San

• Environmental Protection Agency 已将微塑料和抗抑郁药归类为饮用水污染物，以响应来自 MAHA movement 的倡议以及公众对健康问题的关注。 • 这一分类标志着在应对 U.S. 供水系统中引起健康专家和环保倡议者关注的新兴污染物方面，迈出了重大的监管步伐。 • 这一认定可能会促使未来的监管行动，从而为这些物质制定饮用水标准和处理要求。

• Donald J. Trump 总统签署了一项行政命令，对几名 Cuban 政权官员和实体实施针对性制裁，政府指控这些官员和实体支持镇压和侵犯人权行为。 • White House 表示，此举传达了与 Cuban 异见人士团结一致的信息，并是对向 Latin America 独裁政权施压的更广泛努力的补充。 • Congress 中的批评人士，包括一些 Democrats 甚至一些 Republicans，认为此举在即将举行的移民和地区安全谈判之前收紧了 U.S. 的筹码，可能会适得其反。

• 周五发布的 POLITICO‑Citrin Center‑Possibility Lab 最新调查显示，共和党和民主党的绝大多数受访者均支持由独立委员会划定 U.S. House 选区线，这削弱了反对结束党派 gerrymandering 的论点。 • Trump 政府正在评估将独立 redistricting 委员会法制化的提议，通过将联邦资金与采用此类委员会的州挂钩，这一策略可能会重塑 2026 年及以后的 battleground 选区。 • 民权组织和投票倡导者对民调结果表示赞赏，认为独立委员会将减少对目前向两党倾斜的地图进行的党派操纵。

• 全美各地已为“May Day Strong”示威活动策划了离岗罢工、游行及其他集会 • 为迎接周五的国际劳动节，数千人将参加一场经济大封锁，这也是全美3,500场“May Day Strong”活动的一部分。组织者呼吁“罢课、罢工、不购物”，并计划在晚间举行罢工、游行、街区派对和其他集会。 • 五一劳动节长期以来一直是劳工运动的年度抗议日，今年许多活跃的运动正汇聚在一起，为建设“一个重视工人利益而非亿万富翁利益的国家”而奋斗。“May Day Strong”联盟要求撤销 ICE、停止战争并向富人征税，其成员包括工会、移民权利组织、Democratic Socialists of America 等政治组织，以及 No Kings 抗议活动的组织者。

US 参议员与领先的中国科学家举行座谈会，并警告称，除非对新技术进行监管，否则将面临社会风险。US 参议员 Bernie Sanders 周三在 Capitol Hill 举行的一次座谈会上，与两位领先的中国科学家共同阐述了国际合作监管 AI 的重要性。随着初创公司和科技巨头（最显著的是在 Silicon Valley 和 Beijing）竞相推进并扩大其 AI 的规模，Sanders 一直是倡导保障措施的 AI 怀疑论者之一。继续阅读...

• 一位政治抱负远大的康涅狄格州民主党人在党内要求参与的压力下，放弃了关于政府资金的跨党派谈判。 • 此次离席加剧了在联邦预算优先事项和削减开支问题上的紧张局势。 • 这可能会推迟对于即将到来的财政截止日期至关重要的拨款法案。

• 佛罗里达州州长 Ron DeSantis 公布了新的国会选区地图，这可能会进一步削减民主党在众议院的席位。 • 该重新划分选区的方案针对民主党现任议员所在的区域，加剧了 2026 年中期选举前的竞争。 • 共和党认为这是维持众议院多数地位的关键，而民主党则警告称这是在采取压制选民的策略。

在距离 Ontario 仅几英里之遥的 Buffalo，当一场比赛开始时麦克风突然失效，现场球迷用歌声填补了沉默。Electric City、Nickle City、Queen City、City of No Illusions——纽约州 Buffalo 多年来拥有许多绰号，但在两个传统盟友之间紧张局势日益增长的时代，其中一个称号具有了额外的共鸣：好邻居之城 (City of Good Neighbors)。阅读更多...

• 根据 2026 年 3 月 17 日发布的 Axios/Ipsos 美国健康指数（American Health Index），大多数美国人对医疗成本上涨表示担忧，并支持增加联邦税收支出以应对这些挑战。 • 此次民调显示，在医疗可负担性方面的政府行动得到了跨党派的支持，反映出美国公众对医疗费用攀升的普遍担忧。 • 美国人对政府处理儿童疫苗接种决定的信任度也有所提高，表明公众对健康政策干预的信心在增强。

Residents and visitors in California alert each other whenever they spot the above average size animal at Pier 39A gigantic 2,000lb steller sea lion nicknamed “Chonkers” has become an unexpected local celebrity after taking up residence in the San Francisco Bay.The massive sea lion swam up to a dock on Pier 39 in San Francisco around a month ago and has remained in the area since, drawing attention from residents, visitors and social media users who have been sharing frequent photos and videos of the animal looming over its peers. Continue reading...

Candle-making kits and rubber toys among products recalled after revelation about play sand sold by HobbycraftMore than 30 children’s toys have been recalled in the UK after the Guardian revealed that play sand sold by Hobbycraft was contaminated with asbestos.Over the past three months, other children’s products ranging from candle-making kits to stretchy rubber toys have been recalled by retailers including Tesco, Primark, Matalan and M&S after being found to contain the substance. Continue reading...

• The United States announced Friday a temporary suspension of certain oil-sector sanctions against Venezuela pending the outcome of renewed diplomatic negotiations scheduled to begin Monday in Mexico City, marking the first high-level talks in 18 months. • State Department officials stated the measure aimed to create "negotiating space" for discussions on political prisoners, election transparency, and humanitarian access, with hopes of establishing a pathway toward normalized relations. • Venezuela's government welcomed the development but demanded complete lifting of financial sanctions, which have contributed to severe shortages of food and medicine affecting 28 million citizens, according to UN estimates.

Meta to lay off 10% of its staff and Microsoft to offer retirement to 7% of US workforce. Plus, Iron Maiden at 50Good morning.Meta and Microsoft are cutting thousands of employees as they bet big on AI and executives claim that the technology is meeting productivity needs.What have they said about AI? Mark Zuckerberg said in January that AI was making some hiring unnecessary. Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft’s AI chief, said in February that he believed AI would be able to replace most white-collar work within the next 12 to 18 months.How many tech layoffs have there been in 2026? In four months, more than 92,000 employees in the industry have lost their jobs, according to the tracker Layoffs.fyi. But some experts believe companies may be “AI washing” – using it as cover for a slowing labor market and demand or rising costs. Continue reading...

MPs call for investigation into Essar Energy, owner of Stanlow refinery, which shifted loans from ‘Putin’s piggy bank’ VTB to MauritiusDays after the first wave of Russian tanks surged over the border into Ukraine in March 2022, dockers at a port in northern England took a stand.Appalled by Vladimir Putin’s brutality, workers at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire vowed never to unload any Russian oil destined for the nearby Stanlow refinery, a major hub for UK fuel supplies. Continue reading...

Radio presenter arrives for case management hearing into allegations he breached his Kiis FM radio contractFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKyle Sandilands says his legal fight with ARN Media is getting “pretty ugly” and he just wants to get back on air.The former Kiis radio breakfast host made the comments on Friday morning as he arrived at the federal court in Sydney in a Rolls Royce in front of a large media pack. Continue reading...

More than 200,000 have signed petitions urging the government to break contracts, amid concerns about the company’s ‘supervillain’ manifestoOver 200,000 people have called on ministers to break contracts with Palantir in an apparent groundswell of public concern about the US tech company’s role in the NHS, police, military and councils.Two petitions have attracted 229,000 signatures, one calling for the government to end all public contracts with the firm, whose software is used by Donald Trump’s ICE immigration enforcement programme and the Israeli military, and another urging the health secretary, Wes Streeting, to cancel its £330 patient data contract with the NHS. Continue reading...

Leaders will discuss how to respond to surging energy prices amid the war in the Middle EastEurope live – latest updatesEU leaders have welcomed the end of diplomatic deadlock over a long-awaited €90bn (£78bn) loan for Ukraine, after the bloc finalised the agreement along with a 20th package of sanctions against Russia.After weeks of delay, the EU signed off on the loan on Thursday, in time for summit talks in Cyprus that are scheduled to begin in the evening and will include talks over a dinner with the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Continue reading...

British foreign secretary told to impose new measures, with ruble-pegged cryptocurrency A7A5 being supported in countryMore than 20 MPs and peers have called on the foreign secretary to take action against institutions and individuals in Kyrgyzstan allegedly facilitating large-scale Russian sanctions evasion.They urged the UK to levy personal sanctions against three top Kyrgyz officials for their alleged role in facilitating Russian sanctions evasion more broadly, and more specifically for allowing Kyrgyzstan to host infrastructure supporting the cryptocurrency A7A5. Continue reading...

Georgia players celebrated championship at White HousePresident shakes hands of men, not women in videoFormer tennis star Navratilova leads criticismA White House photo celebrating a champion women’s sports team has drawn backlash due to the positioning of Donald Trump and a group of men, who overshadowed the female athletes by lining up in front of them.The University of Georgia women’s tennis team was one of several collegiate teams to visit the White House on Wednesday to mark a recent championship win. In a photo shared by press aide Margo Martin, a group of six men, including Donald Trump, took up the front row of a stage setup, with 11 women standing in the background largely obscured. Continue reading...

Move comes after Hungary and Slovakia dropped opposition following reopening of the Druzhba oil pipelineEU leaders are set to meet in Cyprus this evening to discuss the latest on the Middle East and the next EU budget, starting in 2028.But it looks like they will have a bit of a detour – and a reason to celebrate, too – as the long-awaited €90bn loan for Ukraine and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia are on course to be unblocked after four months of delays caused by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. 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 Biden administration announced comprehensive sanctions targeting Russian entities involved in chemical weapons production and deployment, following reports of their use against Ukrainian forces in recent weeks. • The Treasury Department froze assets of 12 Russian companies and individuals, with officials stating the measures aim to deter further violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention. • Security analysts warn that chemical weapons escalation signals Russia's desperation as its conventional military capabilities face sustained Ukrainian resistance.

• The US Treasury Department announced targeted sanctions against 15 military leaders and three jade trading companies linked to Myanmar's junta, citing credible evidence of systematic ethnic persecution against Rohingya and other minorities. • The sanctions block access to the US financial system and freeze assets estimated at $40 million, with the State Department formally classifying the military's actions as crimes against humanity. • International human rights bodies praised the measures but noted they represent a limited response, calling for broader multilateral action and ICC referral to hold perpetrators accountable.