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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
5224 stories archived
US Postal Service rule tightens mail-in voting despite federal court orders
Rule would require states to provide federal government with information on voters in return for delivering ballots The US Postal Service prepared to publish a final rule late on Friday to impose new requirements on states to provide the federal government with information on voters before the November midterm congressional elections, despite a pair of court orders that currently block the changes from taking effect. The USPS acknowledged in the text of the final rule posted online Friday, which is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register next week, that two injunctions issued by federal courts in California and Massachusetts currently bar it from moving ahead with the changes to comply with a March executive order signed by Donald Trump. Continue reading...
Trump says he views strait of Hormuz as ‘American territory’
President at rally in South Carolina makes comments on key strategic waterway and also jokes about bombing Iran Donald Trump called the strait of Hormuz “an American territory” on Friday, as the US continues its military blockade of Iran’s shipping and ports while Trump’s administration struggles to end its war with the country. “We don’t even know if we won, because I view the strait of Hormuz as an American territory right now,” Trump said, addressing a crowd in South Carolina. He was campaigning for senator Darline Graham, who is running to permanently fill her late brother Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat. Continue reading...
Attack on Ukraine shopping centre that killed 16 is ‘terror by design’, says EU foreign policy chief
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, threatens harshest sanctions yet on Russia after strike on Kryvyi Rih, the home town of Volodymyr Zelenskyy Russian drones have slammed into a busy shopping centre in central Ukraine, killing 16 people in an attack that Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned as “cynical and despicable”. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, condemned Friday’s attack on Kryvyi Rih – the president’s home town – as “terror by design” and said she was “putting forward the most far-reaching Russia sanctions listings since the start of the war” when ministers meet in Ireland next month. Continue reading...
Girl, six, dies three days after being pulled from sea off Sussex coast
Saja El-Khawas had been in critical condition after incident that also killed her sister and parents off coast of Shoreham A six-year-old girl has died in hospital three days after being pulled from the sea off Shoreham in West Sussex, in an incident that also killed her mother, father and sister. Saja El-Khawas died on Friday after the deaths of her sister Sara El-Khawas, 14, and her parents Hassan El-Khawas, 55, and Zeina Alayn, 37, on Tuesday. Continue reading...
TikTok agrees to $400m settlement to resolve US children’s privacy litigation
The DoJ sued TikTok and its former parent company in August 2024 for allegedly failing to protect children’s privacy and collecting their information TikTok and its Chinese former parent company ByteDance on Friday agreed to a $400m settlement to resolve the US Department of Justice’s allegations that the short-form video app violated children’s online privacy. The justice department sued TikTok and ByteDance in 2024 for allegedly failing to protect children’s privacy and illegally collecting their information. The defendants were accused of violating a law requiring online services aimed at children to obtain parental consent to collect personal information from users under age 13. Continue reading...
‘Darth Vader’ comes out in favor of Flock cameras at San Diego city council meeting
The dark lord – or someone dressed like him – said the technology would aid the empire in tracking ‘rebel scum’ A man dressed as Darth Vader appeared to poke fun at San Diego officials for using Flock Safety automated license plate readers at a city council meeting this week, a stunt that comes as the company faces growing backlash linked to spying concerns. The man, whose real identity remains unknown, masqueraded on Thursday as the Star Wars villain at a San Diego public safety committee meeting. Continue reading...
Trump threatens $5bn lawsuit over liberal National Guard policy report
A report released by thinktank Cap argues the deployment of the National Guard failed to have a measurable impact on crime, despite costing billions The Center for American Progress (Cap) received a letter from Donald Trump’s lawyer threatening a $5bn lawsuit unless the liberal research organization retracts a report criticizing the effectiveness of the president’s National Guard rollout. The report released 13 July argues that the National Guard deployment in Washington DC, Memphis and Los Angeles failed to have a measurable impact on crime in these cities despite an estimated cost of $1.7bn. The report looks at the falling rate of crime in cities without a National Guard intervention and concludes that they are not statistically different from the rate of decrease in those that had the intervention, noting that violent crime began falling well before Trump took office in 2025. Continue reading...
Lindsay Clancy killed her children. Why do many women support her? – Stateside with Kai and Carter
The trial of Lindsay Clancy, a former nurse accused of murdering her three children, is wrapping up its fifth week. On Friday morning, the defense rested, and the public attention to the case is at a fever-pitch — especially on social media. Clancy, 36, does not deny that she strangled her children, but has pleaded not guilty due to lack of criminal responsibility, also known as an insanity defense. She argues that she was in the throes of postpartum psychosis, a rare and devastating condition that can go unrecognized and untreated. Host Carter Sherman speaks with Jenna Amatulli , deputy head of news for Guardian US, about how the case has renewed attention on the fundamental shortcomings in the US's maternal healthcare system, and about why Clancy's story has captivated – and polarized – so many people Continue reading...
New Mexico man killed in rare fatal bear attack, only second in state in a century
Police department for Navajo Nation neither identified the victim nor said what type of bear had killed him In a rare kind of attack, a bear killed a man in Crystal, New Mexico , on Thursday, local police said. The police department for the Navajo Nation said officers within its Window Rock district received a call at about 1pm that a bear had attacked a man. Continue reading...
Dutch regulator fines Uber $966m for automating driver suspensions
European regulators have imposed billions in penalties on US technology companies due to privacy, competition and digital market rules The Dutch data protection authority has fined Uber €825m ($966m) for deactivating driver accounts through automated systems without adequately informing them, according to a 17 August decision. The penalty would be the second-largest issued yet under Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Continue reading...
Pentagon reportedly fires publisher and editor of US military news outlet Stars & Stripes
Max Lederer and Erik Slavin receive termination notices after publication reported on crew conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln The Pentagon is reported to have fired the publisher and the editor of Stars & Stripes, the US military news outlet that has clashed with the Trump administration and armed forces brass over its partially taxpayer-funded reporting. Publisher Max Lederer and editor Erik Slavin received termination notices, CBS News reported on Friday. The cause cited was insubordination, and they have been given five days to appeal against their dismissals. Continue reading...
Lindsay Clancy murder trial: rebuttal witnesses called after defense rests
Closing arguments could come on Monday as prosecutors seek murder conviction over deaths of three young children Lindsay Clancy ’s defense in her murder trial rested on Friday after calling witnesses to testify about the ailing mother’s mental state and attempts to seek help before she killed her young children. The defense wrapped more quickly than some expected given that the prosecution rested their case on Monday. Continue reading...
The US has a plan to save the Colorado River. Experts say it won’t be enough to stop the crisis
The 10-year blueprint mandates water cuts of up to 40% for California, Arizona and Nevada It’s official: after years of tense negotiations and missed deadlines, there is finally a plan to govern the future of the imperiled Colorado River - or at least the makings of one. With the previous framework set to expire in October, the US Bureau of Reclamation publicly released its proposal for a new plan on Friday. Continue reading...
Deselected candidate claims Lib Dems’ religious discrimination cost him £790,000
David Campanale seeks damages after what he says was organised campaign against his faith in Sutton and Cheam How much is a career in politics worth? The Liberal Democrats, despite admitting claims of religious discrimination, say about £22,800. A former Lib Dem candidate claims £790,000. It is a question before the Central London county court after David Campanale argued that discrimination against his Christianity cost him his political career in a civil case against the party. Continue reading...
Trump administration begins transfer of $725m to UN, amid billions owed
UN secretary general has said UN faces ‘imminent financial collapse’ due to unpaid contributions from member states The Trump administration has started the process to transfer $725m to the United Nations , a congressional notification seen by Reuters showed – a move aid experts said was a welcome step towards paying billions in dues owed. There was no immediate response from Washington DC to questions about the reasons for the payment from an administration that has slashed funding to many UN agencies and blasted the global body for not living up to its potential. Continue reading...
Trump administration asking public comment on vaccine recommendations
Asking people to weigh in on adoption of different categories in move that will sow confusion and create access challenges, say experts The Trump administration is asking for public feedback on changes to the ways it recommends vaccines – likely opening the door to greater access challenges and confusion, experts say. In a notice published by the health and human services (HHS) to the Federal Register on Friday, officials say they are now seeking comments from the public about the current categories for vaccine recommendations, which so far fall into routine, risk-based and shared clinical decision-making. Continue reading...
Victorian Labor promises free dental care if re-elected in Australia-first move
Premier Ben Carroll says $230m would be earmarked for 10 public dental clinics to operate on a walk-in basis Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Victorians would be able to walk into a dental clinic and receive free checkups and treatment under an Australian-first proposal the Labor government will take to the November state election. The premier, Ben Carroll, will announce the plan – Labor’s first major election commitment – at a rally on Saturday to mark fewer than 100 days until Victorians go to the polls. Continue reading...
DHS confirms just 185 non-citizens on Nevada voter rolls after claiming there were thousands more
The department told Nevada officials that the 15,903 figure registered was ‘preliminary’ and more than 14,000 names still needed review About a month after alleging Nevada had as many as 16,000 non-citizens on its voter rolls, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials admitted they had confirmed that only 185 were actually non-citizens, according to records obtained by the Guardian. In a primetime TV address on 16 July , Donald Trump claimed that a DHS review had found about 278,000 non-citizens registered to vote in four states. Continue reading...
US supreme court lets Trump continue work on White House ballroom for now
Chief justice signs temporary order to permit work while court considers emergency appeal from administration The US supreme court has allowed Donald Trump to continue construction of his controversial White House ballroom for now, temporarily pausing a lower court order that would halt much of the project. Supreme court chief justice John Roberts signed a temporary order on Friday, permitting work to continue while the court considers an emergency appeal from Trump’s administration. Continue reading...
Britain’s railway prepares for more extreme weather as intense El Niño develops
Experts say more must be done to adapt to changing climate, after two trains derailed within 24 hours during a recent heatwave Railway companies are racing to prepare for another brutal summer next year, as a developing El Niño could see 2027 break more heat-related records. Britain’s railway system has already been under stress from extreme heat this summer, with several operators reducing timetables and train speeds. Continue reading...
MPs ‘failing to learn lesson’ over freebies after accepting £400,000 of hospitality
Cost of tickets included £858 to a Harry Styles concert at Wembley; £1,839 to the Chelsea flower show and £3,432 of hospitality at the Brit Awards MPs have been accused of failing to learn their lesson over freebies after taking almost £400,000 of hospitality to concerts, sport matches and other events this year, with Louise Haigh, Lucy Powell and Wes Streeting among those accepting tickets. Despite the previous outcry in 2024 over Keir Starmer accepting football tickets and gifts of clothing , MPs appear to have been declaring hospitality since the start of the year on a greater scale than previously seen. Continue reading...
Former 1500m world champion Jenny Simpson steps away from running after cardiac arrest
39-year-old collapsed during event in June American won world title in 2011 Former 1500m world champion Jenny Simpson says she will not return to running after she collapsed during a track event in June . Simpson, a three-time Olympian and one of the most accomplished American female runners in history, was pacing a mile group at an event in North Carolina when she went into cardiac arrest. She was given CPR before she was rushed to hospital, where she was placed on life support due to issues with her heart and lungs. Continue reading...
Why is Trump’s ‘human printer’ aide Natalie Harp suddenly in the spotlight? - The Latest
One of Donald Trump’s closest and most devoted aides, Natalie Harp, has faced intense media scrutiny this week, after a Democratic senator, Jon Ossoff, name-checked her in a speech that went viral. So what do we know about Harp, who is often referred to as the ‘human printer’? And why is everybody talking about her relationship with Trump? Helen Pidd speaks to international news editor Paul Owen Continue reading...
First deportation flight lands in Haiti after TPS suspension
ICE charter carrying more than 160 Haitian nationals landed in Cap-Haïtien, after temporary protection status was revoked The first deportation flight to Haiti since the US supreme court upheld Donald Trump’s power to strip 350,000 Haitians – and others – of a key type of legal status in the US landed in the troubled nation on Thursday. The flight was carrying more that 160 Haitian nationals and landed in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti’s second-largest city, aboard an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) charter. Continue reading...