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State department says it has no obligation' to host foreign nationals who celebrate heinous' death of far-right activist

Mike Johnson says he won't negotiate with Democrats as government shutdown enters second week. Key US politics stories from 14 October 2025Donald Trump has said his administration is planning to produce a list on Friday of Democrat programs" that will be closed as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown, after the Senate failed in its eighth attempt to pass legislation that would end the impasse.He did not specify the programs but indicated to reporters at the White House on Tuesday that the closures would be permanent. Continue reading...

Donald Trump has warned he could cut financial aid to Argentina if his ally Javier Milei loses crucial legislative elections later this month. Trump's remarks came as he and Milei met at the White House just days after the US agreed to provide a major financial lifeline to the South American country. 'We're not going to waste our time' if Milei's party doesn't win, Trump told reporters

Eighth Senate vote fails on 49-45 tally as Congress remains deadlocked on legislation amid now two-week shutdown

President presented award to Kirk's widow, Erika, on what would have been the far-right commentator's 32nd birthdayDonald Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, to the assassinated far-right commentator Charlie Kirk at the White House on Tuesday.Kirk, who was shot at an event at Utah Valley University in September, was among the most significant rightwing activists in the modern political era, galvanizing a younger generation of conservatives to engage in politics and support Trump's candidacy ahead of the 2024 election. Continue reading...

US president says we will not be generous' if leader fails to win key midterms after promising $20bn to prop up struggling economyDonald Trump has warned he could cut financial aid to Argentina if his ally Javier Milei loses crucial legislative elections later this month.If he loses, we are not going to be generous with Argentina," the US president said as Milei visited the White House to seek the Republican's political and economic support. I'm with this man because his philosophy is correct. And he may win and he may not win - I think he's going to win. And if he wins we are staying with him, and if he doesn't win we are gone." Continue reading...

US president says it should take place in a reasonable period of time' amid questions over group's statusDonald Trump has said that Hamas will be forced to disarm after questions swirled around the group's status following the signing of a peace deal meant to bring an end to the war in Gaza.Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Trump said: If they don't disarm, we will disarm them and it will happen quickly and perhaps violently. Continue reading...

Attorneys for Debbie Brockman, released with no charges, deny agent's claim she threw objects' at border patrol carAttorneys representing a producer for Chicago's WGN television station who was temporarily detained by federal agents last week in Chicago, say the incident should be alarming and horrifying to every person in this country".Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and a WGN employee, was arrested on Friday by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the scene show Brockman being forced to the ground by two agents before she is handcuffed and put in a van. Continue reading...

PM tells Commons that ceasefire between Israel and Hamas only first tentative step to peace in the Middle EastKeir Starmer has always known that Monday's visit to Egypt was going to be the Donald Trump Show. After all, almost every day is the Donald Trump Show and there was no way the US president was going to share the limelight on this of all days. The day when the living Israeli hostages were freed, 1,900 Palestinian detainees were freed and the first aid trucks entered Gaza.This was The Donald's peace deal. A narcissist is going to narcissise. Everyone else reduced to supporting actors. At best. Keir was relegated to a non-speaking walk on part as an extra. Pushed away after a couple of seconds. Probably preferable to being arm-wrestled like Emmanuel Macron. Though not much. Continue reading...

Brandon Dawson's gourd that weighs as much as a small sedan was crowned winner after he lost by 6lb last yearA California engineer and gardening enthusiast won the top prize at an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in northern California after growing a giant jack-o'-lantern gourd weighing 2,346lbs (1,064kg).Brandon Dawson, of Santa Rosa, California, clinched the victory Monday at the 52nd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco. Continue reading...

Cody Balmer admitted to setting the Pennsylvania governor's mansion ablaze, causing millions in damageA man who scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and used beer bottles filled with gasoline to ignite the occupied mansion of Pennsylvania governor, Josh Shapiro, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempted murder and other charges.Cody Balmer, 38, also entered pleas to terrorism, 22 counts of arson, aggravated arson, burglary, aggravated assault of Shapiro, 21 counts of reckless endangerment and loitering on 13 April. The fire resulted in millions of dollars in damage to the state-owned brick building.Guardian staff contributed reporting Continue reading...

Infowars founder and conspiracy theorist had been ordered to pay because of false claims about Sandy Hook massacreThe US supreme court has refused an appeal from Alex Jones and left in place his $1.4bn defamation penalty that was awarded to the families of victims from the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting.The Infowars founder and conspiracy theorist had sought to overturn the judgment, which he was ordered to pay after he made false claims about the massacre. Continue reading...

Former president urges support for the ballot measure Democrats say could add up to five US House seatsIn a new ad released on Tuesday, Barack Obama urged California voters to support Proposition 50, a November ballot measure that could reshape the state's congressional map and deliver up to five new Democratic seats in the US House.California, the whole nation is counting on you," the former two-term Democratic president says in the video. Democracy is on the ballot." Continue reading...

Trump administration says 700 notices were sent in error, while former top CDC officer says they didn't think through what they were doing'More than a thousand employees at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received notice that they were losing their jobs on Friday in a move that erased entire offices and was partially reversed over the weekend.It caused instability and whiplash", said Debra Houry, former chief medical officer at the CDC. Continue reading...

Airports in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle and elsewhere cite laws barring partisan political content at TSA checkpointsSeveral major international US airports, including Phoenix Sky Harbor , Harry Reid international in Las Vegas, Seattle-Tacoma and Charlotte Douglas airport in North Carolina, are opting to block a video from the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, that blames Democrats for the ongoing federal government shutdown from airing at their checkpoints.Airport authorities in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte and Westchester county, New York, have refused to display the footage at security checkpoints, saying the overtly political messaging potentially violates state and federal law, including the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from partisan political activity. Continue reading...

State is the latest in the US conducting mid-decade gerrymandering to favor one party before the midterms

Exclusive: Congressional Democrats set to introduce bill to shore up the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) programCongressional Democrats have launched a legislative effort to protect funding for a key nutritional support program for low-income women and children.As the federal government shutdown rolls on, there are growing fears the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program could run out of money. Continue reading...

Over 50 people rescued in Alaska while severe weather kills woman in New York CityOne person was dead and two were missing in western Alaska on Monday after the remnants of Typhoon Halong over the weekend brought hurricane-force winds and ravaging storm surges and floodwaters that swept some homes away, authorities said. More than 50 people had been rescued - some plucked from rooftops.Officials warned of a long road to recovery and a need for continued support for the hardest-hit communities with winter just around the corner. A US coast guard official, Capt Christopher Culpepper, described the situation in the villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok as absolute devastation". Continue reading...

The US president's Gulf allies and supporters at home might just persuade him to pursue lasting peace. And then there's always next year's Nobel prizeWe can only rejoice that, for now, Israel's genocide in Gaza has halted. The killing has stopped. Food is being allowed in, easing the starvation. Palestinians forcibly displaced from their homes are returning to their cities, if not their homes, most of which Israel has pulverized. Yet celebration must be tempered by the gnawing reality that the conditions for a lasting peace are, in classic Middle East fashion, being kicked down the road for future resolution - if ever at all.We may grimace in doing so, but Donald Trump deserves credit for finally ending the US government's funding and arming of the genocide, and arm-twisting Benjamin Netanyahu into accepting his 20-point plan for Gaza. Yet that hardly happened in a vacuum. Had Joe Biden tried to implement the same plan, he undoubtedly would have been pilloried by the Republican party for not giving Netanyahu everything he wanted. But Trump owns today's Republican party. Much as when Richard Nixon went to China, there was no one meaningfully to the right of Trump to challenge him.Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch (1993-2022), is a visiting professor at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs. His book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments, is published by Knopf and Allen Lane Continue reading...

Democracy is under attack - and the watchdog agency has no quorum. It must be restoredThreats to the US electoral process keep accelerating. Donald Trump is issuing increasingly unhinged demands that his political adversaries and those who fund speech that he views as contrary to his political agenda or supports his political opponents be prosecuted. When a prosecutor balked at this political intervention, Trump simply found one who is more compliant.In what appears to be yet another attempt to concoct support for unproven claims of voter fraud, the Department of Justice has issued exhaustive voting records requests to multiple states. Voting rights lawsuits have been dismissed. A division targeting foreign interference in our elections has been dismembered. Attempts are under way to make voter registration more onerous. Alarmingly, at least one commentator has warned that the extraordinary call-out of the military against US civilians on US soil may be a dress rehearsal" for taking over the 2026 election from the lawful administrators in the states. Even short of a takeover, one could well imagine this administration developing pretexts for troop deployments in Democratic strongholds during voting. Indeed, Trump has already called for the military to use American cities, at least those run by Democrats, as training grounds" and ominously talks of a war from within". Continue reading...

Curtis Sliwa is unlikely to run the overwhelmingly Democratic city. But his willingness to defy Trump and billionaires could leave a big impactWith less than a month to go, the race to be New York City's mayor is continuing to fascinate and bemuse: and in an election that could have political ramifications across the country, it's a beret-wearing, cat loving vigilante who seems like he could have the final say.Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the crime-fighting group the Guardian Angels and the Republican candidate to run the largest US city, has little chance of winning the election in November. But his presence may be the thing that helps confirm Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist, as New York's next mayor. Continue reading...

Carrie Romney either fell or jumped, and foul play did not appear to be a factor in early stages of investigation, officials saidThe sister-in-law of Mitt Romney, the former US senator, was found dead Friday next to a suburban Los Angeles parking garage, according to authorities.Carrie Romney, 64, evidently either fell or jumped, and foul play did not appear to be a factor in the early stages of the investigation into her death, officials told multiple media outlets Monday, when her identity became public. Continue reading...

Self-styled world's greatest peacemaker calls Meloni beautiful' and Erdoan a friend', but takes jab at Iraqi and Canadian leadersThe chief interest at Monday's largely pointless Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh lay in whether Donald Trump insulted or feted his fellow global leaders as they approached the self-styled world's greatest peacemaker to shake hands and pose for a thumbs-up photograph.As the host of the party, the US president had arrived - unapologetically - more than two hours late, musing to the Israeli parliament before boarding his flight from Tel Aviv that he feared his wealthy guests would already have left, leaving him with only two poor countries remaining. Continue reading...

The administration's sweeping visa cancellations extend to Mexico's political elite, alarming allies and rivals alikeThe US government has revoked the visas of at least 50 politicians and government officials in Mexico amid the Trump administration's crackdown on drug cartels and their suspected political allies, according to two Mexican officials.The move has sent quiet shock waves through Mexico's political elite, who regularly travel to the US. It also marks a significant broadening of US anti-narcotics action, with the Trump administration targeting active politicians usually seen as too diplomatically sensitive. Continue reading...

Laura Friedman, who spent 20 years working in Hollywood before winning her House seat, says the film industry needs help but the president's vague policy idea is bafflingLaura Friedman's love affair with film started young, staying up late to watch old Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney flicks. It definitely gave me big dreams and I moved to Hollywood to follow those dreams," she recalls.Now that dream is out of reach for many. Los Angeles is losing its allure as film producers increasingly turn to cheaper locations in other countries. But after 20 years working in the movie industry, Friedman is now uniquely placed to save it after she swapped Hollywood for the halls of Congress in Washington DC. Continue reading...

Three charged with murder and one with attempted murder following shooting in Leland after school football gameThree people have been arrested on murder charges - and a fourth person on an attempted murder charge - in a weekend shooting that left six dead and more than a dozen injured in a small Mississippi town, the FBI announced on Monday.Teviyon L Powell, 29, William Bryant, 29, and Morgan Lattimore, 25, have been charged with capital murder, while Latoya A Powell, 44, has been charged with attempted murder in the mass shooting, a spokesperson for the FBI's Jackson field office said.Guardian staff contributed reporting Continue reading...

Commerce ministry says US is threatening to intimidate' with plans for new Trump tariffs on exports

UN says Gaza still needs lifesaving aid' as world leaders gather in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss 20-point proposal. Plus, nude cyclists protest against national guard deploymentGood morning.There was a rare moment of joy among Israelis and Palestinians on Monday as Hamas released the remaining 20 living hostages in Gaza as part of a swap deal for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees, on a day world leaders met in Egypt to try to ensure the current limited truce is extended into a durable peace.What did Trump say? The prayers of millions have finally been answered," the US president said at the peace summit, with his counterparts lined up behind him. At long last, we have peace in the Middle East."What did the education department say? The Guardian has contacted the education department for comment. Continue reading...

It took an American president unbound by traditional domestic constraints to get this done and provide the parties with what they could acceptDonald Trump's peace plan for Gaza demands atonement from Palestinians for the horrific acts of 7 October, not from Israel for the barbarity that followed. It calls for Gaza's deradicalization but not an end to Israel's messianism. It micromanages the future of Palestinian governance while saying nothing about the future of Israel's occupation.It is riddled with ambiguities, devoid of timetables, arbiters or consequences for inevitable eventual violations. If all goes according to plan - if the deal's vagueness is not exploited to torpedo it; unavoidable clashes over subsequent phases do not get in the way of the first stage; Arab and Muslim states maintain pressure on the United States and the United States gets Israel to comply - life for Gazans will transition from utter hell to mere nightmare. Their condition will shift from defenceless prey to twice-dispossessed refugees in their own land. And still, it would be a momentous achievement. Continue reading...

In the 1870s, a civil engineer devised early handheld cameras able to capture scenes with more detail than ever. He used the technology to document people on New York streets, from musicians to beggars to paperboys. The work of the innovator, often referred to as the father of instantaneous photography', has been compiled into a book by Erik Hesselberg called Candid New York: The Pioneering Photography of George Bradford Brainerd, out on 21 October Continue reading...

Provision of internet access to scam centres being investigated as Starlink swiftly becomes Myanmar's biggest internet service providerA powerful bipartisan committee in the US Congress says it has begun an investigation into the involvement of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite business in providing internet access to Myanmar scam centres, blamed for swindling billions from victims across the world.The move comes as it was revealed that large numbers of Starlink dishes began appearing on scam-centre roofs in Myanmar around the time of a crackdown in February that was supposed to eradicate the centres, according to a investigation by Agence France-Presse Continue reading...

Long Beach voters have a choice: re-elect the Republican incumbent or the Democrat who seemingly vanished at seaA political candidate in the New York City suburbs went for a night swim in the Atlantic Ocean this past spring and never returned.Petros Krommidas's phone, keys and clothes were found on the sands at Long Beach on Long Island. The 29-year-old former Ivy League rower, who was training for a triathlon, had parked his car just off the picturesque wooden boardwalk. Continue reading...

Donald Trump has vowed to use the power of his presidency to ensure that Israel recognises it has achieved all that it can by force of arms'. Key US politics stories from 13 October 2025At long last, we have peace in the Middle East," Donald Trump declared, as he and regional leaders signed a declaration meant to cement a ceasefire in Gaza. Analysts said however that a litany of thorny issues are unresolved, and many barriers to a lasting peace remain.The president made a lightning visit to Israel, where he lauded prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an address to parliament, and then Egypt, for a summit where he pledged to be a guarantor to the Gaza deal. Continue reading...

Defense department policy requires outlets to vow not to obtain unauthorized files and restricts access to some areasSeveral leading news organizations with access to Pentagon briefings have formally said they will not agree to a new defense department policy that requires them to pledge they will not obtain unauthorized material and restricts access to certain areas unless accompanied by an official.The policy, presented last month by the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has been widely criticized by media organizations asked to sign the pledge by Tuesday at 5pm or have 24 hours to turn in their press credentials. Continue reading...

Universities, law firms and businesses that have changed course should have stood by convictions, says ex-presidentBarack Obama took aim at institutions and businesses who made deals or worked out settlements with the Trump administration, noting on a new podcast episode: We all have this capacity, I think, to take a stand."In a talk with Marc Maron on the comedian's last edition of his long-running WTF With Marc Maron, the former US president said institutions - including law firms, universities and businesses - that have changed course during the Trump administration should have stood by their convictions. Continue reading...

Hostage and prisoner releases are bringing joy to families. But there is no guarantee that the ceasefire will end Palestinian sufferingThe reprieve brought by the end of fighting in Gaza is immense. In Israel, the release of the living hostages has led to widespread elation. In Gaza and the West Bank there are also celebrations, as up to 2,000 Palestinian detainees start to be released - though there is distress, too, due to uncertainty about who is being freed and where they will be sent. In northern Gaza, people can finally return to dig through rubble for the remains of an estimated 10,000 missing people.As recently as three weeks ago, the likelihood of a ceasefire appeared remote. But it has taken effect, and on Monday Donald Trump travelled from Jerusalem, where he was cheered in the Knesset, to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, he joined a high-powered peace summit of more than 20 world leaders, including SirKeirStarmer. The plan for peace begun there is due to be continued at a conference in the UK. The US president, acting with international partners, did makethis deal happen - despite, not because of, Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.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...

Layoffs decimating' office responsible for protecting rights of infants, children and youth with disabilities, says workerThe majority of staff in the education department handling special education has been laid off, according to multiple reports.Friday's total of 466 layoffs across the education department also impacted the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which oversees programs that support millions of children and adults with disabilities nationwide, according to sources speaking to various outlets. Continue reading...

Border agents have become a key force in Trump's migrant crackdown - operating far from their traditional rural rangeBorder patrol officers have become ubiquitous footsoldiers in Donald Trump's mass deportation plan, and lawyers and human rights advocates worry that the agency is expanding its aggressive tactics into cities far from its conventional range.Led by Gregory Bovino, a particularly hardline Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sector chief from southern California, border patrol agents have become a daily presence in several major cities across the US. Continue reading...

Blazing debris on road amid rain and wind, with one person on ground hurt and no known survivors found on planeA small plane crashed along a major highway in south-eastern Massachusetts early on Monday amid rain and strong winds, killing both people on board and wounding another person on the ground, authorities said.In videos taken by people in passing vehicles, smoke could be seen billowing up above Interstate 195 from scattered, blazing debris. The highway was closed in both directions near the crash site in Dartmouth, a town about 50 miles (80km) miles south of Boston, the state department of transportation said. Continue reading...

Lindsey Graham says closure won't push him to meet Democrats' demands on Obama-era healthcare subsidiesRepublican and Democratic senators Lindsey Graham and Mark Kelly have dug their heels in over the government shutdown - which is now approaching two weeks, with the former saying that the closure won't push him to meet Democrats' demands for a restoration of Obama-era healthcare subsidies.Graham said on NBC News's Meet the Press on Sunday that he was in favor of the Senate voting to reopen the government and prepared to have a rational discussion" with Democrats - but not with the government shut down. Continue reading...

Washington DC-based institution says it'll temporarily close museums and research centers in response to shutdownSmithsonian museums and the National Zoo closed their doors on Sunday in response to the ongoing government shutdown.In a statement over the weekend, the Washington DC-based Smithsonian Institution announced that it was temporarily closing its museums, research centers and its zoo due to the government shutdown which has now entered the third week. Continue reading...

Cause of explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems that leveled building is unknown but foul play not ruled outAt least 200 mourners came to the Humphreys county courthouse at twilight on Sunday to mourn the 16 people killed in an explosion at a nearby munitions plant in middle Tennessee early on Friday.Humphreys county sheriff Chris Davis said that even in these nightmarish days, the true strength of our county is our people". Continue reading...

Department of Health and Human Services rescinds more than half of the 1,300 termination notices it sent, reports sayThe firings of hundreds of employees at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have been reversed, according to several reports citing officials familiar with the matter, and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal workers.On Friday, the White House budget office announced that as a result of the ongoing government shutdown, reductions in force (RIFs) across agencies have begun. Continue reading...