Dave Calfe, general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, said: “We are deeply concerned by reports of a collision between two trains near Bedford. Our thoughts at this moment are with all the staff and passengers on board. Thank you to the emergency services for their ongoing work responding to this incident.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Janeese Lewis George paves a path to the mayor’s office in Washington, D.C., she’s told voters they could have it all.

Her unapologetically expansive, left-wing agenda includes subsidized or even free childcare, increased down payment assistance for homebuyers and community resources to reduce crime, plus a promise to aggressively confront President Donald Trump’s attempts to reshape the nation’s capital.

“People are tired of hearing what government can’t do. They want to hear what government can do,” Lewis George said in an interview before the city’s primary, where she defeated her Democratic opponents and positioned herself to win the general election in November in a city dominated by Democrats.

Lewis George’s victory signals a break with a quarter-century of centrist governance in Washington, and it puts her in the vanguard of democratic socialists who have ascended in urban politics over the last year. Zohran Mamdani toppled Andrew Cuomo, the scion of a political dynasty, on his way to becoming New York City mayor. Katie Wilson won an upset victory to lead Seattle last fall. And this month, Nithya Raman clinched a spot in the November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

All of them are members of the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA. The political organization has seen its membership ranks swell from a few thousand to more than 100,000 nationwide over the last decade after an influx of younger Americans joined following the presidential bids of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, also a self-described democratic socialist.

There’s little sign of national coordination among the candidates, and it’s unclear whether voters are gravitating toward their promises of improved government services, their vows to fight the Trump administration or their critiques of capitalism.

But from coast to coast, confrontational progressives are advancing in mayoral races. City leaders can draw outsized attention for their successes and failures, and democratic socialists will be under pressure from residents to deliver on their vows for a new kind of governance. Whether that translates to national politics is a next test for their movement.

“They are all channeling a displeasure with a status quo and a serious desire for economic populism that the establishment Democratic Party hasn’t been preaching,” said Eric Stern, a Democratic strategist with Fight Agency, a political consulting firm that strategized Mamdani’s mayoral campaign.

Stern added that Democratic voters appeared more willing to support the most progressive candidate in mayoral races rather than in contests for the U.S. House. Candidates like Mamdani and Raman, Stern said, are “daring voters to dream and fall in love not just with the individual candidates but also the political process as a whole.”

A rising left navigates America’s urban challenges

The trend of progressives surging in urban areas may have limits for its broader impact on Democratic politics. Democratic mayors in cities including Atlanta, Houston, Miami and San Francisco won on relatively moderate platforms in recent years.

Progressive have also faced noteworthy challenges. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was endorsed by the city’s DSA chapter during his 2023 mayoral run but has since faced criticism from both moderate and liberal local leaders on issues such as immigration, the local budget and public safety. Recalls and public pressure ousted progressives elected to district attorney offices in multiple jurisdictions over the last five years, when criminal justice reform efforts ran into dissatisfaction over public disorder following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump’s hardline immigration and law enforcement tactics have also become a challenge for liberal cities. The president’s agenda poses an especially serious threat to Washington, D.C., because of its status as a federal territory.

“Maybe we take back Washington and run it on a federal basis,” Trump told reporters this month when asked about the potential election of a democratic socialist as the district’s mayor. “We won’t put up with it.”

But progressives hope the current wave of anti-Trump furor in deep blue cities across the country will help buoy the chances of those on the hard left.

“It’s not folks looking for the leftmost option so much as looking for a candidate who’s gonna be on their side,” said Ravi Mangla, speaking for the left-wing Working Families Party. The party often endorses the same candidates as the DSA and is readying to target more mayoral offices in the country’s biggest metropolises this fall and in 2028.

“It’s less about whether you are on the right or on the left so much as whether you are willing to punch up at the powerful,” he added.

Mamdani and Lewis George are both self-described “sewer socialists” who emphasize the need for responsive government services rather than critiques of market economics. The phrase recalls the socialist Gilded Age mayors whom critics derided as too preoccupied with managing public works projects.

The term’s revival is partly a strategic move to align leftist ideas with concerns over affordability and the economy, voters’ top concern in the midterm elections, and shift the public perception of democratic socialists from firebrands who support radical policies to independent-minded public servants.

“This is absolutely a change election and I’m excited to bring the change that people want, which is really putting people first in the city and having the moral clarity and courage to stand up to Trump,” Lewis George said.

For voters the ‘socialist’ label did not seem to matter

While conservatives have used the “socialist” label to attack Democrats as extreme or incompetent, some D.C. voters appeared ambivalent before Tuesday’s primary.

Several lifelong residents said they believed Lewis George was a “fighter” but didn’t think she’d have much of an impact on the local economy, given the city’s status as a federal district.

“I go back and forth on my own labels and whether I am supportive of that movement or not, but I am supportive of making D.C. more affordable,” Owen Fitzgerald, a University of Maryland graduate student, said of his support for democratic socialism.

Fitzgerald voted for Lewis George because she would stand up to Trump and said he’d first learned of her campaign from friends in his neighborhood. But he didn’t know she was a democratic socialist until he saw news reports describing her with the label.

“It sends a cultural message to this administration that the people who are surrounding them in the capital are opposed to their platform, opposed to their political agenda, and I think that it will send a message, both nationally and internationally,” Fitzgerald said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing three people, as the Trump administration wages a monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.

The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 211 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September.

As with most of the military’s statements on strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. A video posted on X showed a boat speeding through the water before being struck and bursting into flames.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and fatal overdoses claiming American lives. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”

Critics have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes as well as their effectiveness, in part because the fentanyl behind many fatal overdoses is typically trafficked to the U.S. over land from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India.

Senators on Thursday demanded that the Pentagon release “unedited video” of the strikes. They have drawn intense scrutiny from some Democratic lawmakers and military legal scholars. The U.S. military’s first strike in early September drew particular concern from some lawmakers and those who study military law.

Two men on the boat initially survived the attack that killed nine others, and they were clinging to the wreckage when the vessel was struck again, killing them. The White House confirmed the follow-up strike, insisting it was done “in self-defense” to ensure the boat was destroyed and in accordance with the laws of armed conflict.

But some legal scholars said a second strike killing survivors would have been illegal under any circumstance, armed conflict or not.

The Pentagon’s watchdog said in May that it plans to look into whether the U.S. military followed an established targeting framework when carrying out the strikes. However, the evaluation is focused specifically on what’s known as the six-phase Joint Targeting Cycle and not on the legality of the strikes, the inspector general’s office said.

The Met Office has issued an amber extreme heat warning for parts of southern and eastern England and south Wales.

The warning, external is valid for Monday and Tuesday and warns of temperatures peaking at 35C (95F).

The nights will also be hot, remaining above 20C in some locations.

The developing heatwave is likely to have widespread impacts on people and infrastructure.

It brings the risk of impacts to health, especially for vulnerable people, and the danger of sunburn and heat exhaustion in the wider population.

People travelling to coasts, lakes and rivers are being warned to stay safe in and around water.

Some travel delays and disruption are also likely.

This is only the sixth amber extreme heat warning that has been issued by the Met Office since they were introduced in 2021 – and the first since August 2022.

A more severe red warning was also issued in the July of that year.

It is separate from the amber and yellow Heat Health Alerts that had already been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Those alerts, valid for regions of southern and eastern England until Tuesday, warn of significant impacts to health and social care services – with a likely increase in deaths among elderly and vulnerable people.

In contrast, this Met Office warning suggests that the heat will have effects on the general population.

The Met Office has created a pollen forecast that shows the pollen count the next five days with it being very high in London, the South East, the East of England, and East Midlands today (Friday, June 19).

By Tuesday, June 23, the pollen count across all areas of England will be very high aside from in the North East and Northern Ireland as well as certain parts of Scotland where it will be high.

While there is no cure for hay fever and you cannot prevent it, there are a few tips you can use to try and help improve any symptoms you might suffer from.

What does the NHS recommending doing to help hay fever?

The NHS says: “Hay fever is a common allergy that causes sneezing, coughing and itchy eyes. You cannot cure it, but there are things you can do to help your symptoms, or medicines you can take to help.”

Keeping doors and windows closed in your home can help stop pollen getting in. (Image: Getty/seb_ra)

The NHS suggests that you should shower and change your clothes after you have been outside to get rid of any pollen.

If you are staying inside, you should keep your windows and doors shut and vacuum regularly or dust with a damp cloth.

If you are going outside, you can use Vaseline around your nostrils to help trap the pollen or wear “wraparound sunglasses, a mask or wide-brimmed hat to stop pollen getting into your nose and eyes”.

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You can also speak to a pharmacist for advice on antihistamine drops, tablets or nasal sprays that might ease your symptoms.

The NHS says you should see a GP if “your symptoms are getting worse” or if “your symptoms do not improve after taking medicines from the pharmacy”.

How do you cope with hay fever throughout the spring and summer? Let us know in the comments below.

Until three years ago, there was no guarantee Balogun would end up playing for the United States.

Having appeared for the US and England at Under-18 level, he was at the heart of Lee Carsley’s England Under-21 plans – scoring seven goals in 13 appearances as they geared up for the 2023 Under-21 European Championship.

But his performances on loan at Reims from Arsenal during a prolific 2022-23 campaign – which earned him a £35m move to Monaco – had US officials circling.

There was also a huge swell of public support for him to commit to the US at a time the route map to England’s senior side appeared far more complicated.

Having withdrawn from an England Under-21s camp, a secret rendezvous to meet US Soccer officials was instead plastered all over social media and he was courted with NBA tickets and trips to Florida.

There was also reportedly an invite to the New York Yankees to watch training, and several senior US internationals were dispatched to take him out to dinner to convince him to make the switch.

“When I committed, and throughout the whole cycle, and the whole journey to me being at this point, I’ve always said the fans gave me so much motivation and showed me so much support,” Balogun said on Friday.

“For me, the most important thing has always been to be able to repay that. I just want to continue to show the fans I made the right decision.”

As much as Team US want to keep politics off the pitch and focus on their game, it’s hard to ignore the fact Balogun joining the team would’ve been impossible under President Trump’s proposed order.

If the Trump administration were to win the Supreme Court case, it would create uncertainty not just for Balogun but plenty of others, says Ilya Somin, George Mason University law professor and the chair in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute.

The administration has said they will not actually move to retroactively deprive birthright, but the logic of their argument – that those people are not actually citizens – will hang over them.

“Trump’s promises and guarantees often are not worth very much, but even if he were to stick to that resolution, a future administration might not,” said Somin.

Still, Somin believes the high court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, will not rule in President Trump’s favour given their scepticism during oral arguments in April.

When the administration argued the ease of modern travel necessitated reinterpreting the constitution, Chief Justice John Roberts quipped: “It’s a new world. It’s the same constitution.”

It may be coincidence that the World Cup, the birthright Supreme Court decision and the country’s 250th anniversary are happening at the same time. But with international turmoil and domestic division on a range of polarising issues, the confluence of events is holding up a mirror to the American people.

A majority of Americans believe all babies born in the country should automatically be granted citizenship, according to a Reuters poll from April.

But there is a split along party lines. The poll found only 9% of Democrats agree with ending birthright citizenship compared to 62% of Republicans.

Balogun is hardly the only player on Team USA with a blended identity.

Marcos said fans were used to that, and the team is uniquely built to represent the nation’s melting pot.

“I think that’s what makes the team really unique in terms of the football landscape,” he said. “But it’s also what makes it special and it makes it very American.”

In 10 of the previous 12 editions of the World Cup, six goals would have been enough to win the Golden Boot.

On that basis, and only one game in, Balogun is already a third of the way to one of the most prized individual accolades in world football.

He may not be a household name in the country yet, but he’s well on his way to becoming a new talisman for US soccer fans to pin their hopes on.

Additional reporting by Pratiksha Ghildial.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The relationship between President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans neared a breaking point this week as he upended their efforts to speedily confirm one of his own nominees and said he would not sign the renewal of a key surveillance law unless they agree to new terms.

Trump’s overnight social media post Wednesday that he was delaying Jay Clayton’s nomination to become national intelligence director, just hours before the U.S. attorney’s confirmation hearing, further strained relations between the Senate and White House that have been worsening for weeks. Later that day, some Republican senators who have been hesitant to challenge the president directly on the Iran war were blunt in their criticism of his deal to end it.

“This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said in a post on X.

The open tensions are an almost complete reversal from a year ago when Senate Republicans worked closely with Trump on a complicated effort to push through his massive package of spending and tax cuts.

At the time, criticism of the president was almost nonexistent among Republicans on Capitol Hill, and they planned to highlight passage of that bill in the midterms. But as the November election draws closer and Republicans are trying to defend their majorities, Trump is instead needling Congress with his demands and reversals, driving several Republican senators to disparage his actions publicly for the first time.

“I think somebody’s not dialing the president into the complexities of what he’s done here,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said Wednesday after Clayton’s confirmation was postponed. “I mean, my God.”

The slow unraveling of what once seemed like an airtight alliance between the executive and legislative branches in a Republican-led Washington extends to their policy priorities.

Trump appears to have lost interest in most of the GOP agenda and has become almost singularly focused on his voting legislation to require proof of citizenship, which has almost no chance of passing. At the same time, he has asked members of Congress to fund parts of his White House ballroom project, allow a temporary intelligence director that none of them like and cede their powers on the Iran war.

The growing rift has brought much of the Senate’s business to a halt and put Republicans who are up for reelection this year on the defensive. It has also put pressure on Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has been up-front with Trump about what he can and cannot do in the Senate.

Trump pressures Thune on voting bill

Trump has pressured Thune relentlessly to scrap the filibuster and pass the strict proof-of-citizenship legislation, called the SAVE America Act. Thune, R-S.D., has told Trump publicly and privately that the votes are not there for either step. Still, Trump has kept up the push.

In a social media post Thursday, Trump said he would be “the last Republican president” if the voting bill does not pass.

“Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and the Republican Senate, must not let this ‘carnage’ happen,” Trump said. “They will go down on the wrong side of History, as will all Republicans who just stood by and watched.”

Nonetheless, Trump has yet to go after the well-liked Republican leader on a personal basis, as he often did with Thune’s predecessor, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.. Trump once called McConnell a “ dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack.”

Trump and Thune talk frequently, even as Thune is sometimes giving the president news he does not want to hear. As Trump pushed for the voting bill, Thune scheduled weeks of floor time to consider it, an effort to make clear that the Senate was supportive, even if the votes are lacking.

Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt, one of the president’s closest allies in the Senate, said he has never heard Trump say anything negative about Thune.

“It’s a difficult position,” Schmitt said of Thune’s role in the Senate. “I think they have a good working relationship.”

One of Thune’s closest allies, Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, said the even-keeled leader is the “right person at the right time.”

“In the Capitol today, he is the stable force,” Rounds said. “In Washington, D.C., today, he is the stable force.”

No signs of revolt among Senate GOP

There were no signs of a revolt within the GOP conference, for now, despite Trump’s pressure.

Thune “has managed it better than anyone else could manage it,” said Cassidy, who has become a more frequent Trump critic since a primary loss to a Trump-backed challenger.

Criticism of Trump has at times surfaced even among his closest Senate allies, especially with his proposed $1.776 billion settlement fund for his political allies and his pick for acting intelligence director, Bill Pulte, who has no known intelligence experience.

But the rift with Trump has also stoked some new internal tensions.

Several Republican senators criticized Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who has waged an online campaign to eliminate the filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act, in a private conference lunch this week for stoking dissension within the party in an election year.

Unbowed, Lee has kept up his social media campaign, including a post Friday on X in which he said that giving up because Republicans lack the votes is a “recipe for failure.”

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, one of those who spoke out at the meeting, replied that it is Lee’s job to find the votes, “if you can.”

“Can’t just complain about others,” Cornyn posted. “Prove us wrong.”

Trump’s dwindling number of allies

Some Senate Republicans have made clear they have no plans to separate themselves from Trump.

As several of his colleagues criticized Trump’s agreement with Iran this week, first-term Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, aggressively defended it on social media.

“Let’s get the Nobel Peace Prize ready!” Moreno posted on X.

But Trump has far fewer of those Senate allies than he did when they narrowly passed the tax and spending cuts legislation a year ago. That is in part because he has picked off some of the most loyal Republican votes himself.

Both Cassidy and Cornyn lost in primaries last month after Trump endorsed their opponents. Tillis announced he was not running for reelection last year after Trump repeatedly criticized him on social media.

Now all three have become frequent critics.

Shortly after his election loss, Cornyn posted on social media a fable about a frog and a scorpion. The scorpion asks the frog to carry it across a river, according to the fable, and then stings the frog in the middle of the river, “dooming them both.”

“The dying frog asks the scorpion why it stung despite knowing the consequence,” Cornyn’s post read. “To which the scorpion replies: ‘I am sorry, but I couldn’t help myself. It’s my character.’”

Fery may not be well-known outside of British tennis circles but sport is a huge part of his family life – his mother, Olivia, was a professional player, while father Loic owns Ligue 1 football club Lorient.

As a teenager, Fery opted to go on a scholarship to Stanford University in California and also played collegiate tennis.

He lost just two games in his opening-round win over compatriot Toby Samuel at Queen’s, before recording what he described as the “best result” of his career against veteran Frenchman Mannarino.

He and Cerundolo both made nervous starts, with numerous break point opportunities, but Fery broke to serve for the set at 5-4.

However, Cerundolo won the next three games and dominated the tie-break, with the only point Fery won in it coming from a double fault from his opponent.

Cerundolo broke to start the second set but took a painful hit at the net when Fery accidentally sent a volley straight into his throat.

The Argentine fell to the floor, with Fery hopping over the net to check on him – and the pair shared a wry smile as on the next point, Cerundolo came close to hitting Fery with a passing winner.

But from that moment on, Cerundolo’s serve disappeared, and Fery restored parity before breaking to serve for the set.

A lovely serve and volley from Fery to force the deciding set established the tone, and a horrible double fault from Cerundolo handed the Briton the early initiative.

Cerundolo’s experience showed, though, as he put enough pressure on his opponents’ forehand to first break back and then secure victory on Fery’s serve.

Second Rothesay Test, The Kia Oval (day three of five)

New Zealand 391 (Phillips 100, Blundell 51; Bethell 3-26) & 252-3 (Nicholls 119*, Ravindra 76)

England 291 (Gay 53, Fisher 50*; Henry 5-80)

New Zealand are 352 runs ahead

Scorecard

England’s parlous position in the second Test against New Zealand was compounded by drops from debutant wicketkeeper James Rew and a superb century by Henry Nicholls.

On the day Ben Stokes made his return to action for Durham following an incident in a London nightclub, an England team without their captain were slowly roasted in the heat of The Oval.

By the end of the third day, New Zealand had moved to 252-3 in their second innings, leading by 352 and primed to level the series at 1-1.

Rew was one of five changes and three new caps brought in by England from the team that won the first Test at Lord’s. The chances he missed were difficult, yet catchable and costly.

Diving to his left, Rew put down Rachin Ravindra when he had only seven. Nicholls, on 42, gloved an attempted hook down the leg side and Rew parried the ball high to his right.

Reprieved, the New Zealand third-wicket pair added 161. Ravindra was lbw to Jacob Bethell for 76, but Nicholls pushed on to end the day on 119 not out.

England earlier gave up a first-innings lead of 100 by being bowled out for 291. It was a below-par total on a good pitch and would have been worse had it not been for number nine Matthew Fisher’s maiden unbeaten half-century.

From 222-6 overnight, the home side were reduced to 238-9 by Matt Henry’s five-wicket haul, before Fisher added 53 for the 10th wicket with last man Sonny Baker.