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Politics
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Prediction market bettors are the new political pundits. Why are we listening to them? | Judith Levine
Sites like Kalshi and Polymarket offer faux populism as elites reap the benefits – and voters risk being misled Online betting is a bit like Donald Trump. The prediction markets – platforms where users bet on whether events will occur – pretend to be populist, pushing the nabobs aside and representing the “wisdom of the crowd”. “This data is bottom-up, not elites-driven,” a Kalshi spokesperson told Reuters . But in fact, the markets are controlled by a few, skillful traders. Continue reading...
Who funded the midterms? Inside US elections’ historic bipartisan spending
Major changes in US law and industry have shifted the sources of large contributions to political campaigns – and how much they spend The upcoming midterm elections will be the most expensive elections ever conducted in the US. And more of the money is “dark” than ever before, meaning it’s impossible to get a full picture of who is spending gargantuan sums to influence races that could provide a critical check on Donald Trump’s second term. The elections have also shown how money in politics is being reshaped, with the increasingly powerful role played by big donors from the tech industry as well as the growing concentration of spending among a few powerful individuals and corporations. Continue reading...
What can Democrats actually do if they win Congress?
Democrats are fighting to win control of the House and Senate in the midterms. Here’s what winning would mean for them – and Donald Trump If Democrats win back the US House of Representatives or the Senate in the midterm elections on Tuesday, the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency will look markedly different from the first half. But what would the Democrats’ actually be able to do with either – or both – chambers of Congress in their control? Continue reading...
Burning crater seen on ground after Florida plane crash – video
Nine people died when a business jet crashed in Miami, Florida, on Sunday. Onlookers captured footage showing a large crater engulfed in flames at the site of the crash All nine people aboard business jet that crashed in Florida have died Continue reading...
Palantir AI tech unused or little used by 29 NHS trusts said to have benefited from it
Exclusive: Gap between NHS claim and trusts’ comments described as ‘very misleading’ by senior health official More than two dozen hospital trusts the NHS claims have benefited from Palantir’s medical data platform are not using all or most of the AI-powered technology, the Guardian can reveal. The 29 hospital trusts that NHS England publicly lists as “realising benefits” from the controversial £330m federated data platform (FDP) have said the system is not live or they are not using any of its applications. The apparent gap between the NHS claim and the trusts’ understanding was described as “very misleading” by one senior health official. Continue reading...
Kamala Harris is back on the campaign trail – and insists she hasn’t decided on 2028
Former vice-president has not yet ruled out another run for the Democratic nomination as she campaigns for others in the midterm elections Two years on from her devastating presidential election defeat, Kamala Harris was greeted like a rockstar as she took the stage before a rapt audience at Georgia’s Clark Atlanta University. When a politician is greeted by a friendly crowd, they often hear chants of their name. But at Clark, an historically-Black college (HBCU), students instead delivered a school spirit chant for the Atlanta University Center, celebrating an HBCU alumna – and the country’s first female and first Black vice-president – as one of their own. Continue reading...
It’s time to block reckless AI IPOs and tax billionaires | Naomi Klein and Ilana Glazer
We cannot let the billionaire class take unprecedented risks with our future America is a divided country in crisis. Despite the sunny economic forecast coming from the Trump administration, millions of Americans are struggling to find and keep jobs, getting crushed under the rising cost of living, and losing health insurance when they need it the most. Meanwhile, via corporate consolidation and political corruption, the billionaire class is getting richer faster than ever before: a 40% increase in wealth in just the last two years. Today, the combined wealth of nearly 3,000 global billionaires equals one-fifth of the entire world’s yearly output . Nearly 1,000 billionaires live and do business in the United States. Continue reading...
Family of murdered student Henry Nowak say police misled and manipulated them
Father says officers did ‘not tell the truth’ of what happened after teenager was handcuffed as he bled to death The family of the murdered teenager Henry Nowak, who was arrested as he pleaded for medical help after being stabbed, have said they were failed by the authorities and fear they were manipulated in their darkest hour. His parents described how police wrongly told them Nowak, 18, had been the aggressor, and that officers had immediately administered first aid. They said the police watchdog had initially said there was no evidence of misconduct by officers. Continue reading...
Burnham declines to say net migration still too high as Mahmood prepares to unveil tougher settlement rules – UK politics live
Home secretary to make some migrants wait 10 years or more for right to settle in UK Good morning. Often these days, when the government has a big announcement and just before the relevant minister starts to give the details in a statement to MPs, Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker, erupts with fury and rants and raves at the Treasury bench about how all the main points have already been leaked to the media, in contravention of the ministerial code. Not today. Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, will this afternoon unveil the final version of her plans to make foreign workers wait longer before they can apply for indefinite leave to remain, and we know relatively little about what she will say. The original plans were unveiled last November and they would require most workers to wait 10 years, not five, for ILR, with care workers having to wait 15 years. They would also apply to foreign workers already here, not just new arrivals. These proposals were hugely controversial, and Andy Burnham himself was among the ministers arguing that care workers should be treated more kindly. Continue reading...
John Leeson, voice behind Doctor Who’s K9, dies at 83
Actor, who also appeared in Dad’s Army and Rainbow, remembered as a ‘true gent’ by Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies John Leeson, the actor best known as the voice of K9, the robot dog in Doctor Who, has died at 83. Leeson’s son, Guy Ducker, shared the news on Facebook. He wrote: “I regret to announce the death of my father … after a summer of illness. The end was peaceful.” Continue reading...
Ryanair considers pay freezes and reducing crew on flights as fuel costs soar
Airline also weighs up increasing use of AI as part of cost-cutting measures to offset impact of Iran war Ryanair is considering cost-cutting measures including implementing pay freezes, reducing crew on flights and increasing the use of AI to offset soaring fuel costs because of the Middle East conflict . Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier said it expects European airlines to raise their ticket prices by as much as 20% , as it anticipates its jet fuel costs will increase by about €2bn (£1.6bn) in its next financial year, which ends in March 2028. Continue reading...
Ukraine and Russia say emergency air-raid warning systems hit by cyber-hacks – Europe live
In Ukraine, the app started to send out alarming fake messages late on Sunday night Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of key events in Europe. Ukraine and Russia have reported corresponding cyber-hacks on their app warning systems overnight. Continue reading...
Award‑winning Australian children’s author Craig Silvey jailed over child exploitation material
Jasper Jones writer sent multiple messages about his sexual desire for young boys, Western Australian district court hears Warning: This article contains graphic content Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The award‑winning author Craig Silvey sent multiple messages about his sexual desire for young boys and was caught with explicit images of children and adults. The young adult novelist was jailed on Monday for seven months after pleading guilty to distributing and possessing child exploitation material in January. Continue reading...
Meeting Elvis was ‘my biggest day with the Beatles’, says road manager’s book
Mal Evans’s tale of historic meeting among revelations in forthcoming memoir unpublished before his death in 1976 Meeting Elvis Presley was “the biggest day of all the years I have spent with the famous Beatles”, the band’s loyal road manager wrote. It is among recollections in a memoir that Mal Evans had planned to publish, with the band’s permission, before his death in 1976, aged 40, in a shooting by the Los Angeles police. Distraught over the breakup of his marriage, it is believed to have been “suicide by cop” after he repeatedly pointed an air rifle at police. Continue reading...
Zero passing yards, one win. Did the Bucs just reinvent the NFL in all the wrong ways?
In a downpour against the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay decided throwing was for losers. They were proved right I don’t think I’m being cheeky when I say that passing is the most exciting part of football. A solid hit is nice, and a big run can thrill you, but this is a quarterback-centric game. When a QB is bad, teams usually lose and fans get bored. So, Sunday’s performance by Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has me positively gobsmacked. I wouldn’t say their 16-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons was thrill-a-minute, but it certainly was historic. By completing a grand total of zero passes out of a paltry three attempts, Baker Mayfield led the Bucs to the first game with no passing offense since the Buffalo Bills beat the New York Jets 16-12 on 29 September 1974. If you are miraculously old enough to remember the NFL before the advent of the forward pass in 1906, first off, congratulations on being over 120 years of age. Please email me your full diet and exercise regimen. You’re probably on your feet (if standing is still something physically possible), cheering a bit of hard-nosed, classic football. The rest of us young whippersnappers still grinding through our first century are holding our noses. Of course, Mayfield – a former No 1 overall pick – can throw. As recently as 2024 he threw for 41 touchdowns and 4,500 passing yards in a season. But Sunday’s game was played in pouring rain that led to farcical moments like this , and Tampa clearly decided that the ground game was the only way to go. That Tampa Bay could score at all, let alone 16 points, is a credit to Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell running as if their lives depended on it. Irving finished the day with 170 rushing yards and one touchdown, while Gainwell had 140. Combined, they rushed 52 times for 324 yards – the most ever in a single game for the Bucs. They more than made up for Mayfield’s borderline irrelevance in the pocket. Mayfield made himself useful blocking for his runners, but otherwise, I probably could have started at QB for the Buccaneers and the game would have been the same, other than the high likelihood of me suffering at least one gruesome injury. Continue reading...
‘Traitors in every family’: Hungary to unmask communist-era informants and confront past
From 1945 to 1989 security police relied on tens of thousands of spies to suppress dissent. To rebuild trust, their files will finally be made public Hungary’s new government will on Wednesday reveal the names of tens of thousands of state informants from the communist era in an attempt to confront the past and rebuild public trust. From 1945 to 1989, Hungary’s communist state-security services relied on an extensive network of informants to monitor society and suppress dissent. Some were blackmailed or coerced into reporting on neighbours, friends, colleagues and even family members; others were recruited through promises of various advantages. Continue reading...
Domestic violence survivor living ‘in terror’ after attacker released without tag
Woman among hundreds asking why electronic trackers not fitted before offenders leave prison A domestic violence survivor who was punched, threatened with a knife and had her front door kicked in by her former partner is “living in terror” because he has still not been fitted with a tracking tag, weeks after his release from prison. Michelle, 38, who now lives in a static caravan with her four children, said relatives were sleeping on her floor in case the man tried to attack again. He had been recalled to prison on several occasions before for breaching his probation conditions. Continue reading...
‘Sharper, longer slowdown’ predicted for economy as fifth interest rate hike looms
Australia’s central bank expected to hit mortgage holders again on Tuesday, as war in Middle East combines with collapsing house prices Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australia’s economy is set for a “sharper, longer slowdown”, major bank economists say, as the Reserve Bank is forced to keep interest rates higher to rid the nation of persistent inflationary pressures. The RBA is widely expected to hit mortgage holders with a fifth rate hike on Tuesday, in a move that will push the cash rate to its highest since 2008 amid rising worries the economy could even be tipped into recession. Continue reading...
Minns warns expected RBA rate rise will see ‘shops close that don’t reopen’ as pressure mounts on PM
Frustration grows over the economy with one Labor MP saying voter anger is already high ahead of Reserve Bank of Australia decision Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has warned an expected interest rate increase will force job losses and cause businesses to close, insisting the federal government and states should rein in spending to take pressure off the economy. The intervention from the leader of the country’s biggest state will heap yet more pressure on the Albanese government ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s cash rate decision on Tuesday. Continue reading...
World’s largest early warning system for severe child illness to launch in NHS A&Es across England
Paediatric early warning system (Pews) uses a vital signs scoring system to assess whether a child is deteriorating The world’s largest “early warning system” to spot when sick children are dangerously deteriorating is being introduced in A&E departments across England, NHS leaders have said. The national paediatric early warning system (Pews) uses a scoring system for vital signs to assess whether a child needs more urgent attention. It is already used for inpatients, but NHS England has said this winter will be the first time it is used in A&E . Continue reading...
From Gianni Infantino to my dishwasher: Edith Pritchett’s week in Venn diagrams – cartoon
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Millions in UK brace to remortgage on worse deals as rate rise looms
More than 2.3m households face jump in payments in 2027, after expected increase in Bank of England rate this week More than 2.3m UK households face a sharp rise in mortgage payments as they come off fixed-rate deals in 2027, with the Bank of England expected to begin raising interest rates this week. The Bank’s nine-member monetary policy committee (MPC) is widely expected to increase the base rate from 3.75% to 4% on 5 November after UK inflation rose further to 3.5% in September. Continue reading...
Most Israelis think settlements policy should change to avoid more sanctions, poll finds
Survey finds UK government’s decision to impose trade ban was not a decisive factor in how Israelis voted in election The UK government’s decision to impose a ban on trade in goods from illegal settlements was not decisive in how Israelis voted in their general election , but a majority think the Israeli government’s settlements policy should change if it is going to lead to further sanctions, a new poll of Israelis shows. There had been fierce criticism of the UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband’s decision in September to impose a trade ban and wider sanctions on illegal settlements, with some claiming it would drive Israeli voters into the arms of Benjamin Netanyahu. Continue reading...
These midterms could effectively end the Trump era – but neither side is yet ready for what comes next | Nesrine Malik
Despite the US president’s ratings being at rock bottom, undoing his legacy will be difficult, not least because the Democrats are in disarray The stats and polling all suggest one thing: the Republicans are set for a hammering in the midterms. Donald Trump has the lowest approval rating of any US president going into a midterm election since Harry Truman. And it’s still dropping. The Democrats are projected to win by a margin of 11 percentage points , the largest swing by any party in almost 20 years. It is possible that the Democrats flip the Senate and secure a large majority in Congress. Those majorities would make a material difference, perhaps finally establishing oversight of the policies Trump has brought in during his second term: immigration enforcement, trade disputes, gutting the federal workforce, the Iran war, to say nothing of his own family’s corruption. The tide seems to be turning, and one question is on everyone’s mind: is the Trump era really ending? “Nobody wants to jinx it,” wrote David Wallace-Wells of the New York Times, but: “All the signs we have suggest that, historic or not, these midterms are likely to mark the end of a political era.” What that gives way to is a much more complicated picture in which the US will be delivered from Trump himself, but remains a country riven and undermined by what he has unleashed. By the time he is gone, Trump will have been president for eight years, and a toxic force for more than 12. That is a long time even for a normal politician. Under one who shatters norms and forces himself into the centre of everything, Trump’s effect is as if he were president for decades. Continue reading...