US news | The Guardian

AI companies want to capture the value created by entire industries. That concentration of wealth and power is society's greatest riskOpposition to AI datacenters has emerged as a primary theme in US politics, one that - surprisingly - doesn't fall along party lines. We applaud people coming together for constructive debate on any issue, and agree that communities need to evaluate whether any economic benefits these datacenters bring is worth their costs. Still, we worry that a focus on datacenters obscures the larger impacts of AI on people's lives: the concentration of power of AI companies, and their widespread political and financial influence.Local datacenter opposition is grounded in legitimate concerns about misallocation of land resources when housing is at a premium, pressures on already higher energy prices, and localized environmental impact. Unlike other resource-consuming and polluting industrial facilities, datacenters produce very few jobs. The fact that US opposition to datacenters seems to be most fierce among lower-income communities reflects righteous indignation with an inequitable bargain, where tech companies and developers profit from exploiting local resources but offer little in return. On a global scale, their carbon footprint could grow unsustainably if usage accelerates. And all this is in aid of a technology that many fear will propagate misinformation, take their jobs, or even cause existential risks for humanity. Continue reading...

David Hearn is accused of destroying American flag blue' lining material on the bottom of the reflecting poolDavid Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to damaging Washington's reflecting pool after a $14.7m renovation project.Hearn, a three-time US Olympian, was indicted last week on a single felony count of property destruction. He appeared in local superior court in Washington DC to enter the plea after he was criminally charged over the incident in mid-June. Continue reading...

Officials say climate crisis worsening our exposure' to bacteria as at least 28 people sickened in ManhattanA New York outbreak of legionnaires' disease, a rare but severe form of pneumonia, highlights the microbe's growing and disproportionate impacts in a warming climate.At least 28 people have been sickened in an outbreak on the Upper East Side, a wealthy neighborhood between Central Park and the East River in Manhattan. Health department officials, seeking to stop the outbreak, have sampled water from nearly 160 building cooling towers to test for the bacteria. Continue reading...

Chris Mufarrige has taken aim at Facebook scams and junk fees, but consumer advocates say he has an uphill climbAs the director of the Federal Trade Commission's consumer protection bureau, Chris Mufarrige is the top enforcer protecting Americans against predatory companies.He's got an uphill climb, consumer advocates say. Continue reading...

City seeking bids to build and operate separate terminal, following Los Angeles, London and other citiesSick of the TSA lines? Tired of playing musical chairs at the gate? Rather sit as far from your fellow airplane passengers for as long as possible, in the comfort of your own private, luxury airport terminal?Soon you may get your wish. And San Francisco international airport wants to be your genie - for a fee. Continue reading...

Greenland Energy says billions of barrels of crude lie beneath territory and claims it has exploration permits - a claim flatly denied by NuukOn 10 June, a snowy-haired American in his 60s addressed the residents of a remote Greenland hamlet. He was there to tell them about a business venture supported by figures linked to Donald Trump. So," Robert Price said via an interpreter, we have a project to drill for oil here."The Texas oil company that Price represents, Greenland Energy, hopes to prove that billions of barrels of crude lie underground by bringing in 300 shipping containers of drilling kit. Continue reading...

US president contested judge's order to release money after Carroll's 2023 sexual abuse and defamation trial against himA Manhattan federal appeals court late on Wednesday rejected Donald Trump's latest bid to delay the payment of more than $5m to E Jean Carroll following her successful 2023 sexual abuse and defamation trial against him.The US court of appeals for the second circuit made its decision hours after Trump filed paperwork fighting Manhattan federal court judge Lewis Kaplan's order releasing this money - which has been held in a court-controlled account since June 2023. Trump denies all wrongdoing. Continue reading...

Explosions reported in southern Iran in most extensive exchange of fire since interim ceasefire. Plus the complicated legacy of beat poet Allen GinsbergGood morning. The US military carried out strikes on Iran for a second day, hours after President Donald Trump said an interim agreement to end the war was over". Iranian state media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas in the strait of Hormuz; in Sirik, another southern coastal city; and the south-western Bushehr province, home to Iran's nuclear-power-plant complex. US Central Command confirmed the strikes.On Tuesday, three cargo ships transiting the strait of Hormuz were attacked, leading to the most extensive exchange of fire between the two sides since the interim deal was signed last month. At the Nato summit in Ankara yesterday, Trump said: Anything that happens is going to happen very fast" and that the latest strikes would not result in long-term" military action. They are behaving very badly," Trump said, accusing Iran of launching drones and a missile at ships.What are the economic impacts of the renewed hostilities? US stock markets fell on Wednesday, and Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, jumped more than 5% to crest $80 a barrel. The International Monetary Fund lowered its global economic growth forecast to 3%, citing conflict in the Middle East. Jorge Leon, the head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, said: Tanker traffic through the strait of Hormuz has essentially stopped, which tells you more about risk perception right now than any statement from Washington or Tehran."Who could replace Platner? Maine Democrats have until 27 July to select a replacement to face Susan Collins in a race widely seen as pivotal to control of the Senate. The state party said it would hold a nominating convention to pick a new candidate. Troy Jackson, Janet Mills, Valli Geiger and Shenna Bellows are among the names in the frame - with Joseph Gedeon profiling them and assessing their prospects in this piece. Continue reading...

Crude memes of the Maga luminary are exploding online - less than a year after conservatives were suppressing any slander against himTen months since his assassination, Charlie Kirk's name and likeness are still proliferating online. Just not the way the far-right activist would have wanted.Audio of the gunshot that killed him has become a TikTok meme, as have ironic reposts of the apparent AI-slop song We Are Charlie Kirk, which was originally created as a posthumous tribute. He was the butt of a crude joke during the Netflix roast of Hollywood star Kevin Hart in May. The next month, a viral tweet encouraged people to take a shot" in his honor on Juneteenth. And a trend known as Kirkification" has emerged, in which internet pranksters superimpose his face on to unlikely images, such as the Mona Lisa, a woman in a bikini, or Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...

Deaths and injuries up as critics condemn administration's appalling' plan to gut federal disaster management systemThe number of US chemical accidents is rising just as the Trump administration guts protections against the disasters, a new analysis of federal data by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer) non-profit found.The report found the number of chemical accidents, explosions, fires and other emergencies that release chemicals into the atmosphere was up by at least 51% since 2021. Deaths and injuries were up at least 20%. Continue reading...

Illness surging in Michigan and other US states is rarely life-threatening, CDC says - but it can have severe effectsCases of cyclosporiasis - a parasitic illness that can cause explosive", watery diarrhea - have surged across the United States in recent days, health officials have said, with an abnormally large outbreak of almost 1,000 cases reported in Michigan.Michigan typically reports about 50 cases a year, making the current outbreak the largest in the state's history and one of the nation's biggest in recent years. Ohio has also reported a sharp increase, with 177 cases as of 2 July, since the CDC's last count. Continue reading...

Mauricio Pochettino's team delivered several thrilling performances on home soil. The way it ended was somewhat less exhilaratingSo now what? How are we supposed to think about this supposedly golden generation of the United States men's national team who have fallen short of expectations at this World Cup on home soil?How do we come to terms with the sense that this team beat Paraguay 4-1 in their opener - the most impressive performance in the program's history - but also lost dismally against Belgium by the same scoreline in the last 16?Leander Schaerlaeckens is the author of The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts, which is out now. He teaches at Marist University. Continue reading...

With marriage rates in decline, the appeal of a big wedding that we can live vicariously is stronger than everFinally, after decades, I have something in common with Taylor Swift. It feels great to say that out loud, in public. No, I'm not famous, rich, particularly attractive, or a woman. I really, really can't sing. Like, not even my karaoke is tolerable for human ears (dogs seem to be fine with it). No, our sole point of connection in the cosmic swirl of life is that we've both been married. I can't compare this achievement to winning a Grammy or selling out Crypto.com Arena 16 times, but it has to be on the list somewhere.My wedding did not come close to the upwards of $50m floated by People Magazine as the cost of Swift's. We got the venue for free because my wife's family owned it, which is its own sort of privilege. Lena Dunham didn't attend, but I certainly sent enough invites. Still, getting someone to agree to tolerate you till death do you part" is no small feat. Did we get divorced three years later? Of course. I can't believe she dealt with me even that long. Will Taylor and Travis Kelce beat our record? Depends on how often he forgets to put the toilet seat down in one of their numerous homes across the country. That guy just seems like the sort to make that mistake regularly. Don't ask me how I came to this conclusion. I trust my own eyes.Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...

The loss of protections for Haitian and Syrian workers could worsen shortages of nurses, aides and home care workersThe Trump administration may remove the temporary protected status (TPS) of Haitians and Syrians in the US, the US supreme court ruled in late June - a move that will worsen America's growing caregiver shortage, experts say.The US is now experiencing its fastest increase in the aging population in more than a hundred years, and more than 20% of the US population will be 65 or older by 2030. But the population of caregivers has not grown at the same pace, leading to staffing shortages. Continue reading...

The plane that French team used after match with Paraguay flew 44 deportation-related flights this year aloneThe French men's national soccer team, whose star Kylian Mbappe is one of the world's most outspoken athletes against far-right politicians, has been using a charter airplane company that is at the heart of the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign.Images of the team posted on social media and flight tracking data show the French team have used Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX) for at least three domestic flights between their World Cup games and base camp in Boston. That same airline charter company has operated more than half of ICE's removal flights in 2024 and 2025. Continue reading...

With the World Cup down to eight teams, our writers assesses who's left, identify the biggest remaining threats to France and make calls on who will lift the trophyLionel Messi. As he proved in thrilling style against Egypt, Argentina's No 10 still has magic in his boots even at the age of 39. While his penalty record of four from eight attempts is much worse than you'd expect, he is clinical when it matters most. EA Continue reading...

The meltdown in Maine's Senate race risks the Democrats' opportunity to turn Trump into a lame duck president.Two years ago Democrats had one job: stop Donald Trump from returning to the White House. It was the only thing that mattered, but with breathtaking political malpractice, they imploded.This November Democrats have two jobs: win the House of Representatives and win the Senate to turn Trump into a lame duck president for his final two years. But once again the party, fond of warning that the stakes are existential, is in grave danger of blowing it. Continue reading...

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Democratic nominee, dogged by controversy since entering contest, says for the movement to continue, it can't be me'

Request for rehearing comes after Fox News report of Texas hospital advertising maternity services in MexicoDonald Trump said on Wednesday he would ask the US supreme court to reconsider its ruling that the 14th amendment to the US constitution guarantees birthright citizenship in light of what he described as shocking new evidence: a hospital in Texas advertising its services to expectant mothers in Mexico on a pair of billboards.Signs and Billboards are being put up all over our Southern Border, and Mexico, advertising BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, with Deliveries starting at $4000', the president wrote on his social media platform, in what appeared to be a wild exaggeration of a Fox News report on just two billboards. Continue reading...

Frustration mounts that Maine nominee has not withdrawn over sexual assault claim as Trump says Platner in a bind'

US president unexpectedly changed plans for flight to England after using Qatari-gifted aircraft to travel to TurkeyDonald Trump flew from Turkey to England onboard the older Air Force One on Wednesday, rather than the new, Qatari-gifted aircraft he used to travel to the Nato summit in Ankara, an unexpected change in plans that prompted questions about security fears.Trump later boarded the new plane at Mildenhall air force base in the United Kingdom for the trip back to Washington. Continue reading...

Andrew Giuliani claims actions of referee Raphael Claus over US player Folarin Balogun very, very highly suspicious'Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House's World Cup taskforce, has defended Donald Trump's lobbying of Fifa to lift the suspension of US player Folarin Balogun for Monday's game against Belgium.The US president claimed that Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, who showed Balogun a red card in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, was a little bit suspect, if you check his past". This was apparently a reference to a match-fixing investigation by Brazil's senate in 2024 that examined how referees were assigned to games but did not accuse Claus of wrongdoing. Continue reading...

Dow down 1.09%, or 500 points, as S&P 500 sees a small loss and tech-heavy Nasdaq rises slightly

Order frees funds from Trump's 2023 sexual abuse and defamation verdict after supreme court appeal failed

Last week, the US supreme court ruled that Idaho and West Virginia can continue enforcing their bans on transgender athletes playing on girls' and women's teams in schools. It's the latest development in the political and legal attack on trans people - and especially trans youth - that has surged in recent years. On the heels of that decision, Kai Wright talks with Guardian reporter Sam Levin, who has been covering the debate over trans athletes in California and speaking with students and their families, and Chase Strangio, co-director of the ACLU's LGBTQ & HIV Project, who is the first out trans person to argue in front of the US supreme court. They walk through the legal and political strategies animating the anti-trans movement, and discuss why this most recent decision could open the door to the erosion of civil liberties for everyone

Shooting death at an extended-stay motel is fourth officer-involved death since initiative began in SeptemberFederal agents killed a man at a Memphis motel on Wednesday morning in a Drug Enforcement Administration operation with the Memphis Safe Task Force, the fourth officer-involved death since the anticrime initiative began in September.Donald Trump established the federal taskforce by executive order last year, amid a surge of troops and federal law enforcement agents to Democratic-run cities that he claimed were overrun with crime. All four of the deaths have occurred in the last two months. Continue reading...

Egypt complained about the officials in their defeat to Argentina and Henderson underwent surgeryPerhaps Lionel Messi could do with a look at this video - our own Nikhita Chulani sifts the data in search of the perfect penalty.Just in, from AP. Continue reading...

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed by agent in Texas while on his way to work, and family found out from news reportsThe family of a Mexican immigrant who was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent on Tuesday in Texas called for an independent investigation into his killing, as questions swirl around federal officials' claims and lack of transparency.He did not deserve to die," said Ronaldo Salgado, the son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, during a press conference led by the League of United Latin American Citizens (Lulac) on Wednesday in Houston, Texas. Continue reading...

US president veers from praising the alliance to threatening Iran and confusing world leaders' namesHaving arrived at Nato's annual summit under a familiar cloud of resentment and grievance, Donald Trump's farewell message on Wednesday was an unlikely tale of love and darkness.Addressing journalists in the presence of his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the US president surprised everyone by directing his affections at an alliance he spent much of the previous day spewing bile over, citing the now well-worn gripe about Greenland, among others. Continue reading...

Ceasefire appears close to collapse as two militaries target each other after after Iran strikes three commercial vesselsIran and the US have threatened to reignite their conflict after the most extensive exchange of fire since an interim deal was signed last month.On a chaotic day at the Nato summit in Ankara summit, Donald Trump said the US would probably hit the country again on Wednesday night and renewed his threat to take control of the strategic Kharg Island in the strait of Hormuz - a move that could provoke Iran to hit energy installations across the Gulf states. Continue reading...

Arthur Fery, a British wilrdcard, devastated Flavio Cobolli, while Alexander Zverev, Marta Kostyuk and Linda Noskova also made the semi-finalsPaolini bursts out of the blocks with as much speed as she shows when charging around the court, racing to 40-0 and taking the game to 15. This match pits two of the best athletes in the women's game against each other, and while Kostyuk possesses more power than the counterpunching Paolini, it's Paolini who has the greater experience at this stage of grand slams, having reached not only the Wimbledon final but also the French Open final two years ago. Which could be to her advantage, if this comes down to who handles the moment better.Three more games, three more holds, but it's been fairly tortuous on serve for Mertens, who has to save three break points to scramble to 2-2, just as Paolini and Kostyuk make their entrance on Centre. I'm really, really looking forward to this one ... Paolini, after losing the opening set of her first-round match 6-0, has been a player transformed, finally rediscovering the form that took her to the 2024 final and made her a fan favourite, while Kostyuk, after reaching the French Open semi-finals last month, has carried her form from the clay on to the grass, and has won 20 of her past 21 matches. Continue reading...

Plans for a mega-resort, backed by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, have spurred broader questions about who politics is servingFor more than a month, thousands have taken to the streets of Tirana to protest against their government, in the biggest outbreak of unrest in Albania since the collapse of communism more than three decades ago. What began with environmental concerns about protecting a nature reserve and the more than 2,500 species it hosts has become the flamingo revolution, questioning the very direction of the country.Albanians are angered that multibillion dollar luxury developments backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump threaten one of the last wild areas on the Adriatic - Zvernec, its lagoon and the nearby island of Sazan - and are furious at the lack of transparency surrounding the projects. The government says that deals are not finalised. But videos of bulldozers on beaches triggered the mass protests. Continue reading...

PM suggests maintaining links with US president will be part of his continued responsibility to UK-US relationship

Trump's request stems from the supreme court's 29 June decision not to review his appeal

Trump administration requested pause on lower court's ruling after Trump's name was removed from facade in JuneA US appeals court ruled on Wednesday that Donald Trump's administration cannot restore the Republican leader's name to the facade of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington while he challenges a judge's order that required its removal.The decision by a three-judge panel of the US court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit denied a request from the Trump administration to pause a lower court judge's order in a lawsuit brought by Joyce Beatty, a Democratic representative and Kennedy Center board member. Trump's name was removed from the iconic Washington theater center's facade and signage last month. US district judge Christopher Cooper ordered the removal in May, and also blocked Trump's plans to close the center for two years of renovations starting on 4 July. Continue reading...

Suit stemmed from 2023 Post article that said bank with ties to the porn industry helped fund Trump's media operationA federal judge in Florida has thrown out Donald Trump's $3.8bn defamation lawsuit against the Washington Post over an article that said a bank with links to the pornography industry helped fund his fledgling social media operation.In a brief order granting summary judgment to the newspaper, Tampa district court judge Thomas Patrick Barber, a Trump appointee, said the Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) had failed to present evidence that would allow a jury to find by clear and convincing evidence" that the Post acted with actual malice, the benchmark for such an action to succeed. Continue reading...

Mark Gatz was arrested at illegal campsite in June and had faced multiple citations for residing in Tonto national forestA man in Arizona has pleaded guilty to violating federal fire restrictions and unlawfully residing in a national forest, after authorities said he spent years living at a makeshift campsite surrounded by what officials described as approximately 1,000 pounds of trash".Mark Aaron Gatz was arrested on 25 June at his illegal campsite in Arizona's Tonto national forest, according to court records. A United States Forest Service (USFS) officer wrote in documents submitted to court that Gatz had been operating an illegal campsite" with a hot wood burning campfire" despite fire restrictions and that he had told investigators that he had been living in the forest for about eight years. Continue reading...

Daily realities of healthcare, prices and Gaza driving wave of anti-establishment sentiment among Democratic voters in closely watched contestIn Macomb county, Michigan - a blue-collar Detroit suburb that twice voted for Barack Obama before backing each of Donald Trump's three runs for the US presidency - residents are exhausted.Time and again, township trustee Shannon King, a Democrat still making up his mind, hears similar complaints. You're going backwards in your paycheck. You're going backwards in your healthcare," he said. You go to work every day. You might have a side hustle. Your significant other has a side hustle, too. And you're still struggling to do childcare." Continue reading...

Who is winning the battle to be top scorer at the World Cup? Live and updated throughout the tournamentAll-time World Cup goalscorersThe Golden Boot is awarded to the World Cup's top goalscorer, with assists used as a tie-breaker if two or more players finish level. The 2026 tournament has three former Golden Boot winners taking part: Kylian Mbappe of France (eight goals in 2022), England's Harry Kane (six goals in 2018) and James Rodriguez of Colombia (six goals in 2014).Mbappe and Kane are among the pre-tournament favourites to finish top scorer in North America, alongside Norway's Erling Haaland - making his World Cup debut - and Argentina's Lionel Messi. Continue reading...

Hostilities between US and Iran resume as US president lashes out at vicious, violent people'. Plus the fallout from the USMNT's exit from the Fifa World Cup

The Frenchman is a footballer, flautist and a thespian. There's no question he is the most thrilling and compelling figure at this year's tournamentThis has been the World Cup of characters, bold fashion statements, and bantz: we've had Thomas Tuchel rubber-banding around the England dressing room like a teen at his first all-ages rave, and Ivan Barton booting Miguel Almiron from the field as if sentencing him to death. Mauricio Pochettino and his $500 overshirt have brought fresh energy and inspiration to the wardrobes of convex middle-aged men the world over. Jokester Javier Aguirre's avuncular fuck you" at Anthony Gordon has pushed bilateral relations between Mexico and England to their warmest point since the British-brokered peace that ended the Pastry War of 1839.Erling Haaland has shown it's possible to be Jaws in front of goal and Scooby Doo once the ball is in the back of the net, that there's nothing about football so important that it can't make way for some silly bit of online comedy. Even Harry Kane, a man who often seems like he was media trained in the womb, has squeaked thrillingly, if briefly, to life. Continue reading...

Modern forensic analysis leads to arrest in murder of traveling salesman John Warren, authorities sayItems that were found discarded behind a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Georgia in 1985 have led to charges against a suspect in an Ohio killing committed at about that time, investigators announced recently.As told by authorities, the case centering on killed traveling salesman John Warren is among the latest in the US criminal justice system to illustrate how the application of modern forensic testing techniques on evidence collected decades earlier can lead to closure of cold murder cases. Continue reading...

Three families in Los Angeles on the devastating aftermath of ICE detentions and deportations that overwhelmed their city last summerLast summer, Angelenos began to vanish.Armed, masked immigration agents plucked people off street corners and out of their workplaces, in parking lots and department stores. Partners and primary breadwinners, grandparents and children, carwasheros and coffee shop regulars were arrested, detained and deported - disappearing from their neighborhoods. Continue reading...

President calls Iranian leadership scum', rails against alliance, repeats demand for Greenland and threatens Spain

John Thune says he spoke to McConnell on phone as secrecy over 84-year-old's health prompts Maga backlashRepublican leaders have moved to quash speculation about Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader in the US Senate, amid a growing revolt over the lack of transparency around his health.The 84-year-old Kentucky politician, who led Senate Republicans for longer than anyone in history before stepping down last year, was admitted to hospital on 14 June but his office declined to say what he was being treated for. Continue reading...

The Americans crashed out in disappointing fashion, but there were positives from the tournament on the whole. We look at how the roster performedStats from fotmob.com, Opta and Fifa; players listed in order of minutes played.Weston McKennie, center/attacking midfield (Juventus) Continue reading...