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CEO of Europe's largest industrial group says he has been in direct talks with Donald Trump's administrationVolkswagen, Europe's largest industrial group, has said it will make a massive" investment in the US. The group, which includes Porsche, revealed it has been in direct talks with Donald Trump's administration as it faces damaging tariffs.Oliver Blume, who heads the group, said the talks were constructive" and fair", in an interview that suggests the company, whose market capital is 44bn, is not willing to leave tariff negotiations to Brussels alone. Continue reading...

Kerik was hailed as a hero after September 11 before a dramatic fall from grace that ended with him behind barsBernard Kerik, who served as New York City's police commissioner during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and later pleaded guilty to tax fraud before being pardoned, has died. He was 69.Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Kash Patel said that Kerik's death Thursday came after an unspecified private battle with illness". Continue reading...

Winsome Earle-Sears called abortion genocide' and implied equivalence between consenting to sex and consenting to pregnancyThe Republican nominee for governor of Virginia has recently tried to distance herself from her long-standing, hardline anti-abortion record, declining recently to state whether she would support any restrictions on abortion access if she is elected to lead the state this fall. But her record reveals a candidate staunchly opposed to the procedure.Winsome Earle-Sears, now the state's lieutenant governor, supported a 15-week abortion ban and has previously said she wants to make abortion illegal in almost all cases. In audio obtained by the Guardian, Earle-Sears also suggested an equivalence between consenting to sex and consenting to pregnancy. Continue reading...

Researchers point to contaminated water after forever chemicals' found in all but one of 23 sampled beers

President rails against judges who ruled against him as appeals court grants pause until challenge is heard. Plus, what the Guardian's Jerusalem correspondent learned in four years in the role

Judging by Musk's approval ratings, Tesla investors won't be the only ones happy to see the dethroning of the king of DogeI can't believe that Elon Musk is leaving Doge, the government department he named after a tired and basic meme that most of the internet had moved on from around a decade ago. As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end," Musk wrote this week (capital letters: model's own), I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful government spending." Oh man. Thank you for the opportunity"?! At some level you have to salute Donald Trump's ability to turn even the world's richest man into an Apprentice candidate who leaves in week four after completely wiping out in the hotdog stand task.Musk arrived in government promising to slash spending by $2tn. He leaves it a mere $1.86tn short of that target, even by his own estimations. Meanwhile, the president's new tax bill is set to add $2.3tn to the deficit. I imagine Musk thought his government finale would be a spectacular extravaganza - you're welcome, Washington!" - involving 2,000 chainsaw-wielding chorus girls. Instead, it's a tweet. And yes - we DO all still call them tweets.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

The media has focused on the price tag and potholes. But history may mark 14 June as the ceremonial birth of US fascismIn 2017, watching a two-hour Bastille Day procession, Donald Trump told the French president that we'd have one too, only better. That time, the grown-ups said no. The reasons given were costs - estimates ran to $92m - hellish logistics, and the Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser's worried that tanks and other armored vehicles would tear up Washington's streets.Some retired generals objected publicly to the totalitarian-adjacent optics, especially given the US president's praise for such bad actors as Saddam Hussein and Vladimir Putin. Several Republican lawmakers also expressed their distaste. Confidence is silent, and insecurity is loud," the Louisiana senator John Kennedy told MSNBC. America is the most powerful country in all of human history ... and we don't need to show it off. We're not North Korea. We're not Russia, we're not China," he continued, and I don't wanna be." Continue reading...

Crypto venture with Abu Dhabi could enrich pair with millions - and Democrats say ethics conflict is plain as day'President Trump received plenty of attention this month when he happily accepted a $400m Boeing 747 from the Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar.Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our country," Trump posted on social media. Continue reading...

After celebration turned to chaos, Liverpudlians stepped in to help those in need - while the usual suspects spread liesThis doesn't sound good at all." The message flashed up on a group chat I am in with other journalists in Liverpool and Merseyside. My blood cooled instantly upon reading it. I have heard those words before and I know what they mean. They mean something has happened. Something big and something bad. It wasn't long before we all started to realise quite how big and quite how bad.After a day of joyous celebration that turned Liverpool into a sea of brilliant red, hundreds of fans were heading back into the city when they looked up to see an ambulance moving through a temporarily pedestrianised route on its way to help a stricken individual. The fans, anxious to assist, moved to the side, when a Ford Galaxy suddenly emerged from behind it and in a few terrible moments, turned elation and harmony into chaos and pain.Liam Thorp is political editor at the Liverpool EchoDo 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...

The 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, who lost in a lightning-round tiebreaker last year, outlasted eight other accomplished spellers to win the title. Told to take a deep breath before his final word, 'eclaircissement,' he collapsed to the stage after saying the final letter.

The EU is Israel's biggest trading partner - and that gives it leverage to finally change the course of this brutal warEuropean consciences have started waking up to the Israeli government's crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories - and it is about time. What has caused this long and slow awakening? Is it Israel's killing of more than 54,000 Palestinians since Hamas's horrific attack on 7 October 2023? Thousands of babies at risk of dying from starvation and malnutrition? Civilians burning alive? Israeli ministers' plans to reoccupy and recolonise the Gaza Strip, expelling Palestinians? Or perhaps it's the Israeli army firing shots at diplomats, including Europeans, in the West Bank - or the racist chanting, during a state-funded march in Jerusalem, of death to the Arabs" and may their villages burn"?It's probably a combination of all the above, as well as the recognition that principled pressure on Israel will certainly not come from Washington. Whatever the triggers for it, Europe may be nearing an inflection point on the graph, turning the dark page of its complicity with Israel's nearly 20-month war in Gaza.Nathalie Tocci is a Guardian Europe 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...

While students around the world dream of classrooms, students in Gaza dream of survivalBefore the war, students in Gaza were surrounded by books, not bombs. They woke each morning to the voices of their mothers urging them to get ready for school, not to the sound of airstrikes and screaming. They were focused on building a future, working hard to shape a better life for themselves and their homeland.Before the war started, my best friends and I used to go to the restaurants that were near the university, talking, laughing, eating and studying together, eating our breakfast together under a blue sky before going to the first lecture.Nadera Mushtha is a writer and poet from Gaza who is studying English language education at the Islamic University of Gaza. Her writing has been published on Al Jazeera, Mondoweiss, the Electronic Intifada, and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs Continue reading...

The indiscriminate, cruel and criminal killing of civilians may see us be banished from the family of nations and summoned to the ICC, with no good defenseThe government of Israel is currently waging a war without purpose, without goals or clear planning, and with no chances of success. Never since its establishment has the state of Israel waged such a war. The criminal gang headed by Benjamin Netanyahu has set a precedent without equal in Israel's history in this area, too.The obvious result of Operation Gideon's Chariots is, first and foremost, the confused activity of Israeli military units deployed around Gaza. This is true particularly in neighborhoods where our soldiers have already fought, were hurt and fell while killing many Hamas combatants, who deserve to die, and many more innocent civilians. These have joined the statistics of pointless victims among the Palestinian population, reaching monstrous proportions.Ehud Olmert is a former prime minister of IsraelThis op-ed originally appeared in Haaretz Continue reading...

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Appeals court grants temporary stay of ruling that blocked tariffs as president's allies rail against major blow to signature policy - key US politics stories from Thursday at a glancePresident Trump's tariffs remain in place, at least for now, after an appeals court ruled that his administration can continue to collect import fees.The latest ruling came just a day after a separate court ruled that Trump had overstepped his power, a judgment that his administration has pushed back against. Continue reading...

Director, composer and actor appeared at event in Clarksdale attended by hundreds after community petitionHundreds of people packed inside a local auditorium on Thursday to see the hit film Sinners, set in their community and steeped in Mississippi Delta culture.The special screening of the blockbuster horror film included an appearance by director Ryan Coogler and was made possible by a community petition. Continue reading...

The National Spelling Bee, which began Tuesday and will conclude with Thursday's nationally televised championship finals, invited 243 spellers to compete for a $50,000 cash prize and orthographic immortality

The target was delivered by Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem, and triples figures from earlier this yearThe Trump administration has set aggressive new goals in its anti-immigration agenda, demanding that federal agents arrest 3,000 people a day - or more than a million in a year.The new target, tripling arrest figures from earlier this year, was delivered to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) leaders by Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, and Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, in a strained meeting last week. Continue reading...

Draper battled against the crowd and an inspired opponent to win in four sets, Gauff advanced but Boulter went out, while Norrie and Fearnley set up an all-British meetingI can't lie, I'd like further detail on the Roland-Garros tattoo parlour. How busy is it? Who's been? What kind of thing are people getting? Any spider webs on faces or tears beneath eyes?Krueger is playing nicely. Andreeva forces her through deuce in order to endorse, but she get there in the end; they're both smacking it, but it's the American whose radar is working better so far and she leads 2-0. Continue reading...

California city's council to provide 24/7 armed patrol for lots and vacant homes devastated by blazesNearly five months after wildfires tore through Los Angeles, killing dozens of people and destroying thousands of homes, the city of Malibu has hired private security to protect burned lots and vacant homes after the disaster.The city council voted last week to contract with a private security firm to provide 24/7 armed patrols in areas affected by the recent fires as a section of the Pacific Coast Highway reopens for the first time since the fire. Continue reading...

The 97th edition of the Scripps National Spelling Bee takes place this week in National Harbor, Maryland. Can you spell the winning words from previous years' competitions?

Exclusive: One in six female survivors surveyed felt forced to engage in survival sex' for necessities after 2023 catastrophic Hawaii fireSexual exploitation and domestic violence soared after the catastrophic Lahaina wildfire in 2023, with pre-existing gender inequalities exposed and exacerbated by the post-disaster response, new research has found.In the weeks and months after the deadliest American fire in a century, one in six female fire survivors surveyed felt forced to engage in sexual acts in exchange for basic necessities such as food, clothing and housing. Continue reading...

As an aid worker, I despaired at news of Israeli troops opening fire on people seeking food. This is no answer to our sufferingTwo days ago, Israeli soldiers fired on a massive crowd of starving Palestinians who just wanted to eat. Some of them had walked more than 10km to reach what was then the only aid distribution point in Gaza. They were looking for help from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a newly formed Israeli-backed logistics group that had set up a distribution centre in Rafah. Israel and GHF lost control of the crowd; Palestinians were shot and killed for seeking food, and dozens were injured.What the GHF is doing is nothing more than a public relations campaign: it is promoting the illusion that aid has begun entering the Strip in a meaningful way. What we have learned is that GHF only distributed eight trucks' worth of food on Wednesday. Moreover, a US charity, Rahma Worldwide, which had food parcels that it couldn't get into Gaza and so allowed them to be taken custody" by GHF, has accused the organisation of using its logo without permission in the aid distribution. (Rahma said it's opposed to working alongside GHF because of its use of armed security contractors.) Ultimately, there are tens of thousands of people across the Gaza Strip who will not be able to reach the newly created centres. Even if they function, they will not meet the ever-growing daily needs of the population here. Continue reading...

Police also find widespread animal mistreatment, relocating 310 of the 450 animals and euthanizing threeOregon police have arrested a safari park owner on drug charges following a police raid at the facility earlier this month that found drugs and widespread animal mistreatment.The Coos county sheriff's office said that Brian Tenney, the owner of West Coast Game Park Safari, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of methamphetamine possession, manufacturing and attempted distribution. He was later released as the district attorney's office awaited more information, a staff member at the Coos county jail said when reached by the Associated Press. Continue reading...

Some Republicans attempted to frame decision as part of a broader fight between the Trump administration and US justice system

The Thunder ended the Timberwolves' playoff run in brutal fashion on Wednesday night. But Minnesota have come far, and can still push onThe definition of success is subjective, ephemeral. But in today's sports zeitgeist, it's becoming less so: rings culture" dominates all, serving as the wall into which any nuanced conversation inevitably crashes: But did they win?" Of course, each NBA team enters the season every year with the same goal: to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy. But only one team can every year, so does that make the other 29 failures?The Minnesota Timberwolves present an interesting counterpoint: their fanbase is, no doubt, deeply disappointed this morning after a harrowing blowout loss in Oklahoma City, which means the team came up short of the NBA finals in devastating, decisive fashion for the second year in a row. On the other hand, they've made back to back Western Conference finals for the first time in team history, gone from league laughing stock to bona fide perennial contender, and have one of the most exciting young stars in basketball, 23-year-old Anthony Edwards. Continue reading...

The ruling says Trump exceeded authority in imposing sweeping tariffs. Plus, Elon Musk confirms government exit

US president Donald Trump lashed out at a reporter who asked him about claims that he chickens out of tariffs. 'Wall Street analysts have coined a new term called the taco trade,' the reporter said. 'They're saying Trump always chickens out on your tariff threats.' Trump called it a 'nasty question' and insisted setting high initial tariffs was part of the negotiation process

Elizabeth Warren and others urge investigation over clear conflict of interest and potential criminal violation'Employees of Elon Musk's department of government efficiency" (Doge) own lucrative stock in companies that stand to directly benefit from their work gutting federal agencies, Democratic senators have alleged.The potential ethics violations merit an investigation by the justice department and other oversight bodies, urges a letter co-authored by senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Jack Reed of Rhode Island and obtained by the Guardian. Continue reading...

With Sophia Wilson, Trinity Rodman, and Mallory Swanson all out for a while, this next US camp is about establishing alternativesThe first time we saw the free-flowing force of Mallory Swanson, Sophia Wilson (nee Smith) and Trinity Rodman starting together was 1 June 2024 - Emma Hayes' first match in charge of the national team, with little more than a month to go before the Olympics.Their mutual arrival to the US frontline was delayed by injuries and other uncertainties, but they emerged just in time for a blistering gold medal run. The self-styled Triple Espresso' trio combined for 10 of the USA's 12 goals in Paris. They were dynamic. They were fun. They were each capable of match-saving heroics, sparks of individual radiance that propelled the team to the next round: Rodman's heroic quarter-final strike in the 105th minute against Japan; Wilson's goal 95 minutes into a grueling semi final against Germany; then Swanson with the decisive gold medal goal against Brazil. Continue reading...

The league is exploring plans to set up a competition in Europe. But, from playing style to fan culture, it would be a clash of visionsWhile the multibillion dollar behemoth that is the NBA means North America is basketball's powerhouse, the sport thrives in Europe where raucous crowds give the professional game across the Atlantic a compelling charisma while producing superstars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doni and Nikola Joki.The character of professional basketball could be about to change though. Continue reading...

Foreign ministry hits back at political and discriminatory' move announced by Marco Rubio

Right now, the monarch's political leanings appear in sympathy with the mood of Britain. But what if the public moves further to the right?It requires an effort to keep reminding yourself of the sheer historical oddity of monarchy's healthy survival into the modern democratic age. Yet so rooted is the monarchy in the mental furniture of Britain that most people in our politics barely think about it. This week, however, the modern British monarchy has stood up and demanded to be counted, doing something new and perhaps genuinely consequential.Judged by any yardstick, Charles III's visit to Canada was an audaciously disjunctive event. The idea that a vibrant democracy such as Canada, with a highly sophisticated sense of its own complex identity, might summon an elderly hereditary monarch from across the ocean to provide a focal point for its resistance to Donald Trump's existential threat takes some believing. Yet that was exactly what played out this week, when the king travelled to Ottawa to open the new Canadian parliament. Continue reading...

Tens of thousands of Americans serve in the country's ranks amid genocide, investing in and propagating occupationIn his 1971 novel The Day of the Jackal, Frederick Forsyth renders a rich plot to assassinate Charles de Gaulle, the French president. The conspirators are pied-noirs, the term used to describe Frenchmen born in Algeria during the colonial occupation there. They grieve De Gaulle's exit from north Africa, which they regard as a betrayal. Unable to remain in the former colony, they return home - dejected and emasculated - and murderous. In many ways, the pied-noirs regard themselves as being more French than the French.The novel derives some of its appeal from the fact that it's rooted in history - revanchist Frenchmen made at least six attempts to assassinate De Gaulle in the 1960s. Yigal Amir, the Israeli settler who assassinated Yitzhak Rabin in 1994, reportedly devoured the book, and drew inspiration from it.Ahmed Moor is a writer and fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace Continue reading...

As activists against segregation, we've been told it's about language, or behaviour, or choice. In reality, it's pure discriminationIt may come as a surprise to many, but racial segregation in schools exists today in several countries in the EU. In Slovakia, more than 60% of Roma children attend schools where they are in the majority. Worse still: segregation is being rebranded, not removed.In nearly a quarter of all primary schools, Roma children are separated into Roma schools" or Roma classes" - often in overcrowded buildings, with lower academic expectations, higher drop-out and grade repetition rates, and with little or no clear path to equal participation in life. Furthermore, Roma pupils are often placed in schools and classes for children with mental disabilities.Kamila Guniova is a researcher at Amnesty International Slovakia and Michal Zaleak is a legal consultant for the European Roma Rights Centre and attorney-in-law working in Slovakia Continue reading...

The billionaire CEO of Tesla thanked the president for the opportunity and said the Doge mission will only strengthen'Elon Musk has announced on social media that he is leaving his role in the Trump administration, a departure the White House confirmed was in process on Wednesday evening.As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," the billionaire wrote on X, his social media platform. Continue reading...

Musk's exit was planned for May but comes after he publicly split with Donald Trump over his one big beautiful' tax bill - key US politics stories from Wednesday 28 May at a glanceThe honeymoon between Donald Trump and Elon Musk appears to be over, after the tech billionaire announced his official exit from the White House to get back to business.Musk's term as a special advisor to the president was due to expire this month, but his announcement that he was wrapping up follows a rash of social media posts and interviews, in which Musk criticised Trump's tax spending bill, known as One Big Beautiful Bill Act". Continue reading...

Michael Farbiarz stops short of ordering Khalil released from jail, saying lawyers must first address another chargeThe Trump administration's bid to deport Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist, is likely unconstitutional, a US judge has said.In a lengthy order issued Wednesday, Judge Michael Farbiarz wrote that the government's primary justification for removing Khalil - that his beliefs may pose a threat to US foreign policy - could open the door to vague and arbitrary enforcement. Continue reading...

The Boeing 747-8, a present from the Gulf state, is more than 18ft longer than the current Air Force OneDonald Trump's big, beautiful new plane from the government of Qatar has arrived - but the US president says it's too big to be his personal perk.The problem for the US president is not the smack of impropriety that comes with accepting a luxury 747 jumbo jet from the Gulf state and intended as a replacement Air Force One - Trump has already brushed off any criticism on that front. Continue reading...

Ashley Hinson's praise of president's One Big Beautiful bill and efficiency' agency was criticized by constituentsConstituents booed Republican congresswoman Ashley Hinson at a town hall in her Iowa district Wednesday when she praised Donald Trump's tax-and-spending plan and spoke approvingly of the department of government efficiency's" (Doge) efforts to downsize the federal government.It was the latest instance of a Republican lawmaker being taken to task at a public event over their support for Trump's policies, and came days after Hinson had voted for the the One Big Beautiful bill when it passed the House of Representatives. The wide-ranging bill will extend tax cuts enacted during Trump's first term, create new deductions for tips, overtime and car loan interest and fund mass deportations, while slashing federal social safety net programs. Continue reading...

Larry Hoover, 74, ex-chief of Gangster Disciples in Chicago, had been serving multiple life sentences for over 50 yearsDonald Trump has commuted the sentence of Larry Hoover, a former Chicago gang leader, who had been serving multiple life sentences for more than five decades.Hoover, 74, is the co-founder of Gangster Disciples, a gang described in court documents as large and vicious" that sold great quantities of cocaine, heroin, and other drugs in Chicago". Continue reading...

The billionaire mogul is signaling far and wide that he's back to business, and even criticizing Trump's tax billElon Musk really wants the public - and investors - to know that he's leaving Washington DC behind.In a series of interviews and social media posts this week, Musk has criticized Donald Trump's marquee tax bill and emphasized his recommitment to leading SpaceX, Tesla and the artificial intelligence company xAI. The world's richest person claimed that he was back to working around the clock at his companies - to the point of sleeping in conference rooms and factory offices once again. Continue reading...