Ken Burns is one of the great chroniclers of US history.

Over a nearly 50-year career, the filmmaker has produced long-form works about America's Civil War, the Vietnam War, and, his latest epic production, The American Revolution.

As part of our America at 250 series, he talks about the birth of the US and what lessons it holds for the world today.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino this week strenuously defended America hosting the World Cup, in partnership with Canada and Mexico. 

Even before kick-off time, the tournament was mired in controversy over ticket pricing, accommodation and transport arrangements, along with the decision to allow the Iranian team entry to the United States despite an ongoing war.

Will the drama of the largest and most lucrative World Cup in history continue to extend beyond the football field?

Misinformation is everywhere.

And among the most harmful types is scientific misinformation, with all kinds of severe real-world consequences.

So how can we inoculate ourselves against this, and do we need a better understanding around "trust" and science?

Is the end of the Iran war in sight?

The Iranian foreign ministry, President Donald Trump and Pakistani mediators all say a deal is close to being finalised.

But we've been here before, with CNN calculating this week that Trump has said 39 times that the US and Iran are on the verge of a deal.

The conflict is set to be high on the agenda at next week's G7 Summit in France, where world leaders will be watching developments closely.

To celebrate what would have been Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday last week, over a thousand die-hard fans donned platinum blonde wigs, red lippy and white halter-necks in Palm Springs, California.

They easily broke the world record for the most Marilyn Monroe lookalikes in one place — snatching it from 254 lookalikes from Adelaide. 

That's not the end of the story. The Adelaide Marilyns are vowing to claw back their record within months. 

As part of our series marking 250 years since American independence, we feature British historian Adam Smith.

In 1775, war broke out between the British and the American colonists. The following year, the former colonies declared themselves independent and in 1783, following a prolonged and bloody war, Britain was forced to recognise the independence of the United States.

Adam Smith discusses why a former colony, populated overwhelmingly by loyal British-Americans, became revolutionaries.

Last weekend on a London stage, acclaimed actress Rosamund Pike did something very unexpected.

Pike, who is starring in Inter Alia by Australian playwright Suzie Miller, returned to the stage at the end of the play, to call out some bad theatre etiquette.

So, in 2026, what's OK and not OK in a theatre or cinema?

It's no secret that legacy media is facing a crisis.

Traditional media outlets like newspapers, television and radio stations have had their business model upended by the internet, social media and now AI.

Newspapers in the US are closing their doors at a rate of two per week, according to one study, while in Australia over 200 local newspapers have disappeared over the last 15 years.

CBS News, owned by the billionaire Ellison family has recently sacked 60 Minutes correspondents, while earlier this year The Washington Post, which is owned by the billionaire Jeff Bezos, axed over 300 jobs, in a move employees described as a 'bloodbath.'

How healthy is the fourth estate in the age of social media, AI and Trump 2.0?

Elon Musk's SpaceX is planning for what could be its biggest launch yet.

Next week, the rocket, space, and AI company is set to make its initial public offering, or IPO, which may end up being the largest in history.

And if it all goes to plan, this Musk is set to become the world's first trillionaire.

This week, there were signs that Australia-Solomon Islands relations are on the mend, when the new leader of the Solomons Matthew Wale stood alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra to announce plans for a new security treaty — and that a secretive security deal with Beijing would be reviewed.

Meanwhile across the ditch, four New Zealand MPs have been banned from travelling to China after the group visited Taiwan.