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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Trump under pressure to back up claim of sabotage at reflecting pool
President’s promise of photo and video evidence of vandalism at Washington landmark yet to be fulfilled Donald Trump and the Department of the Interior are facing growing pressure to release photo and video evidence substantiating their claims of sabotage at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington. The $14.7m renovation of the landmark has descended into a farce of algae blooms, peeling paint and dead ducks just days before the US’s 250th anniversary celebrations. Crews have been seen erecting fencing near the area. Continue reading...
Judge orders Trump administration to explain tarp obscuring Kennedy Center
White House must report by 31 July on purpose of tarp installed while Trump’s name was stripped from building A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Donald Trump ’s administration to explain why it placed a tarp over the Kennedy Center’s facade after the Republican leader’s name was removed from the building under a court order. US district judge Christopher Cooper said the administration must report by 31 July “the purpose and status of the tarp and scaffolding” now in place at the iconic building. The tarp was installed as workers stripped Trump’s name in a predawn operation this month following an order from Cooper that the Trump administration unlawfully added his name to the facade in December. Continue reading...
Back on the pitch: how Burnham’s chief of staff pick reunites late-90s Labour football team
Some worry choosing James Purnell, former Demon Eyes teammate, would show Labour struggling for new talent The most powerful football team in the country is getting back together. Andy Burnham’s decision to appoint James Purnell as his chief of staff should he become prime minister will reunite not only two old friends and former Labour ministers but two of the linchpins of the famous Demon Eyes team set up in the late 1990s. Continue reading...
Pakistan police rescue French woman and children allegedly held captive by husband for 12 years
Husband arrested after Sylvie Yasmina, 54, and five children found at home in north-western province Pakistan police say they have rescued a French woman and her five children after she told authorities she had been held captive by her husband for more than a decade and subjected to years of domestic abuse in the country’s north-west. The woman, identified as 54-year-old Sylvie Yasmina, was rescued earlier this week from a mud-brick home in Bara, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border, the district police chief, Waqar Ahmad, said. Continue reading...
On the Nomination PN930-7: John George Edward Marck, of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas
Vote: Nomination Confirmed 52/45 Sen. Duckworth [D-IL]: Nay Sen. Durbin [D-IL]: Nay
Exploit last North Sea oil and gas or risk mass job losses, Andy Burham urged
British Chamber of Commerce boss Shevaun Haviland says transition to clean energy could be handled better Andy Burnham should be ready to exploit the UK’s remaining North Sea oil and gas resources to avoid mass job losses in Scotland and the north-east, the director of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), Shevaun Haviland, has said. The decision about whether to allow extraction at the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields now appears likely to fall to a Burnham administration. Continue reading...
Member of cultlike Zizians group charged with murder of her parents
Michelle Zajko, in jail since February 2025 on other charges, has been charged in 2022 Pennsylvania killings of parents A member of the cultlike group known as Zizians, who has denied killing her parents in Pennsylvania in 2022, has been charged with murder, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Michelle Zajko, who has been jailed in Maryland on other charges since February 2025, has been charged with murder, burglary and conspiracy charges in the deaths of Rita and Richard Zajko, Delaware county district attorney Tanner Rouse said at a news conference. The prosecutor said she did not act alone. Continue reading...
Israel says IDF is staying in southern Lebanon, undermining Iran peace talks
Defence minister says troops are not withdrawing even though Tehran sees end to conflict in Lebanon as part of any deal with US The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, has said that Israeli troops would not withdraw from southern Lebanon, further complicating Iran peace talks as fighting in Lebanon continues to be an obstacle to permanent peace. Speaking on stage in an interview in Tel Aviv, Katz said that Israeli troops would remain in south Lebanon – echoing sentiments from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Continue reading...
Big tech spent millions on a single US congressional race. It won’t be the last time
Pro- and anti-AI groups spent $24m on a congressional contest in New York, but it’s unclear to what end US politics live – latest updates When the Democratic primary for New York ’s 12th congressional district was called on Tuesday night, the result capped off one of the most expensive races of its kind in the state’s history. More than $24m poured into the Manhattan contest from tech-backed financial groups as the campaign turned into a battleground for pro- and anti- AI groups to test their influence. Much of the spending targeted candidate Alex Bores, a member of the state assembly who sponsored an AI safety bill and subsequently became a lightning rod for the tech industry. Pro-AI political action committees (Pacs) put more than $8m into the race to oppose Bores, according to Tech Influence Watch, while industry groups supporting regulation spent more than $16m to counter the attacks. Continue reading...
Farmers criticise government plan to counter threats to UK food security
Plan warns climate crisis will lead to food price shocks and shortages but farmers say it fails to adequately fund response The climate crisis will lead to food price shocks and shortages, the government has warned in its new plan for British farming. But farmers criticised the plan , which outlines for the first time the government’s vision for the long-term direction of farming, for failing to adequately fund a response to this threat to the UK’s food security. Continue reading...
The Guardian view on priorities for a new prime minister: foreign policy cannot be an afterthought | Editorial
Keir Starmer came to power without a strategic concept of post-Brexit Britain’s place in the world. His successor must not repeat that mistake Sir Keir Starmer had years in opposition to prepare for government. His likely successor, Andy Burnham, has weeks. Unlike the outgoing prime minister, Mr Burnham will bring past ministerial experience to the top job as well as lessons learned as the mayor of Greater Manchester. But as every veteran of No 10 attests, the pressures in that building – the intensity and unpredictability of events – are like nothing else. To take office without clear priorities or a sense of how to drive an agenda through the machinery of government is a recipe for drift and loss of control, bouncing from one crisis to the next. That was Sir Keir’s fate. His failure to use the run-up to power more fruitfully accounts in large part for the truncation of his tenure. 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...
Germany’s rail network brought to standstill by botched IT replacement
Deutsche Bahn widely criticised after hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded in operator’s latest setback Germany’s rail network ground to a halt late on Tuesday as a result of maintenance work that went wrong, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers unable to get home as the national operator faced widespread criticism over the chaos. The Deutsche Bahn (DB) meltdown was initially thought to have been caused by a cyber-attack, but it later emerged that it was likely to have been triggered by a scheduled attempt to replace an ageing component in the railway’s internal communication network, without which the trains are unable to run. Continue reading...
Brazilian federal police arrest Spanish citizen at São Paulo airport for racism
Woman detained at airport after allegedly making racist remarks directed at workers unloading baggage, police say Brazil’s federal police have detained a Spanish citizen in São Paulo’s international Guarulhos airport for racism, in the latest of a series of high-profile arrests of foreign tourists on similar grounds. Brazil has some of the strictest anti-racism laws in Latin America. Insulting a person on the basis of race carries a penalty of imprisonment from two to five years and a fine. Continue reading...
The Guardian view on Islamophobia: political rhetoric is fuelling hate crime | Editorial
Muslims in the UK, Europe and the US are increasingly fearful and frustrated as targeted attacks rise. Others must speak out The chilling attacks that injured five men in Edinburgh at the weekend, including two who were struck as they left a mosque, have deepened the fear that many Muslims in Britain feel today. The case received remarkably little attention south of the border. A man has now been charged with five counts of attempted murder, allegedly “aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection”. The facts of these attacks must now be examined in court in due course. What is beyond doubt is the real and growing fear experienced by Muslim communities in the UK, Europe and elsewhere. The US president has said that “I think Islam hates us”. Increasingly open Islamophobic rhetoric from political figures, and a muted response from others, as well as violence towards Muslims, have left many feeling vulnerable and frustrated. 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...
Police officers took eight minutes to discover Henry Nowak’s stab wound, evidence shows
Transcript of body-worn camera footage reveals moment officers realised handcuffed Nowak was seriously injured Police officers who arrested Henry Nowak took about eight minutes to discover his stab wound, newly released evidence shows. Vickrum Digwa, 23, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years for Nowak’s murder after falsely claiming the 18-year-old had racially abused him in Southampton. Nowak was stabbed multiple times while walking back to his student accommodation alone after a night out. Continue reading...
US says chemical giant Chemours to pay $450m to settle ‘forever chemicals’ case
Agreement is first by federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a major Pfas manufacturer The Trump administration on Wednesday reached a multi-state settlement with chemical giant Chemours Co over years-long, illegal discharges of synthetic “forever chemicals” used to make products resistant to water, grease and stains. The settlement is the first by the federal government to resolve enforcement claims against a manufacturer of harmful chemicals known as Pfas. Under the agreement, filed in federal court in West Virginia, Chemours will pay a civil penalty of $22.5m for alleged violations and spend $90m over 15 years to mitigate Pfas discharges in three states: West Virginia, North Carolina and New Jersey. Continue reading...
Fan of TV show Dexter killed and dismembered two men in Cornish woodland, jury hears
James Desborough told team searching for missing men he enjoyed gory scenes in serial killer series, prosecution says A fan of the television serial killer show Dexter murdered two men before dismembering and burning their bodies in Cornish woodland surrounding the cabin where he lived, a jury has heard. James Desborough, 40, allegedly killed Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman and hid their bodies in the dense undergrowth close to his cabin near St Austell. Continue reading...
Labour MPs criticise language used by Kemi Badenoch in fractious PMQs
Tory leader reprimanded by speaker for invective against minister and saying Starmer had ‘400 knives in his back’ Labour MPs have criticised Kemi Badenoch after a fractious prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, in which she accused the education secretary of being a “spiteful class warrior”. In a rare move, Badenoch was chastised by the speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, in the chamber of the House of Commons after she took the personal swipe at Bridget Phillipson before saying that Keir Starmer had been betrayed and had “400 knives stuck in his back”. Continue reading...
H.Res. 1381: Electing a Member to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.
Agreed To (Simple Resolution): Last Action: On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection. Explanation: This simple resolution was agreed to on June 24, 2026. That is the end of the legislative process for a simple resolution.
Marjorie Taylor Greene joins Tucker Carlson in breaking with Republican party
Former Georgia congresswoman on social media says she’s ‘fed up’ and done backing a party ‘that betrays its voters’ Former US congresswoman and Trump loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene has announced that she is finished backing the Republican party, aligning herself with TV rightwinger Tucker Carlson after his own high-profile rejection of the GOP just months ahead of the midterm elections. During a recent episode of the Can’t Be Censored podcast, Carlson said when he appeared as a guest there was “no chance” he would support the Republican party any more, after years of being a prominent booster for Donald Trump . Continue reading...
Nicola Jennings on Andy Burnham’s chance to state his case – cartoon
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Colombia’s leftwing candidate concedes election to Trump-endorsed millionaire
Leftist Iván Cepeda conceded to far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella who won by razor-thin margin The defeated leftwing candidate in Colombia’s presidential runoff has conceded to the far-right, Trump-admiring millionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella. Since Sunday night, the preliminary count had already pointed to a De la Espriella victory by a razor-thin margin of less than 1% of the vote. Continue reading...
Graceless Kemi concedes not a croak of kindness for newly liberated Keir | John Crace
It’s customary to say something complimentary about a departing PM but the Tory leader couldn’t meet the moment You learn a lot about a person at a time like this. Not so much about the prime minister, who has resigned. Keir Starmer has already revealed how he deals with a personal loss. But about the leader of the opposition. Here was a chance for Kemi Badenoch to show her human side. To give the world a rare sighting of her empathy gene. But Kemi just can’t go there. She can’t read a room. She has only one mode. All-out attack. Other people’s moments of weakness are just material for her to use against them. Even now, she probably thinks she played a blinder at prime minister’s questions. A chance taken to humiliate Keir when he’s down. She has no idea how graceless she is. How charmless. Continue reading...
Motion to Invoke Cloture: John George Edward Marck to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas: John George Edward Marck, of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas
Vote: Cloture Motion Agreed to 52/45 Sen. Duckworth [D-IL]: Nay Sen. Durbin [D-IL]: Nay