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Politics
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How has Andy Burnham used his first 100 days in power?
From ‘everyday fixes’, party management and communications to long-term plans for care and pensions, the PM’s six key acts so far UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham arrived in Downing Street promising to transform the way Britain works, restore hope and bring an end to years of political division. One hundred days later, the prime minister has announced a series of measures aimed at making everyday life easier, he’s reopened the debate over Britain’s relationship with Europe and set out plans to overhaul public services. He has also managed to maintain an unusually visible public profile, appearing regularly on social media and even taking part in a charity edition of Channel 4’s Gogglebox . Burnham has said he’s been surprised by the public’s appetite for change, insisting his first budget on Wednesday would offer some breathing space for households and businesses. But the early weeks of his premiership have also exposed tensions between immediate political wins and the structural changes he has promised. Here is how his first 100 days have unfolded in six key ways. Continue reading...
MP calls for rethink of pre-poll voting amid heightened security concerns in wake of Haines incident
Liberal-National MP Garth Hamilton says he has ‘witnessed three interactions between cars and people at pre-poll, two accidental’ Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast A Liberal-National MP has called for a rethink of pre-poll voting at federal elections, including potentially shortening the amount of time booths are open, amid concerns of threats to voters and volunteers. Security risks to politicians and their staff have been front and centre this week, as parliament returned after the alleged attack on Helen Haines, which left the independent MP in a serious but stable condition after both her legs were amputated. Continue reading...
Greens push for human override in aged care assessment after ombudsman’s scathing report into algorithm tool
Investigation recommends government changes legislation so staff assessing people for home support packages can correct the outcome Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Greens leader, David Shoebridge, has used a scathing report from the commonwealth ombudsman to press the government to use the last two sitting weeks of parliament to restore human override to its “unfair” aged care assessment tool. The 104-page ombudsman report , published on Monday, recommends the government change legislation so that aged care workers assessing older Australians for home support packages can amend the outcome when the algorithm-driven assessment tool makes an incorrect decision on funding. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...
Guardian Essential poll: One Nation and Labor’s primary vote on par as discontent with Albanese rises
The prime minister’s disapproval rating increases to 56%, the equal highest in Essential polls since he took the job in 2022 Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast One Nation’s primary vote is back on par with Labor in the latest Guardian Essential poll, with Anthony Albanese’s public disapproval rising to its equal highest on record and more Australians than ever before believing the country is on the wrong track. But Australians are still not convinced One Nation or the Coalition would do a better job than the current government, with Labor still the most trusted party on the economy and managing the country. Continue reading...
Illinois man arrested after allegedly sending suspicious powder to Congress members using his return address
Matthew Unglesbee admitted to sending the letters to four unidentified politicians, officials say An Illinois man accused of sending letters containing suspicious white powder to four members of Congress has been arrested after he allegedly wrote his own name and return address on the envelopes, according to authorities. Matthew Unglesbee, 36, of Quincy, remained in the custody of US marshals on Tuesday on federal charges of perpetrating a hoax and sending threatening communications through the mail. Continue reading...
US voters: tell us what issues will decide your vote in the midterm elections?
We’d like to hear from Americans across the political spectrum about your voting priorities in the midterm elections On 3 November, millions of Americans will vote in midterm elections to decide control of the House of Representatives and Senate, as well as the governorships in 36 states. In an October poll by the New York Times/Siena College , Donald Trump’s approval rating sank to 36% with most respondents expressing frustration over his handling of the US economy, cost of living and Iran war. Continue reading...
Campaigners urge chancellor to scrap spending on ‘fairytale’ carbon capture
Chris Packham among voices calling on Treasury to scale back £24bn for ‘national embarrassment’ projects in budget Campaigners are calling on the chancellor to cut the government’s £24bn spending plans for “fairytale” carbon capture technologies in favour of funding green schemes that can reliably cut emissions and lower energy bills. Environmentalist Chris Packham is leading an 11th-hour appeal for the Treasury to use this week’s budget to scale back the government’s “exorbitantly expensive” support for carbon capture, which is now more than the planned spending for the US, the EU, Norway and Japan combined. Continue reading...
Man serving life sentence for murder escapes Tennessee prison, slipping through fence, officials say
Security footage shows Jacob Morley escaping in his prison uniform, investigators describe Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Tennessee authorities on Tuesday were still searching for a convicted murderer who, investigators say, escaped a state prison by slipping through a fence and fleeing in a stolen truck. The state department of correction (TDOC) said in a statement that officials realized Jacob Morley, 28, was unaccounted for at about 11.30pm on Sunday at the Northwest correctional complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee. The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...
First Thing: Trump targets midterm legitimacy with lawsuits and a cash bounty
US president in unprecedented offer of $1m reward for reports of voter fraud as DoJ acts against states. Plus, everything you need to know about Israel’s crucial election Good morning. The Trump administration’s assault on the legitimacy of the midterm elections has continued, with the US president announcing a $1m reward for reports of voter fraud, amid several legal actions by the Department of Justice to limit voting. Donald Trump said the bounty payment was contingent on the arrest and conviction of those responsible. He did not disclose how he would pay for the rewards. Trump’s comments follow his repeated and unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud. What action is the administration trying to take against Washington state? The administration has asked Washington state to set aside any ballots received from more than 400 people it alleges are registered to vote without US citizenship. The request marks the third time this month that the justice department has brought a direct state challenge even as voting is under way. What is the latest in the battle over California voters? A US federal appeals court has rejected the Trump administration’s move to block California from counting the ballots of 20,000 registered voters that the justice department claims are non-citizens. Why is Vivek Ramaswamy facing criticism over an advert? The Republican nominee to be the governor of Ohio ran an ad featuring his opponent’s mother, who said she would not vote for her daughter. As Moira Donegan explains in this excoriating opinion piece , the estrangement between Amy Acton is decades long and stems from the sexual abuse Acton survived as a child. What are the key takeaways from the investor prospectus? The document reveals the AI research lab’s financials and the risks – more than 90 pages of them – that might negatively impact its business. Johana Bhuiyan has identified these four key takeaways . What has Anthropic’s model recently been accused of? Anthropic’s Claude model accessed voter data in the US state of Georgia , the AI company has confirmed, in the latest example of unauthorised behavior by the technology. The AI model managed to bypass a paywall to reach data that is publicly available but is typically accessible only after paying a fee. Continue reading...
‘Approaching desire with curiosity’: the many facets of Black masculinity – in pictures
Through thoughtful conversations and dynamic images, Quil Lemons’s new book Quiladelphia explores how Black men navigate desire and masculinity as well as the stereotypes placed on them. With a foreword by Brontez Purnell and including Lemons in dialogue with musician Santigold and artist Lyle Ashton Harris, Lemons asks the audience to consider who can embody the American dream Continue reading...
Police called to Florida soccer game after parents say three-year-old benched for being too good
Organizer says parents were causing disturbance No one arrested or made to leave game in Florida Police were called after a dispute involving the parents of a three-year-old player at a soccer game in Florida over the weekend. The boy’s parents can be heard on police body cameras saying their son, Nevada, had been kicked out because he was too good at soccer and was embarrassing the other children. However, an organizer at the game said Nevada had pushed other children and his parents had become argumentative when their son was taken out the game. Continue reading...
Silicon Valley parents want the tech they help build out of their childrens’ schools
Both private and public schools in tech regions are limiting the use of tech in classrooms. But will low-income districts be able to follow suit? German Gil spends most of his waking hours looking at screens. Since moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2015, the software engineer has bounced between start-ups and giants including Netflix, Facebook and GitHub. But when it came to the education of his daughter, Victoria, he wanted her to have a different experience, one in which his “kid could be a kid”. Continue reading...
Not registered to vote yet in the US? There’s a good chance you can still cast a ballot | Laura W Brill
Twenty-two states and Washington DC let voters register on election day. Why aren’t politicians doing more to reach young people? With election day just a week away, candidates are ignoring millions of young Americans who could still cast a decisive ballot but have not yet registered to vote. By contrast, my mailbox has been full of political flyers: the various campaigns gleaned my name from the voter file, recognized that I am a regular voter who hadn’t cast a ballot yet, and assessed through their targeted analysis that it’s worth spending on printing and postage to get their message to me. Continue reading...
North Carolina legislators closed their on-campus voting sites. HBCU students marched miles to vote anyway
Last year, the state’s board of elections removed several polling sites from local colleges – and students have taken it upon themselves to organize voting On 15 October, the first day of early voting in North Carolina, mostly Black students from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NC A&T), Bennett College and University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) marched from their college campuses to their nearest polling sites for the first day of early voting. Previously, students were able to vote on their respective campuses; however, late last year, with Republicans at the helm, the North Carolina board of elections removed several polling sites from local colleges: UNCG, NC A&T, Western Carolina University (WCU) and Elon University. As a result, students have taken it upon themselves to organize voting. The marches – two, so far – took about two hours round trip, but to the students, protecting their right to vote, they say, is worth it. Continue reading...
‘No one saves the planet if it hits their pocket’: UK heat pump installers fear planned subsidy cuts
Boiler upgrade scheme, which provides grants of up to £9,000 for sustainable alternatives, expected to be slashed in budget When Bill Tuck first started installing air source heat pumps six years ago, other heating engineers were skeptical the green technology would take off. “Now, the conversation is completely different,” he said. “I’m getting approached by them saying: ‘Mrs Jones, my customer for 15 years, she’s enquiring about a heat pump. What can you tell me?’ The whole narrative has changed.” Continue reading...
‘I’m still innocent,’ says Comey as Trump calls him a ‘dirty cop’ – US politics live
The US justice department is attempting to prosecute the former FBI director for the third time Sign up for the Breaking News US email President Donald Trump and secretary of state Marco Rubio on Tuesday plan to show off a newly arrived oil tanker filled with Venezuelan crude to be processed in Texas refineries, according to a congressional aide and two US officials. The visit to Port Arthur, Texas, comes on the same day that Trump is campaigning in the state for Republican candidates in the midterms, AP reported. Donald Trump campaigned in Corinth, Mississippi in support of Republican senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and told the crowd his rallies have “totally changed the dialogue”. “Nobody’s ever campaigned like I have for midterms,” he said. A vocal protester then attempted to engage the president in some dialogue, on the subject of his ballroom, and where it might be most appropriately located. Trump lashed out in racist terms at his predecessor, Barack Obama , for joking over the weekend that his renovation of the White House, with “gold everywhere”, has “the White House looking like Saddam Hussein open a Cheesecake Factory.” Trump told reporters that Obama “doesn’t notice dirt and filth” of the White House before he rehabilitated it. Trump said then that he was “a very clean person” but, “you have to explain that to Obama” because the former president doesn’t understand and is “not smart at all.” Trump said that the comeback victory of Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , over his far-right opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro , “looked like another rigged election, frankly.” Continue reading...
Trump’s cuts have exposed US to ‘cascade’ of El Niño dangers, experts warn
President has taken an axe to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stalling climate research on and response to extreme weather events Sweeping cuts to the premier US climate agency under Donald Trump have severely hampered the country’s capacity to forecast, research and respond to extreme weather events, former government officials and scientists have warned, as the US faces a cascade of hazards fueled by a potentially historic El Niño this winter. From the start of his second term, the president has taken aim at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), slashing staff levels, canceling contracts and grants , and shutting down databases and research laboratories. The agency that has long been considered a global crown jewel in climate science and forecasting, has lost roughly 20% of its staff since January 2025. Continue reading...
The survival of American democracy depends on taxing billionaires
It is essential not just to fund the public goods the nation needs, it is indispensable to restore a sense of fairness Money doesn’t buy happiness, we’re told. Even some economists agree. The Nobel Prize-winning economists, Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton, once proposed that rising income increased people’s emotional wellbeing only up to a ceiling of about $115,000 in today’s money. They probably hadn’t met many billionaires. The ultra-rich may not pursue happiness in the joyful sense of the word. But they will try every trick in the book to hang on to their stash and woe befall the tax authority that tries to lay a finger on their treasure. Continue reading...
The US urgently needs more bilingual healthcare workers. This clinic might have the solution
In New Mexico, where a shortage is acute, Casa de Salud trains college and high-school health apprentices who understand the communities they serve “I’ll be getting a little bit closer to you to put the cuff on,” Gisselle Martinez said, demonstrating how to take a manual blood pressure in a trauma-informed manner. “It might be a little tight. Let me know if you feel any discomfort and I can take it off.” She’s not a doctor or a nurse – at least, not yet – but a 21-year-old college student. Between classes, Martinez works as a bilingual health apprentice at Casa de Salud, a primary care clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico. On top of taking vitals, Martinez is certified in harm reduction – she can run a needle exchange and give out fentanyl test strips. And she understands how a patient’s trauma and past neglect can show up in an exam room. Continue reading...
Neil Young files second lawsuit against Trump for unauthorised use of Rockin’ in the Free World at rallies
The musician and outspoken critic of the president is suing for $10m in reputational damages – six years after a settlement in which Trump agreed not to use the song again Neil Young is suing Donald Trump’s political action committee Trump 47 Committee Inc for $10m (£7.47m) over alleged copyright infringement of his song Rockin’ in the Free World after the US president used it as walk-up music in recent midterm election rallies. It is the second time that Young has filed against one of Trump’s organisations over his unlicenced use of the song. He first did so in 2020, against the corporation Donald J Trump for President Inc. Trump settled, promising, according to Young’s suit, that his organisation “would never again use Rockin’ in the Free World without a license and permission from Young”. Continue reading...
HSBC says ‘no pressure’ to move HQ out of UK despite prospect of higher bank taxes
As John Healey’s budget decision looms, lender reports 32% rise in profits Business live – latest updates A top executive at HSBC has tried to quash speculation that the bank could move its headquarters out of the UK over tax increases expected to be announced in Wednesday’s budget. HSBC’s chief financial officer, Pam Kaur, said there was “no pressure”, particularly from shareholders in its cornerstone Hong Kong market, to shift out of London despite lobbyists warning higher tax bills could drive big banks’ business abroad. Continue reading...
These four elections could change the world in 10 days – Stateside with Kai and Carter
Benjamin Netanyahu is in the fight of his political life. Voters in Israel are heading to the polls on Tuesday to decide an election that could determine whether Netanyahu will remain the country's prime minister (and affect the outcome of the corruption charges against him). But the Israeli election also arrives at a time when voters around the world seem to be rejecting authoritarianism. A student-run movement stunned the world on Sunday when its candidates routed Serbia's long-serving leader, Aleksandar Vučić. That same day, Brazilians beat back a campaign by Flávio Bolsonaro – the son of Jair Bolsonaro, the disgraced former president – in a historic upset. Carter Sherman speaks to Julian Borger , the Guardian’s senior international correspondent, about how these four elections could reshape the political world order in just 10 days, and why the upcoming US midterm elections are the biggest test for global democracy. Julian Borger on 10 days that could shake the world Continue reading...
AI-driven disinformation running rampant on social media before US midterms, experts warn
Social media companies including Meta have pulled back on efforts to protect voters from election-meddling lies Social media feeds are awash with an unprecedented flood of AI -driven disinformation ahead of November’s US midterm elections , according to experts, who warn many posts are likely “slipping through the cracks”. As tens of millions of Americans prepare to cast their vote, social media companies have scaled back their efforts to protect voters from lies meant to manipulate elections. Continue reading...
Vivek Ramaswamy’s Amy Acton ad makes a false – and sickening – argument
Republican attacks on the candidate for governor are contradictory and hinge on a warped understanding of sexual abuse I’ve heard people say that the Ramaswamy team must have been scared. Last week, the campaign of Vivek Ramaswamy, the tech billionaire and onetime Republican presidential candidate who is currently the Republican nominee to be the governor of Ohio, ran an ad featuring the long-estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, the physician and former public health official Amy Acton. Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...