First Thing: US and Iran trade fire after Trump threatens Tehran over stalled talks | US news

Good morning.

Has the ceasefire collapsed yet?

The US has launched a new airstrike on Iran, targeting a number of Iranian cities, after Donald Trump said Tehran would “pay the price” for stalling talks. Iran responded with attacks targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, and said the US strikes “broke the ceasefire”. [of April 8] It is practically meaningless.”

The US strike appeared more intense and broader than separate actions the day before, which the US said were a “proportionate response” to the downing of the Apache helicopter.

A day after repeating his claim that a peace deal was close, Trump accused Iranian negotiators of “taking us for fools.” “We hit them hard yesterday and we’re going to hit them hard today,” the US president told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

• What is the status of the negotiations? Talks to turn the ceasefire into a permanent peace agreement have stalled for weeks; Periodic flare-ups occurred as both sides continued to launch limited strikes and were accused of violating the ceasefire.

• What do the two sides want? Iran wants international sanctions to be lifted, billions of dollars of assets to be frozen and control of the Strait of Hormuz to be maintained. Trump has said any future peace deal must prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, which Tehran has denied trying to do.

• This is an evolving story. Follow our live broadcast here.

Bill Gates told House of Representatives committee ‘I never victimized anyone’ in Epstein’s statement

Bill Gates testified Before the House committee on oversight and amendments on Wednesday, she told lawmakers in her opening statement that she “never witnessed nor had any indication” that Jeffrey Epstein was “engaged in ongoing criminal activity.”

Lesley Groff, Epstein’s longtime executive assistant, testified Tuesday that she had no knowledge of the crimes he committed while working for him.

• What did Gates say? “I support the release of all Epstein files and sincerely hope that, thanks to the efforts of you and others advocating on their behalf, the survivors of Epstein’s crimes can receive the justice they deserve.”

Video shows family’s car slowing down before Israeli soldiers shoot Palestinian baby

Footage has emerged that contradicts the Israel Defense Forces’ account of the shooting that killed seven-month-old Sam Abu Haikal in his mother’s arms, showing the family’s car slowing down near a military outpost before soldiers opened fire.

The killing of a baby by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank on Friday sparked outrage after soldiers opened fire on the family’s car despite obeying orders to stop. Sam’s parents Daniyah and Fahd Abu Haikal was injured. Israeli military police said that an investigation was launched against the soldier who opened fire on the family’s vehicle.

• What does the video show? IIDF said his troops “they detected a vehicle accelerating towards them”. But, The resulting images The report by B’Tselem, Israel’s Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, contradicts this claim.

In other news…

• The family of the victim called for calm in the knife attack in Belfast, Northern Ireland While the riots continued in the city last night. Elon Musk on Wednesday denied allegations that he incited disorder on social media.

• Israel’s drone attack on the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon hit a vehicle with two people in it. According to local media reports, we are killing both of them.

• More than 2,000 confirmed cases of measles have been recorded in the US So far this year, 2026 is heading for the worst pandemic in decades after federal funding for public health was slashed.

• Former Louisiana mayor Misty Roberts sentenced to 90 days in prison It’s about the rape of a 16-year-old child. In July 2024, Roberts sexually assaulted the underage victim at his home.

Status of the day: Trump said ‘I love inflation’ as interest rates rose to 4.2 percent due to pressure from the war in Iran

Asked by a White House reporter on Wednesday if he was concerned about the latest inflation numbers, Donald Trump replied: “No, I love it, the numbers were great… I love inflation.” US inflation jumped to 4.2% annually in May; This was the third consecutive monthly increase since the start of the Iran war and the highest level in three years.

The filter suggests: ‘Grandma hobbies’ – are puzzles the most popular activity this summer?

“‘Granny hobbies’ are very cool among the younger demographic,” writes Lauren Gould for Filter US. “Perhaps that’s why, as a member of Generation Z, I feel called to pick up a puzzle for the first time in over a decade.” It suggests some colourful, eccentric and stylish puzzle options.

Don’t miss this: ‘Demonised, called hysterical’ – the rise of witchcraft retreats where women go to defy men and the church

Witchcraft retreats have proliferated in the United States and Europe in the last decade. Lauren Abunassar reports from a property in Ireland. “Equal parts ancient folk magic, herbal remedies, and self-calming rituals, witchcraft encompasses everything from spells cast by self-ruled pagans to solitary practitioners scattering protective salts around their homes,” he writes.

Climate control: Record winter temperatures in Antarctica raise fears about the pace of climate collapse

Temperatures in Antarctica rose to nearly 60F this month; It was a peak that shattered the previous winter temperature record for the usually frozen region (56F in 1998) and raised concerns about the pace of climate collapse. “This is absolutely crazy,” said Raúl Cordero, an Ecuadorian climate professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, who called the temperatures “a huge anomaly.”

Latest Thing: US men’s soccer coach Mauricio Pochettino at the World Cup

Start day! Ahead of today’s first World Cup match, Sid Lowe spoke to US men’s head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who “doesn’t seem like a guy who has trouble sleeping.” Pochettino tells him: “Nobody sees the USA as a country. [contender]. But you analyze other World Cups and think: ‘Why not?’” Check out our full World Cup coverage here.

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