Folarin Balogun's double secured an emphatic victory for the co-hosts in their openerChris Richards is INA 100% record on our projected lineup, with Chris Richards getting his wish and cracking the opening lineup. So, a nominal lopsided 3-4-2-1 that plays as a 3-2-5 in attack and a 4-4-2 in defense.
All the action from Los Angeles Stadium where the final opening ceremony preceded the USMNT's resounding victory over Paraguay in Group D Continue reading...
Across the parking lot from Los Angeles Stadium sits the Forum. In the 1980s, it served as the stage for one of American sports' most enthralling entertainment outfits: the Los Angeles Lakers. Opening their campaign at the 2026 World Cup in front of 70,492 fans, the US men's national team embraced the Lakers' Showtime ethos.The US began their campaign with aplomb, playing Paraguay off the pitch in a 4-1 win. Continue reading...
President says Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores killed in swift and lethal' military strike with help from VenezuelaThe US military has killed a leader in the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, with the help of Venezuela, Donald Trump announced on Friday.At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Nino Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Continue reading...
Appeals court in Washington DC rejected emergency appeal seeking to pause the removal of Donald Trump's name from the building on Friday - key US politics stories from Friday 12 June at a glanceThe ongoing fracas over the facade of Washington DC's Kennedy Center reached a key moment Friday night in the US capital.An appeals court in Washington DC rejected an emergency appeal seeking to pause the removal of Donald Trump's name from the building on Friday. Continue reading...
Officials given 21 days to comply with order after Angel Kelley condemns administration for telling half-truths'A US district court judge has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate any history or science materials it removed from the nation's public monuments, finding that the White House's actions set a dangerous precedent of censorship and sanitization".In March 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order titled restoring truth and sanity to American history", calling upon the secretary of interior to examine monuments, memorials and statues to see if they had been altered after January 2020 to represent a false construction of American history". Continue reading...
by David Smith in Washington and Lauren Gambino on (#7693S)
Justice department lawyers had appealed to stay a judge's order to remove Trump's name from facadeAn appeals court in Washington DC rejected an emergency appeal seeking to pause the removal of Donald Trump's name from the facade of the Kennedy Center on Friday.Justice department lawyers for Donald Trump and his hand-picked Kennedy Center board filed the emergency appeal earlier on Friday, asking the court to stay a judge's order that his name be removed from the facade of Washington's leading performing arts venue. Continue reading...
Housing and urban development department alleges fraud in administration's latest clash with CaliforniaThe Trump administration has suspended federal funding to Los Angeles's beleaguered homelessness agency.The announcement is the administration's latest move rescinding funding to California, where Donald Trump has feuded with the state's Democratic leaders. Continue reading...
No injuries reported as fire in Tracy destroys medical equipment warehouse and authorities investigate causeA fire at a 1m sq ft warehouse complex continued to burn out of control in California early on Friday, as authorities warned the blaze could take days to extinguish and may contain toxic hazards.The raging inferno was pumping thick black smoke up in billowing clouds as flame and a red hot glow were visible beneath from aerial images. The fire has destroyed the medical equipment warehouse in Tracy, in northern California, and prompted evacuations of other nearby facilities, with no injuries reported. Continue reading...
Cyle Larin grabbed a historic point for the co-hosts in Toronto after Jovo Lukic's first-half openerForget the World Cup just for a sec ... some news from Scotland.Canada: Crepeau, Johnston, De Fougerolles, Cornelius, Laryea, Buchanan, Kone, Eustaquio, Millar, Jonathan David, Oluwaseyi Continue reading...
by Hosted by Kai Wright with Blake Montgomery . Produ on (#7697W)
Elon Musk has become the world's first trillionaire thanks to his company SpaceX, which now has the biggest IPO of all time. Public trading in the company has put it's valuation at over $2tn. The eye-watering sums of money pouring into AI are also boosting other tech titans, including OpenAI and Anthropic. Both companies are expected to go public this year with nearly trillion-dollar valuations. The Guardian's US tech editor Blake Montgomery tells Kai Wright that with these IPOs, all our financial futures are forever tied to AI's success, and more worryingly, its possible failure
Agents seized phones and laptops of Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a group that does voter registration workThe FBI raided the office of a voting rights group in Ohio on Thursday, prompting immediate concerns the Trump administration is cracking down on such organizations ahead of the midterm elections.FBI agents raided the Cleveland office of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a grassroots group that does voter registration work, said Prentiss Haney, a board member of the group. Agents seized computers and phones, he said, and also showed up at homes of people affiliated with the group throughout the state and interviewed them. Continue reading...
Gaudy arena is already built on South Lawn to celebrate US president's birthday and America's 250th anniversaryA federal judge refused on Friday to stop the White House from staging a UFC show this weekend in an elaborate ring already built on the South Lawn to celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary - on Donald Trump's 80th birthday.US district judge Amit Mehta's ruling allows organizers to use the White House lawn as the venue for Sunday's planned UFC mixed martial arts event. Continue reading...
Lookback law' allowed Pamela Lockridge to seek damages against late stepfather who abused her starting at age fourA north-west Louisiana jury recently awarded a staggering $1.1bn in damages to a woman who sued over childhood sexual molestation at the hands of her late stepfather in the 1960s and 1970s - a verdict that the plaintiff says sends a message that children are precious" and deserve protection".The outcome in Pamela Elaine Lockridge's lawsuit caused waves among Louisiana's legal community, illustrating how much civil juries are willing to award to plaintiffs for cases tried under the state's so-called lookback law". Continue reading...
Disorder in Belfast, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, the Ebola outbreak, and the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs in the NBA finals - the past seven days as captured by the world's leading photojournalists Continue reading...
City has become caught up in the drama as team stands on brink of a first NBA championship in 53 yearsAfter the New York Knicks' furious comeback over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, the last place anyone in the city wanted to be was at home. Taylor Swift and Larry David were among the celebrities who lingered at Madison Square Garden after the final buzzer sounded on the 107-106 victory as Frank Sinatra's New York, New York washed over the arena.The former Knick Iman Shumpert, sporting his old No 21 jersey, made a beeline from the arena to Times Square to join the stunned celebration. All over the city, car horns blared, raucous watch parties spilled on to the streets and perfect strangers greeted one another by barking Go Knicks!". As they might put it on Broadway: it was just one of those nights. Continue reading...
A fire at a medical equipment warehouse in northern California prompted evacuations from nearby facilities. Fire crews on the scene fought to get the blaze under control while thick black smoke poured into the sky. The company said everyone who was at the site at the time of the fire had been accounted for while authorities said they were still unclear as to what caused the blaze Continue reading...
Nearly 40 women detained at Delaney Hall join striking men and outline demands rooted in basic human rights'Dozens of women detained inside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in New Jersey announced their participation in a hunger and labor strike, advocates announced on Thursday.The women, detained in unit 1 of the contentious privately run facility, also released a new list of demands. They are calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release women under 21, women with medical conditions and mothers. They are also demanding improved conditions inside the facility and for their immigration cases to proceed more quickly. Continue reading...
Trump claims strikes called off as deal is close, but Tehran denies agreement near, while legal experts question if US targets may be a war crime. Plus 20 years of Taylor Swift's incredible influence on pop culture
Of all the bases Scotland fans could have found for their World Cup journey, it had to be the city renowned for chasing the English out of townSam Adams is the beer of Boston, named after the fourth governor of Massachusetts and founding father of the United States. Downtown, there's a tap room where you can drink it all day. On Thursday lunchtime the bar was packed, full of Scotland fans, and hanging over the first floor balcony was a big yellow flag. It bore the legend Remember Bannockburn 1315".Of all the bases the Tartan Army could have found for their World Cup journey, it had to be the city renowned for chasing the English out of town. Supporters dressed like William Wallace have been bonding with tour guides dressed like Paul Revere. Others have been walking around wearing Boston T Party" T-shirts, where the T stands for Tennent's. Meanwhile, next to the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Scottish Football Association has rebranded a local pub as Scotland House, and even had it sponsored by M&S Food. Continue reading...
They're about to get more AI rammed down their throats, stuck into their pension plans and investment portfoliosAmericans are growing worried about what artificial intelligence portends for their futures. Eight in 10 Americans report concern over AI, compared with a third who report being excited, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll. More than half think it will do more harm than good in their daily lives. Seven out of 10 think it will reduce the number of available jobs.Skeptical though they may be, they are about to get more AI rammed down their throats and stuck into their pension plans and their investment portfolios, whether they want it or not - binding their futures ever more tightly to the frenzied, risky, multibillion-dollar dash by technology moguls to develop machines capable of mimicking human thought processes to take over cognitive tasks. Continue reading...
Board seeks to stay judge's ruling that found Trump's name was illegally added to Washington performing arts venueDonald Trump's hand-picked board at the Kennedy Center is mounting a last-minute effort to keep his name on the facade of the performing arts facility before a court-ordered deadline to remove it by Friday.The board voted on Thursday to seek a stay of US district judge Christopher Cooper's 29 May ruling that said Trump's name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center, according to a person familiar with the move who requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting. Continue reading...
President claims US and Iran are on the verge yet again, but we've heard that before - key US politics stories from Thursday 11 JuneDonald Trump claimed on Thursday that the US and Iran are on the verge of signing a peace agreement and announced that he will cancel fresh missile strikes.His comments came in a new bout of public diplomacy by social media, which was not immediately confirmed by the Iranian leadership. Continue reading...
Mother and brother were rescued after wave engulfed trio in Laguna Beach, as mayor calls news heartbreaking'California officials have recovered the body of a five-year-old girl who earlier this week was swept into the ocean by turbulent waters.On Tuesday evening, the girl, her mother and brother were walking along the shore of Treasure Island Beach in Orange county, when a wave reportedly engulfed them. Continue reading...
Former SEC chair, who has reportedly socialized and played golf with president, has questioned integrity of US electionsDays before he was nominated as director of national intelligence, Jay Clayton discussed the potential of fraud in California's elections, falsely saying the state's laws left open the opportunity for fraud".Clayton, the US attorney for the Southern District and the former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, has a lengthy legal resume in the private and public sector and a track record of unequivocal support for Donald Trump and his agenda.This article was amended on 11 June 2026 to clarify that Jay Clayton became US attorney for the southern district of New York in 2025. An earlier version misstated the timeline. Continue reading...
Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez scored for Mexico against South Africa, who had Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane sent off; the hosts had Cesar Montes dismissedThat ITV studio is spectacular," reckons Kev the Poet. Almost as spectacular as the nark-off between Roy Keane and anyone else. The BBC is going to have The Ghost Of Barry Davies coming out of the Manchester Ship Canal to compete."It is - it's outdoors on the East River, with a sensational view of Manhattan. But I'd take Barry Davies coming out of anywhere. Continue reading...
US president had faced widespread criticism of his decision to install a controversial ally, Bill PulteDonald Trump has nominated Jay Clayton, former head of the top US markets watchdog, to be the country's leading intelligence official.The US president faced widespread criticism of his decision to install a controversial ally, Bill Pulte, as acting director of national intelligence while searching for a permanent candidate. Continue reading...
Donald Trump told reporters on 11 June that the US and Iran had plans to sign a peace deal to end the conflict. Trump said it was his understanding that the Iranian supreme leader had also approved of the deal. According to the president, the proposed deal would open the strait of Hormuz while also denying Iran a nuclear program Continue reading...
Plan comes after major New York Times report alleges files became source of crisis within Trump administrationDemocrats on the House oversight committee, led by Representative Robert Garcia, plan to call on JD Vance to testify on the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files following a major report on Wednesday from the New York Times, which described how the Epstein files became the source of an internal crisis within Trump's administration.Garcia will call on the committee chair, James Comer, to summon the vice-president to speak, according to a post from Max Cohen, a reporter with Punchbowl News. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether Vance would agree to appear. Continue reading...
by John Brewin, Tom Davies , Rob Smyth and Dominic Bo on (#767WH)
Thursday's latest news before the World Cup opener between Mexico and South AfricaBTL chat is thus far dominated by Gianni Infantino's ritual pre-tournament torching of his own dignity. SonOfThe Desert offers this:Infantino is just absolutely wretched, isn't he? An absolute nothing of a man, sucking up to tyrants because he thinks it makes him look strong.
A fisher caught a large white shark on the south shore of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts on 7 June, before releasing it back into the ocean. Bryner Oliveira, who captured footage, said he had been 'at the beach enjoying the weekend' when the fisher reeled in the shark on his line. He said he unhooked and released the protected shark in about 15 seconds Continue reading...
As the Knicks edge closer to winning the NBA finals for the first time in decades, a viral chant - posted by Kalshi - has become New York City's anthemThe New York Knicks are 3-1 up in the NBA finals, one game away from winning the championship for the first time since the 1970s. The mood in New York is electric, the city is strewn with blue and orange, crowds roar outside Madison Square Garden, and - at least last week - a viral chant has become a new unofficial New York City anthem:My mayor MuslimMy bagel's JewishMy mayor still MuslimMy bagel's still Jewish Continue reading...
Judge says ex-city comptroller was not willingly obstructive while sitting in front of lift at Manhattan federal buildingNew York City Democrat Brad Lander on Thursday was found not guilty of blocking an elevator during his attempt to inspect rooms holding detained immigrants, with a Manhattan federal court judge saying the politician looked low-energy when he sat in front of a lift - not willingly obstructive.He seemed tired and he seemed a bit resigned to the situation," the magistrate judge Henry Ricardo said moments before he formally acquitted Lander, the former New York City comptroller, who is competing for incumbent Democrat Dan Goldman's congressional seat. Continue reading...
Vance Boelter changes plea in murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman as prosecutors agree not to pursue death penaltyThe man charged in the political assassinations of the top Democrat in the Minnesota house and her husband, as well as the non-fatal shootings of a state senator and his wife, pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday after prosecutors said they would not seek the death penalty.Vance Boelter was charged with murdering Melissa Hortman, the Minnesota house speaker, and her husband, Mark Hortman, and with shooting state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman. Boelter came to their doors in the early hours of 14 June 2025, disguised as a police officer and driving a fake squad car. Continue reading...
Ted Lasso will deliver a message of hope before the USA's first game, in an America that is not a fit or desirable host right nowShortly before 6pm local time on Friday night at the Los Angeles Stadium, the actor who plays Ted Lasso - the fictional manager of a fake team in a falsely heartwarming version of football - will tell hundreds of millions of TV viewers tuning in to watch the start of the American leg of the Fifa World Cup that football unites the world.In an interesting twist, the actor Jason Sudeikis will do this at a time when the World Cup host is simultaneously bombing the second-ranked country in Group G, having recently murdered its head of state. The message of unity is one likely to be heard by the US president, Donald Trump, who has initiated six military conflicts in his second term, and whose brutally divisive immigration policies have now led to the barring of Omar Artan, the reigning African referee of the year. Continue reading...