by Joseph Gedeon in Washington, Tom Phillips in Rio d on (#70S6J)
Cancellations represent escalating government-wide campaign to suppress criticism of rightwing influencerCivil liberties advocates are warning that the Trump administration's decision to strip visas from at least six foreign nationals over social media posts about Charlie Kirk's killing represents yet another example of dangerous government crackdowns on protected speech.On Tuesday, the state department announced it was systematically identifying visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk", declaring in a social media statement that the United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans". Continue reading...
Drug manufacturers may lament the UK's drug prices, writes Simon Dixon, but the NHS should celebrate themWhile the chief executive of Eli Lilly may lament the UK's drug prices (UK is worst country in Europe' for drug prices, says Mounjaro maker, 24 September), the NHS should celebrate them. The system put in place for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of new drugs is respected the world over and is successful in applying the principle that funding a new product should not damage the NHS as a whole. This principle of cost-effectiveness has led to widespread price reductions for the NHS that have allowed the service as a whole to benefit.The chief executive of Eli Lilly links the recent pausing or cancelling of pharmaceutical industry investments in the UK to drug pricing here, when these are down tothe drug companies' desperation to kowtow to Donald Trump. Continue reading...
Declining strength of US passport, tied with Malaysia's at 12th, signals shift in global mobility', says index creatorFor the first time in two decades, the US has dropped out of the world's top 10 most powerful passports, marking a significant dethroning for the global superpower.According to the latest Henley Passport Index, a ranking that measures how many countries a traveler can visit without needing a visa, the US passport now ranks 12th globally, sharing the position with Malaysia. Continue reading...
Mark Carney says automaker's move to inject $13bn into US is direct consequence' of Donald Trump's tariffsCanadian jobs are being sacrificed on the Trump altar", union leaders have warned, after the automaker Stellantis announced plans to transfer production of one Jeep model to the United States.Stellantis announced what it described as its largest US investment push in its 100-year history, saying the $13bn cash injection would create 5,000 jobs across the midwestern United States. Continue reading...
This is a man who once mocked the movements of a disabled reporter, so we'll take what schadenfreude we can getIt is, in my experience, often the photo that does it. You can be nice or mean, bland or snide, accurate or wildly off-base. But none of what you write as a journalist matters much in comparison with the photo that runs alongside it. That's the main determinant of how bitterly a subject will complain about a piece, or whether they will tip from mildly annoyed to actively raging. In this regard, Donald Trump, who went after Time magazine this week for using a photo of him on the cover he has called super bad" and the Worst of All Time", has acted in a way that, unusually for the president, is in line with how other people act.Even more unusually, he's not wrong. The Time cover, shot from below to give readers an unrestricted view up Trump's nose, is extremely unflattering. His turkey wattle neck looks like a ski run after the snow has melted. His eye is reptilian. His hair is the flyaway gauze of a newborn. Or, as Trump put it in the Truth Social rant he published in the early hours of Tuesday morning: They disappeared' my hair, and then had something floating on top of my head that looked like a floating crown, but an extremely small one." (He can't stay normal for long - the crown" is just flare from the sun behind his head.) In these circumstances, it doesn't matter to Trump that the headline is fawning (His Triumph"), or the piece positive, praising the ceasefire in Gaza as the deal [that] could become a signature achievement". He only has eyes for the photo. Continue reading...
Former justice department special counsel said accusations were ludicrous' and criticized Trump's DoJ in rare interviewIn a rare interview former justice department special counsel Jack Smith has hit back against accusations that the federal prosecutions of Donald Trump he oversaw were politically motivated, calling the claims absolutely ludicrous".Speaking with former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann at the UK's University College London in an interview last week, Smith defended the integrity of the criminal investigations he led and his work as special counsel in the Biden administration. Continue reading...
Politico documented the use of slurs, including the N-word and a homophobic term, and antisemitic comments in chatsSome leaders of Young Republican groups throughout the country are facing major backlash after some of their racist and highly offensive messages in private group chats were revealed by Politico.Democratic and Republican politicians denounced the language used and criticized the group. The Young Republican National Federation has called for resignations. The Kansas Young Republican group has been shut down and now a handful of those involved in the racist chat have lost their jobs. Continue reading...
Conservative groups are aiding the administration's crackdown on equity policies in schools across the USIn late March, education secretary Linda McMahon recorded a video to announce an investigation into Maine school districts that allow students to change their gender identity without their parents' permission - a key target of the Trump administration.But she didn't face the camera alone.This story was produced by the 74, a non-profit, independent news organization focused on education in the US Continue reading...
Education department staff say they can't access work emails amid the shutdown to check for layoff noticesFederal workers are scrambling to figure out if they still have a job after the Trump administration launched a fresh wave of layoffs amid a federal government shutdown, prompting widespread confusion and panic.A hearing is scheduled to take place Wednesday after labor unions sued to block the latest firings, setting the stage for another legal battle over Donald Trump's efforts to drastically cut back the federal workforce. Continue reading...
At least one person was killed and two were missing after weekend storm battered two Alaska Native communitiesMore rain and wind were forecast Wednesday along the Alaska coast where two tiny villages were decimated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong and officials were scrambling to find shelter for more than 1,500 people driven from their homes.The weekend storm brought high winds and surf that battered the low-lying Alaska Native communities along the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in the south-western part of the state, nearly 500 miles (800km) from Anchorage. Continue reading...
A team that once folded when challenged now has a comeback victory and solid performances to build on in the last pre-World Cup windowsNot all that long ago, that first half hour would have done the Americans in.The United States men's national team started Tuesday's friendly with Australia looking flat, lacking spark, unable to find their way through the press. They gave away a soft, sloppy goal on a series of defensive miscues - off a throw-in no less. It was the eighth time in Mauricio Pochettino's 20 matches in charge that the US fell behind. They had never salvaged a win from the previous seven and gotten only two ties. Then they lost Christian Pulisic to injury when he felt his hamstring pull. Continue reading...
Experts are enforcing emergency measures to prevent the spread of the highly contagious neurodegenerative diseaseWildlife officials in Florida have discovered only the second case in the state of a deadly infection known colloquially as zombie deer disease", and are enforcing emergency measures to try to prevent a spread.The highly contagious chronic wasting disease (CWD) was found during routine screening in the carcass of a young white-tailed doe that was struck by a vehicle in Holmes county, close to the Alabama border, early last month. The only previous recorded instance in Florida was in a four-year-old doe killed about a mile away in June 2023. Continue reading...
Rafah crossing will be allowed to open, say reports, after Hamas hands over more remains of hostages. Plus, gaffes made by world leaders when they think no one is listeningGood morning.Israel will allow Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt to open and will not cut the amount of humanitarian aid entering the devastated Palestinian territory, Israel's public broadcaster Kan has reported, after Hamas handed over more remains of hostages.What has Donald Trump said about Hamas? The US president said Hamas will be forced to disarm after questions swirled around the group's status following the signing of a peace deal meant to bring an end to the war in Gaza.Why else is Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) in the news? Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and a WGN employee, was arrested on Friday by federal agents during an operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos show Brockman being forced to the ground by two agents before she is handcuffed and put in a van. Attorneys representing Brockman say the incident should be alarming and horrifying to every person in this country". Continue reading...
Hegseth wants journalists to only publish explicitly authorized' information. That is not how the free press worksTom Bowman of National Public Radio recalls one of the many times in his decades covering the Pentagon when the real story wasn't the officially approved story.Then defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld was ecstatic" after the fall of Baghdad in 2003, insisting publicly that it showed the resounding success of the US invasion of Iraq, Bowman wrote in an NPR opinion piece this week. But through informal conversations with officers, Bowman soon found out that the truth was much more complicated - that more American troops would have to be deployed to Iraq to guard the supply lines that were under attack from Saddam Hussein's supporters.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...
Today's rightwingers want their message to go mainstream, so it's coming to a store near youFascism is back in style. Forget the old symbols: swastikas, nooses, Confederate flags, skinheads' shaved heads and combat boots. Extremism has a new look, and it is as fashionable as ever.Today's extremist styles are more diverse and more subtle. Beyond T-shirts that advertise blatant racism, polo shirts with coded symbols create a shared in-group identity and signal support of violence to other believers. Tradwife-style prairie dresses and beauty regimens promote conservative visions of family. Clothing is a powerful tool to spread fascist ideas to promote authoritarianism and recruit new members to this cause. Continue reading...
In video, the two-time Oscar winner also invoked the pledge of allegiance to say we're all in this together'A new video from Robert De Niro implores people in the US to stand up and be counted" in coming protests against Donald Trump's second presidency that are being planned across the country for Saturday.In the clip, the two-time Oscar winner characterizes Trump as an aspiring tyrant who aims to end American democracy, which - among other major historical events - has survived the first and second world wars. Continue reading...
The league will stage a star-studded flag football event in Riyadh, a bid to globalize the sport ahead of its Olympic debut amid scrutiny of Saudi Arabia's sportswashingThe National Football League is making a significant move to raise its global profile after years of struggling to expand beyond its domestic roots.The league announced last week that the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, headlined by seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, will take place on 21 March 2026, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Continue reading...
A series that examines the toll - state by state, county by county - of the US overdose crisisThis series is supported through philanthropic funding to theguardian.org, a US-based foundation that partners with the Guardian on independent editorial projects.All of the journalism is editorially independent, commissioned and produced by our Guardian journalists. You can read more about content funding on the Guardian here. A full list of philanthropically supported editorial projects can be found here. Continue reading...
Despite the glowing story, the cover earned the ire of the US president with criticism of his appearanceIt is a glowing story in a publication Donald Trump has long exalted - but for one catch. The cover picture, the president decreed, may be the Worst of All Time".Time magazine's paean to Trump's role in brokering a Gaza ceasefire, leading its 10 November issue, was accompanied by a photo of the president taken from below and with the sun behind his head. Continue reading...
by Robert Mackey, Shrai Popat, Lucy Campbell and Tom on (#70R1X)
This blog is now closed. Read our latest story hereChina has hit back at accusations from the US that it is trying to hurt the world economy, as the trade war between the world's two biggest economies appeared to re-escalate, amped up by aggressive rhetoric on both sides.China's commerce ministry said on Tuesday that the US was threatening to intimidate" with the prospect of new tariffs on Chinese exports, which is not the right way to get along with China". Its spokesperson said that China would fight to the end" in trade talks. Continue reading...
Move will allow county board of supervisors to provide rent relief for tenants amid immigration crack down on cityLos Angeles county officials voted Tuesday to declare a state of emergency that gives them power to provide assistance for residents they say have suffered financially from ongoing federal immigration raids.The move allows the LA county board of supervisors to provide rent relief for tenants who have fallen behind as a result of the crackdown on immigrants. A local state of emergency can also funnel state money for legal aid and other services. Continue reading...
Mike Johnson says he won't negotiate with Democrats as government shutdown enters second week. Key US politics stories from 14 October 2025Donald Trump has said his administration is planning to produce a list on Friday of Democrat programs" that will be closed as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown, after the Senate failed in its eighth attempt to pass legislation that would end the impasse.He did not specify the programs but indicated to reporters at the White House on Tuesday that the closures would be permanent. Continue reading...
Donald Trump has warned he could cut financial aid to Argentina if his ally Javier Milei loses crucial legislative elections later this month. Trump's remarks came as he and Milei met at the White House just days after the US agreed to provide a major financial lifeline to the South American country. 'We're not going to waste our time' if Milei's party doesn't win, Trump told reporters
President presented award to Kirk's widow, Erika, on what would have been the far-right commentator's 32nd birthdayDonald Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, to the assassinated far-right commentator Charlie Kirk at the White House on Tuesday.Kirk, who was shot at an event at Utah Valley University in September, was among the most significant rightwing activists in the modern political era, galvanizing a younger generation of conservatives to engage in politics and support Trump's candidacy ahead of the 2024 election. Continue reading...
Twenty-eight of the 48 places at the tournament have now been filled, including co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the USAAll nine of the automatic places have now been filled, with the four best runners-up - DR Congo, Gabon, Cameroon and Nigeria - competing in November's playoffs. Nigeria face Gabon while Cameroon take on DR Congo in the semi-finals, with all ties to be played in Morocco. The winner of the final will represent Africa in the intercontinental playoffs in March.
US president says we will not be generous' if leader fails to win key midterms after promising $20bn to prop up struggling economyDonald Trump has warned he could cut financial aid to Argentina if his ally Javier Milei loses crucial legislative elections later this month.If he loses, we are not going to be generous with Argentina," the US president said as Milei visited the White House to seek the Republican's political and economic support. I'm with this man because his philosophy is correct. And he may win and he may not win - I think he's going to win. And if he wins we are staying with him, and if he doesn't win we are gone." Continue reading...
US president says it should take place in a reasonable period of time' amid questions over group's statusDonald Trump has said that Hamas will be forced to disarm after questions swirled around the group's status following the signing of a peace deal meant to bring an end to the war in Gaza.Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Trump said: If they don't disarm, we will disarm them and it will happen quickly and perhaps violently. Continue reading...
Attorneys for Debbie Brockman, released with no charges, deny agent's claim she threw objects' at border patrol carAttorneys representing a producer for Chicago's WGN television station who was temporarily detained by federal agents last week in Chicago, say the incident should be alarming and horrifying to every person in this country".Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and a WGN employee, was arrested on Friday by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the scene show Brockman being forced to the ground by two agents before she is handcuffed and put in a van. Continue reading...
PM tells Commons that ceasefire between Israel and Hamas only first tentative step to peace in the Middle EastKeir Starmer has always known that Monday's visit to Egypt was going to be the Donald Trump Show. After all, almost every day is the Donald Trump Show and there was no way the US president was going to share the limelight on this of all days. The day when the living Israeli hostages were freed, 1,900 Palestinian detainees were freed and the first aid trucks entered Gaza.This was The Donald's peace deal. A narcissist is going to narcissise. Everyone else reduced to supporting actors. At best. Keir was relegated to a non-speaking walk on part as an extra. Pushed away after a couple of seconds. Probably preferable to being arm-wrestled like Emmanuel Macron. Though not much. Continue reading...
Brandon Dawson's gourd that weighs as much as a small sedan was crowned winner after he lost by 6lb last yearA California engineer and gardening enthusiast won the top prize at an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in northern California after growing a giant jack-o'-lantern gourd weighing 2,346lbs (1,064kg).Brandon Dawson, of Santa Rosa, California, clinched the victory Monday at the 52nd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco. Continue reading...
Cody Balmer admitted to setting the Pennsylvania governor's mansion ablaze, causing millions in damageA man who scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and used beer bottles filled with gasoline to ignite the occupied mansion of Pennsylvania governor, Josh Shapiro, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempted murder and other charges.Cody Balmer, 38, also entered pleas to terrorism, 22 counts of arson, aggravated arson, burglary, aggravated assault of Shapiro, 21 counts of reckless endangerment and loitering on 13 April. The fire resulted in millions of dollars in damage to the state-owned brick building.Guardian staff contributed reporting Continue reading...
Infowars founder and conspiracy theorist had been ordered to pay because of false claims about Sandy Hook massacreThe US supreme court has refused an appeal from Alex Jones and left in place his $1.4bn defamation penalty that was awarded to the families of victims from the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting.The Infowars founder and conspiracy theorist had sought to overturn the judgment, which he was ordered to pay after he made false claims about the massacre. Continue reading...
Former president urges support for the ballot measure Democrats say could add up to five US House seatsIn a new ad released on Tuesday, Barack Obama urged California voters to support Proposition 50, a November ballot measure that could reshape the state's congressional map and deliver up to five new Democratic seats in the US House.California, the whole nation is counting on you," the former two-term Democratic president says in the video. Democracy is on the ballot." Continue reading...
Trump administration says 700 notices were sent in error, while former top CDC officer says they didn't think through what they were doing'More than a thousand employees at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received notice that they were losing their jobs on Friday in a move that erased entire offices and was partially reversed over the weekend.It caused instability and whiplash", said Debra Houry, former chief medical officer at the CDC. Continue reading...
Airports in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle and elsewhere cite laws barring partisan political content at TSA checkpointsSeveral major international US airports, including Phoenix Sky Harbor , Harry Reid international in Las Vegas, Seattle-Tacoma and Charlotte Douglas airport in North Carolina, are opting to block a video from the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, that blames Democrats for the ongoing federal government shutdown from airing at their checkpoints.Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte and Westchester county, New York, have refused to display the footage at security checkpoints, saying the overtly political messaging potentially violates state and federal law, including the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from partisan political activity. Continue reading...
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