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Patel has praised QAnon and suggested shutting down the bureau's headquarters - and even the president-elect has called him kind of crazy'. Now new questions are emerging over his non-profit foundationA lot of people say he's crazy," Donald Trump is reported to have once said of Kash Patel. I think he's kind of crazy. But sometimes you need a little crazy."If Trump gets his way, crazy will now be coming to the FBI, the 116-year-old national security and law enforcement agency charged with protecting the US from terrorism, cybercrime and other threats. Continue reading...

Renowned for what he can do on a pair of skis, Petersen aims to bring more vulnerability to professional skiing, by starting with his biggest strugglesFrom the outside, Drew Petersen is living the dream. As a professional skier, he is paid to travel the world, ski powder, and make turns in front of a camera. It's the life kids dream of, but it isn't the full truth.Petersen, 30, has fought a lifelong battle with mental health, nearly ending his life multiple times before seeking help. He was diagnosed with type-two bipolar disorder, PTSD, depression, suicidal thinking, and post concussion syndrome. With the support of a therapist, EMDR treatments, and brain rehab, Petersen forged a new path and started talking about his struggles.In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

The world's oldest Sunday paper must have resources, a modern strategy and a new focus to thrive. This agreement guarantees all threeThe strategic direction of the Observer was set several years ago - to enhance its position as the leading liberal voice in the UK Sunday print market. This goal has been achieved, but in such a challenging media environment it cannot stand still. The Observer must develop a sustainable digital position with a younger audience to ensure it can continue to be successful in the years ahead.After extensive internal and external consultation, the Scott Trust has decided this would be best achieved outside the Guardian Media Group, and we have in principle approved the sale of the Observer to Tortoise Media.Ole Jacob Sunde is chair of the Scott TrustDo 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...

Aitana Bonmati finishes top of our rankings for a second consecutive year, with Caroline Graham Hansen second and Sophia Smith third

AfD parliamentary candidate and influencers posed for photos with now president-elect at his Florida homeAs Donald Trump gathered his supporters, family and friends at Mar-a-Lago on US election day last month to wait for the results to trickle in, a small group of far-right Germans went largely unnoticed.Among them was the purported semi-professional, one-time porn actor, self-confessed former cocaine user, convicted thief and hard-right candidate for the German parliament Phillipp-Anders Rau. Together with a compact delegation of young political activists and influencers, Rau posed for the cameras with the American president-elect at his invitation, chanting Fight! Fight! Fight!" in English and German. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. Read our latest story hereA small number of Democrats have signaled a willingness to work with the Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) on whatever it ends up doing.DOGE's function remains a bit of a mystery, owing to the fact that Donald Trump is not president yet and the department does not seem to be a real department, but rather more of an advisory body.Does this senior, anonymous Republican aide trashing @DOGE & @VivekGRamaswamy & @elonmusk happen to be someone who is pushing for a larger bloated defense budget and concerned the 5 primes may lose contracts? Asking not for a lobbyist, but the American people.The *quality* of defense spending matters far more than the quantity. Good for @RoKhanna asking some tough questions. Continue reading...

Killing of Jazmir Tucker sparks outrage over quick use of assault rifle and delay in rendering aid to wounded boyPolice in Akron, Ohio, have released body-camera footage of the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy, in an incident the city's mayor called deeply troubling".Video of the Thanksgiving night killing of Jazmir Tucker does not clearly show what led up to the shooting, but suggests that an officer quickly fired at the teenager upon encountering him, and that a group of officers waited seven minutes to approach the boy after he had been shot. The family's attorneys have said officers did not start rendering aid for 10 minutes. Continue reading...

Brazen shooting in Manhattan turns up evidence including video and bullets but, two days on, suspect remains at largeAfter the United Healthcare chief executive Brian Thompson was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel on Wednesday morning in a brazen targeted attack", clue after clue swiftly emerged.Surveillance video seems to show the shooter leaving a nearby subway station at 6.15am and buying two energy bars, as well as a bottle of water, at a nearby Starbucks, CNN reported. Continue reading...

Police had been searching for four days for Elizabeth Pollard, who fell into a sinkhole above a shuttered coal mineThe remains of a Pennsylvania woman who fell into a sinkhole were recovered Friday, four days after she went missing while searching for her cat, a state police spokesperson said.Trooper Steve Limani said the body of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard was sent to the coroner's office of Westmoreland county near Pittsburgh for an autopsy after rescuers used machinery to bring her to the surface. Continue reading...

In comments shared with the Guardian, Andrew Witty said permanent' changes would make campuses less welcoming'The CEO of UnitedHealth Group, Andrew Witty, told employees he would increase security, including perimeter protection", at the company's sites following the killing of one of their colleagues, CEO of the company's health insurance branch Brian Thompson.In comments shared with the Guardian, Witty said the company would make permanent" changes that would make campuses less welcoming", but they were necessary in the country's current climate". Continue reading...

Shaurn Thomas, whose 1990 murder conviction was thrown out, pleads guilty to killing man over drug debt in 2023After spending 24 years in prison on an overturned murder conviction, Shaurn Thomas received a $4.1m payout from the city of Philadelphia - and became a standard-bearer for the Pennsylvania Innocence Project.Now, seven years after his release, Thomas has admitted to killing a different man in early 2023 over a comparatively paltry $1,200 drug debt. And as a result, Thomas will probably go back to a cell for the rest of his life. Continue reading...

I did the best I could,' Democratic vice-presidential nominee says in first post-race television interviewIn his first television interview since their defeat in the 5 November presidential election, Tim Walz said he was a little surprised" that he and his fellow Democrat Kamala Harris lost the race to the Republican ticket headed by Donald Trump.It felt like at the rallies, at the things I was going to, the shops I was going in, that the momentum was going our way," the Minnesota governor told KSTP, one of his state's news outlets, in an interview published on Thursday. So, yeah, I was a little surprised. Continue reading...

On 4 December, Brian Thompson, the 50-year-old chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in New York near the midtown Manhattan branch of the Hilton hotel. The search for his killer has entered its third day, with police revealing clues about the suspect's identity. However, many details surrounding the shocking shooting remain unclear. Here is a timeline compiled by The Guardian covering the incident and the suspect's escape route

Debra Tice and other relatives spoke at White House Friday after meeting with national security officialsThe mother of Austin Tice, an American journalist missing in Syria for more than a decade, said on Friday that she was confident her son was alive, citing information she said had come from a significant source" that she did not identify but that had been vetted by the US government and treated as credible.He is being cared for and he is well - we do know that," Debra Tice said. Continue reading...

New York congresswoman to take on Gerry Connolly for oversight committee role amid wider tensions within partyAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez formally launched her bid to become the lead Democrat on the House oversight committee, setting up a race against the veteran representative Gerry Connolly for a crucial minority leadership position.The 35-year-old New York congresswoman's announcement comes as Democrats are reshaping their committee leadership, with the oversight committee set to play a critical role in challenging potential actions during the next second Trump administration. Continue reading...

Planned Parenthood affiliates ask for strike down of near-total abortion ban and other limiting statutes in lawsuitAn amendment to Missouri's constitution protecting the right to abortion took effect late on Thursday, two years after the state banned the procedure - but abortions have not yet resumed in the state.The day after Missouri voters supported the measure to amend the constitution, Planned Parenthood affiliates in the state filed a lawsuit asking the court to strike down the state's near-total abortion ban as well as a raft of other restrictions that, Planned Parenthood said, make it impossible to perform the procedure. In a hearing on Wednesday, the groups asked the Jackson county circuit judge Jerri Zhang to quickly issue an order to freeze the restrictions and allow abortions in the state to resume on Friday. Continue reading...

The president needs to find a new PM to stabilise France's standing on the world stage, even if that means turning to the SocialistsHaving failed to solve France's political crisis with a prime minister dependent on the far right, President Emmanuel Macron is exploring a deal with the Socialist party (PS) to give the country a new government, pass an overdue budget and avert financial turmoil. But his room for manoeuvre is severely limited and a non-aggression pact with the centre left may be only a temporary fix.It has been a humiliating week for the centrist president, seen as a great hope for European leadership when he was first elected in 2017. Macron's first choice of prime minister, after his impulsive dissolution of the National Assembly in June led to a hung parliament, was Michel Barnier, the EU's master Brexit negotiator. But the silver-haired Alpine rambler failed to weave his consensus-building magic on stubborn French politicians who didn't want to share responsibility for public spending cuts - and are already jostling for the race to succeed Macron. Continue reading...

With a dictatorship under pressure, a nation's chaos could reshape regional alliances and risk broader instability across the Middle EastIs the Syrian war - the 21st century's most protracted and second-deadliest conflict - finally nearing its end? One would not bet on it. While a coalition of rebels is closing in from the north toward the capital, Damascus, and has seized key southern border crossings, the fall of the House of Assad remains more prophecy than reality. Yet the odds of President Bashar al-Assad's departure are shortening. The military forces that once saved his regime - Russian airpower and Hezbollah's militant fighters - are now preoccupied in Ukraine and Lebanon. Mr Assad looks increasingly vulnerable.Since the Arab spring reached Syria in March 2011, Mr Assad's regime has repeatedly defied predictions of collapse. Ruling through fear and intimidation, he has been credibly accused of using chemical weapons, lethal force and brutal torture against his own people. Syria would be better off without him. His fortunes seemed to shift last year when he was welcomed back into the Arab fold after a decade of isolation. Yet this return reflected the self-interest of Arab monarchs and autocrats rather than genuine reconciliation. They saw Mr Assad as a safer bet than the chaos his fall might unleash. Continue reading...

Audience also taunted Canada in chant of 51', suggesting northern neighbour should be 51st US stateDonald Trump belittled the leaders of the United States' closest neighbours, Canada and Mexico, at a Fox awards ceremony intended to celebrate his role as America's greatest patriot".Two weeks after threatening the two countries with 25% tariffs on their imports for supposedly failing to prevent drugs and migrants from crossing the border, the president-elect took evident pleasure in an audience chant that taunted Canada as the 51st US state. Continue reading...

Police release information about UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing on Manhattan street but suspect remains at largeThe search for the suspected assassin in the brazen Manhattan killing of the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, has entered a third day as police revealed clues to the killer's identity but many facts about the shocking shooting still remain unknown.Thompson was fatally shot at about 6.40am ET on Wednesday in front of a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan, just before he was scheduled to speak at the company's annual investor conference. Continue reading...

Fire closes section of expressway, light rail line, and roads and schools as more than 100 firefighters tackle blazeFirefighters were battling a huge wind-driven fire at a Baltimore wood recycling yard that for a time closed a section of the expressway into the city's downtown, the neighboring light rail line, and nearby roads and schools.Crews were called to the Camp Small yard, where large trees and logs were stacked about 30ft (about 9 meters) high, after 5pm on Thursday, the Baltimore city fire chief, James Wallace, said at a briefing. Continue reading...

Critics fear absolute disaster' and say Pete Hegseth's far-right views will hinder attempts to tackle serious problemPete Hegseth, Donald Trump's embattled choice for secretary of defense, will struggle to handle the serious problem of extremism in the US military due to his own far-right political views, experts in the subject have warned.I think it's going to be an absolute disaster," said Kristofer Goldsmith, an Iraq war veteran and the CEO of nonprofit watchdog Task Force Butler. Pete Hegseth is a domestic extremist." Continue reading...

President's staff look into possibility of protecting public officials named by Trump in vows to seek retributionJoe Biden's staff are considering the possibility of him granting mass pardons to a broad range of public officials to protect them against the possibility of retribution and revenge from Donald Trump when he assumes power, it has been confirmed.The pardons could be extended to people who believe they have committed no crimes but have been publicly named by Trump in multiple diatribes claiming that investigations against him have been driven by a political witch-hunt. Continue reading...

Live, rolling coverage of business, economics and financial markets as American private sector adds 227,000 jobs in NovemberThe sale of the Observer, the world's oldest Sunday newspaper, to Tortoise Media has been agreed in principle.The announcement by the Scott Trust, the ultimate owner of the Guardian and Observer, came as it also revealed that it would invest in Tortoise to become a key shareholder and take a seat on both the editorial and commercial boards of the media company. Continue reading...

Mike Johnson praised the two innovators', but their efficiency agency faces political and practical hurdlesElon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, two technology billionaires with an anti-government axe to grind, aim to cut $500bn from the federal budget. They took to Capitol Hill on Thursday to explain their intentions to Republican lawmakers. But how, exactly, is the Department of Government Efficiency" supposed to work?For starters, it is not actually a department of anything in the government. Continue reading...

It's in a world of hurt

Wisdom the Laysan albatross has laid what experts estimate may be her 60th egg, and her first in four yearsThe oldest-known wild bird in the world has laid an egg at the ripe age of about 74, her first in four years, US wildlife officials said.The long-winged seabird named Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, returned to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge at the north-western edge of the Hawaiian Archipelago and laid what experts estimate may be her 60th egg, the Pacific Region of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said in a Facebook post this week. Continue reading...

More than half of states treat drug possession as a felony, even as 75% of Americans say it's a health problem, poll saysNew polling data from the Legal Action Center shows that more Americans than ever think substance use should be treated as a health issue, rather than a criminal justice issue.But many state and federal laws continue to criminalize substance use - more than half of states still treat drug possession as a felony. Continue reading...

Chamber votes 206-198 against release of report into former Florida representative, who resigned from Congress last month. Plus, how climate breakdown can still be avoidedGood morning.The House has voted against publishing the ethics committee's report into allegations of sexual misconduct and potential illegal activities by the former Florida Republican representative Matt Gaetz.On what grounds was it blocked? Gaetz resigned from the House on 13 November, when Trump picked him for attorney general - and the Mississippi Republican Michael Guest, the committee chair, said the panel's investigative authority ended then.What will Trump do? His team is reportedly developing a peace proposal for Ukraine, sidelining its ambitions for Nato membership and potentially handing Russia significant territory. Continue reading...

The archbishop of Banterbury could have used his speech to express remorse to victims of abuse. But then there wouldn't have been any room for lolzI imagine the outgoing archbishop of Canterbury doesn't have a tattoo. But if he did, he'd have that one beloved of so many insouciant people: ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME." As it goes, people with this tattoo frequently appear in court. In fact, sentencing guidelines for people with auto-satirical body art is one of only about three subjects that Justin Welby didn't make some public comment about in his tenure as the archbishop of Canterbury.But the great pontificator is now turning in his badge and mitre, and yesterday could be found delivering a quite staggeringly tone-deaf final speech as the archbishop of Canterbury in the House of Lords. As a reminder, Welby's resignation was called for because he definitely knew about victims of John Smyth, a sadistic monster who he had once hugely admired. Smyth's victims, groomed and horrifically beaten, begged repeatedly - and for years - for an investigation, which the Church of England did not instigate. Many of them now state the church's ignoring of their trauma was equal to the abuse itself.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnistIn the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453. In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International Continue reading...

President-elect tapping mega-rich backers for positions that will give them power to cut spending on public servicesEnough billionaires and multimillionaires have been assembled by Donald Trump to fill key roles in his nascent administration to form a soccer team.In a recruitment process that appears to mock his campaign's appeal to working-class voters, the president-elect has brazenly tapped a gallery of mega-rich backers for key positions that, in some instances, will give them power to cut spending on public services that are used by the most poor and vulnerable. Continue reading...

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I had long Covid and Spotify was my solace - until I realised the algorithm had killed off all my curiosity about musicI asked the doctor when, if ever, I would start feeling better again. He gave a well-meaning shrug and said there was no way of knowing. I left the consultation room, put on my headphones, and opened Spotify. Prompted, as always, to listen to an album I had heard a thousand times before, I put on the Cocteau Twins record that sounds like a warm bath. The album ended, and Spotify automatically transitioned into the band's radio", an algorithmically generated sprawl of other Cocteau Twins tracks and bands that sound similar. The familiarity made me feel a little bit less terrified.It wasn't always like this. When I worked on the culture desk of a newspaper, I spent hours each week eagerly seeking out the best new music - going to gigs, scouring forums and trawling record-label rosters. Finding something exciting felt like opening a portal to a new world. Spotify's algorithmic model, an arcane data-tangle that churns out recommendations based on previously listened-to tracks, felt bleak and synthetic by comparison. At least, that was my haughty argument. Really, I feared the algorithms would render me obsolete.Jochan Embley is a freelance writer and editor Continue reading...

All of Trump's nominees are unprincipled enablers who are unlikely to push back when he makes reckless decisionsThe media has it all wrong about Trump's picks for his administration. The conventional view is they're Trump loyalists" whom Trump recruited".Rubbish.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His newest book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com Continue reading...

The US supreme court is likely to uphold a flimsy and bad-faith Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for minorsThe politicization of transgender children in the US is one of the most astounding coups of propaganda and organized animus in recent history. Rarely has so much attention and rage been directed at such a minuscule number of people, and more rarely, still, have those people been the most vulnerable and blameless among us: kids and teens.The first state to pass a ban on transition-related care for minors was Arkansas, in April 2021; less than four years later, more than half of states have such a ban on the books. In 2016, North Carolina lost an estimated $3.76bn in revenue following boycotts after they passed a law banning trans people, including transgender students, from using appropriate restrooms in public facilities; now, 14 states have such bathroom bans on the books, and the boycotts have receded. Continue reading...

Hegseth's nomination team reportedly says that they haven't yet hit three no' votes despite slew of allegationsDonald Trump's aides working on Pete Hegseth's nomination for defense secretary have told the Trump transition team they haven't yet counted three Republican senators as being categorically opposed to his confirmation, according to two people familiar with the matter.The president-elect's pick to lead the Pentagon returned to Capitol Hill to meet with senators in an effort to shore up faltering support over allegations that he committed sexual assault, drank to excess, sexually pursued female subordinates and was ousted from two non-profits. Continue reading...

Congress, federal watchdogs and advocates call for closures of facilities as DHS inspector general reports medical shortages, sanitation violations and neglect of detaineesAmerica's private immigration detention industry is enjoying a surprise boost from the Biden administration and expecting a windfall from Donald Trump despite being skewered by watchdogs and critics for running civil detention centers with some horrific" and even lethal conditions.As a Guardian investigation revealed on Thursday, Donald Trump's plan to deport millions of people and expand private immigration prisons to hold them during that process is already getting a multi-billion dollar head start from Joe Biden's continued tack to the right on immigration. Continue reading...

The club of David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovi and Robbie Keane has been through a downturn. A sixth title would restore some shineAs Major League Soccer moved into a new age with Inter Miami's signing of Lionel Messi last year, the LA Galaxy had seemingly been left behind as a relic of different era. The club of David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovi and Robbie Keane failed to make the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons. Supporters protested against the Galaxy's leadership and boycotted matches. MLS's original glamour club had lost its shine.Now, though, the Galaxy are just one game from a record sixth MLS Cup title with Greg Vanney's team hosting the New York Red Bulls in Saturday's championship decider. Ten years after they last lifted the trophy, the Galaxy have the opportunity to reassert their standing as the league's marquee franchise while Messi and Co watch from home. Continue reading...

The league's newest franchise start play next year and have zero players. That will be fixed on Friday when they absorb talent from other teamsNext season the WNBA will add a team from the Bay Area, the Golden State Valkyries, before Portland and Toronto start play in 2026, with another franchise likely to arrive in 2028.These teams, of course, will need new players. And Golden State will pick their new stars on Friday through an expansion draft. The WNBA has so far enjoyed five expansion drafts - in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2008. This year's edition will allow the Valkyries to select at least 11 players to their roster. They also have Nos 5, 17, and 30 in next year's draft. Continue reading...

There's a disconnect between citizens and leaders. Tackling that will need measures such as truly including women in politics

From an early age boys are treated as though they are smarter and more talented than girls. It can lead to a damaging overconfidenceThe stories come around with horrible frequency. The TV presenter of a certain age who prances around naked with nothing but a sock on his cock or who grabs the head of a kneeling production assistant who is cleaning his trousers, and thrusts his groin towards her face. The sports presenter who is sacked for inappropriate behaviour. The radio DJ who is accused of sexual assault.And yes, we understand, it's all about power imbalances. The talent" is venerated, the power goes to the man's head, it makes him feel invincible, he believes he has impunity. He knows his employers can't afford to lose him.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...

Top donor with links to Musk to offer leadership on two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness'Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he was nominating podcaster and former PayPal chief operating officer David Sacks to be his White House artificial intelligence and crypto czar, continuing a pattern of rewarding big donors with political power.Sacks, a venture capitalist and Silicon Valley insider, hosted big spenders at his San Francisco mansion in June to support the Trump campaign, with tickets ranging up to $300,000 a head. The event reportedly raked in more than $12m. Continue reading...

Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff join for performances by Trombone Shorty, Trisha Yearwood and James TaylorAs he presided over his final Christmas tree lighting at the White House, Joe Biden on Thursday said his wish for the nation now, and always, was that we continue to seek the light of liberty and love, kindness and compassion, dignity and decency"Biden spoke briefly to the crowd who were decked out in heavy winter layers as frigid winds and chilly temperatures hit the nation's capital. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were also in attendance. The tree has been set up on the Ellipse, beyond the White House South Lawn, and it's visible on the streets. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. You can read our latest story hereThe acting director of the US Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, laid out a series of changes that the agency is enacting following the attempted assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a campaign rally in July.Rowe told the House task force examining the assassination attempt that the Secret Service has created an aviation unit for drone surveillance of potential threats, expanded the use of counter-drone systems, streamlined communication at protective sites and increased security of Trump throughout the rest of the presidential campaign. Continue reading...

Gunman named as Glenn Litton, 56, who killed himself after wounding two children at Oroville elementary schoolOfficials in northern California have identified the man who shot two kindergarteners at a religious elementary school on Wednesday afternoon before turning the gun on himself, the Butte county sheriff's office said.The Butte county sheriff's office shared new details of the shooting at a media briefing late on Thursday afternoon. The shooter was identified as Glenn Litton, a 56-year-old with a lengthy criminal history" for forgery and identify theft, and a history of mental health issues, Kory Honea, the Butte county sheriff, told reporters. Continue reading...

White House games last-minute strategy to bolster Ukraine, including $20bn in loans and sweeping sanctions on RussiaThe White House has gamed out a last-minute strategy to bolster Ukraine's war position that involves an avalanche of military assistance and sweeping new sanctions against Russia, according to a background briefing from a National Security Council spokesperson.National security adviser Jake Sullivan met with the head of the office of the Ukrainian president Andriy Yermak for more than an hour on Thursday, committing to provide Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of additional artillery rounds, thousands of rockets and hundreds of armored vehicles by mid-January, according to the briefing shared with the Guardian. Continue reading...

Chamber votes 206-198 against publication of report into former Florida representative, who resigned last monthThe House on Thursday voted 206-198 to block the release of the ethics committee's long-awaited report investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and potential illegal activities involving former Florida Republican representative Matt Gaetz.The report in question details allegations that Gaetz engaged in illicit drug use, misuse of campaign funds and sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl, and allegations of obstructing the House investigation. Gaetz has consistently denied the claims. Continue reading...