Silence

Senator says in statement he has undergone battery of tests after weeks of mounting speculation about his healthUS senator Mitch McConnell on Sunday revealed for the first time that a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking the silence about the Kentucky Republican’s condition after weeks of mounting speculation about his health.McConnell, 84, said in a statement that he has undergone a battery of tests as doctors try to determine what led to his fall. He explained the long silence about his condition by saying that “folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older”. Continue reading...

• Sudan is currently experiencing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, which some observers describe as the gravest of recent times. • The crisis is characterized by widespread mass starvation, with 825,000 children specifically facing severe acute starvation. • The situation is exacerbated by a lack of significant intervention from global governments, who have done little to alleviate the suffering.

Former employee files complaint accusing company of ‘coercive surveillance’ and first amendment violationThe Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams is suing the tech company over its efforts to “silence” her.A 57-page complaint filed to a US district court in California on Thursday argues that an interim arbitration ruling sought by Meta preventing Wynn-Williams from publicising her memoir, Careless People, was “improper and unlawful” and a “blatant violation of the first amendment”. It also accuses the company of “coercive surveillance”. Continue reading...

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency to use International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition for ‘regulatory work’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s health watchdog has adopted a contested definition of antisemitism to guide its regulatory work.The move has been welcomed by the nation’s peak Jewish body while the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (Apan) has warned it could silence health professionals from criticising Israel’s human rights record. Continue reading...

• NASA has officially declared the MAVEN Mars orbiter dead after the spacecraft suffered a critical anomaly. • The decision follows several months of radio silence and unsuccessful attempts to re-establish contact with the probe. • MAVEN's mission was vital for studying the Martian upper atmosphere and understanding how the planet lost its water and atmosphere over time.

• Scott Mills' husband has shared his first social media post following the DJ's dismissal from the BBC. • The post comes as a wave of famous friends and colleagues have publicly voiced their support for the sacked presenter. • Rylan Clark recently highlighted the emotional difficulty of seeing close celebrity friends be "cancelled," noting the impact on personal relationships.

• Indian smartphone brand Ai+ issued a public statement asserting that "trust must be earned every single day" following a controversial tech investigation. • The company claimed it is "learning and evolving" and has implemented improvements, though it failed to directly address allegations regarding rebranded hardware and Chinese-linked apps. • The response comes amid growing scrutiny over the brand's manufacturing claims, privacy practices, and reports that it sent legal notices to content creators.

Attorney general Keith Ellison says gesture at convention was an ‘act of profound cruelty’ to George Floyd’s familyThe Minnesota Republican party’s decision to hold a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin, the former police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, has angered the state’s attorney general – who was the lead prosecutor in the case.Keith Ellison, a Democrat, said Saturday’s gesture at the state Republicans’ annual convention in Duluth was “an act of profound cruelty” to Floyd’s family and “disrespectful” to Minnesota’s law enforcement personnel. Continue reading...

The 192-page report does not mention Gaza or Joe Biden’s age. Plus, is the world heading for another Ebola crisis?Good morning.On Thursday, the Democratic party published a postmortem – spanning 192 pages – of its 2024 election defeat, after an initial decision to withhold the document prompted an angry backlash.What’s in the postmortem? It focuses on key demographics that Kamala Harris lost, including Latinos, men and rural voters in many states. “Harris wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins would compensate,” the report says. “The math doesn’t work.” The autopsy says that Democrats must focus less on “abstract issues and identity politics”.What does the move tell us? The cancellation, which avoided political embarrassment for Donald Trump, is the latest signal that congressional support for the US president’s war is diminishing.What happens next? The vote has been postponed until lawmakers return from a recess in June, when it appears likely that the resolution could pass. Continue reading...

Former House speaker, who had not yet weighed in, declared Connie Chan ‘best prepared’ to represent cityNancy Pelosi on Monday endorsed Connie Chan, a San Francisco supervisor, in the race to succeed her as the city’s representative in Congress, calling her the candidate who “stands above the rest”.Pelosi, the first woman to serve as speaker of the House, will retire at the end of her term and had not yet weighed in on the contested primary for the San Francisco district she has held for nearly 40 years. But as early mail-in ballots trickle in ahead of the 2 June primary, Pelosi declared Chan the “leader best prepared to carry forward the fight for San Francisco in the Congress”. Continue reading...

Island breathes sigh of relief as fears recede that US could jettison longstanding supportTrump China visit live – latest updatesBefore this week’s summit between the Chinese and US presidents, Taiwan had been cast as the anxious bystander.Observers suggested that Taipei feared the unpredictable and transactional Donald Trump might overturn Washington’s longstanding support for the island democracy, which Beijing claims as a breakaway province, during Thursday and Friday’s talks. Continue reading...

• Marie Osmond publicly addressed the death of her brother Alan Osmond, sharing emotional reflections amid family grief. • The Osmond family matriarch spoke out in a Us Weekly feature on the loss. • This revelation adds to ongoing celebrity family tragedies, impacting music legacy discussions.

• The U.S. House of Representatives held a moment of silence on April 20 for victims of a recent tragedy in Shreveport, Louisiana. • The observance occurred at 7:26 PM during the 119th Congress, 2nd Session proceedings. • The event highlights congressional response to domestic crises and unity in mourning.

Lawmakers call for use of 25th amendment after president brazenly threatens to commit war crimes in IranAs Donald Trump unleashes curse-filled threats against Iran, Democrats are raising alarm over his mental stability and calling for his removal from office – while Republicans remain conspicuously silent.Democrats are escalating their rebukes as the 79-year-old president delivers rambling, incoherent speeches, hurls puerile insults at US allies and brazenly threatens to commit war crimes. He used an Easter Sunday social media post to warn Iran to “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell”. Continue reading...

Actor outside Kennedy Center urges Americans to ‘stand tall against authoritarianism’ and resist free-speech threatsThe actor Jane Fonda joined journalists, musicians and writers outside Washington’s John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in urging US citizens to “break your silence” and “stand tall against authoritarianism”.At a damp but defiant rally hosted by Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment on Friday, around a hundred invited guests gathered to hear speakers and singers rail against book bans, political censorship and other threats to free speech under Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Donald Trump's policies have created a chilling effect in Hollywood, with executives and talent hesitant to comment publicly ahead of the March 15, 2026 Oscars due to a tense political climate. Reporters note unusual difficulty securing interviews, linking it to broader industry anxieties over government impact on film production. This atmosphere overshadows predictions for frontrunners like 'Sinners,' amplifying pre-awards uncertainty. Analysts foresee potential policy shifts affecting future funding and content post-ceremony.