Exclusive: Unsubscribe Act, to be reintroduced in the House on Tuesday, would ban complex subscription cancellationsThe average American is losing hundreds of dollars each year on subscriptions they forget to cancel or struggle to end, even as federal consumer protections meant to address the problem remain blocked by a federal court ruling.With the regulatory route stalled, two representatives are offering a bipartisan fix: California Democrat Mark Takano and Nevada Republican Mark Amodei are reintroducing the Unsubscribe Act Tuesday morning that would prohibit deliberately complex cancellation processes. Continue reading...
Since Trump retook office, protesters across the US are sending messages that are hard for drivers to missBonnie Connery was horrified when she read the news about the death of ICE observer Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on 7 January. Within minutes, she and her local Missoula Visibility Brigade were messaging each other. By 3.30pm, the group of 20 was standing on the South Reserve Street Pedestrian Bridge, arranging letters cut out of craft paper and glued onto black foam and hanging them across the bridge using bungee cords. Thousands of cars driving by during rush hour passed under their messages: ICE THUGS KILL CITIZEN" and DHS LIES."The idea was to grab drivers' attention quickly, which often means using a short, shocking message. When asked why the group chose this location, Connery said: These cars are driving out of Missoula, which is blue, into the very red areas outside of the city." Continue reading...
The inquiry into the Federal Reserve chair sends a message to anyone standing in Trump's way - including the supreme courtNews that Donald Trump's justice department has launched an investigation of Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, is the latest example of the president's governing philosophy: do what I want, or I will crush you. The desire to make Powell's life miserable is also a warning sign to anyone who thinks that they have an independent source of authority.What is happening to Powell is a test, not just for him and the Fed, but for any other person or institution that dares to stand up to the president.Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell professor of jurisprudence and political science at Amherst College, is the author or editor of more than 100 books, including Gruesome Spectacles: Botched Executions and America's Death Penalty Continue reading...
When the NCAA tied eligibility to standardized test scores in 1986, hundreds of recruits were barred from competition. But its legacy is still a subject of debateTony Rice noticed the looks and smirks during his first week of freshman classes in the fall of 1986 at Notre Dame.He had accepted his fate a few months earlier when standardized test results led to the decision that he would not be eligible to participate in collegiate sports his freshman year. But nothing prepared him for this. Continue reading...
Previous meddling has damaged the region, and once again the the US and Israel don't have Iranians' best interests at heartWhat does it take to shake illusions in western intervention? This is not a question designed to deflect from the barbarism being unleashed by Iran's theocratic regime. Because it severed the country's internet connection, facts are difficult to establish, but the respected Human Rights Activists in Iran has confirmed 544 have been killed and well over 10,000 arrested - those numbers are probably significant underestimates.Here is a regime that consolidated its power in the 1980s by butchering leftists - helped, it should be noted, by both MI6 and the CIA, who supplied them with lists of alleged Soviet agents. Today, trade union activists are arrested and tortured, while women's activists languish in jails. The economic disaster resulting from sanctions may have helped spark these latest protests, but millions of Iranians are fed up with living under fundamentalist rule - underlined by surveys confirming growing religious non-observance and opposition to the compulsory hijab.Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Mayor decries assault on our democracy' after employee detained during routine immigration appointment'Federal immigration agents detained an employee of the New York City council on Monday, sparking outrage from the city's leaders and renewed rebukes against the Trump administration's immigration actions.This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement on X. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation." Continue reading...
Trump also announced a 25% tariff for any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran' - key US politics stories from 12 JanuaryLast week, as growing protests in Iran were met with violent crackdowns, Donald Trump issued a threat to the country's leadership: You'd better not start shooting, because we'll start shooting too."This week the White House is doubling down on Trump's saber-rattling. Continue reading...
Relatives pay tribute to extraordinary mother' and hope killing by ICE agent leads to meaningful changeRenee Good's extended family said on Monday it wanted justice and accountability for her death at the hands of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, but urged people stirred to outrage by the shooting of the 37-year-old Minneapolis mother of three to root their conversations in humanity, empathy, and care for the family most affected".In a statement and in interviews with the Guardian, the family members - most of them relatives of Good's late husband Timmy Macklin Jr, the father of her youngest son - paid tribute to Good, her children, and to Macklin, and said they hoped the unimaginable loss" the family had suffered would lead to meaningful change and fewer families [who] have to endure this kind of pain". Continue reading...
Ballot proposes one-time, 5% tax on anyone in state worth more than $1bn and grant a five-year period for paymentPalantir co-founder Peter Thiel has donated $3m to a California lobbying group advocating against a proposed wealth tax that would target billionaires in the state. The seven-figure contribution comes as several ultra-wealthy tech moguls have left or threatened to leave California over the tax.Thiel, worth some $26bn, made the donation last month to the California Business Roundtable's political action committee, according to a public disclosure filing which was first reported by the New York Times. A representative for Thiel did not respond to requests for comment. Continue reading...
Lawsuit comes in the aftermath of an ICE agent fatally shooting Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole GoodThe Minnesota attorney general, Keith Ellison, announced a lawsuit on Monday against the federal government, seeking to end the surge of ICE agents in the state.The lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials comes in the aftermath of an ICE agent fatally shooting resident Renee Nicole Good behind the wheel of her vehicle last week, leading to protests across the city, and country. Continue reading...
Republican senator vows to block all Fed nominations until legal matter is fully resolved'Several Republican lawmakers have begun speaking out against the Trump administration's criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, with one senator going so far as to threaten all Fed nominations as a result.Thom Tillis, a senator from North Carolina, vowed to block all Federal Reserve nominations after the justice department opened the investigation, inflaming tensions over the central bank's independence. Continue reading...
Press chief says US president considering many, many' options amid deadly regime crackdown on protestersDonald Trump is unafraid to use military force on Iran" the White House said on Monday as the Iranian regime still faces widespread unrest across the country.Speaking to Fox News, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said that although diplomacy remained Trump's first option", he was unafraid to use the lethal force and might of the United States military if and when he deems that necessary". Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#72S5Y)
Former attorney general urges more clarity on British spy agencies' role in Abu Zubaydah's torture by CIAMinisters should explain why the UK has paid compensation to a Palestinian man who was tortured by the CIA and is still being held in Guantanamo Bay, according to a former attorney general.Abu Zubaydah, the first man subjected to CIA waterboarding, was reported by the BBC to have been awarded a payment that may amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds because of the role of MI5 and MI6 in his mistreatment. Continue reading...
Officials in Texas city issued boil water notice and set up water distribution centers after main line break on SaturdayMore than 100,000 residents in the Texas border city of El Paso were left with little to no water after a main break over the weekend, and it was expected to take till midweek for operations to return to normal, officials said.The break in the 36-inch water main line happened late Saturday night in El Paso, which has a population of about 700,000, officials said. Gilbert Trejo, an official with El Paso Water, called it an event of unprecedented proportion". He said the break was made even more impactful because of the way the pipeline itself was designed along with how different connections of smaller lines were made to it". Continue reading...
Man charged with maliciously damaging building after blaze at historic Beth Israel Congregation in JacksonThe FBI says that a suspect in the arson fire at a historic Mississippi synagogue admitted to targeting the institution because of its Jewish ties".Stephen Spencer Pittman was charged on Monday with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive, the FBI said. Continue reading...
US defense secretary Pete Hegseth tried to reduce veteran's pension for speaking out against Trump administrationDemocratic US senator Mark Kelly filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to nullify the chilling" attempt by the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, to reduce the military veteran's rank and pension as punishment for speaking out against the Trump administration.Hegseth had previously issued a formal censure to Kelly, a decorated retired navy captain and Nasa astronaut, for alleged seditious statements" he made urging service members to resist unlawful orders. It began a process that could lead to Kelly, a senator for Arizona since 2021, being demoted and having his pension cut. Continue reading...
Robert McBride, deputy to Trump ally Lindsey Halligan, is latest in series of dismissalsThe number two prosecutor in the US attorney's office for the eastern district of Virginia has been fired, according to two people familiar with the matter, the latest in a series of dismissals in an office that is leading controversial criminal prosecutions of James Comey and Letitia James.Robert McBride, a former federal prosecutor in Kentucky, was brought in late last year to serve as the deputy to Lindsey Halligan, a Trump ally who the president installed as the acting US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia in September. McBride was dismissed after declining to lead the Comey prosecution, which a judge threw out in November after ruling Halligan was unlawfully appointed, one of the people said. (The justice department is appealing the ruling.) Continue reading...
Maitlin Paige White accused of soliciting donations as Matthew Childress, whose daughter died at Camp MysticA Florida woman allegedly posed as the grieving father of a teenager who died in July's deadly Camp Mystic flooding in Texas and tried to raise money, leading to her being criminally charged with online impersonation, according to authorities.According to court records reviewed by multiple outlets, Maitlin Paige White, 28, of Crestview, Florida, is accused of posing as Matthew Childress and soliciting donations in the days after the death of his 18-year-old daughter, Chloe Childress, who was working as a counselor at Camp Mystic in Kerr county, Texas. Continue reading...
The tumultuous start to 2026 should force a reckoning in Brussels and European capitals, and a recognition of the power the EU can exertAnother week, another set of dilemmas for Europe's beleaguered political class to deal with. On Wednesday Brussels is due to outline the terms of the 90bn loan it has promised to Ukraine, amid internal tensions over whether Kyiv can use the money to buy US as well as EU weapons. On the same day, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is due to meet ministers from Denmark and Greenland, as Donald Trump continues to insist that the US will take ownership of the latter one way or another". And as the body count of protesters rises in Iran, the EU is under mounting pressure to do more than merely monitor" the situation, as the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, somewhat feebly put it over the weekend.Beyond the crisis management, a deeper reckoningis overdue after a tumultuous beginning to2026. It haslong been a truism that there is a profound mismatch between the EU's economic heft and its geopolitical clout. But only a year into Mr Trump's second term, the disjunction looks unsustainable in the America first" era.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
Major fights' broke out Sunday at prison in Davidsboro, county sheriff said, with a dozen others taken to hospitalThree inmates died and a dozen others were taken to hospital with injuries after a possible riot" on Sunday at a state prison in Georgia, authorities said.The Washington county sheriff, Joel Cochran, said several major fights" broke out early Sunday afternoon at a state prison in Davisboro, the Georgia television news outlet WMAZ reported, resulting in 13 inmates being transported for treatment. Continue reading...
Statement signed by 13 former senior officials condemns unprecedented' assault on Fed's independenceEvery living former head of the Federal Reserve condemned an unprecedented" attempt by the Trump administration to weaken the US central bank's independence, after the Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into its chair, Jerome Powell.Ex-Fed chairs Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen warned similar prosecutorial attacks in other countries had led to highly negative consequences" for the cost of living - and argued they had no place" in the US. Continue reading...
This could be your year to worry less about your waistline and spend more time at the moviesWe are now more than a week into 2026, and it might shock you to know I'm feeling quite cheery. All the professional emails I've waited a month to send are out. The grout in my shower is scum-free. The music at the pharmacy is normal again. If you're like me, and you find the holiday season a grim and lonely time that involves too much booze, too much food, too much Mariah Carey and not enough routine, the start of the new year is more than welcome.The one thing that dampens my cheer at being dragged back to my desk for the comfort of drudgery - besides the endless and brutal news headlines - is the New Year's resolution. The tradition of picking a few things to promise yourself to do (or not do) in the spirit of wellness is centuries old, dating back as far as 2000BC. Not sure what the Babylonians were resolving to do. Tidy up the storage closet in the ziggurat? Finally finish that tower they'd been thinking about? Try not to get sold into slavery (again)?Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...
Paramount also files lawsuit seeking disclosure of financial information related to $82.7bn agreementParamount Skydance plans to nominate directors to Warner Bros Discovery's (WBD) board to vote against the approval of its deal with Netflix, and filed a lawsuit seeking disclosure of financial information related to the $82.7bn (61.4bn) agreement.In a letter sent to WBD investors on Monday, Paramount said it will nominate directors for election at the company's annual meeting, which is usually held in June, to try to derail the deal with Netflix, which was agreed in December. Continue reading...
Democrat also says president is spending no time thinking about the actual crises' like food aid and health costsDonald Trump's threat to annex Greenland represents an existential crisis for Nato, senior Democratic US senator Chris Murphy has warned, with the demise of the decades-old alliance of western nations certain to follow any American military intervention.It would be the end of Nato, right? Nato would have an obligation to defend Greenland," the Connecticut senator and member of the chamber's foreign relations committee said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. Murphy added that it would mean clearly ... we would be at war with Europe, with England, with France". Continue reading...
President says he should have' used national guard to seize machines in support of false claim that election was riggedDonald Trump has said he regrets not getting the US national guard to seize voting machines after his 2020 election defeat ended his first presidency, as he continues to falsely claim that he won the race. But he has also questioned whether national guard troops would be sophisticated enough" to pull something like that off.Trump made those remarks in an interview with the New York Times published on Sunday. The outlet had questioned him about a plan reportedly floated in late 2020, after he lost that year's presidential election to Joe Biden, to seize voting machines in several key swing states in an effort to search for evidence of fraud. Continue reading...
Premiums have risen for at least 22 million Americans - we'd like to hear about the impact on your householdEnhanced subsidies that have kept health insurance premiums affordable for millions of Americans who use the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expired at the end of last year.Premiums have risen sharply for at least 22 million Americans who purchased their coverage through the ACA marketplaces using the tax credits, according to research. Continue reading...
Jerome Powell said on Sunday that the Department of Justice had threatened him with a criminal indictment and served grand jury subpoenas over Congressional testimony he gave last summer regarding a Federal Reserve building renovation project. Powell says this action is a pretext aimed at putting further pressure on the central bank to lower interest rates
Journalists call on homeland security officials to reduce law-enforcement confrontations as tensions flareAfter a year in which US journalists faced a dramatic increase in violence from law enforcement, news organizations and advocacy groups have recently tried to better protect reporters through outreach to the Department of Homeland Security.Over the last four months, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a collection of New York news outlets have sent letters to the Department of Homeland Security attempting to open dialogue to reduce confrontations between law enforcement officers and journalists at protests, especially over efforts to deport alleged undocumented immigrants. Continue reading...
Police said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt, and that the driver had been detainedLos Angeles police responded Sunday after a person drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with marchers demonstrating in support of the Iranian people, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver.The U-Haul truck, with a window and side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars. Helicopter footage from the Los Angeles news outlet KABC showed officers keeping the crowd at bay as demonstrators swarmed the truck, throwing punches at the driver and thrusting flagpoles through the driver's side window. Continue reading...
Strike, amid an intense flu season, is expected to disrupt activity at institutions such as Mount Sinai and MontefioreThousands of nurses are set to walk off the job at several of New York City's largest hospitals on Monday, staging a strike amid an intense flu season.The action comes three years after a previous strike that compelled some of the same hospitals to move patients elsewhere and reroute ambulances. Continue reading...
US president claims Iran wants to negotiate' as rights groups report that regime's crackdown on protest has killed hundreds. Plus, how Grok's nudification tool went viral
Celtic's firing of the Frenchman brings back memories for two US coaches who faced similar strugglesBob Bradley has never seen Ted Lasso, the TV show set around an American college football coach who finds himself leading a soccer team in England.Everybody tells me that I should watch it but I have not," Bradley said from his home in New Jersey, almost nine years on from his experience. I lived that a little bit, so I'm not ready to watch it yet." Continue reading...
Party aims to turn tables after struggling to deal with criticisms about inflation during Biden presidencyIn their quest to undo Donald Trump's grip on voters, Democrats have staked their hopes on one word above all others: affordability.It has become a staple of press conferences, a priority of candidates and a subject of legislation ahead of the November midterm elections. When Democrats don't like something that Trump does - a frequent occurrence - their counter-argument is that Americans would have been better off if the president instead concentrated on making life less expensive. Continue reading...
As it did in 2003, the US is underestimating the potential for instability as Trump resurrects one of the Iraq war's biggest mythsLadies and gentlemen, we got him!" Paul Bremer, the US proconsul in Iraq, famously declared at a press conference in Baghdad on 14 December 2003, a day after US troops had captured Saddam Hussein. Iraqis in the audience broke out in cheers, leapt up from their seats and pumped their fists in the air - many had waited decades for that moment. This is a great day in Iraq's history," Bremer said, adding: The tyrant is a prisoner."I was in the audience that day in Baghdad, covering the Iraq invasion's aftermath as a correspondent for a US newspaper. It quickly became clear that Bremer and other jubilant US officials would use the occasion - US soldiers dragged the disheveled former Iraqi dictator out of a hole in the ground where he had been hiding near his home town - to declare that America's war had reached a decisive turn. Despite a growing insurgency led by ex-members of the Iraqi security forces, US officials in Baghdad and Washington projected confidence that victory was in sight now that Saddam was locked up and headed for the gallows.Mohamad Bazzi is director of the Center for Near Eastern Studies, and a journalism professor, at New York University Continue reading...
The big winners at this year's Globes basking in glory and letting their hair down, including Buckley and Graham alongside Teyana Taylor, Rose Byrne and Stellan Skarsgard Continue reading...
by Robert Habeck and Andreas Raspotnik on (#72RNX)
The US president's threats to the territory show Europe needs a new strategy for its far north: one based on cooperation, not dominationThe new year is still young, yet Donald Trump's fixation on expanding his homeland signals a troubling geopolitical shift. From Venezuela to Greenland, the world is unmistakably moving away from the relative stability of the post-cold war era - not least also because of Russia's war against Ukraine.This erosion of long-established norms has severe implications for Europe, a continent whose core political philosophy is built on limiting (national) power. A rules-based order, international law and negotiated solutions lie at the core of Europe's self-image. Yet in today's world, Europe can uphold this vision only if it evolves into a more muscular geopolitical actor itself - and nowhere is this more evident than in the Arctic.Robert Habeck served as German vice-chancellor and minister for economy and climate action from 2021 to 2025, and is now working at the Danish Institute for International Studies. Andreas Raspotnik is the director of the High North Center for Business and Governance at Nord University and a senior researcher at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Oslo, Norway Continue reading...
One Battle After Another led this year's Golden Globes with four wins. Teyana Taylor was named best female supporting actor for her role in the film. In a tearful speech, she devoted her award 'to my brown sisters and little brown girls watching tonight'. On the TV side, the hit Netflix drama Adolescence continued its awards sweep by picking up four Globes, including for best limited series
The Buffalo Bills quarterback is not only a danger to opponents. His bravery and skill inspires his teammates to elevate their playTwo things about the NFL playoffs are predictable: Josh Allen will play out of his skin ... and Josh Allen will suffer a soul-sucking, stupefying loss. Except, maybe, this year.We all know about the postseason heartbreaks and shortfalls over the years for Allen and the Buffalo Bills. In each season since 2019, Buffalo's ride has ended in either the divisional or conference championship round, usually at the hands of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. But with no dominant team coming out of the regular season and no Mahomes this postseason, maybe it's time for Allen and the Bills to finally capture the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy. Continue reading...
Reform's new candidate for mayor claims people pity Londoners for living in an unsafe capital. But the evidence is clear: we're making our streets saferLast year, something extraordinary happened in London. As the conversation about crime got even louder, London quietly reached the lowest per capita homicide rate in its recorded history. Even London's harshest critics have to accept this is impressive progress.For too many, it will no doubt come as a surprise. In recent years, politicians and commentators have sought to spam our social media feeds with an endless stream of distortions and untruths - painting a dystopian picture of a lawless place where criminals run rampant.Sadiq Khan is the mayor of London Continue reading...
US president says company is playing too cute' after CEO responds sceptically to his push for oil investment after deposing Nicolas MaduroDonald Trump has said he might block ExxonMobil from investing in Venezuela after the oil company's chief executive called the country uninvestable" during a White House meeting last week.Darren Woods told the US president that Venezuela would need to change its laws before it could be an attractive investment opportunity, during the high-profile meeting on Friday with at least 17 other oil executives. Continue reading...
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