4 h. ago Trump praises Ohtani’s ‘movie star’ looks and attacks senators during Dodgers’ visit

World Series champions visit White HousePresident disparages California senators Donald Trump praised Shohei Ohtani’s “movie star” looks while also insulting California’s Democratic senators during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ visit to the White House on Monday.“He looks like a movie star,” said Trump after shaking Ohtani’s hand. “He’s got a good future, I’m telling you.” Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Sen. Bernie Sanders skewers law firms that made $100M deals with Trump in fiery two

Sanders was asked ‘What do you make of the law firms cutting deals?’ before firing back with a scathing two-word attack

Economics

7 h. ago Stars so bright you gotta wear shades: backstage at the Olivier awards 2025 – in pictures

Guardian photographer David Levene was at the Royal Albert Hall to snap Cate Blanchett, John Lithgow, Lesley Manville, Naomi Campbell and many moreGiant, Benjamin Button and Fiddler on the Roof triumphFull list of winners‘To my wife for managing my vast collection of neuroses!’ – best quotes Continue reading...

Events

8 h. ago Olivier winner John Lithgow attacks Trump’s second presidency as ‘a disaster’ for US arts

Speaking after his best actor victory, Lithgow said Donald Trump’s administration ‘has done some shocking, destructive things’ especially its takeover of the Kennedy CenterThe actor John Lithgow has described Donald Trump’s second presidency as “a pure disaster” for the arts in the US. Lithgow, speaking after his best actor victory at the Olivier awards in London on Sunday, singled out Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, Washington DC’s national institution for the performing arts. “Our administration has done some shocking, destructive things,” he said, “but the one that grieves me most is taking over the Kennedy Center.”The US president is now chair of the prestigious cultural complex (which was founded as a government-funded, bipartisan venue) and has installed new board members and a new interim leader, loyalist Ric Grenell. The board had been in the process of selecting a successor to outgoing leader Deborah Rutter, who in January announced her intention to step down after ...

Events

10 h. ago Alarm as Republicans in Congress back Trump and Musk’s attacks on US judges

Mike Johnson and Jim Jordan echo president and key ally as experts express fears for ‘bedrock constitutional principles’As Donald Trump and Elon Musk widen their radical attacks on US judges who have stalled some of Trump’s executive orders and Musk’s slashing of federal agencies, they’re gaining backing from top House Republicans and other politicians, including some to whom the tech billionaire made big campaign donations.House speaker Mike Johnson and judiciary panel chairman Jim Jordan have echoed some of Trump’s attacks on judges, and a judiciary subcommittee hearing on April 1 explored “judicial overreach” and ways to curb judges who have stymied some Trump orders or Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) and its draconian cuts to the federal government. Continue reading...

Events

13 h. ago Dame Imelda Staunton wins fifth Olivier as John Lithgow takes swipe at Trump

Harry Potter and The Crown star Staunton took home her fifth Olivier Award on Sunday.

Politics

16 h. ago Trump is targeting US universities as never before. Here are four ways to help them | Cas Mudde

Supporters in Europe can offer new opportunities and minimise the isolation. Certainly they can avoid making things worseUniversities in the US are under attack. While the Trump administration pretends to punish them for their alleged compliance with or support for “antisemitism” (ie pro-Gaza demonstrations) and “anti-white racism” (ie diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives), the real targets are academic freedom and freedom of speech. Going after the most prominent and privileged universities, such as Columbia and Harvard, kills two birds with one stone: it garners prime media attention and spreads fear among other, far less privileged universities.The rest of the world has taken note and has started to respond, though mostly without knowing much about the specifics of US academia and without asking US-based academics what they need. Obviously, different academics face different challenges – depending on, for example, their gender and race, legal status, the state they live in...

Politics

23 h. ago John Lithgow and Lesley Manville take home acting gongs at starry Olivier Awards

Imelda Staunton and Romola Garai were among the winners of the night

Events

24 h. ago John Lithgow wins best actor at the UK stage Olivier Awards for exploring Roald Dahl's dark side

American actor John Lithgow has won the best actor trophy at the London stage Olivier Awards for exploring the dark side of children’s writer Roald Dahl in “Giant.”

Events

24 h. ago Olivier awards 2025: Giant, Benjamin Button and Fiddler on the Roof triumph

John Lithgow, Imelda Staunton, Romola Garai and Layton Williams are among the winners at the annual stage awardsOlivier awards: full list of winnersThe play Giant, which portrays children’s author Roald Dahl amid an outcry about his antisemitism, has triumphed at the Olivier awards on a star-studded night at the Royal Albert Hall in London.US star John Lithgow took home the best actor prize for his performance as Dahl, Elliot Levey won best supporting actor (for playing publisher Tom Maschler) and Mark Rosenblatt received the award for best new play. Continue reading...

Events

25 h. ago Olivier Awards 2025 winners: Lesley Manville, 69, and John Lithgow, 79, proudly accept Best Actor and Actress gong

Lesley Manville and John Lithgow proudly accepted the award for Best Actor and Actress at the 2025 Olivier Awards on Sunday night.

Events

53 h. ago No forgetting my encounter with two giants of the stage | Tim Lewis

Old pals Ewan McGregor and Michael Grandage prepare for their new play, My Master Builder, by chuckling about everything that could go wrong and hasFor today’s Observer New Review I had the not-exactly-onerous assignment of spending an hour with the actor Ewan McGregor and director Michael Grandage, as they prepared to put on a new play, My Master Builder, in London’s West End. The two men go way back, and mostly they were cracking each other up with knockabout old stories – much of which there wasn’t room for in my article. McGregor recalled one of his first roles on stage, as Orlando in As You Like It, and how when Simon Callow – multiple Olivier and Bafta award winner – played the part in 1979, he walked out on stage at the National Theatre only to promptly forget the first line of the play.“If you’re a woman and you’re about to have a baby, everybody tells you nightmare stories about childbirth,” said McGregor. “And when you’re an actor about to do a play, everybody tells you te...

Politics

58 h. ago Jerry Nadler on Trump’s university attacks: ‘He doesn’t give a damn about antisemitism’

Congressman tells the Guardian Trump is exploiting fight against antisemitism as a ruse to stamp his will on schoolsJerry Nadler, the most senior Jewish member of the House of Representatives, has accused Donald Trump of being a “would-be dictator” who is cynically exploiting the fight against antisemitism as a ruse to stamp his will on top-flight universities.In an interview with the Guardian, the New York congressman lashed out against the president for using genuine dangers confronting American Jews as a guise to justify his attacks on Columbia, Harvard and other universities. “Trump obviously doesn’t give a damn about antisemitism, this is just an expression of his authoritarianism,” he said. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago US trade war with China is 'single stupidest thing you’ll ever see’ says expert

Political expert Ian Dunt has issued a scathing attack on Donald Trump after the US President announced a sweeping range of import tariffs on territories around the world

Events

3 d. ago Trump’s attacks on law firms are an attack on law itself | David Cole and Amrit Singh

In unprecedented orders, the president is targeting lawyers simply for filing cases he opposes. And firms are surrenderingIf you are systematically engaged in lawbreaking, lawyers can be very annoying. They sue, and their suits may lead courts to declare your actions illegal.So Donald Trump, who has launched his second term with a blizzard of blatantly illegal actions, many of which have been suspended by the courts, has decided to address the problem at its root. He’s targeting lawyers, punishing them for doing nothing more than filing lawsuits he opposes, or hiring lawyers he does not like. He has issued unprecedented executive orders penalizing five of the nation’s major law firms, and more are likely to come. These tactics, blatantly illegal, are designed with one goal in mind: to chill lawyers’ willingness to challenge his illegal actions. They are a fundamental attack on the foundation of the rule of law. And they are achieving their purpose, not because they are legal – they ...

Politics

3 d. ago Trump offers backing for Marine Le Pen ahead of rally in Paris to show support for convicted politician – Europe live

US president attacks French judiciary as frustration grows in France with Trump’s policies; part of French left prepares counter demonstration in ParisSomewhere between ecstatic posts about the effect of tariffs – leaving markets in turmoil with losses in trillions of dollars and about $5m Trump golden card for wealthy immigrants looking to move to the US Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago 'I am heartbroken I did not meet your expectations': South Korean president apologises as he is finally ousted following disastrous bid to bring in martial law

Yoon, 64, was suspended by lawmakers over his December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament. He was also arrested on insurrection charges.

Politics

4 d. ago Democrats’ deference to Biden was a disaster. They still haven’t learned their lesson | Norman Solomon

Conformity and fear of party leadership are impairing Democrats’ ability to fight Trump and drive a progressive agendaJoe Biden’s insistence on running for re-election was certainly disastrous. It kept credible contenders out of the Democratic presidential primaries and prevented the selection of a nominee who had gained momentum in the winnowing process. Even after his stunningly feeble debate performance on 27 June last year, Biden took several weeks before finally opting out of the race. That left Kamala Harris a mere 107 days between the launch of her campaign and election day.Ample evidence shows that the Biden team was riddled with obstinate denial and misrepresentation aimed at the public. But tales of tragic egomania in high places can take us only so far. What’s essential is to scrutinize how – and why – the Democratic party, its leaders and its prominent supporters enabled Biden and his inner circle to get away with such momentous stonewalling for so long. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago US base and 4,000 of its troops are 'at risk of complete destruction' if Trump decides to strike Iran, state newspaper warns as it lays out how Tehran would launch attack with long

Iranian armed forces-run Defra Press claimed that Iran 'certainly has sufficient weapons' to attack Diego Garcia, a remote island in the Indian Ocean where the US has recently bolstered military presence

Events

4 d. ago Global economy will ‘massively suffer’ from Donald Trump tariffs, Ursula von der Leyen warns – Europe live

European Commission president hopes to move from confrontation to negotiation after Trump attack on ‘pathetic’ EUEuropean stock markets are now open and they’re reacting exactly as you would expect them to.The pan-European Stoxx 600 index has fallen 1.5% at the start of trading, to its lowest level in over two months. Continue reading...

Events