights. And it's turning that legal fantasy into a reality by making immigration judges choose between the constitution and their jobs.Last week, the judge who rejected the deportation of Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts doctoral student whose only offense was co-writing an op-ed critical of Israel, was fired after upholding the law. Judge Roopal Patel rejected the administration's argument that expressing views shared by millions of Americans disturbed by the carnage in Gaza - sometimes including Donald Trump himself - equates to supporting terrorism and antisemitism. Continue reading...

The longtime USMNT standout is following in the footsteps of his father, coaching with a deep appreciation of what makes American soccer specialThe timing was ideal. The day after Red Bull New York won their 2026 MLS home opener 1-0, with three academy products becoming the youngest trio to combine for a goal in the history of the league, the club hosted their annual youth summit. Coaches and administrators convened in the Audi Club Lounge of Sports Illustrated Stadium where they were fed, presented to, encouraged to learn, network and, of course, stick around until head coach Michael Bradley arrived for a panel to wrap up the event.Most of them did. A long line quickly formed between Bradley and his exit, and he obliged all of the people waiting for a photo. It's the same patience he still affords the media, whose numbers noticeably increased at RBNY games when the New Jersey native took the reins, following in the footsteps of his father, Bob, under whom Michael learned as a son, a player, and an assistant before striking out on his own. Continue reading...

Investigation of Family Dollar and Dollar General prompts lawmakers to double penalties for retailers that repeatedly charge more at checkout than prices listed on shelvesUtah lawmakers have voted to stiffen penalties on retailers who chronically overcharge customers.The new state law, which takes effect on 6 May, was introduced in direct response to a Guardian investigation of pricing practices at two national chains, Dollar General and Family Dollar, according to an official who oversees the state's price-accuracy inspections. Continue reading...

The truth is, we were all just jealousTo Lena Dunham, I need to say that I'm sorry. I'm sure she'll never read this, since she doesn't seem like the kind of person who Googles herself. If I was Lena, I certainly wouldn't. The internet is full of mockery, sarcasm and outright cruelty. I've been part of the problem, too. Lena and I were starting off our careers at the same time, those halcyon days of the 2010s, when people still subscribed to cable TV and social media was just a fun new tool to post random thoughts and photos of your brunch. Now, if you post a photo of a meal, people will scream at you for bragging that you can afford food.Fourteen years since HBO's Girls turned Dunham from an indie film darling into a mainstream superstar, the writer/director is now releasing a memoir that reflects on her time in the cultural crosshairs. The headline of a New York Times interview reads: Lena Dunham Is Still Trying to Figure Out Why People Hated Her So Much." Continue reading...

The former UConn star's draft night should have been about her talent. Instead, speculation shows how the league is still being viewed through the wrong lens

The $95 bus trip to Foxborough highlights a tournament unique in modern times - one that ultimately makes no secret of its disdain for the paying publicLike any journalist with an unerring nose for an offbeat feature, my interest was sharply piqued by this week's announcement of the $95 bus ride. What magnificent accoutrements might conceivably justify the 70 fare for a half-hour journey from south Boston to Foxborough? An at-seat shiatsu? A pool deck? A five-course dining experience? A brief but moving Celine Dion set in the aisles? At the very least, I felt I owed it to my profession to find out for sure.Alas upon closer investigation, the Boston Stadium Express being launched for this summer's World Cup appears to be an entirely regular bus journey on an entirely regular bus with entirely regular bus seats. Your non-refundable ticket - no child concessions - entitles you simply to be dropped off a 15-minute walk from the ground, and picked up again from the same place. There is, in short, no more complex rationale for the Boston organising committee to charge 70 than the fact that they can, and the World Cup only comes once, and if you don't want to pay then some other rube will. Continue reading...

Wednesday's strike brings the total of those killed in US military strikes on alleged drug boats to at least 177Three people were killed in a US strike on another alleged drug-trafficking boat, the fifth such deadly attack in as many days, military officials have announced.US southern command said it conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations" in the eastern Pacific, without naming the alleged group, in an X post. Continue reading...

Accusations refer to attack on Iran without congressional authorization and strikes on alleged drug smuggling boatsHouse Democrats filed six articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing the defense secretary of high crimes and misdemeanors", in reference to the attack on Iran without congressional authorization and deadly strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats, among other official acts.The move comes as the Trump administration faces mounting scrutiny over recent foreign action, particularly the war with Iran. Continue reading...

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In a spilling of the court's divisions in public, Sotomayor had criticized Kavanaugh over a dissenting ruling on ICE raidsSonia Sotomayor, a US supreme court justice, issued an apology on Wednesday for her recent criticism of fellow justice Brett Kavanaugh, an unusual public mea culpa that underscores the continuing divisions within the nation's top judicial body over its direction and actions in high-profile cases.Sotomayor had criticized Kavanaugh at an event in Kansas last week for an opinion he wrote in September concurring with the court's decision backing roving immigration raids in California. Kavanaugh is one of the court's six conservative justices, while Sotomayor is the senior member of the court's three-justice liberal bloc. Continue reading...

Trump reiterated his claim that Powell is doing a bad job' as justice department continues with criminal investigation into Powell over renovations at the Fed's headquarters - key US politics stories from 15 April at a glanceDonald Trump threatened to fire Jerome Powell if he stays on as US Federal Reserve chair past the end of his tenure and doubled down on a criminal investigation into renovations of the central bank's headquarters.As the White House pushes Trump's new nominee to take charge of the Fed, Kevin Warsh, Powell has a month left in the role. The possibility of Powell staying on as chair past 15 May, the official end of his term, has grown amid mounting scrutiny of Trump's approach to the Fed in the Senate, which is required to approve Warsh's nomination. Continue reading...

Senator's fourth attempt for resolutions fails, but votes show growing appetite among Democrats to impose limitsBernie Sanders on Wednesday led a failed effort to block the sale of bombs and bulldozers to Israel, but the votes revealed a growing appetite among Democrats to impose limits on US weapons transfers to a longtime US ally.It was the fourth time Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats, had forced consideration of resolutions cutting off military aid for Israel in the Senate, all of which have been rejected by the chamber's Republican majority, and many Democrats. Continue reading...

Stretched across a boulevard and shaped like an amoeba', the divisive Geffen Galleries open next weekTwo decades ago, the new director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma) began a project to revitalize the space for the 21st century. On Wednesday, the institution unveiled the results of that $724m effort: the David Geffen Galleries, a hulking, curving concrete building that spans Wilshire Boulevard.In a city of striking modern architecture, from the Getty Museum to the Disney Concert Hall, the opening is a landmark event. The project, whose unconventional shape has been likened to an amoeba, has inspired praise and polarization. Continue reading...

Killings of Lauren Bullis and woman not yet identified in random' Monday attacks draw attention of Trump officialsAn Atlanta man has been charged in a string of attacks over a matter of hours that left two women dead and a man in critical condition, drawing the Trump administration's attention after one of the victims was identified as a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employee who was walking her dog.The killing of the DHS worker, Lauren Bullis, and shootings of the two other victims on Monday led the homeland security secretary Markwayne Mullin to issue a statement raising concerns that the 26-year-old suspect, British native Olaolukitan Adon Abel, was granted US citizenship in 2022. Continue reading...

Liberal judge attacks emergency-docket rulings as Sonia Sotomayor apologizes for remarks about Brett KavanaughThe supreme court justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has delivered a sustained attack on her conservative colleagues' use of emergency orders to benefit the Trump administration, calling the orders scratch-paper musings" that can seem oblivious and thus ring hollow".Jackson, the court's newest justice, delivered a lengthy assessment of roughly two dozen court orders issued last year that allowed Donald Trump to put in place controversial policies on immigration, steep federal funding cuts and other topics, after lower courts found they were probably illegal. Continue reading...

Researchers find increase in whale deaths in the bay, largely because of collisions with vessels on busy shipping routeGray whales have historically been a rare sight in the San Francisco Bay. They trek from the warm lagoons of Mexico's Baja California more than 10,000 miles (16,000km) north to the Arctic region to feast on shrimp-like animals during the summers, seldom stopping in the busy shipping corridor for prolonged periods.But in recent years, that story has changed in a dire way. A new study, published this week in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, has found that gray whales in the bay have been dying at alarming rates, largely due to collisions with vessels. Continue reading...

Agents detained Marie-Therese Ross in Alabama on 1 April after she overstayed her 90-day visa, according to DHSThe French government is pressing the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release the 86-year-old French widow of a military veteran from immigration custody after she was detained earlier this month.US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained Marie-Therese Ross in Alabama on 1 April after she overstayed her 90-day visa, according to DHS. Ross is now being held at a federal immigration detention facility in Louisiana. Continue reading...

Guardian democracy reporters George Chidi and Sam Levine answered your questions about the dramatic implications of the Save America Act for US votersThe latest version of the Save America Act could, if it is passed, upend voting for all Americans in the middle of a federal midterm election year and create costly, chaotic changes for elections workers. George Chidi, the Guardian's politics and democracy correspondent and Sam Levine, who has spent years focusing on voting rights in the US, including for our ongoing series The fight for democracy, answered questions about Save's implications on everything from the midterms to overseas voting.George and Sam have now finished answering your questions. Read the Q&A below.George: I think the Kansas example is instructive. Kansas enacted a law in 2013 requiring voters to prove their citizenship when registering. Evidence presented in a federal lawsuit challenging the law showed that 18,000 people were blocked from registering - about 8 per cent of people trying to register. That statistic only covers motor voter registrations; another study showed the overall number was closer to one in eight voters. Only about a quarter of those who were initially blocked ended up registering. (And no, these were not non-citizens - they were by and large born Americans who couldn't lay hands on their birth certificates.) The blocked registrants were disproportionately young people with no party affiliation. The federal court struck down the law in 2018.Arizona enacted a similar law in 2005, with similar results. Elections officials attributed the large number of blocked registrants to people whose married names didn't match their birth certificates, or people who couldn't get their birth certificate. In 2024, the US supreme court blocked the use of documentary proof of citizenship to register for federal elections in the Arizona case.George: The hard part here is making an argument that will be heard by people who believe the mainstream media" exists to lie to conservatives. I think the best answer is to show examples of people who look and sound - and perhaps believe the same things - as the people demanding high levels of documentation to vote. One of the less-spoken corollaries to voting registration changes as proposed is that it will disproportionately affect voters with a propensity to vote for Republicans. Married women. Rural voters. People who have never drawn a passport and don't have easy access to a county clerk who can send them a new birth certificate. Continue reading...

Mormon Wives star was accused of domestic violence by her former partner Dakota MortensenProsecutors in Utah have declined to press charges against Taylor Frankie Paul, star of the reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, after she was accused of domestic violence.In a statement on Tuesday, the Salt Lake county district attorney's office said it would not be pursuing charges against Paul following a pair of domestic violence investigations stemming from allegations made by Paul's former partner Dakota Mortensen. Continue reading...

Physicians issue reminder to public after TV doctor and CMS chief relays president's claim on Don Jr podcastDonald Trump defended his consumption of diet soda by suggesting it might help prevent cancer, according to recent comments shared by Mehmet Oz in an interview with Donald Trump Jr.The remarks have even prompted some doctors to remind the public that, no, diet soda will not do anything to prevent cancer. Continue reading...

The time is long overdue for members of Congress to listen to the American people and end US military aid to the extremist Netanyahu governmentI am a proud Jewish-American. My father fled Poland in 1921 to escape poverty and antisemitism. Those in his family who stayed were murdered by the Nazis. Since childhood, I have known very well where antisemitism, racism, fanaticism and demagoguery lead.So let me be clear. Speaking out against the horrific and inhumane actions of Israel, and its extremist leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, is not antisemitic. Speaking out about the dangerous and destructive role that Israel plays in shaping US foreign and military policy is not antisemitic. It is, in fact, what every member of Congress and every American should be doing.Bernie Sanders is a US senator, and ranking member of the health, education, labor and pensions committee. He represents the state of Vermont Continue reading...

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Strike marks third deadly attack on vessels in region in four days, and the killing of 174 people since September

Filing seeks to overturn seditious conspiracy charges of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers members who laid siege to US Capitol in 2021The US Department of Justice has requested that a federal appeals judge overturn convictions for members of far-right groups Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, who were previously found guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the violent siege of the US capitol in 2021.Jeanine Pirro, the Donald Trump-appointed US attorney for the District of Columbia, signed separate motions on Tuesday to vacate convictions for a slew of individuals, including the Proud Boys' leaders Ethan Nordean and Joseph Biggs as well as Stewart Rhodes, a former attorney who founded the Oath Keepers' militia. Continue reading...

Collapse of weekend negotiations prompted Trump to impose a blockade on Iranian ports - key US politics stories from 14 April at a glanceDonald Trump has hinted that US-Iranian peace talks could resume in Islamabad over the next two days, and complimented the work of Pakistan's army chief as mediator.The US president was speaking on Tuesday to a New York Post reporter who had gone to Islamabad for the first round of ceasefire talks over the weekend. After an interview discussing prospects for negotiations, the reporter said the president had called her back with an update". Continue reading...

US president says negotiations could restart in Islamabad under fantastic' Pakistani army chief Asim Munir Middle East crisis - live updatesDonald Trump has said that US-Iranian peace talks could resume in Islamabad over the next two days, and complimented the work of Pakistan's army chief as mediator.The US president was speaking on Tuesday to a New York Post reporter who had gone to Islamabad for the first round of ceasefire talks over the weekend. After an interview discussing prospects for negotiations, the reporter said the president had called her back with an update". Continue reading...

Departures came after lawmakers from both parties threatened to introduce resolutions expelling the two men

Massachusetts liberal arts college laments heartbreaking reality' and says financial pressures to blameA Massachusetts liberal arts college is set to close permanently due to low enrollment and financial problems.The board of trustees of Hampshire College, a small liberal arts school in Amherst founded in 1965, pointed to financial pressures" that have been compounded by shifting external factors". Continue reading...

Kevin Warsh, seeking to replace Fed chair, Jerome Powell, had to file financial disclosures for Senate approvalKevin Warsh, the former Federal Reserve governor chosen by Donald Trump to lead the central bank, has submitted financial disclosures that suggest he holds assets worth well over $100m.The document is required for his nomination to advance through the Senate, beginning with a yet-to-be-scheduled hearing. Continue reading...