What sounds like the overwrought penultimate episode in a sci-fi series about AI doom is now our realityOn Tuesday, a former OpenAI researcher quit his job at Anthropic, warning that neither company is acting responsibly" and that the people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt."As someone who's reported on AI risk for years, this wasn't news to me. But the outpouring of alarm suggests a much wider public is properly confronting this ludicrous situation for the first time. Continue reading...

Speaking in Dallas, the president raised ethical concerns with an apparent $1tn offer to the electorate. Plus the US citizens who are finding Scotland to be an irresistible lureGood morning. Donald Trump has pledged to pay every adult citizen in the US $5,000 if Republicans retain the House and Senate in the midterm elections. The outlandish proposal, which would cost over $1tn, immediately raised ethical concerns.Trump made the promise during a marathon speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas in which he assailed Democrats as radical", defended his unpopular war in Iran, and urged voters to pretend that I'm on the ballot". Trump claimed, without evidence, that his second term had been the most successful two years, financially and every other way, in the history of the presidency".Why did the Republicans hold a midterm convention? Republicans are gambling that the GOP's first midterm convention can salvage their threatened House majority. However, Trump's dismal approval rating drove many competitive candidates to skip the two-day event entirely.What has Trump said about the former attorney Michael Cohen? The US president has said he would consider pardoning Michael Cohen, the former fixer whom he once branded a rat" for testifying against him. Cohen was Trump's personal lawyer, but flipped in 2018, and pleaded guilty to federal crimes including facilitating a hush payment to the pornography star Stormy Daniels and lying under oath to Congress.How many people has the US killed in its campaign? Late Wednesday, US Southern Command announced the latest strike in the Caribbean Sea, saying it killed three people. That brought the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the US military to at least 230 in 69 strikes.What has the US announced about Ecuador's gangs? The US has designated Ecuador's Los Tiguerones gang as a terrorist organisation. Rubio said the gang was linked to narcotics trafficking, as well as attacks on civilians, law enforcement officers and journalists. We are talking about terrorists who, in many cases, possess weapons and equipment resembling the national armies of certain countries," he said. Continue reading...

Anna Sweeney Rossman was 5 when her mother, flight attendant Amy Sweeney, was killed aboard American Airlines flight 11 after helping authorities identify the hijackersAnna Sweeney Rossman was only 5 years old when her mother, flight attendant Madeline Amy" Sweeney, died aboard an airliner that terrorists hijacked and deliberately flew into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. And for years, she said in an interview on Wednesday, Rossman's grief primarily centered on her mother's absence from certain milestones in her life.She recalled how planning her 2023 wedding - particularly shopping for a dress - hit her especially hard without her mom there. And Rossman said it was as much a blow to not have her mom there for the birth of her daughters, each younger than 2, as the US prepared to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on Friday. Continue reading...

President suggested US might not help UK if Argentina tried to seize Falklands - a new low for UK-US special relationship'Last week, Donald Trump suggested in an interview with the British TV channel GB News that he might not help the UK if Argentina tried again to seize the Falkland Islands. It was a new low for UK-US relations.The special relationship" (Winston Churchill's phrase) was never perfect, but the UK helped the US on countless occasions, from Korea to Iraq to Afghanistan. The US often stood by the UK as well - although not during the Suez Crisis of 1956, but Ronald Reagan's government provided significant intelligence and logistics support to Britain during the dust-up over the Falklands in 1982. That relationship is fading fast. Continue reading...

Concerns over rising inflation, continuing war with Iran, and the US's record national debt have shaken the marketAmericans who have been grappling with the higher cost of living over the last few years now face another issue: trouble in the US bond market that could mean elevated costs are here to stay.US government bonds - known as treasurys - are supposed to be the most stable type of investment vehicle. But investor concerns over issues including rising inflation, the continuing war with Iran, and the US's record national debt have shaken the market and slowed demand for US treasury bonds. Continue reading...

Donald Trump pledged to pay every adult citizen in the US a $5,000 dividend if the Republicans retain the House and Senate in the midterms, during a rambling speech at the party's midterm convention in Dallas.The US president claimed the payment was possible due to the country's 'tremendous economic success, like in history we've never had anything like what's happening'. The proposal, which would cost more than $1tn, immediately raised ethical concerns

The man mentioned by Tiger Woods after his first Masters win paved the way for generations of Black golfers, reintegrating the US Open and challenging the PGAHow good a golfer was Ted Rhodes? At the 1948 US Open, he finished the first round just three shots behind the leader - and eventual winner - Ben Hogan. But there's more to the story: Rhodes was the first Black competitor in the tournament in its modern era, during a time of widespread segregation in American sport.Rhodes is the subject of a new book by sports historian Dan Taylor, Out of the Rough: Ted Rhodes and His Fight against Golf's Color Barrier. The author aims to change what he sees as mainstream unfamiliarity with Rhodes, even among golf enthusiasts. Continue reading...

The president's latest warning barely registered, written off as typical behavior. But the threats have real-world consequencesAs the US and Iran fought around the strait of Hormuz last week, Donald Trump issued one of his typical threats. In an interview with a Fox News correspondent, Trump said Iran would be totally wiped out as a country" if it retaliated for the latest wave of US air strikes.That threat by the US president to wipe out another country generated few headlines, even during a relatively slow news week by Trump administration standards. Continue reading...

Manager is excited by new US deal but might have returned to Spurs if the stars had aligned and does not rule out taking England job one dayIf things had worked out differently, Mauricio Pochettino would have gone back to his beloved Tottenham over the summer. They had put in the call and it stirred him. Nothing was going to put him off - not even the possibility of the club being in the Championship.Seriously, Mauricio? After a World Cup campaign with the United States and top jobs with Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain before that, he would have been willing to start a new chapter in the second tier of English football? Yes, of course," Pochettino says. Tottenham ... it's the only club that always I am open to help. In whatever division." Continue reading...

President's quest in self-mythology stops off in Dallas for a Republican convention where fans indulged his lies and revelled in his jokesKim Il-sung of North Korea reportedly sought transfusions of blood from young men; Mao Zedong of China believed sex with young women could prolong his life; Muammar Gaddafi underwent fat injections and hair transplantation to make himself look younger. But for Donald Trump, the secret of eternal youth lies in nights like this.The occasion of the Republican midterm convention in Dallas was enough to get the 80-year-old US president's juices flowing. An arena with thousands of fanatical supporters indulging his lies, laughing at his jokes and burnishing his fantasies of greatness is Trump's happy place. Continue reading...

President makes offer that would cost US over $1tn and asks voters to pretend that I'm on the ballot' despite being deeply unpopular among electorateDonald Trump pledged to pay every adult citizen in the US $5,000 if Republicans retain the House and Senate in the midterm elections, during a marathon speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas in which the president assailed Democrats as radical" and defended his unpopular war in Iran.The outlandish proposal, which would cost over $1tn, immediately raised ethical concerns. But it laid bare the extent of the Republicans' concern about their prospects in the pivotal November elections. Continue reading...

Budget cuts, loss of knowledgeable officials and diverted resources raise risk of another attack, experts warnThe US faces growing challenges in countering international terrorism as resources are diverted to other threats, experienced security officials leave and complacency" spreads, experts have warned.It is 25 years this week since the 9/11 attacks launched by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida on New York and Washington, which killed about 3,000 people and led to decades of conflict, radicalisation and instability across the Middle East and beyond. Continue reading...

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Helena Foulkes beats incumbent Dan McKee after criticizing handling of Providence's Washington bridge, now expected to be completed in 2028Rhode Island's Dan McKee became the first sitting governor to lose a primary in nearly a decade, bested not by a more progressive challenger or a more youthful upset but by frustration over a bridge.McKee lost his Democratic primary to Helena Foulkes, a former longtime executive with Rhode Island-based retail pharmacy CVS, the Associated Press said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Rubio visits Ecuador and welcomes cooperation after campaign of unilateral strikes on alleged narco-terrorists'US secretary of state Marco Rubio gave new clarity on the approach toward combating drug trafficking in Latin American waters, saying the Trump administration was focused on working with allied countries and aligning with their laws but insisting the military will still blow up ships if need be."The public acknowledgment of a shift in US strategy comes a year after Washington began a campaign of unilateral deadly strikes against those it calls narco-terrorists" operating boats in international waters. Continue reading...

Senator praises great friend' Dave McCormick and says he will help him and Trump to support steel in PennsylvaniaDemocratic senator John Fetterman made a surprise virtual appearance at the Republican midterm convention, delivering a video address supporting Dave McCormick, a Republican senator in Pennsylvania.Fetterman, who has increasingly broken with his party since his election in 2022, said in the video that he would always reject extremes and socialism", repeating an oft-used Republican critique of the Democratic party's increasingly popular left wing. Continue reading...

Appeal against federal panel's approval of Trump-backed maps is latest move in legal back-and-forth spanning four courtsA high-stakes legal battle over Missouri's congressional map returned on Wednesday to the US supreme court, after a series of conflicting decisions threw the state's elections into turmoil less than two months before the November midterm elections.On Wednesday, a federal appeals court panel declined to block a ruling ordering Missouri to use the newly drawn congressional lines backed by Donald Trump to give Republicans an edge in the midterms elections. Opponents of the state's redistricted map immediately filed an appeal to the US supreme court. Continue reading...

Trump administration to seek extra funding from Congress to dismantle' Los Tiguerones over narcotics traffickingThe US has designated Ecuador's Los Tiguerones gang, which stormed a television station during a live broadcast in 2024, as a terrorist organisation as the Trump administration expands its campaign against narcotics traffickers it says are destabilising Latin America.The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, made the announcement in Quito, where he met Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa, one of several rightwing allies of Donald Trump whom Rubio is courting as a security partner during a three-nation tour through Latin America that began on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Coco Gauff saved two match points to set up a semi-final against Elena Rybakina, who secured the world No 1 ranking with her three-set win over Zheng QinwenRybakina has won four of her five meetings with Zheng, including two three-set victories this year. But Zheng was earlier in her comeback from elbow surgery then, the 2024 Olympic champion is a totally different proposition now, carrying the momentum of seven successive match wins in New York having come through qualifying - and the belief she can turn around any deficit after coming from 5-0 down in sets against both Madison Keys in the third round and Iga Swiatek in the last 16.Here come Zheng and Rybakina, Zheng stepping on to court wearing headphones, not that there's much noise to drown out yet at 11.35am New York time. Both already look extremely focused with their game faces on. Continue reading...

Census Bureau also considers race and ethnicity questions in overhaul that would have dramatic effect on voter mapsThe Trump administration on Wednesday proposed changes to the US census intended to exclude immigrants without legal status in addition to other groups, with potentially significant effects on the allocation of federal resources and drawing of districts in the US House of Representatives.In a proposed rule published in the Federal Register, the Census Bureau also announced it was considering changes to the data it collects about race and ethnicity, amid the Trump administration's push to rid the government of diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Continue reading...

Scott Bessent made announcement on Wednesday as bond yields rose to highest point since 2008 financial crisis

Brent crude up by more than 3% after latest fire between US and Iran in Gulf and Houthi attacks on Saudi cities

The US president seized a nation's natural wealth in a modern-day version of gunboat diplomacy to feed his ego - not to lower Americans' fuel billsImperialism does not require a flag to be planted or a governor dispatched. It can be a powerful nation deciding who governs a smaller, weaker country, and on what terms and for whose benefit its resources will be developed. Donald Trump's kidnapping of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, putting his deputy - DelcyRodriguez - in his place as president, and then her signing a deal handing a fifth of the country's proven oil reserves to the US, amount to a modern version of 19th-century gunboat diplomacy. Regime change supplied America's commercial concession.This won't bother Mr Trump. But it should. The US president has oversold his neocolonial spoils. The additional production Venezuela is supposed to bring online might bring down oil prices eventually, but not anytime soon. Crucially, what Mr Trump calls the biggest oil deal in history" won't cause the price at the pump to fall before November's midterms. When so many American voters are struggling to pay energy bills, it's hard to see how unrealised Orinoco Belt riches are going to help Republican candidates.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...

Republicans plan to center the US president at the two-day event, while slamming Democrats as socialistsRepublicans are gathering in Texas on Wednesday for a rare midterm convention", as they attempt to convince Americans to vote for a party led by a deeply unpopular president who has overseen inflation and led the US into an increasingly unpopular war.Donald Trump will dominate the two-day convention, appearing both nights as the GOP works to cling to control of the House of Representatives in November. Republicans plan to put the president at the center of the event, a bold strategy given his approval rating is hovering at about 38%, while accusing the Democratic party of being socialist and out of touch with Americans.Chris Hippensteel contributed to reporting Continue reading...

US president often brings up al-Qaida attack that struck his home town New York City almost 25 years agoDonald Trump often brings up September 11, the devastating al-Qaida attack that struck his home town New York City almost 25 years ago.His recollections of that day have repeatedly included exaggerations and falsehoods - including this week, when he shared an anecdote at a White House event commemorating the attacks that appears to be untrue. Continue reading...

An Amazon cargo plane crashed at Miami international airport in Florida after overshooting the runway, striking vehicles and resulting in at least five deaths and five injuries.Officials said evidence suggested the pilots considered aborting the landing before the crash.Miami airport is not equipped with 'arresting beds', systems of lightweight, crushable material that the federal aviation authority says have been installed at more than 120 airports nationwide at the end of runways to help safely stop planes that overshoot

Brandon Herrera of state's 23rd congressional district calls insults against women and unhoused people jokes'A Republican candidate for a key congressional district in Texas has come under scrutiny over a series of derogatory comments made about women in his social media posts and videos.Brandon Herrera, who is the GOP candidate for Texas's 23rd congressional district, has made a string of insults while fashioning a rightwing online persona as the AK Guy", and hosts a YouTube channel with more than 4 million subscribers that tests and reviews firearms. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese wants social media algorithms to be optional - and it's not the first Musk-Zuckerberg irritant emanating from AustraliaNew risks to a deftly managed personal relationship with Donald Trump have not slowed the Australian prime minister's plans for a showdown with America's all-conquering social media companies.Anthony Albanese, who will rub shoulders with the US president and other world leaders in New York later this month at the UN general assembly, is pushing ahead with changes that would impose fines on big tech firms under a newly created digital duty of care". Continue reading...

The 23-year-old's epic win over Carlos Alcaraz means there is a real chance of an American man winning the US Open for the first time since 2003In yet another graveyard shift at the US Open, Ben Shelton showed he can hang around late, ousting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in five sets in a quarter-final that started on Tuesday night and finished on Wednesday morning. When Shelton fired the final ball out wide for his seventh ace of the night, the clock on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court read 3.33am. It was the latest-ever finish at the Open and the fifth-latest finish in grand slam history.After embracing Alcaraz at the net, he pumped his fists and greeted his coach's box with a primal scream. Parents have a name for this: the zoomies. Then Shelton looked to the stands and gestured at his mother and his girlfriend, soccer star Trinity Rodman. In his on-court interview, he asked that his sister, Emma, be given the day off. She had spent the entire night and much of the early morning watching her little brother play. Continue reading...

More than 30 properties ordered to evacuate after sinkhole grows to roughly 25-30ft deep and 30 by 60 feet wideThe city of Malibu, California, has ordered the evacuation of more than 30 properties after a large sinkhole opened on Tuesday.Malibu officials declared a local emergency on Tuesday evening after a large sinkhole" emerged near 31630 Sea Level Drive. The officials said the sinkhole was believed to have begun developing on Monday, and had grown to roughly 25-30ft deep and 30 by 60ft wide by Tuesday evening. Continue reading...

Through the loss of one franchise, name controversies and stadium changes, Legacy supporters have created an environment of advocacy and belongingMore than two years of work had led to this moment for the Boston Independent Supporters' Association (ISA). Even before Boston's new NWSL team had a name, a mascot or a roster, there were fans organizing, ready and waiting to embrace the franchise.On 14 March 2026, it finally paid off. The Boston ISA members marched into Gillette Stadium for the Legacy's opening match, following behind the marching band from Boston Public Schools and holding their Up the Swans" scarves over their heads. The group arrived at their seats in the supporters' section behind the north goal and unfurled the tifo they had spent many hours diligently painting. Continue reading...

Long before state became a rightwing political stronghold it was defined by cowboys on strike and farmers organizingTexas is well-known as a Republican-red state, but it has another, largely forgotten red history of the radical shade. Long before it became a rightwing political stronghold, it was defined by cowboys on strike, farmers organizing against the railroads, and one of the largest Socialist party chapters in the country.In Texas, the history of our radical politics and labor and working class tradition has been purposefully hidden," author David Griscom said. It's important to go back and correct the record and see that there was an effort to try to make Texans forget the radical roots in the kind of more recent past." Continue reading...

Springfield community mourns one of its own after Pierre Damas Bel, who was forced to wear electronic ankle bracelet by ICE, walked into traffic and was killed by truckFor 20-year-old Pierre Damas Bel, the humiliation of starting college last month with an electronic ankle bracelet - attached by ICE agents this summer - was deeply traumatic.I'm walking through the streets of the United States with a GPS monitor on my leg, carrying a feeling of shame and humiliation that I never imagined I would experience," he wrote on Instagram in July.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

After young people shifted right for Trump, Democratic-aligned groups across the US are eager to capture gen Z voters where they are before November's midterm electionsOn the first day of the fall semester at California State University, Northridge, student organizers holding Hot People Vote" signs wheeled a bright pink wagon outside the student union. They offered no strings attached" donuts, heart-shaped sunglasses and voting information for the November general election. Even though it was 105F outside, dozens of people stopped by to chat with the Donuts + Democracy volunteers and register to vote.One student told organizer Dzian Tran that she didn't plan to vote because she was disillusioned with politics. Tran chatted with her about how civic engagement is important to democracy and how some elections are won by a margin of only 400 votes. As she thanked Tran, the student held her phone up to a QR code to get more information about voting. Continue reading...

The state can't use new congressional districts under one court order - or its old ones under another. Plus, the architects in Europe turning urban spaces into areas of climate respite

AFL-CIO calls for ban on such labels to protect consumers and workers from surveillance pricing and job cutsThe universal adoption of electronic shelf labels in grocery stores across the US could cost tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in lost wages while further driving up grocery costs, according to a report released on Tuesday.An analysis by the AFL-CIO Tech Institute of the label manufacturers' own marketing materials found the universal adoption of electronic shelf labels, which are marketed to retailers as a cost-cutting measure, could cost workers between $1.6bn and $6.9bn in lost wages annually and affect between 44,223 and 191,633 jobs. Continue reading...

Kent Blacklidge, who officials say was directly involved with child exploitation cases', turned himself in last weekA federal law enforcement agent tasked with trying to provide justice in cases involving kids" has been charged with child rape in Alabama, state authorities said on Tuesday.Kent Blacklidge, described as a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), turned himself over to the Baldwin county jail on 5 September in connection with a grand jury indictment charging him with first- and second-degree rape, sodomy and sexual abuse, police in the city of Spanish Fort said in a statement. Continue reading...

Sports is the rare topic in which the president has succeeded in shifting the conversation to his preferred termsLately, it seems Donald Trump's scope of interests has narrowed to a few things: remaking downtown Washington DC in his gaudy image; wars he thinks he can win quickly and easily, even though he can't.Also, golf. Always golf. Ever golf.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...

The new season kicks off on Wednesday night. Our writers have their say on the MVP, rookies to watch and the disasters waiting to happenQuarterbacks living under center. The NFL has developed into a shotgun league, where most quarterbacks take the majority of their snaps three to seven yards away from the center. But the increase in efficiency when it comes to snaps taken right behind the center should have coaches directing their quarterbacks to do more of it. Matthew Stafford, Caleb Williams, and Sam Darnold led the way in 2025, and others will follow. DF Continue reading...

A year since his assassination, the movement Kirk started is reckoning with the void he left behind - and a revolution that eats its ownAs Charlie Kirk's family, friends, and colleagues barreled through the sky to Utah, one staffer kept throwing up in her mouth. Each time she quietly swallowed. She did not want to add to the distress of the others sitting in deathly silence on the jet - especially Kirk's 36-year-old wife, Erika. She was already a widow.Those who work at Turning Point USA - the ultraconservative activist organization based in Phoenix, Arizona, that Charlie Kirk founded - believe deeply in a Christian God. Many also believe that Satan and his deputies vie for influence on Earth. Earlier that day, on 10 September 2025, those forces had seemingly persuaded an angry young man to hide on a roof at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was speaking to 3,000 people, with a loaded rifle. Continue reading...

Far-right parties, Maga ideology and Kremlin money are conniving to suffocate liberal idealism for another generationNot all that long ago, Europe was a beacon of liberal idealism. One memoir recalls it as an era comfortably saturated with confidence in the unfailing and binding power of tolerance and conciliation". The economic system seemed obviously preferable to barbarous alternatives. People honestly believed that the divergencies and the boundaries between nations and sects would gradually melt away into a common humanity," the author added.Those words could describe the spirit of globalisation at the turn of the millennium. They were written in the 1930s by Stefan Zweig, reflecting on the optimism of late 19th-century Vienna from the perspective of a Jewish emigre whose world had been destroyed by murderous nationalism. Zweig took his own life in 1942. He never saw fascism defeated. He couldn't have imagined a renaissance of liberalism in the second half of the 20th century so complete as to attain a pitch of complacency rivalling the one he remembered from his childhood. Continue reading...

The president's substantial holiday gifts to four White House aides were made public via financial disclosures released by the administrationDonald Trump gave sizable holiday gifts to four White House aides, according to new financial disclosures released by the administration, including $45,000 to executive assistant Natalie Harp.Communications adviser Margo Martin and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris also received $45,000, while director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta received a $20,000 gift. Continue reading...

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Tit-for-tat violence surges again in region, with tankers struck by the US in the Gulf of Oman, and reprisal attacks by Iran on a US base in JordanThe US military on Tuesday said it destroyed" multiple Iranian tankers, after Iran attempted to strike a US navy warship with ballistic missiles, as violence once again surged across the region, pushing the price of oil close to $100 a barrel.American forces struck the tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Iran's Kharg Island, US central command (Centcom) said in a statement, adding that American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck". Continue reading...

Documents available through an online portal launched three days before the 25th anniversary of September 11New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration has released more than 170,000 pages of municipal records involving the impact of the September 11 attacks on air quality health, as well as the city's response.Mamdani announced the documents and an online portal for accessing them on Tuesday. The release comes alongside the settlement of two lawsuits pursued by 9/11 Health Watch, which fought for access to these long-withheld documents. Continue reading...