Midterm primaries 2026 live: results and reaction as six states including California and Iowa cast ballots

All the latest results and updates as New Jersey, South Dakota, New Mexico and Montana also vote in primaries

• California elections: governor, LA mayor and Congress at stake

• Iowa: Democrat Josh Turek to face Trump-backed Ashley Hinson in bid to flip red Senate seat

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Voters in Maine won’t head to the polls until next week, but the state’s primary election has been shaken up by recent news about Senate hopeful Graham Platner.

According to information his wife shared with his campaign last year, Platner exchanged sexually explicit texts with other women during his marriage, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported, and which the Guardian has confirmed.

Graham Platner met on Tuesday with Democratic leaders in Washington DC as the embattled Maine Senate candidate contends with yet another revelation threatening his campaign, which is at the center of his party’s hopes of regaining control of Congress.

Platner did not respond to questions from reporters and quickly entered a waiting car as he exited the meeting, which stretched for more than an hour and a half at the headquarters of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). A spokesperson for the DSCC did not respond to a request for comment.

‘They beat me until I lost consciousness’: growing reports of brutal arrests, torture and deaths in Iran’s prisons

Testimonies from political prisoners and journalists arrested in crackdowns since the war have started to emerge as regime’s internet blackout lifts

Iranian writer Hamid Asefi wasn’t home on the afternoon of 5 March when armed intelligence agents stormed his Tehran apartment, breaking down the door with a sledgehammer and axe. After going unit to unit looking for him, they finally encountered him as he returned to the building.

One of the agents “drew his handgun, shouted at me to stop, and before I had time to respond, struck me forcefully on the back of the neck and spine with the butt of his weapon, dragging me into the apartment,” Asefi told the Guardian in a written interview.

Suspect barricaded with hostages in Southern California bank, officials say

Bakersfield police said the suspect had agreed to release two of the hostages.

Josh Turek wins Iowa Democratic Senate primary that could shape Democrats' path to Senate majority

Iowa's Senate primary between state Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls could be critical as Democrats look to take back power in Congress.

Country diary: My family has lived near here for 300 years – no wonder it feels like home | Andrea Meanwell

Tebay, Cumbria: Some of my ancestors were fell pony hauliers and our farmhouse used to be a coaching inn. Might they have called in for a drink?

There is always some waiting around at lambing and calving time, so I like to have a project ongoing. Some years I have written books; this year I’m researching my family tree, in particular whether any of my ancestors may have visited Low Borrowdale farm when it was a coaching inn in the 18th century. I knew they had been involved in fell pony haulage around the north of England, but could they have called in here for a drink?

I’m mainly investigating the Binks family – my maiden name. Almost within living memory, there is my grandad’s grandad, George Binks, a fell pony haulier who lived in Great Asby from 1862 to 1934. My grandad told me which house he lived in, eight miles from our farm. Two more generations of George Binkses take us to 1785, when one was born in Middleton-in-Teesdale and died in 1840 at Kirkby Stephen, 11 miles away.

Microsoft unveils new AI models to lessen reliance on OpenAI and lower costs for developers

At its Build developer conference, Microsoft announced a series of generative AI models to try and crack a market controlled by OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.

Why one of the cities most dependent on the Colorado River now has water for sale

Once one of the most dependent on the Colorado River, San Diego now may have water to sell to states that are seeing their supplies from the shrinking river cut.

The EU should fast-track Ukraine’s membership of the club – it has the most to gain | Mujtaba Rahman

Many EU governments oppose it, but the strategic advantages of swift admission could be immense

Russia’s war on Ukraine is now in its fifth year and a ceasefire remains elusive. The US’s attention is divided, limiting external pressure for compromise, while Moscow and Kyiv both still believe they can strengthen their respective negotiating positions through battlefield gains.

At some point, however, a deal will have to be done. The parameters of that deal are already understood by negotiators on all sides. Russia will give up on its original war aims and Ukraine will make de-facto territorial concessions. The US will provide Kyiv with security guarantees to deter future Russian aggression and the EU will provide Ukraine with a membership path as well as help with the country’s postwar reconstruction.

Mujtaba Rahman is the managing director for Europe at Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm

‘You can be made a laughing stock to millions’: can gen Z escape the fear of being cringe?

With the constant risk of being recorded, many young people are afraid of showing enthusiasm – let alone doing something so potentially embarrassing as dancing in public. Is there a way to set themselves free?

In a video posted to TikTok, where Katie Whitney has 2.5 million followers, she says to camera, bluntly: “This video is for Cynthia Erivo. If you’re not Cynthia Erivo … you can keep on scrolling.” Her demeanour then shifts, her voice becomes softer; more the way a person might talk to their puppy: “Hi Cynthia. Hi baby. Hey baby. How are you?” It’s toe-curling – or, in modern parlance, cringe – to watch. “I feel traumatised,” says one commenter. Others post photos of a stunned-looking Erivo and imagine: “What if the Wicked star were to actually watch this video?” Cringe!

Now 25, but having started making this kind of content – “weird skits” – at 20, Whitney is part of what is known online as CringeTok, a subsection of the internet that deals in content designed to make your toes curl. It’s in many ways a reaction to a fear of being “cringe”, which is seeping into all parts of life – from social media to classrooms to the workplace.

Clarkson’s Farm review – you might as well call him Jeremy Kardashian

From his multi-million pound beer brand to souvenir emporium flogging cufflinks, there’s such a cult of personality around the bumbling berk now that he’s basically morphing into Kim, Khloé et al. Stick to the farming, Jeremy!

By now, five series in, the fatal flaw at the heart of Clarkson’s Farm has become unignorable. Ultimately, this is meant to be a show about failure; about an oafish man who wades in to an industry he knows little about and mucks everything up.

Except, well, it isn’t that any more, is it? Because in real life, Clarkson’s Farm has become so successful that Clarkson has now essentially colonised the entire Cotswolds in his image. His Farmer’s Dog pub is now such an attraction that it recently had to turn a nearby field into a 360-space car park – the same as a large supermarket – to cope with demand. His Diddly Squat farm shop is a souvenir emporium, catering to anyone who wants to buy branded hats and cufflinks, or to own a jar of honey with Clarkson’s face on it. And this isn’t even mentioning his Hawkstone beer brand, which reported sales of £21.3m in the year to March 2025 and has a stated goal of putting Peroni “out of business”.

Clarkson’s Farm is on Prime Video

CBS News fires longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley

CBS News has fired longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent and former "CBS Evening News" anchor Scott Pelley one day after he had a tense and confrontational exchange with new "60 Minutes" executive producer Nick Bilton.

Iowa voters pick their nominees for competitive general elections

Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek will face Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in the Senate race. For governor, Democrat state Auditor Rob Sand and Republican businessman Zach Lahn move on to November.

DOJ says it has superseding indictment against Southern Poverty Law Center

The superseding indictment does not contain any new charges or name new defendants from the original version, which was returned in April.

Sydney academic used AI to write SMH opinion piece urging students to avoid using tech to ‘cut corners’

Sydney Morning Herald removes piece by Cath Ellis, despite Western Sydney University saying her use of AI was ‘appropriate’

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A top Sydney academic used AI to write an opinion piece that urged students to “do the work” and not cut corners by using such technology, with the Sydney Morning Herald removing the “unacceptable” piece from its website.

Western Sydney University’s pro vice-chancellor for quality and integrity, Prof Cath Ellis, had an opinion piece published in the Sydney Morning Herald last month, in response to an article from the academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert.

‘Jilly, I had no choice’: Jill Biden recalls pressure Joe Biden faced to drop out of 2024 race

Former first lady speaks about Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race at event for her new memoir

Jill Biden recalled the immense pressure that Joe Biden faced in the aftermath of his disastrous 2024 debate performance, saying he told her “Jilly, I had no choice,” following his decision to drop out of the presidential race.

The former first lady made the comments during a Tuesday book event coinciding with the release of her new memoir, View from the East Wing. The event was held at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, and moderated by comedian and co-host of The View, Whoopi Goldberg. Former president Biden was in attendance at the event and received two standing ovations from the crowd.

Chip, chip ... boom? South Korea tech makers join the trillion-dollar club but some fear a short-circuit looms

South Korea’s Kospi stock market has hit record highs thanks to AI, but experts urge caution over boom-bust cycles and a heavy reliance on two chipmakers

South Korea has leapfrogged India to become the world’s sixth largest share market, leaving equity markets in the UK, Germany and France trailing in its dust. But despite the runaway success, some are raising concerns that the Kospi index is too dependent on two freshly minted trillion-dollar chipmaking companies.

Chip company SK Hynix last week claimed a seat in Asia’s trillion-dollar company club, alongside South Korean compatriot Samsung Electronics and Taiwan’s TSMC. Explosive demand for chips used in AI has propelled the trio past the valuation threshold.

Supreme Court allows Alabama to use congressional map that dilutes Black vote

The ruling is a victory for Republicans, who have sought to retain their slim majority in the House of Representatives by redistricting in various states.

Supreme court approves Alabama map that erases majority-Black district

Court decision that represents win for Republicans comes after lengthy battle over state’s congressional map

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Alabama can use a redrawn congressional map that eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black districts in this year’s midterm elections, the US supreme court ruled in a 6-3 decision on Tuesday, another major blow to Black voters and a win for Republicans.

The court’s emergency ruling is the most consequential decision it had issued since its landmark ruling in late April that struck down a critical provision of the Voting Rights Act. In that case, Louisiana v Callais, the court’s majority made it nearly impossible to win Voting Rights Act claims, saying that plaintiffs had to prove intentional discrimination. But on 26 May, a three-judge panel said the map Alabama wants to use for this year’s midterm was enacted with discriminatory intent.

Spiced pumpkin and tamarind eggplant: cosy Bengali recipes from Kishwar Chowdhury

Melbourne MasterChef alumn and author shares two vegetable-focused, winter-friendly Bengali recipes: one with bhaja, another with begun

(Pictured above)

60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley fired by CBS News after clash

Move comes after meeting in which Pelley said network chief Bari Weiss was ‘murdering’ news show

Scott Pelley, one of the most well-known and respected journalists in broadcast journalism, has been fired by CBS News after clashing with network brass over last week’s severe round of cuts at 60 Minutes, the show he has worked on since 2004, the Guardian confirmed.

While changes were long expected at 60 Minutes, CBS News management shocked staffers last week by firing the network’s executive producer, executive editor and two correspondents, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, without giving a specific reason for their terminations.

Supreme Court reinstates Republican-favored Alabama congressional districts

The ruling means that Alabama's 2026 midterm elections will feature six Republican-leaning districts and one Democratic-leaning one.

US and Iran launch fresh strikes amid stalled ceasefire talks

US military says it struck tanker and sites on Iran’s Qeshm Island and defended Kuwait and Bahrain from missile attacks

The US and Iran have exchanged fresh missiles and drone strikes, further jeopardising efforts by Washington to secure a new ceasefire agreement with Tehran.

US forces fired a Hellfire missile to disable a tanker attempting to break through the American blockade of the strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, and later said they repelled Iranian reprisal attacks in the region and attacked sites on Iran’s Qeshm Island.

Peabo Bryson, R&B singer behind classic Disney duets, dies aged 75

Two-time Grammy winner was best known for songs from Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin

Peabo Bryson, the R&B singer best known as the voice behind the Oscar-winning Disney film duets Beauty and the Beast with Celine Dion, and A Whole New World with Regina Belle from Aladdin, has died. He was 75.

His family said in a statement that Bryson, who won two Grammy awards, died Tuesday, days after having a stroke.

6/2: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Primary battles are underway in six states; acting AG Todd Blanche testifies before the House Appropriations Committee.

Peabo Bryson, singer known for Disney movie hits, dies at 75

Peabo Bryson, a two-time Grammy-winning singer and songwriter known for Disney movie hits "Beauty and the Beast" and "A Whole New World," has died at age 75.

Lynette Hooker's Bahamas disappearance being investigated as possible murder

According to an official familiar with the investigation, new digital forensic evidence appears to undercut Brian Hooker's account of his wife's disappearance, although they did not specify how.

Army specialist surprises brother at his graduation ceremony: "It was a blessing"

A high school graduation and an Army specialist's reunion happened on the same day in Milwaukee. Tony Dokoupil has the story.

Labor must be clear about its purpose - or risk losing voters to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation | Tony Barry

Australians’ pessimism about the future is fuelling support for One Nation

For those Australians thinking of voting One Nation, Pauline Hanson is their wrecking ball and truth teller.

One of the big conversation points among the political and media class is whether One Nation’s primary vote will run up against some form of a ceiling.

Search for Michigan woman in Bahamas is "potential murder investigation," official says

The search for the missing Michigan woman in the Bahamas is a "potential murder investigation," a U.S. official told CBS News. Coast Guard divers recently began searching for Lynette Hooker in new areas. Cristian Benavides is following the case and has exclusive video of the search.

Meteor lights up southern Michigan as it burns through Earth's atmosphere

Days after a meteor exploded over New England, another fireball was spotted, visible in the Midwest to the Northeast. Rob Marciano has more.

Trump names controversial housing official Bill Pulte as acting intel chief

President Trump on Tuesday announced he's tapping housing official Bill Pulte to serve as the acting director of national intelligence to replace Tulsi Gabbard.

Russian airstrikes hit Ukraine's capital Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told people last week to take cover ahead of what his government feared would be a massive Russian attack, which came on Tuesday. Swarms of missiles and drones killed more than 20 people and wounded over 100. Aidan Stretch reports from hard-hit capital Kyiv.

Trump's appointment of housing chief as intelligence director raises eyebrows from both parties

President Trump appointed a new intelligence chief. Bill Pulte will serve as acting Director of National Intelligence, overseeing a major wartime role. But the appointment has raised questions from both parties. Ed O'Keefe has the details.

Previewing California's "jungle primary"

Voters cast their ballots in six states on Tuesday, including Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota and New Mexico, but California is the marquee contest with voters weighing in on races for governor and LA mayor. Matt Gutman has more.

Louisville officer may be fired after killing unarmed suspect

Warning: Graphic video. A Louisville police officer faced discipline on Tuesday after body camera footage showed him shooting and killing a suspect who was naked and unarmed on Saturday. Jericka Duncan has more details.

Active hostage situation and bomb threat at California Chase Bank

Police say a man with a bomb allegedly strapped to his chest took at least one hostage in a California Chase Bank on Tuesday. Carter Evans reports.

The main reason some young college grads are struggling to find work

Economists at the New York Federal Reserve say they've identified the main reason some recent college grads are having trouble landing a job.

Netherlands World Cup 2026 team guide

The Oranje had high hopes but a spate of injuries has tempered expectations

This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.

Puffins, dolphins and bumblebees in running to feature on new UK banknotes

Bank of England says updated imagery will celebrate native wildlife while bolstering anti-counterfeit features

Puffins, dolphins and bumblebees are among the wildlife that could feature on new banknotes in the UK as the Bank of England announces its shortlist.

There has been controversy over the decision, with figures including Nigel Farage criticising the Bank for, he claimed, wanting to replace Winston Churchill with a beaver. The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said it was “a silly thing to do”, and Reform UK’s Farage called it “absolutely crackers”. In the end, no beaver appeared on the shortlist. Mammal options include bottlenose dolphins and red foxes.

Trump still protected from tax enforcement, but anti-weaponization fund is dead, Blanche says

The DOJ's $1.8 billion fund faced strong criticism because it could have compensated people convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol Riot.

Dismay as Trump officials to dismantle key ocean monitoring system

Ocean Observatories Initiative, $368m network that has provided crucial climate data, latest victim of Trump cuts

The Trump administration plans to dismantle a $368m deep-sea observation system that has for more than a decade provided crucial data on ocean systems and climate change.

In a notice, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that it had “initiated descoping of the Ocean Observatories Initiative” (OOI), a vast ocean observation network comprising more than 900 instruments that collect data on ocean health, including current patterns, climate variability and marine biodiversity.

Weight-loss drugs may prevent thousands of knee replacements, study suggests

Patients with knee arthritis who took medications for at least three years at reduced risk of needing surgery

Taking weight-loss drugs for at least three years could prevent thousands of knee replacements a year, research suggests.

Globally, more than 500 million people have osteoarthritis. Knee arthritis is the most common form, affecting about 14 million people in the US and more than 5 million in the UK. Many will require knee surgery. In the UK more than 120,000 knee replacements are carried out every year.

6/2: CBS Evening News

Hostage situation, bomb threat reported at California Chase Bank; President Trump names controversial new acting director of national intelligence.

Manchester United tie up £35m deal to make Éderson first signing of Carrick reign

• Personal terms agreed on contract until 2030

• Tchouaméni and Wharton among other targets

Manchester United have reached an agreement with Atalanta to sign Éderson for an initial €40.5m (£35m), with the midfielder set to be the first signing of Michael Carrick’s tenure as the permanent manager.

As reported in April, the 26-year-old was identified by Carrick and Jason Wilcox, the director of football, as a replacement for Casemiro, who has now left the club after the expiry of his contract.

Video shows massive drug-smuggling tunnel connecting U.S. and Mexico

Four people were arrested and charged with trafficking more than $45 million in cocaine through the 2,000-foot-long tunnel complete with reinforced walls, ventilation and a rail system.

Cassidy: Pulte not 'competent' for intelligence director role

Intelligence community veterans have warned that Pulte is ill-prepared for the job and could target Trump's foes in the role.

After woman's murder, detectives learn killer was "only half the story"

After Alyssa Burkett was murdered in broad daylight in Carrollton, Texas, Andrew Beard, the father of her child, became a suspect. Investigators would eventually discover a twisted murder plot they say was orchestrated by his fiancée, Holly Elkins.

Gas prices likely to remain high for months, energy experts say

"It will be a very long, multi-month to multi-year process for things to fully normalize," GasBuddy's Patrick De Haan said.

Pulte appointment as spy chief would give a Trump attack dog access to the 'crown jewels' of intelligence

In his role atop the housing finance agency, Bill Pulte has used his access to mortgage records to refer some top Trump opponents for prosecution.

Zverev dismisses teenager Jódar as elusive grand slam title inches closer

• World No 2 wins quarter-final 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-3

• Zverev will face Jakub Mensik in last four

For at least a few fleeting moments, it appeared that something significant might be unfolding on Tuesday beneath the Court Philippe-Chatrier roof. Rafael Jódar had started his first grand slam quarter-final desperate to make his mark and he spent the first 40 minutes eviscerating the ball off both sides, lasering groundstrokes that seemingly struck every line. He built a 5-2 lead over Alexander Zverev, a game away from starting with a statement in the biggest match of his career.

Normalcy resumed quickly. Jódar’s attempts to serve out the set ended in a break to love for the second seed, who quickly took control and refused to relinquish his position until the end of the match.

Liverpool agree deal in principle with Andoni Iraola for two-year contract

• Negotiations with Spaniard have progressed quickly

• Assistants Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper to join too

Andoni Iraola is close to being confirmed as Liverpool’s new head coach after agreeing a deal in principle to succeed Arne Slot.

Iraola has been in talks with Liverpool’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, over replacing Slot after the Dutchman was sacked on Saturday. As expected, negotiations have progressed quickly and the Spaniard is set to sign a two-year contract at Anfield.

Capsey and Knight’s mighty partnership guides England to T20 series win over India

• England 184-4, bt India 180-5, by six wickets

• Victory perfectly timed before World Cup opener

England pulled off a statement run chase against India on Tuesday evening at Taunton, reaching their target of 181 with nine balls to spare thanks to a brilliant 137-run partnership from 76 balls between Alice Capsey and Heather Knight.

This was England’s highest successful T20 international run-chase in eight years and it could not have been more perfectly timed, providing the perfect confidence boost 10 days out from their World Cup opener against Sri Lanka on 12 June.

Lewis Koumas snatches Wales draw to ruin Ghana’s World Cup sendoff

For Antoine Semenyo, it was not so much a case of wrapped up in cotton wool but rather enveloped in a grey Ghana tracksuit. A couple of weeks out from their World Cup opener against Panama in Toronto, Ghana are in no position to take risks and so the Manchester City forward was rested in this friendly against Wales. He was one of the last players to join up with the squad at their base in Newport, his old stomping ground and where he spent six months on loan as a teenager.

Ghana thought they would fly to Washington on Wednesday for a training camp with a victory finally under their belts and England, their second Group L opponents this summer, soon in their sights. After five straight friendly defeats since qualifying for the World Cup last October, they had to settle for a draw in Carlos Queiroz’s first game in charge after Lewis Koumas headed in a stoppage-time equaliser.

Acting attorney general says Trump’s $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponization’ fund is scrapped

However, Todd Blanche said the IRS will still be prohibited from auditing Donald Trump, his family and related entities

• ‘Outright theft’: legal experts decry $1.8bn Trump anti-weaponization fund

The federal government is abandoning an effort to create a $1.8bn secretive fund to compensate Donald Trump’s allies, but is maintaining an agreement that prohibits the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from auditing Trump, his family and related entities, the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, said on Tuesday.

“We are not moving forward with the fund, period,” Blanche said during a House appropriations committee hearing on Tuesday. “The reasons for the fund is something that President Trump talked about for a long time, which is the fact that there were a lot of people in this country who had their government weaponized against them. The reasons for the fund, I think, remain as important as they were before, but we are not moving forward with the fund.”

DOJ is investigating former congressman George Santos for insider trading on Kalshi

The disgraced former congressman allegedly bet on whether he would appear at the State of the Union address, prompting federal investigations.

Pilot of fighter jet downed over Iran previously shot down in Kuwaiti incident

About a month after ejecting during the friendly-fire incident, the pilot was on a mission over Iran when his jet was hit by a surface-to-air missile, prompting a daring rescue operation.

Starmer urges calm as far right seeks to exploit Henry Nowak murder

Prime minister echoes family’s plea that case should not be used to target communities

Politicians and community leaders have called for calm amid fears that the populist right is using the murder of Henry Nowak by a Sikh man to whip up racist resentment against minority ethnic Britons.

After Nigel Farage called for the public to respond with “pure, cold rage”, Keir Starmer condemned the Reform UK leader, saying Nowak’s family had explicitly asked that the case not be used to target particular communities.

Amazon faces lawsuit over Ring facial recognition software

A Virginia man is suing Amazon over Ring's "Familiar Faces" feature, alleging the technology violates people's privacy.

British couple jailed in Iran have lost appeal against convictions, family say

Craig and Lindsay Foreman given 10-year sentences in February for alleged espionage, which they deny

A British couple jailed on spying charges in Iran have lost an appeal against their convictions, their family has said.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman, both aged 53, were handed 10-year prison sentences in February after being convicted of espionage, which they deny.

Scenes from the aftermath of Russia's latest massive attack on Kyiv

Russian missile and drone attacks killed civilians across Ukraine overnight, in one of Moscow's largest assaults in recent months.

Jeffries: Democrats aren't focused on Trump impeachment 'at this moment'

In conversation with CNBC's Emily Wilkins, the House leader laid out Democrats' path to a majority next Congress and plans to rein in President Donald Trump.

Flesh-eating screwworm detected 25 miles from U.S. border, USDA says

A flesh-eating New World screwworm was recently detected in Mexico just 25 miles from the United States border, according to the USDA.

What travelers should know about Europe's new Entry/Exit System

Travel experts say to be prepared for potential disruptions as countries implement the new Entry/Exit System now in place across the EU and other countries.

‘Excited but wary’: fans in the 16 host cities share their hopes and fears before the World Cup

In the first of a new series of dispatches, fans in US, Mexico and Canada tell us that they want visitors to have a good time but are angry about ticket prices, Fifa’s priorities and a lack of long-term thinking from politicians

The 2026 World Cup features 104 matches in 16 cities across Canada, Mexico and the USA, from Vancouver to Mexico City and San Francisco to Boston. Before, throughout and after the tournament we’ll be hearing from fans in those cities about their experiences – some shared and some different – in our “My World Cup” series. Here some of our correspondents share their first thoughts.

Spanish authorities cancel DR Congo v Chile World Cup warm-up over Ebola fears

• Ebola outbreak occurred in African country last month

• DR Congo have been based in Belgium before World Cup

A pre-World Cup friendly involving the Democratic Republic of Congo has been cancelled by the mayor of the Spanish town hosting the match over health concerns regarding the Ebola outbreak in the African country.

“I have signed the decree banning the holding of the 9 June match between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chile,” said Juan Franco, mayor of La Línea de la Concepción in southern Spain.

Jude Bellingham handed World Cup boost for England after being given No 10 shirt

• Bellingham takes coveted shirt with Anderson given No 8

• England train for first time in Florida ahead of World Cup

Jude Bellingham has received a boost from Thomas Tuchel after being handed the coveted No 10 shirt for England’s World Cup campaign.

Preparations began at a training camp in Florida on Tuesday and the midfielder Kobbie Mainoo said the squad believe “100%” that they can win the tournament. With two weeks to go until England’s opening World Cup fixture, 21 of Tuchel’s 26-man squad are in West Palm Beach for a week-long camp and the squad numbers were confirmed on Tuesday.

‘We don’t have another country to run to’: Kenyans fear US plan for Ebola quarantine site

People from town of potential site for US citizens exposed to Ebola say it puts them at risk in country with no known cases

People from a town in central Kenya where the US wants to set up an Ebola quarantine facility for its citizens have strongly criticised the plan, saying they fear it will expose them to the virus and that it is indicative of double standards on the part of the US.

“Everybody should be quarantined in their home country. We shouldn’t allow foreigners to bring us diseases,” said Charles Mathenge, a taxi driver who lives near Laikipia Air Base, the proposed site in Nanyuki, 120 miles from the capital, Nairobi. “Kenya is our country, and we should be careful with it.”

Cricket Canada suspended over allegations of gang-linked corruption

ICC’s decision comes amid growing concerns the team is being influenced by members of a notorious gang in India

Cricket’s international governing body has suspended Canada over what it described as “serious breaches of its membership obligations”, dealing the latest blow to an organization that critics say has become a “laughing stock” within the sport.

The suspension also comes amid growing concerns that one of Canada’s fastest-growing sports is being influenced by members of a notorious gang that operates with impunity from an Indian prison cell.

White House Correspondents' Dinner rescheduled for July 24

Prosecutors have accused Cole Allen of attempting to assassinate the president when he allegedly attacked the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25.

Bazball comes full circle with a promise to ‘evolve slightly’ as New Zealand roll into town

Four years to the day after England’s first Test under Brendon McCullum began at Lord’s, England are adopting a fresh approach against the same opposition

Four years to the day after England’s first Test under Brendon McCullum began against New Zealand at Lord’s, the start of a summer when players reached new heights and observers reached for new words to describe them, the latest incarnations of the two teams gathered in St John’s Wood as preparations ramped up for the rematch. Once again the series will begin amid talk of England adopting a fresh approach.

In 2022 New Zealand batted first in all three games and in all three England chased down testing targets to seal victory. The attacking approach McCullum instigated that summer was embodied most memorably by Jonny Bairstow. In more than a century of Test cricket before that year (not counting the early years of the game, when that kind of data was not gathered) only three English players had scored more than 300 runs in a series at a strike rate above 85. In only four years since another 10 have joined their number, a list topped by Bairstow against the Kiwis in 2022, when he rampaged to 394 runs at a strike rate of 120.12. That figure has been bettered only once, and even then marginally, in cricket history, though the 330 runs at 121.32 banked by Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi against India in 2006 were largely down to his contributions to a pair of high-scoring draws on batting-friendly pitches.

Bus driver in Virginia crash that killed 5 facing more charges

Jing Sheng Dong, a 48-year-old tour bus driver from Staten Island, New York, faces three additional felony counts in connection with the deaths.

Trump signs AI safety order seeking voluntary review of new models

The order asks AI companies to voluntarily submit their most powerful models for the government to test up to 30 days before releasing them to the public.

New York police investigate mysterious cases of people coming out of manholes

Investigation follows circulation of videos showing groups climbing out of sewer systems across the city at night

New York police are investigating a bizarre mystery involving groups of people emerging from the city’s manholes in recent weeks.

The investigation follows the circulation of multiple social media videos showing people climbing out of sewer systems across the city, all in the middle of the night.

The Guardian view on Trump and Lebanon: civilians need lasting peace, not short-term patches | Editorial

The US president seeks to curb Israel’s intensified offensive as he looks for an exit from war with Iran, but turmoil in the Middle East will not easily be ended

“Let’s see how long that lasts,” Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday night, addressing his attempts to de-escalate in Lebanon following Israel’s intensified military campaign. Within hours, Israeli drone strikes had killed eight people in the south, including a father and his two children, and damaged a hospital. Hezbollah continued launching rockets and drones.

Anxious to escape the illegal war that he launched on Iran, and with Tehran threatening to suspend peace talks over the Israeli offensive, the US president reined in Benjamin Netanyahu – for now – in what was described as an expletive-laden phone call. Mr Trump’s post, despite its unusual admission of doubt, still oversold the agreement. He claimed that Hezbollah and Israel had agreed to “stop all shooting”. Lebanon’s presidency suggested a more limited deal: Israel would not strike Beirut’s southern suburbs if Hezbollah did not launch attacks against Israel.

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The Guardian view on Euphoria: the show once pushed the envelope, but shock now seems to be the point | Editorial

An era of excellent coming-of-age dramas moved away from the glossy lives of wealthy American teens, but unflinching portrayals easily veer into tropes

Television’s portrayal of adolescence has challenged adult complacency about young people’s lives. The best coming-of-age dramas have not just shown young people behaving badly, or dangerously, or foolishly. They have asked questions about a society that leaves them to learn about sex, addiction and violence with little help.

That idea has driven shows such as Skins, Chewing Gum, Sex Education and, at its best, Euphoria. Their value did not lie in provocation alone. Drugs, humiliation and self-destruction were ways of dramatising how power affects young lives: through families, friendships, money, class and the internet. The characters mattered to audiences – and therefore so did the scandals.

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Everton interested in £15m Hayden Hackney but face stiff competition

• 23-year-old expected to leave Middlesbrough this month

• Brighton, Spurs, Forest and Leeds also interested

Everton are attempting to sign the Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney but face strong competition for the Championship’s player of the season.

David Moyes wants to strengthen in central midfield, as well as at right-back, and has reignited interest in a player he considered 12 months ago.

Masters of the Universe review – Amazon’s He-Man adventure is a weak big-budget misfire

A laboured attempt to resurrect toy IP very few people still care about is a $200m-budgeted waste of everyone’s time

It’s not just that He-Man himself is from the 80s that gives 2026’s Masters of the Universe such an aggressive throwback vibe. It’s that trying to assemble a film around the haphazard mythology of a toy and dusting off IP that precious few still care about feels like something Hollywood has slowly been doing a bit less of, especially on a scale such as this.

This year, hits have relied on either properties that audiences do have passion for (Scream, Michael Jackson, Mario, The Devil Wears Prada) or, radically, original ideas (Obsession, Backrooms, Goat, Hoppers). We haven’t endured an Underworld sequel or a Tarzan reboot since 2016, a Terminator film since 2019, a Dolittle reboot since 2020 or a GI Joe spin-off since 2021. Mattel might then have struck gold with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie in 2023, but that was both an unconventional, auteur-led one-off and based on a product millions were still buying on the regular (the year before release, the brand made more than $1.4bn). Various directors, from John Woo to Jon M Chu, have been loosely attached to a He-Man movie over the years and various studios, from Sony to Netflix, have tried (the latter streamer having spent a reported $30m on a failed attempt) but, as with many long-gestating projects in Hollywood, those involved forgot to remember Jeff Goldblum’s evergreen Jurassic Park line: “So preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

What are Freedom 250 and America250? Behind the 2 groups planning celebrations

A musical concert series has become a point of political contention, with performers dropping out of the series.

5 ways to reduce everyday exposure to 'forever chemicals' 

Mara Hoplamazian has spent years reporting on 'forever chemicals,' or PFAS. Here's what they've learned about what may help limit everyday exposure to the contaminant.

Job openings in April surged to 7.6 million, the highest in nearly two years

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that available employment hit 7.6 million for the month, a surge of 731,000 from the prior month.

Pope Leo appoints first lay woman to a top position in Vatican

Maria Montserrat Alvarado will lead communications department, overseeing news site, radio station, press office and more

Pope Leo has appointed the first lay woman to a top position in the governance of the Roman Catholic church.

Maria Montserrat Alvarado, who is now president of the US-based Catholic media outlet, EWTN News, will lead the Vatican’s powerful communications department, which was set up by the late Pope Francis in 2015 and oversees the Vatican’s news site as well as its radio station, newspaper, press office, publishing house and film library.

A roof with a view and a hiker’s reward – readers’ best photographs

Click here to submit a picture for publication in these online galleries and/or on the Guardian letters page

Female dolphins remember who is aggressive when choosing a mating partner, research shows

Researchers observed unavailable female dolphins – those that were older, or with calves – did not show the same avoidant behaviour

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Female dolphins identify males by their unique calls and keep track of their past behaviour, choosing to avoid the most aggressive males during mating season, new research suggests.

Bottlenose dolphin society is complex, and male and female dolphins often know each other for decades, said Prof Stephanie King, an expert in animal behaviour at the University of Bristol.

Japan World Cup 2026 team guide

Impressive results have fuelled belief that Hajime Moriyasu’s side can not just survive against the best but beat them too

This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.

The Misfits: Marilyn Monroe’s final film showed her capacity for playing painfully knotty characters

Written for Monroe by then husband Arthur Miller, the role of Roslyn is contradictory and complex

What else can you call it but star quality? It was that – that ineffable, incalculable thing that makes certain actors on film seem almost holy – which made Marilyn Monroe one of the icons of cinema, perhaps the icon. That, coupled with her untimely death, which meant Monroe never grew any older on screen, is surely why she endures even now, 100 years after her birth. Whether performing Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, vamping in Niagara or throwing off sparkling dialogue in Some Like It Hot, Monroe seems to belong up there on the big screen – so much so that you might believe she never actually existed down here with us.

It’s Monroe’s last picture, 1961’s The Misfits, that shows the star was mortal after all. It begins in Reno, where Monroe’s out-of-towner Roslyn gets a quickie divorce from her absentee husband (Kevin McCarthy) before falling in with a group of local oddballs, among them an ageing cowpoke, Gay Langland (Clark Gable), and a buck-drunk bronco rider, Perce Howland (Montgomery Clift).

Trump appoints housing official as acting director of national intelligence

Bill Pulte has shown a willingness to go after the president's perceived enemies.

Doctors checked Biden just after Trump debate as Jill Biden feared he had a stroke

The Biden administration previously said doctors examined the president "days" following the debate, not in the moments after. The former first lady revealed more details in her new book.

Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day review – dreamy adaptation reaches for the stars

SXSW London
Wolf’s novel about a headstrong young Edwardian woman takes flight under Tina Gharavi’s direction, with Timothy Spall and Jennifer Saunders among the ensemble cast

Here is an adaptation, written by Justine Waddell, of Virginia Woolf’s peculiar and tonally elusive work that is all about the quarterlife crisis of a headstrong, well-born young woman in Edwardian London faced with the necessity of getting married. What emerges is a wayward, unworldly fantasia, a four-leaf clover of a film – or even five-leaf; rather beautifully designed and photographed, flavoured with a wistful, unexpectedly Germanic kind of romanticism.

Waddell and Iranian-born director and Bafta nominee Tina Gharavi have creatively gone against the grain of the novel, amplifying Woolf’s single glancing reference to astronomy and making that the centre of the heroine’s yearning, perhaps playfully implanting a subconscious memory of Cole Porter’s lyrics to the song of the same title: “You are the one, only you beneath the moon, under the sun ….” And – thankfully, in my view – the film removes Woolf’s supercilious condescension towards the self-betterment of newly educated lower and middle classes, and instead focuses on a sweet-natured story, performed with conviction by its all-star ensemble cast, interspersed with dreamlike set pieces. The result is not precisely Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day; maybe more EM Forster’s Night and Day or even Ronald Firbank’s Night and Day.

The Arsenal fans who brought style and swagger to the team’s victory parade: ‘Everyone supports the same thing but expresses it in their own way’

Hundreds of thousands of supporters travelled to north London to celebrate their team winning the Premier League. Here’s what they wore …

‘The only thing I haven’t got are the underpants. Everything else is Arsenal,” says Shane, a memorabilia and kit collector perched outside north London’s Clissold park with his daughter, Erin. Known online as Highbury Gunner JVC, the 47-year-old wore an Arsenal-buckled belt, a club tie in a player pattern and a club shirt with a red and white vintage-style duffel bag. The showstopper, though, was his bespoke jacket made from curtains by the designer Joe Brim, finished with an Arsenal medallion and watch, and yellow customised Dr Martens. A collector since the 1970s, he says: “I could complete a catalogue from the 90s; my house is like a museum.”

Favourite shirt … Liv Samuels in his Arsenal badge Hawaiian top

Six US states sue Trump administration over deal to kill windfarm project

State attorneys general argue $1bn deal to terminate major offshore wind lease off the coast of New York is unlawful

Six states sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over its decision to cancel a major offshore wind lease off the coast of New York.

In March, federal officials announced they would pay nearly $1bn in taxpayer dollars to French energy firm TotalEnergies in exchange for the company killing plans to erect two offshore windfarms off New York and North Carolina. TotalEnergies agreed to terminate the projects and pledged not to develop any new offshore wind projects in the United States, while investing hundreds of millions of dollars in oil and gas projects.

Blue Origin launchpad damaged in rocket explosion may not be restored until 2028, NASA's Isaacman says

NASA has tapped Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin for several contracts in the agency's Artemis return-to-the-moon program.

New ways to remove CO2 from atmosphere must grow much faster, report says

Novel forms of CO₂ removal must expand at ‘highly ambitious rates’ if world is to limit global heating to 1.5C, says study

Humanity must suck carbon out of the atmosphere with new technologies even faster than the breakneck speed with which it has deployed solar panels if it is to limit global heating to 1.5C, a report has found.

Novel forms of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) must grow at “highly ambitious rates” to bridge the gap between what governments have pledged to clean up and what is needed to comply with the Paris climate agreement, according to researchers. They said the next five years were critical to establishing the technologies’ role in limiting climate damages.

Patriot missile shortage has created ‘window of vulnerability’ Russia is exploiting in Ukraine

Countries that rely on US-made air defence system feel increasingly exposed as interceptor supplies dwindle

Russia is exploiting a critical global shortage of air defence interceptor missiles as it ramps up its airstrikes against Ukraine, amid warnings that a shortfall for the Patriot system in particular is creating a “window of vulnerability” for the countries that rely on them.

The MIM-104 Patriot manufactured by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin is the primary surface-to-air system of the US military to shoot down ballistic missiles, and has been widely relied on by US allies – not least in the Gulf, as well as by Ukraine.

UK Athletics fined £350,000 over ‘wholly avoidable’ death of Paralympian

• Abdullah Hayayei, 36, died in London accident in 2017

• Practice throwing cage fell on and killed UAE athlete

UK Athletics has been fined £350,000 for the “wholly avoidable” death of a Paralympian who was killed during a training session in east London.

Abdullah Hayayei, 36, a father of five, was preparing to represent the United Arab Emirates at the World Para Athletics Championships when a 440lb practice throwing cage toppled on to him at Newham Leisure Centre in July 2017.

Exams in Gaza and an Ebola protest arrest: photos of the day – Tuesday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Solo-maxxing: gen Z is embracing single life – for a very sad reason

While many young people are struggling to get work, an average date night costs north of $200. No wonder so many are resigning themselves to being alone

Name: Solo-maxxing.

Age: Newish.

My father, the German refugee who fought the Nazis as a ‘secret listener’

As the far right fulminates about who ‘belongs’ in Britain, let’s remember Fritz Lustig, who arrived here in 1939, just months before war broke out. Initially jailed as an ‘enemy alien’, he played a vital role in a top-secret military intelligence unit

When the Nazis came to power in Germany in January 1933, Fritz Lustig, my father, was a 13-year-old schoolboy growing up in Berlin. He was a budding musician with dreams of becoming a professional cellist but, by the time he left school four years later, it was clear that under the Nazis, even though his family had largely cast aside their Jewish heritage, his options were going to be extremely limited.

Neither he, nor any of his anxious relatives, could possibly imagine the scale of the horrors that lay in store – but after the anti-Jewish pogrom of Kristallnacht in 1938, it was impossible to ignore the gathering storm clouds.

How Ebola kills -- and what it takes to stop it

It's a virus that can strike with unrelenting force. The kind of care need to knock it out is often not fully available in a lower resource country like the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Motorhome bought by Murrell with stolen SNP money was driven only 4 miles, court told

High court in Edinburgh hears £125K vehicle was described as a van in faked invoice and stocked with luxury goods

The luxury motorhome that Peter Murrell bought using money stolen from the Scottish National party was driven for only four miles, sitting unused for more than two years.

Murrell, then the SNP’s chief executive, drove the £124,550 Niesmann+Bischoff vehicle from the dealers at Halbeath in Fife in January 2021 to his mother’s home in Dunfermline – a cost of £31,138 a mile.

A hand-chased silver wine coaster from Hamilton & Inches worth £3,500 which was described as spending on “leadership expenses”.

A £23 egg poacher was listed in SNP records as “computer hardware purchases – internet cabling”

An £81,000 Jaguar I-Pace SUV was identified as “stage payment” in a fake invoice.

The £3,070 cost of a robotic Husqvarna lawnmower, found by police at the home he then shared with Sturgeon, was listed as “legal fees”.

Will the AI economy create a permanent underclass?

From India and Africa to Europe, countries not yet in the AI supply chain risk mass job losses, losing the tax revenue needed to deal with the tech’s fallout

• Business live – AI to drive up UK youth unemployment

The San Francisco Bay Area is in the midst of an AI frenzy that makes the California gold rush of the mid-19th century look like a scavenger hunt. Top programmers and developers are being offered compensation packages worth hundreds of millions of dollars to switch firms, while young engineers lucky enough to have joined leading AI startups early are contemplating retirement before age 35.

Driving up the Bayshore Freeway from San Francisco International airport into the city, you pass hyper-specific billboards advertising obscure AI applications seemingly aimed at absurdly niche audiences. How can that possibly be profitable? The answer is that in a city crawling with startups, getting the right software product in front of a founder whose company could soon be worth billions of dollars is far more lucrative than using billboard space to sell burgers or laundry detergent.