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Experts say decades of progress are under threat; Trump officials say administration remains committed to fighting trafficking and sex abuseThe Trump administration has aggressively rolled back efforts across the federal government to combat human trafficking, a Guardian investigation has found.The sweeping retreat threatens to negate decades of progress in the drive to prevent sexual slavery, forced labor and child sexual exploitation, according to legal experts, former government officials and anti-trafficking advocates. They say the administration's moves are impeding efforts to prosecute perpetrators and protect survivors in the United States and around the world. Continue reading...

Joel Willett, a Democratic candidate, says he has seen firsthand' how Trump administration is weaponizing the governmentA former CIA officer stripped of his security clearance by the Trump administration has announced he's running for Senate as a Democratic candidate to claim Mitch McConnell's long-held Kentucky seat.Joel Willett launched his candidacy Wednesday, weeks after director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked his clearance as part of a purge targeting 37 current and former intelligence officials. Continue reading...

People across political spectrum, including prominent US conservatives, criticize attorney general's commentsUS attorney general Pam Bondi's pledge that the Trump administration will absolutely target" people who use hate speech" in the wake of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has prompted criticism of the idea from across the political spectrum, including from prominent conservatives.Bondi said on a podcast hosted by Katie Miller, the wife of the rightwing White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, that there is free speech and then there's hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society". Continue reading...

As the US president comes to the UK, let's give credit where it's due: he wasn't lying when he said smart people don't like himChannel 4 will be marking Donald Trump's visit to the UK with what it describes as the longest uninterrupted reel of untruths, falsehoods and distortions ever broadcast on television". It will play more than 100 of Trump's lies or misleading statements in a segment called Trump v The Truth. All his greatest hits, from false claims about the price of eggs to disgusting lies about the US spending millions on condoms for Hamas, packaged together.Obviously we've got to be fair and balanced here, though, haven't we? Gotta show both sides. So I think it's only right that Channel 4 also broadcast a 10-second segment covering all of the truthful and astute things the president has said. It's not just lies, lies, lies: occasionally the man can be surprisingly wise. Only this week, for example, a video circulated online of Trump telling attendees of a gala at one of his golf clubs: Smart people don't like me, you know?" He added: And they don't like what we talk about." No lies detected there.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...

US president accuses John Lyons of hurting Australia' after reporter asked about his White House business dealings

Take heed from European history: this could be the pretext for the repression of the US president's political opponentsIf 2025 was already shaping up to be the worst year of the century for the post-1945 rules-based world order, the past week has been its most destructive week yet. Israel deepened its disregard for international conventions by sending 10 fighter jets to Qatar, bombing a Hamas delegation participating in ceasefire talks in Doha. The last meaningful forum for diplomatic negotiation may now have gone up in smoke.At least 19 Russian drones violated Poland's airspace. For the first time in its history, Nato airpower was engaged against enemy targets inside a Nato country. Whether the incursion was a technical mishap or deliberate probing by Moscow, as western experts believe, this was the closest we have been to open conflict since the second world war," Poland's prime minister, Donald Tusk, said.David Van Reybrouck is philosopher laureate for the Netherlands and Flanders. His books include Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World, and Congo: The Epic History of a PeopleDo 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...

Police chief says here we are again in the aftermath of a mass shooting' after incidents in two separate locationsMinneapolis police have said over a dozen people have been hurt in two separate shootings at homeless encampments across the city on the same day.The first shooting at a transit station wounded five people, and happened in an area that had seen two prior shootings in the past month. Continue reading...

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After filing a lawsuit against the New York Times, Trump said the radical left' media would be stoped at each and every level'. Key US politics stories from 16 September 2025After filing a $15bn lawsuit against the New York Times, Donald Trump has vowed to stop the radical left media" from destroying" the nation.Taking to his social media platform Truth Social, the president said that he had received amazing" feedback on his case. Continue reading...

Tyler Robinson charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm and witness tampering and could face the death penaltyUtah state prosecutors on Tuesday charged Tyler Robinson, the man accused of fatally shooting the far right activist Charlie Kirk, with aggravated murder - and they say they intend to pursue the death penalty against the 22-year-old if he is convicted.Jeff Gray, the top prosecutor in Utah county, where Kirk was fatally shot on 10 September, said Robinson also ordered his roommate to delete incriminating text messages and stay silent if police questioned him in the aftermath of the Turning Point USA executive director's killing. Continue reading...

Tyler Robinson, the suspect in rightwing activist Charlie Kirk's assassination,made a court appearance via video feed from jail, speaking only once when asked to state his name. Robinson, 22, unshaven and wearing what appeared to be a protective vest, remained expressionless but appeared to be listening attentively as the judge went through the charges and informed him that he could face the death penalty

Still images and videos of Donald Trump and Britain's Prince Andrew with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were projected onto the walls of Windsor Castle as Trump visited the United Kingdom. According to media reports, Thames Valley police said four people had been arrested on suspicion of malicious communications

White House using civil rights laws to wage campaign against school system to undermine free speech, says suitThe Trump administration is using civil rights laws to wage a campaign against the University of California in an attempt to curtail academic freedom and undermine free speech, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by faculty, staff, student organizations and every labor union representing UC workers.The lawsuit comes weeks after the Trump administration fined the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) $1.2bn and froze research funding after accusing the school of allowing antisemitism on campus and other civil rights violations. It was the first public university to be targeted by a widespread funding freeze. The administration has frozen or paused federal funding over similar allegations against elite private colleges, including Harvard, Brown and Columbia. Continue reading...

US president arrives on Tuesday ahead of a lavish programme, as Sadiq Khan calls for UK leaders not to shy away from being critical'Donald Trump has landed in the UK ahead of an unprecedented second state visit.The US president and the first lady, Melania Trump, touched down on Tuesday evening at London Stansted onboard Air Force One ahead of a series of events over the next two days, including being hosted by King Charles, military parades and a possible flypast by the Red Arrows alongside British and American F-35 jets. Continue reading...

Tyler Robinson is quoted talking to his partner about having enough of the far-right activist's hatred' in textsEvidence put forth by Utah prosecutors Tuesday offered the clearest indication yet of what they suspect motivated Tyler Robinson to kill far-right provocateur Charlie Kirk.In seized texts reproduced by prosecutors as they charged the 22-year-old with capital murder and other crimes after his arrest, Robinson is quoted talking to his partner - whom they described as transitioning genders" - about having enough of Kirk's hatred". Continue reading...

Cupid recovers from surgery after what officials say is latest in half-dozen attacks on donkeys in semi-rural areasA wild burro dubbed Cupid is recovering from surgery after being shot with an arrow in what officials say is the latest in a series of a half-dozen attacks since June on donkeys that roam semirural areas of inland southern California.The two-year-old female burro was spotted last Wednesday with a blue arrow protruding from her right shoulder as she wandered with a herd in the foothills of Moreno Valley, about 65 miles (104km) east of Los Angeles. Continue reading...

Jeffrey Gray called Kirk's death an American tragedy' - and said the murder suspect had begged his friend to stay quietIt was, Utah county prosecutor Jeffrey Gray said as he opened his address to reporters, an American tragedy".The simple statement gave little indication of the extraordinary 45-minute press conference that was to follow as the veteran attorney laid out in detail how the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk was killed, and the text messages his alleged assassin sent in the aftermath of the murder. Continue reading...

Trump appointee insists he is staying in post despite reports of White House doubts over his leadershipA defiant Kash Patel on Tuesday denied Democratic senators' accusations that the firings of top FBI agents were politically motivated and insisted he was staying as the bureau's director despite reports that the White House had grown concerned with his leadership.I'm not going anywhere. If you want to criticize my 16 years of service, please bring it on. Over to you," Patel said at the conclusion of his opening statement to the Senate judiciary committee, where he made his first appearance since being confirmed to lead the bureau in February. Continue reading...

Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, has been charged with aggravated murder, a prosecutor announced on Tuesday. The charge means Robinson could face the death penalty if convicted of killing Kirk last week at Utah Valley University in Orem

Brian Mast changes course on provision to give Rubio power to revoke US passports over terrorism support allegationsThe chair of the House foreign affairs committee moved to cut a contentious provision from legislation that would have granted the secretary of state sweeping powers to revoke US citizens' passports over allegations of supporting terrorism.Representative Brian Mast, a Florida Republican, filed an amendment to eliminate the measure from his department of state policy provisions act, a bill meant to reform the state department in the Trump administration's image, after widespread criticism from civil liberties advocates, according to the Intercept. Continue reading...

Exclusive: amid demands for transparency around Epstein, president has repeatedly taken side of criminal sex predators, says Jamie Raskin

At the Eradicate Hate summit, the Pennsylvania governor urged leaders to condemn all political violence, not just attacks on rivalsPennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro said on Tuesday that the arson attack on his home earlier this year had left emotional scars" while calling for leaders to recognize that political violence is not a one-sided problem.Shapiro talked about the arson attack and political violence at this week's Eradicate Hate summit in Pittsburgh, designed to discuss tools and action that can prevent and confront violence. Continue reading...

These are dark times, but those who seek to divide us will not win. The capital's soul and spirit are as inclusive and optimistic as ever

Last week's incursion into Polish territory by Russian drones was an ominous escalation. But the US president keeps finding reasons not to actBack in January, with Donald Trump's campaign promises to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours" still fresh in the memory, there was genuine unease in Moscow over the US president's intentions. When MrTrump mused that high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions" on Russia might be necessary, one high-profile and pro-war Moscow commentator wrote: It's better to prepare for the worst. Soon, we'll look back on Biden's term with nostalgia, like a thaw."How wrong can you be? Since then, the US president has repeatedly talked the talk without coming close to walking the walk. In May, when Vladimir Putin rejected a 30-day ceasefire, and peace talks in Turkey went nowhere, a bone-crushing" US sanctions package failed to materialise. An 8 August deadline for Mr Putin to agree to a ceasefire somehow morphed into a red carpet welcome in Alaska, where MrTrump applaudeda leader wanted for war crimes as he disembarked from his plane. The severe consequences" threatened by Mr Trump if the Alaska talks failed to lead to peace never happened.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...

Letter to MPs says former US ambassador went through process only after his new role was announced to publicPeter Mandelson was not subject to in-depth security vetting prior to his appointment as ambassador to Washington, the government has said.The Cabinet Office conducted a due diligence process on Mandelson before he was chosen for the role but this was not a security check, the Foreign Office said in a letter to MPs. Continue reading...

Gregory Bovino announces arrival as local immigration advocates say they have noticed an uptick in Ice operationsThe border patrol agent who spearheaded the immigration crackdown that sparked widespread protests in Los Angeles announced in a social media post Tuesday that he has arrived in Chicago.Well, Chicago, we've arrived!" Gregory Bovino said in a post on X that included footage of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) vehicles and agents under Chicago street signs and views of downtown. Operation At Large is here to continue the mission we started in Los Angeles." Continue reading...

The claim is central to rationales for arming Israel even as leading human rights groups decry genocide in GazaMore than nine months after Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued reports that concluded Israel was committing genocide - and more than a month since key Israeli human rights groups asserted the same - the American political establishment remains in rigid denial while horrors continue nonstop in Gaza. Virtually all Republicans and most Democrats in Congress still support massive US arms shipments to Israel, so they certainly can't admit that the weaponry is making genocide possible.Central to rationales for arming Israel is the claim that it is the nation of the Jewish people".Norman Solomon is the director of RootsAction and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. His latest book is War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine. Continue reading...

The hosts were clear favourites at Oak Hill 30 years go, but Bernard Gallacher's team came home with the cupBy That 1980s Sports BlogWinning an away Ryder Cup is one of the biggest accomplishments in golf," to quote Rory McIlroy. Neither team has a great away record. USA have only won twice on their travels since Europe joined the event in 1979, their last away victory coming in 1993. Europe's only win on American soil in the last 20 years came in Medinah, and we all know it took a miracle for that to happen.Of Europe's four away wins - in 1987, 1995, 2004 and 2012 - their shock victory at Oak Hill 30 years ago remains a personal favourite. Things were far from rosy for Bernard Gallacher's team in 1995: the captain was bruised after two defeats; there were complaints about his team selection; one star player was ruled out with an injury; and a few others were out of form. Continue reading...

Data public health experts say is worrisome will reportedly be presented to ACIP later this week before vote on shotsUS health officials are reportedly planning to release data on child deaths and serious side effects they would attribute to Covid-19 vaccines, raising alarm among public health experts who say the publicly available data does not support these claims and the report may lead to increased anti-vaccine sentiment.Independent advisers for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) later this week plan to revisit recommendations for Covid shots as well as vaccines for measles and hepatitis B. Continue reading...

Election interference case in limbo as court declines to hear appeal against disqualification of Fulton county prosecutorThe Georgia supreme court on Tuesday declined to hear Fani Willis's appeal of a lower court's ruling disqualifying the Fulton county prosecutor from prosecuting Donald Trump's election interference case.In a 4-3 decision, the state's highest court let stand the lower court order disqualifying Willis from the racketeering and election interference case that initially snagged 19 defendants, including Donald Trump, in 2023. Continue reading...

Faith Kipyegon won the women's 1500m for the fourth time in a row, while Cordell Tinch took the men's 110 hurdlesWe're almost ready to start with heat one of seven in the men's 800m. The first three in each heat go through to the semis, along with the three fastest losers. Djamel Sedjati of Algeria, the Olympic silver medallist, is the class of this field.Hudson-Smith, we learn, tightened up on the bus to the stadium, hence his relatively poor run in the heat. Presumably he'll have taken steps to recuperate and avoid the same problem; hopefully for him, two days was enough to get things sorted. Continue reading...

Title says it will not be deterred by intimidation tactics' after US president announces latest legal actionDonald Trump has filed a $15bn defamation lawsuit against the New York Times in his latest use of legal action targeting a major media outlet.The US president accused it of being a mouthpiece" for the Democratic party and of spreading false and defamatory content" about him. Continue reading...

Man accused in killing of Brian Thompson will not face state charges of first- and second-degree murder but will still face other chargesLuigi Mangione scored a major legal victory on Tuesday with a judge dismissing the two top state charges against him: first-degree murder and second-degree murder, both of which prosecutors had argued were terrorism crimes.Mangione still faces an additional second-degree murder charge, as well as a federal murder charge, in the killing of United HealthCare executive Brian Thompson last December. Continue reading...

Former Democratic vice-presidential nominee's news comes amid rumors he would seek higher office for 2028Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota and the Democratic vice-presidential nominee last year, announced on Tuesday that he is running for a third term as governor in 2026.The announcement comes after speculation that he could seek higher office in 2028 instead of a third term in the state. Continue reading...

Caregiving staff say agents are bringing in patients, often denying them visitors and speaking on their behalf to staffDianne Sposito, a 69-year-old nurse, is laser-focused on providing care to anyone who enters the UCLA emergency room in southern California, where she works.That task was made difficult though one week in June, she said, when a federal immigration agent blocked her from treating an immigrant who was screaming just a few feet in front of her in the hospital. Continue reading...

The commission also accused Benjamin Netanyahu of inciting genocide. Plus, Donald Trump files $15bn lawsuit against the New York Times

US vice-president encourages calling out' anyone who celebrates Kirk's murder, including notifying employersA mass doxing" effort to track down, intimidate and harass people perceived not to have sufficiently mourned the killing of the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk was endorsed on Monday night by JD Vance.The US vice-president guest-hosted Kirk's podcast on Monday and said that people who see someone celebrating Charlie's murder" should call them out". He added: Hell, call their employer. We don't believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility, and there is no civility in the celebration of political assassination." Continue reading...

Advocacy groups say Trump and allies' calls for investigations represent attempt to quash dissent'The president, vice-president and members of Congress have begun calling for the government to investigate progressive organizations in the wake of the Charlie Kirk murder, in terms those targeted say are reminiscent of the House Un-American Activities Committee and the red scare" of the 1950s.Donald Trump, speaking to Fox & Friends on Friday, presented vicious and horrible" radicals on the left of US politics as a roadblock to the country coming together politically after the shooting. On Sunday, he amplified his attack on political enemies by declaring that a lot of people that you would traditionally say are on the left ... [are] already under investigation". Continue reading...

New York's Governor Kathy Hochul has finally lent the city's mayoral nominee her support - but the party's top congressional leaders, both New Yorkers, have notHe's the hottest politician in the US, who managed to attract thousands of young and first-time voters to the Democratic party in his unexpected win in the New York City mayoral primary.With the Democrats suffering from historically low approval ratings, one might have thought the party would rally round Zohran Mamdani, to learn lessons from the media-savvy 33-year-old and bask in his soaring popularity. Continue reading...

Visit comes at sensitive time for UK government, which is laying on display of royal and military pageantryDonald Trump arrives in the UK on Tuesday for a historic second state visit. His trip comes at a tricky time for Keir Starmer, who is facing growing discontent from his own MPs and is in the middle of preparations for what could be a make-or-break party conference speech.The government is hoping to wow the US president with a show of royal and military pageantry, while keeping him away from sensitive places such as central London - and sensitive topics such as immigration and free speech. Continue reading...

Cincinnati have dazzled with their weapons but failed at the one job that matters most: protecting their franchise quarterbackIt sounds obvious, you don't build an actual NFL roster like it's a fantasy football team. It's not enough to pack your squad with flashy weapons and hope you dazzle your way to the Super Bowl. You have to focus on more and different dimensions - roster depth, how players fit into coaching schemes, how they work together, and how even the unsexy" positions are addressed at a high level.And yet that is generally not how the Cincinnati Bengals have built their teams over the years. And once again, they're paying for it in the worst possible way - with an injury to their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, that will severely affect their season. In the Bengals' 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Burrow suffered a turf toe injury as he was being sacked by defensive lineman Arik Armstead; it's estimated that Burrow will be out at least three months. It's the third time in six seasons that Burrow's underwhelming offensive line - the line that is supposed to protect him from this sort of stuff - has helped shorten his season. Continue reading...

US president Donald Trump has misstated what occurred after the fatal shooting of a Minnesota state lawmaker. When asked why he ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff after Charlie Kirk's killing, but not after the fatal shooting in June of a Minnesota state lawmaker, Trump initially said he was 'not familiar' with the case. The president then went on to suggest he might have ordered flags lowered following the shooting of state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband but he said that Democratic Minnesota governor Tim Walz never asked him. 'Had the governor asked me to do that, I would have done that gladly,' Trump said. Except that's not what happened. Video from June shows Trump saying he wouldn't speak to Walz, suggesting it would be a 'waste of time,' and referring to the former Democratic vice presidential nominee as 'whacked out' and 'a mess.'

I never thought I'd see fear spread so far and fast. Next year's midterm elections are now crucial for the Democratic party - and for democrats everywhereI return to Europe from the US with a clear conclusion: American democrats (lowercase d) have 400 days to start saving US democracy. If next autumn's midterm elections produce a Congress that begins to constrain Donald Trump there will then be a further 700 days to prepare the peaceful transfer of executive power that alone will secure the future of this republic. Operation Save US Democracy, stages 1 and 2.Hysterical hyperbole? I would love to think so. But during seven weeks in the US this summer, I was shaken every day by the speed and executive brutality of President Trump's assault on what had seemed settled norms of US democracy and by the desperate weakness of resistance to that assault. There's a growing body of international evidence to suggest that once a liberal democracy has been eroded, it's very difficult to restore it. Destruction is so much easier than construction.Timothy Garton Ash is a historian, political writer and Guardian columnistDo 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...

President says he would have ordered half-staff flags for Melissa Hortman if Tim Walz had asked him to do soIn response to a question about why he did not order flags lowered to half-staff to honor Melissa Hortman, the Democratic speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives who was assassinated alongside her husband this summer, Donald Trump initially said he was not familiar" with the case.The question came up during a briefing in the Oval Office on Monday, in light of the president's order last week to lower flags in response to the killing of rightwing activist Charlie Kirk. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed.Secretary of state Marco Rubio will travel to Qatar on Tuesday, the Washington Post is reporting, after holding talks with Benjamin Netanyahu today in Israel.As my colleague Julian Borger writes: Part of [Rubio's] mission on this two-day visit is to convey Donald Trump's irritation at the Israeli missile strike on Doha that was aimed at Hamas leadership but killed their aides and a Qatari security officer.Common sense dictates that drone technology should be harnessed to scan every elevated structure with a line of sight to a target.If drones can enable the early detection and prevention of assassination attempts, why not use them? Better to have vigilant eyes in the sky than to remain blind to would-be assassins. Continue reading...

President says three people killed in strike against vessel he said was transporting drugs headed to the US'Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States had carried out a strike on a second Venezuelan boat and killed three alleged terrorists he claimed were transporting drugs, expanding his administration's war against drug cartels and the scope of lethal military force to stop them.The US president gave few details about the strike, saying in a social media post that the action was on his orders and that it had happened earlier in the morning. The post was accompanied by a video clip showing the boat, which appeared to be stationary, erupting into a fireball. Continue reading...