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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...

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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...

Strikes on Bemani damaged key water reservoir for 20,000 people living in area amid a historic drought in the country

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...

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...

New York's 29-point comeback in Game 4 was the largest in NBA finals history. For a team forged by disappointment, it felt strangely inevitableWhat does a team of destiny look like? You know it when you see it. The evidence has been mounting for weeks - months, even - that this year, despite decades of precedent to the contrary, that team is the New York Knicks.On Wednesday night, the proof overflowed in the hallowed halls of the Mecca. One of the most improbable comebacks in NBA history - and the largest ever in an NBA finals game - saw New York erase a 29-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4, leaving Taylor Swift and members of Haim leaping for joy courtside and the 58-year-old building shaking like a bounce house. Continue reading...

To put it plainly, nitrogen hypoxia kills by starving someone of the oxygen needed to sustain lifeThe eighth amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment is among the most noble and valuable constitutional protections. It is the only provision of the constitution that recognizes the dignity and humanity of everyone, even those who commit the vilest crimes.But in the last several years, this great legal and moral achievement has taken a beating at the hands of conservative judges and justices. They have done much to empty it of its meaning by tethering it to the views of the people who wrote it more than two centuries ago. Continue reading...

Most fathers would shield their children from death. Mine, a psychologist, did the oppositeMy dad and I kept a running list of ways we didn't want to die. Being buried alive was always No 1. Whenever we learned about unusual deaths - accidents involving farm machinery, medieval torture, mobsters encasing victims' feet in cement before throwing them in the ocean - we added them to our shared catalogue.Most fathers would shield their children from such morbid fascinations. Mine, a psychologist, did the opposite. He saw death as life's most honest teacher and ensured I wouldn't meet it as a stranger.Amanda Sloat is professor of practice in international relations at IE University in Madrid, Spain Continue reading...

Former intelligence officers sound alarm over devastating' impact of president's bid to overhaul US security agencyFor generations they have borne the mantle of strength and authority inherited from J Edgar Hoover's Depression-era G-men, a label supposedly affixed after the arrest of Machine Gun Kelly in 1933.Now hardened veterans of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are projecting a different face as they seek to fight back against what many say is the systematic undermining of the bureau's values under a drive by Donald Trump to turn it into an instrument of retribution. Continue reading...

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Two days of strikes followed downing of US Apache helicopter over the strait of Hormuz, which Trump has blamed on Iran - key US politics stories from Wednesday 10 June at a glanceThe US has launched new strikes against targets in Iran for the second consecutive day, following through on Donald Trump's promise to hit them hard again" as a two-month-old ceasefire appears close to collapse.US Central Command announced in a statement that forces began launching additional self-defence strikes today at 5:15 p.m. ET [10.15pm UK time on Wednesday] against multiple targets in Iran at the Commander in Chief's direction". Continue reading...

Defense says no evidence occasional Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht ignited deadly blaze on New Year's Day 2025The trial of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of starting last year's deadly Palisades fire, kicked off on Wednesday with opening arguments. Prosecutors cast him as a vengeful arsonist who sought to hide his role from authorities, while his defense attorneys argued that the fire was caused by fireworks.On New Year's Day in 2025, firefighters extinguished a small blaze in the Pacific Palisades, a coastal Los Angeles enclave. But the flames continued to smolder underground, before reigniting as they were picked up by strong winds. The Palisades fire, the most destructive wildfires in city history, tore through roughly 23,000 acres, incinerating thousands of buildings and killing 12 people. Continue reading...

State supreme court ruling aids nationwide redistricting effort aimed at helping party retain slim House majorityThe Florida supreme court on Wednesday allowed new US House districts drawn by Republicans to be used in the midterm elections, marking another victory for the GOP in a nationwide redistricting effort aimed at helping the party retain its slim House majority.Attorneys for voters who sued had argued that the new congressional districts violate a state constitutional prohibition on partisan gerrymandering, and that the court should order the state to continue using the same districts as in the previous election. The supreme court, in a 6-1 decision, denied their request for a temporary injunction without ruling on the merits of the case. The judges said they lacked jurisdiction to intervene while the lawsuit gradually plays out in the lower courts. Continue reading...

Environmental groups say exchange between US government and SpaceX would worsen ecological risks

Microsoft co-founder appears in closed-door session as part of lawmakers' investigation into convicted sex offenderBill Gates testified in front of the House committee on oversight and reform on Wednesday, and told lawmakers in his opening remarks that he never witnessed nor had any indication" that Jeffrey Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct".I am here to answer your questions about my interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and to help contribute to the committee's important work," Gates said in his opening statement, seen by the Guardian. I support the release of all the Epstein files and sincerely hope that, through your efforts and those of others advocating on their behalf, the survivors of Epstein's crimes can get the justice that they deserve." Continue reading...

The Fifa president's monologue before the 2022 World Cup attained legendary status for all the wrong reasons. He was in familiar form four years onGianni Infantino's speech on the eve of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is the stuff of legend. You know the one - the rambling, hour-long monologue where he told us all how he felt. He felt gay that day. He also felt disabled, Qatari, Arab, African and like a migrant worker. In doing so, the Fifa president engraved himself permanently into meme culture, and his remarks remain a popular source of online amusement to this day.On Wednesday, amid a gaggle of reporters and photographers, Infantino once again took to the stage. He sat in a tent in the shadow of the Estadio Azteca - it has been renamed Estadio Ciudad de Mexico for the World Cup - a place many see as the western hemisphere's cathedral of football. On Thursday, Mexico will host South Africa in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup. Continue reading...

Federal prosecutors unsealed indictment against activists trying to force the school to cut financial ties to Israel

Misty Roberts, 44, who faced up to 17 years in prison, convicted of two felonies including statutory rapeMisty Roberts, a former mayor in Louisiana, has been sentenced to 90 days for raping a 16-year-old boy.On Tuesday, 44-year-old Roberts was sentenced following her conviction earlier this year of two felonies including carnal knowledge of a juvenile - or statutory rape - and indecent behavior with a juvenile. Continue reading...

Chemical tank overheated in May and forced evacuation of 50,000 nearby residents due to danger of explosionThe FBI is searching a southern California aerospace facility where an overheated chemical tank forced 50,000 residents to evacuate last month, after federal authorities served a search warrant there on Wednesday.Signed by a federal judge last week, the warrant approved the seizure of records related to the storage, use or disposal" of methyl methacrylate, the chemical stored inside the tank that authorities feared could explode. Continue reading...

The men's head coach discusses his American dream' at the World Cup and tempering the host nation's arrogant' expectationsThis American dream begins in small-town Murphy, Santa Fe. That's Santa Fe, Argentina, at a little club where the old folk played bochas, a kind of boules, and they had one of the few colour television sets. It was 1978, Mauricio Pochettino was six years old and he can see it perfectly, still feel the meaning of it all.I lived in a prefab with my grandmother and my older brother because my parents were off working the land, then at the weekend we would go to the club," he says. There were three courts and I remember standing there, hanging on to my dad's pocket, watching the World Cup. The ticker-tape at River [Plate], that image engraved. Passarella, Ardiles, Luque, Bertoni, Kempes, Fillol, Tarantini ... my heroes." Continue reading...

Lawmakers warn appointment of presidential loyalist will scuttle bipartisan agreement to renew Fisa surveillance lawDonald Trump stood firm on his decision to install controversial loyalist Bill Pulte as the country's top intelligence official, demanding Congress pass a short-term extension of a surveillance law set to expire amid intense criticism of the appointment.Pulte will has been asked to execute the immediate and needed downsizing" of the office of the director of national intelligence, the US president declared on Wednesday, after lining him up to serve as acting director on a temporary basis. Continue reading...

Rows over US visas and excessive ticket prices have overshadowed flawed tournament preparations. But fans will still hope for a gripping spectacleOne hundred and four matches involving 48 competing nations, to be played in 16 venues across a continent and four time zones: the sheer scale of the men's World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico, which begins on Thursday and ends on 19 July, makes it easily the biggest and longest football tournament ever staged.Whether it will ultimately be judged the greatest in sporting terms will depend on the 1,248 players competing in gruelling conditions, ranging from the heat of Houston to the high altitude of Guadalajara. Butafter a lead-up marred by hubristic hype, visa rows and the eye-watering cost of buying tickets for games, for many people it will be a relief when Mexicofinallykick off against South Africa in the Estadio Azteca on Thursday evening.Do 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...

Outcome of polls in four states offers mixed signals about direction of two major parties before November's midterms