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Though Department of Homeland Security almost certain to shutter at midnight Friday, ICE to be largely unaffected

Activity of immigration agents has left no part of the state unscathed even as border czar says surge would be endingIn one suburb of Minneapolis, the superintendent spends each school day driving to her district's schools to track federal agents. Across the metro, in another suburb, a Latino church organizes food donations to deliver to thousands of families staying at home out of fear of immigration agents.In town after town around Minnesota, federal agents have picked up immigrants and taken them away from their communities. Continue reading...

Seamus Culleton has been held for five months despite having valid work permit and being married to US nationalAn Irish court apparently issued a warrant for the arrest of the Irish man currently embroiled in controversy with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has been ramping up detentions and activity around the United States since last year.Seamus Culleton has spent five months in US custody and faces deportation despite having a valid work permit in a case that has attracted widespread publicity. His lawyer called him a model immigrant" with no criminal record. Continue reading...

US attorney general displayed records of Congress members' searches into Epstein files during House hearingMembers of Congress are calling for investigations after discovering the Department of Justice created records of their research activities while they dug into files connected to Jeffrey Epstein.Photographs taken by Reuters during a congressional hearing on Wednesday showed the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, holding a document titled Jayapal Pramila Search History", listing files that the Democratic US representative Pramila Jayapal had accessed during her review of the Epstein materials. Continue reading...

A campaign of ethnic cleansing and tectonic' new legal measures are killing the two-state solution to which other governments pay lip serviceProtecting archaeological sites. Preventing water theft. The streamlining of land purchases. If anyone doubted the real purpose of the motley collection of new administrative and enforcement measures for the illegally occupied West Bank, Israel's defence minister spelt it out: We will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state," Israel Katz said in a joint statement with the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich.While the world's attention was fixed upon the annihilation in Gaza, settlers in the West Bank intensified their campaign of ethnic cleansing. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed there since October 2023; a fifth of them were children. Many more have been driven from their homes by relentless harassment and the destruction of infrastructure, with entire Palestinian communities erased across vast swathes of land. Continue reading...

Judge reprimands defense secretary over attempt to reduce Arizona senator's military rank and pensionA US judge on Thursday blocked the Pentagon from reducing Senator Mark Kelly's retired military rank and pension pay because he urged troops to reject unlawful orders.The preliminary ruling by Richard Leon, a George W Bush appointee, is the latest setback for Donald Trump in his campaign of vengeance against perceived political enemies, which has drawn opposition from judges across the ideological spectrum. Continue reading...

Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron's Olympic competition is set against backdrop of assault and abuse allegations involving their former partnersThe American duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the reigning three-time world champions contentiously missed out on Olympic ice dance gold on Wednesday despite a flawless skate. But the controversy surrounding the event is not merely a debate over artistic and technical merits.Gold went by a narrow margin to the French duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron. It was a stunning achievement for a partnership that is less than a year old. But the union was forged after the fallout from sexual assault allegations levelled at Fournier Beaudry's boyfriend and former ice dance partner, while Cizeron is the subject of allegations of abusive conduct from his erstwhile skating partner. Continue reading...

The White House's border czar, Tom Homan, announced on Thursday that a significant drawdown of immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota was under way and he had proposed that the surge there should conclude. Tim Walz, the state's Democratic governor, told reporters he was 'cautiously optimistic'

Move puts AI firm in opposition to ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which has advocated for less stringent AI regulationsAnthropic will spend $20m to back US political candidates who support regulating the AI industry, according to a company statement released on Thursday. Anthropic's donation puts it in opposition to the ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which has advocated for less stringent regulation of AI.The company is donating to Public First Action, a political group that opposes federal efforts to quash state AI regulations like a December executive order issued by Donald Trump. One of the candidates that the group is backing is Republican Marsha Blackburn, who is running for governor in Tennessee and who opposed an effort in Congress to bar states from passing AI laws. Continue reading...

Jeremy Carl, assistant secretary of state nominee, has espoused racist, antisemitic' views, says non-profit leader

Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, also launches online portal for residents to share footage of ICE enforcement activityNew Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill has banned immigration agents from some state property and launched an online portal for residents to share videos and photos of enforcement activity.Sherrill, a Democrat, signed an executive order on Wednesday which prohibits immigration officers from access to non-public portions of state-owned property if they don't have a judicial warrant, according to NJ.com. The prohibition also bars immigration agents from using state property as bases for enforcement operations. Continue reading...

The case of the Palestinian activist, the face of 2024's US campus protests, could have repercussions for thousandsDespite his grim circumstances, Mahmoud Khalil can't help but laugh.Walking through Congress's hallowed halls, the Palestinian student activist who may be inching toward deportation is not yet ready to waver. He admits he's in the scary part" of his ordeal, but he has a new reason to like his odds. Continue reading...

Dawson's Creek star, who died on Tuesday, had been open about struggling to meet high expenses of cancer treatmentA GoFundMe set up to support the widow and children of actor James Van Der Beek has raised more than $1m as thousands of people donated within hours of its launch.Van Der Beek, best known for his role as sensitive teen Dawson Leery on the TV series Dawson's Creek, died on Tuesday aged 48 after a battle with bowel cancer. Continue reading...

Information appears to contradict court testimony by banker in 2025 over nature of ties to convicted sex offenderThe former Barclays boss Jes Staley was named as a trustee of Jeffrey Epstein's estate until at least May 2015, according to documents that appear to contradict court testimony given by the banker.This month the Guardian revealed that US prosecutors had reviewed allegations of rape and bodily harm against Staley, who denies any wrongdoing. He has never been charged with a crime related to the allegations. Continue reading...

Polymarket and Kalshi are less regulated than betting sites, but users can win or lose large sums on the platformsYadin Eldar, 21, has been betting on prediction markets since 2019. His friends think he's crazy", he said. But the craze surrounding these platforms is rapidly gathering steam.Users can bet on virtually anything, from the outcome of Sunday's Super Bowl to whether the US will invade Greenland, every second of every day. Continue reading...

Thomas Frank's dismissal leaves a desperate Spurs looking to its recent past, among other places, for answersTottenham Hotspur have tried everything. After sacking Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019 - five months after the club's first Champions League final, with Spurs sitting 14th in the league and sleepwalking to second place in a weak UCL group - There came a pair of chronic (if cantankerous) title winners: Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. They gave a pragmatist (Nuno Espirito Santo) a Big Six test and moved on when performances instantly stagnated. Then arrived Ange Postecoglou; a staunch tactical ideologue whose principles excited at first before becoming a liability.Thomas Frank, though, seemed like the appointment most reminiscent of Pochettino's 2014 arrival. Both raised relatively unfancied clubs to prominence and established firm operational bedrocks. Both spoke about the importance of culture as much as on-field Xs and Os. Neither had been tested at a club of this caliber. Continue reading...

Milton Otto Martin III received maximum sentence for indecent behavior inflicted on teenager 15 years agoThe Louisiana Pentecostal pastor who repeatedly molested a teenage girl told her that her world would turn upside down" if she ever reported his crimes, she said in a statement on Wednesday in a suburban New Orleans court.Milton Otto Martin III would blame her for his crimes, saying he couldn't resist the temptation that she presented, the survivor's statement added. Continue reading...

To understand the change in Washington Post's fortunes, it is worth comparing its demise to the New York Times's trajectoryNot so long ago - it's been less than a decade - the New York Times and the Washington Post were almost neck and neck in the race for readers, reputation and scoops. The Times was always bigger, but the two were somewhat comparable.These days, that's far from reality. The Post has been declining in influence, newsroom staff and financial health - losing at least $100m a year - while the Times is on an astonishing upward trajectory, with operating profit approaching $200m annually.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

Gregory Bovino hailed agent who fired at Marimar Martinez five times in her car. Plus, US jobs rise by 130,000 in January

British asset management group's deal with Nuveen will create one of world's biggest fund managersSchroders has agreed a 9.9bn takeover by a US investor, ending two centuries of family ownership of the historic British asset management group.Chicago-based Nuveen will buy the City firm, it said on Thursday, in a deal that will create one of the world's biggest fund managers, controlling about $2.5tn (1.8tn) of assets. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed.Transportation secretary Sean Duffy said the El Paso airport closure was to address a cartel drone incursion".The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region," Duffy said on social media. The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming." Continue reading...

Marc Benioff's remarks criticized as employees were reportedly planning to urge him to cancel business with agencyMarc Benioff, the Salesforce CEO and co-founder, is facing growing criticism over a joke he made about US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) monitoring international employees during an event for the company.Employees publicly expressed outrage about Benioff's comments in his keynote address at an internal conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday, and leaders at Slack, which Salesforce owns, have said he should apologize. Continue reading...

Actually undoing Trump's tariff policy would ultimately require his approval, which was unlikely - key US politics stories from Wednesday 11 February at a glanceDonald Trump had a warning for congressional Republicans Wednesday: any of them who joined an effort to rescind his tariffs on Canada would seriously suffer the consequences come Election time".Despite that threat, six members of the president's party sided with Democrats in a largely symbolic resolution to disapprove of the national emergency Trump declared to impose tariffs on Canada. Continue reading...

Buddhist monks had walked 2,300 miles from Texas, braving snow and often barefoot - their arrival in the capital was greeted by thousandsBhante Saranapala gazed down at more than a hundred Buddhist monks wearing burnt-orange, saffron and maroon robes, most sporting woolly hats, a few clutching flowers.These monks are awesome!" roared Saranapala, who is known as the Urban Buddhist Monk", prompting a cheer from the big crowd. Their determination should be greatly appreciated. Walking from Texas to Washington DC, 2,300 miles; it requires strong determination!" Continue reading...

FAA initially cited security reasons' for shutting off skies around Texas airport in area along border with MexicoThe top US aviation agency has lifted a surprise 10-day closure of airspace above the US-Mexico border town of El Paso, Texas, just hours after it abruptly announced that it would close off the skies for special security reasons".While some officials claimed that Mexican cartel drones invaded US airspace, in recent days a balloon was reportedly mistaken for a drone. Continue reading...

Republicans join Democrats in objecting to national emergency US president declared to impose tariffsThe US House on Wednesday voted to rescind tariffs that Donald Trump imposed on Canada last year, a rare bipartisan rebuke of the White House's trade policy as the president threatened electoral retaliation against any Republican who defied him.The largely symbolic resolution to disapprove of the national emergency Trump declared to impose tariffs on Canada passed 219 to 211, with six Republicans - Don Bacon of Nebraska, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Kevin Kiley of California, Dan Newhouse of Washington and Jeff Hurd of Colorado - voting with all Democrats except Jared Golden of Maine, who voted against it. Continue reading...

New evidence shows Gregory Bovino hailed agent who fired at Marimar Martinez five times in her carNewly released evidence has shown that Gregory Bovino, a border patrol chief who was the face of the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts until last month, praised a federal agent who shot a Chicago woman during an immigration crackdown last year.

Bill that requires proof of citizenship and would limit mail-in voting passes 218-213 but faces uphill battle in SenateThe House on Wednesday passed the Save America Act, which would dramatically change voting regulations by requiring proof of citizenship at voter registration and significantly curtail mail-in voting.The legislation, which passed 218 to 213, faces an uphill battle in the Senate, close observers say. Continue reading...

Order comes after seven people in California City facility allege they were denied medications, food and sanitationThe US government must provide detainees at a California immigration detention center with adequate medical care, access to attorneys, and temperature-appropriate clothing and blankets", a federal judge has ruled.The order came on Tuesday in response to a lawsuit filed by seven people detained at the California City detention facility in November, alleging they had been denied essential medications, sufficient food and sanitary housing conditions. Continue reading...

Officials in US border city say FAA decisions caused major disruption - and residents are still scrambling for answersOfficials in Texas were left scrambling for answers on Wednesday after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a surprise order to shut down the airspace over El Paso for 10 days and then, as turmoil ensued in the city on the US-Mexico border, abruptly lifted it within hours.Local leaders in the west Texas city said that they received no prior warning or explanation and the stunning announcement had put lives at risk. Continue reading...

Public opinion polling agency says decision solely based on Gallup's research goals and priorities'Gallup, the public opinion polling agency, will stop tracking presidential approval ratings after almost nine decades, a spokesperson confirmed.As Donald Trump continues to closely scrutinize polling of his popularity, and publicly lambast media companies that report on unfavorable numbers, Gallup insisted its decision was solely based on Gallup's research goals and priorities". Continue reading...

Pretti, a VA nurse, was shot by federal agents in Minneapolis and was labeled a terrorist' by the administrationDemocratic lawmakers assailed Doug Collins, the Veterans Affairs (VA) secretary for repeating Trump administration's claims on the killing of Alex Pretti, a VA nurse shot 10 times by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis, during a congressional hearing Wednesday.Are you going to correct your cabinet colleagues when they called him a terrorist?" Mark Takano, a Democratic representative of California and the House Committee on Veterans Affairs' ranking member, asked Collins. The secretary declined to answer. Continue reading...

James Van Der Beek, who starred in coming-of-age dramas at the dawn of the new millennium, shooting to fame playing the titular character in Dawson's Creek and in later years mocking his own persona, has died at the age of 48. The actor revealed in 2024 that he was being treated for colorectal cancer.

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Tribe, which was forcibly removed from its lands near Lake Tahoe, used $5.5m grant and private donations for purchaseThe Washoe Tribe has purchased more than 10,000 acres of land near Lake Tahoe for conservation in one of the largest tribal land returns in California history.The sprawling property, located 20 miles north of Reno, Nevada, stretches from the Great Basin through the Sierra Nevada and encompasses sagebrush scrublands and juniper and pine forests. Continue reading...

Andrew Paul Johnson was found guilty of five counts including molesting a child under 12 and another under 16A man who took part in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol and later pardoned by Donald Trump was found guilty on Tuesday of multiple child sexual abuse charges in Florida, officials said.Andrew Paul Johnson was arrested in Tennessee this August and extradited to Florida. He pleaded not guilty. Continue reading...

Israeli leader was expected to advocate for more forceful US intervention during sixth visit to current White HouseDonald Trump has said that he is still seeking a deal with Iran to prevent it from seeking a nuclear weapon following a three-hour meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu in which the Israeli leader was expected to advocate for a more forceful intervention by the US military.Netanyahu's sixth visit to the White House since Trump returned to office ended without any public remarks between the two leaders. The results of the hastily arranged meeting were announced by Trump in an online post. Continue reading...

Tiffany Smyth is married to Seamus Culleton, who despite having a valid work permit was detained in SeptemberThe wife of an Irish man who has been held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for five months - despite having a valid work permit - is pleading for help in instigating his release from the dire conditions" he is facing in detention.I just want him home where he belongs. I want us to be able to finish what we started," Tiffany Smyth, wife of Seamus Culleton, said during a Wednesday press conference. Continue reading...

US attorney general goes on attack during questioning by House judiciary committee over handling of filesThe US attorney general Pam Bondi attacked and insulted Democrats during a House judiciary committee hearing on Wednesday as she defended the justice department's handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.Democrats pounded Bondi with questions about the way the department has complied with a law last year mandating the complete release of the files with specific and limited room for redactions. Since releasing the documents after the statutory deadline, the justice department has come under intense scrutiny both for releasing the names of survivors and redacting, without explanation, the names of people who may have committed crimes. Continue reading...

Whether it's the $1bn price tag or the US president's outsized power, key allies are steering clear of the board

Man who was detained released after several hours of questioning in connection to Guthrie's disappearanceThe FBI announced on Wednesday that it was conducting an extensive search" along multiple roadways close to the Arizona home of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie who has been missing for 10 days.The development came after authorities released a man earlier in the day who was detained in a traffic stop following several hours of questioning in connection to the investigation", according to reports. Continue reading...