US news | The Guardian

A pod of orcas swam close to shore and amazed onlookers in Seattle. The pod of Bigg's killer whales visited Elliott Bay apparently for a hunt just off Seattle's maritime industrial docks. Kersti Muul, who runs a WhatsApp whale alert system for the Seattle area, recorded video as the whales appeared just below a lookout point showing interest in a bird. Eventually one of the whales takes the bird below water, sparking a reaction from onlookers. Bigg's killer whales are orcas that usually prey on marine mammals like sea lions or porpoises. They visit the waters of Seattle occasionally Continue reading...

US Senate confirmed Trump ally and ex-wrestling executive as chief of department president wants dismantledThe US Senate has confirmed Linda McMahon as the nation's next education secretary, entrusting the former wrestling executive with a department marked for dismantling by Donald Trump.The 76-year-old billionaire businesswoman and longtime Trump ally was approved 51-45, reflecting deep divisions over her qualifications and the administration's education agenda. McMahon, who previously led the small business administration during Trump's first term, now faces the paradoxical task of running an agency while simultaneously working toward its potential elimination. Continue reading...

Donald Trump said a deal ending Russia's war on Ukraine 'could be made very fast' but 'if somebody [Volodymyr Zelenskyy] doesn't want to make a deal, I think that person won't be around very long'. Zelenskyy has not refused to make peace, but has pointed to many past example of Vladimir Putin breaking ceasefires with Ukraine. The Ukrainian president has insisted Kyiv needs security commitments from the US and Europe to enable a fair and lasting peace

Vast human smuggling ring was responsible for deaths of seven, including a four-year-old child, prosecutors sayTwo alleged leaders of a criminal organization suspected of smuggling 20,000 people without permanent legal residency into the US from Guatemala have been arrested in Los Angeles, federal prosecutors said on Monday.Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, known as Turko", and his lieutenant, Cristobal Mejia-Chaj, were taken into custody Friday and have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges related to smuggling migrants across the border over five years, the US attorney's office said. A federal judge ordered the men, who themselves are in the country illegally, jailed without bond until their trial in April. Continue reading...

Announcement leads to sharp sell-off on Wall Street as Trump also vows tariffs on farm products starting in AprilThe US will press ahead with steep tariffs on Canada and Mexico from Tuesday, Donald Trump has said, setting the stage for a trade war with his country's two largest economic partners.Hours before his administration was due to hit America's closest neighbors with sweeping import duties, the US president claimed there was no room left" for a deal to avoid their imposition. The announcement led to a sharp sell-off on Wall Street. Continue reading...

James Woodworth, former NCES commissioner, says cuts to key agency made without knowing what they're doing'A former education department commissioner appointed by Donald Trump has condemned the recent massive cuts to the federal agency.James Woodworth, who served as commissioner for the department's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) from 2018 to 2021, said the cuts to the agency made by the so-called department of government efficiency," led by Elon Musk, were made by someone without knowing what they were doing". Continue reading...

President says TSMC won't have to pay tariffs and encourages other semiconductor companies to build in USThe CEO of a giant in the semiconductor chip industry joined Donald Trump on Monday to announce the Taiwanese company's new $100bn investment in production in the United States.CC Wei, the chief executive of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) announced the investment at the White House alongside the president, the US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, and David Sacks, a Trump adviser on AI and crypto. He said the new investment brings TSMC's total investment in chip manufacturing in the US to $165bn. Continue reading...

Jessica Brosche has spent more than a month in detention center after being denied entry at San Diego from MexicoA German tourist is fighting to be released from an immigration detention center after she was denied entry at the San Diego border and taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) last month.Jessica Brosche, a 26-year-old German tattoo artist, is being indefinitely detained by US Customs and Border Protection after she tried to enter San Diego on 25 January from Tijuana, Mexico, with her American best friend, Amelia Lofving. The two were traveling with tattoo equipment. Continue reading...

Largest US grocery chain says Rodney McMullen's conduct was unrelated to business as interim CEO and chair namedKroger's chair and chief executive officer, Rodney McMullen, has resigned after an internal investigation into his personal conduct.Kroger, the nation's largest grocery chain, said on Monday that the investigation into McMullen's personal conduct was unrelated to the business, but was found to be inconsistent with its business ethics policy. Continue reading...

Poll conducted before meeting with Trump and Zelenskyy says 52% of respondents personally support' UkraineA US poll taken before the diplomatic meltdown in the Oval Office on Friday between Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, found that only 4% of surveyed Americans are backing Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine - but a large minority of 44% said they do not support the invaded country either.The CBS News/YouGov poll, conducted over three days beginning on 26 February, also found that a relatively slim majority - 52% - said they personally support" Ukraine. Continue reading...

President also signed executive order making English the US's official language. Here's what Trump got up to between 24 February and 2 MarchDuring his sixth week back in office, Donald Trump and the vice-president, JD Vance, hosted Ukrainian president for what devolved into a shocking and explosive meeting.Trump accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of gambling with world war three" while Vance berated the Ukrainian president in a storm of accusations and falsehoods about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...

We would like to hear from those working in diversity, equity and inclusion and how they feel about Trump's rollbacksDonald Trump has signed two executive orders aimed at unwinding the federal government's decades-long push to ensure an inclusive workplace that reflects American society.The Trump administration ordered all US federal employees working in diversity offices to be put on paid leave and their programs ended, although a judge recently blocked the orders. Continue reading...

Los Angeles paper's Insights' tool comes after months of public debate between opinion staff and billionaire ownerSome Los Angeles Times opinion pieces will now be published with an artificial intelligence-generated rating of their political content, and an AI-generated list of alternative political views on that issue, the paper's biotech billionaire owner announced on Monday.The new AI Insights" feature will only be applied to a range of opinion content in the paper, not its news reporting, according to a public letter announcing the change from Patrick Soon-Shiong, the medical entrepreneur who bought the Los Angeles Times in 2018. Continue reading...

With 10 archival files, Trace/s upends simplistic narratives about New York's history with enslavementThe truth is often hiding in plain sight.Not until the shutdown during the pandemic did I even notice the farmhouse in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, nestled behind shrubbery, trees, and wrought iron fencing. It was home to the Lefferts family, descendants of the Dutch settlers who had first arrived in 1624 in what would become New York. Continue reading...

Perhaps the Ozempic was making people light-headed, or the stars felt they should stay silent. Either way, there was a notable lack of politicsThe Oscars ceremony on Sunday night was long and boring, as it has been for a few years, but this year its shortcomings landed differently. Hollywood's waning influence, which registered most glaringly last month in the large number of American nominees who showed up in London for the Baftas - not something they were inclined to do in better times - gave the ceremony a sense of low-stakes irrelevance that was frankly a relief from the rest of the news cycle. Still, the question lingers as to why the actors and presenters largely, and mercifully in my view, stayed away from mention of Donald Trump.After the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles in January, the classy thing to have done this year would've been to cancel or at least radically downsize the Oscars ceremony, but of course no one involved was going to vote for that. Instead, audiences were treated to a muted spectacle celebrating movies with record-breakingly small box-office returns, including The Brutalist, in which Adrien Brody relived the US postwar construction boom in real time, and Anora, one of the lowest-grossing best pictures of all time, about an exotic dancer who marries a rich Russian. (What could be behind the deep and abiding fascination of straight male directors - and novelists, and podcasters - with the sex worker community"? That's right, it's altruism.)Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Invitations are attempt to embarrass Trump over effort spearheaded by Elon Musk and his so-called department of government efficiency'

Top Democrat calls Trump's move to retreat from fight against Russian cyber threats a critical strategic mistake'A senior US Democrat has hit out at Donald Trump's attempt to reset relations with Russia following revelations that the president's administration is retreating from the fight against Russian cyber threats, calling the reported move a critical strategic mistake".In a statement on Sunday making reference to the Russian leader, New York's Chuck Schumer - the US Senate's Democratic minority leader - said Trump was so desperate to earn the affection of a thug like Vladimir Putin he appears to be giving him a free pass as Russia continues to launch cyber operations and ransomware attacks against critical American infrastructure, threatening our economic and national security". Continue reading...

Houston made a generous offer to its own fans, while a DC United youngster stunned ChicagoWhen the Houston Dynamo learned that Lionel Messi did not travel with Inter Miami ahead of the teams' game on Sunday, they proceeded with a now-familiar playbook. Just like Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps did in similar Messi-less situations, the team apologized to their ticketholders, then bargained with them. Continue reading...

Looming end of TPS could wreak havoc in Ohio urban areas revitalised by immigrants from the Caribbean country

Howard Lutnick's remarks echo Elon Musk, who says government spending doesn't create value for US economy

Firefighters work to contain blaze in Carolina Forest as south-eastern states face increased fire dangerCrews on Sunday made progress containing a wildfire in South Carolina's Carolina Forest, where residents had been ordered to evacuate several neighborhoods, according to Horry county fire rescue.Video showed some people running down the street as smoke filled the sky. But by late Sunday afternoon, the fire department announced that evacuees of Carolina Forest - which is west of the coastal resort city of Myrtle Beach - could return home.Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

The recent wave of GOP-led bills comes as Trump becomes emboldened in orders against LGBTQ+ communitiesRepublicans in red states across the US have been pushing a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ measures targeting same-sex marriages with an aim of ultimately securing a supreme court ban on the federally protected right.The recent wave of Republican-led bills targeting same-sex marriage comes amid a second Donald Trump presidency in which his administration has taken on more emboldened attacks against LGBTQ+ communities across the country, as seen through a flurry of executive orders he signed, assailing various LGBTQ+ rights. Continue reading...

Jean-Noel Barrot says pause could test whether Vladimir Putin is acting in good faith. Plus, Anora sweeps Oscars Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.The French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, has suggested that a month-long truce in Ukraine could test whether the Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, was acting in good faith.What has Zelenskyy said since? Zelenskyy has tried to move on from Friday's turbulent meeting in the Oval Office, saying it was best left to history", as he signalled Ukraine's inclination to sign a minerals deal with the US and hoped for constructive" talks with Washington in future.What else has happened in the region? A 70-year-old man was killed and others injured in a knife attack in the northern Israeli city of Haifa on Monday morning. Continue reading...

The world's most admired democracy is being held hostage by a clique of far-right thugs. It would be a mistake to placate themIt's not only about Donald Trump. It's not just about saving Ukraine, or defeating Russia, or how to boost Europe's security, or what to do about an America gone rogue. It's about a world turned upside down - a dark, fretful, more dangerous place where treaties and laws are no longer respected, alliances are broken, trust is fungible, principles are negotiable and morality is a dirty word. It's an ugly, disordered world of raw power, brute force, selfish arrogance, dodgy deals and brazen lies. It's been coming for a while; the US president is its noisy harbinger.Take the issues one at a time. Trump is a toxic symptom of the wider malaise. For sure, he is an extraordinarily malign, unfeeling and irresponsible man. He cares nothing for the people he leads, seeing them merely as an audience for his vulgar showmanship. His undeserved humiliation of Ukraine's valiant leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was, he crowed, great television". As president, Trump wields enormous power and influence. But Potus is not omnipotent. America's vanquished Democrats are slowly finding their voice. Connecticut senator Chris Murphy shows how it should be done. Don't bite your lip. Don't play by rules Trump ignores. When Trump tried to blame diversity hiring policies for January's deadly Potomac midair collision, Murphy hit back fiercely.Simon Tisdall is the Observer's foreign affairs commentator Continue reading...

What Trump has been signaling loudly and clearly is that he gladly accepts and even encourages the acquisition of territory by forceBy now, most of the world will have seen the exchange that has heralded the end of the postwar liberal order. But who would have thought that the whole thing would come crashing down with Trump saying these words: All right, I think we've seen enough. What do you think? This is going to be great television. I will say that."I'm referring, of course, to the debacle at the Oval Office between two showmen-turned-statesmen, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The meeting began cordially. After the Ukrainian president was challenged for not wearing a suit, the US president said: I think he's dressed beautifully." Trump praised a reporter from One American News for asking an obsequious question (What gave you the moral courage and conviction to step forward and lead?") and then, several minutes later, claimed that I've stopped wars. I've stopped many wars. My people will tell you. I've stopped wars that nobody ever heard about."Moustafa Bayoumi is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Democratic primary battle promising to be biggest test for progressive movement since Trump's presidential victorySeveral major Republican donors are throwing their financial support behind the primary opponent of Ed Gainey, who became Pittsburgh's first Black mayor in 2022 and now faces a difficult re-election fight this year, in a seemingly concerted effort to oust the progressive leader.The Democratic primary battle between Gainey and Corey O'Connor, the Allegheny county controller, is shaping up to be one of the biggest tests of the progressive movement since Donald Trump's victory last November. The victor of the 20 May primary is widely expected to win the general election, and with few major races on the ballot this year, Gainey's re-election could provide a morale boost for progressives still reeling from Democrats' losses in the 2024 races. Continue reading...

As state grapples with worst measles outbreak in decades, Patrick homes in on resolution to better market Texas beef'While Texas grapples with its worst measles outbreak in decades, its Republican lieutenant governor has moved for the state's restaurants and groceries to change the name of the New York strip" steak cut to the Texas strip" in what he evidently hopes is a blow to liberals.Dan Patrick announced on Friday on social media that he intended to go to Texas's senate and work with lawmakers to pass a resolution favoring the switch - which would not carry the force of law but nonetheless would amount to a substantial statement of legislative support. Continue reading...

An egregious non-call in the ninth round allowed Tank Davis to avoid a knockdown, altering the course of his title fight against Lamont Roach Jr on Saturday nightAn egregious non-call by referee Steve Willis allowed Gervonta Davis to salvage a draw on the judges' scorecards in Davis's WBA 135lb title defense against Lamont Roach at Barclays Center on Saturday night.Davis (now 30-0-1, 28 KOs), has been fighting professionally for 12 years. At age 30, he's an elite fighter with a fervent fanbase that includes 7.6m followers on Instagram. He has yet to permeate the consciousness of mainstream sports fans. But for his admirers, every Gervonta Davis fight is a happening. Davis v Roach set the all-time event attendance record in the history of Barclays Center. The sold-out crowd of 19,250 engendered the arena's second-largest gross ever, eclipsed only by the Rolling Stones. Continue reading...

The new administration appears to be taking a position that Ukrainian and European leaders aren't hearing - or are trying to alterA high-stakes transatlantic miscommunication is unfolding, with the potential to produce far worse consequences than the Oval Office contretemps between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.In the past month, the Trump administration has delivered several strong and sometimes conflicting messages to America's allies and partners in Europe. Discerning the signal in the noise isn't easy, but amid the zigs, zags and bombast, the new administration appears to be taking a position that Ukrainian and European leaders aren't hearing - or are trying to alter.Stephen Wertheim is a senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the author of Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of US Global Supremacy Continue reading...

Sean Baker's film is muddled, hollow at the middle and about the fifth least vital of the best picture lineup

Trump cutting off USAid reminds us how much power we surrender to those who fund our work. We need a new mindsetAbout 35 years ago, the radio news announced that the then president of Kenya, Daniel arap Moi, had broken diplomatic ties with Norway. The embassy, with about 100 foreign and a few local staff, had one week to clear out of the country.I was one of a few staff there at the time who worked for the Norwegian development agency, Norad, and our jobs disappeared with that radio broadcast. An estimated $30m annual budget, largely targeted at the arid and semi-arid parts of Kenya, also disappeared. Obviously that did not matter much to Kenya's leadership, who felt that the independence of the country and the ability for them to decide what was good for Kenya, was more important. Continue reading...

On election night, as the far right rose nationwide, Die Linke made crucial gains in the capital. But its supporters see the hard road aheadWill democracy still prevail in the west in a decade? It was certainly a question weighing on the minds of the hundreds of Die Linke supporters crammed into a former film studio overlooking Berlin's Tempelhof airport last weekend. They were gathered to listen to the results of Germany's election - and their reactions were mixed. The far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) had just doubled its support in federal elections, securing a fifth of the vote, yet Die Linke came top in the capital, albeit with 21% of the vote. They cheered, hugged, kissed and cried.We were in Neukolln, a diverse neighbourhood of south-eastern Berlin, and the triumphant candidate was Ferat Kocak, a charismatic Kurdish-German leftist. His grassroots campaign knocked on every door in the district - not unusual in the UK and US, but a novelty in Germany. For several years, the left has been in a kind of shocked paralysis about what to do with the rising right," explained 30-year-old activist Isabelle: grassroots campaigning, she believes, brought the left out of its bubble.Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Eli Sharabi expected to meet Donald Trump on Tuesday; Kremlin says US views now largely' coincide with Moscow's own foreign policy vision - key US politics stories from Sunday at a glanceThe freed Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi has been invited to meet Donald Trump on Tuesday in Washington, his brother Sharon has said.When Sharabi and two other hostages, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami, were released on 8 February after nearly 500 days in captivity, their physical condition outraged Israelis, which Trump echoed. Sharabi has since told Israeli media of the severe hunger and violence he endured in captivity. Continue reading...

The diagnosis blindsided me but it explains why I feel the need to shout to be heard over background noiseYes, I frequently asked people to repeat themselves. Yes, I had trouble hearing dialogue on TV. And I often wondered if people were aware that they mumbled. That wasn't the impetus to get my hearing checked though. What got me to the doctor was that I was having trouble eavesdropping at work. I was sure there had been a time when I could hear conversations that didn't concern me.Even though I had made the appointment, I figured it was sinus trouble or perhaps my ears needed syringing. But my GP said my ears were clear and didn't even mention my sinuses. Instead she did a simple hearing test that involved rustling some paper in one ear while whispering in another. She asked me to repeat what she had whispered and I think I replied: Did you say something?" I left with a referral to an audiologist.Rachael Groessler is a freelance content and copywriter from Brisbane Continue reading...

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talking to reporters after a summit with European leaders in London, sought to move the conversation forward from his difficult meeting with Donald Trump and signalled Ukraine's readiness to sign a minerals deal. Zelenskyy said he did not think the US would stop its assistance to Ukraine, because as 'leaders of the civilised world' they would not want to help Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. 'As regards to salvaging the relationship, I think our relationship will continue,' he told reporters via a translator after the London meeting

Emergency unfolds amid warnings throughout south-east over dry and windy conditions that exacerbate wildfiresFire officials on Sunday were battling to contain the blazes ravaging North and South Carolina, which have forced evacuations in some areas.The emergency unfolded amid warnings throughout the south-east over dry and windy conditions that exacerbate wildfires. Continue reading...

Israeli media reports Israeli American Trump donor will fly Eli Sharabi to Washington DC to meet president this weekFreed Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi has been invited to Washington to meet Donald Trump this week, his brother told Israeli media on Sunday.Sharabi, who was released from Gaza after 16 months in captivity, expects to meet Trump with other freed hostages on Tuesday, after the US president watched him describe the severe hunger and violence he endured on Israeli television. Continue reading...

That is a fluid situation,' Howard Lutnick says in first indication that administration may not impose full tariffsDonald Trump's commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, said on Sunday that US tariffs on Canada and Mexico will go into effect on Tuesday, but the president would determine whether to stick with the planned 25% level.That is a fluid situation," Lutnick told the Fox News program Sunday Morning Futures. Continue reading...

Sanjeev Kumar accused of abusing four women, medical fraud and reusing unsanitary devices arrested in MemphisA gynecologist who is accused of sexually abusing four women in Memphis, Tennessee, and reused unsanitary medical devices in unnecessary procedures was arrested on Friday.Sanjeev Kumar, 44, was charged with sexual abuse, medical fraud and illicitly reusing unsanitary medical devices after he enticed four women to travel across state lines to his clinic, where he subjected them to sexual abuse under the guise of medical procedures. Continue reading...

Donald Trump's threats to global tax reform have backfired, leaving the US isolated as nations push ahead with a new UN tax conventionDonald Trump's Oval Office tirade on Friday laid bare his instinct to harangue and bully those - even supposed allies such as Ukraine, fighting for its survival- who dare to disagree. Countries pushing global tax reform at the UN will be watching as US demands for subjugation play out in plain sight. His day-one threat to punish nations taxing US firms is an all-out attack on global fiscal cooperation. If multilateralism in taxation was already on shaky ground, Mr Trump's return could bury it for good.Under discussion is a new UN tax convention that may permit states to tax economic activity where it actually occurs, rather than allowing multinationals to shift profits to tax havens. The Tax Justice Network (TJN) said last year that nations lose $492bn (390bn) annually due to corporate tax abuse. The global south bears the greatest losses, which undermine public services like health and education. If enacted, the convention would create a legally binding framework requiring multinationals to pay tax where they employ staff and do real business - not where they stash profits. This would replace the outdated arm's-length principle with unitary taxation, ensuring fair profit allocation. It would mean an end to Amazon, Google and Apple putting billions through lower-tax jurisdictions while extracting wealth from higher-tax ones. Continue reading...

Senator responds to Republicans' pro-resignation remarks after Ukrainian president's heated meeting with TrumpIndependent US senator Bernie Sanders has dismissed as horrific" claims that Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy may have to resign after a diplomatic meltdown in the Oval Office with Donald Trump.Sanders' comments, in an interview with NBC's Meet The Press on Sunday morning, served as a retort to pro-resignation remarks from his fellow US senator Lindsey Graham, which in turn had been affirmed by the Republican House speaker Mike Johnson. Continue reading...

They faced violence and racism as they fought on the frontlines for justice and equality. Now Trump is reversing the progress they toiled forCarolyn McKinstry knows about the dangers of extremism in America. She lived it.McKinstry was the Sunday school secretary at the 16th Street Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, when the church was bombed by white supremacists on 16 September 1963, killing four Black girls - Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Roberts, all 14, and 11-year-old Cynthia Wesley. Continue reading...

Supporters of Ukraine protested against the Trump administration across the US on Saturday, condemning the treatment of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, in a combative White House meeting the previous day

The US president has no interest in countering aggressors. His short-termist game plan will cost America dearThe White House meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be remembered as far more than just a diplomatic disaster. It marked the end of international politics as we know it, and was a harbinger for the sunset of Pax Americana. Zelenskyy, reeling from the meeting, arrived in London on Saturday to attend a defence summit with other European leaders. Thanks to Trump's performance, those leaders now have clarity on where the US government stands on the war in Ukraine - and, more broadly, on how US foreign policy may look in future.It is hard to overstate what a departure this is. Since the end of the second world war, the US has been the primary architect and guarantor of an intricate network of global institutions anchored by Nato, the World Trade Organization, and the International Monetary Fund. Together, these partners crafted a security umbrella whose benefits far outweighed its expense. It produced political stability and provided US and European companies with unrivalled access to markets and resources. The US was all too happy to share the gains of this order with its allies, and, to a lesser extent, with its rivals and adversaries.Olga Chyzh researches political violence and repressive regimes. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto Continue reading...

Russia's foreign minister also praises Donald Trump for his commonsense' aim to end the war in Ukraine