The US president, Donald Trump, and the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, signed an agreement on rare earths and critical minerals on Monday at the White House. Albanese said the deal would 'take our relationship to that next level' while Trump said it had been negotiated over four orSubscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTubefive months
Special counsel nominee Paul Ingrassia also said holidays commemorating Black people should be eviscerated'A Donald Trump nominee who is scheduled for a confirmation hearing this week told other Republicans he has a Nazi streak" and that holidays commemorating Black people should be eviscerated," according to a report based on a private group chat.Trump nominated Paul Ingrassia to serve as special counsel of the United States, a role charged in part with safeguarding federal whistleblowers from retaliation. His confirmation hearing is set for Thursday. Continue reading...
Ex-FBI director claims he is victim of selective prosecution and charges were filed by unlawfully appointed attorneyFormer FBI director James Comey has formally asked a federal judge to dismiss criminal charges against him, arguing he was the victim of a selective prosecution and that the US attorney who filed the charges was unlawfully appointed.The record as it currently exists shows a clear causal link between President Trump's animus and the prosecution of Mr Comey," Comey's lawyers wrote in their request to dismiss the case, calling a 20 September Truth Social post in which he disparaged Comey and called for his prosecution smoking gun evidence". They continued: President Trump's repeated public statements and action leave no doubt as to the government's genuine animus toward Mr Comey." Continue reading...
The US president's attempts to broker a deal fail to distinguish between the aggressor and the victim. No just agreement is possible on that basisIt wasn't quite the calamity of February, when Volodymyr Zelenskyy was publicly humiliated in the Oval Office by Donald Trump and his vice-president, JD Vance. But the Ukrainian president's latest visit to the White House on Friday was, by all accounts, a disquieting experience. Mr Trump's public musings before the meeting suggested that his stance had hardened towards Vladimir Putin, to the strategically significant extent of being willing to sell long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv. But by the time MrZelenskyy arrived in Washington, the US president had changed his mind, instead lecturing his guest on the need to make territorial concessions to Russia.So far, so familiar. Since being re-elected, Mr Trump has repeatedly resiled from following up tough talk on Russia with meaningful action. Faux deadlines for Mr Putin to make substantive steps towards peace have come and gone, treated with indifference by the Kremlin. Last week, the US secretary of war, PeteHegseth, stated that Washington was ready to impose costs" if Russia continued the conflict. But atwo-hour phone call at Mr Putin's request was enough to defuse that threat, and for Mr Trump to onceagain position himself as a neutral arbitrator between two warring parties. Continue reading...
Scores of DIY cycling enthusiasts on Saturday took over an NYC side street for the 21st annual Bike Kill, a chaotic block party dedicated to biking mayhem Continue reading...
The violence Republicans seemed to want did not materialize. Instead the event showcased liberal-democratic consensusOver the past week or so, it seemed as if some Republican leaders were hoping that Saturday's No Kings demonstrations - the marches and rallies hosted by a coalition of liberal groups across the country and worldwide - would turn violent. The House speaker, Mike Johnson, called them Hate America" rallies, a moniker that was quickly picked up by other Republicans, and described the No Kings protests as a crucible of potential riots, representing all the pro-Hamas wing and, you know, the antifa people". You're gonna bring together the Marxists, the socialists, the antifa advocates, the anarchists, and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democrat party," he said. Tom Emmer, a representative for Minnesota, described the rallies as a product of the terrorist wing" of the Democratic party. And Roger Marshall, a senator from Kansas, fantasized that the protests would require action by the national guard. Others, such as the attorney general, Pam Bondi, mused about who might be paying the protesters to show up - an idea that seemed to dismiss the notion that anyone might oppose Donald Trump's agenda for principled, rather than cynical, reasons.At times they sounded almost wistful. Republicans, the president himself chief among them, have been fervently endeavoring to cast those who oppose their authoritarian consolidation of power as enemies - contemptible un-Americans who lack virtue, common values, or the protection of the law. In a world where it was once considered the height of inappropriate partisanship for Hillary Clinton to refer to a basket of deplorables" among Trump voters or Barack Obama to mourn the conservatives who cling to guns or religion", it barely registered as news on Thursday when the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told Fox News: The Democrat party's main constituency are made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals." Continue reading...
Trump administration argues that federal law prohibiting drug users from having firearms is justifiable restrictionDrinking alcohol regularly does not disqualify you from owning a gun in America. Smoking marijuana does. The supreme court agreed on Monday to take up a case challenging that distinction.The case is an attempt by the Trump administration to reverse an appeals case ruling in favor of Ali Danial Hemani, who was charged with felony gun possession after he acknowledged being a regular marijuana user. Federal prosecutors in Texas had been investigating Hemani, alleging illegal ties to the Iranian regime, and found a gun and drugs during a search of his house. Continue reading...
Typhoon from 11 October weekend destroyed 90% of structures and displaced 1,500 people in south-west AlaskaSenator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska warned over the weekend that it could take years for some of her state's communities to recover after they were devastated by a powerful storm recently.Speaking at the Alaska Federation of Natives' annual convention on Saturday, the Republican shared her experience visiting Kipnuk, a village where officials estimate 90% of structures were destroyed amid flooding and other extreme conditions, describing the widespread devastation and long road" ahead for rebuilding. Continue reading...
Sixteen people were reportedly shot on 10 October after high school football game in downtown LelandA seventh person has died from injuries suffered during the mass shooting in Leland, Mississippi, on 10 October, according to officials.Ebanee Williams, 25, died on 17 October at the University of Mississippi medical center, as the local news outlet WLBT.com reported. Sixteen people were reportedly shot in the case, which unfolded in downtown Leland hours after a homecoming high school football game. Continue reading...
IDF says attack followed Hamas killing of two soldiers, but both sides say they are committed to ceasefire. Plus, No Kings protesters on their hopes for resistance movement against Trump Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Israel launched waves of lethal airstrikes yesterday and cut off all aid into Gaza until further notice" after a reported attack by Hamas, in escalations that marked the most serious threat so far to the increasingly fragile ceasefire.What is the US doing to help maintain the ceasefire? Senior US officials, possibly including the vice-president, JD Vance, are expected to arrive in Israel in the coming days for what observers said was a clear effort to hold the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to the deal signed in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, earlier this month.What happened in the meeting with Zelenskyy? Ukraine's president had flown to Washington hoping to capitalise on Trump's growing frustration with Vladimir Putin after the summit in Alaska failed to produce a breakthrough in the war. But Zelenskyy left the US empty-handed, failing to secure long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles after weeks of lobbying. Continue reading...
Critics say mandatory statues on college campuses and street renamings are a way to keep US culture wars goingRepublicans and conservatives are campaigning to quickly build statues and other memorials across the United States for the slain rightwing activist Charlie Kirk in the wake of his assassination at a college event in Utah last month.Political leaders in states such as Florida, Michigan and Oklahoma have not only called for construction of memorials but in some cases also threatened to penalize colleges that refuse to publicly honor Kirk, who was killed on 10 September. Continue reading...
Tens of thousands of people held across the US amid Trump's immigration crackdown could face an insidious hazard: broken internal clocksAt the Northwest Ice Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, about 1,500 people in immigration detention await their day in court. Most are held for months, living not by the rising and setting sun but under the perpetual twilight of fluorescent lights.We couldn't tell if it was day or night," said one former detainee who spent 10 months at the facility and whom the Guardian is not naming for fear of retaliation from US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and the Geo Group, the private company that operates the detention center. The lights were on 24/7. We maybe saw the sun twice a week." Windows were coated in dark paint, and people made eye masks with their socks, he recalled. Continue reading...
The president has repeatedly proclaimed a shining moment. Meanwhile, he's taking a wrecking ball to truth and democracyIn his inauguration speech last January, Donald Trump bombastically declared: The golden age of America begins right now." Our braggadocious president has stuck to that theme ever since, telling the United National general assembly in late September: This is indeed the golden age of America."With the federal government shut down for more than two weeks, the nation more polarized than at any time since the civil war, political violence growing and the job market slowing, it doesn't feel remotely like a golden age, unless one focuses on Trump's Louis XIV-like effort to gild as many things as possible in the Oval Office. Continue reading...
The Guardian revealed how US veterans have been injured and arrested at protests against Ice deportationsSome of the most decorated military veterans in Congress say they are outraged after a report in the Guardian revealed US military veterans have been arrested or injured amid protests over Donald Trump's deportation campaign and his push to deploy the national guard to American cities.I went to war three times for this country to defend the right of Americans to say things I may not like," said Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado and former army ranger who was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq as a platoon leader with the 82nd airborne division. Now is the time for every American to speak out." Continue reading...
Donald Trump said on Sunday that he never asked the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to cede all of the Donbas region to Russia in an earlier meeting, but that it should stay divided as it is.'Let it be cut the way it is. It's cut up right now. I think 78% of the land is already taken by Russia,' the US president said in response to a question from a Reuters reporter onboard Air Force One.Trump had pushed Zelenskyy to give up swaths of territory to Russia during a tense meeting on Friday that left the Ukrainian delegation disappointed, according to two people briefed on the discussion
Director general says it is inappropriate for a journalist who may be covering that issue to be campaigning in that way'BBC journalists cannot wear T-shirts in the newsroom supporting the anti-racist movement Black Lives Matter, the corporation's director general has said.Tim Davie said the BBC stood against racism but it was not appropriate for a journalist who may be covering that issue to be campaigning in that way. Continue reading...
Missing star receiver Puka Nacua, Sean McVay reinvented the Rams' offense with heavy 13 personnel as Matthew Stafford threw five TDs in a Wembley rout of the JaguarsWhen the Los Angeles Rams took the field on Sunday at Wembley Stadium to face the Jacksonville Jaguars, they did so without their best offensive weapon in receiver Puka Nacua, who was out with a sprained left ankle. Given that the Jaguars' defense has been spicy at times under first-year coordinator Anthony Campanile, perhaps Jacksonville could come out with a win that would send them to 5-2 on the season.That was ... not how things transpired. The Rams won going away, 35-7, and Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 21 of 33 passes for 182 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 117.7. Stafford became the eighth quarterback in pro football history to throw five or more passing touchdowns with fewer than 200 yards; the last to do it was Jameis Winston for the New Orleans Saints against the Green Bay Packers on 12 September 2021. Continue reading...
It's a fool's game trying to understand the president's true motives, but do our misgivings matter if the outcome is a speedy end to war?Donald Trump is sensible and he is right. Basking in glory after his Gaza ceasefire, he was on Friday evening flying to Florida with his entourage of reporters. The drums of war were beating across Europe and Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had pleaded with him for Tomahawk missiles. What was his reply?Trump was clearly fed up. He had told Zelenskyy: go make a deal. He had said, They should stop the war immediately. You go go by the battle line wherever it is ... and both sides should go home. Go to their families, stop the killing and that should be it." Matter closed. Tomahawks would merely mean escalation and more killing. Get a deal.Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnistDo 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.
Trump says Washington will also slash assistance to Colombia while US forces attack another alleged drug boat. Key US politics stories from Sunday 19 OctoberDonald Trump has escalated tensions between Washington and one of its closest Latin American allies, declaring the US will slash assistance to Colombia and enact tariffs on its exports because its president, Gustavo Petro, does nothing to stop" drug production.Trump referred to Petro as an illegal drug leader" in a post on the Truth Social platform and warned that Petro better close up" drug operations or the United States will close them up for him, and it won't be done nicely". Continue reading...
Shrapnel fragments rained on vehicles parked on Interstate 5 including highway patrol and JD Vance's detailA live artillery shell exploded prematurely during a marines live-fire demonstration that launched over a southern California freeway in celebration of the military branch's 250th anniversary, raining shrapnel down on a California Highway Patrol vehicle and a motorcycle that was part of JD Vance's detail, according to a police report.The New York Times reported that fragments that fell from the 155mm shell landed on vehicles parked on a ramp on Interstate 5 - a major artery through southern California - which governor Gavin Newsom had ordered closed after learning that military officials had no plans to close the freeway. Continue reading...
Chandler Langevin faced censure from Palm Bay council and calls to resign from series of posts condemned as vile'A city councilmember in Florida is facing backlash from national Indian American organizations, members of Congress, and local residents after posting a series of social media messages that insulted Indian people living in the US and called for them to be deported en masse.Chandler Langevin, a Palm Bay council member elected last year, made derogatory comments about Indian people across several posts on the social media platform X over roughly three weeks this fall. He claimed that Indians come to America to drain our pockets" before returning to India, or worse ... to stay". Continue reading...
Davante Adams' Wembley hat-trick earned the Rams a 35-7 win against the Jaguars at Wembley, among other plotlinesJaguars 0-14 Rams 12:38, 2nd quarterJacksonville smartly are turning to the run and get to midfield with Travis Etienne churning away. LA respond and stop then to set up a 4th and 1. The Jags go for it and Parker Washington scampers for three yards on nifty little end around play. Continue reading...
Disgraced former congressman who was meant to serve seven years for fraud and identity lashes out at criticsDisgraced former US congressman George Santos said on Sunday that his prison sentence had been disproportionate", but that he had been served a very large slice of humble pie", while lashing out at his critics in his first interview since Donald Trump commuted his sentence.Speaking to Dana Bash on CNN's State of the Union, Santos said he was all politicked out", and called for his former campaign staffer, Sam Miele, to also receive a commutation. Continue reading...
Driver turned himself in to Maryland authorities after initially fleeing scene, where eight children were injuredA driver rammed into a group of people at a children's birthday party outside of Washington DC late on Saturday, killing a woman in her 30s and injuring at least 14 others, eight of whom were children.In a statement released by the Bladensburg police department in Maryland, they announced that the driver of the striking vehicle had turned himself in and had been identified as a 66 year-old man from the surrounding area. Continue reading...
Trump vows to cut US funding as Pete Hegseth says US hit Colombian rebel group vessel and three terrorists killed'Donald Trump on Sunday accused Colombia's president, Gustavo Petro, of being an illegal drug dealer" and threatened to immediately cut US funding to the country, as a Republican senator said the US would soon announce major tariffs" on the country.It comes after the US defense secretary confirmed in a social media post an attack on a vessel associated with a Colombian leftist rebel group. Pete Hegseth said three terrorists were killed" in the operation, which was conducted in international waters". Continue reading...
Like many American cities, Portland has been struggling to combat rising unaffordability and homelessnessWhen Donald Trump said he was sending the national guard to Portland, Oregon, to protect immigration officers, local residents immediately responded with characteristic sarcasm. Mocking the president's portrayal of a city in decline, social media was awash with videos of children in parks, busy farmers' markets and September's falling leaves overlaid with satirical text: war ravaged".When the US secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem, visited the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) building where protesters had been gathering for weeks, she found a small crowd of demonstrators wearing inflatable animal costumes, not a city overrun by antifascist militants. The reality on the ground did not deter Trump from painting the city as unlivable. Continue reading...
District courts are speaking truth to power over troop deployments. If only the supreme court would do the sameAt a time when Donald Trump has declared war on the truth, it was heartening to see two federal district court judges have the courage to call out Trump's rationales for sending troops to Portland and Chicago as blatantly untrue - one of the judges said that rationale was untethered to the facts".And at a time when the United States supreme court has been so craven and deferential toward Trump, it was gratifying to see that these lower court judges had the guts to do what the high court's six conservative justices have been utterly unwilling to do: speak truth to Trump's power.Steven Greenhouse is a journalist and author, focusing on labor and the workplace, as well as economic and legal issues Continue reading...
US consumers say price rises caused by president's tariffs contradicts his promise to make life more affordableAs a mother of two, Paige Harris has noticed a change in the way she shops for her family.Items that I have bought regularly have gone up in price steadily," she said. From hair dye to baby formula, our grocery list has gotten smaller while our budget has had to increase. Meats like steak are a no-go for our household." Continue reading...
State's Republican-led public service commission to decide on power expansion and prices, as Democrats vie for voiceGeorgia is facing the largest demand for electricity in its history, driven by nation-leading datacenter construction.The Georgia Power company has made an unprecedented bid to the agency that oversees the utility for about 10 additional gigawatts of energy in the coming years - enough to power 8.3m homes, at an estimated cost of nearly $16bn, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center. Continue reading...
by David Smith in Washington and George Chidi in Atla on (#70VSM)
She's been a true Maga believer in the past, but the Georgia representative has lately shown a streak of independenceFor years she was one of Donald Trump's most loyal foot soldiers. Marjorie Taylor Greene trafficked in racist statements, indicated support for executing Democrats and even floated conspiracy theories about Jewish space lasers. Beneath a red Make America great again" cap she became an instantly recognisable face of the Maga movement.Yet in recent months the Georgia congresswoman has surprised friend and foe alike. On issues ranging from healthcare to Gaza to the Jeffrey Epstein files, she has broken ranks with Republicans and won unlikely fans among Democrats. The streak of independence has stirred speculation about her motives - and future ambitions. Continue reading...
Started after the 2024 election, the Unnamed and Unbound: Black Voters Matter Podcast works to dispel propaganda from the administration and build communityIn a recent episode of Unnamed and Unbound: Black Voters Matter Podcast, the co-host Cliff Albright spoke with his guests about the power of resilience and community building during a time of uncertainty. Resilience takes different forms, he said, such as mutual aid drives or Washington DC protests featuring go-go music during the national guard's continued deployment in the capital. As food is becoming more expensive, and as food programs are being cut, whether it's Snap or Meals on Wheels, you've got a lot of organizations and Black communities that are looking at: How do we feed ourselves?'" Albright, the co-founder and executive director of the voting rights and community empowerment organization Black Voters Matter, said. The best of our resistance has always included some form of taking care of ourselves."After the presidential election in November, the Black Voters Matter team got to work. In late January, Albright, his co-founder LaTosha Brown, and the group's legal director and chief of staff April England-Albright launched the podcast about voting rights and organizing to help keep Black communities informed. Their goal is also to dispel misinformation by engaging people who may be vulnerable to the Trump administration's propaganda, Albright said, and need some persuasion in terms of how to interpret what's going on around us". For England-Albright, she'd like for activists to build coalitions that learn from the shortcomings of past movements. Ultimately, Brown hopes that listeners feel a sense of belonging in the podcast and that they are encouraged to build community. Continue reading...
By holding back federal tax revenues, Democratic governors can turn a one-sided assault into a constitutional showdownAgainst Illinois governor JB Pritzker's objections, Donald Trump's Pentagon has ordered hundreds of national guard troops to join his regime's assault on Chicago communities. Trump subsequently called for Brandon Johnson, Chicago's mayor, and Pritzker to be jailed for not supporting his agenda. These are simply the latest steps in Trump's plan not to govern as the president of all Americans but to rule as the dictatorial head of a punitive factional state. Federal funding to Democratic cities is being slashed through executive maneuvers; the justice department is conducting politically targeted investigations and arrests; and the military is being deployed to intimidate fellow citizens. Los Angeles, Portland, my home town of Chicago and other cities have been cast as enemies to be subdued, not communities to be served.This weaponization of federal power represents a sharp break with constitutional tradition. It's not merely ideological hostility; it is economic coercion and the exercise of violence in service of a president's whim. The Trump regime is selectively starving Democratic jurisdictions of federal funds, even as their residents continue to pay billions in federal taxes, with blue states accounting for over 60% of the federal government's revenue. We are being compelled to subsidize our own political subjugation.Eric Reinhart is a political anthropologist, psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst Continue reading...
US government is seeking proof that acetaminophen leads to autism while not providing services and support so we can be included in the community'The Trump administration is seeking to make the proof" that acetaminophen (or paracetamol) leads to autism, Robert F Kennedy said earlier this month during a televised cabinet meeting.But autistic researchers and advocates say they are significantly less interested in the causes" of autism - which decades of research have shown to have a strong connection to genetics - than in support services and research on issues that would improve their quality of life. Continue reading...
A Guardian investigation finds the US soda and snack-food industries, threatened by RFK Jr's movement to change Americans' eating habits, have turned to a group of well-connected strategists, shadowy pollsters and anti-woke' influencersMajor US soft-drink and snack-food corporations are waging a coordinated campaign that aims to pit Donald Trump's Maga faithful against Robert F Kennedy Jr's Make America Healthy Again movement, a Guardian investigation in partnership with environmental watchdog Fieldnotes has found. Their goal is to stymie the Maha-led effort to curb Americans' consumption of soda and ultra-processed foods.To carry out the plan, the companies have turned to a partially formalized network of for-hire pollsters, strategists and political financiers with deep ties to the national Republican party - several of whom have taken steps that obscure their connection to the effort and to one another. In the process, the industry has also been aided less directly by a loose coalition of free-market ideologues who have previously worked to advance Trump's deregulatory agenda. Continue reading...
Unions are battling in court to halt firings and ensure workers retain their collective bargaining rightsAs Donald Trump continues his drive to cull the federal workforce and consolidate his power, labor unions have emerged as some of his staunchest opponents.Unions are battling the administration in federal courtrooms nationwide, after filing dozens of lawsuits to try to halt attempts to shed hundreds of thousands of government employees, strip collective bargaining rights from over a million workers, and gut some federal agencies. Continue reading...
Gavin Newsom says safety concerns forced state officials to close a portion of the busy Interstate 55 on SaturdayThe California governor, Gavin Newsom, has accused Donald Trump of putting his ego over responsibility" over a military showcase that involved firing live artillery shells over a major highway in the state's south.Newsom said safety concerns over the event forced state officials to close a portion of the busy Interstate 5 near the US Marine Camp Pendleton base on Saturday. Continue reading...
Republicans mostly silent as protesters turn out in every state to peacefully reject authoritarianism in No Kings rallies. Key US politics stories from Saturday 18 October at a glanceAmericans in every state marched in protest against the Trump administration, giving voice to concerns that the country is sliding into authoritarianism.Millions turned out nationwide with signs, marching bands, a huge banner with the US constitution's preamble that people could sign, and inflatable costumes ranging from bananas to SpongeBob SquarePants to frogs, which have in particular emerged as a sign of resistance beginning in Portland, Oregon. Continue reading...
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