35 m. ago ‘Trump gold card’ to offer rich foreigners route to US citizenship for $5m

President says new visa program would be open to Russian oligarchs, some of whom ‘are very nice people’Wealthy foreigners willing to pay about $5m, Russian oligarchs potentially among them, will soon be able to apply for a visa to live in America courtesy of what is being billed as the “Trump gold card”.Donald Trump announced the new visa program from the Oval Office on Tuesday night, saying it could start in about two weeks. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago 'Diet Coke button' returns to the Oval Office but does the fizzy drink make you work harder

The reinstallation of Donald Trump's famous 'Diet Coke button' has sparked discussion over whether the drink has become a new status symbol for business men proving they're working hard

Events

14 h. ago Grimes makes desperate plea as Elon Musk continues to parade their son X around White House

Singer Grimes sent a message to Elon Musk - and everyone else - that they 'stop posting images of my kid everywhere' after the 'First Buddy' paraded their son around the Oval Office.

Events

29 h. ago Zero Day is a political thriller without a political position or even point

Netflix’s new Robert De Niro-led hit series toys with real-world references but hasn’t got the faintest clue what to do with themSpoilers aheadFor decades, movies and TV shows that feature the president of the United States as a character have tried, often playfully, to keep pace with the headlines. Sometimes they even managed to move a little faster than real-life progress; Morgan Freeman was chosen to lead the nation in Deep Impact a decade before the election of Barack Obama, and plenty of women have occupied the on-screen Oval Office, anticipating a glass-ceiling break that has yet to actually happen.So at first, the new Netflix series Zero Day comes across like a slightly and understandably mistimed attempt at topicality by focusing on George Mullen (Robert De Niro), a former US president known for bipartisan cooperation, who only served one term before stepping down to deal with the death of his son, and who later works closely with the current president, Evelyn Mitchell (Ange...

Politics

34 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

38 h. ago Judge rejects immediately restoring AP's access to White House but urges government to reconsider

A federal judge has refused to immediately order the White House to restore The Associated Press’ access to presidential events, saying the news organization had not shown it had suffered irreparable harm in the matter

Events

42 h. ago Donald Trump rudely leaves Macron at White House door and makes him perch at Oval Office table

Emmanuel Macron appeared to have been sidelined by Mr Trump during his visit to the White House, with humiliating pictures showing the French leader perched at the edge of his desk

Politics

44 h. ago Donald Trump puts French President Emmanuel Macron in two embarrassing positions on his visit to Washington DC

Emmanuel Macron became the second European leader to meet Donald Trump at the White House today, as the continent rallies its arguments in defense of Ukraine.

Politics

44 h. ago Donald Trump refuses to call war criminal Vladimir Putin a dictator despite branding Zelensky same

Asked in the Oval Office if he would characterise Vladimir Putin as a 'dictator', Donald Trump said: 'I don't use those words lightly' - despite branding President Volodymyr Zelensky the same

Politics

46 h. ago US imposes more sanctions on Iranian oil trade after Trump calls to drive exports 'to zero'

The U.S. on Monday imposed sanctions on dozens of people and oil tankers across China, the United Arab Emirates, India and other jurisdictions for allegedly helping to finance Iran and its support for militant groups that launch attacks against the U.S. and its allies

Politics

2 d. ago Trump takeover sees Kennedy Center suffer ticket sale collapse, says report

Trump fired the Kennedy Center’s leadership upon his return to the Oval Office and put MAGA loyalist in charge of the famed institution

Politics

4 d. ago Zelensky should 'leave for France' and let a new leader run Ukraine, White House sources say as war of words with Trump grows increasingly bitter amidst Russia peace talks

Sources in the White House claim the Ukrainian leader should leave for France, while another suggested there is anti-Zelensky feeling in the Oval office amid rising tensions.

Politics

4 d. ago Associated Press sues White House over ban from Oval Office and Air Force One

The White House has banned the venerable wire service for referring to the ‘Gulf of Mexico’ in stories

Society

5 d. ago Trump reveals he removed the Resolute Desk from the Oval Office days after Elon Musk's son X left a 'present'

President Donald Trump removed the Resolute Desk from the Oval Office to be 'refinished' a week after Elon Musk's son X left a 'gift' on it.

Politics

6 d. ago Trump reveals he has removed the Resolute Desk used by Biden and Obama from the Oval Office

President has opted for a ‘beautiful, but temporary replacement’

Politics

6 d. ago Artificial sweetener found in Diet Coke and chewing gum could trigger heart attacks, study suggests

A team of international experts led by Swedish scientists claim an artificial sweetener found in thousands of food and drink items could increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Events

7 d. ago Musk is just an adviser with no power to make decisions, White House claims

Legal filing says billionaire Trump aide is not an employee of so-called ‘department of government efficiency’Billionaire Elon Musk’s role in Donald Trump’s second presidential administration is as an Oval Office employee and senior adviser to the president – and is not an employee of the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) and has no decision-making authority, the White House said in a court filing on Monday.According to a filing signed by Joshua Fisher, director of the office of administration at the White House, Musk can only advise Trump and communicate the president’s directives. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago To the CEOs who’ve joined Trump’s fight against diversity, I say this: you’re making a big mistake | Stefan Stern

Ditching DEI initiatives will curry favour in the Oval Office. It will also alienate the workforces bosses rely onThe mask has slipped and the gloves are off. A company which in 2022 boasted that it had exceeded its target, “spending $1.26 billion with US certified diverse suppliers”, is now ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.That company is Meta (formerly known as Facebook), whose chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, announced DEI dismantling shortly before he had a prominent seat at Donald Trump’s recent inauguration. Perhaps from that privileged spot he was able to imbibe some of the “masculine energy” he says he wants to see at work.Stefan Stern is co-author of Myths of Management and the former director of the High Pay Centre. His latest book is Fair or Foul: the Lady Macbeth Guide to Ambition Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Trump’s plan for Gaza leaves Arab nations facing an impossible choice | Nesrine Malik

This mortifying dilemma goes to the very soul of the region - and its leaders have brought it on themselvesArab states are in a bind. King Abdullah of Jordan squirmed in the Oval Office last week, as the press asked him and Donald Trump about the latter’s Gaza plan. He is in a tight spot, wanting to keep Trump onside while at the same time not agreeing to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Immediately after, anonymous Egyptian “security sources” – not parties prone to leaking without strategic direction from President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi – said that Sisi would not accept an invitation to visit Washington as long as the Gaza displacement plan was on the agenda. Now, this was probably more for the Egyptian public’s consumption than for Trump’s benefit – Egypt is in no position to make an enemy of the new administration – but it nonetheless shows how hard it is for Trump to secure the acquiescence of even the US’s closest allies.Saudi Arabia also postponed a visit to the US once Trump annou...

Politics