San Francisco supervisor, 47, highlighting work on affordability for working families in US House runConnie Chan, a progressive lawmaker who serves on the San Francisco board of supervisors, has entered the race to succeed the former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi next year.In a Thursday announcement, Chan, 47, said the race was about local neighborhoods versus outside money" and highlighted her work trying to make San Francisco more affordable for working families. Continue reading...
Drenched by floods and abandoned amid the ruins, people in Gaza can draw no comfort from US plansThe declaration of a ceasefire in Gaza in October brought initial relief to its inhabitants. Yet officials there said Israeli strikes killed 33 people, including 12 children, on Wednesday; Israel said its troops had come under fire. Another five Palestinians were killed on Thursday. Hundreds have died since the ceasefire was declared. Even if the shelling stops, the destruction of Palestinian life will carry on as Israel continues to throttle aid, and the consequences of two years of war unfold. TheWorldHealth Organization warned last month thatthe health catastrophe would last for generations.Food remains in short supply. While displaced families shiver in flooded makeshift shelters, with many facing a third winter of homelessness, aid organisations say they cannot deliver stockpiles of tents and tarpaulins. Israel, which denies blocking aid, has designated tent poles as dual-use" items that could potentially be used for a military purpose. Save the Children reports children sleeping on bare ground in sewage-soaked clothing. Continue reading...
Big-name drivers and cutting out the middle man a vital part of the strategy with just over 100 days to go before the 2026 season openerTwelve months ago at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were finally given the green light as Formula One's newest entry for 2026. Building the team from scratch has entailed a frenetic work rate that the team principal, Graeme Lowdon, has compared to the Apollo moon landing. As F1 descends on Vegas this weekend, Cadillac know time is getting tight.At the final race of the season to be staged in the United Statess, with just over 100 days to go before they take to the track for the first time in Melbourne at the 2026 opener, Cadillac have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a sisyphean task, they are aware there will never be enough hours in the day. Continue reading...
by Hugo Lowell and Shrai Popat in Washington and Maya on (#71M32)
Joe Biden and George W Bush attend Republican's service, while notable absences included Barack Obama and Bill ClintonDonald Trump and JD Vance have been snubbed, by not being invited to former vice-president Dick Cheney's funeral, taking place on Thursday, according to a White House official familiar with the matter.Cheney, the former US vice-president to George W Bush and Republican defense hawk who became a fierce critic of the current US president, died earlier this month at the age of 84. Continue reading...
With students terrified and arrests rising, educators in San Diego are scanning streets, sharing alerts and defending the right to feel safeThree teachers drove through a quiet neighborhood in southern San Diego, the sun not yet fully up over the horizon. They drank coffee and talked about their jobs. The start of the school day was still an hour or two away.Suddenly, mid-conversation, they spotted something: what appeared to be an undercover Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, driving right past them. Continue reading...
Cyril Ramaphosa says US has had change of mind' but does not confirm Trump's attendance in JohannesburgThe US has changed its mind about attending the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa's president has said, without confirming whether Donald Trump, who had said the US would boycott the event, now wanted to come.Trump has claimed that South Africa racially discriminates against the minority white Afrikaner community, which led the country during the apartheid regime that ended in 1994. Continue reading...
More than 2,000 Starbucks employees are on the picket line as politicians like Zohran Mamdani back striking workersUnionized Starbucks workers are threatening to expand a US strike against the world's biggest coffee chain into the largest and longest" in the company's history - and urging customers to steer clear.Starbucks has said the vast majority of its cafes remain open, and expressed disappointment that Starbucks Workers United launched the strike. Continue reading...
Brendan Carr, head of FCC, asks if programme ever aired in US which is seen as key to any future litigationA US media regulator led by a close ally of Donald Trump is examining whether an edition of the BBC's Panorama broke US regulations in the way it edited one of the president's speeches.The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), led by Brendan Carr, has written to the BBC's outgoing director general, Tim Davie, asking whether the programme was ever aired in the US. Continue reading...
Unemployment rate hits 4.4%, its highest level since 2021, and government has said no October report will be issuedThe US jobs market added 119,000 jobs in September, according to the latest monthly jobs report, which was delayed by six weeks due to the shutdown of the federal government.Amid heightened uncertainty surrounding the strength of the US economy, the much-anticipated reading was higher than the 51,000 jobs expected by analysts to be added in September. Continue reading...
As federal agents descend in North Carolina, businesses close as even an after-school program is targetedOn Central Avenue in Charlotte, North Carolina, Manolo's Bakery has become a focal point for resistance to the upscaled immigration raids since border patrol officers descended on the city at the weekend. The owner closed the bakery to prevent his staff from being targeted. Most of the other shops on Charlotte's busy immigrant-centric street followed suit.Dozens of people have taken up camp in the parking lot to wave signs of support for immigrants. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been active in the city for months as part of Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda but things went up a level when border patrol arrived. Agents swiftly began buzzing through the place to make an armed show of their presence, followed at times by Charlotteans honking their horns in warning. Continue reading...
The plan, which is likely to be viewed as surrender' by Kyiv, is facing pushback from the EU. Plus, Trump signs bill to compel release of more Epstein documents
Tucker Carlson's interview with the activist revealed the mainstream right is being flooded by extremism - and it's now impossible to containFive days a week, thousands of fans gather online to watch Nick Fuentes hold court about the dangers of non-white immigration, feminism and organized Jewry". Usually dressed in a dark suit and tie, he lectures to his far-right followers, known as Groypers", about what he argues is the insufficient radicalism of Donald Trump's Republican party and what he describes as the perfidies of the state of Israel and its American supporters.Fuentes's fixation with Israel is not rooted in concern about the war in Gaza but a belief, in his telling, that Jews are responsible for most of society's problems. Fuentes, who is 27 and lives in Illinois, has called Adolf Hitler really fucking cool" and compared the Holocaust to the baking of cookies. Continue reading...
We're supposed to be used to this by now, but getting used to it is dangerous. Her colleagues should have spoken upCatherine Lucey, who covers the White House for Bloomberg News, was doing what reporters are supposed to do: asking germane questions.Her query to Donald Trump a few days ago during a gaggle" aboard Air Force One was reasonable as it had to do with the release of the Epstein files, certainly a subject of great public interest. Why had Trump been stonewalling, she asked, if there's nothing incriminating in the files".Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...
We'd like to hear how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is impacting your local healthcare provisionHealthcare providers across the country have closed clinics and hospital wards in the four months since Donald Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the landmark tax-and-spending legislation that will lead an estimated 10 million people to lose their health insurance.The law is expected to slash federal funding by hundreds of billions of dollars over the coming years, as part of Trump's campaign pledge to shrink government spending. Though the bill isn't thought to be the only cause of the closures - it may have an impact on local healthcare settings that are financially struggling. Continue reading...
Gotham are underdogs against a potent Spirit side but they have the talent and resilience to cause another upsetAt the close of quintessential NWSL playoffs rife with last-minute goals and upsets, the eighth-placed underdogs Gotham FC play second-placed Spirit for the ultimate trophy. Both teams have won the NWSL Championship once before: the Spirit in 2021 and Gotham two years later. Washington are the likely favourites, but Gotham's talent cannot be discounted.As we look forward to Saturday night in San Jose, here are a few key battles that could decide the game. Continue reading...
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...
US news | The Guardian