48 h. ago Trump official who oversaw dismantling of USAID leaves US state department

Under Pete Marocco’s lead, nearly all USAID staff was fired, with funding slashed and contractors dismissedPete Marocco, the Trump administration official who played a major role in dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has left the state department, a US official said on Sunday.Donald Trump’s administration has moved to fire nearly all USAID staff, as billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” has slashed funding and dismissed contractors across the federal bureaucracy in what it calls an attack on wasteful spending. Continue reading...

Politics

56 h. ago Trump adviser Peter Navarro says ‘we’re great’ after Elon Musk calls him ‘moron’

‘I’ve been called worse,’ says top trade adviser after Musk said he was a ‘moron’ and ‘dumber than a sack of bricks’Peter Navarro, a top trade adviser to Donald Trump, said he and Elon Musk are “great” after the president’s multi-billionaire business adviser publicly called him “a moron” who was “dumber than a sack of bricks”.“I’ve been called worse,” Navarro said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press in some of his most extensive remarks about the insults Musk directed at him days earlier. Praising Musk’s role in the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge), Navarro added: “Everything’s fine with Elon.” Continue reading...

Politics

57 h. ago Nigel Farage says Elon Musk calling for new Reform leader was 'him trying to encourage me'

The billionaire adviser to Donald Trump called for a new leader of Reform UK

Politics

59 h. ago Nigel Farage claims Elon Musk was ‘trying to encourage him’ by calling for him to be sacked

Reform UK leader also claims his party still ‘cool’ to young people in wake of fall out with tech billionaire Tesla owner and ‘first buddy’ of US president Donald Trump

Politics

6 d. ago Trump trade chief says US 'running up the score' on Australia as senator slams tariff – video

During a US Senate finance committee hearing, senator from Virginia Mark Warner slams Donald Trump's 10% tariff on Australian imports, referencing the free trade agreement between the two countries and the US trade surplus with Australia. Warner labels the new tariff policy 'insulting' and 'ridiculous', calling Australia 'one of our strongest allies'. Trump's trade chief Jamieson Greer replies that 'we should be running up the score against Australia'► Subscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTubeDonald Trump flags ‘major tariff on pharmaceuticals’ as US senator criticises ‘whack’ on AustraliaAustralian stock market bounces back despite tariff threats after worst session in five yearsDonald Trump hits Australian exporters with 10% tariffs in ‘liberation day’ speech Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Elon Musk calls Trump's chief trade adviser Pete Navarro a 'moron' as MAGA fragments over tariffs

Tesla chief says Navarro is ‘dumber than a sack of bricks’ in heated exchange

Politics

1 week ago FTSE 100 suffers worst day in FIVE YEARS as global markets go into meltdown over Donald Trump's trade war

Wall Street opened sharply lower as fears of a global recession mounted in the wake of the US President's extraordinary assault on allies and foes alike.

Politics

1 week ago John Rentoul answers your Trump tariffs questions from the ‘Brexit dividend’ to chlorinated chicken

In a live Q&A, The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul fielded readers’ questions on Trump’s trade war, its global consequences and the UK’s options for navigating this latest storm

Politics

1 week ago US markets tumble further as global meltdown continues over Donald Trump's trade war

Wall Street opened sharply lower as fears of a global recession mounted in the wake of the US President's extraordinary assault on allies and foes alike.

Politics

1 week ago 'There will be blood': Trump's trade war 'means 60% chance of global recession' as China hits back at the US and shares keep plunging

The FTSE 100 fell another 140 points this morning after the US president's extraordinary assault on allies and foes alike wiped £2trillion off company values internationally.

Events

1 week ago 'There will be blood': Trump's trade war 'means 60% chance of global recession' as shares keep plunging

The FTSE 100 fell another 140 points this morning after the US president's extraordinary assault on allies and foes alike wiped £2trillion off company values internationally.

Events

1 week ago Global shares keep plunging after US stocks' worst day since Covid: Body blow for Starmer as Trump says UK should be 'happy' with 10% tariffs and aides 'pour cold water on hopes of deal'

The FTSE 100 fell another 60 points this morning after the US president's trade war  sparked a global rout - wiping £2trillion off company values.

Economics

1 week ago Stephen Colbert on Trump tariffs: ‘America is finally free from the tyranny of being able to buy stuff from other countries’

Late-night hosts discuss Trump’s ‘liberation day’ of sweeping tariffs and a liberal judge’s victory over an Elon Musk-backed candidate in WisconsinLate-night hosts delve into Donald Trump’s so-called “liberation day” of tariffs and the defeat of an Elon Musk-backed candidate in the Wisconsin supreme court race. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Musk unveils drastic plan to stomp out Tesla 'terrorists' as he places bullseye on his first target

DOGE Chief Elon Musk unveiled his plans to fight what he calls 'domestic terrorists' targeting Tesla cars and showrooms on Tuesday.

Events

2 w. ago Musk’s Doge gains access to federal payroll system despite staff warnings

Officials said accessing system that processes 276,000 employees’ salaries could put unit at risk of cyber-attacksMembers of Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) reportedly gained access to a payroll system over the weekend that processes salaries for about 276,000 federal employees across various government agencies, despite warnings from senior staff about the potential risks.According to two people familiar with the situation who spoke with the New York Times, Doge employees had spent about two weeks trying to obtain administrative access to the program, known as the Federal Personnel and Payroll System. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Protest at Scots Tesla Centre as anger over Elon Musk sparks boycott calls

Activists joined picketers from across the globe in targeting Elon Musk's Tesla Centres.

Events

2 w. ago Democrat fires back nasty accusation against Elon Musk as 'traitor' spat intensifies

Democratic Senator Mark Kelly fired back at Elon Musk after the tech billionaire doubled down on calling the combat veteran a 'traitor.'

Politics

2 w. ago Musk defends Doge on Fox News with false claims: ‘Almost no one has gotten fired’

Doge members, including Airbnb co-founder, aired their vision for federal government to be ‘Apple Store-like’Elon Musk and seven members of his so-called “department of government efficiency” sat down for a rare interview on Thursday evening on Fox News, defending their efforts amid public backlash and concern over cuts to key government agencies.Over the course of an hour-long sit down with host Bret Baier, Musk and team members repeatedly attempted to assuage fears over Doge’s targeting of agencies such as the Social Security Administration. Musk also downplayed the number of government employees his initiative has targeted in cuts, saying it was a small percentage of the overall government workforce and others left voluntarily. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Musk defends Doge and cuts on Fox News: ‘Almost no one has gotten fired’

Doge members, including Airbnb co-founder, aired their vision for federal government to be ‘Apple Store-like’Elon Musk and seven members of his so-called “department of government efficiency” sat down for a rare interview on Thursday evening on Fox News, defending their efforts amid public backlash and concern over cuts to key government agencies.Over the course of an hour-long sit down with host Bret Baier, Musk and team members repeatedly attempted to assuage fears over Doge’s targeting of agencies such as the Social Security Administration. Musk also downplayed the number of government employees his initiative has targeted in cuts, saying it was a small percentage of the overall government workforce and others left voluntarily. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Let's put it in language the Signal leakers will understand: what a bunch of pathetic sleazebags | Emma Brockes

The leaking of top-level military secrets was bad enough, but I’m obsessed with Maga’s fratboy lexiconThe Maga-fication of American political discourse, which started, arguably, with Donald Trump mocking a disabled reporter in 2015, peaked this week with news of Pete Hegseth referring to European countries in the leaked Signal chat as “PATHETIC”, and enjoyed a detour last Tuesday when Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota and former running mate of Kamala Harris, appeared at a town hall in Wisconsin and called Elon Musk “a dipshit”. (This is not the first time he has referred to Musk this way. Right before the election last year, Walz told a crowd: “Look, Elon’s on that stage, jumping around, skipping like a dipshit.”)Parking for a moment the perfection of the phrase “skipping like a dipshit” to capture Musk’s very particular style of movement and speech, the range of what can and can’t be said in politics has clearly, radically changed. When you look back on the phrase that caused Hi...

Politics