75 m. ago Trump is pushing to make USPS private – here’s why it could harm his base

‘It would be catastrophic,’ one economist said

Politics

1 hour ago Ukraine’s rare earth minerals: Where are they and why does Trump want them as agreement looms?

More than 50 per cent of Ukraine’s critical rare earth mineral resources are in regions illegally annexed by Vladimir Putin and partially occupied by his forces

Politics

1 hour ago Trump live updates: Musk again threatens federal workers with termination over email after Macron visits White House

Musk claimed that mass emails last week were mostly a ruse to see if government employees at DOGE-targeted agencies ‘had a pulse’

Politics

2 h. ago Palestinians struggle to restart their lives in the ruins of Gaza

Palestinians who returned to their homes in northern Gaza after the ceasefire began on Jan. 19 are still struggling to find shelter, food, water and other necessities

Politics

2 h. ago What to know about air traffic control towers after a midair collision in Arizona prompts questions

Do more U.S. airports need control towers

Politics

2 h. ago Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by DOGE are expected to produce no savings

Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that the Trump administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren’t expected to save any money

Politics

2 h. ago Trump's 'unfireable' aide earns new nickname after awkward Melania encounter and decoy flight meltdown

Donald Trump's aides are known for their dedication to the boss - but one White House worker was so devoted that she started being compared to Glenn Close 's iconic Fatal Attraction character.

Events

2 h. ago Macron the ‘Trump whisperer’ works his magic but US and Europe remain an ocean apart

Mixing flattery and firmness, the French president sought to heal the transatlantic schism over Ukraine, giving Keir Starmer a tough act to followIt was a delicate balancing act for the man once considered Europe’s “Trump whisperer”.Emmanuel Macron, the French president, was seated in the Oval Office gently trying to factcheck Donald Trump in real time as the US president pushed a narrative that Ukraine had taken advantage of US support during its defense against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Now, said Trump, it is time to get paid back. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago GOP congressman claims ‘God has a plan’ for fired federal workers at yet another hostile town hall

Missouri representative Mark Alford was the latest Republican to provoke shouts and heckles while attempting to defend Donald Trump and Elon Musk

Events

3 h. ago Trump administration briefing: chaos caused by Musk’s Doge; fears over far

From the latest in Musk’s fight to fire federal workers to concern over appointment of Dan Bongino – key US politics stories from Monday at a glanceConfusion continued on Monday over the demands made by Elon Musk of federal workers. Just hours after the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had directed agencies that responses to its email were optional, Musk again threatened federal workers. He wrote on X, the platform he owns: “Subject to the discretion of the president, they will be given another chance. Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.” President Donald Trump backed Musk earlier Monday, two days after OPM initially sent an email asking federal workers to list five things they accomplished last week. Several government agencies, including the FBI and state department, have told their employees not to respond.Here are the biggest stories in US politics on Monday, 24 February. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago GOP congressman and former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw is caught on hot mic 'threatening to kill' high profile American

Republican Congressman and former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw apparently made a damning threat against a high-profile American on a hot mic Monday.

Events

4 h. ago Can the ‘special relationship’ survive Donald Trump? – podcast

Keir Starmer is travelling to the White House for a high-stakes meeting. But will he have any influence over the US president? Patrick Wintour reportsIt’s the most important international relationship the UK has, and for decades has been referred to as “special”. Since the second world war, the UK and the US have considered themselves the closest allies, working together for shared values, with any resentments, differences of opinion or cross words kept to private channels.But now Donald Trump is back and he seems keen to throw the usual world order of alliances and enmities into chaos. Keir Starmer’s first meeting with the US president comes at a crucial juncture for Europe, with the future of Ukraine in the balance. “The stakes at the moment could not be higher,” says the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Glimmer of hope as No10 'recognises the strength of feeling' over Big Tech AI raid

Downing Street conceded that its controversial proposal to give AI firms a copyright exception may not emerge as the final option following a powerful campaign by the Mail.

Politics

4 h. ago US personnel office walks back email ultimatum from Musk to workers

OPM says failure to respond to email will not be considered resignation but Trump ally digs in and threatens job lossesThe US government’s human resources office has walked back an ultimatum issued by Elon Musk that would have forced its workers to resign if they did not submit a bullet-point list of their recent accomplishments, in one of the first signs of internal pushback to the Tesla billionaire’s campaign to downsize the federal workforce.The demand, made in an email sent to million of government employees over the weekend and quickly sued over by a coalition of labor and advocacy groups, represented the latest salvo by the “department of government efficiency” (Doge), the Trump-sanctioned cost-cutting initiative Musk chairs. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Defiant French journalists make certain AP Paris reporter asks first question at Trump and Macron press conference

White House remains locked in spat with Associated Press over use of ‘Gulf of America’

Politics

4 h. ago Judge blocks ICE enforcement in some houses of worship, citing ‘chilling’ effect on religion

ICE is temporarily blocked from policing mostly Quaker groups after threats of immigration enforcement

Events

5 h. ago Harrow crash: One person dead and child, 9, seriously injured in bus smash

Shocking photographs show the devastation following the crash involving a bus and a car on Whitmore Road in Harrow, northwest London, to which emergency services were scrambled

Events

5 h. ago Trump and Macron's THREE awkward handshakes go viral as French President's Gallic charm wins a 'breakthrough' on Ukraine peace deal 

Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron's 'death clasp' handshakes have gone viral over the years, with footage from 2017 showing the two leaders locking hands for 29 seconds straight.

Politics

5 h. ago Prospect of UK troops being deployed to Ukraine a step closer

Military experts have suggested the British force could be as large as 15,000 personnel and would include RAF jets and a Royal Navy force in the Black Sea, as well as ground troops.

Politics

5 h. ago Canadians left outraged at worrying first sign US is set to make country its 51st state

Sensitivities are at an all time high amid Trump's repeated trolling of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about his desire to make Canada a state.

Politics