US news | The Guardian

A federal appeals court said the president overstepped his authority when he imposed sweeping import dutiesDonald Trump suffered the biggest defeat yet to his tariff policies on Friday, as a federal appeals court ruled he had overstepped his presidential powers when he enacted punitive financial measures against almost every country in the world.In a 7-4 ruling, the Washington DC court said that while US law bestows significant authority on the president to undertake a number of actions in response to a declared national emergency", none of those actions allow for the imposition of tariffs or taxes. Continue reading...

What likely started as a routine refresh spiraled into a political storm that went all the way to the US presidentIt was supposed to be a simple rebrand - or so Cracker Barrel thought.Earlier this month, the 56-year-old southern restaurant chain known for its country-store charm and nostalgic Americana aesthetic unveiled a new look: a minimalist logo, more modern interiors and a handful of new menu items. Continue reading...

Western academics now speak of genocide' with newfound authority. Why weren't our voices enough?Today I watched those children again, the ones who stood before the cameras at al-Shifa hospital on 7 November 2023. They spoke in English, not their mother tongue, but the language of those who they thought might save them.We want to live, we want peace, we want to judge the killers of children," one boy said. We want medicine, food and education. We want to live as the other children live."How holy their concern now sounds, rising over a land emptied of the living.As if starving a child pre-disposed to death makes the violence more justified?Ahmad Ibsais is a first generation Palestinian American, law student and poet who writes the newsletter State of Siege Continue reading...

Will she go Maga? Will it change the NFL or lift the stock market? The left-field claims are everywhereBreaking news alerts were pinged to phones around the world; Swifties screamed in the street; the Prince and Princess of Wales delivered their royal approval; Donald Trump wished them luck. By now it will not have escaped your attention that Taylor Swift, the reigning queen of pop, is engaged to Travis Kelce, a podcaster who also plays football.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Experts say extremists openly talking of how home-built drones will be critical tool in so-called second civil warTaking their cues from modern warfare, the far-right American terrorist movement sees off-the-shelf or home-built first-person viewer (FPV) drones as a critical weapon in their own future war against the US government, which has American authorities on edge.And there's ample reasons for those fears: in the open and closed online spaces where far-right extremists congregate, talk is commonplace of how these cheap drones are revolutionizing current wars and will be the critical tools of a so-called second civil war. Continue reading...

Li-Ning, Anta and 361 Degrees all own facilities linked to Uyghur oppression - with Nike's supply chain also taintedWhen Enes Kanter Freedom appeared on a basketball court in his Boston Celtics jersey and a pair of trainers emblazoned with the slogan Free Uyghur", the reaction from Beijing was swift.Literally at the half-time, they cancelled every Celtics game on television [in China] for the rest of the year," the basketball player tells the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) and the Guardian. That game, in October 2021, marked a turning point in his career. That's when the NBA got really angry at me," says Freedom.This story was co-published with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Continue reading...

Group of five senators in letter to Marco Rubio call on US to use its full power' to help people facing starvationFive democratic US senators are demanding secretary of state Marco Rubio facilitate an immediate massive surge" of baby formula and humanitarian aid to Gaza, where infants are dying of starvation.The letter, led by Democrat Ruben Gallego of Arizona and obtained exclusively by the Guardian, comes as Gaza City and surrounding areas have been officially classified as experiencing famine by international monitors. More than 300 people, including at least 119 children, have died from hunger in Gaza since October 2023, according to health authorities. Continue reading...

Restaurant worker's case shows how Trump administration is inflicting the maximum punishment', experts sayLiset Fernandez spent most of the summer worried about her dad, Luis, but a few weeks ago she got some good news. After being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) custody for weeks, an immigration judge in Texas granted him release on a $5,000 bond.Luis, came to the US from Ecuador in 1994, had been held in detention at a facility in Livingston, Texas, thousands of miles away from his home in Queens. Liset, 17, had taken on extra shifts working a retail job to support her mom and nine-year-old brother. Luis's co-workers at the Square diner, a railcar-style greasy spoon in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood for over 100 years, had raised more than $20,000 to support him and his family. Continue reading...

Lawyers say arrest of man fighting Bear Gulch fire in Oregon was illegal and demand immediate release from detentionLawyers are demanding the release of a longtime Oregon resident arrested by Border Patrol while fighting a Washington state wildfire, saying Friday that the firefighter was already on track for legal status after helping federal investigators solve a crime against his family.His arrest was illegal, the lawyers said, and violated Department of Homeland Security polices that say immigration enforcement must not be conducted at locations where emergency responses are happening. Continue reading...

The storm ushered in a blow to the Black educator workforce, which has yet to fully recoverDr Adrienne D Dixson was furious as she sat in the back of a Louisiana courtroom in 2008. It was more than two years after thousands of New Orleans public school teachers had been terminated in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Some of those teachers had filed a lawsuit against the Orleans parish school board for wrongful termination and to be compensated for lost wages.The scene in the room was emotional, Dixson recalled, as many teachers broke down into tears throughout the hearing. It was clear the love and the care and the dedication that the teachers had," Dixson said. An associate professor in education at Ohio State University at the time, Dixson was conducting research on Black educators and the effects of Hurricane Katrina. They were just so profoundly hurt that they had been fired," she said. No one knew that the hurricane would also be a category 5 professional disruption." Continue reading...

President's targeting of Fed governor Lisa Cook highlights his efforts to remove diverse voices from governmentA day after Donald Trump announced that he was firing Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the board of governors of the Federal Reserve, the White House proudly released a photo. It showed Trump, his cabinet and other officials giving a thumbs-up. Of the 24 people in the Oval Office, only one was Black.For those who have studied the US president's long and troubling history of racism, the two events were more than mere coincidence. They were indicative of a man who has recently brought white nationalist perspectives from the margins back to the mainstream. Continue reading...

Anthony Tata, Trump's undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, files defamation lawsuit in FloridaA senior Pentagon official in Donald Trump's administration had a months-long extramarital affair with a woman claiming to be the internet's most notorious astrologer" - and claims in a defamation lawsuit filed in Florida that she cyberstalked him and his wife after they split up.Court papers in Palm Beach county allege that Amy Tripp, known as Starheal to her tens of thousands of social media followers, was so upset by the end of the relationship that she repeatedly threatened and harassed the victim, identified as Anthony Tata, who assumed office as the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness in July. Continue reading...

Paralegal dismissed by US attorney general for inappropriate conduct' towards troops deployed on the streets of WashingtonThe US attorney general, Pam Bondi, has fired a justice department official for making a vulgar gesture to members of the National Guard deployed in Washington DC on her way to work.The employee, Elizabeth Baxter, was a paralegal at the department's environmental defense section, according to a memo to her published by the New York Post, which first reported Friday's dismissal. Continue reading...

The ground stop is expected to stay in effect until 0330 GMT and has a medium probability of an extensionAll SkyWest Airlines flights were grounded for 21 minutes on Friday night at the request of the airline, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration.A ground stop advisory was issued at 0149 GMT and canceled at 0210 GMT, according to the FAA. Continue reading...

Decorated navy pilot who served in House of Representatives pleaded guilty to accepting illegal giftsRandy Duke" Cunningham, whose feats as a US navy flying ace during the Vietnam war catapulted him to a House of Representatives career that ended in disgrace when he was convicted of accepting $2.4m in bribes, has died. He was 83.Cunningham died Wednesday at a hospital in a Little Rock, Arkansas, according to former representative Duncan L Hunter, who spent time with him a week before his death. Continue reading...

Ruling is biggest blow yet to Trump's tariffs; critics slam move against vice-president as act of revenge'. Key US politics stories from Friday 29 August at a glanceA US federal appeals court has ruled that most of president Donald Trump's tariffs are illegal, describing the levies as unbounded in scope, amount and duration".The ruling, which will take effect on 14 October, is the biggest blow yet to Trump's tariff policy and will likely mean the supreme court will have to rule on whether Trump has the legal right as president to upend US trade policy. Continue reading...

Appellate panel upholds lower court's ruling as homeland security spokesperson attacks activist' judgesA federal appeals court on Friday blocked Donald Trump's plans to end protections for 600,000 people from Venezuela who have permission to live and work in the US, saying that plaintiffs are likely to win their claim that the president's administration's actions were unlawful.A three-judge panel of the ninth US circuit court of appeals unanimously upheld a lower court ruling that maintained temporary protected status for Venezuelans while TPS holders challenge actions by the Republican president's administration in court. Continue reading...

Trump found to have overstepped authority with tariff policies as president accuses court of political biasDonald Trump overstepped his presidential powers with most of his globe-rattling tariff policies, a federal appeals court in Washington DC ruled on Friday.US law bestows significant authority on the president to undertake a number of actions in response to a declared national emergency, but none of these actions explicitly include the power to impose tariffs, duties, or the like, or the power to tax", the court said in the 7-4 ruling. Continue reading...

State follows Texas's lead in Trump's push to gain more House seats for Republicans in 2026 midtermsThe Missouri governor, Mike Kehoe, has moved to help the Republican party gain an additional seat in Congress, calling a special legislative session to redraw congressional districts in his state.Kehoe's announcement on Friday followed a pressure campaign from Donald Trump, who has urged Republican states to reshape district boundaries to more heavily favor Republicans, boosting the party's chances of maintaining control of the House of Representatives in 2026. Continue reading...

Carlos Alcaraz eased into the last 16, Emma Raducanu was outclassed by Elena Rybakina, Ben Shelton retired injured, and Jasmine Paolini and Frances Tiafoe also departedThis game follows the first-set script as Rybakina moves to 40-30, set point. But then she throws in a double! A glimmer, perhaps, for Raducanu. But Raducanu can't make the most of the reprieve. She bashes a backhand return into the net on the second set point and it's been a near-rout for Rybakina, who leads 6-1.Raducanu gets on the board as a forehand winner seals a hold to 15. That'll have felt good. But Rybakina, undeterred, swiftly holds to 15 herself amid a flurry of errant forehands from Raducanu. Rybakina has this way of looking so calm, composed and effortless, while also being so powerful and destructive. And that's exactly how she gets herself a double break. It's 5-1. After just 22 minutes, the ninth seed will serve for the opening set. Continue reading...

As leaders at Centers for Disease Control quit after director's firing, Kennedy stokes controversy with pet theoriesIn a week of chaos at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Donald Trump's health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has continued to make questionable medical and health claims - and has been slammed for them by experts and lawmakers alike.In recent days, Kennedy has been facing increasing calls for his resignation following the Trump administration's firing of the CDC director, Susan Monarez, which in turn prompted four other top officials to quit the agency. The chaos across US health agencies also comes as Kennedy released a slew of controversial and contradictory rules surrounding Covid-19 vaccines. Continue reading...

Reports of incident were denied by Florida and Ice officials as detainees say they were beaten and teargas was firedGuards at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz" immigration jail deployed teargas and engaged in a mass beating of detainees to quell a mini-uprising, it was reported on Friday.The allegations, made by at least three detainees in phone calls to Miami's Spanish language news channel Noticias 23, come as authorities race to empty the camp in compliance with a judge's order to close the remote tented camp in the Everglades wetlands. Continue reading...

Trump's dictator-like behaviour is so brazen, so blatant, that paradoxically, we discount it. But now it's time to call it what it isIf this were happening somewhere else - in Latin America, say - how might it be reported? Having secured his grip on the capital, the president is now set to send troops to several rebel-held cities, claiming he is wanted there to restore order. The move follows raids on the homes of leading dissidents and comes as armed men seen as loyal to the president, many of them masked, continue to pluck people off the streets ...Except this is happening in the United States of America and so we don't quite talk about it that way. That's not the only reason. It's also because Donald Trump's march towards authoritarianism is so steady, taking another step or two every day, that it's easy to become inured to it: you can't be in a state of shock permanently. And, besides, sober-minded people are wary of sounding hyperbolic or hysterical: their instinct is to play down rather than scream at the top of their voice.Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

By systematically devaluing the liberal arts, we are leaving students unprepared for the demands of democratic lifeNo part of the Trump 2.0 agenda has been more revealing to the ideological intentions of the administration than the sustained efforts that insist upon a pro-American" version of history. It is an effort that has taken many forms, including a recent letter sent by the White House to the Smithsonian announcing that there will be a review of the national museums' semiquincentennial plans to insure alignment with the president's directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions". It is only the latest move in a broader campaign to commandeer the nation's historical memory, a campaign mirrored in statehouses and school boards across the country, where history curricula have become a central front in the culture wars.Unfortunately, the battle over the past - how we should understand it and, more importantly, how we should teach it - is a conflict for which most Americans today are woefully unprepared. That is because for more than two generations, the US educational system has systematically devalued the liberal arts in favor of vocationally oriented Stem education. By doing so, we have failed to accomplish the primary goal of education in a democracy: creating citizens capable of the difficult work of self-government. Of course vocational training and Stem education are vital to individual livelihoods and national prosperity. But when they become the sole focus of education, at the expense of the liberal arts, they leave citizens unprepared for the demands of democratic life.Katherine Kelaidis is a research associate at the Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge, England Continue reading...

Luis Manuel Rivas Velasquez desperate' to be deported due to living hell' but lawyers and family unable to connectA man whose loved ones thought he had died at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz after alleged delays in appropriate medical care turned out to be alive and was then secretly moved to the immigration detention camp at Fort Bliss, Texas - and has since been moved again.Luis Manuel Rivas Velasquez is awaiting deportation in what his lawyers said he described as a living hell". Continue reading...

White House says proposed change necessary to monitor' visa holders amid president's immigration crackdownThe Trump administration aims to tighten the duration of visas for students, cultural exchange visitors and members of the media, according to a proposed government regulation issued on Wednesday, part of a broader crackdown on legal immigration.Donald Trump, a Republican, kicked off a wide-ranging immigration crackdown after taking office in January. The latest move would create new hurdles for international students, exchange workers and foreign journalists who would have to apply to extend their stay in the US rather than maintain a more flexible legal status. Continue reading...

Susan Monarez was reportedly fired by Robert F Kennedy Jr but her lawyers say only Trump himself can remove herThe Trump administration is facing rare bipartisan pushback for firing the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), amid turmoil at the US' top infectious disease agency that prompted dozens of staff to walk out of its headquarters in protest on Thursday.The White House has said Susan Monarez, who was confirmed as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just a month ago, was fired as she was not aligned with the president's agenda" - only for Monarez to refuse to depart. The official's lawyers have said that, as a Senate-confirmed appointee, only Donald Trump himself can remove her. Continue reading...

Mississippi museum announces display on anniversary of boy's murder, a pivotal moment in civil rights movementThe gun used in the lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till is now on display for the public to see, 70 years after the killing.The Mississippi department of archives and history unveiled the .45-caliber pistol and its holster during a news conference on Thursday, which is the 70th anniversary of Till's murder. Continue reading...

This humanitarian catastrophe is barely of passing interest to Donald Trump. The curse of our times is how little we can do about itDay 222 of Donald Trump's presidency, and Russia's war in Ukraine - which he promised to end on day one - shows no sign of having got the memo. This was not a single-use Trump promise; he made it at least 53 times. Yet the US president has failed to keep it, either literally or in his favourite manner: figuratively. Can you figuratively end a war? Not even, apparently.What his most recent round of failure means, however, is that Trump is pivoting back to another war, the grotesquely horrifying and unlawful humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. Not the way he'd phrase it, possibly. This week he swerved commenting on either Israel's invasion of Gaza City or the mounting declarations that famine and starvation are clearly under way in the territory, and instead announced: I think within the next two, three weeks, you're going to have a pretty good, conclusive ending." Righto. Trump's recipe for an ending to the horror has hitherto seemed to resemble the famous business plan of the South Park gnomes. Phase 1: Collect Underpants. Phase 2: ?. Phase 3: Profit.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

A longstanding exemption that let people skip import fees on packages valued at less than $800 ended on FridayA longstanding tariff exemption that let people skip import fees for small-value packages ended on Friday, leaving small businesses and postal services around the world scrambling to apply Donald Trump's tariffs to millions of shipments.Experts say the change could mean up to $13bn in extra costs and delayed shipping for consumers as businesses adjust to the change. Here's what we know about the end of the exemption. Continue reading...

Rallies from Alaska to Hawaii will highlight cuts to wages, unions and social safety nets under Trump policiesNearly 1,000 worker over billionaire" protests are being planned in all 50 states starting this weekend as part of a Labor Day week of action organized by labor unions and advocacy groups in opposition to the Trump administration's policies.The actions include marches and rallies in cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles, a Labor Day parade in New York City, rallies in Palmer, Alaska, Freeport, Maine, and a planned protest at the state capitol in Honolulu, Hawaii. Continue reading...

Some restaurants in the US capital have closed their doors as workers stay home rather than risk deportationHernan was at the Latin American restaurant that he owns with his brother in north-west Washington DC last week when his staff started getting phone calls and messages about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) checkpoints in the neighborhood. The employees, scared that they might be targeted and racially profiled, asked if they could go home.Within hours, Hernan had to close their doors, and the restaurant hasn't been open since. Continue reading...

Governor JB Pritzker's promotion of phone line comes as other US states have faced rollbacks of LGBTQ+ initiativesIllinois has launched a first-of-its-kind legal hotline that provides resources for the LGBTQ+ community at a time when they face increased hostility across the US.Legal services in the US can be costly and inaccessible, and the creation of the phone line is aimed at helping LGBTQ+ people access them despite other federal cuts that may affect them. Continue reading...

Ex-investment manager chosen as agency's interim director after firing of Susan Monarez. Plus, how marijuana became the US Open's new distraction Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.The White House has chosen a deputy of Robert F Kennedy Jr to serve as the acting head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a decision that comes as lawyers for the fired director, Susan Monarez, claim she will not depart unless Donald Trump himself removes her.What's O'Neill's background? Unlike Monarez, O'Neill does not have a medical or scientific background. He is a former investment executive, served as a speechwriter for the health department during the George W Bush administration, and went on to work for the tech investor and conservative mega-donor Peter Thiel.What did Murray say? The Trump administration's immigration policy was fundamentally sick", Murray said. Trump has wrongfully detained everyone from lawful green-card holders to American citizens - no one should assume this was necessary or appropriate." Continue reading...

The new season is just around the corner. Which of the league's talents will rewrite the record books in the coming months?The league has a new Legatron. Jacksonville kicker Cam Little has a chance to crush the record for the longest successful field goal. He drilled a 70-yarder against the Falcons during preseason and comfortably clears 72 yards during warmups. Continue reading...

Game, Set, Matchmaker aims to woo a pop-culture audience. But with tennis sidelined in favor of awkward small talk, it risks alienating its core supportersOn the first day of this year's US Open, Alexandra Eala came back from 5-1 down in the third set to upset Clara Tauson in front of a rapturous crowd, Novak Djokovic rope-a-doped a fresher opponent barely half his age, Rebeka Masarova hit an overhead smash into the only racket-sized area inside the lines that would ensure she lost the point, and Daniil Medvedev all but incited a riot in the stands of Louis Armstrong Stadium while down match point.Amidst the overstimulating slate of matches, the US Open quietly published the first episode of the dating video series Game, Set, Matchmaker on their official YouTube channel. In it, host Ilana Sedaka, a figure skater and influencer, had a blind date with Ronnie, a lacrosse coach. They exchanged bright smiles and music tastes. They bonded over their love of Drake - what were the odds? Though the date took place on US Open grounds with players practicing in the background, very little of the conversation concerned tennis. It is Ronnie's first time at the US Open: This place is insane," he said. Slap it on a poster. Continue reading...

Deputy health secretary Jim O'Neill will become interim CDC director as staffers rally for officials who quit. This blog is now closed.Border czar Tom Homan said that there will be a ramp up" of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) operations in Chicago, and other Democratic-led cities, after Labor Day.He added:You're going to see a ramp up of operations continue in New York, operations continuing in LA...Portland, Seattle, all these sanctuary cities that refuse to work with ICE, where we know public safety threats are being released every day into this country. Continue reading...

Deputy health secretary chosen as agency's interim director after firing of Susan Monarez

Ally of health secretary worked as speechwriter in George W Bush administration and has no training in medicineThe White House has chosen a top aide to health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr to temporarily lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - an appointment that is expected to bolster Kennedy's goals of remaking federal vaccine policy.Jim O'Neill, a biotech investor and speechwriter for the health department during the George W Bush administration, was tapped as acting director of the agency that oversees vaccine recommendations, a White House official confirmed to the Guardian. Continue reading...