Police link shooting to gang violence but have not said who might have fired bullets that killed bystanders on Sunday

Bullets that fatally struck two bystanders during a shootout at a Seattle food festival last weekend do not appear to have come from the gun that a 15-year-old arrested at the scene was firing, police said in court documents filed on Wednesday.

The teen sprayed an untraceable “ghost gun” into a crowd, authorities say. Preliminary ballistics testing did not match the bullets recovered from the deceased bystanders to that weapon.

Longtime Epstein associate serving 20-year sentence for sex-trafficking crimes has exhausted series of appeals

The US Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution declaring its opposition to any presidential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex-trafficking crimes.

Introduced by Senator Jacky Rosen, a Democrat of Nevada, the resolution states that Maxwell “should not be granted a Presidential pardon or any form of clemency for her crimes with Jeffrey Epstein relating to the sexual exploitation and abuse of minors”.

Republican John Cornyn says he will not back nomination without written confirmation $1.8bn slush fund is dead

Todd Blanche’s hopes of becoming US attorney general seemed to be in jeopardy on Wednesday after the Department of Justice did not provide written assurances to a key Republican senator that a $1.8bn slush fund was dead.

The US Senate judiciary committee postponed a vote scheduled for Thursday on whether to advance Blanche’s nomination.

Six years on from Covid crisis, Republicans still politicizing science – and Fauci remains a political punching bag

A US Senate committee hearing featuring Dr Anthony Fauci revealed at least one certainty: six years after the pandemic, politicizing science remains a vital political tactic.

The high-profile hearing was pitched by its Republican chair, Rand Paul of Kentucky, as an investigation into the origins of the Covid pandemic. It quickly became a forum for recrimination of a once-leading US government scientist by Republican senators.

Report on Interlochen Center for the Arts details sexual allegations against 47 faculty and staff members since 1950s

Two people who attended a prestigious Michigan fine arts school reported conduct of a sexual nature by Jeffrey Epstein, a major donor, according to an investigation that also uncovered dozens of allegations spanning decades against nearly 50 other people.

Interlochen Center for the Arts operates a summer camp and performing arts school that draws students from around the world. It hired a law firm in 2024 to investigate reports of sexual abuse by faculty and staff. Subsequently, it expanded the work to include information about Epstein, the 66-year-old financier who killed himself in jail in 2019.

• Mia Bieniemy is being treated for gunshot wounds

• Son Elijah Bieniemy was arrested and charged in incident

The Kansas City Chiefs held their first full-squad workout of training camp Wednesday without offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who remained with his family after the shooting of his wife – allegedly by their son – at their Virginia home last weekend.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the workout that Mia Bieniemy had been released from the intensive care unit, where she was being treated for multiple gunshot wounds. But there was no timetable for when Eric Bieniemy would be back with the team.

Rates remain unchanged for fifth time since December as tenuous Iran peace deal pushes energy prices up again

The US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday in a divided vote, indicating growing pressure on the central bank to address heightened inflation.

The Fed’s federal open market committee voted 9-3 to maintain rates, with three dissenting members indicating a preference to raise the rate by a quarter-percentage point. It was the first time in a decade that three board members shared dissent over a policy decision.

Planned overhaul forms part of president’s broader pattern of directing changes in Washington after arch and ballroom

Donald Trump announced on Wednesday a $22bn plan to rebuild Washington’s Dulles international airport on Wednesday after the US president personally weighed in on the design of the capital’s main international gateway.

“In the end, you can end up with – I think – maybe the best airport, and one of the biggest airports, anywhere in the world, and it’s going to be a great thing for Washington DC,” the president said during an announcement at the Oval Office on Wednesday.

Fifa’s president hopes to sell stakes in the planet’s most watched sporting event. In the wider interests of football, he must be resisted

Like a sporting Dr Pangloss, Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, would like to persuade football followers that they are living in the best of all possible worlds. Maddeningly for him, many disagree. On Monday, Mr Infantino published a 15-page Instagram rant in which he bemoaned the “hate and false rumours” in circulation during the recent men’s World Cup. White House interference over a crucial refereeing decision, prohibitive ticket prices, unnecessary but lucrative hydration breaks; it was all, as his best friend in politics, Donald Trump, would say, “fake news”.

But where the president of world football’s governing body sees haters, others see lovers of the game rightly concerned over where he is taking it. On Tuesday, Fifa confirmed that it hopes to sell stakes in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors who may include Joshua Kushner, the brother of Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared. The investors would buy into a new $20bn company, Fifa Forward Enterprise, which would sell all of Fifa’s commercial rights, including ticketing, and take charge of “operational delivery” of World Cups.

Lawyers for Massachusetts mother say she was in throes of postpartum psychosis amid January 2023 tragedy

More than three years after a Massachusetts mother strangled her three young children, her former husband described returning home to the aftermath and a jury listened on Wednesday to his frantic 911 call, as her lawyers seek to prove she was in the grip of post-pregnancy psychosis.

Lindsay Clancy, 35, admits she killed her children in January 2023 while her then husband was ⁠on an errand away from their home in the Boston suburb of Duxbury. Her attorney says she was driven by postpartum mental illness and a jury cannot find she intentionally murdered the children.

James Comey’s lawyers say Secret Service illegally tracked him to develop case around his ‘8647’ seashell post

Lawyers for former FBI director James Comey alleged on Tuesday that US Secret Service agents illegally surveilled Comey, Donald Trump requested regular updates into the investigation, and law enforcement turned to ChatGPT and a known mafia killer as they scrambled to find justification for criminally charging Comey for posting a picture of seashells that spelled out “8647”.

The claims were laid out in a motion to dismiss a criminal case the US Department of Justice filed against Comey in April, in which it said the post by Comey – whom Trump fired in his first term – was a threat on the US president’s life.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has announced plans to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors in a new commercial entity worth $20bn. One of the leading would-be investors is Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared.

The plans have prompted an immediate backlash – with Uefa accusing Fifa of trying to ‘sell football’s soul’. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian reporter Paul MacInnes – watch on YouTube

• Deal would extend Argentinian through 2030 World Cup

• Coach would stand to earn ‘significantly’ more

• Pochettino’s tenure has been mixed bag of results

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino and US Soccer are “in the final stages” of finalizing an agreement for a new contract through the 2030 World Cup, multiple sources briefed on ongoing negotiations have told the Guardian. Those sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.

Pochettino was brought on as US head coach in September 2024, tapped to lead the team through the 2026 World Cup, where the Americans suffered a disappointing exit in the last 16. Both sides had expressed interest in potentially extending the deal in the run-up to the tournament, with US Soccer chief executive JT Batson saying the federation was “excited” about the potential of building on progress made during Pochettino’s initial spell as head coach.

Nelly Korda may be a safer bet, but home fans would be thrilled to see Hull triumph after five runner-up finishes

Nelly Korda is the likeliest winner of the Women’s Open, but there is no question who would be the most popular. Charley Hull’s brushes with major glory – she has five runner‑up finishes – have only intensified a widespread desire for the 30‑year‑old to break through the tape. Royal Lytham & St Annes provides the latest opportunity for the flamboyant Englishwoman.

Korda arrived in Lancashire with half her four major triumphs having come in 2026. Perhaps the Floridian can afford to be generous and she has endorsed Hull’s prospects. “She’s such a great personality,” Korda said. “It would be great for her to do it on home soil, too. She’s an amazing player. I enjoy playing with her. It would be great for the game.”

HBCUs offer more than higher education – they provide a safe haven for Black students and an investment in their wellbeing

I know exactly the soaring anticipation that Howard University’s roughly 2,500 incoming first-year students have been feeling since the first notice of their acceptance letters. There were high school graduation parties decorated in the school’s indigo, red and white colors. Parents beaming to their neighbors about upcoming send-offs to the country’s most recognizable historically Black college or university (HBCU). Located in Washington DC, Howard is nicknamed “The Mecca” by its devoted alumni because it boasts a who’s-who of graduates who pioneered every era of Black history since the school’s 1867 founding.

I know the inextinguishable excitement these recently admitted students are feeling because when I arrived wide-eyed at Spelman College in the heart of Atlanta’s HBCU epicenter, I was enveloped in instant amity, greeted with overdue affirmation and welcomed into an institution designed to nurture the promise of the young, gifted and Black. Inside the verdant urban oasis of my little Black college, I felt airlifted from countless racist indignities I endured prior. An immediate awareness dawned on me that this was how white people must feel about America, in that they never have to question if all of this was made for them.

Lightning kills a New Jersey man as rescues, power outages and travel disruption hit region

Bands of deadly, extreme weather including torrential rain and high winds sparked flash flooding and tornado warnings in several north-eastern US states on Tuesday night and into Wednesday, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of people and playing havoc with travel.

A 32-year-old man was killed on Tuesday afternoon in a lightning strike in Monroe township, New Jersey, authorities said.

US employers and Haitian immigrants live in constant uncertainty as status of work permits remains in limbo

For more than a month, Bobby Kuchinsky arrived at his Florida restaurant each morning worried about whether he still had enough staff or if this might be the last shift for some of his Haitian workers, who have spent more than a decade as cooks, busboys and oyster shuckers.

On Tuesday, he suspended six of them after they lost authorization to work in the US.

Francesca Hong, a candidate for Wisconsin governor, is part of a wave of democratic socialists finding traction with an old idea

In a matter of weeks, Francesca Hong, an unlikely candidate for governor in one of the country’s most heated battleground states, will test a message that is at once radical and, to many, incredibly practical: the government should help pay for childcare.

“When we talk about free childcare, you can connect to folks whether it’s on an economic argument or just purely that it’s the right thing to do for our kids,” said Hong, a democratic socialist running in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary on 11 August. “I always like to remind folks: if we don’t take care of our kids, who’s going to take care of us?”

• Russian retires from match against Kristina Liutova

• Venus Williams and Katie Boulter beaten in Washington

Ekaterina Alexandrova collapsed on the court before retiring from her match against Kristina Liutova at the Memphis Classic due to heat-related illness.

Alexandrova, the tournament’s No 1 seed, was two points away from defeat to the 16-year-old Liutova, who was making her WTA Tour debut. The temperature was around 97F (36C) in Tennessee as the two Russians played out a gruelling first-round match ​lasting more than three hours.

A delicacy for centuries and a key part of Native tradition, the lake whitefish has seen its population crash. Researchers know why … but stopping it is another matter

From the basement of the Sandusky library, page 29 of the book Sandusky of To-Day proclaims the town to be the “largest fresh water fish market in the world”. Two pages later, an image of the lake whitefish, referred to as “Sandusky’s pride”, takes up the entire page.

But the book was published in 1888.

The White House fails to understand that Mark Carney and Canada’s regional leaders can’t cave in to the US president: it’s too toxic to voters

• Matt Gurney is a journalist based in Toronto

Though many hate to admit it, Canadians have long wished for more attention from the US. Well, we’re getting it now. And it turns out that President Trump and some of his top supporters in the Maga movement don’t much like us.

The first big hint was when he started talking about annexing us, saying we couldn’t survive without American support. But the most recent example of Trump’s dislike for Canada can be seen in his latest tariff policies. Canada was largely spared the impact of his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April 2025 by its pre-existing free trade deal with the US (and Mexico), but earlier this month, as expected, the US declined to extend that deal for another 16-year term. It’s now subject to annual renegotiations. Then, last week, the White House announced tariffs as high as 50% on a selection of Canadian products including, for the first time, items previously protected by the trade agreement. The US called it retaliation for Canadian trade practices.

Matt Gurney is a journalist based in Toronto, and co-editor of The Line, an online magazine

Districts are reducing routes and exploring new ways to get students to class as transportation costs climb

Education officials across the United States are increasingly facing a fundamental challenge: how do they ensure that school students can actually get to their classrooms?

The bright yellow school bus might be a visual icon of US education famous around the world, but in reality it is becoming harder for districts to steer.

J Street’s liberal Zionist politics are landing with the Democratic establishment but the electorate may have moved on

When Daniel Biss addressed his supporters after clinching the Democratic nomination in Illinois’s ninth congressional district this past March, he did something politicians rarely do: he paid homage to a lobby group.

“This victory belongs to J Street,” Biss declared.

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Gary Peters, the Democratic ranking member on the homeland security committee, said that the committee has a long history of bipartisan inquiry and oversight, and the subject matter of risky research and the origins of covid-19 are a legitimate area to study.

But today’s hearing with Anthony Fauci was not an example of that, Peters said.

US military says it intercepted all Iranian missiles, as fighting threatens to resume. Plus, how Armenians seek to breathe more easily by heading underground

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The US military has claimed it knocked down an Iranian missile barrage and worked with Saudi forces to strike sites in Iraq that Tehran-backed militias have used to launch attacks in recent days. In what Washington cast ⁠as “an attempted surprise ⁠attack” by Tehran, Iran had launched ballistic missiles at US forces in the Middle East, shattering a brief pause in fighting. US Central Command (Centcom) said all Iranian missiles launched on Tuesday were intercepted.

Why is the US-Iran war a threat to biodiversity? The closure of the strait of Hormuz has created conditions for an extreme global biodiversity threat, with scientists warning that thousands of stranded ships could spread invasive marine species across the world’s oceans once they begin sailing again.

Who else did Trump meet yesterday? Trump hosted back-to-back White House meetings with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Netanyahu on Tuesday. The Ukrainian leader was seeking more firepower for his air defenses and said: “We also spoke about diplomacy – it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated.”

Ryder Williams, 16, saved a boy from drowning in Santa Cruz, California – the first rescue of his career

A rookie, teenage California lifeguard who saved a young boy from drowning amid massive waves – while a bystander recorded dramatic video – has spent his whole life preparing for such a moment, according to his father.

Ryder Williams, 16, said he refused to let go of the child because he knew the boy would almost certainly die if he did, the lifeguard’s father, Shane, recounted on Tuesday, three days after the pulse-pounding rescue.

The task now is to stop mourning the old order and build the foundations of the new multipolar world

America is in decline. And so is Pax America: the American-led world order. While there are many genuine dangers of American decline, there has never been a better chance to say clearly how much the unipolar order always left to be desired, and to imagine a multipolar world that might secure peace better than the old order ever did.

Idealizing the American peace since 1945 and its “rules-based international order” – a phrase that came into common use only decades later, but never mind – is a misguided response to our current situation.

The US vice-president is facing a barrage of allegations and complaints from inside and outside the Republican ranks. Good news for Marco Rubio – but not for the rest of the world

There’s something a bit off about JD Vance. And I mean that literally: the vice-president has been snacking on sauerkraut and other fermented foods as part of a weight-loss regime. Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr got a number of Trump officials, including Vance, on to the diet, and is thrilled with the results. “Within 20 days I lost 20 pounds,” Kennedy said at an event in Michigan last month. “JD Vance is also on the diet and you can see how different he looks.” Dunno about that: still looks like a naked opportunist to me.

If you want to get into Donald Trump’s good books, improving your looks is a surefire way to do so. According to MS Now, the president is loving Vance’s svelte new figure; it’s helped propel him back into Trump’s good graces. Which is lucky for him because he doesn’t have many other fans. They may be full of beneficial bacteria, but everyone around Vance seems to hate his guts.

Is it normal for a sitting senator to have to routinely submit proofs of life to a public who suspect he might be braindead? Just asking for 340 million friends

Is it normal for a sitting senator to have to routinely submit proofs of life to a public who suspect he might be braindead? Just asking for 340 million friends in the US. Mitch McConnell was hospitalized for a medical event on 14 June and we are now in week six of What on Earth Is Going on With Mitch? – a mystery that has riveted the nation.

According to McConnell’s team there isn’t actually a mystery at all. The 84-year-old is doing great, they want us to know. So great that they have now released two photos to prove it.

Adviser to Trump and Biden for pandemic says Republican senator has ‘unhinged obsession’ with him

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Dr Anthony Fauci refused to answer questions at a high-profile Senate committee hearing on the origins of Covid-19 and accused the Republican senator leading questioning of having an “unhinged obsession” with him.

Fauci, the veteran former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Niaid), served as a key adviser to Donald Trump and Joe Biden during the Covid-19 pandemic. The hearing was called by Kentucky senator Rand Paul, who has investigated Fauci for years.

• Fifa members given 19 September deadline to opt in

• FA and Concacaf join chorus of disapproval at plans

Uefa has accused Fifa of “using our sport to enrich themselves and their friends” after it emerged that Fifa’s 211 member associations have been given a deadline of 19 September to decide whether to apply for an initial payment of $20m (£15m) from the proceeds of its plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

“Today we have learned of Fifa’s deadline to associations to support their proposals or have the one-off payout offer withdrawn. This says everything you need to know about this plan,” said European football’s governing body in a statement.