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Representatives of department of government efficiency' set sights on latest target in federal agency overhaul

'We remain here, even if it means living on the rubble of our homes,' said one Palestinian in Rafah, as Gaza residents condemned Trump's proposal for the US to take long-term ownership of the strip.

A court has allowed one of state's largest centers to resume operations, weeks after reports Ice wants to build new onesAs the Trump administration scrambles for space to hold detained immigrants, California - the country's largest sanctuary state - is in the crosshairs.Last week, a court ruling allowed one of the state's largest detention centers to resume holding immigrants, reversing a pandemic-era decision that reduced its population to just two people. That ruling came weeks after reports emerged that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) was seeking to establish a new facility in northern California, even as allegations of abuse at the privately run sites continue to accumulate. Continue reading...

President's comments, which in effect endorsed ethnic cleansing, have been condemned globally. Plus, CIA reportedly offers to buy out its staff

The president's appalling threat to seize Gaza and drive out its people imperils global stability, even if he never deploys a single US soldierThe comments were brazen, swaggering, jaw-dropping, audacious, and, to many, simply outrageous. Stupefaction mondiale" was how the French paper Liberation responded on Wednesday morning. The sober-sided New York Times contented itself with improbable". A US senator gave voice to what will surely become a drumbeat charge across the Middle East and beyond in the hours and days to come, that what Donald Trump had said about Gaza amounted to ethnic cleansing by another name".On Tuesday, at the end of his White House meeting with Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump declared that the US should seize control of the Gaza Strip and permanently remove its 2.2 million Palestinian inhabitants to resettlement in places such as Egypt and Jordan. The US would own it and be responsible", said Trump. We'll take it over and develop it," he added. There would be unlimited numbers of jobs and housing" for the people of the area" - though which people they would be was not specified. Gaza would be turned into the Riviera of the Middle East". Continue reading...

The Maga kingpin has only been president for a couple of weeks, but the chaos he has unleashed is already much worse than I thought it could be. I'm genuinely frightenedThe day after Donald Trump won the election, everyone in my liberal corner of Philadelphia seemed shell-shocked. At preschool drop-off, a mom burst into tears. At the playground, a gay parent I know told me that they were aggressively downsizing in case they had to flee the country. Meanwhile, I felt oddly sanguine and thought people were being a tad dramatic. I rolled my eyes about Ellen DeGeneres relocating to England. I was optimistic that Trump 2.0, while horrific, wouldn't actually be the end of US democracy.This was an unusual attitude for me, because catastrophising is one of my main pastimes. I spent about 10 minutes this morning staring at a red dot that has appeared on my nose, wondering if it meant I was dying. But when Trump won the election, I was already too emotionally drained from a year of watching Joe Biden help turnGaza into an unliveable hellscape to worry about things gettingeven worse. Continue reading...

Kim Caldwell was back on the sideline days after childbirth. But experts say the decision of when to return to work is a personal oneTennessee's women's basketball head coach Kim Caldwell didn't manage to beat South Carolina on 27 January (but truly: who can?). But she did manage to surprise a lot of people by choosing to return to the sidelines just a week after giving birth to her first child (and after having battled the flu at the same time).Caldwell, who is in her first year of coaching the Lady Vols, told reporters she would be back for the game in a press conference the day before. She had missed the team's 23 January game against Texas, something she said was not great." Continue reading...

Questions linger for director of counterintelligence nominee, Joe Kent, over ties to white nationalists and employment with shadowy military contractorDonald Trump's pick for the head of US counterintelligence has advocated for the FBI to surveil antifa" groups, and has lingering questions over millions of dollars in campaign finances, his employment with a shadowy military contractor and links to far-right figures.Joe Kent, twice an unsuccessful congressional candidate in south-west Washington state and a former Green Beret and CIA operative, has also been criticized for his proximity to white nationalist activists such as Nick Fuentes, and for the revolving cast of far-right activists his campaigns employed. Continue reading...

This moral failure and sends a clear message - the government prioritizes deterrence over dignity and cruelty over compassionIn a move that has reignited outrage, the president, Donald Trump, signed an executive order to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Guantanamo Bay, aiming to detain up to 30,000 immigrants labeled as high-priority criminal aliens". For many, including myself, this decision is a painful reminder of the facility's dark history - a history marked by torture, indefinite detention and systemic dehumanization.Guantanamo Bay, a name synonymous with human rights abuses, was first repurposed in 2002 under then president George W Bush and defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld as a detention center for individuals branded as the worst of the worst". I was among those detainees - abducted, shackled and transported like cargo, blindfolded and unaware of my fate. The memories of roaring military planes, soldiers barking orders and the growls of attack dogs still haunt me.Mansoor Adayfi is the author of Don't Forget Us Here Continue reading...

US president has already caused trouble abroad and at home with incoherent ideas about Middle East politics

Kansas City have all the ingredients needed for bad guys: victories, dubious calls and unlikable players. But they're also exactly what sports needThe term Chiefs fatigue, already in heavy use throughout the season, has only become more common the closer we get to Sunday's Super Bowl. The team's pursuit of a three-peat with a quarterback on pace to break all sorts of records for some reason doesn't do it for most people outside Kansas City.That so many teams (ahem, the Bills) have come so close to unseating the Chiefs only to head home in despair, means frustration and anger is naturally directed at the winner. But is it really fair to cast Kansas City as the NFL's leading villain? Continue reading...

The LSU star and one of America's most media-savvy athletes drew criticism for her call for more maximum scores. But she promises she has the sport's best interests at heartLivvy Dunne is worried about the future of women's college gymnastics. The NIL powerhouse, who has scored major brand deals with Vuori and American Eagle, among others, has started her final season with the national champion LSU Tigers. But she's made the biggest splash in this young season on social media by posting on X over her concerns over the popularity of gymnastics.I'm sitting here watching NCAA gymnastics and the empty seats are concerning," she wrote in a note on X last week. If you want fans to enjoy the sport and increase viewership, you have to look at what makes the crowds go crazy! People understand what a perfect 10 is and want people who do things that look great to be rewarded." Continue reading...

In the White House's venerable East Room, it became clear that Trump 2.0 is entering a dangerously expansionist phase

Nothing prepared me for the reality of mothering without my extended family to help. How have western women managed like this for so long?I hear the baby crying in my sleep. My mother hands him to me. I sit up to breastfeed without opening my eyes then I hand him back. I know that when I am ready to get out of bed, there will be fruits and katogo, a meal of plantain mixed with all the fatty meat cuts my mother could lay her hands on, waiting for me. Or I could choose to have porridge. It is sacrilege to have a nakawere (new mother) in the house and not have a flask of hot porridge available for her all day. Nakawere ... the syllables are pronounced slowly, and the word must roll off your tongue with awe at the woman who just went through the remarkable ordeal of bringing life.Replaying my new mum experience became my favourite pastime when I moved from Uganda to Switzerland in May last year. I moved with my husband and two children, aged six and 12, because I found my dream job in health advocacy. I was not ready for the parenting nightmare that came with it. While I had lived in Europe before, including in the UK in my 20s, I had never had to live outside Uganda with my family. Nothing prepared me for the reality of mothering without the extended family to help take care of you, and the nonchalance with which the western world treats mothers. Continue reading...

With Trump back in the White House, politicians on both sides of the Channel need to acknowledge the urgency of closer tiesFive years since leaving the European Union, Britain is still negotiating Brexit. This time next year, Britain will still be negotiating Brexit. And for every foreseeable year after that.That isn't a comment on the scope of the reset" in relations that Starmer outlined at a Brussels summit this week. It is a statement of fact that Britain is tethered to the EU by forces of geography, economics and geopolitics, and those factors didn't cease to exist when membership of the club was terminated. And since the European project is always evolving in response to global events, Britain will also continually seek adjustment to the terms of the relationship.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Trump hopes to secure rare earth resources from Ukraine as part of a deal for US aid

The Central Intelligence Agency offered buyouts on Tuesday, citing aim to bring agency in line with Trump priorities, US media reportThe Central Intelligence Agency offered buyouts to its entire workforce on Tuesday, citing an aim to bring the agency in line with Donald Trump's priorities, the Wall Street Journal and CNN have reported.The US spy agency is also freezing the hiring of job applicants already given a conditional offer, the WSJ reported, quoting an aide to CIA director John Ratcliffe. Continue reading...

Denied access to the Treasury Department, a contingent of Democratic lawmakers rallied in Washington, denouncing what they called Elon Musk's 'unfettered' access to its payment system. A department official said the Treasury Department has given Musk's group 'read only' access to its payment systems

This live coverage has ended. You can find the latest US news here.As the clock nears midnight in Washington DC, signalling the beginning of Trump's tariffs on China's imports, here is a look at how China might respond, via AFP:From retaliatory tariffs on US goods like car parts and soya beans to controls on raw minerals essential for American manufacturing - analysts say China has plenty of options if it wants to reply to fresh US levies.9:00 AM In-Town Pool Call Time

Agency staffers overseas - except those deemed essential - placed on leave as diplomats' union plans legal actionThe Trump administration is placing US Agency for International Development direct-hire staffers around the world on leave, except those deemed essential.A notice posted online on Tuesday gives the workers 30 days to return home, upending the aid agency's six-decade mission overseas. Continue reading...

After calling for the permanent resettlement' of all Palestinians from Gaza earlier in the day, Trump said the US would 'take over' and 'own' the Gaza Strip. The US president said he envisioned 'long-term' US ownership of Gaza after Palestinians were moved elsewhere

Bondi approved 54-46 as staunch political ally of president propelled to top perch of US law enforcementThe US Senate confirmed Pam Bondi on Tuesday as the next attorney general to steer the justice department through Donald Trump's second term and his clear intent to turn it into an extension of his executive power, especially as a cudgel against his personal and political adversaries.The 54 to 46 vote to confirm Bondi was largely across party lines. All Republicans voted to confirm and all but one Democratic senator, John Fetterman, voted against. Continue reading...

Trump ally, whose team has reportedly gained access to sensitive data, accused of desecrating our constitution'Hundreds of protesters and a contingent of Democratic lawmakers rallied outside the Department of the Treasury in Washington on Tuesday, denouncing what they called Elon Musk's hostile takeover" of federal financial systems, as demonstrations spilled on to, and took over, the street outside the building.The protests targeted reports of the department of government efficiency" (Doge) team's reported access to sensitive government financial data, including information related to social security payments, Medicare reimbursements, and tax refunds - systems that process trillions of dollars in annual transactions. Continue reading...

Maxine Waters, Chuck Schumer and other lawmakers protest against billionaire outside US treasury

Crews continue working to recover parts of aircraft from Potomac River after collision between helicopter and jetThe remains of all 67 victims of last week's midair collision of an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter near Washington DC have been recovered, authorities said on Tuesday.The chief medical examiner is still trying to positively identify one set of remains, officials said in a news release. Continue reading...

Human rights groups alarmed as Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, meets with Nayib Bukele during overseas tripEl Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, has offered to accept deportees from the US of any nationality and hold them in his jails, including dangerous American criminals", Marco Rubio said on Monday.The US secretary of state, who this week made his first overseas trip as the top US diplomat, visited El Salvador on Monday as part of a wider trip through Central America and the Caribbean. Continue reading...

President in effect endorses ethnic cleansing of territory before hosting meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu

Agents say bid to compile list of employees who worked on US Capitol attack cases could be precursor to mass firings

After 20-month pregnancy, Rose-Tu gives smoothest birth' with baby standing up on her own within 15 minutes'The Oregon zoo in Portland has welcomed its newest addition, a baby elephant.Thirty-year-old Asian elephant Rose-Tu gave birth on Saturday after 20 months of pregnancy, the zoo said in a news release. The calf appeared to be a 200lb (90kg) female, but zoo staff are giving the pair time to bond before conducting a first checkup to confirm weight and sex. Continue reading...

Democratic governor Kathy Hochul signs law permitting doctors to leave names off prescriptions for abortion pillsNew York state moved to increase protections for abortion providers who mail pills out of state, days after a Louisiana grand jury indicted a New York doctor for allegedly doing just that.New York's Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, on Monday signed into law a bill that permits doctors to request that their names be left off prescriptions for abortion pills. Instead, they can use the names of their medical practices. Continue reading...

Press secretary says at least two deportation flights to Cuban base of undocumented immigrants under way'The Trump administration has begun flying undocumented migrants from the US to a military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said on Tuesday.Leavitt told Fox Business Network that at least two deportation flights were under way", but gave no further details. Continue reading...

Treasury secretary paused all work at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, agency that was enacting reform

Germany's Olaf Scholz criticises Trump's transactional foreign policy as very selfish, very self-centred'Ukraine is open to investment" from allies as long as they help it fight Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says, after Donald Trump demanded Kyiv supply the US with rare earth resources - critical elements used in electronics - in exchange for military aid.The US president's proposal has been criticised as exploiting Russia's invasion for material gain, with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, calling the plan selfish". However, Ukrainian media reported that the idea may have originated in Kyiv as an incentive to keep weapon shipments flowing into the country. Continue reading...

The point is the show the world - not just Canada and Mexico - that he's willing to mete out big punishmentsTrump has struck last-minute deals with the leaders of Mexico and Canada to postpone for 30 days hefty tariffs on goods they export to the United States, temporarily averting a damaging trade war.Over the next month, Mexico and Canada will negotiate with Trump.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...

Republicans unanimously voted for the controversial cabinet pick; full Senate vote expected in coming days

Don't give in to moral panic, fellas! Here are some tips from my own bumpy literary journeyIf you really want to make a name for yourself, publish comment insisting you've been silenced.It happened again last week in a nationwide publication. Under a byline, accompanied by a headshot and the covers of two of his books, an Australian author counted himself among those writers deemed pale, stale and male" by the publishing industry, who seem to have become cancelled because of our age". Continue reading...

Women who have faced both domestic violence and community gun violence say it's clear the threats share root causes. So why are we treating them like separate problems?By August of 2023, Alisha Thomas* had come to realize that she had two choices: leave her husband, or die. Their 20-year relationship had been rife with verbal and physical violence. Over the years, her husband had choked her, run over her foot with a car and thrown her down a flight of stairs, resulting in a miscarriage. She had told him their marriage wasn't going to survive. The verbal abuse and harassment only worsened.Four months later, her husband returned to their home one night, loaded his shotgun and berated her for hours - his finger on or near the trigger the entire time. The couple's teenage daughter heard the commotion and called the police, which gave Thomas a chance to escape the home and run to a local store, where she waited until the police arrived. Thomas tells me this story in September, displaying a mix of calm and disbelief at the realization that she had survived years of violence and a childhood and adolescence that made it all feel normal. Continue reading...

A rightwing thinktank has been targeting the royal ever since he confessed to taking drugs - and is demanding his immigration forms be releasedWhile he may not be quite as popular as he was, Prince Harry still has a lot of fans in the US. Unfortunately, Donald Trump is not one of them: the president has never had anything nice to say about the Duke of Sussex and once claimed that the Biden administration was too gracious" to the British immigrant. Which might not be a big deal were it not for the fact that some Trumpers have long been champing at the bit to get Harry deported.The Heritage Foundation, a rightwing thinktank famous for masterminding Project 2025, a roadmap for Trump's second term, has been obsessed with Harry's immigration status ever since he released his memoir Spare. This isn't because they thought it was a crime against literature (certainly debatable) but because Harry talked about using illegal drugs. And anyone who has ever tried to get a US visa knows that admitting to taking illegal drugs is a really great way to ensure you never get into the country. So the question is: did Prince Harry lie on his immigration forms or was he granted special treatment? The Heritage Foundation has been engaged in a long legal battle to try to get Harry's visa application made public in order to answer that question.Do 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...

Resources for contraception, gender-affirming care, STIs and HIV flicker in and out of existence or vanish completelySeveral federal government websites and databases dedicated to public health have gone dark in recent days, sparking fears about the Trump administration's plans to remove, alter or otherwise censor vital health information repositories.Between Friday and Tuesday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) resources for tracking, preventing and treating HIV; handling sexually transmitted infections (STIs); and prescribing contraception have flickered in and out of existence. A guide to gender-affirming care and young people, once hosted on the website for the office of the assistant secretary for health, was gone as of Tuesday. Continue reading...

Markers of bladder cancer found in canines with higher levels of exposure to chemicals such as flame retardantsDogs with higher levels of exposure to chemicals in common household products are more likely to have bladder cancer, new research suggests, and that may also have implications for humans who live in the same homes and have genetic similarities to their pets.Duke University researchers affixed silicone devices that collected chemicals for five days on more than 100 dogs' collars. The peer-reviewed paper targeted 120 chemicals, and found about 40 in at least half the pets, but the volume and number of chemicals dramatically increased in warmer areas. Continue reading...

UK drinks company considering possible price rises as shares fall despite strong Guinness sales

Office of personnel management workers say anxiety is palpable amid intimidation and threat of dismissalUS government workers are describing an atmosphere of fear" and madness" as they grapple with a barrage of executive orders issued by Donald Trump and threats to their jobs from the office of personnel management, the agency tasked with managing the federal civil service, which has been taken over by the billionaire Elon Musk.Weeks before the administration transition, federal worker unions reported low morale among workers in anticipation of pushes for intimidation, mass firings and harassment. Continue reading...

Clergy abuse survivors and their supporters express pain over sports officials' efforts to soften coverage of scandalSurvivors of Catholic clergy abuse and their supporters expressed disgust, pain and disbelief after the Guardian and WWL Louisiana's investigation on Monday into hundreds of emails showing officials with the NFL's Saints and NBA's Pelicans aided New Orleans' Roman Catholic archdiocese efforts to soften critical media coverage about the church's management of a clerical molestation scandal.Richard Windmann said it was disturbing" to see the emails mention his decision to go public about his abuse as a child at the hands of a priest and janitor at Jesuit high school in New Orleans in the 1970s. Continue reading...

China also announced an investigation into Google in an apparent retaliation. Plus, the Senate confirms a fracking executive as energy secretary