2 h. ago JD Vance granted lightning audience with Pope Francis in Vatican

US vice-president spends few minutes with pontiff whom he has publicly disagreed with over migrationPope Francis and JD Vance, who have disagreed very publicly over the Trump administration’s attitude to immigration and its migrant deportation plans, met briefly in Rome on Sunday to exchange Easter greetings.The meeting came a day after the US vice-president, who converted to Roman Catholicism in 2019, sat down with senior Vatican officials and had “an exchange of opinions” over international conflicts and immigration. Continue reading...

Events

47 h. ago Federal judge blocks Musk team’s effort to shutter top consumer agency

Order comes a day after the ‘efficiency’ team sent out orders to lay off 1,500 of the agency’s 1,700 employeesA federal court has blocked the sweeping termination of staff at the top US consumer protection agency, a day after the Trump administration moved to axe about 1,500 of the agency’s 1,700 workforce, while officials investigate whether the action violated existing judicial orders.The ruling from the judge Amy Berman Jackson put a legal hurdle in front of mass layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced on Thursday, which came after a federal appeals court modified – but did not eliminate – an injunction limiting the agency’s ability to terminate employees. Continue reading...

Events

49 h. ago Federal judge pausing Trump administration's plans for mass layoffs at the CFPB

A federal judge who blocked the Trump administration from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ruled that the agency can’t go forward immediately with plans to mass fire hundreds of employees

Politics

68 h. ago Trump administration moves to narrow protections for endangered species

Environmentalists warn new proposal from US wildlife agencies could lead to habitat destruction and extinctionThe Trump administration is planning to narrow protections for endangered species, in a move that environmentalists say would accelerate extinction by opening up critical habitats for development, logging, mining and other uses.The proposal is the latest deregulatory effort by Donald Trump, who has made it a priority to dismantle endangered species protections as part of a broader quest to boost energy extraction and industrial access, even in the US’s most sensitive and vulnerable natural areas. Continue reading...

Politics

2 d. ago Court denies Trump administration’s appeal against order to ‘facilitate’ return of wrongly deported US man – live

Fourth circuit court rejects appeal saying it ‘shall not micromanage the efforts of a fine district judge’ who is interpreting supreme court decisionDonald Trump’s administration will ask a US federal appeals court on Thursday to pause a judge’s ruling lifting access restrictions the White House imposed on the Associated Press (AP) for referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its coverage.The Trump administration has argued that the lower-court ruling, which mandates AP journalists be granted access to press events in the White House, infringes on the president’s ability to decide whom to admit to sensitive spaces. The White House has asked to put the ruling on hold while it appeals. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Proposed rule change on endangered species triggers alarm for environmentalists

The Trump administration plans to rewrite part of the Endangered Species Act that prohibits harming the habitats of endangered and threatened species

Events

1 week ago New London community rallies against Trump administration's plan to revoke migrant rights

New London community rallies against Trump administration's plan to revoke migrant rights  WLUK

Politics

1 week ago Trump reportedly to cut grant for key US steel project in Vance’s home town

Outcry as CNN reports president to stop funds for program that would have created jobs in Middletown, OhioDespite promises to bolster the US manufacturing industry, the Trump administration is reportedly planning to cut a key program that invests in some of the biggest manufacturing industries in the US, including in JD Vance’s home town of Middletown, Ohio.Donald Trump is looking to slash a $500m grant from the Biden administration that was slated for Cleveland-Cliffs, a steel manufacturing giant in America’s rust belt, according to reporting from CNN. The grant was intended to help the company upgrade its ageing blast furnaces, so they would be powered by hydrogen, natural gas and electricity instead of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump officials quietly move to reverse bans on toxic ‘forever chemicals’

EPA bids to change chemical risk evaluations, which could expose public to higher levels of PFAS and other pollutantsThe Trump administration is quietly carrying out a plan that aims to kill hundreds of bans on highly toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” and other dangerous compounds in consumer goods.The bans, largely at the state level, touch most facets of daily life, prohibiting everything from bisphenol in children’s products to mercury in personal care products to PFAS in food packaging and clothing. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago John Swinney accused of taking Tartan Day 'jolly' while Donald Trump 'trade crisis' rages

The First Minister said he had no plans to meet with members of the Trump Administration during his weekend in the US.

Politics

2 w. ago Brown University to see half a billion in federal funding halted by Trump administration

A White House official says the Trump administration is planning to halt more than half a billion dollars in contracts and grants awarded to Brown University

Politics

2 w. ago John Swinney has 'no plans' to meet with Trump Administration officials when in New York

The First Minister is jetting off to New York as part of the city's annual Tartan Day celebrations.

Politics

2 w. ago Thousands of US health agency workers laid off in overhaul led by RFK Jr

Trump administration begins reducing Health and Human Services workforce as Kennedy plans up to 10,000 job cutsThousands of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees across the country are being dismissed on Tuesday as the Trump administration begins implementing its workforce-reduction plan, which could ultimately remove 10,000 staff members from the department through forced layoffs.The job cuts mark the first tangible impact of the health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s departmental overhaul announced last week, landing just days after Donald Trump moved to strip collective-bargaining rights from workers at HHS and other federal agencies. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump administration delays plans to ban foreign nationals traveling to the US from 43 countries

The Trump administration made major decision over plans to ban foreign nationals from 40 countries announced on the president's first day in office.

Politics

2 w. ago Trump administration cuts tens of millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood – live

HHS reportedly gives organization 10 days to prove that they’ll comply with orders that ban DEI and other initiativesImmigration remains a strength for Donald Trump, but his handling of tariffs is getting more negative feedback, according to a poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About half of US adults approve of Trump’s approach to immigration, the survey shows, but only about four in 10 have a positive view of the way he’s handling the economy and trade negotiations. The poll indicates that many Americans are still on board with Trump’s efforts to ramp up deportations and restrict immigration. But it also suggests that the Republican president’s threats to impose tariffs – which have been accompanied by tumbling consumer confidence and wild stock market swings – might be erasing his advantage on another issue that he made central to his winning 2024 campaign. The economy was a drag on then president Joe Biden, who saw the share of Americans who ...

Politics

2 w. ago Judge pauses Trump administration plans to end temporary legal protections for Venezuelans

A federal judge is pausing plans by the Trump administration to end temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, one week before they were set to expire

Politics

2 w. ago Trump officials to review $9bn in Harvard funds over antisemitism claims

Administration accuses university of failing to protect students and plans to look into federal grants and contractsThe Trump administration announced a review on Monday of $9bn in federal contracts and grants at Harvard University over allegations that it failed to address issues of antisemitism on campus.The multi-agency Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said it will review the more than $255.6m in contracts between Harvard University, its affiliates and the federal government, according to a joint statement from the education department, the health department and the General Services Administration. The statement also says the review will include the more than $8.7bn in multi-year grant commitments to Harvard University and its affiliates. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Kimmel on ‘Signalgate’: ‘A perfect storm of incompetence, inexperience, dishonesty and hypocrisy’

Late-night hosts discuss JD Vance’s trip Greenland and official efforts to downplay sending war plans to a journalistLate-night hosts talked the Trump administration’s attempts to deflect from the Signal group chat leak, Mike Waltz’s public Venmo and JD Vance’s unwanted visit to Greenland. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Signal 'war plan' leak shows that Trump's team is willing to 'play fast and loose' with the lives of American soldiers, former Obama diplomat Brett Bruen tells new Mail podcast

Former Obama White House staffer weighed in on the handling of the Signal 'war plan' leak by the Trump administration on new Mail podcast - Apocalypse Now?

Politics

3 w. ago EPA offers industrial polluters a way to avoid rules on mercury, arsenic and other toxic chemicals

As part of a push to roll back dozens of environmental regulations, the Trump administration is offering coal-fired power plants and other industrial polluters a chance to receive exemptions from rules requiring them to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals, including mercury, arsenic and benzene

Events