19 m. ago Trump shares tender moment with Melania as they head to Texas to comfort flood victims

President Donald Trump called the Texas floods a 'terrible thing' as he left to visit the devastated state with First Lady Melania Trump.

Events

51 m. ago Trump to tour Texas flood damage as scope of disaster tests vow to shutter Fema

Since the disaster that has killed at least 120 people, Trump he remained quiet about promises to do away with agency in charge of reliefUS politics live – latest updatesAs Donald Trump heads to Texas on Friday for a firsthand look at the devastation caused by catastrophic flooding, he has remained conspicuously quiet about his previous promises to do away with the federal agency in charge of disaster relief.The Washington Post reported on Friday that the Trump administration has backed away from plans to abolish the federal emergency management agency, but administration officials continue to dodge questions about the agency’s future and many are still calling for serious reforms, potentially sending much of its work to the states. Continue reading...

Events

67 m. ago Budget Director confronted over Trump’s lavish spending amid government cuts

The White House’s Budget Director Russell Vought has been confronted over Donald Trump’s lavish spending amid cuts to government services.

Politics

82 m. ago Moulin Rouge's red windmill sails restored and turning again

The iconic red windmill sails of Paris' Moulin Rouge are spinning again

Politics

2 h. ago Trump to visit Texas to survey damage from deadly flooding – live updates

While the Trump administration isn’t backing away from its pledges to shutter Fema, it has lessened its focus on the topic since the July 4 disasterThe US state department is firing more than 1,300 employees in line with the Trump administration’s reorganization plan initiated earlier this year. The department is sending layoff notices to 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers with domestic assignments in the US, a senior State Department official told the Associated Press. Foreign service officers affected will be placed immediately on administrative leave for 120 days, after which they will formally lose their jobs, according to an internal notice obtained by the AP. For most affected civil servants, the separation period is 60 days, it said. “In connection with the departmental reorganization the department is streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities,” the notice says. “Headcount reductions have been carefully tailored to affect non-core f...

Events

3 h. ago Bitcoin tops $118,000 for the first time, and keeps on going

Bitcoin has reached an all-time high, surpassing $118,000 as a flood of money moves into spot bitcoin ETFs, which have opened up cryptocurrency investing to millions

Politics

3 h. ago Shunned Myanmar leader thrilled at US contact after Trump tariff letter

Min Aung Hlaing expresses ‘sincere appreciation’ for letter from US president threatening 40% tariffMyanmar’s military leader has praised Donald Trump and asked him to lift sanctions, as the junta sought to capitalise on a tariff letter from the US president believed to be Washington’s first public recognition of its rule.Min Aung Hlaing, who has been in power since a 2021 coup, expressed his “sincere appreciation” for Trump’s letter, which threatened a tariff of 40% on its goods, and commended the US president for his “strong leadership” and for guiding the US “toward national prosperity with the spirit of a true patriot”. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Trump heads to Texas a week after devastating floods – US politics live

President reportedly backing away from abolishing FEMA but is still describing tragedy as a ‘once-in-every-200-year deal’ as at least 120 have diedAt least eight core members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have left their positions in the last six months, Politico reported on Friday, citing internal records and sources familiar with the matter.A senior White House official explained the departures by pointing to the fact that many DOGE staffers were special government employees, a designation that has a required end date, the report said. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago People with UK links to get priority under France migration deal, says Cooper – UK politics live

Home secretary says ‘genuine refugees’ or those targeted by smuggling gangs could also benefit under scheme which is expected to bring around 50 or so migrants a week from FranceBritain expects EU to approve migration deal, says CooperOne of the joys, or perils, of being prime minister is that every summer you get invited to Scotland for a sleepover with the royal family. They tend to view these trips with mixed feelings. The king is seen as a great host, as was his mother, but some PMs grumble that Balmoral is freezing cold, and stuffy, and the rituals of a Scottish country home can feel a bit odd if you are not used to that sort of thing.Donald Trump hasn’t been made a king yet, but obviously he would like to be one and he too has invited the PM to Scotland this summer. According to Reuters, Trump will be visiting Scotland later this month, reportedly to check up on his golf courses, and he has invited Starmer to join him. “Starmer has accepted,” Reuters says. Continue reading...

Politics

5 h. ago Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ is the ultimate betrayal of his base | Sidney Blumenthal

The measure exposes the most elaborate charade in recent US political history. But betrayal is Trump’s operating principleDonald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill”, which will eviscerate the living standards, healthcare and aspirations of his white, working-class base, conclusively draws the curtain down on his Maga populist conceit, the most elaborate charade in recent American political history.The price will be staggering: $1tn in cuts to Medicaid; throwing 17 million people off health coverage closing rural hospitals and women’s health clinics; battering food assistance for families, children and veterans; the virtual destruction of US solar and wind energy manufacturing; limiting access to financial aid for college; and, according to the Yale Budget Lab, adding $3tn to the national debt over the next decade, inexorably leading to raised interest rates, which will depress the housing market. These are the harsh, brutal and undeniable realities of Trumpism in the glare of da...

Politics

6 h. ago Reeves ‘disappointed’ after UK economy unexpectedly shrinks for second month in a row

It followed a 0.3 per cent contraction in April, when US president Donald Trump announced tariffs

Politics

6 h. ago Trump declares himself Superman as he puts his airbrushed face on stacked superhero's body

The bizarre AI-generated image comes as die-hard MAGA followers have been advocating the burning of their iconic red hats due claims from Donald Trump's White House about Jeffrey Epstein

Politics

7 h. ago Texas floods latest: Over 120 dead as Kerr County ‘repeatedly denied funding’ for flood warning system

President Donald Trump is set to survey the damage in the hard-hit county where Camp Mystic campers and staff are among the 96 dead

Events

7 h. ago US set to be host to biggest sporting events with guests it doesn’t want | Emma John

Donald Trump is closing the borders even though the World Cup and 2028 Olympics will take place in his countryCall it big, beautiful timing. On Tuesday, Fifa announced it had taken an office in Trump Tower. On Wednesday, Donald Trump announced he would attend the Club World Cup final. And who could begrudge the US president a little sporting entertainment after the week he has had? Those Nobel peace prize applications don’t write themselves.Trump’s attendance at a tournament that we can be 95% sure he doesn’t understand is, doubtless, a huge coup and political victory for football. This is a sport that only a decade ago was openly considered un-American, scrawled into the rightwing commentator’s list of pet peeves between meteorologists and Judy Blume. Ann Coulter described soccer’s growing popularity as a “sign of the nation’s moral decay”. Glenn Beck likened it to Obamacare: “It doesn’t matter how you try to sell it to us, it doesn’t matter how many celebrities you get we want not...

Politics

7 h. ago Is the Club World Cup a good addition to the football calendar?

Is the newly expanded tournament a waste of time or an interesting idea that brings the world together?There are plenty of reasons to be down on the Club World Cup. The players were already exhausted and overworked; its evolution into a 32-team tournament has been drive by a desire for profit; it has been played in temperatures that make football almost unbearable; the stadiums have often been half empty; and it has given Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino an opportunity to fluff their already inflated egos.But there is something to be said for a competition that brings together teams, and fans, from across the globe every four years. Supporters from around the world, especially Brazil, have lit up the show. And the underdogs have shown up. Flamengo stunned Chelsea; Botafogo shocked PSG; Al-Hilal sent Manchester City home. There have been great games, goals and performances, with PSG putting on a show for the ages in the semi-finals as they hammered Real Madrid. Continue reading...

Politics

9 h. ago UK economy shrinks for second month in a row after unexpected slump in May

It followed a 0.3 per cent contraction in April, when US president Donald Trump announced tariffs

Politics

9 h. ago MAGA meltdown as Donald Trump supporters burn iconic red caps in fury at 'cover

Supporters of Donald Trump have been left incensed by the Justice Department's recent declaration that Jeffrey Epstein had no 'client list' - and they are now calling for the burning of the iconic red hats

Politics

11 h. ago Trump plans to tour Texas flood damage as the scope of the disaster tests his pledge to shutter FEMA

President Donald Trump is visiting Texas on Friday to assess catastrophic flooding that has killed at least 120 people

Events

11 h. ago Donald Trump's tariffs will see some companies struggle to stay afloat

Businesses lacking managerial experience or cash reserves may find uncertainty challlenging, writes Amy Flavell

Politics

11 h. ago Donald Trump takes another swipe at Canada with alarming new threat

Donald Trump has threatened Mark Carney's Canada, a large country already feeling the pain of the new US administration's global steel, aluminium and auto tariffs

Events