US news | The Guardian

As the country reaches this historic milestone, we would like to hear from people in the US on how they are feeling about the country's futureThe United States will mark 250 years since declaring independence from the British on 4 July, with commemorations in Washington DC overseen by Donald Trump and a series of events planned across the National Mall.The milestone also comes at a turbulent moment for the country. Internationally, the Trump administration has moved away from some longstanding European allies while navigating ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Move comes after Hegseth made shot optional for military in April and Texas outbreak has sickened nearly 300 peopleThe Pentagon has said that boot camps for all the military services are once again requiring the flu vaccination for all recruits after the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, made the shot optional for the military at the end of April.The development on Wednesday was confirmed by a Pentagon official to the Associated Press and came amid a growing, weeks-long, flu outbreak at the US air force's boot camp at Lackland air force base in San Antonio, Texas. Continue reading...

The Thrive Act will create a pilot program that offers mental health resources for shooting survivors and witnesses under 25When Marvin Perez and his family moved from their home country of Guatemala to Oakland, California, he thought it would lead to a better life for them all. But two years ago, when he was 23, Perez was walking home from a store just four blocks from his family's house. Someone drove past him and shot at Perez multiple times, hitting him in his left leg.His physical recovery was difficult. The bullet couldn't be removed and remains lodged inside the leg. Perez spent about three months doing physical therapy and resting at home, which meant he couldn't play soccer, his favorite pastime. The mental toll he endured, however, was far tougher. During the day, all he could think about was the shooting, and when he slept, he had nightmares about what happened to him. It was made even harder by the fact that he felt as if he didn't have anyone he could share these feelings with. Continue reading...

As long as Israel continues its attacks on Lebanon, any deal between the US and Iran will be at riskOn 18 June, JD Vance stood in the White House press briefing room and tore into Israeli critics of the Iran deal that his boss, Donald Trump, had signed the previous day. The vice-president argued that Trump was the only world leader who was still sympathetic to Israel after nearly three years of wars and destruction across the Middle East. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government," Vance said, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world."Vance also pointed out that, during the recent US-Israeli war on Iran, two-thirds of the defensive weapons used to protect Israel from Iranian retaliation have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars". Vance publicly scolded Israel's leaders in a way they have rarely been criticized by a high-level US politician. And while Vance did not directly target his criticism at the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the subtext was clear: the Trump administration is willing to call out the Israeli leader for sabotaging ceasefire agreements so that he could prolong regional wars and maintain power.Mohamad Bazzi is a Guardian US columnist. He is also director of the Center for Near Eastern Studies and a journalism professor at New York University Continue reading...

Buildings collapse after twin 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes. Plus, why apartment renters are facing a rising tide of fees

Advocates condemn change that caps loans at $20,500 per year - less than half median annual cost of PA programStrict new caps on federal student loans are causing would-be physician assistants to reconsider training, groups representing physician assistants said.An overhaul of the federal student loan system scheduled to go into effect 1 July strictly caps the annual amount of federal loans physician assistants can borrow to $20,500 per year - less than half the median annual cost of a PA program. Continue reading...

A document on an embryo adoption program may be marginal - but it marks an escalation in the pursuit of fetal personhoodThe Trump administration quietly declared frozen embryos to be children last week. In a call for grant applications related to a nearly 20-year-old program meant to raise awareness about frozen embryo adoption, the Department of Health and Human Services referred to frozen embryos using the terms child" and children", calling for screening standards for frozen embryo purchasers to be raised to those applied to parents seeking to adopt actual children. The document refers to frozen embryos as children who already exist and are in need of a family".The language is strange and conspicuous in context, even if that context itself may seem marginal: what the Trump administration has done here is change its phrasing in the guidelines for a longstanding and somewhat obscure grant program. Continue reading...

Tenants push for tougher rules against unfair add-on charges. Industry players argue against policies that they say could limit the effective use of fees'

Randy Smith's resignation was part of plea deal after attack on podcaster Bobby Couvillion at a Madisonville restaurantA suburban New Orleans sheriff who had held one of his community's most prominent political offices for a decade has retired shortly after pleading guilty to battering a podcaster who often criticized him.Randy Smith, 61, also agreed to serve more than a year of probation after admitting to a late May beating at a steakhouse where he had bought 18 alcoholic beverages on his tab on a Friday afternoon - which all but halted his four-decade policing career. Continue reading...

Although fleeting, sporting events have the enduring power to crumble divisions and highlight the beauty of kinshipThe thrill of victory, the agony of defeat," went the tagline for the long-running TV show The Wide World of Sports.We're all familiar with those rollercoaster emotions whether we follow professional football or dabble in sandlot softball. Continue reading...

Vice-president, leading a foundering peace deal to end the kind of war he's opposed in the past, is left holding the bagJD Vance has taken the greatest gamble of his vice-presidency by making himself the face of the Iran ceasefire deal - a shaky agreement that already seems to be unraveling at the seams.But after months spent in limbo due to the war, it may be the best chance for him to find his feet again. Continue reading...

Ahead of Saturday's title unification fight in Brooklyn, the unbeaten American talks about family legacy, putting on for North Philly and life as one of boxing's most feared fightersFor years, boxing's chattering class has treated Jaron Boots" Ennis less like a champion than a prophecy. The next great one. The future pound-for-pound king. The fighter who one day would justify the steady hype that has followed him since he emerged as a teenager from Bozy's Dungeon in North Philadelphia as one of the country's top amateurs.Even now, undefeated in 36 professional fights with 31 knockouts and world championships at two different weights, Ennis approaches Saturday night's title unification bout with Xander Zayas at Brooklyn's Barclays Center in an unusual position: celebrated as one of the world's most gifted fighters while still being discussed as though his breakthrough lies ahead. Continue reading...

Senator warns of tsunami of anger' against big companies and suggests future administrations may undo key dealsDemocratic senator Elizabeth Warren has warned that corporate mergers approved by the Trump administration - including a pending deal that would put two of America's largest news outlets under the control of a family sympathetic to the president - could be undone by a future administration.After 2028, we'll have new players in Washington, and everyone who's engaged in this merger frenzy right now is aware of that," Warren said in an interview. Continue reading...

The former Tottenham coach experienced three body blows early in his tenure with the US, each contributing to the solid World Cup to comeTears welled in Mauricio Pochettino's eyes. His US team had just lost the 2025 Gold Cup final in a hard-fought match to determine the regional crown. To make matters worse they had been beaten by Mexico, their arch-rivals.Were they tears of sadness, of frustration at the result? Perhaps in part. But as Pochettino explained this week, these were also tears of empathy for his players. They had just played a tournament final. In Houston, one of the largest metro areas in the United States. Continue reading...

The US president told reporters the former Manchester mayor probably won't open up the North Sea' for oil explorationDonald Trump has labelled Andy Burnham extremely liberal", in his first public comments about the former Greater Manchester mayor since he emerged as the frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer.The US president told reporters Burnham probably won't open up the North Sea" for oil exploration, and that the UK is dying", signalling that the newly elected Labour MP could face a rocky relationship with Trump. Continue reading...

The milestone called for the epic vision of a JFK or the soaring oratory of a Barack Obama. Instead it got a Trump rallyIf that's the way America celebrates its birthday, you would not want to be present at its funeral. The shining city on a hill is losing some of its lustre these days. The land that promised life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is struggling to deliver.A milestone anniversary like 250 years of independence calls for the epic vision of a John F Kennedy, the immaculate timing of a Ronald Reagan or the soaring oratory of a Barack Obama. What it got instead on Wednesday was an 80-year-old convicted criminal who appeared in Home Alone 2 and seems hellbent on dividing the nation. Continue reading...

Sheriff in rural Texas says it's still at large' after claim Gracie had been located after wandering off private ranchFor almost two weeks, residents of a rural Texas county have been looking, mostly up, for a missing giraffe called Gracie that wandered off from a private game ranch.On Wednesday, the mystery of the free-roaming mammal's odyssey deepened further, when a local sheriff disputed an account that it was reportedly found safe a little farther out than expected" from its hill country home, and said the search was most definitely still on. Continue reading...

President on National Mall rattles off list of apparent victories and says I am thrilled to declare America is back'Donald Trump kicked off what was intended to be a spectacular birthday party" for American's 250th year of independence with a political rally touting his presidency.I am thrilled to declare that America is back," Trump said at the opening ceremony for the Great American State Fair in Washington DC, held on the National Mall. As you know very well, a short time ago we were a dead country. We were dead. Now we're the hottest country anywhere in the world. We're respected by everybody. Nobody's laughing at us any more." Continue reading...

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Trump says he'll sign housing bill aimed at lowering costs only after Senate passes restrictive voting measure - key US politics stories from Wednesday 24 June at a glanceDespite rare and overwhelming bipartisan support, a US bill aimed at lowering the cost of housing for Americans is being held hostage by Donald Trump.The president said he won't sign the 21st Century Road to Housing Act until the Senate meets his demand to pass the Save America Act, which would dramatically change voting regulations by requiring proof of citizenship at voter registration and significantly curtail mail-in voting. Continue reading...

Haiti reveled in their historic World Cup goals, but Morocco staged an impressive comeback to secure their second-place finish in Group CNo region benefited as much from the expansion of the World Cup as Africa. Earlier this week, Jonathan Wilson took a look at how the continent's 10 teams - including Morocco - are doing:Thiago Alcantara, in an appearance on Fox's US prematch show, highlights how Morocco will be looking to remedy some of their recent scoring concerns in this matchup. Across the two games, the Atlas Lions have 26 shots, but just five on target and two goals to show. Continue reading...

Teen fatally shot two people on Monday at library in Chico, which has seen deadly wildfires and nearby shootingsEven before a teenager strolled into the public library in Chico where police say he fatally shot two people on Monday afternoon, this building stood apart in the northern California community.It is the only public library that serves the city of about 107,000 people, and most residents have some connection to it. Continue reading...

Transcript of congressional testimony shows Microsoft founder spoke of veiled' threats made by late sex offenderThe Microsoft founder Bill Gates told US members of Congress that the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had sought to blackmail" him over his extramarital affairs, according to a transcript of the testimony.The tech pioneer testified behind closed doors before the House oversight committee on 10 June regarding his friendship with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 as he awaited trial for sex crimes. Continue reading...

Josue Baires Alfaro, 22, identified as victim in Nevada Fall incident that nearly claimed life of woman who tried to helpA 22-year-old visitor to Yosemite national park in California died after he was swept over a 594ft-high waterfall on Saturday, officials confirmed this week.A fellow parkgoer, Freesia Gaul, was capturing a photo when she noticed the man, reportedly identified by local authorities as Josue Baires Alfaro, in the Merced River. Continue reading...

As the US prepares to celebrate 250 years since its founding, Kai Wright sits down with Eddie Glaude Jr, a Princeton University professor, to talk about the conflicts at the heart of the American project. Glaude argues that Black Americans have played a vital role in establishing the country, but their presence is a constant reminder that the American fantasy - the story of a white republic - doesn't exist. He and Kai discuss how the Trump administration has normalized white supremacist rhetoric and the myriad ways the president is trying to whitewash history. Glaude's book America, USA: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries, is out now.

Ruling is win for democracy advocates who have fought back against Trump's push to take power over votingA US federal court blocked Donald Trump's attempt to regulate elections via executive order, a win for democracy advocates who have fought back against the US president's push to take power over voting.Trump issued an executive order on elections, including a documentary proof of citizenship requirement that would have necessitated that people show passports, birth certificates or other documentation when they registered to vote, or changed their registration. Continue reading...

White House must report by 31 July on purpose of tarp installed while Trump's name was stripped from buildingA federal judge on Wednesday ordered Donald Trump's administration to explain why it placed a tarp over the Kennedy Center's facade after the Republican leader's name was removed from the building under a court order.US district judge Christopher Cooper said the administration must report by 31 July the purpose and status of the tarp and scaffolding" now in place at the building. The tarp was installed as workers stripped Trump's name in a predawn operation this month following an order from Cooper that the Trump administration unlawfully added his name to the facade in December. Continue reading...

Michelle Zajko, in jail since February 2025 on other charges, has been charged in 2022 Pennsylvania killings of parentsA member of the cultlike group known as Zizians, who has denied killing her parents in Pennsylvania in 2022, has been charged with murder, a prosecutor said on Wednesday.Michelle Zajko, who has been jailed in Maryland on other charges since February 2025, has been charged with murder, burglary and conspiracy charges in the deaths of Rita and Richard Zajko, the Delaware county district attorney, Tanner Rouse, said at a news conference. The prosecutor said she did not act alone. Continue reading...

Pro- and anti-AI groups spent $24m on a congressional contest in New York, but it's unclear to what end

Muslims in the UK, Europe and the US are increasingly fearful and frustrated as targeted attacks rise. Others must speak outThe chilling attacks that injured five men in Edinburgh at the weekend, including two who were struck as they left a mosque, have deepened the fear that many Muslims in Britain feel today. The case received remarkably little attention south of the border. A man has now been charged with five counts of attempted murder, allegedly aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection". The facts of these attacks must now be examined in court in due course.What is beyond doubt is the real and growing fear experienced by Muslim communities in the UK, Europe and elsewhere. The US president has said that I think Islam hates us". Increasingly open Islamophobic rhetoric from political figures, and a muted response from others, as well as violence towards Muslims, have left many feeling vulnerable and frustrated.Do 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...

Agreement is first by federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a major Pfas manufacturerThe Trump administration on Wednesday reached a multi-state settlement with the chemical giant Chemours Co over years-long, illegal discharges of synthetic forever chemicals" used to make products resistant to water, grease and stains. The settlement is the first by the federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a manufacturer of harmful chemicals known as Pfas.Under the agreement, filed in federal court in West Virginia, Chemours will pay a civil penalty of $22.5m for alleged violations and spend $90m over 15 years to mitigate Pfas discharges in three states: West Virginia, North Carolina and New Jersey. Continue reading...

The latest news from the tournament before Scotland's final group stage match against Brazil in Group CHow do we feel about the penalty that wasn't?I don't really see how you can't give it. Fatawu was in and Konsa launches into him, getting nowhere near the ball with no chance of getting at the ball - which makes it a red card too. Continue reading...

Former Georgia congresswoman on social media says she's fed up' and done backing a party that betrays its voters'Former US congresswoman and Trump loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene has announced that she is finished backing the Republican party, aligning herself with TV rightwinger Tucker Carlson after his own high-profile rejection of the GOP just months ahead of the midterm elections.During a recent episode of the Can't Be Censored podcast, Carlson said when he appeared as a guest there was no chance" he would support the Republican party any more, after years of being a prominent booster for Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Administration claims website is resource for new and expecting mothers' but group of senators says it raises profound' health and safety concernsA group of 11 senators have sent a letter to Donald Trump and Robert F Kennedy urging them to remove a federal website and cease using federal resources to direct people to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers".On Mother's Day this year, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched Moms.gov, a resource they claim is for new and expecting mothers" and offers guidance and information to support the health and wellbeing of mothers and their families". Continue reading...

Gen Christopher Donahue, commander of forces in Europe and Africa, is leaving after just 18 months in the jobThe army's commander of its forces in Europe and Africa - who was famously the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021 - is unexpectedly stepping down from his post after just 18 months in the job, the Army confirmed late Tuesday.Gen Christopher Donahue, commanding general of US Army Europe and Africa and commander of Nato's Allied Land Command, will relinquish his command on 2 July, according to an army statement provided to the Associated Press. He is the latest in a line of nearly two dozen top military leaders to either retire or depart their jobs early under the leadership of the defense secretary Pete Hegseth, who has undertaken an effort to thin the ranks of the military's top brass with the mantra less generals, more GIs". Continue reading...

Camp owners said total debt exceeds $10m in chapter 11 filing after catastrophic flood last JulyCamp Mystic, the Christian summer camp in Texas where 28 people died in a catastrophic flood last July, has filed for bankruptcy, according to court records.In a Chapter 11 filing, submitted Wednesday in the southern district of Texas, the camp's owners said that the camp's total debt exceeds $10m". Continue reading...

For years the United States sought a single soccer identity. Instead, its best team emerged from a patchwork of backgrounds, cultures and development pathsIn 1993, the United States Soccer Federation handed a contract to Rinus Michels. But the Dutch godfather of Total Football, operationalized through his on-field avatar Johan Cruyff, was not hired to coach the national team, or to coach anybody, really.By this time, Michels, who managed the Los Angeles Aztecs of the North American Soccer League in 1979 and 1980, had already turned down the chance to manage the US men's national team twice. Once, in 1983, when it would be entered, disastrously, into the NASL as Team America. And once more in 1991, when Bora Milutinovi was appointed instead. Continue reading...

The New York Knicks might have won in five, but the city's mayor did it in three: a trio of candidates backed by Mamdani appear set to land seats in US Congress

AJ Dybantsa went No 1 in a draft that proved to be low on drama, but loaded with generational talentThe tanking teams Continue reading...

Mamdani-backed candidate won New York's 13th congressional district with no experience in office but ideas for how politics can actually invest in life'

Those who work with animals are at greater risk for infection, but face challenges in accessing healthcareAgricultural workers are among the highest risk group for human infection during the screwworm outbreak in the American south, yet they frequently face challenges in accessing public health - an ongoing concern amid zoonotic spillovers such as H5N1 bird flu.Screwworm has been detected in goats and sheep in three Texas counties in recent days, bringing the total to 16 known cases among animals and none reported in people. Continue reading...

The Dialog society grades its attendees on a hidden scale, tackles issues from sex to world wars, and offers matchmakingWhat would happen if roughly 200 members of the global elite gathered every year for a top secret retreat? What would they do? What would they talk about? Who would be on the guest list?Well, data leaked by the Swiss hacktivist maia arson crimew (who also brought us the justice department's no-fly list back in 2023) is shedding new light on Dialog, the private social club co-created by the former PayPal boss Peter Thiel and the angel investor Auren Hoffman.Tayo Bero is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Glaude's new book shows political turmoil historically reaching its boiling point around Fourth of July celebrationsThe mere presence of Black people at the Fourth of July celebrations, acting as if freedom belonged to them, exposed the lie at the heart of this ritual of remembrance by the nation: ours was not a nation committed to liberty and equality." So goes the second chapter of the author Eddie S Glaude Jr's latest book America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries.The Princeton University professor's new text illustrates how political turmoil has historically reached a boiling point around celebrations of the nation's founding on the Fourth of July. The text is especially relevant now as the United States approaches its 250th birthday. Throughout the book, Glaude argues that since the very beginning, Black Americans have played a vital role in establishing this country. Their presence is a constant reminder that the mythological America - one of a white republic - does not exist. Celebrations of the nation's founding, he says, reinforce myth-making at the expense of the truth. They're treated as sacrosanct events, thus justifying the sanitization of the nation's brutal history. Continue reading...

Experts say consolidation and market power have left consumers paying more for less

FTSE 100 firm says Prologis all-share proposal turned down as it falls long way short of its own views on valueThe UK warehouse landlord Segro is at the centre of the latest transatlantic takeover battle after rejecting a 12.6bn takeover approach from the US rival Prologis.Prologis has gone public with its offer for the FTSE 100 company after it was unequivocally rejected" by Segro's board on Tuesday despite valuing the company at almost 25% more than its market value at that day's close. Continue reading...

Mace's TRANS MICE Act is designed to end radical transgender-related experiments on animals'. But is this all a stupid misunderstanding?First they came for your children. As Donald Trump has claimed without evidence (because facts are woke), US schoolkids have been getting gender-reassignment surgery in between classes. Can you imagine you're a parent and ... you say, Jimmy, I love you so much. Go have a good day in school,' and your son comes back with a brutal operation," Trump said during a rally in 2024. What the hell is wrong with our country?"Now it seems the woke brigade has come for poor little mice. According to Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace, who once called herself Trump in high heels", American taxpayers are funding transgender rodents. Last week Mace, who is leaving politics next year after coming last in her state's Republican primary for governor, promoted a new bill called the TRANS MICE Act, designed to put an end to the use of taxpayer dollars for radical transgender-related experiments on animals". Continue reading...

Guardian investigation: Renters at apartment buildings operated by industry giant Greystar complain they're deluged by unfair' and inflated' fees. The company denies these claimsTenants at apartment complexes operated by Greystar, the largest owner and manager of apartments in the US, don't just pay rent. They pay a mass of fees that many renters have never heard of before.These add-ons include boiler management fees", variable refrigerant flow fees", solar rebill" fees, even lifestyle fees". Continue reading...

According to Heidi Blake in the New Yorker, the Tate and Trump circles have overlapped at Mar-a-Lago. What does that mean?Donald Trump has told many stories and denied many others about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. But those questions center on Epstein's actions and crimes, which Trump says he denounces and wasn't a part of. The White House has moved heaven, earth, the truth and much else to protect Trump from what the Epstein files might tell us about him. But there is a larger question about what Trump makes of Epstein's values. Does he reject them, or does he endorse and embrace them? Looking to his administration's ties to Andrew Tate may be instructive.According to Heidi Blake's thorough investigation of Tate in the New Yorker earlier this month, the Trump administration intervened last year to buffer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan from the consequences of their criminal charges in Romania. The Tate and Trump circles, she also reports, have overlapped at Mar-a-Lago. Continue reading...