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A burgeoning set of Muslim creatives and intellectuals are thriving amid the backdrop of Zohran Mamdani's rise. We ask 18 of them about this historic moment in New York City lifeAgainst the backdrop of Zohran Mamdani's mayoral rise is a dynamic scene of Muslim creatives and intellectuals who are helping usher in a new era for New York City. Their prominence represents a rebuke of the ugly Islamophobia that defined the period following 9/11, and is in many ways an outcrop of the mass movement for Palestinian rights forged over the last two years. We ask 18 Muslim New Yorkers to discuss their work and what this moment means.

From the election of Zohran Mamdani to buzzy restaurants and nightlife, Muslim New Yorkers are creating a growing imprint on the city

State resolutions are under-utilized right now and could be a significant mobilizing factor for the Democratic partyThe Democrats hold in their hands constitutional means yet unused to check the Trump regime's ruthless attempt to impose a police state. That the Democrats thus far have failed to create this oppositional political center of gravity may be because the method has been lost to history, not wielded effectively for 113 years. Focused on the ICE outrages, however, this political instrument can be revived in the 16 states where the Democrats control the governorships and both chambers of the state legislatures, as well as introduced in states with mixed power.Before the enactment of the 17th amendment in 1913, state legislators and not the voters selected US senators and regarded them frequently as their agents. It was a common practice for legislatures to send what were called orders of instruction" urging senators and sometimes members of the House of Representatives to take a particular stand on important issues. The orders were not binding, but had significant force given the power of legislatures and political parties to decide who would hold Senate seats. These resolutions were variously called instructions, petitions and memorials.Sidney Blumenthal, former senior adviser to the Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, has published three books of a projected five-volume political life of Abraham Lincoln: A Self-Made Man, Wrestling With His Angel and All the Powers of Earth. He is a Guardian US columnist

Advocates call for further disclosures after Trump's justice department released more than 3m files last weekThe release of about 3m Jeffrey Epstein investigative files has failed to quell outrage over justice department officials' handling of these disclosures, with advocates claiming potentially millions of documents are still being withheld.Donald Trump's Department of Justice was required to disclose all investigative files by 19 December under The Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA). While the justice department did release some documents on that date, last week's disclosure came nearly six weeks after this deadline. Continue reading...

Outcome of meeting uncertain as erratic, temperamental' presidents could be either confrontational' or amicableOne month ago, a White House meeting between Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, would have been unthinkable.The US raid on Caracas to capture the Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro, brought already heated relations between them to a boil, with Trump warning the leftist Colombian leader could be next", claiming Petro was a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States". Continue reading...

The last time the Seahawks and Patriots met in a Super Bowl, a dramatic interception by an undrafted rookie changed the history of both franchisesWhen the New England Patriots faced off against the Denver Broncos in this season's AFC championship, Malcolm Butler was at home in Houston. He had considered attending the game in Denver or watching on TV in a No 21 Patriots jersey, which he wore in Foxboro for four seasons through the mid-to-late 2010s, but feared he might jinx the outcome. In the end, it was just him and his nerves for company.Just as Butler was feeling somewhat at peace with that setup, and the Patriots' prospects, a bad omen intruded: His wifi glitched, delaying the broadcast as the Patriots clung on to a three-point lead in the fourth-quarter. I was lagging bad," Butler tells the Guardian. But I did get the wifi back working. And as soon as I did my phone was ringing like crazy, so I knew something was going right. It's crazy that we're back." Continue reading...

Met police assessing reports of alleged misconduct in public office after government information apparently sharedPeter Mandelson is facing a possible police investigation into his alleged leak of market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein at the height of the financial crisis.New disclosures from the Epstein files appear to show Mandelson sent a string of emails to the late sex offender containing confidential information that the government was receiving to deal with the global crash while he was business secretary under Gordon Brown.A confidential UK government document outlining 20bn in asset sales.Mandelson claiming he was trying hard" to change government policy on bankers' bonuses.An imminent bailout package for the euro the day before it was announced in 2010.A suggestion that the JPMorgan boss mildly threaten" the chancellor. Continue reading...

US president makes further claims of antisemitism against Ivy League school amid wider dispute with higher eduction institutionsDonald Trump has announced that his administration is seeking $1bn in damages from Harvard University, the latest step in a long-running battle with the university over allegations of antisemitism.In a Truth Social post late on Monday, Trump accused the Ivy League school of being strongly antisemitic", adding that Harvard president Alan Garber has done a terrible job of rectifying a very bad situation for his institution and, more importantly, America itself". Continue reading...

Iran's leaders now face unprecedented peril. The regime has lost its footing, and the global mechanisms to avoid conflict no longer work

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Other countries are expected to join Project Vault, which US president said would ensure that US businesses are never harmed by any shortage'Donald Trump has announced the creation of a critical mineral reserve worth nearly $12bn, a stockpile that could counter China's ability to use its dominance of the hard-to-process metals as leverage in trade talks.Today we're launching what will be known as Project Vault to ensure that American businesses and workers are never harmed by any shortage," Trump said at the White House on Monday. Continue reading...

President threatens to sue comedian over joke about Epstein island - key US politics stories from Monday 2 February at a glanceSouth African comedian Trevor Noah told a joke as he hosted the Grammy awards on Sunday.The former Daily Show host said the song of the year award was a Grammy that every artist wants - almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein's island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton". Continue reading...

Up to 350,000 Haitians legally live and work in the US due to being granted temporary protected statusA federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from stripping temporary protected status from up to 350,000 Haitians, a status that allows them to legally live and work in the United States amid the turmoil in their homeland.Judge Ana Reyes issued a temporary stay that prevents Kristi Noem, the US homeland security secretary, from implementing her decision to remove the status known as TPS, which was scheduled to expire on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Donald Trump hit out at Trevor Noah over a joke about the US president and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein at the 2026 Grammys. 'I think he's terrible. I think he did a terrible job at the Grammys,' Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting. In a social media post, Trump earlier threatened to sue Noah

Decision to give testimony comes days before House was expected to vote to hold pair in contempt of Congress

Prosecutors say other man was lured to Brendan Banfield's house as a fall guy in scheme to get rid of Banfield's wifeA Virginia man having an affair with the family's Brazilian au pair was found guilty Monday of murdering his wife and another man that prosecutors say was lured to the house as a fall guy.Brendan Banfield, a former IRS law enforcement officer, told police he came across Joseph Ryan attacking his wife, Christine Banfield, with a knife on the morning of 24 February 2023. He shot Ryan and then Juliana Magalhaes, the au pair, shot him, too. Continue reading...

Couple say they love their daughter immeasurably but have a moral obligation to try to find child's biological parentsA couple is suing a Florida fertility clinic after learning that they were implanted with the wrong embryo, and are going public with their attempts to find their child's biological parents.Tiffany Score and Steven Mills have filed a lawsuit against IVF Life Inc, which operates as the Fertility Center of Orlando, and its lead physician, Dr Milton McNichol. The suit, which was initially filed under pseudonyms to protect their family's privacy, states that three viable embryos were created with Score's eggs and Mills's sperm, and an embryo was successfully implanted in April 2025. Continue reading...

Lawyers discussed possibility of Epstein's cooperation with prosecutors - and more names surfaced in new documentsA new trove of about 3m files related to the financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was released on Friday, offering new details about his network and interactions with wealthy and powerful figures and the federal investigations into his crimes.The release follows legislation passed in November by US lawmakers that mandated the disclosure of all Epstein-related documents. Continue reading...

Several documents and media' may have inadvertently exposed sensitive information of victims, drawing outcryThe justice department said on Monday it had taken down several thousand documents and media" that may have inadvertently included victim-identifying information since it began releasing the latest batch of documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein on Friday.It blamed the release of sensitive information that drew an outcry from victims and their lawyers on mistakes that were technical or human error". Continue reading...

Ron Johnson says he does not have a problem' with key demand made by Democrats blocking agency's fundingThe homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, said that all federal agents in Minneapolis will immediately begin wearing body cameras and that the program will be expanded nationwide as funding is available".The announcement on Monday comes after Republican senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin suggested, in a concession that could pave the way to an agreement on Capitol Hill to fund the much criticized agency, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could wear body cameras on immigration patrols. Continue reading...

Judge is considering a temporary order after agents used teargas on protesters during a weekend demonstrationA judge is considering temporarily restricting federal officers' ability to use of force during protests in Portland, Oregon, after agents used teargas on a crowd that included children during a protest over the weekend.Thousands of protesters gathered outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Saturday in what Keith Wilson, the city's mayor, described as a peaceful demonstration where the vast majority of those present violated no laws, made no threat and posed no danger" to federal agents. Continue reading...

Action could begin next week in some of state's largest districts including San Diego, San Francisco and LACalifornia is facing the prospect of massive teacher strikes across the state as conflicts over working conditions, pay and special education staffing reach a boiling point.The strikes, which could begin as soon as next week, have been approved by thousands of educators - affecting schools in some of the state's largest districts including San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Allies downplay president's links to Epstein but newly released documents offer slightly more complicated picture

Lawmakers are working to create a state-level version of the act as the US high court decides on latest voting rights caseOn Martin Luther King Jr Day this year, hundreds of Mississippians gathered on the steps of the state capitol building in support of protecting voting rights in the state. The Mississippi house representative Zakiya Summers and state senator Johnny DuPree, both Democrats, introduced legislation that would create a state-level version of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The move comes after years of the supreme court weakening protections formerly guaranteed by the act, and aims to prohibit the dilution of minority voters in the state.The legislation would create a Mississippi voting rights commission, which would require certain jurisdictions to obtain pre-clearance approval from said commission for any changes to election policy or practice. It would also establish protections for people with limited English proficiency along with additional measures. Continue reading...

Donald Trump claims that the release of millions more files related to Jeffrey Epstein 'absolve' him of wrongdoing, even though his name appears hundreds of times. The latest documents also indicate high-profile figures , including the former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Labour peer Peter Mandelson, continued friendships with the disgraced financier after his child sex abuse convictions. So what have we learned from the newly released files and what happens next? Lucy Hough speaks to columnist and host of Politics Weekly America Jonathan Freedland Continue reading...

Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, 84, was last seen on Saturday evening and signs indicate she did not leave aloneAuthorities in Arizona searching for the 84-year-old mother of the Today show presenter Savannah Guthrie said on Monday they were treating the missing woman's home as a crime scene, and expressed grave concern" for her safety.Nancy Guthrie was last seen by her family at her house near Tucson on Saturday night, and was reported missing on Sunday lunchtime, sparking a search using a helicopter, drones and dogs, officials said.The Associated Press contributed to this report Continue reading...

US president made announcement on Truth Social after a Monday call with India's prime ministerDonald Trump claimed India has agreed to stop buying Russian oil as he announced plans to cut US tariffs on Indian exports.The US president announced that he and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, whom he proclaimed to be one of my greatest friends", had agreed to strike a trade deal. Continue reading...

Bomb cyclone contributed to snow and wind chills in the south with Florida iguanas freezing and falling from treesThe US continues to be at the mercy of freezing temperatures across much of the country, stretching from the north-east all the way into the south and putting approximately 150 million people under cold weather advisories and extreme cold warnings.Florida's uncharacteristic cold snap has led to some rare sightings: snowflakes and falling iguanas. In Miami and Orlando, the lows dropped to 35F (1.7C) and 24F (-4.4C), respectively, undoubtedly disappointing the vacationers who sought to go to the Sunshine state to escape the freezing temperature on the east coast. Continue reading...

Democrats and one Republican demand release of millions more pages they insist are still being deliberately withheldDemocrats have promised to fight what they say is a full-blown cover-up" of the Epstein files after the Trump administration on Sunday effectively declared its investigation into the disgraced late financier and sex offender closed.The release of more than 3m new pages by the justice department on Friday represented the final act of compliance with legislation ordering the full disclosure of all investigative documents in its possession, according to the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche. Continue reading...

Pep Guardiola's side would be on top of the league had they not consistently struggled to hold leads

Trump supporter Junior Pena falsely claimed migrants being rounded up, including Brazilians, were all crooks'A rightwing Brazilian influencer who claimed Donald Trump's immigration crackdown targeted only crooks" has been arrested by ICE agents in New Jersey.Junior Pena, whose full name is Eustaquio da Silva Pena Junior, declared his support for the US president in a recent video message to his hundreds of thousands of social media followers. Continue reading...

The president called the ceremony garbage', but in reality it was a celebration of artists whose commercial success was matched by boundary-pushing boldnessDonald Trump, it seems, did not much enjoy the 2026 Grammys. Shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony's live broadcast in the US, there he was on Truth Social, calling it the worst", garbage", unwatchable" and threatening to sue host Trevor Noah.Perhaps that was the reaction the Recording Academy wanted. You could, if you wished, divine a certain Maga-baiting intent not just in the decision to give the album of the year award to Bad Bunny - a Puerto Rican who attracted criticism from the Trump administration after he was booked to headline the SuperBowl LX half-time show - but the choice of the Buena Vista Social Club, a Broadway hit based on the 1997 album of the same name featuring veteran Cuban musicians, as the best musical theatre album: the latter two weeks after the New York Times reported that Cubans settled in Florida are being deported in record numbers. Continue reading...

Awards host alluded to president's association with late sex offender in awards ceremony remarks

Wael Tarabishi, who has a lifelong muscle disorder, died after Maher, his father and primary caretaker, was detainedUntil three months ago, Wael Tarabishi and his father, Maher, were inseparable. It was a necessity; in addition to being best friends, Maher was the caretaker for 30-year-old Wael, who was diagnosed with a progressive muscle disorder called Pompe disease when he was a child.As Wael's mother said in November, Maher was his son's case manager, his equipment company, his doctor, his everything". Continue reading...

Deputy US attorney general says the government cannot just create evidence' but victims' attorney accuses government of hiding perpetrators while exposing survivors. Plus, the Mormon women who fought a Republican-led redistricting initiative in Utah - and won

Scores of live music fans in New York's hip borough report having their phones stolen during live music showsDuring a December visit to see family in his home state of New York, Zander Cammarata, who now lives in Berlin, purchased a new iPhone because they cost less in the United States. He then went to see one of his favorite bands, Silverstein, a post-hardcore emo group, in Brooklyn.By the time he flew back to Germany, he was again using his old phone. Continue reading...

Trump's presidency has brought a windfall to billionaires while hurting the poor. In these conditions, democracy cannot surviveTrump ran on a promise to lower costs on day one, but a year into his presidency, the real beneficiaries are his billionaire donors. Instead of making life more affordable for everyday Americans, Trump has used the presidency to enrich himself and his billionaire allies, while making the largest cuts to Medicaid and food assistance in history and leaving working families behind.As families struggle with rising costs, Trump has effectively turned the White House into a slush fund, running the federal government like a personal ATM. Public money, political favors and government power are funneled to his friends and family businesses, while regulatory agencies and enforcement mechanisms are hollowed out or weaponized for profit. His oligarch allies, from big tech executives to big oil barons, are already seeing massive returns on their political investments. This is not democracy. It is a hostile corporate takeover and working people are being exploited.Joseph Geevarghese is the executive director of Our Revolution. Rashida Tlaib is a US representative for Michigan Continue reading...

Lionel Messi's presence has been crucial to the defending champions' excellent offseasonWinning MLS Cup brings only a couple guaranteed returns: the cup itself and a cash prize ($300,000, roughly the salary of one MLS backup defender). Historically, it has also ushered in a near-mandatory squad rebuild, a consequence of MLS's parity-driven design. With rare exceptions, great teams find it nigh-on-impossible to keep the band together, or to improve on what they already have.Not so for Inter Miami this year. After a slew of high-powered offseason additions capped by Friday's $15m capture of Monterrey striker German Berterame, a historically fortunate franchise has gotten even better; completely unlike the 29 MLS Cup champions that preceded them. Continue reading...

Providers are arranging home visits and telehealth as neighbors pick up prescriptions, groceries and diapersA public health crisis is unfolding in Minnesota as people targeted by federal agents are afraid to seek healthcare while some healthcare staff are also fearful for their safety at work.Community organizations and health providers are now arranging home visits, telehealth appointments and other alternate care. Continue reading...

We are witnessing a dangerous escalation in the Trump administration's attacks on the press and a clear threat to first amendment freedomsThe extraordinary arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort last week are a dangerous escalation in the Trump administration's attacks on the press and pose a clear threat to first amendment freedoms. Mere weeks after federal law enforcement executed a search warrant targeting a Washington Post reporter, the justice department is now pursuing criminal charges against two independent journalists for reporting from the scene of a protest in Minnesota citing - ironically - federal laws intended to protect the exercise of constitutional rights. These indictments are an affront to the first amendment of the US constitution.On 18 January, protesters entered the Cities church in St Paul, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official is a pastor, and interrupted a service with chants of ICE out." By all indications, Lemon, a former CNN host, and Fort, a local journalist, entered the church to cover the demonstration against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities.Theodore J Boutrous, Jr & Katie Townsend are partners in the law firm of Gibson Dunn and co-chairs of the firm's first amendment and free expression group Continue reading...

Do the people imprisoning these kids like Liam Ramos have no children of their own? Do they have no decency, compassion or basic humanity?Liam Conejo Ramos. We have all seen his picture, or by now we all should have seen the image of the adorable five-year-old in his bright blue hat, its floppy bunny ears so appropriate for a child whose middle name means rabbit." In the photo, he is wearing his Spider-Man backpack, which, like so many kids his age, he loves and is very proud of. And we know - or we should know - what happened to him.On January 20, 2026, the pre-K student was seized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on his way home from school in Columbia Heights, Minnesota. His family, which had emigrated from Ecuador in 2024, had applied for political asylum. No order of deportation had been issued against them, nor had any of them -obviously, not little Liam- been accused of a crime.Francine Prose is a former president of the PEN American Center and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Continue reading...

Heather Jones of Alabama says two-year probation agreement leaves her free and clear' of legal matterAn Alabama woman has resolved a misdemeanor case that authorities opened against her within days of speaking out about a Roman Catholic priest whom she accused of predatory behavior.Heather Jones had publicly recounted that she was 17 when the priest, Robert Bob" Sullivan, arranged to provide her financial support in exchange for companionship including sex - prompting him to resign from the clergy in November. Continue reading...

Allegations prompt questions about officials' contentions that there isn't evidence to investigate third partiesThe disclosure of more than 3m files related to Jeffrey Epstein suggests that other men were involved in his sexual abuse, prompting questions about officials' contentions that there isn't evidence to investigate third parties for potential involvement in the late financier's crimes.Some newly released documents contain allegations that Epstein provided victims to other men. Documents released in prior disclosures, as well as court documents, also point to others' possible criminal involvement with Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Continue reading...

He has the chance to be the steward of a national treasure, but he's blowing itWould you inherit a rare Stradivarius violin, polish it up for a few years, and then decide to take a hammer to it?Would you somehow acquire the Hope diamond, set it in a blue velvet case, and then toss the whole thing into the Potomac River? Continue reading...

Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar won major Grammy awards on a night charged with political defiance, as musicians pushed back against Donald Trump's deadly ICE crackdown. Billie Eilish, who took song of the year for Wildflower, used her speech to declare: 'No one is illegal on stolen land.' The best new artist award went to Olivia Dean, presented by last year's winner Chappell Roan. 'I am up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant,' Dean said, drawing loud applause

In today's newsletter: Public outrage has reached fever pitch following the killing of US citizens. But, amid the focus on violence, another story of mutual aid and neighbourhood organising is unfoldingGood morning. The world's attention has been fixed on Minneapolis for weeks now. The small midwestern US city has been under siege since Donald Trump's administration launched its latest immigration crackdown in December.Public outrage has reached fever pitch across the US after the killing of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Though the White House has softened its rhetoric in relation to the killings, there is little indication of any meaningful shift in tactics on the ground.Epstein files | Peter Mandelson says he has resigned his membership of the Labour party to avoid causing it further embarrassment" after more revelations about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.Iran | Donald Trump has said Iran is talking to the US, hinting at a deal that would avoid the use of military strikes.Ukraine | A Russian drone attack on a bus carrying mine workers in Ukraine's central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region has killed at least 12 people, officials said.Cuba | The United States has said it will ensure there will be no more fuel shipments to the beleaguered island, Cuba will be failing pretty soon," Donald Trump said earlier in the week.Grammy awards | Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar took home major Grammy awards during a night that saw musicians hit back at Donald Trump's ICE occupation. Continue reading...

The president and his supporters joining forces to decide what audiences read and see seems straight from a fascism playbookTwo events, juxtaposed, tell us a great deal about what is rapidly taking shape in the US. In one, Melania Trump releases a glossy documentary, Melania, an account of her return to the White House. Amazon outbid others to secure the rights to the documentary, spending $75m (54m) in total, and ticket sales so far suggest that this was, shall we say, not a purely commercial venture.In the other, the Washington Post is set to cut up to 200 jobs early this month, including the majority of its foreign staff and a sizeable chunk of its newsroom. Both Melania and the Washington Post are backed by Jeff Bezos. His two decisions, to invest in state propaganda and divest from the fourth estate that supposedly holds power to account, reveal much about how capital and authoritarianism join forces to decide what audiences read and see.Nesrine Malik is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...