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Attacks on the university make clear that the administration will wield its power against anyone who incurs its displeasureIn record time, a court has at least temporarily put a stop to the Trump administration's latest attack on Harvard University, part of a larger retaliation spree that began in April.On Thursday, Kristi Noem had revoked Harvard's certification to host international students, causing fear and existential uncertainty for thousands of young people and their families. The swift restraining order comes as a relief. But it is no cause for complacency.Jan-Werner Muller is a Guardian US columnist and a professor of politics at Princeton University Continue reading...

Small market teams have dominated this year's playoffs. Former players say playing outside big cities can help bring unity and cohesionTwo-time NBA All-Star Reggie Theus remembers the 1981 playoffs. In a big time" opening round series, his Chicago Bulls faced the New York Knicks. The first game tipped off in one of the world's most famous arenas, Madison Square Garden, and it included stars such as Artis Gilmore, Bill Cartwright and Michael Ray Richardson. The Bulls won game one and went on to win the series, playing Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in the next round. Theus scored 37 points in the clincher against New York, an overtime victory in the Windy City. But it was a thrill he never quite felt again.While Theus made the playoffs three more times in his long career, he never again featured in such a glitzy postseason showdown like Chicago versus New York. During his 13-years in the league, the he suited up for teams like the Kansas City and then Sacramento Kings (the team relocated to NorCal in 1985) and Orlando Magic. In a way, he was like a kettle moving from the front to the back burners. Indeed, more often than not, the NBA's glamour markets - cities like Los Angeles, Boston, New York and Chicago - get the attention. But those aren't its only teams, nor are they necessarily the places with the most success in any one season. Continue reading...

It is not just about honouring past victims. It is about battling those who want to take us backwardsYesterday, I led a private memorial service at George Floyd's graveside, along with his family, in Houston, Texas. Once that was over, we visited the housing project where Floyd and his siblings grew up.Half a decade after Floyd was taken from them, they were keen, as are we, to ensure his life and legacy will not be forgotten - and to remind the world why the fight for police accountability continues. Continue reading...

Hong Kong has called on the city's universities to open their doors to those affected by Donald Trump's attempted ban on foreign studentsHong Kong's education bureau has called on the city's universities to attract top talent" by opening their doors to those affected by the Trump administration's attempt to ban Harvard from enrolling international students.Last week the Trump administration revoked Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, effectively banning the university from accepting foreign students. A US federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the government from enforcing the ban, which would have reportedly forced students currently enrolled and not graduating this year to transfer to another institution or lose their legal status and visa. Continue reading...

An air of complicity has prompted new rhetoric from UK and EU leaders. But it won't redeem them - or change history's courseWhy now? That's the question. Why now, after 19 months of relentless assault that was plain for all to see, and declared by Israeli authorities themselves, has the tide begun to shift on Gaza?The marked change in tone this past week from leaders in the UK and EU is a clear break from the pabulum of concerns" and reiterations of Israel's right to defend itself. Now the rhetoric is that Israel's actions are morally unjustifiable" and wholly disportionate", and the threats of its leaders abhorrent". Some of this is future-proofing. The war has amounted to genocide and ethnic cleansing in ways that are increasingly undeniable, indefensible and unspinnable. Some had a good go at it for a year and a half, but now cannot stand at a lectern or sit at a dinner table and argue that, yes, actually, there is an argument for killing 100 people a day, as was the case last week. Or that Israel has any plan other than what its leaders have consistently declared to be one of displacement and settlement. Long gone is the argument that this is simply about wiping out Hamas. Israel, as one British media ally lamented, has hung its friends out to dry.Nesrine Malik is a Guardian columnistDo 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...

The decision marks a U-turn for Trump, who said days ago that he was not looking for a deal' to scrap the tariffs - key US politics stories from Sunday 25 May 2025Donald Trump will delay his threatened 50% tariffs on all European Union imports into the US, after what he described as a very nice call" with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.Von der Leyen wrote that she had a Good call with POTUS" in a social media post announcing she had secured a tariff delay of more than a month, to 9 July, to give both sides more time to negotiate.Catching up? Here's what happened on 24 May 2025. Continue reading...

US president criticises Putin and Zelenskyy after the Ukrainian leader condemned his silence' over attacksDonald Trump has warned that if Vladimir Putin attempts to conquer all of Ukraine, it will lead to the downfall" of Russia, while also criticising Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a Sunday night post on Truth Social.I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!" Trump wrote in a social media post, adding, I've always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that's proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!" Continue reading...

Joseph Neumayer deported by Israeli officials after three molotov cocktails found in bag, justice department saysFederal officials say agents arrested a man on Sunday accused of attempting to firebomb the Tel Aviv branch office of the US embassy in Israel, a justice department press release said.According to a news release from the US justice department, Joseph Neumayer - a dual US and German citizen - was arrested at John F Kennedy airport in New York after being deported by Israeli officials. Continue reading...

Proposal would move security under judges' control as justice department has vowed loyalty to TrumpFederal judges are discussing a proposal that would shift the armed security personnel responsible for their safety away from the Department of Justice (DoJ) and under their own control, as fears mount that the Trump administration is failing to protect them from a rising tide of hostility.The Wall Street Journal revealed on Sunday that the idea of creating their own armed security detail emerged at a meeting of about 50 federal judges two months ago. A security committee at the twice-yearly judicial conference, a policymaking body for federal judges, raised concerns about the increasing number of threats against judges following Trump's relentless criticism of court rulings against his policies. Continue reading...

Leslie O'Neal of Georgia pulled over college student who then spent more than two weeks in federal immigration jailA Georgia police officer resigned from his job on Friday after erroneously pulling over a teenager, causing her to spend more than two weeks in a federal immigration jail, and leaving her facing deportation.The officer, Leslie O'Neal, was employed at the police department in Dalton, a small city more than an hour north of Atlanta. Continue reading...

Minneapolis site where Floyd was killed by Derek Chauvin in 2020 faces tense debate over how best to honor his legacyLast May, Roger Floyd and Thomas McLaurin walked the lengths of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, passing a roundabout with a garden, and a vacant gas station with a large sign that read: Where there's people there's power." Though it had been four years since the murder of George Floyd, their nephew and cousin, respectively, concrete barriers erected by the city to protect the area still cordoned off the corner of the street where he was killed by the Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on 25 May 2020.Behind those barriers stands a memorial with a black-and-white mural of George Floyd on the side of a bus stop shelter. That's my blood that was laying there taking his last breath. What was he going through?" McLaurin recalled thinking as he stood in front of the mural. Flowers and stuffed animals from visitors surrounded the memorial. Roger said he was struck with a range of emotions from sadness to peace. You think about the racist demeanor that these individuals had toward him, and it was just like his life did not matter," he told the Guardian. The entire space to me is just sacred." Continue reading...

Prominent US senators warn Trump to get serious' about addressing budget deficit or they will block beautiful bill'Donald Trump has been warned by fiscal hawks within his own party in the US Senate that he must get serious" about cutting government spending and reducing the national debt or else they will block the passage of his signature tax-cutting legislation known as the big, beautiful bill".Ron Johnson, the Republican senator from Wisconsin who rose to prominence as a fiscal hardliner with the Tea Party movement, issued the warning to the president on Sunday. Asked by CNN's State of the Union whether his faction had the numbers to halt the bill, he replied: I think we have enough to stop the process until the president gets serious about spending reduction and reducing the deficit." Continue reading...

Aryna Sabalenka opened her French Open campaign with a straight-sets win over Kamilla Rakhimova on the first day at Roland GarrosOn Lenglen, Svitolina is serving for the first set, 5-1 up on Sonmez; on Mathieu, a fine backhand return, dipping cross, is too good for Paul, whose volley floats long, and that's a break for Moller, the 21-year-old lucky loser, who leads 3-2 in the first.On TNT, they're talking about Sabalenka, who sounds full of it as she discusses her ambition to win on clay. Her Aussie Open defeat to Madison Keys will have stung her badly, though - earlier in her career she was the one who choked - and as soon as she's put under serious pressure, we'll see whether the wound has healed. Continue reading...

Institutions in Los Angeles and beyond have seen millions in grants wiped away almost overnight. What happens when they can't tell their stories?For the past two years, a small arts non-profit has been telling stories about the communities living alongside the Los Angeles river, one voice at a time.The organization, called Clockshop, has collected the oral histories of nearly 70 local residents, activists and elected officials. Their knowledge is compiled in a vast cultural atlas - which contains videos, an interactive map and a self-guided tour exploring the waterway and its transformation from a home for the Indigenous Tongva people to a popular, rapidly gentrifying urban space. Continue reading...

NGO shelters along US-Mexico border, which have long provided aid, rattled by letter from FemaThe Trump administration has continued releasing people charged with being in the country illegally to non-governmental shelters along the US-Mexico border after previously telling those same organizations that providing immigrants with temporary housing and other aid may violate a law used to prosecute smugglers.Border shelters, which have long provided lodging and meals before offering transportation to the nearest bus station or airport, were rattled by a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) that raised significant concerns" about potentially illegal activity and demanded detailed information in a wide-ranging investigation. Continue reading...

Unlike autocracies such as Russia or China, the US has strong liberal guardrails to prevent a dictatorship. But Trump has a plan for dismantling themThere is some mystery surrounding Donald Trump's moves to dismantle many cherished principles of American history and its culture of governance: his globalization denialism; his romance with Russia; his demolition of universities; his contempt for European values and histories; his campaign to humiliate Canada. These are all known examples, but it can be hard to see across them to discern anything like a unified theory of Trumpism.There are two possibilities here. One is that there is no rhyme or reason to Trump's actions. He is simply a randomizing generator of chaos. The other is that there is a method. Continue reading...

Assailant in Carmel tried to punch 13-year-old in face before she threw him to the ground and broke his ankleA 13-year-old California girl is reminding the public that knowing self-defense can save one's life after she reportedly used her martial arts training to fend off a stranger who tried to assault her - breaking the grown man's ankle in the process.The girl, whose name has not been widely shared, recently had to fight to protect herself three years since she began attending jiu-jitsu classes in Carmel, California, about 75 miles (120km) from San Jose, the local news station KSBW reported. Continue reading...

It grew out of a Google Doc, and now has millions of US members - what's the secret of Indivisible's success?After the biggest day of protest of the second Trump presidency, when millions of people rallied in more than 1,300 cities and towns across the country, Ezra Levin addressed thousands of faithful progressive activists.For the previous few months, as Trump reclaimed the White House and Democrats struggled to oppose him, the drumbeat of opposition had steadily grown. Protest was back in the air. Democrats were finding their way. And it was because of activists like them, Levin told the crew gathered on a weekly organizing call for Indivisible, the progressive movement that started during Trump's first term. Continue reading...

Blinded, beaten or jailed, some protesters are still recovering physically and financially from speaking outFive years ago, on 25 May 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer. During an attempted arrest, Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, cutting off his oxygen supply. The gruesome killing was captured on video.Floyd's murder sparked global outcry, launching the largest protests seen in the US since the civil rights movement. During the summer of 2020, upwards of 26 million people protested nationwide to condemn police brutality and demand racial justice. Rallies also spread across the globe, with some 93 countries and territories participating in the uprisings. Continue reading...

Prosecutors appear to be more focused on forensic evidence than during 2024 trial of woman accused of killing her police officer boyfriendDuring week five of the retrial of Karen Read, a Massachusetts woman accused of killing her police officer boyfriend, prosecutors continued to present forensic evidence to prove that she intentionally ran over the victim. Meanwhile, defense attorneys tried to illuminate potential flaws in their case, according to legal experts.The case, which has attracted true crime fans around the globe and was the subject of an HBO Max docuseries, previously ended in a mistrial in July 2024 after a jury could not reach a verdict. Continue reading...

Five years after George Floyd's murder, America's view on policing has fundamentally changed. But one summer of protest isn't enoughMemory is a strange thing - the way sounds, images, and sensations converge to cement a moment in our minds. For millions of people, the memory of what happened to George Floyd five years ago in Minneapolis will stay with us for ever.On Sunday, we remember the life of George Floyd and reflect on the summer of 2020, when movement builders activated as many as 26 million people into the streets to demand an end to the state's violent disregard for Black lives. Many people will opine today about the perceived failures of that time and the years that followed, focusing on how corporate pledges to increase diversity have since been revoked or zeroing in on how many police departments did not cut their budgets, all in an effort to decide whether the summer of 2020 was really as powerful as it felt.M Adams, Co-Executive Director, Movement for Black Lives & Miski Noor, Publisher of the Forge and former Co-Director of Black Visions Continue reading...

Five years ago, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis. Writers and activists from Brazil to Berlin talk about the protests, hope and disappointment that followedDo 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...

Former US vice-president tells conference I do worry, frankly, about what's happening right now in the world'Kamala Harris has criticised Elon Musk, noted it's important that we remember the 1930s" and raised concerns about AI when speaking to an audience of 4,500 real estate agents at an industry conference on the Gold Coast.The former US vice-president, who is visiting Australia for the first time, was the guest of honour at the 2025 Australian Real Estate Conference on Sunday. Continue reading...

US coast guard says accident occurred while employees were doing work involving a flame or sparksAn explosion on a boat carrying raw sewage that was docked on the Hudson River in New York City killed a longtime city employee, authorities said.Another worker on the city-owned Hunts Point vessel was injured and taken to the hospital after the blast about 10.30am Saturday near the North River wastewater treatment plant, according to city deputy assistant chief David Simms of the fire department. A third worker refused medical treatment. Continue reading...

Short shrift for Trump's 50% tariff' outburst; thousands of Americans want to become British for good - key US politics stories from Saturday 24 May at a glanceAs he continued his on-again, off-again tariff war with much of the world, Donald Trump went on social media to complain that the EU was taking advantage of the United States on trade" and not coming to the table about it. Therefore I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025."The EU's trade commissioner had a call with the US trade representative Jamieson Greer and Trump's commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick. Maro efovi said afterwards: The EU's fully engaged, committed to securing a deal that works for both." Continue reading...

Thomas Barrack also stresses temporary lifting of sanctions for first time since 1979 after meeting with Ahmed al-SharaaDonald Trump's old friend Thomas Barrack, now serving as the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, praised Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, after a meeting in Istanbul on Saturday.I stressed the cessation of sanctions against Syria will preserve the integrity of our primary objective - the enduring defeat of ISIS - and will give the people of Syria a chance for a better future," Barrack said in a statement, referring to actions taken on Friday by the Trump administration to temporarily suspend sanctions imposed on the government of the former president, Bashar al-Assad, who was deposed by rebel forces led by Sharaa late last year. Continue reading...

John Woeltz, 37, being held without bail after allegedly beating, shocking and dangling man from five-story homeA cryptocurrency investor was arraigned in Manhattan criminal court on Saturday morning and charged with kidnapping an Italian man and then beating and torturing him for several weeks, allegedly to extract cryptocurrency passwords.The 37-year-old crypto investor, John Woeltz, was arrested on Friday after allegedly torturing the man in a swanky home in the upscale Manhattan neighborhood of Soho. The victim reportedly escaped the five-story home on Friday and sought help from the police, who later arrested Woeltz. Continue reading...

Judge says Guatemalan's removal to Mexico, despite fears of being harmed there, lacked any semblance of due process'A federal judge ordered the Trump administration late Friday night to facilitate the return of a Guatemalan man it deported to Mexico, in spite of his fears of being harmed there, and who has since been returned to Guatemala.The man, who is gay, had applied for asylum in the US last year after he was attacked twice in homophobic acts of violence in Guatemala. He was protected from being returned to his home country under a US immigration judge's order at the time, but the Trump administration put him on a bus and sent him to Mexico instead. Continue reading...

Julion Alvarez was to perform before 50,000 fans in Texas, but he is the latest Mexican musician to have their visa revokedA popular Mexican singer had to cancel a concert in Texas scheduled for Saturday after the Trump administration allegedly revoked his visa, preventing him from entering the country. The singer, Julion Alvarez, was supposed to perform for 50,000 fans at the Arlington, Texas, stadium where the Dallas Cowboys play but was informed that his visa had been revoked with no further information, according to a video statement he posted on Instagram.We don't have the ability to come to the US and fulfill our commitment to you," the singer said. The event will be postponed, until we hear what comes next." Continue reading...

Panahi has endured years of harassment from the Iranian authorities but has created a tremendous body of work; his Palme d'Or is richly deserved

US president pans previous administrations for fighting foreign wars and wasting our time, money and souls'Donald Trump told graduating West Point military academy cadets on Saturday that they were entering the officer corps at a defining moment in the army's history", in a commencement address that included political attacks and a discourse on the folly of older men marrying trophy wives".Referring to US political leaders of the past two decades who had dragged our military into missions" that people questioned as wasting our time, money and souls in some case", Trump told the young leaders that as much as you want to fight, I'd rather do it without having to fight". He predicted that, through a policy of peace through strength", the US's adversaries would back down. I just want to look at them and have them fold," he said. Continue reading...

Leonardo Garcia Venegas was filming arrests of his co-workers in Alabama when officers arrested himAuthorities wrestled a US-born citizen to the ground, cuffed him and dismissed his so-called Real ID as fake" during an arrest operation targeting undocumented people on Wednesday under the direction of the Trump administration, according to a viral video and reporting by Telemundo.Leonardo Garcia Venegas, 25, was at his construction job in Foley, Alabama, when officials arrived to arrest workers there. Garcia Venegas - who was born in Florida to Mexican parents - began filming the arrests with his mobile phone before officials reportedly knocked the device out of his hand and tried to arrest him as well. Continue reading...

The killing of two Israeli embassy staffers is unconscionable and does not advance the cause of Palestinian liberationThe killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington DC on Wednesday night is unconscionable. The victims, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, should be alive, and justice must be meted out to their assailant. This brazen act of political violence in the heart of the nation's capital only underscores the obvious: all this violence - whether it's in Washington DC, Gaza, Jenin or Israel, and whether it's by bullet, bomb or forced starvation - all of it must end, and it must end immediately.What we know so far is that shortly after 9pm on Wednesday evening, a gunman approached a group of four people who were departing an event at the Capital Jewish Museum that had been hosted by the American Jewish Committee. (It's been reported that the event focused on bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza through Israeli-Palestinian and regional collaboration".) The suspected gunman, identified in media accounts as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, had been seen pacing outside the museum when he spotted the group of four leaving the building. He opened fire on the group, fatally wounding two at close range. He then entered the building, where he was detained by event security. He can be seen on video in handcuffs and chanting free, free Palestine". Continue reading...

Wagon Box Inn, founded by Paul McNiel, attracts figures with ambitions to push politics and culture rightwardsA vacation lodge known as the Wagon Box Inn in the tiny town of Story, Wyoming, has emerged as an unlikely hub of rightwing ambitions to reorient US politics and culture.Events held there since it opened, and others planned for this spring, have brought together figures from the so-called dissident right", political figures backed by reactionary currents in Silicon Valley, and proponents of the network state" movement. Continue reading...

A potential agreement with survivors is in the works, but some parties are unhappy with settlement amountThe Catholic archbishop of New Orleans made a rare in-person appearance in federal bankruptcy court on Friday, days after announcing a potential agreement to settle claims with hundreds of clergy abuse survivors that has been met with pushback from some of the plaintiffs.I'm here because I'm concerned for the survivors," Gregory Aymond said in an interview with WWL Louisiana away from the cameras after what is believed to have been his first appearance in person for an open court hearing in the five years since his archdiocese - one of the US's oldest - joined roughly 40 Catholic institutions to file for bankruptcy protection amid the worldwide church's long-ongoing clergy molestation scandal. Continue reading...

Nearly 2,000 applications for British citizenship submitted since January, when Donald Trump took officeDuring the 12 months leading up to March, more than 6,000 US citizens have applied to either become British subjects or to live and work in the country indefinitely - the highest number since comparable records began in 2004, according to data released on Thursday by the UK's Home Office.Over the period, 6,618 Americans applied for British citizenship - with more than 1,900 of the applications received between January and March, most of which has been during the beginning of Donald Trump's second US presidency. Continue reading...

Jesse Watters' list is so bizarre, it has me agreeing with Ted Cruz - and Watters' show helps shape US politicsTim Burchett, a Republican congressman, would like you to know that he is not a straw man. No sir. Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, the Tennessee lawmaker explained that he is a red-blooded American male who does not drink out of a straw" because that's what the women in my house do". And no self-respecting man wants to be like the women in their house, do they? Yuck.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Cases in New Mexico and Kansas give experts reason to be concerned' in second-worst US measles year since 2000The measles outbreak in Texas is showing signs of slowing, though other states are seeing more cases and health officials are warning against complacency as the US continues to experience high rates of measles amid falling vaccination rates.It has been a handful of days since anyone in Lubbock, Texas, has tested positive, and there are no known measles hospitalizations at the children's hospital in the city, which has also cared for children from nearby Gaines county. Continue reading...

Maro efovi's remarks come after pace of talks prompted Trump to propose 50% tariff on goods from blocThe European Union's trade chief has struck a defiant tone after Donald Trump threatened to place a 50% tariff on all goods from the bloc, saying any potential trade deal between Brussels and Washington must be based on respect not threats".The US president made his announcement after voicing frustration with the pace of progress on a trade agreement with the EU. The new rates would come into effect from 1 June. Continue reading...

The drop in productions is causing alarm - can Tinseltown halt the exodus and reclaim its spot as the home of movie-making?When Adam Scott was working on the hit TV show Parks and Recreation in the early 2010s, the Los Angeles studio where the show was filmed was packed - every stage was filled and working".These days, he told his former co-star Rob Lowe in a much-discussed recent podcast conversation, it's quiet over there" - in part because it's just too expensive to shoot here". Continue reading...

Adriana Smith, declared braindead in February, is being kept alive because she's pregnant. Where was the concern for her life while she was here?A Black pregnant woman who was declared brain dead back in February is still being kept alive on a ventilator, because of a Georgia law that prohibits abortions beyond six weeks. If this sounds like the stuff of speculative fiction, it's because there's literally a Handmaid's Tale episode about this. And while the TV show based on Margaret Atwood's 1985 book may have gotten many things right about the soul of authoritarianism and a violently patriarchal society, living that reality is even more sickening.Anyone who thinks this is about the life of Adriana Smith's child is fooling themselves. This is the state, boundary testing to see how far they can take their efforts to have full reproductive control over American women, and gauging how much the American public is willing to tolerate.Tayo Bero is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

The rallying cry from 2020 Black Lives Matter protests pushed some US cities to divert money towards housing and community servicesAfter George Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, protesters who swarmed the streets across the US shouted the refrain: Defund the police." An idea that was once viewed as radical - to redirect money from law enforcement to other city departments and social services - became a rallying cry overnight.As a result of continued pressure, dozens of jurisdictions throughout the nation promised to reduce their police budgets. While most of them backtracked and increased law enforcement funding in the next year or two, several cities changed policies or added new public safety and homeless services departments. Continue reading...