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Should voters be required to prove they are US citizens and show photo ID before being allowed to cast their ballots?

Donald Trump is pushing for these changes and more in the SAVE (Save America Act) telling Republican lawmakers he’s “not going to sign anything until this is approved.”

In this episode, Justin and Anthony look at the politics of the SAVE act. Would it make voting harder and who would benefit? Also, we explain how the bill is linked with huge delays at US airports, and why Democrats are accused of blocking homeland security funding.

Plus, the Democrats have won a special election in Florida that includes Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach after first-time candidate Emily Gregory defeated Trump-backed Republican Jon Maples in a race for the open Florida District 87 state House seat. Just how worried should Republicans be ahead of the midterm elections?

HOSTS:
• Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
• Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent

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This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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A new Covid variant spreading across the US has also been identified in the UK, health chiefs have warned.

The strain, known as BA.3.2, has been detected in nasal swabs taken from four American travellers and clinical samples from five patients in four unidentified states.

It has also been found in three aeroplane wastewater samples and 132 other samples taken in more than 20 states, suggesting its reach is far more widespread than what scientists can currently see.

US scientists have also raised concerns that the vaccines currently available may not protect against this variant.

The strain has also been detected in the UK and is currently being monitored, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Dr Nick Machin, consultant virologist at the UKHSA, said: “UKHSA is constantly monitoring all available data relating to emergent variants of SARS-CoV-2 through our surveillance programmes. As part of our routine surveillance, we regularly conduct analysis of the severity and detectability of the virus.

“BA.3.2 has been designated as a ‘variant under monitoring’ by the World Health Organisation and has been detected in the UK.”

The variant descended from Omicron, another variant of Covid, and was first detected in South Africa in 2024. The variant started to surge in September 2025 and has since been reported in 23 countries.

Omicron was first detected in Botswana and spread to the UK in December 2021. The variant caused a concerning rise in cases due to its high transmission rate, which put significant pressure on the NHS.

The new strain is “genetically distinct” from other JN.1 lineages that have previously circulated in the US, researchers warned in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

BA.3.2 carries approximately 70 to 75 genetic changes in its spike protein, a part of a coronavirus that allows it to enter human cells. That means it could be easier for the virus to spread and evade immune protection.

“The 2025–2026 LP.8.1-adapted mRNA Covid-19 vaccine demonstrates protection against currently predominant JN.1 strains but had the lowest antibody neutralisation against BA.3.2 in a laboratory study of seven variants, potentially affecting vaccine-conferred protection,” the researchers said.

Although it is new, there is currently no evidence that this Covid strain causes more severe illness than previous variants of the virus, according to the UKHSA.

“We are currently undertaking an assessment of its impact on diagnostic test performance and will issue further guidance to laboratories as necessary,” Dr Machin added.

“To date, there is no evidence that this variant is more transmissible or causes more severe disease than other recent variants.”

UK scientists do not currently believe the variant is any more of a threat than other strains.

“We can expect constant evolution to facilitate transmission but unless there is a rise in hospital cases there is no reason to suppose any new variant is more ‘dangerous’,” Professor Ian Jones, virologist at Reading University, told The Independent.

He explained the decision to update a vaccine due to mutations will likely be “more a commercial than a scientific decision”.

“If a company feels its vaccine is losing take-up because of a lack of efficacy, they will update it, but until that time, they will not respond to every change that comes along,” he explained.

Prof Jones stressed the population does have immunity against Covid now and the vaccine keeps the disease “in check”, even if it is not protecting against all strains.

He said: “I think we can take some reassurance from the fact that the monitoring systems have picked it up early, but that it is probably ‘just another variant’ that should be noted, but no more for now.”

Professor Paul Hunter, epidemiologist at University of East Anglia said he is “doubtful” Covid will “ever die out” and is not surprised by the new variant.

“We will continue to see new variants of the virus as long as humans still inhabit the planet,” he told The Independent.

“The issue is whether the new variant poses a significant increased risk to public health. It is likely that any new variant that is able to out-compete the other variants will increase infection rates but that does not mean that this will necessarily lead to substantial additional burden of disease,” he added.

The landlord has stripped the building back to a vacant shell

A building which was once a Poundstretcher shop in a Cambridgeshire town could be converted into a Pilates studio. A planning application has been submitted to Huntingdonshire District Council to convert Unit C on 3 Terbbutts Road in St Neots into a Pilates studio.

The building, which was once used for the major UK-based discount retailer, has been stripped back by the landlord to a vacant shell. The proposals include installing external signage and relocating the entrance to get the building ready for its new use. The floor plans show that the building would include a reception area, drinks fridge, and Pilates beds.

The site is located within the St Neots Conservation Area and lies near the Grade II listed United Reformed Church. The applicant plans to keep the scale, proportions and design of the front of the building unchanged to ensure minimal impact to the setting of the Grade II listed property.

In a heritage statement, the applicant said: “Overall, the proposal does not diminish the significance of the heritage assets and preserves the character of the streetscape.

“The proposed works are minor and designed to preserve the character and appearance of the St Neots Conservation Area and the setting of the nearby Grade II listed United Reformed Church. By reusing existing materials and openings, the development ensures the historic significance of the site and its context remains.”

Criticising the US war against Iran, he told Times Radio: “When I’ve been to every staff college in the military, in my career chain, they taught me three things. One, you must have a legal mandate before you put people in harm’s way. The second is you must have a plan. And the third, you must think to the end.

CHARLOTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A professional cornhole player who’s also a quadruple amputee waived his right to an extradition hearing on Thursday, as authorities seek to move him from Virginia to Maryland, where he faces charges of fatally shooting a passenger in the front seat of a car he was driving during an argument.

Dayton James Webber, who is in police custody, took part in a court hearing in Charlottesville, Virginia, through a video call, wearing a bright green jumpsuit.

Alexander Goodman, Webber’s attorney, declined to comment. It’s unclear when Webber will return to Maryland.

“I am trying to go back to Maryland,” said Webber, who was calm during the short hearing.

Webber was arrested and charged as a fugitive from justice by police in Albemarle County, where police arrested him after the shooting in Charles County, Maryland, on Sunday night.

Webber, 27, was featured by ESPN in 2023 in a story of inspiration, noting he rode dirt bikes, wrestled and played football before becoming a professional cornhole player. In the same year, he wrote an essay for the Today show about how he became a professional competitor.

Webber allegedly shot Bradrick Michael Wells, 27, of Waldorf, after a heated argument, according to police charging documents.

Maryland police say Webber pulled over after the shooting in La Plata, Maryland, and asked two passengers in the back of the car to help pull the victim out, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office said. The witnesses refused, got out of the car and flagged down police officers.

Webber fled with the victim still in the car, the sheriff’s office said. Two hours later, a resident in Charlotte Hall, about a 10-mile (16-kilometer) drive away, reported a body in a yard. Officers found the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

​National Car Parks Ltd’s proposal to turn a former hotel car park in Scarborough’s North Bay into a public car park for up to three years has been refused by North Yorkshire Council.

​The car park had been operating without permission since May last year, planners said, and added that approving the scheme would disincentivise the permanent redevelopment of the site.

​An additional “layer of uncertainty” was added by the applicant, NCP Ltd, going into administration earlier this month.

​“Essentially, the car park has been operating as a public car park for a period and there is no evidence that a long-term solution for the wider redevelopment of the problematic site has been produced,” officers said.

​​The site, at 143 – 147 North Marine Road, would have capacity for 21 cars.

​The planning application stated that the car park would have been temporary while the landowners consider the building’s future.

​“The hotel is in a prime location, walkable to Scarborough’s popular North Bay area and nearby attractions such as the Open Air Theatre,” a planning report notes.

​“Likewise, there is no evidence presented as to why the site cannot reasonably be brought back into holiday accommodation use, and an approval of a public car park does not serve in the interests of this.”

​Planning officers said the former hotel building had fallen into a poor state of repair internally and externally, and the council’s enforcement and housing standards had been aware of the building’s issue “for a while and have been taking action in an attempt to remedy the ongoing problems”.

​Eight individual objections were submitted to the planning authority, as well as a letter opposing the scheme, which was signed by 16 residents of a nearby residential block of flats.

​One neighbour, Wayne Thompson, said: “As the owner of one of the adjoining properties, I must object to the proposal on multiple grounds.

​​“It does not bring any opportunities or support to the local area or economy. It also seems to actively avoid mentioning the building associated with the site, which has been derelict for a very long time, with no plans being submitted by the current owner regarding any short-term or long-term plans for the site.”

Queen’S Parade, Scarborough. Google Maps

​Officers said there was “no evidence that the use has been abandoned, and the car park/site is therefore still directly associated with the former hotel.”

​They added: “It is in the interest of Scarborough, the local community, and sustainable development, that the site is redeveloped for an appropriate use.”

​The part-retrospective planning application was refused by North Yorkshire Council on Wednesday, March 25.

​

A gang of five men, Kile Straker, Ethan Colbourne, Kieron Atkins, Iranveer Gill and Stephen Simms, have been banged up behind bars for the shooting

A gang of thugs who blasted a mum through her front door in a horror shooting have been banged up behind bars for more than 80 years.

The group of five open-fired at a property in Dudley on July 3 last year, striking an “innocent” woman as she walked down the stairs of her home to get milk for her child.

Worcester Crown Court heard how Kile Straker and his ‘henchmen’ drove past her home on Priory Road three times before using a firearm. They sent five shots in “quick succession” just after 12.15am as the victim walked by her front door, reports Birmingham Live.

While the woman survived, she has sustained life-changing injuries. The bullet remains lodged in her hip as operating is considered too dangerous.

On Thursday (March 26), the culprits were sentenced with a combined 80 years behind bars.

• Kile Straker, 35, of Armstrong Drive, Wolverhampton, was handed an extended sentence of 35 years – made up of 30 years’ custody and an additional five years on licence – after being convicted of attempted murder and possession of a fireman with intent to endanger life, and admitting theft of motor vehicle
• Ethan Colbourne, 23, of Moat Road, Tipton, was jailed for 26 years after being convicted of attempted murder and possession of a fireman with intent to endanger life, and admitting theft of motor vehicle
• Kieron Atkins, 27, of Upper Church Lane Tipton, was jailed for 28 years after being convicted of attempted murder and possession of a fireman with intent to endanger life
• Stephen Simms, 25, of Alexandra Road, Tipton, was jailed for 10 months after admitting theft of motor vehicle
• Iranveer Gill, 29, of Bridgnorth Road, Shipley, was handed an eight-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, after being convicted of theft of a motor vehicle

The shots were fired from a grey Audi, which Straker used to own. He had kept a second key for the car so he could arrange for it to be stolen whenever he needed it.

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The Audi was pinched from a property in Wednesbury and then parked on a car park in Weavers Rise, Dudley, in the early hours of July 2.

At about 11.45pm, the Audi was driven from the car park to the scene of the shooting.

The victim, who is in her 20s, was taken to hospital and suffered life-changing injuries.

Sentencing, Judge Andrew Lockhart KC said Straker ‘decided that someone needed to die’ and that he was going to ‘target someone out of that address’.

It is by ‘the grace of God’ that the victim – who is not thought to have been the gang’s target – was not killed, he said.

The judge said: “It was a plan hatched by a criminal gang for a purpose, above and beyond a wish just to kill someone.”

He added: “You wanted someone within that address dead.

“You wanted to make sure that the bullets that you were to fire found their mark and killed.”

A fifth man, Kye Everitt, of Daley Road, Wolverhampton, was last year jailed for 12 months after admitting theft of a motor vehicle.

And after Tehran fired ballistic missiles towards Diego Garcia, ministers last week allowed Washington to use the bases for US “defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships” in the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil and gas route being throttled by Iran in response to the US-Israeli campaign against it.

The beloved Dave, along with Si King, was one half of the TV cooking duo, and died at the age of 66 in 2024, two years after revealing he had been diagnosed with cancer.

Myers and King were a highly popular duo who travelled the UK and the world on motorbikes, exploring regional and national dishes and recipes.

Yesterday on Instagram, Liliana – a coach and hypnotherapist specialising in grief and loss – posted: “I just had an episode today where I forgot I’d already made a pot of coffee and 5 minutes later I made another one.

“I’ve heard it from numerous people, and only when it struck me too, I understood what it meant.

“Grief brain.

“Grief brain is a real thing.

“It’s forgetting what you walked into a room for.

“Reading the same sentence five times and still not taking it in.

“Losing track of conversations halfway through.

“It’s your mind trying to function while your heart is carrying something heavy.

“I thought of myself as being lazy and losing my focus too easily.

“Truth is…

“Grief rewires your focus.

“It softens your edges and scatters your thoughts.

“It asks your brain to process loss while still showing up for life—and that’s a lot.

“So if your memory feels foggy, if simple things feel harder than they used to…

“Give yourself some room.

“Slow down. Write things down. Take breaks.

“Not because you’re failing…

“Because this is a path you’re now learning how to walk.

“With love”

What is grief brain?

According to PsychCentral: “Grief can rewire our brain in a way that worsens memory, cognition, and concentration. You might feel spacey, forgetful, or unable to make ‘good’ decisions.

“It might also be difficult to speak or express yourself.

“These effects are known as grief brain.

“Acute grief refers to the symptoms a person experiences during the first six months after losing a loved one.

“These are usually the most intense.

“Your days may involve a mixture of yearning and sadness along with constant thoughts, memories, and images of the loved one. Small tasks can feel overwhelming and exhausting.

“In a typical grieving process, these symptoms tend to decrease over time. You’ll notice sharper thoughts and clearer memories coming back.

“Everyone is different, and for some, grief lasts a little longer. If symptoms last longer than 12 months, it may be diagnosed as prolonged grief disorder.

“The longer that intense symptoms last, the greater the chance of developing longer-term changes in your brain and body. ”

Paul Quinn denies rape which Andrew Malkinson spent 17 years in prison for

A new suspect in the case where another man spent 17 years in prison after being said to have been wrongly convicted in connection with the alleged rape of a woman said he was ‘in shock’ when he was arrested two decades later.

Paul Quinn said he was in ‘disbelief’ when he was questioned about the attack of the woman in 2003. “Was it something you expected?,” Mr Quinn’s barrister Lisa Wilding KC asked him. “Completely unexpected,” the defendant replied.

Mr Quinn, 51, is on trial and denies the charges he faces. The alleged attack was said to have happened at a ‘remote location’ at the foot of an embankment off Cleggs Lane in Little Hulton, before 6am on July 19, 2003, near to the M61.

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The defendant, who wore a black jumper, navy jeans and glasses, was giving evidence in his defence from the witness box for the first time in the trial.

Earlier in the trial, prosecutors told the jury that it was their case that another man, Andrew Malkinson, was previously wrongly convicted in relation to the incident. Mr Malkinson suffered ‘a most terrible miscarriage of justice’ after being wrongly identified as the assailant, prosecutors said.

The alleged victim had expressed ‘100 per cent confidence’ Mr Malkinson was her attacker in an ‘honestly and genuinely made’ but ‘mistaken’ identification, Manchester Crown Court has heard. Two others also picked him out in an identification parade.

Mr Malkinson had been the victim of ‘one of the worst’ miscarriages of justice ‘there has been’ and spent 17 years in prison, prosecutors told the jury.

Now, Mr Quinn – the man prosecutors claim is guilty of carrying out the alleged attack – is standing trial. Mr Quinn, of Whipton Barton Road, Exeter, denies two counts of rape and two alternative counts of indecent assault; one count of inflicting grievous bodily harm; and attempting to choke, suffocate or strangle with intent.

Ms Wilding asked Mr Quinn how he felt when he was arrested on December 13, 2022. “Incredibly scared,” he replied. Asked why, he continued: “Because of the nature of the offences they wanted to speak to me about.”

“How was your mind?,” Ms Wilding asked. “Like a rollercoaster,” the defendant said. “It was all over the place.”

He told jurors that in the interview, he told police that he had ‘copped off’ with ‘a lot of women’ around the time of the incident. Mr Quinn said that he viewed the term ‘copped off’ as anything from a ‘snog on the dancefloor’ up to ‘full sex’, and ‘everything else’ in between.

“I should have corrected them and said I copped off with a lot of women,” he said. Under cross-examination by prosecutor John Price KC, Mr Quinn denied ‘dishonestly’ exaggerating the number of women he’d had sexual intercourse with to explain DNA findings. Mr Quinn said it was a ‘misunderstanding’.

In a second police interview in May 2023, Mr Quinn told police in a prepared statement that he was ‘very promiscuous’ and was ‘sleeping with a lot of women in 2003’. “I cannot explain the DNA evidence,” the statement added. He said that he didn’t remember the alleged victim and didn’t remember ‘if I slept with her’.

Mr Price asked the defendant: “So you still say you could have had sexual intercourse with [the alleged victim] in or around 2003?” The defendant replied: “That’s what I stated in my statements, yes.”

Mr Quinn said he did not answer further questions from the police in that interview, and third and fourth interviews in March 2024 and September 2024 respectively, under advice from his legal team.

Mr Quinn said he gave officers his mobile phone PIN number, and denied there was anything he was ‘worried about’ on the device.

Proceeding.