Quizzed on whether he opposes Nato membership for Ukraine, US president Donald Trump appeared to give backing to comments from defense secretary Pete Hegseth that 'he thinks it is unlikely or impractical'. 'I think that's probably true,' Trump said. He added: 'And I'm OK with that... It certainly would seem that most people have said that that is something that's not going to happen. '
Eaton fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures in the neighborhood and residents mourn loss of communityAfter the Eaton fire tore through Altadena last month, residents of the historically Black Los Angeles neighborhood - many of whom had purchased their homes decades earlier - began putting up signs declaring: Altadena is not for sale."However, it appears that the first burned-down property put up for sale is in escrow, just more than a week after the fire reached containment. The sale is expected to close Friday, says Brock Harris, a real estate agent, who adds that he's received lots of calls from people also looking to sell". Continue reading...
President accepts great honor' after terminating Biden appointees and installing loyalist as interim leaderDonald Trump has been named the chair of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC following a vote by its board on Wednesday.The center, which receives federal funding, is one of America's leading arts venues with a huge cultural profile in America's capital and has long enjoyed bipartisan support. Continue reading...
If Trump simply ignores the high court, is that the end of law?He is the most lawless president in American history.As Donald Trump's law-breaking continues, America's last defense is the federal courts.It appears that OMB sought to overcome a judicially imposed obstacle without actually ceasing the challenged conduct. The court can think of few things more disingenuous.It has become ever more apparent that, to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals. The rule of law is, according to him, something to navigate around or simply ignore, whether that be for political or personal gain.Within the past few years ... elected officials from across the political spectrum have raised the specter of open disregard for federal court rulings. These dangerous suggestions, however sporadic, must be soundly rejected.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His newest book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com Continue reading...
No 2 US oil firm aims for $3bn in cost cuts through 2026 and seeks to simplify business after production challengesChevron will lay off 15-20% of its global workforce by the end of 2026, the US oil company said on Wednesday as it seeks to cut costs, simplify its business and complete a major acquisition.The No 2 US oil producer has faced production challenges including cost overruns and delays in a large Kazakhstan oilfield project. Its $53bn deal to acquire oil producer Hess and gain a foothold in Guyana's lucrative oilfield is in limbo due to a court battle with its larger rival Exxon Mobil, which has more aggressively expanded its own production. Continue reading...
Spending public money carefully is a virtue in itself, but running down the public sector can cause huge problems later onSlash-and-burn government is back in vogue. Whether it is ElonMusk and his engineers taking the axe to US agency spending, the Conservative leader, KemiBadenoch, wishing she had her own mini-Musk, or Sir Keir Starmer complaining about the tepid bath of managed decline", the complaint is that bureaucracy is bloated and needs to be cut down to size.
Street art will mark 60 years since US civil rights leader's trip to Smethwick shortly before his assassinationIt was a moment that united the US civil rights movement with the anti-racist movement in Britain, helping to change the country - and to mark its 60th anniversary it will be commemorated with a mural.On 12 February 1965, the black American activist Malcolm X visited Smethwick, in the West Midlands after what is remembered as the most racist election campaign the UK has ever seen. Continue reading...
They are young and seizing the reins of government on their master's behalf with an imperial swagger. It will end in many tearsYou would be forgiven for thinking we were back at the Bullingdon Club, in the company of Jonty, Munty, Stiffy, Kipper, Chugger and, to use the polite version, Pig Botherer - only in this case it's Big Balls and a guy with a history of racist tweeting. This is the sudden, startling emergence into American political life of a type deeply recognisable to Brits: that is, jaunty young men with juvenile nicknames and a firm belief they should be running the world.This being America, the class signifiers are slightly different from those in Britain. But in most regards, the cohort of young men hired by Elon Musk for his cost-cutting taskforce, the department of government efficiency (Doge), will be familiar to anyone who lived through the era of Boris Johnson's weapons-grade flippancy or reports of David Cameron's youthful hijinks. (Donald Trump is very flippant, of course, but his style skews locker room rather than debate chamber - or, in this case, maths olympiad.) And while politics has always run on young, volunteer energy, less common in the US, perhaps, is the imperial swagger, the sheer frivolous entitlement accompanying a crowd that has seemingly been given the keys to the kingdom.Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
The president repeatedly claimed he would lower prices during the election campaign, but that's not an easy taskAs tens of millions of Americans prepared to watch the Super Bowl this weekend, Donald Trump sat for the customary pre-game presidential interview.Trump was elected after pledging to bring down prices fast as much of the country grappled with the cost of living after years of heightened inflation. So when the Fox News anchor asked would families start to feel the impact, the president changed the subject. Continue reading...
I found the history of the world there, told through the medium of pots. The orgy of earthenware was bafflingHaving lived in London since 1986, it was to my shame and discredit that I'd never been to the British Museum. I was not proud of the fact. This wasn't a one-man boycott over the Parthenon marbles or anything like that. I'd just never got round to it. And this wasn't good enough. So last week, at the ripe old age of nearly 58, I paid the British Museum a visit.Ah, Mr Chiles," exclaimed no one when I walked in, about time!" But there must have been something trepidatious about me, because a nice chap asked if I needed any help. I stammered something about looking for room 41. A friend had told me room 41 was special, so it seemed as good a place as any to start. This room tells the story of Europe from AD300. Which was amazing and all that, except it was a story told mainly through the medium of pots. Urns, pots and assorted drinking vessels of all shapes and sizes. I moved from room 41 to other rooms, going backwards and forwards in time and to all points of the compass, and found yet more pots, urns and drinking vessels. Ornate pots, rustic pots, arty pots, functional pots. Continue reading...
School voucher bill likely to benefit wealthier families, allowing $10,000 of taxpayer dollars per student per yearDonald Trump's executive order on school choice last month may soon be wholly embraced by the state of Texas.Earlier this month, the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, announced school choice as an emergency item during his State of the State address, and just last week, the Texas senate easily passed a school voucher bill (known as senate bill 2 or SB2), which House Republicans expect to pass imminently. Continue reading...
by Ramon Antonio Vargas in New Orleans on (#6V7YC)
City had not deployed mobile 700lb steel barriers on night of deadly Bourbon Street truck attackNew Orleans plans to protect large sections of its Mardi Gras parade routes with mobile 700lb steel barriers that are designed to prevent intentional vehicle rammings - but which were not deployed on the night that the city endured the deadly Bourbon Street truck attack at the beginning of the year, according to the blockades' manufacturer.The Meridian Rapid Defense Group announced that the city would expand its renewed use of the company's Archer 1200 barriers in a recent statement issued after the firm's chief executive officer indicated time was running out to be able to get the blockades where they needed to be for Carnival celebrations culminating in Mardi Gras on 4 March. Continue reading...
The director of a US group of 1,000 medical providers dedicated to LGBTQ+ health equity addresses the falloutDonald Trump's executive order attacking transgender youth healthcare has unleashed chaos inside medical institutions across the country, with providers forced to cancel vital treatment and facing threats to their careers and clinics as they fight to serve their patients.The president's 28 January policy declared federal funding should be revoked from centers that provide gender-affirming care, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers, to youth under the age of 19. While the majority of trans healthcare providers have maintained services, institutions in New York, Colorado, Virginia, California and Washington DC announced immediate pauses on youth treatment. Continue reading...
Press organization submitted legal filing about missing video related to case against Glen SimonAttorneys representing a collection of news organizations said in a legal filing submitted on Tuesday that video evidence used during the sentencing of a rioter involved in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol had vanished from an online government platform.Nine videos related to the case against Glen Simon, who pleaded guilty to a count of disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, have disappeared and are no longer available in the database, according to the filing. Continue reading...
The US's decision to to resume 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports will fuel inflation and create a 'lose-lose scenario', the EU trade commissioner, Maro efovi, told the European parliament on Tuesday. He added that the EU 'will be responding in a firm and proportionate way by countermeasures'.The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, told the Bundestag the EU would react in unison to US tariffs but he hoped that path could be avoided because, 'in the end, trade wars always cost both sides prosperity'. Hong Kong's chief secretary, Eric Chan, said Hong Kong would file a complaint about recent US tariffs imposed on it to the World Trade Organization.The tariffs are scheduled to take effect on 12 March. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when signing the executive order that the tariffs would be imposed 'without exceptions or exemptions' and it was 'the beginning of making America rich again'
Consumer price index rose by 3% in January as president has yet to fulfill pledge of tackling high cost of livingInflation ticked higher in the US in January as Donald Trump returned to office with a pledge to rapidly reduce prices.The consumer price index rose by 3% last month - up slightly from December's annualized 2.9% reading. Continue reading...
Visitors have flocked to watch the molten spectacle since Kilauea increased volcanic activity starting in DecemberThe Kilauea volcano began shooting lava into the air once again on Tuesday on the Big Island of Hawaii.Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, has been erupting on and off for nearly two months since it burst to life on 23 December. The eruption has been taking place at the volcano's summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes national park. No residential areas have been threatened by the lava. Continue reading...
Rightwinger says Times v Sullivan ruling should go, but reporter reminds readers he did not always think that wayA new book describes how in confirmation hearings in 1991, the future supreme court justice Clarence Thomas said he had no agenda" to change free speech protections established by New York Times v Sullivan - the landmark 1964 ruling Thomas now says should be reconsidered.We should protect our first amendment freedoms as much as possible," Thomas said 34 years ago, in exchanges long obscured by history. Continue reading...
Netanyahu says fighting will resume if Hamas does not release hostages by Saturday. Plus, Musk finally questioned by reporters over DogeGood morning.Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas did not release more hostages by noon on Saturday, endorsing a threat by Donald Trump that could shatter the three-week-old ceasefire between the two sides.What did Netanyahu say? If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon - the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated," he said.What about Hamas? Hamas said on Monday it would delay the release of Israeli hostages indefinitely over violations" of the ceasefire deal. On Tuesday, Hamas had softened its stance, reiterating its commitment to a diplomatic solution.This is a developing story. Follow our live blog here.What's the latest on Musk's slash and burn campaign? Doge has terminated nearly $1bn in Department of Education contracts. On Monday, it said $101m was slashed from 29 DEI training grants; on Tuesday, it said $881m in contracts was wiped out - including the federal agency's research and statistics office.What was that about transparency? The Associated Press said it was barred from sending a reporter to the Oval Office executive order signing, in an effort to punish" the agency for upholding the use of the name of the Gulf of Mexico. Continue reading...
President's power grabs, disregard of rule of law and alliance with Elon Musk elicit condemnation during LA conferenceSeveral Democratic state attorneys general warned that the country was in the grip of a full-blown constitutional crisis, as they battle Donald Trump in court over actions they argue are lawless and in some cases brazenly unconstitutional.We are on the brink of a dictatorship, and America has never been in a more dangerous position than she is today," Kris Mayes, the attorney general of Arizona, said at a press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Continue reading...
His policies are the latest instantiation of a centuries-long American tradition: laws meant to exclude people of color and privilege whitenessA barrage of executive orders, many concerning immigration, marked Trump's first weeks in office. Maligning people immigrating as a large scale invasion" of potential terrorists", violent", and hostile actors with malicious intent" the EOs call for the slashing of physical and legal pathways to admission, lay the groundwork for mass deportation and attack immigrant rights by attempting to (unconstitutionally) revoke birthright citizenship.People like Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, are using social media strategically to stoke fear, broadcasting images of Ice raids and deportations to the notorious Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The administration has also sent an additional 1,500 active duty troops to secure" the southern border.Heba Gowayed is an associate professor of sociology at CUNY Hunter College and Graduate Center and author of the book Refuge: How the State Shapes Human Potential. Continue reading...
by Andrew Roth in Washington and Pjotr Sauer on (#6V7QS)
Region's autocrats join in persecution of agency that provided aid and helped to build up civil society in 1990sAcross the former Soviet bloc, rightwing and autocratic government have their knives out for USAid, demanding data on grant recipients from Elon Musk and threatening employees and grant recipients with investigations and prison.USAid has long been a thorn in the side of governments in the region who have railed against US support for pro-democracy and civil society movements. Now, local leaders for the first time see an ally in Washington that will back a crackdown on USAid and its beneficiaries as criminals". Continue reading...
From Bible stories to the Ten Commandments, public schools are starting to look a lot like the fundamentalist system I escapedWhen I got the chance to attend a conservative, evangelical high school in rural Iowa, I was ecstatic. My early education had been in a similar school - where creationism was the one true science, and evolution was satanic propaganda - and I'd spent the interim as a frightened pilgrim in the unholy land of public school. I was a teenage zealot and longed to be among my people.Throughout those years, my church leaders urged me to proselytize to the public school students, to debate teachers about the age of Earth or the founding of our Christian nation, to be a spiritual exhibitionist, praying loudly at my locker or the flagpole. The apocalypse was at hand, so who had time for algebra? Continue reading...
Donald Trump appeared to prompt Jordan's King Abdullah to say he would take in Palestinians from Gaza, as Trump hosted him in the White House on Tuesday. The king, who is the first Arab leader to meet Trump since the Gaza plan was floated, said he would do what was best for his country, but said Jordan would take in 2,000 sick children from Gaza for treatment, an offer that Trump praised. 'The point is how to make this work in a way that is good for everybody,' Abdullah said, appearing uncomfortable, without explicitly supporting or opposing Trump's plan. He later said in a post on X that he had reiterated Jordan's 'steadfast position' against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank
Introduction of 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports could push up canned food and drink pricesCoca-Cola has said it may have to increase its use of plastic in the US if Donald Trump's tariffs raise the cost of aluminium cans.The drinks company's warning follows Trump's introduction of 25% tariffs on foreign steel and aluminium entering the US, which could push up the prices of canned food and drink. Continue reading...
After a headline-making fall in Boston, Ime Udoka has staged a comeback with the Houston Rockets that has him leading the pack for the NBA's coach of the yearFrom the myth of Icarus to countless modern narratives, we see a recurring pattern: how humanity is brought back down to earth, often by our own hubris. Down in the chopped-and-screwed streets of Houston, Ime Udoka is rewriting his own myth, defying the Icarus curse. After a headline-making fall in Boston, he's back recharged and ruthless, orchestrating a comeback with the Houston Rockets that has him leading the pack for the NBA's coach of the year.In his first year in charge of the Boston Celtics, Udoka led the team to the 2022 NBA finals - an extraordinary achievement for a rookie head coach. But after that finals appearance, he was suspended and eventually let go after accusations of an improper relationship with a female Celtics staff member. However, unlike Icarus, he has risen anew. In his second season with the Houston Rockets, he is rebuilding his career after what many see as significant moral failure. After three losing seasons, the Rockets are fourth in the Western Conference and looked to be headed for the postseason. Continue reading...
More than 2,500 dogs in 201 breeds and varieties entered the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show, America's oldest continuously held sporting event after the Kentucky Derby. Here is a look at some of this year's dogs
The photographer was a key figure on New York's downtown scene - but, as a new exhibition shows, his later works dealt with the great losses of the Aids crisis Continue reading...
In one generation Sweden has become polyglot and cosmopolitan - and denial has met the wave of white supremacism sweeping the countryIt was the worst mass shooting in Swedish history. Ten people were shot dead and many more wounded before the gunman shot himself. A week on from the atrocity in Orebro, about 125 miles west of Stockholm, Sweden is soul-searching for answers that are not easy to find.The suspect, a 35-year-old white man, was initially described by authorities as a lone wolf". He may or may not have had an ideological motive.Martin Gelin writes for the Swedish newspaper Dagens NyheterDo 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...
In today's newsletter: From the the AI arms race to support for Ukraine to UK diplomatic love bombing, a look at four of the most pressing developments from WashingtonGood morning.Few words can fully capture the first few weeks of Donald Trump's presidency. Dizzying? Unrelenting? Disorienting?Middle East | Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas does not release more hostages by noon on Saturday, endorsing a threat by Donald Trump that could shatter the three-week-old ceasefire between the two sides.Economy | Nationwide, Britain's biggest building society, has waded into a row over whether the government should cut tax breaks on cash Isas, arguing such a move would reduce the availability of mortgages for first-time buyers.AI | The US and the UK have refused to sign the Paris AI summit's declaration on inclusive and sustainable" artificial intelligence, in a blow to hopes for a concerted approach to developing and regulating the technology.Assisted dying | The Labour MP Kim Leadbeater has said her assisted dying bill for England and Wales will still have the strongest safeguards in the world despite the removal of a requirement for scrutiny from a high court judge. Opponents derided the change as rushed and badly thought out".Housing | Rogue landlords in England will face curbs on how much housing benefit income they can receive if their properties are substandard, Angela Rayner has said as she announced an extra 350m for affordable housing. Continue reading...
Democracy's traditional defence against fascism doesn't work against the new far-right hybrid coded in Silicon ValleyHistory isn't winning the argument. Across Europe and the US, defenders of democracy have mobilised every precedent to warn against a slide into authoritarian rule. They have underlined every rhyme and assonance in the rhetoric of today's far-right movements to highlight echoes of past atrocity. It isn't working.Evidence of the old virus spreading stimulates vigilance in people who are already alert for the signs, activating the immunity of people who are well vaccinated. They aren't the ones who need convincing.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Speaking from the Oval Office, Elon Musk said 'some of the things I say will be incorrect' as he appeared to walk back a claim that $50m in condoms were sent to Gaza in the Middle East, after a journalist said they were in fact sent to Gaza in Mozambique to protect people against HIV. Musk said his so-called 'department of government efficiency' works closely with agency heads and he speaks with US president Donald Trump to 'double-check things'
by Robert Mackey (now); Chris Stein and Erum Salam (e on (#6V71Z)
This live coverage has ended. You can find all of our live US politics coverage hereDonald Trump announced he is dispatching Treasury secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while also predicting the war in the country would end soon".The US president made the news on Truth Social:I am sending Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky. This War MUST and WILL END SOON - Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show. WHEN AMERICA IS STRONG, THE WORLD IS AT PEACE.As you know we have been ordered to cease all work. I don't believe in these conditions I can effectively serve in my role, which is protecting American consumers," said Halperin wrote. Today I made the difficult decision to resign effective today."Salas said she believed the decision by Vought to halt all supervisory work was illegal. Continue reading...
Key presidential ally, whose agency has operated in secrecy, also makes claim - without evidence - of fraud at USAidElon Musk claimed in the Oval Office on Tuesday that his so-called department of government efficiency" (Doge) was providing maximum transparency as it bulldozed its way through the federal government, remarks contradicted by the reality of how he has operated in deep secrecy.The appearance from Musk was the first time he had taken questions from the news media since his arrival in Washington, and he used his time standing next to Donald Trump at the Resolute Desk to defend the aggressive cost-cutting measures the Doge team has pursued. Continue reading...
Agency says its reporter wasn't allowed into event in effort to punish' style guide on upholding use of Gulf of MexicoThe Associated Press said it was barred from sending a reporter to Tuesday's Oval Office executive order signing in an effort to punish" the agency for its style guidance on upholding the use of the name of the Gulf of Mexico, in lieu of Donald Trump's preferred name for the geographic landmark as the Gulf of America.AP's executive editor, Julie Pace, said in a statement: As a global news organization, The Associated Press informs billions of people around the world every day with factual, nonpartisan journalism." Continue reading...
Paul Martin, an independent inspector general and Biden appointee, warned of drastic effects of shuttering USAidDonald Trump reportedly fired the federal watchdog responsible for overseeing the US Agency for International Development (USAid) on Tuesday, one day after the independent inspector general issued a damning report detailing the impact of the president's sudden dismantling of the agency.Paul Martin, who was appointed by Joe Biden in December 2023, was dismissed in an email from Trent Morse, deputy director of the White House office of presidential personnel, seen by the Washington Post. Continue reading...
US news | The Guardian