US president doubles down on threats to acquire territory at White House meeting with oil and gas executivesDonald Trump has doubled down on his threats to acquire Greenland, saying the US is going to do something [there] whether they like it or not".Speaking at a meeting with oil and gas executives at the White House, the US president justified his comments by saying: If we don't do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland. And we're not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor." Continue reading...
Country is uninvestable' today, president told, but CEOs signal they are ready to spend with supportDonald Trump promised oil giants total safety, total security" in Venezuela in an effort to persuade them to invest $100bn in the country's infrastructure after US forces toppled Nicolas Maduro from power.At a roundtable press conference at the White House on Friday afternoon with more than a dozen oil executives, including leaders from Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhilips, the US president doubled down on claims that Maduro's arrest presents American oil companies with an unprecedented opportunity for extraction. Continue reading...
Authorities said about 261 drug parcels were sent to home of Justin Salsburey and his wife Ruthann Rankin since 2024Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has expressed concern after his family's bodyguard was arrested recently on federal drug-trafficking charges.Justin Salsburey, 43, and his wife, 38-year-old Ruthann Rankin, were each charged on 30 December with conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute large amounts of narcotics through the US mail. Continue reading...
The 550lb black bear was drawn out with paintball guns after it had resided under the home for more than a monthGetting rid of an unwanted houseguest can be difficult, but seldom does it involve a paintball gun and an electrified mat. A 550lb black bear that took residence under a southern California home for more than a month has finally been removed, KTLA has reported.Altadena resident Ken Johnson first noticed the bear was living in the crawl space below his home in late November. Continue reading...
Jacob Frey criticizes Trump administration's response to shooting death of Renee Nicole GoodOfficials in Minneapolis on Friday accused federal authorities of hiding the facts" over the killing of a US citizen by an officer with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, and demanded the inclusion of state investigators in the FBI inquiry.Jacob Frey, the Minnesota city's Democratic mayor, criticized the Trump administration's response to the shooting, speaking at a press conference two days after the death of Renee Nicole Good in her car in a confrontation with federal officers amid protests and community scrutiny during an immigration crackdown. Continue reading...
Paris has shifted this year's Group of 7 summit after Donald Trump confirmed plans for a UFC fight card on the White House lawn on 14 June, his 80th birthdayFrance has delayed this year's Group of 7 summit by one day to avoid a scheduling conflict with an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight card planned at the White House on 14 June, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the G7's preparations.The summit, hosted by France in the Alpine resort town of Evian-les-Bains, was originally scheduled for 14 to 16 June, a date that coincides with US Flag Day and US president Donald Trump's 80th birthday. It will now run from 15 to 17 June, a change that has been reflected on the G7's official website. Continue reading...
Some wet years and recent winter storms have helped bring the state out of drought after years of insufficient rainfallCalifornia is completely drought-free for the first time in a quarter of a century, a significant development in a state that endured grueling years with insufficient rainfall.Over the last 25 years, drought conditions in California have intensified the state's wildfire crisis and created challenges in its massive agricultural sector. But a few wet years, and a recent spate of winter storms, helped bring the state out of drought. Continue reading...
Nicolas Maduro seized, Russian drone strikes rock Kyiv, anti-ICE protests erupt in Minneapolis and Storm Goretti lashes Britain - the past seven days as captured by the world's leading photojournalists Continue reading...
A brutal regime has failed to safeguard either the country's physical security or basic living standards. But Donald Trump's threats to intervene won't help civiliansThe internet blackout across Iran is meant to prevent protests from spreading, and observers from witnessing the crackdown on them. But it's also emblematic of the deep uncertainty surrounding this unrest and the response of a regime under growing pressure.Rocketing inflation and a tanking currency sparked the protests in late December. They have since broadened and spread. Videos showed thousands marching in Tehran on Thursday night and people setting fire to vehicles and state-owned buildings.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...
Over 100 pieces of human remains including skulls and headless torsos found in car and home of Jonathan GerlachA Pennsylvania man suspected of desecrating a historic cemetery in his state is facing hundreds of charges pertaining to grave robbery after authorities recently found more than 100 pieces of human remains in his possession, prompting one official to call the case the most horrific thing".Jonathan Gerlach, 34, had human skulls, bones, mummified feet, headless torsos and other corpse parts - including in his car, home and storage locker - after his arrest on Tuesday, according to a sworn police statement reported by NBC News. Continue reading...
Trump's admission that he recognises no constraint outside his own morality was a horrifying moment of truth. It should galvanise all those who oppose himFor a serial liar, Donald Trump can be bracingly honest. We've known about the mendacity for years - consider the 30,573 documented falsehoods from the president's first term, culminating in the big lie, his claim to have won the 2020 election - but the examples of bracing candour are fresher. This week both began and ended with the US president speaking the shocking truth.At a press conference to celebrate his capture of the Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, Trump announced that from now on the US would run" that country, before moving in the very next breath to Venezuela's oil. There was no pious talk of democracy, scant mention even of the drug trafficking that earlier served as a pretext for military action. Instead, Trump said out loud what had once been a slogan on leftist placards in protest at past US interventions, admitting that it really was all about the oil. It was as transparent a revelation of Trump's true motive as you could have asked for.Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnistGuardian newsroom: Year One of Trumpism: Is Britain Emulating the US? On Wednesday 21 January 2026, join Jonathan Freedland, Tania Branigan and Nick Lowles as they reflect on the first year of Donald Trump's second presidency. Book tickets here or at guardian.live Continue reading...
A video posted online by the US homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, shows what she says is the US Coast Guard boarding and seizing the tanker Olina in international waters east of the Caribbean Sea on 9 January. On Friday the US said it had seized another tanker that tried to break a naval blockade aimed at preventing oil from departing Venezuela, the fifth ship apprehended in recent weeks
by Stefania Orlando, Laure Boulinier and Boglarka Kos on (#72Q5H)
On Wednesday, Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was killed by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis during a large-scale immigration enforcement operation. Eyewitness footage from various angles shows how the incident unfolded
US faces big challenges in trying to unlock tremendous wealth' from Venezuela's long-neglected oil industryDonald Trump has laid claim to billions of dollars' worth of Venezuelan crude this week, which at a stroke has handed the world's biggest consumer of oil up to 50m barrels - but his ambitions are far greater.The White House said Venezuela would be turning over" the nearly $3bn (2.3bn) of crude stranded in tankers and storage facilities before it is sold on the international market and after that the US plans to control all the country's oil sales indefinitely". Continue reading...
Data compiled by news non-profit the Trace shows 29 incidents as of 9 January, including 16 shootingsFederal immigration agents have been involved in a sharp rise in shootings in recent months, coinciding with the Trump administration's expanded immigration enforcement efforts.Under Trump's crackdown, immigration officers have been connected to 16 shootings, according to data compiled by the Trace, a non-profit newsroom focused on gun violence in the US. Continue reading...
Americans took to the streets across the country after a Minneapolis resident, Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a confrontation on Wednesday Continue reading...
The Guardian reviewed figures from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection since Trump's inaugurationDonald Trump campaigned on a platform of mass deportation. Since he took office, his administration has reshaped immigration enforcement across the country. The Guardian, using data published every two weeks by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is tracking the number of people the administration has arrested, detained and deported. Continue reading...
Trump's attacks on mainstream media have opened a window for journalists who want to operate independentlyWhen Donald Trump retook office last January, many national newsrooms braced for what lay ahead. There was the expected firehose of news, with the president issuing dozens of executive orders in his first week alone. Then there was the fear and tension over the president's history of attacking and suing news organizations over unfavorable coverage. Meanwhile, audience trust in media was at an all-time low.While it was a turbulent time for traditional media, it opened a window for independent journalists like Marisa Kabas, who is not beholden to covering Trump's every move, nor saddled with decades of institutional distrust. On 27 January, she received a massive scoop she published in her newsletter, the Handbasket: the US office of management and budget was freezing federal grants. Getting to that news first only led to more exclusives and subscribers. Continue reading...
Analysis estimates Trump administration wasted' billions to compensate over 154,000 federal employees on leaveThe Trump administration wasted" $10bn on paid leave, or paying workers to stay home, as part of the department of government efficiency's" assault on the federal workforce, a new analysis by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer) estimates.In a letter sent to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Peer estimates that more than 154,000 employees were put on paid leave in 2025, making up nearly 7% of the federal civilian workforce. That costs taxpayers approximately $10bn in compensation for workers who were staying home and not working. Continue reading...
Police say pair are in hospital but condition not known, as mayor urges ICE to pause operationsUS border patrol agents shot two people outside a hospital in Portland, Oregon, a day after an ICE officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis.The Portland police bureau (PPB) said in a statement on Thursday afternoon that two people were in hospital after a shooting involving federal agents, adding that the conditions of those shot were not known. Continue reading...
Nearly 16,000 nurses set to join union-led strike Monday to demand large hospitals across NYC put patients over profit'Nearly 16,000 nurses in New York City are set to strike on Monday amid a battle over pay during contract negotiations.The action, due to take place across five large hospitals, is being organized by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), which is demanding the hospitals put patients over profit. Continue reading...
As Americans worry about healthcare and affordability, the no more wars' president is helping oil companies insteadImmediately after Donald Trump ordered a military strike in Venezuela, many critics focused on how that attack violated international law as well as the US War Powers Resolution. But there hasn't been nearly enough focus on the domestic implications of Trump's move.Trump seems to have ordered his Venezuela venture in part to flip the script away from domestic matters, where things aren't going well for him. His approval ratings are under water, and he's getting low marks on the economy, health policy (just 30% approval), inflation (31% approval on the cost of living), his immigration crackdown (41% approval) and his sending the national guard into US cities. Then there's the big thumbs down that Americans are giving to his tariffs, which have helped push up prices even though candidate Trump promised to lower prices on day one.Steven Greenhouse is a journalist and author, focusing on labour and the workplace, as well as economic and legal issues Continue reading...
We have our own medics,' bystanders were told after ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in MinneapolisWitnesses to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shooting Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday say federal officers impeded the response of emergency medical personnel to the scene, blocking the road with their vehicles.Emily Heller, a witness who lives near the intersection of 34th Street and Portland Avenue, recorded the scene as it unfolded. She told NBC News that agents blocked people from approaching Good's vehicle. Her video shows a man who identified himself as a physician asking to check for a pulse and being rebuffed. Continue reading...
Barely a mile from Floyd's murder, an officer killed Renee Nicole Good. We must peacefully say no to this violenceOn 25 May 2020, America witnessed a stunning act of police brutality when a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, murdered George Floyd. The killer, Derek Chauvin, apparently confident that he would be immune to accountability, did his deed in the open, with other officers standing by and in front of a crowd of onlookers.The video of Floyd's murder shocked the nation.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...
Victim-blaming began almost as soon as Renee Nicole Good was killed - we examine the claims and the realityThe killing of a US citizen by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis was a five-alarm fire for the Trump administration. But a torrent of untruths, half-truths, smears, and innuendo has been unleashed by the White House, and amplified by its social media and cable television acolytes, in an attempt to douse the flames.Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, called homeland security secretary Kristi Noem a stone cold liar" on Thursday for her efforts to falsely portray the victim Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and award-winning poet, as a domestic terrorist". Continue reading...
by Oliver Connolly, Bryan Armen Graham, Melissa Jacob on (#72PWH)
The postseason kicks off on Saturday. Our writers pick the dark horses, players to watch and make their tips for the NFL's championship gameMelissa is right about the Lions (see below), but how about the Dallas Cowboys? Their defense was nauseating, and nobody wants a playoff weekend spoiled watching that. But their offense was electric. They finished fifth in the league in EPA/play in the regular season. And with Dak Prescott, a solid o-line and George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, they had the potential to drop 30 points on any playoff group. If they'd snuck in and managed to knock off a top seed, it would have convinced Jerry Jones that he was on the right path. And nothing is funnier than Jones failing to recognize that the reason why Dallas is stuck is the reflection in his mirror. Oliver Connolly Continue reading...
Forecasts suggest that global heating could create a shortcut from Asia to North America, and new routes for trading, shipping - and attackAnother week, another freak weather phenomenon you've probably never heard of. If it's not the weather bomb" of extreme wind and snow that Britain is hunkering down for as I write, it's reports in the Guardian of reindeer in the Arctic struggling with the opposite problem: unnaturally warm weather leading to more rain that freezes to create a type of snow that they can't easily dig through with their hooves to reach food. In a habitat as harsh as the Arctic, where survival relies on fine adaptation, even small shifts in weather patterns have endlessly rippling consequences - and not just for reindeer.For decades now, politicians have been warning of the coming climate wars - conflicts triggered by drought, flood, fire and storms forcing people on to the move, or pushing them into competition with neighbours for dwindling natural resources. For anyone who vaguely imagined this happening far from temperate Europe's doorstep, in drought-stricken deserts or on Pacific islands sinking slowly into the sea, this week's seemingly unhinged White House talk about taking ownership of Greenland is a blunt wake-up call. As Britain's first sea lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, has been telling anyone prepared to listen, the unfreezing of the north due to the climate crisis has triggered a ferocious contest in the defrosting Arctic for some time over resources, territory and strategically critical access to the Atlantic. To understand how that threatens northern Europe, look down at the top of a globe rather than at a map.Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Trump sounds off on Venezuela's future, Taiwan's security and his aims for Greenland, days after operation to seize Nicolas MaduroJust days after launching an unprecedented operation in Venezuela to seize its president and effectively take control of its oil industry, Donald Trump sat down with New York Times journalists for a wide-ranging interview that took in everything from international law, Taiwan, Greenland and weight-loss drugs.The president, riding high on the success of an operation that has upended the rules of global power, spoke candidly and casually about the new world order he appears eager to usher in; an order governed not by international norms or long-lasting alliances, but national strength and military power. Continue reading...
President gives interview to New York Times as tensions mount at home and abroad over his federal and military actions - key US politics stories from 8 January 2026Does the president of the United States need to follow international law?According to Donald Trump, that depends on what your definition of international law is". Continue reading...
Lawmakers issue warning about homeland security budget after shooting death by federal agent of Renee Nicole GoodA day after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a 37-year-old US citizen in Minneapolis, Democrats on Capitol Hill are demanding restraints on the agency Donald Trump has empowered to carry out his mass deportation campaign - and some are threatening to use the next funding deadline to force those changes.Democrats sharply condemned the Trump administration over the killing of Renee Nicole Good, demanding accountability after the president; JD Vancethe vice-president; and the secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem repeatedly claimed that the officer acted in self-defense". Continue reading...
Austin Peay State University will also pay theater and dance professor Darren Michael $500,000 in settlementAustin Peay State University has reinstated a professor who was fired for his social media post after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The Tennessee school is also paying the teacher $500,000 in the settlement.Austin Peay spokesperson Brian Dunn said Darren Michael returned to his position as a tenured faculty member at the public university in Clarksville effective 30 December. A copy of the settlement agreement obtained through a public records request includes a $500,000 payment and reimbursement of counseling, as reported earlier this week by WKRN-TV. Continue reading...
Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie seek to compel justice department to release full set of filesTwo US House of Representatives members have asked a federal judge to appoint a special master to compel the justice department to release all files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.On Thursday, Democratic representative Ro Khanna of California and Republican representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky asked US district judge Paul Engelmayer to release the full Epstein files, as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Continue reading...
Seventeen Republicans join Democrats to pass a three-year extension of tax credits cutting ACA premiumsThe US House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation to re-establish tax credits that lowered premiums for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plans, after a small group of Republicans broke ranks and joined with Democrats to defy Donald Trump on a key healthcare issue that could sway voters ahead of the November midterm elections.The chamber voted 230-196 to approve a bill that would extend for three years the credits, which were first created under Joe Biden but expired at the end of last year despite a concerted effort by the Democratic minority to continue them. Continue reading...
GM says end of tax incentives and less stringent emissions regulations slowed consumer demand for EVs in 2025General Motors said on Thursday it will record a one-time earnings hit of $7.1bn in its quarterly financial results, mostly due to its pullback from electric vehicles in light of shifting US policies.The Detroit auto giant's fourth-quarter results will be dented by $6bn in charges connected to reversals on EV investments, according to a securities filing. The remaining $1.1bn includes costs from the company's restructuring of its China operations. Continue reading...
The vice-president went ballistic against the media and the left - a version of Trump with even more menaceIt was James David Vance's pitch to his boss: don't forget me!The vice-president was nowhere to be seen last weekend when US special forces swept into Venezuela and snatched its leader, Nicolas Maduro. Instead Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and a potential rival to Vance in the 2028 presidential election, grabbed all the Maga glory. Continue reading...
Donald Trump's Venezuela policy confirms he has no time for rules or process. America's allies must find new ways to guarantee their own interestsOccasionally, history generates smooth changes from one era to another. More commonly, such shifts occur only gradually and untidily. And sometimes, as the former Downing Street foreign policy adviser John Bew puts it in the New Statesman, history unfolds in a series of flashes and bangs". In Caracas last weekend, Donald Trump's forces did this in spectacular style. In the process, the US brushed aside more of what remains of the so-called rules-based order with which it tried to shape the west after 1945.The capture of Venezuela's former president Nicolas Maduro has precedents in US policy. But discerning a wider new pattern from the kidnapping is not easy, especially at this early stage. As our columnist Aditya Chakrabortty has argued this week, the abduction can be seen as a assertion of American power, but also as little more than a chaotic asset grab.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...
by Rory Carroll, Tiago Rogero and agencies on (#72NWF)
US president says Delcy Rodriguez's interim administration is doing everything that we feel is necessary'The US is receiving full cooperation from Venezuela's regime and will control the country and its vast oil reserves for years, Donald Trump has claimed.Caracas was giving Washington everything that we feel is necessary" and the US would remain a political overlord there for an indefinite period, the US president said. Continue reading...
Lloyd's List analysis suggests 40 suspicious vessels joined Russian registry last year, with 17 reflagged last monthForty ships accused of belonging to a large shadow fleet" moving sanctioned oil for Venezuela and others were reflagged to Russia last year in an apparent attempt to gain Kremlin protection from American seizure.Analysis by the shipping intelligence publication Lloyd's List suggests that of those, at least 17 suspicious vessels joined the Russian registry over the past month, compared with 15 ships in the previous five months of 2025. Continue reading...
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