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This blog is now closed. Read our latest story hereTensions between Michelle Wu, the mayor of Boston, and the Trump administration have been escalating in recent months over the administration's aggressive immigration policies, with reports now signaling the possibility of a federal immigration enforcement surge in the city.The friction came to a head last week when the Trump administration reportedly began preparing an immigration enforcement blitz" for Boston in the coming weeks, according to Politico. Continue reading...

US president mistakes scale of anti-Ice rallies after TV report uses old footage from George Floyd demonstrationsDonald Trump told reporters that he might send national guard troops into Portland, Oregon, apparently because he was misled about the scale of small protests there by a TV report that incorrectly presented video recorded in 2020 as having taken place this summer.I will say this, I watched today, I didn't know that was continuing to go on, but Portland is unbelievable, what's going on," Trump said. He then claimed, incorrectly, that he had seen video evidence of the destruction of the city". Continue reading...

Hundreds of workers arrested in raid on Georgia factory; president signs executive order in callback to defense department's original name - key US politics stories from 5 September 2025South Korea's foreign ministry has expressed concern after many of our nationals" were among hundreds detained during a major Ice raid on a Hyundai factory in Georgia, in a dramatic iteration of the Trump administration's harsh crackdown on immigrants in the US.The economic activities of our companies investing in the United States and the interests of our citizens must not be unduly violated during the course of US law enforcement," a ministry spokesperson, Lee Jae-woong, said in a statement on Friday. Continue reading...

Joseph Emerson, formerly of Alaska Airlines, must do 664 hours of community service and pay $60,569A former Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit pleaded guilty or no contest to all charges against him Friday, saying in court that he regretted endangering those on board as well as the damage he caused to his former profession.Joseph Emerson reached the plea agreements because he wants to take responsibility for his actions and hopes to avoid further time behind bars, said his attorney, Noah Horst. Continue reading...

Alcaraz powered to a 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2 win and a likely final against Jannik Sinner as the 38-year-old Djokovic was once again denied in a grand slam semi-finalHere's Novak. He's asked before stepping on to court how his body is feeling. It's feeling alright, let's see. I'm expecting a very physical battle. I look forward to it, the challenge."And then it's Carlos. To be honest in the grand slams having two days to rest [before this semi-final], to feel fresh, is great. I recharged the battery physically and mentally. I've been really consistent this tournament [on serve], which I'm really happy about. But now I'm facing one of the best returners, it's going to be tricky." Continue reading...

The 24-year-old endured humiliation at Wimbledon but has pulled off a rapid and remarkable comebackAmanda Anisimova was struggling to maintain her composure in the days leading up to the final grand slam tournament of the year. As the American braced herself for her first round match, her high expectations became a source of significant stress. In hindsight, this was nothing out of the ordinary. I think most players are putting a lot of pressure on themselves and those few days before the tournament are pretty stressful, just the anticipation of it," she said after reaching round three. I feel it was natural for me to feel that way."However, the circumstances surrounding Anisimova on the eve of the US Open made her situation unique. The last time she appeared at a grand slam, Anisimova was beaten 6-0, 6-0 in the Wimbledon final by Iga Swiatek. Wimbledon had represented a long-awaited breakthrough after years of unfulfilled promise and under most circumstances it would have only signified a positive step forward in her career, but by the end of her excruciating day on Centre Court it was hard not to wonder if such a humiliating moment might completely derail her progress. Continue reading...

Move comes after accusing Venezuela of buzzing US warship and a deadly US missile strike in Caribbean SeaDonald Trump is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico to bolster US military operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean region, it was reported on Friday.If follows a deadly US missile strike on Tuesday on a boat in the Caribbean Sea that the Trump administration insisted was carrying 11 Venezuelan drug traffickers, and comments by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Wednesday that such attacks will happen again". Continue reading...

Rights groups in Gaza and Ramallah had asked international criminal court to investigate Israel over genocide claimsThe US has imposed sanctions against three Palestinian human rights groups that asked the international criminal court (ICC) to investigate Israel over allegations of genocide in Gaza, according to a notice posted to the US treasury department's website.The three groups - the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Ramallah-based Al-Haq - were listed under what the treasury department said were ICC-related designations. Continue reading...

Prestigious Stuttgart Ballet likely to face 80% empty seats at DC's premier arts venue as audiences vote with their feet'Ticket sales at the Kennedy Center have continued to plummet following Donald Trump's takeover of Washington DC's premier performing arts venue, with the prestigious Stuttgart Ballet expected to dance next month to houses less than 20% full.Audiences are voting with their feet to skip out" on shows that would once have been packed, in protest at the US president inserting himself into the center's management and operations as its new chairman, amid discussions around the notion of renaming it after Trump, according to an analysis by the Washingtonian magazine. Continue reading...

Gun Owners of America, which sees the NRA as soft, has the National Firearms Act in its sights - and it's ready for battleBefore Donald Trump had even won last year's presidential election, Gun Owners of America, one of the country's most aggressive second amendment champions, saw an opportunity to use the coming budget bill to overturn one of the country's core gun laws. Their target: the National Firearms Act.Passed in 1934 in response to gangster-era crime, the NFA imposed registration and a $200 tax on machine guns, silencers, and short-barreled rifles and shotguns. The tax roughly equaled nearly $5,000 back then, acting as a de facto ban for most would-be buyers. Continue reading...

Most of the mainstream media is overly cautious in approaching the fair topic of the president's healthPrestigious news organizations gave scant attention when, for several days recently, Donald Trump faded from public view. Other than some social media posts and some blurry golf-course images, the normally ubiquitous president seemed almost to disappear.But most of Big Journalism gave that subject a pass.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

City on edge as Trump prepares to move troops in, but organizers and residents are taking steps to push backCommunities are on edge as the long-discussed arrival of federal law enforcement and Ice agents to Chicago is reportedly set to begin in the coming days, marking the potential start of a contentious period of federal policing in the Democratic-led midwestern city.Donald Trump reaffirmed his commitment to send federal troops to the city as an effort to curb violence and homelessness on Tuesday, calling it a hellhole" and saying that, though troops would be headed to Chicago regardless, the city's mayor, Brandon Johnson, and the Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, should be calling him personally to ask for his help. Continue reading...

The Taeguk Warriors visit New Jersey on Saturday with a new role for Heung-min Son, a first naturalized player, and room to experimentExactly two years ago today (if you factor in the time difference), South Korea played against Wales in Cardiff, and Son Heung-min took the train from London for what felt like a low-key affair all around. This game will be very different for the team, and maybe even more so for the player. Continue reading...

The Reform leader has been in the US, bemoaning Britain's awful authoritarian situation'. It's a shame about his party's own anti-media huff back home

Health secretary defends his leadership as Democrats attack his vaccine policy and demand his resignation. Plus, how Giorgio Armani became the mastermind of contemporary style

Standoff has been building since March between Trump and Michelle Wu, who last week said to stop attacking cities to hide your administration's failures'Tensions between Michelle Wu, the mayor of Boston, and the Trump administration have been escalating in recent months over the administration's aggressive immigration policies, with reports now signaling the possibility of a federal immigration enforcement surge in the city.The friction came to a head last week when the Trump administration reportedly began preparing an immigration enforcement blitz" for Boston in the coming weeks, according to Politico. Continue reading...

The former quarterback's role as an analyst has blurred into his part-ownership of the Las Vegas Raiders. It's far from the league's first misstep of lateTom Brady catches all the breaks. First, the Tuck Rule helped pave the way for his charmed NFL career. Now, there's the Brady Exception to ease his unexpectedly rough transition into the broadcast booth.Quick refresher: In May 2022 Fox rushed to sign Brady to a blockbuster 10-year, $375m deal to work as their lead analyst once he retired (that ended up being the end of the 2022 season). Then, a year later, Brady called a surprise audible and bought a 5% stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, without apparently considering how that might affect his position at Fox. In a typical setup, the top broadcast booths embed with the teams they're covering in the days leading up to a game. But with Brady also a part-owner of the Raiders, other NFL teams justifiably worried his TV role would allow him to gain inside information on opponents. Continue reading...

US Soccer will belatedly honor one of its most accomplished players on Saturday - as good a time as any to re-assess his groundbreaking careerIn a sense, the real surprise isn't that it took almost six years for Michael Bradley to get his flowers for his long and laureled United States men's national team career. It's that he agreed to receive them at all.That sort of thing is, after all, extremely un-Michael Bradley. Continue reading...

French president says allies would either deploy reassurance force' troops to Ukraine, or be present in the area on land, sea or in the airTwenty-six nations have pledged to provide postwar security guarantees to Ukraine, including an international force on land and sea and in the air, Emmanuel Macron said after a summit at which European leaders sought to pin down Donald Trump on the level of support he is willing to give Kyiv.The day the conflict stops, the security guarantees will be deployed," the French president told a press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, standing alongside Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Continue reading...

Order would authorize Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, to introduce legislation to revert to pre-1947 name. This blog is now closed.Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr will appear before a congressional committee on Thursday, where he's expected to face questions about turmoil at federal health agencies.The US Senate finance committee has called Kennedy to a hearing about his plans to Make America Healthy Again". Continue reading...

California governor condemns decision to deploy troops in response to anti-Ice protests as waste, fraud and abuse'Donald Trump's deployment of the national guard in Los Angeles in response to protests in the city over immigration raids cost taxpayers nearly $120m, the California governor's office said on Thursday.The US president sent 2,000 national guard troops into the city in June amid clashes between federal immigration agents and protesters. This week a judge ruled that dispatching the military to accompany authorities on immigration enforcement operations violated federal law. Continue reading...

Move is attempt to formalize name change without an act of Congress, as US president says: We're just going to do it'Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Friday authorizing the US Department of Defense to rebrand itself as the department of war", the White House said, as part of an attempt to formalize the name change without an act of Congress.The order will designate department of war" as a secondary title", an administration official said, as a way to get around the need for congressional approval to formally rename a federal agency. Continue reading...

Bryan Hooper's first-degree murder conviction vacated after woman confessed to 1998 killing of Ann PrazniakA Minnesota man wrongly convicted of murder who spent nearly three decades in prison after being falsely implicated by a woman who has since confessed to the crime has been released.State district court judge Marta Chou had vacated Bryan Hooper Sr's first-degree murder conviction the day before. He was released on Thursday morning from Stillwater correctional facility, a Great North Innocence Project spokesperson said. Continue reading...

Pivoting from her anti-bullying campaign, the US first lady has inaugurated a taskforce on AI and childhood educationMelania Trump has turned her attention from her Be Best" anti-bullying campaign to the nation's best bots for tots.The first lady welcomed some of the US's foremost tech leaders - and a few bit players - to the East Wing of the White House on Thursday to inaugurate a taskforce on artificial intelligence and schools as part of an initiative dubbed the Presidential AI Challenge". The event concerned how to integrate AI into childhood education. Continue reading...

Move puts on hold federal judge's order last month to close Florida immigration facilityAn appellate panel on Thursday put on hold an order to wind down operations at the Alligator Alcatraz" immigration center in the Florida Everglades, allowing its construction and operation to continue.Last month, a federal judge in Miami ordered the closure of the Trump administration's notorious immigration jail within 60 days, and ruled that no more detainees were to be brought to the facility while it was being wound down. Continue reading...

A 19th-century settlement founded by Chinese miners and said to have hosted outlaw Black Bart was devastated by fireShortly after lightning sparked dozens of wildfires in California's Sierra Nevada foothills this week, author Stephen Provost received news that devastated him.Fire was sweeping through Chinese Camp, a Gold Rush-era town that a group of Chinese miners founded in the 19th century after they were driven out of a nearby settlement. The town's almost 100 residents were forced to evacuate and news reports showed flames consuming historic buildings. Continue reading...

Health secretary defends his leadership as Democrats attack his vaccine policy and demand his resignation

Government says power company's negligence helped spark Eaton fire earlier this year and another in 2022The US government filed two lawsuits against Southern California Edison on Thursday, blaming the utility's equipment for sparking two wildfires, including the Eaton fire in January that damaged National Forest System lands.The lawsuits against the unit of Edison International were filed by the US Department of Justice in Los Angeles federal court. Continue reading...

Trump had told Mike Johnson that he would not spend $4.9bn in congressionally approved foreign aid

Health secretary claims Biden officials twisted the data' despite research showing mifepristone is safe and effectiveThe US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has suggested that Biden-era regulations expanding access to abortion pills could be rolled back because the Biden administration had twisted the data" behind the pills.Kennedy made the remark more than an hour into a tense interrogation by members of the US Senate judiciary committee over his chaotic tenure at the health department, which has been marked by thousands of layoffs and the promotion of leaders with little background in public health and medicine. Continue reading...

Lower amount would have allowed Stanley Burkhardt, an ex-child abuse detective, to secure release pending case outcomeFormer New Orleans police child abuse detective and convicted child molester Stanley Burkhardt is the worst kind of offender" who always tries to find ways around the terms of his conditional releases from custody, a Louisiana state prosecutor said in court on Wednesday.The comment from William Dieters, the assistant New Orleans district attorney, came as the prosecutor successfully argued against the 74-year-old Burkhardt's request for a bond reduction in a parole violation case that would have allowed him to secure his release from custody pending the case's outcome. Continue reading...

Weapon valued up to $3m and items from movies including Alien and Armageddon for sale in three-day online auctionIconic movie props from a galaxy far, far away, and from a search for the Holy Grail much closer to home, are for sale in a blockbuster auction in California featuring a trove of silver screen history.Darth Vader's lightsaber from the final two films of the original Star Wars trilogy is the most valuable lot in the three-day online auction hosted by Propstore, a Los Angeles company specializing in movie memorabilia. Continue reading...

Former Senate leader likens administration's fixation with tariffs to isolationist policies of the US in the 1930s

After New Orleans was ravaged 20 years ago, two places of worship teamed up to offer a space for devastated residentsBefore the floods from Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city of New Orleans 20 years ago, Franklin Avenue Baptist church was booming.We had three morning services. We had a gymnasium, overflow rooms. Next door was the family center. There was an exercise room and library," said the Rev Fred Luter Jr, pastor of Franklin Avenue. We had just bought 90 acres of property. We were the talk of the town." Continue reading...

The president is targeting Chicago in his latest bid to assert authority over Democratic governance and racial pluralismWe're going in," Donald Trump said on Tuesday, when asked whether national guard troops would be sent to invade Chicago. The comment came as reports emerged that national guard troops from Texas - not yet federalized under direct presidential control - were preparing to deploy to Chicago in the coming days, in defiance of the opposition repeatedly and forcefully expressed by the Chicago mayor, Brandon Johnson, and the Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, both Democrats.The White House and the president's allies have claimed that the deployment is a response to violent crime in Chicago. This is a lie. Crime in Chicago has dropped dramatically over the past decades, as it has in every major American city - including Los Angeles, where Trump deployed the national guard and the marines earlier this year, and Washington DC, where armed federal agents have patrolled the streets for much of the past month. The deployment of armed forces to American cities - serving at his pleasure even when they are not officially under his direct command - has nothing to do with crime", except insofar as the administration has sought to redefine the term to mean Democratic governance, racial pluralism or the presence of immigrants. There is no violent crime in Chicago, or in any of these cities, that federal troops can be usefully deployed to quell.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Report links Arizona-Sonora smuggling to rising homicide and overdose deaths in both countriesA new golden triangle" of fentanyl and gun trafficking between Mexico and the US ties together the homicide and overdose crises of the two countries, according to a a new study.The triangle spans Baja California, Sinaloa and Sonora - the three states where almost all fentanyl seizures in Mexico take place - and connects to Arizona through a quieter part of the US-Mexico border that has become a hotspot for trafficking in both directions. Continue reading...

One sheriff calls surprise use of deputy email list offering $50,000 hiring bonus unprofessional and unethical'The White House's aggressive push to hire federal immigration agents is causing friction with local sheriffs - even those who back Donald Trump's deportation agenda.More than a dozen US sheriffs and law enforcement associations have complained that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has tried to poach local deputies and officers as Ice rapidly expands. Continue reading...

Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem says she hopes it will encourage people in the US illegally to self-deportThe Trump administration purposely chose a notorious Louisiana prison to hold immigration detainees as a way to encourage people in the US illegally to self-deport, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, Kristi Noem, said on Wednesday.A complex inside the Louisiana state penitentiary, an immense rural prison better known as Angola, will be used to detain those whom Noem described as the worst of the worst" Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detainees. Noem was speaking to reporters as she stood on the grounds of the facility near a new sign reading, Louisiana Lockup". Continue reading...

The president seeking to overhaul the Smithsonian has a dark vision of the past that he's using to advance his agendaOf all the presidents, Donald Trump - the man who would remake the Smithsonian and alter its presentation of how bad slavery was", as he put it - is surely the most ignorant of American history itself.What Trump doesn't know fills the Library of Congress, whose chief librarian he has fired, along with driving out the heads of the National Archives and the National Portrait Gallery, as well as dissolving programs of the National Endowment for the Humanities and defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which as a result has paused the acclaimed American Experience documentary series. Continue reading...