section
Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
5058 stories archived
The $1 Trump coin: legal tender, depending on what you mean by legal
Various laws and 250 years of tradition prevent the likeness of living people from appearing on currency. Donald Trump and Scott Bessent don’t want you to worry about that This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday Two hallmarks of Donald Trump’s second-term: the president’s enthusiasm for putting his name and face on things, and his cavalier approach to established law. Today the president is once again combining both those interests, as the government releases a $1 coin bearing his image, an item of currency which scholars say should be illegal, but which is happening anyway. How many times have you heard that in the last 18 months? Continue reading...
Democratic party infighting engulfs center-right over House rules vote
While leaders focused on Hasan Piker, two of the party’s more conservative members salvaged a GOP measure that was poised to fail House Democratic leaders have spent the past few weeks waging a bitter campaign against their own left flank over a leftwing streamer. On Tuesday, it was the party’s center-right who blindsided them. Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, announced late on Tuesday that he had asked the Democratic caucus’s committee on caucus rules to consider punishing the retiring Jared Golden of Maine and Blue Dog Coalition leader Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington after the pair sided with Republicans on a procedural vote that had appeared doomed. Continue reading...
Burnham’s first PMQs showed a leader who wants to please – but knows how to push back
Despite a long absence from parliament, Burnham showed he could hold his own and, despite some nerves, even enjoy himself The coming months will show whether Andy Burnham fits Kemi Badenoch’s charge of a leader too obsessed with being liked to make hard choices. One thing, however, does seem clear from his first outing at prime minister’s questions: he likes saying yes. The very first question came from a political opponent – Ann Davies of Plaid Cymru – but Burnham replied as if she was a valued constituent, saying he understood her worries about the prison early release scheme and hoped she could be reassured. Continue reading...
Andy Burnham faces an impossible job. At least he’s got a secret weapon – Kemi Badenoch
Labour is up against a Tory party with a leader who can’t stop getting lost in her own sense of brilliance. And then there’s Andrew Griffith Call it the gentlest of all reality checks. A quantum realignment in expectations. The faintest reminder to both Andy Burnham and Labour backbenchers that international bond markets are impervious to Manchester charm and positivity. Despite a summer of feel good announcements from the government, there is no escaping the fact that the country is still up shit creek. It’s going to be a tough ride ahead. Nothing will come pain free. Still, a new prime minister has to learn to take the wins – however small – as they come along. In the wider scheme of things, a good prime minister’s questions means next to nothing: it’s nothing more than politics as performance. Yet it can set the tone and buy a prime minister some goodwill from MPs and the media. Plus, it’s a weekly event so you may as well be good at it. Continue reading...
Rupert Murdoch ‘very happy’ that Guy Pearce plays him in Fleet Street biopic Ink
Actor says the press baron’s daughter Elisabeth told him her father was pleased, ‘but he hadn’t seen the film at that point’ Rupert Murdoch is “very happy” that he’s being portrayed by Guy Pearce in a new film about the origins of British tabloid the Sun, the Australian actor has said. Speaking at the Venice film festival ahead of the premiere of 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle’s Ink, Pearce said he had been messaging with the media tycoon’s daughter Elisabeth “and she did say ‘Dad’s very happy that you’re playing him’.” Continue reading...
Reform UK bans three journalists who have criticised party from its conference
Guardian city editor Anna Isaac, investigative reporter Peter Geoghegan and broadcaster Michael Crick refused entry Reform UK has banned at least three journalists who have reported critically on the party and Nigel Farage from its annual conference, which begins on Thursday. The Guardian’s city editor, Anna Isaac, the investigative reporter Peter Geoghegan and the broadcaster and biographer Michael Crick were told this week that their credentials to cover the event had been declined. Continue reading...
Farage compares standards inquiry to investigations faced by fellow ‘outsider’ Trump
Reform UK leader dismisses criticism of his failure to register £5m gift as a sign of a ‘complainants’ society’ Nigel Farage has compared his situation to that of Donald Trump being pursued by investigators for years, saying both of them are “outsiders” up against “the system”, as he admitted having become tetchy and aggrieved this summer. The Reform UK leader has been under huge scrutiny over his finances after failing to declare a £5m gift from the Thailand-based donor Christopher Harborne and further financial support from a friend, the fraudster George Cottrell , before the last election. Continue reading...
New York City to ban student AI use in public schools until high school
Teachers and parents have warned against AI use in schools over concerns of ‘cognitive surrender’ New York City will ban students’ use of artificial intelligence in public schools through eighth grade, typically age 13 or 14. The prohibition is scheduled to be announced Wednesday and will go into effect next week. The change is part of a sweeping overhaul of the use of technology in the US’ largest school district, which enrolls roughly 900,000 students a year. In another policy shift, classrooms will keep students off laptops or tablets through the third grade, age nine or 10. The city’s public school technology policies are closely watched by the rest of the United States. Continue reading...
US medical groups urge people to get flu and Covid shots in counter to Trump guidance
Top medical groups band together to ease confusion from Trump administration’s changing immunization advice Leading US medical groups are urging people to get updated flu and Covid-19 vaccinations this fall, banding together on Wednesday to issue shot guidelines – and highlight the science behind them – saying they hope to ease confusion caused by the Trump administration’s changing advice. Flu vaccinations are beginning and the latest coronavirus shots are starting to arrive after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved this year’s updated versions last week. Winter also brings another vaccine-preventable risk called RSV. Continue reading...
Temperature check: alarm as prediction markets lean into weather and climate bets
Climate experts warn US Kalshi and Polymarket users are ‘gamifying disasters’ as they bet on events like heatwaves and daily temperatures Online prediction markets, saturated by money staked on sport, crypto and politics, have now set their sights on a promising new area of growth: betting on the future livability of the planet itself. The rise of gamified predictions on the unfolding climate crisis, and shorter-term weather forecasts, has been underscored by a new deal that allows Kalshi, a leading online financial exchange, to access data from the Weather Company, owner of the Weather Channel, to verify weather-related betting outcomes. Continue reading...
Palestinian Australian sues NSW police claiming he was punched at Herzog rally when helping prayer group
Exclusive : Eyad Shadid launches civil case in district court after charges against him dropped, alleging he was ‘battered’ near Sydney’s town hall in February Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A Palestinian Australian man who alleges he was punched in the face when trying to stop police from harassing Muslim men praying during an anti–Isaac Herzog protest is suing New South Wales over “a series of false accusations”. Eyad Shadid has launched a civil case in the NSW district court, alleging he was assaulted, battered and falsely imprisoned by police near Sydney’s town hall. Continue reading...
We’re purchasing EVs instead of holidaying in Europe – and what else we learned from Australia’s national accounts
ABS’s snapshot of Australia’s accounts shows economic growth – albeit low – in the face ‘challenging international circumstances’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Australian Bureau of Statistics released its latest set of national accounts, which give us a snapshot of how the economy is performing in the quarter, and what’s happening under the hood. Here are the three things you need to know. Continue reading...
Trump ally defends Venezuela oil deal amid ‘gunpoint diplomacy’ criticism
Energy secretary Chris Wright denies US seeking to ‘take’ country’s oil, saying deal is ‘transformation’ of relations The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, has denied Washington is seeking to commandeer huge quantities of Venezuelan oil, amid growing criticism of Donald Trump’s energy deal with the country’s interim leaders. “Absolutely not,” Wright replied when asked by a CNBC journalist if the US was engaged in a “heavy-handed” attempt to “take” Venezuelan oil in violation of the South American country’s constitution. Continue reading...
Pete Hegseth criticized for body-shaming Canadian cadet program members
US defense secretary faced backlash for attempting to mock Canada’s armed forces amid trade war A social media post by Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defense, body-shaming female members of a Canadian youth development program remained online on Wednesday despite a furious backlash on both sides of the border. On Monday night Hegseth posted on X a photograph of two people in uniform with a Canadian flag and the caption “this is real”, an apparent attempt at mocking the country’s armed forces amid the Trump administration’s trade spat with its northern neighbor. Continue reading...
What’s really behind Trump’s deference to Putin?
Whether or not US president fits the definition of a Russian asset, his actions align closely with the Kremlin’s interests • Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Could Donald Trump be a Russian asset? The headline on a review in the Guardian of my new book Betrayal has provoked heated international debate. Written by the historian Lawrence Freedman, the piece generated thousands of comments from across Europe and beyond on social media. Many people responded with a single word: “Duh!” Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin is the biggest mystery in international politics. In 2017 I wrote a book called Collusion , which set out Moscow’s operation to support and cultivate Trump, going back decades. The US president, of course, denies links with Russia. But in his second term, his behaviour towards Putin has been as weird and perplexing as during his first. Continue reading...
Mass breeding of game birds without welfare checks may be curtailed in England
Campaigners say pheasants and partridges reared ‘on industrial scale’ do not have same protections as chickens The government is considering a crackdown on pheasant shooting in England as part of a consultation on strict new animal welfare laws that would affect shoot organisers. Ministers are already considering plans for the issuing of licences for those who run game bird shoots. The proposals mean anybody associated with wildlife crime, such as the poisoning or shooting of birds of prey, would be banned from hosting shooting events. Continue reading...
Trump admin spends billions to deport Black and brown people while doubling dollars for white ‘refugees’ | Heba Gowayed
‘Where the wealthiest country in the world allocates money has always been a question of political will over political way’ The United States once led most other nations on resettling refugees from all over the world. But in the fiscal year 2025- 2026, except for three people from Afghanistan , all of the 10,258 people admitted through resettlement were white South Africans. But admitting en masse the beneficiaries of South African apartheid, while simultaneously cancelling temporary protected status (TPS) for 350,000 Haitians, and making a spectacle of detaining and shackling them, is just the tip of the racist iceberg: the Trump administration is reportedly using this moment to double the initial resettlement support that refugees receive to $4,500 per person. Continue reading...
Maggie Gyllenhaal says film industry has a ‘systemic problem’ with sexism
Speaking at the opening of the Venice film festival, the actor-director addressed why the jury of which she is chair will only be shown two films made by female film-makers Maggie Gyllenhaal said there is a “systemic problem” that explains why only two female directors are in the running for the Golden Lion at the Venice film festival this year. “It’s harder for women to get films financed,” said the actor-director, who is heading up the jury of the world’s oldest cinema showcase this year. Continue reading...
Farewell Keir Starmer, a terrible politician whom we desperately wanted to be something more | Zoe Williams
‘U-turn’ doesn’t do justice to the myriad ways he found to break a pledge. Now the former PM is resigning as an MP, why did I have such high hopes? Keir Starmer exits the British political stage as he entered it: doing the exact opposite of the thing he said he was going to do. It’s only 10 weeks since he pledged to remain as MP for Holborn and St Pancras until the next election, despite stepping down as prime minister. That’s plainly the decent course of action: a dedicated Labour man wouldn’t want to force a byelection. Even if it’s a slam dunk for the party, it inevitably draws focus and resources from more important matters. Someone who takes the business of representing constituents even a 10th as seriously as all MPs say they do would feel that the honour of those votes should be repaid. It’s a pretty boring life for an ex-PM turned backbencher. You have to keep your counsel as a large amount of blame is tacitly shovelled your way, while keeping your opinions to yourself. But that second requirement was the one thing Starmer was really good at. Once it transpired that the opinions he said out loud were open to endless revision and denial, I was never able to figure out what the real ones were. Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
When wildfires strike, these camps give kids a safe place to recover
Providers like Project:Camp offer emergency education and care to families as climate change brings more destructive weather One week after evacuating from the wildfires that devastated parts of this eastern Washington city, Mareesha Backman handed over her youngest son to a stranger and took her first deep breath of relief. Spokane public schools was hosting what has become a growing part of disaster response: a day camp for children of survivors. Backman showed up that first day feeling “stunned,” she said: hot, poorly showered and underslept. Thanks to the camp’s volunteers, she was able to go to a doctor’s appointment, run errands and simply sit in the air-conditioned quiet of a friend’s home. Continue reading...
US Open 2026: Pegula, Tiafoe, Shelton and Boulter in action on day four – live
The latest news from Flushing Meadows on day four You can email Daniel and follow us on TikTok and Bluesky Word up and welcome to the US Open 2026 – day four! And, as you might expect, it’s yet another belter, so much so and, thanks to yesterday’s rain, so, so sprawling, that’s it hard even to know where discussion of it can possibly begin. Continue reading...
UK government does not know what datacentres are being used for, FoI request shows
Lack of information raises fears over environmental impact of the AI boom UK politics live – latest updates The UK government does not know what the country’s datacentres are being used for despite fears over the growing environmental impact of the AI boom. When asked in a freedom of information (FoI) request who was using the largest sites and what for, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said it did “not hold the requested information”. The ministry has since been dissolved . Continue reading...
New York law requires hairdressers to learn how to work with all hair types
New law requires cosmetology classes to give instruction on all hair types from the kinkiest to the straightest As of 1 September, a new law in New York state requires hairdressers studying cosmetology to be trained to work with all hair types. “This is about equal access to service,” assembly member Michaelle Solages, who sponsored the law, said in a statement earlier this year. “No New Yorker should ever walk into a salon and be turned away or receive substandard care because of their hair texture. Now, with the adoption of this legislation, they won’t have to.” Continue reading...
‘Timidity is a virus’: Paul Keating fights the fading of the light as he seeks to enshrine his legacy
As a major new biography of the former prime minister goes on sale, he talks about meeting the Queen, Trump’s aims, and why his big vision will never fade Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Queen Elizabeth II met Paul Keating “alone, to her credit” in what the prime minister was informed was her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria’s, favourite room at Balmoral Castle. “And I took some pleasure in explaining the furniture to her,” Keating recalls, an old elan breaking through. Continue reading...