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.
13th July 2026 21:02
The Guardian
Trump says Iran will be hit hard Monday and Tuesday amid fresh clashes over strait of Hormuz – Middle East crisis live
US president says strait will remain open ‘with or without’ Iran and there will be a 20% rate charged on all cargo shipped; Iran’s foreign minister shot back that Iran would charge a lower rate
Bahrain’s military has accused Iran of targeting civilians with its latest attacks on the country, after Tehran said it had struck US military facilities and infrastructure there earlier.
“Iran continues its systematic hostile approach through its heinous attacks with missiles and drones that target civilians in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” the general command of Bahrain’s military said, adding that air defences “intercepted and destroyed a number of Iranian aerial attacks” this morning.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 20:43Trump 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.
13th July 2026 20:40Darline Graham Nordone, Lindsey Graham's sister, appointed to fill Senate seat
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced his pick to fill the vacancy left by Sen. Lindsey Graham's death.
13th July 2026 20:37
The Guardian
ICE fatally shoots 26-year-old Colombian man in Maine during immigration operation – live
Senator Angus King raised concerns that ICE agents were not wearing body cameras; witnesses described the man as being shot in the head
The Democrat’s outgoing senator for Michigan Gary Peters has endorsed member of Congress Haley Stevens to be his successor over Abdul El-Sayed in the state’s neck-and-neck primary race set for 4 August.
“She has demonstrated to me time and time again that she’s a fighter,” Peters told the Detroit News. “We need workhorses in the Senate, and we need someone who can do that job from day one. This is not a place for on-the-job training.”
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 20:33
NPR Topics: News
Trump's HHS abandons threat to withhold Medicare and Medicaid funding over trans care
NPR has learned that the Department of Health and Human Services will not be finalizing its most aggressive attempt to end gender-affirming care for youth nationally.
13th July 2026 20:22
The Guardian
Lindsey Graham’s sister appointed to serve rest of Republican’s Senate term
South Carolina governor asks Darline Graham to replace Republican who died on Saturday, after Trump backed the decision
Henry McMaster, South Carolina’s governor, appointed Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, to replace him in the Senate after his death on Saturday, after Donald Trump recommended that she be given the role.
“Lindsey took care of his little sister in years long departed. It’s my honor to ask his little sister Darline Graham to finish his work for him now,” the Republican governor said as he announced her appointment.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 20:18
NPR Topics: News
South Carolina's governor names Lindsey Graham's sister to serve out his term
South Carolina's governor says he is appointing Darline Graham to finish the term of her late brother. Top Republicans, including President Trump, have coalesced around the pick.
13th July 2026 20:17Trump proposes 20% toll on cargo through Strait of Hormuz; restarts Iran blockade
The Strait of Hormuz is a major oil shipping route and the epicenter of the U.S. and Israel's ongoing war with Iran.
13th July 2026 20:15ICE agent shoots and kills motorist in Maine, senator says
Maine Sen. Angus King said he told Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that he wanted a transparent investigation into the shooting.
13th July 2026 20:09Judge says Trump sued IRS for 'improper purpose'; refers his lawyer to bar
Trump's lawsuit against the IRS was settled by the Justice Department with an agreement to create a $1.8 billion "lawfare" fund that has since been scrapped.
13th July 2026 20:00
The Guardian
I interviewed Sam Neill in 2024. He was even more charming than I’d expected | Zoe Williams
The actor, who has died aged 78, was refreshingly candid about Hollywood, filmmaking, his cancer treatment – and why he preferred life on his New Zealand farm to the movie business
I interviewed Sam Neill in 2024, remotely: he was in Vancouver filming a Netflix series, Untamed, but we were there to talk about a quirky Australian court-room drama, The Twelve. He was immediately, disarmingly frank. Its second season, he said, was “considerably stronger” than the first, which was absolutely true, the first being a little schlocky, and the second showing more trust in its audience and our tolerance for nuance.
But actors, generally speaking, will never say anything remotely critical of any project, it’s just not worth the hassle. This can make even the most reflective among them sound anodyne, and the feeling of being in a conversation with a real, three-dimensional human was unfamiliar and warm.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 20:00Judge rebukes Trump and DOJ over IRS lawsuit in scathing decision
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said President Trump's lawsuit against the IRS had been filed for an "improper purpose."
13th July 2026 19:48
The Guardian
US outbreak of parasite causing ‘watery diarrhea’ rises to more than 2,800 cases
Cyclosporiasis outbreak comes a year after Trump officials cut funding for state and local health departments
State health officials in Michigan and Ohio are reporting thousands of cases of cyclosporiasis – a parasitic infection that causes “watery diarrhea”, loss of appetite and weight loss.
The outbreak of more than 2,800 cases comes a year after the Trump administration cut funding to state and local health departments and reduced the remit of a program dedicated to coordinating information on foodborne illness, including of cyclospora.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 19:46
The Guardian
Man tossed into the air by ‘agitated’ bull bison was grandfather visiting Yellowstone with grandson
Carl McDaniel was ‘respectful distance’ from animal when it charged and has severe injuries, including broken bones
A tourist who was tossed 8ft in the air by a bison at Wyoming’s Yellowstone national park – an encounter viewed by more than a million social media users thanks to a viral video online – has been identified as a “community-minded” grandfather from Washington state.
Carl McDaniel had severe injuries including broken bones after Friday’s campsite encounter with the bison, which was posted to YouTube by the Wyoming news outlet Cowboy State Daily. A photographer named Mike MacLeod rushed to help the victim on the ground after making the recording.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 19:32
The Guardian
Flower power: can England tempt head coach back with an already flawed setup? | Ali Martin
England Test head coach vacancy may not appeal to the Zimbabwean who is at the top of his field
That Andy Flower emerged as the favourite to take over England’s Test team so soon after Brendon McCullum’s demotion should come as no surprise. Put simply, the Zimbabwean is the leading active head coach on the circuit. During his first spell in the job from 2009 to 2014, England won three successive Ashes series, ended a 27-year wait to win a Test series in India, and rose to No 1 in the Test rankings. The men’s white-ball team also broke its duck in global tournaments by lifting the World T20 in the Caribbean in 2010. Flower has since carved out a successful second career. In franchise cricket, his teams have won the Pakistan Super League, the Hundred, the ILT20, and the Indian Premier League (twice). When Australia broke India’s hearts by securing the 2023 World Cup, Flower was in their camp as a batting consultant.
The impact of Flower on English cricket also extends beyond his first spell as head coach and a subsequent four-year role with the Lions, having furnished his successors with a generation of hardened cricketers. Now that Ben Stokes has retired, following Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes, Joe Root feels like the last polar bear on a shrinking ice cap.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 19:25Waller says Fed shouldn't 'fight the last war' on inflation but warns hikes still possible
The Fed governor said inflation has expanded beyond the often-cited drivers such as the energy price spike in tariffs.
13th July 2026 19:15
The Guardian
Diego Forlán succeeds Marcelo Bielsa as Uruguay manager on temporary basis
Bielsa departed after acrimonious World Cup exit
Former United striker takes charge until March 2027
The former Manchester United striker Diego Forlán is poised to take over on a temporary basis as the new Uruguay manager after Marcelo Bielsa left the role following a sorry World Cup campaign.
La Celeste were knocked out at the tournament’s group stage after two draws from their three games, before Bielsa took the blame for the disappointing results and performances amid reported tensions in the dressing room.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 19:03
The Guardian
Andy Burnham secures Labour leadership with landslide support of MPs
Additional 27 nominations mean it is impossible for any other candidate to launch leadership challenge
Andy Burnham is to become Britain’s next prime minister after winning the backing of 349 Labour MPs, including all eligible members of Keir Starmer’s current cabinet, making it impossible for any rival to secure enough nominations to challenge him.
The new MP for Makerfield received an extra 27 nominations on Monday, taking his total from 322 last week to 349. With only 54 MPs yet to back him, including Starmer and Shabana Mahmood, who cannot nominate because of her role as national executive committee (NEC) chair, no other candidate can now reach the 81 nominations needed to enter the contest.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 19:00Meta's Louisiana data center investment to reach $50 billion, aided by generous tax incentives
Meta said the planned Hyperion data center supercluster in Richland Parish, Louisiana, will be a 5GW facility and cost more than $50 billion.
13th July 2026 19:00
The Guardian
‘Coalition of the willing’ to build shared European anti-ballistic programme
Ukraine and nine other countries including UK issue joint statement as leaders meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris
Ukraine and nine other countries including the UK, Germany and France are to build a shared protection programme for Europe against ballistic missiles, using Kyiv’s experience in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion for more than four years.
“Our goal is to build a shared ballistic missile defence capability for Europe,” the 10 nations said in a statement on Monday as leaders met the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for talks in Paris.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 18:45
The Guardian
‘Gift from the sky’ Elliot Anderson keeps England running as Rogers makes case
Midfielder covered the most ground in win over Norway while Villa man’s cameo impressed Thomas Tuchel
Elliot Anderson can be forgiven for needing additional time to recover from his exertions in the cauldron of Miami. As Manchester City’s new record signing reflected on England’s extra-time victory over Norway with his fellow Geordie, John Murray, from BBC Radio 5 Live, there was no hiding his pure exhaustion.
“It was so tough. So tough,” said Anderson, who covered 14.8km in stifling humidity – the most of any England player, beating his captain, Harry Kane, by a few hundred metres. “I was cramping up a few times [in extra time]. But the fighting spirit the lads have is amazing to be part of. The fans should be proud of the amount of fight and determination we showed.”
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 18:20
The Guardian
US judge nullifies Trump deal to resolve IRS lawsuit in scathing ruling
Kathleen Williams sanctions president’s lawyers and says $10bn suit against IRS was brought for ‘improper purpose’
A federal judge on Monday nullified an agreement the government reached with Donald Trump and his sons over the leak of his tax returns. The judge lambasted the government and president’s lawyers for using the judicial process to try to concoct a beneficial arrangement for the president.
The ruling from US district judge Kathleen Williams in the southern district of Florida blocks a widely criticized arrangement the government and the president’s attorneys reached earlier this year to resolve a $10bn lawsuit by Trump and his sons over the leak of the president’s tax returns. The government never responded to the lawsuit and then announced it was settling the suit by creating a $1.8bn slush fund to compensate victims of “government weaponization” and giving the president, his family, and related entities immunity from tax audits.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 18:1812 states sue to block Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger
The suit poses a new challenge to the $110 billion deal that would unite two of the nation's largest media companies.
13th July 2026 18:05
The Guardian
Airline pilot skywrites ‘I’m bored’ over north-west England
Pilot took off from Liverpool and spent 20 minutes tracing out phrase that was captured on flight-tracking website
A mischievous airline pilot spelled out his tedium by skywriting “I’m bored” over an estuary in north-west England.
The message was captured on the airline tracking website Flightradar24.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 17:59
The Guardian
Firefighting planes scrambled from south of France to tackle huge wildfire near Paris
Officials say blaze in Fontainebleau forest is of ‘exceptional scale’, with 900 homes evacuated and road and rail links hit
French firefighters are tackling a blaze of unprecedented scale sweeping through Fontainebleau forest south-east of Paris, while in southern Spain the prime minister visited the scene of a deadly wildfire and warned: “The climate emergency kills.”
The fire in Fontainebleau, a one-time royal hunting preserve about 40 miles (60km) from the French capital that today is dotted with villages, began late on Sunday afternoon. The blaze, which is unusual in its proximity to Paris, raced across about 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of forest.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 17:57
The Guardian
Hegseth announces joint taskforce with DoJ to target and prosecute press leaks
US defense secretary says taskforce will ‘combat dangers’ of leaks in latest escalation of White House press crackdown
The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, announced on Monday that the Pentagon and the US Department of Justice have created a “joint taskforce to identify and prosecute” what he called the “unauthorized disclosure of sensitive” information to the press, marking the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s effort to crackdown on leaks.
In a video posted on X, Hegseth said that “to combat the dangers that leaks pose, effectively immediately, I have delegated tasking authority to the war department’s office of general counsel, empowering OGC to request and receive all information, records and support across the department concerning media leak investigations”.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 17:35
The Guardian
Wimbledon awards 2026: best player, epic matches, biggest drama and more
Novak Djokovic’s five-set quarter-final thriller, Linda Noskova’s courage and Jannik Sinner’s class were among the highlights at SW19
It takes a certain amount of toughness and inner belief to keep on moving forward even after an excruciating setback. In the last match Jannik Sinner played before Wimbledon, he was on the receiving end of one of the most shocking collapses ever in his French Open second-round loss to Juan Manuel Cerundolo. He responded by gradually building momentum in every round, culminating in a flawless 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Novak Djokovic and then he brilliantly elevated his level against a peaking Alexander Zverev to defeat the new No 2 in four sets. Sinner’s run to a fifth grand slam title showcased his dramatic serve improvements, defensive skills, drop shots and lobs alongside the clean, vicious ball striking that has defined his career.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 17:30Sources: FBI fires 2 analysts who raised concerns about Georgia 2020 election probe
The two analysts expressed concerns that the 2020 election investigation in Fulton County, Georgia, was thin on evidence, sources said.
13th July 2026 17:28
The Guardian
C of E’s £100m plan to address historical links to slavery faces legal challenge
General Synod hears that Project Spire has not been abandoned but staff have received ‘vile abuse’ from critics
The Church of England is facing a legal challenge over Project Spire, its £100m plan to further reparative justice for historical links to enslavement, as staff come under “vile abuse” from critics.
At the General Synod in York over the weekend, Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, defended the project as a “work of healing, justice and repair”.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 17:27
The Guardian
Ann Widdecombe death: counter-terrorism police take over investigation
Shock development based on ‘new information and evidence’ renews debate over security of politicians
British counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the death of the former MP and Reform spokesperson Ann Widdecombe in a shock development that has renewed the debate over the security of politicians.
Widdecombe’s body was found with serious injuries by the ambulance service at her home in Haytor Vale, Devon, at 11.40am on Thursday. A 28-year-old man from Rotherham is being held in custody on suspicion of her murder.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 17:25Innocent bystander shot by police is one of dozens of cases nationwide
CBS News reviewed police records, body camera footage, court documents and local news reports to find more than 50 cases of innocent bystanders shot by police.
13th July 2026 17:10AI companies are creating "generative ghosts" of deceased loved ones
Startups are using emails, photos and voice recordings to create AI simulations that family and friends can interact with after a loved one's death.
13th July 2026 17:04
The Guardian
‘Knocking you out was a huge joy’: reliving the dramas of England v Argentina in 1998 and 2002
How Diego Simeone, Michael Owen and Glenn Hoddle remember the two classic World Cup matches between historical rivals
In all the acrimony, the wars, the deep history going back to the British invasions of 1806 and 1807, the Hand of God and the boot of Beckham, there is also an acknowledgment from those closest to the struggle that England and Argentina make perfect footballing sparring partners.
Described as the only trans-continental derby, a rivalry hewn in politics and history as well as football folklore, most Argentinian footballers’ eyes light up when talk turns to England.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 17:00
NPR Topics: News
Trump says the U.S. will blockade Iran again and charge ships a toll in Hormuz
The U.S. and Iran are fighting for control of the Strait of Hormuz, threatening a return to all-out war after agreeing to a ceasefire last month.
13th July 2026 16:53Trump calls for Congress to pass Clarity Act crypto bill to honor Lindsey Graham
The Senate Banking Committee approved the bill 15-9 in May, with two Democrats joining Republicans to advance the legislation.
13th July 2026 16:52Family says they're forced to sell home to help power data centers
Georgia Power says building a new transmission line will require acquiring more than 300 parcels of land, including residential properties.
13th July 2026 16:49Georgia homeowners are being forced from their homes to help power AI data centers
Some homeowners in Georgia say they have been given an ultimatum: sell your home or the state will take it. Utility giant Georgia Power is planning to build a new transmission line so it can handle more data centers. Skyler Henry reports.
13th July 2026 16:47
The Guardian
Tom Cruise unveils remarkable transformation in Digger trailer: ‘I’ve never had something that could challenge me in this way’
The new Alejandro González Iñárritu film sees Cruise playing an eccentric oil baron on a mission to save the world
The first full length trailer for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s hotly anticipated comedy-drama Digger has been released, and with it audiences’ first look at Tom Cruise’s least recognisable role since he donned a fatsuit and prosthetics for 2008’s Tropic Thunder.
The film will be released worldwide in early October and stars Cruise as Digger Rockwell, “the most powerful man in the world” on a mission to save the world from an ecological disaster.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 16:42Trump backs Lindsey Graham's sister to finish Senate term
President Trump recommended that South Carolina's governor appoint the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's sister Darline to serve out the rest of his term in the Senate.
13th July 2026 16:41
NPR Topics: News
States sue to stop Paramount-Warner Bros blockbuster merger
California is among the states suing to block Paramount from buying Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood mega-merger that would unite some of the nation's largest movie studios and TV newsrooms.
The Guardian
UK in ‘firewave’ as extreme heat provides ideal conditions for wildfires, experts warn
National Fire Chiefs Council say emergency services dealing with 19 wildfires across Britain, many near urban areas
The UK is in the grip of a “firewave”, as the summer’s extreme heat produces the ideal conditions for wildfires, scientists and environmentalists have warned.
A particular danger was that more blazes seem to be taking place closer to urban areas rather than in remote countryside, causing hazards to homes and health, they said.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 16:19N.J. man says he was almost kicked off plane over message on T-shirt
A New Jersey man says his T-shirt nearly got him kicked off a United Airlines flight.
13th July 2026 16:01
The Guardian
Stretch, be gentle and build flexibility: expert tips on doing the splits
Doing a split may look impressive, but experts caution it should not be done without practice and it may not be for everyone
On Love Island USA’s recent eighth season, contestant Kenzie Annis quickly distinguished herself with her ability to perform the splits, abruptly deploying the maneuver in fits of both delight and rage.
Seeing the splits on TV shows such as Love Island and RuPaul’s Drag Race can make people “want to take on that challenge and to push themselves to new heights”, said Ramoni Overton, a yoga instructor and YouTuber based in Los Angeles.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 16:00Elon Musk and Sam Altman spar on X after Apple files OpenAI lawsuit
Sam Altman insisted that Elon Musk was again obsessed with him because of an OpenAI model release earlier this week.
13th July 2026 15:56
The Guardian
Shootout delivers final spot at the Open for ex-Morrisons driver Joe Dean
Yorkshireman, who admitted feeling the stress with six holes to go, won by one shot with his fiancee as his caddie
A greenside bunker shot that landed like a butterfly with sore feet. A knee-knocker of a 4ft putt, thumped into the back of the hole. Joe Dean did not win the Open Championship on Monday – and inevitably will not on Sunday, either – but the drama produced by the former delivery driver from Sheffield fully justified R&A innovation.
It has long seemed unsatisfactory that focus shifts towards those beginning their Open buildup as a tournament concludes elsewhere. Scottie Scheffler missed the cut at the Scottish Open on Friday yet the world No 1 drew eyeballs at here on Sunday as he plotted a Claret Jug defence.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 15:52
The Guardian
‘Life isn’t perfect’: Knight happy to bow out with Lord’s Test despite loss to India
Only Test: India, 285 & 341-7dec, bt England, 170 & 186, by 270 runs
Ecclestone hits milestone half-century on final morning
India defeated England by 270 runs in the one-off Test here, a famous victory that will go some way to making up for their failure to reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup this month. The first women’s Test to take place at the ground broke the world record attendance figure, attracting a crowd of 37,846 across three-and-a-bit days.
England batted for long enough on the fourth morning to allow Sophie Ecclestone to reach her first half-century in an England shirt.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 15:27
The Guardian
‘I just knew it would sound incredible!’: why the Globe is giving Shakespeare some flamenco fire
Love’s Labour’s Lost offers a heady mix of passion and death – which makes the Spanish art form a perfect match, says director Indiana Lown-Collins. Our writer joins the theatre’s flamenco bootcamp
On a heatwave day in London, Shakespeare’s Globe has turned into a fiesta. Hard-heeled boots strike the wooden boards with rat-a-tat rhythm, skirts swish, a guitar strums, voices rise along with the temperature. Perched in front of the stage is director Indiana Lown-Collins, who is zhooshing up one of Shakespeare’s wordiest plays with a hot flourish of flamenco.
Lown-Collins is half-Spanish and grew up in Spain where flamenco was her way into the arts. Working as resident associate director at the Globe a few years ago, she fell in love with the building and its acoustics and couldn’t stop thinking how well flamenco would work on its oak stage, ringing around the circular space. “I just knew it would sound incredible,” she says.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 15:26
The Guardian
How ‘unbothered’ Victoria Beckham became one of the World Cup’s biggest memes
England’s quarter-final match against Norway has spawned a new hero online – and it’s not Jude Bellingham …
Name: Victoria Beckham.
Appearance: Supremely unbothered.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 15:14
The Guardian
How Tadej Pogacar became the new ‘patron’ of the Tour de France peloton | Jeremy Whittle
Slovenian’s dominance has drawn admiration and criticism, with some fearing the race is losing its competitive edge
Riding the Tour de France in 40C heat is hard enough without having to race against Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates XRG every day. As the peloton takes a breather, lounges in the shade and rehydrates on the Tour’s first rest day, most team managers are pondering what genuine opportunities they may still have, in the face of Pogacar’s domination, to try to achieve success.
After he and his team were criticised for chasing down breakaways, even if they posed little or no threat to the overall standings, L’Équipe asked: “Is Pogacar killing cycling?”
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 15:13Egg producers reach federal and state settlement after price-fixing probe
Three U.S. egg producers will be required to provide 53 million eggs to food banks and to pay a $3.3 million financial penalty.
13th July 2026 15:11Trump says U.S. reinstating Iran blockade in Strait of Hormuz
Trump says the U.S. will be known as "THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT," and will charge 20% on all cargo shipped via the waterway to cover security costs.
13th July 2026 15:05
The Guardian
Hughie Vaughan: the king of gravity-defying tricks pushing surfing to new heights | Kieran Pender
The young Australian finds success in the wave pool with once-unimaginable aerial moves – but his future lies in the ocean
It was the surfing trick that broke the internet. A year ago, Australian teenage surf prodigy Hughie Vaughan landed a never-before attempted air at a wave pool in Texas. The praise came quickly. “Insane,” said former world champion Italo Ferreira. “Is this AI?” asked American DJ Diplo. Within hours, the performance was being hailed as the best air ever landed in a pool.
Vaughan’s aerial manoeuvres happen so fast they can be difficult to fully comprehend, even for the likes of surf legend Mick Fanning. “Had to watch it 50 times just to figure out what happened,” he commented at the time.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 15:00
The Guardian
Space jam: astronomers detect ‘raspberry sugar’ on dust cloud in Milky Way
Detection of erythrulose shows compounds that are key to life can form in expanse between stars
A natural sugar found in raspberries and used in fake tan lotions has been detected in an enormous cloud of dust and gas that lurks near the heart of the Milky Way.
The discovery does not suggest that the galaxy revolves around a distant civilisation of pale, safety-conscious frugivores, but shows that compounds important for life can form in the frigid expanse between the stars.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 15:00
The Guardian
Sam Neill was a warm, wry and unselfish star who twinkled so others could shine | Peter Bradshaw
His unshowy gifts, which discreetly carried arthouse drama and blockbuster adventures alike, never sucked a movie’s oxygen in to his own performance
Sam Neill was the leading man’s leading man who achieved something no other actor could: he was charismatic and self-effacing at the same time.
He could play handsome and good-humoured or devilishly sinister, often the husband and paterfamilias, perennially in some unspecified state of early middle age, sometimes in a period colonial setting, but the movie’s oxygen was never sucked away into his own unselfishly excellent performance.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 15:00
The Guardian
Spain, France, Argentina and England beware: Demons haunt the World Cup semi-finals
The World Cup spotlight causes single games to live longer in the memory than any other. The remaining teams at this tournament face defining moments
World Cup games mean more. England have only ever played 80 games in the finals, which is to say, not much more than two Premier League seasons in the 76 years since they first entered. Those games draw huge audiences: more than 17 million in the UK watched Saturday’s win over Norway, even though it was after midnight by the time it finished. In most countries, World Cup matches are more discussed, more analysed, than any other in sport, perhaps any other cultural phenomenon. They are rare moments that bring vast numbers of people together, hoping, agonising, celebrating, commiserating. They become part of the culture.
Moments from games become touchstones. Allusions can be made to games from six decades ago in the reasonable expectation of being understood. That has a strange, distorting effect. Far too much is read into individual games, in a way it just wouldn’t be in a league game. Senne Lammens’s error that cost Belgium the quarter-final against Spain was watched by far more people than watch the average Manchester United game. There is not another match in three or four days that would mean Lammens’s mistake would be readily forgotten. It will always be part of his story, even if it subsequently becomes about redemption with a brilliant display in some future World Cup.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 14:45What is the travel trend "set-jetting?"
Henley Vazquez, a seasoned travel adviser and co-founder of the travel agency Fora, speaks to "CBS Mornings" about one of the biggest travel trends: "set-jetting." It's when travelers seek destinations that are featured in TV shows and movies.
13th July 2026 14:30
The Guardian
JP Morgan boss pressed by US senator about contact with Jeffrey Epstein
Elizabeth Warren asks Jamie Dimon if he was advised to ‘mildly threaten’ UK chancellor over tax on bankers’ bonuses
A leading Democratic senator has written to the boss of JP Morgan to request clarification on the bank’s contact with the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the senate banking committee, wrote to Jamie Dimon last week to ask if he took advice from Epstein while lobbying against a UK tax on banker bonuses, in a letter published by the committee on Monday.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 14:26
The Guardian
‘As if a hurricane had passed’: Puerto Ricans at breaking point after weeks without water
Shortages triggered by pipeline rupture drive up costs and deepen frustrations, as pressure grows on water utility
Jonathan Collazo owns two restaurants in a bustling section of San Juan, which has been plagued by water outages, severely disrupting the daily lives of residents and businesses alike.
The water scarcity is part of an escalating frustration felt by thousands of customers of Puerto Rico’s water utility over the past several months, prompting the governor to activate the national guard to distribute drinking water across the US territory. The shortages extend beyond San Juan, with sectors in municipalities including Loíza, Guaynabo, Bayamón and others experiencing interrupted service.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 14:00
The Guardian
Killings continue on Del Monte farm in Kenya, families say, after G4S hired for security
Exclusive: Three men killed in incidents over past year allegedly involving G4S guards, who replaced in-house team after previous deaths
Bereaved families and politicians have raised alarm about continued killings on Del Monte’s pineapple farm in Kenya despite the company hiring a British security firm to replace its in-house security team after previous deaths were exposed by the Guardian.
The multinational food company appointed G4S to guard the farm, which is estimated to cover at least 40 sq km, the area of a small city, after the Guardian detailed allegations of brutal assaults and killings of people suspected of trespassing on its land. Kenyan police have been working with G4S to guard the site.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 14:00The 10 worst state economies in America in 2026
Economy is a key category in CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business study, and some states stand out for the wrong reasons.
13th July 2026 14:00The 10 best state economies in America in 2026
Economy is one of the most important categories in CNBC’s annual America’s Top States for Business rankings. Several states stand out for economic strength.
13th July 2026 14:00Congress returns with long to-do list as Graham's death hangs over Capitol
Congress is returning to Washington with limited time to address a number of priorities ahead of a lengthy August recess and the sprint to the midterm elections.
13th July 2026 13:35
The Guardian
A moorland blaze and Jude Bellingham station: photos of the day – Monday
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 13:27Millions of Americans take on debt and drain savings to afford food
A quarter of working-age adults use credit cards to purchase groceries but struggle to repay their debts, a new study finds.
13th July 2026 13:17
The Guardian
A journey down one of the last wild rivers in the American west: ‘The bullseye will always be on its back’
As US water wars rage, a tributary of the Colorado River faces unprecedented pressure. Visitors worry how long this aquatic ‘relict’ will last
On an early morning in mid-May, a group of near strangers shoved camping gear and clothes into waterproof bags, slathered on sunscreen, and ambled into the bright-yellow rafts that would carry them down one of the last free-flowing rivers in the American west.
Unhindered by large dams or diversions, the Yampa curves across 250 miles (400km) of alpine tundras, cottonwood forests and ancient red-rock canyons, rising from Colorado’s Rocky mountains to where it joins with the Green River in Utah, much in the way it has for millions of years.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 13:00
The Guardian
First came the dead fish, then invasive plants. A year later and Lake Suchitlán’s pollution remains a mystery
Fishers on El Salvador’s largest lake are still looking for answers after the die-off, with no explanation provided by the government
From the village of Copapayo, Noel Avalos recalls the morning they ran to the shore of Lake Suchitlán, El Salvador’s main hydroelectric reservoir, also known as Cerrón Grande, and its largest body of freshwater, to find thousands of dead fish had washed up overnight.
By August 2025, nearly 70% of the lake’s 135 sq km (33,000 acres) surface was carpeted with an invasive species, water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes). In the following months, plastic waste accumulated along the shoreline, dead fish became more frequent and residents who rely on fishing the lake for income reported that their livelihoods were deteriorating.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 13:00
The Guardian
Gracie Abrams: Daughter from Hell review – bloodless anthems hit like a faceful of icing sugar
(Interscope)
Despite their goth-coded attempts at emotional turbulence, the saccharine songs of Abrams’ third album feel adolescent in their melodrama
Gracie Abrams’ third album is a full-blown crime scene. Across 16 songs, the US songwriter catalogues slip knots, blades, bullets, knives, more knives, ghosts, cages, drugs, car crashes, blood, burial, flaming tyres, choking, burning houses, sinking ships, drowning, more blood, bloody knees and even more knives. It’s called Daughter from Hell to acknowledge how much the 26-year-old frayed her parents’ nerves as a reckless teen, part of a wider theme about working out when to blame others for her pain, and when to accept responsibility. Clearly, there’s a lot of poetic licence involved in dramatising these mature revelations, but the dissonance between Abrams’ goth-coded emotional turbulence and the music’s insistent, quivering prettiness is the real uncrackable case on this bloodless record.
In one way, Abrams has had an outsized influence on pop. Her early bedroom songs inspired Olivia Rodrigo to write Drivers License, which kickstarted the former Disney star’s dazzlingly quick and continuing act of self-redefinition. Mostly, though, Abrams is the sum of her influences: you needn’t listen hard to clock Lorde’s vocal harmonies, Phoebe Bridgers’ intimacy or the tightly packed storytelling of Taylor Swift, who had Abrams support on the Eras tour. In Swift she also shares a producer in the National’s Aaron Dessner, a collaborator in Bon Iver (his jump-scare falsetto appears on two songs here, and he plays all over the record), and certainly a sound in Folklore’s pearlescent acoustics, injected with a whisper of stomp-clap vigour. That mix of melodrama and songs sung like secrets means Abrams’ audience skews young: her music carries the sensation of being the only person in the world grappling with huge emotions, as life often feels in adolescence. For anyone older, her music can feel a little starter pack.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 13:00
The Guardian
EU chief pledges social media ban to protect children from ‘predatory algorithms’
Ursula von der Leyen’s commitment comes after panel of experts calls for restriction for under-13s
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has pledged an EU-wide social media ban for children after an expert group called for restrictions for those under 13.
“It is clear we need age-appropriate restrictions to platforms,” von der Leyen told reporters after the publication of a report on child safety online.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 12:52Bison tosses man 8 feet in the air at Yellowstone, video shows
A 65-year-old man was thrown 8 feet into the air by bison who charged at him in Yellowstone National Park, video shows.
13th July 2026 12:47
The Guardian
Ladies First has been panned. It’s still an essential watch | Anna Smith
The Netflix gender-flip comedy film, in which Sacha Baron Cohen wakes to a world run by female chauvinists, is a valuable testimony to the enduring destructive force of gender bias
‘This Movie Is: Absurd.” That’s the descriptive label given to Thea Sharrock’s comedy film Ladies First on Netflix. Damien (Sacha Baron Cohen) is a male chauvinist who knocks his head and wakes up in a world run by women who are like him: ruthless in the boardroom and the bedroom, using and losing the opposite sex when it suits them. In this alternative reality, he sees what it’s like to be on the receiving end of sexism. It co-stars a terrific Rosamund Pike as his employee in one world, and his boss in another, and Fiona Shaw first as a secretary, then as a predatory boss.
Ladies First may seem absurd, but by flipping the script, it points out double standards and gendered language in a simple way. Men are talked over in meetings and expected to conform to unrealistic beauty goals; Victoria’s Secret becomes Victor’s Secret. The movie has had largely negative reviews, and as a film critic, I had my issues with it: for every scene that had me laughing, another had me cringing, and the largely binary, heteronormative world it depicts is not everyone’s reality.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 12:35Video shows bison charging at 65-year-old man at Yellowstone National Park
A bull bison chased a 65-year-old man through the trees and flipped him 8 feet into the air at Yellowstone National Park. A photographer who recorded the incident says the man was about 100 yards away with his grandson when the bison suddenly charged.
13th July 2026 12:34U.S. and Iran exchange strikes as Strait of Hormuz standoff escalates
Iran responded to a fresh wave of strikes by U.S. forces by launching an attack on American military bases in several Gulf states.
13th July 2026 12:31Millions of Americans from coast to coast deal with dangerous weather
Extreme heat shattered records in parts of the West on Sunday while fueling fires. Meanwhile, heavy rain and flash flooding hit communities in the South. Rob Marciano reports.
13th July 2026 12:21
The Guardian
Keystone pipeline operator agrees to pay $26.9m penalty over Kansas oil spill
Proposed legal settlement over 2022 oil spill would resolve allegations that South Bow violated clean water laws
A proposed legal settlement with the US government would require the Keystone pipeline system’s operator to pay a $26.9m civil penalty over a large oil spill in Kansas in December 2022 and spend about $40m more to prevent future accidents.
The agreement would resolve allegations from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Kansas that South Bow, based in Canada, violated US and state clean water laws. The rupture dumped nearly 13,000 barrels of heavy crude oil into a creek running through a rural pasture in Washington county, Kansas, about 150 miles (241km) north-west of Kansas City.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 12:16
NPR Topics: News
The U.S.-Iran ceasefire grows more distant. And, Congress faces a consequential week
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire over the weekend amid tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. And, Congress returns from recess facing tight deadlines.
13th July 2026 12:02Who will replace Lindsey Graham in the Senate?
South Carolina GOP Rep. Nancy Mace and Gov. Henry McMaster are among the first to be floated for the Senate seat vacated by Lindsey Graham.
13th July 2026 12:02
The Guardian
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for pine-nut crusted feta, roasted broccoli and radish salad | Quick and easy
This colourful platter makes a simple shared meal feel like a special occasion
There’s something festive about bringing a whole roast feta to the table, and even more so when it’s thickly covered in toasted pine nuts. Tenderstem broccoli is a real treat in this dish, and my top tip is to blanch the spears in boiling water before you roast them – it really improves their texture. Crunchy, lemon-dressed radishes and spring onions add freshness, making this a lovely dish for a meze with friends.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 12:00
The Guardian
Trump’s Nato remarks rang hollow – but he recognizes something real | Christopher S Chivvis
US political leaders must be more clear-eyed about our global alliances, without embracing his scorched-earth approach
Donald Trump memorably took out a full-page advertisement in multiple newspapers in 1987 charging that America was carrying too much weight for its allies. In his first term he repeated this charge, threatening to withdraw from Nato and berating US allies around the world in the process. Last week’s gathering of Nato’s heads of government in Turkey suggests his approach is running out of steam as the world adjusts and the president bumps up against the limits of American unilateral power in Iran.
Trump’s domestic political opponents should breathe a sigh of relief but not rush headlong into an uncritical embrace of US alliances. For all his counterproductive bluster, Trump recognized something real. If his opponents in the Democratic and Republican parties are not more clear-eyed about what alliances cost Americans – as Biden failed to be with Israel – they will fuel the fires that brought Trump to power in the first place.
Christopher S Chivvis is a senior fellow and director of the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 12:00Maps show heat alerts as extreme temperatures threaten millions
Heat alerts were issued for millions across parts of the western U.S. Sunday due to an unusually prolonged heat dome, which is starting to move east.
13th July 2026 11:29
The Guardian
Sam Neill’s final interview: ‘I’d like to think that, in life, I’m a goodie’
The actor, who has died aged 78, recently answered Guardian readers’ questions about missing out on James Bond, the true terrors of Jurassic Park and why he called his prize cow Helena Bonham Carter
Did you consult a canine expert about how best to regress into a dog in Dean Spanley? WomanofWolfville
There was no consultation. I’ve studied dogs – wittingly or unwittingly – over the years, so the portrayal came from that.
I’ve had dogs all my life. I understand them better than I do people. I had a Staffy for 15 years. They are the most expressive of dogs – every flicker of guilt or pleasure is written all over their faces. If I had to leave, my dog wouldn’t take it well. I’d pack in secret – if she saw a suitcase, she’d plunge into despair. When I returned, she’d walk right past me and shun me as punishment. I’d think: “Are you ever going to forgive me?”
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 11:08
The Guardian
‘So healing’: can singing Miley Cyrus with strangers cure our spiritual malaise?
As people yearn for connection, one-day choirs are popping up around the world - and spreading ‘collective effervescence’
We met in a former synagogue, a vast room with hardwood floors where the sound could echo freely. All were strangers, many former choir nerds, united by a love for group singing. Our goal was to learn and perform, in a single day, a classic of our time: a song from the Hannah Montana movie.
The event, near downtown Los Angeles, was a one-day choir hosted by the Gaia Music Collective – a three-hour gathering where more than 100 people rehearsed a choral arrangement of the song and sang it three times, with ourselves as the only audience.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 11:00
The Guardian
‘A gasp-inducing thrill ride’: why The Polygamist should be your next TV obsession
With its lovable playboy and jaw-dropping twists, the South African drama has become Netflix’s latest breakout smash
Are you bored with your summertime entertainment already? Did you devour that buzzy novel at the beach? Finish your third Suits rewatch on the plane? Has your algorithm run out of ideas and started feeding you the same reels and memes you liked weeks ago? Have I got a recommendation for you.
The Polygamist is a rollicking, gasp-inducing thrill ride that delivers more hairpin turns, sudden drops and disbelieving exclamations than a day at the amusement park. You can’t beat the bang for buck: the cost of admission is already covered by your Netflix subscription, which gets you 22 half-hour episodes – a staggeringly generous haul that harks back to TV days of yore.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 11:00Extended interview: Sean Evans on his path to "Hot Ones," his Conan O'Brien interview and more
Vladimir Duthiers speaks with Sean Evans about how he came to host "Hot Ones," his interview with Conan O'Brien, who he would like to see on the show and more.
13th July 2026 11:00
The Guardian
Manchester United in advanced talks to sign Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa
Midfielder thought to have £35m release clause
Deal for Atalanta’s Éderson falls through
Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa after their move for the Atalanta midfielder Éderson fell through.
Jason Wilcox, United’s director of football, is in advanced talks with Villa regarding a financial package for Tielemans. The 29-year-old, who was part of Belgium’s World Cup squad, is thought to have a £35m release clause in his contract, which has two years remaining.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 10:56Sen. Lindsey Graham's cause of death was aortic dissection, medical examiner says
President Trump paid tribute to the late senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, who had just returned from a trip to Ukraine.
13th July 2026 10:30
The Guardian
China’s graduate glut: millions enter a job market with little use for them
Record numbers find there is little demand for their skills, as entry-level tech roles are hit by AI and automation
This time of year is graduation season in China: traditionally a bittersweet period of solemn goodbyes and family celebrations as university students transition from campus life into adulthood. Now it also increasingly represents trepidation about the future.
Each year, millions more graduates are thrust into China’s already saturated jobs market. The situation for this year’s cohort, flooding into an increasingly crowded pool of applicants fighting for an insufficient number of positions, is arguably the bleakest yet.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 10:27
The Guardian
Can a ‘power phrase’ turn a spineless worm like me into a go-getter? I doubt it – but it’s worth a shot | Emma Beddington
The psychotherapist Amy Morin says uttering a ‘short, positive sentence’ can offer the cognitive reset we need. The idea makes me cringe – but then I can barely cope with returning defective trousers
Are you dreading a high-stakes meeting, a challenging professional task or an awkward conversation? I’m not, because I’m a craven coward who has dodged that kind of unpleasantness for years. If only I had a “power phrase” to activate, maybe things would have been different.
That is the psychotherapist Amy Morin’s advice for dealing with sticky situations. The author of The Mental Strength Playbook, Morin explained in Business Insider that a “short, positive sentence you say to yourself in the moment” is an effective two-minute cognitive reset. She used hers, she says, while answering challenging questions to land her book deal: “I activated my power phrase and told myself, I’m a strong, straightforward communicator.”
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 10:00
The Guardian
Bad Reputation review – powerful look at sex workers’ fight for dignity on the Uruguayan streets
Everyday life takes precedence over sensationalism in a galvanising portrait of union founder Karina Núñez and her community
A sex worker and activist living in Uruguay, Karina Núñez is a force of nature. The charismatic subject of Marta García and Sol Infante’s galvanising documentary, she is introduced by way of a somewhat provocative image: a closeup of her chest, tucked behind a lacy brassiere. The shot, however, is far from objectifying: Núñez is fully in control, and her breasts are simply a tool of her trade. This opening scene expands to take in a road intersection at night, where she is hoping to find her next customer among the stream of cars that passes by.
Núñez might be standing by herself at a crossroads, in a framing that suggests the precariousness of her occupation, yet she is far from alone. As the founder and leader of Otras, a union for Uruguayan sex workers, she has rallied a dedicated community around the fight for social acceptance, better labour conditions and legal protection. Swerving sensationalism, García and Infante’s film does not focus on individual customers, foregrounding instead the everyday struggles faced by the sex workers themselves. In moving scenes, Núñez speaks of the dismissive treatment she receives at a health clinic, as well as her difficulty in transitioning to another line of work. In the eyes of the law and society, she and her fellow workers are merely as faceless statistics or cautionary tales, rather than human beings with rights and dignity.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 10:00
NPR Topics: News
Pythons' extreme biology may hold clues for treating human disease
These snakes can go for months without eating, grow and shrink the size of their hearts and jump start their metabolism on a dime.
13th July 2026 10:00
The Guardian
Zaghari-Ratcliffe condemns Iran’s ‘cruel’ rearrest of wildlife activist couple
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was in prison with Sepideh Kashani, who worked with husband Houman Jokar to save Asiatic cheetah
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has described the rearrest of two Iranian environmentalists, one of whom she met at Evin prison, as “unimaginably cruel and alarming”.
Husband and wife Houman Jokar and Sepideh Kashani were arrested by the ministry of intelligence at their home on 1 July. No reason has been given and their whereabouts are unknown.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 09:59
NPR Topics: News
A guard punched him on camera. It was still nearly impossible for him to sue
Prisoners are allowed to file complaints about mistreatment — but doing so often comes with retaliation. That's according to an investigation by NPR and The Marshall Project.
13th July 2026 09:10
The Guardian
My holiday from hell: I expected a glamorous week on a catamaran – but spent the whole time hoping not to die
The warm, gentle conditions I was hoping for turned out to be ferociously windy. The anchor couldn’t hold our boat in place. And then my mum got trapped in the cabin …
It started so well. A catamaran full of loved ones floating into the azure, taking pics, feeling glam, anticipating the sun sinking over the yardarm. I’d been reunited with my sister and family, who live in Australia, for the first time in three years, after Covid. Her husband, a fearless Australian giant, had got into sailing and offered to take me and my then 77-year-old mum, along with their three teens, out in the south of France for my sister’s 50th birthday. I knew sailing could get rough – my dad capsized us at the mouth of the River Dart when I was little – but it’s not every day you get such a generous invitation. How could I resist?
It was October. I was manifesting warm, gentle conditions, but instead the wind blew ferociously and stubbornly the wrong way. Before we knew it, we were charging up mountainous waves, then crashing into the void beyond. Our captain calmly steered while I sat below, feeling as if I was in a disaster movie, at which point I realised I hadn’t even located the lifejackets.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 09:00
The Guardian
First the £10 pint, now the £6.50 flat white: coffee industry faces inflationary pressures
From harvests dampened by El Niño to wage and tax rises, getting coffee beans from crop to cup costs more than ever
Drinkers across the UK were shocked when a pint in some London bars hit £10, and now a cup of coffee is facing a similar inflationary rate. Some baristas are now charging £6.50 for a flat white.
Higher energy bills, inflated by the war in the Middle East, as well as government policies which have increased tax and wages, are filtering through into coffee prices, experts said.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 09:00
The Guardian
The Taliban’s war on education: ‘Nobody talks about what is happening to the boys’
Five years after the ultra-conservative Islamists retook Afghanistan, students describe male pupils being beaten for minor rule breaches and inexperienced teachers struggling to deliver lessons
Before he leaves for Kabul University each morning, Hashmat* checks his face for the beard he has been ordered to grow. Male students are required to grow their facial hair and wear traditional Afghan clothes and those who fall short are punished. Hashmat says he recently saw a classmate beaten for wearing trousers.
“They look at you before they listen to you. If your appearance is wrong, you are already in trouble before the class begins,” he says.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 09:00
NPR Topics: News
Eat your ice cream for a long, healthy life? This doctor says so
Dr. Zeke Emanuel, a renowned U.S. health policy physician, takes on the wellness industry with a back-to-basics approach to optimizing good health.
13th July 2026 09:00
NPR Topics: News
He was having a mental health crisis. Memphis task force agents came and shot him
Jonah Neal, 25, was struck by a Homeland Security Investigations agent in May. There have been at least four deadly shootings related to the task force.
13th July 2026 09:00
The Guardian
Share your tributes and memories of Sam Neill
We would like to hear your tributes and memories of celebrated actor Sam Neill – whether you met him, or appreciated his work
The death of actor Sam Neill was announced today. He was 78.
Known to many for his role as Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, he also starred in The Piano and Peaky Blinders.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 08:51
The Guardian
The Brexit Effect, 2016-2026 edited by Anthony Seldon review – life without EU
Essays by the great and the good address the legacy of Brexit, but ignore the nationalist elephant in the room
This massive collection of essays by 43 different authors, including seven lords, four baronesses, one dame and three knights of the realm, may be the nearest we will ever get to a semi-official reflection on the causes and consequences of Brexit. Its editor, Sir Anthony Seldon, is honorary historian at 10 Downing Street and has written definitive works on successive 21st-century British administrations.
Yet the phrase “English nationalism” appears precisely once in its 600 pages – in a glancing reference to the line taken by the Daily Mail during the referendum campaign of 2016. Strikingly, while there is a fine essay by Aileen McHarg called On Scotland, there is none called On England. There is no attempt to provide even a broad overview of the tensions, contradictions and anxieties within the part of the UK where Brexit was won: non-metropolitan England. For much of the political and intellectual establishment, it seems, Englishness is still the condition that dare not speak its name.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 08:00
The Guardian
Our Hero, Balthazar review – a darkly comic satire of incel culture and gun violence
A poser activist and an online troll strike up a homoerotic friendship in Safdie brothers collaborator Oscar Boyson’s scabrous story
‘I think it’s nice to be part of a community” is how Manhattan rich kid Balthazar (Jaeden Martell) justifies his favourite hobby: posting tear-soaked videos in which he sociopathically pretends to be one of the horde of American youth lamenting the national epidemic of gun violence. Longtime Safdie brothers producer Oscar Boyson brings that kind of scabrous attitude – not just to school shootings, but to social media, “incel”, self-help and US salesman cultures – in this squirming, energetically directed black comedy that is reminiscent of the take-no-prisoners libertarian satire of Jason Reitman’s early films.
Balthazar is trying to impress his crush, Eleanor (Pippa Knowles), with whom he enthusiastically plays the role of the victim in school-shooting drills. After he blows his chances by attempting to make out with her while showing her raw footage of the latest massacre, he ups his game. Preventing the next bloodbath would truly prove his commitment to the cause, and a trollish incel called deathdealer_16, who has been goading him in his chat, seems as if he might be ready to blow. Catfishing him by posing as a comely maiden of the internet, Balthazar sets up an IRL rendezvous.
Continue reading... 13th July 2026 08:00