As we approach this weekend's championship games, we look at how the Chiefs, Eagles, Commanders and Bills can go all the wayThe Bills offense is a machine, with Josh Allen playing the best all-around ball of his career. But the Bills will only go as deep as McDermott, their head coach and defensive architect, can take them. Continue reading...
By avoiding the standard cliches, the far-right leader comes across as moderate even as she backs extremist rhetoricAlice? Who the fuck is Alice?" wondered European audiences in 1995 when the Dutch band Gompie landed an unlikely success by adding this risque line to Smokie's 1970s hit Living Next Door to Alice. Thirty years on, the question is on many minds again, this time regarding the mercurial co-leader of Germany's buoyant anti-immigration party Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD). Ahead of the German elections on 23 February, many want to know: who exactly is Alice Weidel?It's a pertinent question. For the first time since the Nazi era, a far-right party has ambitions to head a German government. The AfD is fielding the 45-year-old Weidel as its first-ever chancellor candidate. She is unlikely to win office this time, but her party is polling in second place and set to double its vote share to over 20%.Katja Hoyer is a German-British historian and journalist. Her latest book is Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990
We see untrammelled power with fawning courtiers. George Washington would have recognised the new system at the White HouseDonald Trump's triumphal return to the White House was American political theatre on steroids. This was, of course, exactly the returning president's intention. Shock and awe" was the en vogue phrase in the Trump camp to describe it, as the president sought to obliterate the Biden era in a blizzard of executive presidential orders and day-one Maga movement payoffs.Trump's second inauguration was exceptionally well worked. Where or whether it all lands in the form of delivered policy is a different issue. To some, it may feel petty to note that the last US shock and awe" exercise - the Iraq invasion of 2003 - also generated a feast of indelible images of American power. But that one certainly did not end well. Continue reading...
In interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, US president also hinted that predecessor Joe Biden made an error by not pardoning himselfDonald Trump has described attacks on police officers at the US Capitol on January 6 2021 as very minor incidents" as he sought to defend his decision to pardon the insurrectionists.The US president hinted that those who put him through four years of hell" via criminal prosecutions should themselves be investigated, adding ominously that his predecessor Joe Biden made a mistake by not pardoning himself. Continue reading...
by Robert Mackey (now); Chris Stein and Martin Belam on (#6TQY1)
This blog has now closed. You can read all our coverage of the Trump administration hereThe Wall Street Journal has spoken to some federal workers affected by the slew of executive orders signed by president Donald Trump at the outset of his second term as president, and reports a sense of anxiety and confusion" among staff.One person, a product-support manager for the US navy, said It's leaving a lot of uncertainty that folks have never really had to feel. It seems like there is a level of distrust with how things are working." Continue reading...
Before Trump appointee Brendan Carr stepped in, outgoing chair had rejected complaints as trying to weaponize' FCCThe Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday reinstated complaints about how ABC News moderated the pre-election TV debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, and appearances of Kamala Harris on CBS's 60 Minutes and NBC's Saturday Night Live.Last week, then FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said the commission was rejecting complaints that seek to weaponize the licensing authority of the FCC in a way that is fundamentally at odds with the First Amendment". Then, on Wednesday, the FCC said in a series of orders the complaints had been dismissed prematurely based on an insufficient investigatory record". Continue reading...
by Lauren Gambino in Los Angeles and Joan E Greve in on (#6TRJB)
Forty-six Democrats joined Republicans to further bill requiring detention of undocumented immigrants for theftThe US House on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill requiring the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with theft-related crimes, sending the proposal to Donald Trump's desk and giving the new president his first legislative victory as he presses his hardline immigration agenda on multiple fronts.The House vote was 263 to 158, with 46 Democrats joining every present Republican in supporting the Laken Riley Act, named after a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was murdered last year by a Venezuelan national who was in the US unlawfully. The House vote came two days after the US Senate passed the legislation in a vote of 64 to 35, with a dozen Democratic members backing the bill. Continue reading...
by Sam Levin in Los Angeles, staff and agencies on (#6TR9X)
Hughes fire ignites north of Los Angeles late Wednesday morning as Eaton and Palisades fires burn for third weekAdditional evacuations were ordered for residents near a large fast-moving wildfire north of Los Angeles, as parched southern California endured another round of dangerous winds ahead of possible rain over the weekend.The Hughes fire broke out late on Wednesday morning and quickly ripped through more than 9,400 acres (3,760ha), sending up an enormous plume of dark smoke near Castaic Lake, a popular recreation area about 40 miles (64 km) from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week. Continue reading...
Letter from Academy leadership also says show will move away' from live performances to celebrate songwritersThe Oscars will go on as planned in March, though with special accommodations to acknowledge to devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, according to a new update from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.A letter from the CEO, Bill Kramer, and president Janet Yang, sent to all members on Wednesday, confirmed that the ceremony will celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires". Continue reading...
Orders repeal directives expanding healthcare access and options for lower-income and middle-class AmericansWithin his first 48 hours back in office, Trump has signed several executive orders that threaten the healthcare of millions of Americans.Amid a flurry of executive orders, some of which were signed live on TV on inauguration night, the US president issued several orders that repeal Biden-era directives that had expanded healthcare access and options for lower-income and middle-class Americans. Continue reading...
Mike Johnson says party has exposed the false narratives' of the attack but that there is still more work to be done'House Republicans will continue investigating the January 6 insurrection, attempting to undermine the prior investigation that found Donald Trump responsible and rewrite the narrative about the deadly Capitol siege.House speaker Mike Johnson announced on Wednesday that a new select subcommittee will be formed to investigate all events leading up to and after January 6". The move comes after the president pardoned or commuted sentences for every defendant convicted for their roles in January 6, including those convicted of violence against Capitol police and the leaders of extremist groups. Continue reading...
by Adam Gabbatt and Maya Yang and agency on (#6TRD9)
The 17-year-old shooter, also a student at Antioch high school, killed himself, police saidOne student was killed and another wounded on Wednesday in a shooting in a Nashville-area high school cafeteria, police said.The 17-year-old shooter later shot and killed himself, Don Aaron, a Metro Nashville police spokesperson said during a news conference. Continue reading...
Donald Trump signed executive order to rename body of water in honor of American greatness'The US Coast Guard (USCG) and the state of Florida have started referring to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America - a new label pushed by Donald Trump - despite the name of the body of water not yet being formally changed.On Tuesday, following a flurry of executive orders signed by Trump on his first days in office, the USCG announced that it would deploy additional assets to multiple locations, including the maritime border between Texas and Mexico in the Gulf of America'". Similarly, Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, cited the new moniker in a winter storm executive order on Monday, saying an area of low pressure [was] moving across the Gulf of America". Continue reading...
Affidavit to senators claims defense secretary pick's alleged behavior prompted his second wife to fear for her safetySenators have received an affidavit from the former sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's controversial pick for secretary of defense, alleging that the nominee's aggressive behavior prompted his second wife to fear for her safety. Hegseth and his ex-wife, who divorced in 2018, have denied the allegations.As NBC News first reported, the former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, submitted the affidavit after the top Democrat on the Senate armed forces committee, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, sent her a letter requesting a statement on her personal knowledge about Mr Hegseth's fitness to occupy this important position". Continue reading...
Proposal comes after the Guardian investigated Parkview, a Fort Wayne-based non-profit chain that charges some of the highest prices in the countryIndiana lawmakers are pushing to slash hospital prices after a Guardian investigation chronicled how one of the state's largest non-profit hospital chains bought up its competition and used its market power to stick patients with some of the highest bills in the country.A new bill introduced last week in the Indiana general assembly would strip non-profit hospitals of their tax-free status if they continue to charge commercially insured patients more than 200% of what the federal government pays for the same services under Medicare. Continue reading...
Florida declared state of emergency and blizzard warning had been issued for first time ever in Louisiana and TexasSevere cold weather has engulfed parts of the US south as a major winter storm bringing record-breaking snowfall and frigid temperatures to parts of the Gulf coast region on Tuesday, with icy conditions expected to continue into Wednesday.In anticipation of the dangerous winter weather, governors across the south, including Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, declared states of emergency earlier this week, and a blizzard warning for parts of Louisiana and Texas was issued for the first time ever, but has since been discontinued. Continue reading...
Documents, including phone number and invitation to join us', distributed same day Trump took officeKentucky police are investigating after a series of racist Ku Klux Klan flyers telling immigrants to leave now" were distributed across the state on inauguration day.The KKK is one of the most infamous white supremacist hate groups in the US. Continue reading...
As the climate crisis turbocharges wildfires, adding resources alone won't be enough to stop the destruction - our relationship with the land must be remadeWhen Edward Kelly, the president of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), toured the wildfire destruction zones in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods of Los Angeles last week, he saw thousands of homes burned to the ground. The level of devastation is apocalyptic," he said.Propelled by hurricane-force winds, the flames that tore through Los Angeles earlier this month left little more than ashes in their wake, destroying more than 12,000 structures and killing at least 25 people. Continue reading...
Donald Trump defended his decision to grant clemency to people convicted of assaulting police officers during the 2021 attack on the Capitol, saying they had 'served years in jail' that they 'should not have served'. Trump used the opening hours of his second presidency to erase the records of more than 200 people who pleaded guilty to assaulting officers at the Capitol siege on 6 January 2021, granting reprieves to all 1,500-plus people charged in the insurrection that took place after he refused to accept he had lost the 2020 presidential election
Six million fewer US viewers tuned in than for his first inauguration - and nine million fewer people than for Biden in 2021Nine million fewer viewers tuned in for Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony than for Joe Biden's in 2021. According to audience measurement company Nielsen, 24.6 million people watched the former reality TV personality take office, compared with 33.8 million who saw Joe Biden's 2021 inauguration.The number of viewers was also significantly down on the 30.6 million Americans who watched coverage of Trump's first inauguration. This time, the majority of viewers were aged 55 and over, with 17% of all US citizens in that age bracket watching, compared with 1.9% of people aged 18 to 34. Continue reading...
Fraternal Order of Police and International Association of Chiefs of Police criticize blanket clemency to 1,500The largest police union in the US, which endorsed Donald Trump during his campaign, said Trump's decision to pardon more than 1,500 people convicted over the January 6 insurrection sends a dangerous message", in a statement on Tuesday.The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), which endorsed Trump in September 2024, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) warned that the blanket clemency offered to rioters - including those convicted of violent offenses, and several leaders of the attack on the Capitol - threatened Americans' safety. Continue reading...
Ulbricht, sentenced to life in prison in 2015, given full and unconditional' pardon by presidentDonald Trump has granted a full and unconditional" pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the illegal online drug marketplace the Silk Road.Ulbricht has been incarcerated since 2013 and was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for running the underground market where drug dealers and others conducted more than $200m in illicit trade using the cryptocurrency bitcoin. Trump said he had called Ulbricht's mother to tell her he would pardon her son in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly". Continue reading...
After the state hourly minimum wage increased to $20 in April, CEOs warned of price rises and job cuts - yet staff say that's a lie'Joe Erlinger did not mince his words. This lopsided, hypocritical and ill-considered legislation hurts everyone," the top McDonald's executive declared in 2022, as California considered a landmark $20 hourly minimum wage for fast-food workers.The state ignored such warnings, enforcing a pay rise for an estimated 500,000 people in California - home to some of lowest-paid staff in the US workforce - last April. Continue reading...
President says he'll help states execute people but experts skeptical of bold pledge to expand capital punishmentDonald Trump has signed an executive order committing to pursue federal death sentences and pledging to ensure that states have sufficient supplies of lethal injection drugs for executions.The order promises that Trump's attorney general will seek capital punishment for all crimes of a severity demanding its use", specifying that the US will seek the death penalty in every case involving murder of law enforcement and a capital crime committed by an undocumented person, regardless of other factors". Trump has also pledged to pursue the overruling of longstanding US supreme court precedents that limit the scope of capital punishment. Continue reading...
Any funding disparities can be addressed, but another pandemic is coming - and we'll need the WHO to help fight itThis week, in East Sussex, a case of mpox was announced, the sixth UK case since October. New cases have also been detected recently in France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Canada and the US as mpox spreads out of Africa. Also this week, Tanzania's president confirmed an outbreak of Marburg, an Ebola-like virus, which the country's health minister had previously denied, only after the World Health Organization (WHO) independently reported an outbreak of nine suspected cases and eight deaths.These two new reports of infectious diseases, thousands of miles apart, emphasise why, if a World Health Organization did not exist, it would have to be created to identify and prevent the spread of infectious diseases worldwide.Gordon Brown was UK prime minister from 2007 to 2010 Continue reading...
Right Rev Mariann Budde's appeal followed executive orders preparing US for mass deportations and targeting of transgender peopleGood morning.The Episcopal bishop of Washington implored Donald Trump to have mercy upon" immigrants and LGBTQ+ people across the country after he unleashed a slate of executive orders targeting communities.What executive orders does it follow? Trump has already signed directives undoing Biden-era protections for transgender Americans and paving the way for mass deportations.Who supports the Patriotic Millionaires' campaign? The group has sent a letter calling on world leaders to implement a wealth tax, which is signed by more than 370 millionaires and billionaires from 22 countries. This includes the film producer and philanthropist Abigail Disney, the musician Brian Eno and the director Richard Curtis. Continue reading...
With more than 15,000 structures burned to the ground, experts say Angelenos of all income levels will be affectedHours after losing her house to the Palisades fire in Los Angeles, Charlotta La Via was looking out of her hotel window and half-wishing she'd booked the hotel across the street when she spotted a for lease" sign on a building nearby.It was advertising a luxury apartment complex in downtown Santa Monica, more like a five-star hotel than conventional living, with prices to match. But she and her husband didn't hesitate. They signed a lease on a three-bedroom apartment almost as soon as they'd finished touring it. Continue reading...
If criminal charges were meant to deter acts of violence, the pardons of over 1,500 people do the opposite, say expertsDonald Trump spent the four years after the January 6 insurrection attempting to rewrite the violence and chaos he inspired as his supporters stormed the US Capitol.On the first day of his second term as president, he took the rewriting to its final step by issuing pardons and reducing sentences for those involved in the insurrection, including the leaders of far-right militias and those who battled with police that day. Continue reading...
It's time to celebrate all the little things in life, according to an annoyingly upbeat Belgian campaigner. But what if whingeing is actually good for you?April may be the cruellest month - but January is easily the most depressing. The weather outside is frightful and, around this time, everyone's despondently giving up their new year resolutions. It's dreary and dark and, if you're the complaining sort (which, you may have noticed, I quite definitively am), there's - waves hands vaguely at our crumbling dumpster fire of a planet - a lot to complain about. Indeed, a new report has found that champagne sales are sinking. Not just because of dry January, but because people can't find much to celebrate.Enter Isabelle Gonnissen, a Belgian woman who seems to be annoyingly obsessed with positivity. She wants all the whingers and whiners out there to change their tune and celebrate the little things in life. Several years ago, Gonnissen launched a 30 Days Without Complaining challenge in Belgium; this year, she's reportedly bringing it to the Netherlands. According to the NL Times, the campaign launched on Blue Monday (the third Monday of January), which is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year. It probably isn't, by the way. Rather, Blue Monday is a pseudoscientific PR stunt that entrenched itself into our consciousness because it feels kind of true - but I'm not going to grumble about that now. In fact, I'm going to try not to grumble at all. There's no way I can give up complaining for 30 days, but I'll heroically give it a go for the next few sentences. Continue reading...
With concern being voiced over TV ratings, we asked insiders what they would change to make the NBA more attractive to viewersWhen four-time champion Robert Parish played in the NBA, there was no such thing as load management. While the idea, which was born in San Antonio as the Spurs managed the twilight years of stars like Tim Duncan, has since become widespread, Parish, who played the most regular season games in NBA history, says he doesn't like it. Indeed, ridding the NBA of load management is one of the many tweaks a chorus of fans and former players have been suggesting lately. As conversations continue about why early season ratings have been down, fixes galore have been suggested. Below, we wanted to share some more ideas from five distinguished NBA vets.Robert Parish (four-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer): Availability. I think that would improve the fans' appetite for today's NBA. In my opinion, if today's generation of players would take better care of themselves, load management would not even be a concern. I know if I was a fan and I was buying a ticket and I waited a month for my favorite player to come to town and they're not playing because of load management, I would have an attitude. Continue reading...
US president reinstates Cuba on terror list despite Biden deal to release prisoners jailed over demonstrationsThe families of Cuban protesters jailed in anti-government demonstrations are waiting anxiously to see if the government will continue with a planned prisoner release after Donald Trump reneged on a deal made last week by Joe Biden.Activists from the human rights group Justicia 11J believe around 150 prisoners have been released so far of the 553 agreed with the Catholic church. Continue reading...
In the end, the best bet against oligarchy remains countervailing powerTwenty years ago, someone calling the United States an oligarchy would have been labelled a crazy commie or, at best, cuckoo. Now Biden made it central to his goodbye to the American people - and warned of a tech-industrial complex to boot.It is a salutary recognition that, especially since the US supreme court started to open the floodgates of dark money in politics, wealthy individuals face few obstacles in purchasing political power. But now oligarchs like Musk put themselves at the center of political campaigns and aspire to govern. That new visibility - evidenced by the tech leaders seated in front of Trump's cabinet at the inauguration - could also make oligarchs more politically vulnerable.Jan-Werner Muller is a professor of politics at Princeton University. Continue reading...
Right Rev Mariann Budde's appeal amounts to bold public criticism and prompts frosty response from US presidentThe Episcopal bishop of Washington has appealed directly to Donald Trump to have mercy upon" communities across the country targeted by the new administration's immigration and LGBTQ+ policies.There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives," the Right Rev Mariann Budde said from the pulpit at an inaugural prayer service sermon at the Washington National Cathedral, as Trump sat stone-faced in the front row, alongside Melania Trump and JD Vance. Continue reading...
Germany's capital was known for its affordable rents. Now furnished temporary' flats risk destroying the heart of the cityFrom London and other overpriced cities, we often look to Berlin as a beacon of progressive housing politics. Renting in the capital, as some 84% of households do, is associated with secure, unlimited, rent-controlled tenancies. Berliners have rallied behind moves to freeze rents and expropriate hundreds of thousands of apartments from corporate landlords. But in the last few years, Berlin's housing crisis has escalated to unprecedented proportions, with median asking rents across the city rising by 21.2% in 2023 alone. Far from poor but sexy", as it was once dubbed by its own mayor, Berlin now has one of the most overheated property markets in the world.The reasons for Berlin's housing crisis are complex, yet there is one simple and resolvable mechanism driving the stratospheric rent increases of recent years: the large-scale exploitation by landlords of a strange loophole in German federal law. If apartments are rented out as temporary" and furnished", owners can evade tenancy regulations and charge considerably higher rents.Tim White is a researcher and writer studying housing, cities and inequality. He is Alexander von Humboldt research fellow at the Free University of Berlin and visiting fellow at the London School of Economics Continue reading...
Difficult choices between alignment with Europe and the US are coming at the prime minister fast. He risks losing control of the debateWhen all eyes at Westminster are fixed on Washington, it is easy to forget how little attention is paid back in return.Unlike Mexico and Canada, Britain doesn't have a long border with the US. It doesn't rival America's superpower primacy on the planet, unlike China. And it doesn't export more goods across the Atlantic than it imports - a trait Donald Trump despises about the European Union. Continue reading...
New Jersey Democratic attorney general Matthew Platkin said that he's leading a group of states, the district of Columbia and the city of San Francisco, in filing a lawsuit blocking president Trump's executive order ending the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship. The coalition filed a lawsuit in a federal court arguing the Republican president's effort to end birthright citizenship is a violation of the US constitution
by Marina Dunbar in Washington and agencies on (#6TQ91)
Far-right figures Enrique Tarrio and Steward Rhodes set free after being imprisoned for helping plot Capitol attackExtremist supporters of Donald Trump who attacked the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 or were involved in planning the insurrection began leaving prison on Tuesday, after the newly installed president issued sweeping pardons shortly after being sworn in on Monday.The Republican president's pardon of 1,500 defendants drew outrage from lawmakers who were endangered in the attack, when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Congress from certifying his 2020 loss to Joe Biden. Continue reading...
New Orleans and Houston see record snow leading to closed highways and canceled schoolsA once in a lifetime" winter storm sweeping through the southern United States on Tuesday dumped snow at levels millions of residents had never seen before.The storm blanketed New Orleans and Houston with record snow that closed highways, grounded nearly all flights and canceled school for more than a million students more accustomed to hurricane dismissals than snow days. Continue reading...
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