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• Senator Jack Reed mengatakan dalam sidang bahwa menteri pertahanan gagal memberikan gambaran akurat kepada Trump tentang perang di Iran • US politics live – latest updates • Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email

• Anggota DPR dari Fraksi Demokrat mempertanyakan Menteri Pertahanan Pete Hegseth dengan nada skeptis untuk pertama kalinya sejak perang Iran dimulai, mendesak penjelasan mengenai strategi dan biaya dalam dengar pendapat pada 29 April. • Salah satu anggota Demokrat menuduh Hegseth bersikap partisan, mengutip kembali pernyataan-pernyataan sebelumnya di hadapannya dalam sebuah perdebatan sengit. • Konfrontasi tersebut menyoroti perpecahan partisan terkait kerugian ekonomi akibat perang dan kebijakan luar negeri Trump di tengah merosotnya tingkat kepuasan publik.

• Harga minyak melonjak di tengah konflik Iran-AS yang mengancam pasokan global, namun saham AS tetap tangguh di dekat level tertinggi sepanjang masa yang didorong oleh pendapatan kuat dari Visa dan Starbucks pada 29 April 2026. • S&P 500 turun tipis 0,1%, Dow turun 286 poin atau 0,6%, Nasdaq naik 0,1%; saham Visa melonjak 8,3% karena pengeluaran konsumen yang tangguh menurut CEO Ryan McInerney, Starbucks naik 8,6% dengan pengeluaran per kunjungan yang lebih tinggi di Amerika Utara. • Pejabat Federal Reserve mengisyaratkan tidak ada pemangkasan suku bunga pada tahun 2026, hampir menghilangkan spekulasi investor dan cenderung mendukung kenaikan bunga karena inflasi dari harga energi; pasar obligasi bergejolak.

Keputusan untuk tidak mengubah suku bunga diambil meskipun ada tanda-tanda inflasi meningkat di tengah dampak perang Iran terhadap harga bahan bakar Bank of England telah membiarkan suku bunga Inggris tidak berubah pada level 3.75%, meskipun ada tanda-tanda bahwa inflasi mulai mengalami percepatan akibat dampak perang Iran. Komite kebijakan moneter (MPC) Bank penentu suku bunga memberikan suara untuk mempertahankan biaya pinjaman pada Kamis siang, setelah pertemuan penetapan suku bunga terbarunya. Lanjutkan membaca...

• Menteri pertahanan akan diinterogasi oleh para pembuat undang-undang di Komite Angkatan Bersenjata Senat setelah sesi yang penuh ketegangan di DPR kemarin. • Daftar untuk email Breaking News US. Halo dan selamat datang di liputan politik AS kami saat Pete Hegseth menghadapi hari kedua interogasi dari Partai Demokrat di Capitol Hill, di mana para senator mendapatkan kesempatan pertama untuk mengonfrontasi atau memuji kepala Pentagon atas penanganannya terhadap perang Iran. • Menteri pertahanan berdebat dengan Demokrat - dan beberapa Republik - kemarin selama hampir enam jam dengar pendapat Komite Angkatan Bersenjata DPR, di mana ia menghadapi pertanyaan mengenai biaya perang dalam dolar, nyawa, dan berkurangnya stok senjata krusial.

Musisi dan istrinya, seorang konsultan kreatif, berharap Hodge Podge dapat memperluas gagasan tentang kreativitas dan komunitas. Sebuah pameran baru yang dikurasi oleh Jarvis Cocker dan istrinya, konsultan kreatif Kim Sion, akan dibuka di Hepworth Wakefield tahun depan, bertujuan untuk mendorong orang-orang menemukan kreativitas mereka sendiri. Dibuka pada Mei 2027, Hodge Podge akan menyatukan pilihan karya pribadi yang menantang gagasan konvensional tentang apa itu seni. Lanjutkan membaca...

• Federal Reserve memutuskan untuk membiarkan suku bunga acuan federal funds rate tidak berubah pada kisaran 3,5% hingga 3,75% pada hari Rabu, dengan alasan kekhawatiran atas kenaikan inflasi di tengah perang di Iran. • Hal ini menandai kelanjutan dari jeda penyesuaian suku bunga Fed setelah tiga kali pemotongan masing-masing 25 basis poin secara berturut-turut pada September, Oktober, dan Desember 2025. • Ketua Fed Jerome Powell dijadwalkan untuk mengadakan konferensi pers pada pukul 14.30 ET guna membahas keputusan tersebut, yang kemungkinan menjadi pengumuman suku bunga terakhirnya sebagai ketua Federal Reserve.

• Pejabat Fed menyebutkan inflasi yang tinggi, lambatnya pertumbuhan lapangan kerja, dan ketidakpastian di Timur Tengah sebagai alasan untuk mempertahankan suku bunga. • Federal Reserve AS membiarkan suku bunga tidak berubah setelah rapat dewan terbaru, sekali lagi mengabaikan seruan Donald Trump untuk melakukan pemangkasan saat bank sentral bersiap menghadapi perombakan kepemimpinan bulan depan. • Pada hari Rabu, pejabat Fed terus menekankan bahwa inflasi yang tinggi, pertumbuhan lapangan kerja yang lambat, dan ketidakpastian di Timur Tengah menjadi alasan mengapa suku bunga tidak diubah.

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe fined and deported after pleading guilty to immigration and firearms-related offences unrelated to recent shootingThree months after an employee was shot in the back at the Mugabe family home in a wealthy suburb of Johannesburg, Robert Mugabe’s youngest son has been fined and ordered to leave South Africa after pleading guilty to two unrelated charges.Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, 28, and his cousin Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze, 33, were initially both charged with attempted murder after the incident on 19 February. Continue reading...

• A new report from Harris County Public Health reveals Houston has the highest tuberculosis rates in Texas, highlighting urban transmission risks. • The data shows elevated cases linked to dense populations and socioeconomic factors in the Houston area. • Rising TB incidence demands targeted screening and treatment expansions to curb spread in high-risk communities.

The Arab oil producer has long expressed frustration with the quotas it has to follow as part of OPEC, the cartel of major state-owned oil producers.(Image credit: Joe Klamar)

Resolution Foundation report says ‘crisis’ stems from rising ill-health and a failing system of benefits and job supportBritain has the third-highest rate of young people not in work or education among Europe’s richest countries because of rising ill-health and a failing system of benefits and job support, a report has warned.The Resolution Foundation thinktank said the UK was facing a “crisis” in youth jobs amid a dramatic rise in the number of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (Neets) to almost 1 million – the highest level in more than a decade. Continue reading...

• Environmental Working Group study finds 20% of Americans used systems with elevated nitrate levels from 2021-2023 data. • Nitrate poses health risks including cancer and developmental issues in contaminated supplies. • Affects millions nationwide, urging stricter regulations and testing.

• Florida's KidCare expansion remains stalled in legal limbo since February 2024, preventing coverage for more children. • Uninsured children in the state have risen to 400,000, one of the highest tallies nationwide. • Delay exacerbates access issues as federal funds await resolution, impacting low-income families significantly.

• Broadcom provided second-quarter guidance of $9.2 billion in revenues, exceeding analyst estimates by 6%, driven by surging demand for data center semiconductors and artificial intelligence accelerators from cloud computing providers. • CEO Hock Tan stated that AI-related semiconductor orders are tracking 40% above historical averages, with major customers committing to long-term capacity agreements through 2028, signaling sustained strong demand. • The robust guidance helped lift semiconductor index ETFs 2.1% during extended trading and sparked upgrades from multiple analysts who raised price targets on Broadcom by 8–12% based on improved visibility into AI infrastructure spending cycles.

• The Federal Reserve released minutes from its April 16 policy meeting, revealing internal division over the appropriate timeline for interest rate cuts, with several governors questioning whether inflation has declined sufficiently to warrant near-term reductions. • Hawks on the committee expressed concern that premature rate cuts could reignite price pressures, while doves argued that pausing at 5.5% risks unnecessarily constraining growth and employment, setting the stage for a contentious May 2 vote. • Market reactions to the minutes were mixed, with bond futures pricing in only a 28% probability of a rate cut by July 2026, down from 35% before the release, while equity index futures declined 0.6% on expectation of extended higher rates.

Exclusive: Report shows cost of first appointment rose $20 in one year, with steeper rises in Western Australia, South Australia and TasmaniaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPatients are increasingly going without medically necessary dermatological care, the head of the Consumers Health Forum said, as new report reveals the rising cost of the specialty in Australia.Dermatology is expensive and getting pricier, with an average first visit now costing an adult patient without concessions $230 out-of-pocket, while follow-up appointments cost almost $190, the report from health directory Cleanbill found. Continue reading...

Uncle Jack Pearson, an army captain, says heckling ‘not in the Anzac spirit’ after welcome to country booed in Sydney, Melbourne and PerthIndigenous speakers booed while Ben Roberts-Smith attends separate Gold Coast eventMarcia Langton: The AFL bans disruptive racists. Surely police can do the same for morons who boo welcome to countryGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIndigenous leaders have condemned people who booed welcome to country speeches at Anzac Day dawn services across the country, with an army captain stating “racism is a cancer”.Elders who spoke at services in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth on Saturday morning were booed following a campaign by Fight for Australia, the group formerly known as March for Australia, which has previously staged major anti-immigration rallies. Continue reading...

Haris Doukas warns that with 700,000 residents and 8 million tourists, people are being pushed out of their neighbourhoodsIn the heart of ancient Athens, on narrow streets and around archaeological sites, visitor groups appear to be everywhere, snaking their way behind tour guides.Previously, officials would have welcomed such scenes. But for Haris Doukas, the socialist mayor who is determined to reclaim the capital’s congested city centre for its citizens, the start of tourist season leaves the city at risk of “over-saturation.” Entire neighbourhoods, he believes, are in danger of losing their authenticity because of uncontrolled tourist development. Continue reading...

Four men face murder charges in case of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp, whose body was found in a wooded areaFour people have been arrested in connection to the 1982 killing of a Louisiana teenager, investigators announced on Friday.State police troopers said tips generated by a true-crime podcast they were involved in making – along with improvements in investigative technologies – helped them make arrests in the killing of Roxanne Sharp, 16, about 44 years earlier. Continue reading...

• President Trump issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to expedite access to treatments for patients with serious mental illness. • The FDA is accelerating its review process for mental health therapies in response to the directive. • This policy shift aims to reduce barriers to treatment approval and expand therapeutic options for affected patients.

Lack of a sustained plan to end the war has convinced US allies that the White House is running out of ideasNearly eight weeks after Donald Trump launched his assault on Iran, the White House has shifted from a strategy of shock-and-awe bombardments and leadership decapitation to a plan of sustained economic pressure as it tests the wills of a regime practiced over decades at wars of attrition.Since the negotiations stalled, the White House has begun to shift its messaging to say it is willing to wait to strike a more durable deal with Iran – despite the growing economic toll inflicted on the world economy by the closure of the strait of Hormuz. The reason, senior officials have said, is because of the joint US-Israeli strikes were so successful that they have fractured Iran’s leadership and prevented a new consolidation of power. Continue reading...

Rival to government plans would scrap net zero policies, as party aims to woo sector after decades of job lossesReform UK has asked steel bosses to draw up an “alternative steel strategy” to rival recent government plans, stoking industry fears over a charm offensive by Nigel Farage’s party as it eyes gains in former Labour heartlands.Richard Tice, Reform’s deputy leader, met a group of bosses shortly before Labour announced new steel tariffs in March and commissioned them to draft a competing plan that will include scrapping net zero policies. Continue reading...

Tensions around US negotiations may reflect mistake of assassinating more pragmatic and experienced figuresMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has claimed that the infighting between moderates and hardliners in Iran’s leadership is so intense that the country has “no idea who their leader is”, but many Iranian experts questioned his analysis, saying that – given the mass assassinations of senior commanders – the country has shown remarkable institutional cohesion.Trump’s allegations of “CRAZY” splits in the Iranian leadership – the second outing for this argument in three days – is remarkable since he has previously said either he has little knowledge of the new Iranian leadership or that there has already been regime change. Continue reading...

Adam Hall, of Tyne and Wear, will serve at least 23 years in prison, with victims describing lasting traumaA “callous, calculating sexual predator” who raped and deliberately infected young, vulnerable men with HIV has been jailed for life and told he must serve at least 23 years.Adam Hall, 43, of Washington, Tyne and Wear, is the second man in the UK ever to be found guilty of intentionally setting out to spread the virus. Continue reading...

Radio company ARN’s defence alleges the shock jock denigrated executives, censors, critics and the audience of the Kyle and Jackie O ShowFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesSign up for Guardian Australia’s free weekly media newsletter hereKyle Sandilands repeatedly berated Kiis FM executives, the radio station’s censors, critics of the Kyle and Jackie O Show and the Melbourne audience in expletive-laden rants, according to federal court documents.The details of the alleged tirades, which aired months before the shock jock was sacked and accused of “serious misconduct” by ARN, are contained in the company’s defence of an $85m claim filed by Sandilands. Continue reading...

• The average 30-year fixed-rate conforming mortgage rate in the US reached 6.218%, up 3 basis points from the prior day amid fluctuating bond yields. • 15-year fixed-rate averaged 5.450%, down 4 basis points, while jumbo 30-year hit 6.538%; week-over-week, 30-year conventional fell 6 basis points to 6.218% from 6.279%. • Rates reflect Optimal Blue data for loans locked as of April 20, signaling modest stabilization despite economic pressures from high energy prices.