Scheduled

• A high-profile fight is set for July 4, announced by organizer White in a Tuesday interview, involving notable political personalities. • Event draws attention for blending sports and politics during Independence Day celebrations. • Could boost fundraising for related campaigns while entertaining national audience.

• Netflix kicks off the week on May 4 with Lord of the Flies, followed by Priyanka Chopra's Citadel Season 2 on Prime Video starting May 6, and more on JioHotstar by May 9. • The slate features sequels like Citadel Season 2 with Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, alongside new pilots and drama series across Netflix, Prime Video, and JioHotstar. • Highlights include Worst Ex and Thank You Next Season 3, offering action, drama, and high-stakes spy thrillers for global audiences.

Cole Allen remains in custody after being charged with attempting to assassinate Donald TrumpHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The suspect from the 25 April shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has a hearing covering the conditions of his confinement scheduled for later today.Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, has been hospitalised and is in a “critical but stable condition”, his spokesperson said on Sunday evening. Ted Goodman, the spokesperson, posted on social media: “Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he’s fighting with that same level of strength as we speak. We do ask that you join us in prayer for America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani.”Donald Trump’s approval rating has hit its worst level during his two terms in office, with more than six in 10 Americans disapproving of the president’s job performance. Trump’s rating is at its worst on the cost of living and other economic issues since launching his deeply unpopular war against Iran in February, which has plunged the global economy into an oil crisis and sent gas prices rocketing to a four-year high.Trump has announced that the US will “guide” ships trapped by the Iran war out of the Gulf through the strait of Hormuz on Monday morning, and claimed his representatives were having “very positive” discussions with Iran. Trump wrote on his social media site that the operation, called “Project Freedom”, would be a humanitarian gesture “on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran”.The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is to travel to Rome this week for a visit reportedly aimed at thawing frosty relations with the Italian government and the Vatican. Rubio is scheduled to be in the Italian capital on Thursday and Friday, which will also mark the one-year anniversary of the papacy of Pope Leo, the first US-born pontiff.Pete Hegseth’s purges of senior officers with impeccable reputations have caused alarm at the Pentagon, raising questions about whether a supposed last line of defense against the impulsive whims of a president with access to the nuclear codes still exists.Trump is attempting to select his own citizenry and control who can vote by gathering the personal details of all Americans, Arizona’s top election official has warned. Adrian Fontes, Arizona’s Democratic secretary of state, fears that the Trump administration’s active efforts to forcibly extract voter files from 30 states including Fontes’s own are part of a bigger plan to gather vital information on all US citizens into a centralised database. Continue reading...

• Beyoncé won seven Grammy Awards on April 17, breaking the previous record for most wins by a female artist in a single night, surpassing Georg Solti's 31-year-old record. • Her wins included Album of the Year for "Renaissance Reimagined," Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Music Video, cementing her legacy as one of music's greatest achievers. • The Recording Academy held the delayed 2026 Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles following a scheduling conflict, with Beyoncé's performance of her new single "Renaissance Eternal" opening the show.

Justice department says Bondi will not be at the House deposition since she was ousted as US attorney generalPam Bondi, the former US attorney general, will not appear next week for a scheduled deposition before the House oversight and government reform committee to answer questions about the justice department’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and its release of the Epstein files, the committee said.In a statement Wednesday morning shared with the Guardian, a spokesperson for the House oversight committee said “the Department of Justice has stated Pam Bondi will not appear on April 14 for a deposition since she is no longer Attorney General and was subpoenaed in her capacity as Attorney General”. Continue reading...

US president says he will host Chinese leader in a reciprocal visit later this yearDonald Trump will meet Xi Jinping in May during the US president’s first visit to China in eight years, a closely watched trip that had been postponed due to the Iran war.Trump was initially slated to travel next week, but will now visit Beijing on 14 and 15 May, he wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. Trump said he would host the Chinese leader in a reciprocal visit in Washington later this year. Continue reading...