Twelve people taken to hospital with minor injuries after flight forced to divert about 30 minutes after takeoffAn American Airlines flight heading from Colorado Springs to Dallas-Fort Worth was forced to divert about 30 minutes after takeoff to make an emergency landing at Denver on Thursday evening, whereupon one of the plane's engines dramatically caught on fire on the tarmac.Passengers were swiftly forced to evacuate, including via wing and emergency slide, and could be seen running for safety through thick smoke with flames behind them. Continue reading...
You don't need to hold sympathy for Mahmoud Khalil's views to see why his targeting is an immense threat to free expressionThe dust is starting to settle on the conflicting reports emerging after immigration officers' arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University protest leader and green card holder, last weekend - and Americans should be alarmed by the similarities to authoritarian regimes' speech policing.The White House has confirmed the arrest took place under a law granting the secretary of state unilateral power to act when given reasonable ground to believe" an immigrant's presence or activities in the United States ... would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences" for the country. Continue reading...
The minority leader argued a government shutdown would hand Donald Trump and Elon Musk a carte blanche'. Plus, JD Vance booed at Washington concertGood morning.The Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, has announced he will vote for a Republican funding bill to avert a government shutdown, saying he believed a stoppage would carry consequences for America that are much, much worse".What does Schumer think the consequences would be? He said a shutdown would hand Donald Trump and Elon Musk a carte blanche to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now". It could lead to the furloughing of staff without guarantee they'll be rehired, he said.Why did Trump take over the Kennedy Center? In Trump's words: We didn't like what they were showing and various other things. We're going to make sure that it's good and it's not going to be woke." Continue reading...
Danish Egg Association says US asked if it could export eggs as prices surge despite president's promise to lower themThe United States has asked Denmark and other European nations if they can export eggs as Americans face surging egg prices, the Nordic country's egg association said on Friday.The request from the US Department of Agriculture coincides with a raft of new US tariffs on countries, including in Europe, and the threat of more. Continue reading...
Whether the Meta boss and his ex-lieutenant Sheryl Sandberg are truly beyond awful is neither here nor there. I thought he was done with factcheckingI am as shocked as I am confused that Mark Zuckerberg is going all-out to block a memoir by Facebook's former director of global public policy, Sarah Wynn-Williams. I thought information wanted to be free? I definitely heard that speech should be. We know Meta's revolting oligarch doesn't write his self-serving public pronouncements, but he should at least make time in his busy Magafication schedule to read them.Anyway, even if you think the stories in Careless People are untrue - and I don't, for a single nanosecond - I thought the Meta boss said disinformation wasn't a thing any more? He recently binned off all his factcheckers to dramatically reduce the amount of censorship". Yet here we are reading stories of how Meta this week launched an emergency action in the US to ban Wynn-Williams from promoting or further distributing copies of her book. It argued - successfully, for now - that it would face immediate loss ... in the absence of immediate relief". Continue reading...
Governor signs bill limiting liability for companies found guilty of starting wildfires, sparking debate over who paysWyoming's governor has signed a bill that limits the liability for electric utility companies found guilty of starting wildfires.Legislators argued that the bill was necessary for utility companies to function in an era of massive fire-related class-action lawsuits, especially for many of the smaller, co-op utilities that are a hallmark of the mountain west. Continue reading...
The work of making change is difficult. Most of it is boring, unsexy and, at best, modestly incremental from day to dayDonald Trump is attempting to dismantle American constitutional democracy before our eyes. For the past six weeks, many of us have been telling ourselves we have to do something about this before it's too late. And yet many people who feel this way - no matter how outraged they are or how genuinely worried they are about our country's future - are doing very little but handwringing and doomscrolling.Elected leaders in the Democratic party are mostly failing to provide inspiration for people who are alarmed about the president's actions. The protest paddles they held up at Trump's speech before a joint session of Congress underscored the fact that they're flailing more than they're leading. Meanwhile, for most of us, the chance to vote again is almost two years away. Continue reading...
The PM sounds like Elon Musk when promising to fight the blockers', but his government's plans will weaken the link between peoples and politicsEvery new prime minister has an Elon Musk moment. A sudden attack of frustration leads to a burst of machismo, a chainsaw response. The system stinks. Slash the bureaucrats. Smash the machine.Thatcher had her subversives", Tony Blair his scars on my back", David Cameron his enemies of enterprise". Now Sir Keir Starmer claims to be haunted by the blockers, checkers, regulators, bloaters. All are ganging up against the cry of his new friend, Donald Trump, to grow, baby, grow. So get going, chainsaw, do your job.Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
The billionaire foreshadows cuts to Medicare and social security - despite Trump's campaign pledgesThe Trump administration is setting records and shattering norms in many ways, including in its almost daily policy flip-flops and rhetorical missteps. The latest started on Monday, when Elon Musk torched Trumpism by trumpeting the need to make cuts in federal entitlement programs.He did not clearly say whether or how those cuts would affect Medicaid, Medicare and social security benefits. But he was clear that those programs will be on his target list. Continue reading...
These offseason deals have interesting implications for the players, their new teams, and the USWNT talent poolShocking trades used to be a staple of the NWSL offseason. Thankfully, these moves will no longer surprise the players themselves, with the league agreeing to new rules that require players' consent to get moved. This long overdue transition away from the stone age means that everyone who changed teams this offseason did so because they wanted to, and there were still plenty of major moves.A handful of those players looked for a change in order to reinvigorate their careers after 2024 didn't go according to their plans. Here are three of the biggest moves, and what you can expect from them on their new teams. Continue reading...
The president's attacks on diversity and immigration have already affected many artists and will affect many more in the coming monthsOne of the most pernicious effects of a bully's intimidation is making victims afraid of being true to themselves, because it's the essential and authentic parts of them that incite the bully's contempt.During his first week in office Donald Trump issued a blitzkrieg of executive orders. Among them, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity and Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing." According to the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, among the things these orders direct the administration's agencies and staff to do are:Terminate diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, positions, and programs in the federal government; terminate equity-related grants and contracts; and repeal prior executive orders designed to ensure equal opportunity in the workplace, including a decades-old executive order from the Johnson Administration ... " Continue reading...
Trump has met a force he cannot control: people's ability to parade their anger and distaste through consumer choiceWhat do you buy the richest man in the world? The answer, obviously, is the one thing that usually can't be had for love nor money, and that's pimping out the presidential office for advertising purposes.Posing with Elon Musk beside a scarlet Tesla parked on the White House driveway, Donald Trump announced that he was buying one of his friend's cars despite not being allowed to drive for security reasons because: I just want people to know that you can't be penalised for being a patriot." The billionaire currently chainsawing his way through so many ordinary federal workers' jobs had, he said indignantly, been unfairly treated by people who inexplicably now seem to have turned against his cars.Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Exclusive: JD Vance, the US vice-president, and his wife, Usha, were met with a chorus of boos at Washington DC's Kennedy Center on Thursday. They were attending a concert featuring works by Shostakovich and Stravinsky. The center has been thrown into turmoil after Donald Trump sacked its chairman, 13 of its trustees and appointed Maga loyalists Continue reading...
An American Airlines plane caught fire after landing at Denver International Airport, before slides were deployed so passengers could evacuate. The Federal Aviation Administration said flight 1006 - which was headed from the Colorado Springs Airport to Dallas Fort Worth - diverted to Denver and landed safely after the crew reported engine vibrations Continue reading...
by Robert Mackey, Chris Stein, Erum Salam and Amy Sed on (#6VWXG)
This blog is now closed. You can read the latest story hereLuxury Italian sports car manufacturer Ferrari says it is ready for countermeasures if US President Donald Trump imposes hefty tariffs on European auto imports.We are ready with some countermeasures," Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna told Cnbc's Converge Live in Singapore. We are waiting for the official number to be published," he added, referring to Trump's threat of duties of around 25%" on EU carmakers.
Judge says it is a lie' that employees at federal agencies had performance issues; Trump mulls EU alcohol tariff - key US politics stories from Thursday at a glanceA federal judge in California has granted a preliminary injunction to reinstate thousands of fired probationary workers at federal agencies as part of a lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees.The ruling by the judge William H Alsup applies to fired probationary employees at the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior and the Department of the Treasury. Continue reading...
University says cut in funding forcing us to wind down critical work' as academics rally against job lossesJohns Hopkins University announced it was planning to cut more than 2,000 jobs after the Trump administration slashed $800m in grants to the renowned academic institution.The funding for the positions had come from the US Agency for International Development, which the administration has gutted with massive cuts. A total of 247 domestic US workers and another 1,975 positions abroad in 44 countries will be affected by what amounts to the largest layoff in the history of the university. Continue reading...
'There is nobody in the world, nobody, who wants to shut the government down more than Donald Trump and more than Elon Musk,' says Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer after indicating he would vote against a government shutdown. 'We should not give it to them' Continue reading...
Document described as interim national security guidance calls on US military to create optionsThe Trump administration has called on the Pentagon to provide military options to ensure the country has full access to the Panama canal, two US officials told Reuters on Thursday.Donald Trump has said repeatedly he wants to take back" the Panama canal, which is located at the narrowest part of the isthmus between North and South America and is considered one of the world's most strategically important waterways, but he has not offered specifics about how he would do so, or if military action might be required. Continue reading...
James Edward Oakley, 58-year-old man living in Vallejo, was crushed by piece of excavating equipment last yearNew details have emerged in the death of a northern California man who was killed by a piece of excavating equipment during a city sweep of what officials have referred to as an illegal dumping site.James Edward Oakley, a 58-year-old man who lived on the streets of Vallejo, was found dead at the site in the city last Christmas eve. Continue reading...
Minority leader laments Hobson's choice' but says shutdown would give Trump and Musk carte blanche'The Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, said on Thursday he would vote for a Republican-written bill to fund federal agencies through September and avert a government shutdown.Schumer's comments suggest that his members are prepared to provide the necessary votes to clear a procedural hurdle ahead, allowing the seven-month spending measure to advance to a final vote. Continue reading...
Key US stock index closes more than 10% down from February peak amid volatility caused by president's tariffsThe S&P 500, a key US stock market index, closed in correction territory on Thursday as the volatility of Donald Trump's trade wars rattled investors.The index closed more than 10% down from its 19 February peak as Wall Street approaches the end of a second week of pressure. Continue reading...
Grijalva, who backed environmental causes during 12 terms in Congress, dies from cancer treatment complicationsDemocratic US representative Raul M Grijalva of Arizona, who championed environmental protection during his 12 terms in Congress, died on Thursday of complications from cancer treatments, his office said.Grijalva, who was 77, had risen to chair the US House natural resources committee and was the top Democrat on the committee until earlier this year. He had been absent from Congress as he underwent cancer treatment in recent months. Continue reading...
by Guardian staff and agencies in Nuuk on (#6VXEM)
We don't want to be Americans. We don't want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders,' says Jens-Frederik NielsenGreenland's probable new prime minister has rejected Donald Trump's effort to take control of the island, saying Greenlanders must be allowed to decide their own future as it moves toward independence from Denmark.Jens-Frederik Nielsen, whose centre-right Democrats won a surprise victory in this week's legislative elections and now must form a coalition government, pushed back on Thursday against Trump's repeated claims that the US will annex the island. Continue reading...
The US president, Donald Trump, said he thinks 'Nato might have to get involved' in the US takeover of Greenland as the country needs it 'for national security'. When asked about a 'potential annexation' of Greenland during a meeting with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, Trump said he was 'sitting with a man who could be very instrumental'. Rutte responded by saying he did not 'want to drag Nato into it'. When questioned about Greenland's recent election and whether its people would potentially have a say, Trump added that the result was very good for the US and 'the person who did the best is a very good person as far as we're concerned'
The US president said he was getting good signals' from Russia about the proposed 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine and that it would be very disappointing for the world' if Moscow did not do the right thing'. Donald Trump also congratulated the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, saying Nato is stepping up through this man'. Vladimir Putin had earlier hinted at a future phone call with Trump, to which the US president said he would love to meet or speak to him' on the matter
Demonstrators led by Jewish Voice for Peace demanding release of Palestinian activist stood in US president's New York City buildingProtesters organized by a progressive Jewish group occupied the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian Columbia University student held by US immigration authorities. About 100 were arrested.Chanted slogans included: Free Mahmoud, free them all" and: Fight Nazis, not students." Continue reading...
Will-they-won't-they over a ceasefire does not change the underlying dynamics of US retreat from supporting KyivA three-year conflict has taken bewildering, lurching turns in under a fortnight. Less than two weeks after Donald Trump berated Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ejected him from the White House and cut off Ukraine's support, he U-turned to threaten financial measures that would be very bad for Russia" if it did not reach a deal with Kyiv. Ukraine's acceptance of a 30-day ceasefire proposal, building on its own suggestion ofahalt in air and maritime conflict, threw the onusonMoscow. On Thursday, Vladimir Putin claimed to support the idea in theory - but warned of seriousissues" to address.Ukraine's agreement prompted the resumption of US intelligence sharing and military aid, which may well have been Kyiv's primary aim. Mr Trump would like to take the credit - and perhaps aspires to a Nobel prize - for a peace deal. Mr Trump, who was hosting Nato's secretary general, Mark Rutte, described the Russian president's remarks as very promising" albeit not complete". Even if he outsources the patience and focus required to reach an agreement, it is clear that he has no interest in the injustice or illegality of the invasion, that his sympathies lie with Mr Putin, and that he bears a deep grudge against Mr Zelenskyy.Do 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...
Authorities discover malnourished man, who says he has been held captive since age 11, during a house fireA Connecticut woman has been accused of holding her stepson captive for approximately 20 years after authorities discovered him - now 32 years old, 5ft 9in and weighing just 68lbs - during a house fire last month.On Thursday police in Waterbury, Connecticut, arrested Kimberly Sullivan, 56, and charged her with assault in the first degree, kidnapping in the second degree, unlawful restraint in the first degree, cruelty to persons and reckless endangerment in the first degree. Continue reading...
Ruling by California judge applies to thousands of employees dismissed from six federal agenciesA federal judge in California granted a preliminary injunction to reinstate thousands of fired probationary workers at federal agencies as part of a lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees.The ruling by the judge William H Alsup in the US district court for the northern district of California applies to fired probationary employees at the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior and the Department of the Treasury. Continue reading...
System overhaul announced as new judge advocate generals being nominated after purge of predecessors. Plus, study finds marriage triples obesity risk in men - but not women Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereHello.The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, will overhaul the US military's lawyers in an effort to make the army less restricted by the laws of armed conflict, according to two sources close to the matter.How will the Jags overhaul do this? Sources say the aim is to retrain military lawyers to provide extensive legal advice to commanders to follow more aggressive tactics and be more lenient in charging soldiers with battlefield crimes.Is this the only setback to Doge? No - this week, a federal judge in Washington DC found the body held so much power that its records may be subject to public requests and it should begin a rolling" production of records within weeks. Continue reading...
Predictions that US firms could retain manufacturing plants in Ireland but move profits back to AmericaUS pharmaceutical companies based in Ireland are more likely to shift profits back to the US than close manufacturing plants after Donald Trump accused Ireland of stealing American tax and jobs, experts say.Aidan Regan, a professor of political economy at University College Dublin, said the US president was right to call out the trade imbalance created by US pharmaceutical companies in Ireland, arguing the warning signs have been there for years. Continue reading...
The quarter-finals have been decided with a dash of controversy. We hand out honours and dishonours from the latest round of actionReal Madrid Continue reading...
The ways the pandemic has shaken Guardian readers' worlds - from new businesses to difficulty socialisingIt's been five years since the Trump administration declared a nationwide emergency across the US on 13 March 2020, The announcement came days after the World Health Organization (WHO) designated Covid-19 a global pandemic.Since then, there have been 1,222,603 deaths from Covid in the US. Much of the country, along with the rest of the world, has moved on from the pandemic, with fewer people wearing masks and life returning to the way it was before the outbreak started. Continue reading...
Britain in middle as some of US's trading partners retaliate while others want pragmatic' route in hope levies are easedSailors crossing the Atlantic in March are used to dealing with rough seas. But when two shipments of steel from Marcegaglia Stainless Sheffield were slowed up in crossing the ocean by storms this week it meant more than a few days' extra journey: the metal was caught up in the global trade war started by the US president, Donald Trump, as well.Obviously, it's a massive frustration," says Liam Bates, the president of long products at the Italian steelmaker's northern England operation. The company had hoped to rush through two weekly shipments in order to avoid the Wednesday deadline for Trump's 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium. Instead, it will have to bear the costs - or hope for grace from the US government. Continue reading...
Football is living through a global case study on whether fairer actually makes for better in the world of professional sportThe number on the sign displayed prominently by the entrance of the football universe had been wiped away. IT HAS NOW BEEN ... 0... DAYS SINCE THE LAST VAR CONTROVERSY.The second leg of a scintillating Madrid derby in the Champions League round of 16 went to penalties on Wednesday, sending Real through over Atletico. Antonio Rudiger hit the winning spot kick, but the shootout truly turned on an especially eagle-eyed call by the video assistant referee.Leander Schaerlaeckens is at work on a book about the United States men's national soccer team, out in 2026. He teaches at Marist University. Continue reading...
In a video posted to her YouTube channel, former En Vogue singer Dawn Robinson admitted that she has been living in her car for nearly three years. Robinson said she decided to make the move after researching van living while her own living situation was uncertain, after difficulty with her mother and struggles with her manager over finding an apartment in LA Continue reading...
Trump pick to lead agency, the Republican ex-congressman Dave Weldon, has faced scrutiny over anti-vaccine viewsThe Trump administration withdrew its nomination for head of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the day he was due to face a confirmation hearing, multiple outlets reported.Two sources close to the Senate process said Dave Weldon, a doctor and former Republican Florida congressman, would not face a hearing as planned, according to Axios, which broke the news. Continue reading...
Parts of Los Angeles hit by January blazes under evacuation warnings as west coast braces for heavy rain and snowThe US west coast is facing an atmospheric river event threatening flooding and power outages due to heavy rain and snow, with more than 20 million people in southern California under flood watches.Evacuation warnings were issued by fire officials in the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and Pasadena areas, which were affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires in January. Continue reading...
Kevin Fagan, who spent decades at the San Francisco Chronicle, argues in a new book that atrociously unforgivable' US poverty must be addressedThe veteran journalist Kevin Fagan spent decades covering homelessness for the San Francisco Chronicle, reporting on a crisis that persists despite billions poured into housing and services and years of political debate.The issue is personal for him. Fagan was episodically homeless in his youth, sleeping in his car and camping outside while he attended college and later in doorways abroad as a traveling musician. Continue reading...
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