9 d. ago If Europe keeps placating its own far right, how can it possibly stand up to Trump? | Thu Nguyen and Jannik Jansen

European leaders have been pulled to the right on migration, the climate crisis and Israel. Their weakness is undermining the democratic principles on which the EU was builtWhen Ursula von der Leyen made her pitch to become president of the European Commission back in 2019, she put the “European way” at the heart of her appeal. Under her direction, she said, Europe would be a principled power built on multilateralism, fair trade and the rules-based order, standing firm and united against authoritarianism, protectionism and the politics of zero-sum thinking.Six years on, she is again calling on Europe to “fight” for that future. But the vision is fading fast. This summer brought a cascade of negative headlines decrying Europe’s “humiliation”; it was the worst in years, if not in a century, some critics said. All pointed to the same reality: European leaders, fearing both a trade war and the loss of US support for Ukraine, had bowed to the wishlist of the Trump administration and left...

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2 w. ago US nears government shutdown after Democrats oppose Republican bill that ‘guts healthcare’

Republican-controlled House approved bill but chances of passing Senate are slim as Democrats take a stand against Trump’s healthcare policiesUS politics live – latest updatesThe US federal government drew closer to a shutdown on Friday, after Democrats opposed a Republican-backed measure that would extend funding for another two months, saying it did not include provisions to protect healthcare programs.The Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved the spending bill on a near party line vote, with only Maine Democrat Jared Golden breaking with his party to vote in favor. The Senate will consider the measure later in the day, but its chances of passage are slim, since it will need at least some Democratic support to clear the 60-vote threshold to overcome the filibuster. Continue reading...

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2 w. ago Voices: Isn’t projecting Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle a freedom of speech issue, Mr President?

The arrest of four Led By Donkeys activists for beaming images onto Windsor Castle goes against everything the US – and Donald Trump – purports to stand for, writes Joy Lo Dico

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2 w. ago KOLBASSIA HAOUSSOU: As a torture survivor, I can see danger Trump poses

Kolbassia Haoussou MBE, who fled persecution in his native Chad, has called on the UK to stand up to Donald Trump and not look the other way to prevent torture protections being chipped away

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2 w. ago ‘I wanted to go on my own terms’: former Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Farage, Trump 2.0 and his decision to stand down

He was the young, gay, mixed-race leader labelled a ‘badass’ by Matt Damon who unexpectedly quit. He talks about the ‘likability’ of rightwing populists – and his fears for the future of politicsLeo Varadkar suggests we do the ­interview at his house in Dublin. It’s unusual for ­politicians to invite you into their home, but Ireland is famous for its hospitality. The house looks impressively humble – a tiny, ­unprepossessing terrace. A woman answers. “Hi,” I say. “Does the taoiseach live here? “No,” she says.I start to panic. Our interview is due to start in two minutes. Continue reading...

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4 w. ago Trump pledges to ‘stand with Warsaw’ in meeting with Polish president

US president praises Karol Nawrocki for election win and says he was not considering pulling troops from PolandEurope live – latest updatesThe US president, Donald Trump, has said he was not considering pulling US troops out of Poland and pledged to stand with Warsaw “all the way” during a meeting with the country’s conservative nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, at the White House.Backed by the populist rightwing opposition Law and Justice party, which ruled Poland between 2015 and 2023, Karol Nawrocki unexpectedly won Poland’s presidential election after running a campaign under a Trumpesque slogan of “Poland first, Poles first”. Continue reading...

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