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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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First professional St Nick with Down’s syndrome inducted into International Santa Claus Hall of Fame
Atlanta’s Bradley Carlisle first played Kris Kringle for kids with Down’s syndrome and has now completed elite Santa Academy After recently gaining recognition as the first professional Santa Claus with Down’s syndrome in the US, Bradley Carlisle has already gotten a lot more than the traditional serving of milk and cookies that is usually left out for Father Christmas each year. That is because the 37-year-old community theater actor from suburban Atlanta landed an honorary induction into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame upon completing one of the largest Christmas performer schools in the US in late August – a distinction meant to recognize the important representation his emergence on the holiday scene has brought, according to his supporters. Continue reading...
When Memphis went dark, community members brought the light: ‘We keep ourselves safe’
A storm lasting about 30 minutes wreaked $18m in damage leaving tens of thousands without power in the US city The storm that hit the Memphis , Tennessee, area on 22 August lingered for only about half an hour. But the destruction it left was lasting: $18m in damages , fallen trees and more than 100,000 people without power. Amber Sherman was one of the east Memphis residents who lost power, but her first thoughts were of her neighbors. “My main thought was that the power’s going to be out for a while and people aren’t prepared for that and it’s very hot outside,” Sherman, a coordinator for Black Voters Matter (BVM) in Memphis, said. Days after the storm, a series of rain showers and thunderstorms known as a bow echo storm, the high in Memphis was 91F (32.8C). Tens of thousands of households were still without power. Continue reading...
Kardashian curves: M&S launches £28 bodysuit with exaggerated hip padding
The ‘hip boost’ aims to create hourglass silhouette, much like Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand’s padded shorts For decades shapewear has been used to compress and cinch. But now there is a sub-genre emerging. Rather than shrinking a silhouette, it aims to add inches. This week M&S launched a bodysuit that features exaggerated padding at the hip allowing the wearer to create an hourglass shape, or at least the illusion of one. Continue reading...
Europe would not be able to sustain war of attrition with Russia, defence officials say
Security experts fear Putin may be winning hybrid war with the west amid rise of pro-Kremlin, far-right parties Defence planners working with Nato fear that if war broke out with Russia, Europe could not currently sustain a prolonged war of attrition owing to a public lack of war readiness, a conference on the future of European military coordination heard this week. The pessimism reflects concern that Russia may be winning a so-called hybrid war with Europe, weakening the options available to Nato war planners in the event of military conflict. Continue reading...
Reform continues to cast doubt on climate science. Do its supporters agree?
Climate scepticism is common at the Reform party conference, but many also criticise Labour for failing to protect Britons from hot weather On the second day of the Reform UK conference, in the wake of an undercover investigation alleging party officials plotted to evade the law on foreign donations, the deputy leader, Richard Tice, addressed the audience. Within minutes, a banner appeared behind him reading: “Collect £5m, burn the planet.” It was taken down promptly and Tice, who has repeatedly called on people to enjoy the summer’s five successive heatwaves and record drought , rolled on. As Reform members at the Birmingham venue applauded Tice, there was plenty of agreement with his views. “I enjoyed the heat this summer,” said Jeanette Bowden, of Bexley. “I don’t think people need telling to take care of themselves.” Her partner, James, added, without scientific backing: “Carbon dioxide was much higher in the past, it was 10 times higher than this during the ice ages. It’s not a human problem.” Continue reading...
Captain calamity: Pete Hegseth under fire for ‘inept’ leadership of US military
The US defense secretary faces internal dissent and discord at the Pentagon, accused of focusing on culture war issues and his own political ambitions as the Iran war drags on In a different Washington, under a different president, a return to the well-worn playbook of all-out sanctions to counter Iran might have been the signal for a publicity-hungry US secretary of defense to adopt a lower profile. But these are no ordinary times. And Pete Hegseth is no ordinary defense secretary. Continue reading...
‘It cost me many friendships’: former Brazil military chief reveals inside struggle to stop Bolsonaro’s coup
Carlos de Almeida Baptista Júnior describes 2022 meeting in new book as ex-leader’s son vies with Lula for presidency The far-right populist Jair Bolsonaro was in his final days as Brazil’s president when, six weeks after losing the election and still refusing to recognise the result, he summoned the heads of the armed forces to a meeting. The defence minister, Gen Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, took out a document from a plastic folder and handed copies to the commanders of the navy, army and air force. Continue reading...
ICE given permission to force-feed Cuban hunger striker with gastric tube
Exclusive: court orders seen by Guardian show agency given approval to fit Texas detainee with tube without his consent Federal immigration officials quietly received permission from a judge in recent weeks to force-feed a detained Cuban hunger striker inside a Texas detention center, including with the use of a rare, nonconsensual surgical procedure, court records reveal. The man is likely the 19th hunger striker in Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) detention where the agency has had an application approved to conduct “involuntary medical procedures” since January 2025. The rising number of cases under the second Trump administration has alarmed advocates amid wide-ranging accusations of mistreatment inside facilities nationwide. Continue reading...
CTE in football players is a health crisis. It’s time for us to stop watching
A new study offers more evidence that America’s biggest sport produces life-altering head trauma. The NFL will never turn itself off, so it’s on fans to do so As a new NFL season begins this Wednesday, the danger of America’s most-watched sport has never been more clear. A new and widely circulated study published in the British Journal of Medicine examined the donated brains of former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 and compared them with the overall number of players who died during that period. Of the 235 donated brains in that period, 215 had evidence of the degenerative brain condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). That group of 215 comprised 24.5% of the former players who died during that period in total . Given the finding, the study’s authors estimate that the prevalence of CTE among players who died in that period was at minimum 24.5% to a maximum of 97.7%, with the actual rate likely somewhere in between. Nathan Kalman-Lamb is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick. Derek Silva is Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology at King’s University College at Western University. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org , or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie . In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...
Gaza refugee says sister-in-law ‘would be alive’ if Home Office had let her come to UK
Anwar, who lives in Glasgow, says Home Office refused visa application despite Maryam having cancer A man living in the UK has said he believes his sister-in-law who died from cancer in Gaza would still be alive today if the Home Office had agreed to bring her and her family to Britain. Anwar, who lives in Glasgow, fled Gaza in 2020 and was granted refugee status in the UK in 2021. After the destruction of large areas of Gaza by Israeli forces following the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, he applied to bring his brother Hassan, Hassan’s wife, Maryam , their two young children and other family members to the UK in October 2025. He said the Home Office rejected their application. Continue reading...
Farage and Jenrick to speak on final day of Reform conference marred by scandal and protests – UK politics live
Farage, who had earlier suspended two close aides, had his keynote speech interrupted multiple times by protesters on Friday Morning, and welcome to our UK politics blog. Reform UK’s annual conference continues in Birmingham today, with speeches from Lee Anderson, Zia Yusuf, Robert Jenrick and others, before Nigel Farage takes to the stage for the closing remarks. The conference has been overshadowed by a scandal involving senior Reform figures caught in an undercover sting discussing potential foreign donations, prompting the suspension of two senior aides and renewed scrutiny of the party’s finances. Continue reading...
Sweden confirms 458 Britons deported or forcibly removed since Brexit
Scale of deportations made public for first time amid criticism of hardline approach to UK citizens Sweden has confirmed 458 British citizens have been deported or forcibly removed by police since Brexit. It is the first time the scale of the deportations of citizens who failed to secure residency in Sweden post Brexit has been made public and comes amid mounting criticism of a cruel and hardline approach to Britons who had chosen to make the country their home before Brexit. Continue reading...
The pressure on Burnham to appease the right is huge. But now is the time to step out of Reform’s shadow | Andy Beckett
A scandal-besieged Reform still has a loyal base that won’t budge. That should free up the PM to deliver some home truths Despite the bright start to Andy Burnham’s premiership, and Reform UK’s sudden disarray, a shadow still hangs over British centre-left politics. Labour has a small poll lead , a cautious air of confidence and a leader who seems energised rather than overwhelmed by trying to solve the country’s problems. Meanwhile, Reform is having a terrible 2026: mired in deepening funding scandals, losing winnable byelections and, thanks to the drama and novelty of Burnham’s leadership coup and new government, no longer the freshest story around. Yet Reform UK’s support has either held up or fallen only slightly in most polls since Burnham entered Downing Street. Even in the Makerfield byelection, where he beat it more decisively than expected, Reform’s vote share and total support actually rose . Nigel Farage may have spent the year uncharacteristically avoiding journalists, or in his prickly rather than jolly public mode, but the overwhelming majority of Reform supporters, almost a quarter of the electorate, remain faithful. “Power is within our grasp!” insisted Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affairs spokesman, at its party conference in Birmingham on Friday, and they applauded with determined gusto. Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
‘Sinn Féin traitors!’: how far-right rhetoric derailed party’s path to power in Ireland
Party insider reveals how election campaign was blindsided by rise of anti-immigrant feeling in new book For Siobhán Fenton, the dream of Sinn Féin winning power and leading a progressive leftwing government evaporated the day she was canvassing in Dublin and felt a cold, sharp sting on her neck. She was in the passageway of a block of flats in the inner city, knocking on doors, and looked around for the source. Fenton, a media adviser to the party leader, Mary Lou McDonald , felt another sting on her shoulder, then another on her forearm. Continue reading...
Leftist insurgents are storming the midterms – just don’t call them all democratic socialists
Progressive candidates navigate their ties to the DSA as the group faces historic growth and mounting pressure Days before he won the Democratic primary for US Senate in Michigan, insurgent newcomer Abdul El-Sayed was asked whether he was concerned about being labeled a “socialist”. “I’d rather think of myself as a capitalist who has actually read about capitalism,” El-Sayed told CBS News anchor Ed O’Keefe. “I’m not a socialist.” Continue reading...
Black-clad protesters in balaclavas block road at port of Dover in Kent
Traffic on A20 in and out of port grinds to halt as Kent police say they are in attendance and engaging with group A large group of people dressed in black and wearing balaclavas have blocked the road at the port of Dover in Kent, forcing closures in both directions. Kent police said they were aware of the protest, which was described as a “public order incident” by the Port of Dover. Officers were in attendance and engaging with protesters, they said. Continue reading...
Andy Ruiz Jr’s comeback bid in tatters after sobering defeat to Damian Knyba
Knyba wins unanimous decision after dropping Ruiz Former champion struggles badly after 762-day layoff Ruiz, 36, insists another title run remains possible Andy Ruiz Jr’s comeback bid was left in tatters on Friday night after the former unified heavyweight champion was knocked down and picked apart in a sobering unanimous-decision defeat to Damian Knyba in Newark, New Jersey. Knyba won by scores of 117-110 and 114-113 twice, handing Ruiz the third defeat of his professional career and dealing a devastating blow to his hopes of becoming a two-time champion in boxing’s prestige division. The baffling pair of 114-113 cards flattered Ruiz considerably and bore little relation to the mostly one-way traffic that unfolded. (The Guardian had it 117-110.) Continue reading...
The two-year trail of financial controversy dogging Reform and Farage
Six claims the party has faced – from an undisclosed £5m gift to an alleged plot to bypass election laws As Reform UK’s annual conference unfolded in Birmingham, the party was once again facing heightened scrutiny over its finances. Two senior officials have been suspended after they were filmed in an undercover investigation appearing to plot to get around electoral laws on foreign donations. Continue reading...
Beekeepers warn of Asian hornet threat and call for UK awareness campaign
Experts say invasive species are creating ‘pollinator deserts’ and could have serious impact on food security British beekeepers have called for a national awareness campaign about the impact of Asian hornets as they warned the invasive species was creating “pollinator deserts” and threatening food security. Native to south-east Asia, the yellow-legged hornet is thought to have arrived in Europe in 2004 and has continued to spread ever since, its numbers probably boosted by increasingly warm springs and summers. Continue reading...
Williams sisters’ US Open return ends in heartbreak with third-set tie-break defeat
American duo lose 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7) to Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching Serena and Venus crash out of women’s doubles in first round In the end, after so much toil and admirable fight, defeat came swiftly for one of the greatest doubles teams to ever share a tennis court. Upon their return to prime time in New York , Venus and Serena Williams fought desperately to overturn the various deficits they found themselves in over three hours inside a thunderous Arthur Ashe Stadium. They came close. The Williams sisters had clawed their way back into the match after trailing a 1-4 in their final set against Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint, and they established a 5-0 lead in the third set tie-break. Just as they appeared to be on the verge of victory, they were brushed aside, losing 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (7) in the first round of the US Open. Continue reading...
‘Every girl now wants to be a boxer’: excitement in Katie Taylor’s home town for her valedictory bout
Irish boxer lauded for her tenacity and inspiration before her last fight in front of 80,000 people at Croke Park When Katie Taylor steps into the ring on Saturday night to defend her titles and once again enthral Ireland, there will be a bittersweet tinge. After a singular career that pioneered women’s boxing, the super-lightweight champion and Olympic gold medallist is bowing out. She is 40 and it is to be her final bout. “The end of an era, isn’t it?” said Trevor McMahon, her brother-in-law and founder of a gym where she trains. “It’ll be an amazing night but it’ll also be a little bit sad. Everything she did, it might not ever be achieved again.” Continue reading...
Ben Simmons handed NBA lifeline in one-year deal with Sacramento Kings
Australian returns on AU$4.9m contract after season on sidelines Former No 1 pick hopes to reignite basketball career with fourth club Australian former No 1 overall draft pick Ben Simmons has taken a significant step towards resurrecting his NBA career, agreeing a one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings. The Melbourne-born guard returns on a US$3.5m (AU$4.9m) contract after sitting out the entire 2025-26 campaign while rehabilitating back and leg injuries that have hampered him in recent years. Continue reading...
Sydney set to hit 33C in warmest start to spring since mid-1800s, while snow forecast in southern NSW
A total fire ban is in place for greater Sydney with extreme fire danger exacerbated by hot and windy conditions Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Summer heat is due to arrive early across much of eastern Australia with potentially record early September temperatures predicted for Brisbane and Sydney, while snow was expected in southern New South Wales. Maximum temperatures in Sydney during the first days of September were on track to match the city’s midsummer average of 26.4C, warmer than any other start to spring since the city’s Observatory Hill station opened in 1858. Continue reading...
Judge refuses to block Pentagon from firing Stars and Stripes journalists
Ruling allows defense department to proceed for now in exerting greater editorial control over military news outlet A federal judge has declined to stop the Pentagon from firing journalists who say they were illegally punished for speaking out about the need for the Stars and Stripes publication to maintain its editorial independence. The ruling by US district judge Trevor McFadden allows the Pentagon to proceed for now in exerting greater editorial control over the historically independent military news outlet. Continue reading...