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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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When a single vowel stands in the path to victory, the stakes could not be higher for these spelling bee champions
Primary school students bested 200,000 competitors across New South Wales to reach the Premier’s Spelling Bee finals in Sydney Competing in a spelling bee is not for the faint of heart. Sometimes, the difference between victory and loss is one incorrect vowel and you’re undone, months of training reduced to nought. At a small theatre hall in Sydney’s west on Friday afternoon, 34 primary school students sit stony-faced on a brightly lit stage, knowing this pressure only too well. Continue reading...
Susie Wiles exits White House as Trump ousts another woman from key role
Wiles thanks president for ‘honor of a lifetime’ as departure leaves behind overwhelmingly male leadership team US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump on Friday said Susie Wiles, the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, will leave her post, a major shake-up of his inner circle that comes amid a steady exodus of senior female officials from his administration. The president announced her ouster – and her replacement, by the immigration hardliner Stephen Miller – in a post on Truth Social, days after a sweeping blue wave gave Democrats control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections. Wiles’s departure leaves behind an overwhelmingly male leadership team. Continue reading...
Several Democrats renew calls for datacenter pauses after blue wave
Tech industry fears delays to its multi-trillion dollar infrastructure buildout meant to power artificial intelligence Several newly elected Democrats and Senator Bernie Sanders have renewed calls for datacenter moratoriums in the days after the US midterm elections. The sweeping Democratic victory , which was buoyed in part by backlash to the tech industry , has added momentum to efforts to slow down the multi-trillion-dollar buildout of the controversial facilities. On the social media platform X, Sanders posted a call for an immediate national datacenter moratorium this week. “Americans don’t want Big Tech oligarchs wrecking the environment, gutting jobs and threatening humanity’s future,” Sanders said on Wednesday. Continue reading...
USA women throttle Switzerland 7-0 to open hockey worlds amid jersey dispute
Bilka and Edwards score twice each in American rout Canada open with 5-1 win over Sweden as Eldridge shines Jersey dispute overshadows tournament’s Danish debut The United States opened their defense of the women’s ice hockey world championship with a 7-0 victory over Switzerland on Friday in Esbjerg, Denmark. Hannah Bilka and Laila Edwards scored twice each, while Kirsten Simms, Hilary Knight and Casey O’Brien also found the net as the Americans pulled away after a competitive opening period. Continue reading...
Texas v Musk: how southern state Democrats won against the billionaire – explainer
Democrat James Talarico won a Senate seat in Texas, breaking a 38-year drought for his party in the Republican stronghold and delivering a stunning blow to Donald Trump. The race became one of the most expensive Senate contests in US history, with advertising spending topping $500m, according to estimates. GOP-aligned groups poured hundreds of millions of dollars into efforts to elect Ken Paxton, including substantial funding linked to multibillionaire Elon Musk, whom Talarico accused of trying to buy a Senate seat. Elon Musk’s nearly half a billion dollars in midterms spending was a flop Five dimensional chess: inside James Talarico’s extraordinary bid to break Texas Democrats’ losing streak Continue reading...
Cornell faculty declares ‘no confidence’ in school leaders in fallout from alleged gang-rape
Faculty senate passed resolution expressing deep discontent with school’s response to alleged fraternity rape Cornell University’s faculty senate approved a resolution on Friday declaring “no confidence” in the school’s top leaders, a symbolic gesture reflecting deep discontent on campus in the wake of a former student’s lawsuit saying she was gang-raped at a fraternity party in 2024. The resolution passed 75-50, with five faculty senators abstaining and five others not voting, according to an email sent to members of the faculty senate on Friday afternoon. Continue reading...
Macklemore says that nine US arenas turned down his Free Palestine tour
Rapper called out ‘intimidation, manipulation and suppression’ in a social media post, claiming major arenas refused to host him after the Ed Sheeran controversy Macklemore says that nine major US arenas have refused to host his Free Palestine fundraising tour, calling out “intimidation, manipulation and suppression” tactics. In an Instagram post , the rapper says that he hoped to bring the tour to the US, but nine major arenas refused to host the event, including New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles’s Crypto.com arena and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Continue reading...
Incoming Democratic senators don’t want Chuck Schumer as majority leader
New lawmakers from Annie Andrews and Adam Hamilton to Abdul El-Sayed indicate they will not support him Incoming Democratic senators want someone other than Chuck Schumer to become the next majority leader in the US Senate, although Schumer likely still has enough votes in his caucus to remain the top Democrat. Annie Andrews , the Democratic senator-elect from South Carolina, told Fox News’s Bret Baier on Thursday that the Democratic party needs new leadership. When asked whether she would support Schumer’s leadership bid, she replied: “I still very much believe it’s time for generational change on both sides of the aisle.” Continue reading...
Houston to limit police cooperation with federal immigration authorities
Mayor said only immigrants that ‘pose a danger’ would be referred to ICE, after Democrats gain control of governor’s seat The mayor of Houston on Friday said the city would limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, heralding “a new model” of immigration enforcement after Democrats won power in Texas for the first time in decades. Houston’s mayor, John Whitmire, said the city would go after immigrants “that pose a danger, not those that are going about their family business, work and education”. Continue reading...
Sebastián Lelio, director of A Fantastic Woman and Gloria, dies aged 52
The Chilean film-maker, whose films starred Florence Pugh, Julianne Moore and Rachel Weisz, died at his home in Santiago Chilean film-maker Sebastián Lelio has died at the age of 52. He was best known for the Oscar-winning trans drama A Fantastic Woman and his English-language films included Gloria Bell and The Wonder. Continue reading...
Russell Brand suspected to have attacked at least 10 other women
Met police chief says ‘many more’ victims could come forward, as actor and comedian awaits sentencing Police are bracing themselves for more victims of Russell Brand to come forward with at least 10 more women suspected of being attacked by the disgraced star. Brand, 51, will be sentenced on Monday to what is expected to be a lengthy jail sentence for rape and sexual assaults after he abused his fame to become a “predator” targeting women, and got away with it for years. Continue reading...
Famous New Mexico rock formation destroyed after torrential El Niño rains
Officials expected to investigate whether super El Niño storms in US south-west damaged the Alien Throne spires Undulating, gravity-defying rock spires are one of the most magical parts of the landscape of the US south-west. But after torrential rainstorms linked to the super El Niño season, at least one famous rock formation in north-west New Mexico has been found in pieces. Continue reading...
Stephen Miller to become Trump’s new White House chief of staff
US president confirms Susie Wiles, current chief of staff and first woman to serve in the role, will step down US politics live – latest updates Stephen Miller, Donald Trump’s most controversial aide, and the architect of his sweeping immigration crackdown, will become his new White House chief of staff. The US president announced the extraordinary appointment on Friday, confirming that Susie Wiles – his current chief of staff, and the first woman to serve in the role – would be stepping down on Monday. Continue reading...
Want to have a better chat? Scientists say the secret is ‘pink noise’
The most enjoyable conversations strike a balance between exploring a topic and pulling in fresh ideas, study finds As an early stab at rules for conversation, Cicero did a fine job: watch your tone, never look bored, never lose your temper and never ramble on, particularly about yourself, he advised. Now scientists have followed in the great orator’s footsteps and discovered a telltale signature of an enjoyable chinwag. The secret of a mutually satisfying exchange is a healthy dose of pink noise, they say. Continue reading...
Prince Harry and others launch appeal after losing Daily Mail phone-hacking claim
Harry, Doreen Lawrence, Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost face £50m bill after ruling Prince Harry and five other prominent figures have launched a legal challenge against a judge’s verdict in their unsuccessful claims against the Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers. Harry, Doreen Lawrence, the mother of the murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence, the singer Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, and the actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost faced a legal bill of more than £50m after losing their case claiming that Mail journalists used unlawful methods to source stories. Continue reading...
Lawyers descend on Mississippi as vote counting continues in razor-thin Senate race
Democratic and Republican lawyers and groups trade sharp legal letters about procedures for counting ballots in tight race Democrat Scott Colom is on the verge of winning a Senate seat in Mississippi in a stunning upset, but ballots are still being counted in a close race where Colom holds a lead of just under 2,000 votes over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. Losing ruby-red Mississippi would be the final straw for Republicans after a midterm sweep by Democrats that turned Texas and South Carolina blue. A possible legal fight is also brewing, as both sides trade sharp legal letters about the procedures for counting remaining ballots. National voting groups and attorneys have descended upon the magnolia state, joining the local groups that worked to mobilize voters. Democratic and Republican groups, including Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and Democratic election attorneys from the Elias Law Group, have deployed hundreds of volunteers and lawyers to all the state’s 82 counties to oversee the final rounds of counting. Continue reading...
Activists break into building site of Microsoft datacentre in Amsterdam
Separate actions also take place outside fence and across Europe in backlash against impact of AI boom Activists have stormed the site of a Microsoft datacentre being built in Amsterdam, as the backlash to the social and environmental harms of the AI boom spreads across Europe. Protesters from Geef Tegengas, a Dutch direct action group, clashed with police while breaking into a construction site at Westpoort Amsterdam, where some members climbed a crane, lit flares and tied helium balloons to equipment. Continue reading...
Two more DoJ officials resign, including US attorney leading inquiry into Trump rivals
Jason Reding Quiñones led investigation into whether Trump’s rights were violated during 2020 election inquiry A US attorney overseeing the so-called “grand conspiracy” investigation into Donald Trump ’s rivals announced on Friday he is leaving the Department of Justice, one of several officials to leave the department in recent days after sweeping Democratic wins in the midterm elections . Jason Reding Quiñones, the US attorney for the southern district of Florida, and John Eisenberg, who led the justice department’s national security division, are both leaving. Democrats have pledged to use their majorities in the US House and Senate to conduct aggressive oversight of the justice department, among other agencies. Continue reading...
Flash flooding washes through Georgia-Tennessee border – video
Severe storms brought heavy rain across the border between Georgia and Tennessee on 4 November, flooding communities and forcing dozens of rescues Continue reading...
The Guardian view on the AI backlash: American voters want a say in their future | Editorial
The tech sell-off exposes fragile promises, while Democratic victories offer a chance to protect workers and hold firms accountable This week’s midterms showed that the political bill for the AI boom is falling due. The Democratic sweep intensified fears over runaway spending, mounting debt and resistance to datacentres, sending tech shares tumbling. On Thursday Wall Street suffered its worst day since the pandemic as $3.2tn was wiped from markets. Anthropic, developer of the Claude chatbot, is hoping to float within the next fortnight for $1.5tn (£1.1tn), but it may not now get even a trillion dollars. The dominant AI chipmaker Nvidia saw its value crash by more than $400bn. The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, lost $113bn in two days . While a few very rich people may be a little less wealthy, the sell-off may not be a bad thing. It brings a needed dose of reality to an industry whose spending plans and valuations depend on heroic expectations of future profits. That is a view held by many influential figures – from Goldman Sachs’ research boss to Nobel laureate Daron Acemoğlu . AI may transform the economy. That does not guarantee investors will earn back the sums being poured into it. Continue reading...
Prince, the pope, and autumn 2026: purple is hot this season
Spotted on Balenciaga, Celine and Valentino catwalks, purple is having a moment. If you really want to stand out, wear it with red The colour purple has links to royalty, the Catholic church, Prince, Gordon Brown’s ties and Barney the dinosaur andit now has a new association – autumn 2026. It’s been deemed fashion’s favourite colour having been spotted on autumn/winter catwalks, with Balenciaga, Celine and Valentino showcasing all-purple designs. Continue reading...
Trump will be blocked from putting ‘rightwinger’ on supreme court, Schumer says
After midterm wins, Democratics plan comeback for when new Congress is sworn in, including pushback against Trump and his policies Donald Trump will be blocked from putting a “rightwinger” on the US supreme court, according to Chuck Schumer, the soon-to-be Senate majority leader, in remarks that were a preview of how Democrats intend to wield their power come January. In an interview with the Associated Press, Schumer said Democrats would not confirm “any crappy nominees” to the supreme court, lower courts or Trump’s cabinet. Continue reading...
Could the AI bubble burst after Democrats' midterms sweep? - The Latest
Global tech stocks have plunged after the Democrats’ victory in the US midterm elections, with fears of a slowdown in AI development. Major tech corporations including Apple, Tesla and Nvidia shed about $1tn in a single trading session. Is this stock market jitters, or a sign the AI bubble might be about to burst? Lucy Hough speaks to senior economics correspondent Richard Partington Continue reading...
Russell Brand rape conviction must be ‘wake-up call’, says culture secretary
Lisa Nandy calls for whistleblowers to be protected and highlights bravery of women who came forward in case Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, has warned that Russell Brand’s conviction for rape and sexual assault must be a “wake-up call” to the media world and beyond, after widespread concerns over the failures to confront his behaviour. With renewed calls from TV insiders for a new examination of how Brand’s treatment of women was tolerated for so long, Nandy said the case was a “defining moment for our country”. Continue reading...