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City had not deployed mobile 700lb steel barriers on night of deadly Bourbon Street truck attackNew Orleans plans to protect large sections of its Mardi Gras parade routes with mobile 700lb steel barriers that are designed to prevent intentional vehicle rammings - but which were not deployed on the night that the city endured the deadly Bourbon Street truck attack at the beginning of the year, according to the blockades' manufacturer.The Meridian Rapid Defense Group announced that the city would expand its renewed use of the company's Archer 1200 barriers in a recent statement issued after the firm's chief executive officer indicated time was running out to be able to get the blockades where they needed to be for Carnival celebrations culminating in Mardi Gras on 4 March. Continue reading...

The director of a US group of 1,000 medical providers dedicated to LGBTQ+ health equity addresses the falloutDonald Trump's executive order attacking transgender youth healthcare has unleashed chaos inside medical institutions across the country, with providers forced to cancel vital treatment and facing threats to their careers and clinics as they fight to serve their patients.The president's 28 January policy declared federal funding should be revoked from centers that provide gender-affirming care, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers, to youth under the age of 19. While the majority of trans healthcare providers have maintained services, institutions in New York, Colorado, Virginia, California and Washington DC announced immediate pauses on youth treatment. Continue reading...

Press organization submitted legal filing about missing video related to case against Glen SimonAttorneys representing a collection of news organizations said in a legal filing submitted on Tuesday that video evidence used during the sentencing of a rioter involved in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol had vanished from an online government platform.Nine videos related to the case against Glen Simon, who pleaded guilty to a count of disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, have disappeared and are no longer available in the database, according to the filing. Continue reading...

The US's decision to to resume 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports will fuel inflation and create a 'lose-lose scenario', the EU trade commissioner, Maro efovi, told the European parliament on Tuesday. He added that the EU 'will be responding in a firm and proportionate way by countermeasures'.The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, told the Bundestag the EU would react in unison to US tariffs but he hoped that path could be avoided because, 'in the end, trade wars always cost both sides prosperity'. Hong Kong's chief secretary, Eric Chan, said Hong Kong would file a complaint about recent US tariffs imposed on it to the World Trade Organization.The tariffs are scheduled to take effect on 12 March. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when signing the executive order that the tariffs would be imposed 'without exceptions or exemptions' and it was 'the beginning of making America rich again'

Consumer price index rose by 3% in January as president has yet to fulfill pledge of tackling high cost of livingInflation ticked higher in the US in January as Donald Trump returned to office with a pledge to rapidly reduce prices.The consumer price index rose by 3% last month - up slightly from December's annualized 2.9% reading. Continue reading...

Two dozen people chant DEI' at US defense secretary who has rolled back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives

Visitors have flocked to watch the molten spectacle since Kilauea increased volcanic activity starting in DecemberThe Kilauea volcano began shooting lava into the air once again on Tuesday on the Big Island of Hawaii.Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, has been erupting on and off for nearly two months since it burst to life on 23 December. The eruption has been taking place at the volcano's summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes national park. No residential areas have been threatened by the lava. Continue reading...

Rightwinger says Times v Sullivan ruling should go, but reporter reminds readers he did not always think that wayA new book describes how in confirmation hearings in 1991, the future supreme court justice Clarence Thomas said he had no agenda" to change free speech protections established by New York Times v Sullivan - the landmark 1964 ruling Thomas now says should be reconsidered.We should protect our first amendment freedoms as much as possible," Thomas said 34 years ago, in exchanges long obscured by history. Continue reading...

Netanyahu says fighting will resume if Hamas does not release hostages by Saturday. Plus, Musk finally questioned by reporters over DogeGood morning.Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas did not release more hostages by noon on Saturday, endorsing a threat by Donald Trump that could shatter the three-week-old ceasefire between the two sides.What did Netanyahu say? If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon - the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated," he said.What about Hamas? Hamas said on Monday it would delay the release of Israeli hostages indefinitely over violations" of the ceasefire deal. On Tuesday, Hamas had softened its stance, reiterating its commitment to a diplomatic solution.This is a developing story. Follow our live blog here.What's the latest on Musk's slash and burn campaign? Doge has terminated nearly $1bn in Department of Education contracts. On Monday, it said $101m was slashed from 29 DEI training grants; on Tuesday, it said $881m in contracts was wiped out - including the federal agency's research and statistics office.What was that about transparency? The Associated Press said it was barred from sending a reporter to the Oval Office executive order signing, in an effort to punish" the agency for upholding the use of the name of the Gulf of Mexico. Continue reading...

President's power grabs, disregard of rule of law and alliance with Elon Musk elicit condemnation during LA conferenceSeveral Democratic state attorneys general warned that the country was in the grip of a full-blown constitutional crisis, as they battle Donald Trump in court over actions they argue are lawless and in some cases brazenly unconstitutional.We are on the brink of a dictatorship, and America has never been in a more dangerous position than she is today," Kris Mayes, the attorney general of Arizona, said at a press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Continue reading...

His policies are the latest instantiation of a centuries-long American tradition: laws meant to exclude people of color and privilege whitenessA barrage of executive orders, many concerning immigration, marked Trump's first weeks in office. Maligning people immigrating as a large scale invasion" of potential terrorists", violent", and hostile actors with malicious intent" the EOs call for the slashing of physical and legal pathways to admission, lay the groundwork for mass deportation and attack immigrant rights by attempting to (unconstitutionally) revoke birthright citizenship.People like Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, are using social media strategically to stoke fear, broadcasting images of Ice raids and deportations to the notorious Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The administration has also sent an additional 1,500 active duty troops to secure" the southern border.Heba Gowayed is an associate professor of sociology at CUNY Hunter College and Graduate Center and author of the book Refuge: How the State Shapes Human Potential. Continue reading...

Region's autocrats join in persecution of agency that provided aid and helped to build up civil society in 1990sAcross the former Soviet bloc, rightwing and autocratic government have their knives out for USAid, demanding data on grant recipients from Elon Musk and threatening employees and grant recipients with investigations and prison.USAid has long been a thorn in the side of governments in the region who have railed against US support for pro-democracy and civil society movements. Now, local leaders for the first time see an ally in Washington that will back a crackdown on USAid and its beneficiaries as criminals". Continue reading...

From Bible stories to the Ten Commandments, public schools are starting to look a lot like the fundamentalist system I escapedWhen I got the chance to attend a conservative, evangelical high school in rural Iowa, I was ecstatic. My early education had been in a similar school - where creationism was the one true science, and evolution was satanic propaganda - and I'd spent the interim as a frightened pilgrim in the unholy land of public school. I was a teenage zealot and longed to be among my people.Throughout those years, my church leaders urged me to proselytize to the public school students, to debate teachers about the age of Earth or the founding of our Christian nation, to be a spiritual exhibitionist, praying loudly at my locker or the flagpole. The apocalypse was at hand, so who had time for algebra? Continue reading...

Donald Trump appeared to prompt Jordan's King Abdullah to say he would take in Palestinians from Gaza, as Trump hosted him in the White House on Tuesday. The king, who is the first Arab leader to meet Trump since the Gaza plan was floated, said he would do what was best for his country, but said Jordan would take in 2,000 sick children from Gaza for treatment, an offer that Trump praised. 'The point is how to make this work in a way that is good for everybody,' Abdullah said, appearing uncomfortable, without explicitly supporting or opposing Trump's plan. He later said in a post on X that he had reiterated Jordan's 'steadfast position' against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank

Introduction of 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports could push up canned food and drink pricesCoca-Cola has said it may have to increase its use of plastic in the US if Donald Trump's tariffs raise the cost of aluminium cans.The drinks company's warning follows Trump's introduction of 25% tariffs on foreign steel and aluminium entering the US, which could push up the prices of canned food and drink. Continue reading...

After a headline-making fall in Boston, Ime Udoka has staged a comeback with the Houston Rockets that has him leading the pack for the NBA's coach of the yearFrom the myth of Icarus to countless modern narratives, we see a recurring pattern: how humanity is brought back down to earth, often by our own hubris. Down in the chopped-and-screwed streets of Houston, Ime Udoka is rewriting his own myth, defying the Icarus curse. After a headline-making fall in Boston, he's back recharged and ruthless, orchestrating a comeback with the Houston Rockets that has him leading the pack for the NBA's coach of the year.In his first year in charge of the Boston Celtics, Udoka led the team to the 2022 NBA finals - an extraordinary achievement for a rookie head coach. But after that finals appearance, he was suspended and eventually let go after accusations of an improper relationship with a female Celtics staff member. However, unlike Icarus, he has risen anew. In his second season with the Houston Rockets, he is rebuilding his career after what many see as significant moral failure. After three losing seasons, the Rockets are fourth in the Western Conference and looked to be headed for the postseason. Continue reading...

Findings of survey prompt call for more realistic, transactional' EU approach towards Washington

More than 2,500 dogs in 201 breeds and varieties entered the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show, America's oldest continuously held sporting event after the Kentucky Derby. Here is a look at some of this year's dogs

The photographer was a key figure on New York's downtown scene - but, as a new exhibition shows, his later works dealt with the great losses of the Aids crisis Continue reading...

In one generation Sweden has become polyglot and cosmopolitan - and denial has met the wave of white supremacism sweeping the countryIt was the worst mass shooting in Swedish history. Ten people were shot dead and many more wounded before the gunman shot himself. A week on from the atrocity in Orebro, about 125 miles west of Stockholm, Sweden is soul-searching for answers that are not easy to find.The suspect, a 35-year-old white man, was initially described by authorities as a lone wolf". He may or may not have had an ideological motive.Martin Gelin writes for the Swedish newspaper Dagens NyheterDo 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...

In today's newsletter: From the the AI arms race to support for Ukraine to UK diplomatic love bombing, a look at four of the most pressing developments from WashingtonGood morning.Few words can fully capture the first few weeks of Donald Trump's presidency. Dizzying? Unrelenting? Disorienting?Middle East | Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas does not release more hostages by noon on Saturday, endorsing a threat by Donald Trump that could shatter the three-week-old ceasefire between the two sides.Economy | Nationwide, Britain's biggest building society, has waded into a row over whether the government should cut tax breaks on cash Isas, arguing such a move would reduce the availability of mortgages for first-time buyers.AI | The US and the UK have refused to sign the Paris AI summit's declaration on inclusive and sustainable" artificial intelligence, in a blow to hopes for a concerted approach to developing and regulating the technology.Assisted dying | The Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has said her assisted dying bill for England and Wales will still have the strongest safeguards in the world despite the removal of a requirement for scrutiny from a high court judge. Opponents derided the change as rushed and badly thought out".Housing | Rogue landlords in England will face curbs on how much housing benefit income they can receive if their properties are substandard, Angela Rayner has said as she announced an extra 350m for affordable housing. Continue reading...

Australia killing' US manufacturing with aluminium imports, Trump's trade adviser says after president's announcement

Democracy's traditional defence against fascism doesn't work against the new far-right hybrid coded in Silicon ValleyHistory isn't winning the argument. Across Europe and the US, defenders of democracy have mobilised every precedent to warn against a slide into authoritarian rule. They have underlined every rhyme and assonance in the rhetoric of today's far-right movements to highlight echoes of past atrocity. It isn't working.Evidence of the old virus spreading stimulates vigilance in people who are already alert for the signs, activating the immunity of people who are well vaccinated. They aren't the ones who need convincing.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Speaking from the Oval Office, Elon Musk said 'some of the things I say will be incorrect' as he appeared to walk back a claim that $50m in condoms were sent to Gaza in the Middle East, after a journalist said they were in fact sent to Gaza in Mozambique to protect people against HIV. Musk said his so-called 'department of government efficiency' works closely with agency heads and he speaks with US president Donald Trump to 'double-check things'

This live coverage has ended. You can find all of our live US politics coverage hereDonald Trump announced he is dispatching Treasury secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while also predicting the war in the country would end soon".The US president made the news on Truth Social:I am sending Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky. This War MUST and WILL END SOON - Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show. WHEN AMERICA IS STRONG, THE WORLD IS AT PEACE.As you know we have been ordered to cease all work. I don't believe in these conditions I can effectively serve in my role, which is protecting American consumers," said Halperin wrote. Today I made the difficult decision to resign effective today."Salas said she believed the decision by Vought to halt all supervisory work was illegal. Continue reading...

Key presidential ally, whose agency has operated in secrecy, also makes claim - without evidence - of fraud at USAidElon Musk claimed in the Oval Office on Tuesday that his so-called department of government efficiency" (Doge) was providing maximum transparency as it bulldozed its way through the federal government, remarks contradicted by the reality of how he has operated in deep secrecy.The appearance from Musk was the first time he had taken questions from the news media since his arrival in Washington, and he used his time standing next to Donald Trump at the Resolute Desk to defend the aggressive cost-cutting measures the Doge team has pursued. Continue reading...

Agency says its reporter wasn't allowed into event in effort to punish' style guide on upholding use of Gulf of MexicoThe Associated Press said it was barred from sending a reporter to Tuesday's Oval Office executive order signing in an effort to punish" the agency for its style guidance on upholding the use of the name of the Gulf of Mexico, in lieu of Donald Trump's preferred name for the geographic landmark as the Gulf of America.AP's executive editor, Julie Pace, said in a statement: As a global news organization, The Associated Press informs billions of people around the world every day with factual, nonpartisan journalism." Continue reading...

Paul Martin, an independent inspector general and Biden appointee, warned of drastic effects of shuttering USAidDonald Trump reportedly fired the federal watchdog responsible for overseeing the US Agency for International Development (USAid) on Tuesday, one day after the independent inspector general issued a damning report detailing the impact of the president's sudden dismantling of the agency.Paul Martin, who was appointed by Joe Biden in December 2023, was dismissed in an email from Trent Morse, deputy director of the White House office of presidential personnel, seen by the Washington Post. Continue reading...

Speaking from the Oval Office, Elon Musk defended his role in the gutting of federal agencies under the auspices of his so-called 'department of government efficiency'. Musk also dismissed concerns about his conflicts of interest, telling reporters he is trying to be as transparent as possible, even though his own financial disclosures will not be made public. 'Transparency is what builds trust,' he said Continue reading...

Egypt also rejects idea, saying it planned to present vision of reconstruction in Gaza for Palestinians to remain on landDonald Trump has pressed Jordan's King Abdullah to take in Palestinians who would be permanently displaced under the US president's idea for the US to take over the Gaza Strip - even as the king said his country was firmly opposed to the move.Speaking alongside the Arab country's ruler in the White House, Trump signaled he would not budge on his idea that involves moving the Gaza Strip's shell-shocked residents and transforming the war-ravaged territory into what he billed a Riviera of the Middle East". Continue reading...

President's order notes agency heads will undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force' with some exceptionsDonald Trump handed Elon Musk even more control over the federal government by preparing an executive order requiring agencies to cooperate with Musk's so-called department of government efficiency" (Doge), a team Trump has assembled, when told to cut their workforces and limit the hiring of replacements.The White House order, titled Implementing The President's Department of Government Efficiency" Workforce Optimization Initiative, said the goal is to restore accountability to the American public" and that this order commences a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy. By eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity, my Administration will empower American families, workers, taxpayers, and our system of Government itself." Continue reading...

The agency was transferring the records for declassification and did not say what information they containedThe FBI on Tuesday said it had discovered 2,400 new records related to the assassination of former president John F Kennedy as federal agencies work to comply with Donald Trump's executive order last month to release thousands of files.The FBI said it's working to transfer the records to the National Archives and Records Administration to be included in the declassification process. Continue reading...

President makes remarks following release of Pennsylvania teacher Marc Fogel, held in Russia since 2021A US teacher who has been held in Russia since 2021 has been released after a deal which Donald Trump said he hoped could mark the start of a renewed relationship with Moscow.Marc Fogel, a Pennsylvania schoolteacher sentenced in Russia to 14 years on drug-trafficking charges, was released on Tuesday following an unannounced visit to Moscow by Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. Continue reading...

US agencies told to reinstate critical public health information that had been scrubbed from public viewA federal judge has ordered that the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restore several of the webpages that they took down following Donald Trump's executive order attacking diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).On Tuesday, the US district judge John Bates gave the health agencies until midnight to reinstate public medical information that had been scrubbed from the websites. Continue reading...

Agency staffers observe CBP representatives conducting walkthrough' of space as they remain barred from entering

Ursula von der Leyen says tariffs will not go unanswered' as Justin Trudeau says Canadians will stand up if we need to'

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Trump ally pleaded guilty to charge related to duping donors who gave money to effort to build wall on US borderSteve Bannon pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a fraud charge related to duping donors who gave money to a private effort to build a wall along the US southern border - a case the conservative strategist has decried as a political persecution".Bannon, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, reached a plea agreement that spares him from jail time in the We Build the Wall" scheme. Continue reading...

A night behind the velvet ropes at the Super Bowl of canines, America's oldest continuously held sporting event, was enough to change even the staunchest skepticI'm not afraid to say it: dogs are in their flop era. Or maybe, just their owners are. The ones who bring a Great Dane into the grocery store, or hole up in a cocktail bar with a giant Saint Bernard at their feet. Dog people used to symbolize sensitivity, or a down-to-earth vibe. Now, they're synonymous with white-collar entitlement.But I kept those feelings to myself during the Westminster Dog Show, lest they take me out back to get mauled by a pack of Belgian Malinios. Continue reading...

UK steel industry fears surge of foreign imports as US imposes 25% tariffs, as Bank of England chief says world should not forget 2008 crisis

There's no formal network for families caught up in mass deportations to re-home their pets, but communities are stepping up to helpOn 1 February, Kyle Aaron Reese saw a Facebook post from an old school friend urgently looking for someone to adopt a dog named Benny. Benny's owners had just been deported after an immigration raid in New York City; faced with high costs and uncertainty, they hadn't been able to take Benny with them. Reese did not have to stare long at the photo of the jowly bulldog's silly smile before jumping in his car to go pick him up.Everything about what I learned about that dog made me want him more," said Reese, who is 39 and lives in Brooklyn. Continue reading...

South Carolina Republican says she uncovered four men's graphic photos and videos of women and underage girlsThe South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace accused four men - including her former fiance - of rape, physical abuse and sexual misconduct during a nearly hourlong speech on Monday on the US House floor.In the 50-minute presentation, Mace named and displayed photos of the alleged abusers. Mace described how, in November 2023, she accidentally uncovered some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable" - including non-consensual photos, non-consensual videos of women and underage girls". Continue reading...

The supplement-loving anti-vaxxer could well be the US's next health secretary. At least the wellness bros and woo-woo fans will be happyRobert F Kennedy Jr is many things, but he is not a tropical fish. Someone should probably tell him this because he appears to be guzzling fish medicine. Last week a video of RFK sitting on a plane and putting a strange blue liquid into his glass of water went viral. It's not clear what he was taking, but online sleuths are convinced it was methylene blue, which is used to treat parasites in fish as well as aquatic ailments such as swim bladder disease.To be fair, methylene blue does have human uses - in the US it is FDA-approved to treat a rare blood disorder. Over the last few years, however, it has been touted as a miracle drug in wellness circles and people have been using it off-label in the hopes of staving off everything from jet lag to ageing. Looks like RFK Jr is in on one of the best-kept secrets in biohacking - methylene blue," wrote one prominent wellness influencer after the viral video. When used correctly, it's a gamechanger for mental clarity and longevity." Continue reading...