U.S.
Southern California beach closes after sighting of great white shark ‘exhibiting aggressive behavior’
Two-mile stretch of Huntington Beach closed after sighting at location popular with surfers and swimmers A popular southern California beach was closed after a great white shark was reportedly spotted “exhibiting…
Judge blocks US sanctions on rights groups helping ICC Gaza war crimes inquiry
Blow for Trump administration as Dawn and Taag hail ‘important step in unraveling the ICC sanctions regime’ A US federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from placing sanctions on two US-based human rights groups for working to help the international…
DoJ threatens California over alleged noncitizen voting as Trump tries to rally support for Republicans – US politics live
Justice department gives state officials 48 hours to review list of ‘likely noncitizens’ as president heads to campaign rallies in Arizona and Montana Sign up for the Breaking News US email Donald Trump has yet to weigh in on the late night ruling from a federal judge that…
MLS’s political speech policy is untenable – just ask Austin FC fans
The protests around an anti-ICE T-shirt show that politics can never be separated from sports, especially now On 26 September, Daniela Silva was expelled from Austin FC’s match with San Diego FC for wearing a T-shirt reading “Abolish ICE”. She says she was banned from Q2…
Cornell president acknowledges he knew about fraternity sexual assault but didn’t follow up
Michael Kotlikoff addressed his administration’s handling of the 2024 allegations as he faces calls for his resignation Michael Kotlikoff, the president of Cornell University, has spoken to the New York Times about sexual assault allegations at the school, acknowledging for…
Ukrainian military’s access to Starlink satellite internet suddenly restricted
Launch of Russian ballistic missiles on Ukraine, with no US warning, coincides with outage of Starlink managed by Musk’s SpaceX Europe live – latest updates Ukraine’s military has suddenly had its access to Starlink satellite internet terminals restricted as the Trump…
Trump administration promises social security recipients 3.6% increase in 2027
‘Seniors have spent years watching their expenses outpacing their benefits’ advocate says Social security recipients will see a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (Cola) in 2027, increasing retirement benefits by an average of $75 a month as millions of Americans continue to…
New York City moves to ban horse-drawn carriages
Mamdani and city council leader agree on ban that would make it illegal to operate horse-drawn carriages in the city Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the leader of the New York City council have agreed to ban horse-drawn carriages from the city, a popular tourist attraction that has…
Texas prosecutor considering felony charges for ICE agent who ran over man
A conviction on the possible charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon could mean up to 20 years in prison A Texas prosecutor said he was considering felony assault charges for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who ran over a man following an…
How we lost our appetite for eat-the-rich satire
Tom Cruise’s latest film could lose $250m (£190m) – could one reason be that audiences are tired of Hollywood telling them what they already know about the super-rich? It seems as if nobody can decide who should shoulder most of the blame for the recent box office flop of…
Inflation sizzled in September — and Social Security benefits will get a boost
Consumer prices in September jumped 3.7% from a year ago. The Social Security Administration said benefits will increase next year to help keep pace with the rising cost of living.
Hands-on with the Ocarina of Time remake, the most ornate Zelda game ever made
We got to play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time early. Here are our impressions of the remake and its elaborate new style.
NFL star Tyreek Hill’s estranged wife awarded $500,000 damages in battery trial
Receiver liable for two counts, not liable on eight others Lakeeta Vaccaro alleged abuse by NFL receiver A Miami jury on Tuesday found Tyreek Hill liable for two counts of battery but not liable for the eight remaining claims made by Lakeeta Vaccaro – ending the high-profile…
Ken Paxton stirs vaccine skepticism to ingratiate himself with Maha movement
Texas AG and US Senate hopeful announced inquiry into alleged conspiracy between pediatricians, vaccine makers and insurance firms Ken Paxton, the attorney general of Texas and the Republican candidate for the US Senate, is aligning himself with the Make America Healthy Again…
Zelenskyy sits down with NPR. And, Pope Leo diagnosed with lung cancer
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a sit-down interview with NPR as Russia's full-scale invasion nears the 5-year mark. And, Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer.
Immigration, climate, guns: key Trump policies to be tested at supreme court
Conservative court asked to rule on several signature policies in 2026-27 term – will it rule in president’s favor? Several of Donald Trump’s second-term policies will be tested at the supreme court in the coming months: it is being asked to rule on challenges to…
Pope Leo recovering from surgery after lung cancer diagnosis | First Thing
Vatican says operation on US-born head of Roman Catholic church was ‘successful’. Plus, after six decades in the US, Joni Mitchell has become a citizen Don’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up here Good morning. Pope Leo XIV, the head of the 1.4 billion-strong…
The raid on Ilhan Omar’s house is dangerous political theater | Moira Donegan
The raid is meant to cast an air of suspicion and criminality over Democratic candidates who, like Omar, are facing the voters in a matter of weeks On Monday, federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security raided the Washington DC area home of Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota…
AI overlords say they want to democratise their technology. Here’s how | Richard Wilson and Clara Long
A fight over a datacentre in Utah has been a testing ground for citizens’ assemblies, paving the way to oversight What’s your “(p)doom” – the percentage chance that rogue AI will create an existential catastrophe? Judging by their recent warnings, it is rising among tech…
The most important US midterm trends I’m seeing | Molly Jong-Fast
The one I worry about most is voter anger – which both parties are not taking seriously enough That chill in the air you are feeling is not the weather, it is the Republicans freaking out about the 2026 midterm elections. Midterms are always referendums on the incumbent,…
‘Like being in a vortex’: US report details extent of ‘devastating’ dating-app scams
Congress calls for Match Group and others to do more to help victims like Mary, who lost $100,000 to app scammer Mary met a man on the dating app Plenty of Fish in 2024. She told the Guardian she had been looking for a connection, but instead became the victim of a romance…
Why are so many Americans forced to work standing up – unlike their president? | Arwa Mahdawi
Airports’ TSA staff have been stripped of their chairs in the name of ‘professionalism’. Most supermarket staff have never had them. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is seated at his desk – and apparently snoozing Great news for everyone who is soon to fly via a US airport: the Trump…
These workers help train robots who could one day steal their jobs
Factory workers in India are being asked to wear GoPro cameras to record the way they do their jobs. The ultimate goal is to train robots to take over. Will it work?
Trump's ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, resigns after allegations of improper conduct
The White House publicly asked for U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle's resignation on Tuesday as she faced mounting accusations of improper conduct.
Netflix’s Mike Tyson docuseries offers an incomplete portrait of a troubling figure | Andrew Lawrence
The once heroic boxer showcases a frankness in this compelling new series but also an unwillingness to take accountability for his darkest moments Mike Tyson never envisioned old age. And yet here he still is, having outlived his parents, Brooklynites of ill repute who died…
'They're stealing from the poor': A major source of SNAP fraud robs recipients of millions
Organized criminal rings target SNAP recipients because of the government program's outdated security features. But upgrading the tech costs money and states' SNAP budgets are getting squeezed.
The skincare scheme that led to consumer complaints, lawsuits and a federal investigation
Free samples, high-pressure pitches and $50,000 bills: An NPR investigation reveals how a network of mall skincare stores systematically targeted older adults and people with disabilities across the U.S.
VIDEO: The skincare sample is free. What happens next can cost thousands
For years, customers have complained of aggressive sales tactics and charges at mall skincare stores. NPR investigated the business that connects many of them.
In Kansas, a newly competitive Senate race tests limit of Trump's unpopular policies
Kansas voters could send a Democrat to the Senate for the first time in nearly a century — and flip the governor's office back to Republican control, even in what could be a tough year for the GOP.
Civil rights advocates plan to send thousands of observers to midterm polling places
For many election cycles, civil rights groups and political parties have fanned out to monitor polling places, but the charged midterm environment has many organizations stepping up efforts this year.
Judge extends White House access to banned media outlets CNN, MS Now and Politico
District court judge Timothy Kelly was ruling after Trump administration blocked access to three outlets last month A federal judge ordered the White House on Tuesday to continue allowing journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico to access the building as the media…
Peralta shines as Rays seize on Ramírez error to level ALCS against Guardians
Freddy Peralta pitches six scoreless innings in 3-1 win José Ramírez error opens door to three-run fourth ALCS heads to Cleveland at 1-1 for Thursday’s Game 3 Freddy Peralta pitched six innings of four-hit ball, Liam Hicks lined a two-run single after a fielding error by José…
Enter the Zachbot: Trump’s new press secretary malfunctions on podium debut
Katie Zacharia’s maiden briefing was excruciating – at least her predecessor had delivered her propaganda hot Well, that was weird. Katie Zacharia , the new White House press secretary, made her debut on the podium on Tuesday with all the warmth, wisdom and political…
Loves Trump, lies and conspiracies: Katie Zacharia is the perfect presidential press secretary | Arwa Mahdawi
The Maga member believes the 2020 election was stolen and seemingly her new boss is saving the world from a cabal of satanic paedophiles. She’ll fit right in then Poor Donald Trump. His (third) wife seemingly can’t bear to be near him and his (fifth) press secretary recently…
Brexiters can’t cope with the fact that Putin was cheering them on | Rafael Behr
Russian meddling probably didn’t affect the referendum result – but the Kremlin’s motives for wanting to undermine the EU still matter Russian territorial aggression against Ukraine didn’t feature much in the Brexit referendum campaign. It made headlines briefly when Boris…
I’m a pediatrician. Loss of human connection is the biggest threat to kids, not AI | Megan Moreno
Amid worries about children’s relationship to tech, the solution is often spending more time talking openly with each other We have become obsessed with the idea that screens are destroying human connection. The evidence seems to be everywhere. Each week headlines warn of…
