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A congressional hearing this week underscored the danger a WBD deal would pose to journalism and the American publicDonald Trump wants CNN sold. He has said so repeatedly and publicly, demanding it should be sold" in any deal involving Warner Bros Discovery. Now one of America's largest media companies is racing to oblige him, while another looks to consolidate its power. Wednesday's House judiciary hearing on streaming competition - where lawmakers voiced concern over the Trump administration's influence and a potential merger's toll on consumers - made clear just how dangerous both options are for free speech, audiences and democracy itself.Netflix has bid $82.7bn for Warner Bros Discovery, only to be countered by a hostile $108bn takeover bid from Paramount Skydance, led by David Ellison, son of Trump's ally Larry. Neither deal serves the public interest, and both are dangerous for the future of free expression. Both would produce an unprecedented concentration of power over what Americans watch and which stories get told.Courtney C Radsch is director of the Center for Journalism and Liberty at the Open Markets Institute Continue reading...

Content creators are leverging their high follower counts to apply for the visa for individuals with extraordinary ability'Content creators and influencers in the US are now increasingly dominating requests for O-1 work visas. Astoundingly, the number of O-1 visas granted each year increased by 50% between 2014 and 2024, as noted by recent reporting in the Financial Times.These visas allow non-immigrants to work temporarily in the US. The O-1 category includes the O-1A, which is designated for individuals with extraordinary ability in the sciences, education, business or athletics and the O-1B, reserved for those with extraordinary ability or achievement". Continue reading...

Shots to prevent respiratory syncytial virus recommended only for high-risk babies even as experts hail jabs' successAs US officials move to restrict vaccines, including the shots to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), more evidence is emerging to confirm how dramatically the jabs reduce hospitalizations.Announced last week as part of new restrictions on one-third of all routine childhood vaccines, RSV shots are now recommended only for high-risk babies, instead of all infants. The Trump administration announcement was led by prominent vaccine critic and health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. Continue reading...

National Portrait Gallery removes text on new portrait of Trump standing in Oval Office with a scowl and fists on deskThe National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC has removed a placard that referred to Donald Trump's two impeachments and his supporters' January 6 attack on the US Capitol, according to multiple news reports.The museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution, removed the text when it replaced an old portrait of Trump with a new image of him standing in the Oval Office with a scowl and his fists on the desk. Continue reading...

Yes, the number of small businesses that filed for bankruptcy in 2025 increased from 2024. But only by 10Are mom-and-pop stores going bankrupt at historically high levels? That would seem to be the impression you'd get from recent news reports referencing data released from Epiq Bankruptcy Analytics, a provider of legal services that specializes in bankruptcy services.Uh-oh! Some have seen this as proof that Donald Trump's policies are bankrupting Main Street. Well, no, not quite. Continue reading...

After her Altadena home burned down, Darlene Hamilton wondered whether her cats Merlyn and Kiki had escaped. A year later, she hasn't given up hopeMost nights for the last year, Darlene Hamilton slept four hours and woke at about 4.30am. She wanted to sleep, but she could not.Instead the 66-year-old started the day at her Altadena rental home in morning darkness with a familiar routine, scouring through websites of local humane societies and lost animal groups in search of two familiar little faces. For a year, her days often began and ended with this ritual. Continue reading...

A group of reporters meant to hold the Pentagon to account is full of pro-Trump sycophants ... what could go wrong?After US troops swarmed into Venezuela, seizing the country's president and his wife, there was little to be heard from the Pentagon.Typically, it would be a time for defense officials to talk to the Pentagon press corps: a group of journalists made up of some of the most talented reporters in the US. The Pentagon could have been expected to be held to account over what has been criticized as a violation of international law. Continue reading...

Much of what happened to Randall Gamboa Esquivel, 52, over his last weeks in federal custody in Texas remains a mystery to his family

Exclusive: Before Randall Gamboa Esquivel died, his health had deteriorated badly while he was in ICE custody

It may be tempting to dismiss the move as hopeless - but it interrupts the Trump administration's promise of impunityIn the wake of the killing of Renee Nicole Good, Congresswoman Robin Kelly has announced the filing of three articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary. Predictably, reactions have been muted at best: with the GOP holding both the Senate and the House, impeachment can be dismissed as purely performative, a helpless response to an in and of itself understandable moral imperative of just do something!"But such dismissals are too quick: this administration has been running on a promise of impunity at all levels, and Democrats have to start signaling that actions have consequences. They also need to break out of a fateful dynamic: during Trump 2.0, misdeeds and scandals are following each other in such rapid succession that neither the press nor the public ever seem to get to focus on one. Impeachment can concentrate minds and slow down political time.Jan-Werner Muller is a Guardian US columnist and a professor of politics at Princeton University Continue reading...

Soren Stevenson says Minneapolis shooting reminiscent in a scary way' - but he and his neighbors are feeling activatedIt was Soren Stevenson's third day in office as a Minneapolis city council member on Wednesday when Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by ICE on the edge of his district.On Thursday, he sat in an eerily quiet food court at lunchtime in Plaza Mexico, a mall of mostly Latino businesses in south Minneapolis, eating carne asada and talking about how his neighborhood was once again the center of a national firestorm. Continue reading...

Soviet invasions of allies helped destroy the Warsaw Pact - Trump's dangerous rhetoric risks repeating the mistake inside NatoDonald Trump's echoing of Russia's talking points in its war against Ukraine has long been a cause for alarm and dismay in the west.Now an even more disturbing Kremlin precedent dating from the cold war is being evoked by the US president's fixation on taking over Greenland - that of carrying out attacks on military allies. Continue reading...

The president's inability to tell right from wrong fuels his increasingly dictatorial, illegal and erratic behaviourDonald Trump made 30,573 false or misleading" claims during his first term, according to calculations published in 2021 by the Washington Post. That's roughly 21 fibs a day. Second time around, he's still hard at it, lying to Americans and the world on a daily basis. Trump's disregard for truth and honesty in public life - seen again in his despicable response to the fatal shooting in Minneapolis - is dangerously immoral.Trump declared last week that the only constraint on his power is my own morality, my own mind". That explains a lot. His idea of right and wrong is wholly subjective. He is his own ethical and legal adviser, his own priest and confessor. He is a church of one. Trump lies to himself as well as everyone else. And the resulting damage is pernicious. It costs lives, harms democracy and destroys trust between nations.Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator Continue reading...

State department says armed colectivos' appear to be setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for AmericansThe United States has urged its citizens to leave Venezuela immediately amid reports that armed paramilitaries are trying to track down US citizens, one week after the capture of the South American country's president, Nicolas Maduro.In a security alert sent out on Saturday, the state department said there were reports of armed members of pro-regime militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence that the occupants were US citizens or supporters of the country. Continue reading...

More than a thousand protests were held across the country in the wake of the ICE-related shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis - key US politics stories from 10 January 2026 at a glanceThe death of Renee has ignited anger across the US, with more than a thousand protests held across the country in the wake of the ICE-related shooting.Large crowds marched on Saturday in Boston, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. In snow-covered Minneapolis, crowds reached into the thousands, chanting: Fuck ICE, ICE out!" and Renee Nicole Good's name. With planned actions in all 50 states, events will continue into Sunday. Continue reading...

Rhythm guitarist helped guide the legendary jam band through decades of change and successBob Weir, the veteran rock musician who helped guide the legendary band the Grateful Dead through decades of change and success, has died at age 78, according to a statement posted to his verified Instagram account on Friday.The Instagram statement, posted by his daughter Chloe Weir, said he was surrounded by loved ones when he died. Bob Weir had been diagnosed with cancer in July and succumbed to underlying lung issues", the statement said. Continue reading...

Adam Johnson served 75 days in prison before being pardoned by Donald Trump in January 2025A Florida man who was convicted then pardoned by Donald Trump after he grabbed then House speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern and posed for photographs with it during the US Capitol riot is running for county office.Adam Johnson filed to run as a Republican for an at-large seat on the Manatee county commission on Tuesday. That was the fifth anniversary of the January 6 riot, when he was photographed smiling and waving as he carried Pelosi's lectern after the pro-Trump mob's attack in 2021. Continue reading...

Democrats ejected even though judge ruled Congress members can't be barred from visiting ICE facilitiesThree Democratic members of Congress from Minnesota, including House representative Ilhan Omar, were blocked from entering an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center located near Minneapolis on Saturday morning.The incident took place near the Whipple federal building in the Twin Cities as clashes and demonstrations continued after the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Good by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis earlier in the week. Continue reading...

St Louis zoo identified the stray simians as vervet monkeys, but it's not known where they came fromSome residents in St Louis, Missouri, spotted monkeys roaming their streets this week in a situation that feels like the movie Jumanji come to life.A handful of monkeys were spotted in north St Louis by residents on Friday. Continue reading...

USDA notified state's governor of decision, citing inquiries into alleged fraud by local non-profits and businessesThe Trump administration announced it is suspending $129m in federal benefit payments to Minnesota amid allegations of widespread fraud in the state.The secretary of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brooke Rollins, shared a letter on Friday on social media that was addressed to Minnesota's governor, Tim Walz, and the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, notifying them of the administration's decision and citing investigations into alleged fraud conducted by local non-profits and businesses. Continue reading...

Critics express doubt president can implement such a move without approval from CongressDonald Trump announced a one-year cap that would limit credit card interest rates to 10% this week, in a move that has prompted mixed reaction from lawmakers and beyond.The president's social media post on Friday night said the restriction would take effect on 20 January, but he did not provide specifics on how the government would implement it or ensure that companies comply. Continue reading...

Administration officials, his family and even Mar-a-Lago guests wield outsized influence on a mercurial presidentIt is a world turned upside down. In his first year in office, Donald Trump has bullied Ukraine, bombed Iran and toppled the leader of Venezuela. In the eyes of critics, he has turned the US into a rogue superpower that poses a greater threat to Nato allies than its foes.The blitzkrieg has left diplomats in foreign capitals scrambling to understand Trump's motivations and what - or who - is shaping his thinking. Like past presidents, he has an inner circle of advisers who are playing a crucial role in determining his worldview. Continue reading...

Funding was paused because health department said benefits were going to people in country illegallyA federal judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration cannot block federal money for childcare subsidies and other programs aimed at supporting low-income families with children from flowing to five Democratic-led states for now.The states of California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York argued that a policy announced on Tuesday to freeze billions of dollars in funds for three grant programs was having an immediate impact on them and creating operational chaos". In court filings and a hearing earlier on Friday, the states contended that the government did not have a legal reason for withholding the money from them. Continue reading...

Prosecutors claim Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, started a smaller wildfire that went on to become the devastating Palisades blaze. Is he ultimately to blame?More than a year after a devastating wildfire tore through Pacific Palisades, all but obliterating one of the west coast's most iconic neighborhoods, prosecutors are honing their case against the man they say is responsible.Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old occasional Uber driver who used to live in Pacific Palisades, was charged with three felonies by federal prosecutors in October, who claim he was in the neighborhood in the early hours of New Year's Day. According to a federal complaint, Rinderknecht allegedly used an open flame - likely a lighter - to start a small blaze that grew to about 8 acres (3.2 hectares) before firefighters rushed to the area and extinguished it. Continue reading...

The governor and mayor unveiled a plan for free childcare in New York City. Is the family values' party listening?I think we all need a little cheering up, don't you? So allow me to interrupt the steady stream of violent authoritarianism and state-sponsored murder in your feed with some good news. New York City, which already provides free preschool for three- and four-year-olds, is a step closer to providing free universal childcare for two-year-olds. On Thursday, Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a plan for the free childcare program, which they said will start by focusing on high-need areas" and then gradually expand to cover the city. The mayor said he expected about 2,000 children to be covered by the program this fall.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

ICE Out for Good vigils and rallies are being tracked online by Indivisible, the group behind the No Kings protestsMore than a thousand protests are planned across the US this Saturday and Sunday after ICE agents shot three people, one fatally, in Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon, this week.This weekend, people all over are coming together not just to mourn the lives lost to ICE violence, but to confront a pattern of harm that has torn families apart and terrorized our communities," said Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible, an organizer of ICE Out for Good Weekend of Action". Continue reading...

Aligning itself with Washington and dismissing regional diplomacy has left the dual island nation isolated amid the Venezuela crisisThere is a saying in Trinidad and Tobago: Cockroach should stay out of fowl business." It captures a hard truth. Small states that stray into great-power conflicts rarely emerge unscathed. They are not players; they are expendables.It's a statement that frames the reality of where Trinidad and Tobago sits uneasily today. Continue reading...

Online campaign for US woman shot and killed by ICE agent in Minneapolis significantly surpasses initial $50,000 goalAn online campaign meant to financially support the family of Renee Nicole Good - the US woman shot to death Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent - raised more than $1.5m before organizers closed it Friday.Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," said the page of the GoFundMe campaign benefiting Good's family, which also explained the money raised would be placed in a trust. We are here brokenhearted and in awe of your generosity." Continue reading...

The NFL playoffs kick off with ground-game battles, QB duels and a high-stakes edition of the Packers v Bears rivalryWhat the Rams need to do to win Hold on to the ball. Across five regular-season defeats, Matthew Stafford gave the ball away seven times with six interceptions and a fumble. In the Rams' worst loss of the season, to the Panthers in November, Stafford held his team back from taking a commanding lead with two picks in the first quarter. Keep it tight. Continue reading...

The US president is weaponising tech, but his tariffs and Brexit provide a surprising opportunity to gain back digital control of our livesIt's been 25 years since I started working for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an American nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting human rights on the internet. I've found myself in dozens of countries working with activists, politicians and civil servants to untangle the complex technical questions raised by the internet, and every one of our discussions ended in the same place. OK," they'd say, you've definitely laid out the best way to regulate tech, but we can't do it."Why not? Because - inevitably - the US trade rep had beaten me to every one of those countries and made it eye-wateringly clear that if they regulated tech in a way that favoured their own people, industries and national interests, the US would bury them in tariffs.Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist and journalist. He is the author of dozens of books, most recently Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It Continue reading...

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President's assertion that only a paid agitator would scream at ICE agents contradicted by hundreds of video recordsAt the White House on Friday, Donald Trump endorsed his vice-president's baseless claim that Renee Good, the 37-year-old woman killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday, was part of a shadowy leftwing network" trying to incite violence" against federal agents.Asked by a Fox News correspondent to expand on JD Vance's comments about Good, the president said that the vice-president is generally very accurate" and then cited what he referred to as evidence that at least one person in Good's vicinity when she was killed was probably a paid agitator". Continue reading...

Local leaders' appeal for non-violence largely holds despite growing outrage over US immigration enforcement in citySix protesters were arrested by police in Portland, Oregon, late on Thursday, as an appeal for calm from local leaders largely held despite growing outrage over federal immigration enforcement in the city after two people were shot by US border patrol agents.On Friday afternoon, dozens of protesters gathered again outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, holding signs that denounced ICE agents as thugs" and Nazis". Continue reading...

We're going to be extracting numbers in terms of oil like few people have seen,' Trump said - key US politics stories from 9 January 2025Donald Trump had a message for fossil-fuel companies on Friday: Venezuela is now open for business" as the US president vowed the country's resources would be extracted for the benefit of the US, oil companies - and some" money for Venezuelans.At a roundtable press conference at the White House with more than a dozen oil executives, including leaders from Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, the US president doubled down on claims that Nicolas Maduro's arrest presents American oil companies with an unprecedented opportunity for extraction. Continue reading...

Move marks abrupt pivot from operation that drew protests in New Orleans and arrested 370 people of a planned 5,000Federal immigration officers are pulling out of a Louisiana crackdown and heading to Minneapolis in an abrupt pivot from an operation that drew protests around New Orleans and aimed to make thousands of arrests, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press.The shift appeared to signal a wind-down of the Louisiana deployment that was dubbed Catahoula Crunch" and began in December with the arrival of more than 200 officers. The operation had been expected to last into February and swiftly raised fears in immigrant communities. Continue reading...

Clip first posted by partisan outlet Alpha News shows perspective of ICE agent as Good was fatally shotRenee Nicole Good calmly said everything was fine" and I'm not mad at you" seconds before an on-duty Immigration Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot her in Minneapolis as she drove away, according to a cellphone video shared on Friday by Donald Trump's White House.The partisan media outlet Alpha News first posted the video on X, a 47-second clip that showed the perspective of the ICE agent - and captured a man's voice calling Good a fucking bitch" after she was mortally wounded. It was then shared by the White House's official Rapid Response X account as well as JD Vance, with the vice-president writing in part that he agreed with the notion that Good's death was a tragedy" but accused the media of dishonestly covering the circumstances of her killing. Continue reading...

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...