28 m. ago GOP congressman claims ‘God has a plan’ for fired federal workers at yet another hostile town hall

Missouri representative Mark Alford was the latest Republican to provoke shouts and heckles while attempting to defend Donald Trump and Elon Musk

Events

65 m. ago Trump administration briefing: chaos caused by Musk’s Doge; fears over far

From the latest in Musk’s fight to fire federal workers to concern over appointment of Dan Bongino – key US politics stories from Monday at a glanceConfusion continued on Monday over the demands made by Elon Musk of federal workers. Just hours after the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had directed agencies that responses to its email were optional, Musk again threatened federal workers. He wrote on X, the platform he owns: “Subject to the discretion of the president, they will be given another chance. Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.” President Donald Trump backed Musk earlier Monday, two days after OPM initially sent an email asking federal workers to list five things they accomplished last week. Several government agencies, including the FBI and state department, have told their employees not to respond.Here are the biggest stories in US politics on Monday, 24 February. Continue reading...

Politics

1 hour ago Can the ‘special relationship’ survive Donald Trump? – podcast

Keir Starmer is travelling to the White House for a high-stakes meeting. But will he have any influence over the US president? Patrick Wintour reportsIt’s the most important international relationship the UK has, and for decades has been referred to as “special”. Since the second world war, the UK and the US have considered themselves the closest allies, working together for shared values, with any resentments, differences of opinion or cross words kept to private channels.But now Donald Trump is back and he seems keen to throw the usual world order of alliances and enmities into chaos. Keir Starmer’s first meeting with the US president comes at a crucial juncture for Europe, with the future of Ukraine in the balance. “The stakes at the moment could not be higher,” says the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago US personnel office walks back email ultimatum from Musk to workers

OPM says failure to respond to email will not be considered resignation but Trump ally digs in and threatens job lossesThe US government’s human resources office has walked back an ultimatum issued by Elon Musk that would have forced its workers to resign if they did not submit a bullet-point list of their recent accomplishments, in one of the first signs of internal pushback to the Tesla billionaire’s campaign to downsize the federal workforce.The demand, made in an email sent to million of government employees over the weekend and quickly sued over by a coalition of labor and advocacy groups, represented the latest salvo by the “department of government efficiency” (Doge), the Trump-sanctioned cost-cutting initiative Musk chairs. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Defiant French journalists make certain AP Paris reporter asks first question at Trump and Macron press conference

White House remains locked in spat with Associated Press over use of ‘Gulf of America’

Politics

2 h. ago Judge blocks ICE enforcement in some houses of worship, citing ‘chilling’ effect on religion

ICE is temporarily blocked from policing mostly Quaker groups after threats of immigration enforcement

Events

2 h. ago Trump and Macron's THREE awkward handshakes go viral as French President's Gallic charm wins a 'breakthrough' on Ukraine peace deal 

Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron's 'death clasp' handshakes have gone viral over the years, with footage from 2017 showing the two leaders locking hands for 29 seconds straight.

Politics

3 h. ago Prospect of UK troops being deployed to Ukraine a step closer

Military experts have suggested the British force could be as large as 15,000 personnel and would include RAF jets and a Royal Navy force in the Black Sea, as well as ground troops.

Politics

3 h. ago Yellowstone prequel 1923 pays tribute to late actor Cole Bring Plenty in season two premiere after recasting

The Yellowstone prequel 1923 paid tribute to a fallen cast member when it aired its long-awaited season two premiere on Sunday night.

Politics

3 h. ago Canadians left outraged at worrying first sign US is set to make country its 51st state

Sensitivities are at an all time high amid Trump's repeated trolling of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about his desire to make Canada a state.

Politics

3 h. ago Ohio college orders students to shelter in place due to possible shooting on campus

An Ohio college has ordered students to shelter in place as police respond to a report of a possible shooting on campus

Events

3 h. ago Federal workers free to ignore Elon Musk email ultimatum, US personnel office says – as it happened

This blog is now closed. Here’s our latest politics storyHere’s a little more on Dan Bongino, the Maga podcaster Donald Trump has named as deputy director of the FBI and who will oversee the bureau alongside newly appointed director Kash Patel.The president announced the appointment on Sunday night in a post on his Truth Social platform, praising Bongino as “a man of incredible love and passion for our country”. He called the announcement “great news for law enforcement and American justice”.Kash Patel should have been a redline. Bongino is what you get when R Senators fail to do their jobs and say no to Patel. The Trump Admin is turning federal law enforcement over to unqualified, unprincipled, partisan henchmen. It’s unacceptable and conservatives need to say so. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago New document casts doubt on Trump admin’s denials about $400m ‘armored Tesla’ contract: report

After controversy, officials quietly edited the record to eliminate mention of Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company

Politics

3 h. ago Trump's awkward 'death clasp' handshake with Macron goes viral

President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron have again grabbed hands in such a way that the encounter has gone viral.

Politics

4 h. ago Hegseth says he fired the top military lawyers because they weren't well suited for the jobs

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he is replacing the top lawyers for the military services because he doesn't think they are “well-suited” to provide recommendations when lawful orders are given

Events

4 h. ago Trump suggests it will be Europe that guarantees peace in Ukraine

The role of the US in any future deal is likely to be among the topics up for discussion later this week when Sir Keir Starmer heads to Washington.

Politics

4 h. ago Who’s really in charge of DOGE if not Elon Musk? Government lawyers ‘don’t know’

Judges are raising constitutional alarms about the role of the world’s wealthiest man

Politics

4 h. ago Civil servants claim they work less well when they are forced into the office three days a week, report reveals

The survey by the trade union for Whitehall mandarins found that three-quarters of respondents believe the mandatory attendance requirement has been a failure.

Politics

4 h. ago Only 1% of UK workers off sick find jobs within 6 months, report says

Think-tank’s findings show need to change financial incentives to help ill and disabled people return to employment

Politics

4 h. ago Judge rejects immediately restoring AP's access to White House but urges government to reconsider

A federal judge has refused to immediately order the White House to restore The Associated Press’ access to presidential events, saying the news organization had not shown it had suffered irreparable harm in the matter

Events