It’s possible – likely, even – that Licht would have survived all of this if it weren’t for the one thing that really mattered: the numbersIt was one of those pieces of news that was simultaneously stunning and utterly expected: Chris Licht was out of CNN.No doubt, the chairman and CEO had been embattled, almost from the start of his tumultuous year-long reign. He took over from Jeff Zucker, who – whatever his faults – was popular with the staff because he understood what they did and supported it. Soon after arriving, Licht went on an ill-advised apology tour on Capitol Hill in which he sent the message that Republican lawmakers – even those who had supported overturning the 2020 election or downplayed the 6 January 2021 insurrection – would be welcome and treated well on the network.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

Eastern states including New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut issue alerts as hundreds of wildfires burn in Canada. Plus, will Trump’s once loyal deputy become his nemesis?

Moves by governors including Florida’s Ron DeSantis denounced as ‘political stunts’ that risk migrants’ livesRepublican governors from 14 states are sending national guard troops and other personnel to the Texas-Mexico border in a show of force that immigration advocates warn risks lives and critics denounce as “political stunts”.Florida’s Ron DeSantis has assigned the most – 1,100 people, including 500 national guard and others such as law enforcement officers, a group about 10 times larger than the anti-immigration governor sent in 2021. Continue reading...

From You Hurt My Feelings to Platonic, our screens are now full of middle-aged relationships built on little white liesThe premise of You Hurt My Feelings, a new movie by Nicole Holofcener starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, is deceptively simple: to what degree, when asked for your opinion by a spouse or equivalent, do you tell them the truth? Louis-Dreyfus plays Beth, a writer whose husband, Don (Tobias Menzies), is her primary cheerleader until she overhears him expressing negative opinions about her new book. Anyone who has ever produced anything at all will die at the accuracy of this scene and identify with Beth’s instinct to throw up in the nearest bin. The movie asks if the husband has been right to conceal his true feelings, and if she is right to react as she does.The cleverness of the set-up is in how endlessly applicable it is and how disproportionate the feelings are that these kinds of incidents trigger. Most of us have been on both sides of this equation, struggling to find the right answer when a partner asks: “How do I look in this?”, and also trying to temper our own neediness when asking (pleading) for similar reassurances. As Don discovers, there is often no winning: overpraise may be rejected as rote and therefore worthless, but anything that tips even close to frank criticism risks triggering a rage spiral. Meanwhile, as he points out in defensive frustration, the world is going to hell in a handcart and this is what she freaks out about?Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Never before has MLS given up so much to sign a player. But with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the move could end up being a wise oneLionel Messi is taking his talents to South Beach – or, more accurately, Fort Lauderdale. That’s where he will play this summer after it was confirmed Inter Miami have won the race to sign arguably the greatest player of all time. It is the biggest transfer in Major League Soccer history. Bigger even than David Beckham’s move to Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.Beckham changed the soccer landscape in the US. His move to the Galaxy didn’t just push MLS into the American mainstream, it made the league a viable destination for some of the sport’s most recognisable names, and they don’t come more recognisable than Messi. Beckham, an Inter Miami co-owner, has brought things full circle by getting the GOAT to MLS. Continue reading...

The royal is dogged, but what he’s fighting is tabloid culture. It will be difficult for him to ever establish the guilt of individualsNever mind waiting for Mr Justice Fancourt to produce his findings, the tabloid newspapers were declaring their collective triumph before Prince Harry had even been released from giving evidence against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).“He must have longed for the schmaltzy embrace of Oprah,” the Mail said; “Me, Hewitt … and that two-faced shit Burrell,” the Sun sort-of quotes the prince. The Mirror went with the more sober “Harry vs the Press”, with only a silent nod to the fact that it is their newspaper group, specifically, he’s been fighting in this week’s hearing.Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnistDo 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...

Ultra-conservatives from speaker’s own party are unhappy about debt ceiling deal and say he hasn’t delivered on promises made to secure the chairThe US House of Representatives has been forced to postpone all votes until next week – paralyzed by a revolt against its Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy, by ultra-conservative members of his own party.The standoff between McCarthy and a hardline faction of his own Republican majority has forced the chamber into a holding pattern that looks likely to persist until at least Monday. Continue reading...

Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, began erupting after a three-month pause, sending out spectacular fountains of mesmerising, glowing lava that's a safe distance from people and structures in a national park on Hawaii's Big Island. All activity was within a closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes national park. 'The lava this morning is all confined within ... the summit caldera. So plenty of room for it still to produce more without threatening any homes or infrastructure,' said park spokesperson Jessica Ferracane. 'So that’s the way we like our eruptions here.' Continue reading...

Jay Johnston accused of pushing against police and helping rioters who attacked officers at the CapitolAn actor known for his roles on the comedy television shows Bob’s Burgers and Mr Show with Bob and David was arrested on Wednesday on charges that he joined a mob of Donald Trump supporters in confronting police officers during the US Capitol riot, court records show.Jay Johnston, 54, of Los Angeles, faces charges including civil disorder, a felony. A federal magistrate judge agreed to free Johnston on $25,000 bond after his initial court appearance in California. A public defender who represented him at the hearing declined to comment. Continue reading...

Joseph Komrosky of the Temecula, California, board objected to Milk being including in school materials when making claimThe president of the Temecula school board in California is facing a backlash from educators, parents and state officials after calling gay rights activist Harvey Milk a “pedophile”.At the school board’s 16 May meeting, the board president, Joseph Komrosky, objected to an elementary social science curriculum that included Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, in its supplemental materials. “My question is, why even mention a pedophile?” Komrosky said, echoing a conspiracy theory that falsely accuses gay people of molesting children at higher rates than heterosexual people. When meeting attendees protested that Milk was not a pedophile, Komrosky said: “I beg to differ.” Continue reading...

The Guardian, the Associated Press and state prosecutors contend that there’s legitimate public interest in documents dealing with Lawrence HeckerTwo national US media organizations and Louisiana state prosecutors have joined efforts to secure the public release of sealed information that would provide a more complete account of a retired Roman Catholic priest in New Orleans who has been previously accused of molesting several children.In papers filed late Wednesday at New Orleans’s federal courthouse, the Guardian and the Associated Press contend that there is a legitimate public interest in the contents of the documents dealing with Lawrence Hecker despite archdiocesan claims that the information could be disparaging to the organization. Continue reading...

Move dramatically raises stakes for former president as investigation appears to near its conclusionFederal prosecutors formally informed Donald Trump’s lawyers last week that the former president is a target of the criminal investigation examining his retention of national security materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort and obstruction of justice, according to two people briefed on the matter.The move – the clearest sign yet that Trump is on course to be indicted – dramatically raises the stakes for Trump, as the investigation nears its conclusion after taking evidence before a grand jury in Washington and a previously unknown grand jury in Florida. Continue reading...

Collision occurred as canine ran out from behind another car, but autonomous vehicle could not stop in time to avoid contactA Waymo self-driving car killed a small dog in San Francisco while in “autonomous mode” last month, the latest in a string of incidents that have led city officials to protest a planned expansion of the company’s driverless taxi services.The 21 May collision occurred just before 11am on Toland Street in San Francisco as the car was in “autonomous mode” with a test driver in the front seat. A Waymo spokesperson said that an initial review showed that the system correctly identified the dog when it ran out from behind a parked car, but “was not able to avoid contact” due to how fast the canine was moving. The company said it was investigating the matter. Continue reading...

Former US vice president says was proud to stand by Trump but goes on to criticise attempts to overturn election result in Iowa campaign launchWe’re about an hour away from Mike Pence’s campaign launch in Iowa, and a CBS News reporter at the event noticed something telling in his campaign’s arrangements for the media.As noted below, the password for the wifi provided to journalists seems to be a reference to Pence’s refusal to go along with Trump’s demand that he block Congress’s certification of Joe Biden’s election win on January 6: Continue reading...

Pence says Trump ‘demanded I choose between him and the constitution’ and that someone like that ‘should never be president again’Mike Pence officially announced he is running for the Republican presidential nomination in a video posted early Wednesday and formally addressed a crowd of supporters in Ankeny, Iowa, on Wednesday afternoon.In his speech, the former Indiana governor chastised Donald Trump for his “reckless” actions on 6 January 2021, took swipes at Joe Biden and singled out “enemies of freedom” around the world, including a three-second frame of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, and China’s president, Xi Jinping, in the video. Continue reading...

Tens of millions of people in the US were under air quality alerts on Wednesday, as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, turning the sky a murky brown and saturating the air with harmful pollution. Hundreds of fires are burning in Canada, from the western provinces to Nova Scotia and Quebec in the east Continue reading...

New York City streets emptier than usual as smoke from Canada’s wildfires engulfs more than a dozen US statesIrania Sanchez, 53, was gasping for breath during her walk in the New York City borough of Queens on Wednesday morning. The air was thick and smelled of the smoke that had descended over the metropolis and a swath of the US.She was on her way to visit a friend who recently had surgery but then wanted to go on a walk with Sanchez. Continue reading...

Virginia representative calls for more gun safety policies after suspect was arrested for killing two people and wounding fiveA high school student and a relative were killed on Tuesday evening at a mass shooting at the young man’s graduation event in Richmond, Virginia, where five other people were shot and wounded.Gunfire rang out outside a downtown theater, where the graduation ceremony had just ended, causing hundreds of attendees to flee in panic, weep and clutch their children, authorities and witnesses said. Continue reading...

The prince’s claims about phone hacking will now be tested in court – at the start of what could be a long legal fightPrince Harry’s war with the tabloid press this week became a courtroom battle, with words as weapons. His antipathy can be traced to his mother’s death, which he blames on reckless journalists. As a child he was deeply affected by an aggressive, intrusive press. Newspapers reported with “surprising” detail how he broke his hand as a 14-year-old. Two years later, it was “Harry’s Cocaine Ecstasy and GHB Parties”. While remarking how stressful such stories were, in seven hours of testimony over two days, he remained calm. An invasive tabloid culture produced, he confessed, a “huge amount of paranoia”.The first British royal to be cross-examined in a court of law since the 19th century, the prince contends that journalists working for the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People hacked his voicemails and illegally used private investigators to obtain stories about his private life. The 38-year-old says that he was a victim of phone-hacking “on an industrial scale”. The newspapers deny this, saying that they obtained the stories legitimately. Much of the prince’s evidence is circumstantial. Continue reading...

Congressman Adam Schiff condemns ‘acts of violence’ as punches thrown outside meeting about designating June as Pride monthDemocratic politicians across California condemned a volatile anti-gay protest outside a suburban Los Angeles school board meeting on Tuesday, as the school board heard public comment on whether to officially designate June as LGBTQ+ Pride month.Footage from a local television station showed crowds of people shoving, kicking and throwing punches outside a school district building in Glendale, California. Continue reading...

Most people would jump at the chance to see a West End musical. The prospect fills me with dreadI’m off to see Groundhog Day, the musical, at the Old Vic in London. It’s based on the 1993 film in which Bill Murray’s character relives the same day over and over. Although I’m sure it will be great, it involves one obvious drawback: having to leave the house. These days, I have less and less appreciation of how the outside world works. Having to interact with anyone or anything outside my normal daily routine leaves me with a feeling of cold dread.It turns out that I’m more than happy in my own little groundhog day. I wake up, work all day at my computer in my kitchen (the nearest working space to the kettle), probably pop to the supermarket at some point, maybe fit in some exercise, watch telly, go to bed, rinse and repeat. My life is a predictable triangle. Leaving the boundaries has become increasingly stressful. Continue reading...

Business Ready pilot edition to debut in 2024, replacing Doing Business ratings that were found to be influenced by political pressureNew methods and safeguards for assessing the business and investment climate in as many as 180 countries could give governments and citizens around the world “a common language for deciding where they’re going and how they get there”, according to spokespeople for the recently unveiled project.The World Bank announced last month that it was preparing to implement new Business Ready rankings after eliminating the predecessor Doing Business ratings in September 2021, citing internal reviews as well as an outside investigation which found senior leaders at the organization had exerted pressure on subordinates to manipulate data to favor China. Continue reading...

Instead of falling for fitness and diet fads, focus on the things that will bring you true health and happiness this summerAs summer weather begins, and bare arms and legs start to appear across the country, and people start to worry about their “beach body”, maybe falling for claims that a particular diet or workout can achieve wonders in just a few weeks. This is not only impossible – there is no diet or exercise that can transform your body so quickly – it’s unhealthy at its core. Doesn’t anyone who simply walks on to a beach have a beach body?The focus on aesthetics (can I take off my shirt? Can I wear a bikini to look a certain way?) distracts from the real purpose of our body and the functionality of fitness, exercise and nutrition (do I feel strong and healthy within my body, and can I do what I want to do with it?)Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh Continue reading...

The former vice-president has joined the Republican presidential field for 2024 but his White House experience may count for littleMike Pence enters the 2024 presidential race with a murky path to capturing the Republican nomination and a contentious relationship with his former boss and now primary opponent, Donald Trump.Pence formally launched his campaign on Wednesday with a video announcement, after the former vice-president spent months traveling to early voting states and speaking at Republican party events. Pence is scheduled to hold his first official campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Apple’s AI-powered upgrade will stop its phones changing ‘Aperol’ to ‘a peril’ – and end an innocent, hilarious blip in timeAnyone who has spent any time in the world of Instagram wellness will be familiar with the notion that gratitude can ward off the blues.It’s said that people who take the time to write down what they are grateful for – usually part of a practice called journaling – worry less and generally feel better about their lives. It’s not something I do often, but feeling inspired earlier I gave it a go on my iPhone, typing out on the Notes app: “Today I am grateful to live in a moment where ducking [sic] hell is still auto cucumber [sic] to something far more beautiful.”Coco Khan is commissioning editor for Guardian B2B and a writer. She is co-host of the politics podcast Pod Save the UK Continue reading...

Key players in the world of men’s golf have made a dramatic turnaround after spending 12 months attacking the new tourThen “I would ask any player that would consider leaving – have you ever had to apologise for being a member of the PGA Tour?” 12 June 2022 Continue reading...

Involvement of top prosecutor Jay Bratt in the Florida grand jury could suggest questions about Espionage Act violationsFederal prosecutors have subpoenaed multiple witnesses to testify before a previously unknown grand jury in Florida in the criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s handling of national security materials and obstruction of justice, according to people familiar with the matter.The new grand jury activity at the US district court in Miami marks the latest twist in the investigation that for months has involved a grand jury that had been taking evidence in the case in Washington but has been silent since the start of last month. Continue reading...

Susan Lorincz, who is white, charged with manslaughter in death of Ajike Owens, a Black mother of four, sheriff saysA Florida woman accused of fatally shooting her neighbor last week in the violent culmination of what the sheriff described as a 2.5-year feud was arrested late on Tuesday, the Marion county sheriff’s office said.Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, who is white, was arrested on charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault in the death of Ajike Owens, a Black mother of four, Sheriff Billy Woods said in a statement. Continue reading...

Hemsworth and Elizabeth Olsen are among the MCU stars – a group of people who once lived in mortal fear of the Marvel brass – to break rank and criticise their latest filmsIt is no secret that the tide has been slowly turning against the MCU. Critically, Marvel is in a slump, receiving its three lowest-ever Rotten Tomatoes scores in the last three years. Its working practices, too, have come into question, with what feels like the entire VFX industry lining up to give it a kicking.But, no matter how bad things get, at least Marvel could console itself with the knowledge that one group of people would never dare to badmouth it. That’s right, its actors: a group of people who live in such mortal fear of the Marvel brass that they joke about literally being murdered by a sniper whenever an interviewer asks them anything even remotely spoilery. And yet, here we are. Three Marvel stars have recently broken rank to reveal that their movies sort of suck. Continue reading...

Former Microsoft executive and venture capitalist, 66, stands as rank outsider against Trump and DeSantisDoug Burgum, the Republican governor of North Dakota, has announced his candidacy for the party’s presidential nomination next year.Burgum made the announcement in the the Wall Street Journal newspaper. A campaign event is scheduled for later on Wednesday in the city of Fargo. Continue reading...

Republican who narrowly escaped harm at hands of January 6 rioters jumps into nomination raceMike Pence, who as Donald Trump’s vice-president narrowly escaped harm at the hands of the January 6 rioters, launched his run for the Republican presidential nomination next year, pitting him against his former boss.Pence filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday afternoon and released his official campaign launch video early on Wednesday. His formal launch event was planned to take place in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday – his 64th birthday. Continue reading...

Disrupter Greg Norman is not the only one attached to LIV who will surely soon discover their services are no longer requiredThe playing of a Presidents Cup, for so long the Ryder Cup’s poor relation, in Saudi Arabia now has to be on the table. The deal struck between LIV Golf and one-time rivals, the PGA and DP World Tours, is all about bang for buck.The Saudis will believe they have saved face by joining forces with golf’s establishment – there will be no more potentially embarrassing litigation – but their desperate bid to earn legitimacy via sport also means this deal has to work two ways. Continue reading...

Refugees are right to protest about a plan that forces them into unsuitable accommodation. It’s more cruelty by designSuitcases and bin bags full of simple possessions strewn across a central London street have become a powerful symbol of the government’s ramping up of the hostile environment against people seeking safety in Britain.Up to 40 people who had escaped war and atrocities in countries including Eritrea, Somalia, Iran and Iraq took to the streets last week after being given a hotel sleeping area of just 2 sq metres: four in a room with two bunk beds. Continue reading...

Hospital-based violence intervention programs could soon see funds provided by Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid programJosh Hatcher remembers the date: 11 April 2021. He was picking up a friend at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in Oakland, California, and a ride-share car was holding up traffic. He and the driver got into an argument and both men got out of the car. Hatcher’s friend warned him that the driver might have a gun and that they should go. But as he moved to get back in the car, shots rang out. Five of them hit Hatcher – a father of three – in the back, close to his heart.When he woke up in the hospital, a frontline worker named Carlos met him there. Carlos, an Oakland native who shared common ground with Hatcher, was working with the Oakland non-profit Youth Alive. Programs like Youth Alive meet survivors of gunshot or stab wounds in the hospital, and fast – when the need is greatest. It’s at this moment that survivors are at their most vulnerable. They’re recovering from wounds, questioning their safety and facing a higher risk of re-injury and perpetuation of violence through retaliation. Continue reading...

New legislation will mandate paid leave, prohibit non-compete clauses and bar captive anti-union meetings, among other measuresMinnesota’s Democratic governor and legislature has enacted one of the most pro-worker packages of legislation that any US state has passed in decades which includes paid family and medical leave, prohibits non-compete clauses, bars employers from holding anti-union captive audience meetings, and strengthens protections for meatpacking workers and Amazon warehouse employees.Minnesota’s new legislation mandates paid sick days, allows teachers’ unions to bargain over educator-to-student ratios and creates a statewide council to improve conditions for nursing home workers. Continue reading...

US National Security Council says burst dam has probably caused ‘many deaths’ as fears grow for missing people. Plus, scientists trace the origins of masturbationGood morning.About 42,000 people are at risk from flooding on both sides of the Dnipro River after the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, Ukrainian officials have said, with flood waters expected to peak on Wednesday.How are the relief efforts going? Relief workers on the Ukraine-controlled right bank of the river have reported having to operate under fire. “The biggest difficulty right now is not the water. It’s the Russians on the other side of the river who are shelling us now with artillery,” said Andrew Negrych, who was coordinating relief efforts yesterday for a US charity, Global Empowerment Mission.What has Volodymyr Zelenskiy said? The Ukrainian president has used his social media channels to issue another statement about the destruction of the dam, claiming that hundreds of thousands of people have been left without access to drinking water. He said: “Russian terrorists have once again proved that they are a threat to everything living. The destruction of one of the largest water reservoirs in Ukraine is absolutely deliberate.”What’s the biggest concern? Air-quality alerts are triggered by a number of factors, including the detection of fine-particle pollution – known as “PM 2.5” – which can irritate the lungs. “We have defenses in our upper airway to trap larger particles and prevent them from getting down into the lungs. These are sort of the right size to get past those defenses,” said Dr David Hill of the American Lung Association’s national board of directors. “When those particles get down into the respiratory space, they cause the body to have an inflammatory reaction to them.” Continue reading...

Ten years on, Nick Hopkins recalls how the Guardian defied the intelligence agencies to publish revelations of mass state surveillanceThe phone call came at an unfortunate moment.It was late May 2013, early evening, during a leaving drink for a colleague in a busy bar in London. At the time, I was defence and security editor, which made me the point person for contact with the UK’s intelligence agencies. Continue reading...

The one-time UFC title challenger has gone from helping children deal with trauma to a mouthpiece for Vladimir Putin’s regimeOn 23 May 2023, Jeff Monson – a veteran mixed martial arts fighter and former UFC title challenger – arrived at the US consulate in Istanbul and officially turned his back on the land of his birth.“I renounced my US citizenship because of the politics of this country,” Monson told Russian state-owned media agency TASS after handing over his American passport at the consulate. “All my thoughts and my future are connected only with Russia. Now I am no longer an American. I am only a Russian.” Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: As Sunak attempts to broker mini deals for business and agreement on Ukraine, he’s also trying to secure a post-Brexit spot for Britain on the global stage

The prime minister arrives in Washington with no real leverage in Europe – and therefore no real leverage with Joe BidenThe Americans know how to make a prime minister feel special. It isn’t hard. Saying “you are special” or words to that effect, usually does the trick. It helps to say it in the White House, within earshot of the British press corps.Westminster hacks and Downing Street aides, most of whom are unhealthily obsessed with US politics, love a Washington summit for the same reason that Harry Potter fans queue to visit the Warner Bros studio in Watford. Standing on the stage where the magic happens is its own reward.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Police say a graduate, 18, was one of the dead while a 19-year-old was arrested for second-degree murderSeven people were shot, two fatally, when gunfire rang out outside a downtown theater in Virginia where a high school graduation ceremony had just ended, causing hundreds of attendees to flee in panic, weep and clutch their children, authorities and witnesses said.A 19-year-old suspect tried to escape on foot but was arrested and would be charged with two counts of second-degree murder, interim Richmond police chief Rick Edwards, said during a news conference on Tuesday night at which he confirmed the two fatalities. Continue reading...

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie announced his presidential run in a town hall at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics in Manchester, New Hampshire. Christie joins the primary as a rank outsider but promises a campaign with a singular focus: to take the fight to Donald Trump, who Christie said was 'obsessed with the mirror, who never admits a mistake, who never admits a fault and who always finds someone else and something else to blame for whatever goes wrong, but finds every reason to take credit for anything that goes right'.

Pugilistic politician joins Republican primary with singular focus – to take the fight to Donald TrumpThe former New Jersey governor Chris Christie announced his bid for for the Republican presidential nomination at a New Hampshire town hall.In an unconventionally contrite speech, Christie said: “I can’t guarantee you success in what I’m about to do. But I guarantee you that at the end of it. You will have no doubt in your mind, who I am and what I stand for and whether I deserve it.” Continue reading...

Michael Tisius, 42, received a lethal injection for killing Leon Egley and Jason Acton at the small Randolph county jail in 2000A man who shot and killed two rural Missouri jailers nearly 23 years ago during a failed attempt to help an inmate escape was executed on Tuesday evening.Michael Tisius, 42, received a lethal injection of pentobarbital at the state prison in Bonne Terre and was pronounced dead at 6.10 pm . He was convicted of the 22 June 2000 killing of Leon Egley and Jason Acton at the small Randolph county jail. Continue reading...