17 h. ago Federal agencies blaming Democrats for shutdown in potentially illegal move

Departments and staff are using out-of-office emails and websites to engage in partisan political activityA growing number of federal agencies and staff are explicitly blaming Democrats for the current government shutdown. The political messaging by the agencies may be a violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.Furloughed federal employees at some agencies have been instructed to set out-of-office messages explaining that they are not working because Democrats caused a shutdown. Government agency websites also have displayed messages informing site visitors the websites are temporarily on hold due to the “Democrat-led” shutdown.The Department of JusticeThe Department of StateThe Department of the TreasuryThe Department of AgricultureThe Department of Housing and Urban Development (Hud)The Department of EducationThe Department of Health and Human ServicesThe Department of CommerceThe Department of LaborThe Small Busine...

Events

56 h. ago US government shutdown live: first closure since 2018 begins after funding bill fails

Competing bills rejected in Senate as Republicans and Democrats accuse each other of partisan politics. Follow the latest news and updates after the US government shut downUS government shuts down after Democrats refuse to back Republican funding planThe US government is hurtling towards its first shutdown in six years, with no signs congressional leaders are near agreement on legislation to continue funding beyond the Tuesday night deadline to prevent workers from being furloughed and agencies from shutting their doors.Congress’s Republican majority is pushing legislation to fund the government through 21 November, but Democrats have refused to vote for it unless it includes a series of concessions centered on healthcare. Continue reading...

Events

57 h. ago US government shuts down after failure to pass funding bill – live

Competing bills rejected in Senate as Republicans and Democrats accuse each other of partisan politicsUS government shuts down after Democrats refuse to back Republican funding planThe US government is hurtling towards its first shutdown in six years, with no signs congressional leaders are near agreement on legislation to continue funding beyond the Tuesday night deadline to prevent workers from being furloughed and agencies from shutting their doors.Congress’s Republican majority is pushing legislation to fund the government through 21 November, but Democrats have refused to vote for it unless it includes a series of concessions centered on healthcare. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Find out how your constituency may vote in next General Election after shock poll

The next General Election could prove to be a massive political earthquake with establishment parties being cast aside in, according to explosive new polling data

Politics

1 week ago ‘Fear and hopelessness’: one in four professors in the US south are leaving

Survey by American Association of Professors shows nearly quarter of respondents are switching due to states’s politicsMany professors in the US south, particularly in Florida, South Carolina and Texas, are considering leaving their state because of the impact the political climate is having on education, according to a new survey by the American Association of Professors.Of those interviewed in the survey, roughly a quarter of respondents said they applied for a job in higher education in another state since the start of 2023. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Fear and hopelessness’: study finds one in four professors leaving US south

Survey by American Association of Professors shows nearly quarter of respondents are switching due to states’s politicsMany professors in the US south, particularly in Florida, South Carolina and Texas, are considering leaving their state because of the impact the political climate is having on education, according to a new survey by the American Association of Professors.Of those interviewed in the survey, roughly a quarter of respondents said they applied for a job in higher education in another state since the start of 2023. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Fear and hopelessness’: study finds one in four professors consider leaving US south

Survey by American Association of Professors shows nearly quarter of respondents are switching due to states’s politicsMany professors in the US south, particularly in Florida, South Carolina and Texas, are considering leaving their state because of the impact the political climate is having on education, according to a new survey by the American Association of Professors.Of those interviewed in the survey, roughly a quarter of respondents said they applied for a job in higher education in another state since the start of 2023. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Fresh approaches needed to tackle political ‘age of rage’, US study suggests

Researchers show interventions to reduce hostility only have short-term impact and there is no ‘magical fix’Efforts to reduce the hostility people feel towards rival political parties can result in small changes – but such effects largely evaporate within two weeks, researchers have found.The team behind the work, which explored the impact of interventions ranging from correcting common misperceptions of the other side to enabling contact between political opponents, say their results suggest fresh approaches are needed to tackle what some have labelled the “age of rage”. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Securing confidence of victims paramount for new legacy framework – Sinn Fein

Northern Ireland political parties have given a mixed response to a new legacy framework published by the UK and Irish governments.

Events

1 week ago Hilary Benn: Troubles legacy agreement will deal with ‘unfinished business’

Northern Ireland secretary says he hopes measures will give answers to victims on both sides of political divideThe Northern Ireland secretary has said new measures aiming to deal with crimes committed during the Troubles will address the “unfinished business” of the peace agreement struck 27 years ago.Hilary Benn said the “significant reforms” would replace the controversial Legacy Act 2023 brought in by the Conservative government, which he said had failed to confront the past, partly because it had been “rejected” by all five main political parties and victims’ families. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Barnardo's urges political parties to 'be brave and bold for children'

Ahead of the Scottish Parliament Election to take place in Spring 2026, the country’s leading children’s charity has urged political parties to put children and young people at the forefront of their election manifestos.

Politics

2 w. ago Democrats are facing a gerrymandering armageddon. It was avoidable | David Daley

A handful of party figures warned about the power of redistricting. Too many leaders ignored themThere are many reasons why Democrats find themselves on the wrong end of a gerrymandering armageddon.There’s John Roberts and the US supreme court, who pretended partisan gerrymandering is just politics as usual, left voters naked to extreme power grabs, and failed the nation when voters most needed the courts’ protection.David Daley is the author of Antidemocratic: Inside the Right’s 50-Year Plot to Control American Elections as well as Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn’t Count Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Bridget Phillipson issues Labour warning as she prepares campaign launch

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who is running to replace Angela Rayner as deputy leader, says she wants to 'unite' the party and take the fight to Reform UK

Events

3 w. ago Charlie Kirk shooting latest: FBI says it has recovered rifle believed to have been used to kill Trump ally as suspect still at large

FBI says ‘high-powered bolt action rifle’ found in wooded area, as well as footwear, a palm and forearm imprints; suspect ‘blended in’ and appears to be of ‘college age’Police search for suspect amid condemnation of ‘targeted’ killing‘What have we become?’: shock across US political partiesA UK offshoot of a US conservative group set up by Charlie Kirk is to hold a vigil in London after he was shot dead, reports the PA news agency.Turning Point UK has said its activists will gather on Friday evening by the Montgomery statue in Whitehall and called on others to “join us in remembering Charlie”.It’s absolutely shocking, we’re heartbroken over here in the UK.My thoughts this evening are with the loved ones of Charlie Kirk.It is heartbreaking that a young family has been robbed of a father and a husband.Political violence has no place in our societies.Our thoughts and condolences are with his family.An atrocious murder, a deep wound for democracy and for those who believe in freedom.My ...

Events

3 w. ago French PM François Bayrou expected to be ousted in confidence vote

Opposition parties planning to remove centrist and bring down minority government after just nine monthsThe French prime minister, François Bayrou, is expected to be ousted in a confidence vote on Monday afternoon, plunging the eurozone’s second biggest economy into political crisis.Opposition parties from the left to the far right have made clear they will vote against the 74-year-old centrist, meaning he and his minority government would fall after only nine months in office. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago England’s toxic road runoff pollution being ignored, MPs told

Carcinogens entering waterways from 25,000 road outflows are not monitored or regulated by Environment Agency, committee hearsToxic, carcinogenic pollution that pours from 25,000 road outflows into rivers in England is being ignored by politicians and regulators, MPs have been told.Road runoff containing toxic particles from tyres and brakes, and pollution from fuel and oil spills – which washes into rivers after rainfall – can devastate aquatic life and, by increasing toxicity, reduce the overall health of waterways. It is responsible for 18% of the reason all rivers fail to meet good ecological and chemical standards. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago The far right’s green bashing has given mainstream parties an excuse to do nothing – but we have more agency than we think | Ajit Niranjan

As powerful forces push back against green forces, it is little surprise that many of us feel dismay. Climate scientists do, too. But together we can take action to challenge the prevailing apathySupport the Guardian’s independent journalism today Last year, I stood in front of a black-clad skinhead as he shook a fist full of rings thick enough to double as a knuckle-duster. Flecks of spit flew into my face as he railed against the green agenda of the last German government.Until recently, it would have felt bizarre to talk to protesters at a neo-Nazi-linked rally about climate change or hear them rant unprompted about heat pumps. But far-right parties have entered the political mainstream, and their scathing tirades against “woke” green rules are energising their base.Join George Monbiot and special guests on 16 September for a special climate assembly to discuss the growing and dramatic political and corporate threats to the planet. Book tickets – in person or livestream Continue ...

Politics

4 w. ago Televised debate on UK immigration set to air involving government and political opponents

The programme will see the representatives from the four political parties discuss measures to tackle migration

Politics