Trump, Clinton seen in new batch of Epstein photos released by Democrats

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday released 19 photos from a trove of images obtained from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein.

House GOP unveils health care plan, with vote on track for next week

The Republican proposal does not include an extension to the expiring Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.

Federal transportation officials reportedly sharing names of all US airport travelers with ICE - live

The report, based on documents obtained by the New York Times, says it’s unclear how many arrests have been made due to this data sharing

The admiral in charge of US military forces in Latin America will retire two years early, AP reports, amid rising tensions with Venezuela that include Wednesday’s seizure of an oil tanker and more than 20 deadly strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats.

Three US officials and two people familiar with the matter told Reuters that Admiral Alvin Holsey was pushed out by defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Two officials said Hegseth had grown frustrated with Southern Command as he sought to flex US military operations and planning in the region.

A world-weary, hard-drinking hungover Supergirl? This could be James Gunn’s DCU masterstroke

As played by Milly Alcock, the Supergirl trailer shows Kara Zor-El looking burdened and traumatised. Does this mean that the DC universe is getting darker?

Since James Gunn’s Superman became the biggest superhero movie at this summer’s box office, the world has been waiting to find out what the rest of the DCU sandpit will look like. Now, with the debut trailer for Supergirl, we have our first proper glimpse. On this evidence, the new Kara Zor-El lives in a brave new universe of gods and monsters that reflects her loneliness and fury right back at her.

Milly Alcock’s “woman of tomorrow” may not be like anyone we’ve seen on big or small screens before – which is impressive given how often Supergirl has been wheeled out over the decades. Helen Slater’s 1984 version is now widely regarded as a kind of sun-bleached Reagan-era artefact – a well-meaning but terminally camp experiment. Sasha Calle’s Supergirl in the recent The Flash looked soulful, angry and potentially gamechanging. And Melissa Benoist spent six seasons headlining a Supergirl series that was warmly received by its audience but rarely intruded into the consciousnesses of people who actually buy comic books.

Trump says 'no big deal' after Jeffrey Epstein photos showing him released

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released the photos to pressure the Trump administration to release files about Jeffrey Epstein.

81 women file civil suit against army gynecologist already charged criminally

Blaine McGraw accused of inappropriately touching and secretly filming patients during appointments on base

Another 81 women have joined a civil suit against a US army gynecologist who was recently criminally charged in connection with accusations that he secretly filmed dozens of his patients during medical examinations.

The civil lawsuit, which initially began in November, alleges that Blaine McGraw, a doctor and army major at Fort Hood in Texas, repeatedly inappropriately touched and secretly filmed dozens of women during appointments at an on-base medical center.

See you in March? Debate in New Zealand over extremely long summer break

The country’s long summer holiday has sparked a national conversation, with arguments about whether the break is affecting productivity, or a vital respite

It sounds idyllic: weeks off work at the warmest time of the year, with relaxation mode kicking in before Christmas and little rush to return to the office until late February.

But in New Zealand, there are concerns that the traditional long summer break could be hurting the country’s productivity.

Parling frustrated as Leicester blow half-time lead against Leinster to lose again

• Leicester 15-23 Leinster

• Gibson-Park and Sheehan score visitors’ tries

Leicester’s director of rugby, Geoff Parling, was frustrated that his side failed to capitalise from a strong position to lose to Leinster at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

Despite a spirited effort against error-ridden opponents, the hosts came away with nothing and remain pointless at the bottom of Pool 3 after their opening two fixtures.

'She's awesome': How U.S. veterans helped Venezuela's Machado escape

In a daring nighttime martime operation, U.S. veterans whisked Venezuela's María Corina Machado out of the country to claim her Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo

Former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore charged with home invasion, stalking

Moore, 39, is charged with third-degree felony home invasion, as well as misdemeanor counts of stalking and of breaking and entering.

National Guard member wounded in D.C. shooting making "extraordinary progress"

Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe "has made extraordinary progress," his medical team said.

TSA is giving airline passenger data to ICE for deportation push: NYT

The program led to the arrest in Boston of Any Lucía López Belloza, a college student who was deported to Honduras, the report said.

House Democrats release Epstein photos with Trump, Bannon, Clinton and others

Notable figures in batch of images include Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Woody Allen and Bill Gates

• The latest tranche of Epstein evidence – in pictures

House Democrats have published a new tranche of what they called “disturbing” photographs from the estate of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, featuring among others Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the British former royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

The 19 photographs in the initial drop – some of which have been seen before – plus another 70 released later Friday afternoon represent a small number of the almost 100,000 images released to the House oversight committee, which is looking into the conduct and connections of Epstein, the disgraced financier who died by apparent suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 after he was charged with sex-trafficking offenses.

Broadcom tumbles 11% despite blockbuster earnings as 'AI angst' weighs on Oracle, Nvidia

Even with better-than-expected earnings and revenue, Broadcom slid on Friday as investors continued to grow concerned about the AI trade.

Law prof sues Boeing, alleging exposure to toxic fumes on Delta flight

A Temple University law professor alleges in a suit that he breathed in contaminated air on a Boeing craft, leaving him physically impaired.

AI order from Trump might be ‘illegal,’ Democrats and consumer advocacy groups claim

President Donald Trump's executive order on a national artificial intelligence framework threatens funding for states that pursue AI laws deemed "onerous."

New Orleans jail escapee who was on the run for months sentenced to life in prison

Derrick Groves​, 28, was sentenced Friday to two life sentences over a 2018 double murder, with the Louisiana judge rebuking him for the disruption caused by his five months on the run​.

Caitlin Clark says CBA negotiations are ‘biggest moment in the history of the WNBA’

• Clark makes senior Team USA debut at Duke camp

• WNBA CBA talks loom as players seek revenue share

• Clark calls negotiations league’s biggest moment

WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark is making her debut with the senior US women’s national team this weekend, taking part in a training camp at Duke under first-time Team USA head coach Kara Lawson.

And while much of the attention on Friday was focused on how the American squad might evolve before the 2026 Fiba World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics – Clark is one of 10 newcomers – a topic of conversation looming over the first day of practice were the collective bargaining negotiations happening now between the WNBA and its players.

Ancient lake reappears in Death Valley after record-breaking rains

Repeated fall storms led to the temporary lake, known as Lake Manly, appearing in basin 282ft beneath sea level

After record-breaking rains, an ancient lake in Death Valley national park that had vanished has returned to view.

The temporary lake, known informally as Lake Manly, has appeared once more at the bottom of Badwater Basin, which sits 282ft beneath sea level, in California. The basin is the lowest point in North America, according to the National Park Service.

Trump sued by preservation group seeking to halt White House ballroom construction

The lawsuit argues that President Trump was legally required to get federal approvals before demolishing the historic East Wing of the White House.

Oracle says there have been 'no delays' in OpenAI arrangement after stock slide

Oracle pushed back against a report that said the company will complete data centers for OpenAI, one of its major customers, in 2028, rather than 2027.

Rivian's AI, autonomy impress Wall Street, but EV and capital concerns remain

Rivian impressed Wall Street with its plans for AI and automation, but significant challenges involving demand and capital remain for the EV maker.

A momentous week as Syria celebrates lifting U.S. sanctions and a year without Assad

As they mark the first anniversary of toppling Bashar al-Assad's regime, Syrians also celebrate another coming milestone: the lifting of sanctions, which could help give the country a new start.

Trump sued by preservation group over $300m White House ballroom project

National Trust looks to halt construction, claiming Trump tore down historic East Wing without needed permission

Donald Trump is facing a federal lawsuit seeking to halt construction on his $300m White House ballroom, with historic preservationists accusing the president of violating multiple federal laws by tearing down part of the iconic building without required reviews or congressional approval.

The legal challenge, filed on Friday by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the US district court for the District of Columbia, represents the most significant attempt yet to stop Trump’s 90,000-sq-ft addition to the White House complex. The organization is seeking a temporary restraining order to freeze all construction activities until proper federal oversight procedures are completed.

EU to freeze €210bn in Russian assets indefinitely

The decision is a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine’s defence – but Moscow is threatening to retaliate

The EU has agreed to indefinitely freeze Russia’s sovereign assets in the bloc, as Moscow stepped up its threats to retaliate against Euroclear, the keeper of most of the Kremlin’s immobilised money.

The decision by the EU to use emergency powers to immobilise €210bn (£185bn) of Russia’s central bank’s assets marks a significant step towards using the cash to aid Ukraine’s defence.

Millions of Americans could see health plan costs double as ACA credits vanish

"I don't know how I'm going to pay for this," said one person with an Affordable Care Act plan that will cost her $1,100 a month starting in January.

Schmaltz, theatre and sharp teeth: Wrexham reveal the hard truth about football | Barney Ronay

With the arrival of US hedge funders at Wrexham, there is no pretence any more. This is just another project, as it always was

Tea and cake. Cobble-close streets. Collectivism. Sugar rush. Hollywood fairytales. And also, as of this week, a minority owner with historical links to celebrity paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Wait! Welsh cakes! Welsh tea! Aggregated tourism benefits. The sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboat-bobbing sea. And also, at one remove, historical links to deceased celebrity paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

US treasury lifts sanctions on Brazilian judge who presided over Bolsonaro case

Justice Alexandre de Moraes and his wife had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions after conviction of ex-president

The US Department of the Treasury has lifted sanctions imposed on the Brazilian supreme court justice who oversaw the conviction of the former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes had been under Global Magnitsky sanctions, which target individuals accused of human rights abuses, since July. His wife Viviane Barci de Moraes – who was added the sanctions list in September – was also removed from the register on Friday.

Johnson's grip on the House slips as Republicans defy leadership

House Republicans have repeatedly defied Speaker Mike Johnson's leadership amid growing frustration over how he's led the fractious majority.

King Charles hails reduction in cancer treatment as ‘milestone’ in his recovery

King extols early diagnosis which can give ‘invaluable time’ and backs launch of screening checker tool

King Charles has hailed a “milestone” in his “cancer journey” and revealed he is to reduce his schedule of treatment in the new year, describing the news as a “personal blessing”.

His treatment will move into a precautionary phase with its regularity significantly reduced as his recovery reaches a very positive stage, it is understood. His medical team will assess how much longer he will require treatment to protect and prioritise his continued recovery.

Colombian rebels warn civilians of military drills amid ‘imperialist’ Trump threats

Citizens told to stay at home while ELN guerrillas carry out exercises in response to US president’s cocaine warning

Colombia’s ELN guerrilla group has ordered civilians in areas under its control to stay home for three days starting on Sunday, while it carries out military exercises in response to “intervention” threats from Donald Trump.

Trump said earlier this month any country that produces cocaine and sells it to the United States was “subject to attack”.

Football Association to pass on fan anger over World Cup ticket prices

• Prices 10 times those promised in initial bid

• Fifa not expected to change policy for 2026

The Football Association will pass on England supporters’ concerns about high 2026 World Cup ticket prices to Fifa. However, despite the growing outrage, it is understood none of the international federations expect world football’s governing body to change its policy.

Anger among supporter groups continued on Friday after it emerged that the cheapest tickets will cost 10 times the price promised in the original bid for the United States, Canada and Mexico to host the tournament. For England fans it will mean having to pay at least $220 (£165) for group games – when the bid document’s ticket model stated the cheapest seats should be $21 (£15.70).

Thailand and Cambodia agree to restart ceasefire brokered by US, says Trump

After deadly clashes between the two countries, the US president announces renewal of peace deal made in July

• Thailand-Cambodia fighting explained

Donald Trump has said Thai and Cambodian leaders agreed to renew a truce after days of deadly clashes that threatened to undo a ceasefire the US administration helped broker earlier this year.

Trump announced the agreement to restart the ceasefire in a social media posting after calls with Thai prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, and Cambodian prime minister, Hun Manet.

Families, investigators remain haunted by unsolved Texas yogurt shop murders

Could new information lead to answers in the brutal murder of four teenage girls in Austin, Texas, more than 30 years ago?

Bullet casing at yogurt shop links serial killer to the infamous murders

"48 Hours" can exclusively report there has been a huge break in the 1991 murders of four teenage girls in a Texas yogurt shop.

The Justice Department has now sued 18 states in an effort to access voter data

The Department of Justice has sued four more states as part of the Trump administration's far-reaching attempt to access sensitive voter data. The DOJ is also suing Fulton County in Georgia.

Exposed: the business linked to baby deaths across the world | The Latest

A year-long investigation into the Free Birth Society reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors.

Lucy Hough talks to the investigative correspondent Lucy Osborne about her reporting.

In photos: Flooding in Western Washington state forces thousands to evacuate

Record flooding in Washington state has forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate after torrential rains this week.

The Guardian view on Trump and Venezuela: a return to seeking regime change | Editorial

The US is ramping up the pressure on Nicolás Maduro with a tanker seizure and expanded sanctions following threats and boat strikes

Early in his first term, Donald Trump mooted a “military option” for Venezuela to dislodge its president, Nicolás Maduro. Reports suggest that he eagerly discussed the prospect of an invasion behind closed doors. Advisers eventually talked him down. Instead, the US pursued a “maximum pressure” strategy of sanctions and threats.

But Mr Maduro is still in place. And Mr Trump’s attempts to remove him are ramping up again. The US has amassed its largest military presence in the Caribbean since the 1989 invasion of Panama. It has carried out more than 20 shocking strikes on alleged drug boats. Mr Trump reportedly delivered an ultimatum late last month, telling the Venezuelan leader that he could have safe passage from his country if he left immediately. There was already a $50m bounty on his head. This week came expanded sanctions and the seizure of a tanker.

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.

The Guardian view on Nnena Kalu’s historic Turner prize win: breaking a glass ceiling | Editorial

The UK art world is finally becoming more inclusive. But greater support must be given to the organisations that enable disabled artists to flourish

The Turner prize is no stranger to sparking debate or pushing boundaries. This year it has achieved both. For the first time, an artist with learning disabilities has won. Glasgow-born Nnena Kalu took the award for her colourful, cocoon-like sculptures made from VHS tape, clingfilm and other abandoned materials, along with her large swirling vortex drawings. Kalu is autistic, with limited verbal communication. In an acceptance speech on her behalf, Kalu’s facilitator, Charlotte Hollinshead, said that “a very stubborn glass ceiling” had been broken.

Kalu’s win is a high-profile symbol of a shift towards greater inclusivity that has been happening in the UK arts world over the past five years. Last month, Beyond the Visual opened at the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, in which everything is curated or created by blind and partially sighted artists. The exhibits range from Moore sculptures (which visitors are encouraged to touch) to David Johnson’s 10,000 stone-plaster digestive biscuits stamped with braille. Design and Disability at the V&A South Kensington is showcasing the ways in which disabled, deaf and neurodivergent people have shaped culture from the 1940s to now.

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.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sweeps The Game Awards — analysis and full winners list

Independent video game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 swept the Game Awards last night. The L.A. ceremony draws millions of views for its industry honors and exclusive previews of upcoming games.

Danish intelligence accuses US of using economic power to ‘assert its will’ over allies

The US also listed as a threat due to its growing interest in Greenland, which is vital to America’s national security

Danish intelligence services have accused the US of using its economic power to “assert its will” and threatening military force against its allies.

The comments, made in its annual assessment released this week, mark the first time that the Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) has listed the US as a threat to the country. Denmark, the report warns, is “facing more and more serious threats and security policy challenges than in many years”.

‘Beyond belief’ that resident doctors could strike amid flu crisis, says Starmer

Exclusive: PM’s outspoken attack on stoppages planned for 17-22 December risks inflaming tensions with medics

• Keir Starmer: Resident doctors, a fair deal is on the table. Please do not strike at this moment of crisis for the NHS

Keir Starmer has said it is “frankly beyond belief” that resident doctors would strike during the NHS’s worst moment since the pandemic, in remarks that risk inflaming tensions with medical staff.

Writing for the Guardian, the prime minister made an outspoken attack on the strikes planned for 17-22 December for placing “the NHS and patients who need it in grave danger”.

Commander overseeing U.S. military forces in Caribbean relinquishes command early

Adm. Alvin Holsey relinquished command Friday in a ceremony at U.S. Southern Command headquarters after announcing early retirement amid U.S. buildup off of Venezuela.

U.S. could owe businesses $168B if Supreme Court rejects Trump tariffs

A ruling striking down emergency levies could force the federal government to return most of the tariff revenue it has collected this year, according to Penn Wharton.

Donald Trump is pursuing regime change – in Europe | Jonathan Freedland

The US made it clear this week that it plans to help the parties of the European far right gain power. Keir Starmer and his fellow leaders have to face this new reality

When are we going to get the message? I joked a few months back that, when it comes to Donald Trump, Europe needs to learn from Sex and the City’s Miranda Hobbes and realise that “He’s just not that into you”. After this past week, it’s clear that understates the problem. Trump’s America is not merely indifferent to Europe – it’s positively hostile to it. That has enormous implications for the continent and for Britain, which too many of our leaders still refuse to face.

The depth of US hostility was revealed most explicitly in the new US national security strategy, or NSS, a 29-page document that serves as a formal statement of the foreign policy of the second Trump administration. There is much there to lament, starting with the sceptical quote marks that appear around the sole reference to “climate change”, but the most striking passages are those that take aim at Europe.

Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist

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.

Nobel peace prize laureate Narges Mohammadi arrested in Iran

Mohammadi ‘violently’ detained along with other activists at memorial event in Mashhad, her foundation says

There are fears for the wellbeing of the 2023 Nobel peace prize winner, Narges Mohammadi, after she was detained by Iranian security forces at a memorial ceremony for a human rights lawyer in the eastern city of Mashhad.

Mohammadi, 53, who was granted temporary leave from prison on medical grounds in December 2024, was newly detained along with several other activists at the memorial for Khosro Alikordi, who was found dead in his office last week.

Canada’s Liberals edge closer to majority after Conservative lawmaker crosses floor

Rookie Michael Ma leaves Conservative party for ‘steady, practical approach’ of Mark Carney’s government

Canada’s ruling Liberals have edged closer to a majority government after a Conservative lawmaker crossed the floor, in yet another blow to the struggling Tories.

Rookie lawmaker Michael Ma said late on Thursday that he had decided to leave the Conservative party, for “the steady, practical approach” of prime minister Mark Carney’s government, which he said would “deliver on the priorities I hear every day, including affordability and the economy”.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (Dec. 14)

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

Historic preservation group sues Trump over White House ballroom project

"No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever," said the National Trust for Historic Preservation in its lawsuit.

Flooding remains threat in Pacific north-west as Washington declares emergency

Torrential rain has caused mudslides, washed out roads and submerged vehicles with more deluges expected on Sunday

The Pacific north-west is reeling from catastrophic flooding that inundated communities across the region this week, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate and prompting a federal emergency declaration.

Torrential rain rapidly filled rivers and triggered flooding on Thursday from Oregon north through Washington state and into British Columbia, causing mudslides and tearing homes from their foundations. Authorities have closed dozens of roads in response to the emergency and issued evacuation warnings for 100,000 people. More rain is expected over the weekend and through next week.

‘A crisis involving Salah is a crisis for the nation’: Egypt backs ‘golden child’

The view from his homeland is that Salah’s character and past form should allow for his outburst, while Jamie Carragher has been scolded for his hot takes

Mohamed Salah’s stature in Egypt means his every move dominates public discourse. It was therefore entirely predictable that the forward’s comments after Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Leeds – where he was relegated to the bench for a third consecutive game – would become the singular, all-consuming topic across his homeland’s sports media.

“Egyptian media was always going to stand by Salah,” says the Egyptian journalist and co-founder of the sports website KingFut, Adam Moustafa. “When you look at the content over the last five years or so of Egyptian football, 60-70% has been based around him. He’s a nique status that we’ve never had, for someone abroad to be so successful. He’s the golden child of Egypt.”

Homeowners are losing thousands in equity thanks to weakening prices

Weaker prices mean homeowners are starting to lose equity after several years of huge gains.

Your Guardian sport weekend: Premier League, WSL and NFL action

Here’s how to follow along with our coverage – the finest writing and up-to-the-minute reports

Family who lost home in flooding just moved there due to mom's cancer

"The only clothes I got is just my pajamas," 7-year-old Jocelyn Rosas told CBS News' Carter Evans, as flooding devastated parts of Washington state.

15-year-old boy kills ex-girlfriend's mom and siblings in Texas, police say

Police said a 15-year-old planned to shoot his ex-girlfriend outside of school but changed his mind and instead went to her home, killing her mother and two siblings.

‘What is going on here?’ Meloni celebrated at Italy’s far-right Atreju Christmas festival

Week-long event organised by Brothers of Italy looks like winter wonderland but is chance for PM to flaunt power

When, out of curiosity, Leila Cader and her friends entered the gardens surrounding Castel Sant’Angelo, a prominent Rome monument that once served as a refuge for popes during times of war, they thought they’d chanced upon an enchanting winter wonderland.

With the scent of mulled wine wafting through the air, Santa’s elves wandering around, stalls selling nativity-scene figurines and skaters merrily gliding on an ice-rink, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Oracle's lease commitments jump by almost 150% as company builds out to meet AI demand

Oracle's lease commitments now total $248 billion, with $10 billion tied to cloud capacity.

‘The attrition is setting in’: how Oregon’s magic mushroom experiment lost its way

Five years after legalizing psilocybin to treat a raft of health problems, practitioners worry the industry has become too costly, too white, and too regulated. Can the landmark program find its footing?

Jenna Kluwe remembers all the beautiful moments she saw in a converted dental clinic in east Portland.

For six months, she managed the Journey Service Center, a “psilocybin service center” where adults 21 and older take supervised mushroom trips. She watched elderly clients with terminal illnesses able to enjoy life again. She saw one individual with obsessive compulsive disorder so severe they spent hours washing their hands who could casually eat food that fell on the floor.

Stephen Colbert on Trump’s ‘gold card’: ‘Pay-to-play program for rich foreigners’

Late-night hosts discussed Trump’s new ‘golden visa’ program for wealthy foreigners and his increasingly weird reassurances on the economy

Late-night hosts tore into Donald Trump’s new “gold card” immigration program and his many weird tangents about grocery prices.

As Trump's tariffs face legal challenge, here are his other options

President Trump has a number of options at his disposal to implement tariffs, but none are as broad and aggressive as IEEPA.

Families washed out of tents as flood waters course through Gaza

Gaza has been hit by heavy rains and low temperatures, deepening the misery of most of its 2.2 million population who are living in tents after two years of Israeli bombardment. Thousands of homeless people have been washed out of their makeshift shelters and forced to seek emergency refuge

Fed votes to reappoint all of its regional bank presidents

The Fed on Thursday reappointed 11 of its 12 regional bank presidents, ending a minidrama in a move that came a bit earlier than usual.

‘Harder work than almost any album we ever did’: Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here turns 50

As the classic album hits 50, Nick Mason talks about the often difficult process of making it and how it has since fit into their larger catalogue

By almost every measure, from commercial reward to creative reach, Pink Floyd scaled its peak on Dark Side of the Moon. But, when I asked drummer Nick Mason how he would rank the album in their catalogue, he slotted it below the set that came next, Wish You Were Here. Speaking of Dark Side, he said, “the idea of it is almost more attractive than the individual songs on it. I feel slightly the same about Sgt. Pepper. It’s an amazing album that taught us a hell of a lot, but the individual parts are not quite as exciting, or as good, as some of the other Beatles’ albums.”

By contrast, he says of Wish You Were Here, “there’s something in the general atmosphere it generates – the space of it, the air around it, that’s really special,” he said. “It’s one of the reasons I view it so affectionately.”

RFK Jr is a danger to public health – but local Maha laws could be a bigger threat | Katrina vanden Heuvel

An array of under-the-radar initiatives are taking hold across the US, often tied to immunization, fluoridation and raw milk

Even within the freak show that is Donald Trump’s cabinet, the health and human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has a singular knack for dominating the headlines with the most disturbing sort of carnivalesque spectacle.

In recent months, he’s amplified harmful misinformation linking Tylenol and autism and dismissed the entire CDC vaccine advisory committee, replacing them with skeptics and conspiracy theorists. And even as that agency debated and ultimately scrapped its hepatitis B vaccination recommendation for many newborns, Kennedy courted further controversy for his alleged involvement in a tabloid-fodder love triangle.

Katrina vanden Heuvel is editor and publisher of the Nation, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a contributor to the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times

The Revenge Club review – this starry divorce caper makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time

Martin Compston and Meera Syal are among the names in this tale of divorcees hitting back at their exes. It’s a thriller, comedy and psychodrama all at once – but could maybe do with being more simple

Sometimes three-in-one type things are good. Phone chargers with lots of leads for all your devices that have stupidly different ports. Those woolly hats that cover your neck and lower face, so you look daft but are impregnable to winter cold. The Nars blusher stick that is also a lipstick and eyeshadow.

When it comes to dramas, however, it’s best to stick to one field of endeavour. The Revenge Club is a gallimaufry of tones, styles and performances. Watching it is like looking through a kaleidoscope that someone twists for you every few minutes; it’s fun but quite disorienting after a while.

Flavoured condoms, 120 turkeys and a Free Marlon Dingle poster: the weird and wonderful work making the film industry green

Women are trailblazing efforts in the UK and US to improve sustainability on film and TV sets, from donating catering and rehoming props to reducing emissions

It’s two days before Thanksgiving and Hillary Cohen and Samantha Luu are trying to figure out how they’re going to cook 120 turkeys with limited oven space in their food warehouse in downtown LA. “We’re going to have to do a bit of spatchcocking. It’s not very showbiz,” Cohen says.

It’s the busiest time of year for Cohen and Luu, assistant directors who founded not-for-profit organisation Every Day Action during the Covid pandemic. Designed to help unhoused people and those facing food insecurity across the city, the idea was born when Cohen noticed the amount of food waste on film and TV sets, and looked into redistributing it to those in need. “I remember asking, ‘Why can’t we donate this food?’ I kept being told it was illegal and that people could sue us if they got sick.” It didn’t take Luu, who grew up working in a soup kitchen her father founded, long to establish this was not the case. “In the US, there’s the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act that’s been around since 1996,” she says. “It protects food donors from liability issues.”

Fed's Goolsbee says he's uncomfortable front-loading too many rate cuts

Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee spoke Friday morning on CNBC.

Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals

On this edition of CBS Mornings Deals, we show you items that might just become essentials in your everyday life. Visit cbsdeals.com to take advantage of these exclusive deals today. CBS earns commissions on purchases made through cbsdeals.com.

If the holidays are stressing you out, remember: everything is optional

Managing a full December calendar can quickly take you from festive to frazzled. Psychotherapist Niro Feliciano shares advice on reducing stress and increasing joy this season.

‘Like lipstick on a fabulous gorilla’: the Barbican’s many gaudy glow-ups and the one to top them all

The brutalist arts-and-towers complex, where even great explorers get lost, is showing its age. Let’s hope the 50th anniversary upgrade is better than the ‘pointillist stippling’ tried in the 1990s

The Barbican is aptly named. From the Old French barbacane, it historically means a fortified gateway forming the outer line of defence to a city or castle. London’s Barbican marks the site of a medieval structure that would have defended an important access point. Its architecture was designed to repel. Some might argue, as they stumble out of Barbican tube station and gaze upwards, not much has changed in the interim.

The use of the word “barbican” was in decline in this country until the opening in 1982 of the Barbican Arts Centre. Taking 20 years to build, it completed the modernist megastructure of the Barbican Estate, grafted on to a huge tract of land devastated by wartime bombing. The aim was to bring life back to the City through swish new housing, energised by the presence of culture. Nonetheless, the arts centre, the elusive minotaur at the heart of the concrete labyrinth, was always farcically difficult to locate. To this day, visitors are obliged to trundle along the Ariadne’s thread of the famous yellow line, inscribed in what seemed like an act of institutional desperation, across concrete hill and dale.

Hollywood director found guilty of scamming Netflix out of $11m for phantom show

Carl Rinsch, who directed Keanu Reeves action film 47 Ronin, was convicted on fraud and money laundering charges

A Hollywood director was convicted Thursday on charges that he scammed Netflix out of $11m for a show that never materialized, while he instead used the cash for lavish purchases that included several Rolls-Royces, a Ferrari and about $1m in mattresses and luxury bedding.

Carl Rinsch, best known for directing the film 47 Ronin starring Keanu Reeves, was convicted of wire fraud, money laundering and other charges, according to court records and a spokesperson for federal prosecutors in New York.

Global anti-doping chief admits drugs cheats in sport are escaping detection

• Howman: ‘We are not effective enough at catching cheats’

• Former Wada director general urges more ambition

One of the most senior figures in global anti-doping has warned that too many drug cheats in sport are evading detection – and criticised the current system as “ineffective”.

David Howman, the former director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and the chair of the Athletics Integrity Unit, urged anti-doping bodies to be more ambitious in catching elite athletes again rather than focusing on compliance issues.

Primal Scream defend image of swastika inside Star of David shown during London gig

Scottish rock band says image ‘meant to provoke debate, not hate’ after many at concert accuse group of antisemitism

The Scottish rock group Primal Scream has defended displaying an image of a swastika inside a Star of David during a London gig, in response to accusations of racism and antisemitism.

During a performance at the London’s Roundhouse, a video was shown on stage of a swastika in the centre of a Star of David that was then superimposed over eyes of images of political figures, including the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the US president, Donald Trump.

Rivian announces new AI tech, chip and robotaxi ambitions

The company has also developed AI models to power its Autonomy+ subscription, which it intends to roll out early next year for $2,500 up front or $49.99 a month.

Welcome to the 2026 World Cup shakedown! The price of a ticket: the integrity of the game | Marina Hyde

In World Cup parlance, Qatar was Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s qualifier. Now it’s the big time for Trump’s dictator-curious protege

I used to think Fifa’s recent practice of holding the World Cup in autocracies was because it made it easier for world football’s governing body to do the things it loved: spend untold billions of other people’s money and siphon the profits without having to worry about boring little things like human rights or public opinion. Which, let’s face it, really piss around with your bottom line.

But for a while now, that view has seemed ridiculously naive, a bit like assuming Recep Erdoğan followed Vladimir Putin’s election-hollowing gameplan just because hey, he’s an interested guy who likes to read around a lot of subjects. So no: Fifa president Gianni Infantino hasn’t spent recent tournaments cosying up to authoritarians because it made his life easier. He’s done it to learn from the best. And his latest decree this week simply confirms Fifa is now a fully operational autocracy in the classic populace-rinsing style. Do just absorb yesterday’s news that the cheapest ticket for next year’s World Cup final in the US will cost £3,120 – seven times more than the cheapest ticket for the last World Cup final in Qatar. (Admittedly, still marginally cheaper than an off-peak single from London to Manchester.)

Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist

‘There’s power in numbers’: New Yorkers are banding together to protect street vendors from ICE

With ICE targeting vendors and fear rising, community groups are organising fast to keep New Yorkers working on the streets safe

On a December day when temperatures dipped below 20 degrees, Street Vendor Project staff walked along a busy commercial street in the Bronx, handing out “know your rights” information to vendors selling fruits and vegetables. Several vendors mentioned they were scared after watching videos of immigration raids across the city.

“We used to go around helping vendors apply for permits so they wouldn’t get fined,” said Eric Nava-Pérez, Street Vendor Project’s Spanish-speaking member organizer. “But now, we’re out here distributing immigration rights information.”

Met police agree to pay £7,500 to woman arrested over Gaza protest placard

Exclusive: Force to pay damages to Aisha Jung, who was put into a police van and held until 4am

The Metropolitan police have agreed to pay £7,500 in damages to a woman arrested at a Gaza protest for holding up a placard that said: “Apartheid Israel, what a cuntry.”

Aisha Jung, 53, from south London, was with her husband and two of her sons, aged 10 and 11, when police arrested her at the November 2023 demonstration in Trafalgar Square, central London, telling her that the sign could be considered offensive.

‘The worst is when the rubbish explodes’: the children living in Patagonia’s vast dumps

In sprawling landfills, thousands of Argentinian families scavenge for survival amid toxic waste and government neglect, dreaming of steady jobs and escape

The sun rises over the plateau of Neuquén’s open-air rubbish tip. Maia, nine, and her brothers, aged 11 and seven, huddle by a campfire. Their mother, Gisel, rummages through bags that smell of rotten fruit and meat.

Situated at the northern end of Argentinian Patagonia, 100km (60 miles) from Vaca Muerta – one of the world’s largest fossil gas reserves – children here roam amid twisted metal, glass and rubbish spread over five hectares (12 acres). The horizon is waste.

The 50 best albums of 2025

The year’s finest LPs as decided by 30 Guardian music writers – from a slip’n’slide through British club culture to a UK rapper like none before her
• More on the best culture of 2025

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Trial starts for a Wisconsin judge accused of obstructing ICE

Was Judge Hannah Dugan trying to obstruct a proceeding or trying to run her courtroom when ICE agents came to arrest an undocumented immigrant? A federal jury will decide

Sandhurst cadets and skating ministers: photos of the day – Friday

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

Indonesia floods were ‘extinction level’ disturbance for world’s rarest ape

Conservationists fear up to 11% of Tapanuli orangutan population perished in disaster that also killed 1,000 people

The skull of a Tapanuli orangutan, caked in debris, stares out from a tomb of mud in North Sumatra, killed in catastrophic flooding that swept through Indonesia.

The late November floods have been an “extinction-level disturbance” for the world’s rarest great ape, scientists have said, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects.

Germany's train service is one of Europe's worst. How did it get so bad?

You won't arrive on time and may not even get a seat. Your booking might get lost. Things have gotten so dire that a foreigner has been brought in to shake things up.

‘Getting lost is good’: skybridge and floating stairs bring fun and thrills to mighty new Taiwan museum

With its soaring ceilings, meandering pathways and mesh-like walls, Taichung Art Museum, designed by Sanaa, sweeps visitors from library to gallery to rooftop garden for rousing views

Walking through the brand new Taichung Art Museum in central Taiwan, directions are kind of an abstract concept. Designed by powerhouse Japanese architecture firm Sanaa, the complex is a collection of eight askew buildings, melding an art museum and municipal library, encased in silver mesh-like walls, with soaring ceilings and meandering pathways.

Past the lobby – a breezy open space that is neither inside nor out – the visitor wanders around paths and ramps, finding themselves in the library one minute and a world-class art exhibition the next. A door might suddenly step through to a skybridge over a rooftop garden, with sweeping views across Taichung’s Central Park, or into a cosy teenage reading room. Staircases float on the outside of buildings, floor levels are disparate, complementing a particular space’s purpose and vibe rather than having an overall consistency.

Erika Kirk has a "call to action" for parents

Charlie Kirk's widow Erika Kirk tells CBS News that it's easy to blame others for political violence, but she has a message for parents.

My darling clementine: why did Chalamet and Jenner dress in matching orange?

Colour-coordinating couples are nothing new, but Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner still caught the eye

When the Hollywood star Timothée Chalamet and the media personality and businesswoman Kylie Jenner appeared at the LA premiere of his new film, Marty Supreme, this week, they appeared to have been Tangoed.

Dressed head to toe in matching bright orange outfits made by the LA-based brand Chrome Hearts, they drew strong reactions online. “I have now confirmed there is such a thing as too much orange,” said one on Reddit.

UK imposes sanctions on four RSF officers for ‘heinous’ mass killings in Sudan

Senior commanders accused of atrocities against civilians face asset freezes – but no action against key backer UAE

The UK has placed sanctions on four senior commanders of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces suspected of involvement in “heinous” violence against civilians in the city of El Fasher, but decided not to take any action against their key military and diplomatic backer, the United Arab Emirates, or their chief commander.

British officials suggested they preferred to use their leverage with the UAE and the RSF commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, privately, but admitted there was little sign of a ceasefire in Sudan’s near three-year civil war.

‘If we build it, they will come’: Skövde, the tiny town powering up Sweden’s video game boom

It started with a goat. Now – via a degree for developers and an incubator for startups – the tiny city is churning out world-famous video game hits. What is the secret of its success?

On 26 March 2014, a trailer for a video game appeared on YouTube. The first thing the viewer sees is a closeup of a goat lying on the ground, its tongue out, its eyes open. Behind it is a man on fire, running backwards in slow motion towards a house. Interspersed with these images is footage of the goat being repeatedly run over by a car. In the main shot, the goat, now appearing backwards as well, flies up into the first-floor window of a house, repairing the glass it smashed on its way down. It hurtles through another window and back to an exploding petrol station, where we assume its journey must have started.

This wordless, strangely moving video – a knowing parody of the trailer for a zombie survival game called Dead Island – was for a curious game called Goat Simulator. The game was, unsurprisingly, the first to ever put the player into the hooves of a goat, who must enact as much wanton destruction as possible. It was also the first massive hit to come out of a small city in Sweden by the name of Skövde.

Most people aren’t fretting about an AI bubble. What they fear is mass layoffs | Steven Greenhouse

Artificial intelligence could make income inequality even worse and create a new underclass. Governments and society must take action

Nowadays there seems to be nonstop discussion about AI, with much of the conversation focused on whether there’s a speculative bubble or whether the chipmaker Nvidia is really worth $5tn or whether OpenAI will beat its rivals in developing new generations of artificial intelligence. But the vast majority of Americans – just like the vast majority of Europeans and Asians – couldn’t care less about those things.

Their big concern is whether AI is going to cause huge layoffs and create a disastrous job market, especially for younger workers. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, a leading AI company, fed those fears when he said that AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in the next one to five years and increase unemployment in the US to 10% to 20%. In October, Bernie Sanders, the top Democrat on the Senate education and labor committee, issued a report saying AI and automation could replace up to 97m jobs in the US over the next decade.

Steven Greenhouse is a journalist and author, focusing on labour and the workplace, as well as economic and legal issues

Lindsey Vonn continues remarkable comeback with World Cup ski victory at 41

• Skier breaks record after destroying field at San Moritz

• Vonn is among favourites for Winter Olympics downhill

Lindsey Vonn’s extraordinary ­comeback from retirement and ­serious knee surgery gathered pace on Friday when she became the oldest skier to win a World Cup race at the age of 41.

The American, who had not raced for five years until she returned to the ­circuit last year, destroyed the ­women’s downhill field in San Moritz to win by nearly a second.

CNN has endured turmoil for years. Now Trump wants role in its fate

In the corporate battle over parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's fate remains up for grabs. President Trump wants a say in what happens next.

Taylor Swift: The End of an Era review – as she breaks down over the terror plot, it’s impossible not to feel her pain

The singer’s tears over the Islamic State terrorist plot against her show and Southport attack make this behind-the-scenes docuseries about her world-conquering tour more moving than anyone could have anticipated

Swifties had long guessed that there would be a documentary going behind the scenes of Taylor Swift’s blockbuster Eras tour. The 2023 Eras Tour concert movie didn’t show any of the inner workings of this three-and-a-half-hour behemoth, which ran for 149 dates from 2023-24. Fans put some bits together, such as how Swift arrived on stage being pushed inside a cleaning cart. Plus, given the two albums she wrote during and about the Eras tour – 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department and this year’s The Life of a Showgirl – it wouldn’t be Swiftian to overlook another lucrative IP extension.

What fans could never have imagined was that Disney was set to start filming as the Eras tour was due to hit Vienna on 8 August 2023 – the first of three shows in the Austrian capital that were cancelled owing to an Islamic State terrorist plot. We learn this in episode one of the six-part docuseries The End of an Era, when Swift and her longtime friend Ed Sheeran are backstage at Wembley, hours before he guests at her first concert after the thwarted attack. “I didn’t even get to go,” Swift tells him of Vienna. “I was on the plane headed there. I just need to do this show and re-remember the joy of it because I’m a little bit just like …” She can’t find the words.

House passes INVEST Act to ease investment standards and boost capital in markets

"We make it easier to be a public company in America," House Financial Services Chairman French Hill, an Arkansas Republican, said during debate on the bill.

Digested week: Rejoice! A new oven is here before Christmas. Just a pity I can’t cook | Lucy Mangan

My offer to host dinner is declined. My cooking is never good. Triumph lies in the fact food is cooked and not full of bacteria

Yeah, I’m gonna say it – stop with the fetishisation of sandwiches, already! Obviously we’ve had the annual rejoicing over the advent (Ha! See what I did there?) of the Pret Christmas offering and the paler imitations thereafter by lesser chains and retail outlets. Now Harrods is getting in on the act with a £29 version on sale at its steakhouse, the Grill on Fifth. It consists of a burger patty (and listen, let’s get rid of the word ‘patty’ while we’re about it, shall we? Why? Because it’s viscerally hateful, that’s why), roast turkey breast, stuffing, a pig in a blanket, spiced red cabbage, cranberry sauce and turkey gravy.

Add to playlist: the slow-burn psychedelia of Acolyte and the week’s best new tracks

Unhurried trippy bass lines and poet Iona Lee’s commanding, velvety voice conjure a glamorously unhurried sense of hypnosis

From Edinburgh
Recommended if you like Dry Cleaning, Massive Attack, Nick Cave
Up next Warm Days in December out now, new EP due early 2026

As fixtures of Edinburgh’s gig-turned-performance art scene, Acolyte’s eerie, earthy psychedelia is just as likely to be found on stage at the Traverse theatre as in a steamy-windowed Leith Walk boozer. Their looped bass lines and poet Iona Lee’s commanding, velvety voice conjure a sense of slow-burn hypnosis – and just like their music, Acolyte are glamorously unhurried. They’ve released only a handful of songs in the seven years since Lee and bassist Ruairidh Morrison first started experimenting with jazz, trip-hop and spoken word, but now the group (with Daniel Hill on percussion and Gloria Black on synth, also known for throwing fantastical, papier-mache-costumed club nights with her former band Maranta) are gathering pace.

Meat-free under the mistletoe – recipes

Not a fan of the traditional festive spread? These recipes are a Christmas feast that even turkeys would vote for

Australia’s social media ban launched with barely a hitch – but the real test is still to come

The policy to cut off social media access for more than 2 million under-16s remains popular with Australians, while other countries look to follow suit

On the lawns of the prime minister’s Kirribilli residence in Sydney, overlooking the harbour, Anthony Albanese said he had never been prouder.

“This is a day in which my pride to be prime minister of Australia has never been greater. This is world-leading. This is Australia showing enough is enough,” he said as the country’s under-16s social media ban came into effect on Wednesday.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from ICE custody. And, Indiana rejects redistricting

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man the Trump administration mistakenly deported in March and eventually returned, is now free from ICE custody. And, Indiana lawmakers reject a redistricting proposal.

‘He was struggling with his breath. I sat beside him and sang’: the choir who sing to people on their deathbeds

Just as lullabies send babies to sleep, so songs can help those at the other end of life on their way. The leader of a Threshold Choir reveals what they do – and the personal tragedies that convinced her we need to get better at dealing with death

It’s a brisk November afternoon in the village of South Brent in Devon and, in a daffodil yellow cottage, two women are singing me lullabies. But these aren’t the sort of lullabies that parents sing to their children. They are songs written and sung for terminally ill people, to ease them towards what will hopefully be a peaceful and painless death.

We are at the home of Nickie Aven, singer and leader of a Threshold Choir. Aven and her friend are giving me a glimpse of what happens when they sing for people receiving end-of-life care. These patients are usually in hospices or in their own homes being supported by relatives, which is why 67-year-old Aven – who is softly spoken and radiates warmth and kindness – has asked me to lie down on the sofa under a rug while they sing. She says I can look at them, or I can close my eyes and allow my mind to drift. In fact, my eyes settle on Lennon, Aven’s large black labrador retriever who squeezes himself between the singers and is as gentle and well-mannered as his owner. The pair sing a cappella and in harmony. Distinct from elegies or laments, the songs are gently meditative, written to provide human connection and foster feelings of love and safety. They are not just for the benefit of the dying but for friends and relatives caring for them or holding vigil. Their singing is simple, intimate and beautiful. It is also utterly calming.