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US president presents top ally with golden key as Musk says Doge unit will only grow stronger over time'Donald Trump saw Elon Musk off from the White House on Friday, as the Tesla chief concluded his more than four months leading the so-called department of government efficiency's disruptive foray into federal departments that achieved far fewer cost savings than expected.Standing alongside Trump in the Oval Office, Musk, who faced a 130-day limit in his tenure as a special government employee that had ended two days prior, vowed that his departure is not the end" of Doge. Continue reading...

Police announce allegations against Christian Anderson, 33, after body of Adan Manzano, 27, found on 5 FebruaryAuthorities investigating the apparent drugging death and robbery of a Telemundo reporter who was covering February's Super Bowl have arrested a third suspect in the case.On Friday, the Kenner police department in Louisiana announced the arrest of 33-year-old Christian Anderson on allegations that he had a role in the death of Adan Manzano, 27, whose body was found on 5 February in his hotel room in the city just west of New Orleans. Continue reading...

Elon Musk credited his bruised right eye to his five-year-old son X during an Oval Office appearance on 30 May marking the end of his formal role in President Donald Trump's administration. Initially Musk quipped that he wasn't 'anywhere near France', a reference to a video of that country's president, Emmanuel Macron, being pushed in the face by his wife. Trump was asked about the Macron incident earlier in the news conference, and whether he had any advice for the President of France. 'Make sure the door remains closed. That was not good,' Trump responded

Remains dating back to late 18th century are being repatriated and interred, with commemoration and jazz funeralIn the late 1800s, 19 Black New Orleanians' heads were dismembered and shipped to Leipzig University in Germany for research. The 19 had died at New Orleans' charity hospital between 1871 and 1872, and the research, which was commonplace at the time, sought to confirm and explore the now widely debunked theory that Black people's brains were smaller than those of other races.In the 1880s, Dr Henry D Schmidt, a New Orleans physician, sent the skulls to Dr Emil Ludwig Schmidt. They were taken from the bodies of 13 men, four women and two unidentified people. Continue reading...

SEC sued Binance in 2023 over alleged trading irregularities and misleading investors about surveillance controlsThe US on Thursday voluntarily dismissed its civil lawsuit against Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. The move extends the new, friendly approach to cryptocurrencies of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a major financial regulator, since Donald Trump re-entered the White House.A joint stipulation of dismissal signed by lawyers for the SEC, Binance and its founder, Changpeng Zhao, was filed in the Washington DC federal court. Its dismissal is with prejudice, meaning the SEC cannot pursue the case again. The SEC said that dismissing the enforcement case was appropriate in the exercise of its discretion and as a policy matter". Continue reading...

President took to social media to denounce Beijing in the latest development in his ongoing tariff warDonald Trump declared that China has totally violated its agreement" against the US on trade just two weeks after the countries reached a deal, raising fears that the trade war will continue to rattle the global economy.I made a FAST DEAL with China in order to save them from what I thought was going to be a very bad situation," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday morning. Everybody was happy! That is the good news!!! The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US." Continue reading...

Alfred Williamson's future in doubt after US president's attempt to stop foreign nationals studying at the universityA British freshman at Harvard fears he will not be able to return to the US to complete his degree after Donald Trump demanded the university stops teaching international students.Alfred Williamson, 20, from Cardiff, left Boston when the academic year ended two weeks ago to visit family in Denmark, only to wake up on 23 May to dozens of missed calls and messages from loved ones about the decision to prevent the Ivy League university from enrolling or retaining foreign nationals. Continue reading...

State department move to cancel student visa interviews at all US embassies has shocked international scholars

Director Ryan Coogler kicked off screenings and a cultural festival in the influential Mississippi delta cityIn April, the director Ryan Coogler released Sinners, a thriller about two brothers in the 1930s who return home to Clarksdale, Mississippi, to open a juke joint. Less than a month after the film was released, Sinners made over $200m in the US and Canada, something no original film has done in almost a decade.But residents in Clarksdale, a town with about 14,000 people, the majority of whom are Black, had no way to see themselves on screen in their community. There are no active movie theaters in or near the town. Continue reading...

Report finds US children would have extra 25.4m cavities in five years if plan backed by RFK Jr were implementedA new study published in Jama Health Forum estimates that if the US were to remove fluoride from public drinking water supplies - as Donald Trump's health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has advocated - American children would suffer an additional 25.4m cavities in five years.The additional cases represent a 7.5% increase in cavities, an added cost of $9.8bn and the loss of 2.9m quality-adjusted life years. Those cases would disproportionately be borne by children most at-risk for tooth decay - those on public health insurance or who lack insurance entirely. Continue reading...

Kell Morris' wife held his head above water to prevent him from drowning while waiting for rescuers to arriveAn Alaska man who was pinned facedown in an icy creek by a 700lb (318kg) boulder for three hours survived the ordeal with only minor injuries, thanks in part to his wife's quick thinking and lots of luck.Kell Morris' wife held his head above water to prevent him from drowning while waiting for rescuers to arrive after Morris was pinned by the boulder, which crashed onto him during a hike near a remote glacier south of Anchorage. Continue reading...

Wiles' contacts on her personal cellphone were purportedly hacked and AI used to communicate with lawmakers

CEO of Europe's largest industrial group says he has been in direct talks with Donald Trump's administrationVolkswagen, Europe's largest industrial group, has said it will make a massive" investment in the US. The group, which includes Porsche, revealed it has been in direct talks with Donald Trump's administration as it faces damaging tariffs.Oliver Blume, who heads the group, said the talks were constructive" and fair", in an interview that suggests the company, whose market capital is 44bn, is not willing to leave tariff negotiations to Brussels alone. Continue reading...

Kerik was hailed as a hero after September 11 before a dramatic fall from grace that ended with him behind barsBernard Kerik, who served as New York City's police commissioner during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and later pleaded guilty to tax fraud before being pardoned, has died. He was 69.Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Kash Patel said that Kerik's death Thursday came after an unspecified private battle with illness". Continue reading...

Winsome Earle-Sears called abortion genocide' and implied equivalence between consenting to sex and consenting to pregnancyThe Republican nominee for governor of Virginia has recently tried to distance herself from her long-standing, hardline anti-abortion record, declining recently to state whether she would support any restrictions on abortion access if she is elected to lead the state this fall. But her record reveals a candidate staunchly opposed to the procedure.Winsome Earle-Sears, now the state's lieutenant governor, supported a 15-week abortion ban and has previously said she wants to make abortion illegal in almost all cases. In audio obtained by the Guardian, Earle-Sears also suggested an equivalence between consenting to sex and consenting to pregnancy. Continue reading...

Researchers point to contaminated water after forever chemicals' found in all but one of 23 sampled beers

President rails against judges who ruled against him as appeals court grants pause until challenge is heard. Plus, what the Guardian's Jerusalem correspondent learned in four years in the role

Judging by Musk's approval ratings, Tesla investors won't be the only ones happy to see the dethroning of the king of DogeI can't believe that Elon Musk is leaving Doge, the government department he named after a tired and basic meme that most of the internet had moved on from around a decade ago. As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end," Musk wrote this week (capital letters: model's own), I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful government spending." Oh man. Thank you for the opportunity"?! At some level you have to salute Donald Trump's ability to turn even the world's richest man into an Apprentice candidate who leaves in week four after completely wiping out in the hotdog stand task.Musk arrived in government promising to slash spending by $2tn. He leaves it a mere $1.86tn short of that target, even by his own estimations. Meanwhile, the president's new tax bill is set to add $2.3tn to the deficit. I imagine Musk thought his government finale would be a spectacular extravaganza - you're welcome, Washington!" - involving 2,000 chainsaw-wielding chorus girls. Instead, it's a tweet. And yes - we DO all still call them tweets.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The media has focused on the price tag and potholes. But history may mark 14 June as the ceremonial birth of US fascismIn 2017, watching a two-hour Bastille Day procession, Donald Trump told the French president that we'd have one too, only better. That time, the grown-ups said no. The reasons given were costs - estimates ran to $92m - hellish logistics, and the Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser's worried that tanks and other armored vehicles would tear up Washington's streets.Some retired generals objected publicly to the totalitarian-adjacent optics, especially given the US president's praise for such bad actors as Saddam Hussein and Vladimir Putin. Several Republican lawmakers also expressed their distaste. Confidence is silent, and insecurity is loud," the Louisiana senator John Kennedy told MSNBC. America is the most powerful country in all of human history ... and we don't need to show it off. We're not North Korea. We're not Russia, we're not China," he continued, and I don't wanna be." Continue reading...

Crypto venture with Abu Dhabi could enrich pair with millions - and Democrats say ethics conflict is plain as day'President Trump received plenty of attention this month when he happily accepted a $400m Boeing 747 from the Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar.Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our country," Trump posted on social media. Continue reading...

After celebration turned to chaos, Liverpudlians stepped in to help those in need - while the usual suspects spread liesThis doesn't sound good at all." The message flashed up on a group chat I am in with other journalists in Liverpool and Merseyside. My blood cooled instantly upon reading it. I have heard those words before and I know what they mean. They mean something has happened. Something big and something bad. It wasn't long before we all started to realise quite how big and quite how bad.After a day of joyous celebration that turned Liverpool into a sea of brilliant red, hundreds of fans were heading back into the city when they looked up to see an ambulance moving through a temporarily pedestrianised route on its way to help a stricken individual. The fans, anxious to assist, moved to the side, when a Ford Galaxy suddenly emerged from behind it and in a few terrible moments, turned elation and harmony into chaos and pain.Liam Thorp is political editor at the Liverpool EchoDo 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 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, who lost in a lightning-round tiebreaker last year, outlasted eight other accomplished spellers to win the title. Told to take a deep breath before his final word, 'eclaircissement,' he collapsed to the stage after saying the final letter.

The EU is Israel's biggest trading partner - and that gives it leverage to finally change the course of this brutal warEuropean consciences have started waking up to the Israeli government's crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories - and it is about time. What has caused this long and slow awakening? Is it Israel's killing of more than 54,000 Palestinians since Hamas's horrific attack on 7 October 2023? Thousands of babies at risk of dying from starvation and malnutrition? Civilians burning alive? Israeli ministers' plans to reoccupy and recolonise the Gaza Strip, expelling Palestinians? Or perhaps it's the Israeli army firing shots at diplomats, including Europeans, in the West Bank - or the racist chanting, during a state-funded march in Jerusalem, of death to the Arabs" and may their villages burn"?It's probably a combination of all the above, as well as the recognition that principled pressure on Israel will certainly not come from Washington. Whatever the triggers for it, Europe may be nearing an inflection point on the graph, turning the dark page of its complicity with Israel's nearly 20-month war in Gaza.Nathalie Tocci is a Guardian Europe 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...

While students around the world dream of classrooms, students in Gaza dream of survivalBefore the war, students in Gaza were surrounded by books, not bombs. They woke each morning to the voices of their mothers urging them to get ready for school, not to the sound of airstrikes and screaming. They were focused on building a future, working hard to shape a better life for themselves and their homeland.Before the war started, my best friends and I used to go to the restaurants that were near the university, talking, laughing, eating and studying together, eating our breakfast together under a blue sky before going to the first lecture.Nadera Mushtha is a writer and poet from Gaza who is studying English language education at the Islamic University of Gaza. Her writing has been published on Al Jazeera, Mondoweiss, the Electronic Intifada, and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs Continue reading...

The indiscriminate, cruel and criminal killing of civilians may see us be banished from the family of nations and summoned to the ICC, with no good defenseThe government of Israel is currently waging a war without purpose, without goals or clear planning, and with no chances of success. Never since its establishment has the state of Israel waged such a war. The criminal gang headed by Benjamin Netanyahu has set a precedent without equal in Israel's history in this area, too.The obvious result of Operation Gideon's Chariots is, first and foremost, the confused activity of Israeli military units deployed around Gaza. This is true particularly in neighborhoods where our soldiers have already fought, were hurt and fell while killing many Hamas combatants, who deserve to die, and many more innocent civilians. These have joined the statistics of pointless victims among the Palestinian population, reaching monstrous proportions.Ehud Olmert is a former prime minister of IsraelThis op-ed originally appeared in Haaretz Continue reading...

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Appeals court grants temporary stay of ruling that blocked tariffs as president's allies rail against major blow to signature policy - key US politics stories from Thursday at a glancePresident Trump's tariffs remain in place, at least for now, after an appeals court ruled that his administration can continue to collect import fees.The latest ruling came just a day after a separate court ruled that Trump had overstepped his power, a judgment that his administration has pushed back against. Continue reading...

Director, composer and actor appeared at event in Clarksdale attended by hundreds after community petitionHundreds of people packed inside a local auditorium on Thursday to see the hit film Sinners, set in their community and steeped in Mississippi Delta culture.The special screening of the blockbuster horror film included an appearance by director Ryan Coogler and was made possible by a community petition. Continue reading...

The National Spelling Bee, which began Tuesday and will conclude with Thursday's nationally televised championship finals, invited 243 spellers to compete for a $50,000 cash prize and orthographic immortality

The target was delivered by Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem, and triples figures from earlier this yearThe Trump administration has set aggressive new goals in its anti-immigration agenda, demanding that federal agents arrest 3,000 people a day - or more than a million in a year.The new target, tripling arrest figures from earlier this year, was delivered to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) leaders by Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, and Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, in a strained meeting last week. Continue reading...

Draper battled against the crowd and an inspired opponent to win in four sets, Gauff advanced but Boulter went out, while Norrie and Fearnley set up an all-British meetingI can't lie, I'd like further detail on the Roland-Garros tattoo parlour. How busy is it? Who's been? What kind of thing are people getting? Any spider webs on faces or tears beneath eyes?Krueger is playing nicely. Andreeva forces her through deuce in order to endorse, but she get there in the end; they're both smacking it, but it's the American whose radar is working better so far and she leads 2-0. Continue reading...

California city's council to provide 24/7 armed patrol for lots and vacant homes devastated by blazesNearly five months after wildfires tore through Los Angeles, killing dozens of people and destroying thousands of homes, the city of Malibu has hired private security to protect burned lots and vacant homes after the disaster.The city council voted last week to contract with a private security firm to provide 24/7 armed patrols in areas affected by the recent fires as a section of the Pacific Coast Highway reopens for the first time since the fire. Continue reading...

The 97th edition of the Scripps National Spelling Bee takes place this week in National Harbor, Maryland. Can you spell the winning words from previous years' competitions?

Exclusive: One in six female survivors surveyed felt forced to engage in survival sex' for necessities after 2023 catastrophic Hawaii fireSexual exploitation and domestic violence soared after the catastrophic Lahaina wildfire in 2023, with pre-existing gender inequalities exposed and exacerbated by the post-disaster response, new research has found.In the weeks and months after the deadliest American fire in a century, one in six female fire survivors surveyed felt forced to engage in sexual acts in exchange for basic necessities such as food, clothing and housing. Continue reading...

As an aid worker, I despaired at news of Israeli troops opening fire on people seeking food. This is no answer to our sufferingTwo days ago, Israeli soldiers fired on a massive crowd of starving Palestinians who just wanted to eat. Some of them had walked more than 10km to reach what was then the only aid distribution point in Gaza. They were looking for help from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a newly formed Israeli-backed logistics group that had set up a distribution centre in Rafah. Israel and GHF lost control of the crowd; Palestinians were shot and killed for seeking food, and dozens were injured.What the GHF is doing is nothing more than a public relations campaign: it is promoting the illusion that aid has begun entering the Strip in a meaningful way. What we have learned is that GHF only distributed eight trucks' worth of food on Wednesday. Moreover, a US charity, Rahma Worldwide, which had food parcels that it couldn't get into Gaza and so allowed them to be taken custody" by GHF, has accused the organisation of using its logo without permission in the aid distribution. (Rahma said it's opposed to working alongside GHF because of its use of armed security contractors.) Ultimately, there are tens of thousands of people across the Gaza Strip who will not be able to reach the newly created centres. Even if they function, they will not meet the ever-growing daily needs of the population here. Continue reading...

Police also find widespread animal mistreatment, relocating 310 of the 450 animals and euthanizing threeOregon police have arrested a safari park owner on drug charges following a police raid at the facility earlier this month that found drugs and widespread animal mistreatment.The Coos county sheriff's office said that Brian Tenney, the owner of West Coast Game Park Safari, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of methamphetamine possession, manufacturing and attempted distribution. He was later released as the district attorney's office awaited more information, a staff member at the Coos county jail said when reached by the Associated Press. Continue reading...

Some Republicans attempted to frame decision as part of a broader fight between the Trump administration and US justice system

The Thunder ended the Timberwolves' playoff run in brutal fashion on Wednesday night. But Minnesota have come far, and can still push onThe definition of success is subjective, ephemeral. But in today's sports zeitgeist, it's becoming less so: rings culture" dominates all, serving as the wall into which any nuanced conversation inevitably crashes: But did they win?" Of course, each NBA team enters the season every year with the same goal: to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy. But only one team can every year, so does that make the other 29 failures?The Minnesota Timberwolves present an interesting counterpoint: their fanbase is, no doubt, deeply disappointed this morning after a harrowing blowout loss in Oklahoma City, which means the team came up short of the NBA finals in devastating, decisive fashion for the second year in a row. On the other hand, they've made back to back Western Conference finals for the first time in team history, gone from league laughing stock to bona fide perennial contender, and have one of the most exciting young stars in basketball, 23-year-old Anthony Edwards. Continue reading...

The ruling says Trump exceeded authority in imposing sweeping tariffs. Plus, Elon Musk confirms government exit

US president Donald Trump lashed out at a reporter who asked him about claims that he chickens out of tariffs. 'Wall Street analysts have coined a new term called the taco trade,' the reporter said. 'They're saying Trump always chickens out on your tariff threats.' Trump called it a 'nasty question' and insisted setting high initial tariffs was part of the negotiation process

Elizabeth Warren and others urge investigation over clear conflict of interest and potential criminal violation'Employees of Elon Musk's department of government efficiency" (Doge) own lucrative stock in companies that stand to directly benefit from their work gutting federal agencies, Democratic senators have alleged.The potential ethics violations merit an investigation by the justice department and other oversight bodies, urges a letter co-authored by senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Jack Reed of Rhode Island and obtained by the Guardian. Continue reading...

With Sophia Wilson, Trinity Rodman, and Mallory Swanson all out for a while, this next US camp is about establishing alternativesThe first time we saw the free-flowing force of Mallory Swanson, Sophia Wilson (nee Smith) and Trinity Rodman starting together was 1 June 2024 - Emma Hayes' first match in charge of the national team, with little more than a month to go before the Olympics.Their mutual arrival to the US frontline was delayed by injuries and other uncertainties, but they emerged just in time for a blistering gold medal run. The self-styled Triple Espresso' trio combined for 10 of the USA's 12 goals in Paris. They were dynamic. They were fun. They were each capable of match-saving heroics, sparks of individual radiance that propelled the team to the next round: Rodman's heroic quarter-final strike in the 105th minute against Japan; Wilson's goal 95 minutes into a grueling semi final against Germany; then Swanson with the decisive gold medal goal against Brazil. Continue reading...