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Letter to MPs says former US ambassador went through process only after his new role was announced to publicPeter Mandelson was not subject to in-depth security vetting prior to his appointment as ambassador to Washington, the government has said.The Cabinet Office conducted a due diligence process on Mandelson before he was chosen for the role but this was not a security check, the Foreign Office said in a letter to MPs. Continue reading...

Gregory Bovino announces arrival as local immigration advocates say they have noticed an uptick in Ice operationsThe border patrol agent who spearheaded the immigration crackdown that sparked widespread protests in Los Angeles announced in a social media post Tuesday that he has arrived in Chicago.Well, Chicago, we've arrived!" Gregory Bovino said in a post on X that included footage of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) vehicles and agents under Chicago street signs and views of downtown. Operation At Large is here to continue the mission we started in Los Angeles." Continue reading...

The claim is central to rationales for arming Israel even as leading human rights groups decry genocide in GazaMore than nine months after Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued reports that concluded Israel was committing genocide - and more than a month since key Israeli human rights groups asserted the same - the American political establishment remains in rigid denial while horrors continue nonstop in Gaza. Virtually all Republicans and most Democrats in Congress still support massive US arms shipments to Israel, so they certainly can't admit that the weaponry is making genocide possible.Central to rationales for arming Israel is the claim that it is the nation of the Jewish people".Norman Solomon is the director of RootsAction and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. His latest book is War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine. Continue reading...

The hosts were clear favourites at Oak Hill 30 years go, but Bernard Gallacher's team came home with the cupBy That 1980s Sports BlogWinning an away Ryder Cup is one of the biggest accomplishments in golf," to quote Rory McIlroy. Neither team has a great away record. USA have only won twice on their travels since Europe joined the event in 1979, their last away victory coming in 1993. Europe's only win on American soil in the last 20 years came in Medinah, and we all know it took a miracle for that to happen.Of Europe's four away wins - in 1987, 1995, 2004 and 2012 - their shock victory at Oak Hill 30 years ago remains a personal favourite. Things were far from rosy for Bernard Gallacher's team in 1995: the captain was bruised after two defeats; there were complaints about his team selection; one star player was ruled out with an injury; and a few others were out of form. Continue reading...

Data public health experts say is worrisome will reportedly be presented to ACIP later this week before vote on shotsUS health officials are reportedly planning to release data on child deaths and serious side effects they would attribute to Covid-19 vaccines, raising alarm among public health experts who say the publicly available data does not support these claims and the report may lead to increased anti-vaccine sentiment.Independent advisers for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) later this week plan to revisit recommendations for Covid shots as well as vaccines for measles and hepatitis B. Continue reading...

Election interference case in limbo as court declines to hear appeal against disqualification of Fulton county prosecutorThe Georgia supreme court on Tuesday declined to hear Fani Willis's appeal of a lower court's ruling disqualifying the Fulton county prosecutor from prosecuting Donald Trump's election interference case.In a 4-3 decision, the state's highest court let stand the lower court order disqualifying Willis from the racketeering and election interference case that initially snagged 19 defendants, including Donald Trump, in 2023. Continue reading...

Faith Kipyegon won the women's 1500m for the fourth time in a row, while Cordell Tinch took the men's 110 hurdlesWe're almost ready to start with heat one of seven in the men's 800m. The first three in each heat go through to the semis, along with the three fastest losers. Djamel Sedjati of Algeria, the Olympic silver medallist, is the class of this field.Hudson-Smith, we learn, tightened up on the bus to the stadium, hence his relatively poor run in the heat. Presumably he'll have taken steps to recuperate and avoid the same problem; hopefully for him, two days was enough to get things sorted. Continue reading...

Title says it will not be deterred by intimidation tactics' after US president announces latest legal actionDonald Trump has filed a $15bn defamation lawsuit against the New York Times in his latest use of legal action targeting a major media outlet.The US president accused it of being a mouthpiece" for the Democratic party and of spreading false and defamatory content" about him. Continue reading...

Man accused in killing of Brian Thompson will not face state charges of first- and second-degree murder but will still face other chargesLuigi Mangione scored a major legal victory on Tuesday with a judge dismissing the two top state charges against him: first-degree murder and second-degree murder, both of which prosecutors had argued were terrorism crimes.Mangione still faces an additional second-degree murder charge, as well as a federal murder charge, in the killing of United HealthCare executive Brian Thompson last December. Continue reading...

Former Democratic vice-presidential nominee's news comes amid rumors he would seek higher office for 2028Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota and the Democratic vice-presidential nominee last year, announced on Tuesday that he is running for a third term as governor in 2026.The announcement comes after speculation that he could seek higher office in 2028 instead of a third term in the state. Continue reading...

Caregiving staff say agents are bringing in patients, often denying them visitors and speaking on their behalf to staffDianne Sposito, a 69-year-old nurse, is laser-focused on providing care to anyone who enters the UCLA emergency room in southern California, where she works.That task was made difficult though one week in June, she said, when a federal immigration agent blocked her from treating an immigrant who was screaming just a few feet in front of her in the hospital. Continue reading...

The commission also accused Benjamin Netanyahu of inciting genocide. Plus, Donald Trump files $15bn lawsuit against the New York Times

US vice-president encourages calling out' anyone who celebrates Kirk's murder, including notifying employersA mass doxing" effort to track down, intimidate and harass people perceived not to have sufficiently mourned the killing of the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk was endorsed on Monday night by JD Vance.The US vice-president guest-hosted Kirk's podcast on Monday and said that people who see someone celebrating Charlie's murder" should call them out". He added: Hell, call their employer. We don't believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility, and there is no civility in the celebration of political assassination." Continue reading...

Advocacy groups say Trump and allies' calls for investigations represent attempt to quash dissent'The president, vice-president and members of Congress have begun calling for the government to investigate progressive organizations in the wake of the Charlie Kirk murder, in terms those targeted say are reminiscent of the House Un-American Activities Committee and the red scare" of the 1950s.Donald Trump, speaking to Fox & Friends on Friday, presented vicious and horrible" radicals on the left of US politics as a roadblock to the country coming together politically after the shooting. On Sunday, he amplified his attack on political enemies by declaring that a lot of people that you would traditionally say are on the left ... [are] already under investigation". Continue reading...

New York's Governor Kathy Hochul has finally lent the city's mayoral nominee her support - but the party's top congressional leaders, both New Yorkers, have notHe's the hottest politician in the US, who managed to attract thousands of young and first-time voters to the Democratic party in his unexpected win in the New York City mayoral primary.With the Democrats suffering from historically low approval ratings, one might have thought the party would rally round Zohran Mamdani, to learn lessons from the media-savvy 33-year-old and bask in his soaring popularity. Continue reading...

Visit comes at sensitive time for UK government, which is laying on display of royal and military pageantryDonald Trump arrives in the UK on Tuesday for a historic second state visit. His trip comes at a tricky time for Keir Starmer, who is facing growing discontent from his own MPs and is in the middle of preparations for what could be a make-or-break party conference speech.The government is hoping to wow the US president with a show of royal and military pageantry, while keeping him away from sensitive places such as central London - and sensitive topics such as immigration and free speech. Continue reading...

Cincinnati have dazzled with their weapons but failed at the one job that matters most: protecting their franchise quarterbackIt sounds obvious, you don't build an actual NFL roster like it's a fantasy football team. It's not enough to pack your squad with flashy weapons and hope you dazzle your way to the Super Bowl. You have to focus on more and different dimensions - roster depth, how players fit into coaching schemes, how they work together, and how even the unsexy" positions are addressed at a high level.And yet that is generally not how the Cincinnati Bengals have built their teams over the years. And once again, they're paying for it in the worst possible way - with an injury to their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, that will severely affect their season. In the Bengals' 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Burrow suffered a turf toe injury as he was being sacked by defensive lineman Arik Armstead; it's estimated that Burrow will be out at least three months. It's the third time in six seasons that Burrow's underwhelming offensive line - the line that is supposed to protect him from this sort of stuff - has helped shorten his season. Continue reading...

US president Donald Trump has misstated what occurred after the fatal shooting of a Minnesota state lawmaker. When asked why he ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff after Charlie Kirk's killing, but not after the fatal shooting in June of a Minnesota state lawmaker, Trump initially said he was 'not familiar' with the case. The president then went on to suggest he might have ordered flags lowered following the shooting of state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband but he said that Democratic Minnesota governor Tim Walz never asked him. 'Had the governor asked me to do that, I would have done that gladly,' Trump said. Except that's not what happened. Video from June shows Trump saying he wouldn't speak to Walz, suggesting it would be a 'waste of time,' and referring to the former Democratic vice presidential nominee as 'whacked out' and 'a mess.'

I never thought I'd see fear spread so far and fast. Next year's midterm elections are now crucial for the Democratic party - and for democrats everywhereI return to Europe from the US with a clear conclusion: American democrats (lowercase d) have 400 days to start saving US democracy. If next autumn's midterm elections produce a Congress that begins to constrain Donald Trump there will then be a further 700 days to prepare the peaceful transfer of executive power that alone will secure the future of this republic. Operation Save US Democracy, stages 1 and 2.Hysterical hyperbole? I would love to think so. But during seven weeks in the US this summer, I was shaken every day by the speed and executive brutality of President Trump's assault on what had seemed settled norms of US democracy and by the desperate weakness of resistance to that assault. There's a growing body of international evidence to suggest that once a liberal democracy has been eroded, it's very difficult to restore it. Destruction is so much easier than construction.Timothy Garton Ash is a historian, political writer and Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

President says he would have ordered half-staff flags for Melissa Hortman if Tim Walz had asked him to do soIn response to a question about why he did not order flags lowered to half-staff to honor Melissa Hortman, the Democratic speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives who was assassinated alongside her husband this summer, Donald Trump initially said he was not familiar" with the case.The question came up during a briefing in the Oval Office on Monday, in light of the president's order last week to lower flags in response to the killing of rightwing activist Charlie Kirk. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed.Secretary of state Marco Rubio will travel to Qatar on Tuesday, the Washington Post is reporting, after holding talks with Benjamin Netanyahu today in Israel.As my colleague Julian Borger writes: Part of [Rubio's] mission on this two-day visit is to convey Donald Trump's irritation at the Israeli missile strike on Doha that was aimed at Hamas leadership but killed their aides and a Qatari security officer.Common sense dictates that drone technology should be harnessed to scan every elevated structure with a line of sight to a target.If drones can enable the early detection and prevention of assassination attempts, why not use them? Better to have vigilant eyes in the sky than to remain blind to would-be assassins. Continue reading...

President says three people killed in strike against vessel he said was transporting drugs headed to the US'Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States had carried out a strike on a second Venezuelan boat and killed three alleged terrorists he claimed were transporting drugs, expanding his administration's war against drug cartels and the scope of lethal military force to stop them.The US president gave few details about the strike, saying in a social media post that the action was on his orders and that it had happened earlier in the morning. The post was accompanied by a video clip showing the boat, which appeared to be stationary, erupting into a fireball. Continue reading...

Donald Trump signed an order sending the national guard into Memphis to combat crime, constituting his latest test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in US cities. Speculation had centered on Chicago as Trump's next city to send in the national guard and other federal authorities. But the administration has faced fierce resistance from Illinois's Democratic governor, JB Pritzker, and the city's Democratic leaders. Trump on Monday said: 'We're going to be doing Chicago probably next' while also suggesting that a deployment wasn't imminent. Speaking earlier on Monday, Pritzker told reporters that sending troops into a US city was a terrible idea and was hopeful Trump would ultimately decide against action in Chicago. 'We never really know what he intends to do,' Pritzker added

US vice-president says administration will work to dismantle institutions that promote violence and terrorism' - key US politics stories from 15 September 2025JD Vance and senior Trump aide Stephen Miller doubled down on promises of vengeance in the aftermath of the killing of Charlie Kirk, vowing to destroy what they claimed is a leftwing domestic terror movement" and calling on people to go hard against anyone deemed to be celebrating the rightwing political activist's death.The US vice-president stepped in to host an episode of Kirk's podcast and was joined by the White House deputy chief of staff for Monday's episode. Miller sought to blame what he called far left" organisations for Kirk's death, despite the motive for the shooting remaining unclear. Continue reading...

Free speech advocates accuse Republicans of intimidation tactics' as employees disciplined for sharing their viewsThe backlash to inappropriate" public comments made in the days following Charlie Kirk's death has sparked a new wave of firings and suspensions, with a number of university employees disciplined for sharing their views.It comes as some free speech advocates accuse Republicans of intimidation tactics" and creating a culture of fear" over the clampdown and using the response to the tragedy to stoke turmoil and inflame anger directed at their political opponents. Continue reading...

Pastor and social activist said nation must be challenged to get rid of using religion as a cover for injustice'Rev William Barber, a left-leaning pastor and social activist, has condemned last week's brutal, ugly" murder of Charlie Kirk while calling for a broader denunciation of political violence on all sides.Barber, leader of the Moral Monday" events staged by Repairing The Breach, a pro-social justice group, also appeared to criticize the rightwing political activist's brand of Christianity. Continue reading...

Vice-president says White House will pursue those who praise Kirk's death and groups that promote terrorism'JD Vance assailed what he called the far left" and its increased tolerance for violence while guest-hosting Charlie Kirk's podcast on Monday, saying the administration would be working to dismantle groups who celebrate Kirk's death and political violence against their opponents.Vance, hosting the podcast from his office next to the White House, spoke to high-profile members of the Trump administration and some of Kirk's long-time friends in the movement, including Tucker Carlson and Trump adviser Stephen Miller. Continue reading...

Kash Patel says DNA found on towel wrapped around rifle believed to have been used to kill Kirk matches that of Tyler RobinsonKash Patel, the director of the FBI, has said that DNA evidence found by investigators links the man accused of killing rightwing political activist Charlie Kirk to the fatal attack despite his alleged refusal to cooperate with authorities after his arrest.Speaking on the conservative-friendly Fox News network on Monday morning, Patel said that DNA found on a towel wrapped around the rifle believed to have been used to kill Kirk matches that of the suspect in custody, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. Continue reading...

Maurene Comey alleges firing was retaliation against father, former FBI director James ComeyMaurene Comey, a federal prosecutor involved in cases against Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell and led the recent case against Sean Diddy" Combs, filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging her abrupt termination as politically motivated retaliation against her father, former FBI director James Comey.According to the court documents, the justice department fired Comey without cause or explanation on 16 July, citing only article 2 of the United States constitution and the laws of the United States" in a brief email. When she asked for a reason, interim US attorney Jay Clayton told her: All I can say is it came from Washington. I can't tell you anything else." Continue reading...

Karen Attiah says she was dropped by newspaper after 11 years for addressing political violence, race and gun controlWashington Post columnist Karen Attiah says she has been fired from the newspaper over social media posts about gun control and race in the aftermath of far right commentator Charlie Kirk's killing.Attiah, 39, recounted in a Substack post that she had been dropped as a Post columnist after 11 years for speaking out against political violence, racial double standards, and America's apathy toward guns". Continue reading...

The president has shown no interest in uniting the US, nor in defending free speech - he is weaponizing this time for his gainThe public response to the killing of Charlie Kirk in cold blood, has revealed how drastically our democracy - our belief in the importance of free speech and in the irreplaceable life of each and every individual - has deteriorated over the last half century.I was a senior in high school when John F Kennedy was assassinated, and a senior in college when Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King were killed. Plenty of conspiracy theories, some of which have never been put to rest, were floated and debated. But the difference between what happened then and what we are seeing now is that, in the aftermath of those violent deaths, there was a sense of shared grief, of national mourning. Those tragedies seemed to bring us, as a country, closer together in our shock and sorrow. Continue reading...

Election integrity' activists have found way to positions of power, raising red flags about potential partisan meddlingA number of people who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 election, and often of other elections in which Republicans have not been victorious, have been elevated to positions of power since Donald Trump's re-election, raising concerns about the potential for partisan meddling in critical parts of the country like Arizona and Georgia.State by state, activists aligned with the election integrity" movement have found their way on to local elections boards and elections offices, raising red flags for Democrats who have already started efforts to have them removed. Continue reading...

Framework deal is breakthrough in long-running dispute over app's ownership amid security concerns in WashingtonJamieson Greer, a US trade representative, said on Monday that Washington and Beijing have struck a framework agreement on transferring TikTok to US-controlled ownership.Speaking after emerging from negotiations with Chinese officials, Scott Bessent said the deal was coming but declined to reveal the commercial terms. Continue reading...

Ryder Corral held as secretary of state Rubio doubles down on pledges to remove visas for critics of far-right activistA 19-year-old man has been arrested on allegations of vandalizing a memorial to Charlie Kirk as the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, doubled down on pledges to remove visas for Kirk critics.Ryder Corral was arrested at 9.50am on Sunday by police in Phoenix, Arizona, after witnesses say they saw a man damaging a memorial for Kirk outside the headquarters of Turning Points USA, the organisation Kirk led. Continue reading...

Mondo Duplantis broke his 14th world record while Ditaji Kambundji won gold in the women's 100m hurdlesMen's 400m hurdles: Tyri Donovan speaks after his second-place finish in the first heat.The GB support has been incredible. I tried to be patient and I am glad I finished strong.To come out here and set a PB and get to the semi-finals is amazing. I put in the work though. If I get here anyone can get here. Continue reading...

Mayor halted support for immigration enforcement after president's 30-day police takeover ended

The singer's album Man's Best Friend bottles young women's increasing sense of healthy relationships being out of reachSabrina Carpenter's country-tinged synth-pop album Man's Best Friend initially drew attention for its divisive album cover. But as masculinity researchers, we see her work differently. It's a cultural marker of a wider phenomenon: young women's increasing withdrawal from dating and committed relationships.Carpenter bottles the palpable exasperation of young women's experiences with emotionally unprepared partners. And her feelings show up in the data. Women are more likely than men to say dating is harder than it was 10 years ago and they are twice as likely to cite physical and emotional risk as the reason why. The disproportionate emotional labor placed on women in relationships, paired with rising economic insecurity, does not compute.Caroline Hayes is a researcher and narrative strategist, specializing in the intersection of tech, culture and gender; Carolina Hidalgo-McCabe is an organizer, researcher and the host of The Masking Tapes, a podcast that explores 21st century masculinity and the gender divide; Alice Lassman is a policy expert, with her forthcoming book exploring how AI's influence on gender and emotions are reshaping economic life Continue reading...

Violence prevention workers say they worry the city is being exploited to normalize military force on US streetsFor months, Donald Trump and his administration have been using violent crime as a justification for ramping up Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) operations and sending or threatening to send the national guard to blue cities - first in Los Angeles, then Washington DC and, last week, Chicago.But for those who work on the ground to prevent crime, the White House's approaches will do little to address underlying causes. Instead, they say, increased law enforcement will only lead to harassment and increased surveillance in communities that are already overpoliced. Continue reading...

Spencer Cox says suspect, who isn't cooperating with officials, had been radicalized' and was in relationship with person transitioning from male to female. Plus, Bangkok reckons with a giant lizard boomGood morning.The Utah governor, Spencer Cox, has said the man suspected of killing Charlie Kirk comes from a conservative family" but that his ideology was very different than his family".What has Donald Trump said? Trump declined to call for the US to come together as a way of fixing the country's divisions, preferring to cast vicious and horrible" radicals on the left of US politics as the sole problem. The president also claimed people on the left" were under investigation.Who else were the big winners? Apple TV+ comedy The Studio, about a fictional Hollywood studio, became the most awarded comedy ever in a single year at the Emmys. Meanwhile, medical drama The Pitt won three awards, including best drama series and two acting awards. Continue reading...

Top officials exited agency under RFK Jr's leadership, and his anti-vax beliefs have dismayed medical communityAfter high-profile departures and sweeping layoffs, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) faces an unprecedented loss of expertise and a simultaneous erosion of trust as top health leaders undermine vaccines and other vital health tools.Americans should be alarmed," said Nirav Shah, former principal deputy director at CDC and now a visiting professor at Colby College. All of these moves leave us less safe, and it comes at a time of rising public health threats." Continue reading...

Exclusive: Massachusetts senator said credit checks in hiring disproportionately affect people of color and womenAs the US labor market comes under pressure, two senior figures in Washington are pushing to end a practice that prevents large swaths of US workers from obtaining jobs.A bill reintroduced today by Elizabeth Warren, the senator from Massachusetts, and Steve Cohen, the representative from Tennessee, bans employers from using credit checks to vet potential hires. Continue reading...

Tenisha Warner reveals identity as she starts two initiatives to support children on behalf of late actor and singerThe widow of actor and singer Malcolm-Jamal Warner has announced the launch of two philanthropic organizations in his honor, paying tribute to her late husband in social media posts that identified her for the first time.On Friday, the day before the eighth anniversary of their wedding, Tenisha Warner published a photo on Instagram of her and her Grammy-winning husband holding hands and laughing together on the day they got married. Some accompanying text explained that the doctor of psychology and her daughter had started the Warner Family Foundation as a young artists' scholarship program as well as River & Ember, which is dedicated to helping deepen bonds between parents and children. Continue reading...