5 h. ago 2026 is already pure chaos. Is that Trump’s electoral strategy? | Moustafa Bayoumi

Less than two weeks into the year, the US is stoking mayhem at home and abroad – with midterms coming in the autumnHave we ever seen a year in recent memory begin with as much deliberate turmoil as 2026 has? Less than two weeks into 2026, we have witnessed Donald Trump deploy US forces to depose and abduct the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, along with Cilia Flores, his wife and close political adviser. The US president then informed the world that the United States would “run” Venezuela for the time being, which he later explained could potentially last for several years.Trump has also threatened – and then seemingly made peace with – the president of Colombia; seized at least five oil tankers in the Caribbean (actions that UN experts label illegal armed aggression); promised US military strikes targeting cartels in Mexico against the wishes of Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum; and frightened the people of Cuba with the prospect that Marco Rubio could be their next presi...

Politics

3 d. ago Ready to serve in dad's Army? Brits warned to be ready for WW3

The UK Government has admitted it is in the process of “developing plans” to implement “civilian assistance” to the military given the Trump chaos around the world this week

Events

5 d. ago Minneapolis in chaos as protesters clash with riot cops while Trump says ICE victim Renee Nicole Good 'behaved horribly': Live updates

Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot in the head three times while inside her SUV on Wednesday, sparking mass protests in the streets and outrage from Minnesota lawmakers.

Events

5 d. ago Don’t dignify Trump with talk of a ‘new world order’ – there’s nothing new or ordered about this chaos | Aditya Chakrabortty

The US president’s grotesque theatrics on the world stage are an opportunistic distraction from his falling domestic ratingsOf all the commandments for living under Donald Trump, the first is always this: don’t believe him. Nothing he says can be taken at face value; everything should be fed into a polygraph. Those of scrupulous courtesy can wrap it up in red ribbon, or uncork that aphorism about how the man must be taken seriously but never literally. All the same, scratch a Trump promise and underneath will glint a pretext. Scrutinise his grand plans and you find only shabby tactics.The Manhattan Democrat turns into a Florida-dwelling Republican; the troll who demanded Barack Obama’s birth certificate will hem and haw over releasing the Epstein files. From real-estate deals to Trump University, all that this guy swears is solid gold soon settles into so much bullshit.Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago The Guardian view on Britain and Europe: time to move together, faster and further | Editorial

The chaos that Donald Trump is causing in the world makes the case for continental solidarity and explicit repudiation of Brexit divisions Sir Keir Starmer’s plan for 2026 was to talk more about the domestic issues that concern British voters. Donald Trump knocked that plan off course. US intervention in Venezuela inevitably demanded the prime minister’s attention, as did this week’s summit of Ukraine’s allies, the “coalition of the willing”, in Paris. Progress towards agreeing security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a peace deal with Russia was overshadowed by Mr Trump restating his ambition to wrest control of Greenland from Denmark. The dust had not settled when American special forces boarded a Russian-flagged oil tanker in European waters, ostensibly to enforce a blockade against Venezuela.Prime ministers have to multitask, but under these circumstances it is understandable if Sir Keir’s mind has been filled with foreign affairs. He should be used to this by now. Mr Trump’...

Politics

6 d. ago Dithering EU leaders start squabbling among themselves as Trump unleashes chaos: European officials left floundering by Maduro capture and growing threat of Greenland invasion

Blind-sided European leaders have been left floundering by Donald Trump following his capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the re-emerging threat of an invasion of Greenland. 

Politics

9 d. ago What happens next in Venezuela? Trump says US will ‘run’ the nation amid warnings of chaotic regime change

Resistance from Venezuelan officials and threats of regime change and oil seizures follow pressure campaign against Maduro

Events

1 week ago Trump memes, chip diplomacy, and MechaHitler: How AI defined the chaotic politics of 2025

Artificial intelligence influenced nearly every aspect of politics in 2025, from campaign tactics to global diplomacy

Politics

2 w. ago American dollar set for worst year since 2017 after months of Trump tariff chaos

Conversely, the euro and the pound were at three-month highs on Wednesday

Politics

3 w. ago Newsom slams Trump’s ‘bull****’ presidential plaque trolling amid unemployment and affordability woes

Gavin Newsom used images from a recent Vanity Fair article, which has caused chaos for Trump’s MAGA base

Politics

3 w. ago 8 unhinged Donald Trump moments as West Wing left in chaos by kamikaze interview

Chief of Staff Susie Wiles spending most of the year slagging off Trump's team to a magazine reporter (only to be shocked when he published her comments) was on nobody's bingo card. And there were some real surprises buried in the Vanity Fair profile

Politics

3 w. ago The chaotic life of an immigration lawyer in Trump’s America: ‘Some days you break down in tears’

The Guardian followed immigration attorney Milli Atkinson as she pivoted from case to case – and tried to keep herself sane. This is what her typical day looks likeIt’s been a chaotic year in San Francisco immigration court. At least 88 asylum seekers have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at their court hearings. More than half of the immigration judges have been fired. A climate of fear and uncertainty pervades.At the center of it all, immigration attorney Milli Atkinson has been holding things together. She leads the San Francisco Bar Association’s Attorney of the Day program, which provides people from all over Northern California with free legal advice when they show up to immigration court. She also leads San Francisco’s Rapid Response Network, finding legal representation for anyone in the city arrested by ICE. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump's White House in chaos over chief of staff's 'hit piece' on Epstein and Elon Musk

Susie Wiles' explosive Vanity Fair interview has thrown Trump's White House into chaos, with the chief of staff now calling the article a "hit piece"

Events

4 w. ago Donald Trump's team in chaos over top aide's explosive interview on Epstein, alcohol and Elon Musk

Susie Wiles posted on X for the first time in more than a year in order to push back against Vanity Fair's profile of her - an indication the article is sparking tumult inside the White House

Events

4 w. ago Five key moments in the assault on the rights of women and girls in 2025

Since Trump’s second term began in January, global healthcare, especially for sexual and reproductive health, has been under constant attackThis time last year, women’s rights organisations were bracing themselves for a second Trump term. Few were prepared for the chaos that would be unleashed in January. The volume and speed of executive orders coming out of the White House were seen as a deliberate tactic to overwhelm and create panic. In many ways it worked – there was confusion, anger and exhaustion as organisations scrambled to fill the gap left by the USAID freeze. But that was just the beginning.The US administration has been the key driver, supported by intense advocacy work by ultra-conservative groups using the moment to strengthen global ties with political allies. Continue reading...

Events