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No fists, no fire - the president and the mayor-elect met in Washington, and things went bewilderingly, bizarrely wellThe armies of lefty America and of Maga were assembled ready to watch their champions do battle. After all, Donald Trump had called Zohran Mamdani a 100% Communist Lunatic" and total nut job." The incoming democratic socialist New York mayor in turn had called the Republican US president a despot" and fascist".But anyone expecting to see fists fly and shirts torn in the Oval Office was in for a disappointment. Trump, 79, and 34-year-old Mamdani actually got on rather well. In fact beautifully, bewilderingly, bizarrely well. Instead of Batman v Superman, this was Toy Story besties Woody and Buzz Lightyear. Continue reading...

Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, and Donald Trump had a 'productive' meeting in the Oval Office.The president repeatedly stepped in to defend Mamdani from hostile questioning from outlets such as the New York Post and Fox News, while Mamdani was relentlessly focused on the issue of making New York a more fair and affordable place to live.Here are some key moments from their conversation with members of the press.

In a signed statement, 28 victims say they are bracing for blame for their abuse and threats of harmA group of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse have warned they have received death threats and are worried about an escalation as they wait for the release of the files related to the late paedophile financier.In a statement titled What we're bracing for", the women said they had received threats of harm and asked police to investigate and protect them. Continue reading...

Hannah Shirley, born in November 1973, was celebrated with Hungry Hungry Hippos-themed partyThe San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center is feeling festive, and it has nothing to do with Thanksgiving, but instead a birthday celebration for a hippo that turns 52.Hannah Shirley, the world's oldest known living pygmy hippopotamus, turned 52 years old on Thursday, and celebrated with a Hungry Hungry Hippos-themed party. Hannah was surrounded by guests as she played with different-colored balls and presents. Continue reading...

President called behavior of Mark Kelly, whose wife Gabby Giffords survived assassination bid, punishable by death'Senator Mark Kelly - whose wife, Gabrielle Giffords, narrowly survived an attempted assassination while she was in Congress in 2011 - says he is worried about increased threats" to his family's safety after Donald Trump accused him and other Democratic lawmakers of SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH".This kind of language is dangerous, and it's wrong," Kelly said on Friday on MS NOW's Morning Joe, with political violence one of the top topics in the US's public discourse. He continued: I'm not going to get into my specific security arrangements, but it would be irresponsible for me not to consider that [Trump's] words result in increased threats to myself, even to my staff, to my family. Continue reading...

From Georgia to Oregon, clinics and wards are closing as Trump's health law triggers steep Medicaid cuts and rising costs

Donald Trump helped New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani evade a question probing him on calling the president a fascist after a meeting that Trump said was 'great'.Trump and Mamdani said that their meeting was focused on their shared love for the city of New York and not 'places of disagreement'

Justice department challenges policy allowing in-state tuition for undocumented students at public universitiesThe justice department sued California on Thursday for allowing undocumented college students to pay in-state tuition for public universities, alleging the policy harms US citizens.The lawsuit, filed in the US district court for the eastern district of California, marks the third time this week that the Trump administration has sued California. In addition to challenging the state's in-state tuition policy, the lawsuit argues that California unlawfully extends eligibility for scholarships and subsidized loans to undocumented students. Continue reading...

Mountbatten-Windsor continues to hide', US lawmakers say, after deadline they set to receive response passesTwo Democratic lawmakers involved in the US congressional investigation into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein on Friday condemned Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's silence" in response to their request that he sit for a deposition.Robert Garcia, the ranking member of the House oversight committee, and Suhas Subramanyam, a member of the panel, were among the Democrats who earlier this month sent the former British prince a letter seeking his cooperation in their inquiry into Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Continue reading...

US health secretary said he told agency to update website to claim the fact vaccines do not cause autism is not evidence basedRobert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, said in an interview with the New York Times that he personally instructed the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to change its longstanding position that vaccines do not cause autism.Countering decades of science showing vaccines to be safe, the US public health agency's website was changed to say: The claim vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism." Continue reading...

Officials say the move is long overdue' and meant to close decades of safety gaps in vehicle crash testingThe transportation department has unveiled a first crash test dummy in the US modeled specifically on female anatomy, a move officials say is meant to close decades of safety gaps in vehicle testing.Sean Duffy, the US transportation secretary, unveiled the THOR-05F, an advanced female design for a crash-test dummy with upgraded technical specifications. According to the transportation department, the dummy will be incorporated into federal vehicle crash testing once a final rule is published. Continue reading...

Motorist told dispatcher you may not believe me' and said windshield was shattered while driving on North Carolina highwayA motorist in western North Carolina escaped injury when the carcass of a cat crashed into the passenger side of her front windshield along a highway near the Great Smoky Mountains national park.In a call to 911, the unidentified driver on US Route 74 in Swain county, near Bryson City, told a dispatcher that a bald eagle dropped the cat. Bryson City is about 65 miles south-west of Asheville. Continue reading...

Bureau of Labor Statistics canceled release of October's consumer price index, citing the government shutdownThe US federal government will not publish official data on inflation for October, depriving policymakers at the Federal Reserve of key information as they consider whether to cut interest rates.The Bureau of Labor Statistics canceled the release of the closely watched consumer price index (CPI) for October, citing the government shutdown - the longest in history, before it ended earlier this month - and stating it could not retroactively collect" the data required for the report. Continue reading...

From marches and petitions to a constitutional amendment, a years-long campaign led to New Mexico becoming the first state in the US to offer universal childcare

As little as a decade ago it would have been unthinkable that an American institution such as Disney would have chosen to hitch its wagon to F1The remarkable nature of the transformation in Formula One's fortunes in the United States could not have been better illustrated than by the incongruous sight of Mickey Mouse and an assortment of his Disney pals leading a gang of enthusiastic fans on a walk down the pit lane at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.F1 successfully hosting a race in Sin City and the US now boasting three sellout meetings is testament to the sport's burgeoning prosperity. For all of the somewhat surreal edge of seeing Donald Duck and Goofy outside garages, the fact Disney has chosen F1 as a partner is indicative of the sea change the sport has brought about in a market it has long coveted. Continue reading...

The seven-term Democrat is known for his pugnacious and persistent opposition to Donald Trump

Exclusive: Agency accessed private conversations of New York courtwatch' group that was observing public hearingsThe FBI spied on a private Signal group chat of immigrants' rights activists who were organizing courtwatch" efforts in New York City this spring, law enforcement records shared with the Guardian indicate.The FBI, the documents show, gained access to conversations in a courtwatch" Signal group that helps coordinate volunteer activists who monitor public proceedings at three New York federal immigration courts. The US government has repeatedly been accused of violating immigrants' due process rights at those courts.This article was updated on 21 November to include a longer statement from the NYPD. Continue reading...

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said his country was facing 'one of the most difficult moments in our history' after being presented with a 28-point peace plan drafted by the US, which pressed Kyiv to end its war with Russia and concede territory.In a 10-minute address, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was facing the pressure of having to choose between accepting the plan or losing a key partner, the US, and dealing with 'an extremely difficult winter' ahead

Gregory Aymond testified in archdiocese bankruptcy case, which will determine how much compensation survivors receiveThe New Orleans Roman Catholic archbishop, Gregory Aymond, has apologized to a group of survivors who have claimed they were abused by clergymen as children.I know you have been through a lot of pain," he said on Thursday in a federal courtroom while looking directly at survivors Tim Trahan and Richard Coon. Continue reading...

Rodney Taylor, 46, says detention draining on my body' as Democratic senator Raphael Warnock lends support to caseThe health of Rodney Taylor, a Liberian-born man who is a double amputee and is missing three fingers on one hand, has continued to worsen after being picked up by ICE and detained at Georgia's Stewart immigration detention center and his case has now garnered support from a US senator.Taylor, who has been detained for almost a year, told the Guardian he has now been diagnosed with bone spurs in his back, causing severe pain, while the silicone lining of one of his prosthetic legs has deteriorated, causing chafing and boils. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Discredited election-rigging conspiracy theory could strengthen Trump's military action against MaduroFederal investigators have been interviewing multiple people who are pushing unfounded claims that Venezuela helped steal the 2020 election from Donald Trump, the Guardian has learned.Two promoters of the conspiracy theory have repeatedly briefed the US attorney for the district of Puerto Rico, W Stephen Muldrow, and have shared witnesses and documents with officials, according to four sources. Muldrow declined to comment. Continue reading...

You've done this before,' comedian told president, who ranted about Kimmel online and demanded his firingEarly on Thursday morning, Donald Trump made another plea for ABC to fire the late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel, writing on his Truth Social platform that he has NO TALENT" and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS".On his show later that night, Kimmel was defiant, poking at the president for his previous attempt this fall to get him fired and suggesting that Trump has clearly been watching his show. Continue reading...

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It's not just skin deep

Experts say files certain to contain revelations but warn disclosures could still leave critical questions unansweredThey are the files that America - and the world - has long waited to see: a huge cache of documents at the Department of Justice related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, whom a judge once dubbed the most infamous pedophile in American history".After a law passed by Congress and signed by Trump on Wednesday, those documents must now must be released to the American public and a waiting army of journalists. Just like previous Epstein caches they are certain to include damning communications between Epstein and many rich and powerful people in his social circle. Continue reading...

Italian MEP disgusted' after US president received $130,000 engraved gold bar weeks before he decided to slash tariffs on Swiss importsA gold Rolex desk clock and a $130,000 engraved gold bar given to Donald Trump by a group of Swiss billionaires have raised questions in Europe and the US about the personalisation of US presidential power.Pasquale Tridico, an Italian MEP and the former head of the country's national institute for social security said he was disgusted" by the golden charm offensive, made weeks before Trump decided to slash 39% tariffs on Swiss imports to 15%. Continue reading...

Plus Vanity Fair's plucky decision to feature only men in its Hollywood Issue and the reporter fired after RFK Jr sexting scandal'We've all said things that didn't come out right, and it's my instinct - stand by for some counter-intuition! - that Donald Trump's quiet, piggy" admonishment of a female reporter on Air Force One this week was a very weird attempt at affection, or possibly flirtation. As with everything the man does, the effect was disastrous and totally inappropriate. But rewatching the video, I saw from the president less an example of his usual bigotry and more an attempt at what looked like OK, kiddo" cuteness that, catastrophically, and before I could nip it in the bud, had triggered a tiny sprig of sympathy. Continue reading...

President has chosen white men for key posts at expense of women and people of colour, Brookings Institution findsDonald Trump has assembled the least diverse US government of the 21st century, filling the corridors of power with white men at the expense of women and people of colour, research shows.Nine in 10 individuals confirmed by the Senate in the first 300 days of the second Trump administration were white, according to the Brookings Institution thinktank in Washington. Continue reading...

US president roundly decried for Truth Social post after lawmakers told military personnel to refuse illegal orders. Plus, Superman comic found in attic becomes most expensive ever sold

If you've been motivated to organize, protest or become more involved in politics, we'd like to hear from youIn cities and towns across the country, Americans are rallying to protect immigrants, civil rights, racial justice, healthcare, Snap benefits, the constitution and the rule of law.If you are someone who has been motivated to organize, protest or become more involved in politics this year, we would like to hear from you. Our team is hoping to tell your story and to share the ways that individuals or small groups of people have initiated movements to protect their neighbors, communities or their own civil rights. Continue reading...

Everyday people from blue and red states alike are leading actions such as protests, boycotts and mutual aid

Dana Briggs, 70, had charges dropped after being accused of assaulting an agent during a protest at an Illinois ICE facilityA 70-year-old air force veteran who had been charged with felony assault on a federal officer as he protested an ICE raid has told the Guardian he is now considering a civil lawsuit after all charges against him were dropped.The US Department of Justice moved to dismiss all charges against Dana Briggs, who had been charged despite a video of the incident, which showed masked Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents advancing on the elderly veteran and knocking him over. Continue reading...

AI-generated songs are topping Spotify charts. This isn't about the democratization' of art - it's about scaleMaking music is hard. Well, at least it used to be. I remember the old days, when you had to spend hours and hours honing skills, coming up with something clever or personal to say, then actually recording sounds that people would want to listen to. But that's the past. In our sparkling future, a pre-teen can dump a bunch of words into a machine and out comes a catchy tune. In 2025, a robot can be a pop star. (Although Data from Star Trek did drop an album back in the 90s. How soon we all forget.)Three AI-generated songs recently topped Spotify's Viral 50" charts. One of the creators" responsible for these songs, Broken Veteran, who squirted out a track about immigration policies, told the Guardian that AI is just another tool for expression, particularly valuable for people like me who have something to say but lack traditional musical training". It used to be that if you didn't know how to do something, you wouldn't do it.Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...

The former Blackhawks star is back in the NHL after two and a half years. A pair of retreats in India, and a fresh start with his hometown Jets, helped him rediscover his lost joyStepping on the ice for this season's opening game signified far more than a return to routine for one of the NHL's most decorated veterans.Jonathan Toews - the former Chicago Blackhawks captain who led the club to three Stanley Cups in six seasons - was not only making his debut for his hometown Winnipeg Jets. He was playing his first NHL game in two and a half years. Continue reading...

The sport is rooted in the culture of rugged individualism and has been slow to adopt modern techniques. That state of affairs is slowly changingBoosted by cultural phenomena like the hit series Yellowstone and Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album and tour, rodeo and all things Western are enjoying a cultural resurgence. Attendance, broadcast and streaming viewership are at all time highs. So is the prize money, which is attracting more and more young athletes seeking a chance to make a name for themselves.But while rodeo is booming, athlete development remains antiquated. Continue reading...

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After Trump logged on and chose violence, Democratic leaders condemned his disgusting and dangerous death threats' - key US politics stories from 19 NovemberDonald Trump called for the arrest of a group of Democratic lawmakers he accused of engaging in SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH".The president's remarks, issued on his Truth Social platform on Thursday morning, came after the legislators posted a video in which they told active service members they should refuse illegal orders. Continue reading...

Karoline Leavitt says president calls out fake news when he sees it' after remark to reporter draws severe condemnationThe White House issued a full-throated defense of Donald Trump's reference to a Bloomberg News correspondent as a piggy" on Thursday, claiming without evidence that the president calls out fake news when he sees it and gets frustrated with reporters who spread false information".White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the remarks during a White House briefing, saying Trump was re-elected because of his bluntness and that members of the media should appreciate his willingness to answer their questions. Continue reading...

Activist detained by ICE condemns smear and harassment campaign' and demands release of key communicationsMahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian activist who participated in protests at Columbia University and was detained by Ice earlier this year, has filed a lawsuit demanding the Trump administration release its communications with anti-Palestinian groups he says contributed to his March arrest and efforts to detain him.The groups, a number of which have boasted about their involvement in sharing dossiers on Palestine activists with the administration, have claimed credit for Khalil's arrest, according to the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is part of the legal team representing Khalil, and they say there is evidence that indicates the Trump administration acted on information and misinformation - provided by these groups in cracking down" on Khalil and other pro-Palestine activists. Continue reading...

Public health and autism specialists roundly condemn alteration to the vaccine safety' webpageA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website has been changed to reflect the belief of Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health and human services secretary, that there is a link between vaccines and autism, a view flatly contradicted by experts and scientifically validated studies.Public health and autism specialists roundly condemned the alteration to the CDC's vaccine safety" webpage, after it was changed to read: The statement Vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim." Continue reading...

California lawmaker says names of anyone involved in Epstein's crimes must come to light, Democrat or Republican

Poverty rate jumped from 12.2% to 16.3% in 2023 in state, Tipping Point Community report findsNewly released data found that the San Francisco Bay Area's poverty rate soared from 12.2% to 16.3% in 2023, with an approximate total 1.02 million residents in this six-county region considered impoverished by year's end.Another 12.5% of residents - about 790,000 people - hovered on the brink of poverty, meaning that about three in 10 Bay Area residents struggled to cover basic expenses. Continue reading...

Great and good pay tribute in Washington but honouring of former vice-president was an exercise in omissionYou suspected that Maga had not conquered the Washington national cathedral when Bill Kristol was spotted at a men's urinal conversing with Chris Wallace. You knew it for sure when James Carville, Anthony Fauci and Rachel Maddow were seen sitting close to one another in the nave.The funeral of the 46th US vice-president, Dick Cheney, who died earlier this month aged 84, was a throwback to a less raucous and rancorous time. Ex-presidents and vice-presidents, Democratic and Republican, made small talk, but Donald Trump, who spent Thursday crying treason and calling for Democrats to be put to death, and his deputy JD Vance were not invited. Continue reading...

Inquiry centers on whether two Trump allies influenced the Schiff mortgage investigation as prosecutors struggle to build the case

Move deals the president a temporary legal setback to his efforts to send troops to US cities despite local objectionsA federal judge on Thursday halted for now Donald Trump's deployment of national guard troops to Washington DC, dealing the president a temporary legal setback to his efforts to send the military to US cities over the objections of local leaders.US district judge Jia Cobb, an appointee of former president Joe Biden, temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying national guard troops to enforce the law in the nation's capital without approval from its mayor. Continue reading...

Senate majority leader, John Thune, and others push the attorney general to release Epstein records within 30 days

Release of report comes amid conjecture Trump may have authorized the agency to assassinate Venezuelan presidentThe White House under Gerald Ford tried to block a landmark Senate report that disclosed the CIA's role in assassination attempts against foreign leaders and ultimately led to a radical overhaul in how the agency was held to account, documents released to mark the 50th anniversary of the report's publication reveal.The documents, dating from 1975, were posted on Thursday by the National Security Archive, an independent research group, as it sought to highlight the report's significance amid conjecture that Donald Trump may have authorized the agency to assassinate Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, amid a massive US military build-up against the country. Continue reading...

San Francisco supervisor, 47, highlighting work on affordability for working families in US House runConnie Chan, a progressive lawmaker who serves on the San Francisco board of supervisors, has entered the race to succeed the former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi next year.In a Thursday announcement, Chan, 47, said the race was about local neighborhoods versus outside money" and highlighted her work trying to make San Francisco more affordable for working families. Continue reading...

Drenched by floods and abandoned amid the ruins, people in Gaza can draw no comfort from US plansThe declaration of a ceasefire in Gaza in October brought initial relief to its inhabitants. Yet officials there said Israeli strikes killed 33 people, including 12 children, on Wednesday; Israel said its troops had come under fire. Another five Palestinians were killed on Thursday. Hundreds have died since the ceasefire was declared. Even if the shelling stops, the destruction of Palestinian life will carry on as Israel continues to throttle aid, and the consequences of two years of war unfold. TheWorldHealth Organization warned last month thatthe health catastrophe would last for generations.Food remains in short supply. While displaced families shiver in flooded makeshift shelters, with many facing a third winter of homelessness, aid organisations say they cannot deliver stockpiles of tents and tarpaulins. Israel, which denies blocking aid, has designated tent poles as dual-use" items that could potentially be used for a military purpose. Save the Children reports children sleeping on bare ground in sewage-soaked clothing. Continue reading...