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Politics
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Gaps in NHS end-of-life care ‘denying ill children chance to die at home’
Campaigners say some care boards in England flouting their legal duty, resulting in ‘cruel’ postcode lottery Seriously ill children are being denied the chance to die at home because the NHS in many parts of England is flouting its legal duty to provide the care needed to make that happen, critics say. The widespread failure to provide at-home end-of-life care is forcing children who want to die at home to instead do so in hospital. Campaigners have described it as “cruel”. Continue reading...
Los Angeles villa that was hub for German exiles fleeing Nazis reopens after narrow wildfire escape
Spectacular Villa Aurora, which was nearly destroyed in last year’s fires, leading the recovery as Pacific Palisades emerges from a dark chapter A hillside villa that served as a cultural hub for German writers and artists fleeing the Nazis and narrowly escaped destruction in last year’s Los Angeles wildfires reopened its doors to the public this weekend, marking the latest milestone in the city’s slow recovery from one of the darkest chapters in its history. Hundreds of friends of the Villa Aurora, a 1920s Spanish Mediterranean house that has taken on a second life as a cultural center with a fierce commitment to artistic freedom, international dialogue and democracy, crowded into the house on Sunday to mark the resumption of speaker events and artistic residencies. Continue reading...
US public libraries at ‘breaking point’ amid ideological attacks, report finds
PEN America study details verbal and physical threats to librarians, funding cuts and proliferation of book bans Public libraries in the US are “at breaking point” because of an onslaught of political interference, harassment and ideological censorship, a new report published on Tuesday said. Book bans, cancelled story hours, attacks on librarians, funding cuts and the undoing of libraries’ independent governance are examined by the free expression advocacy group PEN America in its study called Out of Circulation : Expanding Censorship in Public Libraries. Continue reading...
Naomi Osaka pays tribute to NBA star Allen Iverson in basketball-themed US Open outfit
Japanese player wears Iverson’s signature cornrows Outfit also has newspaper clippings about Osaka Naomi Osaka channeled former NBA star Allen Iverson before her US Open first-round victory over Anastasia Zakharova on Monday. Osaka made her usual fashionable entrance for her tournament opener, which she won in straight sets. The two-time US Open champion emerged on to the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium wearing a long, white skirt and a gray, hooded robe featuring newspaper clippings about her. Continue reading...
‘Demonic oppression’ and ‘girly convos’: the podcast wooing young women back to Christianity
Girls Gone Bible is on tour in the US, touting a regressive ideal of femininity through discussions of abstinence and mental health struggles At first glance, the crowd gathering outside a music venue in Red Bank, New Jersey, could have passed for a group of sorority rush hopefuls – or Ella Langley fans on their way to the country star’s show. Most of them were under the age of 30. They wore cowboy boots, maxi sundresses and soft, bouncy blowouts, scrolling on their phones outside the doors as they waited for friends to arrive. But one accessory gave them away: the Bibles they toted. These women were there to pray. Continue reading...
The rich and powerful are already trying to sway the next election – I have a plan to stop them | Stella Creasy
A bill proposing a cap on donations is up for debate this week. We must seize this chance to keep big money out of our politics Christopher Harborne gave Reform £9m in one day – more than double the amount all trade unions combined gave Labour nationally and its MPs directly for the entirety of the last general election. Once such “largesse” in our politics was rare, now it is commonplace. In 2015, just 1% of donations were from individuals and companies giving £1m or more – by 2024, that figure was a third. The chequebooks of the rich and powerful are already circling the next election. The question for Labour is, are we prepared to pay the price if we refuse to stop them? The prime minister deserves credit for recognising how toxic this has become and the public support for action too. As a result, on Wednesday, measures to cap what overseas donors can give will come before parliament in the representation of the people bill. Yet focusing on location rather than the level of a donation misses how wealthy individuals can set up a UK shell company or use a UK postcode to continue to dominate our democracy. With several British millionaires already funding political entities and parties and others waiting in the wings, our goal must be to ensure no one – near or far – can buy Westminster. Stella Creasy is Labour and Cooperative MP for Walthamstow Continue reading...
Echoes of cold war as US accused of meddling in another Brazilian election
Claims that Trump and Rubio are trying to influence result have parallels with CIA intervention 64 years ago The year was 1962 and the Kennedy administration was desperate to swing Brazil’s congressional elections against its leftwing president, João Goulart, as a way of countering the supposed communist threat sweeping a region the US considered its back yard. Historians say that in the lead-up to the vote, the CIA and the Department of State secretly channelled millions of dollars to opposition candidates and a group tasked with spreading rightwing propaganda and stirring up unrest. Continue reading...
What should we do with Trump’s monstrous architectural legacy? | Jan-Werner Müller
Questions over Trump’s ballroom and other structures might not feel urgent. But when his reign ends, Trumpism must be repudiated On Monday, a majority on the supreme court found a technical way to overrule a lower court’s imperative to stop work, while not taking a stance on whether the whole enterprise might be illegal to begin with. Preservationists, the majority held, appear to lack legal grounds for filing a suit blocking Trump’s ballroom; that means construction will proceed, even if none other than John Roberts, in a dissent, held that “those responsible” were breaking the rules in deciding “ what to build up at the People’s House ”. The solicitor general John Sauer is on record claiming that 65% of the project is completed (of course, he might have exaggerated – such things are known to have happened in Trump administrations). Either way, it is thus likely that there will be a massive structure next to the original White House; and, given that the ruling will embolden the president dramatically to change Washington DC’s landscape by spending money never approved by Congress, we might be cursed with a triumphal arch as well. All of which raises the question: what to do with a monstrous architectural legacy in post-Trump America? Some might dismiss the question as a bit of a luxury problem. After all, a war that also demonstrates the ongoing disempowerment of Congress keeps dragging on; ICE continues its cruel day-to-day work; Trump is trying every tactic to make the midterms go his way. But the built environment, and especially the civic landscape of a capital, is never just an afterthought. Buildings and monuments make values visible, as the philosopher Susan Neiman once put it . And the decision to leave Trump’s structures in place as if his reign had just been another normal era in US history is not neutral – just like leaving Confederate monuments in place is not neutral. Jan-Werner Müller is a Guardian US columnist and a professor of politics at Princeton University Continue reading...
Prolific UK graffiti artist Helch dies
Artist rose to prominence in 2018 by painting his eponymous tag in public spots across southern England The street artist Helch, known for murals and tags across England, has died, his gallery has said. He rose to prominence in 2018 by painting his eponymous tag in capital letters across a string of public spots in London as well as bridges on the M4, M1 and M25. Continue reading...
Tropical Storm Edouard expected to inundate parts of Texas and Louisiana
First big storm of season heads towards Gulf coast and is expected to bring potentially heavy rains Tropical Storm Edouard headed toward the US Gulf coast early on Tuesday and was expected to gain strength before bringing potentially heavy rains and flooding into parts of Texas and Louisiana . The storm was upgraded on Monday night from a tropical depression, and forecasters with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) expect it will make landfall in Texas later on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Janine Sonis: ‘63,000 fans in Denver proves a women’s team was way overdue’
The Canada and Denver Summit full-back on playing at a packed Mile Stadium and the impact of Lindsey Heaps In the 13th minute of a 6-1 win against Chicago, Janine Sonis ran into the penalty area and stealthily positioned herself behind a line of defenders, before striking a crisp shot into the right corner. It was her ninth goal of the season, the most of any player Denver Summit player, and joint-seventh in the NWSL. Now playing for her hometown team in its debut season, the NWSL and Canada veteran feels her happiness is translating on to the field. “I think it’s been a season that I’ve enjoyed myself more than any other season in my career, and I think that that’s showing in the way that I’m playing,” she said. This is an extract from our free email about women’s football, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions . Moving the Goalposts is delivered to your inboxes every Tuesday and Thursday . Continue reading...
Keir Starmer to stand down as MP
Former PM says it is right time to leave Commons, which will trigger byelection in Holborn and St Pancras UK politics live – latest updates Keir Starmer is to quit as MP for Holborn and St Pancras, saying it is the “right time” for him to leave the Commons. Starmer, who resigned as prime minister in July, told the Camden New Journal he wanted to focus on international affairs and “pass the baton to a successor”. Continue reading...
Forest Service chief faces scrutiny over logging ties as Trump plans to scrap protections
Rollback of ‘roadless rule’ expected to benefit companies US Forest Service chief, Tom Schultz, previously lobbied for Donald Trump this month announced plans to rescind a landmark rule that has protected old-growth forests in the US for 25 years. If finalized, the rollback is expected to benefit the companies that Tom Schultz, chief of the US Forest Service, represented in his previous roles as a timber industry lobbyist and executive, according to research by consumer advocacy non-profit Public Citizen. The Roadless Area Conservation Rule, more commonly known as the “roadless rule”, was adopted in 2001 to limit development in roughly 45m acres of national forest. Industry interests and Republican representatives have long lobbied for the rule’s rescission , which would open up those swaths of untouched land to road construction, drilling and logging. Continue reading...
Once again, Trump wants the FCC to put a bandage on his thin skin | Tom Wheeler
The president is lashing out at an NBC host. As the agency’s former chair, I can only hope it stands up for free speech Will the FCC chairperson again abuse his authority over broadcast licenses to put a Band-Aid on Donald Trump’s thin skin? Since the opening days of the Trump presidency, Brendan Carr has acted as the president’s attack dog to coerce broadcasters to say things that please his client. Only days after taking office in January 2025, Carr revived a previously dismissed complaint against CBS for the editing of 60 Minutes that tracked candidate Trump’s specious lawsuit on the matter. At the time, the FCC was considering the transfer of CBS licenses to Skydance, a decision that did not come until after CBS agreed to pay $16m to settle with Trump. In September, after Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks about Charlie Kirk, Carr urged broadcasters to take action, saying “we can this the easy way or the hard way” – an attack even the senator Ted Cruz said sounded “ right out of Goodfellas ”. In March 2026, he threatened broadcasters over their coverage of the Iran war after the president complained on Truth Social. In April, he ordered Disney’s eight ABC-owned television stations to submit their licenses for premature review, even though most aren’t even halfway through their license term (Disney, ABC and the stations are suing ). Tom Wheeler was chairperson of the Federal Communications Commission from 2013 to 2017 Continue reading...
UK long-term borrowing costs hit 28-year high
Yield on 30-year government bonds jumps to 5.88%, the highest since 1998, in bond rout triggered by global factors Business live – latest updates The UK government’s long-term borrowing costs jumped to their highest level since early 1998 on Tuesday as a global bond sell-off gathered pace. The yield – in effect the interest rate – on 30-year UK government bonds, known as gilts, hit 5.89% as traders fretted about a fresh increase in oil prices driving up inflation. Continue reading...
First Thing: Duane Keith Davis found guilty of 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur
Jury took about three hours to reach verdict in case that relied heavily on confessions from the defendant. Plus, the woman who lived with and loved Freddie Mercury as her fiance Good morning. A Las Vegas jury has found the former South Side Compton Crips gang leader Duane Keith Davis guilty of the murder of Tupac Shakur , bringing the case to a close nearly 30 years after the rapper was gunned down. The jury took about three hours to reach a guilty verdict in a case that relied heavily on multiple confessions from Davis himself. The 63-year-old, who was accused of instigating the deadly shooting but not pulling the trigger himself, had spent years telling investigators and interviewers alike of his direct involvement before he was arrested in 2023. Who was Tupac Shakur? Shakur was born in 1971 in East Harlem, New York, and rose to fame in the early 90s with lyrics that doubled as a sharp commentary on social injustice, including systemic racism and police brutality. He was 25 when he died and is regarded among the greatest rappers to ever live, and continues to be celebrated around the world years after his life was cut short. How have his family reacted to the trial? “We’ve been waiting 30 years to grieve properly,” Zayd Akinyela, Shakur’s cousin, told reporters outside the courtroom when the trial was under way. “A lot of people don’t get to grieve until they understand what happened to their loved one and how it happened.” Why have authorities been so heavily criticised over the case? Las Vegas police faced criticism that they had bungled the investigation and failed to pursue crucial leads, including from a member of Shakur’s entourage who claimed he could identify the shooters. That witness died weeks later in a separate shooting. Continue reading...
London Stock Exchange to lose three more firms after takeover offers
Latest purchases take value of deals to leave capital’s stock market this year past $100bn Three more London-listed companies are set to be taken over as the value of deals removing firms from the capital’s under-pressure stock market passes $100bn (£74bn) so far this year. On Tuesday, Bodycote, the FTSE 250 industrials group that has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 1972, agreed a £1.84bn takeover by the US private equity group Veritas. Continue reading...
Nepal-Tibet flood deaths pass 1,000 as police ask relatives for DNA to identify victims
Relatives of missing tourists asked for blood samples and photos, as efforts continue to rescue trapped hydropower workers Nepal-Tibet floods – latest updates Visual guide: How the Nepal-Tibet flash flood unfolded Nepali rescuers have built temporary bridges to reach remote areas and dug through the ruins of hydropower projects in the Himalayas to rescue hundreds of trapped workers, as the death toll passed 1,000 nearly a week after devastating floods left a trail of destruction across the country’s towns and valleys. About 600 people remain stuck in several devastated hydropower stations that have become the focus of rescue efforts. The prime minister, Balendra Shah, said more than 11,000 people had been rescued across the affected region, and power and communication lines had been restored in some areas. Continue reading...
House Republicans ramp up labor union investigations ahead of midterms
Inquiry come after conservative thinktanks claim unions are using member dues to support Democratic causes House Republicans are investigating several US labor unions based on claims from far-right nonprofits alleging union dues are being used for illegal political funding. Republicans on the House’s education and workforce committee opened the investigation this summer after multiple reports from the conservative thinktanks targeted unions and their spending, claiming that unions are using member dues to support Democratic causes. Continue reading...
The media’s Hasan Piker obsession is letting Republican Mike Rogers off the hook
Mike Rogers isn’t merely campaigning alongside a controversial supporter. His campaign put an extremist on its faith leadership team Hasan Piker. Turn on cable news. Pick up a newspaper. Log on to Twitter. It doesn’t seem to matter where you get your political news: for the past month, the leftist Twitch streamer has become one of the dominant subjects of coverage, conversation and controversy surrounding the crucial Michigan Senate race between the Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and the Republican Mike Rogers. Continue reading...
Can 80-year-old Democrat Ed Markey clinch another US Senate term?
Age on the agenda in Massachusetts but octogenarian leftwinger leads younger rival Seth Moulton in primary poll Democrats have spent the summer ousting long-serving incumbents in primaries across the country. On Tuesday, Massachusetts voters will decide whether that generational revolt extends to the 80-year-old Ed Markey, whose younger Democratic rival has argued that the incumbent is simply too old to serve another term. But the Senate primary in this heavily Democratic state flips a central dynamic of previous contests, where youthful progressive insurgents have targeted – and in several cases, toppled – older incumbents they derided as avatars of an outmoded cautious establishment. Continue reading...
Press freedom advocates alarmed by $300,000 defamation verdict against Louisiana newspaper
Experts say ruling could undermine the ‘actual malice’ standard and make publishers more wary of critical reporting A $300,000 jury verdict won recently by a Louisiana supreme court justice who sued the Advocate , the state’s largest newspaper, for libel over an editorial has caused concern among some US press freedom advocates. One said the decision demonstrated a misunderstanding of a key legal principle governing such cases. And another worries the verdict could have a chilling effect on the media industry’s efforts to report on powerful people and institutions. Continue reading...
Russia kills at least 12 on sixth night of drone attacks on Kyiv
Zelenskyy says Moscow is capitalising on shortage of US-made Patriot interceptors to lower morale in capital Europe live – latest updates At least 12 people have been killed in and around Kyiv overnight as Ukraine’s capital endured a sixth consecutive night of Russian drone and missile attacks aimed at shattering infrastructure and lowering the morale of the city. Eight of the dead were reported killed in Kyiv, including seven at a railway depot on the city’s left bank, and four more in the surrounding region, after hours of air alerts culminating in a wave of strikes at about 2.30am. Continue reading...
House to vote on stopgap funding bill as lawmakers scramble to avoid government shutdown – US politics live
Speaker Mike Johnson to launch a floor vote designed to prevent any federal shutdown before the November midterms Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. House speaker Mike Johnson will launch a floor vote to pass the stopgap funding bill designed to keep the federal government fully funded through early December, removing the possibility of a shutdown before the midterm elections. The Supreme Court allowed Donald Trump to continue building his $400m White House ballroom project. In a 5-4 decision along political lines, the justices found that a group issuing a legal challenge against the ballroom did not have standing to bring their case. Trump celebrated with a post on his Truth Social platform while Democrats criticized the decision. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down from his role after 18 months on the job, leaving another top military position vacant. Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had reportedly butted heads for some time. Trump vowed further strikes on Iran and called it a “failed nation”. The remarks came as Washington and Tehran exchanged their first military strikes in a month. JD Vance gave a speech in Michigan that included an attacked against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed . “There’s something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil,” Vance told the crowd. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of turning their trade dispute into a “political shouting match”. Carney had rejected the Trump administration’s terms that would have given the US government extensive power over Canada’s trade policy. California Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to block the appointment of election denier Tina Peters , who was convicted in 2024 in relation to a plot to chase pro-Trump election conspiracies. Newsom announced he would take measures to prevent Peters from working as an election consultant for Northern California’s Shasta county. Continue reading...