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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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H.R. 10144: Pesticide Harm Accountability Act
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 10143: Jobs, Not Waste Act of 2026
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 10140: SPF Act of 2026
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 10138: CCP Fentanyl Sanctions Act
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.Res. 1489: Honoring the crew of the Artemis II mission for their historic lunar flyby.
Bill Text: This resolution's text is now available.
H.R. 10139: Ratepayer Bill of Rights Act of 2026
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 10147: To amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule for the United States to establish a new subheading in chapter 39 for silicone prosthetics for women who are breast cancer survivors and a new subheading in chapter 90 for mastectomy bras.
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.Res. 1488: Recognizing the significance of “Chicano/Chicana Heritage Month” in August as an important time to celebrate the significant contributions of Mexican Americans to the history of the United States.
Bill Text: This resolution's text is now available.
US territories hit out at Trump plan to explore deep sea mining in the Pacific
US agency releases plan to lease millions of hectares of seabed off the coast of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam A US government plan to lease out millions of hectares of seabed near the Mariana Trench for deep sea exploration has drawn opposition from US territories in the Pacific, as the Trump administration remains locked in a race with China for control of critical ocean minerals. On Tuesday, the Marine Mineral Administration (MMA), an agency under the US department of the interior, released a proposal to auction deep sea mining leases for 28m hectares (69m acres) of seafloor off the coast of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. Continue reading...
UK productivity growing faster than official figures suggest, thinktank finds
Resolution Foundation suggests economy may finally be emerging from shadow of 2008 financial crisis Productivity in the UK – a vital measure of economic health – is growing more strongly than official figures suggest, according to analysis from the Resolution Foundation. The thinktank suggests the chancellor, John Healey, may have inherited an economy finally starting to emerge from the long shadow of the 2008 global financial crisis. Continue reading...
Burnham to visit Ukraine with promise of boost for Kyiv’s long-range missiles
PM will use independence day trip to announce sharing of classified information about Storm Shadow components Britain will boost Ukraine’s capacity to make its own long-range missiles, Andy Burnham will announce on Monday, as he travels to Kyiv for the country’s independence day on his first foreign visit as prime minister. Burnham will arrive in the Ukrainian capital on Monday morning at a crucial time in the war, with Kyiv braced for another wave of Russian missile attacks and the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, facing his most direct domestic challenge. Continue reading...
Government vows to make business rate valuations for pubs and hotels fairer
Review will look at improving system for English and Welsh hospitality venues before next revaluation date in 2029 The government has promised that business rate valuations will be “made fairer” for pubs and hotels in England and Wales, as Andy Burnham faces growing calls to help the UK’s struggling hospitality sector. An independent review for England and Wales will look at improving the system for hospitality venues, which were hit by higher business rate bills this year after the end of pandemic-era relief and when new revaluations took effect. Continue reading...
Eight-year-old dies after contracting rare brain-eating amoeba in Louisiana
Lillian Smart of Ruston infected with fatal Naegleria fowleri , likely after swimming in Lake Claiborne, health officials say An eight-year-old Louisiana girl has died after contracting a rare, typically fatal brain-eating amoeba after a swim in Lake Claiborne. Lillian Smart, of Ruston, died on Saturday, one day after celebrating her birthday, her family announced in a public Facebook post on the “Love for Lillian” page . Continue reading...
Landslide at waste mound in Guinea’s capital kills 30, government says
Dump site in Conakry, which minister had just promised to move, collapsed after heavy rain in west African state A landslide at a huge waste dump in Guinea’s capital has killed 30 people, the government said on Sunday, after heavy rains overnight prompted it to collapse, engulfing nearby tents and shacks. The incident occurred less than a week after the government announced plans to close the site and relocate the waste because of the threat it posed, especially during the rainy season, which causes landslides and fatal flash floods each year in crowded, underdeveloped cities across parts of West Africa. Continue reading...
Donald’s big day out at Washington’s IndyCar race – from furious flag-waving to dubious weather forecasting
US president, pushing on with Freedom 250 festivities, makes over nation’s capital for Trump rally on wheels Kyle Kirkwood wins Freedom 250 IndyCar race after Trump waves the green flag He got the wrong end of the stick. Donald Trump couldn’t figure out how to hold the green flag until his wife, Melania Trump, and Command Sgt Maj Matt Williams set him right. Then the US president waved the flag fast and furious like an excited schoolboy. The race was under way – and his conquest of Washington DC was complete. Since returning to Washington, Trump has deployed the national guard, wrecked the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, demolished the East Wing of the White House and run the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts into the ground. His face adorns the Department of Justice, and he still has grand plans for a triumphal arch worthy of a Roman emperor. Continue reading...
Kyle Kirkwood wins Freedom 250 IndyCar race after Trump waves the green flag
American driver wins in a dominant performance DC Mayor Muriel Bowser served as grand marshal Kyle Kirkwood gave the Freedom 250 an American winner, racing to his second victory of the IndyCar season on the streets of downtown Washington in a dominant performance Sunday. In a race set up as part of the country’s 250th birthday celebration, President Donald Trump gave drivers the green flag at the start and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser served as grand marshal. Kirkwood crossed the finish line in front of the Capitol 3.09 seconds ahead of Christian Lundgaard, after leading for 128 of a possible 147 laps. Continue reading...
Australia news live: Shark attack victim thanks donors after ‘incredibly difficult’ recovery; penguin parade gets flu shots
Leah Stewart lost her arm in a great white shark attack at Sydney’s Coogee beach. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Good morning. Nick Visser here to get the news going. Here’s what’s on deck: Leah Stewart , the woman who was bitten by a shark at Sydney’s Coogee beach, issued a thankyou to those who supported her after the attack. She wrote on GoFundMe: “After what has been an incredibly difficult few months, I’m so happy that I’ve progressed enough to build some independence, and I can finally see some light after all of this.” Continue reading...
Reform says it would put foreign-born UK citizens lower on social housing list
UK-born married couples under 35 with children would get priority under proposals to be outlined by Farage’s party British citizens who were born abroad would be made to wait longer for social housing under proposals to be announced by Reform UK on Monday. Nigel Farage’s party will announce the policy at a press conference in London. Under the policy, people born in the UK and young married couples with children would be given priority for social housing. Continue reading...
Fast-moving wildfire in Reno, Nevada, forces thousands to evacuate homes
Hawk fire has covered more than 10,500 acres as blaze approaches University of Nevada campus in Reno A fast-moving Nevada wildfire exploded to more than 10,500 acres (4,200 hectares) early on Sunday, pushing from the Sierra foothills toward the center of Reno and forcing nearly 14,000 homes to evacuate as flames threatened neighborhoods and reached the edge of the University of Nevada campus. The Hawk fire’s “GO NOW” evacuation zone had expanded to the edge of the university campus as strong, gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation fueled the blaze, according to Truckee Meadows fire and Rescue in Reno. Continue reading...
The Guardian view on Andy Burnham’s foreign policy: work in progress | Editorial
The prime minister has focused on domestic affairs since coming to office. But at a time of global disruption, he will need to define Britain’s place in the world A run of volatility in domestic British politics in recent years has tracked a period of global turbulence, and yet foreign policy over the same period has been an area of relative stability. What little is known about Andy Burnham’s approach to international relations expresses more continuity with Sir Keir Starmer’s administration than deviation. In negotiations with the EU, the red lines that prohibit membership of the single market or customs union still stand . Where Washington is concerned, Mr Burnham shows no interest in performances of bonhomie with Donald Trump, but his predecessor had already swapped that approach for a cooler pragmatic tone by the end of his tenure. The new foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, has opened a good dialogue with Marco Rubio , his US counterpart. Such is the density of integration in defence and security matters that incoming UK prime ministers, regardless of ideology, have little choice but to invest time in cultivating a bond with whoever sits in the White House. Anyone hoping for a spectacular transatlantic rupture and sudden clinch with Brussels will be disappointed. Continue reading...
The lesson from Canada’s collapsed trade talks with the US: negotiation may be futile
Breakdown shows Washington now prioritises its own interests over any semblance of shared economic ground ‘No more!!!’: Trump lashes out after US-Canada talks devolve into trade war The calamitous collapse of trade negotiations between Canada and the United States is a warning to nations worldwide that pursuing any kind of dialogue with the current US administration is doomed at the outset, according to observers who say this recent episode indicates seeking a fair deal is futile. Andrea Lawlor, an associate professor of political science at McMaster University in Ontario, said: “No matter the closeness of the historical relationship, the American administration has signalled that it now prioritises its interests above those of some sort of global economic coordination or harmony. Continue reading...
Tim Scott defends Darline Graham’s ‘national security is not my thing’ comment
Republican senator tries to assuage concerns but does not offer details of Graham’s national security experience Tim Scott defended fellow US South Carolina Republican senator Darline Graham’s knowledge of national security issues ahead of their state’s runoff election on Tuesday. Graham, who was appointed to fill the Senate seat held by her brother Lindsey Graham after his sudden death in July, is in a Republican primary runoff against South Carolina congressman Ralph Norman. During a debate between the two on Tuesday night, Graham struggled to answer a question about US national security interests in Taiwan and the South China Sea. Continue reading...
Iryna Zarutska’s family sues Charlotte over alleged security failures in her death
Relatives of woman fatally stabbed on public transit allege death was preventable and city knew of violent crime issue The family of Iryna Zarutska is suing Charlotte and a security company one year after the Ukrainian refugee was fatally stabbed onboard a light rail train in the North Carolina city. A lawsuit filed on Friday in Charlotte’s Mecklenburg county superior court alleges Zarutska’s death was preventable. It also claims the city and the company that provides security for the Charlotte Area Transit System failed to put adequate protections in place despite knowing about violent crime on and around the municipal light rail line. Continue reading...
Democrats incredulous over Hakeem Jeffries and Jared Kushner meeting
Critics include Senator Chris van Hollen, ex-aide to Obama Tommy Vietor and ex-Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger Democrats and other Donald Trump critics reacted incredulously to a New York Times report on Sunday that House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Jared Kushner, the president’s influential son-in-law, to discuss possible areas of collaboration. The meeting comes months ahead of the November midterm elections in which Democrats are favored to retake the US House, a development that would make Jeffries speaker. If they are in the majority, Democrats are expected to use their oversight power to aggressively investigate the Trump administration, including self-enrichment by the president and his family. Continue reading...