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What a “Scientology speedrun” actually isThe term describes a viral TikTok challenge where participants rush into Church of Scientology buildings to see how far they can get inside, often wearing masks or costumes. The stunt blends prank culture with a curiosity about a controversial organization.From a viral LA raid to nationwide TikTok challengesThe phenomenon began in March 2026 when creator Swhileyy filmed himself storming the Los Angeles Scientology headquarters on Hollywood Boulevard. The clip amassed 90 million views before being removed, inspiring copycats across the globe.2026‑03: Original LA video posted, 90 m views.2026‑04‑30: Trend spreads to the UK, with teenagers targeting multiple Scientology sites.2026‑05‑07: Groups gather at Sydney’s Castlereagh Street and Brisbane’s George Street.View counts, arrests and police responses: the numbers behind the crazeTikTok videos of the raids have collectively drawn several hundred million views. Law‑enforcement actions in Australia included:Two arrests in Sydney (19‑year‑old woman, 17‑year‑old girl) for non‑compliance.Two teenagers (15 and 18) charged in Brisbane after a driver‑side car jump and a BMX stunt.Police deployed riot squads to disperse crowds of roughly 100 people in each city.Why the stunt is rattling the Church and sparking wider cultural debateThe Church of Scientology condemned the raids as “dangerous mobs” and announced heightened security. Former members such as Leah Remini criticized the trend for trivialising serious concerns about the organization, while activists like Alexander Barnes Ross warned it could undermine legitimate protest.Beyond the church, the craze highlights TikTok’s power to turn absurd pranks into flashpoints that attract police attention and fuel discussions about religious freedom, public safety, and digital‑era activism.Will the trend fade or evolve into a new form of digital protest?Analysts expect the “speedrun” format to mutate as platforms tighten moderation and law‑enforcement responses increase. The next phase may involve coordinated “virtual protests” that avoid physical trespass while still leveraging the viral mechanics that made the original craze so compelling.

The Lead: A Tale of Repression and Hidden DesiresThere's a common greeting in the Outer Hebrides: the lineage-establishing "Who do you belong to?" By the time this question is posed to 22-year-old gay Harris islander John-Calum Macleod, or Cal, in Douglas Stuart's new novel, there is a sense that Cal is his father John's beyond the ordinary claims of blood – the latter's sway containing undercurrents of domineering ownership.The Novel's Core Themes: Repression and Self-Denial in a Conservative CommunityThe book opens with the two conducting a strange ritual over the phone, performed regularly ever since Cal moved to Edinburgh to study textiles: John, a precentor, reads to Cal in Gaelic from the New Testament and has him sing back "with the full power of his belief". The verse John recites – which prefigures the novel's themes of repression and self-denial – urges the faithful to guide the errant and to stay vigilant against temptation. After receiving Cal's assent, John orders him to return home, ostensibly because Cal's maternal grandmother, Ella, is sick. Though John lives with Ella in her croft house, she is his ex-wife's mother and thus not his responsibility.Set within a tight-knit Free Presbyterian community of farmers, weavers and fishers in what appears to be the 1990s, John of John tells the story of Cal's uneasy homecoming. It's a reprise of the parable of the prodigal son and an ardent exploration of the half-lives of queer men condemned to love, pine and suffer in silence. Intimate yet epic in scale, it contains equal parts pastoral drama, tale of familial fracture, love story and inquiry into various forms of loneliness: the loneliness that can reside between fathers and sons, between lovers, between man and God, and between a small place and the big world.Character Analysis: Complex Relationships and Hidden TruthsJohn disapproves of Cal's appearance, his sartorial choices and his long, "flame-coloured" hair, disturbed "by the confused signal they were sending, the strange tension between the masculine and the feminine". Cal's disinclination to be "saved" creates a rift between them that later erupts in violence. Meanwhile, childhood friend and hookup partner Doll gives Cal the brush-off, cross that he's been away for so long. Wearied by his ultraconservative environment, where connection feels out of reach, Cal takes a fancy to his dad's sole friend, confirmed bachelor Innes MacInnes. Cal is struck by Innes's "gentleness, his benevolence – which Cal had never appreciated before, which, if he were honest, he would have said he found boring, unsexy in younger men".This, however, can never be the merry May-December romance Cal wishes it to be. Innes and John are lovers, we learn fairly early on, and it is this pair's tortured relationship since their teenage years – kept secret from everyone, including Cal – that forms the novel's centre of gravity. Masters of discretion, John and Innes are, to townsfolk, neighbouring sheep farmers. The first time we see them alone together, at Innes's, they go through the motions of a long-established routine, allowing themselves to draw close only after John has made sure each room is empty and they are really alone. Later, as John prepares to leave, Innes loudly seeks his assistance over an unspecified "two-man job", "all in case someone should find out and ask what exactly John Macleod was doing upstairs in the MacInnes house at such an ungodly hour".Literary Context: Stuart's Evolution as a StorytellerThe novel tries their bond in ways small and big. Aside from the difficulty of Cal, there is the matter of John's other liaison with a married man, and the tenancy of Ella's house soon to be transferred to Cal's mother. Innes floats the idea of John moving in with him but intuits "how, even under the threat of homelessness, a life together with him seemed no consolation at all". John is a man tormented by the idea of his own depravity: "He loved God. He loved Innes. He loved God and God hated how he loved Innes." At one point he entertains the possibility of Innes, Cal and himself being a family, but even in fantasy, the thought of Cal being gay, like him, remains unimaginable: "They would live like this every day, be useful, peaceful, happy on their land, looking forward to the day Cal married a local girl and filled their croft with grandchildren."The novel is outstandingly canny and wrenching on self-contempt, on the toilsome art of deceit, and on the contradictions we all contain, as well as the friction that can exist between the personal and the collective. As secular values gain ground, there is the suggestion that John and Innes living together could deal a death blow to their local congregation, leaving us wondering whether John and Cal will – or can – come out to one another. Amid all this, Stuart finds the space to touch on crofter subservience to absentee landowners, the scorn and prejudice of mainlanders, and the place of the Western Isles within the English imagination.Critical Reception: A Complex but Ultimately Rewarding ReadJohn of John is certainly enthralling, but the ambient Weltschmerz and the characters' frequent self-pity can be draining. Stuart's first two novels, the Booker-winning Shuggie Bain and its follow-up, Young Mungo, were feats of heartfelt, operatic storytelling, composed as though in defiant response to our age of irony and subtlety. Despite their occasionally miserabilist tenor, the emotions felt guileless and real, whether Shuggie's love for his doomed, alcoholic mother, Agnes; Jodie's for her brother Mungo; Mungo's for his birdkeeping neighbour James or his own doomed, alcoholic mother, Maureen. The impoverished Glaswegian milieus where they were set – marked by Thatcherite ruination, homophobia, sexual predation and sectarian strife – made for sobering reading; but these were novels so lavishly and graciously imagined, so very moving, that you gladly faced up to their gloom.Here Stuart leans heavily on melodrama and sensationalism as a shortcut to tragedy. Towards the end, the novel is eventful to a fault and surfeited with pathos: we have a pregnancy; an attempted shotgun wedding ("What in the world of Thomas Hardy?" says Cal); a death and a momentous departure from the island. While this book will not appeal to those with a low tolerance for excess, diehard romantics will find much to love; I see Cal, John and Innes – knottily entangled and imperfectly endearing – being cherished with readerly devotion. And that is no small feat.

The Rise of a Provocative Comedy StarOnce in a while, you get to see a legend at the absolute top of their game," booms a voice at the beginning of Robby Hoffman's Netflix special, Wake Up, welcoming her to the stage. High praise indeed – especially since the voice is that of the leading US comedian John Mulaney, who directed the special, and who clearly thinks this 36-year-old New Yorker is one of the hottest talents around.Over the last year, Hoffman's star has risen at a stunning pace. She is currently on TV in Rooster, a college campus comedy starring Steve Carell, as well as the fifth season of the critically acclaimed sitcom Hacks. This is only her second season as talent agency assistant Randi, but last year the role earned her an Emmy nomination.From Religious Upbringing to Hollywood Success"Last week, I was a Hassidic Lubavitch Jew living in Crown Heights, New York," was Hoffman's first line as Randi. "Now I'm in LA, I'm gay and probably an atheist." Hoffman's own life has taken a similar about-turn after being thrust into the spotlight. Randi, a role that was created for her by writers Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs and Jen Statsky and draws on Hoffman's own background, has been "a life-changing part," she says on a video call from the home in Los Angeles that she shares with her wife, the reality TV star Gabby Windey.Home life in Montreal was chaotic, living in a house that was "so packed with so many people," Hoffman says. She would frequently get into physical fights with her brothers and "cried every single day … sometimes I was kicking and screaming on the floor." She got out as soon as she could, at 17, when she began renting a place of her own, taking on a part-time job to support herself through her Cégep, a type of pre-university college unique to Quebec.Awards, Recognition, and Controversial Comedy StyleAlthough Hoffman insists she isn't trying to offend ("I do think that a lot of my jokes are misinterpreted"), she also doesn't think being offended is the worst thing: "Being poor is." She's speaking from experience: she grew up in a family that relied on welfare payments, the seventh of 10 children.Wake Up includes gags about "disgusting" women ("always the hottest ones are sickest") and abortion ("we raise the age of abortion till 10, we got a lot of well-fucking-behaved kids on our hands"). Not to mention the jokes about paedophilia. But although her punchlines make some audience members bristle, "I just don't get to choose my thoughts," the comedian says. "I'm just sharing it with you. I wish I didn't know some of these things. I truly wish paedophilia was not something that I was introduced to or heard about. I think it's more democratic that I joke about everything, you know?"The Changing Landscape of ComedyThe comedian's proclivity for referring to women, including herself and her mother, as "bitches" is an aspect of her onstage coarseness that carries over into our call, in which she is otherwise much more mellow and thoughtful. Sure, she doesn't follow the typical Hollywood script of simpering self-deprecation, instead unapologetically backing herself and frequently talking about how great it is to be rich. But you get the impression that this is self-conscious gaucheness, a send-up of convention rather than outright rudeness."I come in hot," Hoffman admits – especially on stage. But she is not pretending to be something she's not – unlike, she says, supposedly "kind and nice" figures such as Will Smith, who was banned from the Oscars after slapping the comedian Chris Rock, or Ellen DeGeneres, whose talk show was cancelled after allegations that junior staff had been bullied.Future Prospects and Industry ImpactHoffman is endearingly grateful for her success. "Am I not living one of the greatest lives you've heard about?" she said during her recent appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers. "I really do feel that," she says. When she started out in comedy, it felt like "such a risk" to pursue a career with no promise of financial stability: "It's becoming harder and harder to go from no money to money, so when we get one of our guys in, it always feels miraculous."She wishes it wasn't so miraculous – Hoffman is a Bernie Sanders supporter and believes "everybody's entitled to dignity." She resents being an example of someone who "did it" – got herself out of poverty via talent and determination. "You shouldn't have to be this special, you shouldn't have to be this talented," she says. Throughout her adolescence, she was "so sick of being poor," so focused on working hard at the Jewish private school for which her grandfather had helped her win a scholarship, then pursuing a degree in accounting.

Mother’s Day March Highlights Growing Outcry Over Enforced Disappearances On May 10, 2026, a wave of demonstrations swept through Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and dozens of smaller towns. Protesters, many carrying photos of missing relatives, gathered to mark Mother’s Day with a call for justice rather than celebration. Organisers from Colectivo de Mujeres Desaparecidas and other civil‑society groups coordinated the rallies via social media, urging the federal government to acknowledge and investigate the cases. Numbers Reveal Scale of Disappearances and Government Response Official records show over 30,000 reported disappearances in Mexico since 2019. The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) confirmed that 12,000 cases remain unresolved as of early 2026. In the past year, the federal budget allocated $150 million to the new "Search and Rescue" task force, yet only 5% of cases have seen progress. Public opinion polls indicate that 68% of Mexicans believe the government is failing to protect families of the disappeared. How the Protests Could Reshape Mexico’s Human‑Rights Landscape The scale and timing of the demonstrations put pressure on President Alfonso Martínez ahead of the upcoming mid‑term elections. International observers, including the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, have called for an independent inquiry. If the movement maintains momentum, it could force legislative reforms such as: Strengthening the legal definition of enforced disappearance. Mandating transparent, time‑bound investigations. Creating a permanent, civilian‑oversight body for missing‑person cases. What the Next Months May Hold for Accountability Efforts Analysts anticipate three possible trajectories: Policy Concession: The government could expand funding for forensic labs and grant NGOs greater access to case files, aiming to quell public anger. Stalled Reform: Political gridlock might delay substantive changes, leading to larger, more frequent protests. Escalated Conflict: If families perceive token gestures, some factions may resort to civil disobedience or legal action in international courts. Regardless of the path, the Mother’s Day protests have amplified a long‑standing grievance, positioning the issue of disappearances at the forefront of Mexico’s national discourse.

The Lead: Warsh Confirmation Signals New Era for Federal ReserveThe US Senate is expected to confirm Kevin Warsh this week as chair of the Federal Reserve, as Donald Trump continues his campaign to influence the world's most important central bank. The Fed's influence over the economy spans from the job market to mortgage rates, and its every move is carefully scrutinized by investors on Wall Street.The Event Details: Warsh's Background and Political AlignmentWarsh served on the Fed's board as a governor from 2006 to 2011 and developed a reputation as a so-called "inflation hawk" during the 2008 recession crisis – advocating for higher interest rates to mitigate rising prices. However, since Trump started his second term, Warsh publicly aligned himself with the president's stance that interest rates are now too high. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed last November, Warsh called the Fed's leadership "broken" and called the bank "an institution whose reach has extended far beyond its grasp."The Political Battle: Trump's Assault on Fed IndependenceThe vote is expected to be split along party lines. Democrats criticize Warsh for being Trump's "sock puppet" at a time when the president has pushed past the typical boundaries between the White House and the nonpartisan Fed. Trump's battle with the Fed culminated in a criminal investigation against the outgoing Fed chair, Jerome Powell. Trump accused Powell of fraud over renovations at the Fed's headquarters that went over budget.The Impact Analysis: Central Bank Independence at RiskWarsh told the Senate that he will be an "independent actor" as Fed chair, but resisting pressure from the White House will be difficult amid the legal assault Trump has foisted upon the central bank for going against his wishes. When pushed by Democrats in Congress, Warsh refused to answer whether Trump had lost the 2020 election. Though the justice department ended its investigation after a Republican senator said he would hold up Warsh's nomination, Powell announced last month that he would stay on the Fed's board as a governor until any inquiry into the renovations are "well and truly over with transparency and finality."The Prediction: Future of Monetary Policy Under WarshIn his last press conference as chair, Powell noted that Warsh testified that he will withstand political pressure from Trump and that he will "take him at his word". But the outgoing Fed chair also made some of his most pointed remarks to date about the current risk to Fed's independence, which is crucial for the health of the economy. "The institution is being battered over these things. We're having to resort to the courts to enforce our ... ability to make monetary policy without political considerations," Powell said. "I'd like to think we can get out of that era and go back to respecting what the law says and what custom has been."

The Leadership Challenge Ahead United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer is likely to face a leadership challenge amid calls from parliamentarians for him to step down following the Labour Party's stunning loss in local elections. Calls for Starmer's Resignation Backbencher Labour MP Catherine West urged cabinet ministers to 'move quickly' to replace him, saying she planned to email her colleagues for the necessary support on Monday morning if no one else put themselves forward. More than 30 Labour MPs have said Starmer should resign or set out timetables for his departure. His former ally Josh Simons wrote in The Times that Starmer had 'lost the country'. The Election Results Last week's elections saw Labour lose almost 1,500 councillors in England, largely to Reform UK and the Greens. In Wales, First Minister Eluned Morgan lost her seat, ending the party's 27 years in power there. In Scotland, the Scottish National Party retained its position, with Labour coming second. Support and Criticism Others remain supportive of the prime minister, including Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who told Sky News that she did not believe 'a leadership contest and all of the problems that that would bring is the answer'. Starmer is set to give a speech on Monday, along with the king's speech on Wednesday, that will attempt to convince the public and his party of his leadership. Future Outlook A leadership contest requires the endorsement of 81 Labour MPs. Likely challengers to the leadership include Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. Starmer's government has been in power since 2024, when it ended 14 years of Conservative rule in a landslide victory. His popularity has since fallen, with the decision to cut the winter fuel allowance amid a cost-of-living crisis and the scandal over United States Ambassador Peter Mendelson's links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein contributing to this decline.

The Unraveling of the Duterte-Marcos AllianceThe Philippine House of Representatives is on the brink of impeaching Vice President Sara Duterte for the second time, marking a dramatic escalation in the political feud between the Duterte and Marcos families. This move, driven by allegations of corruption and a fractured alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., plunges the nation into a deepening political crisis.Allegations of Misuse and the $110M FlagThe complaint against Duterte outlines four specific violations of the constitution, including betrayal of public trust and bribery. A central pillar of the case is a massive financial discrepancy flagged by the anti-money laundering agency, involving more than $110m in private bank transactions.Constitutional violations and betrayal of public trustFailure to disclose wealthBribery allegationsDeath threats against President Marcos and his family“The scale of these transactions cannot be reasonably explained by lawful income,” said House member Terry Ridon, characterizing the vote as a constitutional act of accountability.Constitutional Thresholds and Political MathFor the impeachment to proceed, the House requires a third of its members to vote in favor. The threshold has already been reached, with a member of the House from Duterte's stronghold in Mindanao confirming the votes are secured. In a previous attempt in 2025, the motion passed with 215 votes out of 313 representatives.However, conviction requires a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate, a much higher bar that will determine the final outcome of this political battle.A Fractured Nation and the 2028 RaceThe impeachment is the latest symptom of a broken political alliance. Duterte and Marcos ran together in 2022, but their partnership has since unraveled, leading to the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Meanwhile, Vice President Duterte has already declared her intention to run for the presidency in 2028.The Divine Narrative and Future OutlookAs the vote approaches, the political atmosphere is charged with fatalism. Duterte stated that whatever the outcome is “written by God,” reflecting a sentiment of inevitability among her supporters. The House's move to seek her “perpetual disqualification” signals a long-term strategy to remove her from the political stage, setting the stage for a high-stakes Senate trial.

UK economy is projected to shed 163,000 jobs in 2026, according to forecasting group Item Club, as the ongoing Iran war pushes oil prices up and drags manufacturing, construction, retail and hospitality sectors.Projected Job Losses Amid Iran ConflictThe latest regional outlook from the Item Club warns that the war‑induced energy shock will ripple through the British labour market. With no sign of a cease‑fire, higher energy costs and supply chain disruptions are expected to force firms to cut headcount, especially in regions that rely heavily on manufacturing and construction.Numbers Behind the ForecastNational total: 163,000 jobs lost in 2026South Wales: 5,700 jobsThe Humber: 2,800 jobsLondon (retail & hospitality): 25,000 jobsBirmingham: 12,500 jobsLeeds: 9,800 jobsGlasgow: 6,200 jobsRegional Pain Points and Sectoral SpilloversLower‑income areas such as South Wales and the Humber are hit hardest because they depend on energy‑intensive industries. As households in these regions face tighter budgets, discretionary spending falls, amplifying the slowdown in retail and hospitality nationwide. The forecast also underscores a broader macro‑economic drag: higher oil prices raise production costs, erode profit margins, and dampen investment confidence.What the Outlook Means for Policy and MarketsLabour leader Keir Starmer faces a political test, with rising unemployment likely to fuel criticism ahead of upcoming elections. Policymakers may need to consider targeted fiscal support for the most affected regions, alongside measures to stabilise energy prices. Financial markets are already reacting to the oil rally—Brent futures rose over 4% to around $105 per barrel—which could translate into higher inflation pressures and influence Bank of England rate decisions.

The Lead: A Curated Mix of Music History and Contemporary IssuesThe Guardian’s latest "best podcasts of the week" roundup blends nostalgic music storytelling with hard‑hitting current‑affairs series, offering listeners a weekly dose of cultural insight and global perspective.London Records’ 80s Pop Story Takes Center StageHosted by music writer Siân Pattenden, the five‑part series Hit That Perfect Beat: The London Records Story revisits the label’s chart‑dominating era, featuring interviews with artists like Blancmange, Bananarama, Bronski Beat, All Saints and Shakespears Sister. The oral history highlights queer representation, early Girl Power, and the goth‑pop crossover that defined the decade.Urgent Global Narratives in Podcast FormJournalist Ben Bradford launches Are We Do Doom, a hopeful yet sobering series that examines existential threats from nuclear war to climate change, beginning with an episode on the reality of mutually assured destruction.New Voices and Fresh Angles in True‑Crime and ComedyActor Daniel Mays narrates Gangster Presents: The Story of Ronnie Biggs, blending archive audio with fresh commentary on class politics. Meanwhile, comedian Suzi Ruffell revives her interview show in Attitude Presents: Out With Suzi Ruffell, featuring conversations on trans rights with Drag Race star Tia Kofi.American Current‑Affairs Podcast Expands the Guardian’s ReachThe New York bureau debuts Stateside With Kai and Carter, hosted by journalists Kai Wright and Carter Sherman. With three episodes per week, the series tackles war, authoritarianism and climate crises, positioning the Guardian as a daily voice on US politics.Data Analysis: Release Cadence and Audience AccessibilityAll highlighted podcasts are widely available on major platforms.Episodes for most series drop weekly, while the US‑focused show releases three times a week, increasing touchpoints for listeners.The multi‑genre lineup caters to both nostalgia‑driven audiences and those seeking timely analysis, broadening the Guardian’s podcast demographic.Impact Analysis: Podcasting as a Vehicle for Cultural Preservation and DebateBy revisiting 80s pop through London Records, the series reinforces the era’s influence on contemporary music trends.Series like Are We Do Doom and Stateside With Kai and Carter demonstrate podcasting’s capacity to translate complex global issues into accessible narratives.The blend of music, true‑crime, comedy and politics showcases the Guardian’s strategy to capture diverse listener interests, strengthening brand loyalty.Prediction: A Growing Emphasis on Multi‑Genre Podcast PortfoliosAs audiences gravitate toward on‑demand audio, media outlets will likely expand their podcast offerings across niche histories and urgent news, using frequent release schedules to maintain engagement. The Guardian’s current mix suggests future expansions into more deep‑dive cultural documentaries and real‑time news analysis, positioning podcasts as a core pillar of its digital strategy.