Senate Republicans vote to block motion to ban Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund – live

Republicans vote against amendment to kill fund after acting attorney general Todd Blanche told lawmakers earlier this week that DOJ was ‘not moving forward with the fund’

• Sign up for the Breaking News US email

Donald Trump’s former national security adviser-turned-foe John Bolton is expected to plead guilty over mishandling classified documents, multiple outlets are reporting.

According to CNN, which first reported the news citing three sources, Bolton intends to plead guilty to one count of illegal retention of sensitive national security documents, and has also agreed to pay a more than $2m fine. The New York Times hears the same, adding that he could face anywhere from no prison time to up to five years behind bars when he is sentenced.

Fans given life bans for Wembanyama selfie as NBA looks at Brunson incident

• Fan ran on to court during NBA finals opener

• Knicks guard appeared upset with fans

• Howard Bryant: Brunson the difference in Game 1

The NBA has banned two fans for life after an incident in which a man ran on to the court to take a selfie with Victor Wembanyama during Game 1 of the finals.

In a separate case, ESPN reports that the league is investigating an incident during Wednesday night’s game when New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson became upset after an interaction with fans during the fourth quarter of his team’s 105-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

Meta is selling $3.99 monthly subscriptions for Instagram Plus

The new paid tier adds features like longer stories and deeper metrics as Meta looks to diversify revenue beyond advertising.

The May jobs report will be released Friday. Here's what to expect

The stronger-than-expected start this year for job creation could be in for a reality check.

The U.S. is minting more millionaires than ever. Here's why.

A stock market boom is elevating more Americans into the ranks of the nation's millionaires, a new study finds.

Robinson’s three-wicket over revives England after New Zealand skittle hosts

• First Test: England 140; New Zealand 61-6

• Paceman’s stunning return gives England the edge

It took two years for Ollie Robinson to force his way back into the England set-up and then about five minutes to win over their supporters. ­Steaming in from the Nursery End, ­Robinson produced a devastating three-wicket first over – and four overall – to cap an absurd opening day against New Zealand.

Some 16 wickets fell across only 60 overs of rain-affected play and, if this Test was being played in Australia, the groundsman might be feeling twitchy about having to give a press conference on Saturday. The pitch may ease up before then, even if the quicks on both sides will be hoping it stays just as fruity.

New York City reshapes mass transit system to handle World Cup, NBA finals crowds

New York transit officials are preparing to handle up to 100,000 extra travelers a day as fans arrive in New York and New Jersey for FIFA World Cup matches.

Wildfire smoke has reversed US progress toward ozone air quality, study finds

Since 2015, fires have undone years of effort to reduce ozone levels, underscoring a growing public health crisis

The highly destructive wildfires that have battered the US and North America in recent years have significantly increased emissions and been linked to tens of thousands of premature deaths, but their impact on air quality is greater than previously known, according to new research.

A study published in Science on Thursday found that, since 2015, wildfires have reversed US progress toward ozone air quality standards, as the worsening pollution caused by wildfire smoke has undone years of efforts to reduce emissions. Ground-level ozone (O3) is created when pollutants from cars, refineries and industrial sources react with sunlight, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Dow soars nearly 900 points as Wall Street bets on Iran peace deal

Despite flare-ups in Middle East violence, investors remain optimistic that the U.S. and Iran will soon end the war.

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

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

Trump's name must come off the Kennedy Center by June 12

There's been no word yet on if the Kennedy Center plans to remain open after July 5. It was to be closed for two years for extensive repairs beginning this summer.

Sen. Bill Cassidy signs onto brief calling 'anti-weaponization' fund a 'dire threat'

Sen. Bill Cassidy joined an amicus brief calling the Justice Department "anti-weaponization" fund a "dire threat."

Sellers are pulling homes off the market at the fastest pace since 2020

Frustrated sellers are pulling their homes off the market at an increasingly high pace, as demand weakens and bidding wars wane.

Trump plans $700 million investment in coal plants and terminal

The money is expected to fund new and existing coal plants, as well as an export terminal in California.

Liverpool confirm appointment of Andoni Iraola as new head coach

• Spaniard replaces Arne Slot and signs two-year deal

• Iraola worked with Richard Hughes at Bournemouth

Andoni Iraola has been appointed the new head coach of Liverpool on a two-year contract. The 43-year-old’s arrival was confirmed just six days after the sacking of Arne Slot.

Liverpool moved quickly to replace Slot with the former Bournemouth head coach after identifying him as the ideal candidate for their preferred playing style and with Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace all vying for the Basque’s services. Other coaches were considered, including Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness and Pierre Sage of Lens, but Iraola was always Liverpool’s favoured option and the only one spoken to about the vacancy.

Senate holds "vote-a-rama" on ICE funding, rejects move to ban DOJ fund

The Senate will soon hold what's expected to be a marathon vote series as Republicans seek to fund immigration agencies under the Department of Homeland Security without help from Democrats.

Why is Hasan Piker ‘not conducive to the public good’? Because on Gaza, we punish the witness, not the crime | Arwa Mahdawi

The UK has banned Piker and Cenk Uygur from entry – but the objectionable things they’ve said are not more dangerous than Israel itself

This week, the British government banned Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur, two leftwing US commentators with millions of followers, from entering the country on the grounds that their presence would not be “conducive to the public good”. It did not spell out what it meant by this very broad phrase, but Piker and Uygur have accused the government of denying them entry because of their prolific criticism of Israel. Some critics have accused the pair of antisemitism, which they deny.

A lot has been written about the Piker-Uygur ban, and I don’t think I need to litigate everything they have ever uttered here. They have undeniably said some objectionable things (Piker, for example, said some Orthodox Jews are “inbred”, which he later apologized for). What sort of speech crosses a line that makes you detrimental to the public good, is not clear, however. Conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro, for example, has said that “Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open sewage”. While he later apologized for this, he has repeatedly characterized Arabs as barbarians who “value murder”. The British government has never banned him from speaking in the UK.

‘We’d like him to stay’: Manchester United’s Berrada hints at Bruno Fernandes doubts

• CEO praises ‘great leader’ who knows club’s values

• Captain’s mixed messages have raised doubts on future

Omar Berrada has not ruled out Bruno Fernandes leaving Manchester United in the summer, though the chief executive is adamant the club wants the captain to stay.

The 31-year-old Fernandes was voted the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year after making a record-breaking 21 assists in the Premier League but has offered mixed messages about his future.

Quantinuum stock opens at $68 per share after IPO

Honeywell will retain a majority stake in Quantinuum and will continue to be a strategic customer and partner following the listing.

Ex-Trump advisor John Bolton agrees to plead guilty to retaining classified information: MS NOW

When he was indicted, John Bolton said he was innocent and that he was being targeted because of his public opposition to President Trump.

‘They surprise me every time’: bees can use tools to solve problems, study finds

Insects join list of species capable of solving simple ‘box-and-banana’ problem that demonstrates basic intelligence

Bumblebees can use tools to solve a problem, according to experiments that demonstrate their remarkably advanced cognitive abilities.

The bees were given an adapted version of an experiment that, 100 years ago, first demonstrated chimpanzees could work out how to retrieve an out-of-reach banana by stacking boxes. Since then, various other primates, elephants and crows have joined an elite cohort of species known to be capable of this level of insight and spontaneous problem solving.

The Guardian view on Trump’s omnipresence: commanding attention like a king | Editorial

The president’s image and name are proliferating in Washington and beyond, overturning well-advised democratic taboos on glorifying sitting leaders

One of the surest signs of an authoritarian regime is the ubiquity of its leader. Mussolini’s face was plastered across fascist Italy. In North Korea, pictures of Kim Jong-un have appeared alongside those of his father and grandfather, which are present in every home and public building. The golden statue of Turkmenistan’s leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, perching on a marble cliff in the capital is one of a multitude of portrayals.

Thriving democracies spurn such displays, rightly judging it safer to laud leaders once they are out of power. The first US president, George Washington, refused to appear on currency, believing that redolent of European monarchs. The 47th has no such concerns. The administration wants a $250 bill depicting Donald Trump to commemorate the 250th anniversary of independence, though federal law does not currently allow banknotes to depict living people. His signature will soon appear on $100 bills: a first for a US president.

Alleged $30M fraud ring involving children's health services busted, officials say

Federal authorities have busted what they say is a $30 million fraud conspiracy involving billing for children's behavioral health services that were never provided, officials announced.

Mexico’s ex-president accuses US of plotting to weaken governing party

Andrés Manuel López Obrador says Washington is using investigations into governors and propaganda to boost rivals

Mexico’s former president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has accused US officials of trying to weaken the governing party to strengthen the opposition, amid rising tensions between the two countries over Washington’s investigations into several Mexican governors.

“Some US officials are plotting to weaken Morena and strengthen the rightwing opposition in Mexico with the aim of restoring a subservient, corrupt, mafia-like, and cruel government,” López Obrador wrote in a lengthy letter posted on X on Wednesday.

Canada endorses embattled marine park’s plan to relocate 30 beluga whales

Beluga whales, which Marineland threatened to euthanize in 2025, will be moved to sanctuaries in Spain or across US

Canada and an embattled marine park have reached a tentative deal on the future of 30 beluga whales, ending a saga that has captivated the public and angered animal rights groups.

The federal fisheries ministry announced this week that all of Marineland’s belugas would be shipped to either Spain or one of four locations in the US, ending whale captivity in Canada.

Ben Jennings on Elon Musk’s pervasive presence – cartoon

Continue reading...

Republicans urge investigation into two men accused of abuse by Epstein assistant

Hair stylist Frédéric Fekkai and ex-Miami Beach mayor Philip Levine accused in new testimony, lawmakers reveal

Republican lawmakers have asked the Department of Justice to investigate sexual assault allegations involving two men made by Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistant.

In a transcribed closed-door interview in late May, as part of a congressional investigation into Epstein, Sarah Kellen, one of the late sex offender’s former aides, told the House oversight and reform committee she was “sexually and psychologically abused” by him during her employment – but also alleged she was sexually assaulted by the French celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai, and by Philip Levine, the former mayor of Miami Beach, in separate incidents in the early 2000s.

Dina Nayeri : Marjane Satrapi brought Iranian women like me out of hiding

The Persepolis author understood us and translated us for the world. We have lost our most eloquent spokesperson

Marjane Satrapi has died and every Iranian woman I know is in shock and mourning, while none seems confused by reports of the cause. She died “of sadness”, according to those close to her. Of course she did. Iranians often do. And Satrapi felt everything so intensely.

For my cohort (girls who began their adolescence in 1980s Iran and ended it in the west) Marjane Satrapi was a spokesperson for our trauma, our upbringing and our particular flavour of shame, repression and outspokenness. She made us legible to our western peers in our 20s and 30s, and I was sure she would do it again in middle age.

Outrage in Argentina after two teen girls murdered as femicide crisis endures

Country is shaken by the brutal murders of two girls, aged 14 and 17, whose bodies were discovered just days apart

Argentina has reacted with fury after the bodies of two murdered teenage girls were found just two days apart. The latest killings underscore the South American country’s enduring femicide crisis despite years of feminist campaigning, and have prompted alarm over the decision to cut support for victims of gender-based violence under the far-right administration of Javier Milei.

Police found the remains of Agostina Vega, 14, on Saturday, in a field on the outskirts of the city of Córdoba. She had been fatally strangled and her body had been dismembered, according to local media reports.

Is the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire over before it began? - The Latest

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to implement a ceasefire to end hostilities as the US attempts to overcome one of the largest barriers to reaching a broader deal to end the war with Iran. But the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is dependent on a complete halt of fire from Hezbollah, and the evacuation of all its fighters in southern Lebanon. Lucy Hough speaks to Beirut-based reporter William Christou

‘I wouldn’t flinch’: Burnham on social care, markets, Brexit – and the prospect of a general election

Exclusive: Greater Manchester mayor sets out his priorities before Makerfield byelection – and what might happen after the vote

Andy Burnham has signalled he would begin transforming England’s broken social care system this year if he became prime minister, accusing Westminster of “flinching away” from tackling difficult policy problems.

The Greater Manchester mayor said politicians must be willing to take on “the weight of the system” that stands in the way of radical change, as he began to set out his prospectus for government if he won the Makerfield byelection.

Said Labour should be a broad church with more government ministers from the left of the party, but Jeremy Corbyn should not be allowed back in.

Signalled there would be no snap election if he replaced Keir Starmer, but defended himself from criticism over a shadow leadership campaign.

Defended his comments that politicians should not be “in hock” to the bond markets, and denied he was boxing himself in by sticking to Rachel Reeves’s fiscal rules.

Argued it would be a mistake to rerun the Brexit referendum but that he wanted the UK to rejoin the EU in his lifetime.

Praised Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, for “facing up” to the big issues on immigration.

Jamaican police officer charged with murder after woman shot during protest

Andrew Wilson appears in court over killing of Latoya Bulgin at protest over a police shooting days earlier

Authorities in Jamaica have taken the rare step of charging a police officer with murder after he was accused of shooting a 45-year-old woman in a case that prompted violent protests.

According to the Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom), Constable Andrew Wilson appeared in court on Wednesday and was denied bail. Another hearing is scheduled for mid-June.

North Korea unveils a new plant to produce fuel for nuclear weapons

State media photos on the place showed it is likely a plant to produce weapons-grade uranium.

Uproar in France as it emerges suspect in case of missing girl had rape allegations dismissed

Interior minister announces review into handling of the cases after body reportedly found in search for 11-year-old

Outrage has erupted in France after it emerged the main suspect in the case of an 11-year-old girl missing since last week had been repeatedly accused of sexually abusing children with no action taken.

A body was discovered on Thursday and formal identification was under way, an informed source said.

John Bolton plans to plead guilty in classified documents case, sources say

A federal grand jury indicted John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Trump, on 18 counts last year.

Hezbollah rejects Israel-Lebanon truce as Trump scrambles to end Iran war

Group calls ceasefire a ‘roadmap to annihilate part of the Lebanese people’, throwing regional peace talks into doubt

Hezbollah has rejected a US-brokered ceasefire plan agreed by the Lebanese and Israeli governments, throwing the future of a truce in Lebanon and regional peace negotiations into question.

The group’s leader, Naim Qassem, called the plan a “roadmap to annihilate part of the Lebanese people” in a statement on Thursday.

Banning leftwing activists from entering Britain: an illiberal move with a long history in this country | DK Renton

The cancellation of Cenk Uygur’s and Hasan Piker’s visas tells us that the home secretary’s powers to police speech are too broad

In August 1967, the activist Stokely Carmichael was banned from entering Britain. An ally of Martin Luther King Jr and head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Carmichael was banned because that July he had visited London and given a rousing, militant speech about racism and black power at a leftwing festival in Camden alongside counterculture figures including the poet Allen Ginsberg and the philosopher Herbert Marcuse.

In the Commons, the Tory MP Patrick Wall – a member of the Monday Club, a pressure group that called for the “voluntary” repatriation of black people from Britain – claimed that Carmichael (later known as Kwame Ture) had been in Britain advocating racial violence. Wall asked Labour home secretary Roy Jenkins to rescind Carmichael’s visa. Jenkins agreed to do so. In retrospect, that decision – by a home secretary usually remembered as a liberal reformer – comes across as an act of petty authoritarianism, a more conservative generation trying to stop the circulation of subversive ideas associated with the 1960s left that it feared.

DK Renton is a barrister and the author of No Free Speech for Fascists: Exploring ‘No Platform’ in History, Law and Politics

‘It’s Kimi’s to lose’: Russell refuses to feel the pressure amid F1 championship battle

• British driver ‘didn’t lose sleep’ over Canada setback

• Russell says he will not change approach in Monaco

George Russell remains confident in his world championship ambitions despite taking a serious blow with a mechanical failure at the last round in Canada. In Monaco the British driver insisted that he felt no pressure, with the Formula One title his rival and teammate Kimi Antonelli’s to lose.

Russell encountered a battery failure while leading in Montreal after taking pole position and having enjoyed a hard-fought contest for the race lead that ebbed and flowed with his teammate. With Antonelli going on to win he extended his lead in the world championship to 43 points. The 19-year-old Italian has now won four races in a row to establish a strong advantage, although 17 rounds remain including the meeting in Monaco this weekend.

Trump plans to attend NBA Finals in New York City, sources say

Trump, a native New Yorker and self-described Knicks fan, said he was invited to attend a Knicks playoff game by the team's owner James Dolan, who has donated to Mr. Trump's political campaigns.

‘It shatters my heart’: the fosters taking care of stressed former lab beagles

Hundreds of people applied to adopt beagles from a breeding facility – but ‘these are not ordinary dogs’, says one rescue worker

In May, 1,500 beagles were released from Ridglan Farms, a breeding and bioresearch facility near Madison, Wisconsin.

The event made headlines. Soon, a deluge of tear-jerking videos followed, showing the lab beagles experiencing the outside world for the first time. Millions of people watched the dogs touching grass and instinctively paddling their paws at the sight of water.

California and New York weaken climate rules as red states ramp up green energy

Republican-led states growing renewable capabilities at faster rate as Texas emerges as clean-energy leader

Democratic-led states are eroding their climate policies, as red states are scaling up their clean energy deployment.

California on Friday scaled back its cap-and-invest program, offering more than $3bn in free pollution allowances to polluting companies. Earlier the same week, New York weakened its groundbreaking climate law, delaying a plan to regulate carbon from 2024 until 2028 and reducing emissions-slashing targets. Rhode Island’s governor, meanwhile, is attempting to roll back aggressive clean-energy programs.

Missing Sherpa guide found alive on Everest after funeral rites had begun

Climbing support team rescue Hillary Dawa Sherpa almost a week on from when he was last seen

A Nepali guide who was believed to have died on Mount Everest has been found crawling to base camp a week after going missing – and after his funeral rites had begun.

Dawa Sherpa, also known as Hillary Dawa Sherpa after the famous climber Edmund Hillary, was last seen on 29 May but did not reach base camp with other climbing groups.

Embedded: "We Keep Us Safe" from NPR, KUOW and The Seattle Times

In the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation. He arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, known as CHOP. Less than a week later, he was shot and killed there. The case remains unsolved.

As the largest World Cup ever kicks off, health officials are focused on more than Ebola

Officials are more concerned about highly contagious diseases like measles and respiratory viruses, which can spread quickly through large, fast-moving crowds.

Lionesses seek to tame Spain again and show they are ready to conquer the world

England are upbeat going into the toughest fixture in international football but the hosts’ threat will be amplified by the returning Bonmatí

The equation sounds simple: avoid defeat on Friday and England will qualify automatically for the Women’s World Cup. The reality of the task ahead is far more complicated. Facing the world champions, Spain, like the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range that towers into the sky behind the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix, is an imposing barrier between the Lionesses and Brazil 2027.

A positive result in Mallorca would do more than guarantee England a shot at glory next summer. It would send a powerful statement that England remain a force to be reckoned with if they can tame the game’s greatest technical midfield, again.

Andreeva dismantles nervous Kostyuk amid tense backdrop of Russia-Ukraine war

• Russian teen reaches French Open final in 6-1, 6-3 win

• Kostyuk swerves pose with Andreeva in pre-match photo

Marta Kostyuk believes her breakthrough run at the French Open and her determination to speak out about Russia’s war in Ukraine ­successfully served as a reminder, to ­people who may have forgotten, about the ­horrors unfolding in her home ­country as she suffered a heavy loss to highest ranked Russian player, Mirra Andreeva, in the semi-finals.

“Yeah, for sure,” Kostyuk said. “I will never forget the ovations I received after my match [against fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina] in the quarter-finals. This is something I will carry with me forever. I will never believe anyone who is at the world stage of this sport saying they have zero influence or anything, because I experienced this myself.”

I want sex more often than my husband does – what can we do?

It sounds like you both see sex the same way, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith – and perhaps that’s part of the problem

• Read more Leading questions

My husband and I have been married for five years and are having trouble with our sex life. From the beginning of our marriage (we only started having sex after marriage) I wanted sex more frequently than him. In the first year or so of marriage we’d have sex two to three times a week which I enjoyed, although sometimes hoped for more.

A few years into our marriage my husband had a very stressful time at work. Sex dropped to roughly once a week, typically on the weekends. He picked up running to help deal with the stress and really enjoyed it.

Iran World Cup 2026 team guide

All eyes will be on Team Melli amid the ongoing conflict with the US and Israel, making their campaign one of the most unusual and unpredictable of recent times

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

House Republicans seek DOJ probe of allegations raised by Epstein's assistant

Republican lawmakers asked the Justice Department to investigate allegations raised by Jeffrey Epstein's longtime assistant that she was abused by two men.

Football Daily | World Cup Omitted XI: the star players watching from the sofa this summer

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!

With every squad for the Geopolitics World Cup now finalised – Turkey, Jordan, Ghana and Uzbekistan were the last teams to confirm their 26-man rosters on Tuesday – we now know exactly who is making the trip to the tournament. But as a leading expert in rejection, constantly trying and failing to convince your inbox to let us out of the spam folder, Football Daily is just as interested in those who have been snubbed than those that will be subbed. The reactions to the omissions was also fascinating: sure, being selected to represent your country at the GWC is cool, but have you ever had to trawl through the Social Media Disgraces of Harry Maguire’s mum as she reacts to her son’s omission from the England squad with all the rage and injustice of Germany reacting to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles? And with that image seared into our collective brains, we humbly present our Omitted XI (4-3-3), the best non-knacked players (of qualified nations) that didn’t or won’t make it on to planes bound for the USA USA USA, Canada and Mexico.

Inside look at security preparations for World Cup

In just one week, the 2026 men's World Cup will kick off at venues across the U.S. Skyler Henry gives an up-close look at security for the event.

What will it take to get a vaccine for the Ebola strain driving the current outbreak?

There is an effective vaccine for Ebola — but not for the variety spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Trials are going on for several candidates. How long will it take?

Accused Oregon serial killer charged with murder of 5th woman

Jesse Calhoun's defense attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf in a Portland courtroom.

Scary Movie review – spoof comedy returns but maybe it should have stayed in the 2000s

Successful jokes are thin on the ground in the musty sixth installment of the once-popular parody franchise, taking aim at everything from Scream to Sinners

The Scary Movie series has always depended on timing. Not necessarily in its gagcraft, which has oscillated between occasional sharp jabs and many beyond-broad blows, but in its position on the release schedule. This was especially true of the first installment, which arrived in theaters just a few months after the 2000 release of Scream 3, capitalizing on the new wave of slashers while holding a spoofy Viking funeral for that just-concluded trilogy. A quarter of a century later, horror endures and there’s no reason to think spoofs can’t endure in parallel along with it as Backrooms and Obsession have ruled the early summer box office.

The sixth Scary Movie, repeating the first movie’s unnumbered title as a simultaneous nod to and act of reboot branding, is releasing too soon after those surprise smashes to incorporate them into its litany of gags (not even some last-minute ADR references, guys?). It’s stuck far further back, doing a composite of the fifth and sixth Scream movies from 2022 and 2023, respectively. On the other hand, with the recent Scream 7 largely abdicating its self-referentiality entirely, Scary Movie arrives as the last horror-comedy holding the torch for in-jokes that its self-serious cousin couldn’t bother with.

Mark Williams: ‘I browsed tractor magazines with Robbie Coltrane on the set of Harry Potter’

The star of The Fast Show and Father Brown – as well as the original Arthur Weasley – on friendly death eaters, famous Brummies and Chinese trains

What were the best and worst moments shooting the Harry Potter films? bumble1
The worst part was being away from home and the long hours. The best bit was the work and talking to the other actors. I look back with great fondness on that. I remember saying to Alan Rickman that the collective noun for actors is an anecdote.

Michael Gambon was the king of stories. He’d start a joke and you never knew where he was going. But he’d hone them; they were finely crafted – some of his best work was backstage. Richard Griffiths was also a great raconteur. His stories were brilliant, and completely unpublishable.

Beethoven: The Violin Sonatas Vol 1 album review

Ibragimova/Tiberghien
(BIS)
Violinist Alina Ibragimova and pianist Cédric Tiberghien, on period instruments, offer zest-filled and elegant readings of four Beethoven sonatas

Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien get their Beethoven cycle off to a flying start with zesty accounts of the Op 12 set alongside the evergreen Spring Sonata. They perform on period instruments – she, a 1570 Amati violin; he, a replica 1794 Walter fortepiano – but there’s nothing academic about these fresh-as-a-daisy interpretations.

Among the Op 12, the D major sonata crackles with an almost capricious theatricality. One moment they are teasing, the next goading each other into greater feats of athleticism. Ibragimova explores the widest of dynamic ranges, accompanied by Tiberghien, whose quicksilver right hand is matched by a percussive left that would give a timpanist a run for his money.

‘A real health risk’: Fifa ban on reusable water bottles sparks anger among fans

• Supporters groups condemn ‘immoral’ U-turn

• Fifa says policy a safety measure to prevent injury

Fifa has been accused of putting revenue ahead of fans’ health after banning reusable water bottles from being taken into World Cup stadiums.

In a late U-turn, the governing body rowed back on its advice that empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles would be permitted inside venues, instead prohibiting them “to prevent risk and injury to players and attendees”.

Gun control group sues ATF over records release

Brady, a nonprofit gun control advocacy group, is suing the ATF and the DOJ over their refusals to release documents and other information about who the largest sellers of crime guns in the U.S. are.

Elon Musk's net worth poised to sail past $1 trillion in SpaceX IPO

Based on SpaceX's updated IPO prospectus, Elon Musk owns shares in the company worth more than $866 billion.

‘Good lord, what a smell’: can Brazil’s biggest city save a vital source of water from sewage, bacteria and organised crime?

As São Paulo faces a climate-induced water crisis, campaigners are fighting to reverse the impact of pollution and illegal deforestation on its largest reservoir

In a small motorboat laden with water-monitoring equipment, biologist Marta Marcondes and community activist Wesley Silvestre Rosa cross Billings reservoir on the far southern edge of São Paulo. Bright white herons glide over the water, which is flanked by thick dark green clusters of Brazil’s Atlantic forest, as the boat heads towards one of the more polluted parts of the reservoir.

“We see where sewage is entering, we see what has been deforested and how that has affected the water quality of the reservoir,” Marcondes says.

‘Embarrassing’: pressure on Merz after Germany’s failure to win UN security council seat

Criticism comes from across political spectrum after blow to Friedrich Merz’s government

Germany’s unprecedented failure to win one of the rotating seats on the UN security council has prompted an intense round of soul searching in Berlin, and raised questions about its claims to international leadership under Friedrich Merz.

The council vote on Wednesday, which elected Austria and Portugal to a two-year term along with Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe, was a blow to Merz’s struggling government, which has sought to position itself as a leading European voice on the world stage.

Israel and Lebanon reach an agreement, but ceasefire stalls

The U.N. peacekeeping mission for Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said one peacekeeper was killed and others were wounded when they came under mortar fire in southeastern Lebanon.

She waited for a soulmate who never showed up: ChatGPT users detail AI delusions

AI-fueled delusions can happen when chatbots respond to grandiose, paranoid or imaginary ideas with affirmation or encouragement.

Victim of "horrifying" Chelsea murder identified after 26 years

"Chelsea Jane Doe," who was found brutally murdered in Massachusetts in 2000, has been identified as Tiffany Bradley of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Social Security checks could be cut by $500 a month in 2032, report finds

Beneficiaries would continue receiving payments if Social Security's trust fund is depleted, but checks could shrink by about 24%, according to a new report.

‘This is not a hippy thing’: the startup recycling urine to make natural fertiliser

As recent conflicts expose vulnerability of fertiliser markets and its effect on food security, VunaNexus offers an alternative

When staff answer the call of nature at the European Space Agency’s headquarters in Paris, their urine is not simply flushed away – it is turned into something much more useful. While urine-diverting toilets are often associated with smelly festival loos, there is nothing bohemian about recycling nutrients from human pee, said David de Chambrier, the chief executive of VunaNexus.

The process isn’t so different from recovering minerals in used electronics.

Hostages safely rescued, suspect killed after nearly 16-hour standoff at California bank

After nearly 16 hours, all hostages being held inside a California bank were safely rescued and the suspect barricaded inside was killed by an elite FBI team, officials say. Jonathan Vigliotti has the latest.

Sing when you’re winning: the 20 greatest songs about football – ranked!

​As World Cup fever begins, we go beyond terrace chants and team anthems to look at footy-mad songwriting, from Cardiff rap to Zimbabwean rumbira ... and Rod Stewart

Ah, fathers and sons and football. Here, Rod gets teary-eyed remembering how his dad used to cheer him from the touchline: an inessential but sweet and heartfelt song. Though Rod once told me that he tended to shout at his own son from the touchline, because he never tracked back.

Experts criticise plan for American-only Ebola quarantine centre in Kenya

Plan departs from policy of bringing CDC staff back to US for treatment and offering support to all health workers

Former top US officials and other experts are urging the Trump administration to abandon plans for an Ebola quarantine and treatment centre in Kenya, as the union for workers with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls for Americans exposed to Ebola to be brought home for treatment.

Soon after the US revealed it was setting up a field hospital in Kenya for the Ebola quarantine and treatment of Americans, the Kenyan high court blocked the order – but the Kenyan and US governments moved forward anyway, with the first American responders reportedly landing at the Laikipia airbase on Saturday.

Broadcom stock plunges on weak software sales, unchanged AI chip forecast for the year

Broadcom reported fiscal second-quarter results on Wednesday and missed estimates for revenue.

Ford recalls nearly 420,000 vehicles over faulty seat belts

Safety watchdog said seat belts in certain Ford Expedition and Lincoln vehicles may inadvertently lock, preventing them from functioning properly.

NASA reluctantly gives up on lost orbiter: "Best Mars mission ever"

NASA officials said the $582 million MAVEN orbiter could not be recovered after a problem on the far side of Mars late last year, and that its extraordinarily successful mission was at an end.

NBA finals: in a mud wrestle shaped by 53 years of dread, Jalen Brunson was the difference

The New York Knicks are fighting history as well as the Spurs. On Wednesday night in San Antonio, they took a crucial step towards defeating both

It is uncommon to begin counting down after the opening game of an NBA finals, but these are uncommon times in New York, and the Knicks have been counting since Richard Nixon was president, their coach, Mike Brown, was three years old, and their opponent, the San Antonio Spurs, played in the American Basketball Association as the Dallas Chaparrals. After the Knicks took Game 1 105-95, the anticipation in New York rose to yet another level.

Game 1 was not a good game, but it was a great game. The first quarter was ragged. So was the second. Neither team could shoot from distance – the Knicks shot 31% from three, the Spurs 26%. The Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, the sport’s heir apparent, made his finals debut with six turnovers, 6-for-21 shooting from the field, defensively alive but never transcendent. Both Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson, the Knicks’ superb, always underestimated engine, took nine three-pointers. Each made two.

Howard Bryant is the author of 11 books, including The Heritage: Black Athletes, A Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism and Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America.

Possible flesh-eating screwworm case in Texas, USDA says

A possible case of the flesh-eating New World screwworm is being investigated in Texas, the USDA reported Wednesday.

CEO accused of selling sensitive U.S. computer equipment to Iran

Federal agents arrested tech CEO Jamshid Ghomi, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Iran. Ghomi is accused of selling sensitive U.S. computer equipment to Iran, violating U.S. sanctions against the country. Nicole Sganga reports.

Flesh-eating New World screwworm found in Texas calf, USDA says

The USDA said the only animal affected was a 3-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, after larvae were identified in its umbilical area.

Witness describes moment when shooting started outside California graduation ceremony

One person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting outside a commencement ceremony near Sacramento, California. Carter Evans reports.

‘I’d rather read a book’: Tarantino criticises ‘flavourless sausage factory’ Hollywood

Pulp Fiction director writes in Sight and Sound that ‘since the pandemic … it seems almost impossible for a new movie to come out that I don’t pick to death’

Quentin Tarantino has criticised contemporary Hollywood, calling it “a flavourless sausage factory”.

Writing in Sight and Sound magazine, Tarantino said that “since the pandemic … it seems almost impossible for a new movie to come out that I don’t pick to death”. He added: “Flaws, implausibilities, audience pandering, miscast performers or just plain stupid shit usually torpedoes every new movie coming out of the flavourless sausage factory that used to call itself Hollywood.”

Amazon engineers in Seattle slam employer for building AI data centers while laying off 30,000 staffers

Amazon engineers called out their employer for conducting mass layoffs while it commits to spending $200 billion this year on AI infrastructure.

‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ How soprano Danielle de Niese turned to directing for The Marriage of Figaro

Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro is in the soprano’s DNA, but she’s never thought about directing it. Creating her own production has been daunting and fascinating – and her son’s building blocks even helped

I am not one of those performers who has spent their life on a theatre stage or film set thinking, “I wish I could direct this”. However, earlier this year, I found myself with an unexpected six-week gap. A scheduled project had been delayed for technical reasons, and it was at this time that Wild Arts’ producer Max Parfitt asked how well I knew The Marriage of Figaro.

I have lived with Mozart’s opera for as long as I can remember. Susanna’s “Deh, Vieni Non Tardar” was one of the first major arias I sang, aged 12 or 13, while studying in Los Angeles. Later, I wrote my final high school paper on Figaro, the adaptation from Beaumarchais’s play to Da Ponte’s libretto. I even translated the entire score word for word, which is probably why I still know it so deeply. My Metropolitan Opera debut at 19 was in Figaro, singing Barbarina. I performed my first Susanna on the same New York stage a few years later, and I’ve since sung the role many times all over the world.

General strike in Portugal and basketball-loving nuns: photos of the day – Thursday

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

Senate to start debate on ICE funding. And, Israel and Lebanon agree to ceasefire

Senate Republicans are moving forward on a bill to fund immigration enforcement through the end of Trump's term. And, Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire that could aid in ending the war in Iran.

Pep Guardiola ‘threatened to quit 100 times’ as Manchester City manager

• Chair compares Guardiola with The Boy Who Cried Wolf

• ‘He never thought he would stay more than four years’

Khaldoon al-Mubarak has revealed Pep Guardiola “quit 100 times” as Manchester City manager, with the chair comparing the empty threats to The Boy Who Cried Wolf, one of Aesop’s Fables.

Guardiola left City last month after 10 successful years during which he led the club to 17 major honours. He initially signed a three-year deal and while he agreed four extensions – in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024 – he was hesitant each time. Mubarak, who described himself as Guardiola’s “psychiatrist”, was instrumental in keeping him at City.

Has sparkling water come of age?

We pop open a selection of fun but healthy fizzy flavoured waters that should satisfy even the fussiest princess

I am not a princess about many things, but there has to be sparkling water in the house. Refreshing, enlivening and occasionally hangover-clearing, it is an essential. Thankfully, my husband is aligned with me (it would never have worked with someone who answered: “Tap’s fine”, when offered water in a restaurant).

I’m not fussy about my fizzy, though – SodaStreamed tap is fine – but I am increasingly seduced by the rainbow of new flavoured, unsweetened sparkling waters such as Dash Water and Aqua Libra that have turned up of late. Depending on how you look at them, they offer a healthy take on fizzy drinks and/or bring a bit of bling to an otherwise neutral beverage. “They make water a fun drink,” says the chef and author Jesse Jenkins, who co-founded sparkling water brand Yew.

Marjane Satrapi, creator of Persepolis and acclaimed French-Iranian artist, dies aged 56

Family members said the author of the landmark comic book memoir ‘died of sadness’ after the death of her husband last year

Marjane Satrapi, the French-Iranian artist, film-maker and graphic novelist whose acclaimed memoir Persepolis helped reshape international perceptions of Iran, has died at the age of 56.

In a statement provided to French news agency AFP, relatives said she had “died of sadness” after the death of her husband, the Swedish producer Mattias Ripa.

How much should you pay for an ethically made T-shirt?

A higher price does not necessarily mean better fabric, fairer pay for workers or greater sustainability. To guarantee you’re buying ethically, experts say, you need to dig a little deeper

Does paying more for a T-shirt mean that it’s more likely to be ethically made?

In short (sleeves): no. People who spend their time investigating fashion companies’ supply chains and employment practices seem united in the conclusion that money cannot necessarily buy us a clear conscience.

Civilians flee as Somali troops and opposition-allied militias trade fire in Mogadishu

Violence flares before protests on Thursday over president’s decision to remain in office after his term expired

Fierce clashes have taken place between government troops and militias allied with the opposition in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, damaging property and forcing some civilians to flee.

In the runup to the fighting, which started on Wednesday afternoon, opposition leaders embedded with militias set up positions in their clan strongholds the city.

Eli Manning's private equity firm acquires licensing company for NFL Flag in bet on youth sports

Eli Manning's Brand Velocity Group announced a deal to acquire youth sports company RCX amid congressional bill to ban private equity from youth sports.

Cooking, travelling, and the magic of joyful daily food moments

From station‑side markets to late‑night hotel rooms, ​you can take pleasure in the smallest everyday eating rituals

• Sign up here for our weekly food newsletter, Feast

June has arrived in a blur of train tickets, suitcases, book signings and half-finished cups of coffee. The publication of our fifth cookbook, Honey & Co Daily, has brought with it the strangest combination of feelings: delight, gratitude, nerves, excitement, exhaustion and, on occasion, mild panic. When you imagine it from afar, a book tour sounds wonderfully glamorous, but in reality it involves early alarms, missed trains, unfamiliar hotel rooms and the constant worry that you have forgotten something important – and that no one will show up.

Even so, this has also been one of the most rewarding experiences. We spend so much time writing recipes and stories, and hoping they will find their way into people’s homes, lives and kitchens. Getting to meet the people who let this book in, to learn which recipes have become family favourites, and to chat with them about a new way with quince or aubergines (there is always one) feels like an incredible gift every single time.

Bluesky was launched as a Twitter rival — but it's far less popular. Now it's eyeing Reddit for inspiration

"I think the public square is not the direction we want to go in...we're very inspired by companies like Reddit," Bluesky's Rose Wang told CNBC.

Europe’s far right exploit Henry Nowak murder in UK with populist rhetoric on race

Polish, Spanish and French populists focus on clips of teenager’s dying moments and accuse UK of descending ‘into depths of the earth’

• UK politics live – latest updates

Polish far-right politicians have claimed that the murder of Henry Nowak symbolises “Britain’s descent into the depths of the earth” as populists from France, Spain and Japan focused on harrowing clips of his dying moments.

Despite pleas from Nowak’s family for people not to exploit the killing for political gain and to focus on cutting knife crime, their comments have focused on race and immigration.

U.S. destroys alleged drug boat in Pacific, killing 2 more people

At least 207 people have been killed since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls "narcoterrorists" in September.

SpaceX plans record stock market debut that could make Elon Musk a trillionaire

SpaceX says it plans to raise up to $75 billion when it goes public this month in what could be the largest stock market debut ever, and it would put Elon Musk on course to becoming the first trillionaire.

Why are US consumers so angry? It’s not just high prices

There’s a stew of factors at work behind the rise in consumer rage – but there are potential solutions, too

• People in the US: tell us about your difficult consumer experiences

American consumers are angry. Nearly 80% of Americans had a service or product problem in 2025, and about two-thirds of those felt “rage” about it, according to the “National Consumer Rage” survey.

Many consumers feel they are constantly fighting against an onslaught of overcharges, customer service hassles, shoddy products and billing mistakes that always seem to go in the company’s favor. All of this comes against a background of soaring prices and rising inflation.

Scott Pelley, star of 60 Minutes, stood up for his principles and lost his job | Margaret Sullivan

While his bosses look (to varying degrees) like bumblers, cowards or corporate tools, Pelley will be remembered as a beacon of integrity

Journalism is supposed to speak truth to power, as when Walter Cronkite reported, on the CBS airwaves, that the Vietnam war was not progressing as the US government was claiming, or when the Washington Post revealed, through its Watergate reporting, that the Nixon administration was corrupt.

Truth to power. Or, as the New York Times motto has it, telling it straight, “without fear or favor”.

Why is ‘doomspending’ on the rise? | Sean Monahan

If everyone is spending like there won’t be a tomorrow, there probably won’t be a tomorrow

• People in the US: tell us about your difficult consumer experiences

Doom is the prefix du jour. Doomscrolling, doomposting, doomsplaining, doomspreading. Doom joins other recent suffixes -maxxing, -pilled, and -slop – giving discussions about contemporary life an overtly negative cast. Doomspending, in particular, is a new term for spending frivolously with no concern for future financial consequences. It has become synonymous with the declining fortunes of young westerners.

A survey by Credit Karma, a consumer fintech company, published in the fall of 2024, introduced the concept and the general parameters around it. Chronically online youth had begun coping with anxiety about the economy and world events with retail therapy. They claim 27% of Americans doomspend to deal with stress. The numbers rise to 37% of gen Z and 39% of millennials.

Bessent testifies he told Pulte he was "going to kick his a**," not punch him

Bill Pulte, President Trump's pick for acting director of national intelligence, is being met with some skepticism on Capitol Hill.

'I've lost my butt': how rapid weight loss can leave you with less muscle and more fat

GLP-1 drugs such as Mounjaro are helping millions of people rapidly lose weight. But the changes happening inside the body go far beyond the number on the scale.

Neelam Tailor investigates the growing debate around the possible risks of rapid weight loss from jabs and yo-yo dieting, which include loss of lean mass and consequences in older age. Experts say the debate isn’t just about weight-loss drugs, but about how modern dieting culture has shaped our bodies for decades

‘To them a power line is a line of trees’: Costa Rica moves to protect howler monkeys from electrocution

Electric shock is one of the biggest causes of death among wildlife in the country but a court ruling is a first step to making power lines safe

Peque, a small black howler monkey, scratches her head as she sits on a thick wooden branch in a wired enclosure with seven other orphaned baby howler monkeys at a rescue centre in Nosara, on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.

Last year, Peque was one of more than 100 animals to arrive at International Animal Rescue Costa Rica (IARCR) as a result of electrocution on power lines, which primates such as monkeys frequently mistake for trees and vines.

Leftwing US commentator calls decision to ban him from UK ‘Kafkaesque’

Cenk Uygur was due to appear at SXSW alongside streamer Hasan Piker but Home Office cancelled travel authorisation

• UK politics live – latest updates

A leftwing US political commentator has described the UK government’s decision to ban him from entering the country as “haunting and hilarious” and “Kafkaesque”.

Cenk Uygur, the founder and a host on Young Turks, a well-established progressive media outlet, was banned earlier this week from entering the UK to attend a speaking engagement alongside Hasan Piker, a Twitch streamer who has become a popular figure on the US political left.