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US international affairs scholar who pointed to soft power as a complement to military and economic mightJoseph Nye, who has died aged 88, owed his fame in the diplomatic world to just two words: soft power". The international affairs scholar came up with the phrase while sitting at his kitchen table trying to find a way to condense and encapsulate his approach to US foreign policy.He acknowledged military force and economic power were essential components in pursuit of the national interest but argued there was a third element, one not requiring force, that was under-appreciated. He called it soft power: influence gained through aid, culture, news and agencies promoting human rights, democracy and freedom of speech. Continue reading...

Brothers, convicted of parents' 1989 murders, resentenced to 50 years to life, making them immediately parole eligibleAfter months of delays and decades behind bars, Erik and Lyle Menendez now have a long-awaited chance at freedom after a judge reduced their sentences for the 1989 killings of their parents.Their family and extensive network of supporters celebrated on Tuesday when Judge Michael Jesic resentenced the brothers from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life. The judge's decision means they are immediately eligible for parole under California's youthful offender law because of their young ages at the time of the murders. Continue reading...

President announces record-breaking $96bn deal to sell Qatar up to 210 jets and $38bn in future defense investment

An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year - down from 110,000 in 2023 - but still above pre-Covid levelThere were 30,000 fewer US drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before - the largest one-year decline ever recorded.An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released on Wednesday. That is down 27% from 110,000 in 2023.Increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone.Expanded addiction treatment.Shifts in how people use drugs.The growing impact of billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlement money.The number of at-risk Americans is shrinking, after waves of deaths in older adults and a shift in teens and younger adults away from the drugs that cause most deaths. Continue reading...

Jay Bratt asserted constitutional right to silence before panel pursuing people involved in prosecutions of TrumpThe former special counsel prosecutor Jay Bratt asserted his fifth amendment right not to answer questions during a Wednesday deposition before a Republican-led House committee looking for evidence of politicization in the prosecutions of Donald Trump, a spokesman said.Bratt, who led the federal criminal case over the US president's alleged mishandling of classified documents as a top deputy to the former special counsel Jack Smith, was invited to testify by the House judiciary committee, which is chaired by the Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, a prominent defender of the president. Continue reading...

Commerce chief Howard Lutnick's firm backed controversial crypto giant Tether as Bukele ties deepenedTrump administration's commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, and his family have had extensive business interests linked to El Salvador, whose authoritarian leader Nayib Bukele has grown close to the White House and who has courted controversy by imprisoning people deported from the US in an immigration crackdown.El Salvador also plays host to a booming cryptocurrency and new media industry, which has numerous ties to Donald Trump allies who are seeking to make money from various ventures which have sometimes drawn the attention of authorities or ethics watchdogs. Continue reading...

Donald Trump said of the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, 'we just like each other', as the pair signed a defence and aviation deal between the US and Qatar. Trump says the deal is worth $200bn (150bn) and includes 160 jets

Estimated 17 million kids would be ineligible for tax credit because their parents wouldn't make enough to qualifyRepublicans' newest tax bill threatens to exclude millions of families from a tax credit meant to ease household financial burdens, even as conservatives are increasingly claiming to tout policies designed to entice families to have more babies.One provision in the bill, which runs nearly 400 pages, seeks to raise the child tax credit from the current $2,000 level to $2,500 per child - but an estimated 17 million children would be ineligible to receive the full credit because their parents do not make enough to qualify, according to a congressional estimate. Another provision of the bill would require a US citizen child's parent or guardian to possess a social security number in order to claim the credit; if the child's parents are married and file their taxes together, both parents would need social security numbers. Continue reading...

Former US supreme court justice nominated by George HW Bush who consistently voted with its liberal wingWhen David H Souter, who has died aged 85, was appointed to the US supreme court by George HW Bush in 1990, it was called a home run for conservativism" by Bush's chief of staff John Sununu, who, as governor of New Hampshire had appointed Souter to the state's supreme court. But it would turn into an appointment whose impact outweighed the appointee's important judicial contributions.Bush had previously considered a number of conservative ideologues: Senator Orrin Hatch, future Bill Clinton nemesis Kenneth Starr and Clarence Thomas (whose nomination was widely assumed to be held until the retirement of Thurgood Marshall, since both were black). As the Democrats held a 55-45 Senate majority, and in 1987 rejected Ronald Reagan's choice, Robert Bork, for being an unrepentant ideologue, when the New Hampshire senator, Warren Rudman, recommended Souter to Sununu, he seemed a safe pair of conservative hands. He also had the advantage of having served quietly in his home state, without leaving a paper trail of controversy on national issues. Continue reading...

New home and away kits for the US men's and women's national teams are bound to elicit opinions. Here's what our experts thinkThe primary kit, white with a star print, will be worn only by the US women to start. Dubbed the Brilliant Kit," the marketing pitch says it's a tribute to the trailblazers who have shaped soccer and inspired generations. Star details are drawn directly from iconic past WNT kits, fused with a modern silhouette to reflect the optimism, leadership, and evolution of the game." Does the kit accomplish this, to you?I appreciate Nike saying the modern silhouette is reflecting all of those very nice-sounding buzzwords and not just we put this design on one of our current kit models instead of reproducing shirt sizes from 1999 because no one wants to run around in baggy polyester any more." Are the star details from past USWNT that are referenced supposed to be the stars they got from winning World Cups? If so, that's a good flex. Unfortunately, the biggest visual reference this one conjures to me is the 94 men's denim kit (which the women did not wear - the USWNT and USMNT designs didn't match up until a couple decades later). I like the retro feel of it all and so that look-back-at-the-past direction succeeds. I can do without the rest of the blurb. AS Continue reading...

Fears sparked that Trump would wield law against groups that file lawsuits or organize voters against his policiesNon-profit groups are sounding the alarm over an attempt by Republican lawmakers to insert a provision allowing the government to cancel the tax-exempt status of organizations it deems terrorist supporting" in a massive bill under negotiation in the House of Representatives.The provision's potential inclusion in the spending and taxation legislation that Donald Trump and his allies refer to as one big, beautiful bill" has sparked fears that the administration will wield it against groups who file lawsuits or organize voters against his policies. Continue reading...

US president meets Syrian counterpart in Saudi Arabia after agreeing to lift sanctions. Plus, why men cause more greenhouse gas emissions on average than womenGood morning.Donald Trump has met the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia after agreeing to lift sanctions on Syria, saying that doing so gives them a chance of greatness".What else has Trump said on his tour of the Gulf states? He has said he wants to make a deal with Iran, but it can only go ahead if the regime stops supporting terror" and abandons its nuclear plans.How has the family responded? Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of Erik and Lyle, testified that the brothers had repeatedly expressed remorse for their actions. She said: We all, on both sides of the family, believe that 35 years is enough. They are universally forgiven by our family." Continue reading...

Officials also asked attorneys who were removed in April if they would consider returning to handle civil rights workJustice department officials have asked civil rights division attorneys to reconsider their decision to leave the department in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the matter, a sign that the agency may have been caught off-guard by the wave of personnel leaving.Officials have also asked attorneys, including career managers, who were involuntarily detailed to low-level offices last month, if they would consider returning to their sections to handle civil rights work, the people said. The attorneys were removed in late April in what was widely understood as an effort to force them to accept a paid offer to leave the department. Continue reading...

Vinay Prasad, outspoken critic of pharmaceutical industry and of his peers in public health, to take over CBERVinay Prasad, an oncologist and hematologist who has called for more regulatory scrutiny of pharmaceuticals, including Covid vaccines, was named the top US vaccines official earlier this month.Marty Makary, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announced in a 6 May email obtained by the Guardian that Prasad would now lead the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), which oversees biological products like blood, vaccines, and cellular and gene therapies. Biotech stocks plunged at the news. Continue reading...

Kroger stores in multiple states have overcharged customers by listing expired sale tags and then ringing up regular prices - a practice that adds extra burdens on struggling US familiesDerek and Allison Hadfield became more and more fed up whenever they shopped for their family of four at their local Kroger grocery in Belpre, Ohio, a town of about 6,600 across the Ohio River from West Virginia.When they tried to save money by buying stuff on sale, they said, many of the discounts vanished when Kroger rang up their carts at checkout. Personal pizzas posted as on sale for $1 a piece rang up for $1.25 each. An 8oz jar of minced garlic listed at the low price of $2.49 cost $3.99 at checkout - a 60% jump. Continue reading...

Actor and daughter of country star shares heartbreaking story in docuseries of discovering her mom's 2022 suicideAshley Judd has delivered her most complete account yet of the heart-wrenching moments during which she personally discovered her mother's suicide in 2022 - and sought to ensure her parent let go of her guilt and her shame" over what she had done at the conclusion of a long struggle with depression.I ... told her how much I loved her, and it's OK to go," the actor said on The Judd Family: Truth Be Told. Continue reading...

The Argentine superstar has been top-class, but a lack of structure behind him has been his team's undoing. Sound familiar?Inter Miami are used to having a target on their back by now, but no opponent has hit them harder than Minnesota United did on Saturday in a 4-1 rout. As if inflicting Lionel Messi's heaviest-ever defeat in Major League Soccer wasn't enough, the Loons took the opportunity to rub it in on social media, labelling South Florida's Galacticos a Pink Phony Club" - a jibe that irked David Beckham.Beckham's frustration, along with everyone else's at Inter Miami, has built over a number of weeks. The Herons are experiencing an early-season reckoning. Their Concacaf Champions Cup challenge was ended by a rampant Vancouver Whitecaps who ran up a 5-1 aggregate scoreline to make the final despite Inter Miami making the competition a big priority. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: the Ukraine president's call for Putin to meet him in person represents a huge gamble in the prospect of peaceGood morning.Talks. Istanbul. Thursday. In the geopolitical equivalent of a playground challenge, the latest move in the back-and-forth brinkmanship between Russia and Ukraine has seen President Zelenskyy call Putin's bluff.US politics | Donald Trump says he will lift sanctions on Syria and meet with the country's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, during his tour of the gulf states. Sharaa's pitch to woo the US offered access to Syrian oil, reconstruction contracts and to build a Trump Tower in Damascus.UK news | Peter Sullivan, who has spent 38 years in jail, has had his murder conviction quashed in what is thought to be the longest-running miscarriage of justice in British history. Sullivan was wrongly convicted in 1987 for the frenzied murder of a florist and part-time pub worker, Diane Sindall, 21, in Merseyside.Conservatives | An MP has been charged with sexual assault over alleged incidents at London's Groucho Club in 2023, the Crown Prosecution Service has said. Patrick Spencer, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, was charged with two counts of sexual assault against two separate women, said the CPS.Assisted dying | At least five MPs have decided to vote against the UK assisted dying bill, the Guardian understands. It comes as the Scottish parliament votes to consider a bill to allow assisted dying for terminally ill people for the first time.UK news | A man has been arrested in connection with a series of suspected arson attacks on property linked to Keir Starmer, Scotland Yard has said. The 21-year-old was arrested in the early hours on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and remained in custody, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. Read our latest story hereTrump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Elon Musk were seen chatting briefly during the reception in Riyadh, Reuters reports.Footage shows Trump speaking with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the ceremonial blue room, where he is meeting and greeting officials. Continue reading...

Trump announced Syrian sanctions relief alongside a $142bn arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Key US politics stories from Tuesday 13 May 2025 at a glanceDonald Trump has announced plans to lift sanctions on Syria after holding talks with Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoan, describing it as an effort to give them a chance at greatness".The announcement came as the White House also confirmed that Trump would meet with Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former rebel commander whose forces helped overthrow Bashar al-Assad in 2024. It would be the first face-to-face meeting between a US president and a Syrian leader since 2000, when Bill Clinton met with the late leader Hafez al-Assad in Geneva. Continue reading...

Erik and Lyle Menendez given 50 years to life, making them eligible for parole and giving them chance at freedomA California judge has given Erik and Lyle Menendez, who had been sentenced to life in prison for the murders of their parents in their Beverly Hills home, a chance at freedom after 35 years behind bars.Judge Michael Jesic shortens the brothers' sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life. They're now eligible for parole under California's youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of 26. They would still need approval from the state's parole board to be released. Continue reading...

Climber hiked to car in dark and and called for help after group of four scaled peak in Washington state mountainsA rock climber who fell an estimated 400ft while descending a steep gully in Washington's North Cascades mountains survived the fall that killed his three companions, hiked to his car in the dark and then drove to a payphone to call for help, authorities said on Tuesday.The surviving climber, who has not been publicly identified, extricated himself from a tangle of ropes, helmets and other equipment after the accident and made the trek despite suffering internal bleeding and head trauma, Okanogan county undersheriff Dave Yarnell said. Continue reading...

Hannah Dugan was arrested by FBI after reportedly helping an undocumented immigrant avoid US authoritiesA federal grand jury has indicted a Wisconsin judge who was arrested by the FBI last month on allegations that she helped an undocumented immigrant avoid federal authorities.Hannah Dugan, a county circuit court judge in Milwaukee, was charged on Tuesday with concealing a person from arrest and obstruction of proceedings, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Continue reading...

White House touts deal made on first stop of US president's four-day diplomatic tour to Gulf states

LA judge to decide whether Erik and Lyle Menendez should get chance at freedom after serving 30 years for murderErik and Lyle Menendez returned to court on Tuesday for a long-awaited hearing in which a Los Angeles judge will decide whether the brothers should get a chance at freedom after serving nearly three decades in prison for the double murder of their parents in 1989.The resentencing hearing, which is moving ahead after months of delays, is expected to last two days. If Judge Michael Jesic shortens the brothers' sentences, they would still need approval from the state's parole board to be released. Continue reading...

Senate Democratic leader can only delay votes on confirmations over the naked corruption' of aircraft offerThe Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, announced on Tuesday he would obstruct all Trump administration justice department nominations until the White House provides answers about plans to accept a luxury aircraft from Qatar for presidential use.The New York senator declared the hold amid growing controversy over the constitutional and security implications of accepting a foreign government's offer to provide what would become the new Air Force One. Continue reading...

US health secretary went for dip in Rock Creek, which officials report is toxic due to bacteria and pathogensThe US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has revealed that he went swimming with his children in a Washington DC creek that authorities have said is toxic due to contamination by an upstream, ageing sewer system.The Make America healthy again" crusader attracted attention for the Mother's Day dip in Dumbarton Oaks Park with his grandchildren Bobcat and Cassius, which he posted about on X. He was also accompanied by relatives Amaryllis, Bobby, Kick and Jackson. Continue reading...

Accepting a gift' of a luxury jet from Qatar is just the most eye-catching of the president's ethically questionable acts

The president's migrant crackdown has fueled an increasingly angry atmosphere - and some border agents are praising Daddy Trump'Osvaldo Ruiz and a friend were hiking through an isolated stretch of mountains, just a few miles from the sprawling US-Mexico border wall that fringes San Diego, when the federal agent stopped them in their tracks.It was late March, mid-morning, and Ruiz, who works for a local non-profit called Border Angels, was busy. That day he was scouting a new route where his group could leave life-saving water and food for the sporadic waves of migrants who still cross through these desolate borderlands. Ruiz and his friend, a fellow Border Angels member, already knew they were being watched. A helicopter had been buzzing overhead for the past several hours, tracking them. Continue reading...

The latest cuts follow a $2.2bn freeze, bringing total federal penalties against Harvard to $2.65bn

TV star tells court of moment when two gunmen burst into the bedroom of her luxury hotel apartment in 2016A tearful Kim Kardashian described how she was convinced she was going to be raped and shot dead when two gunmen burst into the bedroom of her luxury hotel apartment in Paris while the TV star was in bed.One of the men, who were dressed as police officers, shouted ring, ring," pointing to his fingers, before dragging her across the bed leaving her naked body exposed and using zip ties and tape to secure her wrists and ankles. They then taped her mouth and carried her into the bathroom, where they dumped her on the floor. Continue reading...

Andrew Witty exits for personal reasons as largest US health insurer responds to higher-than-expected medical costsThe UnitedHealth CEO, Andrew Witty, is stepping down for personal reasons and the nation's largest health insurer suspended its full-year financial outlook due to higher-than-expected medical costs.Stephen Hemsley, the company's chairman, will become CEO effective immediately, the Minnesota company said. Continue reading...

On Monday evening the airport had far fewer than the 14 controllers agreed on between the union and regulatorsNew Jersey's Newark Liberty airport, one of three major airports serving New York City, had just three air traffic controllers on duty on Monday, which was well short of the 14 called for and forced air regulators to delay arriving flights for up to seven hours.The air traffic controller shortfall, first reported by the New York Times, comes amid a growing number of problems for the hub. In a little more than a week, Newark has suffered three communications blackouts, rendering the control tower unable to track or communicate with planes for up to 90 seconds. Continue reading...

Trading away Luka Doni made Nico Harrison a reviled figure among Dallas fans. Now he has an unexpected chance to redeem himselfDallas is ground zero for one of America's most historic conspiracy theories. Just half a mile from the grassy knoll where John F Kennedy was assassinated on 22 November 1963, sits the American Airlines Center - the newest site of Dallas conspiracy lore.While this year's NBA draft lottery took place in Chicago on Monday night, the heart of the drama haunts Dallas. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison's career lives to see another day after his team improbably beat 1.8% odds to land the No 1 pick in this year's draft - which they will almost certainly use to pick Duke phenom Cooper Flagg, one of the most talented college players in years. The 6ft 9in wing will presumably usher in the first full season of Dallas's post-Luka Doni era. Mavs fans almost have to laugh, or maybe raise a very suspicious eyebrow. With the NBA's four worst teams (Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz, and New Orleans Pelicans) all taking a nosedive in the lottery, the storyline is tailor-made for a grand conspiracy theory. Continue reading...

Blanche, who represented Donald Trump during his 2024 criminal trial, was appointed acting librarian on MondayThe US deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, who represented Donald Trump during his 2024 criminal trial, has been appointed acting librarian of Congress - leading to a showdown on Capitol Hill after two other appointees were denied entry to one of its buildings.The Justice Department made the announcement about Blanche on Monday. He replaces longtime librarian Carla Hayden, who was fired by the White House last week amid criticism from conservatives that she was advancing a woke" agenda. Continue reading...

Some of president's most devoted supporters speak out against accepting $400m luxury jet as new Air Force One

Landmark driving simulators are improving road safety and helping Springfield immigrants targeted by Trump officialsSlowly and carefully, Betina, who came from Haiti to Ohio in 2021, navigates a Toyota SUV between five traffic cones in a parking lot north-west of Springfield.Betina, who works for a produce processing company, has never driven before. But now, four years into life in Springfield, she has grasped the challenge of learning to drive. Continue reading...

Academic study will analyse hormone concentrations from footballers' blood samples in search of more answersI've had not one, two, but three ACL tears - all three have been on my period." Those were the frank words of the double World Cup-winning former United States international Megan Rapinoe, speaking on her podcast A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe on 8 May, as they expressed their exasperation at how long it has taken for more in-depth research to be conducted regarded the relationship between menstrual cycles and serious knee injuries in female athletes.Finally, though, something is happening. Trying to help address the issue, with the ultimate aim of reducing instances of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, is a new, year-long academic study at Kingston University in London, which has received funding from football's world governing body, Fifa.This is an extract from our free weekly email, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions. Moving the Goalposts is back in to its twice-weekly format, delivered to your inboxes every Tuesday and Thursday. Continue reading...