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City's mayor has hardened her stance on Trump's authoritarian' actions. Plus, Israel intensifies bombing of Gaza killing 89 Palestinians in 24 hours

Rural communities are seeing a key aspect of life affected amid Trump's immigration crackdown and Ice raidsHarrisonburg, Virginia, a town of 50,000 people in the Shenandoah Valley, should have been alive with the color, sound and smells of local Latino culture. Soccer tournaments, taco trucks, Salvadorian chanchona musical bands and about 4,000 visitors were last month set to attend the town's Hispanic Festival held at a sports complex outside the town.But this year, it's not happening. Continue reading...

Troops appeared in US capital Tuesday night as president's move is widely condemned as an authoritarian power grabThe Washington DC national guard began deploying on the city's streets on Tuesday night, as the city's mayor toughened her response to Donald Trump taking control of the city's police force.The unusual federalization of law enforcement in the US capital began a day after the president ordered the troops' arrival, calling Washington DC a lawless" city, despite official crime statistics saying otherwise, a White House official confirmed. Continue reading...

Robert Sullivan, 61, on personal leave' after Heather Jones, now 33, brought allegations, sexual in nature, to dioceseA Roman Catholic priest in Alabama is under investigation, church officials say - and he abruptly announced he is taking personal leave" - after a woman alleged to his superiors that he traded financial support for private companionship" including sex, beginning when she was 17.The accuser, Heather Jones, has also alleged that the clergyman, Robert Sullivan, recently paid her hundreds of thousands of dollars to remain silent about it, a claim she supported with bank records, an email and a copy of a legal agreement. Continue reading...

Two designers from different eras reflect on the changing look of soccer through logo designLance Wyman is among America's greatest-ever graphic designers, and his fingerprints are all over any number of American cities.Wyman's style is instantly recognizable - simple, bold and clever. Wyman often works in wayfaring, and his signs and instructions to viewers often use simple, geometric shapes to get the job done, often incorporating a playfulness as well. His approach has made his work timeless. In 2011, when the government of the District of Columbia wanted their metro map updated, they went right back to Wyman, who had crafted the original design for the system about 40 years earlier. Continue reading...

The laws of war are clear: journalists are civilians. To target them deliberately in war is to commit a war crimeIsrael always boasted that it was the only country in the region to support press freedom. That boast rang hollow even before the current war. Now, it's not even pretending. On Sunday, Israel openly and brazenly killed six journalists as they were sheltering in a tent that housed reporters and media workers.Israel accuses one of those journalists - Al Jazeera's Anas al-Sharif - of being a terrorist. It has not said what crime it believes the others have committed that would justify killing them. The laws of war are clear: journalists are civilians. To target them deliberately in war is to commit a war crime. Continue reading...

Confrontations are playing out nationwide as lawmakers conduct checks of facilities where thousands are being heldIn May, the Arizona representative Yassamin Ansari toured a detention facility where immigrants rounded up as part of the Trump administration's campaign of mass deportation were being housed. She described what she saw inside as sickening" and worse than prison" - immigrant detainees were held in overcrowded, moldy cells and many reported that they did not have reliable access to food, water or medical care.Two months later, Ansari returned to the remote desert complex to conduct another congressional oversight visit. This time, she was denied entry. Continue reading...

Report steps up criticisms of Europe, Brazil and South Africa but says little about abuses in Israel and El SalvadorDonald Trump's administration has significantly changed a key US government report on human rights worldwide, dramatically softening criticism of some countries that have been strong partners of the Republican president, such as El Salvador and Israel, which rights groups say have well-established histories of abuses.Instead, the US state department sounded an alarm about what it said was the erosion of freedom of speech in Europe, including the UK, and stepped up criticism of Brazil and South Africa - both of which Washington has clashed with over a host of issues. Continue reading...

The first-round quarterback crop from 2024 are no longer rookies. But who is thriving and who has plenty of work to do to make it to the top?2024 stats: 3,541 yards, 62.5% completion percentage, 20 passing touchdowns, six interceptions, 27th in EPA/play. Continue reading...

US state department says Labour government repeatedly intervened to chill speech' online after Southport attackThe Trump administration has accused the UK of backsliding on human rights over the past year, citing antisemitic violence and serious restrictions" on free speech.The annual US state department assessment, which analyses human rights conditions worldwide, highlighted laws limiting speech around abortion clinics, as well as the way government officials repeatedly intervened to chill speech" online after the 2024 Southport attack. Continue reading...

About 100 people turn up for not welcome' party in Charlbury, Oxfordshire as Trump's No 2 stays nearbyThere was cake and music. The weather was perfect. At first glance, it could have been a joyful community gathering in a sun-dappled Cotswolds village park, but the placards gave the game away.These pulled no punches, criticising the policies and stances championed by the US vice-president, JD Vance, who is enjoying a country break down the road. Continue reading...

In Alaska the Russian leader will claim to want peace, but only on his terms - and play on the president's desperation to make a deal' quicklyWars do not have to be won. Total victories loom largest in the popular imagination because those are the stories nations always tell to sustain patriotic feeling. The fuller version of history is written in stalemates.That is worth remembering when Donald Trump meets Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Both leaders have incentives to pretend that Ukraine's fate can be settled decisively without any Ukrainians at the negotiating table. That doesn't make it so. Continue reading...

The shockwaves sent by the US president could finally push Switzerland closer to the EUGrowing up in Zurich often felt like being removed from the world. It shouldn't be that way: after all, Switzerland is at the heart of Europe. Riding on the cosy Zurich trams, one hears all the world's languages; and the airport offers more direct intercontinental flights than Berlin. And yet, coming of age in Switzerland is like sitting in an aquarium looking at the world through a thick bulletproof window.That glass was shattered last week when Donald Trump announced 39% tariffs on Swiss exports. The US is the most important destination for Swiss products: 18.6% of all its exports go there. If Trump maintains the tariffs, sales to the US will be effectively annihilated", said Switzerland's industry lobbying group. The rightwing Swiss business minister, Guy Parmelin, announced a furlough programme to shield the economy from mass layoffs". The tabloid newspaper Blick captured the mood with a stark black front page, pronouncing it a black day" for Switzerland. Continue reading...

The national guard prepared to deploy on the streets of Washington DC on Tuesday night, a day after Donald Trump ordered their arrival to combat lawlessness, despite violent crime rate being at a 30-year low

This liveblog is now closed. You can find more of our politics coverage hereLater on, we'll hear from the Trump administration for the second day in a row. The president won't make an appearance, but press secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a White House briefing at 1pm ET.Defense secretary Pete Hegseth says he's proud to be part of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, an archconservative network of Christian congregations.Pastor Doug Wilson, a CREC co-founder, leads Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, the network's flagship location. Jovial and media-friendly, Wilson is no stranger to stirring controversy with his church's hard-line theology and its embrace of patriarchy and Christian nationalism.Wilson told The Associated Press on Monday he was grateful Hegseth shared the video. He noted Hegseth's post was labeled with Christ Church's motto: All of Christ for All of Life." Continue reading...

Governor calls Trump Taco' online, short for Trump always chickens out', prompted by president's flip-flop deadlinesCalifornia governor Gavin Newsom says the state will draw new electoral maps after Donald Trump missed" a deadline on Tuesday night in an ongoing redistricting battle between Democratic and Republican states.DONALD TACO' TRUMP, AS MANY CALL HIM, MISSED' THE DEADLINE!!!", Newsom's office wrote on social media. CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE BEAUTIFUL MAPS,' THEY WILL BE HISTORIC AS THEY WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY (DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!)". Continue reading...

Poll says 44% of voters for Mamdani and 25% for Cuomo as Elise Stefanik chips away at Hochul's lead in governor raceThe closely watched New York mayoral and governor's races appear to be forming into shapes that will bring little comfort to centrist Democrats, with elections happening in November this year in New York City and the gubernatorial vote a year later.A new Siena Institute poll released on Tuesday shows New York City's Democratic socialist mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, leading former New York governor Andrew Cuomo by 19 percentage points - while the Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik is chipping away at incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul's lead in a hypothetical contest for the New York governor's mansion in 2026. Continue reading...

White House letter orders review as part of a broader push to assert oversight over cultural institutionsThe Trump administration is evidently extending its control of cultural representation at the Smithsonian, the world's largest museum and research complex.In a letter posted on the White House website, the administration told the Smithsonian that it plans a wide review of exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of the US's 250th anniversary celebrations in 2026. Continue reading...

The White House has said about 850 officers and agents took part in a massive law enforcement surge' across the city on Monday night. Key US politics stories from 12 August 2025A steady stream of uniformed soldiers arrived at the national guard headquarters in Washington on Tuesday for deployment that evening to fight crime in the nation's capital.Donald Trump's deployment of the 800-strong force has been described by Democrats as political theater. With Trump threatening to replicate the move in other big cities, Democrats point to statistics showing that violent crime in Washington has dropped to historic lows in the past two years. Continue reading...

Judge tells Ice to limit capacity and immediately ensure cleanliness in migrant holding cells at 26 Federal PlazaA federal judge ordered the Trump administration Tuesday to immediately improve conditions at a New York City immigration holding facility, acting on complaints by jailed migrants that it is dirty, smelly and overcrowded.Judge Lewis Kaplan, ruling in a lawsuit filed on behalf of detainees, issued a temporary restraining order requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement to limit capacity, ensure cleanliness and provide sleeping mats in so-called hold rooms at 26 Federal Plaza, a government building in Manhattan. Continue reading...

Fire crews were responding to scene and Union Pacific said in a statement none of the cars show signs of leaking'Emergency services responded to a derailed train in Palo Pinto county, Texas, on Tuesday afternoon, with officials noting that nearly three dozen cars were carrying hazardous materials.A Train has derailed at the Coalville Rd Bridge. Multiple cars off the track on their side. No cars are leaking contents. No injuries reported," Palo Pinto county emergency services district 1 said in a social media post. Continue reading...

President questions whether David Solomon should lead bank and says he should return to former hobby of DJingDonald Trump hit out at Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon on Tuesday, saying the bank had been wrong to predict tariffs would hurt the economy and questioning whether Solomon should lead the Wall Street institution.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said it was mostly foreign companies and governments absorbing the cost of his tariffs. But David Solomon and Goldman Sachs refuse to give credit where credit is due. They made a bad prediction...on both the Market repercussion and the Tariffs themselves," he wrote. Continue reading...

Conservative spokesperson says scheduling meeting of US vice-president and party leader had been difficultJD Vance has met Robert Jenrick during his holiday in the Cotswolds but is not expected to see the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch.Jenrick held an hour-long one-on-one meeting with the US vice-president on Tuesday evening, according to a source close to the shadow justice secretary. Continue reading...

Ken Paxton asks judge to fine and jail ex-congressman for defying order to halt political fundraisingThe Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, has asked a local judge to consider jailing Beto O'Rourke, saying the former congressman was openly defying a judicial order blocking him and his political group from fundraising and paying the costs of Democrats who left the state to stop Republicans from passing a new congressional map.Tarrant county district judge Megan Fahey granted a request from Paxton last week halting O'Rourke and a group aligned with him, Powered by People, from fundraising. The order bars the group from using funds to pay the costs of Texas lawmakers during the special session or paying the $500 daily fines the lawmakers face for each time they are absent. Continue reading...

Some of the 800 national guard members deployed by President Donald Trump began arriving in the nation's capital on Tuesday, ramping up after the White House ordered federal forces to take over the city's police department and reduce crime in what the president called - without substantiation - a lawless city. Protesters took to the streets to express their rejection of the decision.

Pentagon considers a quick-reaction force to deploy in US cities amid unrest, raising legal and political concernsDonald Trump could expand the use of national guard troops in US cities even further, if a plan from the Pentagon comes to fruition.The Washington Post, reporting on internal documents on Tuesday, says Pentagon officials are evaluating plans" to create a Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force" that would deploy to crack down on cities in events of unrest or during protests. Continue reading...

Court refuses to block department of government efficiency' from accessing data such as citizenship status

No one believes that the deployment of troops to America's most liberal, most racially diverse, and most culturally thriving cities is about solving a real problemPresident Trump imposed a military takeover of the nation's capital on Monday, sending National Guard troops to Washington. He also seized control of the DC municipal police department, invoking an obscure section of the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act which allows the president to take control of local law enforcement in the district for a period of one month in times of emergency.That there is no emergency is irrelevant: Trump has declared one in order to exercise powers that are only available to him in a state of exception, which is, of course, what the whole country increasingly finds itself to be experiencing as the president expands the powers of his office from those of a constitutional executive into something more like the power of authoritarian control.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Warrant says Thomas Pinkerton told boys heavenly' kisses on the lips were how Jesus greeted disciplesA former Maryland youth pastor has been arrested on suspicion of molesting at least six teenagers, the Baltimore county police department (BCPD) has said, alleging offenses between 2006 and 2010.Thomas Pinkerton, 52, known as Pastor Tommy, allegedly told children in his youth group that it was normal for a pastor to kiss boys on the lips because that's how Jesus greeted his disciples, according to an arrest warrant recently made public. Continue reading...

Metal traders say crisis averted after US president clarifies on social media that gold bars are duty-free

Timeline for recovery efforts on Lake Alice unclear after drawdown caused fish kill' and left behind only a streamMinnesota officials are working to restore water to one of the state's lakes after a mechanical failure of the water control structure" there caused it to drain significantly over the weekend.In a statement on Monday, the Minnesota department of natural resources (DNR) said that it was responding to the issue at Lake Alice in William O'Brien state park while noting that the malfunction in question had resulted in a significant drawdown of the lake level". Continue reading...

Parents of teens, adults up to 64 years old and veterans must work, volunteer or train to keep benefits, CBO findsRepublican-led cuts to public assistance programs - carried out at the behest of Donald Trump's administration - will lead to 2.4 million fewer Americans receiving food stamps, among them families with children, the non-partisan congressional budget office (CBO) has found.The estimate, published Monday, forecast that the number of people receiving food stamp benefits in an average month would drop after Republican lawmakers expanded work requirements to some parents, older enrollees and others. Continue reading...

Captain Luke Donald could be able to keep changes from victorious 2023 team to an absolute minimum at BethpageIf continuity is key to Ryder Cup success, even the phlegmatic Luke Donald must be doing cartwheels. This also applies to those who believe the occasional away win is necessary if the event is to remain within the realms of serious sporting contest. The European class of 2025 is now very close to replicating the one that won in Rome in 2023, but with one quirk; Rasmus Hojgaard replacing his twin brother, Nicolai. What the United States would give for such a settled scenario.Should Donald be so minded, he can keep change to an absolute minimum. Recreating a winning environment becomes so much easier when the characters involved are the same. When Europe slumped to comprehensive defeat at Whistling Straits four years ago, seven of the 12-man team were sampling an American Ryder Cup for the first time. At Hazeltine, in 2016, half of Darren Clarke's European contingent were debutants. The US again won with ease. Continue reading...

A respiratory disease is running rampant through Florida immigration jail, according to attorney of a detained personAn outbreak of a respiratory disease, possibly Covid-19, is running rampant through the remote Florida immigration jail known as Alligator Alcatraz", according to the attorney of an infected detainee removed from the camp last week.Eric Lee said he was told by his client Luis Manuel Rivas Velasquez that conditions at the facility had deteriorated significantly since Thursday as more migrants held there by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agency experienced symptoms. Continue reading...

Trump and RFK Jr have made every effort to undermine one of the major civilizing advances of the 20th century - our public health infrastructureNew data from the CDC suggests a grim back-to-school tradition emerging: in 2024, kindergarten vaccination rates declined for the fifth consecutive year. Meanwhile, vaccine exemptions reached a record high.These statistics became all the more disturbing last fall when, shortly after 286,000 children began their educations without proof of full immunity against measles, a man who has bragged about never getting a flu shot was re-elected to the presidency. Since then, the US has contended with its largest measles outbreak in three decades, while the leaders who should be stamping out this crisis are instead fanning the flames. Continue reading...

Voters approved sick leave mandate by 58%, but lawmakers are caving to lobbying by the state's chamber of commerceBeing sick is a costly business for Bill Thompson, who worked in the fast-food industry in Independence, Missouri, for more than 30 years, and recently worked at Guitar Center until early July, when he was laid off as.As an older worker, I have health issues from working on my feet and with my hands for many years with no breaks for eight to 10 hours a day. I have done it for 38 years now, living paycheck to paycheck," 54-year-old Thompson said, noting in Missouri, workers are not mandated breaks of any kind during work. Continue reading...

When a house is on fire, more fire won't helpWhen Texas Republicans unveiled yet another contorted congressional map last week - one that would all but erase Austin's Latino-led seat and increase the Republican party's federal House tally by up to five seats in total - the outcry from Democrats was immediate and justified. But beyond the Democratic state legislators' brave effort to stymie the proposal by boycotting the vote, a different refrain has also been heard by leading Democrats in other states: if they do it, why can't we?Governor Gavin Newsom of California has vowed to fight fire with fire", advancing a proposal that would redraw California's own congressional map to offset Republican gains in Texas. New York's Kathy Hochul has also embraced the prospect of aggressive gerrymandering in Democratic-controlled states, sidestepping the independent commissions that Democrats themselves had once championed and successfully implemented in both California and New York. Continue reading...

Exclusive: In the third of a three-part special report, disturbing video highlights the death in Cibola of a young man suffering from mental illness

The Octagon is more international than ever - so why is Dana White still tied to an administration that seeks to isolate large parts of its audience?Forget for a moment the stereotype that MMA athletes and their fans are All-American bar fighters. The MMA community is far more diverse and far more cerebral than the casual onlooker realizes.Has Dana White forgotten that? Continue reading...

Second fatality reported after body of one worker pulled from wreckage of coking facility in Clairton after explosion sent black smoke into the skyAn explosion at a US Steel plant in Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, has killed two people and injured at least 10 on Monday, officials said.The body of one worker was pulled from the wreckage hours after an explosion that sent black smoke spiraling into the sky in the Mon Valley, a region of the state synonymous with steel for more than a century. Allegheny county emergency services said a fire at the plant started around 10.51am. Authorities later said a second person had died. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. Read our latest story hereDonald Trump said on Truth Social today that DC will be LIBERATED today".Ahead of his press conference, in just over an hour, the president said that crime, savagery, filth, and scum will disappear" from the city.I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN! The days of ruthlessly killing, or hurting, innocent people, are OVER! I quickly fixed the Border (ZERO ILLEGALS in last 3 months!), D.C. is next!!! Continue reading...

Trump's depiction of lawless' city at odds with crime statistics while local officials say move illegal - key US politics stories from Monday 11 AugustDonald Trump has seized control of Washington DC's police force and ordered the national guard to the capital in an extraordinary move that bypassed the city's elected leaders.The US president claimed his actions were needed to rescue" Washington from a wave of lawlessness - but experts say his portrayal of crime there is rooted in false and misleading claims. Continue reading...

Message comes after Texas Democratic lawmakers stymied another GOP effort to gain more seats at president's behestTexas Democrats once again stymied a Republican effort to redraw the state's congressional maps at the behest of Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom, the California governor, urged the president to stand down and defuse the redistricting arms race that has spread across the country.Enough Texas Democrats remained outside of the state on Monday to deny the Republican-led state legislature the quorum necessary to proceed with Trump's desired congressional map. Dozens of Democratic state lawmakers left the state on Sunday, taking refuge in blue states such as Illinois and New York. They have spent the last week working to raise awareness and rally support for their efforts to block the Republican redistricting plan. Continue reading...

EJ Antoni, longtime critic of Bureau of Labor Statistics, nominated to replace Erika McEntarfer, who Trump firedDonald Trump has announced he is nominating EJ Antoni, the chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, as the next commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Our Economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Continue reading...