Starmer says he hopes social media ban for under-16s will come into force next spring – UK politics live 15. June 2026 (12:05) Prime minister announces ban, saying social media is making children unhappy and unsafeSocial media to be banned in UK for under-16s, Starmer announcesUK parents: how do you feel about the under-16s social media ban?Starmer acknowledges some teenagers will get round these restrictons. But that does not make the rules pointless, he says.Will it mean that no child ever looks at social media again? No.But look, this might shock you, but it doesn’t shock parents of teenagers; they get around other laws too.Some technology companies want us to think that social media is unchangeable, part of an almost natural order.But we have to resist that kind of learned helplessness. We have agency, we can change it, and we will. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Key takeaways from the Guardian’s inquiry into the church’s handling of a predatory priest 15. June 2026 (12:00) Despite reports of Anthony Odiong preying on female congregants, the Catholic church extended his termCatholic church had been alerted to Texas priest’s sexual predation for years – but dawdled before actingCatholic clergy leaders wanted to add nearly a decade to a priest’s temporary role as pastor at a suburban New Orleans church despite knowing several women had accused him of sexual misconduct or unwanted advances while ministering to them, the Guardian can report.But Anthony Odiong did not make it to the end of an extension that was supposed to last until 2027. A jury in Waco, Texas, another community where Odiong worked, convicted him of criminal clergy sexual assault of two women, leading him to a sentence of life imprisonment in early June. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hunter Biden’s funny, honest X posts win fans – even Republicans 15. June 2026 (12:00) Self-deprecating jokes and mental health advocacy have gone viral, and his political commentary is proving popularIt’s been quite the journey for Hunter Biden. In the space of a few weeks, the former first son has gone from a man seen as a political liability to an unlikely galvanizing force within the Democratic party, through his emergence on social media as a mental health advocate, razzer of Republicans, and working-class whisperer.In the process Biden has switched from the GOP’s bete noire to, actually, someone that a fair number of Republican voters seem to like. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Dreamers’ are losing their jobs waiting for renewals under Trump: ‘It feels like a personal attack’ 15. June 2026 (12:00) The process to renew Daca immigration status used to take a few weeks – now it drags on for monthsIt’s been six months since Claudia first applied to renew her US immigration status – a process that, for the last 14 years, would only take a few weeks.But now, the prolonged delay has put her life on hold. Claudia, who moved to the US when she was four, has maintained legal status as a “Dreamer” with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) program, which was created in 2012 to protect undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children from deportation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Catholic church had been alerted to Texas priest’s sexual predation for years – but dawdled before acting 15. June 2026 (12:00) Church officials had extended the temporary term of Anthony Odiong, recently convicted of sexual assault, even after women came forward with allegations of abuseKey takeaways from the Guardian’s inquiry into the church’s handling of a predatory priestInternal Catholic church files obtained by the Guardian reveal that clergy leaders wanted to quadruple what was supposed to be a temporary, three-year role as pastor at a suburban New Orleans church for a priest who had nearly a half-dozen women accusing him of sexual misconduct or unwanted advances while ministering to them.Anthony Odiong was supposed to be at the St Anthony of Padua church in Luling, Louisiana, from 2015 to 2018 when – toward the end of that time frame – his supervisors extended his stint by three years despite a series of misconduct complaints, including one that ultimately sent him to prison for life in June. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
