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Memo from attorney general about criminal leak investigations calls conduct of leakers treasonous'Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, has revoked a Biden administration-era policy that restricted subpoenas of reporters' phone records in criminal investigations.An internal memo, first reported by ABC News, shows Bondi rescinding protections issued by her predecessor, Merrick Garland, for members of the media from having their records seized or being forced to testify in the course of leak investigations. Continue reading...

Shabtai, a Jewish society based at Yale, hosted the extremist far-right politician convicted of supporting terrorism. Why did Yale allow this?Let me start with a statement that should be obvious: deliberately starving 2 million people - half of whom are children - is indefensible. It is not complicated, it is not a nuanced situation that requires a PhD to parse. It is not an unfortunate and unavoidable part of war. It is quite simply indefensible. I would say that it is also very much prohibited by international human rights law, but that doesn't seem to exist any more, does it?As I write this, no food, water or medicine has been allowed into Gaza for almost two months. It is impossible to know just how bad the situation really is because Israel has imposed a media blackout on the region. However, aid organizations have said: The Gaza Strip is now likely facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the 18 months" since the war began. Thousands of children are malnourished. Childhood malnutrition, I can't stress enough, has long-term consequences. An entire generation's future has been violently stolen from them. Continue reading...

Harvard is leading the pushback because it can afford to fight. Others are realising that they can't afford not toEnfeebling universities or seizing control is an early chapter in the authoritarian playbook, studied eagerly by the likes of Viktor Orban in Hungary. Would-be authoritarians and one-party states centrally target universities with the aim of restricting dissent," Jason Stanley, a scholar of fascism at Yale, wrote in the Guardian in September. Last month, he announced that he was leaving the US for Canada because of the political climate and particularly the battle over higher education.It is not merely that universities are often bastions of liberal attitudes and hotbeds for protest. They also constitute one of the critical institutions of civil society; they are a bulwark of democracy. The Trump administration is taking on judges, lawyers, NGOs and the media: it would be astonishing if universities were not on the list. They embody the importance of knowledge, rationality and independent thought. Continue reading...

Would the legendary American writer have welcomed the publication of her therapy notes? It seems unlikelyJoan Didion entered the fray on the publication of Ernest Hemingway's unfinished final manuscript in an essay titled Last Words in 1998: You think something is in shape to be published or you don't, andHemingway didn't," she wrote. You believe a writer's unpublished work is fair game after their death or you don't, and Didion - it would seem - didn't.Debate about the ethics of posthumous publication has been ignited once more, this time with Didion at its centre. After the writer's death in 2021, about 150 pages were found in a file next to her desk. These were meticulous accounts of sessions with her psychiatrist, from 1999 to 2003, focused mainly on her adopted daughter Quintana, who was spiralling into alcoholism. Addressed to her husband, screenwriter John Gregory Dunne, this journal has been published under the title Notes to John. No restrictions were put on access," we are told in a brief, anonymous introduction, presumably the ghostly hand of her literary estate. Continue reading...

President's international engagements have set stage for explosive confrontations and Pope Francis's funeral comes at an especially fraught momentA spectre is haunting Europe: the spectre of Donald Trump flying to the Vatican this weekend and publicly feuding with international leaders in front of St Peter's Basilica in the midst of the sombre rituals and rites that will mark the funeral of Pope Francis.The US leader's first international trip of his second term comes at one of the most politically fractious and fraught moments in recent memory, as his America first" project sets fire to US alliances and trade relationships around the world. Between international tariffs, the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza, the Trump team's open antipathy toward Europe and its hard line on immigration from Central and South America, the papal funeral could prove to be a minefield of international diplomacy. Continue reading...

Jim McGovern and Ayanna Pressley exhort authorities to free Rumeysa Ozturk, calling her treatment repression'A group of high-profile Democratic lawmakers has called on the Donald Trump administration to immediately release the Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, praised her unwavering spirit" and warned that the White House is engaging in repression".In a New York Times essay published on Friday morning, the US senator Ed Markey and representatives Jim McGovern and Ayanna Pressley, who all represent Massachusetts, where Tufts is based, shared more details from their visit to Ozturk this week at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention center in Louisiana, where she has been held since her arrest last month. Continue reading...

Crews still working to contain one the state's largest ever wildfires, amid warm temperatures and dry conditionsWith crews still working to contain one of New Jersey's largest wildfires on record, fire danger remains elevated across the state and into eastern Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service warned on Friday.There is an increased risk for rapid fire spread this afternoon across portions of New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania," the NWS said. Continue reading...

This presidency places authoritarian ambition above all - and now the people of Ukraine are paying the priceTo see the true face of Donald Trump, look no further than Ukraine. Laid bare in his handling of that issue are not only his myriad weaknesses, but also the danger he poses to his own country and the wider world - to say nothing of the battered people of Ukraine itself.Don't be fooled by the mild, vaguely theatrical rebuke Trump issued to Vladimir Putin on Thursday after Moscow unleashed a deadly wave of drone strikes on Kyiv, killing 12 and injuring dozens: Vladimir, STOP!" Pay attention instead to the fact that, in the nearly 100 days since Trump took office, the US has essentially switched sides in the battle between Putin's Russia and democratic Ukraine, backing the invaders against the invaded.Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist and the host of the Politics Weekly America podcast100 days of Trump's presidency, with Jonathan Freedland and guests. On 30 April, join Jonathan Freedland, Kim Darroch, Devika Bhat and Leslie Vinjamuri as they discuss Trump's presidency on his 100th day in office, live at Conway Hall London and livestreamed globally. Book tickets here or at guardian.live Continue reading...

At the scene of the deadliest attack on our capital this year, I see the war on Ukraine is still very real - and Putin shows no signs of ending itWar teaches you to believe only in what happens, rather than what is merely said or promised. A day after the peace talks" in London, which the US secretary of state Marco Rubio didn't even turn up for, Ukrainians were not anxiously waiting for the results of a possible deal, which looked unfeasible anyway. Instead, they were counting their dead.According to Ukraine's air force, in the early hours of Thursday morning Russia launched 11 Iskander ballistic missiles, 37 KH-101 cruise missiles, six Iskander-K cruise missiles, 12 Kalibr cruise missiles, 4 KH-59/KH-69 missiles and 145 drones. For Kyiv and Kharkiv residents that night, this was not just a case of reading numbers on a news feed, but hearing and feeling explosions rock their cities. It turned out to be the deadliest night for the Ukrainian capital this year.Nataliya Gumenyuk is a Ukrainian journalist and CEO of the Public Interest Journalism Lab

There are valid arguments for the quarterback falling out of the first round. But it came after anonymous backstabs and the harsh glare of the spotlightThe NFL draft can be cruel. Shedeur Sanders, a polarizing prospect in a weak class whose profile was magnified by the fact that he is the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, had to sit and wait for his name to be called in Thursday night's first round. He waited. And waited. By night's end, Sanders had fallen out of the first round entirely.Only two quarterbacks were selected on Thursday. After Miami's Cam Ward was selected No 1 overall, the QB-needy teams at the top of the board opted to punt on quarterbacks in favor of chasing defensive studs or linemen who could protect their eventual starter. Continue reading...

I'm scared about the health secretary's vow to find the cause behind the so-called autism epidemic'I always knew my parents operated on a different wavelength than most.For one, they are both exceptionally smart. My mother is a former mathematician, who studied the various levels of infinity as part of her master's thesis. My father is a computer programmer who, at 17 years old, was one of the youngest people to ever be able to communicate with ships in morse code. They met at a party for members of Mensa, a club for the highly intelligent. Continue reading...

The president has a chance to make good on his reputation as a dealmaker as Iran moves closer to a nuclear weaponIn May 2018, Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed American sanctions that crippled the Iranian economy. Trump tore up the 2015 agreement, which had taken years for Iran to negotiate with six world powers, under which Tehran limited its nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions. Trump insisted he would be able to negotiate a better pact than the one reached by Barack Obama's administration.Today, in his second term as president, Trump is eager to fix the Iran deal he broke nearly seven years ago.Mohamad Bazzi is the director of the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern studies and a journalism professor at New York University. Continue reading...

Murder suspect, charged separately in state court, could face death penalty if convicted over Brian Thompson deathLuigi Mangione is scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court on Friday for arraignment on charges that he tracked and murdered the UnitedHealthcare chief executive, Brian Thompson, late last year.Mangione, 26, could face the death penalty in a case that shocked America for the killing of a top business executive on New York's streets but also triggered an outpouring of anger against America's for-profit healthcare industry. Continue reading...

Rodney Taylor, whose legs were amputated as a toddler, just one of many people with disabilities at risk from detentionIn his three months locked up at Stewart detention center in Lumpkin, Georgia, Rodney Taylor has missed meals and showers, lived with increasing pain in his hips, developed a swollen thumb on his right hand and blisters on the stumps where his two legs were amputated when he was a toddler.Taylor's mother brought him to the US from Liberia on a medical visa as a small child. He went through 16 operations and is a double amputee. He has two fingers on his right hand. Now 46, he has lived in the US nearly his entire life, works as a barber, is active in promoting cancer awareness in his community, and recently got engaged. Continue reading...

The Trump administration is working overtime to intimidate funders from supporting racial and gender justice but this is the time for everyone to do what we can with what we haveWhen Jair Bolsonaro rose to power and moved to dismantle Brazil's democracy, he faced a formidable foe. A powerful wave of Black women were at the forefront of the resistance that led to his defeat.Beyond defeating an authoritarian, Black women helped elect a tranche of new officials, including record numbers of women and trans leaders. As the vanguard of a young, diverse, representative government, they epitomise Brazil's best future as a thriving democracy. A future that Bolsonaro came close to foreclosing. Continue reading...

Martin O'Malley says Elon Musk's incursions could result in disruption to benefit payments that 70 million depend onSocial security, the sacred cow of the US welfare system dating back to Franklin Roosevelt's 1930s New Deal, faces significant threat as it reels under the stress of Elon Musk's aggressive incursions, its former head has said.Martin O'Malley, former commissioner of the social security administration (SSA) under Joe Biden, said such a breakdown could result in disruption to benefit payments on which more than 70 million Americans depend, sending shock waves across the economic and social landscape and posing a political challenge to Donald Trump, who has repeatedly vowed that social security will be left untouched in his radical remake of US government. Continue reading...

The region has grappled with dictatorships, coups and inequality. But its democratic spirit remains vital - and offers a lesson for the USInspiration on how to beat back authoritarianism is in short supply, but those searching for hope in these dark times might consider Latin America.It's not the first place that comes to mind when thinking about democracy, associated as it is with coups, death squads, dictatorships, inequality, drug violence and now a country, El Salvador, offering itself up to Donald Trump as an offshore prison colony for deportees. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: The new US hardline policies have sparked widespread fear and controversy, as families, students, and tourists face arbitrary detentions and deportationsGood morning. A student arrested in the street for accusing Israel of genocide; a father of an autistic son, deported by mistake only for the authorities to say there was no way to bring him back; tourists held in solitary confinement with no explanation; and a scientist expelled for daring to be critical of Donald Trump. As the consequences of the White House's hardline immigration policies unfold, they increasingly look like the behaviour of a police state.The lawlessness is the point," Greg Sargent wrote for the New Republic: these errors,' as you might have gathered by now, appear to be fully part of the design." But it is also true that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has been criticised for its treatment of immigrants for a long time.Ukraine | Donald Trump has issued a rare rebuke to Moscow for an air attack that killed 12 people in Kyiv, telling the Russian president in a social media post: Vladimir, STOP!" The US president's remarks come as he makes a renewed push to end the Ukraine war, reportedly on terms favourable to Russia.UK news | Cyclists who kill pedestrians by dangerous cycling could face life imprisonment in England and Wales under new amendments to the crime and policing bill.World news | India's army chief was set to lead a high-level security review in Srinagar on Friday, days after militants opened fire on tourists in Indian-held Kashmir, killing 26 civilians in one of the worst such attacks in years. The Indian Army has launched sweeping search-and-destroy" operations, deployed surveillance drones, and ramped up troop numbers across the Kashmir Valley. A manhunt is underway for three suspects - one Indian national and two Pakistanis.Economy | Consumer confidence in the UK has fallen to the lowest level for more than a year amid concern that Donald Trump's trade wars could further drive up living costs for British households.Emergency services | Ambulance staff are facing horrendous" levels of violent assault and abuse as incidents rise to the highest on record, according to new data. Continue reading...

The archbishop is traditionalists' preferred candidate for a reason: his papacy would wind back the progress made under Pope FrancisWho might be the next pope? The question is famously difficult to answer. But we can be reasonably confident that if the successful contender comes from the traditionalist camp - as opposed to the reformists - then he is likely to be Hungary's most senior bishop, Peter Erd.If you follow Hungarian politics then you will know of Erd - a highly cultured man, respected for his broad learning well beyond his specialism in church law. His expertise has made him a valued consultant to Vatican bodies, while his sermons and interviews abound with historical and literary references. Yet he's also a remote figure, lacking the common touch that defined Francis's papacy; ascetic-looking, he's rarely pictured smiling.Alex Faludy is a British-Hungarian freelance journalist based in Budapest, specialising in religious affairsDo 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...

This blog has now closed.South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has said he talked about the war in Ukraine and the need to foster good bilateral relations with the US in his phone call with Donald Trump.We both agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths... to meet soon to address various matters regarding US-South Africa relations," Ramaphosa wrote in a post on X. Continue reading...

Nobody has been harder ... about Donald Trump than me,' Maher says after fellow comedian compared his meal with US president to meeting HitlerBill Maher has responded to Larry David's satirical essay in the New York Times that compared Maher's glowing account of having dinner with Donald Trump to dining with Adolf Hitler.Maher, a vocal critic of Trump in the past, had dinner with the US president and a group of his high-profile supporters, including their mutual friend Kid Rock, on 31 March. On an episode of his talkshow Real Time on 11 April, Maher described Trump as gracious" and much more self-aware than he lets on", saying: Everything I've ever not liked about him was - I swear to God - absent, at least on this night with this guy." Continue reading...

Judge William Orrick issues temporary injunction for over a dozen areas, ruling parts of Trump orders unconstitutionalThe Trump administration cannot deny federal funds to cities and counties that have passed laws preventing or limiting cooperation with US immigration officials, a federal judge ruled on Thursday.The US district judge William Orrick issued a temporary injunction sought by San Francisco, Santa Clara county and and more than a dozen other municipalities with sanctuary" policies, and declared that portions of Donald Trump's executive orders were unconstitutional. Continue reading...

US renews push to end Ukraine war, reportedly on terms favourable to Russia - key US politics stories from 24 AprilDuring his election campaign Donald Trump had promised to end the war in 24 hours. But almost 100 days into his second term the US president has appealed directly to Russian president Vladimir Putin, telling him on social media: Vladimir, STOP!"Trump's remarks referred to the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv this year, which killed 12 people and injured at least 90 on Thursday. The attack comes as Trump has made a renewed push to end the Ukraine war, reportedly on terms favourable to Russia. Continue reading...

Defense chief had line set up to bypass official security protocols and use Signal app on personal computer, AP saysPete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, had an unsecured internet connection set up in his Pentagon office so that he could bypass government security protocols and use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told the Associated Press.ABC News also reported that Hegseth had what is known as a dirty line" - what IT professionals call a commercial internet line that is used to connect to websites blocked by the Pentagon's unclassified and classified lines. Defense department computers connect to the internet through two different systems: SiprNet - or secure internet protocol router network, which is the Pentagon's network for classified information - and NiprNet - the non-classified internet protocol router network, which handles unclassified information. Continue reading...

President directs attorney general to investigate supposed foreign contributions, an unsubstantiated rightwing claimThe Republican president is taking aim at a Democratic fundraising platform, issuing a presidential memorandum to crack down on supposed foreign contributions to elections, an unsubstantiated claim from the right..Donald Trump announced the memo on Thursday, directing the attorney general to investigate, and report to the president, concerning allegations regarding the use of online fundraising platforms to make straw' or dummy' contributions and to make foreign contributions to US political candidates and committees, all of which break the law". Continue reading...

Donald Trump, who has seen his approval rating sink, has not ruled out serving a third term - though most spectators consider that highly unlikelyDonald Trump's online store is selling clothing emblazoned Trump 2028", the year of the next US presidential election, in which the Republican is constitutionally banned from running.The 78-year-old, who has seen his approval rating sink in recent opinion polls, has not ruled out serving a third term - though most spectators consider that highly unlikely. Continue reading...

Order seeks to jumpstart mining of US waters as part of push to offset China's control of minerals industryDonald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at boosting the deep-sea mining industry, the latest attempt to boost US production of nickel, copper and other critical minerals used widely across the economy.The broad order avoids a direct confrontation with the UN-backed International Seabed Authority and seeks essentially to jumpstart the mining of US waters as part of a push to offset China's sweeping control of the critical minerals industry. Continue reading...

State's nominal GDP reaches $4.1tn, edging out Japan's $4.02tn, ranking it behind the US, China and GermanyCalifornia's economy has surpassed Japan's, making the Golden state the fourth largest economy in the world, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday.The state's nominal GDP reached $4.1tn, according to data from the International Monetary Fund and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, edging out Japan's $4.02tn nominal GDP. California now ranks behind the US at $29.18tn, China at $18.74tn and Germany at $4.65tn. Continue reading...

Ken Martin says young progressive must choose between vice-chair role and desire to unseat ineffective' incumbentsKen Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, has announced a proposal requiring party officials to remain neutral in primary elections, challenging activist David Hogg to choose between his vice-chair post and his pledge to unseat asleep-at-the-wheel" incumbents.As Democrats scramble to rebuild their tarnished brand after a devastating loss to Donald Trump in 2024, party officials are escalating a confrontation with the 25-year-old progressive activist who was elected to serve as a vice-chair in February. Continue reading...

Donald Trump has claimed that US officials were in talks with Chinese counterparts to resolve their tariff dispute, despite earlier denials from China. Beijing said on Thursday that any claims of trade talks with Washington were baseless'

Efforts stem from an executive order signed by Trump asserting sexual identity of trans members affects readinessThe Trump administration has asked the US supreme court to reinstate its ban on transgender troops serving in the armed forces after several judges issued separate rulings against it.In the latest example of the White House appealing over federal judges' heads to the court's nine justices, the solicitor general, John Sauer, tabled a 39-page brief asking them to stay an injunction issued last month by a district court in Tacoma, Washington, which upheld an earlier ruling preventing the policy being implemented. Continue reading...

Allegation against Rinaldo Nazzaro, founder of the Base, could shed new meaning on group's efforts inside UkraineAlleged former members of an international neo-Nazi terrorist organization are claiming its Russia-based and American leader is a Kremlin spy, according to online records reviewed by the Guardian.The allegation that Rinaldo Nazzaro, a former Pentagon contractor and founder of the Base, listed as a designated terrorist organization all over the world, is an alleged Russian intelligence asset could bring new meaning to his group's latest effort: sabotage and assassination missions inside Ukraine to weaken the government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Continue reading...

Organization claims $2.3m in grants illegally cancelled in retaliation for public criticism of Trump administration

Pope Francis's progressive legacy rests in the hands of cardinal electors who will be juggling competing agendasIn keeping with the humble style of his papacy, Pope Francis did his best to dial down the pomp and ceremony that would mark his passing. In St Peter's Basilica, where he now lies in state, Francis's body rests in an unelaborate coffin and has not been placed on the traditional elevated bier. The tomb in which he will be buried is to be underground and unadorned, carrying only the plain inscription Franciscus", again on hisinstructions.The final grace notes of a remarkable papacy will add to the pathos of Saturday's funeral, which hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to attend. The Argentinian pope's plain, direct style endeared him to millions of non-Catholics as well as to the faithful. But the ecclesiastical politics of what happens next, in a divided church, will be anything but straightforward. Continue reading...

DoJ told over 350 groups that promised funding would be cut because it no longer effectuates' department prioritiesHundreds of millions of federal grant dollars meant to prevent and respond to gun violence, opioid addiction and support victims of violent crimes were cut this week by the Trump administration. The US department of justice emailed more than 350 organizations on Tuesday to tell them that the promised funding was being terminated. According to a termination notice shared with the Guardian, the Department of Justice said the money was rescinded because it no longer effectuates Department priorities".Instead, the department intends to focus on more directly supporting certain law enforcement operations, combatting violent crime, protecting American children, and supporting American victims of trafficking and sexual assault, and better coordinating law enforcement efforts at all levels of government", the notice read. Continue reading...

Family incarceration has been revived after Biden - and Jade, Jason and Gabriela are speaking out about their distressing treatment in TexasWhen Jade and her family first arrived at the detention facility in Karnes county, Texas, she wasn't really sure what to think.I guess I was confused and scared," said the 13-year-old. Her parents were doing their best to reassure her that everything would be OK, but she knew they were in danger of being deported. Continue reading...

Pine Barrens blaze has scorched more than 20 sq miles and forced evacuations, as pollution hits New York City areaA New Jersey teenager is being charged with arson following a fast-moving fire in the Pine Barrens that has grown to more than 20 sq miles and is expected to continue for several more days.Ocean county prosecutors announced on Thursday that Joseph Kling, 19, of Ocean Township has been charged with aggravated arson and arson in connection with the wildfire. The blaze began in Waretown on Tuesday and has continued to spread throughout the southern Ocean county area in New Jersey. Continue reading...

Order directs federal agencies to deprioritize enforcement' of laws where policies have discriminatory effects

Company's forecast does not account for threatened major' tariff that could also be levied on pharmaceutical importsThe US pharmaceutical company Merck has said it expects to pay an extra $200m (150m) in costs this year from tariffs that Donald Trump has already imposed, including his 10% tax on imports from around the world.Merck said the projected costs also included retaliatory tariffs imposed by foreign governments on the US, particularly those related to China. Continue reading...

Col Sheyla Baez Ramirez, Wisconsin training base's first female commander, was suspended after the discoveryThe US army has suspended a Wisconsin training base's first female commander after discovering portraits of Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth had been flipped around to face a wall.The army has posted an undated statement on Fort McCoy's website saying Col Sheyla Baez Ramirez has been suspended as the base's garrison commander. The statement said the suspension isn't related to any misconduct, but provided no other details, saying the matter was under review. Continue reading...

Blaze in Pine Barrens expected to grow before forecast rain as commercial building and some vehicles destroyedA fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey's Pine Barrens has not resulted in any injuries, officials said on Wednesday, though it is expected to grow before forecast rain later this week.The fire in southern New Jersey's Lacey and Ocean townships has grown to more than 20 sq miles (52sq km) and could continue to burn for days, officials said. No one has been injured so far in the blaze, and 5,000 residents were evacuated but have been permitted to return home. A single commercial building and some vehicles were destroyed in the fire, while 12 structures remained threatened on Wednesday evening. Continue reading...