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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...

Governor announces new ordinance to address persistent' camps as he intensifies crackdown on worsening crisisGavin Newsom has called on California cities and counties to clear and effectively ban encampments without delay" as the governor intensifies a crackdown on homelessness in the state.Newsom on Monday announced a new model ordinance to address persistent" camps, in hopes of reducing the most visible signs of a worsening crisis, as well as $3.3bn in voter-approved funding to increase housing and drug treatment programs. Continue reading...

California's Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants provides cash to elderly, blind and disabled immigrants

South Carolina officials investigating death of Eric Slate, 52, and conditions of the petting zoo owned by his brotherOfficials in South Carolina are investigating the death of a man who was believed to have been killed while fighting a kangaroo in an enclosure at a children's petting zoo.Eric Slate, 52, died of multiple blunt [force] injuries", according to Tamara Willard, the chief deputy coroner of Horry county, as reported by WPDE News. Continue reading...

Donald Trump defended his decision to accept the gift of a plane from Qatar at a press conference on Monday. 'They're giving us a free jet,' said the US president, 'I could say no, no, no, don't give us, I wanna pay you $1bn or $400m or whatever it is, or I could say thank you very much.' Trump attacked ABC, which broke the story that the Gulf state had offered his administration a gift of a $400m luxury jet described as a 'palace in the sky'

Health policy experts support the most favored nation' plan but doubt it will withstand likely legal challengesThe White House is unveiling an aggressive drug pricing strategy targeting pharmaceutical companies, promising to dramatically cut prescription drug costs for American consumers.Donald Trump condemned the current pricing system as a redistribution" that has allowed drugmakers to exploit US patients and signed an executive order that he says will lead to matching lower drug prices abroad. Continue reading...

Donald Trump said 21-year-old Edan Alexander, who was kidnapped from his military base in southern Israel during Hamas's attack on 7 October 2023, was 'coming home to his parents, which is really great news'. He said Alexander was expected to be released by Hamas in the next two hours or 'sometime today'

Mikel Arteta has explanations for his team's shortcomings that may hold water, but ultimately the Gunners simply couldn't get it done when needed

Dismissal of Shira Perlmutter follows firing of librarian of Congress, which oversees copyright office

US senator says Republicans must choose whether to back working Americans or rich corporate executives

FDA investigating outbreak linked to products sold in Arizona, California, Nevada and WashingtonAt least 10 people in the US have been sickened in a listeria outbreak linked to ready-to-eat food products, and a producer is voluntarily recalling several products, federal officials said.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Saturday that federal, state and local officials are investigating the outbreak linked to foods produced by Fresh & Ready Foods LLC of San Fernando, California. The FDA says the 10 people who fell ill were in California and Nevada, and they required hospitalization. Continue reading...

Four people died and 200 were displaced by five-alarm fire in building without sprinkler systemA fire at an apartment building in Milwaukee killed four people, critically injured four others and displaced roughly 200 people on Sunday, according to authorities.The blaze was so intense that residents of the four-story building jumped from its windows - and the first firefighters to arrive at the scene were outmatched" by its flames, officials said.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

Head of US Department of Health told parents to do their own research' when deciding to vaccinate their childrenRobert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, has intimated that parents are to blame for their children's autism, and that they are responsible for researching every aspect of their children's lives that could affect their development.We have to recognize we are doing this to our children, and we need to put an end to it," Kennedy said at his first press conference as health secretary. Continue reading...

Observers say candidates who lose elections by narrow margins could copy Republican effort to have votes tossedA disputed North Carolina state supreme court race that took nearly six months to resolve revealed a playbook for future candidates who lose elections to retroactively challenge votes, observers warn, but its ultimate resolution sent a signal that federal courts are unlikely to support an effort to overturn the results of an election.Democrat Allison Riggs defeated Republican Jefferson Griffin by 734 votes last November out of around 5.5m cast. But for months afterwards, Griffin waged an aggressive legal fight to get 65,000 votes thrown out after the election, even though those voters followed all of the rules election officials had set in advance. Continue reading...

Catastrophically injured, the Cal lock was told he would not walk again. Refusing to accept defeat, he is now an author and speaker, still in love with his sportIn another world, Robert Paylor might have been playing in Major League Rugby, in his prime at 28, preparing for a US Eagles summer including England in Washington and World Cup qualification.When I was an athlete, that was my purpose in life," he says. I wanted to be the best rugby player I could be. And in a lot of ways, those dreams were really happening: I was a sophomore competing for Cal's team, which is not a common thing to do, and I had all those hopes: being an All-American, maybe play professionally, maybe represent the United States. That was my goal. And then in one moment, because of something I couldn't control, it was gone." Continue reading...

Minnesota senator also says her party would have been served better by a primary' election in 2024US senator Amy Klobuchar says she hopes her party does not reflexively rule out running a woman for the White House after Kamala Harris - her fellow Democrat - lost to her Republican rival Donald Trump in November's presidential election, arguing it's not the lesson to learn".Responding to a question Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press about whether Harris's defeat might dissuade Democrats from nominating a female presidential candidate, Klobuchar said: You have seen women run other countries quite well" before singling out the former German chancellor Angela Merkel as an example. Continue reading...

President plans to use executive powers, saying US should pay same price as nation that pays the lowest price'Donald Trump has promised to use his executive powers to cut the price of prescription drugs in the US in an attempt to bring them more in line with other countries, triggering a sharp fall in drugmakers' share prices.The US president has said he will sign an order on Monday that will reduce prescription drug and pharmaceutical prices almost immediately" by 30% to 80%". Continue reading...

Reports that Donald Trump's administration is planning to accept a jet valued at $400m from Qatar have raised ethical questions over gifts from foreign leadersReports that Donald Trump's administration is preparing to accept a luxury plane from the Qatari royal family have set off a storm of criticism, as ethics experts say such a gift would violate rules within the constitution that seek to guard against bribery and corruption.There is a long history of US presidents accepting gifts from foreign powers. The very desk from which Trump has signed a record number of executive order was given to the US by Queen Victoria in 1880. The Resolute Desk" was given to President Rutherford B Hayes and is made from the oak timbers of the British ship HMS Resolute. Continue reading...

Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American soldier kidnapped on 7 October, set to be released on Tuesday, Trump confirmsHamas announced on Sunday that it would release the last living American hostage in Gaza, Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American soldier who was kidnapped on 7 October 2023.Donald Trump confirmed the news in a social media post, writing that Alexander, 21, is coming home to his family". Continue reading...

The president indicated he was preparing to accept a jet described as a flying palace' from the Qatari royal family. Key US politics stories from Sunday 11 May at a glanceDonald Trump has flown into another ethical minefield after indicating he is preparing to accept a luxury Boeing jet from the Qatari royal family for use as Air Force One, despite strict rules on US presidential gifts.The flying palace" would possibly be the most expensive gift ever received by the American government, ABC News reported. Continue reading...

News of present known as flying palace' from royal family to replace Air Force One has ignited accusations of bribery and corruptionDonald Trump has indicated he is ready to accept a luxury plane being offered to the US president as a gift from Qatar's royal family, almost immediately igniting accusations of bribery and corruption as well as commensurate criticism.A statement from Qatar on Sunday acknowledged it had held discussions with the US about the possible transfer" of a plane to be used temporarily by Trump as his presidential aircraft, usurping Air Force One. The emirate's statement denied a final decision over the transfer had been made - or that it was a gift. Continue reading...

Group, including families and small children, departed for US after Trump order created relocation programA group of 49 white South Africans departed their homeland on Sunday for the United States on a private charter plane having been offered refugee status by the Trump administration under a new program announced in February.The group, which included families and small children, was due to arrive at Dulles international airport outside Washington DC on Monday morning local time, according to Collen Msibi, a spokesperson for South Africa's transport ministry. Continue reading...

US announcement comes after treasury secretary touted progress in two days of talks with Chinese vice-premier in GenevaThe White House has announced that a trade deal with China has been struck after two days of talks in Geneva, while Beijing has hailed important first steps."The announcement on Sunday came after the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, told reporters that there had been substantial progress" in talks between his team and that of the Chinese vice-premier, He Lifeng, in Geneva on defusing the trade war between the world's two largest economies sparked by Donald Trump's 145% tariffs. Continue reading...

Democratic Congress members who visited detention center with mayor say Ice officials created the chaos'Trump administration homeland security officials were responsible for starting the confrontation on Friday at a New Jersey immigration jail that led to the arrest of Newark's mayor as well as threats to detain three members of Congress, the representatives said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union.The Democratic representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman, LaMonica McIver and Rob Menendez - all of New Jersey - visited the controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention center known as Delaney Hall on Friday to inspect the facility. As they waited to enter Delaney Hall, Newark's mayor, Ras Baraka, arrived - and as he left the property, he was arrested outside by Ice officials accusing him of trespassing, leading to a commotion at the entrance of the jail. Continue reading...

Move after airport sees radar outages, flight delays and cancellations due to shortage of traffic controllersThe US transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, plans to reduce the number of flights in and out of the Newark Liberty international airport for the next several weeks", as the facility - one of the country's busiest airports - struggles with radar outages, numerous flight delays and cancellations due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Duffy said he would convene a meeting with all the airlines flying out of Newark this week to determine the reduction, adding that it would fluctuate, with a larger reduction coming in the afternoons when international flight arrivals make it busier at the airport, one of the main hubs serving the New York City area. Continue reading...

Some business owners think AI is ready to perform work tasks, but it's not yet reliable enough to make the switchLike a lot of business people, I am interested in artificial intelligence (AI). So I recently asked ChatGPT to give me quotes from tech leaders telling businesses about the importance of AI for their companies".This came back from Apple's Tim Cook: AI is already making businesses more efficient, more responsive, and more personalized. It's a growth driver." Continue reading...

Group marches from New York City to Washington, carrying on a long tradition of Quaker activismA group of Quakers were marching more than 300 miles from New York City to Washington DC to demonstrate against the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants.The march extends a long tradition of Quaker activism. Historically, Quakers have been involved in peaceful protests to end wars and slavery, and support women's voting rights in line with their commitment to justice and peace. Far more recently, Quakers sued the federal government earlier this year over immigration agents' ability to make arrests at houses of worship. Continue reading...

From showerheads to plastic straws, the president brags that he's expanding options for consumers - while drastically restricting choices in almost all other spheresFreedom of choice is a venerable American value. Donald Trump's attachment to it is, however, highly selective.Over the first four months of his administration, Trump has been eagerly promoting the expansion of choice in our economic lives. That's especially the case when it comes to our role as consumers. Think kitchens, baths and automobiles; the stated goal every time he talks about commodities has been increasing the number of options so we can select and buy what we like best - environmental effects notwithstanding. Even his tariffs are only supposed to bring temporary pain, as in emptier toy shelves, before American-made abundance starts to rule the day once again. Continue reading...

Means is popular in right-leaning wellness circles - but does her inactive medical license disqualify her from the top job?Donald Trump nominated Casey Means, a wellness influencer and medical doctor with an inactive license for US surgeon general this week - his second nominee to serve as the nation's doctor".Trump abruptly withdrew his first nominee, Dr Janette Nesheiwat, before her Senate confirmation hearing, amid criticism from the right and confusion about her medical credentials. Continue reading...

President eager to discuss trade and investment but no plans to visit Israel amid tensions over Gaza warDonald Trump this week will embark on the first foreign trip of his second administration with a tour of the Middle East, as he looks to secure investment, trade and technology deals from friendly leaders with deep pockets amid turbulent negotiations around numerous regional conflicts, including Israel's war in Gaza.The tour through the Middle East is largely a repeat of his first international trip in 2017, when he was feted in the region as a transactional leader eager to secure quick wins and capable of providing support for the regional monarchies' economic and geopolitical interests. Continue reading...

PhD student says she is excited to get back to her studies during what has been a very difficult' timeA Tufts University student from Turkey has returned to Boston, one day after being released from a Louisiana immigration detention center where she was held for more than six weeks after being arrested for her political speech.

The mayor, who was arrested on Tuesday, has vowed to take legal action against an immigration detention facility in New Jersey - key US politics stories from Saturday 10 May at a glanceThe battle with the Trump administration over illegal immigration continues, with Newark mayor Ras Baraka saying he would fight his arrest in court.The mayor was arrested on Tuesday after joining three members of Congress at a protest and press conference outside a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention facility in Newark called Delaney Hall. The mayor was released about five hours later and charged with trespassing. Continue reading...