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Chris Pelkey was killed in a road rage shooting in Chandler, Arizona, in 2021. Three-and-a-half years later, Pelkey appeared in an Arizona court to address his killer. Sort of. 'To Gabriel Horcasitas, the man who shot me, it is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances,' says a video recording of Pelkey. 'In another life, we probably could have been friends.' Pelkey continues: 'I believe in forgiveness, and a God who forgives. I always have, and I still do.' Pelkey was 37 years old, devoutly religious and an army combat veteran. Horcasitas shot Pelkey at a red light in 2021 after Pelkey exited his vehicle and walked back towards Horcasitas's car. Pelkey's appearance from beyond the grave was made possible by artificial intelligence in what could be the first use of AI to deliver a victim impact statement.

Collins has broken with Trump in the past, but so far has been unwilling to use the full power of her committeeUnder normal circumstances, Senator Susan Collins would now be one of the most powerful figures in official Washington.In January, the Maine Republican became the chair of the Senate appropriations committee, long considered one of the most consequential panels in the upper chamber. Nicknamed the college of cardinals" for its outsized power over federal spending, it can approve funds for favored programs and slash it for others while blocking attempts by the White House to get in the way. One former chair of the committee used his power to get more than 30 federal projects named for himself in his home state. On its website, the committee boldly asserts its power, quoting from the constitution that No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of Appropriations made by law." Continue reading...

UN calls for maximum restraint from two nuclear powers. Plus, Israeli minister accused of ethnic cleansing for vowing Gaza will be entirely destroyed'

Workers at the esteemed news service say they're being silenced by the president - but they're vowing to fight backCarolina Valladares Perez, a Washington-based correspondent for the government-funded international news service Voice of America, has reported from places where press freedom is severely restricted - war zones and autocratic states - in the Middle East and across Latin America. Intimidation and threats from state officials were not unusual - but she always managed to get the story out.Now for the first time in her career, Valladares Perez says she has been silenced - not by a faraway regime, but by the government of the United States. Continue reading...

There is surprising nostalgia and humour in Gerad Argeros's story of healing after child abuse by a Catholic priest. He was an altar boy at St Cecilia Catholic church in north-east Philadelphia when, at age 11, he became one of the victims of paedophile James Brzyski. Decades later, the actor and father developed the one-man stage show Fox Chase Boy. Performing it to his close-knit parish he speaks directly about a crime cloaked in silence, and brings welcome insight into their collective trauma Continue reading...

Are schools really providing litter trays for kids whose pronouns are Puss and Purr? Or is state representative Stan Gerdes just stoking the culture war with his proposed FURRIES Act?Move over, Wagatha Christie: Furlock Holmes is investigating non-human behaviour" in Texas schools. A Republican state representative called Stan Gerdes recently filed a bill called the Forbidden Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Educational Spaces (FURRIES) Act, which would ban schoolkids from acting like animals. No hissing during history, no meowing during maths, and absolutely no relieving yourself in a litter box during lunch break, according to the FURRIES Act.Are animal impersonations a serious issue in Texas's schools? Gerdes insists so, noting in a press release that he had heard reports of a furry-related incident" in at least one school. When pressed on the issue, however, he was unable to provide any actual evidence of schools providing litter boxes for students who identify as felines.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...

Slowdown will deepen concerns Denmark's biggest company is losing market share to US rival Eli Lilly

Half-point cut to be made to banks' reserve requirement ratio and 1tn yuan released into banking system

Dangerous bills could pave the way for Trump's own cryptocurrency to be used in government paymentsWhen Elon Musk's department of government efficiency" (Doge) gained access to treasury payment systems in February, Democratic party leadership pledged to protect government payments from Donald Trump's influence. Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference announcing the Stop the Steal act that would prevent the takeover of critical government payment infrastructure. On that very same day, high-profile Democrats joined with Republicans to introduce legislation allowing for payments to be made in cryptocurrencies called stablecoins. The bill paves the way for the US president to require that all payments to and from the government are made with cryptocurrencies, which could include the one he has a business interest in.After making millions off a memecoin", the crypto-opportunist-in-chief recently entered the burgeoning crypto-payments market by launching a stablecoin. For the uninitiated, stablecoins are crypto products that allege to hold the value of a currency like the US dollar and are intended to be used as digital payments. In fact, stablecoins constantly fail to hold their value, aren't subject to federal consumer protections, and aren't backed by the full faith and credit of the government. If a consumer's stablecoins are hacked, fraudulently or accidentally spent, or lost due to a misplaced password, stablecoin companies will not reverse or reimburse those payments like a credit card company would. If a stablecoin company fails, consumers are not protected by anything like federal deposit insurance. Stablecoins have also become the preferred cryptocurrency for illicit finance. Continue reading...

The former Baltimore Ravens guard had a lucrative career in professional football. But he chose to concentrate on his first love in academiaJohn Urschel lifts the blinds in his second-floor office in the mathematics department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Outside is Cambridge in all of its springtime splendor on a mid-April afternoon. Everything about his office says college professor" - the computer on one side of the desk, the stack of papers on the other, the books on the shelves behind him.He grins through his beard and his eyes sparkle behind his glasses when he describes his research in linear algebra. When he gestures enthusiastically, you can imagine those huge hands protecting his quarterback from opposing pass rushers - which he once did as a guard for the Baltimore Ravens. Continue reading...

Americans who bought foreign teams will soon be competing with domestic MLS owners in battle for fans' walletsIn 1986, the former Buffalo Bills quarterback and future Republican vice-presidential nominee Jack Kemp spoke on the floor of the US House of Representatives and said a silly thing. Football," he said, referring to the gridiron variety, is democratic capitalism, whereas soccer is a European socialist sport."Kemp was trying, apparently, to underpin his opposition to the US potentially hosting the 1994 Fifa World Cup. Later on, by which time his comments had been tucked away into the filing cabinet of infamy, he contended that he was only kidding. Kemp attended said World Cup himself and admitted that half his grandchildren were soccer players. Sure. Fine. Continue reading...

In his first interview since leaving office, former US president told the BBC he fears for US-Europe relationsJoe Biden has accused Donald Trump of modern-day appeasement" in his approach to Russia and expressed fears that Europe would lose confidence in the certainty of America" in his first interview since leaving the White House in January.He [Vladimir Putin] believes it [Russia] has historical rights to Ukraine," Biden told the BBC. Anybody who thought the Russian president would stop if Kyiv conceded territory, as recently proposed by Trump, is just foolish", he said. Continue reading...

In India, as elsewhere, menopenalisation' means women in middle age are failed by their employers and wider societyIf I take another pay cut, I might as well start working pro bono," I joked with a friend recently, during another brutal round of job hunting in my home-city, Delhi. She, in her early 40s, laughed and said: I feel the same."A few weeks later, I had deja vu on a call with another writer friend in her early 40s. I'm tired of trying to find a job that pays what I'm worth. No one will hire me unless I drop my expectations to entry level," she lamented. Continue reading...

Kyiv still relies heavily on foreign support for its war effort, and it has agreed to difficult terms to keep the US on sideDespite Russia's occupation of its territory, missile attacks on its infrastructure and the enormous human costs of the war, Ukraine's economy has been impressively resilient. Its effective military resistance against a much stronger adversary is in fact underpinned by this successful economic management. Rather than face institutional sclerosis or even collapse, Ukraine's state capacity has been strengthened by the conflict. Through a combination of tax revenue collection and substantial networks of voluntary fundraising, the state has dramatically increased the size of its armed forces, invested in defence production and maintained a decent level of public infrastructure.State spending on soldiers' wages, infrastructure and logistics - including public sector procurement from private firms - has had a positive knock-on effect, supporting demand in the civilian market economy. Soldiers on the frontline earn well above the national average wage. An innovative military industrial complex, combining traditional state-owned enterprises with an ecosystem of drone startups, has been developed. These policies have stabilised the Ukrainian economy and directed it to the goal of the country's basic survival.Luke Cooper is an associate professorial research fellow in international relations at LSE Ideas, the in-house foreign policy thinktank of the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the director of PeaceRep's Ukraine programme Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. Read our latest story hereA group of US senators wants Congress' watchdog agency to investigate whether controls on humanitarian aid deliveries by Israel and other foreign governments violate US law, according to a letter seen by Reuters.The six senators - Chris Van Hollen, Dick Durbin, Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Peter Welch - wrote to Gene Dodaro, the comptroller general, asking him to launch an investigation by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office into the US government's implementation of laws regarding the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Continue reading...

Officials recover body of girl's 14-year-old brother as her mother is hospitalized and father remains in comaA 10-year-old Indian girl remains missing at sea after a boat carrying migrants capsized outside of San Diego on Monday morning. One of the bodies recovered is the girl's 14-year-old brother. According to the Department of Justice, the family's mother is hospitalized while their father remains in a coma.The US Coast Guard announced it had stopped its search on Monday evening. The justice department stated that of the original nine people reported missing, all except for the 10-year-old girl had been found. Two Mexican nationals were killed in the boat's capsizing as well. Continue reading...

Mark Carney takes firm line with Donald Trump during White House visit; supreme court allows ban on transgender troops to take effect. Key US politics stories from Tuesday 6 May at a glanceIn the White House on Tuesday, the prime minister of Canada told Donald Trump: As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale." Trump agreed: That's true."Mark Carney continued: Having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign ... it's not for sale. Won't be for sale, ever." Never say never," said Trump. Carney smiled and mouthed never, never, never, never." Continue reading...

US president reports three deaths and laments terrible situation' but does not provide further detailsDonald Trump said Tuesday that three more hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have died, bringing the number still alive to 21.At a White House swearing-in ceremony for his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump revealed that three more Israeli hostages have died in Gaza, meaning that just 21 of the hostages taken from Israel during the 7 October attacks remain alive. Continue reading...

Ex-housekeepers accuse Motown legend of sexual battery, false imprisonment, negligence and gender violenceMotown legend William Smokey" Robinson has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by four women - identified only as Jane Does 1, 2, 3 and 4 - who worked as housekeepers for the Robinsons.A complaint filed in Los Angeles superior court on 6 May lists charges including sexual battery, false imprisonment, negligence and gender violence. The complaint seeks $50m total in damages for the four women. Continue reading...

Clip of Chris Pelkey, who died in 2021, says: I believe in forgiveness' after his sister fed an AI model videos of himChris Pelkey was killed in a road rage shooting in Chandler, Arizona, in 2021.Three-and-a-half years later, Pelkey appeared in an Arizona court to address his killer. Sort of. Continue reading...

Same-sex couple says they were appalled after being confronted and wrongfully accused in women's restroomA couple visiting Boston says they were left confused and appalled after being forced out of the Liberty Hotel during a Kentucky Derby party on Saturday, following what they describe as being confronted and wrongfully accused in the women's restroom.Ansley Baker and her girlfriend, Liz Victor, both cisgender women, said a hotel security guard entered the women's bathroom and demanded Baker leave the stall she was using, claiming she didn't belong there. Continue reading...

But divisions over tariffs and Trump's desire to annex northern neighbor simmer under surface as leaders meet

Through a new food-access initiative, J's Grocery provides its Clarksdale community with hard-to-come-by cropsWith the recent release of Ryan Coogler's Sinners, Clarksdale, Mississippi, known as the home of the blues, has been thrust into the spotlight. But while the nation and world are captivated by a version of Clarksdale from more than 90 years ago, residents today are focused on the future.On 2 May, rain and warnings of thunderstorms were not enough to keep people in Clarksdale's Brickyard neighborhood away from the reopening of J's Grocery, a local staple since 1997 that had been under renovation for the last year. Continue reading...

It may seem a victory to some, but experts worry a win will allow the government to be coy about future attacksThe Trump administration on Monday asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit that takes aim at the abortion pill mifepristone - a move that stunned many observers for what seemed a defense of the drug by a president who has overseen the most dramatic rollback of abortion rights in modern US history.At first blush, it may seem a victory for abortion access - but experts worry that, in reality, the move preserves the administration's ability to play coy about any future plans to attack abortion rights. Continue reading...

Four Republicans needed to sign on to discharge petition to force vote on legislation preventing cuts to safety netHouse Democrats are making a long-shot attempt to stop Republicans from downsizing federal safety net programs including Medicaid to offset the costs of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and tax cuts.The Democratic House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, on Tuesday announced that his lawmakers are circulating a petition which, should a majority of the chamber sign on to it, would force a vote on legislation preventing cuts to the Medicaid health insurance program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap). Continue reading...

Justices rule ban can be enforced while challenge plays out in court, a decision that could lead to thousands dischargedThe Trump administration can begin to enforce a ban on transgender troops serving in the military while a challenge to the policy plays out in the courts, the supreme court ruled on Tuesday, a significant decision that could lead to the discharge of thousands of military members.The court's order was unsigned and gave no explanation for its reasoning, which is typical of decisions the justices reach on an emergency basis. The court's three liberal members - Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson - all noted their dissent from the decision. Continue reading...

In a meeting that got pretty tense towards the end, Donald Trump dug in his heels, insisting there was nothing Mark Carney could say to make him change his mind and lift tariffs imposed on Canada. Trump insisted the US does not want cars and steel from Canada 'because we're making our own'. Carney was firm on his 'Canada will never be for sale' message, emphasising Canada's sovereignty, which propelled him to electoral victory last week, to which Trump said: 'Never say never'

Kathy Hochul announces first-ever' plans to distribute $2bn, as well as plans for free meals for 2.7 million studentsNew York governor, Kathy Hochul, announced that the state will be distributing inflation refund checks to more than 8 million New Yorkers.Last week, as part of New York's fiscal year 2026 budget, Hochul announced the state's first-ever inflation refund checks" which is slated to put $2bn back into the pockets of millions of New Yorkers. Continue reading...

Republican governor Spencer Cox signs law despite pleas of health experts, who warn that children will be most hurtUtah on Wednesday will become the first state in the US to ban fluoride in public drinking water. Dentists who treat children and low-income patients say they're bracing for an increase in tooth decay among the state's most vulnerable people.Utah's Republican governor, Spencer Cox, signed the law against the recommendation of many dentists and national health experts who warned removing fluoride would harm tooth development, especially in young patients without regular access to dental care. Continue reading...

Daniel Lozano-Camargo, 20, was deported in March in violation of a legal settlement over his asylum applicationThe identity of a second man illegally deported from the US by the Trump administration in defiance of a court order and now in detention in El Salvador has been revealed.Daniel Lozano-Camargo, a 20-year-old Venezuelan, was deported to El Salvador's notorious Cecot terrorism confinement facility in March under the White House's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, Politico reported. Continue reading...

The initial failure of coalition members to back the new chancellor in sufficient numbers was a bad beginning at a treacherous moment for the nationThe election of Friedrich Merz as chancellor by German legislators on Tuesday morning was meant to end months of political instability, since the collapse of OlafScholz's government half a year ago - itself the result of bitter infighting at the top. Many fear that this could be the last chance to keep out the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD). But the humiliatingresult of the first ballot - in which MrMerzbecame the first chancellor designate to fail tosecure the majority needed in the Bundestag since the secondworld war - was a bad beginning.It was supposed to be a straightforward confirmation; instead, he was hobbled by rebels fromhis own coalition. Only 310 of its 328legislators backed him, short of the 316 required. He was approvedby 325 in a hastily scheduled secondvote, hours later. Continue reading...

Mark Carney said country was not for sale' in much anticipated summit between leaders at White House

Canada's newly-elected prime minister, Mark Carney, told Donald Trump that 'some places are never for sale', including Canada. Carney's comments were made during a meeting in the White House when the US president said he still believed Canada should become the '51st state'. In response to Carney's remarks, Trump told reporters: 'Never say never'

John J Reilly, a highway superintendent, allegedly fired shots at a driver who stopped to ask for directionsAuthorities have arrested a New York official for shooting a lost DoorDash delivery driver over the weekend.On Sunday, New York state police announced the arrest of 48-year old John J Reilly of Chester, New York, after he allegedly shot a driver who got lost while attempting to deliver food to a residence in the Valerie Drive neighborhood on Friday evening. Continue reading...

The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected appeals from Grupo Pachuca and potential replacement club AlajuelenseMexican soccer club Leon finally lost their legal match against Fifa on Tuesday and are officially out of the Club World Cup. Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC or another Mexican team, Club America, will likely be the late replacement in the United States next month after a yet-to-be-scheduled one-game playoff.

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

California governor unveils idea after president threatened tariffs on films made abroadThe California governor, Gavin Newsom, has proposed a $7.5bn tax credit program and offered to work with Donald Trump to boost US film production after the president threatened to slap 100% tariffs on films made abroad, alarming industry executives in Hollywood and abroad.Newsom - who has had an often fractious relationship with Trump - unveiled his idea after Hollywood reacted nervously to the president's tariffs plan, which sent share values in some film and media companies plummeting. Continue reading...

Investigation under way in what is believed to be the first fatal mauling of a human by a bear in the stateWildlife officials in Florida are investigating what is believed to be the first fatal mauling of a human by a bear in the state.The body of the black bear suspected in the death of 89-year-old Robert Markel was removed from woodland near the unincorporated community of Jerome, close to Florida's Big Cypress wildlife management area, on Monday night, according to the Naples Daily News. Continue reading...

White House axed grants even as college agreed to demands including ceding control of Middle East studies departmentNew York's Columbia University is slated to cut 180 staffers whose work was supported by federal grants that have now been revoked by the Trump administration, the college's acting president, Claire Shipman, announced on Tuesday.We have had to make difficult choices and unfortunately, today, nearly 180 of our colleagues who have been working, in whole or in part, on impacted federal grants, will receive notices of non-renewal or termination," Shipman said in a lengthy notice posted on Columbia's website. Continue reading...

Federal government restarted collecting on defaulted loans, ending a five-year pause that began during CovidThe federal government resumed collecting on defaulted student loans on Monday, ending a five-year pause that began during the Covid-19 pandemic.The Department of Education says federal student loan borrowers who fail to pay on time could damage their credit scores and even have their wages garnished, their tax refunds seized, and even see reductions in social security benefits beginning on 5 May. Continue reading...

The rise of a resurgent American white supremacism is reaching around the globe, often with deadly consequencesBy many accounts, Hilliard, a leafy suburb west of downtown Columbus, is a midwestern success story: its progressive school district gives a vacation day for all students to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr - the first in Ohio to do so - and its homes are highly sought-after by a growing number of diverse families where locals enjoy shopping at the oldest Asian grocery in the state.But it is also where Christopher Brenner Cook, a convicted terrorist, grew up. In April 2023, Cook and two others were sentenced for conspiring to attack America's electrical grid, and he was given a 92-month prison term. Continue reading...

For centuries, the academy was exclusive to the Christian elite. When that began to change, an onslaught beganIn 2021, JD Vance, then a candidate for Ohio senate, gave a provocative keynote address at the National Conservatism Conference. Vance's lecture was an indictment of American higher education: a hostile institution" that gives credibility to some of the most ridiculous ideas that exist in this country". The aspiring politician did not mince words before his receptive rightwing audience: If any of us wants to do the things we want to do ... We have to honestly and aggressively attack the universities." The title of Vance's keynote was inspired by a quote from Richard Nixon: The universities are the enemy."The Maga movement, of which Vance, the vice-president, is now at the forefront, has been unabashedly on the attack against campuses, professors and students. Donald Trump characterizes colleges as dominated by Marxist maniacs and lunatics", and student protesters as radicals", savages" and jihadists" who have been indoctrinated by faculty communists and terrorists". He has already delivered swift vengeance against campus protesters and non-protesters alike with visa terminations and deportations. This administration has gleefully withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to force colleges to crack down on student dissent. Continue reading...

Group demands university cut ties with Boeing over company's military contracts with IsraelMore than two dozen pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on Monday night at the University of Washington in Seattle after they occupied an engineering building and set dumpsters on fire.The protest group, called Super UW, occupied the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building to demand that the university sever its ties with Boeing, as the aerospace company has military contracts which the students say are used by Israel in their US-funded genocide of Palestinian people". Continue reading...

The unpredictability of the US president's tariff policy on Mexico has already cost ranchers millions in profit lossesBandanas veiled ranchers' mouths and noses, shielding them from heavy dust clouds kicked up by the Mexican herds of cattle crossing the United States-Mexico border. The scene looks timeless, routine. The uncertainty isn't.In Donald Trump's first 100 days, the borderland's cattle industry faces a huge challenge: threats of a trade war that's already hitting consumers in the gut with rising beef prices, from Texas to New York. The on-again, off-again tariff impositions and worries in February and March jolted Mexican cattle producers with mounting economic losses. Continue reading...

Niosh has been protecting workers' health and safety for 50 years, affecting everyone from coalminers to firefightersAs Donald Trump announced his tariffs in the White House Rose Garden last month, he proclaimed: We're standing up for the American worker." While it remains to be seen what impact these tariffs will have on American workers, his words were belied by the fact that just a day before this announcement, hundreds of workers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) - an organization that has stood up for US workers since 1970 - discovered that they had been laid off.Niosh was founded as part of the Occupational Health and Safety Act with the purpose of developing and establishing recommended occupational safety and health standards". The organization has been on the frontline of protecting worker health and safety ever since. Its work has focused on understanding the risks faced by millions of workers throughout the country who put their safety on the line every day to perform their jobs. For example, Niosh's Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program investigates fatalities to understand their circumstances and make recommendations, ensuring that more of these workers, who risk their lives for others daily, can be safer in the line of duty. Continue reading...