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Nobody has been harder ... about Donald Trump than me,' Maher says after fellow comedian compared his meal with US president to meeting HitlerBill Maher has responded to Larry David's satirical essay in the New York Times that compared Maher's glowing account of having dinner with Donald Trump to dining with Adolf Hitler.Maher, a vocal critic of Trump in the past, had dinner with the US president and a group of his high-profile supporters, including their mutual friend Kid Rock, on 31 March. On an episode of his talkshow Real Time on 11 April, Maher described Trump as gracious" and much more self-aware than he lets on", saying: Everything I've ever not liked about him was - I swear to God - absent, at least on this night with this guy." Continue reading...

Judge William Orrick issues temporary injunction for over a dozen areas, ruling parts of Trump orders unconstitutionalThe Trump administration cannot deny federal funds to cities and counties that have passed laws preventing or limiting cooperation with US immigration officials, a federal judge ruled on Thursday.The US district judge William Orrick issued a temporary injunction sought by San Francisco, Santa Clara county and and more than a dozen other municipalities with sanctuary" policies, and declared that portions of Donald Trump's executive orders were unconstitutional. Continue reading...

US renews push to end Ukraine war, reportedly on terms favourable to Russia - key US politics stories from 24 AprilDuring his election campaign Donald Trump had promised to end the war in 24 hours. But almost 100 days into his second term the US president has appealed directly to Russian president Vladimir Putin, telling him on social media: Vladimir, STOP!"Trump's remarks referred to the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv this year, which killed 12 people and injured at least 90 on Thursday. The attack comes as Trump has made a renewed push to end the Ukraine war, reportedly on terms favourable to Russia. Continue reading...

Defense chief had line set up to bypass official security protocols and use Signal app on personal computer, AP saysPete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, had an unsecured internet connection set up in his Pentagon office so that he could bypass government security protocols and use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told the Associated Press.ABC News also reported that Hegseth had what is known as a dirty line" - what IT professionals call a commercial internet line that is used to connect to websites blocked by the Pentagon's unclassified and classified lines. Defense department computers connect to the internet through two different systems: SiprNet - or secure internet protocol router network, which is the Pentagon's network for classified information - and NiprNet - the non-classified internet protocol router network, which handles unclassified information. Continue reading...

President directs attorney general to investigate supposed foreign contributions, an unsubstantiated rightwing claimThe Republican president is taking aim at a Democratic fundraising platform, issuing a presidential memorandum to crack down on supposed foreign contributions to elections, an unsubstantiated claim from the right..Donald Trump announced the memo on Thursday, directing the attorney general to investigate, and report to the president, concerning allegations regarding the use of online fundraising platforms to make straw' or dummy' contributions and to make foreign contributions to US political candidates and committees, all of which break the law". Continue reading...

Donald Trump, who has seen his approval rating sink, has not ruled out serving a third term - though most spectators consider that highly unlikelyDonald Trump's online store is selling clothing emblazoned Trump 2028", the year of the next US presidential election, in which the Republican is constitutionally banned from running.The 78-year-old, who has seen his approval rating sink in recent opinion polls, has not ruled out serving a third term - though most spectators consider that highly unlikely. Continue reading...

Order seeks to jumpstart mining of US waters as part of push to offset China's control of minerals industryDonald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at boosting the deep-sea mining industry, the latest attempt to boost US production of nickel, copper and other critical minerals used widely across the economy.The broad order avoids a direct confrontation with the UN-backed International Seabed Authority and seeks essentially to jumpstart the mining of US waters as part of a push to offset China's sweeping control of the critical minerals industry. Continue reading...

State's nominal GDP reaches $4.1tn, edging out Japan's $4.02tn, ranking it behind the US, China and GermanyCalifornia's economy has surpassed Japan's, making the Golden state the fourth largest economy in the world, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday.The state's nominal GDP reached $4.1tn, according to data from the International Monetary Fund and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, edging out Japan's $4.02tn nominal GDP. California now ranks behind the US at $29.18tn, China at $18.74tn and Germany at $4.65tn. Continue reading...

Ken Martin says young progressive must choose between vice-chair role and desire to unseat ineffective' incumbentsKen Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, has announced a proposal requiring party officials to remain neutral in primary elections, challenging activist David Hogg to choose between his vice-chair post and his pledge to unseat asleep-at-the-wheel" incumbents.As Democrats scramble to rebuild their tarnished brand after a devastating loss to Donald Trump in 2024, party officials are escalating a confrontation with the 25-year-old progressive activist who was elected to serve as a vice-chair in February. Continue reading...

Donald Trump has claimed that US officials were in talks with Chinese counterparts to resolve their tariff dispute, despite earlier denials from China. Beijing said on Thursday that any claims of trade talks with Washington were baseless'

Efforts stem from an executive order signed by Trump asserting sexual identity of trans members affects readinessThe Trump administration has asked the US supreme court to reinstate its ban on transgender troops serving in the armed forces after several judges issued separate rulings against it.In the latest example of the White House appealing over federal judges' heads to the court's nine justices, the solicitor general, John Sauer, tabled a 39-page brief asking them to stay an injunction issued last month by a district court in Tacoma, Washington, which upheld an earlier ruling preventing the policy being implemented. Continue reading...

Allegation against Rinaldo Nazzaro, founder of the Base, could shed new meaning on group's efforts inside UkraineAlleged former members of an international neo-Nazi terrorist organization are claiming its Russia-based and American leader is a Kremlin spy, according to online records reviewed by the Guardian.The allegation that Rinaldo Nazzaro, a former Pentagon contractor and founder of the Base, listed as a designated terrorist organization all over the world, is an alleged Russian intelligence asset could bring new meaning to his group's latest effort: sabotage and assassination missions inside Ukraine to weaken the government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Continue reading...

Organization claims $2.3m in grants illegally cancelled in retaliation for public criticism of Trump administration

Pope Francis's progressive legacy rests in the hands of cardinal electors who will be juggling competing agendasIn keeping with the humble style of his papacy, Pope Francis did his best to dial down the pomp and ceremony that would mark his passing. In St Peter's Basilica, where he now lies in state, Francis's body rests in an unelaborate coffin and has not been placed on the traditional elevated bier. The tomb in which he will be buried is to be underground and unadorned, carrying only the plain inscription Franciscus", again on hisinstructions.The final grace notes of a remarkable papacy will add to the pathos of Saturday's funeral, which hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to attend. The Argentinian pope's plain, direct style endeared him to millions of non-Catholics as well as to the faithful. But the ecclesiastical politics of what happens next, in a divided church, will be anything but straightforward. Continue reading...

DoJ told over 350 groups that promised funding would be cut because it no longer effectuates' department prioritiesHundreds of millions of federal grant dollars meant to prevent and respond to gun violence, opioid addiction and support victims of violent crimes were cut this week by the Trump administration. The US department of justice emailed more than 350 organizations on Tuesday to tell them that the promised funding was being terminated. According to a termination notice shared with the Guardian, the Department of Justice said the money was rescinded because it no longer effectuates Department priorities".Instead, the department intends to focus on more directly supporting certain law enforcement operations, combatting violent crime, protecting American children, and supporting American victims of trafficking and sexual assault, and better coordinating law enforcement efforts at all levels of government", the notice read. Continue reading...

Family incarceration has been revived after Biden - and Jade, Jason and Gabriela are speaking out about their distressing treatment in TexasWhen Jade and her family first arrived at the detention facility in Karnes county, Texas, she wasn't really sure what to think.I guess I was confused and scared," said the 13-year-old. Her parents were doing their best to reassure her that everything would be OK, but she knew they were in danger of being deported. Continue reading...

Pine Barrens blaze has scorched more than 20 sq miles and forced evacuations, as pollution hits New York City areaA New Jersey teenager is being charged with arson following a fast-moving fire in the Pine Barrens that has grown to more than 20 sq miles and is expected to continue for several more days.Ocean county prosecutors announced on Thursday that Joseph Kling, 19, of Ocean Township has been charged with aggravated arson and arson in connection with the wildfire. The blaze began in Waretown on Tuesday and has continued to spread throughout the southern Ocean county area in New Jersey. Continue reading...

Order directs federal agencies to deprioritize enforcement' of laws where policies have discriminatory effects

Company's forecast does not account for threatened major' tariff that could also be levied on pharmaceutical importsThe US pharmaceutical company Merck has said it expects to pay an extra $200m (150m) in costs this year from tariffs that Donald Trump has already imposed, including his 10% tax on imports from around the world.Merck said the projected costs also included retaliatory tariffs imposed by foreign governments on the US, particularly those related to China. Continue reading...

Col Sheyla Baez Ramirez, Wisconsin training base's first female commander, was suspended after the discoveryThe US army has suspended a Wisconsin training base's first female commander after discovering portraits of Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth had been flipped around to face a wall.The army has posted an undated statement on Fort McCoy's website saying Col Sheyla Baez Ramirez has been suspended as the base's garrison commander. The statement said the suspension isn't related to any misconduct, but provided no other details, saying the matter was under review. Continue reading...

Blaze in Pine Barrens expected to grow before forecast rain as commercial building and some vehicles destroyedA fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey's Pine Barrens has not resulted in any injuries, officials said on Wednesday, though it is expected to grow before forecast rain later this week.The fire in southern New Jersey's Lacey and Ocean townships has grown to more than 20 sq miles (52sq km) and could continue to burn for days, officials said. No one has been injured so far in the blaze, and 5,000 residents were evacuated but have been permitted to return home. A single commercial building and some vehicles were destroyed in the fire, while 12 structures remained threatened on Wednesday evening. Continue reading...

Two recent US cases have found the search giant is functioning as an illegal monopoly. This should be a turning pointIn less than a year, US courts have ruled that the world's most powerful tech company broke the law - twice.In August, a federal judge in Washington ruled that Google illegally maintained its search monopoly by locking up defaults on browsers and devices. In April, a federal judge in Virginia found that Google illegally monopolized the digital advertising market, manipulating auctions, restricting and stifling competitors. These two rulings, the most significant antitrust wins against a tech giant in decades, should be a turning point in the digital economy.Dr Courtney C Radsch is director of the Center for Journalism and Liberty at Open Markets Institute Continue reading...

A crop of conservative personalities such as Brett Cooper and Candace Owens, and outlets like Evie, are convincing young women of a gender-essentialist worldviewOn the most recent episode of her YouTube show, the rightwing commentator Brett Cooper joined the rest of the world in jeering Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez's brief flight to space.These women were completely dependent on men who built this spacecraft," she said with a cheeky smirk. Frankly, we all are, because men built civilization. They built the homes that we live in, they built the studio that I am recording in ... the spaceships that all of these rich celebrities are flying around in." The difference between Cooper and feminists, she says, is I choose to acknowledge that and celebrate it and be grateful". Continue reading...

The United States Postal Service is now facing off with Trump and Elon Musk's Doge over privatizationUS postal workers - and many who depend on them - may have sighed in relief when the Trump-appointed postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, resigned last month. Now, postal workers and others fear the worst is to come.Many feared DeJoy, a prolific Trump donor and trucking logistics executive who pushed a 10-year consolidation plan at the agency, would be the man who would finally dismantle the United States Postal Service (USPS). Now the service is facing off with an empowered Trump and Elon Musk, his billionaire backer and chainsaw-wielding leader of his government job-cutting department of government efficiency" (Doge). Continue reading...

The Manchester City star is reported to be on his way to the United States at age 34, raising a tired trope once againKevin De Bruyne can't run any more. Or not like he used to anyway.That seems to be the verdict of his Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, who obliquely cited an absence of physicality" in his explanation for leaving De Bruyne out of the lineup against Real Madrid in February. Continue reading...

For half a century, the GOP has embraced tax cuts for the rich. But as Americans turn against the idea, the party is dividedI am a gay woman who is moderately pro-choice - I know that there are some people in this room who don't believe that my marriage should have been legal," the rightwing impresario Bari Weiss told a Federalist Society gathering in 2023. And that's OK. Because we're all Americans who want lower taxes."The assembled conservatives guffawed at hearing the quiet part out loud: in this case, the admission that tax cuts for the rich have been the glue holding the US conservative movement together. Continue reading...

Where is the draft held? Who will go No 1 overall? How can I watch it live? Answering your NFL questions

Our writers take a look at the best prospects coming out of college, and which teams needs to nail their picks over the coming daysTravis Hunter, CB/WR. Any team picking No 1 overall needs a quarterback. And Cam Ward is the top quarterback prospect in the class. But the No 1 pick should be Hunter, the electrifying hybrid corner/receiver. Whether he can play both ways in the league is an open question, but wherever he lines up, Hunter will be a gamechanger at a premium position. OC Continue reading...

After the apparent defanging of the once critical talkshow host, can the president get more stars onside? Some nuts will be tougher to crack than othersIf President Trump invited you to the White House, would you go? This is the question US hacks and other media personalities have been asking themselves since the inauguration, an American version of that self-flattering British perennial: when Buckingham Palace calls, will you be buying a fascinator to accept the OBE? In both cases, no matter how pluckily anti-establishment an individual may have been to that point, the answer is often a resounding: you bet!First, the rationalisations. In the US context, respect for the office of the president", for which there is no British equivalent that doesn't prompt sniggering, is taken seriously enough that if the president calls, you don't turn him down. There's the standard argument in favour of engagement over boycott as a more constructive path to account-holding. And there is, for hacks, the perfectly reasonable rationale of pursuing the story. Of course, you're going to say yes if Trump calls. How could you not?Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Allegations come days after Japanese authorities increased efforts to deter crimes by US servicemen on islandTwo US marines based on the Japanese island of Okinawa are being investigated for alleged rape, days after local authorities stepped up efforts to deter sexual and other crimes by US service personnel.A marine in his 20s is suspected of raping a Japanese woman in a bathroom at a US military base last month, while a second man, also a marine in his 20s, allegedly raped a woman at a base in January, according to media reports. Continue reading...

Donald Trump signs orders that attack funding and accreditation as his administration pushes to reshape colleges - key US politics stories from 23 AprilDonald Trump has signed executive orders targeting US universities as his administration seeks to reshape higher education institutions and crack down on diversity and inclusion efforts.The actions address foreign gifts to universities as well as college accreditation, which the president has referred to as his secret weapon" to upend US universities. Continue reading...

Executive orders crack down on DEI at US universities but seek to increase affordability and retention at Black colleges. This blog is now closed.Nato secretary general Mark Rutte will visit the US and meet the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, according to a media notice shared by the military alliance's press office.Rutte will visit the US on 24 and 25 April. Continue reading...

Moises Sandoval Mendoza receives lethal injection in Huntsville for death of 20-year-old Rachelle O'Neil TollesonA Texas man convicted of fatally strangling and stabbing a young mother more than 20 years ago was executed on Wednesday evening.Moises Sandoval Mendoza received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville and was pronounced dead at 6.40pm, authorities said. He was condemned for the March 2004 killing of 20-year-old Rachelle O'Neil Tolleson. Continue reading...

Actions attack funding and accreditation but also seek to increase affordability and retention at Black collegesDonald Trump signed executive orders on Wednesday targeting universities as his administration seeks to reshape higher-education institutions and continues to crack down on diversity and inclusion efforts.The actions address foreign gifts to universities, directing the federal government to enforce laws on the books" related to the disclosure of large donations, and college accreditation, which the president has referred to as his secret weapon" to upend US universities. While reading the orders to Trump, the White House staff secretary Will Scharf said that the third-party groups that accredit universities have relied on woke ideology" rather than merit. Continue reading...

Lawsuit rebukes claim that president can arbitrarily impose tariffs based on act intended for emergenciesA dozen states sued the Trump administration in the US court of international trade in New York on Wednesday to stop its tariff policy, saying it is unlawful and has brought chaos to the American economy.The lawsuit said the policy put in place by Donald Trump has been subject to his whims rather than the sound exercise of lawful authority". Continue reading...

Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has past convictions for supporting terrorism, attended fundraiser at Trump's resortIsrael's far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was set to address a meeting at Yale University, a day after being honored at a lavish dinner at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.Ben-Gvir, who has past convictions for supporting terrorism and was considered persona non grata under the Biden administration, attended a fundraising event at the Florida resort on Tuesday, where he told attendees about harsh new measures implemented against Palestinian prisoners. Continue reading...

Students traumatized by Parkland and Florida university shootings urge lawmakers not to roll back restrictionsFlorida students who were traumatized by the 2018 Parkland school shooting - and last week's deadly shooting at Florida State University - are urging lawmakers in the Republican-controlled statehouse not to roll back gun restrictions they passed in the wake of the killing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school.Gun rights activists have been fighting to unravel the 2018 law since it was passed, including a provision that raised the state's minimum age to buy a gun to 21. Governor Ron DeSantis and some Republican lawmakers have argued that if an 18-year-old Floridian can serve in the military, they should be able to purchase a firearm. Continue reading...

A fast-moving wildfire has forced thousands of people in New Jersey to temporarily leave their homes, closed a stretch of main road and reached a shuttered nuclear power plant Continue reading...

Washington, like Moscow, prefers bilateral talks to a wider diplomatic process. Kyiv and other European governments are rightly alarmedThere could hardly be clearer evidence than DonaldTrump's latest attack on VolodymyrZelenskyy, and the US administration's last-minute snub of London peace talks, that what matters to him is not Ukrainian sovereignty and safety, nor the transatlanticalliance, but a deal with VladimirPutin. The US president says an agreement is close, with leakssuggesting that Washington would recognise annexed Crimea asRussian with Moscow giving little if anything in return. For Mr Trump, it is Ukraine's president who is harming negotiations by saying he will not recognise Russia's control.Mr Putin is passionate about maximising Russian interests, attentive to every detail, skilled in negotiations, and believes that time is on his side. MrTrump does not care about the outcome as long as he can claim he has ended the war, has little interest in thedetail and has a habit of handing over the prize at the start of the process. Continue reading...

Palestinian green-card holder was arrested by US immigration authorities in Vermont on 14 AprilMohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian green-card holder and student at Columbia University who was detained by the Trump administration on 14 April, will have a hearing next week on his request for release on bail, a federal judge decided on Wednesday.Judge Geoffrey W Crawford extended a temporary restraining order issued by a separate judge last week to keep Mahdawi in Vermont. Immigration authorities have sent other foreign students arrested for their pro-Palestinian views to detention centers in Louisiana and Texas, jurisdictions typically overseen by more conservative judges. Continue reading...

The US vice-president, JD Vance, has said it is time for Moscow and Kyiv 'to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process' of talks to stop the fighting in Ukraine. He also suggested some territorial swaps' would be needed to freeze the conflict along roughly its current lines

Airplane manufacturer says it is lobbying Donald Trump over unfortunate' decision to impose tariffsBoeing will try to divert as many as 50 planes ordered by Chinese airlines to customers elsewhere after steep tariffs prompted by Donald Trump's trade war.The US manufacturer said it was confident it could find other buyers for the planes, but said it was lobbying Trump personally to resolve an unfortunate situation". Continue reading...

Whitney Plantation has two grants for Black history and culture terminated in furtherance of president's agenda'The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS ) has terminated two grants for Black history and culture that were awarded to the Whitney Plantation, a former plantation in Louisiana that focuses on the truths of slavery and the experiences of people who were enslaved. IMLS provides resources and support to libraries, archives and museums in all 50 states and territories.The termination comes as the Trump administration has both gutted federal funding aimed at arts and cultural institutions and has pushed to end state and federal initiatives in support of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Recently, federal webpages that included references to thousands of figures, including Harriet Tubman, Indigenous codetalkers, the US army Maj Gen Charles Calvin Rogers, were either removed outright or scrubbed to exclude references to the aforementioned people. After public outcry, some of these pages were restored. Continue reading...

Illinois senator, 80, plans to leave office in 2027 at end of term, so voters will elect his replacement in midterms

Abolitionists' have migrated out of the fringes and moved toward the center of movement alongside Republicans' penchant for punishmentSo far this year, lawmakers in at least 12 states have introduced legislation that would treat fetuses as people and leave women who have abortions vulnerable to being charged with homicide - a charge that, in several of these states, carries the death penalty.Once seen as politically toxic, this kind of legislation has become more popular in the years since Roe v Wade fell, erasing the national right to abortion. This likely comes as no surprise to Mary Ziegler, a professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law and one of the foremost commentators on the US abortion wars. The anti-abortion movement, she writes in her new book Personhood: The New Civil War Over Reproduction, has really always been a fetal-personhood movement" - one that is so emboldened, it is increasingly unconcerned with public opinion or even democratic norms. Continue reading...

Florida State punter Alex Mastromanno leads the latest crop of Australian prospects hoping to join the highest levels of American footballA mulleted former Collingwood VFL player with the ability to kick with both feet heads a crop of Australians seeking to prove themselves at the highest levels of American football, as the sport's spotlight shines on Green Bay for this week's NFL draft.An upcoming NFL regular season match in Melbourne - for which 90,000 people have already registered an interest - and the rise of former rugby league junior and now Super Bowl winner Jordan Mailata underline the growing reputation of the American code in Australia. But the momentum of the NFL in the homeland of AFL has not been universally welcomed, with some Americans dismayed by the dominance of mature punting imports within the college ranks. Continue reading...

Josh Shapiro described shattered glass, melted furniture and burnt prayer books after arson at family homePennsylvania's governor, Josh Shapiro, has for the first time revealed details of the April arson attack against his residence, describing shattered windows, melted furniture and artwork disintegrated into walls" after an intruder firebombed his family home following their Passover celebration.Windows were smashed in, and there was glass everywhere. Some tables were turned over, and others had just melted away," Shapiro wrote in an essay in the New York Times on Wednesday. The devastation was shocking, and to me, it did not appear to be an accident. The damage was too extreme. It looked like a bomb had gone off in the middle of our home." Continue reading...