2 h. ago What Trump’s ‘palace in the sky’ gift from Qatar reveals | Moira Donegan

This kind of behavior from the Trump administration has gone on for so long that it is hard to rouse the media to cover itIt certainly looks as if policy is for sale in the Trump administration. After all, the president’s primary domestic policy deputy, Elon Musk, gained his position in the administration more or less by purchasing it: he is the richest man in the world, and the primary funder of Trump’s last presidential campaign, and it is seemingly by this virtue – does he have any others? – that Musk has been granted the authority to dismantle large swaths of the federal bureaucracy.This is something of a pattern for Donald Trump. In his first term, it became de rigueur for foreign dignitaries to stay at Trump’s hotel on trips to Washington, a practice long perceived to be a way of currying favor with the president by spending money at his businesses. Trump funneled money to his hotel business from domestic sources, too: when Secret Service agents were required to stay at Trump’...

Politics

23 h. ago US and Saudi Arabia sign $142bn arms deal as Trump to meet Syrian leader

White House touts deal made on first stop of US president’s four-day diplomatic tour to Gulf statesUS politics live – latest updatesThe United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a $142bn arms deal touted by the White House as the “largest defence sales agreement in history” in the first stop of Donald Trump’s four-day diplomatic tour to the Gulf states aimed at securing big deals and spotlighting the benefits of Trump’s transactional foreign policy.During the trip, the White House also confirmed that Trump would meet with Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former rebel commander whose forces helped overthrow Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The informal meeting will be the first face-to-face meeting between a US president and a Syrian leader since 2000, when Bill Clinton met with the late leader Hafez al-Assad in Geneva. Continue reading...

Politics

54 h. ago Trump’s China deal leaves world exposed to trade policy lottery

Beijing and London’s pacts with US create exceedingly uncertain future

Politics

3 d. ago The Guardian view on Israel and Gaza: Trump can stop this horror. The alternative is unthinkable | Editorial

The US president has the leverage to force through a ceasefire. If he does not, he will implicitly signal approval of what looks like a plan of total destructionDonald Trump would like a big foreign policy win as he embarks on his tour of the Middle East this week. He could secure one – and save lives – by demanding that Israel agree to a lasting ceasefire in exchange for the release of all hostages held in Gaza. He might prefer to avoid the issue, but no other leader has the leverage to force its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to end this war. If Mr Trump instead backs Israel’s current proposals, he will put the US imprimatur on what looks like a plan of total destruction.Israel’s attacks have already killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza, according to local health authorities – the vast majority of them civilians, many of them children. Bakeries, hospitals and schools have been obliterated. Aid has been blocked for two months. Gaza faces famine. Last week, Isr...

Politics

3 d. ago Trump thinks he is shaping the Middle East. Instead, it’s Gulf states that will dictate US foreign policy | Simon Tisdall

The US president travels to meet the region’s leaders facing an uncomfortable reality: he may need them more than they need him Donald Trump is accustomed to getting his own way. That could change next week when he’s confronted by the mess he’s making in the Middle East. As he begins a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, the US president is promising great things. As ever, he’s delusional. The reality is that reckless, incoherent and neglectful US regional policies are failing across the board. A fundamental course correction is urgently required.Gulf leaders have the leverage to set Trump straight, if they decide to use it. He relies on them to an unprecedented degree – far more than on Europe – as diplomatic interlocutors, security partners and financial backers. His approach to Palestine, which is on the brink of a second Nakba (catastrophe), is a mix of prejudice, cruelty and sheer ignorance. Without Arab help, the US and Israel may remain trapped indefinitely in ...

Politics

3 d. ago Britain's Got Talent's Ant McPartlin leaves judges speechless with outfit detail

Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon was forced to pause the show as she pointed out a detail about host Ant McPartlin's outfit

Events

4 d. ago Whiplash reversals mean Trump’s erratic trade policy is as clear as mud

The specifics of the administration’s economic masterplan – from strollers to movies to China – change by the dayDecades of economic orthodoxy failed millions of Americans, according to Donald Trump, who marched back into the White House promising to shred the status quo. But the specifics of his alternative – exactly how his administration claims it will make America great again – change by the day.The US president declared this week to be a key milestone of his second term, as he unveiled his first major trade deal since returning to office following accelerated talks with the UK. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Trump’s chief trade adviser says Britons will like chlorinated chicken and hormone

Peter Navarro also says UK and US still negotiating over digital services tax – a policy Trump is deeply opposed to The winners and losers of Trump’s first tariff war strongly suggest that bankruptcies and farm consolidation could surge during his second term, with major corporations best placed to benefit from his polices at the expense of independent farmers.New analysis by the non-profit research advocacy group Food and Water Watch (FWW), shared exclusively with the Guardian, shows that Trump’s first-term tariffs were particularly devastating for farmers in the Maga rural heartlands. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Why is Trump considering raising taxes on millionaires? | Alex Bronzini

Tax-cutting once unified the Republicans. Now, that sacred cow might get killed“I actually love the concept,” Donald Trump recently told Time magazine of a proposal circulating within his cabinet to raise taxes upon those earning over $1m. “I don’t want it to be used against me politically, because I’ve seen people lose elections for less, especially with the fake news.”Few presidential administrations have killed sacred cows at a faster rate than that of Donald Trump. But this really is shocking: a sitting Republican president praising a proposal to raise taxes upon the wealthy, adding only the slight caveat that it would be adversely spun by those in “the fake news”. A tax increase, Trump apparently believes, would be tenable as policy but not as politics.Alex Bronzini-Vender is a writer living in New York Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago The Bank of England is expected to cut interest rates in the face of US tariffs threat

The Bank of England is widely expected to cut interest rates on Thursday as a result of the potential shock to growth emanating from the tariff policies of the Trump administration

Economics

7 d. ago Joe Biden slams Donald Trump and says 'what the hell's going on?'

Former US President Joe Biden questioned 'what the hell's going on here?' as he condemned Donald Trump's approach to foreign policy and his disregard for other countries

Politics

7 d. ago How stunned Netflix and Hollywood execs privately reacted to Trump's 'Make Movies Great Again' policy behind the scenes

A studio executive told Status the situation was still 'fluid and evolving' on Tuesday, after the industry was sent in a tailspin the day before.

Culture

8 d. ago European and Asian carmakers face steep shipping costs to US on top of tariffs

Trump’s new port fee policy threatens to wreak havoc on the $150bn American seaborne car import market

Economics

8 d. ago Mike Pence rebukes Trump over tariffs and ‘wavering’ support for Ukraine

Former vice-president says tariffs ‘not a win for the American people’ and predicts public pressure will growDonald Trump’s tariffs policy will trigger a “price shock” and possible shortages, and lead to public pressure on him to change his approach, the former vice-president Mike Pence has said.In one of his most wide-ranging critiques yet on the policies of the president he used to serve, Pence, speaking to CNN, derided the White House’s “wavering” support for Ukraine and declared – in direct contradiction of repeated assurances from Trump – that President Vladimir Putin of Russia “doesn’t want peace”. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Trump is swiftly undoing transgender protections in HUD’s housing policies

The Trump administration is swiftly remaking housing policy as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development retreats from long-established fair-housing protections for transgender people

Politics

9 d. ago 5 despicable and puzzling things Donald Trump did in 24 hours from Alcatraz to tariffs

It has been a typically chaotic day in the White House, with US President Donald Trump making unexpected policy announcements on social media and sparking alarm about another war

Politics

1 week ago Weinstein accuser breaks down while recounting experiences in rape retrial

Judge paused proceedings during Miriam Haley’s fourth day on witness stand over alleged assault by ex-movie mogulA woman who alleges Harvey Weinstein forced oral sex on her broke down under intensely personal cross-examination during her fourth day on the witness stand in the criminal retrial of the disgraced movie mogul.The judge paused proceedings early on Friday afternoon to give Miriam Haley a chance to compose herself after an angry and tearful exchange with Weinstein’s defense as she was questioned on her account of his alleged assault. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Apple quarterly earnings beat Wall Street expectations amid Trump trade policy chaos

Trump said consumer electronics will be exempted from his soaring tariffs on China, though it is unclear for how longApple’s second-quarter financials came in slightly higher than Wall Street’s expectations on Thursday.The tech giant reported revenue of $95.4bn, up more than 4% over last year, and earnings-per-share of $1.65 per share, up more than 7%. Analysts had predicted revenue of $94.5bn and earnings of $1.62. The company, worth $3.2tn, has beaten Wall Street’s expectations for the previous four quarters. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Apple to report quarterly earnings amid Trump trade policy chaos

Trump said consumer electronics will be exempted from his soaring tariffs on China but it is unclear for how longInvestors have their eyes on Apple as it prepares to report financial results of the second quarter of the fiscal year on Thursday. The tech giant has been working to calm nervous analysts after Donald Trump levied sweeping tariffs on countries around the world that are likely to complicate supply chains for consumer electronics. Since the beginning of the year, Apple’s stock has slumped 16%.In anticipation of its earnings report, the company’s stock notched up slightly on Wednesday. Analysts are predicting a positive quarter for Apple with an average revenue estimate of $94.56bn, up 4.2% over last year, and earnings of $1.62 per share, up 5.8%. The company, worth $3.2tn, has beaten Wall Street’s expectations for the previous four quarters. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago McDonald’s and General Motors say Trump’s tariff war is harming business

Fast-food company reports 3.6% fall in sales and carmaker says tariffs could cost it as much as $5bn in 2025McDonald’s and General Motors have warned that uncertainty around Donald Trump’s tariff policy is hurting business, hitting sales and knocking profits.The fast-food chain reported a 3.6% fall in sales in its US home market during the first quarter, driven mainly by lower customer numbers as consumers reined in their spending in the face of an unpredictable economic outlook. Continue reading...

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