Good morning.<\/p>\n
Iran dismissed a US ceasefire proposal on Wednesday<\/a> and responded with its own negotiation plan as intermediaries sought to keep diplomatic channels between the warring countries open.<\/p>\n Iranian state TV quoted an anonymous official as saying Tehran had rejected the plan it had received via Pakistan, saying it would \u201cend the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met\u201d, and until then would continue fighting across the region. Iran\u2019s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, later said the proposals had been \u201cpassed on to the country\u2019s senior authorities\u201d but Iran had \u201cno intention of negotiating for now\u201d.<\/p>\n Gulf states have expressed doubt over Donald Trump\u2019s claims that talks are happening. In a notable departure from Qatar\u2019s role as chief mediator<\/a> in the region, a Qatari government spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, said on Tuesday that Qatar was not involved in any mediation efforts, before adding: \u201cIf they exist.\u201d<\/p>\n What is the toll? The US-Israel war on Iran has killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, more than 1,500 in Iran and 16 in Israel, according to each country\u2019s authorities. More than a dozen deaths have been reported in the West Bank and Gulf Arab states. Experts warn there has been a collapse in healthcare access<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is a developing story. Follow our live blog for the latest updates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Family members of victims react to news that the jury has found Meta and YouTube liable. Photograph: Frederic J Brown\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Meta and YouTube have been found liable for deliberately designing<\/a> addictive products that hooked a young user and led to her being harmed, a Los Angeles jury ruled on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The verdict comes just a day after Meta was ordered to pay $375m<\/a> in civil penalties in a separate lawsuit in New Mexico. The jury found the company had misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and enabled harm, including child sexual exploitation.<\/p>\n What did the Los Angeles plaintiff allege? The 20-year-old woman testified that she became addicted to YouTube at age six and Instagram at nine, which she said harmed her wellbeing. She blamed the platforms for her experience of body dysmorphic disorder and social phobia in her adolescence.<\/p>\n How much will the companies pay the plaintiff? The jury awarded the plaintiff in the case damages of $6m, with Meta to pay 70% and YouTube the remainder.<\/p>\n Epstein survivor who voted for Trump says she now fears \u2018we\u2019re not going to get justice\u2019Jena Lisa Jones holds a photo of her younger self during a news conference outside the US Capitol in November 2025. Photograph: Bloomberg\/Getty Images<\/p>\n After backing Donald Trump in 2024 in the hope that he would bring transparency to the Jeffrey Epstein case<\/a>, Jena Lisa Jones, an Epstein survivor, has said she now fears \u201cwe\u2019re not going to get justice in all of this\u201d.<\/p>\n Jones criticized Trump for capitalizing on the case in his election campaign but then dismissing some calls to release additional Epstein files as a Democratic \u201choax\u201d. She added that she and other survivors had faced backlash for speaking out.<\/p>\n What has Jones said about the files released? That she has yet to find her files among the released records. Some lawmakers and survivors say that materials are still missing.<\/p>\n What has the justice department said? That all documents have been released, unless they are \u201cduplicates, privileged, or part of an ongoing federal investigation\u201d.<\/p>\n In other news \u2026Nicol\u00e1s Maduro gestures during a press conference at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas in 2024. Photograph: Federico Parra\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The deposed Venezuelan president Nicol\u00e1s Maduro will appear again in a New York federal court on Thursday in his \u201cnarco-terrorism\u201d case after being abducted by US forces in January<\/a>.<\/p>\n James Talarico, the Texas Democratic state representative and Presbyterian seminarian, has said he forgives Pete Hegseth\u2019s pastor for praying for his death, after the defense secretary\u2019s closest spiritual adviser said: \u201cWe want him crucified with Christ\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n EU lawmakers will vote on the bloc\u2019s tariff deal with the US on Thursday after months of delay<\/a>.<\/p>\n North Korea and Belarus have signed a \u201cfriendship and cooperation\u201d treaty on Thursday, after a meeting between their leaders in Pyongyang<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stat of the day: Up to 50% of US federal taxes go towards military spending\u2018Many war tax resisters never face consequences. Since the second world war, only two individuals have served time for nonpayment of taxes in protest of US military interventions.\u2019 Photograph: Spencer Platt\/Getty Images<\/p>\n With up to 50% of US federal taxes going towards military spending, Clara Vondrich, senior policy counsel on climate at Public Citizen, argues that it\u2019s time to revive the tradition of war tax resistance<\/a>. Calling on others to take the risk<\/a> and join her, Vondrich says that since the second world war, only two people have been imprisoned for non-payment of taxes in protest of war. \u201cThis war has short-circuited our democratic processes and our representatives were not consulted \u2013 call it taxation without representation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The Filter recommends: The best bike lights in the US to see and be seenCyclist riding a mountain bike outdoors. Photograph: Anastasiia Stiahailo\/500px\/Getty Images\/500px Plus<\/p>\n Whether your bike is part of your daily commute or you cycle for fun at the weekends, owning a high-quality light is one of the cheapest investments you can make into your safety. Here are the best bike lights<\/a>, tested by the Guardian in different road and weather conditions.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss this: Marriage over, hospitalization \u2026 The AI users whose lives were wrecked by delusion\u2018It wants a deep connection with the user so that the user comes back to it\u2019 \u2026 Dennis Biesma at home in Amsterdam this month. Photograph: Jussi Puikkonen\/The Guardian<\/p>\n When Dennis Biesma, an IT consultant, first decided to check out ChatGPT in 2024, he had no idea how it would derail his life. Within months, Biesma had sunk \u20ac100,000 ($115,000) into a business startup based on a delusion, been hospitalized three times and tried to kill himself. With the first support group for people whose lives have been wrecked by AI psychosis formed last year, Biesma describes how he fell down the rabbit hole<\/a>.<\/p>\n Climate check: US has caused $10tn worth of climate damage since 1990, research findsA new study has attempted to attach dollar amounts to climate damage caused by the US fossil fuel industry. Photograph: David McNew\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The US has caused $10tn in global damages to the world<\/a> since 1990 through its emissions, making it the largest carbon emitter in history, researchers have found. This put it ahead of China \u2013 currently the world\u2019s biggest emitter \u2013 which has been responsible for $9tn in damage in the past three decades. A quarter of the damage wreaked by US emissions has been inflicted on itself, though the poorest countries have suffered disproportionate economic pain.<\/p>\n Last Thing: What to know about \u2018boy kibble\u2019, the viral meal slop trendThe brown, lumpy concoction is praised by gym bros as an easy way to get the carbs and protein needed to maximize their workout gains. Composite: Rita Liu\/The Guardian\/Getty Images<\/p>\n In case you have no idea what \u201cboy kibble\u201d is, let me fill you in. It\u2019s a term used by health-conscious gen Z men online to describe a simple, protein-heavy meal<\/a> made up of ground beef, rice, and sometimes a vegetable or fat. \u201cThis is essentially old-school bodybuilding nutrition repackaged,\u201d one expert said. But is boy kibble actually healthy?<\/p>\n Sign up<\/p>\n Sign up for the US morning briefing<\/p>\n<\/p>\n First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you\u2019re not already signed up, subscribe now<\/a>.<\/p>\n Get in touch<\/p>\n