15 h. ago Harvard showed foreign student ban would cause ‘immediate and irreparable injury’, says judge – live

Allison Burroughs temporarily blocks halt on enrollment of international students after Harvard sued over ‘blatant violation’ of US constitutionJudge blocks bar on Harvard accepting international studentsUS scholars and international students: are you considering a change?Harvard University has sued the Trump administration over its decision to revoke the Ivy League school’s ability to enrol international students, a move the school called unconstitutional and retaliatory.Reuters reports that in a complaint filed in Boston federal court, Harvard called the revocation a “blatant violation” of the US constitution’s first amendment and other federal laws. Continue reading...

Events

21 h. ago Trump’s barbarism is turning his biggest strength into a liability | Osita Nwanevu

Americans are gradually turning against the president over his handling of immigration. Republicans will have to answer for itIf you can bear to hear it, there are still more than 1,300 days remaining in the Trump administration. That’s an interminably long time given all the havoc the president has been able to wreak since January alone; the chaos and cruelty of the term so far also happen to have used up his political capital remarkably quickly. The New York Times average of polls, which found him at 52% approval on inauguration day, had him at 51% disapproval on Wednesday. That collapse is less a problem for Trump specifically – assuming, perhaps optimistically, that he won’t appear on a ballot again – than it is for the Republican party, which will have to answer for the mess he’s made in next year’s midterms and beyond. And one of the challenges they seem likely to face is a changed public opinion landscape on immigration – a strength that Trump’s barbarism, just as in his firs...

Politics

44 h. ago Fury as Republicans go ‘nuclear’ in fight over California car emissions

Newsom issues rallying cry as GOP-controlled Senate votes to reverse EPA waiver and prevent state setting own rulesCalifornia has long been one of the nation’s pre-eminent eco-warriors, enacting landmark environmental standards for cars and trucks that go much further than those mandated by the federal government. Vehicles across the country are cleaner, more efficient and electric in greater numbers because of it.But that could all change if Donald Trump and his Republican allies manage to revoke the state’s ability to set its own, stricter emissions standards amid a White House crusade to combat climate-friendly policies. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Israel says ‘external pressure will not divert’ it after UK pauses trade talks – Israel

Israel foreign ministry spokesperson accuses Britain of ‘anti-Israel obsession’ after UK pauses trade talks over blockade of GazaPhilippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of Unrwa, the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees, has been speaking to Euronews.He said US President Donald Trump has the unique power to force Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “change the situation” in Gaza.I do believe that President Donald Trump has the necessary influence to change the situation in Gaza and make sure that the siege be lifted and that the population get access to the assistance it deserves.It’s an outrage that we are confronted by a situation of starvation when it comes to Gaza. It’s a completely fabricated one. We are in a situation where hunger and food are being weaponised for political and military purposes What is needed in Gaza is a massive, unhindered, uninterrupted assistance of supply to make sure that we are reversing the trend of the spreading hunger. Continue...

Politics

4 d. ago John Oliver gives ‘hot take’ on HBO Max’s constant rebranding and compares it to Trump’s Gulf of Mexico name change

‘Sometimes, hypothetically, before we can even get used to one dumb name, some genius comes along and only makes it dumber,” John Oliver snarked Sunday night

Politics

4 d. ago Trump once condemned Qatar. How things have changed | Mohamad Bazzi

The country’s charm offensive and global mediator role – as well as a $400m plane – reveal a complicated relationshipOn his tour of the Middle East last week, Donald Trump was treated like royalty by the leaders of the wealthiest countries in the Arab world. The US president was feted in gilded ballrooms, his motorcade was flanked by dozens of men riding white Arabian horses and he was awarded an elaborate gold medal necklace. The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates went out of their way to show Trump that they respect him more than his predecessor, Joe Biden.While Trump frequently praised Saudi and UAE leaders during his first term, he was highly critical of Qatar, a small emirate that is rich in natural gas but usually overshadowed by its two larger and more powerful neighbors. In June 2017, Trump said Qatar “has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level” and he supported a blockade against the country, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Qa...

Politics

8 d. ago ‘Now my kids have a future’: Syrians dare to dream again after years as a pariah state

Promise to lift US sanctions brings closer the opportunity for fresh start that began with toppling of Bashar al-AssadIn 2006, Ahmed al-Sharaa was sitting in a US prison in Iraq, then an al-Qaida fighter waging jihad against what he viewed as an American occupation of the Middle East. Nearly two decades later, on Wednesday, he posed for a photo with the US president Donald Trump in Riyadh after discussing normalising ties with Israel and granting US access to Syrian oil.The transformation of Sharaa over the last 20 years from al-Qaida fighter to the president of Syria, sharing the world’s stage with foreign leaders like Trump, is staggering. For Syrians, the pace of change has been whiplash-inducing. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump boasts about changing engines on new luxury jet after striking Qatar Boeing deal

Donald Trump boasted about changing the engines on his new luxury jet after striking a deal with Qatar Airways.

Politics

9 d. ago How Trump’s tariffs affected property deals across the world

Uncertainty about future policy decisions and their effect on global trade has weighed on businesses

Economics

1 week ago Trump thinks he is shaping the Middle East. Instead, it’s Gulf states that will dictate US foreign policy | Simon Tisdall

The US president travels to meet the region’s leaders facing an uncomfortable reality: he may need them more than they need him Donald Trump is accustomed to getting his own way. That could change next week when he’s confronted by the mess he’s making in the Middle East. As he begins a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, the US president is promising great things. As ever, he’s delusional. The reality is that reckless, incoherent and neglectful US regional policies are failing across the board. A fundamental course correction is urgently required.Gulf leaders have the leverage to set Trump straight, if they decide to use it. He relies on them to an unprecedented degree – far more than on Europe – as diplomatic interlocutors, security partners and financial backers. His approach to Palestine, which is on the brink of a second Nakba (catastrophe), is a mix of prejudice, cruelty and sheer ignorance. Without Arab help, the US and Israel may remain trapped indefinitely in ...

Politics

1 week ago What is 'Habeas Corpus'? US rights explained as Donald Trump considers huge change

Donald Trump is considering making a huge change to people's rights in the United States.

Politics

1 week ago MIKEY SMITH: 8 unhinged things Donald Trump did in 24 hours as he floats huge constitution change

He's gone back to purging people he doesn't like from the government - and is giving serious thought to a huge change that is very much dictator-adjacent

Politics

2 w. ago Trump’s aid cuts leave countries unable to fight back against famine

More than 4.5 million people in Somalia are expected to suffer from hunger and food shortages before the end of June. The US president’s axing of aid leaves the country with precious few resources to respond. Nick Ferris reports

Politics

2 w. ago Fishermen battling with changing oceans chart new course after Trump's push to deregulate

Commercial fishermen are eager to see if President Donald Trump's command to shed federal fishing regulations will boost one of the nation's oldest industries

Politics

2 w. ago Trump is slashing US spending on climate aid. But all is not lost

Developing countries will be hit hard by the US president’s decision to cut all aid spending on climate projects, writes Nick Ferris. But other countries will fill some of the gap left by the Trump’s retreat, writes Nick Ferris

Politics

2 w. ago Donald Trump set to cause another naming meltdown by changing the Persian Gulf to one of two anti

President Trump plans to announce the change during his trip to Saudi Arabia

Politics

2 w. ago Trump’s tariffs get one thing right: capitalism is changing | Avram C Alpert

The president’s protectivist trade vision is deeply flawed. But he has picked up on something Democrats are missingTrying to understand Donald Trump’s across-the-board tariffs based solely on economic theory won’t work. As the US president himself said: “Chronic trade deficits are no longer merely an economic problem, they’re a national emergency that threatens our security and our very way of life.” That may be why, as many economists have pointed out, there’s simply no good economic case for his plans.But few commentators have understood that facts and figures aren’t the whole point of the tariffs. As always, economics is part of a broader political vision. The tariffs help Trump make his claim that a way of life is under threat and he alone can protect it. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Donald Trump breaks silence on claims he wants third term with eight word statement

The United States Constitution prohibits anyone from becoming President a third time, however rumours are swirling that Trump may try to change the rules so he can run again

Politics

3 w. ago Texas AG opens investigation into toothpaste companies over fluoride exposure. But, dentists say it’s safe

Despite decades of data, Trump administration leaders are working to change the federal fluoride regulations

Events

3 w. ago How your cup of coffee might become more expensive thanks to Donald Trump

President Donald Trump's current 10 per cent tariffs cover most coffee-producing countries and are expected to drive up costs

Politics