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President's order means a race to the bottom rigged against US, argues anti-corruption watchdog Transparency InternationalBribery is not a victimless crime. Stories listing the amount paid or the fine imposed can make them sound more like distasteful financial transactions, but they have harmful - sometimes deadly - outcomes.Bribes have been paid to building inspectors to ignore safety violations later cited in catastrophic collapses, and to officials to ignore worker standards that result in disabling and lethal outcomes. They have even helped divert weapons into the hands of rogue and dangerous actors.Gary Kalman is the executive director of Transparency International US.Maira Martini is the CEO of Transparency International. Continue reading...

In Trump's jungle, the powerful make decisions the weak must simply accept - international law and human rights be damnedIt's been quite a week for US foreign policy. Following a phone call last week between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, US and Russian delegates met in Saudi Arabia to smooth relations between the two countries and discuss possible paths to ending the war in Ukraine.Ukraine was not invited to the talks. Quite reasonably, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country would not be bound by decisions taken without their participation. Trump responded to this by falsely claiming that Ukraine had started the war, and sought to undermine Zelenskyy's legitimacy by claiming in a Truth Social post that he refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls ... A Dictator without Elections."Matt Duss is executive vice-president at the Center for International Policy and former foreign policy adviser to the senator Bernie Sanders Continue reading...

JD Vance says Europe should not shun far-right parties. He seems to have forgotten 1933, but hits a key conundrumIn his speech last week at the Munich Security Conference, JD Vance pressed European leaders to stop excluding extremist parties from government. Alluding in particular to Germany's neo-Nazi Alternative for Germany, or AfD, he accused European leaders of running in fear of your own voters". The US vice-president underscored the point by then meeting with the AfD candidate for chancellor.In his view, these extremist parties should be welcomed into the mainstream because they reflect voters' concern about migration. He evidently was not troubled that the AfD also has a history of using Nazi rhetoric, making racist and antisemitic comments and plotting to overthrow the German government. Continue reading...

Support for Hamas is declining - no obvious alternative has emerged, but our poll shows there are reasons to be hopeful

Defeatism and demoralisation are rampant in Trump's second term. But we cannot give upA month into Trump 2.0, pushback from Democrats and civil society remains surprisingly weak. Common diagnoses as to why make it all about psychology: the problem is that shock and awe" have immobilized the opposition; Democrats are said to be demoralized; and everyone is supposedly just exhausted. But the issue is a failure of political judgment, a basic misunderstanding of the moment and of the potential for effective opposition.To begin with, it has become conventional wisdom that the first resistance" was somehow cringe; those now dismissing it like to credit themselves as savvy. But there was in fact much effective organizing - from the Women's March to the patient long-term efforts that were rewarded in 2020. Of course, these were not solely responsible for preventing the plutocratic power grab we are witnessing now: back then, Trump had neither a plan nor the personnel he has today. But the casual dismissal of opposition under Trump 1.0 is an unforced error.Jan-Werner Muller is a professor of politics at Princeton University and is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Stars such as Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow have had their homes and private lives violated. But stopping home invasions can be difficultAs Joe Burrow led the Cincinnati Bengals to a 27-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys last December a group allegedly robbed the quarterback's home during a cross-country crime spree that targeted at least six high-profile athletes.The thefts highlight the unique vulnerabilities faced by famous athletes whose salaries and work schedules are accessible on the internet in seconds, as well as the mix of careful planning and brazen tactics used by criminals to elude security measures. Continue reading...

America's top circuit has grown and thrived thanks to mechanisms it now no longer needsEver since its foundation in 1996, Major League Soccer has faced questions about its place within the world of American sports and global soccer. What is the relationship between MLS and the top football leagues of Europe? Is it a retirement league for aging superstars, a development league for those on their way to bigger things, or a home for the lateral career move, a kind of footballing purgatory? Where should it sit in the American sporting calendar, and what should be the competition's relationship to the surrounding culture: is MLS an American sporting league whose sport happens to be soccer, or a soccer league that happens to take place in America?There are questions of direction as well. What is the correct tempo for the competition's growth, and what kind of league should expansion aim to create? Is this a league that wants to compete with the best of the best, or simply seeks to serve a gap in the domestic market? Aspirationally, is MLS a world league" in the mold of the Premier League, a league that serves as a center of gravity for playing talent throughout the western hemisphere, or something more modest? Continue reading...

The crown prince sees Hamas as a regional threat, and may propose a deal that risks sidelining PalestiniansSaudi Arabia has suddenly experienced a diplomatic awakening after lukewarm engagement with the conflict in Gaza. Today, leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will gather in Riyadh to discuss Donald Trump's proposal for a US takeover of Gaza. (Keen to be viewed as a global deal maker, Saudi Arabia will also be hosting negotiations over Ukraine this week.)Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was alarmed by Trump's outrageous Riviera plan" to reconstruct Gaza following eviction of its people to neighbouring countries. Alongside Arab leaders, he hopes to propose an alternative plan with the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem its capital at its core. The crown prince has insisted that there will be no normalisation of Israel without a Palestinian state.Madawi al-Rasheed is a fellow of the British Academy and a visiting professor at the Middle East Centre, London School of Economics. She is the author of The Son King: Reform and Repression in Saudi ArabiaDo 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...

Trump can try to co-opt hockey. But Thursday showed that wherever where you're from, when you step onto the ice, something about you will always be Canadian

Trump and JD Vance are clear: the US is no longer an ally, but an antagonist to democratic valuesIn 1966, after years of friction with the US over whether France should have its own independent nuclear deterrent, the French president, Charles de Gaulle, withdrew his country from Nato's integrated command (not, however, from the alliance itself - a common misconception) and asked all US forces stationed in France to leave. In response, the US secretary of state, Dean Rusk, asked de Gaulle: Does that include the dead Americans in military cemeteries as well?"In a single weekend, JD Vance's direct attacks on European democracy at the Munich Security Conference and his meeting with far-right, anti-European political forces in Germany, have given de Gaulle his historic vindication.Alexander Hurst is a Guardian Europe columnist Continue reading...

Rightwingers calling for higher birthrates may be disturbing, but having children is the ultimate gesture of confidence in the future for us allRoses are red, violets are blue. Rightwing politicians around the world want women to have more babies, and if you find this idea the opposite of romantic - well, me too.Pronatalism's cause is not exactly helped by having as its best-known figureheads JD childless cat lady" Vance and Elon Musk, seemingly on a personal mission to reverse what he calls the underpopulation crisis". Even Nigel Farage, a twice-divorced father of four who takes the firmly libertarian view that private lives are no business of the state, squirmed when tackled on the subject this week, before eventually venturing that the west had kind of forgotten that what underpins everything is our Judeo-Christian culture" and that of course, we need higher birthrates, but we're not going to get higher birthrates in this country until we can get some sense of optimism". But do progressives, who are after all supposed to be in the optimism business, have a stake in the baby-making debate too? A new collection of essays published this week by the cross-party Social Market Foundation (SMF) thinktank argues that they should. Continue reading...

Amid mounting political overtones involving tariff talks, anthems and annexation, Canada beat the United States for the 4 Nations Face-Off title on Thursday in the latest chapter of their longstanding hockey rivalry

This blog is now closed.Donald Trump signed another round of executive orders onboard Air Force One last night, among them one aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally.The order seeks to end all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens", according to the White House, although it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. Continue reading...

From the Trump administration's latest moves abroad and in the US - here are the key US politics stories from Thursday at a glanceThursday saw a judge rule that the Trump administration can continue the mass firing of US federal workers, rejecting a bid by labor unions to stop the US president dramatically cutting the jobs of many of the 2.3 million people employed by the government. The IRS began laying off roughly 7,000 workers on Thursday.In his 16-page order, US district judge Christopher Cooper started by saying that Trump's executive actions had caused, some say by design, disruption and even chaos in widespread quarters of American society". Continue reading...

Andrew Buen found guilty of homicide in death of Christian Glass, 22, who showed signs of mental health crisis at sceneA former Colorado sheriff's deputy was convicted Thursday in the shooting death of a 22-year-old man in distress who called 911 for help after his car got stuck in a small mountain community.Jurors found Andrew Buen guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the June 2022 death of Christian Glass, whose death drew national attention and led to changes in how officers are trained to respond to people in mental health crises under a $19m settlement with his family. Continue reading...

National security adviser says Ukraine is wrong to push back against Trump's approach to peace talks with RussiaWhite House officials have told Ukraine to stop badmouthing Donald Trump and to sign a deal handing over half of the country's mineral wealth to the US, saying a failure to do so would be unacceptable.The US national security adviser, Mike Waltz, told Fox News that Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, should tone down" his criticism of the US and take a hard look" at the deal. It proposes giving Washington $500bn worth of natural resources, including oil and gas. Continue reading...

Vice-president also reaffirmed the administration's Ukraine stance at largest conservative voters conferenceJD Vance marked one month since the Trump administration returned to power on Thursday by again claiming uncontrolled immigration was the greatest threat" to both Europe and the United States.The vice-president took the stage at the country's largest conservative voters conference in National Harbor, Maryland, to double down on his criticism that stunned European leaders last week when he accused them of suppressing free speech and running in fear" from voters' true beliefs. Continue reading...

Key Trump ally, who aligns with US president on range of issues, wins confirmation in 51-49 Senate voteThe US Senate has confirmed Kash Patel as the next FBI director, handing oversight of the nation's premier law enforcement agency to an official who has declined to explicitly say whether he would use his position to pursue Donald Trump's political opponents.Patel was narrowly confirmed on Thursday in a 51-49 vote, a reflection of the polarizing nature of his nomination and what Democrats see as his unwillingness to keep the bureau independent from partisan politics or resist politically charged requests from the president. Continue reading...

US workers laid off despite years of experience and stellar performance describe widespread chaos and confusionAs protesters gathered outside the headquarters of US health agencies to call attention to mass layoffs devastating the federal service in recent days, more employees at health agencies were terminated on Wednesday, including employees with years of experience and stellar performance reviews who were not probationary.Thousands of terminated employees across the federal government are appealing the decision. Some former employees are struggling to apply for unemployment or understand when their benefits expire in the chaotic termination process. Continue reading...

Survey indicates 64% of Americans believe flying is safe, down from 71% who said so last yearAmericans' confidence in aviation has slipped following a string of plane crashes in 2025, according to a new poll.As of this year 64% of Americans said they believe air travel is very or somewhat safe, marking a decrease from 71% of Americans who indicated so last year, said the poll, conducted by AP-NORC and released on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Department of government efficiency' head Elon Musk suggested $5,000 checks to US households if targets metDonald Trump has appeared to embrace a proposal to share a portion of the cuts in US government spending made by Elon Musk's department of government efficiency" (Doge) with all US households in the form of checks, intensifying concerns about inflation potentially rising again.Trump addressed the idea in a speech at an investment conference in Miami on Wednesday, telling attendees: There's even under consideration a new concept, where we give 20% of the Doge savings to American citizens, and 20% goes to paying down debt." Continue reading...

Kremlin whisperers' have the president's ear and dissenters are few - but a thin skin and self-interest are also at playDonald Trump's tarring of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a dictator" who is to blame for the war with Russia, plunging Ukraine into a Darwinian struggle for its very existence, landed like a bombshell on the diplomatic landscape. But it did not come out of nowhere.The US president has left the already badly frayed western alliance in disarray with a devastating social media attack on his Ukrainian counterpart, just hours after he had already implicitly blamed Kyiv for Russia's invasion. Continue reading...

We'd like to hear from people in the US about how they view Trump's approach to Russia and Ukraine - as well as his stance towards EuropeWe would like to hear from US voters across the political spectrum about how you view president Donald Trump's foreign policy approach to Russia and Ukraine.This week has brought an unprecedented escalation of tensions between Kyiv and Washington after senior US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine, as well as economic and political cooperation. Continue reading...

The point is not to deprive the government of funds. It's to expose the regime's criminalityPolitical power boils down to two things: votes and money. But when money buys presidents, senators and judges, votes are merely the sales receipts. What's left is money, and the purpose of power is to get more of it.Trump's non-billionaire followers appear thrilled that Elon Musk and his so-called department of government efficiency" are burning down the government. Imagine if Trump hadn't met and talked with Elon Musk that all this progress on efficiency may not be taking place or at such a fast pace needed before the midterms," comments holy666 on a Fox News story about the mass layoffs of federal employees. Continue reading...

Gutting of workforce will have far-reaching consequences as advocates warn of playing Russian roulette' with safetyYou wake up to dark clouds outside, so you check the weather on your phone: a storm is coming.That weather app uses data from the National Weather Service, a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a small organization which could see as much as 10% of its workforce cut this week. Continue reading...

The last-16 beckons, and there were plenty of storylines to digest. We hand out honours and dishonours from the latest round of actionFeyenoord Continue reading...

Bruce and Nancy Steele had a business that produced honey for the past 30 years before the Eaton fire destroyed itBruce Steele has always said he would die defending his house - and his beehives. Long before the Eaton fire began its destructive march through the California foothills last month, the beekeeper was already on perpetual alert: watering the flower garden of his family's house in Altadena, California, cleaning dry leaves out of the roof gutters and soaking the precious oak trees that surrounded the property.When the Santa Ana winds picked up, Nancy, Bruce's wife and business partner, was out of town, so their daughter, Clara, 35, rushed over to help. The two generations immediately started gathering family photos and mementoes. They scooped up a painting Bruce's sister made as a wedding gift. Other treasures included an old robot toy from the 1965 TV show Lost in Space, as well as a threadbare T-shirt from Occidental College, the school where Bruce and Nancy first met - and where he would go on to work for more than 35 years. Continue reading...

By centring the discourse on immigration, MPs have handed support to the far right - and hidden a ticking economic timebomb from votersThe candidates to lead Germany's next government are avoiding telling voters painful truths before Sunday's crucial general election about Russia's war in Ukraine, the coming disengagement of the US from Europe and the huge defence funding that is needed. Instead, the debate has largely focused on how to revive the ailing German economy after two years of recession and how to control migration, which has fuelled support for the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland.The conservative CDU/CSU leader, Friedrich Merz, has swerved speaking about the need for massive borrowing to pay for a surge in defence spending because many of his supporters oppose extra debt. The Social Democratic (SPD) chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is dodging discussion of sending German troops to Ukraine as part of a possible European security force if a ceasefire agreement is reached because part of his political base is either anti-militarist or Russia-friendly. After an emergency European summit on Ukraine in Paris on Monday, an irritable Scholz said talk of boots on the ground was highly inappropriate".Paul Taylor is a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre Continue reading...

President signed executive order on day one ordering end to citizenship for children of non-legal permanent residents

President and Musk claim millions of centenarians are getting benefits. Here's how they are misrepresenting dataThe Trump administration is falsely claiming that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving social security payments.Over the past few days,Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk have said on social media and in press briefings that people who are 100, 200 and even 300 years old are improperly getting benefits - a HUGE problem", Musk wrote, as his so-called department of government efficiency" (Doge) digs into federal agencies to root out waste, fraud and abuse. Continue reading...

Temperatures dipped to 0F (-17C) for Inter Miami's match on Wednesday. The Argentinian still found a way to make a differenceThe question, which in time has become less of a question and more of a cliche meme, is a variation of Andy Gray's comment: Sure, Lionel Messi is an all-time great. But can he do it on a cold rainy night in Stoke?This question is ridiculous and annoying. Of course he can - he's done it on rainy nights in Fort Lauderdale multiple times in just the last year and half. There are whole compilations of him doing all of his usual Messi things in terrible weather throughout his career. Even the dialog the question/meme supposedly replaces - let's see if Messi can overcome this piece of weather-based adversity! - seems pointless when the player in question has already, for all intents and purposes, completed football at the highest level. Continue reading...

Former prime minister says Britain is run by deep state' at rightwing conference in MarylandLiz Truss, the former British prime minister, told a rightwing conference in the US that her country was failing" and needed a Donald Trump-style Maga" movement to save it.Truss was speaking on Wednesday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the National Harbor in Maryland, alongside rightwing populists from around the world planning deeper ties and cooperation. Continue reading...

The veteran defender has been a mainstay with the national team thanks to her versatility, but will now be asked to fill a leadership role for a new generationOn Thursday night in Houston, Emma Hayes and the reigning Olympic gold medalists play their first game of 2025. Colombia, then Australia and Japan await the USWNT, who will test their mettle with a mix of new names and trusted talent in the 10th SheBelieves Cup.Ahead of the game, one lasting veteran with a sharp wit, tenacious style, and too-often unsung impact will be honored for reaching 100 caps: 31-year-old Georgia native Emily Sonnett. Continue reading...

In Georgia, those who backed the president remain supportive - but they want prices to come down quicklyEstefany Frost still gets calls from people who heard her talk to Donald Trump at a campaign stop in Georgia last year about how difficult running her restaurant had become in an era of inflation.One month into the new administration, she and other conservatives here are still absorbing the whirlwind pace of change. While she remains supportive of Donald Trump's agenda, she said she's wrestling with some of the implications. Continue reading...

The president talks about trans athletes invading' women's sports, while doing nothing at all to elevate, fund or support women athletesEarlier this month, Donald Trump singled me out. In fact, I was the first example he gave of someone ruining women's sport.Last year", he said while announcing his Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports executive order, a male cyclist posing as a woman competed in the 800-mile Arizona Trail Race - a very big deal in cycling - and obliterated the women's course record by nearly five and a half hours." Continue reading...

The Trump administration announced it would cap indirect funding' from the National Institutes of Health at 15%Cuts imposed by the Trump administration on the world's largest funder of scientific research are just one way university leaders see the administration seeking to dismantle" higher education.Last week, the administration announced it would cap all indirect funding" from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at 15% - money that typically keeps the lights on and equipment maintained in labs all over the country, particularly in colleges and universities. Continue reading...

Attack follows Ukrainian leader's claim Trump is in a Russian disinformation bubble'. Plus, first Egyptian pharaoh's tomb uncovered since 1922Good morning.Donald Trump intensified his attacks on Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, labeling the Ukrainian president a dictator" in an unparalleled deterioration of relations between Kyiv and Washington.How is this being received in Europe? The French prime minister, Francois Bayrou, said on Thursday that the risk of war has never been so high since 1945". Denmark said it would rapidly increase defense spending.What will happen to Gaza? Arab leaders will meet in Saudi Arabia on Friday to counter Trump's plan for a US takeover of Gaza. Continue reading...

We say the defining question is this: do nations work for peace and order or embrace the notion of power by force?

As Elon Musk tries to drive them out, federal workers are initiating a short squeeze on the broligarchyThe most ferocious response to Elon Musk's coup in the US is also the most disciplined. It's a sustained act of civil disobedience by the civil service. Amid the malignant lies of the current regime, federal workers are steadily telling the truth.This strategy is more methodical than it at first seems. Yes, the distress and anger among federal workers is palpable. But the more anarchy Donald Trump's executive orders and Musk's so-called department of government efficiency" (Doge) operation loose upon the world, the firmer the federal employees are standing. Their protest might even be seen as a political short squeeze. Continue reading...

As Trump empowers Russia and the far right, he is laying the foundation for undermining democracies around the worldSince the end of the second world war, liberal democracies have stuck together - led by the US. On the opposite side have been authoritarian states, led mainly by the Soviet Union, followed, after the demise of the Soviet Union, by Russia and China.But all this is rapidly changing. Russia and China have morphed into oligarchies, run by small groups of extraordinarily wealthy people. Continue reading...

The 2025 MLS season kicks off this week. We convened a panel of writers to discuss what they're most looking forward to this yearSeeing more really good soccer in 2025. Over the last few years, it feels like the quality of the average coach in MLS has noticeably increased. Only a handful of MLS teams are still holding on to the let's play a 4-2-3-1 and defend in a mid-block" era with both hands. Pretty much every team has a distinct, observable style. JW Continue reading...

If the country holds out against the Trump-assisted AfD, it shows rightwing populism can be resisted in Europe's heartlandEven in less stressed times, Britain always pays too much attention to the US and too little to Germany. In today's torrid circumstances, that imbalance is perhaps excusable. After all, Donald Trump, it now turns out, really means it. He is more interested in US plunder and profit from places like Gaza, Ukraine and Greenland than in upholding a just peace or good order.Even so, the inattention towards Germany needs to end. Britain's politicians, like German politicians, are rewiring their worldviews amid a political gale. But Germany, though no longer a great power, is nevertheless a great nation. Indeed, it may be more than ever the essential European nation now, after the Trump administration's very public trashing of the entire Atlantic alliance seemed to leave Europe to its own devices. Continue reading...

Heidi Reichinnek's speech went viral on TikTok - and sparked a surge of support from voters who reject the mainstream's xenophobiaI was shopping for groceries the other day in Berlin's neglected northern outskirts, when I remembered a joke. A banker, a social welfare recipient and an asylum seeker are sitting at a table. There are 12 cookies in front of them. The banker takes 11 cookies and says to the social welfare recipient: Watch out, the refugee wants your cookie."It came back to me as I witnessed a young white mother completely losing it at the checkout. At first I thought it was the prices that had caused her fury, though there was no indication of that; I was probably just projecting my own anxieties about money on to the woman's tantrum. It took me a moment to realise that she was accusing another woman, also a mother but not white, of standing in her way on purpose. She shouted that this was her country and we should all step out of her way and that soon we would see. Two people told her to be quiet and one older woman went to calm her down, but there was no chance. The young white mother chose to stay loud and angry, and she knew exactly at whom.Fatma Aydemir is a Berlin-based author, novelist, playwright and a Guardian Europe 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...