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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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US supreme court rules Trump can proceed with crackdown on mail-in voting
Justices’ ruling comes after lower courts had blocked president’s election order ahead of November midterms Donald Trump’s administration can proceed with a nationwide crackdown on mail-in voting, the US supreme court has ruled, approving its emergency appeal. It remains unclear, however, how his administration can implement the decision in time for the midterm elections in November, and the ruling leaves room for legal challenges. Continue reading...
Nevada files lawsuit challenging federal plan for Colorado River revival
In Trump administration’s plan, California, Arizona and Nevada face about a 20% cut to water supply over two years Nevada filed a federal lawsuit on Monday challenging the Trump administration’s new plan for the imperiled Colorado River, launching what could become the first of many court battles over the waterway that supplies 40 million people, dozens of tribes and 5.5m acres of farm land across the American west. The federal plan, issued Friday, cut roughly 20% from the water supplied to lower basin states – Nevada, Arizona and California – over the next two years, with a potential for harsher cutbacks in the future, based on conditions. Continue reading...
Australia news live: Sydney trains plagued by morning cancellations due to ‘urgent’ repairs to overhead wires
Commuters warned journey may take an extra 45 minutes as ‘limited’ buses replace north short trains. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action. We begin with a classic “commuter chaos” update: there are widespread train cancellations in Sydney this morning due to problems with overhead wiring at a major hub. Continue reading...
US strikes a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing 2 people in first attack in months
US Southern Command has struck another vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two accused of trafficking drugs After a pause of more than two months, the US military announced Monday that it once again carried out a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people accused of trafficking drugs. It brings the overall death toll to 223 people killed in 67 strikes during the nearly year-long US campaign of bombing alleged drug boats off Latin America’s Caribbean coast and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. US Southern Command says the campaign has resulted in the destruction of 64 speedboats, three “low-profile” ships and a semisubmersible craft. Continue reading...
Toddler wanders on to field and interrupts MLS game – video
A child invaded the pitch and interrupted a Major League Soccer match between Minnesota United and San Jose Earthquakes on 22 August Continue reading...
Man arrested on suspicion of arson after fire at car park used by Gatwick passengers
Blaze near Crawley destroyed 140 vehicles, damaged nearby businesses and led to power cuts on Saturday night A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire tore through a car park used by people flying from Gatwick airport, destroying about 140 vehicles. The blaze eruptedat Caldyne business park near Crawley, about eight miles from the airport just after 9pm on Saturday. Images showed vehicles on fire and enormous plumes of smoke rising close to overhead power lines. Continue reading...
Victorian premier Ben Carroll pushes ahead with SRL spend despite hinting at pause
A day after suggesting other projects were more important to Victorians, Carroll has committed to pushing ahead on train line Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, has made an about-face, committing to pushing ahead with the first stage of the Suburban Rail Loop while promising to reduce its total cost by about 6%. Carroll will on Tuesday announce changes to the scope of the first stage of the project, known as SRL East – a 26km stretch of tunnels between Cheltenham and Box Hill – estimated to save $1bn. Continue reading...
Alfalfa sprouts linked to food-poisoning outbreak in 15 states, US officials say
Everything Sprouts recalls products after CDC says agency is aware of dozens of food-poisoning cases nationally US healthcare officials recently said a food-poisoning outbreak tied to alfalfa sprouts and involving multiple germs had sickened people in at least 15 states. Officials announced the outbreak after documenting more than three dozen cases in Minnesota and Wisconsin. On Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the agency was aware of at least 55 cases nationally, including four people who had been hospitalized. Continue reading...
US threatens severe sanctions against countries with economic ties to Iran
Washington launches campaign to isolate Tehran but it is unclear whether it would apply sanctions to China The US has threatened to impose severe sanctions against any country or entity maintaining economic ties with Iran, hoping to achieve with economic measures what military means have so far failed to do. However, it is unclear how far the Trump administration is prepared to go in confronting China, Iran’s biggest trading partner, which has signalled its resistance to US economic pressure to cut off links with an ally. Continue reading...
Trump announces new 50% tariff on Canadian cars, trucks and steel
Move is latest deterioration in trade relations between neighbors with historically strong economic ties Donald Trump announced a new 50% tariff on automobiles and crucial raw materials from Canada, the latest deterioration in trade relations between the two neighbors with historically strong economic ties. Trump said that the increased tariffs would start 1 January 2027 on all cars, trucks, automobile parts and steel. He also derided the nation’s tariffs on American farmers, writing on social media that Canada has been “ripping off” the US “for years”. Continue reading...
French tourist dies in California’s Death Valley after being stranded in heat
Man, 68, was left searching for help in 116F weather after his car became stuck in mud along remote park road A French tourist recently died in Death Valley national park after a car mishap left him stranded in 116F (47C) weather. The visitor, identified as 68-year-old Pierre Michel Formosa, was traveling with another French man along the park’s remote West Side Road when their vehicle became stuck in mud near Queen of Sheba Mine Road. Continue reading...
Mark Carney says Canada can’t accept US trade deal that would weaken French language
Prime minister praised for rejecting US trade proposal as Trump shows little interest in retreating from dispute Are you a Canadian boycotting US products? We’d like to hear from you Mark Carney said on Monday that while American negotiators saw the French language in Canada as an “irritant … in Quebec, these are rights,” days after receiving widespread praise from political leaders for rejecting a US trade proposal that many perceived as weakening the country’s Francophone culture. The prime minister’s remarks came hours after the US president, Donald Trump, showed little interest in retreating from the spat, posting on social media that Canada had been “ripping off the United States of America for years” and threatening a swath of new, economically devastating tariffs on cars and trucks. Continue reading...
US immigration officers reassigned to screen South African refugees and find ‘unlawful’ voters
Exclusive: internal correspondence reveals USCIS anti-fraud officers shifted on to two ‘high-priority’ initiatives All US immigration officers working for a key anti-fraud unit have been reassigned by Donald Trump’s administration to focus on screening South African refugees and alleged “unlawful” voters. Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) immigration officers have been shifted full-time on to two “high-priority” initiatives, according to internal correspondence seen by the Guardian, leaving US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unable to provide officers to train asylum officers in “the near future”. Continue reading...
NYPD to investigate another video of people emerging from manhole
Video posted on social media shows three people climbing out of sewer system at 4am, months after similar reports New York City ’s police department ( NYPD ) says it is investigating a recent video of three people emerging from a manhole in the latest such episode to cause mystery . Posted to TikTok on Friday, the video showed three people – one after the other – climbing out of a manhole at 4.19am on 18 August wearing headlamps and black overalls near Madison Square Garden. Continue reading...
UK to use Ukraine battlefield data to train AI to protect sensitive sites
London and Kyiv in deal to help stop protesters and hostile states targeting military bases and critical infrastructure AI models trained on Ukrainian battlefield data will be used to stop protesters and foreign states targeting UK defence sites, railways and energy plants under a deal struck between London and Kyiv. Private companies will also be given access to the vast trove of data from Ukraine’s Avengers AI lab to help build new systems, the first agreement of its kind in the UK. Continue reading...
Reform would evict social housing tenants over unkempt gardens
Plan part of a wider policy to remove foreign nationals from social homes and prioritise young British-born couples Social housing tenants will be evicted if they fail to keep their gardens well maintained under a Reform UK government, the party has announced. Lee Anderson, the party’s chair, said that if Reform came to power it would insist that those in social rented homes would be required to keep their properties decorated and gardens looked after. Continue reading...
Problems brewing for the proper pint as Camra membership falls
Cost of living has hit campaign group while multinationals are threatening to squeeze out independent breweries For centuries, the wooden real ale pump has been the hallmark of a good British boozer. But now problems are brewing for the proper pint, as the Campaign for Real Ale has seen its membership sink to an eight-year low and its accounts show it is firmly in the red, making an £800,000 loss last year. Real ale is a traditional draught cask beer, a “living” product that is produced and stored in its cask. It differs from a cold, fizzy lager, in which the yeast is killed and carbon dioxide is added. Real ale contains live yeast so it continues fermenting until it is served. Continue reading...
‘Fix that little spot’: Danish PM receives beauty tips even when in a war zone
Mette Frederiksen, who was attending meeting in Kyiv, advises high-profile women to embrace self-acceptance Sick of getting unsolicited beauty tips on social media, even while she’s in a war zone, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen rebuffed a male cosmetic surgeon’s offer to “fix” her and advised women in similar situations to embrace self-acceptance. Frederiksen, a Social Democrat and Denmark’s second female prime minister, posted on Instagram that she had just returned from a trip to Ukraine where she was subjected to air raid sirens when she found a message proposing some help with her appearance. Continue reading...
Rupert Lowe set to be paid as much for divisive posts on Elon Musk’s X as for being MP
Restore Britain leader paid up to £1,476 an hour by platform, which critics say is financially incentivising inflammatory content Rupert Lowe, the leader of Restore Britain, is on course to earn as much from the social media platform X as he does from his salary as an MP, after surging income from posts that include demands for mass deportations. Lowe has earned £932 an hour for his posts on X, formerly Twitter, since the start of the year, according to his own declarations in the register of MPs’ financial interests, which detail how many hours he has spent on X for each payment he received from the platform. Continue reading...
Prince Harry quits board of wildlife charity after human rights abuses
Spokesperson for Duke of Sussex says he remains an ‘active and avid supporter’ of African Parks’ mission The Duke of Sussex has stepped down from the board of a major African wildlife charity that had been at the centre of a human rights controversy. Prince Harry’s spokesperson confirmed he was no longer a trustee of African Parks , which admitted last year that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers in the Republic of the Congo. Continue reading...
Burnham’s visit to Kyiv marks a renewal of badly needed support for Ukraine
As well as pledging military help and diplomatic backing, the prime minister could be useful in dealing with the US Since moving into Downing Street in July, Andy Burnham – a foreign policy neophyte – has expressed strong support for Ukraine. But on Monday he saw the bitter human cost of the war up close for the first time, visiting Kyiv during his first international trip as prime minister. The occasion was the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave awards to the families of fallen soldiers. Relatives wept, hugging Ukraine’s president. Photos of young men in their prime were shown on a giant screen. Continue reading...
San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York pleads no contest after arrest at Ohio trailer park
46-year-old charged with possessing criminal tools York fined and sentenced to two days in jail 49ers CEO also owns stake in Leeds United The San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York has pleaded no contest to two criminal charges after being arrested in Ohio over the weekend. KRON4 News in San Francisco reported that York was initially arrested on suspicion of engaging in prostitution but that count was amended to a charge of disorderly conduct. He was also charged with possessing criminal tools. Continue reading...
John Oliver on ‘smart’ appliances: ‘Spying on you through the washing machine’
The host also discussed the rise of forgotten monthly subscriptions for anything from dishwashers to litter boxes On the Sunday night episode of his HBO show, John Oliver discussed the rise of subscription-based business models across the worlds of music, film and TV, beauty, food, cleaning services and more. “Subscriptions are now basically everywhere and many of us don’t even realize how much we spend on them,” Oliver said. Continue reading...
Vuelta a España: giant hail forces stage three abandonment in Pyrenees
Huge hailstones prompt organisers to act 15km from end Riders seen heading into hotel on route to take cover A torrential hailstorm in the French Pyrenees forced the abandonment of the third stage of the Vuelta a España on Monday. With 15km (9.32 miles) remaining of the 174km ride from Gruissan to Font-Romeu, the skies darkened as the peloton scaled the Col de Mont-Louis and huge hailstones began pelting the riders. Continue reading...