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Apple debuts revamped ‘Siri AI’ and new child safety features for iPhones and iPads

At his final WWDC keynote, Tim Cook highlights AI-forward upgrade to the voice assistant to be widely released in fall

After years of anticipation, user frustration and false starts, Apple announced a major upgrade to Siri at its annual developer conference on Monday. The voice assistant will come integrated with Apple’s artificial intelligence tool, Apple Intelligence, and has been rechristened “Siri AI”.

The new Siri, which will be widely released in the fall, will more closely resemble AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Google Gemini, than a question-and-answer tool that draws from the web.

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© Photograph: Noah Berger/AP

© Photograph: Noah Berger/AP

© Photograph: Noah Berger/AP

‘I love you, sir’: Todd Blanche, devoted Trump enforcer, tapped to do his bidding full time

8 June 2026 at 22:51

Attorney general pick joined Trump’s legal team in 2023 – there seems little doubt he would be prepared to carry out the president’s wishes

Todd Blanche’s nomination to be permanently made the attorney general marks the apex of a gamble from a man who bet everything on representing Donald Trump and became one of his most steadfast and punishing enforcers.

Trump announced the news at the White House on Monday. The nomination will require Senate confirmation to become permanent.

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© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump nominates his ex-lawyer Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general

8 June 2026 at 22:14

Acting in the role since April, Blanche faces Senate confirmation after controversial DoJ moves

Donald Trump nominated Todd Blanche to serve permanently as attorney general on Monday, lining up his former personal lawyer to be the country’s ⁠top ⁠law ⁠enforcement officer.

The US president suggested earlier this week that Blanche, who was appointed on an acting basis in April after the president fired Pam Bondi, was set to receive the nod. “He’s a very talented guy,” Trump told a podcast.

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© Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

© Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

© Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

Gordon S Wood, Pulitzer-prize winning historian, dies after being struck by a car in Rhode Island

A renowned academic, Wood was hit by a car as he was crossing a supermarket’s parking lot and later died of the injuries

Gordon S Wood, a Pulitzer prize-winning author and historian, was killed on Sunday when he was struck by a car in a supermarket parking lot in Rhode Island.

Wood, 92, won the Pulitzer in 1993 in the history category for The Radicalism of the American Revolution, a landmark tome that advanced the theory of the break with Britain being at least as much of an internal social and political transformation as a desire to be rid of colonial masters.

This story was amended on 8 June 2026 to correct the Pulitzer prize-winning book’s title to The Radicalism of the American Revolution.

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© Photograph: Brooks Kraft/Corbis/Getty Images

© Photograph: Brooks Kraft/Corbis/Getty Images

© Photograph: Brooks Kraft/Corbis/Getty Images

Federal judge rules Trump’s $100,000 fee for H-1B visas unlawful

President dramatically raised cost of visa for highly skilled workers in executive order last year

A US judge has invalidated Donald Trump’s $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications, ruling it an unlawful tax that violated federal administrative law and the constitution.

US district judge Leo Sorokin in Boston issued the 42-page ruling in a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic state attorneys general challenging a fee Trump announced in September that dramatically raised the cost of obtaining H-1B visas.. The ruling vacated the sweeping fee, which was a 20-to-50 fold increase on existing rates, and the Trump administration is widely expected to appeal.

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© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

US confirms three new cases of flesh-eating screwworm in livestock

8 June 2026 at 19:34

Department of Agriculture ays new cases in Texas and New Mexico as officials move to combat parasite’s spread

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Monday confirmed three additional cases of New World screwworm – two more in Texas and the other in New Mexico, according to the agency’s animal health arm.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said the two Texas cases affected a calf in La Salle county and a goat in Gillespie county.

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© Photograph: Kaylee Greenlee/Reuters

© Photograph: Kaylee Greenlee/Reuters

© Photograph: Kaylee Greenlee/Reuters

Israel and Iran step back from renewed conflict after Trump calls for halt

Netanyahu acknowledges pause in fighting in TV speech but vows forceful response to future attacks

Fears of a return to a full-scale regional war in the Middle East eased on Monday as Israel and Iran said they had halted attacks on each other after an appeal from Donald Trump to “immediately stop shooting”.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, acknowledged the halt in fighting with Iran in a televised speech, but vowed to respond “with force” to future attacks.

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© Photograph: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

Nithya Raman leads Spencer Pratt in LA mayor’s race as vote-counting continues

8 June 2026 at 18:59

Progressive and former reality TV star have been battling for the number two spot to face off against Karen Bass

Nithya Raman, the progressive Los Angeles city councillor, appeared to be edging out Spencer Pratt in the LA mayoral race challenging Karen Bass as Donald Trump continues to repeat falsehoods that California elections are “rigged”.

The pair have been battling for the number two spot to face off against the incumbent, who already secured enough votes to advance to a runoff in November. Pratt, a former reality TV star, held a lead over Raman for days, but as ballot processing from last week’s election continued, the city councillor has pulled ahead.

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© Photograph: Chris Torres/EPA

© Photograph: Chris Torres/EPA

© Photograph: Chris Torres/EPA

Two US pilots killed after plane bound to pick up former MLB star crashes

Plane on way to pick up Yadier Molina and his family crashed in Dominican Republic, killing pilot and co-pilot

A pilot and co-pilot from the United States have died in a fiery plane crash as they attempted an emergency landing in the Dominican Republic, authorities said.

Former major league baseball all-star catcher Yadier Molina said on social media that the plane was bound for Texas to pick him up, along with family and friends.

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© Photograph: Houston Astros/Getty Images

© Photograph: Houston Astros/Getty Images

© Photograph: Houston Astros/Getty Images

Savannah Guthrie makes new plea for missing mother as search surpasses four months

8 June 2026 at 17:18

Today show host shares post saying ‘Bring her home’ months after disappearance of Nancy Guthrie from Arizona

Savannah Guthrie has shared another emotional plea for her missing mother as the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie surpassed the four-month mark.

On Sunday, the anchor of NBC’s Today show posted an Instagram story featuring a painting of Jesus Christ and the words: “Oh my, my soul it cries out, soul, it cries out.” In a separate caption, Guthrie wrote: “Bring her home” with a yellow heart emoji.

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© Photograph: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

© Photograph: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

© Photograph: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Trump’s border czar threatens to send ‘more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen’ to New York City

8 June 2026 at 17:11

Tom Homan says he made Kathy Hochul promise after governor signed bill protecting New Yorkers against ICE

Donald Trump’s hardline border czar has again threatened to dispatch a surge of immigration agents to New York City, as the administration vows to press ahead with its controversial crackdown.

Tom Homan said on Monday that he has reviewed a plan to expand Immigration Enforcement and Customs (ICE) operations in New York and deploy “more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen” in the city.

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© Photograph: Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

© Photograph: Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

© Photograph: Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Prosecutor vows ‘swift’ justice in Toledo festival shooting as search for suspects continues

Search enters third day after 12 people wounded in shooting near festival on Saturday and no arrests have been made

A search for suspects who wounded 12 people in a shooting in Toledo entered a third day on Monday as authorities in the Ohio city continued to piece together a timeline – and a prosecutor promised “justice will be swift and strong”.

All of the victims of Saturday’s attack at a downtown cultural festival, ranging in ages from 14 to 61, were in a stable condition late on Sunday, the Toledo police department said.

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© Photograph: Rebecca Benson/The Blade/AP

© Photograph: Rebecca Benson/The Blade/AP

© Photograph: Rebecca Benson/The Blade/AP

John Oliver on New College’s Maga takeover: ‘More about political posturing than students’ lives’

8 June 2026 at 16:31

The late-night host detailed how the Florida liberal arts college became a testing ground for a rightwing agenda

John Oliver dedicated Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight to examining how Florida’s New College has been taken over by the conservative state governor, Ron DeSantis, and his allies.

New College used to promote itself with videos that emphasized its inclusive community and unique academic program – a rarity for a US state college.

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© Photograph: HBO

© Photograph: HBO

© Photograph: HBO

Will Iran give up on ceasefire talks as strait of Hormuz blockade continues?

Chokehold on shipping route draws Houthis in Yemen back into conflict as commenters see ‘no turning back’

Iran’s reversion to large-scale military exchanges with Israel broadened the conflict that began in February not only by making the Israeli attacks on Hezbollah a direct casus belli for Iran for the first time, but also by drawing the Houthis in Yemen back into the conflict with as yet incalculable consequences.

Some in Tehran, buoyed up by past perceived military success and emboldened by the chokehold of the strait of Hormuz, would like to turn this moment into the point of no return in the conflagration with Israel. A minority would welcome the abandonment of ceasefire talks with the US, an outcome for which they have been agitating for weeks.

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© Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA

© Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA

© Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA

Truck carrying fireworks catches fire and explodes in Tennessee

8 June 2026 at 14:43

No one injured in incident, volunteer fire department says, and it is not known how truck caught fire

Firefighters in Tennessee had to respond to an unexpectedly early Fourth of July scene after a truck caught fire on a major highway and its load of fireworks went off, triggering a spectacular display.

Video of the scene on Interstate 75 in the community of Ooltewah showed a huge cloud of sparks and rockets emerging from a trailer that the truck was hauling, as a stunned crowd watched from an overpass.

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© Photograph: Chattanooga Fire Department

© Photograph: Chattanooga Fire Department

© Photograph: Chattanooga Fire Department

Six people stabbed in attack at Penn Station in New York

Suspect in custody at busy rail hub adjacent to Madison Square Garden one day before game three of NBA finals

Six people were stabbed in a Sunday night attack at New York’s Penn Station, authorities said, with Amtrak police saying a person believed to be homeless was being held in custody as a result.

The stabbings at the US’s busiest railroad hub came one day before thousands of basketball fans were expected at the third game of the NBA finals at the adjacent Madison Square Garden complex, although the events are not believed to be linked.

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© Photograph: John Lamparski/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: John Lamparski/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: John Lamparski/AFP/Getty Images

Trial begins for man accused of sparking LA’s deadly Palisades fire

8 June 2026 at 14:00

Jonathan Rinderknecht is accused of starting the blaze that became Los Angeles’s deadliest and destructive wildfire

The trial of a 29-year-old charged with sparking a wildfire that went on to become the deadly Palisades inferno, the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history, is set to begin on Monday in a case that has gripped the city as Angelenos seek answers more than a year after the deadly fire.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, an occasional Uber driver, is accused of starting a small blaze on New Year’s Day 2025, later dubbed the Lachman fire. Although the Los Angeles fire department extinguished the fire on 2 January, it reignited five days later due to high winds and tinderbox conditions after burning undetected deep in the dry hillsides.

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© Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP

© Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP

© Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP

Adam Schiff calls for Senate to ‘vigorously oppose’ Trump’s effort to make Todd Blanche his permanent attorney general – as it happened

This live blog is now closed.

Donald Trump on Monday posted on Truth Social that “Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting’” before claiming an hour later that Israel and Iran were “looking to do an immediate ceasefire” and that “final negotiations on peace” were under way.

While he did not provide any further details, AFP reports that Trump had called Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

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© Photograph: Getty Images

© Photograph: Getty Images

© Photograph: Getty Images

Arizona lake closes indefinitely to visitors after all of its fish die

Wildlife department says drought conditions and water released from dam led to ‘major fish kill’ at San Carlos Lake

Arizona officials have indefinitely closed a popular lake to visitors after its entire population of fish died recently.

The recreation and wildlife department that maintains San Carlos Lake said in a Facebook statement on Friday that drought conditions as well as water released from a dam there “resulted in a major fish kill affecting approximately 100% of the fish population”.

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© Photograph: San Carlos Recreation and Wildlife Department

© Photograph: San Carlos Recreation and Wildlife Department

© Photograph: San Carlos Recreation and Wildlife Department

Netanyahu orders Iran strikes despite Trump claiming ‘I call all the shots’ | First Thing

8 June 2026 at 12:28

Direct exchange of fire between warring nations in apparent defiance of Trump was in response to an Israeli attack on Beirut, and breaks April’s ceasefire. Plus: incredible pictures of the Beatles’ final tour of the US

Good morning. Israel has again attacked Iran, in apparent defiance of the US president, Donald Trump, who had said in an recent interview that “I call all the shots”, not the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

The attack was the first exchange of direct strikes between the two enemies since a ceasefire paused the US-Israel war with Iran in April. Iranian state media reported explosions in Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj and Tabriz. Iran also launched about 10 ballistic missiles at northern Israel, in response to Israel bombing a target in southern Beirut.

How has Trump responded? “Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting,’” he wrote in a social media post.

How is the wider region being affected? Saudi Arabia sounded missile alert sirens in an area home to Prince Sultan airbase that hosts US forces. The Israeli army also said it was working to intercept a missile launched from Yemen. Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who joined the Middle East war in March in support of Iran, have previously launched attacks on Israel.

What is the continuing economic impact? Brent crude jumped $3.50 to $96.59 a barrel on Monday, while stocks in Asia, a region heavily dependent on oil imports, fell sharply in early trading.

How did Welker respond? When the veteran reporter asked the president for any evidence, he accused her of being “crooked”. “You know that these elections are rigged. Your network knows that they’re rigged. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”

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© Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

© Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

© Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

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