US news | The Guardian

All the latest news from day nine of the tournament

Donald Trump unveiled the new, temporary Air Force One at a hangar at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday, a day after White House officials bid farewell to one of two Boeing 747s used to transport presidents for more than 30 years. The new jet was gifted to Trump by the Gulf emirate of Qatar, provoking political protest since the $400m jet exceeds the limit on unsolicited gifts of $50 in value in a single calendar year from the same source

The England center will finish a decorated career on Sunday as his Chicago Hounds face the California Legion seeking their first Major League Rugby crownIt's a long way from Somerset to Chicago, but it's the Windy City where the Bath, Exeter and England center Ollie Devoto will end his career on Sunday, seeking to help the Chicago Hounds beat the California Legion for a first Major League Rugby crown.It'll be a special day for the team and it'll be a special day personally as well," Devoto said, preferring not to predict a result. My family are coming out for one last go. As long as we give the best account of ourselves, we'll put ourselves in a good position." Continue reading...

We're both addicted to our screens. But at least we're watching together - it's dystopian bonding for the modern ageTry as I might, I think there's no saving my son from modern technology. It's ubiquitous, seductive and deeply ingrained in every aspect of middle-class life. Worse yet, I'm also addicted. When do I not have my iPhone out, desperately scrolling through a suite of apps, hoping they'll offer me some manner of comfort from the security of my living room couch? Hours go by as I'm practically begging someone to notice me on Instagram, while he's skipping from brainrot videos to basketball tutorials on our internet-connected TV. Ten years ago, I might have witnessed a scene like that and thought it was a sign of the end times. We've lost our way so much as a culture that a parent and a child can be simultaneously subsumed by screens, barely noticing the other person. But at some point, everyone realizes that the battle is lost. This is just how it is.In spite of that grim diagnosis, Keir Starmer - who turned snatching defeat from the jaws of victory his personal brand - has made this losing battle a signature issue. This week, the British prime minister announced a comprehensive ban on social media for children under the age of 16. That includes Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, Snapchat and YouTube (though not the kids' version). The ban is modeled on one currently deployed in Australia, which has holes wide enough to drive a fleet of vintage Sherman tanks through. Teenagers in Australia are finding ways around their ban already, and of course they are. When I was 15, if I wanted a six-pack of Budweiser or some of those tiny airplane liquor bottles, I could figure it out.Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...

We asked people in the US about their customer service battles and hundreds responded on the financial and emotional costsGuardian readers from across the US wrote in to tell us about their battles with big companies, and the time, expense and emotional toll exacted by businesses they say are prioritizing the bottom line over all else.The top takeaway: people really, really don't like AI customer service. Continue reading...

In NY-12, four Democrats, including one Kennedy, are vying to replace Jerry Nadler - and potentially shake things upWhen news broke that a safely Democratic seat in New York's wealthiest congressional district was becoming vacant, it was inevitable that there would be a crowded field of candidates.What people might not have expected is that the subsequent Democratic primary, would become one of the country's most closely watched and action-packed, the race coming to reflect a range of Democrats' national political priorities: who is the strongest against Trump; who is the most critical of artificial intelligence companies; and who is, basically, the coolest. Continue reading...

From East Wing demolition and restoration' of reflecting pool to bridge and fountain renovations, US capital is a different city right now'On the edge of Lafayette Square, a landmark park near the White House, a scuffed sign proclaimed: We are making DC safe and beautiful."Julie, visiting Washington DC with her husband, Robert, to celebrate their recent marriage, was unconvinced. The irony," she said. It's neither safe, nor beautiful." Continue reading...

Tournament has completed its first week and while the logistics have sometimes been challenging, the people and the football have been goodIt was quite a contrast touching down in sleepy Kansas City hours after having witnessed the bedlam on the streets of New York when the Knicks won the NBA Finals and Brazil drew with Morocco. But this is a World Cup full of contrasts, from Fifa's never-ending quest to make a quick buck ($5 a pop for a bottle of water in the media centre) to the warmth shown by locals I've encountered in the Big Apple, Kansas City and Dallas. Then there's the football. It's been hard to keep up with the volume of matches, but the opening round served up some classics, with DR Congo's draw against Portugal on the same day as England beat Croatia capping a thrilling first week of action. Let's hope it continues. Ed AaronsIt took nearly the full opening round, but a US scene that is usually focused on other sports has fully turned its eyes to socc- sorry, I mean football, forgot to code-switch. Fitting, actually, because at times this state of affairs has been awkward, like when the standard loud men yelling" sports talk shows are forced to reckon with international football being the No 1 talking point and employing nobody that knows the scene. But these are growing pains. The sport is on at bars and delis, it is being discussed at school pickups and on the rides home. It's beautiful and exactly what so many of us here in the States have been fighting for. Alexander Abnos Continue reading...

Ten-man Paraguay clung on after Matias Galarza's early strike to secure a famous win and ensure Turkey will go home at the end of the group stageA surprise start for attacker Isidro Pitta, who was so certain he wouldn't be called up to Paraguay's squad for the World Cup that he had already booked a holiday to Spain with his family during the tournament.Nicknamed Viking' due to his long hair and big ginger beard, he's found form at Red Bull Bragantino and is described as a fighter, a tireless worker and a constant nuisance for opposition defences" in the Guardian's World Cup player guide. Continue reading...

Developments in Ukraine and Iran show that the military superpowers are not getting it all their own wayOur age of what Mark Carney called global rupture is also often described as following the law of the jungle", in which the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must, with international law shattered and multilateral organisations hollowed out. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Israel's onslaught on Gaza, and the US and Israel's attacks on Iran and Lebanon seem to confirm this bleak outlook. On closer inspection, however, these wars offer a different, and far brighter, clue to the way forward.Russia, once seen as a formidable military power, was expected to overwhelm Ukraine, a much smaller and weaker country backed by a divided, fearful and hesitant west. Even after the war settled into a protracted stalemate, the prevailing belief was that Ukraine was doomed to lose. But the narrative has shifted.Nathalie Tocci is a Guardian Europe columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

A quickfire Matheus Cunha double was added to by Vinicius Junior as Brazil secured a comfortable win over their Caribbean opponentsNeymar would probably not even be in North America this summer had Rodrygo been fit. Instead the Real Madrid winger is recuperating from an ACL injury by penning thoughtful columns.The pressure of wearing the Brazil shirt can be heavy but also creates a positive kind of responsibility. That pressure exists solely because of the greatness of our football, the titles we've won, and our historic standing in the sport. The fans' mood often hinges on the result, which is only natural in a country so used to winning regularly.So, as a player you have to realise that a barrage of criticism isn't the end of the world, just as a massive wave of praise doesn't mean everything is sorted out and that you will win the tournament. It is crucial to distinguish facts and balanced analysis from comments born of raw emotion and frustration.If Vinicius is now Brazil's undisputed star, the 25-year-old has also yet to really make the team his own. He has turned in frustrating and often fruitless performances at major international tournaments, while scoring a mere nine goals in 49 appearances entering this, his second World Cup.He has yet to wrest top billing from Neymar, whose jersey was worn by huge swaths of the Brazilian fans in their draw with Morocco on Saturday. Continue reading...

Yes there's the party side, the buoyant side, one that makes friends everywhere it goes. But there's the other side tooIn a disconcerting development, Americans have started wearing kilts. Some of them are even doing it on the TV as they try to wrap themselves around the Tartan Army. On the local Boston news on Thursday night, things were so giddy that people were predicting victory over Morocco and a passage out of the group for the first time. It was only when the camera returned to the news anchor that she reminded everyone; actually Morocco are African champions and World Cup semi-finalists.The US has a bit to learn about football still and maybe more to understand about the Scots. Yes there's the party side, the buoyant side, the one that makes friends everywhere it goes. But there's the other side too, the sceptical one (some call it realist), the one that knows you should party now because things will find a way of going wrong in a minute. The one that spies a challenge like Morocco with foreboding. Continue reading...

US-Iran meeting in Switzerland cancelled because of Lebanon fighting; Trump unveils new Air Force One - key US politics stories from Friday 19 June at a glanceAfter a meeting due on Friday in Switzerland between the US and Iran to hammer out details of a peace plan was cancelled because of renewed violence in Lebanon, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to renew their ceasefire.The diplomatic back-and-forth between Washington and Tehran about a Middle East peace deal has sent energy prices soaring and threatened global economic chaos. Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have threatened to damage Donald Trump's efforts to extricate the US from the Middle East war. Continue reading...

Long a hotbed of American soccer, Seattle showed on Friday why it should no longer be a rare visit for the national teamOne does not have to go far in Seattle, Washington, to be reminded that it's a soccer town. Two days before Friday's 2-0 win for the US over Australia, all I had to do was get on the train.Riding the light rail to lunch on Wednesday and hopping off at Westlake Station, I was a few blocks from Pike Place Market, the city's famous waterfront gathering spot. The train car I'd arrived on had been overflowing with US jerseys and Australia kits. Riding the escalator up into the resplendent afternoon sun, someone tugged at my bag. Continue reading...

Wyndham Clark is four shots clear after the second round at Shinnecock Hills leaving a fascinating weekend in prospectMatt Fitzpatrick has to hole a 27-footer to save par at 3. It keeps him at -3 and in a tie for third. Great work. But not so good for playing partner DeChambeau, who misses the fairway, comes up short with his approach and looks utterly baffled as his par putt from 30 feet drifts five feet past. He completes an error-strewn hole by missing that one so it's an ugly double bogey and Bryson tumbles down to +2.The average score in round one was 73.280 which isn't too exteme for a US Open. Here's how it compares to the last five years. Continue reading...

New craft, called VC-25B Bridge, had provoked protest since $400m jet wildly exceeds limit on unsolicited giftsDonald Trump unveiled the new, temporary Air Force One at a hangar at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday, a day after White House officials bid farewell to one of two Boeing 747s used to transport presidents for more than 30 years.The new jet, designated VC-25B and decked out in a punchy red, white, dark blue and gold livery, was gifted to Trump by the Gulf emirate of Qatar, provoking howls of political protest since the $400m jet wildly exceeds the limit on unsolicited gifts of $50 in value in a single calendar year from the same source. Continue reading...

Judge finds public interest outweighs privacy rights in request made by staffer at Heritage FoundationA federal judge on Friday rejected Joe Biden's attempt to block the Trump administration from releasing to a conservative group the recordings that Biden made with a ghostwriter.The US district judge Dabney Friedrich found that the public interest in the material outweighed whatever privacy rights Biden had. Continue reading...

Kick-off time: noon local/3pm ET/8pm BST/5am AEST

Book also details Trump's enthralled' reaction to pictures of injuries caused by Israeli pager attack on HezbollahDonald Trump declared he would not go to war with Iran last year, according to a new book, which claims he told Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk: We're not doing that."The US president is said to have provided the assurance during an Oval Office meeting with rightwing commentator Carlson and SpaceX CEO Musk - the world's richest person, who recently became its first trillionaire - early last year. Continue reading...

Social Circle announces homeland security has canceled plans to convert warehouse to detain up to 10,000 peopleThe small town of Social Circle in rural Georgia has announced that the Department of Homeland Security has cancelled plans to turn a warehouse into what would have been one of the largest immigration detention centers in the country.The cancellation appears to be one of seven around the country, according to reporting elsewhere, and part of a reversal under new homeland security director Markwayne Mullin in the Trump administration's plans to buy up warehouses and boost detention capacity - after spending $1bn on the effort in recent months. Continue reading...

Ukrainian strikes on a Moscow oil refinery, protests at the G7 summit, wildfires in Spain and Messi at the World Cup - the past seven days as captured by the world's leading photojournalistsWarning: this gallery contains images some readers may find distressing Continue reading...

Working at a tournament brings its own demands but nothing like the pressure on home players for a good showingGreetings from Los Angeles - from your own podcasting correspondent. England aside, it's been 20 years since I was in the host country for a major tournament. Professional commitments make this a marginally different experience from driving around Germany with Ian, Matt and Oli in 2006 just wondering when the next stein was going to be thrust into my hands - dancing with Trinidad and Tobago fans, feeling lucky to miss out on Brazil v Australia tickets because my hangover was too much for the sun.The question you are asked most by people back home is along the lines of: Is there World Cup fever in the States?" I am reminded of a local TV crew who walked around central Cambridge on the eve of our FA Cup quarter-final with Crystal Palace in 1990 asking people how they felt about the game, and being rewarded with lots of nice middle-class people who didn't even know there was a football team in Cambridge. Continue reading...

Historian' claims overwhelming difference' between him and rogues' gallery of autocrats is that Trump is more powerfulDonald Trump has enthusiastically agreed with a public assessment by a man he met while golfing that the overwhelming difference" between the current US president and historical figures who incited fear - such as Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Mao and Hitler - is that Trump is more powerful.The US president reposted a short text in the early hours of Friday morning, in which the author writes: Continue reading...

The Italian prime minister posted a video on X saying that Donald Trump's claim she begged him for a photo was 'completely made up'. The US president made the comment to Italy's La7 TV channel after the G7 summit in France, saying: 'She wanted a picture with me so badly. I wouldn't have taken it, but I felt sorry for her'

Trump loyalist's rise to lead US spy agencies sparked firestorm over his lack of experience and partisanship

Are we in the opening scenes of a disaster movie? There's something going on with insectsIt's the start of the G7, guaranteeing us a week of either serious commentary or hot mic moments that may, in their way, prove more revealing than all the thousands of words of analysis. Previous summits have delivered a steady flow of off-the-cuff remarks from world leaders, including President Obama, at the G20 in 2011, grousing to the then French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, about Benjamin Netanyahu (You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day"), and Jacques Chirac, who, at a European summit in the early 2000s, said of the UK: You cannot trust people who have such bad cuisine. It is the country with the worst food after Finland." Rude! Continue reading...

Donald Trump has signed a 14-point agreement with Iran, claiming it delivered a 'major win' for the US - even as it made significant political and financial concessions to Tehran to reopen the strait of Hormuz and prevent a worldwide depression

Stand Up for Science founder says proposal to control how grants are spent would dismantle US science ecosystem'While waiting to board her flight home at Ronald Reagan Washington national airport recently, Colette Delawalla was reviewing a list of possible impacts from a proposed Trump administration rule on controlling federal money, including grants for research.Delawalla, the founder of the group Stand Up for Science, had just completed a three-day visit to Capitol Hill, where she met one by one with more than 30 members of Congress, part of a full-court press the organization has launched in recent weeks, sounding the alarm on the office of management and budget (OMB) proposal. Continue reading...

At every stage of childhood, the Trump administration is withdrawing a protection. It is also dismantling the tools that would measure the harmA newborn's first hours in a US hospital used to carry a quiet set of guarantees. A vitamin K injection against catastrophic bleeding. A hepatitis B vaccination. The assumption that whatever a family could afford, the country had already decided this child was worth protecting. I have spent more than 40 years in pulmonary and critical care medicine. I have seen children harmed by disease, poverty, by bad luck. I had not, until now, seen them harmed so methodically by their own government.Read the headlines one at a time and the pattern disappears. A vaccine rule one week, a food program the next, the reorganization of an agency most people could not name. Each change arrives wrapped in a reasonable rationale: fiscal discipline, local control, parental choice. But arrange them in the order a child actually grows, and the rationales stop mattering. What you see instead is a sequence. Continue reading...

Live blog: the latest news from around the tournament World Cup newsletter | Daily podcast | Get the appFew teams were more impressive in their opening World Cup fixture than the USA. Mauricio Pochettino's side put down an early marker with a dominant display against Paraguay that has heightened expectations for the encounter with Australia.Considering Australia also won their opening fixture, the outcome of the match in Seattle could go a long way to determining who finishes top of Group D and secures a theoretically easier route through the knockout rounds.Complete guide to all the playersA visual guide to every stadiumStandingsGolden Boot leaders Continue reading...

As datacenters' connections to electric grids are held up, big tech is forced to throw money at producing its own powerDatacenters are driving unprecedented growth in the US clean energy industry, paradoxically boosting a sector that was sputtering before the artificial intelligence boom even as AI's rollout creates immense environmental challenges.However, observers caution that while the centers are propelling wind, solar, and other clean energy companies, datacenters remain a climate nightmare. Continue reading...

Marine veteran James Brown rescued a driver with a piece of metal lodged in his legA US military veteran and trucker recently used his battlefield medical training to save the life of a fellow truck driver whose leg was impaled by a piece of metal after a crash, earning him official recognition as an angel" of the nation's highways.As the organization honoring him tells it, James Brown was driving for Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Melton Truck Lines through torrential rain - as well as low visibility - on 22 May when he saw another trucker lose control, leave the roadway and overturn about 40 miles east of Little Rock, Arkansas. Continue reading...

Do we really want to play dice with our planet?A series in the Guardian recently declared it's time to talk about geoengineering." So let's talk about it. And let us start with some simple truths about this cluster of techno-optimistic quick fixes" which purport to somehow offset our slow progress towards zeroing out planet-warming carbon emissions.Solar geoengineering proposals - reducing sunlight - have received the most attention, but a host of desperate schemes have been proposed in an effort to fix" the disruption of climate caused by the growing burden of carbon dioxide human activities add to the atmosphere. Continue reading...

South Siders voice concerns about gentrification, housing and affordability as they celebrate opening of the Obama Presidential CenterPastor Jeffery Campbell has deep ties to Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood. He was raised in the South Side neighborhood, and has served as pastor at Woodlawn Baptist Church for 22 years.And for the past decade, he's attempted to protect its residents from displacement and gentrification. He's seen rising rents, residents squeezed by university development and life becoming more unaffordable. Now, there's a new challenge: the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center - part of a 19-acre, $850m campus - that has transformed life in the neighborhood, as well as the adjacent South Shore and Hyde Park, long before this Friday's opening to the public. Continue reading...

The Braves pitcher has always been different from the average baseball player. He talks to Joseph Palmer about his motivations on and off the fieldSpencer Strider made an impression in 2022, his first full season in Major League Baseball: he was runner-up for National League Rookie of the Year. In 2023 he was ever better, leading the majors in wins and strikeouts and earning a spot on the All-MLB first-team.But what set him apart from many of his peers wasn't his athletic ability but his life away from baseball. In a sport that is often socially conservative, the Atlanta Braves pitcher was a vegan Bernie Sanders supporter who was just as likely to discuss indie music as his fastball. Continue reading...

Soccer - football to many - may be the most played youth sport in the US but it still sits behind the NFL, basketball and baseball in the battle for mainstream attention. Longtime sports writer John Shea of the San Francisco Standard says the current World Cup buzz resembles the fleeting interest generated by the Olympics before Americans return to their sporting staples. That imbalance shapes the experience of players and fans alike. Bernardo Ramallo, who works with non-profit Soccer Without Borders says young soccer players have long endured jibes that the sport is weak' compared with American football.Forget the confected World Cup hostility, the US and Australia mirror each other Continue reading...

El Tri became the first team to book a spot in the knockout stage with a narrow win over their Asian opponents in GuadalajaraJavier Aguirre was forced into one change following the red card to Cesar Montes against South Africa. Montes is replaced in the centre of defence by Edson Alvarez. Aguirre has also switched right backs, with Israel Reyes coming in for Jorge Sanchez, and tinkered with his midfield where Alvarao Fidalgo loses out to Luis Romo.Mexico (4-1-2-3): 1 Rangel; 2 Sanchez, 4 Alvarez, 5 Vasquez, 23 Gallardo; 6 Lira; 26 Gutierrez, 7 Romo Fidalgo; 25 Alvarado, 9 Jimenez, 16 Quinones.Fans of the two countries have shared a warm relationship since the 2018 World Cup, when South Korea's unexpected 2-0 victory over Germany in their final group game put Mexico into the last 16. Amid the celebrations in Mexico City, South Korea's ambassador was carried shoulder-high along the street in front of the embassy as local fans chanted, Coreano, hermano, ya eres mexicano!" - Korean, brother, you are Mexican now!" The chant has been resurrected in Guadalajara, where South Korea beat Czechia 2-1 in their first group game. When a group of Korean fans visited the wrestling, the arena DJ played Gangnam Style to welcome them. Mexican social media has been flooded with videos of Guadalajarans and Koreans performing PSY's horse dance together. Continue reading...

Vice-president says Israeli cabinet members shouldn't attack the country's only powerful ally' left; Iran says it will impose fees on strait of Hormuz - key US politics stories from Thursday 18 JuneJD Vance has sharply rebuked Israeli government critics of the US deal with Iran, saying the cabinet members should remember that two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected Israel have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars".The US vice-president, asked about a report that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was fuming over the agreement, told reporters at the White House: If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world." Continue reading...

The Group D clash between the United States and Socceroos has been hyped as next step in a heated rivalry but the nations are on similar football journeysListen to the hyperbole spewed by the loudest voices, and the World Cup clash between co-hosts the United States and Australia in Seattle is the latest contest in a heated sporting rivalry streaked with disrespect and even downright hate.Indeed, the sometimes spiteful clash between the teams in a friendly last year serves as a preview for what is now one of the marquee matches in the pool stage, and set to determine the winner of Group D. Continue reading...

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Attack brings to at least 211 number of people killed as Trump administration targets alleged narcoterrorists'The US military attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing three people, as the Trump administration wages a months-long campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.The latest attack brings the number of people the US military has killed in boat strikes to at least 211 since the Trump administration began targeting people it calls narcoterrorists" in early September. Continue reading...

Wyndham Clark leads after day one at Shinnecock Hills while Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy are in the chasing packGood news! Round 1 of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills will resume at 9:05 a.m. ET." So says the official tweet. That's just over 15 minutes away.Weather delay in the golf but they're playing at the Oval. Should be the other way round surely? Continue reading...

Judge's order finds officials probably retaliated for Salah Sarsour's advocacy for Palestinian rightsA federal judge has ordered the release of the president of Wisconsin's largest mosque, after finding that immigration officials probably detained him in retaliation against his public advocacy for Palestinian rights, suppressing his first amendment rights in the process.The US district judge James Patrick Hanlon's order on Thursday marked a sharp rebuke against Trump officials, including the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who had tried to paint Salah Sarsour as a national security threat. Continue reading...

After Mauricio Pochettino's passionate half-time speech last October, the USA shaped up and started on the path to a rematch against the Australians in SeattleHaji Wright's finish was cool, but Mauricio Pochettino's reaction was cooler. It was the 35th minute of the US men's national team's friendly against Australia last October, and the Coventry City striker had just equalized after Jordan Bos put the Socceroos up earlier in the half. Wright celebrated by walking calmly away, while his coach had a blank expression on the sideline.Pochettino's mind may have been on Australia's aggressive approach, including one challenge that forced Christian Pulisic out of the match midway through the first half. Or he may have been focused on his team's reaction. Continue reading...

Drivers feel some relief but prices still a dollar more per gallon overall since before US-Israel attack on Iran

Move to dismantle $368m sea observatory initiative faced opposition from experts and lawmakersThe Donald Trump administration has reversed its decision to dismantle a $368m deep-sea observation system following an outcry from lawmakers and ocean experts.On Thursday, the National Science Foundation announced that it would halt plans to dismantle the Ocean Observatories Initiative, stating: effective immediately, [it] will not proceed with further removal or descoping of equipment from the remaining arrays and will continue operations including planned maintenance". Continue reading...

Hundreds of thousands of fans packed lower Manhattan after team's historic NBA championship win Continue reading...