US news | The Guardian

Aryna Sabalenka (1) beats Elina Svitolina (12) 6-2, 6-3

With the year's first games out of the way, open questions remain for Emma Hayes' side in each positionThe first international window of 2026 has come and gone for the US women's national team - though you'd be forgiven if it felt like a continuation of a familiar, looping theme.Once again, Emma Hayes used the window to examine fresh faces among her incredibly deep player pool. Even considering the constant shuffling under Hayes after the 2024 Olympics, this was an especially experimental squad. Per the federation, the lineup for Saturday's 6-0 thrashing of Paraguay featured the fewest average caps for a starting 11 (9.6) in a quarter of a century. On Tuesday, that record was broken again: a 5.2 cap average across the lineup. Continue reading...

As senators refuse to fund Trump's immigration crackdown, a partial shutdown is likely. For Democrats, it's the right moveShut it down!It took not one but two killings of unarmed white American citizens by immigration enforcement agents for the Democrats to commit to withholding funds from the Department of Homeland Security, the agency of which Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the border patrol - the killers - are part. Continue reading...

People who knew Pretti describe him as generous with his time' and denounce the Trump administration's assessment of himTravis Vanden Heuvel had been following the recent news out of Minnesota for weeks. On Saturday morning, like many others, he saw video clips of the second fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis this month.But the story became personal later that day. That afternoon, Vanden Heuvel's former choir director reached out to tell him that the man who had been shot was Alex Pretti - a childhood friend with whom he had been in choir. Continue reading...

While the desperation to keep Trinity Rodman is understandable, tweaking the salary cap could be a big mistakePerhaps it was all worth it in the end. As a tearful Trinity Rodman signs the most lucrative contract in the history of women's football - flanked by the Washington Spirit owner, Michele Kang, and a young fan called Emma in pink braids - the internet is already burning white hot. The podcasters will feast for days. After months of bungling US soccer finally has its money shot and, in more ways than one, the numbers are going to be stratospheric.But then Rodman has always been an effortless creator of content: a true footballer for the TikTok generation. From the spectacular strikes to the famous Trin Spin, from the vivid streaks in her hair to the viral goal celebrations, Rodman's ability to convey the joy of the game in snackable morsels is the root of her appeal. Aged 23 she already has an Olympic gold medal and 49 international caps, to which she can now add a 1.5m-a-year deal and her very own rule. Continue reading...

Ahead of his blockbuster Madison Square Garden clash with Shakur Stevenson on Saturday night, boxing's most mercurial star reflects on pressure, purpose and parenthoodTeofimo Lopez's boxing career has unfolded in untidy extremes, and few places have captured those contradictions like Madison Square Garden. It's the building where he boat-raced Richard Commey inside two rounds to win his first world title aged 22, saw his fast track to superstardom abruptly derailed as a heavy favorite, then returned two years later to dismantle Josh Taylor as the underdog and stamp himself as a two-division champion. Now on Saturday night, when he defends his junior welterweight title against Shakur Stevenson in a clash of arguably the two best American fighters active today, the Garden may finally make it clear which version of Lopez is here to stay.It's the magnitude of it all," says Lopez, one of boxing's most charismatic and mercurial personalities, filling my screen with warmth and effortless third-person bravado during the final days of his training camp in Hollywood, Florida. Who's going to really set the tone for the sport? You've got Shakur Stevenson, who wants that baton, and you've got Teofimo Lopez who believes he's the better representation for boxing." Continue reading...

After months of community resistance, the president backed down. Leadership from below succeeded when politics as usual failedFor most politicians and journalists, the answer to nearly every question is to look up. Not at the moon, the stars or even the chimney tops, but at their leaders: the people who sit atop institutions, wield power and set the line that others follow. The top of the totem pole is the sole focal point, and the stories that count usually come from the heights of power.Bend your neck back far enough and Davos becomes not a talking shop in a Swiss ski resort, but a gathering of world leaders; Keir Starmer flying into Beijing is a summit of great powers; even who should be the MP for Gorton and Denton is really all about the Labour leadership. For this piece, the Guardian's research librarians counted how many times the words leader" or leadership" appeared across the British press. Over the past week alone, the rough total stands at 2,000. A third of those stories concern one man: Donald Trump.Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Three newly discovered videos show the Minneapolis ICU nurse being tackled by federal agents in a prior confrontation

After saying the US would attack if protesters were harmed, the president appears now to be tying the threat of airstrikes to Iran's nuclear programmeDonald Trump has warned that Iran must come to the table to negotiate a deal over its nuclear programme or face the possibility of airstrikes and regime change, capping off a month of bellicose posturing and whiplash inducing u-turns from the US president.The US president's demands threaten to open a new chapter in America's long and tumultuous relationship with Iran, which in just over a decade has seen rapprochement, broken deals, targeted assassinations and unprecedented airstrikes. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. Read our latest story hereTwo federal officers fired their guns during the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, according to an initial review by the Department of Homeland Security that was obtained by NBC News.Three sources told NBC News that the preliminary report, from a Customs and Border Protection internal investigation led by the agency's Office of Professional Responsibility, was sent to congressional committees yesterday, including the House homeland security and judiciary committees. Continue reading...

Ruling follows arrests under DHS re-vetting' operation of more than 100 refugees who had been lawfully resettledA federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from detaining refugees in Minnesota, following a spate of arrests in the state.More than 100 refugees who had lawfully resettled in the state had been arrested in recent weeks, according to attorneys and advocacy groups. Some were flown to detention centers in Texas, according to attorneys representing the cases, and then were abruptly released - and left to find and pay their own way back home. Continue reading...

County spokesperson says warrant seeks number of 2020 election records while FBI declines to give further detailsThe FBI executed a search warrant at the election office in Fulton county, Georgia, on Wednesday for records related to the 2020 election, according to a spokesperson for the county and the FBI.The warrant sought all ballots from the 2020 election in Fulton county, tabulator tapes, ballot images and voter rolls, according to a warrant obtained by the Guardian. Continue reading...

US president tells Tehran that time is running out to make a deal on future of nuclear program - key US politics stories from 28 January 2026President Trump has again raised the spectre of military intervention in Iran, warning the country to Come to the Table" and quickly negotiate a deal.Noting that time was running out, Trump threatened that if an agreement could not be reached: The next attack will be far worse! Don't make that happen again." Continue reading...

Move sets up clash with Republicans that could see government partially shut down in coming daysChuck Schumer, the Senate's top Democrat, on Wednesday demanded that legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) include a ban on wearing masks and other reforms aimed at federal agents involved in immigration enforcement, setting up a clash with Republicans that could see the government partially shut down in the coming days.Congress is racing to head off a lapse in federal funding from beginning after Friday, and the Senate's Republican leaders plan to hold a key procedural vote on Thursday on the DHS funding measure and five bills that authorize spending by several other government departments. Continue reading...

Tennessee officials report eight deaths as forecasters say another potentially major winter storm could hit east coastDozens of weather-related fatalities have been confirmed since the start of the powerful winter storm that swept across much of the US in recent days, with current estimates being as high as 60 so far.Tennessee officials have reported eight deaths as forecasters are now monitoring another potentially significant winter storm that could hit parts of the east coast this weekend. Continue reading...

Fallout from second fatal shooting amid immigration operation in city dogs White House, though raids continueThe two agents who fatally shot a man in Minneapolis over the weekend have been on administrative leave since Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Wednesday, as Donald Trump tried to quell the backlash even while immigration raids in the city continued.The move, which the DHS emphasized is standard protocol when agents are involved in fatal shootings, comes as the president suggested he would de-escalate" his immigration enforcement crackdown in the state, but without offering details or whether tactics would change. Continue reading...

Demonstrations will be held across the US against ICE's reign of terror with flagship event in Twin CitiesA third No Kings protest will be held on 28 March, organizers announced on Wednesday. Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the groups coordinating No Kings, said that he expected it to be the biggest protest in American history".Protests will be held nationwide, with a flagship event in Minnesota's Twin Cities - Minneapolis and Saint Paul - where this month federal immigration agents killed two residents, Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, amid their escalated operations in the region. Continue reading...

Action comes amid federal agencies' campaign in the city, prompting an official complaint to US embassy in QuitoAn Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent attempted to enter Ecuador's consulate in Minneapolis, but was turned back by an employee, prompting an official complaint to the US embassy in Quito, the country's foreign ministry said.The Tuesday incident came as ICE and other federal agencies continue their aggressive campaign of arresting people in Minnesota's largest city suspected of being in the United States illegally, despite outrage over the deaths of two US citizens in the operation dubbed Metro Surge". Continue reading...

Fed voted to pause cuts to interest rate, which currently sits between 3.5% and 3.75%, after slashing it three times in fallThe US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged after its first rate-setting meeting of the year on Wednesday, resisting enormous pressure from the White House to lower rates.A majority of members in the Fed's federal open market committee (FOMC) voted to pause interest rate cuts after slashing rates three times in the fall. Rates currently sit at a range of 3.5% to 3.75%. Continue reading...

Local officials confirmed that ICE will conduct immigration operations during 8 February game in Santa ClaraUS Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) agents are expected to conduct immigration enforcement operations during next month's Super Bowl game in Santa Clara, California.Local officials confirmed to media that ICE is expected to deploy for the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations team has long worked the Super Bowl and other major sporting events, largely focused on preventing human trafficking and stopping the sale of counterfeit goods, but immigration operations would be unusual. Continue reading...

Video filmed from inside Ecuador's consulate in Minneapolis shows an ICE agent trying to enter the building but being prevented by consulate staffers, according to the country's foreign ministry. Reuters confirmed the location as the Ecuadorian consulate in Minneapolis, from the doors, windows, walls, ceiling fixtures and building across the street that are seen in the video which matched file imagery of the consulate and the area. The date was verified by Ecuador's ministry of foreign affairs that said an ICE agent attempted to enter the consulate's facilities in Minneapolis on Tuesday 27 January.

US president says armada heading towards Iran is prepared to fulfil its missions with violence if necessary'The threat of war between the US and Iran appeared to loom closer after Donald Trump told Tehran time was running out and that a huge US armada was moving quickly towards the country with great power, enthusiasm and purpose".Writing on social media, the US president said on Wednesday that the fleet headed by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was larger than the one sent to Venezuela before the removal of Nicolas Maduro earlier this month and was prepared to rapidly fulfil its missions with speed and violence if necessary". Continue reading...

Singer says song is in response to state terror' visiting city, painting image of unrest due to King Trump's private army'Bruce Springsteen has released a new song dedicated to Minnesota's largest city as a response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis" and the recent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in the city.In a message shared on social media, Springsteen explained: I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It's dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free." Continue reading...

Secretary of state says administration does not intend to take such action but Trump does reserve the option'Marco Rubio has declined to rule out future US military action in Venezuela but insisted the Trump administration did not intend to take such steps, as he faced questions from lawmakers over Washington's unprecedented intervention.The US secretary of state appeared before the Senate foreign relations committee on Wednesday to defend the removal of Nicolas Maduro, which has left Venezuela under the control of interim president Delcy Rodriguez while the US seizes and sells its oil. Continue reading...

These are the agencies detaining people across the US - mostly, but not all, under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland SecurityWhen the Trump administration ordered a surge of armed federal immigration enforcement personnel on to the streets of Minneapolis, the Department of Homeland Security declared it the largest operation in its history and the liberal midwestern city became Donald Trump's latest chosen hotspot.Such escalations mark the US president's agenda of mass arrests and deportations from the US interior. The highest-profile efforts involve officers from multiple agencies rushing to prominent Democratic-led US cities, against local leaders' wishes. But coast to coast, federal officers have been raiding homes, businesses, commercial parking lots - even schools, hospitals and courthouses. The efforts have delighted the president's hardcore Make America Great Again voter base, but are also tearing families apart and spreading fear and even death on the streets and in detention. Continue reading...

Sarah Mullally was officially confirmed as archbishop of Canterbury on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to lead the Church of England and the 106th person to assume the role. The worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the US, has no formal head, but the archbishop has traditionally been seen as its spiritual leader. The C of E ordained its first female priests in 1994 and its first female bishop in 2015 Continue reading...

A 9,000-member group's legal win could flip a congressional seat to Democrats in the midtermsEmma Petty Addams is used to navigating political divides. She grew up as a conservative Mormon in California's progressive San Francisco Bay Area. She identified as a Republican while attending the largely liberal Stanford University. At a young age, she learned how to find common ground with those who may not agree with her.I was oftentimes one of the most vocal, if not the only vocal, conservative in the room," she said. I learned how to speak my mind in a way that was hopefully persuasive." Continue reading...

Conservative figures such as Riley Gaines and Allie Beth Stuckey are urging their followers to ward off empathy for victims of ICE's crackdownRiley Gaines, the former collegiate swimmer turned anti-transgender activist, makes motherhood and femininity a core part of her brand. Her husband, Louis Barker, is a naturalized US citizen who moved to this country from the UK. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Margot, in September; Gaines said there was nothing" she would not do to protect her baby. But do not think that Gaines is at all sympathetic to families targeted by ICE.This weekend, Gaines spoke on her podcast about Liam Ramos, the five-year-old boy taken by ICE agents from his driveway in Minneapolis. Images of Liam, clad in snowpants and wearing a blue hat with bunny ears, being held by a federal agent prompted widespread disgust in the US. How could a preschooler be considered one of the dangerous" criminals Trump's administration rails against? Continue reading...

Hakeem Jeffries rebukes Donald Trump for suggesting the Minnesota congresswoman staged what happened

Officials are quickly moving people they've apprehended out of state, making it difficult for loved ones to reach themFamily members have been scrambling to learn the whereabouts of more than 200 people arrested during a federal immigration crackdown that has swept across Maine this week, immigration attorneys said, as federal authorities quickly ferried detainees out of the state.We were buried in phone calls," said Jenny Beverly, an immigration attorney with Haven Immigration Law. She said her team worked long hours to locate detainees and stop their transfer out of Maine. Continue reading...

Charles Victor Thompson would be the first person executed in the US this year for the 1998 shooting deathsA Texas man who at one time escaped from custody and was on the run for three days after being sentenced to death for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend nearly 27 years ago was scheduled on Wednesday to be the first person executed in the US this year.Charles Victor Thompson was condemned for the April 1998 shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, 39; and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain, 30, at her apartment in the Houston suburb of Tomball. Continue reading...

Drinks to be sold at concerts under federal legislation but attenders may have to wait to imbibe at sporting eventsTHC-infused beverages will now be available at special events in the United Center, the home of the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Blackhawks, which some experts suggest may pave the way for other arenas to do the same.These drinks can be sold outside of state-legal recreational dispensaries because they are part of the hemp-derived cannabis market that is currently legal on the federal level. Continue reading...

The high-profile killings of Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good are only two among manyThe killings of 37-year-old Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal agents have sparked protests and outrage throughout the nation. Pretti and Good are just two people out of at least eight who have either been killed by federal agents or who have died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in 2026 so far.The high-profile fatal shootings follow the deaths of at least 32 people in ICE custody in 2025 - the highest amount since 2004. One of the people killed included Keith Porter Jr, a 43-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent outside of his Los Angeles apartment complex on the evening of 31 December 2025. The father of two was firing a gun into the air, a Los Angeles police department spokesperson said, before the off-duty ICE agent, Brian Palacios, went to investigate. Porter was pronounced dead at the scene when police officers responded. Continue reading...

Outrage followed would-be assassin' lie but experts say architect of ICE drive too dominant a figure to be shunnedPressure is growing on key White House senior adviser Stephen Miller over the killing of intensive care nurse Alex Pretti by border patrol agents in Minneapolis and its politically divisive aftermath.Miller, the architect of Donald Trump's hardline immigration policy, finds himself in the rare position of being contradicted and excluded from crucial decisions by the US president. Continue reading...

World Series winner Sean Doolittle, Super Bowl champion Doug Baldwin and college star McKenzie Forbes have strong opinions on a troubled eraAt 6.38pm CST on Saturday January 24, Indiana Pacer star Tyrese Haliburton posted on X: Alex Pretti was murdered."The NBA star was one of the first athletes to respond to what can only be described as the public execution by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Pretti's death was the culmination of a weeks-long campaign of terror conducted against residents of the city, including Renee Good, who was herself killed by DHS forces just two weeks earlier. Indeed, Operation Metro Surge" in Minneapolis has accounted for two-thirds of homicides in the city in 2026. Continue reading...

Virginia Ginny' Oliver, had entered the business when she was eight and liked being along the water'Maine's governor has hailed the life of a woman who spent nearly 100 years fishing for lobsters as amazing" and expressed hopes that her memory inspires the next century of hardworking" fishers in the state.The subject of Governor Janet Mills' tribute, Virginia Ginny" Oliver, died on 21 January at age 105, according to an obituary published on Monday by her family. Continue reading...

Dollar drops against basket of currencies after Donald Trump brushed off concerns over slide

Video shows the Hudson frozen partially frozen near the George Washington Bridge in New York City after a heavy winter snowstorm. Eight people were found dead outside over the frigid weekend in the city, officials said, as New York experienced its snowiest day in years, recording 20-38cm (8-15in) of snow. At least 30 deaths were linked to a winter storm that hit North America's north-east. Some regions may not see temperatures rise above freezing until early February with the midwest, in particular, forecast to shiver in exceptionally frosty conditions Continue reading...

Dana White has promised boxers a new deal. But the deal he's offering looks worse than the old one. Will Congress give Zuffa the power to dominate boxing?Even Turki al-Sheikh's most severe critics acknowledge that, under his guidance, the Saudi interests that have dominated professional boxing in recent years have paid generous purses to fighters. Now the Saudis have turned to TKO Group Holdings and Dana White to oversee Zuffa Boxing - a newly created vehicle designed to expand the footprint of its equity partners in the United States.Zuffa Boxing is taking a far less generous approach toward fighters than Sheikh did. That's evidenced by the contract that many of the fighters being recruited by Zuffa are being asked to sign. Continue reading...

In the Caribbean and Latin America, the lived reality of these measures - presented in the language of diplomacy - is starkAcross borders, cultures and faiths, most ordinary people want the same things: the ability to earn a living, put a roof over their heads, feed their families and watch their children grow up with a future. These are not radical ideas, but they are today routinely sacrificed on the altar of geopolitics.When power and profit take precedence, governments abandon the everyday realities of those they claim to protect and serve, especially when domination of another country's resources, markets or political direction is at stake. Continue reading...

Whether he's targeting Greenland, tariffs or Iran, Trump's agenda is to distract - because a Europe that is always reacting is never planningWhen Donald Trump reassured the world that he would not, after all, use force to acquire Greenland - after days of threatening as much - he was doing what he does best: turning geopolitics into a spectacle. Whether Trump ever truly believed the US should acquire a vast Arctic territory belonging to a Nato ally is secondary to the fact that, once again, he ensured that Europe and the rest of the world were focused on his agenda.Trump is not a politician who responds to events - he seeks to make them. Not because he is deeply invested in policy detail, but because he understands a defining feature of contemporary politics: attention is power. In an era of information overload, there is no scarcity of data or analysis; what is lacking is attention. And whoever controls that controls the debate. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed.

Democrats and a couple of their Republican colleagues are demanding Noem's resignation over federal killings in Minneapolis - key US politics stories from Tuesday 27 January at a glanceTop Democrats issued a clear message to Donald Trump this week: either he fires Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, or they will impeach her.The ultimatum came after a majority of the House Democratic caucus signed on to articles of impeachment introduced earlier this month in response to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both US citizens fatally shot by federal agents during the increasingly violent immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota's largest city. Continue reading...

Authorities say suspect, who escaped from facility in 2024, ran from traffic stop and fired shots at helicopterA shooting involving a border patrol agent near the US-Mexico border in Arizona has left an accused smuggler in critical condition, local authorities said Tuesday.Border patrol agents attempted to stop a car at about 7am, Pima county sheriff Chris Nanos said at a press conference. Several people exited the car and ran off, and the vehicle drove away, Nanos said. About half an hour later, agents relocated the car and attempted to stop it again. The driver fled on foot, and a border agent chased after him. Continue reading...

Three boys in Texas die after falling into icy pond, while outages mean many in US south still without powerA colossal winter storm was responsible for more than 40 deaths as it brought more snow to the north-east and maintained icy conditions in the south, leaving many across the US without electricity.The deaths were registered in more than a dozen states afflicted by severe cold, according to reports. There were still about 550,000 power outages in the nation on Tuesday morning, according to poweroutage.us. Most of the outages were in the south, where weekend blasts of freezing rain caused tree limbs and power lines to snap, inflicting crippling outages on northern Mississippi and parts of Tennessee. Officials warned that it could take days for power to be restored. Continue reading...

Crash that killed 67 was 100% preventable', says NTSB chair at hearing that addressed history of missed opportunitiesNational Transportation Safety Board members were deeply troubled on Tuesday over years of ignored warnings about helicopter traffic dangers and other problems, long before an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk collided a year ago, killing 67 people near Washington DC.The placement of a helicopter route in the approach path of Reagan national airport's secondary runway created a dangerous airspace and a lack of regular safety risk reviews made it worse, the board said. That was a key factor in the crash along with air traffic controllers' over reliance on asking helicopter pilots to avoid other aircraft. Continue reading...