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Drink removed from draft list after lobbying from whiskey-making Ireland and wine-producing Italy and France

Musk's unsuccessful attempts may be sign of growing rift between US president and tech billionaireElon Musk made personal, repeated attempts to try to get Donald Trump to back off from the wave of global tariffs that have created turmoil in international markets, it was reported on Tuesday.Musk's failure to get Trump to listen, however, is evidence to some observers of a growing rift between the US president and the world's richest person, who has been leading the White House's efforts to curb federal spending as head of the unofficial department of government efficiency (Doge). Continue reading...

Newton-Wellesley hospital says it ruled out environmental risk as staff members diagnosed with benign growthsFive nurses working in the same unit at a Boston-area hospital have been diagnosed with non-cancerous brain tumors, prompting them and their labor union to search for answers while the medical facility contends it has ruled out an environmental risk for workers there.According to a statement that Mass General Brigham's Newton-Wellesley hospital provided to NBC10 Boston, the five nurses either work or have previously worked in the facility's fifth-floor maternity unit. Continue reading...

Wall Street rises after Treasury secretary says US can reach some good deals' with trading partners

US marshals sent to deliver letter warning Liz Oyer about testifying to Congress over actor's gun case, lawyer saysThe Trump administration-led justice department planned to send armed US marshals to deliver a letter warning a career pardon attorney about testifying to Congress after she says she was fired over a case involving the actor Mel Gibson, her lawyer said in a letter seen by Reuters on Monday.This highly unusual step of directing armed law enforcement officers to the home of a former Department of Justice employee who has engaged in no misconduct, let alone criminal conduct, simply to deliver a letter, is both unprecedented and completely inappropriate," Michael Bromwich, a lawyer representing the fired pardon attorney Liz Oyer, wrote to the justice department. Continue reading...

On 1 April, thousands of workers at HHS and agencies like the CDC were let go, leaving those left to piece together the cuts and mourn the research that can't go forwardFor the past two months, members of the Elon Musk-led department of government efficiency" (Doge) have stalked the halls of the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) Atlanta headquarters.Several employees told the Guardian that if a Doge staffer walked through their offices and saw a badge at an untended workstation, its owner would be fired promptly. Firing someone for a security violation gave Doge an excuse to circumvent the defenses of civil service protection, or performance reviews, or seniority. Continue reading...

Let's stop all the moaning about stock market crashes and soaring grocery prices. It's time to focus on the upsides!There's been a lot of doom-mongering about tariffs recently, hasn't there? Oh no, my life savings are going to get wiped out and I'm never going to be able to retire! Oh no, grocery prices are going to triple! Oh no, it looks suspiciously as if Donald Trump has used ChatGPT to guide his fiscal policy and now we're going to see another Great Depression! Moan, moan, moan.While it might be true that much of these predictions are coming from highly credentialed economists and people who tend to know what they're talking about, I'd like to remind you that there are two sides to every story - and it's always worth looking at both of them. You've already heard from voices who reckon Trump's tariffs are misguided and dangerous. Now it's time to focus on the people who support the president's assessment that tariffs are a very beautiful thing" that will usher in a new golden age. Continue reading...

Days of heavy rains have led to rapidly swelling waterways and prompted a series of flood emergencies from Texas to Ohio. Forecasters attributed this violent weather to warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming from the Gulf. The climate crisis is bringing heavier rainfall and related flood risks in most parts of the US, with the upper Midwest and Ohio River valley among the regions most affected, according to Climate Central, an independent nonprofit Continue reading...

Trump's actions are irreconcilable with Christian compassion. But an unholy alliance seeks to cast empathy as a parasitic plagueJust over an hour into Elon Musk's last appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast, the billionaire brought up the latest existential threat to trouble him.We've got civilizational suicidal empathy going on," Musk said. And it's like, I believe in empathy. Like, I think you should care about other people, but you need to have empathy for civilization as a whole and not commit to a civilizational suicide." Continue reading...

President's effort to rapidly shrink federal government is already reaching private sector as recession fears loomAmericans are grappling with climbing costs, falling sales and dwindling work as Donald Trump moves to overhaul the federal government and economy.As the US president pushes forward with an array of controversial policies, from sweeping cuts to blanket tariffs, the Guardian asked US workers how they have been affected. Some requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. Continue reading...

Pete Hildebrand says health secretary never said anything' about vaccine's efficacy when he visited for funeralA Texas man who buried his eight-year-old daughter on Sunday after the unvaccinated child died with measles says Robert F Kennedy Jr never said anything" about the vaccine against the illness or its proven efficacy while visiting the girl's family and community for her funeral.He did not say that the vaccine was effective," Pete Hildebrand, the father of Daisy Hildebrand, said in reference to Kennedy during a brief interview on Monday. I had supper with the guy ... and he never said anything about that." Continue reading...

Family members of many deported Venezuelans deny alleged gang ties. Plus, global executions hit 10-year high in 2024Good morning.The supreme court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to use an 18th-century wartime law to deport Venezuelan people, but said they must get a court hearing before they are taken from the US.What was the reaction? Lee Gelernt, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed suit against the deportations, said the court's ruling that deportees were entitled to due process was an important victory". Donald Trump posted: The Supreme Court has upheld the Rule of Law in our Nation by allowing a President, whoever that may be, to be able to secure our Borders, and protect our families and our Country, itself. A GREAT DAY FOR JUSTICE IN AMERICA."What did Beijing say on Tuesday? China's commerce ministry accused the US of blackmail" and said Trump's threats of additional 50% tariffs if Beijing did not reverse its own 34% reciprocal tariff were a mistake on top of a mistake". Continue reading...

Workers say fast-paced conditions compound injury risks, while USDA will no longer require reports on safety dataThe Trump administration will speed up processing lines for poultry and pork meatpacking plants while halting reports on worker safety, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced recently, in a move that workers and advocates say will lead to more injuries.Some poultry and pork plants already receive waivers to speed up production lines, and the USDA plans to update its rules to make the changes permanent and applicable to all poultry and pork plants, the department said in a press release. Continue reading...

Kat Abughazaleh has been critical of what she describes as Democrats' lack of vision and says the party has lost touch with many of its voters, especially young peopleKat Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old progressive TikTok star, wants to do campaigns differently. So the very online candidate for a solid blue congressional seat in Illinois is channeling her energy into in-person events.The entry fee for her campaign's kickoff event was a box of tampons or pads to be donated to The Period Collective, a Chicago-based nonprofit that distributes free menstrual products to low-income communities in the area. The debut was such a success, she said, they filled her campaign manager's SUV with donations. (I want him to get pulled over so bad," Abughazaleh quipped in a video for her YouTube series How to Run for Congress.) It's part of her pledge to disrupt politics as usual and run a campaign centered on mutual aid and community organizing instead of a candidate-centered vanity project" that relies on expensive TV ads and grifty" fundraising texts. Continue reading...

When we dig into new research we see why all the alarming headlines are written, but also that science is bringing new hopeAlzheimer's disease and other dementias were the leading cause of death in Britain in 2021 (followed by Covid-19 and heart disease), and a top 10 cause of death in the United States. Dementia is a general term used for several diseases that destroy nerve cells and damage the brain, leading to difficulty with memory, thinking and other cognitive functions. Behind those statistics is a heartbreaking condition for individuals (and their loved ones) as they become confused and disoriented, struggle to recognise family, friends and caregivers, and lose the ability to live independently.Recent studies from across the world have highlighted that dementia cases are likely to rise dramatically. For instance, an analysis of 15,000 middle-aged US adults in Nature Medicine in January 2025 found that in study participants, the lifetime risk of developing dementia after 55 was 42%. Basically, an estimated 42% of over 55-year-old Americans will eventually develop dementia. This is considerably higher than previous studies had found. The authors say that the number of US adults who will develop dementia annually is expected to double over the next four decades. The numbers are eye-wateringly high, and they align with a growing concern in public health that with more people living longer and elderly people becoming a larger proportion of the population, cases will increase dramatically, with associated health and social care challenges. Continue reading...

It is Fifa's own policies and hunger for monetization that has helped prevent American soccer from growing organicallyColin Cowherd peered down from his studio desk perched high above the chairs assigned to the guests on his Fox Sports talkshow. He had a simple question for Fifa president Gianni Infantino. More of a demand, really.Give me something about America that you really love," Cowherd said. Continue reading...

Dallas have a proven ability to pick up talented players in the draft. But their owner doesn't help when it comes to free agencyWell, Jerry Jones has done it again - and not in a good way.The Dallas Cowboys' owner, president, and general manager has once again waited too long to re-sign one of his key players, and he's going to pay for it as a result. At the 2025 NFL owners' meetings in early April, Jones was asked about edge-rushing superstar Micah Parsons, and how to keep him on the team. Continue reading...

China's government says it will 'fight to the end' if the US continues to escalate the trade war, after Donald Trump threatened huge additional tariffs in response to Beijing's retaliatory measures. A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said: 'Chinese people do not provoke trouble, nor are they afraid of it. Pressure, threats, and blackmail are not the right ways to deal with China. China will surely take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests'

Despite Thai advisers, the series failed to escape the western lens of its rich protagonists and the history of the country's representation

The Cougars committed five of their nine turnovers in the final 3:24, including four on their last four possessions, and failed to attempt a shot in the final minuteIt came down to one more play.In a championship game where every possession felt like a fistfight, Florida landed the final punch. Houston buckled. And for Kelvin Sampson's Cougars, that sliver of difference will sting for a long time.1:21 - Joseph Tugler stripped in the paint0:52 - LJ Cryer lost the ball under pressure0:26 - Sharp dribbled the ball off his leg in a triple-team trap0:00 - Sharp dropped the ball on the final play, unable to recover without traveling Continue reading...

Extreme volatility has plagued global stock markets, with Donald Trump defying stark warnings about economic damage - key US politics stories from 7 AprilGlobal stock markets fell catastrophically on Monday following President Trump's tariff rollout.Despite the economic turmoil, the US president doubled down on his plan, threatening to impose an additional 50% tariff on imports from China on Wednesday, unless the country rescinds its retaliatory tariffs on the United States by Tuesday. Continue reading...

I write to bear witness to the incredible nature of these men - to their kindness, their gentleness and their goodnessWhen the initial news of the executions of eight paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the disappearance of one more broke on Eid al-Fitr, I stared for a long time at the pictures of the men the Israel Defense Forces had killed. I have stared more every day since.I knew some of these men. Continue reading...

In 5-4 ruling, court laid down terms for invoking Alien Enemies Act, stating any challenges to law must take place in TexasDonald Trump may continue using a 1798 law to deport alleged gang members to Venezuela, the supreme court ruled on Monday, however it will apply certain limits. Any challenges to the wartime law, called the Alien Enemies Act, must take place in Texas, where the migrants were held, and not in Washington DC, the court said.In a 5-4 ruling, the court granted the Trump administration's request to lift a Washington DC-based judge's order temporarily blocking the deportations. Continue reading...

Health secretary makes announcement as EPA reviews new scientific information' into potential health risksRobert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, said he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide. Kennedy also said he's assembling a taskforce to focus on the issue.Also on Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it was reviewing new scientific information" on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water. The EPA has primary authority to set the maximum level of fluoridation in public water systems. Continue reading...

President poised to further impose taxes after Beijing announced a 34% tariff on US imports as global markets fallDonald Trump has threatened to impose an additional 50% tariff on imports from China on Wednesday unless the country rescinds its retaliatory tariffs on the United States by Tuesday.The news comes on the third day of catastrophic market falls around the globe since Trump announced his trade war last Wednesday with tariffs on the US's trading partners. Continue reading...

About a thousand people marched outside of Tom Homan's home in village of less than 1,500 after family was detainedA mother and her three children who were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents as part of a sweep in the tiny hometown of the Trump administration's border czar", Tom Homan, have been released following days of outcry from community figures, advocates and protesters calling for their freedom.Over the weekend, about a thousand protesters marched outside of Homan's home in a small New York village, calling for the release of the family after they were detained last month. The family has not been named or spoken out publicly. Continue reading...

President says the pair had a great discussion' while prime minister says Israel will eliminate trade deficit with USThe Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, met with Donald Trump on Monday for the second time since the US president's return to office, marking the first effort by a foreign leader to negotiate a deal after Trump announced sweeping tariffs last week.Speaking alongside Trump in the Oval Office, Netanyahu said Israel would eliminate the trade deficit with the US. We intend to do it very quickly," he told reporters, adding that he believed Israel could serve as a model for many countries who ought to do the same". Continue reading...

President, sitting in Oval Office with Benjamin Netanyahu, warns Tehran of great danger' if talks are not successfulDonald Trump has announced that the US is to hold direct talks with Iran in a bid to prevent the country from obtaining an atomic bomb, while also warning Tehran of dire consequences if they fail.Sitting beside Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in the Oval Office, Trump indicated that discussions would start this coming weekend, though he also implied communications had already begun. Continue reading...

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Mourners gather for former lawmaker and daughter of Haitian immigrants, Mia Love, who died aged 49Family and friends of the former US congresswoman Mia Love gathered Monday in Salt Lake City to honor the life and legacy of the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress after she died of brain cancer last month aged 49.The former lawmaker from Utah, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, had undergone treatment for an aggressive brain tumor called glioblastoma and received immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial. She died on 23 March at her home in Saratoga Springs, Utah, weeks after her daughter announced she was no longer responding to treatment. Continue reading...

Country had refused to allow an individual deported from US, following which US revoked visas of all South Sudan passport holdersThe government of South Sudan said on Monday that an individual at the centre of a deportation row with the US, which South Sudan refused to allow into the country at the weekend, is a citizen of neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).South Sudan said the individual was a man named Makula Kintu, not Nimeiri Garang, as his paperwork claimed and had been using travel documents which weren't his. In accordance with our immigration protocols, we returned him to the sending country for further processing," the foreign ministry spokesperson, Apuk Ayuel Mayen, said. Continue reading...

USCCB says heartbreaking' decision comes after Trump administration cut funding for refugee resettlementThe US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced on Monday that it is ending a half-century of partnerships with the federal government to serve refugees and children, saying the heartbreaking" decision follows the Trump administration's abrupt halt of funding for refugee resettlement.The break will inevitably result in fewer services than Catholic agencies were able to offer in the past to the needy, the bishops said. Continue reading...

While US bosses look terrified of being labelled unpatriotic over Trump's tariffs, stock markets are trading on guesswork

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Right now, Starmer and the rest of the world are being played by The Donald

US health secretary continues to send mixed messaging about measles outbreak that has claimed at least three livesRobert F Kennedy Jr followed up his attendance at the Texas funeral of a child who died from measles by praising two unconventional healers", one of whom was previously disciplined by the state's medical board for unusual use of risk-filled medications".The US health secretary continued to send mixed messaging over the weekend about the measles outbreak that has now claimed at least three lives, including that of two children - first touting the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine as effective, then extolling the practitioners who have eschewed it in favor of vitamins and cod liver oil. Continue reading...

After his fairytale' success last year, the Scottish golfer has his heart set on Masters gloryWhat a mistake it would be to presume the boy-next-door demeanour means a lack of competitive instinct. Robert MacIntyre's love for Oban, shinty and all associated is endearing. Hehas also proved that he is perfectly comfortable in the company of golf's aristocracy.MacIntyre missed the module where sportspeople are advised not to speak about lifetime aspirations. Mention the Masters to the Scot and he lights up. Absence makes the heart grow fonder; after impressing at Augusta National in 2021 and 2022, he failed to qualify for the next two stagings. MacIntyre returns for the 89th edition as the 17th-ranked player in the world. Continue reading...

Region also saw several evacuations amid severe rains, flooding rivers and tornadoesAt least 21 people are reported to have died after a series of deadly storms across the southern and midwest US, with severe rains, flooding rivers and tornadoes leading to several evacuations in the region.Some cities ordered people to leave their homes as floodwaters rose. And rescue crews have been spotted using inflatable boats to check on residents in Kentucky and Tennessee. Continue reading...

Nearly 40 students report canceled visas over minor infractions as Trump intensifies crackdown on universitiesLisa was eating takeout at a friend's place when the email from her university landed. She clicked into her inbox and skimmed the message:ISS [International Student Services] is writing to inform you that your SEVIS record was terminated..." Continue reading...

A single play has led Charlotte FC to multiple wins, while Minnesota United's strikeforce is thrivingThe Vancouver Whitecaps weren't supposed to be here, perched on top of the Western Conference.They lost Stuart Armstrong, a key Designated Player, over the offseason. Star attacker Ryan Gauld has missed the last month with a knee injury. They're still alive in the Concacaf Champions Cup quarter-finals, and Concacaf success and regular season success don't tend to mix well for MLS teams. And yet, here they are. On top of the West. The Vancouver Whitecaps. Continue reading...

Wealth of world's richest tycoons shrinks as US president's trade war spooks investors

Oklahoma's Markwayne Mullin downplays comments suggesting lawmakers could shoot journalists over disputes

When the show began in 2021, creator Mike White was happy to remind everyone that greed is the root of all evil. This is no time for him to get bored and move onWhen the first season of The White Lotus arrived, it took a while to notice how dazzlingly political it was. The director, Mike White, has since congratulated himself about that little hook at the start: before we know anything, we know that someone is going to die. He has said that he wishes he had started all his shows that way. It is so simple yet so effective. You meander into it thinking it is a whodunnit, with a side order of who-did-it-get-done-to? Then there are some beautiful beaches, and there is some astronomical wealth. By necessity, there are some characters who are not wealthy, since who else is going to fetch the drinks?It is not until around the seventh minute that it becomes obvious how catastrophically unhappy all the characters are, how horrible they are to one another, how disappointing and thin their existences. It had started off looking like wealth porn - the term affixed, post-Big Little Lies in 2017, to any show that was mainly about rich-people-problems and their gigantic kitchens. (In the US, with their peculiar coyness around saying wealth" like it was a bad thing, they always called it lifestyle porn".) Continue reading...

With its Iranian melodies, instrumentation and backing singers, Sheeran's joyful new single is a reminder of how culture transcends bordersThe Farsi word azizam" - meaning my dear or my darling in English - may not have the same level of global resonance as habibi or ma cherie, but to us Persians it's a daily refrain. We use it with our family, partners, friends; my cat probably thinks it's her middle name by now. So it felt huge when Ed Sheeran announced that the lead single from his new album would be called just that: Azizam.The track, inspired by the Iranian heritage of Stockholm-based producer Ilya Salmanzadeh, has divided critics, with a Telegraph review calling it a slice of pure pop froth that couldn't be any more generic and upbeat if it was written by an AI programme". But these reproaches are missing a whole other dimension: that the song has triggered a huge emotional response from millions of Iranians around the world. Hearing a beloved artist embrace our language with such care? We feel it. And we're here for it," said one popular comment on Sheeran's Instagram. Continue reading...

The tariffs are 'a typical act of unilateralism, protectionism, and economic bullying,' said spokesperson Lin Jian. Trump has slapped China, the world's second biggest economy, with additional 34% tariffs, bringing the total new levies on the country this year to 54% and the overall tariff rate to 74%, UBS reported. Trump also closed a trade loophole that had allowed low-value packages from China to enter the US duty-free.

Billionaire fund manager tries to persuade US president over tariffs, which have wiped $6tn off US stocks

Speaking after his best actor victory, Lithgow said Donald Trump's administration has done some shocking, destructive things' especially its takeover of the Kennedy CenterThe actor John Lithgow has described Donald Trump's second presidency as a pure disaster" for the arts in the US. Lithgow, speaking after his best actor victory at the Olivier awards in London on Sunday, singled out Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center, Washington DC's national institution for the performing arts. Our administration has done some shocking, destructive things," he said, but the one that grieves me most is taking over the Kennedy Center."The US president is now chair of the prestigious cultural complex (which was founded as a government-funded, bipartisan venue) and has installed new board members and a new interim leader, loyalist Ric Grenell. The board had been in the process of selecting a successor to outgoing leader Deborah Rutter, who in January announced her intention to step down after 11 years. Continue reading...