Administration issues warning to US citizens: Leave Iran now' - key US politics stories from 13 January at a glanceDonald Trump has told Iranians to keep protesting and said help was on the way, in the clearest sign yet that the US president may be preparing for military action against Tehran.Iranian Patriots, keep protesting - take over your institutions!!! ... help is on its way," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday. He added that he had cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing" of protesters stopped. Continue reading...
US president also says Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison, whom he called amazing', could be bust' if he'd lostDuring an interview with CBS Evening News, Donald Trump claimed new anchor Tony Dokoupil wouldn't have his job if his opponent in the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris, had won.A year and a half ago, our country was dead," he argued. We had a dead country. You wouldn't have a job right now. If she got in, you probably wouldn't have a job right now... You wouldn't have this job, certainly whatever the hell they're paying you." Continue reading...
US president's flustered response to shouts calling him a pedophile protector' was to issue rude hand gestureDonald Trump gave someone the middle finger on Tuesday, reportedly responding to shouts admonishing him as a pedophile protector" as he toured a Michigan Ford plant. The celebrity news and gossip site TMZ shared a short video featuring the US president's flustered response to someone heckling off-screen, during which he appears to issue the hand gesture.Trump spent Tuesday afternoon touring Ford's River Rouge complex in Dearborn before giving a speech at the Detroit Economic Club. Continue reading...
Ilhan Omar said her caucus will oppose all funding' for immigration enforcement unless militarized policing endsProgressives in the US Congress on Tuesday vowed to oppose legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unless it included significant reforms to immigration enforcement, amid a widening roar among Democrats following the killing of a US citizen in Minnesota last week.The declaration by the Democratic-aligned Congressional Progressive caucus comes as the Senate and House of Representatives race to meet an end-of-the-month deadline to approve a series of funding bills or risk a partial government shutdown. Continue reading...
by Joseph Gedeon in Washington and agency on (#72STT)
Critics condemn bigoted attack' as Trump bids to revoke citizenship of naturalized immigrants convicted of fraudThe Trump administration is terminating temporary protected status (TPS) for Somalis living in the United States, giving hundreds of people two months to leave the country or face deportation.The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, said in a statement that conditions in the east African country had improved sufficiently and that Somalis no longer qualified for the designation under federal law. Continue reading...
by Sam Levin, Robert Tait and Lucy Campbell on (#72SJE)
A ruling against two athletes in West Virginia and Idaho could have far-reaching implications for civil rightsThe US supreme court on Tuesday appeared poised to uphold laws banning transgender girls and women from competing in female sports in two conservative states, in a landmark legal battle that could carry profound implications for trans rights across US society.During oral arguments on two cases of trans students who sued over Republican-supported laws in West Virginia and Idaho that barred them from girls sports, one member of the court's conservative majority after another voiced skepticism about the students' cases. Continue reading...
Actor denies allegations of abuse centering on two preteen boys in video statement: I'm going to confront these lies'The actor and director Timothy Busfield surrendered on Tuesday to New Mexico authorities, four days after they obtained a warrant to arrest him on child sexual abuse allegations, according to officials.The Albuquerque police department spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos confirmed Busfield turned himself over to officers after it was widely reported that the agency was working with US marshals to search for the Emmy winner. Continue reading...
Two Target employees forced to the ground, then into SUV, then dumped in different parking lotTwo US citizens who are employees of a Minnesota Target store were detained by federal immigration agents, before at least one was dumped in a different parking lot, community leaders and a Democratic politician have alleged.The Richfield incident is one in a growing number of violent encounters between civilians and federal agents captured on video since the killing of Renee Nicole Good by the ICE officer Jonathan E Ross on 7 January. Continue reading...
Mark Zaid, a national security attorney, regains access to classified material after accusing White House of retaliationAfter the Donald Trump administration revoked his security clearance in March, attorney Mark Zaid reported learning on Monday that the memorandum revoking his clearance is no longer in effect" - and that his access to classified info is restored".The development comes after Zaid sued the president's administration in May over the revocation of his security clearance. Continue reading...
The unwritten rule in professional tournaments? Do not hog the practice court. But as leading players testify - the reality is very differentOn a cool Wednesday afternoon before the USOpen last year, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev were busy fine-tuning their games in an intense practice set at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison, semi-finalists in the mixed doubles tournament, were scheduled to take their place at the hour and the American pair duly arrived a couple of minutes before their allotted slot.An amusing scene soon unfolded. Medvedev and Zverev were clearly desperate to continue playing for a little longer, but their court time had run out. The pair began to sheepishly deliberate over whether to attempt to play another game, even lining up on the baseline again, and they still occupied the court past the hour. Finally, they admitted defeat, allowing Collins and Harrison, whohad been standing quietly on the sidelines, to begin. Continue reading...
Attacking Jerome Powell distracts from Republicans' thin legislative record and policies that continue to squeeze American household incomesThe US government's authoritarian and vexatious attack on Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, should be seen in the light of America's affordability crisis, which Donald Trump once dismissed, but is now scrambling to claim as his cause. The cost of living is eroding his support ahead of the congressional midterms. By launching a legal assault on the Fed, Mr Trump is trying to shift blame for borrowing costs.Yet despite controlling the presidency, Senate and the House, Republicans have passed little beyond a large tax-cutting bill that benefits the rich. They have not legislated on housing supply, childcare, healthcare costs or wages. Indeed most of their actions are worsening affordability, notably deferring action even though millions face a sharp rise in their health insurance bills. Mr Trump's sudden enthusiasm for credit card caps and housing interventions is pure opportunism.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
James Comer said he would move to hold former US president in contempt for not appearing for testimonyBill and Hillary Clinton announced they would not comply with a subpoena demanding congressional testimony about their relationships to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, while launching an extraordinary attack on Republicans and Donald Trump.The Republican-led House oversight committee in August subpoenaed the former president and first lady after its chair, James Comer, announced the panel would review the government's handling of Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died by what was determined to be suicide while awaiting trial in 2019. Continue reading...
Ballot initiative, opposed by the ultra-wealthy, would levy one-time 5% tax on individuals worth more than $1bnCalifornia's governor, Gavin Newsom, renewed his pledge this week to fight a controversial plan to tax billionaires in the state. The proposed ballot measure, which could go to voters in November, has gained public attention recently amid heavy criticism and threats from tech moguls to leave the state.In interviews with Politico and the New York Times published on Monday, Newsom described his office's efforts to kill the proposed billionaire tax and told the Times he would do what I have to do to protect the state". As a direct-to-voters ballot initiative, Newsom would not have the power to veto the tax if the proposal passed. Continue reading...
Cartoonist - who was dropped from US papers in 2023 after calling Black people a hate group' - had prostate cancerScott Adams, the cartoonist behind the satirical comic strip Dilbert and conservative commentator, has died aged 68 after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.On Tuesday, Adams's ex-wife Shelly Miles revealed his death in a tearful livestream of his YouTube channel Real Coffee with Scott Adams. Continue reading...
Defense secretary says AI tool will join military systems later this month as it comes under fire for sexual imageryPete Hegseth announced on Monday that the US military will begin integrating Elon Musk's artificial intelligence tool, Grok, into Pentagon networks.Speaking at the SpaceX headquarters in Texas on Monday evening, the US defense secretary said that the integration of Grok into military systems would go live later this month. Very soon we will have the world's leading AI models on every unclassified and classified network throughout our department," Hegseth said. Continue reading...
Agreement in Siskiyou county comes after lawsuit from Hmong residents alleging harassment by law enforcementA northern California county accused of pervasive and systematic racial discrimination against Asian Americans has agreed to policing reforms and independent oversight.Siskiyou, a sprawling rural county in the state's far north, has for years been the site of conflict over water rights, marijuana and policing practices. Continue reading...
by Julian Borger Senior international correspondent on (#72STR)
Experts say obscuring plane's military identity would constitute a war crimeThe US aircraft that carried out the first airstrike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean was reportedly disguised as a civilian plane - a possible war crime.The New York Times reported that the aircraft had been painted to obscure its military identity, and its munitions were hidden inside its fuselage rather than visible under its wings. Continue reading...
The US president invokes the usual suspects - drugs, organised crime, illegal migration - but this is simply a grab for resources and powerIn the early hours of 3 January, Caracas and other cities in Venezuela were bombed and the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, was kidnapped along with his wife by US military personnel. In addition to the 100 deaths recorded so far as a result of the attack, approximately 100 more were caused by US attacks on small boats in the previous months, under the pretext of combatting drug trafficking. Although it seems clear that the real intention of Donald Trump's administration was to seize Venezuela's wealth, the initial argument to justify the military deployment in the Caribbean was that it was to fight the illegal drugs trade and stop the flow of migrants that the Venezuelan government was allegedly causing by emptying prisons of criminals and sending them to the US.As a criminology professor who has studied Venezuelan drug trafficking for 20 years, I find this far-fetched. To understand this, we have to consider Venezuela's historical role in drug trafficking. As a typical Andean country neighbouring the world's main coca producers, Venezuela has always played a significant role as a cocaine corridor. Since the turn of the century, its involvement in international drug trafficking has increased significantly as a result of growing European demand for cocaine, the effects of 2000's Plan Colombia, which displaced illegal operations to border regions and neighbouring countries, and the breakdown of technical cooperation with Washington.Andres Antillano is a social psychologist and professor at the Central University of Venezuela Continue reading...
Some of Trump's aides refer to his deputy chief of staff as the prime minister', with many of the most shocking policies leading back to him. Worrying about his actions isn't enoughIf you want to understand what's happening in the US right now, and what is likely to happen next, don't just focus on Donald Trump. Rather, pay close attention to Trump's deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller. It's increasingly clear that Miller, a man who has said that America is for Americans and Americans only" and who is on a mission to save the west" is the driving force behind the Trump administration's most extreme policies. Per a recent Bloomberg profile, some of Trump's aides even privately call Miller the prime minister".Miller's influence stretches across both foreign and domestic policy. Those masked immigration agents pulling people off the street, and occasionally shooting unarmed citizens in the face? You can trace their aggressive tactics back to Miller. The plot to get rid of birthright citizenship? Miller's hands are all over it. The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro? He helped plan it. The campaign to Maga-fy universities? Miller again! All right-leaning roads seem to lead back to Miller. Continue reading...
Less than two weeks into the year, the US is stoking mayhem at home and abroad - with midterms coming in the autumnHave we ever seen a year in recent memory begin with as much deliberate turmoil as 2026 has? Less than two weeks into 2026, we have witnessed Donald Trump deploy US forces to depose and abduct the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, along with Cilia Flores, his wife and close political adviser. The US president then informed the world that the United States would run" Venezuela for the time being, which he later explained could potentially last for several years.Trump has also threatened - and then seemingly made peace with - the president of Colombia; seized at least five oil tankers in the Caribbean (actions that UN experts label illegal armed aggression); promised US military strikes targeting cartels in Mexico against the wishes of Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum; and frightened the people of Cuba with the prospect that Marco Rubio could be their next president. Continue reading...
Issue dubbed great unifier' but Republicans and Democrats are instead jockeying for big tech's financial favorIn late October, an unlikely coalition formed to fiercely oppose controversial plans for more than a dozen Michigan datacenters - rightwing Stop the Steal" activists joined forces with groups like the Democratic Socialists of America, and people of all political stripes in between.Polling showed just 28% of residents supported new datacenters, and, amid the furor, Michigan state congressman Dylan Wegela introduced a bill to repeal datacenter tax credits. Despite an opportunity for what looked like an easy political win, the bill has few co-sponsors, is unlikely to move in the state house, and most datacenter plans are poised to be built. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Unsubscribe Act, to be reintroduced in the House on Tuesday, would ban complex subscription cancellationsThe average American is losing hundreds of dollars each year on subscriptions they forget to cancel or struggle to end, even as federal consumer protections meant to address the problem remain blocked by a federal court ruling.With the regulatory route stalled, two representatives are offering a bipartisan fix: California Democrat Mark Takano and Nevada Republican Mark Amodei are reintroducing the Unsubscribe Act Tuesday morning that would prohibit deliberately complex cancellation processes. Continue reading...
Since Trump retook office, protesters across the US are sending messages that are hard for drivers to missBonnie Connery was horrified when she read the news about the death of ICE observer Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on 7 January. Within minutes, she and her local Missoula Visibility Brigade were messaging each other. By 3.30pm, the group of 20 was standing on the South Reserve Street Pedestrian Bridge, arranging letters cut out of craft paper and glued onto black foam and hanging them across the bridge using bungee cords. Thousands of cars driving by during rush hour passed under their messages: ICE THUGS KILL CITIZEN" and DHS LIES."The idea was to grab drivers' attention quickly, which often means using a short, shocking message. When asked why the group chose this location, Connery said: These cars are driving out of Missoula, which is blue, into the very red areas outside of the city." Continue reading...
The inquiry into the Federal Reserve chair sends a message to anyone standing in Trump's way - including the supreme courtNews that Donald Trump's justice department has launched an investigation of Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, is the latest example of the president's governing philosophy: do what I want, or I will crush you. The desire to make Powell's life miserable is also a warning sign to anyone who thinks that they have an independent source of authority.What is happening to Powell is a test, not just for him and the Fed, but for any other person or institution that dares to stand up to the president.Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell professor of jurisprudence and political science at Amherst College, is the author or editor of more than 100 books, including Gruesome Spectacles: Botched Executions and America's Death Penalty Continue reading...
When the NCAA tied eligibility to standardized test scores in 1986, hundreds of recruits were barred from competition. But its legacy is still a subject of debateTony Rice noticed the looks and smirks during his first week of freshman classes in the fall of 1986 at Notre Dame.He had accepted his fate a few months earlier when standardized test results led to the decision that he would not be eligible to participate in collegiate sports his freshman year. But nothing prepared him for this. Continue reading...
Previous meddling has damaged the region, and once again the the US and Israel don't have Iranians' best interests at heartWhat does it take to shake illusions in western intervention? This is not a question designed to deflect from the barbarism being unleashed by Iran's theocratic regime. Because it severed the country's internet connection, facts are difficult to establish, but the respected Human Rights Activists in Iran has confirmed 544 have been killed and well over 10,000 arrested - those numbers are probably significant underestimates.Here is a regime that consolidated its power in the 1980s by butchering leftists - helped, it should be noted, by both MI6 and the CIA, who supplied them with lists of alleged Soviet agents. Today, trade union activists are arrested and tortured, while women's activists languish in jails. The economic disaster resulting from sanctions may have helped spark these latest protests, but millions of Iranians are fed up with living under fundamentalist rule - underlined by surveys confirming growing religious non-observance and opposition to the compulsory hijab.Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Mayor decries assault on our democracy' after employee detained during routine immigration appointment'Federal immigration agents detained an employee of the New York City council on Monday, sparking outrage from the city's leaders and renewed rebukes against the Trump administration's immigration actions.This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement on X. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation." Continue reading...
Trump also announced a 25% tariff for any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran' - key US politics stories from 12 JanuaryLast week, as growing protests in Iran were met with violent crackdowns, Donald Trump issued a threat to the country's leadership: You'd better not start shooting, because we'll start shooting too."This week the White House is doubling down on Trump's saber-rattling. Continue reading...
Relatives pay tribute to extraordinary mother' and hope killing by ICE agent leads to meaningful changeRenee Good's extended family said on Monday it wanted justice and accountability for her death at the hands of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, but urged people stirred to outrage by the shooting of the 37-year-old Minneapolis mother of three to root their conversations in humanity, empathy, and care for the family most affected".In a statement and in interviews with the Guardian, the family members - most of them relatives of Good's late husband Timmy Macklin Jr, the father of her youngest son - paid tribute to Good, her children, and to Macklin, and said they hoped the unimaginable loss" the family had suffered would lead to meaningful change and fewer families [who] have to endure this kind of pain". Continue reading...
Ballot proposes one-time, 5% tax on anyone in state worth more than $1bn and grant a five-year period for paymentPalantir co-founder Peter Thiel has donated $3m to a California lobbying group advocating against a proposed wealth tax that would target billionaires in the state. The seven-figure contribution comes as several ultra-wealthy tech moguls have left or threatened to leave California over the tax.Thiel, worth some $26bn, made the donation last month to the California Business Roundtable's political action committee, according to a public disclosure filing which was first reported by the New York Times. A representative for Thiel did not respond to requests for comment. Continue reading...
Lawsuit comes in the aftermath of an ICE agent fatally shooting Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole GoodThe Minnesota attorney general, Keith Ellison, announced a lawsuit on Monday against the federal government, seeking to end the surge of ICE agents in the state.The lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials comes in the aftermath of an ICE agent fatally shooting resident Renee Nicole Good behind the wheel of her vehicle last week, leading to protests across the city, and country. Continue reading...
Republican senator vows to block all Fed nominations until legal matter is fully resolved'Several Republican lawmakers have begun speaking out against the Trump administration's criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, with one senator going so far as to threaten all Fed nominations as a result.Thom Tillis, a senator from North Carolina, vowed to block all Federal Reserve nominations after the justice department opened the investigation, inflaming tensions over the central bank's independence. Continue reading...
Press chief says US president considering many, many' options amid deadly regime crackdown on protestersDonald Trump is unafraid to use military force on Iran" the White House said on Monday as the Iranian regime still faces widespread unrest across the country.Speaking to Fox News, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said that although diplomacy remained Trump's first option", he was unafraid to use the lethal force and might of the United States military if and when he deems that necessary". Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#72S5Y)
Former attorney general urges more clarity on British spy agencies' role in Abu Zubaydah's torture by CIAMinisters should explain why the UK has paid compensation to a Palestinian man who was tortured by the CIA and is still being held in Guantanamo Bay, according to a former attorney general.Abu Zubaydah, the first man subjected to CIA waterboarding, was reported by the BBC to have been awarded a payment that may amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds because of the role of MI5 and MI6 in his mistreatment. Continue reading...
Officials in Texas city issued boil water notice and set up water distribution centers after main line break on SaturdayMore than 100,000 residents in the Texas border city of El Paso were left with little to no water after a main break over the weekend, and it was expected to take till midweek for operations to return to normal, officials said.The break in the 36-inch water main line happened late Saturday night in El Paso, which has a population of about 700,000, officials said. Gilbert Trejo, an official with El Paso Water, called it an event of unprecedented proportion". He said the break was made even more impactful because of the way the pipeline itself was designed along with how different connections of smaller lines were made to it". Continue reading...
Man charged with maliciously damaging building after blaze at historic Beth Israel Congregation in JacksonThe FBI says that a suspect in the arson fire at a historic Mississippi synagogue admitted to targeting the institution because of its Jewish ties".Stephen Spencer Pittman was charged on Monday with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive, the FBI said. Continue reading...
US defense secretary Pete Hegseth tried to reduce veteran's pension for speaking out against Trump administrationDemocratic US senator Mark Kelly filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to nullify the chilling" attempt by the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, to reduce the military veteran's rank and pension as punishment for speaking out against the Trump administration.Hegseth had previously issued a formal censure to Kelly, a decorated retired navy captain and Nasa astronaut, for alleged seditious statements" he made urging service members to resist unlawful orders. It began a process that could lead to Kelly, a senator for Arizona since 2021, being demoted and having his pension cut. Continue reading...
Robert McBride, deputy to Trump ally Lindsey Halligan, is latest in series of dismissalsThe number two prosecutor in the US attorney's office for the eastern district of Virginia has been fired, according to two people familiar with the matter, the latest in a series of dismissals in an office that is leading controversial criminal prosecutions of James Comey and Letitia James.Robert McBride, a former federal prosecutor in Kentucky, was brought in late last year to serve as the deputy to Lindsey Halligan, a Trump ally who the president installed as the acting US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia in September. McBride was dismissed after declining to lead the Comey prosecution, which a judge threw out in November after ruling Halligan was unlawfully appointed, one of the people said. (The justice department is appealing the ruling.) Continue reading...
Maitlin Paige White accused of soliciting donations as Matthew Childress, whose daughter died at Camp MysticA Florida woman allegedly posed as the grieving father of a teenager who died in July's deadly Camp Mystic flooding in Texas and tried to raise money, leading to her being criminally charged with online impersonation, according to authorities.According to court records reviewed by multiple outlets, Maitlin Paige White, 28, of Crestview, Florida, is accused of posing as Matthew Childress and soliciting donations in the days after the death of his 18-year-old daughter, Chloe Childress, who was working as a counselor at Camp Mystic in Kerr county, Texas. Continue reading...
The tumultuous start to 2026 should force a reckoning in Brussels and European capitals, and a recognition of the power the EU can exertAnother week, another set of dilemmas for Europe's beleaguered political class to deal with. On Wednesday Brussels is due to outline the terms of the 90bn loan it has promised to Ukraine, amid internal tensions over whether Kyiv can use the money to buy US as well as EU weapons. On the same day, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is due to meet ministers from Denmark and Greenland, as Donald Trump continues to insist that the US will take ownership of the latter one way or another". And as the body count of protesters rises in Iran, the EU is under mounting pressure to do more than merely monitor" the situation, as the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, somewhat feebly put it over the weekend.Beyond the crisis management, a deeper reckoningis overdue after a tumultuous beginning to2026. It haslong been a truism that there is a profound mismatch between the EU's economic heft and its geopolitical clout. But only a year into Mr Trump's second term, the disjunction looks unsustainable in the America first" era.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
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