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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
5396 stories archived
Donald Trump doesn’t just love billionaires, he loves multimillionaires too
US tax policy deprives the government of revenue and overwhelmingly serves the interests of the rich After the House passed its version of Donald Trump ’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) last year – the one that paired a $5tn-plus tax cut with $1tn-plus of cuts from food stamps and Medicaid – the House speaker, Mike Johnson , explained that “this is not giving tax cuts to the millionaires”. The beneficiaries, he said, were “small business owners” that “provide the jobs in every community in America”. Johnson was playing to the myth of the modest, sturdy Main Street job creator. It is an appealing story. It’s also the most consequential piece of BS distorting American policy that deprives the government of tax revenue, stunts American capitalism, twists regulations, thwarts competition and overwhelmingly serves millionaires’ interests. Continue reading...
Hundreds of sea turtles are stranded in Cape Cod each year. An ‘amazing network’ has mobilized to help
Massachusetts beaches have become a ‘hotspot for mass stranding of sea turtles’, so an annual rescue effort has grown Sea turtle #471 gasped audibly, as veterinarian Kathy Tuxbury palpated the surgical scar on the animal’s left flipper. The turtle – lovingly renamed “Lucky” by the huge network of conservationists, interns and volunteers working to save its life – is one of the last patients of the year at the New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital, waiting to be returned to the ocean. Continue reading...
What AOC gets right – and wrong – about ‘Woke 1.0’ | Francine Prose
Recent comments by AOC have reignited a fiery debate about ‘wokeism’. But what are we really talking about? Full confession: I am one of those who have come to think that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez can essentially do no wrong. At times when I most fear for the future of our country, I watch her videos and am consoled and cheered by her clarity, her honesty, her intelligence, her simple common sense. So I was a little surprised to hear that on a recent interview on ABC This Week, she quoted a political ally as having remarked: “Woke 1.0 was crazy.” What surprised me was not that she called for some moderation of the radical positions – the call to defund the police and the military, for example – that have, at times, been an aspect of progressive politics. But I was frankly a little unnerved to hear her use the word “woke”. Francine Prose is a former president of PEN American Center and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her latest book is Five Weeks in the Country Continue reading...
The Fauci hearing was painful to watch. But we need answers on Covid-19’s origin| David Relman
Despite the recent hearings in Congress, we seem to be even further from the goal of understanding Covid-19’s origin’s than we have ever been As a microbiologist and infectious disease clinician, it has been tough to watch the recent devolution of public discourse on Covid-19 origins. It has been especially difficult for me to read the comments of Anthony Fauci about the origins debate in his now-public diary . And it has been painful to watch the televised spectacle hosted by the US senator Rand Paul on 29 July involving a hostile interrogation of Fauci. Despite many early pleas, including my own , for a dispassionate, objective assessment of what we know, don’t know and need to know about Covid-19 origins, we seem to be even further from this goal now than we have ever been – plagued by politicization, polarization and illogical thinking. David Relman is a professor of medicine and microbiology at Stanford University. He was an inaugural member of the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Continue reading...
Post-Brexit rights for British citizens are being undermined in Sweden
Apparent high level of removal orders suggests Sweden is rejecting ‘reasonable grounds’ for failing to apply to stay Back in October 2020, the UK immigration minister stood up in parliament to reassure campaigners concerned about EU citizens who weren’t aware they had to ask the Home Office to stay in the country after Brexit. Using an example of a child in foster care who might not know they were an EU citizen until they applied for their first job, the Conservative Kevin Foster said the UK would take “a generous approach as to what reasonable grounds [for failing to apply] were”. Continue reading...
As ESPN cuts familiar faces, its retreat from serious NBA coverage is complete
As ESPN cuts expert voices and rewards viral argument, fans who want to understand basketball are building a smarter conversation elsewhere After the Phoenix Suns dumped the Golden State Warriors out of last season’s play-in, Stephen A Smith settled behind the First Take desk to explain why Steve Kerr might have coached his last game. Midway through the burial, he claimed the Warriors hadn’t “been to the playoffs since that championship in 2022” – a four-year drought in his telling – before grumbling that Golden State could pay someone far less than $17m a year to miss the postseason. Cool. Except the drought never happened. Golden State reached the conference semi-finals in 2023 and again in 2025. ESPN anchor Shae Cornette, who had command of the basic facts, tried to smuggle that inconvenient reality into the discussion. It went nowhere. Apparently, nobody on an ESPN set is permitted to correct the franchise “star”. Only weeks earlier, Smith had been inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame for his work in media. Continue reading...
‘Here we are 30 years later’: the Olympic team that transformed US basketball
The 1996 US women’s Olympic team enter the Hall of Fame on Saturday after giving momentum to the WNBA and re-launching an era of American dominance For the US women’s basketball team, the 1996 Olympics weren’t just about winning gold in front of their home crowd. It was about the future of women’s basketball in America. The US women were knocked out of the 1992 Olympics in the semi-finals by the Commonwealth of Independent States – a stunning and embarrassing defeat. Heading into the 1996 Games, which were held in Atlanta, turning around the program was a top priority not just for USA Basketball, but the NBA as well, which was looking to start a women’s league that would become the WNBA. Continue reading...
‘Dangerously hostile’: heatwaves leave hospital wards unsafe, data reveals
Figures disclosed by 33 NHS trusts show temperatures on wards during July rose above 28C limit set by NHS England Hospitals in England have recorded temperatures of almost 42C this summer, with surgeries being cancelled because operating theatres’ cooling units stopped working in the intense heat. The Northern Care Alliance NHS foundation trust, which runs four hospitals in Greater Manchester, recorded a temperature of 41.8C during last month’s heatwave – 14C above the recommended safe maximum. Some patients are also cancelling their own surgery because it is too hot for them to travel. Hospitals and GP surgeries are offering frail elderly patients appointments at the start and end of the day, when it is less hot, to make it easier for them to attend. Ambulance services are struggling to keep some medications at the right temperature because it gets so hot in the back of their vehicles. NHS ambulance trusts have relaxed their usual dress code rules to help crews stay cooler, for example by wearing shorts rather than trousers Continue reading...
‘Business critical’: why even Andy Burnham is taking his social media game seriously
The Guardian’s deputy editor of social platforms on why high-profile people and brands are deploying the power of TikTok to woo new followers I didn’t want to work in social media. If you’d asked 15-year-old me my dream job, I might have said foreign correspondent, or maybe travel writer. So you can imagine my surprise to now find myself giving these very colleagues advice on how to get the best selfie angle or write the sharpest TikTok ‘hook’. But taking a job as the Guardian’s deputy editor of social platforms, may prove to be one of my smartest career moves if the current job market is to be believed. Continue reading...
First Australian death of little penguin with H5 bird flu confirmed on Phillip Island
Authorities confirm first Australian death of species found with virus near where it attracts crowds to a ‘penguin parade’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australia’s first case of the deadly H5 bird flu in a little penguin has been confirmed on Victoria’s Phillip Island, only days after the state government announced it would begin vaccinating the species. Confirmation of the virus in the little penguin will spark a race to vaccinate thousands of birds, with the government announcing on Saturday it would begin the roll out on Monday. Continue reading...
‘A tax on being thin’: only high earners make overall savings on food bills from weight-loss drugs
Users need discretionary income of nearly £100,000 a year to make savings on their grocery spend after paying £1,200 for GLP-1s, analysis finds The high cost of weight-loss medication is a “regressive tax on being thin” because the outlay outweighs any saving on food costs for all but the highest earners. Someone needs to have discretionary income of nearly £100,000 a year to actually save money after covering the £1,200 annual cost of GLP-1 medication, according to an analysis by the consultancy Baringa. Continue reading...
Westminster council threatens Charing Cross soup kitchen with closure
Conservative authority says site is not safe for vulnerable people charity serves or general public Westminster council is making it “impossible” for soup kitchens to operate by complaining about the “crowds of vulnerable people” who turn up to be fed, a charity has said. Steven Stuart, who founded Friends of Essex & London Homeless (FOELH) with his wife, Cheryl, a decade ago, said constant complaints from the council could force the soup kitchen to shut down. Continue reading...
BBC was warned of author’s claim to possess missing clothes of child murder victim
Corporation was told of claims by Christopher Berry-Dee that he had clothing, which was lost while in its possession The BBC was warned by two whistleblowers that a British true crime author was claiming to have obtained the missing clothes of a child murder victim that the broadcaster had lost. The Guardian has established that the office of the former head of the BBC and the corporation’s whistleblowing unit were both informed that Christopher Berry-Dee, the UK’s most successful true crime author, had told people he had obtained the clothes of Karen Hadaway, who was murdered in 1986. Continue reading...
Is the US ready for President Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?
The New York congresswoman’s power is in the spotlight as people wonder if the stars are finally aligning for her to run for US president in 2028 “They assume that my ambition is positional. They assume that my ambition is a title or a seat. And my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country.” The words were delivered slowly, deliberately and with some steeliness by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez . Her audience, crammed into the pews of Rockefeller Memorial chapel at the University of Chicago , burst into spontaneous applause. That was in May. In the three months since, the speculation around Ocasio-Cortez’s ambitions – for herself and for America – has only grown louder. Continue reading...
Concerns grow over increased global ties with Taliban in Afghanistan
Campaigners fear deeper diplomatic contacts are undermining demands for improvements in human rights The Taliban in Afghanistan have launched a diplomatic effort to end their isolation as major regional and international powers show a readiness to engage more closely with the repressive regime despite its systematic human rights abuses. Five years after the Taliban took power , an increasing number of countries are renewing ties or scaling up diplomatic contacts with the hardline Islamists, who seized power in Kabul in 2021 after 20 years of brutal insurgent warfare. Continue reading...
‘My heart breaks into a million pieces’: emotional tributes to Kumanjayi Little Baby at Alice Springs funeral
Hundreds gathered with flashes of pink to farewell the five-year-old girl, who was allegedly murdered in April Warning: This story contains references to Indigenous Australians who have died Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A sombre funeral service for Kumanjayi Little Baby has been attended by hundreds of people from the Alice Springs community and surrounds. Wearing pink and some dressed in T-shirts bearing the face of the five-year-old girl, the crowd gathered under grey skies in the red centre capital on Saturday. Continue reading...
Coalition split on Andrew Bragg speech as South Australian senator Andrew McLachlan urges colleagues to ‘follow his lead’
Senior colleagues dismiss Bragg’s migration figures as ‘personal views’ while others say critical response is an ‘overreaction’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Liberal senator Andrew McLachlan has publicly backed Andrew Bragg and urged colleagues to “follow his lead” after a public speech that has split colleagues and triggered a rebuke from opposition leader, Angus Taylor. At the National Press Club on Wednesday, Bragg announced a policy to slash the national construction code and suggested net overseas migration should be dropped from the current level of about 300,000 to below 180,000 a year to keep pace with new housing builds. Continue reading...
Picasso print stolen from Milwaukee art gallery in 2018 found by landlord while cleaning apartment
Torero print, one of 30 known to exist signed by Picasso, was stolen from Bill DeLind’s gallery in 2018 Bill DeLind thought the Picasso print that was stolen from his Milwaukee gallery in 2018 was gone forever. But then police called last week and asked him to look at an artwork that a local landlord found while cleaning out a vacant apartment. DeLind immediately recognized the stolen Torero print, one of 30 known to exist signed by Picasso. Continue reading...
Fears for missing Sydney teen who hasn’t been seen since leaving for hike on Wednesday
Fresh search teams to scour Nattai national park for Lily Hooper, 18, who failed to return home from a bushwalk Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The search for an 18-year-old bushwalker missing in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales since Wednesday is continuing, with fresh teams arriving at the Nattai national park on Saturday morning. Lily Hooper left her home in Sydney’s south-west about 8am on 12 August, after telling family she was going for a hike in the national park, north-west of Mittagong. Continue reading...
Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes off coast of Indonesia and tsunami warning issued
Quake hit Indonesia’s Flores region with a depth of 10km early on Saturday morning A powerful 7.7-magnitude quake has struck off the coast of Indonesia, the US Geological Survey said. No immediate casualties or damage were reported. The quake hit Indonesia’s Flores region with a depth of 10km at 5:58am on Saturday Indonesia time. It’s epicentre was 68km (42 miles) north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. Continue reading...
At least six people dead and one wounded in mass shooting in rural Michigan
Suspected gunman fled the scene, prompting a manhunt, before he and another individual were found deceased A mass shooting on Friday has left six people dead, including the suspected gunman, in Missaukee county, a rural area of northern Michigan, according to state police. Another person is in critical condition at a local hospital. Michigan state police identified the suspected gunman as 39-year-old Chad Hickman in a statement posted on social media. Continue reading...
Trump downplays concerns about sailors aboard USS Abraham Lincoln amid record deployment
President said nine months at sea ‘not nearly long enough’ even as families call for attention to mental health crisis Donald Trump has downplayed concerns about US sailors enduring a record-setting deployment of nearly nine months aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on Friday, saying the deployment is “not nearly long enough” as concerns mount over mental health and supply issues aboard the aircraft carrier. The US president made the comments during a brief exchange with reporters before flying to New York for an event highlighting falling violent crime rates across the US. Continue reading...
Burnham announces £65m for drought-hit farmers after Labour pressure
PM steps up climate response with measures including better water access and support for building farm reservoirs Farmers must not carry the risks of the climate crisis alone, Andy Burnham has said, as he announced £65m of funding to help them manage the devastating drought. The prime minister is stepping up his response to the immediate climate crisis after facing a backlash from his own MPs and Labour’s grassroots for not addressing the climate crisis despite wildfires tearing through Britain and a drought affecting food producers. Labour MPs argued Burnham had taken too long to talk about the climate crisis and had not made it a priority. Continue reading...
Trump threatens to declare strait of Hormuz ‘territory of the United States’
Seriousness of remark made in New York on Friday, and whether it signaled new policy position, not clear Donald Trump has threatened to declare the strait of Hormuz as “a territory of the United States” as his administration struggles to conclude the war with Iran. During a speech at a police academy on Long Island, New York, on Friday, the US president said he would “pretty soon” designate the waterway – a crucial chokepoint for global trade, through which about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies typically pass – a US territory. Continue reading...