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Vote for Republican nomination is latest test of President’s grip over GOPHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Texans are voting for a Republican nominee for US Senate in Tuesday’s runoff election, following Donald Trump’s late bid to influence the race in his latest effort to rid the GOP of less devoted leaders.Iran has poured cold water on suggestions that a deal with the US is imminent, pointing to the confusion in US positions and Israeli interference as reasons why an agreement is proving difficult to secure. Speaking at the weekly foreign ministry press briefing, Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s negotiating team, also said future management of the strait of Hormuz was a matter for Oman and Iran to agree on, and that it was not tolls that were being proposed but “fees for navigational services”.By contrast, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said that a deal was still possible, adding that the strait of Hormuz would open “one way or another”. “There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we’ll see if we can make progress. I think it’s a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document,” Rubio told reporters in Jaipur during an official visit to India.A Trump Tower planned for the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, is to be built on land currently part-owned by the son of the US-sanctioned leader of the country, according to official records. The proposed skyscraper, a joint venture between a local consortium and the Trump Organization, which is managed by the US president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, will be on a plot whose current registered owner is the International Charity Fund Cartu.Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said on Monday her government agreed to allow the Iranian national football team to stay in Mexico during the World Cup, adding that the United States did not want to host the team. Sheinbaum said football’s governing body Fifa approached her government after the US said it did not want Iran’s squad to stay in the country throughout the tournament, despite Iran playing all three of its group matches there. Continue reading...

• Ed Gallrein, the Trump-backed former Navy SEAL, defeated Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s Republican primary on May 20, 2026, in one of the night’s highest-profile contests. • The race was among the most expensive House primaries on record, with nearly $33 million spent as Trump allies tried to remove one of the GOP’s most independent-minded lawmakers. • Gallrein’s win is being read as another sign of President Trump’s grip on Republican voters in solidly red states, even as broader national polling has shown softer approval on some issues.

Body says, on average, British women approaching retirement have half private pension savings of men – £81,000 versus £156,000A shake-up of pensions in Britain must involve measures to close the gap in retirement savings between men and women, the revived Pensions Commission is to tell ministers.According to the government-backed body, women approaching retirement have on average half the private pension savings of men, with a median pension wealth of £81,000 versus £156,000. Continue reading...

Nine out of 10 workers express support for policies on artificial intelligence that labor unions may fight forUS workers overwhelmingly support pro-worker policies on artificial intelligence (AI) and view labor unions as the most reliable protectors of workers from the effects of AI, according to a new poll released by the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in the US.More than nine out of 10 workers surveyed expressed support for policies on artificial intelligence that labor unions may fight for, including 95% supporting a requirement that a human be the final decision maker on any issues affecting individual workers and their employment. Continue reading...

• Trump-endorsed candidates defeated most Indiana Republicans who opposed gerrymandering efforts in state Senate primaries reported on May 6, 2026. • The victories largely upend the Indiana state Senate, aligning it more closely with Trump's redistricting priorities. • This purge signals Trump's strong influence over GOP state-level politics amid 2026 midterm preparations.

Loyalists of President Mahmoud Abbas won most races ‌in Palestinian municipal elections, election officials said on Sunday, in a vote that for the first time in nearly two decades included a city in the Gaza Strip run by rival Hamas.

• Toronto-based Cohere Inc. and Germany's Aleph Alpha GmbH announced plans to merge, supported by a $600 million structured financing commitment from Schwarz Group. • Cohere, which has raised $1.6 billion since 2019 from Nvidia and others, offers multiple AI models; the Series E deal expects additional investors and closure later in 2026. • The merger combines expertise in enterprise AI, potentially accelerating development amid US-China tech tensions and boosting competitive edge for Western AI firms.

• Israeli and Hamas delegations reached an agreement for a two-month ceasefire in Gaza, brokered by US diplomatic envoys and Egyptian mediators over the past week. • The deal includes provisions for humanitarian aid corridors, release of remaining hostages held by Hamas, and dismantling of restrictions on Palestinian civilian movement in designated zones. • The agreement marks a significant diplomatic victory for the US, though skeptics question whether the ceasefire will hold given previous failed peace attempts and hardline opposition from both sides.

• Treehub launched on April 22, 2026, as a Stanford-adjacent residency program in Los Altos, California, backed by the AI Health Fund and investors including Tim Draper and 23andMe founder Anne Wojcicki. • The program functions as a venture studio, incubator, and fund, offering scientist-founders proprietary medical data, mentorship from exited startup operators, and programming with payers and investors. • It targets precision outcomes like genomic risk stratification, care efficiency via ambient intelligence, and frontier science including robotic surgery and digital twins.

After Guardian reports about danger to V2X employees, sources say state department raised concerns with defense contractorSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US government has called on the defense contractor V2X to evacuate its employees from Kuwait and Iraq, warning the company that they could be targeted by Iran-backed militias, four sources said.The intervention follows reporting by the Guardian that V2X employees were stationed at US military bases in Kuwait, and at Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih airbase and Erbil in Iraq. Employees claimed having inadequate protections, receiving limited communications from the company about evacuation plans and being pressured to remain in the Middle East. In Iraq, workers say they are targets of Iran-allied attacks, and one employee was killed in a night-time drone attack in March. Continue reading...

• The UN General Assembly voted 142-28 on April 8, 2026, to approve $500 million humanitarian corridor for 1.2 million Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh. • Resolution, led by US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, demands junta access for aid convoys amid Rohingya crisis escalation. • It underscores US push for democracy restoration post-2021 coup, with China and Russia opposing as 'interference'; camps report 20% rise in malnutrition.

Chuck Schumer attacks president’s ‘ridiculous bluster’ while Republicans cast decision as shrewd tactical moveMiddle East crisis – live updatesPolitical leaders and many Americans breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday evening, after Donald Trump announced a provisional ceasefire deal following threats to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization” if Tehran failed to reopen the strait of Hormuz by a self-imposed deadline.The announcement of the agreement, mediated by Pakistan, came roughly 90 minutes before the 8pm ET deadline by which Trump pledged to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges in a move legal and military scholars said would be considered a war crime. Continue reading...

Drone-maker backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr tries to win contracts with Gulf countries protected by USA drone-maker backed by Donald Trump’s two oldest sons is trying to sell to Gulf countries while they are under attack by Iran and dependent on the US military led by their father.The sales drive by Florida-based Powerus – which announced a deal last month to bring aboard Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr – positions the company to potentially benefit from a war that their father began. Continue reading...

• Perplexity announced b.well as the infrastructure partner behind its health data integration, enabling citation-backed AI search capabilities for actual patient records and medical information retrieval. • The partnership aligns with broader industry trends toward integrating large language models with electronic health record systems, following OpenAI's ChatGPT Health launch and other healthcare AI initiatives. • b.well has emerged as a significant health AI infrastructure company, having also launched bailey (a white-label health assistant) and expanded partnerships with Samsung to transform Galaxy phones into portable health records with point-of-care data sharing.

• Innovation Council Action, a new pro-AI political organization championed by tech investor and White House AI advisor David Sacks, plans to spend over $100 million in the 2026 midterms to shape U.S. tech policy. • The group is closely aligned with President Donald Trump's agenda and will support candidates favoring deregulation while opposing those pushing for stricter AI rules. • The organization has developed a scorecard ranking lawmakers based on their alignment with Trump's AI agenda, which will guide political spending decisions in the coming months.

Fears grow that Tehran may start activating sleeper cells across Middle East as part of war with US and IsraelMiddle East crisis – live updatesGulf countries have raised concerns over the prospect of attacks by Iran-backed militias and proxy armed groups in the region, which they fear could destabilise their regimes and escalate the war in the Middle East.In a joint statement this week, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan condemned Iranian attacks on their soil, both as strikes carried out directly from Iran and “through their proxies and armed factions they support in the region”. Continue reading...

Founder Julian Hearn, actor and fellow investor Jonathan Ross likely to get big payday after takeover by French groupBusiness live – latest updatesHuel, the protein shake maker which counts actor Idris Elba and TV presenter Jonathan Ross among its investors, has agreed to be acquired by the French consumer goods group Danone in a deal worth about €1bn (£870m).The British company, which makes food powders, snack bars and meals from a blend of plant-based ingredients and fortified with vitamins, started out selling its powders online. It is now available in more than 25,000 stores around the world. Continue reading...

Cameo videos produced by the Reform UK leader were used to drum up interest in obscure memecoinsNewly unearthed Nigel Farage videos reveal support for rioter, neo-Nazi event and far-right slogansNigel Farage has profited by producing Cameo videos that endorsed or provided support to cryptocurrencies which later collapsed in value.The videos were discovered by the Guardian within a collection of more than 4,000 clips he has created on the Cameo platform, which allows public figures and celebrities to sell personalised recorded messages to members of the public. Continue reading...

• A Trump-backed refinery project in Texas is advancing as a potential first new U.S. refinery in years, with the initiative receiving attention amid elevated crude oil prices and energy supply concerns tied to Middle East conflicts. • The project reflects broader energy policy shifts and interest in domestic refining capacity expansion, particularly relevant given current geopolitical supply disruptions affecting global oil markets. • Fox Business reported that if Trump's administration had not acted on the refinery initiative, his successor would face significant energy infrastructure challenges, underscoring the long-term strategic importance of domestic refining capacity.

A federal judge on Friday threw out two Justice Department subpoenas targeting the Federal Reserve, ruling them improper in U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's criminal investigation into Chair Jerome Powell. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, in a 27-page opinion, stated the subpoenas' dominant purpose was to harass Powell amid President Trump's public attacks, handing a victory to the central bank. The decision underscores escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the Fed, potentially delaying probes into monetary policy decisions. Legal experts anticipate appeals as the case highlights executive-branch overreach concerns.

Congress prepares for debate next week on the Save America Act, backed by President Trump, requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration and new limits on mail-in ballots as of March 14, 2026. The bill aims to enhance election integrity amid partisan divides. House Speaker Michael Johnson called it 'essential for trust,' while Democrats label it 'suppression.' Passage could reshape voting access ahead of midterms.