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Strange things are afoot at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, giving rise to an obvious question: how did we get here?Rising from the South Lawn of the White House is a 92ft-tall skeletal structure known as the Claw". Beneath it sits an octagonal cage surrounded by sponsor logos, temporary grandstands and thousands of seats for a mixed martial arts card on Sunday night to celebrate Donald Trump's 80th birthday and the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand.The event has prompted comparisons to Idiocracy, Mike Judge's satire of a future US where politics, entertainment and corporate branding become indistinguishable. Others have gone further, dismissing it as a kleptocratic spectacle". Continue reading...

It could top 90F in several cities hosting World Cup games - and workers could pay the price with their healthAs the World Cup kicks off, labor advocates and scholars warn that the workers making the tournament possible could face serious heat-related risks.It's going to be extremely hot, and you just cannot leave people unprotected or you're going to deal with a lot of injuries," said Jonathan Alingu, co-executive director of Central Florida Jobs With Justice, which has been calling for worker protections at the Miami games. Or, God forbid, something even worse." Continue reading...

Against Paraguay, the Monaco striker provided the ruthless finishing the USMNT have often missed in recent years

The system of ocean current that moves heat in the Atlantic Ocean plays a key role in regulating climate. Today's monitoring of it may be discontinuedImagine we detect a large asteroid heading straight for Earth. We are able to intervene and prevent disaster, but instead we cut the funding needed to track it. A few million dollars, it was argued, was too expensive to have a chance to save society.While this scenario isn't real, the metaphor is alarmingly accurate. In Europe, we spend 1bn to monitor space for asteroids, even if the actual risk of a civilisation-ending asteroid strike is close to zero. Continue reading...

Euphoric fans flooded midtown Manhattan on Saturday night to celebrate the New York Knicks' first championship in 53 years Continue reading...

The Knicks ended a decades-long title drought behind a 45-point explosion from Brunson, whose teammates say his influence extends far beyond the box scoreThe New York Knicks spent decades searching for the player who could carry them back to the top of the NBA. On Saturday night, Jalen Brunson removed any remaining doubt that they had found him.With Karl-Anthony Towns limited to two points and New York struggling offensively for much of the evening, the Knicks' 6ft 2in floor general erupted for 45 points in a 94-90 victory over the Spurs that delivered the team's first championship in 53 years and earned him Most Valuable Player honors. Continue reading...

The Socceroos kicked off their campaign with a win after Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe strikes sunk Turkey in VancouverKenan Yildiz starts on the bench as he recovers from a slight knock. Kerem Akturkolu starts up front in the only deviation from what you might consider Turkey's best XI.23 Cakir (gk), 20 Kadioglu, 14 Bardakci, 3 Demiral, 2 Celik; 16 Yuksek, 10 Calhanoglu (c); 21 Yilmaz, 6 Kokcu, 8 Guler; 7 Akturkoglu. Continue reading...

The 47th has his 80th this weekend - a milestone that surely shouldn't go unmarked. Artists, activists, writers and thinkers send their messages to the man of the hour (even if they're unlikely to get a party invite)Cory DoctorowDear Comrade Trump: On this, the occasion of your 80th birthday, I write to extend my sincere thanks for all the work you have done. After decades of deadlock, you have inspired the world to action! You have done more to de-dollarise the world than any American leader in history. Without you, there would be no way that Ethiopia would be revaluing its national debt in yuan. You have done more to end the global dependence on oil than any leader (except, perhaps, for Comrade Putin). Without you, there would be no way that India would be chucking out its gas hobs and replacing them with induction tops. And, of course, you have done more than any president in history to end American dominance over the internet. Without you, there would be no way the EU would be racing forward with projects such as Eurostack and European Digital Infrastructure Consortium, with whole nations ditching American tech exports like Microsoft Office 365 in favour of free, open, auditable, transparent alternatives running on servers within the EU's borders. Comrade Trump, you are, at long last, ushering in the post-American world, and a grateful planet salutes you! Continue reading...

Vinicius Junior's goal gave Brazil a jolt of energy against a Morocco team who earned a deserved drawWe also have Leander Schaerlaeckens in the box at New York/New Jersey Stadium" today!For three hours now, the masses in yellow have been streaming into the MetLife - sorry, that's what it's called - outnumbering the red of Morocco by 10-to-1 or so. A huge Brazilian diaspora lives in the tri-state area. Moroccans I've spoken to have come from Marrakech, of course, but as far afield as Dubai, the UK and (in surprising numbers) Montreal. Continue reading...

Washington and Tehran express increasing optimism that weeks of halting negotiations may be drawing to a close - key US politics stories from Saturday 13 June at a glanceDonald Trump says a deal with Iran to end the war would be signed on Sunday, and that the strait of Hormuz would be open to all" immediately after.Iran had offered a different timeline earlier in the day, but nonetheless signalled an agreement was in the offing, as both the warring parties and their mediators expressed increasing optimism that weeks of halting negotiations were drawing to a close. Continue reading...

Fire at medical supplier Medline in Tracy, city of more than 100,000 residents, is affecting the air qualityCalifornia firefighters continued to battle a blaze on Saturday that had engulfed a roughly 1m sq ft warehouse, causing officials to warn residents over unhealthy air quality.The fire has been raging at the medical supplier Medline Industries' warehouse in Tracy, a city of more than 100,000 residents located about 55 miles (90km) east of San Francisco. Officials expect to be battling the fire for a few more days. Continue reading...

Heavy rain, lightning and strong winds tore through Moneta, about 124 miles south-west of RichmondA large tent collapsed during a Virginia church's 20th anniversary celebration on Friday evening, killing one person and injuring nearly two dozen others, officials said.Heavy rain, lightning and strong winds tore through Moneta, a small community about 124 miles (200km) south-west of Richmond, as the EastLake community church was holding an outdoor service, Shelley Basinger, a spokesperson for Bedford county, said in a statement. The group was in the process of leaving the event tent when it collapsed, according to Abbey Johnston, acting chief of Bedford county fire and rescue. Continue reading...

Boualem Khoukhi scored a late goal to snatch his nation's first ever World Cup pointOne of those Swiss veterans, Ricardo Rodriguez, has quite a back story. From 2018. He has 138 caps for his country and now plays for Betis.The expected formations, are Qatar 4-3-3 and Switzerland 4-2-3-1. Continue reading...

US president says in online post he reserves ultimate alternative' if Tehran refuses to sign agreementDonald Trump said on Saturday that the US is set to sign a new agreement with Iran the following day, claiming that the deal would prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, as well as reopen the strait of Hormuz to international shipping.In a Truth Social post, Trump said that Iran no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement". Continue reading...

Four-ton Paige, brought in as surprise for attenders, made gushing debut after governor finished keynote speechAn African elephant weighing roughly 4 tons that was brought to the Texas Republican party's annual convention to excite attenders ended up drawing widespread attention for the wrong reasons after she urinated on the convention floor and became the focus of animal welfare concerns.Inside the George R Brown convention center in Houston on Friday, attenders had been told to prepare for a larger-than-life surprise" after governor Greg Abbott finished his keynote speech. Organizers also displayed a message asking people to keep the aisles clear. Continue reading...

Former congresswoman nevertheless said she hoped the fighting event would be great' and wished president wellMarjorie Taylor Greene has criticized Donald Trump's plan to hold a UFC fight on the White House lawn, as the president prepares to host seven fights on Sunday.The former rightwing Republican congresswoman, a once fierce defender of Trump who turned on him towards the end of her time in office, told NewsNation the location is inappropriate for the mixed martial arts event. Continue reading...

Haji Najibullah imprisoned for role in capture of David Rohde, New York Times journalist held for months in 2008Haji Najibullah appeared unbothered as he walked into Manhattan federal court earlier this week to learn whether he would face life behind bars for his role in brutal violence during his time as a Taliban commander - including the 2008 kidnapping of US journalist David Rohde.Najibullah, who walked into the courtroom in shackles at about 9.50am Monday, sporting khaki jail garb and a black skullcap, could even be seen grinning at various points before proceedings started. Continue reading...

New York City mayor's stumping is irking some Democrats, but others see a cautious strategy from a rising political starThe New York Knicks are on an epic playoff run. The World Cup is here. And amid sizzling summer weather and a sports-induced, joyful buzz that has seized New York City in recent days, mayor Zohran Mamdani has been more ubiquitous than ever - donning an Arsenal kurta, Knicks gear and an affordable, NYC-inspired World Cup soccer jersey he himself launched as he zipped across the five boroughs from one event to the next.Early voting in New York also kicks off this weekend, in the first primary election since the November victory that cemented Mamdani as a political prodigy and hope of the left. Six months into his first term as New York City mayor and after early wins on issues like childcare and taxing the rich, he has been boosting fellow leftists in an effort to capitalize on his popularity to promote politicians - from Washington to Albany - aligned with the socialist, pro-Palestinian values that got him elected. Continue reading...

Bill Ritter, anchor on WABC since 2001, said he's stepping down but will continue to report on the diseaseA longtime New York City television news anchor has announced his sudden retirement from the airwaves after revealing that he has the early signs of Alzheimer's disease.Bill Ritter, a veteran of ABC New York station WABC, has presented the main evening news in New York since 2001 and become a familiar face to millions of its residents. Continue reading...

Grassroots outlet reports from New Jersey's Delaney Hall - and helps family members connect with loved ones inside

In the dead of night, behind a screen, the president's name was purged from the facade of the Washington buildingA crew of workers spent the night removing Donald Trump's name from the facade of the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, hours after a judge rejected an emergency appeal to block the removal of the president's name.Work began in the early hours of Saturday, shortly after the performing arts venue missed a federal judge's two-week deadline to excise the words The Donald J Trump and" from its exterior by Friday at 11.59pm local time. Continue reading...

Bill signed into law by the president bankrolls his mass deportation campaign through the end of his second termDonald Trump signed a new law this week that gives the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) roughly $70bn in additional funding, bankrolling his mass deportation campaign through the end of his second term in what critics say amounts to a huge blow for accountability.What will this increase in the power of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) mean for the US president's sweeping anti-immigration agenda? Continue reading...

Following a failed relationship in my 40s, solitude is tempting. But I'm not giving up on finding love, warts and allMy birthday is coming up next month. I will be, by my count, even more ancient than I was last year. I'll be far enough from 40 to make it irrational to lie and say I'm actually in my late 30s. I'm solidly, unequivocally in middle age.And when you're in middle age, you do a lot of looking back, soul-searching and other highly unproductive activities. I've been doing that even more thanks to being dumped by my girlfriend a month before my birthday. Yes, I am a 41-year-old man who uses the term girlfriend", a word that infantilizes me just typing it. What am I, a teenager sobbing to a Smiths song? In spirit, yes. I am. Continue reading...

Barbara McQuade's book is a piercing expose of how Trump is eroding democracy by turning the US into a mafia stateI believe in America."So says Amerigo Bonasera, a humble funeral director, in the opening scene of the 1972 film The Godfather. As Barbara McQuade recounts at the start of her new book, Bonasera has come to the shadowy office of Vito Corleone to ask him to avenge a brutal attack on his daughter. Ultimately, Corleone agrees, whispering: Someday, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me." Continue reading...

Immersed in the daily churn of Washington DC, I found an unexpected source of hope in the Knicks' improbable seasonWhen it comes to the length of my relationship with the New York Knicks, I'm more Taylor Swift than Timothee Chalamet.But it was inevitable. For months, Knicks fever was slowly drawing me in. A close friend said the team was singularly healing her from a breakup. Another from depression. I had inadvertently been subjected to playoff games through friends, or the daily turmoil of them, through colleagues. Continue reading...

Graham Platner's primary victory in Maine says more about the unpopularity of the Democratic party elite than any race to dateNot long after governor Janet Mills had effectively dropped out of the primary race, a storm grew around Platner's campaign. Rightwing operatives and liberal media mouthpieces started singing in unison that Platner was unfit for office, flimsy allegations poured in accusing the candidate of all sorts of alleged misconduct with former girlfriends.Chris Hayes, of the uber-liberal MS NOW network, questioned whether Platner was going after underage girls. Not to be outdone, Mika Brzezinski of the same network compared his behavior with that of Jeffery Epstein. All of this after an earlier campaign that claimed the former Marine's tattoo was indicative of his secret affection for Nazis. Continue reading...

Soldiers arrested university student Sama Safi, 20, along with members of Palestinian women's national soccer teamA 20-year-old Palestinian American woman has been held in Israeli military detention for nearly two weeks after Israeli soldiers stormed her family home in a pre-dawn raid on 2 June.Sama Safi, a psychology student at Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank, has not been charged with any crimes. A spokesperson for the Israeli military said she and three other women detained around the same time were arrested after promoting hostile terrorist activity and additional terrorist-related activities". Continue reading...

Show goes on for Trump's 80th birthday event - featuring a 92ft Claw', thousands of seats and a fighting cage - despite ominous weather forecastsThere may be swarms of bugs, rain showers and thunderstorms, but this isn't Exodus, or the apocalypse: the president of the United States will host the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) at the White House on Sunday, his 80th birthday.The iconic South Lawn - typically used by presidents to board Marine One on their way to summits, funerals and wars - has been blanketed by an octagon, ringed by thousands of seats in a mini coliseum, and dominated by a 92ft, 600-ton steel structure organizers have nicknamed the Claw", not unlike the alien tripods from the 2005 film War of the Worlds. Continue reading...

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Seb Hutchinson and Pablo Maurer as the USA begin their World Cup campaignRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts and join the conversation on email.On the podcast today: the USA ... might actually be very good? They blew Paraguay away in their opening game in LA. Christian Pulisic, we owe you a huge apology. Continue reading...

Every World Cup needs its hosts to start well, more so this one, and Mauricio Pochettino's team delivered on a fun day on the Pacific coastThe ball is magic, remember. Just keep watching the ball. On a lovely soft powder blue night in Los Angeles the World Cup produced an opening act on its US front that might have been conjured by the whirling hands of Gianni Infantino himself, a Fifa president who increasingly has the air and the mannerisms of an elite celebrity stage magician. Or at the very least, of a man who appreciates the power of the show.It turns out California really does know how to put on one of those. There was even a moment before kick-off that seemed to capture the cosmically strange nature of the entire Fifa multiverse. A little later the headline act Katy Perry would appear in a silver bustle and perform on a podium alongside a 10-year-old TikToker. Continue reading...

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...

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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...

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...

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