Easy-to-use solar panels are coming, but utilities are trying to delay them

Utilities are convincing lawmakers around the U.S. to delay bills that would allow people to buy solar panels, plug them into an outlet and begin generating electricity.

Middle East crisis live: Iran steps up campaign to disrupt energy markets as oil price spikes above $100 a barrel

Iran has set ablaze two tankers in Iraqi waters as it increased attacks on oil and transport facilities across the Middle East

• Iran escalates attacks on infrastructure and transport across the Gulf

• How have you been affected by the latest Middle East events?

An Iranian source is denying the country will allow India-flagged tankers to pass through the vital strait of Hormuz, Reuters is reporting.

The news agency a little earlier quoted an Indian source as saying Iran would in fact allow such tankers to pass through the strait, a key artery for global oil trade.

Disease once linked to mining hits workers in countertops industry

Crystalline silica, which is released into the air when workers cut and polish engineered stone for kitchen countertops, can scar human lungs beyond repair.

Act Black: posters of Black Americans on stage and screen – in pictures

A new exhibition at New York’s Poster House celebrates the work of Black performers on stage and screen from the 1880s to the 1940s. Many of these posters are the only surviving proof of certain shows, with no recordings of plays, and certain films, having been lost over time. They offer a history of Black Americans trying to counter harmful stereotypes and provide vital and humanizing contributions to a growing Black culture. Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen is on display from 13 March to 6 September. All words and images from the Poster House and curator Es-pranza Humphrey

Wings, sex and hypocrisy: how the NBA tied itself in knots over a strip club night

The Hawks decided to pay tribute to Atlanta institution Magic City. The league soon found itself dealing with a narrative it doesn’t understand fully

Manufactured outrage will have to serve as the theme for what had been the most hotly anticipated game of the season.

For those who may have missed it: last month the Atlanta Hawks announced plans for a 16 March promotional event called Magic City Night. The name wasn’t just a nod to that evening’s opponent, the Orlando Magic; it was meant to honor the civic institution in the shadow of the Hawks’ arena – Magic City, America’s most famous strip club.

London, San Francisco and Beijing achieve ‘remarkable reductions’ in air pollution

Cycle lanes, electric cars and other interventions have helped 19 global cities slash levels of pollutants by more than 20%

London, San Francisco and Beijing are among 19 global cities that have achieved “remarkable reductions” in air pollution, analysis has found, having slashed levels of two airway-aggravating pollutants by more than 20% since 2010.

The analysis found interventions such as cycle lanes, uptake of electric cars and restrictions on polluting vehicles had helped to drive the improvements

The Trump administration's crackdown on immigrant truckers shifts into higher gear

The White House wants tougher rules for commercial licenses after several high-profile crashes involving foreign-born drivers. But critics say that would do little to make the nation's roads safer.

5 ways to resist the urge to keep looking at your phone

So you want to spend less time on your phone. How do you do that when it's designed to suck you in? Life Kit spoke to experts in behavioral science, psychology and technology for real-world advice.

Hungary’s Orbán claims Ukrainians ‘threatened’ his family as election campaign ramps up

Prime minister makes claim as accusations mount that he is using row with Ukraine for political gain in run-up to elections

Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has accused Ukrainians of plotting to attack his family, as an increasingly bitter standoff between Kyiv and Budapest continues.

Orbán and his allies appear to be using the dispute for maximum political gain before the election due next month that could end the 16-year rule of his nationalist government.

‘Life is such a pain in the ass’: what Talk Easy host Sam Fragoso has learned in a decade of grilling celebs

The presenter of hit series Talk Easy has pioneered a style of candid chat that has seen the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Salman Rushdie squirming in their seats – so far only one guest has stormed out

Most episodes of Sam Fragoso’s interview podcast Talk Easy begin with a disarmingly simple question: “How are you doing today?” It primes his high-profile guests – Patti Smith, Gwyneth Paltrow, Salman Rushdie – to be met where they’re at, and sets the stage for what has, over the decade since it began, become a masterclass in interviewing, a singular property in a market so waterlogged that people commonly joke that microphones should be taxed.

Fragoso, 31, eschews the gimmicks and pally celebrity chat of many podcasts. With its crackly jazz theme and commitment to depth, Talk Easy oozes class; in 2020, Fragoso pressed a vinyl record of his interview with US writer Fran Lebowitz. Describing himself as where underground journalist Nardwuar (disarmingly well researched) meets NPR legend Terry Gross (sensitive, direct) meets late talkshow host Dick Cavett (intellectual, sophisticated), he is a freakishly intuitive listener. “The way you construct the narrative of my life is so true that it’s just a little startling,” actor Michelle Williams told him in 2023. In December, the Obamas signed Talk Easy to their production company.

It would be a macabre story but relegation needs to happen for Tottenham | Jonathan Liew

All the managers since Pochettino have drained life from the club, which appears interested in anything but football now

Sad news coming out of Tottenham this week: Ryan Norys’s talk at the South by Southwest festival on Friday will no longer take place. The club’s chief revenue officer, who has overseen a 40% rise in commercial revenue over the past three years, was due to speak on “how Tottenham is evolving beyond football to become a global cultural brand”. And given the rich seam of cultural content Spurs have been providing the world over recent weeks, you have to say it’s been a stunningly successful initiative.

Alas, when Norys posted an advertisement for the event on his LinkedIn page this week, Spurs fans exploded with anger, forcing the talk to be cancelled. Fortunately, those still interested to see how Tottenham are evolving beyond football can simply observe their recent performances on the pitch. Igor Tudor’s Tottenham Hotspur: proudly evolving beyond defending. Beyond possession. Beyond goalkeeping. Beyond tactics, beyond teamwork, beyond competence, beyond the basic bipedal human ability to stand up straight. And – who knows? – perhaps even beyond the Premier League.

There is no denying Labour is in crisis – but in a strange way, Keir Starmer is equipped to save it | Zoe Williams

The fact that the PM is a pragmatist, light on ideology, could allow him to forge now essential links with other parties

Even before Labour took power, since the first whispers that Keir Starmer wasn’t the Corbyn-in-a-tie candidate his leadership bid had promised, the same argument has been going on among Labour members. Should Starmer be trying harder to include the left flank of the movement? Perhaps he should, at the very least, stop trying to expel them.

The same question informs orientation towards the general voter: should apparatchiks worry less about the threat from Reform and more about the threat from the Greens? What the hell was going on with that “island of strangers” speech? Was Shabana Mahmood brought in on a promise of attacking migrants from every direction, or are at least some of her manoeuvres a surprise? Morgan McSweeney’s animus towards the left had an almost mythic quality, the man trying to keep the cave cosy by putting out the fire; how did he come to be so indispensable that it was only after the downfall of his ally Peter Mandelson that anyone wondered what his politics actually were?

Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist

Why Sentimental Value should win the best picture Oscar

It may not have a flashy high concept like the other nominees but Joachim Trier’s family saga is satisfyingly grownup film-making, and beats them all as a showcase for great performance

This is a best picture race full of ambitious ideas and big swings. A Trump-baiting sanctuary city saga. A continent-crossing Jewish picaresque fantasy. A Brazilian B-movie-tinged paranoid period thriller. A loopy alien-invasion conspiracy headtrip. A giant, roaring motorsport epic. Monsters. Vampires. Railroad-building. Shakespeare. And, erm, a drama about an actor’s daddy issues.

But if Sentimental Value seems to you the least essential of this years’s nominees, then, well, you don’t know Sentimental Value. From that familiar-sounding subject matter, the film’s Danish-Norwegian co-writer and director, Joachim Trier, has crafted something grand and sprawling: a family saga spiralling across decades and generations, spliced with a movie about moviemaking. It’s a film that churns and roils emotionally like Bergman, but – as with Trier’s last one, The Worst Person in the World – tears into heavy themes with a springiness, even a playfulness. And no other Oscar nominee provides such a showcase for performance, with four meaty parts for its terrific leads – all also Oscar-nominated – to chomp on.

Three more ships struck in the Persian Gulf as Iran warns of oil prices hitting $200

The latest incidents in or near the Strait of Hormuz come shortly after Iran warned the world to prepare for $200 oil prices.

‘Sly stowaway’ UK fox finds new home at Bronx Zoo after illicit transatlantic trip

The fox is said to be ‘settling in well’ after mischievous 3,400 mile journey from Southampton to New York

A sly fox slipped on to a cargo ship and travelled from Southampton to New York, according to officials at Bronx Zoo.

The zoo, which is looking after the animal, said it appears healthy after early examinations.

Palantir’s NHS England contract ‘opens door to government abuse of power’, health bosses told

Health justice charity Medact says data-sharing potential could be used for UK version of US immigration raids

Palantir’s NHS contract opens the door to the Big Brother-style data-sharing that Reform UK would use for a version of US immigration raids, health bosses have been told.

Palantir Technologies – the data analytics company founded by Peter Thiel and Alex Karp – won a £330m NHS England contract to deliver the Federated Data Platform in 2023.

Why Populists Are Winning and How to Beat Them by Liam Byrne review – a surprisingly original prescription

A former New Labour minister tackles the question of our times with rigour and verve – but blindspots remain

At first glance, the former New Labour minister Liam Byrne is not the ideal person to explain the rise of rightwing populism in Britain and beyond, and how it might be stopped. At the end of Gordon Brown’s government in 2010, Byrne infamously wrote a one-line letter to whoever would succeed him as chief secretary to the Treasury: “I’m afraid there is no money.” Both friendly advice and an inside joke, these words were used for years by the Tories and Lib Dems to justify their austerity policies – and were arguably one of the causes of the modern disillusionment with conventional politicians. This loss of faith, and the damage to society and public services from austerity, have fuelled populism ever since.

Byrne’s short but ambitious book is, in a sense, his attempt to make amends. Yet some of the arguments and evidence he presents, in quick, confident sentences which fit his past reputation as a clever but impatient minister, are unlikely to persuade many people that he is thinking afresh. He often cites and echoes centrist authorities such as the Tony Blair Institute and Keir Starmer’s former advisers Claire Ainsley and Deborah Mattinson, who have all long said that the way to defeat populism is to respect its supporters, however rightwing. Given that Reform UK has surged ahead in the polls, while Labour is regarded by most populist voters with contempt, this deference seems a dead end.

‘I have never seen anything like it’: MP warns of rise in extreme views on race and identity

Health minister Zubir Ahmed says new definition of anti-Muslim hostility could be a turning point as he tells of Islamophobic abuse

Zubir Ahmed, a health minister, tries not to read the comments under his social media feeds, but sometimes curiosity gets the better of him.

After performing a transplant on Christmas Day, the vascular surgeon scanned a post about the operation.

‘Uncool rules’: the lo-fi pop pranksters reviving the Dutch answer to dada

Cheeky and rebellious, the Netherlands’ own brand of ‘ludiek’ zaniness thrived in the 1960s protest era. Now, the New Dutch Naivety movement is bringing it back with songs about chocolate, good transport and no-smoking policies

Imagine a song about the noisy centre of Amsterdam turning magically into chocolate, prompting children to go wild and eat it. The edifice then melts away, once you get the train from Amsterdam Lelylaan to Haarlemmermeer. This is the story of Amsterdam is opeens van chocolade (“Amsterdam is suddenly chocolate”), a song written by the young alt-pop musician, Thor Kissing. It is an example of a cheeky and rebellious aspect of 20th-century Dutch popular culture, ludiek (“playfulness”), which may be on the rise again.

Kissing is a central figure in a new project that tries to capture what ludiek music means in the 21st century: two compilation albums called Nieuwe Nederlandse Naïviteit (“New Dutch Naivety”), promoting a disparate bunch of contemporary alternative Dutch-language pop artists. In October 2024, the first volume was launched in a spartan youth centre in an out-of-the-way Zaandam suburb. Volume two is set for release this March, in “hip” Amsterdam.

Anthropic sues Trump administration over "supply chain risk" order

Anthropic sued the Defense Department and other federal agencies on Monday over the government's move to designate it a risk to the supply chain.

Families given a week to decide whether to leave UK voluntarily plead for more time

Home Office targets 150 families whose asylum claims were refused and offers them up to £40,000 to leave or face forcible removal

Families who received notices asking them to agree to return to their home countries are begging the Home Office to give them more time to make a decision that will significantly affect their children’s futures.

The Home Office has targeted 150 families whose asylum claims were refused and given them just seven days to make the decision, which would uproot their children from schools and adopted communities. Those who refuse to leave voluntarily may be forcibly removed in handcuffs, including children.

Bruce Springsteen, Kate Moss and Johnny Depp to appear on all-star Shane MacGowan tribute album

Irish artists, British indie legends and US stars such as Tom Waits also contribute, with Springsteen writing essay about the ‘bottomless humanity’ of the late Pogues frontman

Bruce Springsteen has written an essay celebrating the “flashing, alive and historically rich” songwriting of the late Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan, as an all-star covers album is announced featuring Springsteen, Kate Moss, Johnny Depp and others.

Springsteen’s cover of A Rainy Night in Soho is out now, the first song to be released from 20th Century Paddy: The Songs of Shane MacGowan, which is out 13 November.

Many, unsurprisingly, led difficult lives not easily bound by the shackles of convention. They were natural rebels unable to stifle or heed the impulses that led them to their glory and personal hardships. Great art is by nature lawless. We do not get to choose our obsessions. We do not get to dictate our blessings or our transgressions. It’s a little joke the gods play on us. Shane’s voice was so deeply real, profane and honest, his writing so flashing, alive and historically rich its genesis appeared as a mystery to all including, I believe, its creator. The dangerous joy, the glee and courage, the humour in the face of fate, the wild ramble of a life driven towards the artistic heavens and the daily balm of self-obliteration. Shane was all naked bottomless humanity. Threatening to force us to ask ourselves if we were living deeply, authentically. He was raw, hilarious, no apologies and profound. His soul was filled with the transgressive and ecstatic properties of the saints. I don’t know who’ll be listening to my music in 100 years but I know they’ll be listening to Shane’s.

Rachel Roddy’s recipe for risotto in bianco | A kitchen in Rome

Make use of every inch of parmesan or other grana-type cheeses with this most simple and lovely of risottos

Parmigiano reggiano, grana padano, lodigiano, trentingrana and the other members of the grana-type cheese family (there are many, and all are worth seeking out) are far from cheap. Which is why it is important to use every last bit, including the rind with the last few millimetres of cheese still attached. That functions as a sort of highly flavoured and fatty stock cube that can be added to soups and stews. The best place to keep your precious rinds is in a plastic bag or airtight container in the freezer, which also preserves flavour and stops them drying out, until they’re pulled out and added directly to whatever needs a boost, or to make one of the nicest, most delicately flavoured and cheesy broths, which in turn makes a lovely risotto.

I have written about risotto many times here, with each version a new favourite, and providing lessons in a dish that, regardless of how much I learn and practise, I am always chasing: the right proportions of rice to broth, as well as a pleasing consistency and texture. I know I am not alone in this, and was reassured by a friend from Bergamo, in Lombardy, who told me that, despite having made thousands of risotti, he feels much the same, that every pan is an adventure and personal challenge, and that he wouldn’t have it any other way. This is his recipe, which he describes as the simplest of risotti and a layered celebration of grana cheese.

Proposed law change will protect abusive men who push women to suicide, campaigners warn

Charity criticises new measures that would make it harder for inquests to pass verdict of unlawful killing

Men whose abusive behaviour drives women to take their own lives are more likely to get away with their crimes because of proposed law changes, justice campaigners say.

Ministers want to make it harder for inquests to pass verdicts of unlawful killing, which have been crucial in getting justice for women who killed themselves after suffering abuse.

Bam Adebayo's 83-point night was one to remember. But not everyone was pleased

Detractors point to Adebayo's one-of-a-kind stat line — 43 field goal attempts, 22 3-point attempts and, most of all, NBA records of 36 free throws and 43 attempts — as proof of stat-padding.

Where Duolingo falls down: how I learned to speak Welsh with my mother

Once violently defended from extinction, Welsh is still a part of daily life. By learning my family’s language, I hoped to join their conversation

My maternal grandmother died 20 years ago. The funeral was held in a small Methodist chapel in the lush Conwy valley of north Wales. Her entire life – she had almost reached 100 – was spent in these hills. The drizzle that morning had slicked the trees and turned the slate of the chapel black. Our family, gathered under umbrellas, entered in order of seniority: Mum, now the family elder, with Dad on her arm, then my six aunts and uncles with their spouses, and finally the cousins, led by my brother Mark and me.

The room was austere. White walls, sturdy wooden furniture, a plain cross on the wall. Our family squeezed into box pews in the centre of the chapel. A couple of older men among the crowd reminded me of my grandfather, who had died decades earlier: similar thatches of black hair; dark, weathered complexions; history-book faces.

‘It feels like flying!’ Sadie Sink and Noah Jupe on child stardom, passion and the heady rush of Romeo and Juliet

Fresh from Stranger Things and Hamnet, the pair are surprised to find themselves playing Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers in the West End. They talk chemistry, dating apps – and what they’ve taught director Robert Icke

Noah Jupe and Sadie Sink are comparing their CVs. “Noah has more Shakespeare experience than me, for sure,” says Sink. “Oh yes, I think so,” replies Jupe. “How many lines?” asks Sink. “Quite a few, actually,” he reports. “More than 10!”

If Jupe wanted to flex, he could say in all truth that he played Hamlet when he was only 19. That was two summers ago, when he stood on the stage in a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and asked “To be or not to be?” in Chloé Zhao’s Oscar-nominated adaptation of Hamnet.

MPs launch student loans inquiry amid ‘perfect storm’ for young people in UK

Influential Treasury committee chair Meg Hillier says review follows growing concern over graduate debt

• UK firms struggling to hire young people amid cost pressures, MPs told

Young adults in the UK face a “perfect storm” of economic challenges, the head of the influential Treasury select committee has warned as it launches an inquiry into student loans.

The cross-party committee’s investigation comes as the government considers ways to ease the burden on graduates, amid a growing backlash about high interest rates and hefty repayments, including among Labour MPs.

My mother’s best advice: keep short accounts – in other words, forgive easily

She has lots of different ways to remind me to breathe. These still my thoughts, and remind me that I’m loved in a way that weighs as much as whatever heartbreak, stress or exhaustion I’m experiencing

My favourite photograph of my mother, Linda, and I was taken at my wedding. I’m not sure we realised we were being photographed. Two artist friends were walking around with film cameras, shooting the kind of things they knew that Hiraki, my husband, and I would like. My mother and I are standing shoulder to shoulder, under a young tree. I love how the shapes of our necklines are like a sartorial call and response, how our smiles are so peaceful, how we are both looking outwards.

It’s not that this picture captures a specific moment. Rather, it taps into a certain quality of my mother’s love that is timeless, unbound by circumstance or context. She has always loved my sister and I exactly like this: gently, spaciously and alongside.

Jack Draper defeats Novak Djokovic to keep Indian Wells title defence on track

• British No 1 comes from behind to beat Serb 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)

• Hard-fought win is first of Draper’s tennis career over Djokovic

Jack Draper overcame Novak Djokovic for the first time in his career to keep the defence of his Indian Wells title on track. The 24-year-old Briton came through a gripping match lasting more than two-and-a-half hours in a deciding tiebreak to win 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Djokovic took a hard-fought opening set 6-4 but Draper responded by taking a second break point in the opening game of the second. The Serb broke back and Draper appeared in trouble in the eighth game when he was pegged back from 40-0 to deuce before eventually holding.

Oil price tops $100 again as Iran strikes economic targets across Middle East

Vast release of emergency crude reserves fails to quell mounting fears around energy supply crunch, rattling global markets

• Business live – latest updates

Oil prices again topped $100 a barrel on Thursday as widespread Iranian attacks on Middle Eastern energy facilities overshadowed a vast release of government reserves.

As Donald Trump vowed to “finish the job” and press ahead with the US-Israel war on Iran, the country’s regime stepped up retaliatory strikes on economic targets across the region.

Trump says Democrats must cheat to win. What do his supporters think?

NPR spent several days traveling across a pair of swing districts in Pennsylvania to find out. The answers show how much has changed since the 2020 election.

Google sells partial stake in fiber business, becomes minority owner of new venture

Google said its GFiber unit is combing with Astound Broadband and forming a independent fiber provider.

Quit fossil fuels to stem deadly floods in Brazil’s coffee heartland, say scientists

Global heating linked to rising risk of extreme rain that causes devastating landslides and rising coffee prices

The record floods that have brought death and destruction to the heartland of Brazil’s coffee industry are expected to intensify if people continue to burn fossil fuels, analysis has shown.

Dozens of residents in the state of Minas Gerais have been buried alive in landslides or swept away as roads turned into rivers over the past month. Thousands more have been forced to evacuate their homes, while the wider, longer-term effects are likely to include higher prices for coffee across the world.

Elderly couple killed in Indiana home as tornadoes tear through Midwest

A string of tornadoes touched down in multiple states as severe weather stretched from Texas to Michigan.

‘Devastating blow’: Atlassian lays off 1,600 workers ahead of AI push

Layoffs to affect 10% of workforce amid Australian company’s restructuring plan to push into artificial intelligence and enterprise sales

Software giant Atlassian has announced it is laying off about 10% of its workforce, or roughly 1,600 positions, and replacing its chief technology officer as it restructures to invest further in artificial intelligence.

More than 900 affected positions were involved in software research and development, a spokesperson said. Most of Atlassian’s employees work in software engineering and design, accounting for over 50% of its 13,813 full-time workforce in June 2025.

Noma chef resigns amid shocking allegations of physical abuse of staff

René Redzepi also steps down from non-profit board after accusations of both physical and psychological abuse

René Redzepi, the head chef and co-founder of Noma, announced Wednesday he was resigning from his internationally acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant following allegations that he had physically abused his staff.

Redzepi had been facing protests in Los Angeles before a four-month pop-up that launched this week. His resignation comes after the New York Times detailed shocking allegations of physical and psychological abuse, including claims that he “punched employees in the face, jabbed them with kitchen implements and slammed them against walls”.

The government is investigating new claims that DOGE misused Social Security data

The fallout from DOGE staffers' efforts to access sensitive Social Security data continues as an agency watchdog disclosed a new investigation into "potential misuse" reported by a whistleblower.

Trump releasing 172 million barrels of oil from reserve as prices soar amid Iran war

President Trump ordered the release of 172 million barrels of oil from the U.S.'s Strategic Petroleum Reserve on Wednesday, after oil prices rocketed to their highest levels in years amid the U.S.'s war with Iran.

3/8: CBS Weekend News

Iran names new supreme leader; Trump not ruling out ground troops in Iran.

3/7: CBS Weekend News

U.S. appears to prepare for longer fight in Iran; Freedom Plane carrying prized U.S. documents celebrates 250th anniversary

What we know about FBI memo on potential drone threat

An FBI memo warning that Iran may try to launch drones at California in a seaborne "surprise attack" is raising concerns, but how serious is the threat? Nicole Sganga explains.

Epstein's longtime accountant tells Congress he didn't know about abuse

Richard Kahn was one of Epstein's closest associates in his final years, managing his finances and investments.

Iran war: Trump says he's not worried about domestic terror attack

President Donald Trump said oil companies should send tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained effectively closed due to the war on Iran.

3/11: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Trump says there's "practically nothing left" to target on Day 12 of war in Iran; legislative blockade threatened over SAVE Act.

After Trump's call for Massie defeat, outside groups spending $5M to try ousting him

President Trump's scorn towards GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky is a key factor in the May primary. He has called Massie the "worst Republican congressman" in Congress' history

Kvaratskhelia is PSG’s hyper-skilled traveller to expose Chelsea’s naivety | Barney Ronay

European champions rediscover mojo thanks to maverick Georgian’s late show to surely put tie beyond Chelsea’s reach

Oh Filip. Welcome to the Premier League’s latest bonus content machine. Barbecuing wide‑eyed second‑choice European goalkeepers over a high heat on some foreign field.

It will be tempting to dwell on the moment Chelsea started losing this game. And it is a moment that captured the reasons why they were cuffed aside in Paris: a combination of managerial naivety, twinned with the razor edge of Paris Saint‑Germain’s front six, in particular the brilliantly moreish Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

NYPD cop who chased down bomb suspect had just one thought: "Catch the bad guy"

NYPD Chief Aaron Edwards hopped a metal barrier to chase down a suspect accused of throwing IEDs during clashing protests outside Gracie Mansion.

Lost dog found 1,300 miles away, returned to family two years after going missing

Two years after a Dallas family's dog disappeared, she was found 1,300 miles away in New Jersey. Tony Dokoupil has the story of how made her way back home.

Israel bombards Beirut suburbs and southern Lebanon as conflict with Hezbollah escalates

Hezbollah and Iran had launched joint attack on more than 50 targets including Israeli military bases

• Middle East live – latest updates

Israeli warplanes bombarded Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon after Hezbollah launched drones and rockets at northern Israel on Wednesday night in a sharp escalation of the 10-day conflict.

Hezbollah let off successive volleys of rockets and drone swarms at Israel on Wednesday night, injuring two people, with most of the projectiles either being intercepted or falling into open areas.

Hero NYPD officer who chased down bomb suspect had just one thought: "Catch the bad guy"

Chief Aaron Edwards and Sgt. Luis Navarro of the NYPD are being hailed as heroes for the response to an attempted bomb attack during protests outside the New York City mayor's residence. Jericka Duncan talked with the officers about what was going through their minds as they sprang into action.

Officials downplay risk of Iranian drone attacks off California after FBI memo

FBI memo warning that Iran may try to launch drones at California in a seaborne "surprise attack" raised concern Wednesday — but officials tell CBS News there is no known, specific threat underpinning it.

Fetterman calls Trump's criticism of mail-in voting "ridiculous"

"The president is constantly critical on mail-in voting, and that's ridiculous," Democratic Sen. John Fetterman said Wednesday.

Georgia community reeling after teacher dies during students' prank

Sorrow clings to Gainesville, Georgia, as the community tries to make sense of a beloved teacher's death. Mark Strassmann has more.

China’s rubber-stamp parliament set to approve ‘ethnic unity’ law

New legislation will require schools to use Mandarin by default, taking priority over minority ethnic languages such as Tibetan, Uyghur and Mongolian

China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), the state legislature, will vote on Thursday on a suite of new laws agreed at this year’s annual two sessions gathering, including a piece of legislation that will diminish the role of minority ethnic languages in the education system.

NPC delegates are expected to approve a new ethnic unity law, along with a new environmental code and the 15th five-year plan, the economic planning document for 2026-2030. Delegates have spent the last week debating Beijing’s proposed bills, which they are all but certain to approve. The NPC, which is often described as a rubber-stamp parliament, has never rejected an item on its agenda.

Powerful tornadoes rip through Midwest, killing at least two

At least a dozen tornadoes tore through the Midwest and South, killing at least two people and leaving a trail of damage through Illinois and Indiana. Lana Zak reports and Rob Marciano has the forecast.

Epstein's longtime accountant testifies he was 'not aware' of sex offender's crimes

Richard Kahn testified to the House Oversight Committee that he did not know about Epstein's crimes. He said monetary gifts that Epstein made did not raise any red flags.

New details on extent of U.S. troops' injuries during Kuwait attack

An Iranian drone attack in Kuwait that killed six U.S. service members in the early hours of the war with Iran was more severe than has previously been revealed, with dozens suffering injuries including brain trauma, shrapnel wounds and burns, multiple sources told CBS News. Charlie D'Agata has more.

Trump administration launches Section 301 trade probes into Mexico, China, EU, others

The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, said President Trump was not authorized by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, IEEPA, to impose tariffs.

Valverde, Real’s ever versatile Little Bird, goes on a flight of pure fantasy | Sid Lowe

Hat-trick hero played as an auxiliary right-back before excelling everywhere in midfield in one of the great European displays

Fede Valverde made his way down the tunnel at the Santiago Bernabéu wearing the captain’s armband and the No 8 shirt Toni Kroos had wanted him to have. He carried the pennant commemorating what was going to be the match of his life, touched palms with the kids in the sponsored shirts that lined the route on right and left, and then stepped out into the light.

When he headed back inside again 45 minutes later, the first off the pitch at half-time, he paused briefly and clenched his fist, which was a pretty low‑key reaction considering what he had just done.

Trump administration takes steps to impose new tariffs

The Supreme Court ruled in February that the president lacks the authority to impose unilateral tariffs using an emergency powers law.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman says war with Iran has been "effective"

"I think, overall, what's accomplished is remarkable," Sen. John Fetterman told CBS News chief White House correspondent Major Garrett in an interview Wednesday.

A tour of Tokyo's largest fish market

Tokyo's largest fish market, Tsukiji, is packed with every type of seafood imaginable, from brightly-colored octopus and shrimp to tiny sardines. It's a top destination for Tokyo's sushi chefs - and tourists. Seth Doane pays a visit.

Atlassian slashes 10% of workforce to 'self-fund' investments in AI and enterprise sales

Atlassian said it's cutting 10% of its workforce, or about 1,600 jobs, as it restructures to fund investments in artificial intelligence and enterprise sales.

3/11: CBS Evening News

Officials downplay risk of Iranian drone attacks off California after FBI memo; New details on extent of U.S. troops' injuries during Kuwait attack.

FCC chair slams Amazon for slow satellite launches after it opposed SpaceX data center plan

Amazon asked the FCC for a waiver or 24-month extension to meet a July 2026 deadline to deploy 1,600 internet satellites.

1,300-pound NASA satellite re-enters Earth's atmosphere after 14 years in space

The Van Allen probe's mission was meant to last two years, but ended up going for nearly seven.

I wrote a book about theft and deception – and now AI scams are flooding my inbox | Walter Marsh

Authors like me are being targeted by AI-powered accounts promising exposure and fake reviews

• Self-publish and be scammed: Jon’s tale of heartbreak highlights boom in fraudsters using AI to supercharge book swindles

My latest book had been out for less than a month when the emails started to arrive.

One came from “Elena”, with the tantalising subject line, “When history flutters its wings and reveals a crime too beautiful to ignore.” Then followed a long, florid message about how it was “one of those rare true stories that makes you question everything you thought you knew about history, museums, and human obsession”.

Billboard trolls missing woman's husband suspected of her murder

Dee Warner's brother, Gregg Hardy, says he was being sarcastic when he wrote the billboard in Lenawee County, Michigan, that read "Help Dale Find Dee." Dale Warner denies he ever harmed his wife.

Would Michigan investigators be able to prove murder in a case without a body?

After Dee Warner, a Michigan businesswoman and mother, disappeared from her home, her family believed she has been murdered and suspected her husband Dale Warner. But without physical evidence, they knew it would be hard to prove.

California billionaires up political action with multimillion-dollar donations

Google founder backs both Republican and Democrat in governor’s race while ex-CEO fights billionaire tax

• Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox

Tech billionaires are adding to their already huge spending spree on California politics as campaigns for governor and a proposed wealth tax heat up. According to recently released campaign finance disclosures, big names pouring millions into state politics include current and former chief executives from Google, DoorDash, Reddit, LinkedIn and Facebook – evidence of Silicon Valley’s increasing involvement in politics.

Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt has become a major donor, contributing $1.04m to an independent committee, the California Business Roundtable, that is campaigning against the proposed Billionaire Tax Act, according to new filings released by the state government. The union-backed tax proposal, opposed by almost all of the state’s mega-rich, aims to help cover education, food assistance and healthcare programs.

A Woman of Substance review – a lavishly absurd, cliche-packed tribute to simpler times

Barbara Taylor Bradford’s 1979 novel became a massive TV hit in the 1980s. Now, Brenda Blethyn has donned a fabulous wig to whisk us back to the age of excess and escapism

Basically, there was trouble at ’mill. Or at least t’mill owner’s house. This is the fons et origo of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s A Woman of Substance. The quintessential rags-to-riches tale, of impoverished Yorkshire lass Emma Harte making her way to the top of the fashion business, was published in 1979 – but it anticipated and appealed instantly to the self-improving, bootstrap-straining, money-hungry, power-mad, ambition-laden mood of the decade to come. It was first adapted for television in 1985 (starring Jenny Seagrove and Deborah Kerr as Emmas young and old) and now it is time for another. Katherine Jakeways and Roanne Bardsley have delivered an eight-part miniseries whose lavish absurdity takes us back to the supreme madness of 80s television and gives us the escapism we surely all currently crave.

We open in the late 70s with Emma Harte in a limousine and her multimillionaire grande dame prime. She is played by Brenda Blethyn, who has, at last, cast off her drab Vera garb and shuffling gait after 14 series. Instead, she has embraced a gorgeous silver-grey bouffant wig and equally lavish wardrobe, with, I hope, all the joy that such a metamorphosis can bring.

A Woman of Substance is available on Channel 4.

Trump hits back at Republican Senate majority leader over Save America act

John Thune refusing to alter rules to force a vote as US president says he won’t sign any legislation until bill is passed

• Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox

Donald Trump hit back at Republican Senate majority leader John Thune over the latter’s refusal to alter rules to force a vote on the Save America act, a sprawling bill that would upend elections for American voters amid the midterms.

Trump delivered a blunt message for Thune to reporters outside the White House on Wednesday: “He’s got to be a leader.”

Rebecca Gayheart Dane on caring for her late husband, Eric Dane, and synthetic voices

The wife of 'Grey's Anatomy' actor Eric Dane says caring for him gave her an "extra dose" of compassion for others.

Who is Markwayne Mullin? Trump ally will bring conservative immigration policies to DHS

Republicans are optimistic about Markwayne Mullin taking over the reins at DHS, while Democrats warn his tenure will be more of the same after Kristi Noem.

How the Iran war could impact hyperscalers' massive AI buildout in the Middle East

Tech companies have funnelled billions of dollars into Middle East AI projects — the Iran war means questions will be asked about future investments

Epstein files: Senators seek probe of DOJ over release, redaction of sex offender's documents

The Department of Justice has come under fire for its handling of documents related to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Tim Scott hopes Fed Chair Powell investigation 'goes away' to clear Kevin Warsh confirmation

President Donald Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as Fed chair, but the process has been blocked amid a federal investigation into Powell.

Oil prices are falling — gas prices aren't. Here's why.

Even if oil prices ease, they won't return to the levels they were at before the war started, according to Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy.

Chubb set as main U.S. insurer for Persian Gulf shipping amid Iran war

The insurance giant will work with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to help backstop shipping.

Chile turns right: Kast inaugurated as nation's most conservative leader since Pinochet

Chile has sworn in its most right-wing president in decades — and his rise, and ideology, are rooted in a small town beneath the Andes.

Microsoft plans to ship prototype of next Xbox console to developers in 2027

The next generation of Microsoft's video game hardware will first land in the hands of developers next year.

Rory McIlroy hopes to defend Players Championship despite back injury

• He withdrew from Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday

• ‘I’m taking it hour by hour, but it feels better’

Rory McIlroy will make a last‑minute call on Thursday over whether to defend his Players Championship title, with the Northern Irishman still feeling the effects of a weekend back injury. McIlroy will wait until his pre-round range session to determine whether he is fit enough to play.

McIlroy arrived here on Wednesday afternoon, having withdrawn shortly before his third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He hit shots for around an hour before walking the back nine with wedge and putter in hand. McIlroy sustained a muscle problem in the gym on Saturday morning, which left him basically inactive for three days.

FTC to refund more than $47 million to consumers allegedly deceived by Invitation Homes

A 2024 government lawsuit accused Invitation Homes of deceiving renters about lease costs, charging undisclosed junk fees and other unlawful practices.

Havertz’s late penalty on return to Leverkusen rescues first-leg draw for Arsenal

Whoever runs Bayer Leverkusen’s social media accounts obviously meant it as a joke. But even they could not have predicted that a cheeky post hours before kick‑off would almost end up being such a good omen for Kasper Hjulmand’s side. “No corners allowed,” it read in a clear dig at Arsenal’s favoured modus operandi this season, before adding. “Worth a try …”

Nonetheless, the plan seemed to be working for almost the entire cagey first half when neither side managed to muster a single corner until injury time. But everything changed at the start of the second half when Leverkusen’s captain, Robert Andrich, headed home their second corner of the evening. “Well, this is awkward,” the Leverkusen social media team piped up.

Trump asks Supreme Court to let it end legal protections for 350,000 Haitians

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for it to end temporary deportation protections for more than 350,000 Haitian immigrants.

New satirical statue depicts Trump and Epstein as doomed lovers from Titanic

Latest sculpture titled ‘King of the World’ includes plaques with pointed commentary on pair’s past association

A woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets. The appearance of a golden statue depicting Donald Trump and the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein as doomed lovers from the movie Titanic is confronting Washington with a murkier mystery.

The nearly 12ft sculpture, unveiled on Tuesday on the National Mall, is the third piece of guerrilla art satirising Trump’s past relationship with Epstein attributed to The Secret Handshake, a shadowy collective whose members remain anonymous.

U.S. deficit tops $1 trillion through February but runs below year-ago pace

For the fiscal year to date, the deficit totaled $1.004 trillion, about 12% lower than the comparable period in 2025.

Trust at 100km/h: how Bluetooth bond helps skier Neil Simpson see his way to glory

After silver medal success with his guide Robert Poth, the British duo aim for more glory in the slalom events

Neil Simpson and his guide Robert Poth won silver at the Winter Paralympics on Tuesday, the first medal for Great Britain at these Games. But to watch the athletes in visually impaired alpine skiing descend the slopes of the Dolomites at speeds of up to 100km/h is to be strongly reminded that everyone needs at least another medal, just for being brave enough to do it in the first place.

Talk to the 23-year-old Simpson, however, and the concept of taking one’s life into one’s hands doesn’t come into the equation. Born with the condition nystagmus, which causes involuntary eye movements, he has been skiing since he was four, first on the dry slopes in Aberdeen, then at the Glenshee resort, before competing in national competition aged 16. “I think it’s something that’s never really fazed me”, he says. “It’s just a really fun sport to participate in.”

The Guardian view on Adam Smith: he deserves rescuing from the free-market myth | Editorial

On the 250th anniversary of The Wealth of Nations, the Scottish philospher is still invoked by the right. Yet he worried about inequality, monopoly and the power of wealth

This week 250 years ago, Adam Smith published An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations – and invented economics. The anniversary has been marked by opinion columns, new books and academic conferences. How different it was 50 years ago. The 1976 bicentenary produced the definitive scholarly edition and helped cast Smith as the father of free-market economics. This was an easy sell during the 1970s slow collapse of the postwar economic order. Smith was useful as a symbolic figure for the revival of free-market ideas. Yet the truth is more complicated.

Milton Friedman, a Nobel laureate, recruited Smith as the patron saint of neoliberal economics in his 1980 book and television series Free to Choose – a manifesto that anticipated Reaganism in the US. He reduced Smith to two claims: that a voluntary exchange benefits both parties and that self-interest is led by an “invisible hand” that unintentionally promotes the public interest. In short: greed is good. In fact, Smith used the phrase “invisible hand” only once in The Wealth of Nations, to describe whether merchants invest their capital at home or abroad – and not, as Friedman claimed, as a general theory of markets.

Billie Eilish set for big screen acting debut in Sarah Polley’s adaptation of The Bell Jar

Grammy-winning singer is in advanced talks to lead an adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s novel for Oscar-winning writer-director

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish is set to make her big screen acting debut in an adaptation of Sylvia Plath’s semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar.

According to Deadline, the 24-year-old will take on the lead role for Sarah Polley, the writer-director who previously won an Oscar for her Women Talking screenplay. Eilish is reportedly in advanced talks for the part.

Three Norwegian brothers arrested over US embassy blast in Oslo

Trio held on suspicion of ‘terrorist bombing’ that caused minor damage but no injuries

Three Norwegian brothers have been arrested on suspicion of a “terrorist bombing” at the US embassy in Oslo that caused minor damage at the weekend but no injuries.

The police prosecutor Christian Hatlo told a press conference that the brothers, who were Norwegian citizens of Iraqi origin, had been arrested in Oslo and that police were investigating the motive.

IEA agrees to release record 400 million barrels of oil to address Iran war supply disruption

The move comes as the Iran war continues to choke off traffic through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

Ben Jennings on Trump and Hegseth: mission accomplished? – cartoon

Kit clash farce looms as France set to wear special pale blue shirt against England

• Anniversary kit marks 120 years of fixture

• England to wear their traditional white

England’s Six Nations finale in Paris on Saturday could descend into farce with France poised to wear a special edition pale blue kit that threatens to clash with the white strip worn by Steve Borthwick’s side.

Fabian Galthié’s team have confirmed they will don the anniversary kit, which is significantly lighter than their traditional blue strip, for a match that marks 120 years of rivalry between France and England. It is understood, however, that England will still wear their white kit despite the potential for a clash. Match officials are also understood to have given both kits the green light.

Swiss bus fire that killed six caused by ‘disturbed’ man setting himself alight, prosecutor says

Man in his 60s from Berne area had been reported missing before incident, say authorities in Fribourg canton

Police investigating a bus fire that killed at least six people in western Switzerland have said they believe it was started by a “marginalised and disturbed” Swiss man onboard who set himself ablaze.

The vehicle, operated by a service that transports passengers and mail, went up in flames on Tuesday evening in Kerzers, a town of about 5,000 people about 12 miles (20km) west of Berne in the canton of Fribourg.

The AI assistant was offering me any help I needed. All I wanted was a living, breathing human | Adrian Chiles

When I heard ‘Rachel’ answer the helpline number in her metallic voice, my soul felt as empty as the batteries of my malfunctioning car

Something went wrong. The car charger wouldn’t work. Terrible, enervating, life-shortening faff ensued. It was to do with the wifi to which the car was linked having to be changed. I find this stuff so boring that I have been known to simply slump to the floor and fall into a deep sleep.

But this wasn’t an option, as I had to drive miles to work and my car’s batteries were as empty as my soul. I’d already been on the road for five hours listening to Antony Beevor’s history of the second world war. Man’s inhumanity to man is so very disappointing, even more disappointing than a malfunctioning EV charger on a wet and windy day. I resolved to dig deep. The human spirit would prevail. If only I could find another human to help me out.

Meta disables more than 150,000 accounts in crackdown on south-east Asian scam networks

Company also launches tools to spot scammers as Thai police arrest 21 people

Meta disabled more than 150,000 accounts and Thai police arrested 21 people in a sweeping international crackdown on south-east Asian criminal scam centers that targeted people around the world, the social media company said on Wednesday.

The operation was led by Thailand’s Royal Thai police anti-cyber scam center, alongside the FBI and the US justice department’s scam center strike force, with Meta investigators acting on intelligence shared in real time by law enforcement.

Consumer prices rose 2.4% annually in February, as expected

The consumer price index in February was expected to show a 2.4% increase from a year ago, according to the Dow Jones consensus.

‘The shine has been taken off’: Dubai faces existential threat as foreigners flee conflict

Tens of thousands of residents and tourists have left UAE since the US and Israel started bombing Iran two weeks ago, leaving beach bars, malls and hotels eerily empty

In the playground of the rich, nobody wanted this war. For decades, Dubai built itself up as a sanctuary of unadulterated consumerism visited by tourists the world over.

But now, the city in the United Arab Emirates faces an existential threat, as the war between the US and Israel and Iran has shaken the foundations of the “Dubai dream” that so many foreigners had bought into.