13 h. ago How Trump is driving US towards Russia – a timeline of the president’s moves

Since becoming president, Trump has upended the US approach to Ukraine and treated Moscow more as an allyIn just seven weeks since returning to the White House for a second term, Donald Trump has upended the US approach to the invasion of Ukraine and treated Russia increasingly not as an adversary, but an ally.After tossing aside decades of alignment with Europe against Russian aggression, the US president suspended military assistance and intelligence to Kyiv and said on Friday he finds it “easier” to work with Russia than Ukraine. Continue reading...

Politics

26 h. ago German election winner Merz moves step closer to forming government

Conservative bloc and SPD to start full coalition talks as chancellor-in-waiting plans to revive ailing economyGermany’s conservative election winner Friedrich Merz came a step closer on Saturday to forming a government that he says will revive Europe’s top economy and its armed forces with massive new spending.The bold moves are part of his plan to rebuild Berlin’s standing in Europe, which Merz has said must respond to the sweeping changes driven by US president Donald Trump that have rocked the transatlantic alliance. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Watershed moment’: EU leaders agree plan for huge rise in defence spending

Leaders endorse von der Leyen proposal but show of unity over Ukraine is marred by Hungary’s Viktor OrbánEurope live – latest updatesEuropean leaders holding emergency talks in Brussels have agreed on a massive increase to defence spending, amid a drive to shore up support for Ukraine after Donald Trump halted US military aid and intelligence sharing.But the show of unity was marred by Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, failing to endorse an EU statement on Ukraine pushing back against Trump’s Russia-friendly negotiating stance. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Tell us: how you have been impacted by the change to US student loan repayments?

We would like to hear from those whose income-driven repayment options have changed recently due to TrumpThe online application form for several popular student debt repayment plans, such as income-driven repayment plans (IDR), have been taken down by the Donald Trump administration.Applications for IDRs, which cap what borrowers must pay each month at a percent of their earnings, are unavailable on the US Department of Education website. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Watershed moment’: EU leaders close to agreeing €800bn defence plan

Show of unity over Ukraine may be hampered by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán but consensus has built on need for spendingEurope live – latest updatesEuropean leaders holding emergency talks in Brussels are expected to agree on a massive increase to defence spending amid a drive to shore up support for Ukraine after Donald Trump halted US military aid and intelligence sharing.Arriving at the summit, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was originally scheduled to join through a video link, said: “We are very thankful that we are not alone.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago European stocks open lower, with US futures falling, despite gains in Asia

The selling pressure was triggered following Wall Street's rally, which was driven by President Donald Trump's decision to grant a one-month exemption for US automakers from his 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports

Politics

4 d. ago Trump administration moves to drop Idaho emergency abortion case with national implications

The Trump administration is dropping an emergency abortion case in Idaho in one of the administration’s first moves on the issue since President Donald Trump's second term began

Politics

4 d. ago Trump is turning the media into a mouthpiece of the regime | Lawrence Douglas

As the White House handpicks members of the press pool, questions for the president amount to fluffy valentinesYou know we’re in trouble when Fox News emerges as the great defender of freedom of the press. But such was the case when Jacqui Heinrich, a senior political correspondent at Fox, responded to the news that Trump’s White House would now handpick the reporters who get to cover the president in small settings, with the post: “This move does not give the power back to the people – it gives power to the White House.” Heinrich was specifically responding to press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s Orwellian claim that letting Donald Trump choose who would cover him was designed to restore power “back to the American people”.The fruits of the new policy were richly on display during the sickening scene that unfolded in the Oval Office last week. If the president and JD Vance’s disgraceful treatment of Volodymyr Zelenskyy wasn’t bad enough, there was the unprecedented role that the “pre...

Politics

4 d. ago Playing the victim: how Trump’s clash with Zelenskyy paved the way for the suspension of military aid | Lilie Chouliaraki

Who is really suffering from this conflict? We are, said the US president, in a move straight from the populist playbookDuring a dramatic Oval Office meeting last Friday, US president Donald Trump confronted Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a move that upended the long-established narrative of Russia as the aggressor and Ukraine as the victim.In the conversation, which quickly escalated into a tense exchange, Trump accused Zelenskyy of prolonging the war with Russia by refusing to engage in peace negotiations with Vladimir Putin. His rhetoric suggested that Ukraine, not Russia, was responsible for escalating the conflict and that the US had unfairly borne the burden of Ukraine’s resistance. Trump constructed a new hierarchy of suffering, one in which the US emerged as the primary victim, Ukraine as the source of its burdens and Russia as innocent of blame.Lilie Chouliaraki is professor of media and communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and...

Events

5 d. ago Donald Trump orders US military aid for Ukraine to STOP after Volodymyr Zelensky row

Donald Trump has pressured Volodymyr Zelensky on Russia talks with his latest move, which comes days after the US President's bullying in the Oval Office at the White House

Events

6 d. ago Trump claims Zelensky ‘doesn’t want peace’ after Ukrainian leader says end of war ‘far away’

The American president has moved to align his Ukraine policy more with Russia than with the rest of the democratic world

Politics

7 d. ago Trump will expect a public apology from Zelensky to restore relations after their Oval Office spat

The US President wants his Ukrainian counterpart to make the first move to ease tensions following their fractious Washington DC dispute on Friday night.

Politics

9 d. ago Special episode: Inside the room when Starmer met Trump – Politics Weekly Westminster

Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey have a behind-the-scenes look at Keir Starmer’s trip to meet Donald Trump at the White House, after Pippa travelled with the prime minister to Washington DC. So, how was Starmer’s charm offensive received by the president? And has the trip moved the dial on Ukraine and tariffs?Send your questions and feedback to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Donald Trump's lies interrupted and shut down by Keir Starmer in incredible 'actually' moment

PM Keir Starmer echoed the moves made by French president Emmanuel Macron when he visited the White House just a few days ago, as the UK and US meet for bilateral crunch talks

Politics

1 week ago Outcry as White House starts dictating which journalists can access Trump

Even Fox News correspondent decries move that journalists say will ‘tear at independence of a free press’ in USThe Trump administration announced it will take control of the White House press pool, stripping the independent White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) of its longstanding role in deciding which journalists have access to the president in intimate settings.The move has immediately triggered an impassioned response from members of the media – including a Fox News correspondent who called it a “short-sighted decision”. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Rachel Maddow throws down gauntlet with blistering rant on 'indefensible' moves by ruthless new MSNBC president

MSNBC's $25 million woman Rachel Maddow torched her bosses Monday after canceling Joy Reid's low-rated talk show.

Politics

1 week ago Apple to invest $500bn to build servers and hire 20,000 people to boost AI

Apple's investment in the US comes as the company has been under pressure from President Donald Trump to move its manufacturing back home and avoid tariffs on its products made in China

Economics

1 week ago How Trump and Macron's 'bromance' soured over Ukraine as Putin drives visible wedge between the leaders

President Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron of France addressed a press conference at the White House on Monday, the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Politics

1 week 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 w. ago ‘Donald Trump won’t drive us out of lawless Slab City – there’s too many of us out here’

EXCLUSIVE: Angie Harrell Bragg told the Daily Star she thinks there will be other issues that drive her out of her home in Slab City before Donald Trump and Elon Musk can

Politics