12 h. ago Rümeysa Öztürk, detained Tufts student, released from federal custody – US politics live

Turkish national and PhD student was arrested by US agents in March over her pro-Palestinian political speechLarge institutional investors have massively increased their holdings of Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) in recent months according to SEC filings, with many enlarging their positions by hundreds of millions of dollars.The revelations raise further questions about big business’s desire to curry favor with Donald Trump and his administration via the enterprises he has maintained or commenced. TMTG runs the Truth Social social media platform – on which the US president himself posts almost daily – as well as financial services and a film and TV streaming service.Donald Trump’s refusal to divest from his publicly traded company has predictably prompted huge investments from wealthy special interests that could use a favor from the president.Institutional Wall Street investors and even a foreign company with business before the administration have effectively offered a fo...

Politics

15 h. ago Trump ‘looking at’ suspending habeas corpus, top aide Stephen Miller says – US politics live

White House deputy chief of staff told reporters administration is ‘actively’ considering suspending a person’s right to challenge legality of their detentionLarge institutional investors have massively increased their holdings of Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) in recent months according to SEC filings, with many enlarging their positions by hundreds of millions of dollars.The revelations raise further questions about big business’s desire to curry favor with Donald Trump and his administration via the enterprises he has maintained or commenced. TMTG runs the Truth Social social media platform – on which the US president himself posts almost daily – as well as financial services and a film and TV streaming service.Donald Trump’s refusal to divest from his publicly traded company has predictably prompted huge investments from wealthy special interests that could use a favor from the president.Institutional Wall Street investors and even a foreign company with business before...

Politics

18 h. ago Judge orders release on bail of Tufts student battling deportation order

Judge says detainment of Rümeysa Öztürk, who was arrested for political speech, ‘raises very significant due process concerns’US politics live – latest updatesA federal judge in Vermont on Friday morning ordered the release on bail of a Tufts University student arrested in March for her political speech and now held in Louisiana in what she and her lawyers argue is a breach of her constitutional rights.The judge had ordered Rümeysa Öztürk’s return to Vermont, where she was briefly held after being grabbed on the street by masked immigration agents near Boston, for hearings. But the judge decided not to wait for her physical transportation and she appeared remotely from Louisiana at the hearing in Burlington on Friday. Continue reading...

Events

22 h. ago Aid groups voice alarm as US pushes Israeli plan for Gaza assistance

Groups say plan to resume limited humanitarian assistance under strict Israeli rules ‘risks enabling war crimes’US politics live – latest updatesAid groups have voiced alarm at US moves to pressure them into accepting an Israeli proposal to resume limited humanitarian assistance to the war-ravaged territory under strictly controlled conditions.The Trump administration has attempted to strong-arm international agencies – including the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) – into accepting Israel’s stringent rules for resuming deliveries, according to sources familiar with the discussions and news reports. Continue reading...

Politics

22 h. ago Labour MPs must realise welfare system ‘needs reform’, says Reeves – UK politics live

Chancellor responds to growing rebellion from more than 40 MPs who have written to the prime ministerMore than 40 Labour MPs have warned the prime minister that planned disability cuts are “impossible to support” and have called for a pause and change in direction.The letter from parliamentarians spanning the new intake and veterans, and from the left and right of the party, sets Keir Starmer up for the biggest rebellion of his premiership when the House of Commons votes on the measures next month.Andrew Bailey has today added his voice to what Liberal Democrats have been saying for years: that we urgently need to rebuild our trading relationship with our closest and most significant economic partners in Europe.This isn’t about revisiting the past, it’s about boosting our economy and deepening cooperation for the future. Despite the government’s US deal, Trump’s trade tariffs are still hitting key British industries and threatening the livelihoods of people across the UK. Continue r...

Politics

23 h. ago US politics live updates: majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s higher education approach, poll finds

Fifty-six percent of Americans said they disapprove of Trump’s approach to higher education, while about four in 10 express approval in new AP pollThe quote Trump is referring to from George HW Bush comes from the former president’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on 18 August 1988.And my opponent won’t rule out raising taxes. But I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I’ll say no, and they’ll push, and I’ll say no, and they’ll push again. And I’ll say to them: Read my lips. No new taxes.But Bush’s mistake was that he made that anti-tax pledge in the first place and stuck to it in the first part of his presidency. His courageous 1990 reversal on fiscal policy set the stage for a decade of economic growth that eventually achieved budget surpluses.The budget deal that Bush reached with congressional Democrats in 1990 may indeed have contributed to his failure to win re-election in 1992. There is no question that the timing was terrible. The m...

Politics

23 h. ago Trump abruptly fires librarian of Congress in latest purge of government

Carla Hayden, first woman and first African American to hold post, dismissed in terse email on Thursday nightUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump abruptly fired the librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, on Thursday as the White House continues to purge the federal government of those perceived to oppose the Republican US president and his agenda.Hayden was notified in an email late on Thursday from the White House’s presidential personnel office, according to an email obtained by the Associated Press. Confirmed by the Senate to the job in 2016, Hayden was the first woman and the first African American to be librarian of Congress. Continue reading...

Politics

24 h. ago Labour ‘throwing trans people under the bus’ says transgender councillor

Dylan Tippetts of Plymouth resigns from party ‘that does not support my fundamental rights’UK politics live – latest updatesOne of Labour’s only transgender councillors has resigned from the party, accusing it of “throwing trans people under the bus”.In a post on X on Friday morning, Dylan Tippetts, who has represented Compton ward on Plymouth city council since 2022, wrote: “I cannot continue to represent a party that does not support my fundamental rights. I cannot as a trans person continue to support the Labour party.” Continue reading...

Politics

36 h. ago Trump names Fox News host and former judge Jeanine Pirro as top federal prosecutor in DC – US politics live

Pirro to serve as interim attorney for Washington DC after it became clear Ed Martin would not pass Senate confirmation 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

37 h. 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

38 h. ago Trump and new German chancellor speak and agree on need to resolve trade disputes – live

Two leaders spoke shortly after Friedrich Merz warned US politicians to ‘stay out of’ Germany’s politics, according to German spokespersonThe 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

40 h. ago Solution to get food and aid to Gaza is ‘steps away’, US state department says – live

Gaza is on the brink of catastrophe after two months of a total blockade by Israel, aid workers say, with many families down to one meal a dayThe 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...

Society

42 h. ago UK politics: Tariffs cut on UK cars, steel and aluminium in US trade deal, says Starmer – as it happened

Car exports will face 10% tariffs while levies on steel and aluminium are cut to zeroTrump and Starmer confirm ‘breakthrough’ UK-US trade dealThe Liberal Democrats treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper has reiterated the party’s position that any trade deal with the US should be put to parliament for approval before being ratified, saying Labour “should not be afraid” of a vote if they are confident a deal is in the country’s best interests.Cooper, the MP for St Albans, said in a statement:Parliament must be given a vote on this US trade deal so it can be properly scrutinised.A good trade deal with the US could bring huge benefits, but Liberal Democrats are deeply concerned that it may include measures that threaten our NHS, undermine our farmers or give tax cuts to US tech billionaires.If it’s correct, and you know, whilst we haven’t been named publicly, it does sound like something’s happening, nevertheless, it would be wholly speculative [to comment].As you appreciate and know full ...

Economics

43 h. ago Federal prosecutors open criminal investigation into New York attorney general

Exclusive: Prosecutors impanel federal grand jury in Virginia to hear evidence after Trump official’s referral against Letitia JamesUS politics live – latest updatesFederal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, after the Trump administration alleged last month in a referral that she may have falsified paperwork for properties she owns in Virginia and New York, according to people familiar with the matter.The investigation marks a swift and notable escalation against James, a major political enemy of Donald Trump, who was ordered to pay more than $450m in penalties as a result of a lawsuit brought by James’s office that accused him of inflating his net worth to secure financial benefits. Continue reading...

Events

43 h. ago Tariffs cut on UK cars, steel and aluminium in US trade deal, says Starmer – UK politics live

Car exports will face 10% tariffs while levies on steel and aluminium are cut to zeroTrump and Starmer confirm ‘breakthrough’ UK-US trade dealThe Liberal Democrats treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper has reiterated the party’s position that any trade deal with the US should be put to parliament for approval before being ratified, saying Labour “should not be afraid” of a vote if they are confident a deal is in the country’s best interests.Cooper, the MP for St Albans, said in a statement:Parliament must be given a vote on this US trade deal so it can be properly scrutinised.A good trade deal with the US could bring huge benefits, but Liberal Democrats are deeply concerned that it may include measures that threaten our NHS, undermine our farmers or give tax cuts to US tech billionaires.If it’s correct, and you know, whilst we haven’t been named publicly, it does sound like something’s happening, nevertheless, it would be wholly speculative [to comment].As you appreciate and know full ...

Economics

44 h. ago Car tariffs cut to 10% on US exports says Starmer, after signing Trump trade deal – UK politics live

PM says deal will ‘save thousands of jobs in Britain’ and tariffs on steel and aluminium have been cut to zeroStarmer and Trump to announce UK-US trade dealThe Liberal Democrats treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper has reiterated the party’s position that any trade deal with the US should be put to parliament for approval before being ratified, saying Labour “should not be afraid” of a vote if they are confident a deal is in the country’s best interests.Cooper, the MP for St Albans, said in a statement:Parliament must be given a vote on this US trade deal so it can be properly scrutinised.A good trade deal with the US could bring huge benefits, but Liberal Democrats are deeply concerned that it may include measures that threaten our NHS, undermine our farmers or give tax cuts to US tech billionaires.If it’s correct, and you know, whilst we haven’t been named publicly, it does sound like something’s happening, nevertheless, it would be wholly speculative [to comment].As you appreciate ...

Politics

47 h. ago Disability benefit cuts impossible to support, 42 Labour MPs tell Starmer

Exclusive: backbenchers sign letter calling for change in direction on plans expected to be put to vote next month UK politics live – latest updatesMore than 40 Labour MPs have warned the prime minister that planned disability cuts are “impossible to support” and have called for a pause and change in direction.The letter from parliamentarians spanning the new intake and veterans, and from the left and right of the party, sets Keir Starmer up for the biggest rebellion of his premiership when the House of Commons votes on the measures next month. Continue reading...

Politics

49 h. ago Trump confirms ‘full and comprehensive’ trade deal with UK – US politics live

US president hails ‘first announcement’ of trade agreement and says ‘many other deals to follow’Downing Street said the British prime minister Keir Starmer would make a statement on trade talks with the US on Thursday.The agreement is likely to focus on lowering US tariffs on specific products, such as British steel, aluminium and cars.The prime minister will always act in Britain’s national interest – for workers, for business, for families.The United States is an indispensable ally for both our economic and national security.The agreement with the United Kingdom is a full and comprehensive one that will cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come.Because of our long time history and allegiance together, it is a great honor to have the United Kingdom as our FIRST announcement. Continue reading...

Politics

49 h. ago US and UK set to announce trade deal today – UK politics live

US president set to announce ‘full and comprehensive’ trade deal between UK and US with Starmer due to make statementThe Liberal Democrats treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper has reiterated the party’s position that any trade deal with the US should be put to parliament for approval before being ratified, saying Labour “should not be afraid” of a vote if they are confident a deal is in the country’s best interests.Cooper, the MP for St Albans, said in a statement:Parliament must be given a vote on this US trade deal so it can be properly scrutinised.A good trade deal with the US could bring huge benefits, but Liberal Democrats are deeply concerned that it may include measures that threaten our NHS, undermine our farmers or give tax cuts to US tech billionaires.If it’s correct, and you know, whilst we haven’t been named publicly, it does sound like something’s happening, nevertheless, it would be wholly speculative [to comment].As you appreciate and know full well, with any deal like ...

Politics

52 h. ago LIVE: Donald Trump to make 'big' trade deal announcement with Keir Starmer update expected

US President Donald Trump is expected to give a press conference at 3pm UK time setting out details of a UK-US trade deal - while the PM will give an update to the British public

Politics