Democrats blast latest move by the administration to radically restructure the federal government.
Published On 28 Apr 202628 Apr 2026
United States President Donald Trump’s administration has fired all 22 members of the board that sets the policies of the government-funded national science agency, according to an ex-board member and lawmakers.
The dismissals at the National Science Board (NSB), the policy and advisory arm of the National Science Foundation (NSF), mark the Trump administration’s latest move to radically restructure the government following the gutting of multiple agencies, including the Department of Education and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
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Roger Beachy, who was reappointed to a second six-year term on the science board by Trump in 2020, said he and his colleagues were not given a reason for their dismissal.
“The termination email was brief and to the point, with a ‘thank you for your service,’” Beachy, an emeritus biology professor at Washington University in St Louis, told Al Jazeera on Monday.
Beachy said he expected the Trump administration to appoint a new board but expressed concern about the nature of the research and education that would be supported by the agency in the future.
“The nature of the board – partisan or independent? – and how it interacts with the agency is of critical importance to the continuing success of the NSF,” Beachy said.
Democratic lawmakers, who had earlier reported hearing of the dismissals from unspecified sources, blasted the Trump administration’s action.
“This is the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation,” Zoe Lofgren, the most senior member of the US House of Representatives’ science committee, said in a statement.
“Will the president fill the NSB with MAGA loyalists who won’t stand up to him as he hands over our leadership in science to our adversaries?” Lofgren said, calling the firings a “real bozo the clown move”.
The headquarters of the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 29, 2025 [File: Mark Schiefelbein/AP]
The White House and the NSF did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside of usual business hours.
Trump has yet to publicly confirm or comment on the firings, but his administration previously targeted the NSF for sweeping cuts instituted by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Under last year’s cost-cutting drive, officials scrapped or halted more than 1,600 NSF grants worth nearly $1bn.
The NSF, established as an independent federal agency in 1950, spent more than $8bn on scientific research and education in 2025, making it one of the largest individual funders of science worldwide.
Beachy said it was too early to predict how the dismissals would affect science funding in the long term.
“It is important to note that support for the NSF, both statutorily and in terms of its budget, has been bipartisan in the past,” he said.
“If such support continues, we can have greater optimism for its future and can look forward to the continuing excellence of the US science enterprise.”
Trump team reviews Iran peace plan to reopen Hormuz with nuclear talks potentially delayed to a later stage.
Published On 28 Apr 202628 Apr 2026
United States President Donald Trump’s national security team is reviewing an Iranian peace proposal aimed at halting the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The plan comes as Washington weighs its next steps, including delaying talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg, saying Tehran is considering a US request to resume negotiations. The comments signal cautious movement on diplomacy despite ongoing tensions.
Meanwhile, dozens of countries have called for the “urgent and unimpeded reopening” of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime route through which one-fifth of global oil passes.
Here is what we know:
In Iran
Iranian demands over Hormuz: A top Iranian official said his country’s armed forces would be the authority responsible for the Strait of Hormuz under a proposed national law for managing the waterway.
Iran blames US for stalled talks: The Iranian foreign minister blamed Washington for the failure of talks after landing in Russia as part of a whirlwind diplomatic tour, with direct negotiations between the warring parties seemingly at an impasse.
Iran accuses Washington of ‘high seas robbery’: Tehran condemned Washington’s capture of two Iran-linked oil tankers, the Majestic X and the Tifani, calling it “the outright legalisation of piracy”.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the move amounted to “armed robbery on the high seas”.
War diplomacy
Iran FM meets Putin: President Vladimir Putin told Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi that Russia would do everything it could to halt the war, as the two met in Saint Petersburg.
Envoys’ lack of Iran nuclear expertise a ‘weakness’: Critics say Trump’s negotiators, Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff and JD Vance, rely more on loyalty and access than diplomatic experience. Former US Ambassador Gordon Gray said their closeness to Trump is an advantage, but warned their lack of familiarity with Iran’s nuclear file is a “crucial weakness”.
In the Gulf
Gulf states align with Iran on Hormuz: Gulf nations are likely to welcome Tehran’s peace proposal to end the war without negotiating a new nuclear deal, analyst Dania Thafer says. “They have a different ordering of priorities … and it does align with Iran’s proposal of opening the Strait of Hormuz at the front of this negotiation,” she told Al Jazeera.
Dozens urge Hormuz reopening: In a joint statement led by Bahrain, dozens of countries renewed calls for the “urgent and unimpeded opening” of the Strait of Hormuz. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned the impasse risks the “worst supply chain disruption since COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine”.
In the US
Trump security meeting: Trump will hold talks on the Iran war on Monday with his top security advisers, US media reported, as negotiations with Tehran remain deadlocked.
Trump may accept Iran proposal to end war: The US president is likely to back Tehran’s plan to ease mounting economic pressure, former US official Henry S Ensher said. “The top of the agenda has to be reopening the Strait of Hormuz,” he told Al Jazeera, adding the nuclear issue will be harder to resolve.
Ensher said Washington may separate nuclear talks from efforts to reopen the vital trade route, calling such a move a potential “strategic victory for Iran” but necessary given the strain on the global economy.
Vance could become MAGA ‘hero’ if war ends: JD Vance, the US vice president, could boost his standing if he helps secure a US exit from the Iran conflict, analysts say.
Republican strategist John Feehery noted that negotiators Kushner and Witkoff are “extraordinarily close to Israel”, while Vance’s reported appeal to Iran gives him diplomatic weight. “If Vance can get us out of this war, that will … make him a hero to the MAGA movement,” Feehery told Al Jazeera.
In Israel
Israeli soldier killed: The Israeli army said one of its soldiers was killed “during combat” in southern Lebanon. Israel has been accused of breaching the ceasefire that has been in place since mid-April.
Netanyahu claims Hezbollah arsenal depleted: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the group has only about 10 percent of its weapons remaining, based on comparisons with stockpiles “at the start of the war”, though he did not specify which conflict. Despite the claim, Hezbollah is still believed to possess tens of thousands of rockets, missiles and drones.
In Lebanon
Israel attacks Lebanon: The Israeli military said it had begun hitting Hezbollah positions in Lebanon’s Bekaa region, despite a ceasefire that began this month.
Hezbollah rejects talks: Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected Lebanon’s planned direct talks with Israel, calling them a “grave sin” that will destabilise Lebanon.
Boston World Cup host committee says fans will be allowed to tailgate for all seven matches at the Gillette Stadium.
Published On 28 Apr 202628 Apr 2026
In a reversal of an earlier decision, FIFA will allow tailgating at World Cup games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the Boston World Cup host committee announced.
The committee said on Monday that the shift conforms with local policies that allow tailgating “like any other event hosted at the stadium as there are no venue restrictions or local public safety restrictions in place that would prohibit it”.
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FIFA originally stated that tailgating would not be allowed at any of the 104 matches, of which the United States is hosting 78, causing an uproar among football fans in the country.
The US is cohosting the 2026 tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
The Gillette Stadium – rebranded as the Boston Stadium during the World Cup to comply with FIFA’s policy prohibiting corporate-sponsored names for tournament venues – will host five group-stage matches, one round-of-32 match and a quarterfinal match at the home of the National Football League’s (NFL) New England Patriots.
The Gillette Stadium will host seven World Cup games [File: Steven Senne/AP]
Patriots games, New England Revolution games and concerts allow tailgating at the stadium.
Space will be severely reduced from what is normally available. There are about 20,000 parking spots available for Patriots games, but only about 5,000 will be available for public use during the World Cup.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has set train prices at $80 for a round trip from Boston to Foxborough for tournament games, four times what it charges for NFL and MLS games. There is also an express bus option that will depart from various Boston-area locations, which will cost $95 for a round trip.
New York City announced on Monday that a fan fest for each of the city’s five boroughs will be held in conjunction with World Cup matches at the MetLife Stadium – to be known as New York New Jersey Stadium – in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
[Al Jazeera]
What is tailgating in the US?
In the context of US sports, tailgating is a pre-game social event that sees fans of a team park their cars outside the stadium hosting the game. The supporters then gather around these parked cars to socialise by drinking, eating, and often cooking on site while they soak in the match-day atmosphere despite not being inside the venue.
It can often begin several hours before the start of the action inside the stadium. The culture is most common during NFL matches and is especially popular among fans of US football.
Which other US stadiums are hosting the World Cup?
The USA will open their World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 12 at the SoFi Stadium, to be renamed the Los Angeles Stadium, in Inglewood, California.
The MetLife Stadium will host the final on July 19.
US prosecutors say 34-year-old Xu Zewei hacked into universities to steal vaccine research during COVID-19 pandemic.
Published On 28 Apr 202628 Apr 2026
Italy has extradited an accused Chinese hacker wanted in the United States for allegedly stealing vaccine research at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Italian authorities handed over the “dangerous foreign hacker” to the US following his arrest in Milan last July on suspicion of conducting cyberattacks against universities and other institutions engaged in COVID-related research, the Italian National Police said in a statement on Monday.
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The suspect and his co-conspirators allegedly exploited cybersecurity flaws in email software to target thousands of computers in a Chinese state-sponsored cyber-espionage campaign dubbed “Hafnium”, Italian police said.
The US Department of Justice said the suspect, 34-year-old Xu Zewei, had targeted universities, immunologists, and virologists under the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security while employed at the “enabling” company Shanghai Powerock Network.
Prosecutors said the targeted institutions included a university in southern Texas and a law firm with offices in Washington, DC, and worldwide.
Xu appeared in the US District Court in Houston, Texas, on Monday to face nine criminal counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy to obtain information by unauthorised access to protected computers, according to US prosecutors.
“The United States is committed to pursuing hackers who steal information from US businesses and universities and threaten our cybersecurity,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg said in a statement.
“I commend the prosecutors and investigators who have worked hard and sought justice for years in this investigation, and we look forward to proving our case in court,” Eisenberg said.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Beijing has previously denied conducting hacking operations in the US and elsewhere around the world, branding such claims as “groundless accusations” and “smears”.
Xu’s lawyers in Italy and the US, Simona Candido and Dan Cogdell, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
If convicted, Xu could face up to 20 years in prison for each count of the most serious charges against him.
US prosecutors say 34-year-old Xu Zewei hacked into universities to steal vaccine research during COVID-19 pandemic.
Published On 28 Apr 202628 Apr 2026
Italy has extradited an accused Chinese hacker wanted in the United States for allegedly stealing vaccine research at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Italian authorities handed over the “dangerous foreign hacker” to the US following his arrest in Milan last July on suspicion of conducting cyberattacks against universities and other institutions engaged in COVID-related research, the Italian National Police said in a statement on Monday.
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The suspect and his co-conspirators allegedly exploited cybersecurity flaws in email software to target thousands of computers in a Chinese state-sponsored cyber-espionage campaign dubbed “Hafnium”, Italian police said.
The US Department of Justice said the suspect, 34-year-old Xu Zewei, had targeted universities, immunologists, and virologists under the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security while employed at the “enabling” company Shanghai Powerock Network.
Prosecutors said the targeted institutions included a university in southern Texas and a law firm with offices in Washington, DC, and worldwide.
Xu appeared in the US District Court in Houston, Texas, on Monday to face nine criminal counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy to obtain information by unauthorised access to protected computers, according to US prosecutors.
“The United States is committed to pursuing hackers who steal information from US businesses and universities and threaten our cybersecurity,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg said in a statement.
“I commend the prosecutors and investigators who have worked hard and sought justice for years in this investigation, and we look forward to proving our case in court,” Eisenberg said.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Beijing has previously denied conducting hacking operations in the US and elsewhere around the world, branding such claims as “groundless accusations” and “smears”.
Xu’s lawyers in Italy and the US, Simona Candido and Dan Cogdell, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
If convicted, Xu could face up to 20 years in prison for each count of the most serious charges against him.
The reinstated map, backed by President Donald Trump, could flip key districts to Republicans.
Published On 27 Apr 202627 Apr 2026
The US Supreme Court has formally reinstated a redrawn Texas electoral map expected to boost Republican representation in the US House of Representatives, as President Donald Trump’s party seeks to maintain control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.
The ruling, issued on Monday, split along ideological lines, with the court’s six conservative justices in the majority and the three liberal justices dissenting.
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The map – sought by Trump, approved by the Republican-led state legislature in August 2025, and signed by Governor Greg Abbott – could flip up to five Democratic Party-held House seats to Republicans.
The Supreme Court’s ruling overturned a lower court decision that had blocked the map’s use after finding it was likely racially discriminatory and in violation of constitutional protections.
Trump had urged Republican lawmakers last year to redraw congressional maps to strengthen the party’s position ahead of the November midterms, a push that has since evolved into a broader nationwide battle over redistricting.
Civil rights advocates sharply criticised the decision, arguing that the redistricting weakens the political influence of racial minorities.
“This was an intentional effort to limit the power of Black people and other people of colour,” Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said on Monday.
“This ruling does not erase the facts. Texas dismantled majority-minority congressional districts after the Trump administration urged the state to do exactly that.
“The result is a rigged map that limits the power of voters of colour in a state with a long record of voter suppression,” he added.
Florida proposal escalates redistricting battle
The fight over electoral maps is playing out beyond Texas.
In Florida, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday proposed a new congressional map aimed at flipping four Democratic-held House seats in the midterm elections.
It remains unclear whether the proposal has enough support in the Republican-controlled legislature to pass. DeSantis has called a special session starting Tuesday to consider the plan.
The map, which DeSantis first shared with Fox News, would likely give Republicans 24 of the state’s 28 US House seats, up from its current 20-8 majority.
Republicans can afford to lose only two House seats in November’s election to retain a majority. A Democratic-controlled House could launch investigations into Trump’s administration while blocking parts of his legislative agenda.
In Virginia, voters last week narrowly approved a Democratic-backed map targeting four Republican incumbents. Republicans have filed multiple lawsuits challenging the measure, and the state’s Supreme Court heard arguments in one such case on Monday.
Any overhaul in Florida would likely face legal challenges. In 2010, voters approved a constitutional amendment barring lawmakers from drawing districts for political gain, a practice known as gerrymandering.
Some Florida Republicans have also raised concerns that an aggressive redraw could leave incumbents exposed in a potential Democratic wave year, as Democrats have outperformed their 2024 margins in dozens of elections since Trump returned to office in January 2025.
Virginia and Florida represent what are likely the final battlegrounds in the redistricting war that Trump initiated last year with Texas.
Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived in the United States for a four-day trip, a tour that has taken on even greater prominence after the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting and amid acrimony between the close allies.
The state visit on Monday afternoon, by far the most high-profile and consequential of Charles’s reign, marks the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence from British rule, and is the first visit to the country by a British monarch for two decades.
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Charles and Camilla touched down at Joint Base Andrews around 2:30pm (18:30 GMT), when they were greeted by diplomatic, state, and federal officials, as well as senior members of the British embassy, and accepted flowers from the children of British military families stationed in the US.
The king, sporting a navy suit, and the queen, wearing a pink dress, stood on the tarmac while a military band played the British and US national anthems, before they headed to the White House for a private meeting with self-proclaimed royal fan President Donald Trump.
The week’s schedule also includes an address to the US Congress, a lavish state dinner at the White House, and a stop in New York City.
Press dinner shooting just days before visit
The long-planned visit has become enmeshed in a political spat between the two countries over the US-Israel war on Iran, which led Trump to voice deep displeasure with the British government for failing to support the offensive.
The shooting on Saturday at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, where US officials have said the president and members of his administration were the likely targets, has cast a further pall over the visit.
Buckingham Palace said on Sunday that the king “is greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed”. After a security review, the palace said the trip “will proceed as planned”.
Trump has criticised the UK over Iran stance
On arriving in Washington, the king and queen are scheduled to have a private tea with the president, an unabashed lover of the British royal family who regularly describes Charles as a “great man”, and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump.
The 77-year-old king, who is still undergoing cancer treatment that began in February 2024, will address Congress the next day – just the second time a British monarch has done so.
The royals will then head on to New York City, where they will commemorate those killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks ahead of the 25th anniversary, while the queen will also mark the centenary of children’s stories featuring Winnie-the-Pooh.
The US trip concludes in Virginia with the king meeting those involved in conservation work, a nod to his half-century of environmental campaigning.
The government of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hoping the visit will shore up the future of the two allies’ “special relationship”, which is now at its lowest point since the Suez Crisis in 1956.
Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla receive posies from the children of British military families based in the United States, at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, the US, Monday, April 27, 2026 [AP]
Britain’s ambassador to the US, Christian Turner, said the visit would underscore the shared history, sacrifice and common values between the two countries, adding that the approach would be a very British one: “Keep calm, carry on.”
While Trump has eased his criticism of Britain in recent days over its response to the Iran war, an internal Pentagon email set out how the US could review its position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands as punishment for its lack of support, further straining ties.
“President Trump has always had great respect for King Charles, and their relationship was further strengthened by the president’s historic visit to the United Kingdom last year,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told The Associated Press. “The president looks forward to a special visit … which will include a beautiful state dinner and multiple events throughout the week.”
Trump, meanwhile, told the BBC that the king’s visit could “absolutely” help repair the transatlantic relationship.
One issue off the table during the visit is the scandal over convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Royal sources have said it was not possible for the king and queen to meet any victims of Epstein during the tour, as some have requested, to avoid impacting any potential criminal cases.
Charles’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whose reputation and royal standing have been destroyed over his links to the late Epstein, is currently facing police inquiries over his connections. The former Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.
Bejing tightens scrutiny of artificial intelligence industry amid intensifying geopolitical rivalry with the US over the technology.
By Reuters and The Associated Press
Published On 27 Apr 202627 Apr 2026
China has said it is blocking tech giant Meta from an acquisition of artificial intelligence (AI) startup Manus, tightening scrutiny of investment in domestic startups developing frontier technologies from the United States.
China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Monday that it was prohibiting the foreign acquisition of Manus, without specifically naming Meta.
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The move highlights Beijing’s increased concern over US acquisitions of Chinese AI talent and intellectual property, as Washington tries to limit Chinese tech firms’ access to advanced US chips.
It was not immediately clear on what grounds China was seeking the annulment of a deal involving a Singapore-based company and how, if at all, a completed acquisition transaction would be unwound.
Manus, which has Chinese roots but is based in Singapore, provides general-purpose AI agents designed to carry out complex tasks with minimal human intervention.
The call to annul the deal was made by the commission in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations, the NDRC’s statement said.
California-based Meta said in response to the statement: “The transaction complied fully with applicable law. We anticipate an appropriate resolution to the inquiry.”
A White House spokesperson said in a statement that the Trump administration “will continue defending America’s leading and innovative technology sector against undue foreign interference of any sort”.
Meta announced in December that it was acquiring Manus. It is a rare case of a major US tech group buying an AI company with strong links to China. The deal was forecasted to help expand AI offerings across Meta’s platforms.
Meta had said there would be “no continuing Chinese ownership interests in Manus” and that Manus would discontinue its services and operations in China.
But China said in January that it would investigate whether the acquisition would be consistent with its laws and regulations.
After a $75m fundraising round led by US venture firm Benchmark in May 2025, Manus shut its China offices, laying off dozens of employees. It then moved its operations to Singapore.
This enabled Manus’s parent company, Butterfly Effect, to reincorporate in Singapore and bypass US investment restrictions on Chinese AI firms, as well as Chinese rules limiting domestic AI firms’ ability to transfer their IP and capital overseas.
The Chinese bid to block the deal comes weeks before a planned mid-May summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
The trial’s outcome could sway the balance of power in AI, and jury selection starts on Monday.
Published On 27 Apr 202627 Apr 2026
Technology tycoons Elon Musk and Sam Altman are poised to face off in a high-stakes trial revolving around the alleged betrayal, deceit and unbridled ambition that blurred the bickering billionaires’ once-shared vision for the development of artificial intelligence.
The trial, which is scheduled to begin on Monday with jury selection, centres on the 2015 birth of ChatGPT maker OpenAI as a nonprofit start-up primarily funded by Musk before evolving into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852bn.
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The trial’s outcome could sway the balance of power in AI, breakthrough technology that is increasingly being feared as a potential job killer and an existential threat to humanity’s survival.
Those perceived risks are among the reasons that Musk, the world’s richest person, has cited for filing a lawsuit in August 2024 that will now be decided by a jury and US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California.
The civil lawsuit accuses Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, and his top lieutenant and a cofounder, Greg Brockman, of double-crossing Musk by straying from the San Francisco company’s founding mission to be an altruistic steward of a revolutionary technology. The lawsuit alleges they shifted OpenAI into moneymaking mode behind his back.
The bitter legal fight may come down to a few pages in one executive’s personal diary.
“This is the only chance we have to get out from Elon,” wrote Brockman in the autumn of 2017. “Is he the ‘glorious leader’ that I would pick?”
Brockman’s diary entry is part of the thousands of pages of internal documents revealed in court.
Musk said the defendants kept him in the dark about their plans, exploited his name and financial support to create a “wealth machine” for themselves, and owe damages for having conned him and the public.
He also wants OpenAI to revert to a nonprofit, for Altman and Brockman to be removed as officers and for Altman to be removed from its board.
OpenAI has brushed off Musk’s allegations as an unfounded case of sour grapes that’s aimed at undercutting its rapid growth and bolstering Musk’s own xAI, which he launched in 2023 as a competitor.
The trial also carries risks for Musk, who last month was held liable by another jury for defrauding investors during his $44bn takeover of Twitter in 2022. Any damaging details about Musk and his business tactics could be particularly hurtful now because his rocket ship maker, SpaceX, plans to go public this summer in an initial public offering that could make him the world’s first trillionaire.
The United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States, Christian Turner, has called the four-day visit by King Charles III to the US an effort to “renew and revitalise a unique friendship” between the two allies.
The visit, which began on Monday, comes at a tense period in US-UK relations as US President Donald Trump continues to publicly criticise British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his stance on the US-Israeli war on Iran, accusing him of not assisting Washington in the fight against Iran or helping the US reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
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Days after the war began – and after Starmer initially refused to allow US forces to use UK military bases for strikes on Iran – Trump described the British leader as “not Winston Churchill”.
Despite the US gaining independence from Britain in 1776 and fighting the War of 1812 against it, the two countries have for the most part remained firm allies and have further solidified their relationship over the past century into what is often called the “special relationship”.
Nevertheless, their ties have faced periodic strain, even when they have agreed to align on larger issues.
Here is a timeline of the highs and lows in this “special relationship”:
1940-1944: World War II
One of the most significant alignments between the countries took place during World War II when London and Washington closely coordinated the war effort with the Soviet Union for the Allies against the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany.
The two countries came together specifically on what became the “Germany first” strategy, in which they prioritised defeating the Nazis over combating imperial Japan.
In that same period, US President Franklin D Roosevelt also signed into law the Lend-Lease Act in March 1941. It provided war and military supplies to the UK and others in the Allied camp, even before the US formally joined the war in December 1941.
US President Franklin D Roosevelt, left, meets British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the HMS Prince of Wales in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, in August 1941 for their first conference during World War II [File: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images]
1956: Suez Canal crisis
France and the UK quietly coordinated with Israel to launch a joint invasion of Egypt after President Gamal Abdel Nasser moved to nationalise the Suez Canal in 1956.
Furious at having been kept in the dark and worried that the Soviet Union, then a close partner of Egypt, might be pulled into the fighting, US President Dwight Eisenhower backed a United Nations resolution condemning the assault.
Washington also warned it would withhold crucial financial support from its European partners, and within days, the fighting came to a halt.
The crisis was eventually brought to an end by the UN’s first armed peacekeeping force, a pioneering mission that became the model for later UN peacekeeping operations.
1982: Falklands War
When Argentina in April 1982 invaded the Falkland Islands, which had been under British control since the 19th century, the US at first refused a request by the UK for military assistance.
The US, which was also an ally of Argentina, wished to stay out of the dispute. Instead, US President Ronald Reagan urged UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to negotiate a peace deal and recommended agreeing to joint control of the islands.
Thatcher disagreed, and the UK took the islands back after a 10-week war, in which the US did provide logistical support to the UK.
1994: Northern Ireland
US President Bill Clinton granted Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein, a Northern Ireland political party, a 48-hour visa to travel to the US to speak at an event in New York.
London had strongly lobbied against the visa. The UK believed Adams was a member of the Irish Republican Army, which was designated a “terrorist organisation” and had carried out bombings in the UK and Ireland.
It was later reported by Irish diplomat Sean Donlon that for several weeks after the visa was issued, UK Prime Minister John Major refused to take Clinton’s calls. In the end, however, Adams’s visit served to bring the US into Northern Ireland peace negotiations, which led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
1998-1999: Kosovo War
While the Kosovo War, the conflict between ethnic Albanian separatists and Yugoslavia, is often seen as a moment of strong UK-US alignment, there were crucial disagreements between the two countries on how far military action should go to intervene.
Amid human rights atrocities and ethnic cleansing by Serb forces as well as the displacement of one million Albanians, the UK, then led by Prime Minister Tony Blair, was one of the most forceful proponents of military intervention against Yugoslavia and its Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic.
Blair repeatedly called on Clinton to take a more aggressive stance, including the possibility of deploying ground forces, but Clinton was reluctant to do so.
The US favoured a narrowly focused NATO air campaign, which took place, whereas the UK worried that airpower on its own might fail to halt Serb forces. In the end, the war was ended after a 78-day NATO bombing campaign.
US President Bill Clinton, right, meets with British Labour Party leader Tony Blair in the Oval Office of the White House on April 12, 1996 [Ruth Fremson/AP Photo]
2003: Invasion of Iraq
The Iraq War marked one of the closest periods of political and military coordination between London and Washington in decades. Blair strongly backed US President George W Bush’s plan to invade Iraq, committing British forces to the US-led invasion in March 2003.
Britain was Washington’s most important ally in the coalition, providing tens of thousands of soldiers and intelligence support.
Blair backed Bush at a time when other US allies like France and Canada were firmly opposed to the invasion, as were many people in the UK.
Blair’s decision triggered one of the largest protests in UK history, bringing more than one million people onto the streets of London.
2011: Libya war
After the fall and death of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, US President Barack Obama revealed there were key differences between Washington and London over how to manage Libya in the post-Gaddafi era.
In a 2016 interview, Obama accused UK Prime Minister David Cameron of becoming “distracted by a range of other things” after the intervention and said he had placed too much faith in the Europeans “being invested in the follow-up”.
