Nominees for key Senate seat to be set while voters choose in congressional contests reshaped by GOP gerrymanderThe first votes of the 2026 midterm cycle will be cast on Tuesday, with a pair of high-stakes US Senate primaries in Texas that will test both parties' appetite for political change in the Trump era.Voters across the state will decide their nominees for a critical Senate seat, as well as for several key congressional contests reshaped by a mid-decade gerrymander sought by Donald Trump to preserve the GOP's fragile House majority. Continue reading...
The world's most popular podcaster seemingly disapproving of ICE does not mean he has soured from the administrationJoe Rogan, the world's most popular podcaster, is struggling to sleep. In an interview last week, he complained that the madness" of the news cycle - from the release of the Epstein library, to US military strikes on Iran - has him overwhelmed". For some, this admission is just the latest sign that the world's most popular podcaster might be regretting his role in cheerleading Donald Trump back into office.It follows seemingly scathing criticism of ICE after the killing of Renee Nicole Good. Rogan compared ICE to the Gestapo in a short clip that quickly went viral. It led this newspaper to reasonably ask Has Joe Rogan fully soured on Trump's presidency?", with ABC, Bloomberg and CNN all recently reporting on Rogan's apparent disapproval of ICE. Continue reading...
Trump administration accused Luis Munoz Pinto of being part of the Tren de Aragua gang. Now living in Colombia he hopes to clear his name and study engineering in the USIt was the busiest hour of the evening in Bolivar Square, one of the most iconic spots in Bogota, Colombia's capital. Amid the buzz of smiling tourists, however, Luis Munoz Pinto sat very still, his head in his hands, as memories of his deportation from the United States to a Salvadorian prison flooded back.Munoz Pinto, 27, was one of more than 250 Venezuelan men accused by the Trump administration of being part of the dangerous Tren de Aragua gang and deported from the US to the brutal terrorism mega-prison called Cecot in El Salvador last March. Continue reading...
The president needs a quick win to avoid a quagmire - but he needs a long war to justify potential emergency powersDonald Trump has trapped himself in his war with Iran by announcing that his intention is regime change. That uncertain objective is linked to his most urgent objective at home. While pursuing regime change in Iran, he is desperately attempting to stop regime change through the midterm elections. He needs a swift victory in Iran to avoid a quagmire, but he needs a long war to attempt the assertion of unconstitutional emergency authority over the electoral process.Plunging into war followed Trump's signature style: he negotiated in bad faith, turned to bombing when the sides were making significant progress", according to Oman's foreign minister, was heedless of international law, and shut out congressional consultation. He offered as his imperative Iranian imminent threats", which the Pentagon briefed congressional staffers after Operation Epic Fury began was simply without basis in fact. There was no intelligence suggesting an imminent threat". Where's the WMD? Continue reading...
This is a war without a plan, without a strategy, and without any clear understanding of where it leads or how it endsI've spent the last several days checking with foreign policy experts, analysts and specialists in the Middle East for their understanding of Donald Trump's real goal in Iran, and how anyone (including him) will know he's achieved it.Several told me that Trump is seeking the kind of war" that the US executed in Venezuela - an abduction of a leader by special forces or, as in June, surgical airstrikes on locations where Iran appeared to be building nuclear bombs.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US columnist and his newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com. His new book, Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America, is out now in the US and on 15 March in the UK Continue reading...
The technology most people use only as a chatty tool for daily tasks is reportedly aiding US military aggression. And there is not much we can do about itThere are a lot of things that AI can do. It can sort out your shopping list, and it can keep your kids entertained when they're mutinous by spinning up a tailor-made bedtime story for them. It can make you more efficient at work, and can help our government operate more effectively.What is written less about, and what we need to shout louder about now, are the risks inherent in the militarisation of AI. In the last three months Donald Trump's White House has reportedly used AI twice to effect regime change, or to - in the most recent case in Iran - get as close to doing so as possible, and leaving it up to rank-and-file Iranians to finish the job.Chris Stokel-Walker is the author of TikTok Boom: The Inside Story of the World's Favourite App Continue reading...
After the league gathered for the combine, we look at the plots that will dominate the news cycle in the coming weeks and monthsBarring a gas mask situation, we know who will be the No 1 overall pick in the draft. The Raiders need a viable long-term solution at quarterback after Geno Smith flamed out last year. Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner and national champion, is the top quarterback on the board and will be the first named called on 23 April. After Mendoza, the real intrigue begins. Continue reading...
None of the prime minister's critics engages with the hard strategic dilemmas arising from Britain's perilous dependency on US powerIt is not easy being a friend of Donald Trump, but it is a lot less dangerous than being his enemy. There isn't a huge range of options in between. War in the Middle East is exposing how limited the choices are for a British prime minister.The US president doesn't see alliances as long-term relationships based on mutual advantage, but as rolling transactions on a mafia model. The boss offers protection in exchange for tribute and loyalty.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnistGuardian Newsroom: Can Labour come back from the brink?
He lasted just 11 days as White House communications director, before being fired from the Trump administration. The financier and broadcaster discusses working for the president - and becoming his biggest criticIf somebody walks into your office and says they're friends with Donald Trump, they're either exaggerating the relationship, or they don't understand the relationship," says Anthony Scaramucci. Because nobody is friends with Donald. You're a transaction in this guy's field of vision."Scaramucci should know. He has been non-friends with Trump for more than 30 years, though these days he's more an outright enemy. Just as the attention-devouring president once stalked Hillary Clinton on the debate stage, Trump looms large in Scaramucci's story. The two men seem to haunt each other. When we meet in London during a stopover in his hectic schedule, the conversation rarely drifts away from Trump for more than a few minutes. Conversely, the 62-year-old financier and broadcaster has become one of Trump's most vocal and penetrating critics. We fight like New Yorkers," Scaramucci says. He doesn't really come back at me, because he knows I'm going to come back at him." Unlike Trump's presumptive friends, Scaramucci does understand Trump, he claims. There's something called Trump derangement syndrome'; I think I have Trump reality syndrome'. I know what he is, I know what he does, I know what he's capable of and I know the danger of him." Continue reading...
Trump said military campaign could go far longer' then initial four-to-five week projection as violence and chaos ripple across Middle East - key US politics stories from Monday 2 March at a glanceDonald Trump has laid out four goals in Iran and said the US campaign had been projected to last four to five weeks but could go far longer than that".On Monday, the US president offered his most extensive comments yet about the war, going beyond two video messages and a series of brief phone interviews with reporters that offered sometimes conflicting objectives. Continue reading...
US first lady Melania Trump has chaired a meeting of the United Nations security council on children and education in conflict, two days after her husband, Donald Trump, and Israel launched attacks on Iran that prompted a UN warning about child safety. The UN event happened days after Iranian state media reported that an airstrike killed at least 165 people at a girls' school in southern Iran. Melania Trump did not comment on reports of strikes on the Iranian school. 'The US stands with all of the children throughout the world. I hope soon peace will be yours,' she said
State laws had limited sharing of information with parents about gender identity of trans students in public schoolsThe US supreme court has decided to block a series of California laws that can limit the sharing of information with parents about the gender identity of transgender students in public schools. This ruling marks a victory for parents who challenged these protections on religious and due process grounds.The emergency request was granted on Monday and the decision was made along party lines, with the three liberal justices dissenting. Continue reading...
Trump boycotted the dinner in 2017 and has not attended any in either of his terms as presidentDonald Trump said Monday he will attend the White House correspondents' association dinner for the first time as president.Writing in a social media post, Trump said: In honor of our Nation's 250th Birthday, and the fact that these Correspondents' now admit that I am truly one of the Greatest Presidents in the History of our Country, the G.O.A.T., according to many, it will be my Honor to accept their invitation, and work to make it the GREATEST, HOTTEST, and MOST SPECTACULAR DINNER, OF ANY KIND, EVER!" Continue reading...
Ruling retains boundaries for 2026 elections despite state court ruling it was unfair to Black and Hispanic residentsThe supreme court on Monday sided with Republicans in ruling that the boundaries of the only GOP-held congressional district in New York City do not need to be redrawn for the 2026 elections, despite a court ruling that the district is unfair to Black and Hispanic residents.Over the dissent of the court's three liberal justices, the conservative majority halted the state court ruling that had ordered New York's redistricting commission to redraw the district held by Nicole Malliotakis that covers Staten Island and a small piece of Brooklyn. Continue reading...
The first lady's UN security council speech came days after Iranian media reported an airstrike killed 165 people and injured 96 others at girls' school
Zinke, interior secretary during Trump's first term, cites health problems and declines to run again in MontanaRyan Zinke, a Montana Republican who served as interior secretary during Donald Trump's first administration, said he would not seek re-election to a fifth term in the US House, citing health concerns.The decision gives Democrats an outside chance to pick up a House seat in a state that has veered to the right politically over the past decade. Continue reading...
by Oliver Holmes, Sofia Couceiro, Maheen Sadiq, Alber on (#73YXW)
The war in the Middle East triggered by the joint US and Israeli attack on Iran expanded dramatically on Monday, with casualties and destruction reported across at least nine countries, including major strikes on Tehran.
The Fifa president's sycophancy towards the US president has left the organisation facing a new nadir, but any reckoning seems a distant prospectMr President. Fellow exco members. We're going to need a bigger Board of Peace. How many minipitches are we up to now? Gaza got 50 of them last month. What will it take to football-fix the global conflict being set in train by Fifa's own Peace Prize Boy? Ahundred mini-pitches? Fourbillion mini-pitches? All the minipitches in the universe?In a more sane version of what we must, out of habit, call the real world, it would seem absurd to talk about sports administration in the context of the US, Iran and the airborne conflict being played out across the borders of their allies. Continue reading...
President using very common cream', personal doctor Sean Barbarella says without giving detailsDonald Trump was seen with a rash on the side of his neck during the Medal of Honor Ceremony on Monday, fueling more speculation about the state of the president's health.In a statement, Trump's personal doctor said that the rash was caused by a cream that the president was using as a preventative skin treatment." Continue reading...
Civil rights leader will get final full honors from state where, in 1960, he led Black students into segregated libraryAfter a long career of fighting for civil rights, the Rev Jesse Jackson Sr is visiting his home for one last time to lie in state at the South Carolina capitol on Monday.The final full honors from the state where he was born is a far cry from his childhood in segregated Greenville, where in 1960 he couldn't go inside the local library's much better-funded whites-only branch to check out a book he needed. Continue reading...
The Guardian's senior international correspondent, Julian Borger, explains the implications within US and international law of Donald Trump ordering a joint attack with Israel against Iran Continue reading...
The US president laid out four objectives for the US and Israel-led operation, including destroying Iran's missile capabilities, annihilating its navy and preventing it from gaining a nuclear weapon. The US and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran on Saturday, killing several top Iranian leaders including the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
As for Keir Starmer, even when he tries to make a reasonably sound judgment he somehow ends up losing both sides of the argumentMaybe we should have just had done with it back in December. Instead of offering a polite reservation, every western country should have sent a full, state delegation to Norway. Begging, imploring the Nobel Committee to award Donald Trump the peace prize. We could all have chipped in a couple of billion just to make it even more worth winning.And if that wasn't enough, we could have twisted the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, to upgrade his Peaceiest Ever President" award to the Makes Jesus Look Second Rate" prize. A large solid gold statue of The Donald would have done the trick. There's more than enough in the Fifa slush funds. Continue reading...
Sir Keir Starmer draws a narrow legal distinction. But if British bases enable a wider US-Israeli campaign, the UK risks sliding into an unlawful conflictIn the Commons on Monday, Sir Keir Starmer was clear that Britain will not join offensive action against Tehran. It is wise not to join an illegal attempt at regime change from the skies". Sir Keir will, however,permit US use of British bases for limited defensive strikes aimed at stopping Iranian missile attacks. That is a legally clear line, but it may be politically and militarily tricky to stick to.Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu's actions are reckless and unlawful. But so are Iran's strikes - hitting hotels, airports and energy infrastructure - across the Gulf. Where Britain's allies have asked for support, or where UK nationals are at risk, the UK is legally entitled to act in collective self-defence. But this holds only as long as the action is restricted to haltTehran's barrage.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...
Video of Chris Kempczinski trying new product' the Big Arch burger criticized for feeling forced and corporateBusiness leaders are increasingly placing themselves in front of the camera, in an effort to appear more relatable to a social media-first audience. When it goes well, it can be a huge hit. When it doesn't, you risk becoming the subject of online ridicule.In the recent case of Chris Kempczinski, the McDonald's CEO and president, it's the latter. Continue reading...
by Andrew Roth and Joseph Gedeon in Washington on (#73YJ4)
Defense secretary refuses to establish timeline for how long operation will continue in first public remarks since strikesThe US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, has called the joint US-Israeli strikes in Iran the most lethal and precise air power campaign in history", indicated the US did not plan to effect a democratic transition in Iran - and refused to establish a clear timeline for how long the US operation will continue.In the first public remarks by an administration official since the war began on Saturday, Hegseth also said that the US did not have boots on the ground" in Iran but that he wouldn't speculate what we will or will not do". He also said that four US service members had been killed by a ballistic missile that managed to penetrate allied air defenses. Continue reading...
Banner has sparked criticism as Kirk was a polarizing figure who made incendiary and often racist and sexist commentsThe US Department of Education has hung large banners outside its building in Washington DC, including one featuring an image of the late far-right commentator, Charlie Kirk.Kirk, who was shot and killed last September while speaking at a campus event a Utah Valley University, co-founded the conservative non-profit organization Turning Point USA, which advocates for and promotes conservative politics among young people, particularly on college campuses. Continue reading...
Footage circulating on social media appears to show a military aircraft falling from the sky inKuwait. US Central Command (Centcom) said on Monday that three US F-15 fighter jets flying in Iran-related operations had mistakenly been shot down by Kuwait air defences and that the cause of the incident was under investigation. The US and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran on Saturday, killing several top Iranian leaders including the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Trump cited debunked claims in video address that Iran was on verge of nuclear weapons to justify US casualties. Plus, the teacher who exposed Putin's primary school propaganda
The days of the retirement league trope appear to be ending, while Inter Miami's star had an outstanding - and amusing - game against Orlando CityEven before David Beckham swapped Madrid for Los Angeles, MLS has harbored a reputation as a retirement league." The notion is well-worn in banter circles. It's tired, and also at least a little bit true.Robbie Keane. Kaka. David Villa. Andrea Pirlo. Didier Drogba. Wayne Rooney. Zlatan Ibrahimovi. All of them - and many others - enjoyed late-career stops in the United States. Today, three of the 11 players named to Fifa's Dream Team after the 2014 World Cup play in the league: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Thomas Muller (Vancouver Whitecaps) and James Rodriguez (Minnesota United). When Son Heung-min (33 years old) arrived in Los Angeles after his decade with Tottenham, he reunited with longtime Spurs teammate Hugo Lloris (39), and ensured derby days against the LA Galaxy's Marco Reus (36). Continue reading...
The war has already become regional: Iran is attacking American-aligned Arab states in the hope that they will pressure Trump to sign a ceasefireLast week, during his State of the Union address on Tuesday and again on Friday, just before launching Operation Epic Fury, Donald Trump laid out his case for attacking Iran.The US president offered a lengthy bill of indictment against Iran's Islamic Republic, stretching back to the 1979 revolution: the takeover of the American embassy in Tehran, support for terrorism, brutality towards its citizenry, and support for proxies that have killed Americans. Continue reading...
In contrast with the takedowns of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson, US consequences have been limited to resignations and apologiesWeeks after justice department officials released more than 3m investigative documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, there have not been any arrests in the US, prompting questions about whether any potential co-conspirators will be held accountable on American soil.Indeed, consequences in the US for the sex trafficker's associates have largely been limited to a handful of sombre resignations and public apologies of late - not high-level criminal prosecutions that victims and advocates have long demanded. Continue reading...
Lawmakers from Sanders to Mark Kelly offer mixed feelings on Trump's action and killing of Iranian supreme leaderAs Republicans celebrated the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with praise for Donald Trump's decisive action, Democrats faced their own divisions and a reckoning over how to present a united front.Most were quick to condemn the US president for sidelining Congress to launch an illegal and unconstitutional war and demanded a swift vote on a war powers resolution that would restrain his military onslaught. Continue reading...
Activists who dispute safety of vaccines are pushing to limit immunization requirements in schoolsAs South Carolina grapples with a measles outbreak that has infected nearly 1,000 people, groups with ties to the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, are pushing to eliminate immunization requirements that protect children.Activists are targeting vaccine mandates in states trying to tamp down measles as communities across the country struggle to stop the worst spread of the illness since the early 1990s. The Guardian found anti-vaccine groups are encouraging their followers to organize opposition to vaccine mandates in more than 20 states, including at least six with current measles outbreaks. Continue reading...
Local crews rescued Andrew Giddens, 36, near a borrow pit after he faced freezing weather without food or waterA Florida man who had been missing since Valentine's Day was found over a week later trapped in mud up to his shoulders, authorities said.Andrew Giddens, 36, had reportedly gone several days without food or water by then, and officials ultimately rescued him in dramatic fashion to end his nightmarish ordeal. Continue reading...
