Last week’s proceedings in murder case of Brian Thompson showed a mix of politics, social comment and drama

The trial of Luigi Mangione is one of the most eagerly awaited cases in recent American criminal history and last week’s court appearances by the accused killer acted as a sort of trailer for the still unscheduled main event.

As a New York court weighed whether evidence was gathered illegally during Mangione’s arrest on charges of fatally shooting a top healthcare executive on the streets of New York, America got a taste of the trial’s potent mix of politics, social comment, conspiracy theory and Hollywood-style murder drama.

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© Photograph: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., discussed New York’s alleged release of thousands of criminals, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s plan to end homeless encampment sweeps and more on ‘Saturday in America.’

New York Attorney General Letitia James is challenging the authority of Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York John Sarcone.

New York City police arrested Justin Aguilera in connection with a brutal street takeover in Queens where residents were attacked and a vehicle was torched.

Designer Michael Schmidt’s 36-piece collection was made from the wool of rams who have shown same-sex attraction

When a ram tips its head back, curls its upper lip, and takes a deep breath – what is known in the world of animal husbandry as a “flehmen response” – it is often a sign of arousal. Sheep have a small sensory organ located above the roof of the mouth, and the flehmen response helps to flood it with any sex pheromones wafting about.

Usually, rams flehmen when they encounter ewes during the mating period, according to Michael Stücke, a farmer with 30 years of experience raising sheep in Westphalia, Germany. But on Stücke’s farm, the rams flehmen “all the time”.

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© Photograph: Steve Marais for Rainbow Wool

© Photograph: Steve Marais for Rainbow Wool

© Photograph: Steve Marais for Rainbow Wool

Prosecutors release 911 call that led to Luigi Mangione's arrest for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder. Manager reported suspicious customer.

Judge allows call from manager of Pennsylvania McDonald’s to be made public after press urged its release

An audio recording of a 911 call that led to Luigi Mangione’s arrest has been made public after the press advocated for its release.

The audio recording was played in Manhattan state court this week during a proceeding about evidence gathered during Mangione’s arrest over the murder of senior United HealthCare executive Brian Thompson a year ago. Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania in December last year after the restaurant’s manager called 911.

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© Photograph: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

© Photograph: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

© Photograph: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

Decision comes less than two weeks after judge ruled similar case against New York attorney general unlawful

A grand jury declined to indict Letitia James on Thursday, according to a source familiar with the decision, a decision that came less than two weeks after a judge ruled that a similar mortgage fraud case brought by federal prosecutors against the New York attorney general was unlawful.

The move by the justice department to present the case again to a grand jury was seen as a signal of its determination to prosecute James, who has been one of Donald Trump’s top political foes ever since she successfully brought a fraud lawsuit against him in New York.

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© Photograph: John Clark/AP

© Photograph: John Clark/AP

© Photograph: John Clark/AP

Linda Sun allegedly told Chinese officials that Kathy Hochul was “more obedient" than Andrew Cuomo, prosecutors said in her corruption trial.

Luigi Mangione claimed he was homeless and used a fake ID of "Mark Rosario" when arrested for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's assassination, according to court testimony.

James Rizzo was arrested for allegedly burglarizing NYU off-campus housing and attacking student Amelia Lewis. He was held without bail pending psychological evaluation.

Ghislaine Maxwell plans to file a habeas corpus petition seeking release from Texas prison camp and will represent herself in the legal matter.

Eric Adams signed orders on boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, and protests near houses of worship

New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, has issued two executive orders he says are meant to combat antisemitism, less than a month before he hands over the keys to the mayoralty to Zohran Mamdani, an outspoken critic of Israel.

The first order prohibits city agency heads and staff from engaging in “any policy that discriminates against the state of Israel, Israeli citizens based on their national origin, or individuals or entities based on their association with Israel”. It also prohibits officials overseeing the city pension system from making decisions in line with the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, which Mamdani has said he supports.

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© Photograph: Adam Gray/Reuters

© Photograph: Adam Gray/Reuters

© Photograph: Adam Gray/Reuters

Rep. Andy Barr's 2026 Senate campaign encounters scrutiny after his past support for Afghan visas resurfaces following a shooting, allegedly by an Afghan national, in Washington, D.C.

New York state blocked Locust Valley School District's transgender bathroom ban, marking the second Long Island district prohibited from enforcing such restrictions.

New York venues aren’t required to give out water – but nightlife workers say it could make the difference between a safe evening out and an ER visit

When the Brooklyn metal band Contract performs around New York, they expect a mosh pit: thrashing bodies shoving and jumping along to the music. They also want to make sure the amped-up, usually drunk crowd stays hydrated. Without water, a mosher might feel sick, faint or pass out. “You don’t want anyone to get injured or hurt,” frontman Pele Uriel said.

Most of the spaces Uriel plays or visits have water stations where customers can easily fill up. But some do not. The worst offenders sell bottles of water at astronomical prices, from $5 to $10. “There have been times when I asked for water, but they charged a lot, so I went to the store next door to buy some,” Uriel said.

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© Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian

© Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian

© Photograph: Marissa Alper/The Guardian

Sales spike at the Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons and Cipriani as luxury buyers weigh moves from Manhattan

There is a short stretch of prime waterfront real estate in Miami that has come to be known as Billionaire’s Beach. It contains a mix of famous old art deco hotels such as the Delano and Raleigh, both undergoing extensive upmarket refurbishments, and the construction of exclusive new residential tower blocks with high-end apartments running into the tens of millions.

It is here on the sun-filled shores of South Beach, more than a thousand miles from the chills of a Manhattan winter, where realtors and developers are beginning to see the first shoots of what they call the “Mamdani effect”: the predicted exodus of wealthy New Yorkers in the wake of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor.

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© Photograph: Scott McIntyre/The Guardian

© Photograph: Scott McIntyre/The Guardian

© Photograph: Scott McIntyre/The Guardian

It contains enough steel to go round the world twice – and even has a fake breeze to flutter the stars-and-stripes flag in its lobby. If this $4bn colossus is just the first of a new breed of bulky supertalls, is Britain next?

Among the slender needles and elegant spires of the Manhattan skyline, a mountainous lump has reared into view. It galumphs its way up above the others, climbing in bulky steps with the look of several towers strapped together, forming a dark, looming mass. From some angles it forms the silhouette of a hulking bar chart. From others, it glowers like a coffin, ready to swallow the dainty Chrysler building that trembles in its shadow. It is New York’s final boss, a brawny, bronzed behemoth that now lords it over the city with a brutish swagger.

Fittingly, this is the new global headquarters of JP Morgan, the world’s biggest bank. The firm enjoys a market capitalisation of $855bn (£645bn), more than Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup’s combined, and it looks as if it might have swallowed all three inside its tinted glass envelope. Last year, for the first time, it made more than $1bn a week in profits. Chairman and chief executive Jamie Dimon likes to boast of its “fortress balance sheet”, and he now has an actual fortress to go with it – built at a cost, he revealed at the opening, of around $4bn. He has certainly made his mark. It would be hard to design a more menacing building if you tried.

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© Photograph: Max Touhey for JPMorganChase.

© Photograph: Max Touhey for JPMorganChase.

© Photograph: Max Touhey for JPMorganChase.

Methodist pastor in Rochester announces transgender transition during Sunday service, revealing plans to identify as Phillippa and use she/her pronouns.

Police officer testifies in Luigi Mangione evidence suppression hearing, describing recognition of suspected CEO assassin at McDonald's in Altoona.

DHS demands New York attorney general take immediate action as state releases nearly 7,000 criminal illegal immigrants despite ICE detainers since January.

Accused assassin Luigi Mangione faces murder trial as court weighs admissibility of backpack evidence and police statements in the high-profile case.