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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...

American soldier Edan Alexander meets family at Israel border. Plus, what one woman learned by watching every single Nicolas Cage filmGood morning.Hamas has freed the last living US citizen it held in Gaza, Edan Alexander, in a unilateral move Donald Trump described as a good faith step" towards ending the war and bringing home all remaining hostages.How serious is the situation in Gaza? Gaza is at critical risk of famine", food security experts have warned, 10 weeks after Israel imposed a blockade on the devastated Palestinian territory, cutting off all supplies including food, medicine, shelter and fuel.Did others who were interviewed agree? The authors spoke to around 200 people for the book, including members of Congress and White House and campaign insiders. Some had been sounding the alarm about Biden's mental acuity and about desperate efforts by his close staff and allies to hide the extent of his deterioration. Continue reading...

Trump administration is considering pronatalist policies such as awarding $5,000 for every birth - but women say they want universal healthcare and cheaper childcareIn theory, Savannah Downing would love to be a mom. At 24, the Texan actor and content creator is nearing the age at which her mother had kids. Some of her friends are starting families. But having children in the United States is wildly expensive - and so when she saw the news that the Trump administration was considering giving out $5,000 baby bonuses" to convince women to have kids, Downing was incensed.Maybe people will want to have children more often if we weren't struggling to find jobs, struggling to pay our student loans, struggling to pay for food," she said. Five thousand dollars doesn't even begin to even cover childcare for one month. It just seems really ridiculous." Continue reading...

President has directed Robert Kennedy to send price targets to industry, with slimming drugs thought to be includedDonald Trump has used his executive powers to order sweeping cuts to the price of prescription drugs in the US, in an effort to bring them in line with other developed countries.The plans, first announced in a social media post on Sunday, triggered a sharp fall in drugmakers' share prices on Monday. However, these later reversed amid growing scepticism that the shake-up would be as severe as promised. Continue reading...

Lou Prevost, who shared video that repeated slur against Nancy Pelosi, says he and brother disagree on some things'The oldest brother of newly elected Pope Leo XIV has predicted that the Roman Catholic church's first-ever US-born leader will strive to be apolitical in his role - which, if that happens, would cut a stark contrast with the papal sibling's fierce support of far-right American politics.Facebook posts under the name of Louis Martin Lou" Prevost, whose youngest brother, Robert Prevost,was recently picked to succeed the late Pope Francis, have come under scrutiny from journalists and social media users as the world seeks hints about what kind of relationship Leo may foster with Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Wall Street jumps as president hails total reset' with Beijing, while administration stirs controversy with refugee status for white South Africans. Key US politics stories from Monday 12 May 2025 at a glanceThey've agreed to open up China," US president Donald Trump claimed at a press conference at the White House on Monday morning, having spent months escalating tensions with Beijing by ratcheting up tariffs on the country's exports.Chinese duties on US goods will be lowered to 10%, while the US tax on Chinese goods will be lowered to 30%. The latter is because US tariffs include 20% previously imposed by Trump blaming China for the US's fentanyl crisis. Continue reading...

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Church refuses White House directive, citing longstanding commitment to racial justice and reconciliation'The Episcopal church's migration service is refusing a directive from the federal government to help resettle white South Africans granted refugee status, citing the church's longstanding commitment to racial justice and reconciliation".Presiding bishop Sean Rowe announced the step on Monday, shortly before 59 South Africans arrived at Dulles international airport outside Washington DC on a private charter plane and were greeted by a government delegation. Continue reading...

Contest for $TRUMP meme coin has prompted accusations of president boosting family business and foreign influenceOn Monday, the top 220 buyers of a Donald Trump-sponsored cryptocurrency won access to an exclusive dinner with the president as a reward for pouring money into the coin. It was the culmination of Trump's weekslong promotion of the contest, which has drawn allegations that he is using his position to enrich his family business while opening himself up to foreign influence.The cryptocurrency, called $TRUMP, was created in mid-January and boasts a market capitalization of over $2bn after months of investors buying into the heavily promoted coin. A Trump family-linked company and another firm own a majority of the coins, according to Reuters. Continue reading...

Party of four were rappelling down steep gully in North Cascades park when equipment failed, killing three at sceneThree climbers from suburban Seattle were killed in a fall on Sunday when their equipment failed while rappelling down a steep gully in North Cascades national park in Washington state, sheriff's officials said.A party of four climbers was descending the gully in the area of North Early Winters Spire when the fall happened. Sheriff's officials presume the cause was an anchor failure but are still investigating. Three of the climbers - ages 36, 47 and 63 - were killed at the scene while the fourth person freed themselves and walked back to the trailhead then drove to a pay phone to call for help. Continue reading...

David Plouffe says Biden totally fucked us' and calls Harris's 107-day sprint against Trump a fucking nightmare'Joe Biden totally fucked us" by leaving it too late to drop out of the 2024 US presidential election, a former top campaign aide to Kamala Harris has told the authors of a new book.David Plouffe, who was manager of Barack Obama's winning 2008 campaign and a senior adviser in his White House, was drafted in to help Harris's bid for president after the declining Biden withdrew from the race last summer. Continue reading...

In letter, also signed by ambassador Sylvester Stallone, studios and unions call for support on three tax provisionsDonald Trump's Hollywood ambassadors, including actor Jon Voight, joined labor unions and major studios in asking the US president to expand and extend tax incentives for film and television productions.In a letter addressed to Trump on Sunday, the studios and unions did not mention his threat to introduce 100% tariffs on films made abroad, but instead thanked him for supporting the industry through their shared goal" of domestic production. Continue reading...

US-born progressive streamer says officials at Chicago airport led him to private room on return from FranceHasan Piker, a US-born progressive political commentator, said he was stopped by US Customs and Border Protection agents and questioned about his opinions of Donald Trump and Israeli war policy as he returned to the country on Sunday from France.Piker, recounting the incident on his Twitch livestream on Monday, said he was led to a private room at Chicago O'Hare airport and interviewed for nearly two hours about his political views. Continue reading...

JB Pritzker, Democrat and critic of Trump administration, signed order saying he wants to protect dignity and privacy'Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, has signed a first-in-the-nation executive order to block the federal government from collecting personal health data related to autism, a direct rebuke to the Trump administration.Pritzker, a Democrat who has been one of the more vocal critics of Donald Trump's second administration, signed the order last week, saying he wanted to protect dignity, privacy, and the freedom to live without fear of surveillance or discrimination". Continue reading...

Officials say Noah Farabaugh, 33, who was hiking with other people, died in Gold Canyon, east of Phoenix, on SundayA 33-year-old man died while hiking in Arizona's Gold Canyon on Sunday as temperatures reached about 100F (37.8C), officials said.Noah Farabaugh, from Arizona, was hiking with a group of five people in the Superstition Mountains, about 40 miles (65km) east of Phoenix, when he started having a medical emergency at around 12.45pm. Continue reading...

Remark comes as Brazil, Colombia and Chile's leaders fly to Beijing amid international uncertainty generated by TrumpThe Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has heralded his desire to build indestructible" relations with China, as the leaders of three of Latin America's biggest economies flew to Beijing against the backdrop of Donald Trump's trade war and the profound international uncertainty his presidency has generated.Lula touched down in China's capital on Sunday for a four-day state visit, accompanied by 11 ministers, top politicians and a delegation of more than 150 business leaders. Continue reading...

Hotel receptionist who was forced at gunpoint to lead thieves to reality TV star's flat says she was in state of hysteria'A hotel receptionist who was held at gunpoint while Kim Kardashian was robbed in Paris in 2016 has told a court that the US influencer was in a state of serious terror" when armed men entered her suite.Abderrahmane Ouatiki, 48, who was handcuffed and forced at gunpoint to lead two armed robbers to Kardashian's hotel room, said: She was terrified, in a state of hysteria." Continue reading...

Four senators, including Cory Booker, say they will press for vote against president's plan to take $400m gift from QatarTop Democrats in the US Senate are pushing for a vote on the floor of the chamber censuring Donald Trump's reported plan to accept a $400m luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar for use as Air Force One and later as a fixture in the Trump's personal presidential library.Four Democratic members of the Senate foreign relations committee said on Monday that they would press for a vote later this week. They said that elected officials, including the president, were not allowed to accept large gifts from foreign governments unless authorized to do so by Congress. Continue reading...