US democracy has settled into diminished state, experts find

• President Donald Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by five days on Monday, saying the U.S. will delay striking Iranian power plants to allow envoys to hold talks with Tehran leadership. • Trump stated his government was holding "productive talks" with Iran, but Iran denied any negotiations were occurring and fighting showed no signs of slowing. • An Iranian warhead with approximately 100 kilograms of explosives struck central Tel Aviv on Tuesday, causing significant damage, while Iranian missile attacks also hit Kurdish positions in Iraq, killing 6 Peshmerga fighters and wounding 30 others.

Oahu residents face gruelling cleanup as floods damage hundreds of homes and losses are expected to top $1bnSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe worst flooding to hit Hawaii in two decades has swept homes off their foundations, floated cars out of driveways and left floors, walls and counters covered in thick, reddish volcanic mud.Authorities said hundreds of homes had been damaged, along with some schools and a hospital. On Monday, new downpours set off a fresh round of flooding on Oahu’s south side while residents on the island’s North Shore cleaned up and assessed the destruction from last week’s torrents. The National Weather Service said showers and thunderstorms were expected to wane but the Big Island remained under a flash flood watch. Continue reading...

The rapper discussed his 2024 sexual assault lawsuit and the Kendrick-Drake beef in a new GQ cover storyJay-Z has spoken out about his recent sexual assault lawsuit in a new interview.The suit alleged that Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs raped a a 13-year-old girl at a party in 2000. Combs and Jay-Z denied all allegations after the lawsuit was filed in late 2024, and the case was voluntarily dismissed in February 2025. Continue reading...

Workers are ‘in the middle of chaos from political games’ as Senate Republicans try to negotiate with Democrats to reopen DHSSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxWorkers with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are reeling from the White House’s deployment of immigration law enforcement into airports as TSA workers enter their sixth week without pay as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown continues.Over 400 TSA workers have quit since the shutdown began in February, with major US airports reporting high call-out rates among workers, leading to longer security wait times. On Sunday, over, 3,450 TSA officers called out of work, with as many as 40% of officers at some airports calling out that day, according to DHS data. Continue reading...

President called practice ‘mail-in cheating’ at Monday event after voting in Florida House race via mail on SaturdayUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailDonald Trump has described voting by mail as “cheating” at an event in Memphis, Tennessee, just two days after casting a mail‑in ballot himself.“Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating. I call it mail-in cheating, and we got to do something about it all,” the US president said on Monday, in remarks to a roundtable on his administration’s crime taskforce. Continue reading...

Top prediction market sites usher in new guardrails after senators introduced bill that could limit booming industryKalshi and Polymarket, the two biggest prediction market sites, rushed to institute new industry guardrails and add new surveillance tools on Monday after two key senators announced legislation that could severely curtail the industry’s prospects.Kalshi said it would ban political candidates from trading on their own campaigns, and it would preemptively block anyone involved in college or professional sports from trading contracts related to the sports they play or are employed by. Continue reading...

NYPD have yet to catch suspect who appears to be on losing streak after stealing limited funds from Chase banksAn allegedly well-practiced New York bank robber is on a losing streak – and still on the run – after hitting six Chase branches across Queens, Brooklyn, Harlem and the Bronx over five consecutive days and coming away with just $605, according to authorities.New York police have yet to catch the suspect, identified as 33-year-old Gustavo DeJesus Torres, who began holding up the banks on Friday, 13 March and informing tellers in a written note that they might get hurt if they didn’t hand over the cash he demanded. Continue reading...

Lib Dems will focus on ‘rolling up their sleeves and getting things done’, leader says at launch of local election campaignEd Davey has accused Reform UK and the Conservatives of importing “Trump-style divisive politics” as he launched the Liberal Democrats’ 7 May local elections campaign, promising the party would focus on “fixing things for your community”.He also raised concerns that energy bill support being considered by the UK government would not include people on middle incomes who he said are being “hammered” by price rises caused by the war on Iran. Continue reading...

Parliamentary hearing focused on online harms from X, TikTok and Meta including use of AI to nudify young girlsUK politics live – latest updatesMPs have accused “complacent” social media giants of spreading Iran war misinformation, allowing political deepfakes that could threaten elections and still enabling the use of AI to nudify young girls.In a testy parliamentary hearing that exposed deepening frustration among MPs with big tech firms, X, TikTok and Meta listed measures they have taken to tackle online harms, but were told: “You seem to be doing an awful lot, and it’s not making a jot of difference.” Continue reading...

A study found correlation between the environment and long-term wellness in sample of 1,978 who attended college between 1940-80Attending a historically Black college or university (HBCU) as a young adult may be linked with better later-life cognitive outcomes for Black Americans, according to a recent study. The authors sampled 1,978 Black American adults who attended college between 1940 and 1980 (35% attended an HBCU), and who attended a high school in a state with an HBCU. The conclusion? There may be a correlation between collegiate environment and long term wellness.During that time frame of attendance, two major policy implementations shaped schooling in the country: first, in 1952, Brown v Board of Education ruled that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional; and second was the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which barred racial discrimination in school. Continue reading...

Critics say £15 toy designed for children aged two and over risks exposing them to ‘a very adult, performative world’Argos has ignited a debate among parents and child development campaigners after promoting a wooden “influencer kit” aimed at toddlers.Critics have warned that the play set could normalise the precarious world of digital labour and prematurely expose children to the pressures of online visibility. Continue reading...

Some residents moved amid threat of flooding are under public guardianship due to reduced mental capacity. NT public guardian says they ‘would have been very frightened’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFrail aged care residents were forced to shelter in an open-sided basketball court in Katherine, sleeping in makeshift conditions as authorities scrambled to prepare for major river flooding triggered by ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle.Residents from Rocky Ridge and Katherine Hostel aged care facilities were evacuated to MacFarlane primary school where many spent the night at a covered basketball court, with rain blowing into the open-sided shelter, as the deep tropical-low swept through the region. Continue reading...