Supreme Court Justice Barrett says the threat level against judges 'is really high'

Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan are testifying about the high court's budget request, which includes higher spending for security.

France v Spain: World Cup 2026 semi-final – live

⚽ Kick-off time: 2pm local/3pm EST/8pm BST/5am AEST
⚽ Player guide | Golden Boot | Football Daily | Mail Scott

France and Spain have only met once before at the World Cup. That was 20 years ago, back in the day when Les Bleus very much had La Roja’s number (the Euro 84 final, the Euro 2000 quarters, all that).

Spain have had the better of the tournament football since. Wins in the Euro 2012 quarters and the Euro 2024 semis, plus an absurd 5-4 victory in last year’s Nations League semis. France did win the 2021 Nations League final, though.

Darline Graham, sister of Lindsey Graham, sworn in to end late Republican senator’s term

Younger sister Graham was appointed by Henry McMaster, South Carolina’s governor

• Darline Graham Nordone: Lindsey Graham’s sister and interim US senator

Darline Graham, the sister of the late Republican senator Lindsey Graham, will be sworn in as his replacement on Tuesday to finish out the remainder of his term.

Graham was appointed by Henry McMaster, South Carolina’s governor.

Zipline adds ex-Tesla, Uber, Waymo execs to make drone delivery mainstream across U.S.

Zipline is growing its drone delivery business in the U.S., and has hired former Tesla, Uber Eats and Waymo executives to help it scale up in new markets.

Derision at US chain Chipotle’s plan to sell its Mexican food in Mexico

One social media user described the opening of its first outlet in Monterrey as ‘like the dog teaching a duck to fly’

A US chain’s plan to sell its version of Mexican food to Mexicans with a first branch south of the border has prompted bemusement, skepticism and anger among local people.

Chipotle Mexican Grill, known for its customisable burritos, tacos and bowls, has more than 4,000 locations worldwide and announced on Tuesday that it was expanding into Mexico in what it described as a significant milestone.

Youri Tielemans targets ‘biggest trophies’ after joining Manchester United

• Midfielder signs from Aston Villa for about £35m

• Villa to have Visit Rwanda as front-of-shirt sponsor

Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Youri Tielemans for about £35m on a five-year deal, with the midfielder stating he wants to help “push for the biggest trophies”.

The 29-year-old will join from Aston Villa and follows United’s recruitment of another midfielder, Andrey Santos, who is 22, from Chelsea for £48m plus a possible £2m in add-ons on Monday.

Blanche set to face harsh questioning at Senate confirmation hearing

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will appear Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing to take over the role on a permanent basis.

Ann Widdecombe killing: police investigating possible leftwing motivation

Detectives examining whether hatred of Widdecombe’s strong views or of Reform party were factors in killing described as a ‘targeted attack’

The police investigation into the death of Ann Widdecombe is examining whether a leftwing or single-issue cause may lie behind her killing, the Guardian has learned.

Among issues detectives are investigating are whether a hatred of Widdecombe’s strong views, such as on homosexuality, was a factor. They are also examining whether extreme hostility to the Reform UK party played a role.

India beat England by six wickets in first men’s one-day cricket international – as it happened

England never recovered after collapsing from 61-0 to 80-5 in the opening match of the series at Edgbaston

2nd over: England 8-0 (Duckett 4, Bethell 0) Prasidh Krishna is sharing the new nut and he runs in to bowl to Jacob Bethell. His first ball keeps low, scuttles under Bethell’s bat and beats the keeper too. Prasidh is nippy and there is movement through the air and off the pitch. Bethell defends and misses an attempted pull. Nowt more off the over.

1st over: England 4-0 (Duckett 4, Bethell 0) Bumrah’s first ball snakes off the pitch, Duckett watches it closely, defending into the off side. He plays and misses at the next one… and the next! Bumrah gives Duckett a cheshire cat smile, he’s getting some big movement away to the left hander with the new white ball. Inswinger coming surely… sure enough a booming inducker is next up and it smashes into Duckett’s shin! BUT it pitched outside leg, so no dice.

E. Jean Carroll receives $5.6 million from Trump in sexual abuse and defamation case

The payment comes three years after a jury found President Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer.

ICE halts most vehicle stops following deadly shootings, sources say

Neither of the victims of the ICE shootings in Maine or Texas were the target of enforcement operations, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Ella Baron on the US, Iran and the strait of Hormuz – cartoon

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Pilot known for ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ river plane landing reveals Alzheimer’s diagnosis

Chesley Sullenberger, 75, safely landed a US Airways flight carrying 155 people in New York’s Hudson river in 2009

Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger – the pilot known for the “Miracle on the Hudson” after safely landing a US Airways flight in New York City’s Hudson river during a 2009 emergency – announced on Tuesday that he was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“For now, this means a name may not come easily to me, I forget a story I have recently told, or I don’t sleep as well, but I am in the beginning of this long journey,” Sullenberger, 75, said in a statement. “This new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service. And the answer is to speak up. It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they too can step forward.”

Blink and you miss it: McIlroy not alone in seeking longer major season to boost golf | Ewan Murray

The Open marks end of the short sweep that began with the Masters, but big names can see benefit of extending its run

Perhaps it is not the when but instead the where. Golf’s majors in present form feel far too condensed, too brief. Jon Rahm, a two‑time winner on the biggest stages, has more interest in the fact that three out of four take place in the US than their position on the calendar.

“I think it would be good for golf,” Rahm said on the proposition of an “international” major. “If you could have more golf elsewhere, I think it would be fine. As a major, you need to have that commercial value as well. I understand it. I wouldn’t know the logistics of that. I don’t know who can decide what a new major becomes or is now a major.

"Miracle on the Hudson" pilot, Capt. "Sully," shares Alzheimer's diagnosis

Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who famously landed a passenger jet on the Hudson River in 2009, said he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Dua Lipa calls Albanian protests against Jared Kushner-backed resort ‘inspiring’

Pop star, whose parents are Kosovan Albanian, expresses admiration for demonstrations, which are entering their sixth week

Albania’s “flamingo revolution” has won its most prominent supporter yet after the pop star Dua Lipa expressed admiration for the protest movement against a Trump family-backed resort in the Balkan state.

As demonstrations against the €1.6bn (£1.36bn) real estate project entered a sixth week, the London-born singer, who was partially raised in Pristina, home to her Kosovan Albanian émigré parents, described the civic unrest as “inspiring”.

The Guardian view on Brazil’s sovereignty: Trump turns autonomy into a trade offence | Editorial

Donald Trump’s tariff threat recasts Brazil’s attempt to protect its democracy as unfair commercial practice – and gives Bolsonarism a Washington stage

Last June, Brazil’s supreme court responded to the online lies that helped fuel Jair Bolsonaro’s failed far-right coup attempt in 2023. It ruled that social media platforms could be held liable for some users’ posts, forcing firms such as Elon Musk’s X and Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta to remove hate speech and anti-democratic content. A month later, Donald Trump proposed a 25% tariff on Brazilian imports, complaining that the judges had made US tech firms take down “political” material.

At a hearing held at the US International Trade Commission last week, an extraordinary platform was given to Mr Bolsonaro’s son, Flávio. He is the opposition candidate running to be president in this year’s election while his father serves a 27-year prison sentence. His message to Washington was that the US’s problem with his country’s unfair trade practices was down to the president, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, who has clashed with Mr Trump.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

E. Jean Carroll receives $5M from Trump in abuse, defamation case

A jury concluded in 2023 that Trump should pay Carroll $5 million in damages.

Social Security's 2027 COLA could be the biggest since 2023

New estimates call for a 3.6% to 3.8% benefit increase next year, although the final adjustment will depend on inflation readings released this summer.

Warsh pledges Fed policy 'regime change' to rid inflation 'tax' on American people

Warsh pledged Tuesday to "get monetary policy right" and defeat the inflation that has bedeviled the central bank for the past five years.

Watch: Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh testifies to House Financial Services committee

In remarks prepared for the appearance, Warsh promised a vigilant fight to return inflation to the Fed's 2% target.

Inflation eased more than expected in June, CPI report shows

Lower gasoline prices slowed inflation in June, though many household costs remained stubbornly high.

ICE pauses vehicle stops after deadly shootings in Texas and Maine

Deaths of Joan Sebastian Guerrero and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo have prompted calls for independent investigations

Federal immigration officials have been instructed to stop pulling over vehicles until further notice, according to a homeland security source, following two recent deadly shootings in Texas and Maine during which officials shot and killed immigrants in vehicles.

Other news outlets, including Fox News and CNN, confirmed that officials nationwide received the instructions, with the former reporting some vehicle stops would be allowed to target “the most egregious criminal aliens”.

How Jeffrey Epstein parlayed his elite network into a $25 million payday

Former White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler worked with Epstein on a Swiss bank settlement.

Andrew Lloyd Webber says Broadway in ‘dire danger’ as Cats musical announces early closing

The legendary composer warned theaters could soon meet the same fate as Hollywood’s ‘empty soundstages’

Andrew Lloyd Webber has spoken out about the precarious state of Broadway in the wake of the early closing of his revival Cats: The Jellicle Ball.

“Broadway is more than a street or a collection of buildings. It is an idea—and one of the greatest cultural ideas America has given us,” the composer wrote in a lengthy X thread on Tuesday morning.

Manchester United close to agreeing club-record sale of Melvine Malard to Chelsea

• Fee for forward could be as high as £850,000

• The 26-year-old has one year remaining on contract

Chelsea are closing in on a deal to sign the France forward Melvine Malard from Manchester United for a fee that would be a club-record sale.

It is understood the transfer fee could be as high as approximately £850,000, although some sources have suggested the deal will be closer to £750,000. The discussions are understood to be at the final stage and the move is expected to go through.

Trump: FBI shouldn't waste time on "conspiracy theories" in Graham's death

"I don't see a lot of evil there," President Trump said of Sen. Lindsey Graham's sudden death over the weekend.

‘I have haters’: Pogacar brushes off boos after solo burst extends Tour de France lead

• Slovenian wins stage 10 on Bastille Day to go further clear

• Evenepoel finishes second, 32 seconds behind Slovenian

Tadej Pogacar extended his lead in the Tour de France with another imperious solo victory on the 10th stage to Le Lioran, in the Massif Central. The Slovenian now leads the Tour by more than a three and a half minutes from longtime rival Jonas Vingegaard, who wilted and lost more time to the other podium contenders.

Over a stage with seven categorised climbs, including the first ­category Puy Mary Pas de Peyrol and Col de Pertus in the final hour of racing, Pogacar again asserted himself over the peloton with a trademark attack on the penultimate climb.

Trump withdraws Hormuz tolls threat but says US will continue to blockade Iran

US hits targets in port cities of Bushehr and Bandar Abbas while Iran targets Bahrain and Jordan in retaliation

• Middle East crisis live – latest updates

Donald Trump has backed down from a threat that ships would have to pay a 20% fee to the US for “security” in the strait of Hormuz, replacing it with what he described as investment and trade deals with Gulf Arab states as US and Iranian airstrikes resumed for a third day.

The US president said he had decided to scrap the toll “based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership”, and touted “massive” investments, just five hours before the toll was due to come into effect. He said the US would continue to blockade Iranian ports.

U.S. trade official says 'very few' Nvidia H200 AI chips have been shipped to China

The remark is a sign that H200 shipments to China have restarted, potentially boosting Nvidia's sales even higher.

Environmental groups sue government to stop a big change to the Endangered Species Act

By altering the definition of the word "harm" as used by the Endangered Species Act, the Trump administration may limit how wildlife is protected in the United States. Environmental groups are suing.

Trump forced to refund billions in tariffs - The Latest

The US government has been forced to pay billions in refunds to companies that were hit by Donald Trump’s ‘liberation day’ tariffs. The US has paid out $81bn (£61bn) this fiscal year after the supreme court ruled the tariffs were illegal. Lucy Hough speaks to Chris Michael, an international editor for Guardian US

New York enacts nation's first statewide moratorium on building new data centers

Building new data centers in New York will be paused for a year in order to allow state officials to establish guidelines protecting residents and the environment, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

Rare T. rex fossil sells for record $50.1 million at auction

The T. rex, nicknamed Gus, is a towering figure, standing at 12.5 feet fall and roughly 38 feet long.

Johnson government wasted £10bn on PPE, Covid inquiry finds

Chair criticises use of ‘VIP lane’ to prioritise PPE contracts for companies with Tory connections in damning report

• ‘Catastrophic failure’: UK Covid families welcome inquiry findings on PPE

Boris Johnson’s government wasted £10bn of public money because of the flawed way it went about buying personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, an official inquiry has concluded.

The Covid-19 inquiry chair, Heather Hallett, also criticised the then Conservative government’s controversial “VIP lane”, which gave high priority for PPE contracts to companies with political connections to the Tories.

Bastille Day celebrations in France tempered by fear of more wildfires

Firework displays cancelled as Paris military parade asserts ‘France’s rearmament … and Europe’s strategic awakening’

Emmanuel Macron has presided over his final Bastille Day parade in Paris amid a searing heatwave and wildfires that forced authorities around the country to cancel traditional firework displays and balls celebrating France’s national day.

The French president was joined for the annual military procession and flypast by his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the British ‌prime minister, Keir Starmer, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and two dozen other national leaders.

Supreme Court pushes Congress for more security: "Threats have come very close"

Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett urged Congress to provide additional funding to enhance protection for the justices as they face a rise in threats.

‘A frightening piece to perform’: can Yoko Ono’s Cut Piece still shock?

Sixty years after its first staging, performance artist MPA is restaging the provocative piece in Los Angeles

Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind, a traveling retrospective on view at Los Angeles’s The Broad museum, features black and white footage of Ono’s 1964 Carnegie Hall performance of Cut Piece projected on to one of its walls. It was a landmark event in performance art history, in which the artist, aged 31, sat motionless on the stage as strangers took turns with a pair of scissors to cut away pieces of her clothing. As an emblem of the Fluxus artistic tradition, Cut Piece “relies on the audience’s actions to complete the performance”, says Sarah Loyer, curator and exhibitions manager at The Broad. This is precisely the work’s inherent risk: it leaves the artist’s body totally vulnerable to the viewer’s unpredictable whims. Consequently, as Ono herself told the art historian Ina Blom in a 1992 interview, “It is a frightening piece to perform.”

The tension in the footage is palpable, particularly as Ono struggles to retain her composure while a young man snips away at the straps of her undergarments. But as Loyer points out, “Looking at documentation of Cut Piece in the gallery, we are a step removed.” In order to convey the full impact of the piece, the museum is staging Cut Piece live twice at the Redcat theater on 17 and 18 July to be performed by the Los Angeles based artist MPA.

Warsh vows to tackle inflation in first testimony as Fed chairman

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh told the House Financial Services Committee that the central bank has "no tolerance for persistently elevated inflation."

‘Anti-ageing is anti-life’: why longevity culture is just ageism in a lab coat

Rapid scientific progress has given us the tools to stop time more convincingly than ever – but lurking behind these claims is the same fear of ageing

Andrea holds a PhD in literature and works for a non-profit in Dallas. She’s in her late 40s and tells me that the pressure to remain youthful in her city is palpable. Almost completely irresistible.

“You don’t know what it’s like here,” she said. “Everyone has a facelift if they can afford one and everyone has had some work done. I’m a feminist to the core, but if I had the money, I would get a deep-plane facelift in a heartbeat. I’m saving up to get my neck done.”

Consumer prices rose 3.5% annually in June, less than expected as energy prices eased

The consumer price index in June was expected to increase 3.8% from a year ago.

EU rejects Trump administration claims that ICC threatens US sovereignty

US government says it wants to ‘systematically disable’ The Hague-based international criminal court

A spokesperson for the EU has pushed back against the Trump administration’s assertion that the international criminal court poses a threat to US sovereignty, a day after the US government said it would work to “systematically disable” a global tribunal that seeks to prosecute the perpetrators of the world’s gravest crimes.

Anouar El Anouni, an EU spokesperson, said on Tuesday: “We stand firm in our support for the international criminal court (ICC). Attacks or threats against the court, elected officials, personnel or those cooperating with the court are simply not acceptable.”

Investigative journalist reports on the abuse inside ICE's largest detention facility

The New Yorker writer Jonathan Blitzer says thousands of people are being held in tents in the El Paso desert, where inhumane conditions have become a tool to pressure people to accept deportation.

Police say husband asked spellcasters to hex his now missing wife

Shortly before Maya "May" Millete vanished, authorities say her husband Larry messaged a spellcaster, "Please punish May and incapacitate her enough so she can't leave the house."

Where's Maya Millete? Family, friends continue search for missing California mom

A California mother disappears without a trace – did her husband try to have a hex put on her so she wouldn't leave him?

T rex fossil ‘Gus’ sells for $50.1m at New York auction, setting new record

Skeleton judged to be one of the largest and most complete ever unearthed was excavated on a ranch in South Dakota

A vast, fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex nicknamed Gus sold at Sotheby’s in New York on Tuesday for $50.1m with fees (£37.4m) to a phone bidder – making it the most valuable dinosaur fossil sold at auction.

It also sold well above a pre-sale estimate of $20m to $30m (£15m to £22.4m).

Who could replace Lindsey Graham in the Senate after his sudden death?

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's sudden death late Saturday has set off a scramble for who will succeed him in the Senate.

DoD watchdog finds 155mm artillery plant built 2 years ago has produced nothing

An ammunition plant in Mesquite, Texas, has not produced any metal projectile parts after the Army spent $469 million to establish the facility.

We’d like to speak to maritime, port workers, their friends and family about how the Middle East conflict is affecting them

We want to hear from those working or living at sea, including maritime workers, sailors, port staff and family about how the situation is affecting their work

The conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt shipping across the region, including in the strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest maritime routes.

Donald Trump has once again threatened to take control of the strait of Hormuz, as he announced the reimposition of a naval blockade on Iran and demanded a 20% tariff on all cargoes shipped through the key maritime passage.

United Airlines' new upsell: Keeping other travelers out of the middle seat

United Airlines will allow customers to pay more to keep the middle seat open on its Airbus A321XLRs

E Jean Carroll receives $5.6m owed by Trump after court releases damages

Funds released from escrow account after president’s efforts to block sexual abuse and defamation award fail

A Manhattan federal court has released more than $5.6m that Donald Trump owes E Jean Carroll in her successful 2023 sexual abuse and defamation trial against him, records reveal.

The disbursement, made public in a 14 July entry on Carroll’s case docket, indicates that the funds were released by a court-held account on 9 July – one day after judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the release of this money.

United's newest economy upgrade guarantees an empty middle seat

United Airlines has a solution to passengers squabbling over who gets the armrest: empty middle seats.

TikTok policy chief defends safety measures amid EU push to limit children's social media access

TikTok's policy chief defended the platform's safety measures as the European Union pushes ahead with restricting children's access to social media.

‘For Diego’: spectre of Maradona looms over Argentina ahead of England clash

The image of the national icon has been ever present through this World Cup, in banners and songs and memory. It adds a fresh layer to Wednesday’s semi-final

Not two minutes after his side’s dramatic, extra-time quarter-final victory over Switzerland on Saturday, the Argentina head coach, Lionel Scaloni, was already getting asked about the semi-final. Looming on the horizon was a match against bitter rivals England.

“This won’t just be a special game from a footballing standpoint,” the reporter asked in Spanish, “but also in an emotional sense. How do you imagine you and the players will come out for this game and what message would you give to all of us Argentines that are …”

Young Germans opting out of military service as Berlin strives to boost army

Almost 6,000 young men apply to be excluded on moral or religious grounds despite ‘conscription lite’ policy

The number of young men applying to be conscientious objectors and refuse armed military service in Germany has risen sharply this year, undermining a drive by Berlin to create Europe’s strongest conventional army and deter the Russian threat.

More people had applied to exclude themselves from service on religious or moral grounds in the first half of 2026 than in the whole of last year, according to figures provided by the government on Tuesday.

‘I’m back’: Suni Lee announces return to gymnastics two years before LA 2028

• Six-time Olympic medalist resumes training

• Tokyo all-around champion targets LA 2028

• Latest Paris gold medalist planning comeback

Suni Lee is making a run at a third Olympics.

The America gymnastics star announced she is returning to the sport on Tuesday, about two years out from the Los Angeles Games.

Lionel Messi’s first meeting with England will be a contest of will and aura

The Messi arc reaches a decisive point in Atlanta – passage to a third final or an exit to test the limits of Argentina’s love for their unassuming athlete-genius

Wednesday night, Atlanta Stadium, 101 games down, three left to play, and finally it makes sense. Bring on The Countdown, that moment just before kick-off in every one of those quietly fascinating World Cup matches where suddenly the world’s most excited man is bellowing over the PA system in a state of outraged, crowing transport, like the last voice you’ll ever hear before the American century explodes in a ball of inanity, fried chicken and porn.

“NAYYYN!! EEEIGHYYT!! SEEEVEERRN!! …” the world’s most excited man shouts, prelude to some cautious rolling possession, maybe an early back-pass, and an agreeable reminder that the game itself will not be stage managed. You want quiet bathos? This World Cup will deliver the greatest goddam quiet bathos the galaxy has ever seen.

Confessions of a Shopaholic: a charming Isla Fisher romcom worth taking to the checkout

The PJ Hogan-directed film may not have the polish of The Devil Wears Prada but it has new relevance in the buy now, pay later era

The year was 2009. The global economy was enduring the final throes of the worst financial crisis since the second world war and Isla Fisher, clad with an American accent and a shopping addiction, played a financially illiterate New Yorker with more than $16,000 in personal debt; an auburn-haired Marie Antoinette of the late oughts.

Confessions of a Shopaholic was awarded a measly two stars by this outlet when it was released. The film, based on the Sophie Kinsella novel series of the same name and directed by the Australian film-maker PJ Hogan, was practically doomed from the start. Financially battered audiences weren’t exactly chomping at the bit to watch a plucky fashionista make terrible spending decisions for 104 minutes. It was also just as romcoms’ box office dominance was coming to an end, replaced by a new era of unsaturated and action-packed superhero franchises. But while Confessions of a Shopaholic isn’t exactly groundbreaking, it is charming now – and arguably ahead of its time in regards to its depiction of overwhelming personal debt.

Football Daily | Will France’s showdown with Spain be the World Cup final in spirit?

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Sure, an Argentina-England Geopolitics World Cup semi-final has a lot going for it. It’ll be 40 years since the Hand of God and, somehow, the first meeting between the two teams since an incredibly rare event: a memorable friendly, with Michael Owen’s late headers setting up a 3-2 victory in Geneva 21 years ago. In Atlanta, England supporters will finally have the chance to send some choice words in the direction of Lionel Messi. But we all know that the real show – the final in spirit, the game that’ll be far easier on the eye – is the other one: Les Bleus against La Roja.

Filling the gap in GWC action, I just watched Ein Sommer in Italien, the story of the 1990 World Cup from the perspective of the West German national team. It’s a fascinating documentary piece that mixes old home movie clips, archive TV footage, and fresh interviews with the 1990 squad. One moment really stood out. Having beaten Czechoslovakia to reach the semi-final, their manager Franz Beckenbauer wasn’t impressed. Interviewed on German TV straight after the game, he said: ‘It was an awful performance. I simply cannot understand how we played worse against 10 Czechs than against 11.’ As (substitute goalkeeper) Raimond Aumann recalled: ‘We’d won 1-0 and we were actually very happy with the result. Only one person wasn’t happy, and that was Franz.’ With the knowledge of what that German team went on to achieve, here’s hoping there’s a parallel with today’s England squad/manager dynamic” – Roger Mart.

Some international artists are skipping U.S. tours. Others may follow suit

The visa process for visiting artists has always been complicated and expensive. Under the current administration, it's gotten significantly worse.

Inflation slowed sharply -- but it may not last

Annual inflation hit 3.5% in June, down from May's more than three-year high — but the resumption of the conflict with Iran threaten to push up inflation as energy costs once again spike.

Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals

On this edition of CBS Mornings Deals, we show you items that will help improve your everyday lifestyle. Visit cbsdeals.com to take advantage of these exclusive deals today. CBS earns commissions on purchases made through cbsdeals.com.

‘It wasn’t a dream, it was a threat’: the film festival celebrating pan-Africanism’s rich and complex history

Project a Black Planet: Film, a new season of screenings at the Barbican in London exemplifies how the movement was an act of solidarity, resistance and fierce creativity

Algiers, 1969. What had, for seven years, been the metropolis of a newly independent country became, over the course of 12 days in July, the cosmopolitan centre of an entire continent. That summer, Algeria played host to the first Pan-African Cultural festival (Panaf) and the capital’s streets were transformed into a vista of energising performers, flanked by placards announcing each country’s delegation: Ethiopia, Liberia, Mali.

Picture an Olympics-style opening ceremony, then discard it, for the images captured in William Klein’s documentary of the event, The Pan-African Festival of Algiers, hint at the very dissolving of barriers between spectacle and spectator – an act that brings to life a quote, shown on screen, from Guinea’s first president Sékou Touré: “We must make this revolution with the people … and the songs will come.”

The truth about Pete Hegseth's strange campaign against beards | Arwa Mahdawi

His facial hair fixation might seem perplexing – but it is part of an aestheticisation of politics that is central to the Trump project

The year is 2018 and Pete Hegseth has just come back from his summer holidays. Hegseth, who is still just a Fox News host, not a defense secretary keen on ordering possible war crimes, has grown a nice little beard during his time off. He is hoping his bosses at Fox might let him keep the facial hair, even if it’s just the moustache. He seems to think it makes him look quite dapper. Alas, some of his viewers disagree.

A woman called Patti writes in to Fox & Friends urging him to get that “fur” off his face. A viewer called Mary bemoans the fact that “all American cute” Pete now looks “awful”. People on the internet joke that he looks like a duck hunter. And then a final humiliation: Hegseth’s co-hosts cackle as his vacation beard is lopped off by a barber live on daytime TV. “A man without a beard is like a lion without a mane,” a Fox fan called Michael commiserates. “That’s how I feel!” Hegseth wails.

U.S. citizens traveling in Congo must spend 21 days elsewhere before entering U.S.

U.S. health officials are concerned about the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Man fatally shot by ICE in Maine was not intended target of warrant, lawmakers say

Maine Sen. Angus King said he told Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that he wanted a transparent investigation into the shooting in Biddeford.

Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis calls for U.S. to spearhead AI standards body

Tech giant's AI boss said "urgent action" was needed as AI capabilities advanced.

California faces highest shark numbers in years as great whites head north

El Niño climate phenomenon heating waters off Mexico but incidents with humans remain a rarity

California is set to see one of its sharkiest summers in a decade, with large numbers of juvenile great whites already on a reverse vacation from the warm waters of Mexico to cooler pastures along the western United States.

The marine predator has become more common along the west coast in recent years, with stories of surfers seeing underwater behemoths closer to shore and scientists saying swimmers and ocean-lovers alike are probably already sharing their favorite beaches with great whites, whether they know it or not.

Maps show extreme heat and flood threats across U.S.

Much of the U.S. is facing either extreme heat or excessive rainfall and potential flooding on Tuesday. Here's where the greatest threats are expected.

Spanish PM’s brother banned from public office after misconduct trial

Conviction over hiring by socialist-led council is one of a series of corruption claims facing Pedro Sánchez’s family

The brother of Spain’s prime minister has been banned from holding public office for nine years after being found guilty of administrative misconduct relating to his hiring by a socialist-led council in the south-western region of Extremadura nine years ago.

Corruption allegations involving Pedro Sánchez’s family, his government and his Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) have triggered repeated opposition calls for a snap general election. All the accused have denied wrongdoing.

‘Fun, propulsive, full of queer joy’: readers’ favourite albums of 2026 so far, from Muna to Raye and J Cole

After the Guardian’s music critics chose their best of the half-year, we asked you for your picks – from Brian Jackson and Arlo Parks to Maya Hawke, Flea and more

• The best albums of 2026 so far
• ‘I saw it seven times in the cinema’: readers’ favourite films of 2026 so far

The album is a fun, punchy dance record that will definitely be the soundtrack of my summer. It’s propulsive, full of queer joy, cheeky lyricism, and relatable insecurities as they ruminate on “being past their prime” as pop stars in their early 30s. It will undoubtedly be an amazing live show and is a testament to the importance of artists taking breaks, going out and living and resting before coming back with new things to say and experiences to detail. Jane Tytla, New England, US

Sen. Tim Scott wants to hear from Warsh on data centers and artificial intelligence

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., will host Kevin Warsh before the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday for his first time testifying as Fed chairman.

Trump to claim declassified intel reveals 2020 election interference: MS NOW

Trump said he will make a "Speech to the Nation on Thursday evening, at 9 P.M. Eastern," without providing further details.

UK to continue sending potential trafficking victims to France despite court ruling

Court ruled last week against policy to reduce protections for asylum seekers facing removal under one in, one out scheme

The Home Office is set to ignore a high court ruling and continue sending asylum seekers to France without looking into claims they have been trafficked, which last week was found to be unlawful.

On Friday Mr Justice Sheldon ruled against the home secretary’s policy to reduce protections for trafficking victims earmarked for forced removal to France. Home Office sources told the Guardian that operational activity could continue despite the ruling. Home Office removed certain protections for this group because they could delay removals to France by at least 30 days.

Frontier Airlines to debut in-flight Wi-Fi in 2027 with SpaceX's Starlink

Frontier is signing with Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi, with service debuting as early as next year.

Bangkok bar fire: death toll reaches 30 as police say negligence is ‘primary theory’

Bar owner offers ‘deepest apologies’ as police investigate whether exits were either blocked or hard to access

The Bangkok pub that became the scene of the city’s deadliest blaze in 17 years has said it will cooperate with an investigation into alleged negligence, as the death toll rose to 30.

The local district office said on Tuesday that three more people had died after the devastating fire that broke out in the early hours of Monday. An initial assessment by disaster officials found an electrical short ‌circuit in an air conditioner located in the ‌ceiling had caused the fire.

U.S. to reinstate Hormuz blockade. And, states sue over Paramount-Warner deal

The United States plans to reinstate a blockade over the Strait of Hormuz today. And, several states are suing to stop the massive Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.

Trump says Reflecting Pool has been drained for repairs

President Trump said the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was drained for repairs, after weeks of railing against alleged vandals.

A Chinese waiting hall and World Cup mania at No 10: photos of the day – Tuesday

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

‘If we die, we die together’: wife of Ryanair passenger almost sucked through window speaks

Svetlana Grković says she grabbed her husband’s legs while he was ‘outside up to his chest’ for two minutes

• Ryanair passenger almost sucked out of window during flight

• Ryanair has axed family seating policy – but kids’ fees add up

A woman who saved her husband from being completely sucked out of a Ryanair plane mid-flight has said she thought as she held on to his legs: “If we die, we die together.”

Ljubisa Karović was sucked out headfirst on the flight on Friday after an engine failure resulted in parts smashing the acrylic window.

The burning question: what can I serve at a vegan barbecue?

Jerk aubergines, lentil-stuffed courgette, griddled pineapple with maple syrup … Meat-free doesn’t need to mean treat-free when it comes to barbecue season

I’ve recently turned vegan. How do I have a great barbecue?
Nia, by email
Happily, most vegetables benefit from a bit of barbecue action, but the key is not to get too carried away, says Genevieve Taylor, author of How to BBQ: “There’s a real leaning for people to overdo barbecues, but you should approach it just as you would any meal, with one central star and a few sides. After all, there’s no other meal where you’d be expected to eat a chop, a sausage, a kebab and a chicken wing.” Not a meal you’d find Nia devouring, sure, but you get the general idea.

Shaun McAnuff, author of Original Flava: Easy Caribbean, would be inclined kick things off with tostones. “They’re a bit like crisps,” he says. “Boil green plantain, which are more dense and not as sweet as yellow ones, then peel and cut into thick circles.” Smash those flat with the bottom of a mug, then barbecue until nice and crisp and serve with guacamole or salsa. Alternatively, grab some aubergines, Taylor says: “They’re such a sponge for smoky flavours.” Slice lengthways, brush with oil, season and grill until soft. “Spread a filling, such as walnut paté with spices, herbs and pomegranate molasses, over the slices and roll up.” Those would be nice at room temperature, which also helps with getting ahead.

Got a culinary dilemma? Email [email protected]

Family of a man shot by agents responding to a 911 call seeks answers

A troubling pattern of federal agents fatally shooting civilians is developing, with deaths in Maine, Texas and Tennessee. The family of a man shot by agents told NPR they want answers.

‘Give us his body to bury’: a mother’s six-year fight for justice for son killed in Nigeria’s anti-police protests

Pelumi Onifade, a young journalist, was allegedly shot while covering the #EndSars demonstrations in 2020. His body has never been released and no one has been held responsible

Sitting in her family’s two-bedroom apartment on a sweltering Sunday afternoon, Bosede Onifade says she is tired of waiting for news about her son. Pelumi Onifade has been missing for six years. The last time his mother saw him was on the morning of 24 October 2020.

An intern with a Nigerian news channel, the 20-year-old was excited to be going on assignment to cover the #EndSars protests, an anti-police brutality movement that had rocked the country that year, while unleashing a further onslaught of state violence against Nigerian citizens.

Can humans hibernate their way to Mars?

Scientists are trying to recreate the biology that lets animals survive months without food or water, in hopes of making deep-space travel possible

Long-term space travel is bad for your health. Very bad. Being in space exposes humans to dangerously high levels of radiation; extended exposure to microgravity can damage a range of organ systems, including muscles, bones and eyes. Living for months or years in tight quarters can have severe psychological effects.

The key to solving these problems could be a 250m-year-old physiological strategy that allows mammals, birds, fish and other animals to survive extreme scarcity by essentially going offline: hibernation. When they hibernate, animals almost completely switch off their bodily functions; they don’t eat, drink or move, and just as importantly, aren’t hungry, or thirsty and don’t seem to suffer from the cold. This remarkable ability could prove crucial in helping humans get to Mars and beyond – and could also help save lives on Earth.

Undercover in Laos: how Chinese tourism fuels animal trafficking – video

Chinese tourism is booming in Laos and the illegal wildlife trade is booming with it. Pangolin scales, rhino horn and elephant ivory are all being sold at secret shops and restaurants as a new high-speed rail line brings millions of visitors to the country. Working with Chinese activists, the Guardian goes undercover to investigate the criminal networks profiting from this trade and to reveal how wildlife trafficking is pushing the critically endangered pangolin ever closer to extinction

World Cup and Ballon d’Or in reach as Harry Kane enters defining week of his career

The striker is driven by a sense of destiny but to be remembered as an all-time great outside England requires big-game performances

Five days to win the Ballon d’Or. The way to do it: outshine Lionel Messi in Atlanta, then see off Kylian Mbappé or Lamine Yamal on Sunday. For Harry Kane, nothing will come without a fight. The England captain was doubted when he was a kid, back when the youth coaches at Tottenham wondered if it was worth keeping him, and he faces another seismic battle against Argentina on Wednesday.

This could be the crowning moment of Kane’s career. The Bayern Munich striker has enjoyed the season of his life, with more domestic trophies in the bag and 73 goals in 64 appearances for club and country. There are more steps to take, though. The chance to lead England into a first World Cup final abroad is within reach. All Kane has to do to is outperform the greatest footballer of all time.

Jane Campion remembers Sam Neill: ‘He was radiating peace, beaming love’

The Piano director shares her memories of the actor on set – and the last time she saw him in hospital

• Sam Neill’s final interview and his life in pictures

• ‘A true gentleman’: actors, directors and leaders pay tribute to Sam Neill

• Neill interviewed in 2023, 2024 and 2026

Sam. So effortlessly handsome, and that rare thing in New Zealand and Australia: a movie star.

My hands actually shook when I met him at a cafe in Vulcan Lane, Auckland, to discuss rehearsals. He had arrived, we all had, to start pre-production on The Piano. He was to play the repressed and violent Stewart, the one who would chop off his wife’s finger. Who but Sam could play that part, could surprise with that part?

China’s monthly car ‌exports top 1m for first time as overall trade soars

Country risks new tariffs from US and EU as it looks likely to match or beat last year’s record surplus of $1tn

• Business live – latest updates

China’s monthly car ‌exports topped 1m for the first time in June as overall overseas shipments from the world’s second biggest economy rose 27%.

Official Chinese customs data showed that a stronger-than-expected trade performance kept China on track to match or beat last year’s record trade surplus of $1tn (£748bn), achieved despite Donald Trump’s curtailed tariff war.

'The Trojan Teddy Bear': The promise and peril of childhood in the age of AI

AI is moving beyond chatbots and into toys, dolls, and robots built to befriend children. A leading child-development expert says the technology offers real promise — but also risks crowding out the human relationships children need most.

A French underwear brand is taking on fast fashion — with an IPO

Le Slip Français will make its stock market debut in Paris on Tuesday, betting that consumers will pay for locally made clothing amid competition from Shein.

David Squires on … England’s high-wire act continuing to the World Cup semis

Our cartoonist sets the scene before the semi-finals, with Thomas Tuchel’s team taking on old rivals Argentina

• Buy David’s cartoons | Some of his favourite works

• And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now

With New York Times subpoenas, Trump is brazenly escalating his attacks on the press | Margaret Sullivan

Federal agents showed up at reporters’ homes, targeting journalists for doing exactly what the first amendment protects

To non-journalists, receiving a government subpoena is a serious thing but probably not a violation of basic rights.

To journalists, it’s quite a different matter – an attack on a foundational right to gather information in the public interest and to provide confidentiality to sources.

It’s the hope that kills you – so fingers crossed for Andy Burnham | Zoe Williams

World Cup victory for England next week could raise expectations the likely new prime minister can’t live up to

Andy Burnham yesterday got himself clear of the magic number – the 323 Labour MPs who had to support him to make any leadership challenge mathematically impossible. Half a week had gone by in limbo, his endorsements standing at 322, everyone knowing he was the next prime minister, nobody able to call it anything more than “likely”. What were those last MPs waiting for? Maybe they were just in it for the atmospherics.

You can’t run a coronation like a slam dunk; it needs choreographed suspense, a sense of ceremony. In an ideal world, the last names would have arrived in the form of a wax-sealed letter, carried by a horse or a bird.

Trump scraps his Hormuz shipping charge idea but presses ahead with an Iran blockade

The U.S. military announced it will begin its blockade of Iranian ships over the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, as Iran vowed to assert its own control over the critical international waterway.

The Breakdown | Let gamechangers Jordan, Pollock and Bielle-Biarrey off the leash to grow game

Emerging stars need a leg up from media and marketing teams to ensure they get the recognition they deserve

By any measure it is a remarkable achievement. While many have fantasised about how it might feel to score a try for the All Blacks, no one in history has now lived that dream more frequently than Will Jordan. At the weekend the New Zealand wing took his tally to 50 tries in only 56 appearances, overhauling Doug Howlett’s all-time national men’s record of 49 in 62 Tests.

Perhaps the biggest compliment to pay Jordan is how relatively easy he makes it all look. Where others blow hot and cold, the 28-year-old glides around like a smooth, top-of-the-range sports car. A devastating little surge of electric acceleration here, exquisite running lines, world-class anticipation, deceptive pace … by the time defenders finally work out what he is doing it is usually too late.

‘We met and two minutes later we were kissing’ – how Gavin and Stacey became Britain’s most bang tidy TV couple

To kick off Making Love, our new series in which the stars behind TV’s hottest relationships relive their romances, Mathew Horne and Joanna Page talk about meeting the one, snogs with strangers – and saving people’s lives

It’s a classic romcom story: Essex boy from Billericay meets Welsh girl from Barry, they declare their love in a coach station, he proposes in a train station before being dragged away by police and – with the help of a fake-vegetarian mum, a crackin’ friend who had a fling with John Prescott and a top-secret fishing trip – they win the hearts of the nation.

Gavin & Stacey was the 2007 love child of Ruth Jones and James Corden, following the ordinary couple played by Mathew Horne and Joanna Page. Their mates Nessa (Jones) and Smithy (Corden) became the “will they/won’t they?” relationship of the show – and Gavin’s parents, Pam (Alison Steadman) and Mick (Larry Lamb), were proof of everlasting love – but Gavin and Stacey were the pair we could all relate to. So much so that they are regularly voted one of Britain’s ultimate TV couples.

Morning news brief

Trump says the U.S. will collect tolls and impose blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, man killed by federal agents in Maine, states sue to stop Paramount-Warner Bros merger.

They Fight review – boxing drama is an emotional gutpunch

Anchored by an indelible André Holland performance, the film finds tenderness and warmth amid its gritty Washington DC backdrop

In the lineage of Creed and Million Dollar Baby, They Fight makes yet another compelling case for why boxing remains a timeless allegory for the human condition. This time it’s Walt (André Holland) who’s staring up at a 10-count. Once a luminary on Washington DC’s boxing scene, Walt saw his promising career derailed by the city’s drug trade. After an extended prison stint, he is paroled and intent on reuniting with his old flame (Samira Wiley) and their young son.

Walt trudges back to the disregarded after-school gym where he first found his footing in the sweet science, hoping to chart a new path forward, only to be drawn into its revival by the resident counselor, Slim (Wendell Pierce), and a trio of boys spoiling for a fight. But it’s best friends Quincey (Toussaint Francois Battiste) and Peanut (Anthony B Jenkins) who wind up on a collision course for a national title belt as their futures, Walt’s reintegration into society and the gym’s place in DC’s rapidly changing Ward 8 hang in the balance.

‘God is punishing the politicians’: anger at earthquake response grows in Venezuela

Threat of social unrest rises as public indignation at lack of disaster aid comes on top of fallout from US military intervention

• A revolution in ruins: fury amid the rubble of a housing project in quake-hit Venezuela

Public anger at what many perceive as the Venezuelan government’s botched response to twin earthquakes that killed nearly 4,500 people is growing, with one grieving mother caught on camera berating the son of former president Nicolás Maduro.

Maduro’s politician son received a hostile reception while visiting a semi-destroyed social housing project named after his father’s late mentor Hugo Chávez.

Houseplant hacks: should I pinch out trailing plants for bushier growth?

It might sound brutal, but this is exactly the kind of damage plants are built to recover from – and thrive on

The problem
Trailing plants tend to grow long and bare. A pothos or tradescantia that started full and lush can become a few sad vines with all the leaves clustered at the ends, trailing toward the floor with nothing in the middle. The instinct is to leave the plant alone and hope it fills out on its own. It rarely does. Yet the fix – cutting off healthy growth – feels counterintuitive and slightly brutal.

The hack
Pinching out means removing the growing tip of a stem, just after a node. This redirects the plant’s energy, prompting it to activate and produce new shoots. The result, in theory, is a bushier, fuller plant rather than a few straggly vines.