4 h. ago AI scammer posing as Marco Rubio targets officials in growing threat

Fake voice and text messages on Signal tricked senior leaders, as AI impersonation rises in global politicsAn unknown fraudster has used artificial intelligence to impersonate the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, contacting at least five senior officials.According to a state department cable first seen by the Washington Post and confirmed by the Guardian, the impostor sent fake voice messages and texts that mimicked Rubio’s voice and writing style to those targets including three foreign ministers, a US governor and a member of Congress. Continue reading...

Events

5 h. ago Marco Rubio 'impersonator' used AI to mimic top Trump aide's voice on calls with foreign leaders

An imposter used AI technology to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and contacted at least a handful of top U.S. and foreign government officials.

Politics

7 h. ago Fake AI voice impersonating Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacts foreign ministers and US officials

The impostor used the Signal messaging app, according to a diplomatic cable

Politics

8 h. ago Marco Rubio impostor reportedly using AI to contact multiple senior officials – US politics live

According to a state department cable seen by the Washington Post, the Rubio impostor sent fake messages to three foreign ministers, a US governor and a member of CongressDavid Axelrod, who served as senior adviser to Barack Obama, said the AI scam using Rubio was “only a matter of time” and urged urgent action to defend against such attacks.“A Marco Rubio impostor is using AI voice to call high-level officials,” Axelrod wrote on X. “This is the new world in which we live and we’d better figure out how to defend against it because of its implications for our democracy and the world.” Continue reading...

Politics

12 h. ago China threatens retaliation for Trump tariffs as Rubio starts first Asia trip

China has warned US president Donald Trump against reigniting trade tensions by reimposing tariffs on Chinese goods and threatened retaliation against countries siding with Washington at Beijing’s expense.

Politics

57 h. ago Paula Bomer: ‘If you describe yourself as a victim, you’re dismissed’

Having made waves as part of the alt-lit movement, the US author is poised to go mainstream with The Stalker, her most exhilarating work yetWhen I arrive at Paula Bomer’s apartment building in south Brooklyn I am briefly disoriented in the lobby, until I hear the yapping of dogs and amid them, her voice calling my name. Bomer is tall and striking, in her mid-50s. I met her last year at a reading in Williamsburg, Virginia, where she seemed like someone who cared almost manically about literature and also like someone who would be fun to hang out with, two qualities not always confluent. I had heard of these anxious dogs before, when she and I met for dinner a few months ago, and she disclosed that her life was now spent managing canine neuroses.“I got them when my dad died,” she says, in between offering me matcha, coffee, tequila or wine (it’s 2.30pm on a Sunday; Bomer doesn’t drink any more, save a glass of champagne on selling her book, but doesn’t mind if othe...

Events

4 d. ago Illegal migrants could be at mercy of bears next if top Trump aide has his way

White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller's wishes could leave illegal migrants at the hands of vicious bears.

Events

4 d. ago UNAids chief ‘shaken and disgusted’ by US cuts that will mean millions more deaths

Winnie Byanyima tells the Guardian she considered resigning when Donald Trump cancelled Pepfar fundingThe head of the global agency tackling Aids says she expects HIV rates to soar and deaths to multiply in the next four years as a direct impact of the “seismic” US cuts to aid spending.Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of UNAids, said that if the funding permanently disappeared, the world faced an additional 6 million HIV infections and 4 million Aids-related deaths by 2029. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Somalia has relied on aid for decades – can it survive without it?

Somalia is struggling with hunger, security and the impact of the climate crisis, despite decades of aid money worth billions of dollars, writes Nick Ferris. As aid money gets cut, is this the time for countries to wean themselves off aid dependency – and can they do it?

Events

5 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Washington downplays halt of some weapons shipments as Kyiv calls in US ambassador

Ukraine warns that any cut-off will ‘only encourage the aggressor’ while Pentagon spokesperson says Donald Trump still has ‘robust options’ for military aid to Ukraine. What we know on day 1,226Read all our Ukraine war coverageA decision by Washington to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv on Wednesday that the move would weaken its ability to defend against intensifying airstrikes and battlefield advances. Ukraine said it had called in the acting US envoy to Kyiv to underline the importance of military aid from Washington continuing, and cautioned that any cut-off would embolden Russia in its war in Ukraine. The Pentagon’s decision – tied to concerns that US military stockpiles are too low – began in recent days and includes 30 Patriot air defence missiles, which Ukraine relies on to destroy fast-moving ballistic missiles, four people familiar with the decision told Reuters on Wednesday. It also includes nearly 8,500 155mm artillery shells, ...

Events

5 d. ago Kohberger judge whines about public backlash as furious families and fans reject merciful plea deal

Judge Steven Hippler revealed Wednesday his office had been inundated with calls and voicemails from furious members of the public.

Economics

6 d. ago Iran hackers 'to release Donald Trump aides emails' as WW3 warning issued

Donald Trump's top aides have allegedly been hacked by an Iranian cyber group - as an expert warns 'a cyber war' may be brewing, with the emails set to be released to the public

Events

7 d. ago The Guardian view on Trump’s aid cuts and development: the global majority deserve justice, not charity | Editorial

Funding is plummeting as needs grow, with the closure of USAID, the slashing of UK and European aid budgets, and the obstruction of debt reform and cancellationWhen one door closes, you would hope that another opens. As USAID was formally shut down on Monday, a once-in-a-decade development financing conference was kicking off in Seville. But while initially intended to move the world closer to its ambitious 2030 sustainable development goals, it now looks more like an attempt to prevent a reversal of the progress already made.A study published in the Lancet predicted that Donald Trump’s aid cuts could claim more than 14 million lives by 2030, a third of them among children. For many poor countries, the scale of the shock would be similar to that of a major war, the authors found. More than four-fifths of the US agency’s programmes have been cut, with surviving projects folded into the state department. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago More than 14 MILLION could die as a result of Trump's foreign aid cuts, study finds

Research revealed that 4.5 million children under the age of five could die by 2030 as a result of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) being dismantled by the Trump administration.

Politics

9 d. ago Trump’s tariff war and aid cuts threaten poorest nations’ recovery

Smaller countries face ‘perfect storm’, says UN and WTO trade tsar ahead of key sustainable development summit in Spain

Events

1 week ago ‘American death zones’: Trump admin announces $30m for Gaza aid program where dozens have been killed trying to get food

Testimony collected by The Independent from Palestinians whose family members have been killed at sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation paints a picture of chaos and death

Events

1 week ago Trump eyes mineral wealth as Rwanda and DRC sign controversial peace deal in US

Agreement aims to end decades-old conflict rooted in the 1994 Rwandan genocide but critics have described it as vague and opaqueRwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have signed a peace deal in Washington to end fighting in eastern DRC, although questions remain over what the agreement means and who stands to benefit – with Donald Trump using the occasion to boast that the US had secured lucrative mineral rights.At a ceremony with US secretary of state Marco Rubio in Washington, the two African countries’ foreign ministers signed the agreement pledging to implement a 2024 deal that would see Rwandan troops withdraw from eastern Congo within 90 days. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago ‘A voice of the people’: Joe Duffy praises callers as he presents final Liveline

The Ballyfermot broadcaster, 69, is retiring after 37 years at RTE.

Politics

1 week ago It’s time for America to remember how dangerous regime change is | Christopher Chivvis

For a superpower, toppling foreign governments is not so hard to do. Getting the outcome you want isThe ceasefire between Iran and Israel might still hold, but if not, the United States might double down on its weekend strikes and seek the overthrow of the Iranian regime. Donald Trump threatened this in comments and tweets earlier, and top officials such as Marco Rubio have said they wouldn’t mind it if it happened. Israeli leaders are openly in favor. If the US goes down this road, it will not be for the first time.In the last 80 years, Washington has overthrown many regimes. For a superpower, toppling foreign governments is not so hard to do. Getting the outcome you want is. This makes regime change as dangerous as it is seductive, as past US attempts clearly show. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Hegseth says FBI probing Iran nuclear site damage report leak, confirming top secret assessment is real

Standing alongside Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, defense secretary insists Pentagon report is ‘preliminary’ and ‘low confidence’ and mission was still ‘overwhelming success’

Events