US news | The Guardian

Berkshire Hathaway's billionaire CEO, 93, steels shareholders for new era at the annual meeting known as Woodstock for Capitalists'As dawn broke on Saturday, thousands had gathered outside Omaha's CHI Health Center Arena. Some arrived before 3.30am, standing for hours in the drizzle.This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity", said Larry Blivas, 70, near the front of the line. The realtor traveled from Los Angeles to see an icon", he explained. Continue reading...

The IPP scandal should not be seen in isolation. It is all part of today's politics by vilificationDavid Blunkett acknowledged last week that it was the biggest regret" of his political life. As home secretary under Tony Blair in 2001, Blunkett was the architect of the imprisonment for public protection" scheme, or IPP.Under the IPP system, offenders were given a sentence (or tariff") proportionate to the offence committed. Once that sentence was completed, the offender was not released but remained imprisoned for as long as the Parole Board deemed them a risk to society". And when finally released, they remained on licence, meaning they could be recalled to prison at any time for minor breaches of regulation, or even because, as MPs discovered, of a lack of... suitable accommodation". Continue reading...

His constantly evolving works have been hailed as landmarks of the minimalist and post-painterly abstraction art movementsFrank Stella, a painter, sculptor and printmaker whose constantly evolving works are hailed as landmarks of the minimalist and post-painterly abstraction art movements, died on Saturday at his home in Manhattan. He was 87.Gallery owner Jeffrey Deitch, who spoke with Stella's family, confirmed his death to the Associated Press. Stella's wife, Harriet McGurk, told the New York Times that he died of lymphoma. Continue reading...

Berkshire Hathaway CEO stressed relationship at annual meeting attracting Apple CEO Tim Cook, Bill Gates and Bill MurrayThe billionaire investment tycoon Warren Buffett has stressed his empire will remain a key investor in Apple after it sold billions of dollars' worth of shares in the iPhone maker.Thousands of shareholders in Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett's sprawling conglomerate, have flocked to Omaha, Nebraska, for the firm's annual meeting - dubbed Woodstock for Capitalists - this weekend. Continue reading...

Rightwing media have seized on campus protests to portray the president as weak. Will it have an impact in November?At the height of the tensions on US campuses this week, with Republicans gleefully seizing on student unrest as an election issue that could propel Donald Trump back into the White House, Joe Biden tried to steer a middle path.Weighing the democratic right to peaceful protest and the political necessity to stem disruption, Biden declared that order must prevail". Continue reading...

Shug the pinstriped pony, who hoofed it as her trailer stopped on a highway, was eventually found horsing aroundA zebra that escaped from her owner in Washington state and went on the run for nearly six days has finally been rescued.In a statement released on Friday, the regional animal services of King county (Raskc) announced that the zebra - whose name is Shug - was captured near North Bend after roaming in the foothills of the Cascades for the better part of a week. Continue reading...

All praise to a classical singer for last week's rebellion against a sea ofilluminated screensIt was after the third song in Britten's Les Illuminations that Ian Bostridge decided he'd had enough. Wheeling round to face the constellation of screen lights that dotted Birmingham's vast Symphony Hall, the tenor called the show to a halt. Could everyone please turn off their phones? It was extremely distracting.After the performance, which was two weeks ago, Bostridge was surprised to find his phone-happy audience had been perfectly within their rights. More than that: they'd actually been encouraged to video him. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) had last year decided to drop any perceived rules' of a traditional concert" in a bid to challenge conventions" and get young people" interested. Signs in its venues now ask ticketholders to bring drinks into the auditorium. Clap whenever they like. Wear whatever makes them feel comfortable. Take photos or short snippets of film (and share them with us)." Continue reading...

Jerry and Rita Alter, now deceased, are suspected of having stolen artworks in the 80s, including Willem de Kooning's Woman-OchreThe mystery of a nondescript, middle-aged couple who hung a stolen $150m Willem de Kooning painting behind a bedroom door in their Cliff, New Mexico, home may be closer to being resolved after the FBI agreed to assist in tracking down two other paintings that had been in the couple's possession.A new twist to the story of Jerry and Rita Alter, a pair of New Mexico teachers who somehow funded a life of travel and adventure to the point that they are suspected international art thieves, emerged recently when the US's top federal law enforcement agency confirmed it was getting involved in the case. Continue reading...

As she tries to limit the fallout from her dog- and goat-killing anecdotes, factual inaccuracies in her book are coming to lightAs she entered a second consecutive weekend trying to manage fallout from revelations in her upcoming memoir that she shot her dog to death, South Dakota's governor, Kristi Noem, had conceded that she would need to correct multiple factual inaccuracies in other parts of the book.Meanwhile, a Republican fundraiser which Noem was supposed to headline had to be canceled after threats against the event staff, hotel venue and governor, according to organizers. Continue reading...

More than 1,400 people have been arrested as police dismantle campus encampments - but are the tactics used too brutal?More than 1,400 people have been arrested across the US during a week of intense police crackdowns on a sprawling campus movement of pro-Palestine student demonstrations.As Joe Biden defended students' free speech rights but warned them that dissent must never lead to disorder", colleges across the country brought law enforcement to campus to arrest dozens or even hundreds of protesters and clear away their encampments. Continue reading...

Dozens of students at the University of Mississippi gathered this week to protest against Israel's war in Gaza and call for the state's flagship university to be transparent in its potential dealings with Israel.There were hundreds of counter-protesters, in contrast to the few dozen pro-Palestine protesters.The counter-protesters included individuals waving US and Donald Trump flags. There were no arrests, but the actions of the counter-protesters - who shouted 'Fuck Joe Biden' and 'USA', and included a white man apparently making monkey noisesat a Black woman - have been widely condemned on social media. Police safely evacuated the pro-Palestine students.

The online world was meant to be an open system but has become dominated by huge corporations. If we are to revive it, that must endBrowsing through a history of online public messaging last week, I came across a magical photograph from 1989 or 1990. It shows the world's first web server. It was Tim Berners-Lee's NeXT workstation in Cern, the international physics research lab, where he worked at the time. On the case is a tattered sticky label, on which is scribbled, in red ink, This machine is a server DO NOT POWER IT DOWN!!"Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, had come up with the idea for a world wide web" as a way of locating and accessing documents that were scattered all over the internet. With a small group of colleagues he envisaged, designed and implemented it in the late 1980s and eventually put the whole thing - protocols, server and browser software, HTML specification, etc. - on one of Cern's internet servers, and in doing so changed the world. Continue reading...

There are two main stumbling blocks to ridding boxing of PEDs: motivation and cost. Saudi Arabian power broker Turki Alalshikh is uniquely situated to surmount these obstaclesIt's a matter of record that I've expressed misgivings about the migration of major boxing matches to Saudi Arabia. But I recognize that the Kingdom will be a dominant force in boxing for the foreseeable future.In recent years, Saudi Arabia, through its General Entertainment Authority (GEA), has hosted an increasing number of high-profile fights. On 18 May, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will battle at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. This summer, the GEA will extend its reach to fight cards in Los Angeles and London.Thomas Hauser's email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book - a memoir titled My Mother and Me - is now available in stores. In 2019, he was selected for boxing's highest honor - induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Continue reading...

Justices say they will not reconsider contentious February ruling that said frozen embryos are considered children under state lawThe Alabama supreme court on Friday declined to reconsider a controversial ruling that said frozen embryos are considered children under a state law.Justices in a 7-2 decision without comment rejected a request to revisit the ruling that drew international attention and prompted fertility clinics to cease services earlier this year. Continue reading...

On Friday, Hicks took the witness stand to testify against her former boss

Actor brings force of Hollywood to trumpet Biden's legislative record in briefing that both delighted and bemused journalistsYou will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." But enough about Washington. The Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, who once saw off gangsters at a fictional spaceport, came to the US capital on Friday for a meeting with Joe Biden.Quite why he was in the Oval Office, and what was talked about, remained something of a mystery. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Biden was riding high in the opinion polls but now, perhaps, he is in need of added star power. Continue reading...

Trump's ex-communications chief denies that Michael Cohen acted alone in hush-money scheme but also helps ex-presidentDonald Trump's former communications director Hope Hicks provided testimony on Friday that could be helpful both to prosecutors and the former president's defense, revealing the fallout inside the Trump campaign in the wake of the damaging Access Hollywood tape on which Trump bragged about sexual assault.Here are the key takeaways from day 11 of People of New York v Donald J Trump: Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on Donald Trump's hush-money trial, read our coverage here.Judge Juan Merchan was referring to a claim Donald Trump made while addressing the media yesterday outside of court.Speaking to reporters after court adjourned for the day on Thursday, the former president said:I'm not allowed to testify. I'm under a gag order. I guess, right?I'm not allowed to testify, because this judge, who's totally conflicted, has me under an unconstitutional gag order.I want to stress Mr Trump that you have an absolute right to testify at trial.That is a constitutional right that will not be denied or abnegated in any way ... It is a fundamental right that cannot be infringed upon ... the order prohibiting extra-judicial statements does not prevent you from testifying in any way. Continue reading...

Ex-president's former communications director says Access Hollywood tape was a crisis' for his campaignHope Hicks, Donald Trump's 2016 campaign press secretary, broke into tears on Friday while testifying in the ex-president's New York criminal hush-money trial, hours after she described his complete control over the campaign.Hicks, who cut a skittish figure in Judge Juan Merchan's courtroom, is a key prosecution witness. She described Trump campaign staffers' panic when a recording emerged in which Trump bragged about groping women. This was a crisis" for his presidential bid, she said, describing the sentiment among the campaign staff. Continue reading...

Texas Democrat says he and his also accused wife are innocent amid claims they took money from Azerbaijan and Mexican bankThe US justice department on Friday accused the Democratic congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, of accepting about $600,000 in bribes in exchange for influencing policy in favor of Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank.The Cuellars had made their first appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Houston by the afternoon, but it was not clear how they pleaded. Earlier, the congressman, who has represented a swath of Texas's border with Mexico in the US House since 2005, issued a statement denying unspecified allegations" against him. Continue reading...

The even-keeled Michigan native, who was sacked as the Lakers' head coach on Friday, was hired for his ability to manage personalities. Once he lost his players' trust, it was only a matter ofThe date is 31 January, less than two months removed from the Los Angeles Lakers' inaugural NBA Cup championship, and the Lakers are nosediving precipitously, racking up loss after loss in late December and into January. In a competitive Western Conference, being sub-.500, even by a game or two, simply will not get the job done for a championship hopeful. And the team does have a right to be among those hopefuls, buoyed by a shockingly healthy tandem of a freshly-39-year-old LeBron James and injury-prone big man Anthony Davis, who, to this point, have missed a combined eight games and are playing at an All-NBA level. But something clearly isn't working, and time is of the essence. No one knows this better than foe of father time himself, LeBron: that night, after yet another demoralizing loss, he tweets out, simply, an hourglass. A single emoji has never loomed larger.At the time, there is frantic speculation in regards to what, or to whom, the primitive timepiece is referring. Is it James' underperforming supporting cast, with the trade deadline hovering in the immediate future? Is it the Lakers' front office, who are no doubt aware of his player option looming in the coming offseason? Is it his own NBA mortality, to which he has admitted he will likely succumb sooner rather than later, despite no significant drop-off in production? Continue reading...

New York police say about 29% of those detained not affiliated' with university as more are arrested at NYU and New SchoolNew York's police department has declared that approximately 29% of the people it arrested at pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University were not affiliated" with the institution, as the city's mayor continues to face scrutiny over his claims that the hardline police response was due to the actions of outside agitators".The NYPD also said 60% of arrestees at City College of New York (CCNY) on Tuesday night were unaffiliated with the college, though a CCNY spokesperson confirmed to the Guardian that these arrest figures applied to protesters both on and off the college's grounds. Continue reading...

The movement to press for an end to Israel's war on Gaza has now found itself overshadowed by its loudest voicesThe protesters who seized Columbia University's Hamilton Hall on Tuesday swiftly unfurled a banner down the front of the storied building with just one word: intifada.Other students among the pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the heart of the New York campus were sceptical about invoking the Arabic call for an uprising because it has been so widely used by pro-Israeli groups to discredit their cause as support for terrorism and therefore antisemitic. Continue reading...

BF Borgers agrees to $12m civil penalty and owner Benjamin Borgers agrees to pay $2mThe auditor for former president Donald Trump's Trump Media was accused of running a massive fraud" and a sham audit mill" by the US's top financial regulator on Friday.BF Borgers and its owner Benjamin Borgers, whose clients include Trump Media, were charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with a fraud that affected more than 1,500 SEC filings. Borgers has also acted for financial tech and crypto companies, SEC filings show. Continue reading...

Heather Pressdee admitted to intentionally injecting excessive doses of insulin into 22 patients across the Pittsburgh areaA former Pennsylvania nurse has been sentenced to life imprisonment after admitting she intentionally injected nearly two dozen of her patients with excessive doses of insulin, killing three of them.Heather Pressdee was sentenced on Thursday in a Butler county state courthouse near Pittsburgh, where nearly 40 of her victims' family members spoke about how her crimes upended their lives, according to a news release that prosecutors issued at the conclusion of a case that highlights how frighteningly vulnerable patients can be in healthcare settings. Continue reading...

Nine-year-old Branson Baker ran more than a mile for help after parents wounded when twister flung family's vehicle into treesA nine-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero for saving his parents' lives when an Oklahoma tornado tossed the family's truck into surrounding trees, after reportedly telling them Mom, Dad, please don't die, I will be back" before sprinting for help.The latest incident comes as at least four people in Oklahoma, including an infant, were killed and dozens injured after multiple tornadoes hit the state. Continue reading...

You can't say anything these days

New rule allows Dreamers to access healthcare coverage through Affordable Care Act marketplaces for first timeThe Biden administration on Friday finalized a rule that would expand healthcare coverage for immigrants who came to the US as children and are shielded from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as Daca.Under the new rule, recipients of the Obama-era Daca program would be newly eligible to access health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces for the first time. Continue reading...

I want to stress that you have an absolute right to testify at trial,' the judge said, after Trump had falsely claimed otherwiseAs the third week of Donald Trump's Manhattan trial neared its conclusion Friday, the historic proceedings have not just weighed whether hush-money payments to alleged paramours involved illegality - they are also touching on the ex-president's already tenuous relationship with reality.Trump, whose most infamous lie remains his claim that the 2020 election was stolen, has peddled untruths outside of the courtroom; meanwhile, his defense has flirted with conspiratorial approaches to evidence in this case. Continue reading...

South Dakota governor says she met North Korean dictator in same book in which she describes killing her dogThe South Dakota governor, Republican vice-presidential hopeful and self-confessed dog-killer Kristi Noem's bizarre claim in a new book to have met the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has been dismissed by experts as dubious" and not conceivable".The South Dakota Scout first reported Noem's claim, which is in her forthcoming book, No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong With Politics and How We Move America Forward. Continue reading...

State's fall as the last bastion of access to the procedure in the deep south means women will have to travel farther for careRose hadn't even missed her period when the thought hit her: I need to take a test."The Florida resident, who has two kids, had given birth just three months ago. She thought that she and her husband were being careful. But the pregnancy test confirmed her suspicion: she was pregnant and, she realized, didn't want to be. Continue reading...

Town of Lewiston rallied behind bowling alley owners to reopen after gunman killed eight people there in state's deadliest shootingIt's a dilemma no business owner should have to face: whether to reopen after a mass shooting.The answer didn't come easily to Justin and Samantha Juray. But when they did decide to reopen their Maine bowling alley, they didn't hold back. Continue reading...

Trump White House 2.0 would mean a vast, legally dubious roundup of up to 11 million people and pit state against stateDonald Trump is planning to unleash the biggest mass deportation of undocumented migrants in US history should he win re-election in November, involving legally questionable deployments of military and police units and the creation of vast detention camps along the southern border.Trump has laid out his vision for a record-setting deportation operation" in a series of rally speeches, newspaper articles and social media posts. He intends to move swiftly after inauguration day next January to stage mass roundups of immigrants across the country, conducting raids inside big cities where he would face certain Democratic opposition. Continue reading...

Ruben Gallego, taking on Kari Lake in key Arizona race, focuses on community events' to reach those who have slipped awayWhen one of the most celebrated Mexican boxers in history, Canelo Alvarez, steps into the ring against undefeated Mexican fighter Jaime Munguia on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, excitement will be through the roof at a campaign event just 280 miles away.That's because Democratic congressman Ruben Gallego, caught in one of the most critical US Senate races in the country against former TV anchor Kari Lake, will be holding a watch-party for the fight at JL Boxing Academy in Glendale, Arizona, complete with big screens inside, and a truck serving birria tacos and Mexican Cokes outside. Continue reading...

Bernie Sanders said this could be Biden's Vietnam'. Plus, trial over US torture in Iraq collapses after jurors fail to return verdict

In new book, retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary emphasises extreme stance at odds even with Trump himselfIn a new book, the retired neurosurgeon, former US housing secretary and potential Trump vice-presidential pick Ben Carson calls for a national abortion ban - a posture at odds with most Americans and even Donald Trump himself.Hailing the 2022 Dobbs v Jackson US supreme court ruling that removed the federal right to abortion, Carson writes: We must not stop there ... the battle over the lives of unborn children is not yet finished. Many states have made abortion illegal because of the Dobbs decision, yet the practice continues in many more states. Continue reading...

In 1985, Columbia students occupied campus to push for divestment from South Africa. Five months later, the university cut ties to the apartheid regime after years of dragging its feetAs three former 1980s student leaders at Columbia University, we applaud the courage and conviction of Palestine solidarity student activists in the eye of the storm. Despite the recent arrest of more than 100 protesters, they insist: Disclose! Divest! We will not stop, we will not rest!"We defend their right to protest and affirm the righteousness of their demands: an end to Israel's genocidal war against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza and to the complicity of the US government and institutions in its apartheid and ethnic cleansing. The International Court of Justice's recent ruling that Israel is plausibly committing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians makes divestment a legal, not just ethical, obligation. Continue reading...

The scenes in Florida of frantic and overcrowded clinics are a grim preview of the future that pro-lifers' want for womenA Woman's Choice, an abortion clinic in Jacksonville, usually sees somewhere between 10 and 15 patients a day. But last week, they extended their hours. On Monday, they scheduled somewhere between 70 and 80 patients, according to the Washington Post. The president of one reproductive health center spoke of warning her incoming patients about the scenes they would encounter at Florida's abortion clinics. We're telling them, Hey, it's going to be busy,'" said Kelly Flynn.For some, a deadline loomed after an anxious period of trying to scrape together the funding for the care they need: one doctor recalled calling patients who had delayed their appointments - in most cases because they hadn't been able to secure enough money for the procedure yet - and reminding them that they don't have much more time. For other women, a sudden realization led to a last-minute scramble. One patient this morning told me that she had just gone for a regular doctor's appointment last week and found out she was pregnant," a clinician told the Florida news radio station WOKV.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

I have spent long stretches of my life around the racetrack. The methods for training young horses in the US means fatalities are inevitableAs Churchill Downs prepares to host the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday a darker anniversary looms. One year ago, 12 horses died at Churchill Downs in the days and weeks surrounding America's biggest race.As hype builds around this year's runners, those who died fall deeper into the well of memory, if they're thought of at all. Wild on Ice, a gelding born in 2020 and a Derby qualifier, was euthanized after sustaining a hind leg fracture during training leading up to last year's race. His connections expressed regret over their missed opportunity to watch him reach his full potential. A month later, Kimberley Dream, a seven-year-old war horse" was making her 61st start when she broke down in a claiming race. In the chart the final note on her short life read went wrong in upper stretch". Continue reading...

Implications of the lawsuit could extend beyond Cochise county, if local officials tried similar tactics in NovemberIn a courtroom in Phoenix, Arizona, two elected officials who allegedly tried to subvert the county's 2022 election tried to get a lawsuit against them thrown out in a case one of their defense attorneys called both silly" and scary".The Cochise county supervisors, Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd, appeared in court virtually, to defend themselves against charges of attempted election interference for their initial failure to certify the county's election results. Continue reading...

Ex-White House press secretary Jen Psaki describes telling president of anger that he spoke so much of his own dead son, BeauJoe Biden was stunned into silence when he was told families of US service members killed in Kabul in August 2021 said that when the bodies were returned and the president met grieving relatives, he spent too much time talking about the death of his own son, Beau.I paused for the president to respond," Jen Psaki, then White House press secretary, writes in a new book. Continue reading...

City Football Group's New York branch is up and running, Orlando City are floundering and Wilfried Nancy has built a continental juggernautWelcome back to the Guardian's MLS Power Rankings, where I have a beef with your specific team and your specific team alone. If you have complaints, toss em in the comments down below, but be warned: I'm better at blocking out negativity than Pedro Gallese has been at stopping shots this season.Now, as a reminder, these aren't your standard, run-of-the-mill power rankings. We're still ranking teams from worst to first. But along with the rankings, we're diving deep into a handful of teams from around the league who are doing particularly interesting things. Continue reading...

The point guard, the son of a former Knick, grew up around the team. Now he is leading their revival as they aim for a run to the NBA finalsTo fully appreciate how Jalen Brunson has redeemed the New York Knicks, who on Thursday night saw off the Philadelphia 76ers to reach the last eight of the NBA playoffs, you must understand the context and history of point guard for the team. After team owner James Dolan was handed the Knicks on a silver platter by his Cablevision-founding father in the late 1990s, the Knicks slipped into chaos and degradation. The conspicuous void at the point guard position reflected the lack of leadership on and off the court. This exacerbated the team's dysfunction, as they lacked a true floor leader to galvanize the mismatched pieces.Until Brunson's arrival, that is. The 27-year-old isn't merely turning the Knicks into a contender. He is fulfilling the dreams of generations of Knicks fans who have only known losing or forgotten what winning feels like. The son of Rick Brunson, the former Knicks third-string point guard and John Chaney protege known for a journeyman career full of hustle, defense and energy, Jalen shares his father's role-playing heart while imbued with the championship desire and failure of Rick's doomed 1999 finals squad. Little Jalen was bouncing around that last great Knicks team, attached to his father's hip at team practices, where Tom Thibodeau was an assistant coach to Jeff Van Gundy, and Leon Rose, Rick's agent, were mainstays. Continue reading...

In history, as in romance, beginnings matter - so what we do now will be crucial in shaping the futureIn these times of planetary polycrisis, we try to get our bearings by looking to the past. Are we perhaps in The New Cold War, as Robin Niblett, the former director of the foreign affairs thinktank Chatham House, proposes in a new book? Is this bringing us towards the brink of a third world war, as the historian Niall Ferguson has argued? Or, as I have found myself suggesting on occasion, is the world beginning to resemble the late 19th-century Europe of competing empires and great powers writ large?Another way of trying to put our travails into historically comprehensible shape is to label them as an age of ...", with the words that follow suggesting either a parallel with or a sharp contrast to an earlier age. So the CNN foreign affairs guru Fareed Zakaria suggests in his latest book that we are in a new Age of Revolutions, meaning that we can learn something from the French, Industrial and American revolutions. Or is it rather The Age of the Strongman, as proposed by the Financial Times foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman? No, it's The Age of Unpeace, says Mark Leonard, the director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, since connectivity causes conflict". Continue reading...