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The cost of Trump's tariffs is likely to be passed on to consumers. We would like to hear about the products you may buy ahead of his second termPrices for US goods could rise in January. Donald Trump has said he will impose tariffs of 25% on all goods from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% on goods from China, if they do not stop illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling. The cost of the tariffs is likely to be passed on to consumers.According to a Harris poll conducted for the Guardian, nearly half of Americans (44%) are planning purchases ahead of Trump entering office, in case he ends up implementing tariffs. Continue reading...

Electric guitar maker claims president-elect-endorsed merchandise infringes on Les Paul trademarkGibson, the maker of famous electric guitars, has issued a cease and desist order to the company behind a range of Trump Guitars" endorsed by the US president-elect.Gibson told Guitar World, which first reported the story, it took action because the design of the instruments being sold as Trump Guitars infringes upon Gibson's exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape". Continue reading...

President-elect defends Boris Epshteyn, who was accused of asking potential nominees to pay fees, amid infighting

Tariffs raise prices much like the GST - and like the GST it hurts people on low and middle incomes the mostIf anyone was under any delusion that Donald Trump was not going to be as bonkers as he said he would be, then his announcement on Tuesday that he would slap a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico (and deeper tariffs on China) should remove all doubt.Tariff" has become the economic word of the year thanks to the incoming US president. Continue reading...

Trump's policies could aid terrorist and far-right groups who use cryptocurrency to help quietly finance their endsThe return of Donald Trump in the White House is promising many things: mass deportations, an end to inflation, and perhaps the first cryptocurrency-friendly presidency, which is widely expected to loosen regulations on the emergent technology.While that is music to the ears of crypto investors and enthusiasts who poured money into his campaign, there are other unlikely winners for such policies, including far-right extremists and terrorist organizations who are using crypto to finance their ends. Continue reading...

Reports of cars heading south inside Lebanon despite Israeli army warning. Plus, record South Korea snowfall

Chance, demographics or even people reluctant to voice support for Trump could all be reasons for discrepancyIn the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election, Guardian polling averages showed Kamala Harris winning an incredibly close race. Still, Donald Trump won, showing that yet again his volume of support was underestimated.Though Guardian US averages had Harris winning, the final result was within the margin of errors for high-quality polls conducted this election cycle. Continue reading...

Even among a host of TV personalities and alleged sex traffickers, far-right commentator is a step too far for someDonald Trump's selection of the far-right commentator Sebastian Gorka for a senior national security post has prompted outrage and ridicule over a pick that seems extreme even amid a stream of nominations of conspiracy theorists, alleged sex traffickers, TV hosts and repeaters of Russian state propaganda.Last week, Trump named Gorka deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counter-terrorism. Unlike top national security picks - Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense - the position is not subject to Senate confirmation. Continue reading...

Rumours the company is in its death throes underestimate the actor's talent for business - and the public's insatiable appetite for kooky wellness gimmicksVAGINA! VAGINA! VAGINA!" That, in a nutshell (possibly the wrong metaphor), was the key to success for Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle brand, Goop, for many years: headline-grabbing wacky health advice and weird products that were often vagina-adjacent.Paltrow once spelled out this strategy in a lecture to a Harvard Business School (HBS) class. It was great publicity, she explained, when people mocked Goop for doing things such as urging women to steam their vaginas to balance their hormones; the free PR caused cultural firestorms" and she could monetise those eyeballs". According to a 2018 New York Times profile, Paltrow followed these nuggets of wisdom by cupping her hands around her mouth and yodelling vagina" three times, as if it were some sort of magical incantation that made money rain down on you. (I've tried it at home, it didn't work for me.) Continue reading...

The former Giants quarterback had his career in New York cut short. But that doesn't mean he can't reinvent himself elsewhereIn each of the last three seasons, a quarterback who was highly drafted but did not initially fulfill started to flourish in a new location with the right offense and coaching staff.In 2022, the Seattle Seahawks decided 2013 second-round New York Jets pick Geno Smith would replace Russell Wilson as their franchise quarterback after Smith had been a washout with the Jets, the New York Giants, and the Los Angeles Chargers. Smith has been a plus-level starter in the Emerald City ever since. Continue reading...

Hezbollah is still armed and has the potential to attack Israel. But more significantly it has in effect abandoned HamasNow that the dust has settled, quite literally, following the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, it is crucial to ask whether this deal will last - because, let's face it, we've been here before.In 2006, Hezbollah and Israel fought viciously for more than a month for reasons not dissimilar to today's context. By conducting a cross-border raid against Israeli troops, Hezbollah sought to alleviate some pressure on Hamas, which was battling with Israel in Gaza. The operation backfired, triggering a devastating conflict that led to the killing of roughly 1,100 Lebanese and 160 Israelis, and to massive displacement and damage to infrastructure in southern Lebanon. At home, Hezbollah was heavily criticised by most of Lebanese society for its unilateral decision, but, as always, it evaded accountability thanks to its guns.Bilal Y Saab, an associate fellow with Chatham House, is the head of the US-Middle East practice of Trends Research & AdvisoryDo 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...

The Olympic 100m champion plays a starring role in the second season of Netflix documentary Sprint. And he is still as outspoken as everShortly after crossing the finish line in the 200m final at this summer's Olympics, Noah Lyles collapsed to the ground out of breath. He lingered there, gasping and clutching at his chest for what felt like an age before medics arrived and carted him off the Stade de France track in a wheelchair. Later, Lyles made the bombshell revelation that he had been suffering from Covid for three days. The scene, an Olympic cliffhanger that rivaled only the American's golden photo-finish in the 100m final days earlier, is among the major inflection points in the 2024 track season offered up for closer examination in the second season of Sprint - the hit fly-on-the-wall series that follows some of the biggest names in the sport and released on Netflix this month.Ultimately, Lyles was able to savor the bronze he won in the 200m - another keepsake to remind him of his personal triumphs over dyslexia, ADD, anxiety and depression. But when he sat down to rewatch the episode dealing with the 200m months later with his fiancee, the Jamaican sprinter Junelle Bromfield, Lyles said he could barely get through it. Yeah, I'm proud of the moment," he tells me, but it's still so hard to watch because I can only constantly just think what if. What if I didn't get [Covid]?" Continue reading...

The former Aston Villa manager on helping USA to Olympic glory, pushing herself to the limit and a return to the dugoutFully in holiday mode", Carla Ward had enjoyed a few drinks when the surprise phone call came from Emma Hayes. The USA head coach was asking her to come and work for her during a large sporting event taking place in France in July and August. I'll be really honest, I'd had a few glasses of wine or a few strawberry daiquiris, I can't remember which, and I didn't take it seriously," the former Aston Villa manager recalls. I was like: I've got a holiday booked, let me see if I can change it.' And my friend said: What is wrong with you? This is the Olympics!' - then it dropped in my brain. Emma meant: Come to the Olympics.'"Ward is certainly glad she said yes. The 40-year-old joined Hayes' backroom team as a scout analysing opponents during a campaign that ended with the US team winning gold in Paris, and speaking in the buildup to the USA's match against England at Wembley, she recalls an unforgettable learning opportunity. There was never one doubt in my mind that she was going to win gold," Ward says of Hates. Being around the team 24/7, you knew there was an air of calm, there was an air of confidence. People hang on her every word, and rightly so. To see how she delivers messages and creates this environment is sensational. For me, she's the best in the world." Continue reading...

With the nation's finances in a parlous state, decriminalisation could raise millions of euros - as well as cut crimeFrance might not be broke, but the state of its public finances is, well, definitely not good. Total debt stands at 3.2tn - 112% of GDP. Interest payments on that debt are the second largest public expenditure after education (which includes everything from creche, or preschool, to universities) and are higher than the amount spent on defence. And this year's budget deficit is projected to be 6%, three points above the EU's 3% limit.If it weren't for the euro, France might very well be in the throes of a fiscal crisis - as it is, interest rates on some French debt are higher than for Portugal or Spain. Continue reading...

Intelligence agency has been trying to entice Russians disaffected by invasion of Ukraine but president-elect is likely to want to make an ally of KremlinFor the past three years, the CIA has run an unusually bold outreach programme. It targeted Russians within the country's government and security services, attempting to turn them into double agents.Slickly produced recruitment videos portrayed cooperation with the US secret agency as the patriotic choice for officials disaffected with Vladimir Putin's regime and the war in Ukraine. The videos ended with instructions on how to contact the CIA in a secure manner. Continue reading...

Revelation emerges at hearing for Anthony Odiong, 55, charged with several counts and held in Texas on $5.5m bailA Roman Catholic priest with links to Texas and Louisiana who is facing criminal charges for allegedly abusing his position of authority within the church to pursue sex with vulnerable women fathered at least two children with victims of his behavior, authorities have alleged.The stunning information about Anthony Odiong surfaced at a bail hearing on Tuesday in Waco, Texas, where prosecutors have charged him with several counts of sexually assaulting women to whom he ministered. Continue reading...

Attorney Jamieson Greer to play key role in trade team and investor Jim O'Neill picked to be RFK Jr's health deputyDonald Trump announced his selections for a series of positions in his administration Tuesday evening. The posts include the president-elect's picks for deputy secretary of health and human services, US trade representative and head of the national economic council, among others.Jamieson Greer, an attorney who served under Trump's previous trade representative Robert Lighthizer, will serve as US trade representative. In his announcement, Trump said: Jamieson played a key role during my First Term in imposing Tariffs on China and others to combat unfair Trade practices, and replacing the failed NAFTA deal with USMCA, therefore making it much better for American Workers." Continue reading...

US authorities allege Californian man Raj Matharu tried to conceal more than 1kg of drugs soaked into items of clothingAn alleged would-be drug smuggler soaked a cow onesie in methamphetamine, part of a whole suitcase full of clothes he tried to sneak aboard a plane, US justice officials have said.Raj Matharu allegedly checked in two bags at Los Angeles international airport on a flight to Sydney, Australia, the US Department of Justice said on Tuesday. Continue reading...

This live coverage has ended. you can find our US politics stories here.Donald Trump has used the fentanyl crisis gripping the US to support his ambition to impose trade tariffs on China. It gives the incoming US president an opportunity to both appear to be addressing the narcotics emergency, while also reinforcing one of his key aims in terms of US trade.China is the dominant source of chemical precursors used by Mexican cartels to produce fentanyl, while Chinese money launderers have also become key players in the international drug trade, US authorities say.Trump has said that, as soon as he gets into office, he will impose a 25% tariff on ALL products coming into the United States" from Mexico and Canada.He says the tariffs will remain in place until both countries clamp down on migrants and drugs crossing the border into the US.Trump also says he will impose a further 10% tariff above any additional tariffs" on all products coming into the US from China.It was not entirely clear what this would mean for China as Trump has previously pledged to end China's most-favoured-nation trading status and slap tariffs on Chinese imports in excess of 60% - much higher than those imposed during his first term.The reasons for the China tariff, Trump said, was their failure to curb the supply of drugs into the US. China is a major producer of the chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl. Continue reading...

Officials sign memorandum of understanding although details suggest some breaks with standard practiceDonald Trump's team announced on Tuesday it had signed an agreement to start the complex process of transferring control of the federal government to themselves, although the details of the plan suggested some breaks with standard practice.The incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said the team would now be sending in landing teams" into the various departments and agencies as it prepares to take over the bureaucracy of the executive branch. Continue reading...

Firefighter was lowered into shaft and dog, who was a good sport', was secured and raised out', authorities saidFirefighters fetched a dog from an abandoned mine shaft in northern California after it fell 50ft.Firefighters were called around 3.40am last Thursday to a mine located in El Dorado county, roughly 68 miles east of Sacramento. Continue reading...

Tom Homan issues threat to Democrat Mike Johnston, who says he will resist Trump's mass deportation planTom Homan, Donald Trump's hardline incoming border czar, has threatened to put the mayor of Denver in jail after the latter said he was willing to risk incarceration to resist the president-elect's migrant mass deportation plan.The threat was issued against Mike Johnston, a Democrat, who said he was not afraid of being jailed and encouraged people to protest against mass round-ups of immigrants in their cities and communities. Continue reading...

Daniel Andreas San Diego, 46, was wanted in connection with two office building bombings in 2003One of the FBI's most wanted fugitives has been arrested in the Welsh countryside.Daniel Andreas San Diego, 46, has been on the FBI's most wanted terrorists" list for almost two decades for his alleged involvement in two office building bombings in San Francisco in 2003. Continue reading...

US trade policies since 2016 highlight a broader global retreat from globalisation, driven by geopolitical tensions and shifting economic prioritiesDonald Trump's broadside against America's three largest trading partners, with whom it runs a $500bn trade deficit, should surprise no one. Since 2016, both MrTrump and Mr Biden have departed from established norms in international trade. The two presidencies diverged significantly in approach: MrBiden emphasised systemic reform while MrTrumprelied on rhetoric and theatrics. Although both administrations faced criticism for driving up costs through tariffs and industrial policy, global events wereprimarily behind rising prices.Mr Trump's self-declared fondness for tariffs is closely tied to his ability to authorise them unilaterally, bypassing Congress under claims of national security. This may explain his recent announcement of plans to impose 25% tariffs on all goods from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% on Chinese imports, unless these countries address alleged issues of illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling. The US president-elect clearly sees tariffs as more than mere policies; they are a calculated means of gaining leverage. By threatening to impose them, MrTrump is signalling a desire to negotiate - but only on his terms.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...

Rule expected to shorten wait for organs for all, as before it such transplants could only be done as part of researchPeople with HIV who need a kidney or liver transplant will be able to receive an organ from a donor with HIV under a new rule announced on Tuesday by US health officials.Previously, such transplants could be done only as part of research studies. The new rule, which takes effect on Wednesday, is expected to shorten the wait for organs for all, regardless of HIV status, by increasing the pool of available organs. Continue reading...

Claudia Sheinbaum rebukes Trump and says his plan would do nothing to stem flow of migrants or drugs bound for USMexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has rebuked Donald Trump's threat to impose steep tariffs on Mexico, arguing the plan would do nothing to halt the flow of migrants or drugs bound for the US border, and vowing that Mexico would hit back with tariffs of its own.One tariff would be followed by another in response, and so on until we put at risk common businesses," Sheinbaum said, warning that tariffs would cause inflation and job losses in both countries. What sense is there?" Continue reading...

Lincoln Continental with one human bone inside could belong to New York couple who disappeared on drive home from FloridaA Georgia police department says it has found a car that could contain the remains of a New York couple who have been missing since 1980.The car, a Lincoln Continental with one human bone inside, was found in a pond between the Royal Inn Hotel and Interstate 95 on New Jesup Highway, by a non-profit investigative group from Florida called the Sunshine State Sonar Team, police said. Continue reading...

US president-elect posted on social media about plan to impose 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada over immigrationJustin Trudeau has called an emergency meeting with provincial premiers across Canada after the US president-elect, Donald Trump, threatened a 25% tariff on the United States' northern neighbour.Trump posted on social media that he would sign all necessary documents" to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% tariff on all goods products coming into the United States, adding the levy would remain in place until such time as drugs, in particular fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country!" Continue reading...

Extreme weather expected to bring dangerous wind chills, lake effect snow, and severe thunderstorms'Millions of Americans will face severe weather - and low temperatures - as they travel for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.The National Weather Service (NWS) issued an announcement on Monday that an arctic blast is expected to bring dangerous wind chills, lake effect snow, and severe thunderstorms". Continue reading...

While self-help books might suggest manifesting new people in your life or cold-water plunges to change your entire personality, the key to finding a community is much simplerIt started in my mid-30s: The Great Slipping Away. Gradually, and then suddenly, the friends I had in New York started to disappear. Some moved out of the city. Others moved into different phases of their lives: they became laser-focused on their careers and had no spare time. Or they had kids, and hanging out became harder.Then I became one of the people who had kids and moved out of the city and all my local friends slipped away. A couple of years ago I moved to Philadelphia, a city where my wife and I only vaguely knew a grand total of two people. We were drawn to Philly by its affordability but we underestimated just how difficult it is to build a new community from scratch. As an introverted freelancer who doesn't have colleagues I see every day (even if just over Zoom), I certainly didn't anticipate how much effort I would have to make if I didn't want to become a complete hermit. Continue reading...

Unlike most Israeli news outlets, my paper shows the suffering in Gaza and Lebanon. That's why the government has targeted us

Rolling coverage of the latest ecoonomic and financial news

Company will no longer consider race and gender when making offers to suppliers and will remove LGBTQ+ merchandiseWalmart, the world's largest retailer, will phase out several diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in its workplaces, as far-right conservatives continue take aim at such programs.Among several sweeping changes, the company will no longer consider race and gender as a means to improve diversity when making offers to suppliers, several outlets reported. Continue reading...

Just one of millions of pet cats, to us she was the one. She soaked up my bad moods, angst, illnesses and purred them awayWhen my son was nine, he asked for a sibling. I negotiated him down to a pet and Mogget arrived in our lives as a two-month-old domestic short-hair kitten. Eighteen years and three months later, she stopped eating. And within a week, drinking.At the vet's, I learn she's lost a kilogram since her last visit - how did I not notice? The vet is kind. She dances around what needs to be said. I tell her Mogget continues to walk up and down our stairs, wakes me every day at 4.55am by bulldozing my head, loves lying in the sun. Continue reading...

President-elect taps allies to roll back rules and cut taxes in nakedly transactional' ploy critics call unprecedented'Donald Trump has quickly tapped big donors and political allies for top posts to roll back environmental and health regulations, cut taxes and government spending in ways that will benefit key backers, say government watchdogs.Armed with blueprints to expand presidential power in aggressive ways and backed by a bevy of billionaire donors and ultra loyalists who helped him win, the president-elect's transactional style of awarding powerful posts to backers such as X owner Elon Musk, or allies of others such as fracking mogul Harold Hamm, is seen as unprecedented", and will likely boost their bottom lines, say critics. Continue reading...

Prosecutors have recommended that John Reardon receive up to two and a half years in prison in plea agreementA Massachusetts man pleaded guilty on Monday to charges that he threatened to kill Jews and bomb a synagogue in a case that US prosecutors said reflected a growing nationwide torrent of antisemitism after the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began last year.John Reardon, during a hearing in Boston federal court, pleaded guilty to threatening to bomb the Congregation Agudas Achim and threatening to kill children in a voicemail he left with the Attleboro, Massachusetts-based synagogue in January. Continue reading...

I know many are aggrieved with Starmer and co, but scrapping a government for Elon and a Shropshire publican seems like a stretchBy now you will be aware of the petition demanding another general election. Finally, an answer to what would happen if Maga had sex with the People's Vote. I assume we don't use the phrase bastard offspring" any longer, but in this case I'll be making an exception. To see the obnoxious essence of not one but two excruciating political movements hook up and push out a screaming signature-baby is not a pretty sight. I have immediately launched a petition to forcibly sterilise all political movements.To recap, this is the petition started by a Shropshire publican after he'd Googled how to change the prime minister" and it told him to start a petition. Not a great ad for Google's search accuracy, let's face it, but I guess we already knew that was ageing like an unsealed bag-in-box of Phillip Schofield wine. Anyway, the resultant petition has now garnered two and a half million digital signatures, probably many more by the time you read this, and been pushed by public figures ranging from Elon Musk to Michael Caine. Fine. The Jaws film where the shark genuinely follows the Brody family all the way to the Bahamas is no longer the stupidest thing Michael's done.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnistA Year in Westminster: John Crace, Marina Hyde and Pippa Crerar. On Tuesday 3 December, join Crace, Hyde and Crerar as they look back at a political year like no other, live at the Barbican in London and livestreamed globally. Book tickets here or at theguardian.live Continue reading...

Trump threatens 25% tax on Mexican and Canadian products and 10% increase on Chinese goods. Plus, prosecutors drop Trump criminal charges for election interference as he prepares to retake the presidency

Amazon has aggressively opposed efforts and is challenging the federal labor watchdog that ruled against its actionsWorkers at a Whole Foods store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have filed to hold a union election, the first union filing at the supermarket chain since Amazon acquired it in 2017.The union drive comes as Amazon has aggressively opposed unionization efforts and is challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal labor watchdog that has ruled against the company's anti-union actions. Continue reading...

Democratic strategists want to persuade' over voters. But the real problem is Democratic voters not showing up to pollsMany people are drawing the wrong conclusions about what happened in the 2024 election. The conventional wisdom is that large swaths of population groups shifted their political allegiances to Donald Trump, propelling him to victory over Kamala Harris.A more careful reading of the data, however, shows that those conclusions are inaccurate, and the biggest problem for Democrats was a failure to turn out Democratic voters. Coming to terms with the unfounded faith in voter persuasion - at the extent of tried and true voter turnout programs - will have profound implications for the future of the Democratic party and the country.Steve Phillips is the founder of Democracy in Color, and author of Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority and How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good Continue reading...

The warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant are also a reminder to governments arming Israel as it commits war crimes in GazaThe international criminal court's issuance of arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former defense minister Yoav Gallant is an important step toward justice for the Palestinian people, who too often have known only injustice. The court allows charges to move forward for war crimes and crimes against humanity focused mainly on the Israeli strategy of starving the civilians of Gaza and depriving them of medical and other necessities. The arrest warrants will make the world much smaller for these senior Israeli officials.The Israeli government had advanced two principal arguments in the hope of avoiding the warrants, both of which the court rejected. First, Israel contended in essence that Palestine was not enough of a state to join the court and confer jurisdiction for crimes committed on its territory. The court reaffirmed a prior ruling finding that Palestine's status as a non-member observer state of the United Nations general assembly enabled it to ratify treaties such as the ICC's Rome statute.Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch from 1993 to 2022, is a visiting professor at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs Continue reading...

They haven't just moved all the stuff, they've reversed half the aisles, so they run across instead of instead of along. It feels weirdly fake, like I've walked into a trick supermarketWhat they always say about cats - indeed, one of the reasons I prefer dogs - is that they don't like moving house. You have to trap them inside for the first week after you relocate or they'll make your life a misery, going back to the old house, getting into mischief on the way. I've always thought less of them for their inflexibility, their prima donna nose-twitching, their refusal to go with the flow. Always, that is, until someone remodelled my local Lidl.It is hell: they haven't just moved all the stuff, they've reversed half the aisles, so they run across instead of along. I'm baffled by the physical space before I've even started looking for anything I want. It feels weirdly fake, like I've walked into a trick supermarket, for the purposes of ... who knows, kidnapping? Reality TV? Continue reading...

Boris Epshteyn accused of asking potential administration nominees to pay monthly fee for lobbying president-electInternal rivalries spilled into public view on Monday as Boris Epshteyn, a top adviser to Donald Trump, found himself at the center of an ouster effort over accusations he asked potential administration nominees to pay monthly consulting fees in exchange for lobbying for them to the president-elect.The maelstrom engulfing Epshteyn suggested that barely 20 days since Trump won the election, the knife-fight culture of the first Trump presidency, where bitter aides took any opportunity to remove rivals, had returned. Continue reading...

President-elect attacks neighbors over immigration and accuses China over fentanyl entering US

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