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Senate Democrats to force fifth war powers resolution as ceasefire deadline looms – live | Trump administration
Senate Democrats to force fifth war powers resolution vote on Tuesday
Senate Democrats are set to launch their fifth attempt to pass a war powers resolution on Tuesday to curb the Trump administration’s military action in Iran.
Led by Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, the latest effort will come a day before the two-week ceasefire expires. Donald Trump, for his part, has threatened to strike energy infrastructure if a deal isn’t secured.
A reminder that four war powers resolutions have failed in the upper chamber in recent weeks. But Democrats have vowed to keep bringing them to the floor each week the war in Iran continues to put “Republicans on record”.
Key events
Here’s a recap of the day so far
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FBI director Kash Patel has sued the Atlantic magazine for defamation, seeking $250m in damages over an article that details Patel’s alleged “excessive drinking” and frequent absences from work. In the lawsuit, Patel’s legal team accuses the magazine and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick of publishing “a sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece”. In response, the Atlantic called the legal action “meritless” and voted to “vigorously defend” their reporting and journalists.
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Senate Democrats are set to launch their fifth attempt to pass a war powers resolution on Tuesday to curb the Trump administration’s military action in Iran. Led by Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, the latest effort will come a day before the two-week ceasefire expires. Donald Trump has threatened to strike energy infrastructure in Iran if a deal isn’t secured during further negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan.
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Despite Tehran not yet committing to talks this week, Trump said on a social media that he expects a deal with Iran will happen “relatively quickly”. He also denied that he is under “pressure” to make a deal. “THIS IS NOT TRUE!” he added on Truth Social.
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Meanwhile, the Trump administration has begun accepting applications from businesses seeking refunds for more than $166bn in tariffs, months after the supreme court ruled that the president had no legal authority to impose them. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Launched on Monday the digital claims system, named Cape, which they said in court filings could handle about 63% of affected import filings, with the remainder to follow.
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Lawmakers on Capitol Hill will have 10 days to hash out negotiations on section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), after both chambers agreed to a short-term extension last week. Now, GOP leadership will have to unify their fractured conference to satisfy a need for reforms for the provision, which allows national security agencies to collect and review texts and emails sent to and from foreigners living outside the US without a warrant.
Trump claims again an Iran deal will happen ‘relatively quickly’
Donald Trump said on a social media that a deal with Iran will happen “relatively quickly”. However, it’s worth pointing out that Tehran has not officially committed to talks this week, which vice-president JD Vance is set to lead in Islamabad, Pakistan.
He also denies that he is under “pressure” to make a deal. “THIS IS NOT TRUE!” he added on Truth Social.
The president went on to post that the economic impact of the war, particularly the US blockade of Iranian ports in the strait of Hormuz, is kneecapping the regime. “They are losing $500 Million Dollars a day, an unsustainable number, even in the short run,” Trump claimed, without citing evidence.
Senate Democrats to force fifth war powers resolution vote on Tuesday
Senate Democrats are set to launch their fifth attempt to pass a war powers resolution on Tuesday to curb the Trump administration’s military action in Iran.
Led by Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, the latest effort will come a day before the two-week ceasefire expires. Donald Trump, for his part, has threatened to strike energy infrastructure if a deal isn’t secured.
A reminder that four war powers resolutions have failed in the upper chamber in recent weeks. But Democrats have vowed to keep bringing them to the floor each week the war in Iran continues to put “Republicans on record”.
Hardliners warn that Fisa extension is a no-go if voter ID bill dissipates on Capitol Hill
One of the main areas of pushback that Republican leadership in Congress has faced in trying to pass an extension of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) is push to keep the bill “clean”, despite GOP hardliners insisting that reforms and additions are needed.
Some members of the conference, like Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, have said that if Donald Trump’s sweeping voter ID bill ends up falling off the legislative agenda, a Fisa extension is off the table. “They want surveillance powers renewed but won’t secure elections? No SAVE America Act = No FISA,” she wrote on X.
As the Senate plans to bring a reconciliation bill to the floor this week – in order to secure funding for federal immigration enforcement – the Save America Act will no longer be up for debate. Currently, the president’s prized legislation, which would require proof of citizenship in order to vote, is languishing in the upper chamber as it lacks the 60 votes needed to clear the filibuster.
Donald Trump has said that a “lots of bombs start going off” if the two-week ceasefire deal lapses this week with no deal secured.
In an interview with PBS News, the president added that he didn’t know whether Tehran are taking part in the most recent round of talks in Islamabad. “If they’re not there, that’s fine too,” he said.
When Liz Landers asked Trump whether it was appropriate that his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has had business interests in the Middle East region, should be negotiating on behalf of the US, the president said that Kushner is “purely negotiating for the fact that [Iran] are not going to have a nuclear weapon”.
“I sent my A-Team, he’s done an excellent job,” the president said.
In a statement, the Atlantic said that the lawsuit brought against the publication and the author of the article alleging Kash Patel’s excessive drinking and frequent absences at work is “meritless”.
“We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists,” the outlet said.
Trump claims that Israel never ‘talked’ him into launching a war on Iran
Yohannes Lowe
On Truth Social Donald Trump has said that Israel never “talked” him into the war with Iran, after reports that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, put pressure on him into launching their joint assault on Iran in late February.
Justifying his military action, widely seen as being launched illegally, the US president claimed that the “results of Oct. 7th” added to his “lifelong opinion” that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.
As my colleague Julian Borger notes, Trump has repeatedly claimed, since starting the war, that Iran had been two to four weeks from making a nuclear weapon and firing it at the US and Israel, a claim rejected as absurd by most experts.
Trump signed off his Truth Social post by saying if Iran’s new leaders were “smart” then the country could have a “great and prosperous” future.
He has previously said the US has been negotiating with figures inside Iran other than the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has reportedly been recovering from severe facial and leg injuries suffered in the airstrike that killed his father at the beginning of the war.
Federal Reserve chair nominee Kevin Warsh is slated to tell lawmakers at his confirmation hearing tomorrow that he is “committed to ensuring that the conduct of monetary policy remains strictly independent”, according to a prepared statement sent to Politico.
“I am equally committed to working with the Administration and Congress on non-monetary matters that are part of the Fed’s remit,” reads the statement.
Warsh is also set to tell lawmakers at the hearing that monetary policymakers must make decisions based on “analytic rigor, meaningful deliberation, and unclouded decision-making”. He also suggests Donald Trump’s persistent calls for lower interest rates do not threaten the independence of the central bank.
“I do not believe the operational independence of monetary policy is particularly threatened when elected officials – presidents, senators, or members of the House – state their views on interest rates,” Warsh will say, according to the prepared statement sent to the news outlet. “Central bankers must be strong enough to listen to a diversity of views from all corners.”
Donald Trump dismissed his energy secretary, Chris Wright, who said gas prices are not expected to fall back under $3 a gallon until 2027, according to the Hill.
Over the weekend, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Wright when he thought “it’s realistic for Americans to expect the gas will go back to under $3 a gallon”. Wright replied: “I don’t know. That could happen later this year. That might not happen until next year.”
“No, I think he’s wrong on that. Totally wrong,” Trump told the Hill on Monday, adding that gas prices will drop “as soon as this ends”, referring to the Iran war.
My colleague Jeremy Barr has more on the lawsuit filed by Kash Patel against the Atlantic.
Patel’s legal team accused the magazine and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick of publishing “a sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece” on 17 April.
“Defendants are of course free to criticize the leadership of the FBI, but they crossed the legal line by publishing an article replete with false and obviously fabricated allegations designed to destroy Director Patel’s reputation and drive him from office,” the complaint reads. “Indeed, Fitzpatrick could not get a single person to go on the record in defense of these outrageous allegations, instead relying entirely on anonymous sources she knew to be both highly partisan with an ax to grind and also not in a position to know the facts.”
Patel’s lawyers accused the Atlantic of acting with actual malice – the legal standard for winning a defamation lawsuit against a public individual.
Kash Patel sues the Atlantic over article alleging heavy drinking and absences
FBI director Kash Patel has sues the Atlantic magazine over an article, published last week, that details Patel’s alleged “excessive drinking” and frequent absences from work.
In the lawsuit, filed in the US district court of the District of Columbia, Patel seeks $250m in damages, and lists the nature of the suit as “libel, assault and slander”. A full copy of the complaint was not immediately available.
The article cites a number of conversations with current and former officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, who claim that the FBI director drinks to excess and has been unreachable at times during his tenure in office. The piece also stated that Patel is concerned he might soon be fired.
Patel telegraphed he was likely to sue the Atlantic over the story last week. “Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court – bring your checkbook,” he told the publication.
Oliver Milman and Dharna Noor
Democrats should get louder in championing clean energy’s affordability and resilience from global shocks, according to some of the party’s leading voices on the climate.
As the Iran war roils economies by raising the cost of oil and gas, countries are aiming to accelerate their shift to cleaner energy. But in the US, Donald Trump has sought to kill off any alternative to fossil fuels while opposing Democrats have been reluctant to tie the conflict to any action on the climate crisis.
The closure of the strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil and gas normally travels, in the wake of the US and Israel’s attack on Iran caused energy costs to spike around the world. In the US, the cost of gasoline has soared above $4.10 a gallon nationally, with Trump admitting the costs could even be “a little bit higher” by November.
“There’s a timely clash on climate and costs that Democrats can win, as long as we have the nerve to actually show up to the fight,” said Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic senator, who added “true energy independence will be achieved by powering our economy with renewable energy, the fuel sources for which are unlimited, free and independent of geopolitical events”.
The Iran war provides a “unique moment of opportunity” for Democrats to extol the advantages of lower-pollution options like electric cars but the focus should be on “reducing consumer costs, which should’ve been the message over climate protection all along”, according to Paul Bledsoe, a former climate adviser to Bill Clinton’s White House.
“I don’t think they’ve grasped the political opportunity yet,” Bledsoe said. “They have to stay really focused on how these next-generation technologies will provide a consumer benefit. When you pitch clean energy as cutting consumer costs first and improving the overall economy second, people are happy to cut emissions third.”
Read the full report here:
Fisa negotiations continue on Capitol Hill after lawmakers pass short-term extension
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill will have 10 days to hash out negotiations on section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), after both chambers agreed to a short-term extension last week.
Now, GOP leadership will have to unify their fractured conference to satisfy a need for reforms for the provision, which allows national security agencies to collect and review texts and emails sent to and from foreigners living outside the US without a warrant.
Several Democrats and hardline Republicans say that section 702, as it stands, threatens the privacy of American citizens implicated in any surveillance.
While John Thune, the Senate majority leader, has now vowed to head up the deliberations on his of the Capitol, it remains to be seen whether Mike Johnson, the House speaker, will also be able to rally representatives in the lower chamber.
Here is a first look at the portal set up to process refunds for businesses who paid billions in Trump tariffs. This is part of the newly created Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool, in order to streamline the refund process.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) estimates that businesses are owed about $166bn in tariff refunds, after the supreme court invalidated Donald Trump’s levies under the Internation Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Legal filings suggest the first phase of refunds would handle the majority of imports that were affected, according to a report from NPR.
Most importers eligible for a refund had signed up for electronic payments, an official reportedly told a judge last week, adding this group was owed about $127bn.
Lauren Almeida
Oil prices have risen sharply and European stock markets have fallen after the US seizure of an Iranian vessel dented hopes for a peace deal.
Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose by 4.8% on Monday to $94.69 a barrel.
The price changes followed Donald Trump’s announcement on Sunday that an Iranian cargo ship had been seized after trying to get past the US-enforced blockade near the strait of Hormuz shipping channel.
Donald Trump is in Washington today. He’ll spend most of the day in meetings, and at 3pm ET he’ll sign executive orders. None of these are open to the press, but we’ll let you know if anything changes and we hear from the president.
Edward Helmore
After the supreme court struck down Trump’s tariffs in February, US businesses called for a swift process to pay refunds to US importers.
The US National Retail Federation, which represents a number of US retailers, from Walmart to small brands and manufacturers, called for “a seamless process to refund the tariffs to US importers” at the time.
“The refunds will serve as an economic boost and allow companies to reinvest in their operations, their employees and their customers,” it said.
The US Chamber of Commerce, too, called for swift return of tariffs covered by the ruling. Its chief policy officer, Neil Bradley, said: “Swift refunds of the impermissible tariffs will be meaningful for the more than 200,000 small business importers in this country and will help support stronger economic growth this year.”
“We encourage the administration to use this opportunity to reset overall tariff policy in a manner that will lead to greater economic growth, larger wage gains for workers and lower costs for families,” he added.
Dan Anthony, director of the business coalition We Pay the Tariffs, noted that the impact of the tariffs has been particularly hard on small businesses, which have taken out loans, delayed hiring and canceled expansion plans to accommodate import tariffs.
Refunds, he predicted, would allow businesses to reverse those trends.
The body published a national sign-on letter that said it was “imperative that that money is then given back without some of these onerous processes”.
“Full, fast automatic refunds is really where our focus is going to be,” it added.
“They’ve taken out loans just to keep their doors open. They’ve frozen hiring, canceled expansion plans, and watched their life savings drain away to pay tariff bills that weren’t in any budget or business plan,” the statement said. “But a legal victory is meaningless without actual relief for the businesses that paid these tariffs.”
Donald Trump said US negotiators will be in Pakistan on Monday, and he again threatened to destroy its power plants and bridges if no deal is reached.
Trump did not say who would lead the delegation, but a White House official said it was vice-president JD Vance.
Talks are in doubt after Iran said it had no plans for any new negotiations, saying Washington had violated a ceasefire agreement from its implementation.
A spokesperson also said Tehran can’t forget US attacks on Iran during previous diplomatic talks as he insisted that Iran will continue defending its national interests.
As a reminder, the US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on 28 February, and the 12-day war last year both were launched when Iran and the US were in talks over Iran’s nuclear programme.
You can follow the latest developments in the war with Iran in our live blog:
Trump administration launches portal to initiate tariff refunds
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
The Trump administration is expected to launch a refund system for businesses that paid tariffs later struck down by the supreme court. It is the first step in paying back $166bn in tariffs after justices ruled the Trump administration was overstepping its constitutional powers.
Importers and their brokers will be able to begin claiming refunds through an online portal beginning at 8am ET, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency administering the system.
It’s the first step in a complicated process that also might eventually lead to refunds for consumers who were billed for some or all of the tariffs on products shipped to them from outside the United States.
Companies must list the goods on which tariffs were levied. If CBP approves a claim, it will take 60-90 days for a refund to be issued, the agency said. CBP said in court filings that over 330,000 importers paid a total of about $166bn on more than 53m shipments.
More than 3,000 businesses, including FedEx and Costco, have sued the Trump administration to get refunds, the New York Times reports. FedEx has suggested customers could be in line for refunds for overpaid tariffs while Costco has said it may pass on refunds in lower prices for consumers.
But the former health secretary told BBC Newsnight he would prefer for the prime minister “to take a decision on his own terms”.
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Key events
32 mins: Algeria get on the ball in Argentina’s half for the first time in ages. They work the ball from side to side then look to attack down the right but Almada tracks back effectively.
30 mins: Messi misplaces a pass, then commits a foul trying to win the ball back. He is by no means the passenger we might have expected out of possession.
28 mins: Only when the ball is back with E Martinez do Argentina spread the field. Otherwise it is like a small-sided training exercise. The composure in tight areas and confidence in the collective technical ability is something to behold. The ball is in perpetual motion, then in the final third the single touches become more extravagant and daring, but always effective. Algeria can’t get near it.
26 mins: Messi is now the joint-third highest goalscorer in World Cup history. And he joins Cristiano Ronaldo as the only men to find the back of the net in five different World Cups.
24 mins: Time for a hydration break. That first quarter went according to plan for Argentina – but only just, with a VAR offside check saving them from conceding the opening goal.
22 mins: Messi works space from one of those rapier-like moves but his cross is overhit and Algeria clear. Argentina are hungry in midfield though and soon with the ball back. The North Africans are now defending in a deep low block, scared of pressing for fear the defending champions will just play through them.
21 mins: Argentina return to their game plan of working the ball around slowly and safely across their defence and midfield before darting forward like a fencer with razor sharp incisions.
20 mins: That goal was exactly how Lionel Scaloni had drawn up on the training ground. Technical excellence from back to front and individual brilliance of historic proportions.
18 mins: Sometimes all the hype is actually worth it.
Argentina are looking almost exclusively for vertical passes through the lines with even Messi dropping deep to accept possession. The little genius does just that to start a move with a one-two then ghosts unchecked into space between the lines. A couple of passes later the ball is at his feet with room to turn, which he does, then takes a couple of steps to advance towards the penalty area before unleashing an unstoppable left-footed effort that arcs away from Zidane and into the top right corner. Brilliant.
GOAL! Argentina 1-0 Algeria (Messi, 17)
You know the script.
15 mins: Argentina’s structure during build up play is very compact. They’re looking to ping rondo-style passes in tight areas to unlock Algeria on the half-turn with very little space between the back four and the front three.
13 mins: Argentinian songs rain down from the precipitous stands of Arrowhead Stadium as the team they are cheering on pad their possession stats. Eventually they work the ball through the lines on the left where Almada has an opportunity to do something decisive but he overhits his throughball to Messi when he may have been better off shooting.
11 mins: Algeria with a free-kick on the left. They go short – and like London buses, Messi makes a second tackle of the game to dispossess Hadj Moussa. Even though their goal was ruled out, Algeria have gained confidence from the move and started to spray the ball around nicely in midfield.
VAR! No Goal!
Brilliant from Maza in midfield, recycling possession, keeping the ball moving, teasing between the lines. He spots Chaibi darting between fullback and centre-half, feeds him perfectly, and the finish is glorious, deceiving Martinez at his near post.
But with the crowd adjusting to the shock excitement is quelled by a VAR intervention and the goal is ruled out for a marginal offside against the goalscorer.
GOAL! With their first attack Algeria opening the scoring!
7 mins: This is a rare low tempo contest. Argentina are dominating possession but not looking to force anything.
5 mins: The ball goes out of play on the right as a pass slightly in front of Messi beats the veteran’s quickstep. He has definitely lost a yard or six of pace. You wouldn’t know it during the next phase of play though as he jumps in behind and clips a delightful finish over the onrushing Zidane. However, his delight is cut short as he notices the assistant’s flag raised for offside. It was marginal, but he took off a fraction too early.
3 mins: In possession, Argentina are happy to bide their time and draw Algeria out to them. They do just that, Romero attempts the long ball, Almada picks up the scraps and crosses to La Martinez who heads straight at Zidane. He was offside anyway so it wouldn’t have counted.
2 mins: Argentina are defending in a 4-3-3 shape out of possession with Messi on the right of the front three. And you’ll never believe this – he did some defending – winning the ball back in his own half and feeding back to his keeper.
1 min: An early question to ponder as the action gets under way at walking pace: are Argentina the most heavily tattooed team at the World Cup?
Kick-off!
Lionel Messi’s World Cup campaign is under way…
Argentina’s anthem was sung with smiles and pride, the defending champions looking relaxed and confident. Algeria’s players belted out their own hymn with a steely determination on their faces.
The Fennecs’ kit improves on closer inspection, with some nice touches giving it a retro feel, imbuing the spirit of 1982, the Disgrace of Gijon, and all that.
Out walk the two sides into a stadium populated from near top to bottom in fans wearing Albiceleste colours.
Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane is wearing a protective face mask as he recovers from a severe jaw and chin fracture that he suffered playing for Granada in April.
Argentina will be in their glorious sky blue and white stripes today, complemented by black shorts and trim. Algeria are wearing their change strip of green with white shorts.
A selection of Messi stats for you to digest at as the veteran begins his valedictory World Cup.
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26 – record number of World Cup matches played
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6 – record World Cups appeared in (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
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13 – World Cup goals (joint fifth all-time)
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38 – age at kick-off (12th oldest at the 2026 World Cup)
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2 – record number of World Cup golden balls
Today’s officials are from Poland, led by referee Szymon Marciniak, who took charge of the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France, and the 2023 Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
He is a celebrity in Poland, appearing as a contestant on the Polish version of Hell’s Kitchen, and featuring in the documentary series Sędziowie, a behind the scenes look at the life of a referee.
Conditions are glorious in Kansas City. It is around 26C and dropping as golden hour drifts towards sundown.
The venue today is Arrowhead Stadium. This classically American open bowl can hold 76,000 spectators and is known commercially as GEHA Field. During the World Cup it is neutralised to Kansas City Stadium.
The primary tenants are NFL franchise the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of four Super Bowls, including three since 2019.
The venue has twice earned the Guinness World Record for the loudest stadium, first in 2013, then in 2014, during matches featuring the Chiefs.
Lionel Messi has already stamped his authority on the turf.
Daniel Sperry brings us one of those necessary World Cup stories that reminds us the hostile politics of the leaders of a nation does not reflect the hospitality of most its residents.
Jonathan Wilson has spoken to Luciana Alvarengue, the former maths teacher of both Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez, who provides a neat character study of the two World Cup winners.
“You either love maths or you hate it,” Alvarengue says. “There are no grey areas. Julián was very good at maths. He had a very good way of working in the classroom in general. Enzo was a little more difficult to deal with. There are days when you would say he was more focused on a game, on whether he was going to be selected or not.
“When he came into the classroom, Enzo liked to make sounds, banging his pencil case on the table. I remember entering the classroom, and on the left side was Enzo’s place, and he was with his back against the wall, his feet on the other bench, and there were days when he was like: ‘Today I’m going to stay like this.’ Julián was calmer, much more respectful.
22 players will walk out into the Kansas City evening with an equal chance of influencing this contest but the eyes of the world will be trained squarely on the oldest and shortest of them.
Your eyes are not deceiving you, that is a Zidane in goal for the Fennecs, Luca Zidane, son of the French World Cup legend.
Algeria XI
Vladimir Petkovic has opted for a 5-2-3 formation in a bid to stiffen his side’s defence. Star man Riyad Mahrez starts on the bench.
23 Zidane; 17 Belghali, 2 Mandi, 21 Bensebaini, 5 Belaid 15 Ait-Nouri; 19 Bentaleb, 14 Boudaoui; 22 Maza, 11 Hadj Moussa, 9 Gouiri.
Argentina XI
Lionel Scaloni has left in-demand Julian Alvarez on the bench for Argentina’s opening match. Cristian Romero is fit to start after fleeing Tottenham’s relegation battle.
23 E Martinez; 4 Montiel, 13 Romero, 6 Li Martinez, 25 Medina; 7 De Paul, 24 Fernandez, 20 Mac Allister; 10 Messi, 16 Almada, 22 La Martinez.
What about Algeria? Even Maher Mezahi isn’t sure what to expect.
Algeria are one of this World Cup’s great unknowns. On paper, this team has an impressive recent record: a friendly victory over the Netherlands made it 21 wins, four draws and three defeats from 28 matches under Vladimir Petkovic, with 67 goals scored. The problem is that it has been achieved against generally poor-quality opposition. Algeria’s qualifying campaign was a breeze, with Guinea and Mozambique – both considered Pot C sides on the continent – being their sternest tests.
We can be pretty sure Petkovic will lean on his players’ technical quality, play attractive football, but leave gaps in behind the defence. What we don’t know is which players will be called upon for half the starting positions.
Ok, turning our attention now to Argentina v Algeria, let’s get a view on the defending champions from the experts at Olé.
The holders arrive at the World Cup with a squad that knows each other almost by heart but perhaps not with its players in peak physical condition – several had injury set-backs at the end of a very demanding season with their clubs. If everyone is fit, the coach will field many of the same players who were crowned champions in Qatar, with the exception of Ángel Di María, who no longer plays for the national team.
Lionel Scaloni’s plan is to keep the 4-3-3 formation, with a solid defence featuring two centre-backs and two attacking full-backs, plus dynamic midfielders with excellent passing. Lionel Messi leads the charge once more, supported by the formidable Julián Alvarez and Thiago Almada, who could be the breakout star. Almost two thirds of the 2022 squad remains, but it now also includes some promising young players such as Nico Paz, who has been in excellent form at Como. They will also have established stars like Lautaro Martínez, who aims to be in top condition for this World Cup: something he couldn’t achieve in Qatar.
Norway have delivered on their pre-tournament dark horse status with a comfortable 4-1 victory over Iraq to join France at the top of Group I. There was a brace for Erling Haaland, putting the Manchester City goal machine alongside Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot.
In the latest who-cares-the-rapture-is-coming-soon-anyway news Johnny Child continues to turn left for global warming.
As a result of the huge distances the New Weather Institute has described this World Cup as “the most polluting event ever”, estimating that it will generate about 9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Air travel is responsible for about 7.7 million tons of that carbon estimate, more than four times that of the average for World Cups held from 2010 to 2022.
In today’s opening match France overcame a disjointed first half to run out comfortable 3-1 winners over Senegal. Les Bleus didn’t look at their best for big chunks but the class of Olise, Mbappé, Doue, and Barcola proved irresistible.
Mbappé now has 14 goals in 15 World Cup matches, drawing him alongside Gerd Muller on the all-time standings, behind only Ronaldo and Miroslav Klose. He will surely leave North America as the most prolific goalscorer in finals history.
Max and the gang celebrate Cape Verde on the latest World Cup Daily pod.
In case you missed it, international manager par excellence Hervé Renard will go to the ball after all. He of the fitted white dress shirt qualified with Saudi Arabia, only to lose his job on the eve of the tournament. The Frenchman has answered Tunisia’s SOS and will replace Sabri Lamouchi in the dugout for the remaineder of the tournament after the former Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City boss was sacked following a grisly opening defeat to Sweden.
Michael Butler compiled the latest Football Daily roundup, featuring Pico Lopes, Marcelo Bielsa, and the late Roy Hattersley.
Let’s ease into the third fixture of matchday six by peering into the mind of David Squires.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of match 19 of the 2026 World Cup between Argentina and Algeria. Kick-off in this Group J clash at Kansas City Stadium is 8pm local time (9pm EDT/2am BST/11am AEST).
The arrival of the defending champions into a tournament always adds a frisson of excitement to proceedings and that is the case today as Argentina get their campaign underway. Of course the presence of la Albiceleste also means that of captain, Lionel Messi, who alone has the heft of a participating nation in these parts since his move to MLS.
2022 was Messi’s crowing glory, the triumph that cemented his status among the very greatest in football history. He is not without a chance of adding a second winner’s medal to his collection in North America, but he faces a tougher task this time around as he and his team battle the unvanquishable opponent: time.
Algeria offer a stiff early test of an ageing team’s title defence. Ranked 28th in the world they are coached by the canny Vladimir Petkovic and captained by serial winner Riyad Mahrez. They warmed up for the World Cup by beating the Netherlands in Rotterdam and thrashing Argentina’s northern neighbours Bolivia 4-0.
I’ll be back shortly with team news and a round-up of all the matchday action so far. In the meantime you can keep an eye on Iraq v Norway and email any thoughts about the tournament so far to jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the ban will give children more time, security and freedom to grow up. But how do under-16s feel?
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