Washington

Star tells awards ceremony: ‘I disagree with everything that this administration stands for, but there’s no place for the kind of violence we saw two nights ago’In the wake of the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner, George Clooney used an awards-show speech to make a plea against “hatred and corruption and cruelty and violence”.Clooney was speaking at an event at the Lincoln Center in New York, where he was given Film at Lincoln Center’s annual Chaplin award, which “recognises an individual’s significant contribution to cinema”. Continue reading...

The British monarch and Queen Camilla come to a city still reeling from shooting at dinner attended by TrumpKing Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in Washington on Monday for a state visit in a city still rattled by a weekend shooting and a transatlantic alliance showing fresh signs of strain.British flags could be seen lining lamp-posts outside the White House, where Donald Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, were set to host the royals for a private tea and a tour of the newly expanded White House beehive on the south lawn. Continue reading...

Questions raised about political violence, security and gun control after brazen attack at event attended by top officialsWhite House press dinner shooting aftermath – latest updatesA stunned Washington faced searching questions about political violence and gun control on Sunday after shots were fired at a prestigious media gala attended by Donald Trump and senior White House officials.A man targeted a Secret Service agent at a security checkpoint in the Washington Hilton hotel the previous night before being tackled and arrested. Trump and Melania Trump were rushed out of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner as guests dived for cover under tables. Continue reading...

UK cabinet minister says there are extensive discussions over security after gunman attempted to storm dinner attended by TrumpUS politics live – latest updatesKing Charles’s security is being reviewed before his state visit to the US this week after a gunman attempted to storm a dinner with Donald Trump in Washington DC, a UK cabinet minister has said.Guests at the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night hid under tables when gunshots were heard as the president and other members of his administration were evacuated by the Secret Service. Continue reading...

US president says venue was ‘not a particularly secure building’ as man is held after shots fired at annual press dinnerHello and welcome to our live updates on US politics.A suspect is in custody following a shooting incident at last night’s White House correspondents’ dinner. Continue reading...

Leaders of Canada, Mexico and Australia denounce political violence and voice their appreciation that Donald Trump and guests at correspondents dinner are unharmedWhite House correspondents’ dinner shooting – latest updatesWashington Hilton shooting – what we know so farFull rerport: Suspect in custody after Trump evacuated in shooting incidentLeaders from around the world have condemned an act of “political violence” and expressed relief that US president Donald Trump, officials and journalists were unharmed after a shooting incident at the White House correspondents dinner.Donald and Melania Trump, as well as members of the US cabinet, were evacuated from the ballroom at the Washington Hilton on Saturday after gunshots could be heard from the hotel lobby. Continue reading...

White House says Tehran in ‘very weak position’; Iran says two seized ships transferred to its coast; US navy secretary exiting post ‘effective immediately’, says Pentagon‘Impossible’ to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ‘flagrant’ ceasefire breaches, Iran saysWelcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.Iran has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz a day after Donald Trump announced he was indefinitely calling off US attacks, while there is no sign of peace talks restarting.Trump was “satisfied” with the US naval blockade and “understands Iran is in a very weak position”, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The US president had not set a deadline on Iran submitting a peace proposal, she said, after Trump on Tuesday said he was indefinitely extending the ceasefire at the request of mediator Pakistan until Tehran responded to the US’s negotiating positions or until talks were concluded “one way or the other”.The Pentagon announced that the US secretary of the navy, John Phelan, would depart the office “effective immediately”, without providing an explanation for his sudden exit. The US army’s top officer, Gen Randy George, and two other senior officers were removed earlier this month amid the continuing war with Iran.The US-Israeli war against Iran is “starting to weaken Europe”, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his German counterpart. Erdoğan said: “If we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater.”Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed a Lebanese journalist, Amal Khalil, and wounded a photographer accompanying her, a senior Lebanese military official and Khalil’s employer said. The death of Khalil, 43, brought the death toll to five people on Wednesday – the deadliest day since a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah was announced on 16 April. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Khalil’s death.Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were covering developments near the town of al-Tayri when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them, Reuters reported. They ran into a nearby house that was then also targeted by an Israeli strike, said Lebanon’s health ministry. Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said Israeli targeting of journalists and obstructing relief effort constituted war crimes.Oil prices leapt 4% on Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Hormuz strait amid the US naval blockade despite the truce extension. Around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 4.06% to $96.73 a barrel, while the international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude climbed 3.62% to $105.63. Both eased back minutes after.Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, were killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school amid mounting assaults on education in the territory, witnesses and local officials have said.United Airlines implemented broad-based rises of 15-20% on fares as it sought to offset the surge in petrol prices while protecting profits, executives said. The big US carrier has also cut its 2026 flying capacity by 5%. Continue reading...

• Researchers at the University of Washington created an artificial photosynthesis prototype converting sunlight directly into storable chemical fuels with 13% efficiency, surpassing previous laboratory records of 8-10%. • The system uses engineered nanostructures and novel catalysts to split water and fix carbon dioxide, producing methanol as a liquid fuel suitable for existing energy infrastructure, detailed in Nature Energy on April 21. • The breakthrough could enable large-scale production of carbon-neutral synthetic fuels without competing for agricultural land, addressing both climate and energy security challenges.

Animals were used legally as fishing bait, sheriff’s office confirms after incident shook locals in Guemes IslandA Washington state sheriff’s office says it has solved the mystery of nearly two dozen dead canines who washed ashore recently.The animals were foxes being used legally as bait for fishing operations, the Skagit county sheriff’s office said on Friday. Continue reading...

• Capitals riding wave of positive outcomes, including Rangers' 4-1 win over Detroit aiding their climb. • New York Rangers score 19 goals in last five games, fueled by rookies like Gabe. • Matchup tests Capitals' momentum against hot Rangers squad.

Carasses wash ashore Guemes Island in ‘creepy mystery’, with authorities saying canines appear to be the same sizeOfficials are investigating after nearly two dozen dead canines washed ashore on a Washington state island, in what one local has compared to “the start of a horror movie”.The Skagit county sheriff’s office said 21 canines had been found on the shoreline of Guemes Island, about 80 miles north of Seattle, between 26 March and Friday. Continue reading...

Aria Fani of University of Washington’s Middle East Center is latest critic of Israel to lose position at US universitySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA University of Washington professor was removed as head of the school’s Middle East Center after reportedly using newsletters from the center to criticize the US and Israel’s war on Iran and describe Zionism as “cancerous”.His case is one of at least three incidents in the past month in which higher education faculty members have faced suspension or dismissal after voicing opposition to US-Israeli actions in the Middle East. Continue reading...

Announcement part of controversial shakeup described by critics as administration attack on ‘science and scientists’The Trump administration will move the US Forest Service headquarters from Washington DC to Salt Lake City and shut down its regional offices, the agriculture department has announced. The announcement sets in motion a controversial reorganization for the country’s second-largest federal land management agency that Trump officials have planned since last year.The move, which the USDA touted as a “commonsense approach”, recalls the first Trump administration’s chaotic attempt to relocate the Bureau of Land Management from Washington DC to Colorado, first announced in 2019. The agency lost nearly 90% of its Washington-based staff, who declined to move – only for the BLM to return toWashington after Joe Biden took office. Continue reading...

As living costs rise, the state where Gates and Bezos made billions is targeting top earners – could other states follow?Noel Frame knows exactly how difficult it is to raise taxes on the ultra-wealthy, because she has been trying to do just that – first as an activist, then as a state legislator – for the past 15 years. And until recently almost all of her efforts ended in failure.She lives in Washington, a solid blue state that should, in theory, be hospitable to the idea of more progressive taxation and has plenty of multi-millionaires to target, since it is the home of Microsoft, Amazon and an array of other tech-driven corporations. While the wealth of these tech giants has grown exponentially in recent decades, the state – which levies no income taxes – has struggled to bring in enough revenue to pay for basic services like public schooling and long-term healthcare. Continue reading...

• The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament continues with St. John's facing Duke in a Sweet Sixteen matchup scheduled for Friday, March 27 at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS from Washington. • This Sweet Sixteen round features multiple games across the day, including Alabama vs. Michigan at 7:35 p.m. ET on TBS and TRUTV from Chicago. • The Sweet Sixteen represents a critical stage where 16 teams compete for spots in the Elite Eight, with each victory bringing teams closer to the Final Four.

Park police chief says officer was ‘ambushed’ by two gunmen who fired as officer drove in unmarked vehicleA US park police officer was seriously wounded Monday evening in a shooting in Washington DC in what the park police chief called an ambush.Park police chief Scott Brecht said in a press briefing that the unidentified officer was “ambushed” by two gunmen who fired at the officer as he drove by in an unmarked vehicle. The officer was working on a park police investigation when he was shot. The chief declined to give specifics of the investigation. Continue reading...

• Washington legislators adjourned sine die on March 12 after passing five significant AI-related bills, including SB 1786 requiring provenance data in AI-generated video, image, and audio content, and HB 2311 establishing safety standards for chatbots targeting children. • SB 1786 was approved by the full Senate on March 3 and is nearing third reading in the House, while HB 2311 passed its second Senate reading on March 9 with a "Do pass" recommendation from the Senate ATT Committee on March 17. • The bills represent growing legislative momentum on AI regulation across states, with additional measures addressing false advertising claims for health products and algorithmic transparency still in committee hearings.

Robert Allbritton’s Notus plans to double its newsroom staff, which includes hiring prominent ex-Post journalistsRobert Allbritton, the billionaire media entrepreneur, said he was “pained” by the Washington Post’s decision to lay off a large chunk of its newsroom in early February. But, he also saw it as an opportunity to hire some of the Post’s most well-known journalists, including many who would have been hard to poach in previous years.“Opportunity knocks, and you’re going to decide if you’re going to answer the door or not,” Allbritton, 57, said. “I’m always the one that says: ‘Look, if an opportunity like this comes up, you ought to go on ahead and see what you can do with it and take it on full throttle, because these things don’t come along very often.’” Continue reading...

The Washington Wizards take on the Boston Celtics at 6 p.m. ET on NBATV, with Boston aiming to extend their 10-game win streak amid Eastern Conference race. Jayson Tatum averages 29.2 points per game, facing a Wizards team desperate for a spark post-trade deadline. This matchup tests Washington's rebuilt roster including new addition Kyle Kuzma. A Celtics win would solidify their top seed positioning with playoffs nearing.

The Saint Louis Billikens defeated George Washington 78-65 in the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals on Friday in Pittsburgh, led by Gibson Jimerson's 22 points and six assists. The heavily favored Billikens pulled away in the second half with a 15-2 run, securing a semifinal matchup against the Dayton-VCU winner on Saturday. This victory positions Saint Louis for a potential deep NCAA Tournament run as a projected at-large bid. Next, they face a tough semifinal challenge amid March Madness preparations.

Traditionally jovial affair poses potential debacle for Irish leader at odds with US over foreign policy, tax and immigrationFor Ireland’s leaders, it has long been the highlight of the political calendar: a love-fest in Washington with hosts who sport shamrocks and toast Saint Patrick.Irish delegations are traditionally received on Capitol Hill and at the White House in a blaze of goodwill and backslapping that has them wishing every day was 17 March. Continue reading...

President Trump replaced the head of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on March 13, citing ongoing management troubles at the national cultural hub in Washington, D.C. The move comes amid broader scrutiny of federal arts funding during economic pressures from international conflicts. Insiders describe the center as plagued by financial issues and programming delays. The appointment signals potential shifts in cultural policy priorities ahead of major events.

In one Washington county, measles cases escalated from three to 12, prompting rapid exposure tracking, resident testing, and quarantine enforcement as of March 11. Local health workers are persuading contacts to isolate amid community resistance. The response highlights challenges in curbing outbreaks through compliance, critical for protecting vulnerable populations. Future actions focus on vaccination drives and surveillance to prevent wider transmission.

A Washington county is intensifying efforts to curb measles transmission as cases have rapidly escalated from three to six to 12 confirmed infections, requiring aggressive contact tracing and community response measures. Public health officials are working to identify exposures, conduct testing, and persuade infected individuals and close contacts to quarantine to prevent further spread. The escalating case count reflects the highly contagious nature of measles and the challenges communities face in controlling outbreaks.

Top-seeded Saint Louis Billikens face the ninth-seeded George Washington Revolutionaries at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA in the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals in Pittsburgh, with SLU favored by 6.5 points and moneyline odds at -315. George Washington enters with recent wins over Duquesne (91-76) and Illinois (79-65) but losses to George Mason and Dayton. The matchup tests GW's upset potential against SLU's dominance. A Billikens win advances them toward the semifinals on Sunday.