US news | The Guardian

Former first lady delivered veiled but sharp remarks on US politics during speaking tour that began in MelbourneIt was a curious question: who was going to pay $895 (US$640, 476) to see Michelle Obama speak at 12.30pm on a Tuesday in Melbourne? While she is an indisputably excellent public speaker, the ticket prices for Obama's first-ever speaking event in Australia raised a few eyebrows, ranging from the $895 platinum" package (which promised a priority seat, an exclusive" brunch, and a commemorative lanyard and tote bag") to the cheapest seats at $195 a pop.A sign that expectations may have been bigger than our wallets in a cost-of-living crisis: two weeks ago, my cheap" seat at the back was suddenly upgraded to a much better spot due to a recent change in production requirements" that was left unexplained. Another: the visibly empty patches at the front of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Karim Khan is wrong to say he has been exonerated of sexual misconduct. The case must proceed swiftlyThe international criminal court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, has been on an exoneration tour, with stops including an interview with Mehdi Hasan and an appearance at the Oxford Union. Accused by a lawyer in his office of repeated sexual misconduct, which he denies, he claims that an internal review of the allegations has vindicated him but the situation is more complex than that.It has been a year since Khan took a leave of absence while the claims against him were investigated as an internal employment matter. That absence has left the ICC under the control of his deputies, with important decisions to be taken in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and elsewhere. Yet the ICC member states, which have ultimate authority over whether Khan stays or goes, have dawdled, acting as if they had all the time in the world. And the procedure that they relied on to resolve the matter turned out to be a travesty.Kenneth Roth is a Guardian US columnist, visiting professor at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs, and former executive director of Human Rights Watch. He is the author of Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments. Before joining Human Rights Watch, he served as a federal prosecutor in New York and Washington Continue reading...

Odai Shanah details being among the children forced to huddle in a classroom during attack at the Islamic CenterA nine-year-old boy has described witnessing Monday's deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, saying that he saw bad stuff" and huddled in closet during the attack.Odai Shanah, whose mother emigrated from war-torn Gaza and settled in southern California two decades ago, told Reuters that he heard a barrage of gunshots coming from outside the walls of the mosque complex, which also houses an Islamic day school. Continue reading...

New electoral maps are erasing Black representations. The effort takes its cues from American historyEarly this month, a single pen stroke effectively ended representative Steve Cohen's career in Congress. The man who has represented Memphis for 19 years will turn 77 later this month, but he wasn't planning on retiring. He hadn't lost any primary. The reason was that his district had been erased around him.A new electoral map, passed by the Republican-led state legislature and signed by Bill Lee, the governor, divides the ninth district three ways. Last week Tennessee Republicans silenced the Black vote here in Memphis to make Republican victories likely," Cohen said in his statement. That's succinct and accurate.Jamil Smith is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Ruling blocks detentions at three federal courthouses except in rare cases amid protests over tacticsA federal judge in New York has banned US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from arresting immigrants in or around three federal courthouses in lower Manhattan, where vigorous confrontations have played out since the start of Donald Trump's second presidency.Under an order issued on Monday by P Kevin Castel, a US district judge, federal agents are no longer allowed to make arrests of immigrants except under exceptional circumstances at the sites where hearings are held before immigration judges. Continue reading...

As resistance to data centers grows, Musk and others are painting a rosy picture. But the US must institute protectionsAs Americans grow increasingly worried that AI will wipe out millions of jobs and create a permanent new underclass, tech billionaires are rushing to reassure us not to worry - the subtext being: please don't bring out the anti-AI pitchforks.Even Elon Musk, who recently merged SpaceX with his AI company, has joined the effort, essentially telling people don't worry, be happy" about AI. Musk wrote last month that Universal HIGH INCOME via checks issued by the Federal government" would save everyone thrown out of work by AI.Steven Greenhouse is a journalist and author, focusing on labor and the workplace, as well as economic and legal issues Continue reading...

Tommy Carstensen oversees one of the most sophisticated archives of Epstein materials, while Tristan Lee's database allows searches of faces who appear in the filesBefore the US Department of Justice (DoJ) missed a legally mandated, December 2025 deadline to release unclassified files related to the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein, the Denmark-based data scientist and bioinformatician Tommy Carstensen was not especially concerned with the case of the accused sex trafficker.I hadn't even watched the Netflix documentary," he said. Continue reading...

Teenage suspects died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, say officials. Plus, why American women want to leave the US at twice the rate of men Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Authorities are investigating a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego as a hate crime.What do we know about the suspects? The mother of one of the suspects had called police about two hours prior, informing them that her son was missing along with several of her weapons and her vehicle. Police were looking for the teenager and his friend when they received a 911 call from ICSD.What is Trump claiming now? That the leaders of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia approached Washington over the chance of making a deal that would be very acceptable" to the US, and stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.... and Iran? Its foreign military spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, claimed Pakistan had shared Iran's latest proposal with the US. There were contradictory reports from Islamabad, which has acted as mediator: one source appeared pessimistic, while others said Tehran had made concessions. Continue reading...

As many as 40% of women aged 15 to 44 say they want to migrate, citing better work life balance to Trump's politicsIt was in 2022, when Americans were reeling from the news that the supreme court had overturned Roe v Wade, that Jen Barnett got a firsthand glimpse of just how viable her new business could be.Days before the court ruling, she had launched a website aimed at Americans looking to move abroad. As confusion and consternation set in over what the ruling meant for US women, Barnett watched traffic to her website steadily tick upward. We had this huge spike." Continue reading...

Ben Crump says $4.85m police settlement over fatal traffic stop helps to show how truth must always come to light'No amount of money can erase" the pain that motorist Ronald Greene's death at the hands of Louisiana police inflicted on his loved ones, but a $4.85m settlement which the state has agreed to pay his family helps illustrate how the truth must always come to light", their attorney has said.Ben Crump recently expressed those sentiments in a statement that served as one of his and his clients' first public reactions to news first reported by the Guardian that mediation talks on 12 May had yielded a settlement between Louisiana authorities and Greene's family. Continue reading...

Election in Allentown pits three establishment insiders against a firefighter with a populist messageAllentown, Pennsylvania, is the kind of place the national media brings up every now and then to talk about the troubles of the working class. That's for good reason: the city is a great stand-in for America's blue-collar blues. Billy Joel even wrote a song about it. The same goes for neighboring Bethlehem, which once was home to the largest steelmaking operation in the world. That operation shuttered in 2003 and was replaced by a casino.No doubt the Lehigh valley has seen better days. But it's not all in the rear view. In fact, this week this blue-collar bastion could decide the future of the Democratic party.Dustin Guastella is a research associate at the Center for Working Class Politics and the director of operations for Teamsters Local 623 Continue reading...

Republican critic of president faces challenge from Ed Gallrein, while Georgia and Pennsylvania hold key contestsThe biggest day of primaries yet arrives Tuesday, with voters in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Idaho, heading to the polls to select candidates ahead of November's midterm elections.While many primaries will be resolved with little drama, some have shaped up to be among the most contentious elections of the year so far, serving as gauges of Donald Trump's control of Republicans, and the direction Democratic voters are looking to steer their party as they seek to retake control of Congress. Continue reading...

Trump has repeatedly made false claims that white Afrikaners facing genocide with costs of resettling them at $100mThe US government has said it will increase the number of white South Africans it admits as refugees this year from about 7,500 to 17,500, claiming that unforeseen developments in South Africa created an emergency refugee situation."Since starting his second term in office last year, Donald Trump has repeatedly made false claims that white Afrikaners are racially targeted and face a white genocide", which South Africa's government has furiously rebutted. Continue reading...

Democratic senators called extension indefensible gift' to Vladimir Putin as supply concerns keep Brent oil above $110 per barrelThe US has announced another 30-day extension of a sanctions waiver allowing purchases of Russian seaborne oil to aid energy-vulnerable" countries hit by the Iran war, reversing plans not to grant an extension.Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said the Treasury was issuing the 30-day general license after a previous waiver lapsed on Saturday. This will allow temporary access to Russian oil and petroleum products stranded on tankers without violating severe US sanctions on Russian oil majors, he said. Continue reading...

President says he has instructed US military to be ready for a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment's notice' - key US politics stories from Monday 18 MayDonald Trump says he has called off a planned attack on Iran at the behest of Gulf states so talks could continue.In a post to his Truth Social platform, the US president claimed that the leaders of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia had approached Washington because of the chance of reaching a deal that would be very acceptable" to the US, and preclude Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Continue reading...

Former House speaker, who had not yet weighed in, declared Connie Chan best prepared' to represent cityNancy Pelosi on Monday endorsed Connie Chan, a San Francisco supervisor, in the race to succeed her as the city's representative in Congress, calling her the candidate who stands above the rest".Pelosi, the first woman to serve as speaker of the House, will retire at the end of her term and had not yet weighed in on the contested primary for the San Francisco district she has held for nearly 40 years. But as early mail-in ballots trickle in ahead of the 2 June primary, Pelosi declared Chan the leader best prepared to carry forward the fight for San Francisco in the Congress". Continue reading...

Fuhrman, who found bloody glove at Simpson's home, charged with perjury after audio revealed use of racial slursFormer Los Angeles police detective Mark Fuhrman, who was convicted of lying during testimony at the OJ Simpson murder trial, has died.Fuhrman was one of the first two police detectives sent to investigate the 1994 killings of Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in Los Angeles. He reported finding a bloody glove at Simpson's home, but his credibility came under attack during the trial as the defense raised the prospect of racial bias. Continue reading...

Fire on Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands national park becomes state's largest this year and threatens rare plantsA wildfire that broke out on an island in the Channel Islands national park has become California's largest wildfire so far this year, burning through more than 10,000 acres, destroying historic structures and endangering rare plant communities that conservationists had struggled to reclaim.About six dozen firefighters have been deployed to control the blaze, which broke out on Friday, but their efforts have been undermined by strong winds. The fire is now at 0% containment, according to a Cal Fire incident report. Continue reading...

Teenage suspects die of self-inflicted gunshot wounds, officials say, as FBI investigates shooting as hate crimeThree people were killed in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, California, in what authorities said was being investigated as a hate crime.Two suspects, aged 17 and 19, were also dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, officials said. The FBI said it was looking for information from the public as it investigated the shooting. The bureau had set up a tip line. Continue reading...

Trump claims number of medications available via the discount program will increase nearly sevenfoldDonald Trump has announced a major expansion of his prescription drug website, TrumpRx, claiming the number of medications available via the discount program will increase nearly sevenfold.Experts raised questions earlier this year about the limited number of drugs listed on the site, suggesting they would appeal to a relatively small group of patients. Continue reading...

All month, people all over the world have been nervously watching as the Hantavirus spread aboard a cruise ship called the MV Hondius. Three people from the ship died and as the virus spread to other passengers, people wondered - is this the next pandemic? It isn't. But as Guardian health correspondent Melody Schreiber tells host Kai Wright, the outbreak revealed how Trump's cuts to government funding for public health and a climate of rampant misinformation have affected our readiness for the next pandemic. Continue reading...

Fire reported in Simi Valley, north-west of LA, as mandatory evacuation orders issued for more than 20,000 residentsA fast-growing brush fire ignited on Monday morning in southern California, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and damaging at least one home.The Sandy fire was reported just after 10am in Simi Valley, a city in Ventura county about 30 miles north-west of Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Trump administration unveiled sweeping restrictions on press access at the US defense department last September

Christian Castro charged with five counts over shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis in Trump immigration crackdownThe federal officer who shot a Venezuelan man during the Trump administration's militarized immigration crackdown in Minnesota was charged with assault on Monday.There is a nationwide warrant for the arrest of Christian Castro, 52, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot Julio Sosa-Celis on 14 January. A state investigation into the incident had been hampered by federal agencies' refusal to share information with state prosecutors. Continue reading...

Health officials to take proactive measures' in response to the ongoing Ebola virus epidemic in the DRC and Uganda

About 36% of children whose parents were detained were younger than six, Brookings Institution study foundMore than 145,000 US children have likely experienced a parent being detained by immigration authorities since the start of Donald Trump's second presidency, according to a new report published by a reputed US thinkthank.The report, released Monday by the Brookings Institution, estimates that about 146,635 children who are US citizens have had a parent detained during the mass deportation campaign the Trump administration embarked on after he retook office in early January. The study further found that of those children, more than 22,000 experienced the detention of all of their co-resident parents. Continue reading...

Deal would create largest regulated US utility, serving 10 million customers as AI-driven demand for power surgesNextEra, a US energy giant, announced on Monday that it will buy Dominion Energy in a $67bn deal, creating what the companies say will be the world's largest regulated utility business.The deal comes as the appetite for energy sources has swelled with the construction of massive datacenters across the country, built largely to supply rising demand for AI. Continue reading...

Can a new trial bring justice in the case of the disgraced South Carolina lawyer whose conviction for killing his wife and son has been vacated after court clerk's misconduct?Alex Murdaugh was not in court last Wednesday when a South Carolina appeals court vacated his 2023 double-murder conviction in the latest stunning twist in a legal saga that has captivated America and the world with its southern gothic tale of murder, betrayal and financial skullduggery.Prison regulations had prevented the disgraced lawyer from watching a live stream at the high-security McCormick correctional institution. Nor were any of his relatives present, including son Buster, the only surviving member of his immediate family. Continue reading...

Other evidence found backpack must be suppressed, says judge, because McDonald's search was warrantless

US president's approval rating falls to 37% days after he said Americans' financial situation is not motivating him to broker deal with IranDonald Trump's approval rating has fallen to its lowest point of his second term, amid mounting frustration over the cost of living and the US-Israel war on Iran.As November's US midterm elections loom, most American voters believe Trump's decision to go to war with Iran was the wrong choice, according to polling released on Monday. Continue reading...

Ebony Parker is accused of ignoring warnings that the student brought a loaded gun to a US elementary school

Actions appear to be random,' says mayor as suspects also allegedly took aim at buildings and houses in Texas cityThree youths are in police custody after a spree of at least 10 shootings wounded four people who appeared to be targeted randomly in Austin, Texas, according to authorities.The suspects who were arrested in connection with the shootings also allegedly took aim at various buildings and houses while driving around the capital city in stolen cars, the Austin police chief, Lisa Davis, said Sunday. Before the suspects were jailed, city officials temporarily ordered people residing in a large southern section of Austin to shelter in place, an exceptional public safety measure that spoke to the indiscriminate nature of the spree. Continue reading...

Also: Guilherme helps Houston lift off, Wilfried Zaha strikes back and Orlando City bide their time as Antoine Griezmann waitsThere are simple adages which help us navigate this mad world. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When it heaves a beer your way on the field at PayPal Park, you give it a hearty chug.The San Jose Earthquakes have been the season's surprise outfit, storming to the top of a competitive Western Conference in Bruce Arena's second season. In their final home fixture before the World Cup break, they stormed back against a valiant FC Dallas to find an 80th minute leveler, giving the crowd dreams of a comeback before the final whistle. Continue reading...

After being excommunicated from the GOP, Geoff Duncan is trying for a comeback on the Democratic ticketIn the Georgia governor's race, Geoff Duncan's candidacy tests American politics as much as it tests his political appeal.The former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia is a current Democratic candidate for governor, with former Biden official and Atlanta ex-mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms currently holding the lead in Tuesday's Democratic primary. A Republican is still favored to win, with billionaire Rick Jason up against the secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, and the lieutenant governor, Burt Jones. Continue reading...

Home care workers want the city council to end policy of 24-hour shifts for which they are paid for only 13 hoursLast month, 15 home health workers camped outside New York's city hall for six days. They refused to eat, only ending their hunger strike after securing a promise that the city council would vote on a bill to end their mandatory 24-hour workday. It's a practice workers argue is both a labor rights violation and a quiet public health crisis.Now, a month later, a council vote for the No More 24 Act still has not materialized. Workers announced on Friday that they will go on another hunger strike. Continue reading...

US president says there won't be anything left' of country if it does not reach agreement. Plus, how to become emotionally mature at any age

Proposed IRS data sharing with immigration authorities and ICE raids have made filing risky for those who are undocumentedThe Trump administration's immigration crackdown could cause the US to potentially lose up to $479bn in lost tax revenue over the the next 10 years, with enforcement deterring undocumented workers from filing their taxes this year, according to tax experts.Tax advisers say major changes, including proposed data sharing with immigration enforcement, have made filing taxes risky for undocumented immigrants. Tax benefits for immigrant parents have also been removed, further removing incentive to file taxes at all. Continue reading...

Utah's heavily Mormon population is largely opposed to all gambling, even on financial exchange platformsUtah is home to some of the strongest anti-gambling laws in the US, with vehement opposition dating back more than a century. But as prediction markets have surged - allowing users to bet on almost anything, from elections to sports to geopolitical events - the state has not escaped the nationwide boom.Its Republican leaders are fighting back, setting up a battle between one of the country's most conservative states and a rapidly growing industry that is embraced by a Republican administration in Washington - and members of the US president's own family. Continue reading...

Challenger Graham Platner may have amassed a rare kinetic energy, but the moderate conservative has served the state for almost 30 yearsFor three decades, Susan Collins has styled herself as a moderate conservative who delivers for Maine, even when it means defying Donald Trump. But as the incumbent Republican seeks a sixth term, national Democrats see her as newly vulnerable - zoning in on the state as a clear path to reclaiming the Senate.Collins, 73, will now face off against the presumptive Democratic nominee, Graham Platner, a 41-year-old marine veteran and oysterman with no national political experience and a controversial past. Despite dredged-up racist, sexist and homophobic online posts - and a now-covered-up tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol - Platner continues to amass a rare kinetic energy that has seen hundreds of Mainers flock to town halls across the state to hear his gravelly voiced excoriation of Washington. His rise ultimately forced the state's two-term governor Janet Mills to suspend her primary bid, citing dwindling financial resources. Continue reading...

The final is the most expensive ticket on resale for this summer's tournaments. But there are surprising get-in prices elsewhereIt's no surprise that the most expensive World Cup resale tickets are for the final. But the next priciest is a group game between two nations who have never reached that stage.A ticket to the Colombia v Portugal group game in Miami on 27 June is the tournament's second-most expensive seat on the resale marketplace, with a cheapest asking price of $2,254 as of 17 May, according to TicketData.com, an analysis site. Continue reading...

Four crew members are safe after incident involving aircraft during weekend air show at military base in western IdahoFour crew members are safe after two navy jets collided and crashed to the ground on Sunday at an air show at Mountain Home air force base in western Idaho, officials said.The collision involved two US navy EA-18G Growlers from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington, said Cmdr Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, US Pacific Fleet. Continue reading...

Senate parliamentarian ruled a proposal to fund $1bn in security additions for the White House failed to meet procedural rules. Key US politics stories from Sunday 17 May 2026 at a glanceA US Senate official on Saturday removed security funding that could be used for Donald Trump's planned $400m White House ballroom from a massive spending package, Democratic lawmakers said, imperilling Republican efforts to devote taxpayer money to the contentious project.The decision by the Senate's parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, deals a blow to Trump and his administration, which has sought the money for security purposes related to the ballroom. Continue reading...