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Ukrainian president says latest discussions with US were constructive, although not easy'. Plus, the autism advocates fighting RFK Jr's barrage of misinformation

Officials track public sentiment, noting negative impact of videos with sounds of children crying' as parents arrestedState and federal authorities are closely tracking online criticism and protests against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in New Orleans, monitoring message boards around the clock for threats to agents while compiling regular updates on public sentiment" surrounding the arrests, according to law enforcement records reviewed by the Associated Press.The intelligence gathering comes even as officials have released few details about the first arrests made last week as part of Catahoula Crunch", prompting calls for greater transparency from local officials who say they have been kept in the dark about virtually every aspect of the operation. Continue reading...

Mike Johnson's denials of knowledge of presidential scandals strain credulity - but may be an effective tacticThe US House speaker, Mike Johnson, has developed a go-to response when asked about something controversial Donald Trump or members of his administration said or did.It's some version of I don't know anything about that." Continue reading...

Brazil aide says Trump's closure of Venezuelan airspace amounts to an act of war' that could escalate

Patrick Mahomes has led his team to seven straight AFC Championship Games, winning three Super Bowls on the way. That run appears to be overThis is how great runs end. Not with a single catastrophic collapse, but with a slow drift towards the finish, looking old, tired and out of ideas. For the Chiefs, that sense of finality arrived on Sunday night, delivered by the Texans in a 20-10 defeat at home that felt more lopsided than the score.For much of this season, there had been a gnawing sense of inevitability about the Chiefs. Whether judging by the eye test or the advanced data, this year's group has been slightly better than the 15-win team who trudged through one-score victories last season, got hot in the playoffs and then were crushed by the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Even as the losses mounted this year, it felt like the Chiefs still had a run in them. If they could figure out their disjointed offense and find any juice on defense, they could sneak into the playoffs. And in a one-off game, with everything on the line, it would still be hard to look past the Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes axis. Continue reading...

When abuse occurs, the first instinct is too often containment. We know this pattern because we have seen it ourselvesFor years, Jeffrey Epstein conjured a kind of grotesque fascination: the private island, the powerful friends, the whispered allegations. But focusing on the lurid details of his life and eventual death obscures the far more unsettling truth his case lays bare. Epstein's story is not really about one man's depravity. It is about a system - legal, cultural, and institutional - engineered to protect the powerful through silence. His crimes thrived not because they were hidden, but because the people who knew were coerced, encouraged, or more than willing to shut up.Silence was not incidental to Epstein's success. It was central to it. And in this, he was hardly unique.Gretchen Carlson is a journalist, bestselling author and internationally recognized advocate for women's rights. Julie Roginsky is a champion of women's rights and political consultant. Carlson and Roginsky co-founded the nonprofit Lift Our Voices, dedicated to eliminating silencing mechanisms like forced arbitration and NDAs for toxic workplace issues Continue reading...

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Speaking at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night, Donald Trump said the Ukrainian president 'hasn't yet read' the latest US-authored peace proposal for the war in Ukraine. Trump added: 'Russia is, I believe, fine with [the deal], but I'm not sure that Zelenskyy's fine with it. His people love it but he hasn't read it.' The US president's comments come after days of negotiations between US and Ukrainian officials ended on Saturday without an apparent breakthrough. Zelenskyy will be received in London by the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, along with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to discuss the negotiations

President refers jokingly to renamed Trump-Kennedy Center' at celebration of stars from music and filmDonald Trump added another job title - awards host - to his presidential portfolio on Sunday when he took charge of the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, claiming his show was getting rave reviews" even before it ended.The US president stayed away from the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during his first term. But since returning to office in January, he has made the complex a lightning rod in a broader attack against what he has labelled woke" anti-American culture. Continue reading...

There is a bread and circuses feel to this scandal. A wise public would see red flags; instead it sees entertainmentOne upside of adversity is art, inspiring cultural output that seeks to process and channel suffering. I'll say one thing about Thatcher, some fantastic songs were written during her reign," said the Irish singer Christy Moore once - before belting out a goosebump-raising rendition of Ordinary Man by Peter Hames, a song about the 1980s recession. That is, so far, the only upside of the publication of Olivia Nuzzi's book American Canto, an affliction to journalism, politics and publishing: there has been some fantastic writing since it all kicked off.Masterful reviews. Very funny commentary. Scathing analysis. But first, a summary of events for readers of this column, most of whom I assume are well-adjusted, offline people, with better things to do with their time than follow what can only be described as a niche beef. Nuzzi is (or perhaps was, keep reading) a celebrated US political journalist who had a digital affair" with Robert F Kennedy Jr while he was running for president, broke all sorts of journalistic rules while doing so, and was fired from her job at New York magazine. RFK Jr went on to become Donald Trump's anti-vaccine health secretary, Nuzzi has published a book about the whole affair, and her ex-fiance Ryan Lizza - another political journalist - has been dripfeeding revelations about how she cheated on him, and a litany of other personal and professional transgressions. There are no heroes here.Nesrine Malik is a Guardian 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...

We can move from defensive crouch to position of strength but only if we use the economic cards we have against US coercionEurope is on a trajectory towards nothing less than civilisational erasure", the Trump administration claims in its extraordinary new National Security Strategy, a document that blames European integration and activities of the European Union that undermine political liberty and sovereignty" for some of the continent's deepest problems.Everybody should have seen it coming after Washington's humiliating 28-point plan for Ukraine. JD Vance's shocking Munich speech in February, in which he suggested that Europe's democracies were not worth defending was an early red flag. But the new words still land as a shock. The security document is the clearest signal yet of how brutally and transactionally Washington wants to engage with the continent. It marks another phase in Trump's attempt to reshape Europe in his ideological image while at the same time abandoning it militarily. US policy, the paper says, should enable Europe to take primary responsibility for its own defence".Georg Riekeles is associate director and Varg Folkman a policy analyst at the European Policy Centre Continue reading...

Democrats are pushing the Trump administration to release the video of a second strike on the drug boat which was incapacitated in the Caribbean. Key US politics stories from 7 December 2025A video of a US military strike on an alleged drug boat that killed two survivors of the initial attack has said he would not oppose its public release if the Pentagon were to declassify it, adding that it shows nothing remarkable."Democrats are pushing the Trump administration to release the video of the second strike on the boat which was incapacitated in the Caribbean, amid accusations the attack was unlawful. Continue reading...

Rams take over top spot in NFC with 45-17 win while Steelers beat Ravens in key AFC North matchIt's GOOD! Ravens 3-0 Steelers 10:58, 1st quarterTyler Loop boots one from 36 yards to give the Ravens an early lead in the battle for the AFC North. Continue reading...

Georgia lawmaker says colleagues who made fun of president before 2024 win now support him out of fearRepublicans in Congress privately made fun of Donald Trump only to come around to support him when he won their party's 2024 White House nomination, outgoing GOP House member Marjorie Taylor Greene said on Sunday.I watched many of my colleagues go from making fun of him, making fun of how he talks, making fun of me constantly for supporting him, to when he won the primary in 2024, they all started - excuse my language, Lesley - kissing his ass," Greene, a Georgia Republican, said in a clip of an interview that is set to air on Sunday on CBS's 60 Minutes program. Continue reading...

Minnesota representative says hateful rhetoric' can lead to dangerous actions by people who listen to the president'US House member Ilhan Omar on Sunday defended the Somali community in her Minnesota congressional district, saying it was completely disgusting" when Donald Trump recently referred to them as garbage.These are Americans that he is calling garbage,'" Omar, a Somalia-born Democrat, said while responding to the president's remarks on CBS's Face the Nation. I think it is also really important for us to remember that this kind of hateful rhetoric - and this level of dehumanizing - can lead to dangerous actions by people who listen to the president." Continue reading...

Trump team faces mounting pressure as members of Congress allege that the deadly attack was unlawfulUS Democrats on Sunday pushed the Trump administration to release video of a second strike on an alleged drug boat incapacitated in the Caribbean, continuing to escalate pressure on the Pentagon amid accusations the attack was unlawful.Eleven people died in the 2 September attack, including two men killed in a follow-up strike as they reportedly clung to wreckage for an hour. That killing has been met with intense scrutiny and accusations of war crimes after the Washington Post reported defense secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to kill them all". Adm Frank Bradley of the US navy, who oversaw the attack, told lawmakers on Thursday there was no such order - and the Pentagon has defended the legality of the attack. Continue reading...

Jamaican-born US army veteran faces deportation as more non-US citizen military members are swept up by ICE raidsThe fiancee of a Jamaican-born, decorated US army veteran who is now facing deportation under the Trump administration says she hopes his story might inspire legislative action to restore immigration protections for former military members.If you served this country, you deserve a chance to stay in this country," said April Watkins, who is engaged to Godfrey Wade, one of tens of thousands who have been put in immigration detention under Donald Trump's second presidency. That is the hope for not only him but for any veteran who sits in a detention center. Look at their service that they gave this country and take that into consideration." Continue reading...

Pushing for the release of the jailed leader could prove central to the peace that Donald Trump claims to seek in the Middle EastIn a sort-of ceasefire, the killings - including of children - have slowed, not stopped. Israeli military operations continue to displace hundreds of families in Gaza. Aid has increased but Israel is still blocking vital supplies. Palestinians desperately require security, humanitarian relief and reconstruction. But they need and expect a political horizon too. Donald Trump's plans make only the vaguest and most conditional reference to a Palestinian state, and Israelis - as well as their ultra-right government - have entrenched their opposition since the atrocities of 7 October 2023. Yet after two years of annihilation, Palestinian nationhood has won international support that many thought unimaginable.The political fate of Palestinians is bound to the personal fate of Marwan Barghouti. After more than two decades in an Israeli jail for murder, the charismatic 66-year-old is by far the most popular Palestinian leader, widely regarded as the only figure capable of uniting factions riven by ideology and enmity. Though amember of Fatah, Mr Barghouti has criticised abuses by the Palestinian Authority and has won respect withinHamas ranks. He has led Palestinian prisoners, while the PA's old guard are seen as self-serving, ineffective, unaccountable and essentially as security contractors for Israel in the West Bank. Continue reading...

At event in California, US defense secretary says Trump has power to take military action as he sees fit'Pete Hegseth on Saturday doubled down on his defense of US military strikes on alleged drug cartel boats in the Caribbean, arguing that Donald Trump has the power to take military action as he sees fit" and dismissing concerns that the strikes violate international law.Hegseth spoke on Saturday at the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, California, amid growing scrutiny over the legality of the attacks and his leadership of the Pentagon. Continue reading...

Henry Cuellar launched House re-election bid as Democrat days after Trump pardoned him over bribery chargesDays after issuing him a pardon, Donald Trump criticized US House member Henry Cuellar of Texas for deciding to run for re-election as a Democrat.Trump pardoned Cuellar and the congressman's wife on Wednesday as they faced bribery charges. They were alleged to have accepted thousands of dollars from Azerbaijan and a Mexican bank in exchange for advancing their interests. Continue reading...

Government faces setback after judge said it likely violated Comey ally's protections from unreasonable searchesA federal judge has temporarily blocked prosecutors from accessing materials from a key ally of James Comey on Saturday, making the already uphill criminal case against the former FBI director even more difficult.Daniel Richman, a Columbia University law school professor who has also represented Comey as an attorney, sued the government in November, saying that the government had unlawfully accessed materials from his computer as they charged Comey with lying to Congress. Richman is a close friend of Comey who worked at the FBI. Continue reading...

After losing homes, heirlooms and decades of memories, Angelenos are piecing together new rituals this seasonMichael Holland and his wife, Anne Louise Bannon, built up an extensive collection of Christmas decorations, including heirlooms from their respective childhoods over the 27 years they lived in their Altadena home.We tried to buy a new ornament every year as part of our tradition," Holland told the Guardian. Continue reading...

Man charged with attempted murder less than four months after Iryna Zarutska was killed in unrelated knife attackPolice in North Carolina have charged a 33-year-old man with critically injuring another person in a stabbing on a Charlotte commuter train, just a few months after a Ukrainian refugee riding one of the city's trains was killed in an unrelated knife attack.Oscar Solarzano, 33, was charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon and other crimes stemming from the Friday afternoon attack in which he wielded a large knife, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said in a news release. Continue reading...

For young Americans, not being able to buy a house is more than a sob story. It's the symbol of a broken social contract and a generational betrayalAlmost every couple that I know in their 20s, 30s or even 40s has had the same argument with their parents before getting married.The parents say to open a wedding registry. The couple responds that they do not want one. They don't expect gifts from wedding guests (their presence is enough"), and they have been cohabiting for years and already have plates, bedsheets and a blender. In fact, since they live in a small rented apartment, they barely have room for the plates that they do have - let alone a set of china. Continue reading...

Kyiv may be approaching its last chance to end the war with its sovereignty intact. If a peace deal includes two key elements, it should acceptThe negotiations over the war in Ukraine are frustrating and tragic. On the one side, a victim of aggression whose plight is more and more desperate. On the other, a brutal aggressor, willing to go to extraordinary lengths to win the war. In the middle, a transactional American president eager for a deal.It's no surprise that so many observers have railed against the proposals recently put forward by President Donald Trump and his emissary Steve Witkoff. These proposals appear to offer much to Russia and little to Ukraine - other than an end to the violence. If the negotiations produce a plan that offers Ukraine no hope of security after the war, no Ukrainian leader will accept it. Security is the core of sovereignty, and it would be political suicide to trade Ukraine's sovereignty for peace.Christopher S Chivvis is a senior fellow and director of the American statecraft program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Continue reading...

Eldest son of Donald Trump makes speculative comments during tirade against Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EUDonald Trump may walk away from the Ukrainian war, the US president's oldest son has said in comments to a Middle East conference.In a lengthy tirade against the purpose of continued fighting in Ukraine, Donald Trump Jr also said Ukraine's corrupt" rich had fled their country leaving what they believed to be the peasant class" to fight the war. Continue reading...

Conservatives warned of a mass exodus if the democratic socialist won, but experts, and property data, paint a very different pictureThe warnings were stark. If Zohran Mamdani were to win the New York City mayoral election, his plans to raise taxes - slightly - on the city's wealthiest residents would cause millionaires to bolt en masse, decamping to lower-tax states such as Florida and Texas.The New York Post, a conservative tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch, told readers on an almost daily basis through October that New York would effectively become a ghost town under Mamdani's mayoralty, a propaganda campaign that concluded the day before the election with the bombastic claim that nearly a million" people were planning to flee". Continue reading...

The movement's success was never a given. It took much longer and required repeated action and tremendous sacrifice, without any certainty it would workThe Montgomery bus boycott, which began 70 years ago on 5 December 1955, is now understood as one of the most successful American social movements. And yet, much of how it is remembered is romanticized, inaccurate and even dangerous - distorting how we imagine social change happens.In the fable, Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat, Black Montgomery residents rise up, a young Martin Luther King Jr is introduced to the world, and injustice is vanquished. The right action is all it takes - furthering a mythology that, without deep preparation or sacrifice, Americans can make great change with a single act. Today, in the face of rising injustice, many criticize young activists for being too disruptive, too disorganized, too impractical. But, in fact, the Montgomery movement began much earlier and took much longer than we imagine and entailed tremendous sacrifice. It required hard choice after hard choice without evidence these actions would matter, and was considered too disruptive by many at the time - all of which gives us important lessons for how to challenge injustice today.Jeanne Theoharis is a distinguished professor of political science at Brooklyn College and the author of King of the North: Martin Luther King Jr's Life of Struggle Outside the South and The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks. Continue reading...

Heather Jones, now 33, went public with allegations after Robert Sullivan continued to work with childrenThe woman who publicly alleged that she was 17 when a longtime Roman Catholic priest in Alabama successfully offered her financial support in exchange for sex and other forms of private companionship - recently prompting him to resign from the clergy - says there is no real winner in this situation".In her first remarks since Robert Bob" Sullivan's self-imposed removal from the priesthood was announced by his church superiors, Heather Jones wrote in a statement that the only thing she gained was truth finally coming to light after years of gaslighting myself into thinking it wasn't a big deal". Continue reading...

A soaring stock market rewards the already well-off but Trump's handling of the economy has caused his approval ratings to plungeEntering Printemps in downtown New York City feels like an escape. A slight smell of musk hangs in the air as shoppers weave carefully around racks of coats and shelves of handbags and shoes. For the holidays, the store set up a small ice rink on its second floor where skaters perform on weekends.The French luxury retail emporium opened its first New York outlet earlier this year and has said it wants shoppers to feel so comfortable that it feels like their own chic French apartment". The store has a bar upstairs, along with a roving champagne cart, and encourages shoppers to sip on their drinks while they browse. Plush carpeting in the dressing room, full of orange and reds, is reminiscent of a Wes Anderson movie set. Continue reading...

The war against Ukraine has hit ordinary Russians hard, and the deteriorating situation is likely to inflame tensionsPeople in Britain who think they are governed by fools should take a closer look at the Russian and US presidents. Vladimir Putin is systematically ruining his country. His war of choice in Ukraine is an economic, financial, geopolitical and human calamity for Russia that worsens by the day. For his own murky reasons, Donald Trump, another national menace, offered him a lifeline last week. Yet Putin spurned it. These two fools deserve each other.On the table in Moscow was a peace" deal that, broadly speaking, rewarded Russia's aggression by handing over large chunks of Ukrainian land, compromised Kyiv's independence and weakened its defences against any future attack. The Trump deal, if forced through, would have split the US and Europe; ruptured Nato, perhaps fatally; reprieved Russia's pariah economy; and probably toppled Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government.Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator Continue reading...

US defense secretary Pete Hegseth under siege over mishandling of classified military intelligence and Caribbean boat attacks. Key US politics stories from 6 December 2025Pete Hegseth is facing the most serious crisis of his tenure as defense secretary, engulfed by allegations of war crimes in the Caribbean and a blistering inspector general report accusing him of mishandling classified military intelligence.But Hegseth shows no signs of stepping down and still holds Donald Trump's support. Continue reading...

Inter Miami survived a remarkable double-post escape before Messi and friends sealed the club's first MLS Cup, giving Busquets and Alba a storybook farewellThe ball was going over the line. Surely. Definitely. Inter Miami would be behind. Lionel Messi's chance at capturing the trophy he most wanted to win would be teetering on a knife's edge. And perhaps most distressingly to Inter Miami, two retiring legends, Sergi Busquets and Jordi Alba, would be closing in on ignominious ends. They would have come to MLS to accompany Messi, their friend, but would end their time on the field as losers of a final, the type of game they so often won at club and international level.All that ball had to do was cross the line. The Vancouver Whitecaps' Emmanuel Sabbi had imbued it with a seeming destiny after a virtuoso run into the heart of the Inter Miami defense. His left-footed effort wrapped around the outstretched hand of Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo. It smacked the inside of the far post. It bounced on the line. Continue reading...

George Strait, Sly' Stallone and Kiss accept medals from president, who says he was 98% involved' in choosing themDonald Trump on Saturday evening hosted the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees in the Oval Office for a medal-presentation ceremony, celebrating country music singer George Strait, actor-singer Michael Crawford, actor Sylvester Sly" Stallone and the members of the rock band Kiss.This is a great evening, it's a great honor," Trump said. And I'm delighted to welcome to the Oval Office - the world-famous, most famous office in the world, most powerful office in the world - our truly exceptional 2025 Kennedy Center honorees." Continue reading...

White House decision is part of $140m settlement over flight chaos during busy December travel periodThe Trump administration said on Saturday it will waive an $11m fine imposed on Southwest Airlines as part of a $140m settlement over the carrier's meltdown in December 2022 during a busy holiday travel period.Southwest in December 2023 agreed to pay a $35m cash fine over three years over the airline's handling of the meltdown that stranded more than 2 million passengers. It also agreed to provide $90m in travel vouchers of $75 or more to passengers delayed at least three hours getting to final destinations because of an airline-caused issue or cancellation. Continue reading...

Three-person escape is second for state in a year, after 10 people crawled through a wall at a different prisonTwo inmates accused of violent crimes, including second-degree attempted murder, are on the run after escaping from a south-western Louisiana jail on Wednesday by removing pieces of a deteriorating interior wall and using sheets to scale another outside wall, officials said.A third inmate who joined in the breakout died by suicide after he was tracked down. Continue reading...

Patty Murray of Washington state said ICE agents lied to Wilmer Toledo-Martinez to lure him outside before dog attacked himA US senator has condemned the Trump administration after she alleged that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attack dog" mauled one of her constituents.Democratic senator Patty Murray of Washington state said Wilmer Toledo-Martinez suffered horrific" injuries while ICE agents detained him in November. Continue reading...

Andrew Wolfe was shot in the head on 26 November, while Sarah Beckstrom died from her injuriesThe West Virginia national guard soldier who was wounded in the 26 November shooting that killed a colleague of his in Washington DC is slowly healing", according to West Virginia's governor.Andrew Wolfe, 24, was shot alongside fellow West Virginia national guard soldier Sarah Beckstrom, 20, while they patrolled the US capital as part of the Trump administration's push to deploy military members on to the city's streets. Beckstrom died of her injuries the day after she was shot while Wolfe was hospitalized in critical condition. Continue reading...

Another escaped inmate killed himself after being recognized by a tipster and police respondedTwo inmates accused of violent crimes, including second-degree attempted murder, are on the run after escaping from a south-western Louisiana jail on Wednesday by removing pieces of a deteriorating interior wall and using sheets to scale another outside wall, officials said.A third inmate who joined in the breakout died by suicide after he was tracked down. Continue reading...

The former president gave a speech expressing support for LGBTQ+ rights at an LGBTQ+ leaders conference on FridayJoe Biden has criticized Republicans for turning transgender rights into a political football" in a speech that the former US president delivered at an LGBTQ+ event.Speaking at the International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference in Washington on Friday, Biden urged LGBTQ+ people to get up and fight back" against Donald Trump's second presidential administration. Continue reading...

State court made ruling against ex-lawmaker now serving 11-year sentence for bribery and acting as an agent of EgyptFormer US senator Bob Menendez has been permanently disqualified from seeking or holding public office in his home state of New Jersey after being convicted of federal corruption charges, according to officials.An order on Friday from New Jersey superior court judge Robert Lougy banned Menendez from any position of honor, trust, or profit in state or local government", the state's attorney general, Matt Platkin, said in a statement. Menendez would face a fourth-degree charge of contempt of court if he applies for public office or employment or takes any steps to campaign, run for or be appointed" to such a post, Platkin's statement also said. Continue reading...

Obama, Trump, and Biden stood by their man in Tegucigalpa for the eight vicious, destructive years he was in powerSince President Trump first announced the pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez last Friday, the media has been wading through the long list of criminal acts that led to Hernandez's 2024 conviction for drug trafficking, money laundering and arms dealing. Trump's outrageous pardon is being contrasted with his unlawful, aggressive attacks on boats allegedly trafficking drugs for the government of Venezuela. Missing from the narrative, though, are the other illegal acts committed by Hernandez that weren't about drug trafficking, and thus didn't fall under the justice department's anti-drug mandate when it charged and convicted him in the southern district of New York. Many are the crimes of Juan Orlando Hernandez, and ruinous.And long is the history of US support for him in full knowledge of those crimes. Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden all stood by their man in Honduras for the eight vicious, destructive years he was in power. They ignored his drug connections, supported the military and police that kept him in power through state terror, and countenanced his illegal re-elections. Hernandez was only able to rise to power, and stay there, because of the United States government.Dana Frank is research professor and professor emerita of history at the University of California, Santa Cruz and author of The Long Honduran Night: Resistance, Terror, and the United States in the Aftermath of the Coup Continue reading...