11 h. ago If leaders stay silent, the US won’t survive Trump’s next 100 days | Robert Reich

We are tottering on the edge of dictatorship. Powerful voices across institutions, from politics to academia and religion, must speak outWe have witnessed the first 100 days of the odious Trump regime.The US constitution is in peril. Civil and human rights are being trampled upon. The economy is in disarray.If today the Executive claims the right to deport without due process and in disregard of court orders, what assurance will there be tomorrow that it will not deport American citizens and then disclaim responsibility to bring them home? And what assurance shall there be that the Executive will not train its broad discretionary powers upon its political enemies? The threat, even if not the actuality, would always be present, and the Executive’s obligation to ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed’ would lose its meaning.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US colu...

Politics

18 h. ago ‘An incredibly political moment’ – why fashion and the Met Gala are celebrating Black dandyism

This year’s Met theme is ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’ and focuses on Black men’s strategic use of fashion. Author of the text the show is inspired by, Monica L. Miller talks about why it’s being celebrated at this year’s show and galaAfter three decades as a jobbing actor, Colman Domingo finally ascended to the Hollywood A-list in 2023 off the back of Rustin, a biopic of Bayard Rustin, an adviser to Martin Luther King Jr and civil rights icon. But while his performance was brilliant, Domingo’s meteoric rise was also down to something else: his masterful embrace of Black dandyism.Having honed his trademark tight trousers and unbuttoned shirts waiting tables in San Francisco, on the red carpet he set himself apart in suits with Nehru collars, bow ties, dramatic cloaks and sparkling brooches. “I don’t just wear clothes, I wear stories,” Domingo told GQ ahead of his appearance at the Golden Globes in January, before stepping out in a black Valentino mohair wool tuxedo paired with ...

Politics

18 h. ago Trump officials increasingly recruit local police for immigration enforcement despite ‘red flags’

Agreements with agencies in 38 states resurrect aggressive tactics shelved more than a decade ago amid alarms about civil rights abusesThe first few months of 2025 have been tumultuous for Sheriff Bill Rogers, the chief law officer of Columbus county in North Carolina. In February, his department settled a lawsuit accusing Columbus jail deputies of neglecting the care of a county inmate who was almost beaten to death in 2023. Then in March, a group of Roger’s deputies were accused of assault during the arrest of a 57-year-old who claimed he was punched in the back of the head and left bloody after allegedly running a stop sign.Those episodes follow years of scandal. Continue reading...

Politics

37 h. ago The uniting theme of Trump’s presidency? Ineptitude | Robert Reich

From deportations to human rights to the economy, the president’s actions have resulted in mayhem. Here’s a samplingSome Democrats fear they’re playing into Donald Trump’s hands by fighting his mass deportations rather than focusing on his failures on bread-and-butter issues like the cost of living.But it’s not either-or. The theme that unites Trump’s inept handling of deportations, his trampling on human and civil rights, his rejection of the rule of law, his dictatorial centralization of power, and his utterly inept handling of the economy is the ineptness itself.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com Continue reading...

Politics

57 h. ago Remembering Alexis Herman, the first Black US Secretary of Labor

Labor leaders, politicians and civil rights activists are mourning the death of Alexis Herman, the first Black U.S. Secretary of Labor and a fierce advocate for workplace equality

Politics

59 h. ago Famed Memphis church associated with Martin Luther King damaged by fire

Clayborn Temple, base for sanitation workers’ strike that brought King to Memphis in 1968, suffers extensive damageA fire has severely damaged the historic Clayborn Temple in downtown Memphis, which is closely associated with the US civil rights movement and Dr Martin Luther King.The temple was headquarters for the sanitation workers’ strike that brought King to Memphis in 1968. The campaign’s “I Am a Man” signs were made in the church’s basement, according to the temple’s website. Continue reading...

Events

60 h. ago Civil rights leaders alarmed after bible and other artifacts are removed from Smithsonian African

Rev. Amos Brown said the museum provided a ‘flimsy excuse’ for returning his historical bible

Events

63 h. ago Trump’s justice department appointees remove leadership of voting unit

Section is responsible for enforcing laws designed to prevent voter discrimination, raised alarm about voting rights enforcementUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump’s appointees at the Department of Justice have removed all of the senior civil servants working as managers in the department’s voting section and directed attorneys to dismiss all active cases, according to people familiar with the matter, part of a broader attack on the department’s civil rights division.The moves come less than a month after Trump ally Harmeet Dhillon was confirmed to lead the civil rights division, created in 1957 and referred to as the “crown jewel” of the justice department. In an unusual move, Dhillon sent out new “mission statements” to the department’s sections that made it clear the civil rights division was shifting its focus from protecting the civil rights of marginalized people to supporting Trump’s priorities. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Lawsuit says migrants endure isolation and intimidation at US' Guantanamo detention center

Civil rights advocates have renewed concerns that immigrants detained at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base on Cuba are being held in extreme isolation, cut off from meaningful access to legal counsel or candid communication with relatives

Events

6 d. ago Legendary civil rights attorney Fred Gray honored with statute in Alabama

The legendary attorney who was once deemed the “chief counsel” of the Civil Rights Movement by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has been honored with a statue outside the Alabama State Bar Association

Politics

6 d. ago Civil rights groups sue to restore jobs at Homeland Security oversight offices that were gutted

Three advocacy groups are suing the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem, seeking to restore staff jobs at three gutted offices that oversee civil rights protections across the department’s broad mission

Society

6 d. ago US federal agency texts Barnard College employees to ask if they’re Jewish

Employees received text from EEOC on personal phones linking to survey asking if they are Jewish or IsraeliEmployees from Barnard College received text messages this week from the federally run Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on their personal phones linking to a voluntary survey asking recipients if they are Jewish or Israeli and whether they have been subjected to harassment or antisemitism.The text, which was reviewed by the Guardian, states that the civil rights agency is “currently reviewing the employment practices at Barnard College” and invites current and former employees to complete the linked survey. It is not clear how many college employees received the survey, but it appears to have been sent to a sizable portion of the faculty and other staff. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago NAACP head disinvited from Texas even after group’s lawsuit against Trump

The State Bar of Texas has rescinded a speaking invitation to the civil rights group’s president after the organization challenged the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Education Department

Politics

6 d. ago Federal judge blocks Trump effort that could disenfranchise millions of voters

President sought to unilaterally add proof of citizenship requirement to voter registration formA federal judge on Thursday blocked Donald Trump’s efforts to add a proof of citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form, a change that voting rights advocates warned would have disenfranchised millions of voters.The president sought to unilaterally add the requirement in a 25 March executive orders. The Democratic party, as well as a slew of civil rights groups, challenged that order, arguing the president does not have the power to set the rules for federal elections. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Federal judge blocks Trump order that could disenfranchise millions of voters

President sought to unilaterally add proof of citizenship requirement to voter registration formA federal judge on Thursday blocked Donald Trump’s efforts to add a proof of citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form, a change that voting rights advocates warned would have disenfranchised millions of voters.The president sought to unilaterally add the requirement in a 25 March executive orders. The Democratic party, as well as a slew of civil rights groups, challenged that order, arguing the president does not have the power to set the rules for federal elections. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Civil rights advocates say Trump order guts protections against discrimination

Order directs federal agencies to ‘deprioritize enforcement’ of laws where policies have discriminatory effectsUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump’s executive order on Wednesday eliminating “disparate-impact liability” from federal civil rights enforcement has sparked condemnation from legal and civil rights advocates who argue it guts protections that have shielded Americans from discrimination for decades.The order directs federal agencies to immediately “deprioritize enforcement” of laws where policies have discriminatory effects, even without discriminatory intent – a cornerstone of modern civil rights protection. It also instructs the attorney general to begin repealing or amending regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Trump administration kills landmark pollution settlement in majority

Decision will affect mostly low-income Alabama residents as DoJ dismisses agreement over untreated sewage as DEIThe Trump administration has killed a landmark civil rights settlement requiring Alabama to address raw sewage pollution in majority-Black, residential areas south-west of Montgomery, dismissing it as an “illegal” diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) agreement.The decision could condemn low-income people in Lowndes county, about 40 miles south-west of Montgomery, to indefinitely continue living with no or failing sanitation infrastructure. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Head of NAACP disinvited from speaking to Texas state bar over suit against Trump administration

The State Bar of Texas has rescinded a speaking invitation to the NAACP’s president after the civil rights group challenged the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Education Department

Politics

8 d. ago For Women Scotland snub key Scottish Parliament committee over Green MSP 'bigotry' comments

There have been several calls for Maggie Chapman MSP to be removed from Holyrood’s equalities, human rights and civil justice committee.

Politics

1 week ago Government Cheese stars explain why they were 'thrilled' that racism isn't a major theme in new Apple drama

Apple TV+ drama Government Cheese follows the Chambers family in the 1960s

Events