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New Orleans archdiocese plans on removing priest’s name from chapel as his Texas sexual abuse trial looms

1 May 2026 at 11:00

Anthony Odiong is accused of sexually abusing three spiritually vulnerable female congregants in Waco

Plans are under way for the Roman Catholic archdiocese of New Orleans to remove a priest’s name from a chapel he helped build outside the city as a criminal trial looms in Texas for the clergyman on criminal charges that he sexually abused three spiritually vulnerable female congregants there, the Guardian has learned.

Anthony Odiong had reportedly raised $600,000 to build and then open Our Lady of Guadalupe Healing Chapel in Luling, Louisiana, in 2020, while he was the pastor at an adjacent church, years before authorities criminally charged him in Texas, where he had also previously ministered. His name has since appeared on various inscriptions outside the chapel and on the structure itself even as the criminal case against him has progressed toward trial.

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© Photograph: Waco Police

© Photograph: Waco Police

© Photograph: Waco Police

Trump administration rejects need for Iran war Congressional approval despite deadline – US politics live

1 May 2026 at 10:57

Pete Hegseth argued that a ceasefire agreement with Iran more than three weeks ago ‘means the 60 day clock pauses, or stops’

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the day.

Today marks 60 days since the Trump administration notified Congress that it was carrying out strikes on Iran – meaning that under the War Powers Act of 1973, today is the deadline for Donald Trump to either end the Iran war or seek congressional authorization to extend it.

Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor in Washington DC, released edited security-camera video of the incident at the White House correspondents’ dinner amid questions about whether or not the suspected gunman, Cole Allen, fired his weapon before being subdued. While the video shows four muzzles flashes from the agent’s gun as he fired at Allen, it was not immediately clear that it does show Allen discharging his weapon after he pointed it at the agent.

Sean Curran, the director of the US Secret Service, told Fox News that Allen was stopped not by secret service gunfire, but by a box used to transport a metal detector, which he tripped over.

Congress has passed a 45-day extension of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a law that grants US intelligence agencies warrantless spying powers.

Trump has threatened to withdraw troops from Spain and Italy, two countries that countries have been vocally critical of his war in the Middle East. This comes after Trump suggested reviewing US military presence in Germany after the country’s chancellor said America was being “humiliated” by Iran.

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© Photograph: Andrew Thomas/CNP/Andrew Thomas - CNP/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Andrew Thomas/CNP/Andrew Thomas - CNP/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Andrew Thomas/CNP/Andrew Thomas - CNP/Shutterstock

Trump threatens to withdraw troops from Italy and Spain

1 May 2026 at 10:43

US president says European countries are ‘absolutely horrible’ to refuse to support operations in strait of Hormuz

Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain a day after saying he was looking at reducing the number deployed in Germany.

The US president’s threat to Germany came after the country’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said America was being “humiliated” by Iran.

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© Photograph: Alessandro Di Marco/EPA

© Photograph: Alessandro Di Marco/EPA

© Photograph: Alessandro Di Marco/EPA

  • ✇The Guardian World news
  • Pakistan acting as backchannel as US and Iran inch towards deal, experts say Saeed Shah in Islamabad
    Islamabad has reportedly switched to lower-profile role but believes peace can make progress without face-to-face meetingsPakistan is passing proposals between Iran and the US to keep talks alive behind the scenes and inch towards a peace agreement, officials and experts say.Pakistani officials say that they are conscious of the fact that at stake is not only regional peace, but the health of the global economy and the livelihoods of millions of the poorest people in the world – including in Pak
     

Pakistan acting as backchannel as US and Iran inch towards deal, experts say

1 May 2026 at 10:23

Islamabad has reportedly switched to lower-profile role but believes peace can make progress without face-to-face meetings

Pakistan is passing proposals between Iran and the US to keep talks alive behind the scenes and inch towards a peace agreement, officials and experts say.

Pakistani officials say that they are conscious of the fact that at stake is not only regional peace, but the health of the global economy and the livelihoods of millions of the poorest people in the world – including in Pakistan, whose monthly energy import bill has almost tripled as a result of the war.

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© Photograph: Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images

  • ✇The Guardian World news
  • CEO pay soared in 2025, 20 times faster than workers’ pay Michael Sainato
    Analysis finds real wages fell 12% since 2019, with inequality widening in the US beyond global levelsCEO pay increased 20 times faster than worker pay around the world in 2025, according to a new analysis from Oxfam and the International Trade Union Confederation, the world’s largest trade union federation.When adjusted for inflation, global worker pay declined 12% between 2019 and 2025, the equivalent of 108 days of free work during that time period. In comparison, CEO compensation increased b
     

CEO pay soared in 2025, 20 times faster than workers’ pay

1 May 2026 at 10:00

Analysis finds real wages fell 12% since 2019, with inequality widening in the US beyond global levels

CEO pay increased 20 times faster than worker pay around the world in 2025, according to a new analysis from Oxfam and the International Trade Union Confederation, the world’s largest trade union federation.

When adjusted for inflation, global worker pay declined 12% between 2019 and 2025, the equivalent of 108 days of free work during that time period. In comparison, CEO compensation increased by 54% between 2019 and 2025.

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© Composite: AFP, Anadolu, Getty Images

© Composite: AFP, Anadolu, Getty Images

© Composite: AFP, Anadolu, Getty Images

  • ✇The Guardian World news
  • Weather tracker: Tornadoes and giant hail in central US Ed Walton and James Michelin for MetDesk
    Strongest tornado hits Mineral Wells, Texas, where disaster was declared. Elsewhere, extreme rain inundates ChinaSpring is the season for severe thunderstorms across the central US, and the start of this week was a particularly active period for the region. A favourable weather pattern fuelled intense thunderstorms on Monday through Wednesday, bringing strong winds, very large hail and strong tornadoes.Eight tornadoes were reported on Monday, including an EF2 tornado that ripped through the town
     

Weather tracker: Tornadoes and giant hail in central US

Strongest tornado hits Mineral Wells, Texas, where disaster was declared. Elsewhere, extreme rain inundates China

Spring is the season for severe thunderstorms across the central US, and the start of this week was a particularly active period for the region. A favourable weather pattern fuelled intense thunderstorms on Monday through Wednesday, bringing strong winds, very large hail and strong tornadoes.

Eight tornadoes were reported on Monday, including an EF2 tornado that ripped through the town of Sycamore, Kansas. On Tuesday, a more widespread event tore across the mid-west, most notably as a severe hailstorm moved through Springfield, Missouri.

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© Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

© Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

© Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

‘He’s probably good’: Donald Trump Jr gets muted endorsement from his father for The Apprentice reboot

1 May 2026 at 03:14

Speculative reports say Amazon is considering relaunching the reality show once hosted by the US president, with his eldest son floated as a possible host

Amid speculative reports that Donald Trump Jr is being considered by Amazon to lead a reboot of The Apprentice, he’s already received a slightly muted endorsement from the reality show’s former host: his father.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Amazon was considering rebooting The Apprentice, which was hosted by the now US president Donald Trump between 2004 and 2015, for its streaming service Prime Video.

Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning

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© Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

© Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

© Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

  • ✇The Guardian World news
  • Scientology ‘speed running’ trend has LA abuzz and church unhappy Uwa Ede-Osifo
    Religious group ‘reviewing all available remedies’ after clips of young people rushing its buildings in ‘raids’ go viralOn any given day, Los Angeles’s Hollywood Boulevard teems with tourists and street performers clustered near the area’s many landmarks. But in recent months, the strip has been set abuzz for a new reason.Throngs of mostly adolescent boys and young men have been rushing the Church of Scientology’s international headquarters on the famed street. Continue reading...
     

Scientology ‘speed running’ trend has LA abuzz and church unhappy

1 May 2026 at 01:40

Religious group ‘reviewing all available remedies’ after clips of young people rushing its buildings in ‘raids’ go viral

On any given day, Los Angeles’s Hollywood Boulevard teems with tourists and street performers clustered near the area’s many landmarks. But in recent months, the strip has been set abuzz for a new reason.

Throngs of mostly adolescent boys and young men have been rushing the Church of Scientology’s international headquarters on the famed street.

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© Photograph: George Rose/Getty Images

© Photograph: George Rose/Getty Images

© Photograph: George Rose/Getty Images

  • ✇The Guardian World news
  • Fema employees who criticized Trump cuts reinstated after months on leave Gabrielle Canon and agencies
    Workers wrote ‘Katrina declaration’, warning that funding cuts made US dangerously unprepared for natural disastersFourteen employees with the US Federal Emergency Management Agency returned to work this week, after spending eight months on administrative leave for signing a public letter criticising the Trump administration.The so-called “Katrina declaration”, sent last August to members of Congress and a federal council formed to help determine Fema’s future, was written as a rebuke from the w
     

Fema employees who criticized Trump cuts reinstated after months on leave

1 May 2026 at 01:01

Workers wrote ‘Katrina declaration’, warning that funding cuts made US dangerously unprepared for natural disasters

Fourteen employees with the US Federal Emergency Management Agency returned to work this week, after spending eight months on administrative leave for signing a public letter criticising the Trump administration.

The so-called “Katrina declaration”, sent last August to members of Congress and a federal council formed to help determine Fema’s future, was written as a rebuke from the workers about the dangerous erosion in US capacity to prepare for and respond to natural disasters.

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© Photograph: Ken Cedeno/Reuters

© Photograph: Ken Cedeno/Reuters

© Photograph: Ken Cedeno/Reuters

‘Don’t fall!’: foil boarders describe hair-raising shark chase caught on video off California coast

1 May 2026 at 00:29

Foil boarders were pursued by shark – likely a great white – off Santa Barbara before it lost interest and swam away

Ron Takeda and Tavis Boise were a few miles off the coast of Santa Barbara when they noticed the large mass trailing behind them.

“Tavis, is it a dolphin?” asked Takeda as he stood on his foil board, a specialized form of surfing, propelling himself through the waves. Boise, who was filming their run, recognized the question as an ominous sign – the veteran surfers are familiar enough with dolphins that Takeda should have recognized one immediately.

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© Photograph: smallwavetav

© Photograph: smallwavetav

© Photograph: smallwavetav

  • ✇The Guardian World news
  • US Congress passes short-term renewal of Fisa warrantless spying powers Sanya Mansoor
    Lawmakers agree 45-day extension but Republican and Democratic critics urge reform of surveillance programThe US Congress has passed a 45-day extension of a law that grants US intelligence agencies warrantless spying powers.Bitter infighting over section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in the Republican wing of Congress has repeatedly tanked conservative leaders’ plans to renew the controversial surveillance law for multiple years. The deadlock continued on Thursday, as the Repu
     

US Congress passes short-term renewal of Fisa warrantless spying powers

30 April 2026 at 23:24

Lawmakers agree 45-day extension but Republican and Democratic critics urge reform of surveillance program

The US Congress has passed a 45-day extension of a law that grants US intelligence agencies warrantless spying powers.

Bitter infighting over section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in the Republican wing of Congress has repeatedly tanked conservative leaders’ plans to renew the controversial surveillance law for multiple years. The deadlock continued on Thursday, as the Republican House speaker Mike Johnson refused to include key reforms pushed by hardliners in his party and progressive Democrats.

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© Photograph: Kevin Carter/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kevin Carter/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kevin Carter/Getty Images

  • ✇The Guardian World news
  • Tim Cook takes victory lap as Apple’s financial results soar past Wall Street expectations Sanya Mansoor
    Company details $111.2bn in revenue in first earnings report after announcement of Cook’s pending departureApple blew past Wall Street expectations in its first earnings report since it announced CEO Tim Cook would be stepping down.Cook shared his thoughts about the leadership transition on Thursday, saying: “There’s no one on this planet I trust more to lead Apple into the future” than incoming CEO John Ternus. Asked by an investor what advice he has given Ternus, Cook said: “Never forget the n
     

Tim Cook takes victory lap as Apple’s financial results soar past Wall Street expectations

30 April 2026 at 23:21

Company details $111.2bn in revenue in first earnings report after announcement of Cook’s pending departure

Apple blew past Wall Street expectations in its first earnings report since it announced CEO Tim Cook would be stepping down.

Cook shared his thoughts about the leadership transition on Thursday, saying: “There’s no one on this planet I trust more to lead Apple into the future” than incoming CEO John Ternus. Asked by an investor what advice he has given Ternus, Cook said: “Never forget the north star for the company. You know, we’re about making the best products in the world that really enrich other people’s lives.”

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© Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

© Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

© Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

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