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Exclusive: Agency accessed private conversations of New York courtwatch' group that was observing public hearingsThe FBI spied on a private Signal group chat of immigrants' rights activists who were organizing courtwatch" efforts in New York City this spring, law enforcement records shared with the Guardian indicate.The FBI, the documents show, gained access to conversations in a courtwatch" Signal group that helps coordinate volunteer activists who monitor public proceedings at three New York federal immigration courts. The US government has repeatedly been accused of violating immigrants' due process rights at those courts.This article was updated on 21 November to include a longer statement from the NYPD. Continue reading...

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said his country was facing 'one of the most difficult moments in our history' after being presented with a 28-point peace plan drafted by the US, which pressed Kyiv to end its war with Russia and concede territory.In a 10-minute address, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was facing the pressure of having to choose between accepting the plan or losing a key partner, the US, and dealing with 'an extremely difficult winter' ahead

Gregory Aymond testified in archdiocese bankruptcy case, which will determine how much compensation survivors receiveThe New Orleans Roman Catholic archbishop, Gregory Aymond, has apologized to a group of survivors who have claimed they were abused by clergymen as children.I know you have been through a lot of pain," he said on Thursday in a federal courtroom while looking directly at survivors Tim Trahan and Richard Coon. Continue reading...

Rodney Taylor, 46, says detention draining on my body' as Democratic senator Raphael Warnock lends support to caseThe health of Rodney Taylor, a Liberian-born man who is a double amputee and is missing three fingers on one hand, has continued to worsen after being picked up by ICE and detained at Georgia's Stewart immigration detention center and his case has now garnered support from a US senator.Taylor, who has been detained for almost a year, told the Guardian he has now been diagnosed with bone spurs in his back, causing severe pain, while the silicone lining of one of his prosthetic legs has deteriorated, causing chafing and boils. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Discredited election-rigging conspiracy theory could strengthen Trump's military action against MaduroFederal investigators have been interviewing multiple people who are pushing unfounded claims that Venezuela helped steal the 2020 election from Donald Trump, the Guardian has learned.Two promoters of the conspiracy theory have repeatedly briefed the US attorney for the district of Puerto Rico, W Stephen Muldrow, and have shared witnesses and documents with officials, according to four sources. Muldrow declined to comment. Continue reading...

You've done this before,' comedian told president, who ranted about Kimmel online and demanded his firingEarly on Thursday morning, Donald Trump made another plea for ABC to fire the late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel, writing on his Truth Social platform that he has NO TALENT" and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS".On his show later that night, Kimmel was defiant, poking at the president for his previous attempt this fall to get him fired and suggesting that Trump has clearly been watching his show. Continue reading...

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It's not just skin deep

Experts say files certain to contain revelations but warn disclosures could still leave critical questions unansweredThey are the files that America - and the world - has long waited to see: a huge cache of documents at the Department of Justice related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, whom a judge once dubbed the most infamous pedophile in American history".After a law passed by Congress and signed by Trump on Wednesday, those documents must now must be released to the American public and a waiting army of journalists. Just like previous Epstein caches they are certain to include damning communications between Epstein and many rich and powerful people in his social circle. Continue reading...

Italian MEP disgusted' after US president received $130,000 engraved gold bar weeks before he decided to slash tariffs on Swiss importsA gold Rolex desk clock and a $130,000 engraved gold bar given to Donald Trump by a group of Swiss billionaires have raised questions in Europe and the US about the personalisation of US presidential power.Pasquale Tridico, an Italian MEP and the former head of the country's national institute for social security said he was disgusted" by the golden charm offensive, made weeks before Trump decided to slash 39% tariffs on Swiss imports to 15%. Continue reading...

Plus Vanity Fair's plucky decision to feature only men in its Hollywood Issue and the reporter fired after RFK Jr sexting scandal'We've all said things that didn't come out right, and it's my instinct - stand by for some counter-intuition! - that Donald Trump's quiet, piggy" admonishment of a female reporter on Air Force One this week was a very weird attempt at affection, or possibly flirtation. As with everything the man does, the effect was disastrous and totally inappropriate. But rewatching the video, I saw from the president less an example of his usual bigotry and more an attempt at what looked like OK, kiddo" cuteness that, catastrophically, and before I could nip it in the bud, had triggered a tiny sprig of sympathy. Continue reading...

President has chosen white men for key posts at expense of women and people of colour, Brookings Institution findsDonald Trump has assembled the least diverse US government of the 21st century, filling the corridors of power with white men at the expense of women and people of colour, research shows.Nine in 10 individuals confirmed by the Senate in the first 300 days of the second Trump administration were white, according to the Brookings Institution thinktank in Washington. Continue reading...

US president roundly decried for Truth Social post after lawmakers told military personnel to refuse illegal orders. Plus, Superman comic found in attic becomes most expensive ever sold

If you've been motivated to organize, protest or become more involved in politics, we'd like to hear from youIn cities and towns across the country, Americans are rallying to protect immigrants, civil rights, racial justice, healthcare, Snap benefits, the constitution and the rule of law.If you are someone who has been motivated to organize, protest or become more involved in politics this year, we would like to hear from you. Our team is hoping to tell your story and to share the ways that individuals or small groups of people have initiated movements to protect their neighbors, communities or their own civil rights. Continue reading...

Everyday people from blue and red states alike are leading actions such as protests, boycotts and mutual aid

Dana Briggs, 70, had charges dropped after being accused of assaulting an agent during a protest at an Illinois ICE facilityA 70-year-old air force veteran who had been charged with felony assault on a federal officer as he protested an ICE raid has told the Guardian he is now considering a civil lawsuit after all charges against him were dropped.The US Department of Justice moved to dismiss all charges against Dana Briggs, who had been charged despite a video of the incident, which showed masked Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents advancing on the elderly veteran and knocking him over. Continue reading...

AI-generated songs are topping Spotify charts. This isn't about the democratization' of art - it's about scaleMaking music is hard. Well, at least it used to be. I remember the old days, when you had to spend hours and hours honing skills, coming up with something clever or personal to say, then actually recording sounds that people would want to listen to. But that's the past. In our sparkling future, a pre-teen can dump a bunch of words into a machine and out comes a catchy tune. In 2025, a robot can be a pop star. (Although Data from Star Trek did drop an album back in the 90s. How soon we all forget.)Three AI-generated songs recently topped Spotify's Viral 50" charts. One of the creators" responsible for these songs, Broken Veteran, who squirted out a track about immigration policies, told the Guardian that AI is just another tool for expression, particularly valuable for people like me who have something to say but lack traditional musical training". It used to be that if you didn't know how to do something, you wouldn't do it.Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...

The former Blackhawks star is back in the NHL after two and a half years. A pair of retreats in India, and a fresh start with his hometown Jets, helped him rediscover his lost joyStepping on the ice for this season's opening game signified far more than a return to routine for one of the NHL's most decorated veterans.Jonathan Toews - the former Chicago Blackhawks captain who led the club to three Stanley Cups in six seasons - was not only making his debut for his hometown Winnipeg Jets. He was playing his first NHL game in two and a half years. Continue reading...

The sport is rooted in the culture of rugged individualism and has been slow to adopt modern techniques. That state of affairs is slowly changingBoosted by cultural phenomena like the hit series Yellowstone and Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album and tour, rodeo and all things Western are enjoying a cultural resurgence. Attendance, broadcast and streaming viewership are at all time highs. So is the prize money, which is attracting more and more young athletes seeking a chance to make a name for themselves.But while rodeo is booming, athlete development remains antiquated. Continue reading...

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After Trump logged on and chose violence, Democratic leaders condemned his disgusting and dangerous death threats' - key US politics stories from 19 NovemberDonald Trump called for the arrest of a group of Democratic lawmakers he accused of engaging in SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH".The president's remarks, issued on his Truth Social platform on Thursday morning, came after the legislators posted a video in which they told active service members they should refuse illegal orders. Continue reading...

Karoline Leavitt says president calls out fake news when he sees it' after remark to reporter draws severe condemnationThe White House issued a full-throated defense of Donald Trump's reference to a Bloomberg News correspondent as a piggy" on Thursday, claiming without evidence that the president calls out fake news when he sees it and gets frustrated with reporters who spread false information".White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the remarks during a White House briefing, saying Trump was re-elected because of his bluntness and that members of the media should appreciate his willingness to answer their questions. Continue reading...

Activist detained by ICE condemns smear and harassment campaign' and demands release of key communicationsMahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian activist who participated in protests at Columbia University and was detained by Ice earlier this year, has filed a lawsuit demanding the Trump administration release its communications with anti-Palestinian groups he says contributed to his March arrest and efforts to detain him.The groups, a number of which have boasted about their involvement in sharing dossiers on Palestine activists with the administration, have claimed credit for Khalil's arrest, according to the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is part of the legal team representing Khalil, and they say there is evidence that indicates the Trump administration acted on information and misinformation - provided by these groups in cracking down" on Khalil and other pro-Palestine activists. Continue reading...

Public health and autism specialists roundly condemn alteration to the vaccine safety' webpageA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website has been changed to reflect the belief of Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health and human services secretary, that there is a link between vaccines and autism, a view flatly contradicted by experts and scientifically validated studies.Public health and autism specialists roundly condemned the alteration to the CDC's vaccine safety" webpage, after it was changed to read: The statement Vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim." Continue reading...

California lawmaker says names of anyone involved in Epstein's crimes must come to light, Democrat or Republican

Poverty rate jumped from 12.2% to 16.3% in 2023 in state, Tipping Point Community report findsNewly released data found that the San Francisco Bay Area's poverty rate soared from 12.2% to 16.3% in 2023, with an approximate total 1.02 million residents in this six-county region considered impoverished by year's end.Another 12.5% of residents - about 790,000 people - hovered on the brink of poverty, meaning that about three in 10 Bay Area residents struggled to cover basic expenses. Continue reading...

Great and good pay tribute in Washington but honouring of former vice-president was an exercise in omissionYou suspected that Maga had not conquered the Washington national cathedral when Bill Kristol was spotted at a men's urinal conversing with Chris Wallace. You knew it for sure when James Carville, Anthony Fauci and Rachel Maddow were seen sitting close to one another in the nave.The funeral of the 46th US vice-president, Dick Cheney, who died earlier this month aged 84, was a throwback to a less raucous and rancorous time. Ex-presidents and vice-presidents, Democratic and Republican, made small talk, but Donald Trump, who spent Thursday crying treason and calling for Democrats to be put to death, and his deputy JD Vance were not invited. Continue reading...

Inquiry centers on whether two Trump allies influenced the Schiff mortgage investigation as prosecutors struggle to build the case

Move deals the president a temporary legal setback to his efforts to send troops to US cities despite local objectionsA federal judge on Thursday halted for now Donald Trump's deployment of national guard troops to Washington DC, dealing the president a temporary legal setback to his efforts to send the military to US cities over the objections of local leaders.US district judge Jia Cobb, an appointee of former president Joe Biden, temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying national guard troops to enforce the law in the nation's capital without approval from its mayor. Continue reading...

Senate majority leader, John Thune, and others push the attorney general to release Epstein records within 30 days

Release of report comes amid conjecture Trump may have authorized the agency to assassinate Venezuelan presidentThe White House under Gerald Ford tried to block a landmark Senate report that disclosed the CIA's role in assassination attempts against foreign leaders and ultimately led to a radical overhaul in how the agency was held to account, documents released to mark the 50th anniversary of the report's publication reveal.The documents, dating from 1975, were posted on Thursday by the National Security Archive, an independent research group, as it sought to highlight the report's significance amid conjecture that Donald Trump may have authorized the agency to assassinate Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, amid a massive US military build-up against the country. Continue reading...

San Francisco supervisor, 47, highlighting work on affordability for working families in US House runConnie Chan, a progressive lawmaker who serves on the San Francisco board of supervisors, has entered the race to succeed the former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi next year.In a Thursday announcement, Chan, 47, said the race was about local neighborhoods versus outside money" and highlighted her work trying to make San Francisco more affordable for working families. Continue reading...

Drenched by floods and abandoned amid the ruins, people in Gaza can draw no comfort from US plansThe declaration of a ceasefire in Gaza in October brought initial relief to its inhabitants. Yet officials there said Israeli strikes killed 33 people, including 12 children, on Wednesday; Israel said its troops had come under fire. Another five Palestinians were killed on Thursday. Hundreds have died since the ceasefire was declared. Even if the shelling stops, the destruction of Palestinian life will carry on as Israel continues to throttle aid, and the consequences of two years of war unfold. TheWorldHealth Organization warned last month thatthe health catastrophe would last for generations.Food remains in short supply. While displaced families shiver in flooded makeshift shelters, with many facing a third winter of homelessness, aid organisations say they cannot deliver stockpiles of tents and tarpaulins. Israel, which denies blocking aid, has designated tent poles as dual-use" items that could potentially be used for a military purpose. Save the Children reports children sleeping on bare ground in sewage-soaked clothing. Continue reading...

Big-name drivers and cutting out the middle man a vital part of the strategy with just over 100 days to go before the 2026 season openerTwelve months ago at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Cadillac were finally given the green light as Formula One's newest entry for 2026. Building the team from scratch has entailed a frenetic work rate that the team principal, Graeme Lowdon, has compared to the Apollo moon landing. As F1 descends on Vegas this weekend, Cadillac know time is getting tight.At the final race of the season to be staged in the United Statess, with just over 100 days to go before they take to the track for the first time in Melbourne at the 2026 opener, Cadillac have come on in leaps and bounds but, in what must seem like a sisyphean task, they are aware there will never be enough hours in the day. Continue reading...

Joe Biden and George W Bush attend Republican's service, while notable absences included Barack Obama and Bill ClintonDonald Trump and JD Vance have been snubbed, by not being invited to former vice-president Dick Cheney's funeral, taking place on Thursday, according to a White House official familiar with the matter.Cheney, the former US vice-president to George W Bush and Republican defense hawk who became a fierce critic of the current US president, died earlier this month at the age of 84. Continue reading...

With students terrified and arrests rising, educators in San Diego are scanning streets, sharing alerts and defending the right to feel safeThree teachers drove through a quiet neighborhood in southern San Diego, the sun not yet fully up over the horizon. They drank coffee and talked about their jobs. The start of the school day was still an hour or two away.Suddenly, mid-conversation, they spotted something: what appeared to be an undercover Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, driving right past them. Continue reading...

Top Democrat on Senate banking committee says private funding for Trump's ballroom poses serious corruption concerns

Cyril Ramaphosa says US has had change of mind' but does not confirm Trump's attendance in JohannesburgThe US has changed its mind about attending the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa's president has said, without confirming whether Donald Trump, who had said the US would boycott the event, now wanted to come.Trump has claimed that South Africa racially discriminates against the minority white Afrikaner community, which led the country during the apartheid regime that ended in 1994. Continue reading...

More than 2,000 Starbucks employees are on the picket line as politicians like Zohran Mamdani back striking workersUnionized Starbucks workers are threatening to expand a US strike against the world's biggest coffee chain into the largest and longest" in the company's history - and urging customers to steer clear.Starbucks has said the vast majority of its cafes remain open, and expressed disappointment that Starbucks Workers United launched the strike. Continue reading...

Brendan Carr, head of FCC, asks if programme ever aired in US which is seen as key to any future litigationA US media regulator led by a close ally of Donald Trump is examining whether an edition of the BBC's Panorama broke US regulations in the way it edited one of the president's speeches.The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), led by Brendan Carr, has written to the BBC's outgoing director general, Tim Davie, asking whether the programme was ever aired in the US. Continue reading...

Unemployment rate hits 4.4%, its highest level since 2021, and government has said no October report will be issuedThe US jobs market added 119,000 jobs in September, according to the latest monthly jobs report, which was delayed by six weeks due to the shutdown of the federal government.Amid heightened uncertainty surrounding the strength of the US economy, the much-anticipated reading was higher than the 51,000 jobs expected by analysts to be added in September. Continue reading...

As federal agents descend in North Carolina, businesses close as even an after-school program is targetedOn Central Avenue in Charlotte, North Carolina, Manolo's Bakery has become a focal point for resistance to the upscaled immigration raids since border patrol officers descended on the city at the weekend. The owner closed the bakery to prevent his staff from being targeted. Most of the other shops on Charlotte's busy immigrant-centric street followed suit.Dozens of people have taken up camp in the parking lot to wave signs of support for immigrants. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been active in the city for months as part of Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda but things went up a level when border patrol arrived. Agents swiftly began buzzing through the place to make an armed show of their presence, followed at times by Charlotteans honking their horns in warning. Continue reading...

The plan, which is likely to be viewed as surrender' by Kyiv, is facing pushback from the EU. Plus, Trump signs bill to compel release of more Epstein documents

The Spaniard's style of possession football is not easily defined by stats and data. We tried to do so anyway

Tucker Carlson's interview with the activist revealed the mainstream right is being flooded by extremism - and it's now impossible to containFive days a week, thousands of fans gather online to watch Nick Fuentes hold court about the dangers of non-white immigration, feminism and organized Jewry". Usually dressed in a dark suit and tie, he lectures to his far-right followers, known as Groypers", about what he argues is the insufficient radicalism of Donald Trump's Republican party and what he describes as the perfidies of the state of Israel and its American supporters.Fuentes's fixation with Israel is not rooted in concern about the war in Gaza but a belief, in his telling, that Jews are responsible for most of society's problems. Fuentes, who is 27 and lives in Illinois, has called Adolf Hitler really fucking cool" and compared the Holocaust to the baking of cookies. Continue reading...

We're supposed to be used to this by now, but getting used to it is dangerous. Her colleagues should have spoken upCatherine Lucey, who covers the White House for Bloomberg News, was doing what reporters are supposed to do: asking germane questions.Her query to Donald Trump a few days ago during a gaggle" aboard Air Force One was reasonable as it had to do with the release of the Epstein files, certainly a subject of great public interest. Why had Trump been stonewalling, she asked, if there's nothing incriminating in the files".Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

We'd like to hear how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is impacting your local healthcare provisionHealthcare providers across the country have closed clinics and hospital wards in the four months since Donald Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the landmark tax-and-spending legislation that will lead an estimated 10 million people to lose their health insurance.The law is expected to slash federal funding by hundreds of billions of dollars over the coming years, as part of Trump's campaign pledge to shrink government spending. Though the bill isn't thought to be the only cause of the closures - it may have an impact on local healthcare settings that are financially struggling. Continue reading...