2 h. ago ‘America first’? Trump financial products raise questions about potential presidential conflicts of interest

Five exchange-traded funds have been launched by Trump Media, owner of the president’s social media platform Truth SocialThe word “Truth” was plastered all around the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday morning. At 9.30am, when the market opened, a small crowd stood on the balcony above the trading floor to ring in the day.The group was celebrating the launch of five exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, that are tied to Truth Social, Donald Trump’s social media platform that has spun into a menagerie of products over the last few years. Continue reading...

Politics

48 h. ago BBC could soon make programmes for release first on YouTube under deal

Plan follows pressure on broadcaster to put more content on platform, but raises questions about licence feeUK politics live – latest updatesThe BBC could soon make programmes for YouTube, after being put under pressure to produce more content on the increasingly dominant digital platform.The corporation would begin making some content released first on the platform under proposals that could be announced as soon as next week as it seeks to reach younger viewers, who are the heaviest users of YouTube. Continue reading...

Economics

50 h. ago ‘We’re in danger of extinction’: can Bolivia’s ‘water people’ survive a rising tide of salt and migration?

The Uru Chipaya, one of South America’s most ancient civilisations, are battling drought, salinity and an exodus of their people as the climate crisis wreaks havoc on their landIn the small town of Chipaya, everything is dry. Only a few people walk along the sandy streets, and many houses look abandoned – some secured with a padlock. The wind is so strong that it forces you to close your eyes.Chipaya lies on Bolivia’s Altiplano, 35 miles from the Chilean border. The vast plateau, nearly 4,000 metres above sea level, feels almost empty of people and animals, its solitude framed by snow-capped volcanoes. It raises the question: can anybody possibly live here? Continue reading...

Events

58 h. ago ‘Maga has gone Maoist’: corporate America reels as Trump turns interventionist

President’s freewheeling policy proclamations send shockwaves through companies and financial markets

Politics

62 h. ago Trump nominee for Southern Command pressed on Latin America military operations

The general admitted he does not know how long the heightened focus will endure

Events

65 h. ago Pritzker likens Trump’s America to the early days of Nazi Germany

The Illinois governor has criticized the Trump administration for its immigration crackdown, which has reportedly led to thousands of arrests in the state

Politics

67 h. ago General tapped to lead US operations in Latin America grilled over presence in region

The Marine Corps general tapped to lead U.S. military operations in Latin America says he's ready to oversee an expanded presence but isn't sure what the Trump administration has planned

Politics

68 h. ago Trump is making one country stronger in the world’s eyes – and it isn’t America

Trump’s ‘America First’ policies have accelerated a shift in global opinion, the poll found

Politics

69 h. ago Jenrick defection redraws battle lines on right wing of British politics

Move raises questions about whether former Tory’s arrival will be a help or a hindrance to Nigel Farage

Politics

69 h. ago Jenrick defection redraws battle lines on right of British politics

Move raises questions about whether former Tory’s arrival will be a help or a hindrance to Nigel Farage

Politics

69 h. ago Betrayal, plots and a mole who derailed Jenrick’s defection to Reform

Ex-Tory minister’s switch raises questions about whether he will be a help or a hindrance to Farage

Politics

3 d. ago ’How do you really tell the truth about this moment?’: George Saunders on ghosts, mortality and Trump’s America

The Lincoln in the Bardo author is back with another metaphysical tale. He discusses Buddhism, partisan politics and the terrifying flight that changed his lifeLike his first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, which won the Booker prize in 2017, George Saunders’s new novel is a ghost story. In Vigil, an oil tycoon who spent a lifetime covering up the scientific evidence for climate change is visited on his deathbed by a host of spirits, who force him to grapple with his legacy. What draws Saunders to ghost stories? “If I had us talking here in a story and I allowed a ghost in from the 1940s, I might be more interested in it. It might be because they are in fact here,” he says, gesturing to the hotel lobby around us. “Or even if it’s not ghosts, we both have memories of people we love who have passed. They are here, in a neurologically very active way.” A ghost story can feel more “truthful”, he adds: “If you were really trying to tell the truth about this moment, would you so confidently ...

Politics

3 d. ago The US is suspending visa processing for 75 countries. Here’s the full list

The State Department says the Trump administration is ‘bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system’

Economics

3 d. ago After the shooting of Renee Good, we see dissent can be fatal in Trump’s America – all bets are off | Emma Brockes

A line has been crossed, and it’s vital to understand that. A system that sends paramilitaries on to the streets will observe no limitsA few years ago, towards the end of the second Obama administration, a friend and her wife flew back to New York from a holiday in Mexico, landing for a connecting flight in South Carolina. At immigration, the officer looked from one to the other, asked their relation to one another and on receiving the reply, made a noise of disgust – “ugh”. On the pretext that American citizens can’t go through the same lane as a spouse on a green card (not true), he sent them to the back of the line, causing them to miss their connection. But that’s not the point of the story.My friend is a white Australian who is generally conflict-averse; her wife is a Japanese-American who can stop traffic with a single, hard stare, and who teaches in the South Bronx, where many of her students have been harassed by law enforcement since the day they were born. As trouble got u...

Events

4 d. ago Winter sun flights to US from Canada slashed as tourists shun Trump

The equivalent of 5,000 aircraft seats a day have been switched to other destinations

Politics

4 d. ago Young people, parents and teachers: share your views about Grok AI

We’d like to hear from young people, parents and teachers about how Elon Musk’s controversial chatbot is affecting youDegrading images of real women and children with their clothes digitally removed by Elon Musk’s Grok tool continue to be shared online, despite widespread alarm and a pledge by the platform to suspend users who generate them.While some safeguards have been introduced, the ease with which the AI tool can be abused has raised urgent questions about consent, online safety and the ability of governments worldwide to regulate fast-moving AI technologies. Meanwhile, the misuse of AI to harass, humiliate and sexually exploit people – particularly women and girls – is rapidly escalating. Continue reading...

Society

4 d. ago What would happen if every state acted like Donald Trump’s America? | Kenneth Roth

In a might-makes-right world, US allies, not to mention the emerging powers of the global south, would begin to hedge their bets in dangerous waysWhat is wrong with resurrecting the prerogative of major powers to claim a sphere of influence in which they dictate and others must follow? That idea informs the “Donroe Doctrine” behind the US invasion of Venezuela to seize Nicolás Maduro. Donald Trump seems to believe that, as the world’s strongest military power, the United States should be allowed to invade other countries at will. Trump’s homeland security adviser, Stephen Miller, says “the real world” is “governed by strength”, by “power”, so we should get used to it.There is a beguiling simplicity to this abandonment of the norms long designed to govern the behavior of states big and small. China has touted it as the reality that its Asian neighbors must live with. Russia, a third-tier power by comparison but still a nuclear-armed regional heavyweight, has periodically treated the ...

Politics

4 d. ago Smithsonian faces a deadline to show Trump its plans for exhibits for America's 250th birthday

The Smithsonian museums are facing a White House deadline to turn over documents on their plans for the country’s 250th birthday and other exhibits

Politics

4 d. ago The Guardian view on Trump’s assault on the Fed: it is part of an affordability blame game | Editorial

Attacking Jerome Powell distracts from Republicans’ thin legislative record and policies that continue to squeeze American household incomesThe US government’s authoritarian and vexatious attack on Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, should be seen in the light of America’s affordability crisis, which Donald Trump once dismissed, but is now scrambling to claim as his cause. The cost of living is eroding his support ahead of the congressional midterms. By launching a legal assault on the Fed, Mr Trump is trying to shift blame for borrowing costs.Yet despite controlling the presidency, Senate and the House, Republicans have passed little beyond a large tax-cutting bill that benefits the rich. They have not legislated on housing supply, childcare, healthcare costs or wages. Indeed most of their actions are worsening affordability, notably deferring action even though millions face a sharp rise in their health insurance bills. Mr Trump’s sudden enthusiasm for credit card ca...

Politics

4 d. ago Chelsea £64m transfer decision raises Alejandro Garnacho questions after Man Utd move

Chelsea made an enquiry for Antoine Semenyo before his £64m move to Manchester City, just five months after signing Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United

Economics