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Politics
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Murkowski won’t vote for Trump’s nomination of Blanche as attorney general
Alaska Republican is concerned that proposed fund to compensate January 6 rioters will proceed even though Blanche confirmed it was dead US politics live – latest updates Lisa Murkowski, Alaska’s moderate Republican senator, announced early on Friday that she will not vote for Donald Trump’s nomination of Todd Blanche as US attorney general, leaving his elevation from “acting” to official confirmation in the post even narrower. Murkowski issued a statement expressing her concerns that the Trump administration could proceed with its proposed fund to compensate rioters who invaded the US Capitol on January 6 in a failed attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s defeat of Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Continue reading...
The amateur archivists racing to save US history in national parks against Trump administration censorship
Save Our Signs aims to document every sign in the more than 400 national parks and historic sites across the country before the Trump administration removes them Jenny McBurney was among hundreds of people around the world who sprang into action last year when the Trump administration started deleting government datasets and webpages because they included information about “gender ideology”, environmental justice or diversity, equity and inclusion. McBurney, a government publications librarian at the University of Minnesota, joined the Data Rescue Project , a group that mobilizes volunteers to archive critical government datasets that are at risk of deletion by the Trump administration. Continue reading...
US cities expand cooling centers but struggle to get people inside
More air-conditioned spaces are open during extreme heat, but distance, stigma and risk perception keep many away Responding to an uptick in extreme heat waves this summer, US cities have increased their efforts to establish cooling centers to keep people safe but continue to encounter a problem: actually getting people to enter the public air-conditioned spaces. Lower-income people, who often do not have – or cannot afford to operate – air conditioning, face a greater risk of heat-related illness or deaths, which means public agencies in the US concentrate their efforts on trying to reach them. Continue reading...
Trump is laying waste to the agency that keeps hospital patients safe | Robert B Shpiner
Few have heard of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, but it has saved tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars When I started my training in 1980, we accepted an arithmetic that would now be indefensible. Central lines, the catheters we threaded into the great veins of the critically ill, became infected, and some of those patients died. We recorded the deaths as complications. Almost no one thought of them as preventable, because no one had yet done the slow work of proving they were. That work got done, and federal money paid for it. Beginning in 2008, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a small arm of the health department, funded a national effort in more than a thousand adult intensive care units: a checklist, a sterile insertion protocol, and a unit culture in which a nurse could stop a surgeon. Central-line bloodstream infections fell by 41% , from 1.915 to 1.133 per 1,000 catheter days. The agency estimates that effort alone averted between 290 and 605 deaths. Across its wider work on hospital-acquired harm, AHRQ’s own accounting credits 20,500 deaths prevented and $7.7bn saved in the four years from 2014 to 2017. Hardly any of my patients have heard of the agency. That was always rather the point. Robert B Shpiner is an internist and clinical professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He has practiced and taught intensive care medicine for more than 40 years Continue reading...
Weather tracker: central and western Europe brace for more sweltering heat
High 30s celsius forecast for France, Spain and Italy next week, before affecting Germany, Poland and Czechia Another pulse of heat is expected to affect central and western Europe next week. The latest forecast models show daily maximum temperatures well into the high 30s celsius widely across France, Spain and Italy during the first half of the week, while Germany, Poland and Czechia will experience the highest temperatures towards the end of the week. The shift in the focus of the heat as the week progresses can be attributed to the movement of high pressure. At the start of the week, low pressure centred in the Atlantic and high pressure centred over the low countries will draw warm air in from southern Europe northwards into parts of France. During the working week, the high pressure will slip a little farther south and east, enabling the warm air once situated over western Europe to make inroads into parts of Germany and central Europe. The heat in central and western Europe this summer has been unrelenting. Last week’s weather tracker highlighted extreme recording breaking temperatures for the month of July in Austria. However, only a few days later, on 4 August, the all-time record was shattered with 41.0C achieved in Stammersdorf, north-east of the capital, Vienna. This comfortably broke the previous all-time record set in the August of 2003 by 0.7C. Unbelievably, that record was broken again the following day when 41.2C was recorded in Deutsch-Altenburg. Slovakia also set a new all-time record on the same day of 41.4C. The continuing European heatwave is associated with a vertically extensive anticyclone, and had the effect of raising the freezing level above 4,000 metres across much of the Alpine region. This represents a level in the atmosphere well above many Alpine glaciers, accelerating the seasonal melting process. On the opposite side of the Atlantic, 51.8C was recorded in Badwater, California, the highest temperature in the US for 2026 so far. Continue reading...
Iran hopes to deal Trump a blow at midterms by keeping him entangled in war
By dragging out talks, Tehran aims to damage the US president politically, but some fear a bruised and weakened Trump could only prolong the conflict Tehran has set out a protracted negotiating timetable designed to keep Donald Trump embroiled in the Iran conflict until the midterm elections, in the hope of inflicting the same ruinous blow on his presidency as Jimmy Carter suffered over the 1979-81 US embassy hostage crisis. For many inside Iran, inflicting meaningful revenge on Trump is a legitimate and self-standing war aim, reflected in the mood of those attending the funeral of the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei where demands for retribution were ubiquitous. Continue reading...
Panthers rally past Cardinals behind undrafted rookie QB in NFL preseason opener
Rookie Haynes King caps comeback in 33-30 win Arizona’s Carson Beck also impresses on debut Hall of Fame game opens 2026 NFL preseason Maybe a team should’ve drafted Haynes King. The rookie quarterback ran in from the five-yard line on the final play to give the Carolina Panthers a 33-30 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame game that kicked off the NFL preseason on Thursday night. Continue reading...
Black barrister was told ‘it’s not for defendants’ at London court car park
Stephen Akinsanya says being mistaken for defendant shows lack of progress on racism within legal system A black barrister said a security guard told him he could not park in a court’s car park because “it’s not for defendants”. Stephen Akinsanya, who in June was awarded an OBE for raising awareness of youth knife crime and its prevention, said the incident, at an east London court about four weeks ago, illustrated the lack of progress on racism within the criminal justice system. Continue reading...
Trump unbound: the making of an imperial presidency | Politics Weekly America
Donald Trump’s second term is unlike his first. The politicians who challenged him are gone. The lawyers who once pushed back now choose their battles. What remains is an imperial president with almost no internal checks - using executive power to reshape everything from the economy to immigration and even the presidency itself. Few journalists have covered Trump as closely as the New York Times's Jonathan Swan. He speaks to Jonathan Freedland about how the president has consolidated such enormous power and what it could mean for America - and the world. Regime Change by Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman https://guardianbookshop.com/regime-change-9781398567597/ Continue reading...
Bari Weiss’ overhaul of CBS News has been rocky. But her 60 Minutes revamp will be the ultimate test
Ten months into her tenure as editor in chief, Weiss’ biggest – and riskiest – bet is getting closer to taking flight Bari Weiss is 10 months into her tenure as editor-in-chief of CBS News, but her biggest test is right around the corner. The newest season of 60 Minutes is set to premiere next month after Weiss overhauled the show’s correspondent corps and production staff in the spring. Long considered the gold standard in television news, the show still generates a staggering nine million average viewers per night at a time when linear television’s core audience is either aging out or turning to digital alternatives. Continue reading...
How divided is the UK really? Here’s a way to find out | Brendan Cox
Social media-fuelled riots and fractured politics make us feel more divided than ever, but is that so? Our study hopes to reveal what bring us together – and pushes us apart Take part in the National Conversation Brendan Cox is co-founder of the Together Coalition, which acts as the secretariat for the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion When my late wife Jo Cox was killed by a far-right extremist 10 years ago, the phrase “more in common”, taken from her maiden speech in parliament , became a rallying cry against extremism and division. The phrase succinctly articulated that, no matter our differences, we have more in common than that which divides us. Brendan Cox is co-founder of the Together Coalition, which acts as the secretariat for the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion 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...
Haitians face arrest and deportation after US removes TPS protections
DHS secretary Markwayne Mullin says ‘We’re going after them right now’ despite threat of violence in home country Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are faced with the prospect of imminent risk of arrest and deportation – to a home country racked with crime, violence and political unrest – after the Trump administration officially stripped them of humanitarian protections that had allowed them to live and work legally in the United States for years. US district judge Ana Reyes confirmed on Wednesday that her order blocking the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from ending temporary protected status (TPS) for Haiti was no longer in effect. This followed the controversial supreme court ruling in June that upended judicial review of the program and opened the door for immigration enforcement to track down and detain Haitians en masse. Continue reading...
US man accused of trying to kill diver by cutting air supply in lobster dispute
Florida man faces count of attempted felony murder after confrontation over a spot to catch lobster, authorities say A Florida boater was alleged to have tried to kill a diver by cutting off his air supply while they fought over a spot to catch lobsters off the state’s coast recently, according to authorities. Michael Joseph Simpson Jr’s criminal defense attorney on Thursday issued a statement dismissing those allegations as “false”. Nonetheless, Simpson, 51, was faced with a count of attempted felony murder after he was jailed in what a sheriff’s office report portrayed as a particularly heated case of boat rage on the waters of Miami ’s Biscayne Bay. Continue reading...
Boeing 737 Max operators told to check fuselages for cracks
Inspections ordered by US regulator will affect about 470 aircraft, after reported problems in earlier models Business live – latest updates The US aviation regulator has ordered inspections of the fuselages of Boeing 737 Max planes for possible cracks in a component. The Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive will affect an estimated 471 aircraft and follows reports of cracks in earlier Boeing models. Continue reading...
‘This is very real redlining’: outrage in Little Rock as two datacenters loom
Critics decry proposed hyperscale projects, fearing overuse of water and electricity, and ‘appropriating rural, Black-owned land for industrial purposes ’ There seems to be a fight over datacenters in nearly every city in the US right now. And amid the extreme polarization of today’s politics, the opposition tends to be bipartisan. “I would say it’s kind of the far left and the far right ran into each other and had a hug,” said Frank Scott Jr, mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas. “But they come at it from different perspectives.” Continue reading...
‘This is where I belong’: Katelyn Ohashi’s Olympic comeback is fueled by joy, not redemption
A decade after leaving elite gymnastics behind, the viral UCLA star is chasing a spot at LA 2028 on her own terms – and inspiring a new generation Every morning, Katelyn Ohashi gets up and makes a smoothie and then walks her four-month-old puppy. She drives to the gym and begins with a moment of gratitude before warming up with gymnasts half her age. She trains four days a week, around four hours per day, while also dabbling in her various hobbies. It’s a routine that maybe a decade ago she didn’t envision but is now undertaking. When Ohashi left elite gymnastics in 2013, it was no longer a place where she found joy. Although she was seen as an Olympic hopeful (she was the last gymnast to beat Simone Biles in the all-around finals at the American Cup), a back injury took her out of the running for the Games. She slowly found her joy for the sport in NCAA gymnastics at UCLA, where she was known for her perfect 10 floor routines that often went viral , garnering millions of views from around the world. Continue reading...
With their assault on science, Trumpists aren’t just harming America – they’re harming themselves | Jan-Werner Müller
The administration is subjugating science to political imperatives, a major blow to US soft power and technological progress The Trump administration is waging an unprecedented war on institutions devoted to research and higher learning. While plenty of countries have harmed universities by imposing neoliberal logics on academia – creating artificial markets in the name of spurring professors to be more productive – the Trumpist subjugation of all science to political imperatives has no equivalent in a democracy; if anything, it is reminiscent of Stalin’s Soviet Union. The assault now also targets foreign students and any kind of international collaboration – a major blow to US soft power. Why are Trumpists engaging in what can only be described as an act of wanton self-injury? Project 2025’s Russell Vought , the director of the office of management and budget, initiated the rule change that would make any federal grant subject to review by political appointees – including funds for science that so far have been allocated through judgment by first-rate fellow scientists. This measure would furnish Trumpists with a new weapon to threaten universities along the lines of: “Nice medical school you have there – pity if something were to happen to it because your administration had failed to come into alignment with the president’s priorities.” Jan-Werner Müller is a Guardian US columnist and a professor of politics at Princeton University Continue reading...
Donald Trump refuses to say whether Ohio Republican Max Miller should step aside by tomorrow – US politics live
Former senior adviser to Trump is seeking reelection despite domestic abuse allegations by his ex-wife Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. Donald Trump is declining to say whether representative Max Miller, of Ohio, should withdraw his reelection bid following domestic abuse allegations levelled against him by his ex-wife. One month after the United States supreme court struck down his first attempt to restrict the guarantee of birthright citizenship enshrined in the US constitution, Donald Trump signed executive orders on Thursday that aim to deny US citizenship to children born in the United States to so-called “birth tourists”. The two new orders came just five weeks ago after the US supreme court struck down Trump’s previous order denying citizenship to the children of non-citizens, a right that has been guaranteed since the 14th amendment was ratified in 1868. The orders were part of a quixotic campaign Trump has waged for more than a decade, since he promised to eliminate the right at a 2015 campaign event. Despite an endorsement from Trump, congressman Andy Ogles , a virulently anti-Muslim Tennessee Republican, was in danger of losing his re-election bid to a primary challenger backed by the state’s governor, Bill Lee . Trump refused to confirm a Washington Post report that he told donors at a recent meeting that they need to help JD Vance win the 2028 presidential election. Continue reading...
England striker Ivan Toney charged with assault after Soho nightclub incident
Met police say charge relates to alleged assault that reportedly took place in December at venue in London The England striker Ivan Toney has been charged with assault after an incident at a nightclub in Soho. The Metropolitan police said Ivan Toney, 30, of Northampton, was charged on 31 July with assault causing actual bodily harm. Continue reading...
UK house prices flat in July, says Lloyds, as buyers struggle with affordability
Property prices in ‘suspended animation’ owing to higher mortgage rates and uncertainty in Middle East Business live – latest updates UK house prices were broadly stagnant in July as prospective buyers were squeezed by higher mortgage rates, uncertainty around the Middle East and stretched affordability, according to the lender Lloyds. The average property cost £299,253 in July, down by £143 compared with June, the bank’s monthly index found. Continue reading...
Labour government says more people working illegally are being arrested and deported – UK politics live
More than double number of arrests made since 2024 compared with previous two-year period Morning and welcome to our UK politics blog. The government said more arrests are being made for illegal working, with Home Office figures showing more than 17,000 people have been arrested since the July 2024 general election – more than double the number recorded in the previous two-year period. Chaos has descended on the Norfolk town of Thetford for a third night in a row as violent anti-immigration protests saw crowds of people attempt to storm a home believed to be housing asylum seekers. Norfolk police said two men in their 40s were arrested last night while some of the asylum seekers had to be escorted from homes as a result of the unrest. Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme, Norfolk chief constable Paul Sanford said officers were “subjected to significant aggression”, with one hit with a rock, one bitten and another spat at. The government is also under pressure to review the potential early release of two of the men who killed PC Andrew Harper. Det Supt Stuart Blaik, who led the investigation in 2019, told the BBC he was “deeply concerned and appalled” by the prospect and that Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers could be freed halfway through their 13-year sentences. Continue reading...
Trump faces calls for windfall tax on big oil’s profits from Iran war
US president’s complaint industry ‘making too much money’ comes after his policies boosted corporations Donald Trump’s statement that oil companies have made “too much money” from the Iran war has angered environmentalists, who say that his policies were designed to benefit those very corporations. If he really believes his own claims, he should impose a windfall profits tax, advocates say. “Trump’s declaration that big oil is ‘making too much money’ belies his accommodation and giveaways to the industry that have enabled its price-gouging – not to mention his disaster of a war of choice against Iran,” said Tyson Slocum, energy program director at consumer advocacy nonprofit Public Citizen. “But like a broken clock that’s correct twice a day, the president is right that oil companies are ‘making too much money’, which means Trump should endorse a windfall profits tax.” ExxonMobil and Chevron on Friday both reported windfall profits for the second quarter of the year. Chevron said its earnings soared nearly 400% to $12bn, while Exxon’s profits more than doubled to $14.5bn. On Monday evening, Trump took aim at those gains, saying the companies “ought to give some of that back to the public”. Continue reading...
Buried for not being Brueghel: overlooked masterpiece by still-life pioneer discovered in storage area
The curator of Norway’s national museum in Oslo stumbled upon is bringing the work by the Flemish baroque artist Clara Peeters out of obscurity in a major exhibition of female artists Anonymous was often a woman: so said Virginia Woolf. And so thought Cynthia Osiecki one day in 2022, when she chanced on an unattributed still life in the storage area of the National Museum of Norway in Oslo. Osiecki had been studying the work of a renowned 17th-century Flemish artist, Clara Peeters, one of the earliest practitioners of still life painting. Works by Peeters hang in the Prado in Madrid, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Continue reading...
Tory plan to ban foreign nationals from social housing condemned as ‘divisive’
Housing charity says move would drive up homelessness, while Labour dismisses proposal as ‘unworkable’ Plans to ban foreign nationals from social housing under a Conservative government have been condemned as “divisive”. Under proposals revealed on Friday, the party said about 230,000 homes would become available if foreign nationals were prevented from accessing social housing. Continue reading...