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In the end, we're likely to see a legislative pastiche - a Frankenstein's monster forged by political necessityThe feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump is a godsend for Democrats, a headache for the president and a problem for Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House. Between now and the Fourth of July, Trump expects congressional Republicans to deliver a badly needed win. After more than four months back in the Oval Office, he still lacks a major legislative achievement.Republicans control both the House and Senate, but the public sees goose eggs on the scoreboard. Almost daily, the courts upend the president's executive orders. Slim legislative majorities and government by rage come with drawbacks.Lloyd Green is an attorney in New York and served in the US Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992 Continue reading...

Indiana didn't lead for 47 minutes and 59.7 seconds of Thursday's NBA finals opener. But belief, defiance and Tyrese Haliburton's dramatic flair made the final 0.3 countThis is why you play the games, as the old adage goes. In recent years, the later rounds of the NBA playoffs - and the finals in particular - have felt rote. They've gone chalk. The drama was minimal, even under the brightest lights of the league's biggest stage. This year has been different: a playoffs filled with suspense, tension and plot twists galore. But at the start of the finals, the scene was set for a regression to the intrigue-less mean. Every roundtable pundit, basketball expert and barbershop patron outside of Indiana state lines had Oklahoma City - basketball's best team from wire to wire - winning the series easily.But Tyrese Haliburton, the instigator of several of this postseason's most jaw-dropping twists, knows a thing or two about drama. It oozes out of his pores. And he and his Indiana Pacers had other plans. Continue reading...

This would all be sad enough even if it didn't have global consequences. For Democrats, the moment has comeEver since the world's richest person, Elon Musk, threw his financial weight behind Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and appeared hopping around idiotically behind the candidate at a rally stage, political observers have wondered what would instigate the two men's inevitable falling out.Would it be a matter of competing egos, with each man resenting the power and influence of the other? Would it be a matter of clashing cultures, with Trump's sleaze rubbing the wrong way against Musk's Silicon Valley creepiness? Would it be an ideological clash, with the paleocon nationalists of Trump's dwindling inner circle turning against Musk's cadre of teenage Doge hackers and cosmopolitan techno-reactionaries?Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Tirso TJ' Dominguez says Escobar paid him $20m monthly to fly planeloads of cokeA man who eventually became Pablo Escobar's go-to cocaine pilot has revealed that he first turned down an employment offer from the notorious Colombian drug lord because he was content with the $4m a month he was earning while flying for a competitor.But, in a new podcast containing what is believed to be his first interview since authorities arrested him at his Florida mansion in 1988, Tirso TJ" Dominguez recounted how he changed his mind about working for Escobar when the so-called Patron - or boss - offered him a salary that was five times higher: $20m monthly. Continue reading...

President had cued up ban in January order and, despite exemptions, policy will separate families and harm people fleeing crisesDonald Trump's first travel ban in 2017 had an immediate, explosive impact - spawning chaos at airports nationwide.This time around, the panic and chaos was already widespread by the time the president signed his proclamation Wednesday to fully or partially restrict foreign nationals from 19 countries from entering the United States. Continue reading...

Trump's signature Big Beautiful Bill' precipitated an epic fallout between the US president and his former ally, billionaire Elon Musk

Harvard had asked the judge to block the ban, arguing Trump violated law by failing to back up claims students posed a threat to national securityA district judge in Boston has blocked the Trump administration's ban on Harvard's international students from entering the United States after the Ivy League university argued the move was illegal.Harvard had asked the judge, Allison Burrough, to block the ban, pending further litigation, arguing Trump had violated federal law by failing to back up his claims that the students posed a threat to national security. Continue reading...

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Musk had complained for weeks about Trump's tax spending bill, but the feud has descended into an extraordinary exchange of insults. Key US politics stories from 5 June 2025The relationship between the richest man in the world and the most powerful one has spectacularly exploded, as Elon Musk publicly agreed Donald Trump should be impeached and linked him to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Musk stepped down from his role as a special government employee on 28 May after showing discontent with Trump's tax spending bill, officially known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but had until this week stayed relatively restrained in his remarks. Continue reading...

Lawmakers still weighing whether to pass Big, Beautiful Bill' at root of rift between US president and tech boss

Across the US, hundreds of thousands of Chinese students are now uncertain about their academic future and some are considering moving awayChinese students in the United States are questioning their future in the country after the state department announced last week that it would aggressively" revoke visas for Chinese students and enhance scrutiny of future applications from China and Hong Kong.Chinese students hoping to study at Harvard, the US's oldest and wealthiest university, are under particular pressure after the Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it was banning the school from enrolling new foreign students. The presidential proclamation cited Harvard's links with China as a particular cause for concern. Continue reading...

The bromance might be over but Trump has kissed and made up with his enemies before. Enjoy it while it lastsIf you paid attention during physics class you will remember the third law of ego-dynamics. Namely: when two egos of equal mass occupy the same orbit, the system will eventually become unstable, resulting in an explosive separation and some very nasty tweets.To see this theory in action please have a gander at the dramatic collapse of the Donald Trump and Elon Musk bromance. The news has been a nonstop horror show for what feels like forever. Watching two of the very worst people in the world direct their nastiness at each other is extremely cathartic. Continue reading...

US secretary of state cites illegitimate actions' of court that issued arrest warrants against Israeli officialsThe United States is placing sanctions on four judges from the international criminal court (ICC) for what it has called its illegitimate actions" targeting the United States and Israel.The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, announced the sanctions in a statement on Thursday. They target Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia. Continue reading...

Palestinian graduate describes weeping as he crouched on detention center floor listening to wife give birthMahmoud Khalil, the detained Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist, has said in a new court filing that the most immediate and visceral harms" he has experienced during his nearly three-month detention have been missing the birth of his son and being separated from his wife.Instead of holding my wife's hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone," Khalil said. I listened to her pain, trying to comfort her while 70 other men slept around me. When I heard my son's first cries, I buried my face in my arms so no one would see me weep. Continue reading...

Tensions over the Republican spending bill burst into public view as the president's relationship with his former adviser deteriorated

The US president, Donald Trump, has said Russia and Ukraine may need to 'fight for a while' to assist efforts to bring peace, likening the two countries to bickering and fighting children. Trump was speaking alongside the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who was visiting the White House. Trump said: 'Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart. And I gave that analogy to Putin yesterday'

The US president's ban has failed to register the same fierce resistance as his similar move of January 2017

Lawmakers also said the president's ban on travel from certain countries would isolate the US

US president says he accepted invitation in first phone conversation between leaders since JanuaryDonald Trump said he had accepted an invitation to meet Xi Jinping in China after a phone conversation on trade was held between the leaders of the world's two largest economies.In a post on Truth Social, the US president said the very good" call lasted about 90 minutes and the conversation was almost entirely focused on trade". Continue reading...

The US president says he is very disappointed that the former 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) chief criticised his upcoming spending bill. Trump accused Musk of turning against the bill because of its provisions revoking incentives for consumers to buy electric vehicles approved by Congress during Joe Biden's term. He also suggested Musk may be suffering from 'Trump derangement syndrome', which he said afflicts people who leave his administration

Aryna Sabalenka took out the four-times champion in three sets while Coco Gauff emphatically ended the run of the French wildcardSabalenka 1-0 Swiatek* (*denotes server) Swiatek is so methodical in her work, particularly when serving, and her first delivery makes 15-0. But two booming returns, full of length, rush her, and at 15-30, Sabalenka again unloads, her forehands too hot; Swiatek pushes wide and must now face two break points. A double follows, and that's a poor start from the champ, who somehow seemed surprised by the power coming at her from the other side of the net.Swiatek to serve, ready ... play. Continue reading...

We would like to hear from people from the 19 affected countries on what the travel ban might mean for themDonald Trump has announced an order banning travel from 12 countries and restricting travel seven others, citing a range of reasons including national security and concerns that visitors from those countries are overstaying their visas.The nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen will be fully" restricted from entering the US, according to the proclamation. Meanwhile, the entry of nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will be partially restricted. Continue reading...

Lawsuit alleged that Smith & Wesson and Interstate Arms aided the illegal trafficking of firearms to drug cartelsThe US supreme court on Thursday spared two American gun companies from a lawsuit by Mexico's government accusing them of aiding illegal firearms trafficking to drug cartels and fueling gun violence on the south side of the US-Mexico border.The justices, in a unanimous ruling, overturned a lower court's decision that had allowed the lawsuit to proceed against the firearms maker Smith & Wesson and distributor Interstate Arms. The lower court had found that Mexico plausibly alleged that the companies aided and abetted illegal gun sales, harming its government. Continue reading...

Catholic Charities had argued it should not be required to pay unemployment taxes

US defence secretary says he expects goal of 5% of GDP in next decade to be agreed this monthThe US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, said Nato allies were very close, almost near consensus" to an agreement to significantly raise targets for defence spending to 5% of GDP in the next decade.The Trump administration official indicated he expected the increased target to be agreed at a summit in The Hague later this month - and confirmed that the headline figure was to be split into two parts. Continue reading...

The Tide detergent and Pampers maker plans global restructuring as US consumers pull back and trade costs riseProcter & Gamble will cut up to 7,000 jobs, or approximately 6% of its global workforce, in the next two years as the maker of Tide detergent and Pampers diapers wrestles with tariff-related costs and customers who have grown anxious about the economy.

Johns Hopkins hospital reported 200-gallon spill at its East Baltimore facility before the harbor spill was discoveredCrews were working on Thursday morning to contain and clean up a 2,000-gallon (7,570-liter) diesel fuel spill in Baltimore's harbor, according to state and city officials.Initially, the Johns Hopkins hospital reported a contained 200-gallon diesel fuel spill at its East Baltimore facility on Wednesday morning, but a few hours later the fire department responded to a 911 call for a spill at a marina in Harbor East more than a mile away, officials said. The state, city and US Coast Guard began coordinating a response to the spill. In an update at about 7pm, Johns Hopkins reported that 2,000 gallons had spilled, officials said. Continue reading...

Caracas describes US government as fascist, Somalia vows to address security and Iranian Americans express regret

Frontrunners Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani sparred on stage as all candidates said they'd stand up to TrumpIn the first debate of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, nine candidates took the stage and fielded questions on housing, affordability, crime, policing, public safety, political regrets and how each candidate would handle the Trump administration if elected.The candidates included former New York governor Andrew Cuomo; democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani; the New York City council speaker, Adrienne Adams; the current New York City comptroller, Brad Lander; former comptroller Scott Stringer; former Bronx assemblyman Michael Blake; state senators Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos; and former hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson. Continue reading...

AB Hernandez, 16, and her mom tell the Guardian about her love of track, how her community has stood by her - and why intimidation tactics' won't workAB Hernandez, a 16-year-old track and field athlete from California, had trained for years for this moment.On Saturday, the high school junior from Jurupa Valley, a city east of Los Angeles, won first place in the high jump, first place in the triple jump and silver in the long jump in the state finals. Continue reading...

Browns' owners want to build a new $2.4bn stadium - and want Ohio taxpayers to foot a portion of the billFor Ryan James, co-owner of the Flat Iron Cafe, Cleveland's oldest Irish pub, National Football League game days are a lifeline in an increasingly difficult business climate.We open up at 9am, and within a few hours, both floors are full of supporters," he says. The pub bought a bus to shuttle fans the one-mile drive to the Browns' stadium on the Lake Erie waterfront. Continue reading...

A trade court ruling is exposing the civil war on the right, as key legal establishment figures oppose the presidentDonald Trump's trade war has become his quagmire: legal, economic and political. On 28 May, the court of international trade ruled his tariffs exceeded his constitutional authority. Point by point, the decision decimated Trump's arguments as flimsy and false, implicitly castigated the Republican Congress for abdicating its constitutional responsibility, and reminded other courts, not least the supreme court, of the judicial branch's obligation to exercise its authority regardless of the blustering of the executive and the fecklessness of the legislative branches.Trump's tariffs, along with his withdrawal of active support for Ukraine and passivity toward his strongman father figure Vladimir Putin, have broken the western alliance, forcing the west to make its own arrangements with China, and cementing the idea for a generation to come that the United States is an untrustworthy and unstable partner.Sidney Blumenthal, a former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, has published three books of a projected five-volume political life of Abraham Lincoln: A Self-Made Man, Wrestling With His Angel and All the Powers of Earth Continue reading...

The Crystal Palace defender has enjoyed one of his finest professional seasons, and is now an undisputed leader in the campChris Richards is fresh off a strong end to his Premier League season, and he's staring down an important task: take hold of a leadership role in the US backline, and help to fix an ailing US men's national team.Easy, right? Continue reading...

Nationals from countries including Afghanistan, Haiti and Sudan fully' restricted. Plus, a breakthrough in HIV research

The administration has touted its efforts against illegal immigration. But what sets his actions apart is his crusade against those in the US legallyThe Donald Trump administration has billed itself as taking unprecedented steps to crack down on illegal immigration. While the total number of deportations has yet to surge, it may happen soon. The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, supports suspending habeas corpus to speed up deportations, and the border czar, Tom Homan, has suggested blatantly ignoring court orders. Private companies are also lining up to cash in on mass deportations.Nonetheless, Trump's approach so far to immigration deemed illegal has not differed much from what Barack Obama and Joe Biden did. So why does everything feel different?Daniel Mendiola is a professor of Latin American history and migration studies at Vassar College. Continue reading...

Money transfer service Wise will move primary listing to US and dual list shares to try to lure more investors

Planemaker seals $1.1bn agreement to avoid prosecution over two crashes that killed 346 peopleBoeing has agreed to pay $1.1bn (812m) to avoid prosecution over two plane crashes that killed 346 people, in a deal that a lawyer for 16 families of the victims has described as morally repugnant".The plane manufacturer has secured a deal - agreed in principle last month - with the US Department of Justice (DoJ), which includes paying $444.5m to the families of those who died in the crashes of 737 Max jetliners in 2018 and 2019. Continue reading...

Will it be Oklahoma City or Indiana? Our contributors pick the winner, key players and dark horses before the season's grand finale tips off Thursday nightThe Thunder's path to victory is to continue to be the most fearsome defensive unit we've seen in recent years. They play an uber-aggressive, hyper-switchable form of defense that has suffocated opponents all year long. It means they give up a lot of fouls, but they also get away with a bunch and force turnovers more than anyone else in the league. Keep that up and, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting his customary 32 points a night, they won't be stopped. Ryan Baldi Continue reading...

A majority of my age group agreed with a recent supreme court ruling - among 18- to 24-year-olds, the reverse was true. I believe the key lies in our respective life stagesDiffering attitudes to women's and transgender rights activism are often said to be generational. One poll, published a month on from the supreme court ruling that the legal definition of woman" in the Equality Act is based on biological sex, found 63% supportive of the ruling and 18% opposed. But younger people were far more likely to be in the latter camp, with 53% of 18- to 24-year-olds disagreeing with the judgment. In my age group, 50-64, the figure was just 13%. Such results echo earlier polls.As with any attempt to link a demographic with a point of view, there are plenty of exceptions. Last month Lady Hale, the octogenarian former president of the supreme court, became one of them when she argued that the ruling had been misinterpreted, telling a literary festival she had met doctors who said there is no such thing as biological sex".Susanna Rustin is a social affairs journalist and the author of Sexed: A History of British FeminismDo 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...

US president says it would jeopardize national security to allow university to keep hosting international studentsDonald Trump signed a proclamation to restrict foreign student visas at Harvard University, the White House said on Wednesday.The order would suspend for an initial six months the entry into the US of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard. Trump declared that it would jeopardize national security to allow Harvard to continue hosting foreign students. Continue reading...

For decades, the state has been tightening its rules around who qualifies as Italian. This is a chance to fight backWhen I first moved to Italy in 2012, I had no idea that more than a decade later I'd still be here. Back then, being British I had the luxury of EU citizenship, and thus of not overthinking things. I was excited by the prospect of spending time in a country that I'd always been fascinated by, and that was that. And yet, post-Brexit, I'm still here. Italy is my home. My community is here and I've made my career here. I speak the language fluently, and I'm even making progress with the hand gestures. Politically, I've lived through seven prime ministers - from Mario Monti to Giorgia Meloni - but, sadly, one thing I've never been able to do, in all these years, is vote in an election.This weekend, Italians will participate in a referendum that includes a proposal to halve the time of legal residency required for non-EU adult foreigners to apply for Italian citizenship, from 10 to five years. (My own path to citizenship is covered by a different, post-Brexit process. However, a yes vote would offer me another route if my various EU-era documents and residency proofs are found wanting by the Italian bureaucracy.)Jamie Mackay is a writer and translator based in Florence Continue reading...