With a platform focused on cost of living, Aftyn Behn wants to turn the US House seat blue for the first time since 1983Republicans have controlled Tennessee's seventh congressional district for four decades. The party finished some 21 points ahead of the Democrats when the seat was last contested, alongside Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election last November.Twelve months on, that lead has narrowed dramatically, according to opinion polls - and a challenger is attempting to build a coalition of the pissed off" to overturn it altogether. Continue reading...
Senior officials indicated favorability toward Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros DiscoverySenior White House officials have discussed internally their preference for Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros Discovery in recent weeks, and one official has discussed potential programming changes at CNN with Larry Ellison, the largest shareholder of Paramount.The discussions, according to people familiar with the matter, comes as Paramount portrays itself as the best bid for Warner Bros Discovery, after it announced last month it was open to offers, because it would have an easier time getting through regulatory review. Continue reading...
After Republicans were trounced in this month's votes, the administration has launched a slapdash, ill-conceived campaignWhen running for president last year, Donald Trump wooed and wowed voters by vowing to reduce prices starting on day one". But once he was inaugurated, he seemed to pay precious little attention to prices and affordability.All that changed, however, when inflation-weary voters thrashed Trump and the GOP on election day this month - within days, the Trump administration launched a slapdash effort to focus on affordability. Unfortunately, the campaign is a hot mess: a pile of absurdity, contradictions, magical thinking, scapegoating and good ol' Trumpian dishonesty, with Trump repeatedly blaring that prices are down." Continue reading...
President has previously criticised the New York City mayor-elect, labelling him a communist' and threatening to deport himDonald Trump has confirmed a long-awaited meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will happen in Washington this week, setting up an in-person clash between the political opposites who for months have antagonised each other.The sit-down, which Trump said on social media would take place on Friday in the Oval Office, could possibly represent a detente of sorts between the Republican president and Democratic rising star. Continue reading...
President attacks Democrats in post on Truth Social after US lawmakers swiftly move bill through CongressDonald Trump signed a bill Wednesday directing the justice department to release files from the investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, surrendering in the face of joint pressure from Democratic opponents and the president's conservative base.The signature marked a sharp reversal for Trump, who had the authority as president to release the documents himself, but chose not to. Continue reading...
Decision comes after ex-treasury secretary said he would step back from public commitments over links to EpsteinLarry Summers, the former president of Harvard University, will stop teaching at the school while it investigates his connection to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesman for Summers said on Wednesday.Emails recently released by the US House oversight committee reignited questions about Summers' relationship with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex-trafficking minors. Many of the messages indicated a friendship that lasted well into 2019. Contact only ceased shortly before Epstein was arrested in July of that same year. Continue reading...
Action follows months of resistance from the president and his political allies that fractured his Maga base - key US politics stories from Wednesday 19 November at a glanceDonald Trump announced on Wednesday night that he had signed the bill overwhelmingly approved by US legislators that directs the justice department to release more files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased child sexual abuser.The president's signing sets a 30-day countdown for the Justice Department to produce what's commonly known as the Epstein files. Continue reading...
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick accused of funneling money to family healthcare business for 2021 congressional campaignDemocratic representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly funneling more than $5m worth of federal disaster funds from her company into her 2021 congressional campaign.The indictment states that Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, stole $5m in Fema overpayments that their family healthcare company received, moving the money through multiple accounts to hide its origins. The indictment alleges that the majority of the money was used for Cherfilus-McCormick's congressional campaign, as well as for the personal benefit of the defendants. Continue reading...
Jerry Smith condemns opinion written by Jeffrey Brown and mentions Soros name 17 times in 104-page dissentIn a highly unusual opinion, a US federal judge berated his fellow judge with a series of personal attacks, and suggested that the billionaire George Soros had a role in an opinion striking down Texas's congressional districts.The 104-page dissent from US district judge Jerry Smith, a Reagan appointee, was issued a day after two of his colleagues on a three-judge panel said the new congressional map Texas adopted earlier this year was likely unlawful because it discriminated against non-white voters. Continue reading...
Concession by federal lawyers adds to mounting challenges in effort to prosecute the former FBI directorFederal prosecutors on Wednesday said they had never presented the final version of the indictment filed against James Comey to a full federal grand jury, a concession that adds to mounting challenges in their effort to prosecute the former FBI director.Prosecutors acknowledged the omission during a Wednesday hearing in which Comey's lawyers argued the case against him should be dismissed because it was a selective and vindictive prosecution. Continue reading...
James Boasberg demands sworn testimony to determine whether US officials defied March court orderA federal judge on Wednesday said he was resuming his long-stalled court proceeding to determine whether Trump administration officials willfully violated a court order by deporting hundreds of men to El Salvador in March.US district judge James Boasberg said he would demand sworn testimony from administration officials to determine whether they defied his March court order to turn around aircraft that were removing the men from US territory. Continue reading...
The clip of the US president on Air Force One last Friday has taken off without much help from the media itselfIt's one outrage in days full of outrageous material.Quiet, piggy," Donald Trump told a female reporter in a press gaggle, pointing his finger at her angrily. Continue reading...
Saad Almadi's family thanks Trump and state department as announcement comes after meeting with crown princeSaudi Arabia has agreed to allow US citizen Saad Almadi to return home to Florida, five months ahead of the scheduled lifting of travel restrictions and a day after Saudi crown prince and prime minister Mohammed bin Salman met Donald Trump at the White House.Almadi, 75, was sentenced to 19 years of incarceration in the kingdom in 2021 after he wrote 14 tweets critical of the Riyadh government. Two years later, the charges were reduced to so-called cyber crimes" and he was sentenced to a 30-year ban on leaving Saudi Arabia. Continue reading...
Autocrats like Prince Mohammed are eager to benefit from Trump's brazen effort to use the presidency to enrich himself and his familySaudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, visited the US this week for the first time in seven years - and Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for his favorite Arab autocrat. On Tuesday, Trump hosted the prince for lunch and talks at the White House, followed by a black-tie dinner that included members of Congress, business leaders and top administration officials. The next day, Trump and the prince appeared together at a US-Saudi investment summit at the Kennedy Center.It's all part of a rehabilitation tour for Prince Mohammed, years after US intelligence agencies concluded that he had ordered the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident. In October 2018, Khashoggi was ambushed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a 15-member hit team, who dismembered his body with a bone saw. For a time, the killing turned Prince Mohammed into an international pariah. But Trump never wavered in his support of the Saudi leader, and during his first term protected the prince from US sanctions and pressure from Congress.Mohamad Bazzi is director of the Center for Near Eastern Studies, and a journalism professor, at New York University Continue reading...
We would like to speak to people who were displaced in the destructive January wildfires and learn how they're preparing for upcoming holiday seasonThe Pacific Palisades fire - the most destructive in Los Angeles history - killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 structures earlier this year, turning swaths of western Los Angeles into a wasteland.To the east, in Altadena, where the Eaton fire killed 19 people, the tightknit community is struggling to rebuild almost a year after the disaster. Continue reading...
Facility that was site of worst nuclear disaster in US history will provide power for Microsoft datacentersThe Trump administration has announced a $1bn federal loan to restart the nuclear power plant at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island that is under contract to provide power to Microsoft's datacenters.The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, said on Tuesday that the loan to Constellation Energy, the plant's operator, would ensure America has the energy it needs to grow its domestic manufacturing base and win the AI race". Continue reading...
Mayor-elect said head of city's police department will stay at her post when he takes officeNew York City's mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, announced on Wednesday that the city's current police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, will remain at her post when he takes up his job leading the city.Mamdani, a democratic socialist whose election win has created headlines around the world, has been a frequent critic of the police, especially when it comes to issues of racism and police brutality. Continue reading...
Steyer, who ran to be Democratic presidential nominee in 2020, joins crowded field seeking to replace Gavin NewsomTom Steyer, the billionaire environmental activist who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, will run for California governor, he announced on Wednesday.The 68-year old joins a crowded field of candidates seeking to replace Gavin Newsom, and in a statement released this week pledged to focus on the state's intractable affordability crisis. Continue reading...
by Chris Stein in Washington and Lauren Gambino on (#71HY0)
Legislation would next go to Trump who indicated he would sign bill after he and his allies backed down from oppositionThe Senate approved legislation on Wednesday that would force the release of investigative files related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the morning after a near-unanimous vote in the US House.By unanimous consent, the Senate agreed to pass the measure as soon as it arrived in the chamber from the House on Tuesday, which had overwhelmingly approved the bill earlier that day in a 427-1 tally. Once the legislation is forwarded to the Senate, it will be automatically approved and cleared for Trump's signature. The president, who dropped his opposition after it was clear it would pass, has said he would sign it. Continue reading...
Bill Ackman thinks his pickup line could aid population rates. Given the track record of the mega-rich, it may do the oppositeSit down and pay attention, because this column might change your life. I bring you tidings from the Nazi-filled wilderness that is now X, where Maga-adjacent billionaire Bill Ackman has generously decided to dispense romantic advice to the masses. Online culture, Ackman notes, has destroyed the ability to spontaneously meet strangers". The antidote to this, he suggests, are four simple words.May I meet you?" Continue reading...
by Tom Phillips, Laure Boulinier and Sarah Bertram on (#71K2H)
In August, Donald Trump started a campaign of aggression against Venezuela. The US president first launched airstrikes on alleged drug boats off the coast of the South American country - a move largely condemned as extrajudicial killings - then deployed US naval assets in the Caribbean. The Guardian's Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, explains why the claims the targeted boats were carrying drugs destined for the US are dubious and what Trump's actions could mean for the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro
Newly released Epstein documents drag the ex-treasury secretary into deeper scrutiny as Harvard widens its reviewHarvard is set to launch a new investigation into its former university president and Bill Clinton economic adviser Larry Summers about his ties to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as it also emerged Summers has resigned from the board of OpenAI.The moves comes after Summers said he would be stepping back from public engagements after emails revealed the extent of his relationship with the late sex offender. Continue reading...
In San Francisco, doctors say, a growing number of Latinos who work physically demanding jobs have turned to supplements that promise relief for joint and bone pain. FDA warnings are not filtering throughThis story was co-published with El Tecolote, a bilingual community newsroom that serves Latinx communities who live or work in San Francisco.When Gloria Caballero, 52, started experiencing knee pain four years ago, her sister in Los Angeles suggested a natural remedy that a co-worker had sworn by: a supplement called Artri Ajo King. Following her advice, Caballero started buying the yellow-and-blue pills in Los Angeles and bringing them up to her home in San Francisco, where she started taking them twice a day, every day. Continue reading...
Pontiff backs statement by US bishops condemning raids and mass deportations under Trump administrationPope Leo has reiterated his disapproval of Donald Trump's immigration policies, saying foreigners in the US are being treated in an extremely disrespectful way".Leo, the first US pontiff in the history of the Catholic church, made the remarks in response to questions about a statement adopted last week during a special assembly of US bishops that criticised the Trump administration's mass deportations and lamented the fear and anxiety caused by immigration raids. Continue reading...
Staff at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab spent days cleaning the concrete-covered great horned owlAn owl found partially encased in concrete after it got inside a cement mixer in south-western Utah is expected to fly free again after it was painstakingly cleaned by animal sanctuary workers who described the bird as a fighter".The great horned owl was found at the Black Desert Resort in the south-western part of the state and arrived at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, earlier this month with its face, chest and right wing covered in dried concrete. After making sure the bird could breathe, sanctuary workers spent days cracking apart the concrete using forceps and cleaning its feathers using toothbrushes, dish soap and their fingers. Continue reading...
History shows us that the creation of international rules and institutions is followed by their partial destruction, and a reconstruction that builds on what came beforeNineteen forty-five was a pivotal moment in international law, marking the founding of the United Nations and the International Military Tribunal to investigate war crimes committed during the second world war. Eighty years on, it is increasingly being said that we are living through a moment of great change, towards a world that is without such law.In September, the Financial Times published an editorial headlined A world without rules". That view was premised on two incidents: Israel's launch of a missile strike on a building that hosted Hamas officials in Qatar; and the flight of 19 Russian drones into Polish airspace. This flouting of the previous rules-based order", the FT said, was now producing a kind of anarchy and a proliferation of violence".Philippe Sands is professor of law at University College LondonThis is adapted from A World Without Law?, the 46th FA Mann Lecture, delivered by Philippe Sands on 18 November 2025 Continue reading...
The bill's support in the House and Senate is a rare moment of bipartisan agreement. Plus, Trump shrugs off Khashoggi murder during Saudi prince's visit
Trump administration proposal would exclude elite schools that use diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practicesThe state department is proposing to suspend 38 universities including Harvard and Yale from a federal research partnership program because they engage in diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices, according to an internal memo and spreadsheet obtained by the Guardian.The memo, dated 17 November, recommends excluding institutions from the Diplomacy Lab - a program that pairs university researchers with state department policy offices - if they openly engage in DEI hiring practices" or set DEI objectives for candidate pools. Continue reading...
How are people expected to handle increased health insurance costs when everything else in life has become more expensive? I think the answer is: they're notI've got a genius business idea for people with few discernible skills. First you establish a health insurance" company and get people to pay you large sums every month. Then, when a customer tries to use their insurance to cover medical costs, make a habit of denying their claim. While doing that, pay lobbyists to keep politicians amenable. Repeat this strategy until your company is worth billions.I'm not saying this is exactly how the US health insurance industry works, but it's close enough. There is a reason Americans spend the most on healthcare in the industrialised world, but have the worst health outcomes, according to an analysis by the Commonwealth Fund. Privatising a public good is great for a few well-remunerated executives but rarely benefits the masses. Continue reading...
Data sharply contradicts officials' portrayal of immigration sweeps as effort to fight worst of the worst' criminalsMore than 97% of immigrants detained in the Trump administration's Operation Midway Blitz" in Chicago had no criminal conviction, according to federal court records.The data, released on Friday and first reported by the Chicago Tribune, sharply contradicts the Trump administration's portrayal of the immigration sweeps as an effort to fight crime and, as Trump himself has described it, targeting the worst of the worst". Continue reading...
The New York Giants quarterback has become everyone's favorite goofball. But it's a jarring status given his historyHear the term national treasure" and odds are you think of someone like Dolly Parton, Betty White, Simone Biles or Tom Hanks. They are comforting, widely admired and have uncontroversial histories.And then there's Jameis Winston. Continue reading...
We now know 42 of the 48 of the teams that will play next year, but for a host of teams the race goes on via playoffsAll nine of the automatic places have been filled by the nine group winners, with the four best runners-up - DR Congo, Gabon, Cameroon and Nigeria - competing in November's playoffs in Morocco. Nigeria beat Gabon 4-1 in the first semi-final, while Cameroon fell to a last-gasp 1-0 defeat by DR Congo in the second tie. DR Congo upset Nigeria after a gripping penalty shootout in the final, and go through to represent Africa in the intercontinental playoffs in March.
Photographer Claire Beckett captured the soldiers and civilians who dress up as Afghans and Iraqis in military bases across America. They play everything from insurgents to shoppers in mocked-up firefights Continue reading...
Donald Trump's administration withdrew from the World Health Organization in January, prompting the agency to scale back its workThe World Health Organization has said its workforce will shrink by nearly a quarter - or over 2,000 jobs - by the middle of next year as it seeks to implement reforms after its top donor, the United States, announced its departure.US President Donald Trump's administration withdrew from the body upon taking office in January, prompting the agency to scale back its work and cut its management team by half. Continue reading...
LAPD sources tell NBC4 singer has not been cooperative with investigation into death of Celeste Rivas, 15The singer D4vd has been identified as a suspect in the death of Celeste Rivas, a teenager who went missing and was found dead in the singer's Tesla in September, Los Angeles police department sources told NBC4 Investigates.The decomposed body of Rivas, 15, was found on 8 September in the front trunk of a black Tesla registered to D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke. The car had been ticketed in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood and then impounded in a tow yard in Los Angeles. Continue reading...
Donald Trump pivoted at the weekend to signal his support for the bill and says he will sign the measure when it reaches his desk - key US politics stories from Tuesday 18 NovemberThe Senate on Tuesday gave swift approval to legislation that will force the release of investigative files related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, following a near-unanimous vote in the US House of Representatives and a reversal by Donald Trump and his Republican allies. The administration relented after months of trying to forestall the bipartisan effort involving a scandal that has dogged the president since his return to the White House.The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which requires approval from each senator but does not require a formal roll call vote, expediting the process. Hours earlier, the House overwhelmingly approved the bill on a 427-1 tally. Continue reading...
Move marks further dismantling of the department and Democrats criticized administration for slashing resources'Donald Trump's administration has taken new steps toward dismantling the US Department of Education by reassigning many of its responsibilities to other federal agencies.The move prompted a fresh wave of criticism, as prominent Democrats accused the administration of slashing resources" for schools and students across the US. Continue reading...
Officials admit inadvertent removal' after court ruled Britania Uriostegui Rios should not be sent to MexicoThe Trump administration is working to return another individual to the United States who was wrongfully deported to their home country in violation of a court order.Officials acknowledged in a court filing last week that Britania Uriostegui Rios, a transgender woman, was inadvertently" deported to Mexico in violation of a March court order which ruled that she was likely to face torture if she returned there. Continue reading...
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