section
Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
5058 stories archived
Tumbler Ridge mass shooting victims file 30 new lawsuits against OpenAI
The company says it prioritizes safety, but suits allege its ChatGPT bot induced shooter to carry out attack in Canada OpenAI faces 30 new lawsuits filed on behalf of victims of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting. The suits, filed on Wednesday, allege the company’s ChatGPT chatbot induced the shooter to carry out the attack in rural Canada in February, in which eight people were killed and dozens more wounded – most of them children. Continue reading...
Iran retaliates after US missile strike reportedly hits wedding - video
US Central Command has released footage that purportedly shows missile and drone strikes being fired at Iranian military targets. Footage of some of the aftermath of the US attacks was shared on social media, showing shrapnel damage on a home in Sirik, southern Iran, where a wedding celebration was taking place. Five people were killed and 68 were wounded. Iran retaliated shortly afterwards, with video shared by Iranian media said to show missiles being fired towards Jordan. A US Central Command spokesperson said the US was aware of reports of civilian casualties, but that the 'US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps]' Iran accuses US of ‘war crime’ after missile blast kills five people at wedding Middle East crisis live – latest updates Continue reading...
Swedish minister defends strict post-Brexit removals of Britons
Minister says Sweden has ‘fulfilled its commitments’ amid criticism of ‘unjust’ decisions such as case of Joyce Thomas The Swedish government has doubled down on its position on removing and deporting British citizens on the grounds they were late to apply for permission to stay after Brexit. The migration minister, Johan Forssell, issued a robust defence of the Swedish migration agency’s implementation of the Brexit withdrawal agreement on Wednesday in response to a question from an MP about the case of Joyce Thomas, a 78-year-old British widow who has been ordered to leave the country after 21 years . Continue reading...
US woman gets 38 stitches after being bitten by otter in Lake Tahoe
Woman from Reno was swimming near Hidden beach when river otter attacked her, Tahoe’s second incident in a month A swimmer at Lake Tahoe in Nevada was bitten by a river otter in an incident that left her needing to go to hospital and get 38 stitches for her wounds as well as rabies shots, local media have reported. Lynnette Bellin from Reno was swimming near Hidden beach on the Nevada side of the popular tourist attraction on Sunday when she was attacked by the creature. Continue reading...
Andy Burnham blames Tory legacy for leaving UK economy vulnerable
In first PMQs clash with Kemi Badenoch, prime minister rejects comparison to Liz Truss’s government UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham blamed the Conservatives’ legacy for leaving the UK vulnerable to market turmoil, in his first prime ministers’ questions clash with Kemi Badenoch, as the UK’s borrowing costs climbed further. The Conservative leader compared the market pressure on Burnham’s second day to Liz Truss’s mini-Budget . But the prime minister said it was the Tories’ failure to address the UK’s growth and debt which meant the economy was exposed to market shocks. Continue reading...
British banks in crosshairs as pressure mounts on Burnham to tax profits
Chancellor John Healey considering windfall tax on banks and oil firms Business live – latest updates The countdown is on. Two months out from Andy Burnham’s inaugural autumn budget, bank executives are wringing their hands over whether the government will target their bumper profits with fresh taxes. The chancellor, John Healey, is reportedly considering a windfall tax on both banks and oil companies in the late October Westminster setpiece. Continue reading...
Tim Cook handed $47m package for new role as executive chair of Apple
Pay and shares deal nearly matches $58m award to John Ternus, his successor as CEO at the $4.7tn tech company Business live – latest updates Tim Cook has received a $47m (£35m) pay deal as Apple’s executive chair, a remuneration package that nears the level set for his successor as chief executive. Cook, who handed over to John Ternus on Tuesday, will be paid a base salary of $2m and $45m worth of shares . Half of the share award will be based on performance targets being met, while the remaining half will be paid out over four years. Continue reading...
Blackout risk rises as heatwave stresses largest US electric grids
US energy department warns of potential for outages in PJM Interconnection, serving 67 million from DC to Chicago The risk of power outages is expected to escalate across a broad swath of the United States on Wednesday as intense heat will test the capacity of electricity supplies serving millions of homes and businesses from the midwest through the mid-Atlantic. The US Department of Energy warned of the potential for heightened blackout risks in the PJM Interconnection, the largest US electric grid, which serves 67 million people in a territory stretching from Washington DC to Chicago. Continue reading...
Trump’s ridiculous bullying of Canada is backfiring | Robert Reich
The US president’s need to assert dominance is igniting patriotism abroad and a backlash at home What do bullies do when someone stands up to their bullying and punches them in the face? They look for someone weaker to bully who won’t punch back. Presumably that’s why Donald Trump has now taken on Canada , after Iran punched back so hard in the cage match the US president began more than six months ago as to leave him humiliated and baffled. Continue reading...
Transforming toxic: a new vision for urban waterways takes shape in Brooklyn – in photos
Designers are rethinking one of New York City’s most polluted sites with climate adaptation and community benefits The Guardian receives support for visual climate coverage from the Outrider Foundation . The Guardian’s coverage is editorially independent Continue reading...
‘It always comes around’: fans react to conviction in Tupac Shakur’s murder 30 years later
Rapper’s supporters reflect on ‘astonishing’ events leading to Duane Davis being found guilty over 1996 fatal shooting A criminal conviction this week in the murder of Tupac Shakur , the first since the rapper was gunned down in 1996, sent shockwaves through his sea of fans who have waited three decades for answers. Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former California gang leader, was found guilty of murder on Monday for the role he played in orchestrating the fatal shooting of Shakur. Continue reading...
Iran accuses US of ‘war crime’ after missile blast kills five people at wedding
Blast also injures 68 guests at the wedding in southern Iran, prompting fears of escalation in hostilities Iran has accused the US of a “war crime” after a missile blast killed at least five people and injured 68 who were attending a wedding at a private home in a coastal city of southern Iran, as the fresh exchange of strikes prompted fears of a wider renewal of hostilities. Iranian media said that the wedding ceremony was being held in a home in the city of Kuhestak, Hormozgan province, late on Tuesday when a US missile struck, with shrapnel and debris from the strike killing and injuring people. Continue reading...
‘A fever dream’: USS Abraham Lincoln’s crew arrive in Thailand after record stint at sea
Naval captain says ship ‘got thrown around like a football’ but does not address reports of attempted suicides Middle East crisis live – latest updates At Pattaya’s Hard Rock Cafe and hotel, the city’s mayor and police officials, along with women in traditional Thai dress, wait to greet the sailors who are arriving in civilian clothes, bags slung over their shoulders, off the buses. The USS Abraham Lincoln’s crew of 5,000 have not been on shore for nearly nine months, a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea. Continue reading...
US-Iran hostilities resume amid concerns at Hegseth’s military leadership | First Thing
Leading Democrat accuses secretary of defense of causing ‘lasting harm’ to US forces. Plus, the curious case of the 5,500 missing sheep Good morning. The US has launched more airstrikes on Iranian targets, prompting counterstrikes by Tehran targeting American interests in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq. The six-month conflict had shifted into an economic standoff before this weekend’s strikes, but recent promises by both sides to respond to further attacks have highlighted how quickly the conflict could spill back into military action. The Iranian Red Crescent said four people, including a child, were killed and more than 50 were injured when shrapnel from a US missile attack hit a home where a wedding celebration was taking place in the city of Kuhestak. The US central command spokesperson Capt Tim Hawkins said: “The US military never targets civilians.” Why are there concerns about US military leadership? A senior Democrat accused Pete Hegseth of having “hollowed out” the army’s senior ranks after its top civilian leader, Daniel Driscoll, resigned. Senator Jack Reed said: “It is far past time for Trump to recognize the lasting harm Pete Hegseth is inflicting on the Department of Defense … cultivating a culture where dissent is punished and competence is secondary to personal allegiance.” How do officials appear to have profited from AI stocks? Emil Michael, a Pentagon official who is overseeing military artificial intelligence policy, reaped profits this year of up to $24m by selling his private investment in Elon Musk’s AI company. He has now sold his holdings in another AI company for between $5m and $25m, according to records seen by the Guardian. What has a whistleblower identified as a risk to mail-in ballots? A new system to screen millions of mail-in ballots for the midterms was thrown together so hastily, and tested so little, that a single scanning glitch could mean entire batches of ballots are turned away, a whistleblower has told Congress . Continue reading...
Trump nominates loyalist Hung Cao to be permanent navy secretary – US politics live
Cao has been serving as acting navy secretary since John Phelan departed the job unexpectedly and without explanation in late April Sign up for the US Breaking News email Hello and welcome to the US live politics blog. Donald Trump has picked acting navy secretary Hung Cao to take on the job permanently amid concerns that some sailors have been stretched to the limit during his Iran war. Senator Ed Markey won the Democratic primary in Massachusetts, beating back a challenge from Seth Moulton, who argued his opponent was too old to be effective at his job. Progressive lawmakers and the organization Our Revolution hailed the victory. Democratic leaders in the US House sharply criticized two representatives for defecting and joining with Republicans in order to advance a procedural vote, describing it as a “significant breach of trust,” that requires “a serious response”. The US House of Representative voted to censure Chuck Edwards, a Republican congressman who the ethics committee found violated rules against sexual harassment in his conduct towards two young female staffers. The Trump administration seized on House Democrats voting against a resolution denouncing socialism, condemning the lawmakers as “sick [and] dangerous”. The resolution included language calling for the enactment of Trump’s SAVE America Act, a strict voting bill that would ban mail-in ballots and require voters to prove their citizenship. Kathy Hochul, New York’s governor, criticized Donald Trump for withholding $87m in counter-terrorism funds from the state, describing the move as a betrayal of 9/11 victims. Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security has apparently taken steps to advance the president’s efforts to limit voting. Continue reading...
Trump’s threat against an NBC journalist is an attack on reality | Margaret Sullivan
The president’s call for the FCC to scrutinize Kristin Welker’s innocuous remarks is a sign of desperation With his approval ratings tanking, the crucial midterm elections looming, and his war with Iran turning into a quagmire, Donald Trump has entered full freak-out mode. It’s not hard to tell. Just look at what happened this week when he lashed out at Kristen Welker, the well-respected host of NBC’s Meet the Press, and one of the best-known journalists in the nation. Continue reading...
Teamsters union leaders support Republicans despite members endorsing Democratic candidates
Sean O’Brien, president of the 1.3-million strong union, was also the first to speak at the Republican national convention in 2o24 The powerful Teamsters union is backing Republican candidates in the 2026 election cycle even after members have voted to support their Democrat opponents. The 1.3 million- strong union’s president, Sean O’Brien, angered many members and union leaders in 2024 when he became the first union president to speak at the Republican national convention (RNC). Continue reading...
‘He was always a bit of a groundbreaker’: David Bowie enters a new dimension in ‘extended reality’ documentary
Hundreds of unseen images of the star feature at the Venice film festival, alongside virtual worlds exploring wildfires, wolves and the birth of stars David Bowie shares the bill with starmen, firefighters and Walt Disney wolves at the 10th anniversary edition of Venice Immersive, the film festival’s pioneering showcase for new forms of storytelling. David Bowie: Unseen Unheard – a 3D documentary featuring hundreds of previously unseen images – is among 69 XR (extended reality) pieces playing at the event’s regular base on Lazzaretto Vecchio, a repurposed small island off the Venice Lido. Venice Immersive’s 10th birthday marks a milestone for an event which aims to provide a bridge between emergent technology and traditional narrative cinema. But the programme’s organisers are at pains to emphasise the ongoing scope of a project that has in recent years prompted similar sections at the Cannes, Geneva and Toronto film festivals. “This is not a retrospective,” declares the official festival blurb that welcomes guests to the island. It almost sounds like a warning. Continue reading...
Fatal Sydney shooting could be another case of mistaken identity, police say
A man shot dead in Merrylands West was not known to police, in a case with similarities to Monday’s killing in Campbelltown Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast New South Wales police are investigating the death of a man who was shot dead in a home in Sydney’s west as a potential case of mistaken identity, marking the second fatal shooting incident in as many days. Emergency services responded to reports of a shooting at a property in Merrylands West at about 3.15pm, where a man believed to be in his 30s sustained a gunshot wound. Continue reading...
Russian airspace becoming unsafe for commercial airlines, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian president says aviation industry needs to take account of growing number of Ukrainian attack drones in Russia Europe live – latest updates Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia’s airspace is becoming unsafe for commercial airlines, as Vladimir Putin promised to step up strikes against Ukraine’s energy facilities in the run-up to winter. The Ukrainian president said there was no intention to directly threaten civilian flights, but the growing number of Ukrainian attack drones flying into the country would have to be “taken into account” by the aviation industry. Continue reading...
This data has helped fight workplace discrimination for 60 years. The Trump administration plans to delete it
Enforcing civil rights without these reports will be difficult for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, pushing US agency closer to Trump’s agenda, experts warn The US civil rights agency mandated to protect equal rights for workers is set to stop collecting data on the demographic makeup of companies – which for the past six decades has been used to enforce anti-discrimination laws. The move marks a fundamental shift for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Without this data, it will be much harder for the agency to identify widespread cases of discrimination in hiring and promotions, experts and former employees of the commission say. And, they warn, it will bring the Trump administration one step closer to reshaping the commission from an independent watchdog into an arm of the executive branch narrowly focused on advancing the political grievances of Donald Trump ’s base. Continue reading...
Thames Water, I refuse to pay the sewage charge in my bill while you pollute Britain’s rivers and coastlines | Jenny Jones
I will calmly read all the threatening letters and await the court case against me. But I will take a stand even if our government won’t I can’t even remember when I decided to stop paying the sewage element of my Thames Water bill. It might have been after reading this headline from the Guardian in July 2025: “ Serious pollution incidents by English water companies rose 60% last year ,” with the subheading: “Environment Agency records 75 serious incidents among total of 2,800, with Thames Water being worst offender.” Living in London means that my supplier is Thames Water, which makes a profit out of pollution. I decided that if the government wouldn’t act, I could at least do my part and not pay for this travesty. Jenny Jones is a Green party peer Continue reading...
Barclays faces complaint over backing for power plant near world’s largest mangrove forest
Bangladeshi complainants allege Rampal power station’s pollution and climate risks threaten the Sunderbans, a world heritage site Barclays Bank is facing a formal complaint over its financial links to a coal-fired power station near the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and home to millions of people in Bangladesh and India. Three complainants from the region have submitted a case to the UK government’s Office for Responsible Business Conduct, alleging that the British bank breached international guidelines by underwriting companies involved in the emission-heavy Maitree super thermal power project, also known as the Rampal power plant. Continue reading...
Family pays tribute to New Mexico man killed by bear: ‘He was a strong person’
Relatives of Benjamin Halona remember his career as wildlife firefighter and his zeal for selling tamales Relatives of a New Mexico man who was fatally mauled by a bear inside his home recently say they are choosing to remember his firefighting career and zeal for peddling tamales rather than his rare, brutal manner of death. As Benjamin Halona’s sister, Gloria Halona, and her daughter, Samantha Vandever, put it, that is the least he deserved after the quiet dignity that he showed becoming a widower in February and subsequently grappling with health problems that required him to use a walker and a wheelchair to move around. Continue reading...