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This liveblog is now closedEarlier this morning, Alan Garber, president of Harvard University, told NPR's Morning Edition that elite institutions need to double down on their commitment to the good of the nation" and be firm in our commitments to what we stand for".Garber said he finds the measures taken by the Trump administration to be perplexing"; while he acknowledges there is work to be done on campus regarding viewpoint diversity, he said he struggles to see a link between funding freezes and fighting antisemitism.I think that we have heard from some people that they do feel that [Harvard lacks viewpoint diversity]. What is perplexing is the measures that they have taken to address these that don't even hit the same people that they believe are causing the problems. Why cut off research funding? Sure, it hurts Harvard, but it hurts the country because after all, the research funding is not a gift. The research funding is given to universities and other research institutions to carry out work - research work - that the federal government designates as high-priority work. It is work that they want done. They are paying to have that work conducted. Shutting off that work does not help the country, even as it punishes Harvard, and it is hard to see the link between that and, say, antisemitism.I would say that the federal government has the authority through the budgeting process to reallocate funds. But the question to ask is what problem is [Trump] trying to solve by doing that? The money that goes to research universities in the form of grants and contracts, which is almost all of the federal support that we get, is used to pay for work that we perform at the behest of the government. So in reallocating to some other use, including trade schools, it means that work just won't be performed. So the right question is, is this the most effective use of federal funding? Do you really want to cut back on research dollars? I'm less concerned about whether it goes to a trade school or if it goes to some other project, like working on highways. The real question is, how much value does the federal government get from its expenditures on research? There is a lot of actual research demonstrating the returns to the American people have been enormous.I would say that we need to be firm in our commitments to what we stand for. And what we stand for - I believe I speak for other universities - is education, pursuit of the truth, helping to educate people for better futures. And hopefully our own students, after they graduate from our institutions, go out and serve the world. In the end, we're about producing and disseminating knowledge and serving our nation and our world. When we fail in that, then we can expect to be attacked. So number one, I think we all need to redouble our commitment to the good of the nation and the world. And I know my fellow leaders fully embrace that. Continue reading...

State's interscholastic federation said it was extending access for more biological females' at track and field meetThe governing board for California high school sports is changing its competition rules at this weekend's state track and field championships to allow more girls to take part amid controversy over the participation of a trans student-athlete.The California Interscholastic Federation said it was extending access for more biological female" athletes to participate in the championship meet. The group announced the change Tuesday after Donald Trump posted on his social media site about the participation of a trans athlete in the competition. Continue reading...

New cable directs US embassies to stop processing visas for new students; federal agencies cancel $1oom in contracts with Harvard. Key US politics stories from Tuesday 27 May at a glanceThe Trump administration has continued its crackdown on American universities by ordering US embassies worldwide to immediately stop scheduling visa interviews for foreign students.The directive comes as the government prepares to implement comprehensive social media screening for all international applicants and after the president's assault on Harvard that followed pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations last year. Continue reading...

Body of Matthew Kelemen found and roommate - who died in car chase last week - identified as suspect, officials sayThe remains of a freelance writer in Las Vegas were found last week inside a container at a downtown business, authorities said.Las Vegas police said in a news release that they discovered the body of Matthew Kelemen, 56, while responding to a report of a foul-smelling odor" coming from the container. Continue reading...

Reservoir lost 27.8m acre-feet of groundwater in 20 years, Nasa study finds, vanishing twice as fast as surface water'The Colorado River basin has lost 27.8m acre-feet of groundwater in the past 20 years, an amount of water nearly equivalent to the full capacity of Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, a new study has found.The research findings, based on Nasa satellite imagery from across the south-west, highlight the scale of the ongoing water crisis in the region, as both groundwater and surface water are being severely depleted. Continue reading...

Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves still at large, while at least 11 people arrested on suspicion of aiding prisonersTwo of the 10 prisoners who escaped from New Orleans's jail on 16 May remained on the run as of Tuesday, after three more of the group were rearrested on Monday, authorities said.One of the men was arrested by local police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, about 80 miles north-west of New Orleans. Two others were arrested in Walker county, Texas, Louisiana state police said on the Twitter/X. Continue reading...

Tuberville, who transitioned from college football coach to politician, aims to succeed Republican governor Kay IveyRepublican US senator Tommy Tuberville has officially entered the race for governor of Alabama, revealing a campaign website on Tuesday to launch his candidacy.If the campaign is successful, Tuberville could become Alabama's governor-elect by the end of 2026. He aims to succeed Republican governor Kay Ivey, who is finishing her second term and is barred from running again due to term limits. Continue reading...

Cam Norrie beat Daniil Mevedev in a thriller and there were also wins for Sonay Kartal, Jack Draper, Novak Djokovic and Coco GauffNorrie, leading 2-1 on serve, has two more break points against Medvedev on Simonne Matheiu, to add to the one he had in the second game. But these come and go too, the second when Medvedev draws Norrie in with a drop shot before pulling off the pass. After a few deuces Medvedev holds, but he's not looking too comfortable.Naomi Osaka has a tendency to be hard on herself and yesterday was no different after her absorbing 6-7 (1), 6-1, 6-4 defeat against the 1oth seed, Paula Badosa. The four-times grand slam champion has struggled to rediscover her best form since returning to tennis last January after the birth of her daughter, and said yesterday: I think as time goes on, I feel like I should be doing better. But also I hate disappointing people. So, like, even with Patrick [Mouratoglou], I was thinking this just now, but he goes from working with the greatest player ever [Serena Williams] to, like, what the fuck this is. You know what I mean?" Continue reading...

Man believed to be high on methamphetamine swam in alligator-infested waters before charging at officersA Florida man was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies after he was bitten by an alligator during an early morning dip in a lake, then threatened the officers with garden shears as he attempted to enter their patrol vehicle, the sheriff said.Photos posted to social media by deputies in Polk county showed the aftermath of Monday's fatal, exceptionally chaotic events in Lakeland that ended with Timothy Schulz, 42, dead in what Grady Judd, the sheriff, called a rampage". Continue reading...

Directive could severely delay visa processing and hurt universities that rely on foreign students for revenue

US president launches fresh criticism of Russian counterpart and suggests US sanctions could be increasedDonald Trump has warned Vladimir Putin that he is playing with fire", launching a fresh broadside at his Russian counterpart over stalled Ukraine peace efforts.Trump's latest comments came after he called the Kremlin leader CRAZY" over the weekend following a mass Russian air attack on Kyiv, and warned that Moscow risked new sanctions. Continue reading...

The move ends the CDC's booster recommendation for healthy children and pregnant women, bypassing normsThe US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, announced that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would remove Covid-19 booster shots from its recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women.Legal experts said the Trump administration appointee's decision, which Kennedy announced on social media, circumvented the CDC's authority to recommend such changes - and that it is unprecedented for a health secretary to unilaterally make such a decision. Continue reading...

Lawsuit argues executive order violates constitution by targeting NPR for news coverage Trump feels is biased

A Guardian investigation found that legal claims against private-equity backed healthcare companies are increasingly being delayed or obstructed in bankruptcy courtGene Davis was in his 50s when he could no longer ignore the pain in his knee. He worked two jobs he loved in Stamford, Connecticut - he and his brothers were all firefighters, and they also ran a real estate business together. It meant a lot of walking up stairs. Finally, in July 2019, Davis got his knee replaced with an implant. At first, he was recovering fine. Then, the pain got worse.An X-ray revealed that bits of the implant had begun to splinter into his leg. He assumed it was bad luck. After a second surgery to get a new version of the same device, manufactured by a Florida-based company called Exactech, things just got worse. Here we go again," he thought, I'm haemorrhaging a lot of blood ... and I'm wondering why." Eventually, Davis, who had always been conscientious about his health and, at 60, still fit into his Marine uniform, had to leave his job at the fire department. Continue reading...

Mary Trump tells Hay-on-Wye book festival in Wales that her uncle, the US president, isn't close with anybody'Donald Trump has never evolved" and isn't close with anybody", according to Mary Trump, the US president's niece and a vocal critic of his business and political career.The daughter of Donald's older brother, Fred Trump Jr (nicknamed Freddie), Mary Trump told the Hay festival in Wales - where she was discussing her latest book about the Trump family, Who Could Ever Love You - that she no longer has relationships with anyone in her family apart from her daughter. Continue reading...

The consumer confidence index rose after hitting its lowest reading since May 2020 as Trump pressed ahead with tariffsAmericans' views of the economy improved in May after five straight months of declines sent consumer confidence to the lowest level since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, largely driven by anxiety over the impact of Donald Trump's tariffs.The Conference Board said on Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose 12.3 points in May to 98, up from April's 85.7, its lowest reading since May 2020. Continue reading...

These people once said they cared about cancel culture'. But look at how they are trying to cancel the children's YouTuber Ms Rachel for featuring a toddler from Gaza on her channelThoughts and non-denominational prayers to all the anti-woke warriors out there. It may seem as though everything is going their way now Donald Trump is back with a vengeance, but the poor things have run into a bit of a branding problem. For years, the anti-woke crowd positioned themselves as fearless free thinkers taking on the intolerant left. The journalist Bari Weiss wrote a fawning New York Times piece in 2018 describing rightwing voices such as Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens as renegades of the intellectual dark web" (IDW).Now, however, the people who used to position themselves as oppressed truth-tellers operating in what Weiss's article called an era of That Which Cannot Be Said", have a state-sanctioned microphone. They've won. But in winning they've made it difficult to continue the charade that they give a damn about cancel culture". Look around: some of these self-styled free speech warriors are doing everything they can to ruin the lives of everyone who doesn't 100% agree with them.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The Trump administration has canceled $100m in contracts as the US president escalates his war on elite universities

Scott Jenkins was found guilty of accepting over $75,000 in exchange for appointing auxiliary deputy sheriffsDonald Trump announced on Monday that he had issued an unconditional pardon to a former Virginia sheriff who was convicted on federal fraud and bribery charges.Scott Jenkins, 53, had served as the sheriff of Culpeper county in northern Virginia for 12 years, having been elected in 2011 and re-elected twice. Continue reading...

Putin has tied his political survival to the war, and he believes Russia is winning. The US president will not make progress on peace until that changes

Yaqeen Hammad is one of dozens of minors killed by Israeli attacks. Plus, US faces another summer of extreme heat

Exclusive: Trump advisers lose confidence in Pentagon leak investigation Hegseth used to justify firing three top aidesThe White House has lost confidence in a Pentagon leak investigation that Pete Hegseth used to justify firing three top aides last month, after advisers were told that the aides had supposedly been outed by an illegal warrantless National Security Agency (NSA) wiretap.The extraordinary explanation alarmed the advisers, who also raised it with people close to JD Vance, because such a wiretap would almost certainly be unconstitutional and an even bigger scandal than a number of leaks. Continue reading...

Shift to carmaker's Burnaston plant in Derbyshire will reduce delivery times for vehicle to North America

The bill could stop federal courts from enforcing their rulings, eliminating any restraint on TrumpIf enacted, Donald Trump's Big Ugly Bill as it emerged on Thursday from the House of Representatives would result in the largest redistribution of income and wealth in American history - from the poor and working class to the rich.Hidden within the bill is also a provision that would allow Trump to crown himself king.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com Continue reading...

With a home World Cup on the horizon, we look at how potential players for Mauricio Pochettino's squad affected their standing this past seasonThere is, understandably, a lot of angst going around the US men's national team fanbase. Recent performances have not been up to standard, and disappointing results are creating a distinctly doom-y feeling just over a year out from the start of a home World Cup.What might be lost in all of this is what was, by and large, a very solid season for Americans abroad. Here's how the major figures affected their international standing this past season (Major figures meaning: players who have been involved with the senior team within the last year or so). Continue reading...

In an age of division where authoritarianism is seeping into every corner of American discourse, the Spelling Bee offers up a reminder of what America should truly beWe're living through turbulent times, to say the least. Authoritarianism and fascism threaten the United States. The conspiracy thinking, paranoia and manufactured outrage so characteristic of QAnon and the big lie about the 2020 election have colonized our political discourse like a fungus. Even the National Spelling Bee, a cultural institution which will be celebrating its centennial this year and which is generally exempted from the far right's paranoid vitriol, hasn't been immune. Earlier this year, a foofaraw erupted when right-wing outlets reported on the acceptance of womyn" as an alternate spelling of women" in the regional-level wordlist which the National Spelling Bee issues each year.The reason womyn" was included in the wordlist wasn't some shadowy feminist plot by the Bee's organizers. The competition simply allows any word in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged dictionary, unless it is obsolete. Womyn" is in the dictionary, along with tens of thousands of other words, such as pointless", culture" and war".Scott Remer is a professional spelling bee tutor, freelance writer, and the author of the textbooks Words of Wisdom: Keys to Success in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Sesquipedalia!: A Rigorous Vocabulary Study Guide, Regional Bee Ready!, and A Few Final Words of Wisdom. Continue reading...

I am in tears reading the stories of what might happen if these further cuts go ahead, which is why I've joined forces with others to demand action

Donald Trump says he is considering taking a further three billion dollars of grant money' from the institution. Key US politics stories from Monday 26 May at a glanceDonald Trump delivered the traditional presidential Memorial Day speech at Arlington national cemetery and also attacked judges on social media, talking up his own achievements and threatening Harvard University with further cuts to its funding.Trump posted on his social media platform: I am considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land." Continue reading...

Data from hotel site Trivago shows fewer US bookings by holidaymakers from Canada, Japan, Mexico and GermanyHolidaymakers in countries hit the hardest by Donald Trump's trade tariffs are taking the US off their list for trips abroad, according to online travel booking data.Findings from the hotel search site Trivago also suggest that UK and US travellers are increasingly choosing domestic holidays amid concerns over an uncertain economy. Continue reading...

President honors fallen soldiers but also says God did that' when taking credit for US hosting world sports eventsThis year's summer months promise to be among the hottest on record across the United States, continuing a worsening trend of extreme weather, and amid concern over the impacts of Trump administration cuts to key agencies.The extreme heat could be widespread and unrelenting: only far northern Alaska may escape unusually warm temperatures from June through August, according to the latest seasonal forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). Continue reading...

Jaws was filmed on island in 1975, stoking fears of marine animal that swimmer Lewis Pugh is now trying to protectA British-South African endurance athlete crossed the finish line of his 62-mile (100km) multiday swim around Martha's Vineyard on Monday, becoming the first person to swim all the way around the island off the coast of Cape Cod.Lewis Pugh, 55, began swimming multiple hours a day in the 47F (8C) water on 15 May to raise awareness about the plight of sharks - as the film Jaws nears the 50th anniversary of its cinematic release. Continue reading...

Longtime New York lawmaker was first Black chair of House ways and means committee and fierce opponent of Iraq warFormer US congressman Charles Rangel of New York, an outspoken, gravel-voiced Harlem Democrat who spent nearly five decades on Capitol Hill and was a founding member of the Congressional Black caucus, died on Monday at the age of 94.His family confirmed the death in a statement provided by City College of New York spokesperson Michelle Stent. He died at a hospital in New York, Stent said. Continue reading...

New York Times published a Memorial Day essay by Drew Gilpin Faust as university spars with Trump administrationA recent former president of Harvard University urged people to speak out" in defense of foundational threats" to values such as freedom, autonomy and democracy in the US, as those whose deaths for such causes in war were being honored on Memorial Day.Drew Gilpin Faust, the first female president of Harvard, also warned on Monday of US constitutional checks and the rule of law being at risk" under the current administration, even as Donald Trump issued a fresh threat against the elite university as it seeks to repel his assaults on its independence and funding. Continue reading...

Agency also announced new inquiry into pipe bombs found outside Democratic and Republican offices in 2021The FBI will launch new investigations into the 2023 discovery of a bag of cocaine at the White House during Joe Biden's term, as well as into pipe bombs discovered at Democratic and Republican party headquarters before the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot by supporters of Donald Trump, and the leak of the supreme court's draft opinion before the historic overturning of national abortion rights with the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v Wade in 2022.Dan Bongino, a rightwing podcaster turned deputy director of the FBI, made the announcement on X, where he said he had requested weekly briefings on any progress in looking into the old cases. The incidents have been popular talking points on America's political right wing and among conspiracy theorists. Continue reading...

Emma Raducanu and Jacob Fearnley moved into round two while Paulo Badosa beat Naomi Osaka, Daniel Altmaier saw off Taylor Fritz and Carlos Alcaraz also wonRaducanu is getting nowt for nowt, forced to 30-all as she seeks her endorsement. From there, though, she does well to close out for 4-2, while Bouzas Maneiro breaks Navarra at the start of srt two for 6-0 1-0. This is an absolute tousing ... so far.Inside-out backhand to the corner ... and Wang can't control her response. Raducanu breaks again, for 3-2, and can she hold on to it this time? Continue reading...

Doge has gut staff at Fema, EPA and the army corps, who are crucial for helping survivors get back on their feetOn 13 April, Tess McGinley was working in her Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) cubicle in Los Angeles, calling people who had lost their homes in the January wildfires, when her team was told to stop what they were doing and leave the office immediately.McGinley, a 23-year-old team leader for AmeriCorps, the US agency for national service and volunteerism, was helping Fema by reviewing wildfire survivors' cases to ensure they received housing assistance. Over the past six weeks, she and her seven teammates had reviewed more than 4,000 cases and made hundreds of calls to survivors. Now, even as the team drove home after their jobs were cut, their government phones kept ringing. Survivors just kept calling us ... And we weren't able to help," McGinley said. Continue reading...

The US has zagged from isolation to imperialism, but Trump has emptied the ethical and moral frame' of diplomacyJD Vance is an Iraq war veteran and the US vice-president. On Friday, he declared the doctrine that underpinned Washington's approach to international relations for a generation is now dead.We had a long experiment in our foreign policy that traded national defence and the maintenance of our alliances for nation building and meddling in foreign countries' affairs, even when those foreign countries had very little to do with core American interests," Vance told Naval Academy graduates in Annapolis, Maryland. Continue reading...

Amanda Litman discusses vital but difficult conversations on age as younger Democrats work to remake partyAmanda Litman spent the past decade building a way for more younger people to run for office.Now, as the Democratic party debates its ageing leaders after the former president's decline led to a bruising loss in 2024, a groundswell of younger Democrats are working to remake the party by challenging incumbents and calling out Democratic leaders who fail to push back against Trump. Continue reading...

Six people killed in what Kyiv claims is largest drone attack since February 2022 invasion. Plus, what's going to happen to the place where George Floyd died?

British business figures say many companies in UK and US disguising inclusion policies in face of rightwing attacks

Family of couple sets up fund so four-year-old can carry on legacy of parents' through opportunities such as collegeA Louisiana family is grieving but seeking to rally behind a four-year-old boy whose mother was recently killed in a car crash - and whose father then died in a separate vehicle wreck while trying to get to her.Gabriel, the son of Alexus Lee and John JR" Collins, understands what happened", his paternal grandmother, Sandra Collins, told the Louisiana news station WAFB. And he's just having a little problem comprehending that we can't talk to [his parents]. We can't see them, but he understands that they are asleep and are with God." Continue reading...

Experts say president's dismantling of world order, rapport with Netanyahu and choice of Pentagon chief benefiting ISDonald Trump has a long and colorful history with the Islamic State. He incorrectly blamed the founding of IS on his predecessor, said its infamous leader died like a dog" while announcing his assassination, and rallied an international coalition that successfully ended its so-called caliphate.So far, in his second presidency, his administration has much less to do with IS. But the terror group has still benefited from him. Continue reading...

Attacks on the university make clear that the administration will wield its power against anyone who incurs its displeasureIn record time, a court has at least temporarily put a stop to the Trump administration's latest attack on Harvard University, part of a larger retaliation spree that began in April.On Thursday, Kristi Noem had revoked Harvard's certification to host international students, causing fear and existential uncertainty for thousands of young people and their families. The swift restraining order comes as a relief. But it is no cause for complacency.Jan-Werner Muller is a Guardian US columnist and a professor of politics at Princeton University Continue reading...