Graham Platner wins Maine Democratic primary for US Senate seat
Controversial candidate shrugged off misconduct allegations and will face Republican Susan Collins in November’s election
US launches strikes on Iran after downing of American helicopter
Washington says attack is ‘proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression’
Steve Hilton advances to general election for California governor
David Cameron’s former adviser to face Democrat Xavier Becerra on November ballot
Apollo and Blackstone raise $35bn in chip financing deal for Anthropic
Transaction is one of the largest private credit fundraisings, fuelling Claude maker’s AI growth plans
Letter: Warnings from history for the HS2 rail project
From Professor Keith Hayward, London SW20, UK
Letter: Hedgehog banknote appeal
From Fay Vass, CEO, British Hedgehog Preservation Society, Ludlow, Shropshire, UK
Letter: Fifa gets off lightly in your analysis of its finances
From Deborah Unger, London NW6, UK
Letter: Why audit reform is vital to Britain’s capital markets
From Anthony Carey, London HA5, UK
Letter: EU not eager to replicate Switzerland’s arrangement
From Sir Vernon Bogdanor, Professor of Government, King’s College, London WC2, UK; author of ‘Britain and Europe in a Troubled World’
Letter: More Treasury ‘control’ is last thing the fast jet needs
From David Williams, Former MoD Permanent Secretary, UK
Letter: US universities will require more than a court ruling
From Shaun Carver, CEO, International House, University of California, Berkeley, CA, US
Northern Ireland battles to contain disorder after Belfast knife attack
First Minister deplores ‘outright thuggery’ as protesters set fire to homes, cars and public transport
Magistrate shortage threatens English court reforms, MPs warn
Recruitment shortfall threatens Labour’s pledge to reduce huge backlog of cases in criminal courts
FT Crossword: Number 18,396
Pope Leo meets Trump foe Bad Bunny
Puerto Rican rapper has become a symbol of cultural resistance to US president
FirstFT: KMT leader urges US and China not to treat Taiwan as ‘pawn’
Also in today’s newsletter: Apollo hunts for a Japanese life insurer, and Chinese exports climb
Oil slides as US official says Hormuz transits are ‘meaningfully’ climbing
Energy secretary Chris Wright cautions that flows through the strait will take months to fully recover
Apollo hunts for Japanese life insurer to boost growth
US asset manager may face regulatory hurdles amid preference for domestic players
GM bets on homegrown battery tech to challenge Chinese dominance
US carmakers pivot to energy storage batteries for AI as they seek to counter weak electric vehicle sales
Taiwan’s opposition leader tells US and China not to use her country as ‘pawn’
KMT chair calls for more dialogue between Taipei and Beijing in FT interview ahead of her visit to Washington
Transcript: Why are investors so jumpy?
Robert Armstrong speaks to Daire MacFadden
Nasdaq slips in volatile trading as 2026 high-flyers pull back
Losses for AI-linked stocks overshadow gains across rest of market
Why are investors so jumpy?
What’s driving market volatility?
The hard truths about England’s receding coastline
The entire shoreline cannot be protected from erosion, but the state can mitigate future fallout