This week on "Sunday Morning" (Sept. 20)

A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.

Dutch riot police break up violent far-right protest in The Hague

Authorities ban anti-immigration march after fireworks and other projectiles thrown at officers in city centre park

Dutch riot police dispersed several hundred far-right protesters in The Hague on Saturday after violence erupted and local authorities banned a planned march in the city against immigration and asylum policies.

The Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported that 24 people had been arrested, after some protesters threw fireworks and other projectiles at police.

Camilla praises ‘life-enhancing power’ of books amid Earl Spencer memoir controversy

Queen speaks of love of reading at festival for charity she founded after success of her Instagram book club

Queen Camilla has spoken of her love for books with a “life-enhancing power” after a series of allegations were made about King Charles in extracts from Earl Spencer’s memoir about the life of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Camilla was welcomed to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire for the first day of the festival for the Queen’s Reading Room, a charity she founded after the success of her Instagram book club during the pandemic.

Zidane’s next move as France coach may reveal the wizard behind the curtain | Jonathan Wilson

It is apt that the most perplexing football country will now be guided by the most enigmatic of leaders

Even in his playing days, Zinedine Zidane seemed unknowable. As a manager, the sense of distance has only grown. He won three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid without ever giving a sense of what his idea of football looked like.

France are perhaps the most perplexing football country: a squad that teems with such talent that a B team would be serious contenders at a World Cup, that reached three major finals under Didier Deschamps with a sense of unfulfilment, a team that progressed but rarely entranced, or at least didn’t until this summer’s World Cup, when they attacked with gusto and ended up overrun in midfield by Spain.

The new lines of southern Lebanon

The U.N. expanded the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's mandate 20 years ago to include monitoring adherence to a ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah — the militant group created in 1982 to counter a second Israeli invasion.

Trump vows to form "AI Force," says he won't allow slowdown of AI development

In a Truth Social post​, Mr. Trump called fears around artificial intelligence possibly becoming a superintelligence that could pose a threat to human existence a hoax.

Holmberg rescues point for Arsenal but Manchester United off the mark in WSL

Arsenal were mightily relieved as a 95th-minute equaliser from Smilla Holmberg rescued them a point at home to a much-improved Manchester United side, but the draw will not be enough to eradicate concerns about how far behind the leaders Manchester City they are slipping already.

A defiant Manchester United stunned the north Londoners as Eva Olid’s side claimed the first point of her tenure with a performance that defied all of the pre-match scripts, but it was very nearly a victory, had it not been for Holmberg’s last-gasp back-post finish from Leah Williamson’s deep, diagonal ball into the box, which finally broke the visitors’ stubborn resistance.

Coventry delight in Jay Dasilva winner but ruled-out goal riles Nottingham Forest

No, but seriously. Maybe Frank Lampard and Coventry can achieve Premier League survival. The club’s first top-division win since April 2001 was celebrated rapturously, victory an object lesson in unsettling opponents for whom confidence can waver. Jay Dasilva’s excellent goal was built on the foundations laid by a battling defensive performance that must be replicated on a weekly basis. Coventry, dogged throughout, blunted Nottingham Forest’s creativity though could thank a late video assistant referee call that enraged the City Ground crowd.

Lampard declared, with his broadest grin: “I feel great, I feel amazing.” Next, as is his way, back to serious business. “The reality in football is you have to fight for it, you have to work for it, you have to have organisation.”

CNN, MS NOW and Politico staffers barred from White House after Trump ban

President Trump said Friday that three outlets would be banned from the White House, "effective immediately."

California warns of measles exposure in six counties from unvaccinated train passenger

Health authorities work to notify people who were exposed to person who traveled through at least six counties

California public health officials are warning of a possible measles exposure spanning multiple counties after an infected and unvaccinated passenger traveled through the state via Amtrak trains and thruway buses.

The warning comes as the US faces its largest measles resurgence in more than three decades, fueled largely by growing vaccine hesitancy.

Lawsuit says AI giants made illegal deal on technology's slowdown

The lawsuit argues the leading AI companies violated antitrust laws when they agreed to coordinate slowdown efforts.

Manchester United Muslim fans group calls on co-owner Jim Ratcliffe to quit

Supporters’ club says billionaire should stand down after ‘completely unacceptable’ comments on the UK and empire

Manchester United’s Muslim supporters’ Club (MUMSC) has called for the Premier League side’s co-owner to step down after he made “completely unacceptable” comments during a BBC interview.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe described the UK as being a country “on the slide” from the days when it had “the greatest empire in the world”.

De Zerbi rips into Spurs players after Villa defeat: ‘Disappointed, sad and frustrated’

• Tottenham lose 3-2 at home with two late goals

• ‘We can’t lose the game in this way,’ says manager

Roberto De Zerbi tore into his failing Tottenham team after their 3-2 defeat by Aston Villa, saying “we can’t lose the game in this way”. The Italian headed straight down the tunnel at full time, but was once again forced to endure boos as Tottenham went into the three-week international break without a Premier League victory to their name and just two points on the board.

De Zerbi criticised his team’s mentality, but also the physical condition of his players, and said the substitute Mohammed Kudus had disrupted the balance of his team.

Caribbean nations draft action plan to push UK to redress reparations over slavery

Leaders hope UK will agree to targeted discussions around reparatory justice, but could consider legal options if Britain resists

Caribbean nations are drawing up a multi-pronged “action plan” with legal options to push the UK into negotiating a decades-long slavery reparations deal, officials at a reparations conference have said.

Leaders in the region are hoping the UK would agree to targeted and constructive negotiation talks at upcoming Commonwealth and UN summits, but they are ready to take the matter to international courts if Britain continues to resist diplomatic options.

England’s historic winning streak ends after Red Roses draw with Canada

• WXV: England 26-26 Canada

• Canadians end home side’s run of 39 successive wins

Still unbeaten, yes, but for England this was anything but business as usual. The Red Roses remain undefeated in 40 Tests, but, for once, there were no victory speeches afterwards. For the first time since 2022 they have failed to win an international fixture, bringing to an end one of the purest winning sequences in world sport.

A wonderfully committed Canada fully deserved a share of the spoils and, in some ways, were unfortunate not to depart with more. The outcome was still up for grabs deep into the final quarter and England were indebted to two first-half tries from their Exeter wing Claudia Moloney-MacDonald.

Jos Buttler blasts England to world No 1 spot in T20s with Sri Lanka whitewash

A one-handed six from Jos Buttler sealed the deal and a delighted Harry Brook said yes, it absolutely did feel like he was in charge of the new No 1 T20 side in the world.

“Everything is running so smoothy especially in the field,” the captain said after England’s eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka. “Lads are taking it upon themselves to make sure they’re in the right spots, buying into everything we’re talking about in the outfield especially, putting 100% in and that is all you can ever ask for.”

Rory McIlroy gives himself a chance to repeat history at PGA Championship

• Northern Irishman two behind Celli and Elvira

• Unlikely leaders birdie 18th to reach 13 under

Eighteen holes sit between Rory McIlroy and an impressive piece of symmetry. In September 2025, McIlroy claimed a second Irish Open title in euphoric scenes at the K Club. Five months earlier, he had won the Masters.

At Wentworth on Sunday, McIlroy will take off in hot pursuit of a second PGA Championship crown. As was the case last year, he is the reigning Masters champion. Another season that will inevitably be defined by Augusta National could find itself with a cherry on top.

Lindsay Clancy ex-husband says ‘I think I did the best I could’

Patrick Clancy and wife Rachel Danis to speak publicly on 60 Minutes on Sunday about Massachusetts murder trial

Patrick Clancy and his wife Rachel Danis are set to describe their experiences of the Massachusetts triple-murder trial of his former wife Lindsay Clancy, with Clancy telling 60 Minutes: “I live with it every day, but I think I did the best I could.”

The couple will on Sunday night make their first public comments on the case. CBS has been trailing excerpts of the broadcast.

GB take command of Ecuador Davis Cup tie on Arthur Fery’s London return

• Toby Samuel beats Andrés Andrade 4-6, 6-4, 6-1

• Wimbledon semi-finalist wins for 2-0 day one lead

Arthur Fery’s return to competition on home soil for the first time since his glorious summer at Wimbledon took place on a different surface, in a different format and on the opposite side of London. The emotions it generated were all the same as the British No 1 led his team to a 2-0 lead over Ecuador by defeating Álvaro Guillén Meza 7-5, 6-0 in Great Britain’s Davis Cup qualifier tie in the Copper Box Arena.

The victory for Fery, a Wimbledon semi-finalist, was preceded by a solid debut for the British No 5, Toby Samuel, a late injury replacement for Cameron Norrie. Samuel opened the tie by overcoming a nervous start to set the tone with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Ecuador’s No 1, Andrés Andrade.

Brighton demolish champions Arsenal 3-0 to mark anniversary in style

So much for the new Invincibles. Arsenal were brought back down to earth with a shuddering bump by a scintillating display from Brighton as Fabian Hürzeler’s vibrant side celebrated the club’s 125th anniversary in style.

The special edition shirts they wore to mark the occasion will end up being collector’s items after the Premier League champions were ripped apart. Arsenal were attempting to record an eighth successive victory in all competitions to start the new campaign for the first time since 1903 when they were still known as Woolwich Arsenal.

Elderly man allegedly beaten to death in Virginia Walmart by parents of employee

Bert Atienza and teen worker reportedly exchanged words before parents showed up and allegedly attacked shopper

A 77-year-old Walmart shopper died after he was allegedly attacked inside a Virginia store by the parents of a teenage employee he had confronted over a shopping cart incident involving his wife, according to US media reports.

Bert Atienza died from blunt head trauma on 8 June, one day after the attack at the Walmart in Norfolk, Virginia, WTKR reported on Monday. The shocking incident was captured on surveillance video.

UK politics increasingly funded by billionaires as mega-donations surge

Exclusive: A total £179m has been donated by wealthy individuals since 2019, research reveals

British politics is increasingly being funded by individual billionaires with a wave of mega-donations having flooded into UK political parties over the past two parliaments.

A total of £179m has been donated by wealthy individuals since 2019, research reveals.

Thick smoke seen near Riyadh airport after air raid alerts in Saudi capital

Authorities also issued warnings for Jeddah and Yanbu, a major industrial port and home to vital oil facilities

Flames and a large plume of black smoke were seen rising above Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia on Saturday after the government sent air raid alerts to citizens by phone overnight warning of aerial attacks.

Explosions were heard in the capital as firefighters battled to extinguish the flames of a burning fuel tank emblazoned with the logo of the Saudi oil company Aramco near the city’s King Khalid international airport.

George Osborne ‘thought Peter Thiel’s Bayeux tapestry visit would be secret’

British Museum chair tells Big Brue festival he thought no one would find out about the private viewing

George Osborne has said he thought no one would find out about a private viewing of the Bayeux tapestry he organised for the tech billionaire Peter Thiel at the British Museum.

The former chancellor, who is chair of the museum, told the Big Brue festival in Somerset that he had been on holiday when Thiel was shown the medieval artwork.

CNN, MS NOW, Politico reporters denied access to White House following Trump ban

Three reporters were blocked from the White House grounds Saturday morning, a day after President Trump said CNN, Politico, and MS NOW would be banned for reporting "FICTION and LIES."

Was Wrexham’s trailblazing black footballer also the first Indigenous Australian to play overseas?

Mystery surrounds the origin of Peter Baines, the trailblazing black footballer who played for the Welsh club, among others, during the 1940s

Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article may contain the image and name of an Indigenous Australian who has died.

The story has the ingredients of a Hollywood blockbuster, including Marvel star Ryan Reynolds, with a confounding ending more befitting an indie production. Its protagonist is Peter Baines, a trailblazer as a black footballer and the first Indigenous Australian to play football overseas. Or was he?

Jewish heirs of Holocaust victims sue California museum over Nazi-looted art

Pasadena’s Norton Simon Museum holds 16th-century paintings stolen by the Nazis during the second world war

Jewish heirs of Holocaust victims and their representatives have filed two lawsuits in California staking their claims to Nazi-looted paintings that still hang on the walls of prominent museums in Los Angeles and Auschwitz.

This pair of lawsuits are the first to be filed after the recent passage of laws by California and the US Congress, which strengthen US-based claims to artwork that were forcibly taken from Jewish families during the second world war.

Denmark and Greenland say US military agreement will not compromise Arctic territory’s sovereignty

Statement sought to clarify Trump’s announcement that US will have ‘permanent control’ over Greenland’s security

Denmark and Greenland have said any agreement with the US to develop a significant military presence in the strategic Arctic territory will not compromise Greenland’s sovereignty.

In a statement on Saturday clarifying an announcement by Donald Trump that an agreement had been reached to give Washington “permanent control” ⁠over Greenland’s security, Denmark and the semiautonomous territory ⁠expressed hope that a deal would end friction with the US over the issue.

A deadly crash and the perilous history of LA’s news helicopters: ‘The eye in the sky’

An on-air helicopter crash killed journalist Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, shaking LA’s news tradition

The whir of news helicopters flying overhead has long been a familiar soundtrack to life in Los Angeles – and the footage they gather of high-speed chases, wildfires and celebrity sightings a fixture of local television.

For nearly 70 years, Angelenos have gotten their news from “the eye in the sky” – from scenes of OJ Simpson’s fleeing white Bronco, the 1992 LA riots and even Madonna’s wedding to Sean Penn.

How the NYPD is preparing for the U.N. General Assembly

The United Nations General Assembly kicks off next week. President Trump and foreign leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu, are expected to speak. Anna Schecter spoke to the NYPD about security efforts.

Lederhosen, sauerkraut and tapping the first barrel: Oktoberfest 2026 opens – in pictures

Crowds gather as the 191st edition of the world’s biggest beer festival kicks off in Munich, Germany

9/19: Saturday Morning

President Trump bans some journalists from the White House, how Apple broke into retail, plus Tex-Mex barbecue on The Dish.

Scottish Labour’s new leader backs Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gasfields

Michael Marra supports development of the North Sea sites, calling for a ‘more rational’ approach to energy policy

Scottish Labour’s new leader Michael Marra has backed the development of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gasfields in the North Sea in one of his first acts after being elected, calling for a “more rational” approach to energy policy.

On Saturday, the MSP for North East Scotland won a near two-thirds majority to lead the party in Holyrood, becoming Scottish Labour’s 11th leader. He replaces Anas Sarwar after his shock decision to resign in July to join Andy Burnham’s new government as a trade minister.

Trump says he's banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House

CBS News observed two MS NOW employees being turned away from the White House on Saturday morning.

Cuba power grid collapse leaves millions without electricity again

One Cuba resident said there is "no way to know" when power will be restored to the island nation.

Maga wants more babies. But they don’t seem too worried about miscarriages in ICE detention |

Officials lack data on miscarriages after October 2025. Detained women aren’t getting the prenatal healthcare they need

Maga men have babies on the brain. They may not all be interested in changing diapers or hands-on parenting, but they’re very keen on population growth. “[W]e want more babies, to put it very nicely,” Donald Trump said last year.

Trump, who has called himself the “father of IVF” and joked that he will be known as the “fertilization president”, surrounds himself with people who profess a similar fondness for children. Only a few days after being sworn in as vice-president, JD Vance declared he wanted “more babies in the United States of America” and went on to make pronatalist policies a theme of his time in office.

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist

Brazil’s wind farms have been a huge success. So why isn’t everybody reaping the benefits?

While the country’s ambition is to be the ‘Saudi Arabia of green energy’, communities in the north-east are bearing the cost in diminished health and livelihoods

Beneath the power lines cutting across Antonio de Souza’s property in Serra do Mel, in north-east Brazil’s Rio Grande do Norte state, rows of cashew trees once stood – until the clean energy company ordered them to be cut down.

De Souza cannot plant crops in the affected area and the tractor cannot be driven through it in bad weather, as the driver risks an electric shock. Cattle, another source of local income, are forbidden from grazing near the cables.

Hunk – or ‘unc’? What magazine covers of Michael B Jordan and Tom Cruise tell us about manhood

Images of two actors on front of Vogue and GQ land at a time when masculinity is increasingly dominating headlines

Tom Cruise and Michael B Jordan share many similarities as box-office powerhouses known for their death-defying action hero stunts. But this week the two stars went head-to-head, or more accurately chest-to-chest, on magazine stands.

In one corner there’s 64-year-old Cruise on the cover of GQ, his first for the magazine in 20 years. Posing in an unbuttoned shirt, one hand running through his tousled hair, the other gripping his belt buckle, this is Cruise playing the role of sexy Cruise.

Firefighters struggle with staffing shortages amid record wildfire season

Wildfires have burned more than 8.5 million acres of land in the U.S. this year, and at the peak of the season, there weren't enough people or equipment to fight them.

Opinion: Remembering Annie Dillard, nature writer

With her 1974 book, "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek," Annie Dillard became the youngest woman to win the Pulitzer Prize. We take a moment to remember her and her work.

US fashion CEO resigns after physically restraining animal rights activists

Steven Kolb of the Council of Fashion Designers of America was filmed during an altercation at New York fashion week

The chief executive of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Steven Kolb, has resigned after he was filmed physically restraining two animal rights activists during an altercation at New York fashion week.

“After 20 years leading the CFDA, I have made the difficult decision to step down as CEO and president,” Kolb said in a statement. “I am enormously proud of what we have built together and believe this is the right moment for both me and the organisation to begin a new chapter.”

Life in Kabul 5 years after the Taliban's return

Five years after the return of Taliban rule, NPR visited Kabul to see how Afghans are dealing with their new government's strict social restrictions.

Betel nuts are a top mind-affecting substance. Now there's evidence of ancient use

New research on ancient human remains suggests the habitual usage of betel nuts, a plant seed with mind-affecting properties that is popular in parts of Asia despite the health risks it presents.

Don’t be afraid to be masculine, laugh more, and phone your mum: letters to our sons, by Stephen Graham, Riz Ahmed, Danny Dyer and other wise men

The Adolescence actor and the psychologist Orly Klein asked fathers to write to their sons. The results – from famous dads to the wisdom of strangers – were moving and motivating. Here’s a selection

What can I say? From the moment you and your sister were born my heart has been full of a love I never thought was humanly possible. As a baby you were filled with wonder and so much energy. You had a beautiful, mischievous and inquisitive nature, which has always made me smile. You were climbing, running and jumping everywhere. You’d walk into a room wearing shoes that were four times, five times, 10 times too big for you … Sometimes they were ye mother’s.

‘Just cut the wires’: why UK conspiracy theorists are destroying traffic scanners

Sensors that monitor vehicle volume are said to be ‘electronic assault weapons’ by the ‘Blade Runners’ group

At the top of an extendable ladder on a quiet street of Ilfracombe, in Devon, an older woman dressed smartly in cropped trousers, a red rain jacket and matching red socks is chopping at some wires at the top of a set of traffic lights with a small pair of pliers.

A grey-haired man holding a takeaway coffee supports the ladder, while others, filming their activities, give encouragement from behind the camera. “Yeah, that’s how you do it,” says one man. “Just cut the wires.”

Kevin Warsh may be the adult in the room. But can he calm the US economy?

Fed chair presided over unanimous decision to raise interest rates despite intense campaign from White House

In the end, Kevin Warsh’s Federal Reserve acquitted itself well. For all the uncertainty he had sparked at the previous meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, when he refused to provide any indication of what he was prepared to do to tame stubborn inflation, the chair on Wednesday presided over a unanimous decision to raise interest rates for the first time in three years.

“Today’s action starts to show that we’re serious about this,” he said at the press conference after the meeting, with “this” meaning inflation in excess of the Fed’s 2% target for over five years. Welcome though it was, his embrace of economic orthodoxy nonetheless did little to dispel the Keystone Cops quality of governance in Donald Trump’s US.

Unease in ‘newly independent’ Piddington as world media and Danny Tommo descend

As villagers take stock following symbolic vote, some fear far-right weaponisation of asylum dispute and influx of ‘masked people like in Dover’

The first significant event in the newly independent principality of Piddington was a decision to select the newt as the national animal, reflecting optimism that the amphibian’s endangered status might help block plans to open a centre for 1,250 asylum seekers on neighbouring land.

The choice was announced on Thursday morning, the day after Piddington announced that villagers had voted overwhelmingly to leave the UK. Parish councillors were also thinking about asking local children to design a flag and considering whether the new principality’s national sport should be cricket or football.

Trump says U.S. to build a 'large Military presence' in Greenland as part of a security deal with it and Denmark

Greenland has maintained it is not for sale, and the European Union earlier this year united to rebuke Trump over his push to acquire the island.

Trump ally Stephen Miller leads sweeping push to accelerate removal of migrant children

Exclusive: key White House loyalist orchestrating multi-agency effort condemned by critics as cruel and racist

Stephen Miller is leading an unprecedented and intense White House drive across a host of government departments to accelerate the removal of undocumented immigrant children from the US, using tactics that critics say are cruel and racist and, in some cases, flout federal law, the Guardian has learned.

As deputy chief of staff at the White House, focused on immigration policy, Miller is seen as the mastermind and enforcer behind Donald Trump’s hardline anti-immigration agenda.

‘It’s almost impossible not to feel inspired’: how the story of Terry Fox fired up Canada’s patriotic spirit again

Canada’s citizens are finding unity again in the story of the man who ran cross-country on one leg to raise awareness for children’s cancer research

Rob Stickle was six years old and waiting to see The Empire Strikes Back when a ripple passed through the crowd. His mother hoisted him on to her shoulders to see a man loping down one of Toronto’s busiest streets.

“I was a Star Wars fanatic, and I remember saying to mom: ‘He has a robot leg.’”

‘It felt like an eternal moment of silent tranquillity’: Amit Lennon’s best phone picture

On holiday in Greece the photographer came across two elderly people bathed in the beautiful evening light

Amit Lennon describes his approach to portrait photography as “always respectful and collaborative”. Originally from Israel but now living in London, Lennon was holidaying in Greece in 2023 when he took this image of an elderly couple.

“I’d been for a swim in the sea, then ambled through the outskirts of Poros town, looking for a restaurant for dinner that evening,” Lennon says. It was late afternoon when he happened upon the couple. He tried to strike up a conversation, but they only spoke Greek. As Lennon did not, “the interaction became entirely nonverbal”, he says. “I play-acted that I wanted to take their photo and whether that would be OK. I’m not interested in taking a photo without someone noticing. I prefer to make a connection, however fleeting,” he says.

Stephen Ashman on the difficulties facing first-time homebuyers – cartoon

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Archaeologists are racing to save precious artifacts in Alaska after last year's storm

Last year, remnants of a typhoon damaged homes, infrastructure and an archaeological dig site. Now, archaeologists are trying to get as many objects out as possible before the next storm.

Ed Sheeran thought fans didn’t want artists to be politically engaged. He’s finding out how wrong he was | Jason Okundaye

Twenty years ago, even Madonna faced radio blacklisting for being overtly political. But in our age of streaming, there’s less excuse for not speaking out

It must have come as a surprise to Ed Sheeran when all of his support acts withdrew from the remainder of the US leg of his tour. The American rapper Macklemore had triggered the walkout when he gave an impassioned speech calling for a “free Palestine” on stage and was dropped for doing so. The decision by the remaining acts to drop out in solidarity exposed a deep divide in the modern music industry. Some artists still insist on keeping politics out of music, while others expect music to speak to our perilous times.

After he was dropped, Macklemore wrote that Sheeran’s “typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before”, to which Sheeran responded: “I am not complicit” and “those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum”.

Jason Okundaye is an assistant Opinion editor at the Guardian

Do 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.

John Wilson on his unlikely concrete movie: ‘There might be a kind of sickness in shooting things this way’

The creator of How To with John Wilson has returned with his first film, a documentary about how to sell a documentary about concrete

As mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani has frequently demonstrated impressive media savvy, but arguably nothing has proved his genius for in-the-know promo more than a video, released in April, with the documentarian John Wilson.

The spot, in support of the mayor’s plan to reduce the presence of the city’s ubiquitous sidewalk sheds, suggested that either he or someone on his team was a fan of How To With John Wilson, the film-maker’s cult-beloved HBO series that remains a taste signifier for alt-humorous New Yorkers. And for good reason: over three near-perfect seasons, Wilson, armed with his ever-present camera and diffident, memoiristic narration, explored the city’s disintegrating streets with a singular eye for the weird and unintentionally hilarious, turning the most mundane of NYC preoccupations – public restrooms, parking spots, scaffolding – into profound meditations on the glories, indignities and absurdities of modern life.

Ever wonder how the Fed's interest rate actually works? We've got answers

The Federal Reserve just raised interest rates this week for the first time this year. So how does it actually work? And what does it mean for the economy — and the rest of us? Here are some answers.

Jonathan Franzen: ‘It’s still mysterious to me that I was angry for so long’

The author of The Corrections talks about a new TV adaptation, the future of reading and why creating new work is ‘horrible’

When HBO dropped its plan to adapt Jonathan Franzen’s bestselling novel The Corrections in 2012, the author was so relieved he says he performed his first and last cartwheel on the lawn of his home in Santa Cruz, California. There had been an attempted film adaptation before that, but he had been unsurprised by its failure, having warned that it was impossible to condense his densely plotted doorstopper of a novel into a feature-length film. This time, Franzen had signed up as co-writer, with filmmaker Noah Baumbach. He says that HBO was “excluded from the development process. Mistake, because we didn’t know how to do TV.” Franzen himself hadn’t even owned a telly until a few years earlier and certainly didn’t have cable, so as he was wrestling with the script, he began renting box sets. Around three episodes into one drama series, he realised “we have no idea what we’re doing. This is not how you do TV. This is bad,” he recalls. The result, he says, was “one of the worst pilots anyone has ever made”.

Franzen used to think TV was the “enemy” of the serious novelist. In a well-known 1996 essay for Harper’s Magazine about the decline of high literature he had complained bitterly about the “banal ascendancy of television”. But after the HBO series failed, he watched Breaking Bad, Nurse Jackie and Silicon Valley and loved them. In the age of social media, AI and the endless scroll, TV has started to look like a “friend”, he says now. And The Corrections is finally being adapted into an eight-part Netflix series, with Meryl Streep playing Enid Lambert, the matriarch clinging to dreams of hosting a perfect last family Christmas, even as her husband Alfred is in terminal decline with Parkinson’s and dementia and their grownup children’s lives are falling apart in terrible, comical ways. Once Streep announced she was in, Franzen felt the “chances of making this show have gone up above 50%”. He says he’s a month away from finishing the script.

Heat is on Carrick but Wilcox must share blame for Manchester United’s woes

Recruitment is under scrutiny after £155m was spent on three midfielders while other positions were neglected

There was a mix of boos and apathy as Manchester United slumped out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday in their latest depressing act in domestic cup competitions. A solemn Michael Carrick and his players were the target for the jeers. The director of football, Jason Wilcox, looked unamused on his way out of the directors’ box but he and the hierarchy need to accept responsibility for their actions.

This is the natural course of football, where supporters know what is good or bad and give a rapid opinion to those whose wages they deem they pay. Carrick and his charges are the face of the club, the ones put up to speak with journalists and sent to promote the wares of sponsors.

Russia holds parliamentary vote in areas it seized from Ukraine in the war

Russia's parliamentary election for the first time is being held in Ukraine's regions that Moscow illegally annexed after the start of its full-scale invasion more than 4 1/2 years ago.

‘He’s simply astonishing’: will Andrew Scott become the first out gay man to win the best actor Oscar?

The Irishman seems a dead cert for his performance as Ian Charleson in Elsinore. And his ability to avoid being pigeonholed while embracing queer stories, from Pride to All of Us Strangers, is a remarkable achievement

This Sunday, the curtain falls on the Toronto film festival, the last of the three big autumn showcases – alongside Venice and Telluride – that are launchpads for award campaigns. And as the dust settles on the red carpets, one name rises above the others as destined for sure-fire glory: Andrew Scott.

The Irish actor, 50 next month, is now not only considered a lock for a leading actor Oscar nomination but almost certain to take the prize next spring. Should he win, he will become the first out gay actor to do so in the Academy’s almost 100-year history.

Harrods seeks to recover abuse compensation costs from Mohamed Al Fayed’s estate

Exclusive: Survivors say luxury store’s attempt to recoup money is at odds with its public acceptance of responsibility

Harrods is seeking to recover the cost of the compensation paid to hundreds of women allegedly sexually abused by Mohamed Al Fayed from his estate, the Guardian understands.

The luxury department store is seeking full indemnity from the late billionaire’s estate for any settlements it is required to pay, according to evidence seen by the Guardian.

The Guide #261: There is so much good telly this autumn you may never go outside again

In this week’s newsletter: From HBO’s incredible divorce drama War to the hilarious return of The Paper, there’s too much TV to choose from even for a confirmed addict like me

For those of us who like to stay indoors, it has been a bad summer. The World Cup ate up all traditional television scheduling, and the streamers apparently declined to counterprogramme. The Bear came and went before anybody noticed, and House of the Dragon conclusively disappeared up its own bottom.

If you’re anything like me then you clung to the good stuff (basically Disney’s Furious and nothing else) like a life raft, eking out new episodes like someone in a desert sucking condensation off the underside of a tarpaulin. But forget summer. It is now autumn, and television is back. In fact, I can’t remember a time when television has come roaring back with quite the same ferocity as it has this month.

Meditating by the Dnipro: I’m an artist in Ukraine, searching for peace and a life between the missiles | Anna Ivanenko

Sometimes, you can remember what ordinary life was like before Russia’s invasion. Then reality comes screaming back

Sometimes, where I live in Kyiv, I hear people say: “This feels pre-war.” It refers to situations that remind us of what life was like before. You could call it a “sense of normalcy”.

For example, it refers to being able to walk around at night, travel abroad or plan your life at least six months in advance. Simple, everyday things have become a lost luxury.

Tim Dowling: could the new dog’s tricks make her into a star?

Two women I meet on our walk are way more interested in Jean than me – and insist she’ll clean up if we enter her in the local dog show

It’s a Saturday morning and I’m walking the dog on a vast bit of scrubland. The path in front of me is parched and deserted. Up ahead, the dog turns the corner at a patch of brambles, and I hear the excited voices of two women. My immediate reaction is one of alarm; I whistle, but the dog doesn’t reappear. The voices rise.

Only when I turn the corner myself do I see that everything is fine: the dog is dashing from one woman to the other, tail wagging, and the women are both delighted. Meanwhile, their own dogs stand to one side, staring balefully at the ground, leads trailing.

Deep cuts: how one Londoner’s fake vinyl empire sheds light on ‘industrial scale’ fraud

Thousands of knock-off records worth a fortune are being seized in the UK by anti-counterfeit police stings

From 2017 onwards, Rehan Ahmed styled himself as a savvy business owner. But behind the facade of a successful entrepreneur lurked one stark fact: his empire was built on fakery.

On Friday, the man behind the biggest-ever UK case of producing fraudulent vinyl, who sold counterfeit copies of records by some of the world’s biggest artists including Taylor Swift, Coldplay and Kendrick Lamar, was jailed.

As Europe warms, Italy sees West Nile virus spread

Italian health authorities see evidence that rising temperatures and longer warm seasons are helping mosquitoes spread West Nile virus across a wider area, during more months of the year.

‘We’ve been on a good run lately. We’ve not had a row for weeks!’: Coleen and Wayne Rooney on marriage, mistakes and making reality TV

His on-pitch triumphs (and off-pitch scandals), her turn as Wagatha Christie … for years, the football power couple have made headlines, despite efforts to keep their lives private. So why are they now about to reveal all on screen?

“If you’d said to me 10 years ago, ‘You’re going to be doing a TV show about the family’, I would have said, ‘No chance’,” Wayne Rooney says. Few would have disagreed. After all, he and his wife Coleen had spent their adult lifetime running away from the public gaze. And not very successfully, at that.

Wayne, a wonderful footballer with the strength of a bull and agility of an acrobat, was often back-page news. He scored 253 goals for Manchester United (overtaking Bobby Charlton’s record), 53 for England (the record until Harry Kane surpassed him in 2023), is still England’s youngest goal scorer (17 years and 317 days), won five Premier League titles, was twice young player of the year and was voted player of the year by both his peers and football journalists in 2009/10.

From Beabadoobee to 70 Up: the week in rave reviews

The singer-songwriter’s new album sprinkles her 90s alt-fuzz with sweet melodies, while Asif Kapadia wraps up the seminal series. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews

Henry Harris’ recipe for tomatoes, creme fraiche and herbs

Sumptuous, late-summer tomatoes cooked with cream and served on toast? Supper is served in 10 … OK, maybe 15 minutes

Forty years ago, an antiquarian bookseller recommended to me Edouard de Pomiane’s La cuisine en dix minutes, a selection of recipes that could be cooked at home in less than 10 minutes. A scientist and food lover, de Pomiane stripped back what was then viewed as a very complicated craft, and also gave the time-poor an opportunity to cook and enjoy a good meal made from good ingredients. This was the first recipe I cooked from that book, and it is still a great favourite that has punctuated my menus ever since.

Henry Harris is chef/co-owner of Bouchon Racine, London EC1. His book, The Racine Effect, is published by Quadrille at £40. To order a copy for £36, go to guardianbookshop.com

Blind date: ‘We talked about how I don’t like Clapham gays – guess where he lives?’

David (left), 34, a children’s doctor, meets Dec, 31, a culture and sex writer

What were you hoping for?
A sweet-hearted madman who would make me belly laugh.

‘A maelstrom of his own making’: how Ed Sheeran’s tour turned into a full-blown culture war

Moment of reckoning for ‘Mr Nice Guy’ of music, who embraced Macklemore’s political cred only for pro-Palestine rapper to be dropped under pressure from billionaire

Ed Sheeran has long been known as the “Mr Nice Guy” of music. His is an unthreatening kind of pop stardom; he looks and talks like the bloke who might be standing behind you in a pub, rather than someone selling out stadiums. He champions other artists, he celebrates different cultures. His songs are about love, heartbreak and friendship. People get engaged at his concerts.

But this week, one of the most successful musicians in the world faced the biggest controversy of his career, and found himself dragged into exactly the kind of political row he has spent his career avoiding.

From ovations in Venice to death threats in Israel: the extreme responses to NAZA documentary

As Gaza documentary wins cinematic acclaim, its directors face vitriol in Israel amid a febrile election campaign

First there was a moment of stunned silence. Then, in the Sala Grande, the main screening hall of the Venice film festival within the Palazzo del Cinema, the audience stood almost as one and turned to applaud the film-makers for 25 minutes.

The film the audience had watched for 80 harrowing minutes was the Gaza documentary NAZA, which has been produced by the Guardian.

U.S. and Denmark reach deal to build U.S. military presence in Greenland

President Trump says he has a deal with Denmark to bolster the U.S. military presence in Greenland. The announcement comes after months of threatening to take the island by force from the NATO ally.

‘My fear was too great’: the Pussy Riot member recruited by Russian spies to inform on fellow activists

Exclusive: In her first media interview since fleeing Russia, Rita Flores describes her three years of being run by the FSB

First came the blackmail and death threats to secure cooperation, then came a series of tasks, each more sinister than the last: to inform on fellow activists, to elicit personal information from protest-minded artists and – eventually – to help with a plot to kidnap and murder a Kremlin enemy.

That is how Rita Flores, a 29-year-old Russian artist, activist and former member of the Pussy Riot collective, described her recruitment and three-year handling by officers from Russia’s FSB security service, a cooperation she only broke when she fled the country last month.

Jay-Z in 8 review – the rapper’s interminable interview show should have been a podcast

Rick Rubin’s eight-part interview series with the MC is irritatingly unstructured, has portions that feel like filler and would hugely benefit from a different medium – which encourages use of the pause button

Jay-Z in 8 does what it says on the can: the docuseries, released by Mubi, finds influential, mercurial superproducer Rick Rubin interviewing rap titan Jay-Z over the course of eight meandering, freeform episodes. Directed by Rubin himself and shot in black and white, the series is ostensibly designed to give viewers a look inside the brain of a godlike musical figure as he celebrates 30 years in music.

As it makes eminently clear, this is a deeply reflective time for Jay-Z: in any given episode, he is liable to make reference to old collaborators such as Biggie and Jaz-O, reminisce on his upbringing in the Marcy Projects (the public housing units in Brooklyn where he grew up), and speak with astonishment about his rapid rise from crack dealer to generational rapper, often swinging between anecdotes with free-associative ease.

I live in the ‘coolest neighbourhood’ in the world. It’s not as great as you’d think

A wave of tourists and visitors has changed the character of the Seoul neighbourhood I live in and helped create a place that no longer feels like home

In 2021, I was asked by Time Out to nominate a Seoul neighbourhood for its annual list of the world’s coolest. I didn’t think much of it and put forward the one I live in, Jongno 3-ga, in the old centre of the city. Somehow, it got ranked third.

This week, the same area was named the coolest neighbourhood in the world. I should be pleased, but instead, I’m devastated.

Google's Gemini becomes latest AI model to break out and hack computer systems

The disclosure comes as scrutiny over misbehaving artificial intelligence intensifies in Washington and Silicon Valley.

Google says its Gemini AI model hacked three other companies

Disclosure comes after OpenAI and Anthropic hacks amid fears that tech firms unable to control powerful AI models

In a first for Google, the company confirmed that its AI model, Gemini, breached the security of three other companies in May. The hacks occurred during a cybersecurity evaluation by AI-security firm Irregular.

Irregular, an Israel-based startup that scrutinizes the security of advanced AI systems, was also at the center of some of the recent OpenAI and Anthropic hacks of third-party entities, including OpenAI’s breach of AI software company, Hugging Face.

AI security experts say they used Claude to hack ChatGPT

Cybersecurity researchers said they were able to use Anthropic's Claude AI platfom to penetrate ChatGPT in "less than 72 hours."

Nvidia CEO calls for AI to be developed "as fast as we can"

The CEO of the world's largest chipmaker told CBS News that tech companies should proceed with artificial intelligence development despite recent warnings from worried industry leaders that there may be a need to pull back.

Patrick Clancy: "I think I did the best I could"

Asked whether he feels like he failed in some way, Patrick Clancy told 60 Minutes he believes he did the best he could with the information he had at the time.

Holdout juror in Lindsay Clancy trial says he "didn't have any doubts"

Michael Desronvil, the lone holdout juror in the high-profile Lindsay Clancy murder trial, said he "didn't have any doubts" during deliberations.

Steve Hartman reflects on parenting journey as his son leaves for college

Steve Hartman stays home this time around to let us into his parenting journey as his son George leaves the nest for college.

Mountain lion runs wild on streets of San Francisco

A chase for a wild mountain lion terrorizing locals on the streets of San Francisco ended with the feline being caught and carried to safety. Carter Evans has the story.

9/18: CBS Evening News

Trump bans 3 media outlets from White House; Details of power bank fire on plane.

Pentagon releases UFO files with documents on secretive military program

The Pentagon on Friday released a new group of files about unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP or UFOs, including a batch of documents regarding a mysterious military program studying aerospace threats.

Trump signs Russia sanctions bill championed by Graham

The new law lets the president impose tariffs on the largest purchases of Russian oil and natural gas.

AI cloud provider Nscale files to go public

Nscale is the latest artificial intelligence neocloud to turn to public markets.

9/18: The Takeout with Major Garrett

President Trump says he is banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House; Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argues against artificial intelligence slowdown.

Mortgage rates are nearing 7%. One house hunter says he's "despondent."

"It seems like we're trying to climb out of a hole somebody else is digging," said one frustrated house hunter as homeownership costs rise.

Feds plan to transfer hundreds of pre-trial detainees in private prison dispute

The U.S. Marshals Service is preparing to transfer some Georgia detainees to another private facility 200 miles away.

Elon Musk talks up AI safety while fighting regulation in wild week of strange alliances

In the past week, Musk has agreed with the CEOs of Anthropic and OpenAI, while getting contradicted by President Trump and Nvidia's Jensen Huang.

Increased ICE enforcement in 2025 hurt local employment, analysis finds

Employment fell last year in U.S. cities where ICE arrests surged, according to the Brookings Institution.

California Gov. Newsom issues executive order to rein in AI 'before it's too late'

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls have called for a more aggressive approach to addressing AI fears.

Fed staff should have known Silicon Valley Bank was vulnerable, new report finds

Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said a new report indicates the central bank's staff missed signs ahead of Silicon Valley Bank's 2023 failure.

Three words from Kevin Warsh have Wall Street wondering how far the Fed will go with rate hikes

The chairman both explained this week's decision to raise interest rates, and raised vexing questions about what comes next

The week around the world in 20 pictures

Russian strikes in Kyiv, a female militia march in Tehran, protests in Pristina and Alfie Hewett at the US Open – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

SpaceX scores another $950 million from NASA for 3 more crewed flights to ISS

SpaceX is getting an extension to an existing contract that will allow three additional crewed Dragon flights to the International Space Station.

JPMorgan, Citigroup CEOs attending Trump's state dinner for China's Xi: Sources

Dimon and Fraser join OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and others who are reportedly planning to attend the Trump-Xi state dinner.

The best books to read in September: new paperbacks from Margaret Atwood, Kiran Desai and Richard Holmes

Looking for a new reading recommendation? Here are some great new paperbacks, from an epic multigenerational saga by a Booker winner to a biography of an iconic Victorian poet

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