2 h. ago Republicans will be left holding the bill for Trump’s policies in the midterms | Sidney Blumenthal

The abject obedience of GOP members for the president has not augured well in the 4 November electionsThe elections of 4 November were the end of a grandiose illusion. After his 2024 victory Donald Trump claimed he had an “unprecedented and powerful mandate”, that his “mandate” was “massive”, and that his “Maga movement” was irresistible, the wave of the future. It lasted 10 months, in which he had betrayed his chief promise to lower inflation, turned the public against him on every issue and Republicans at last faced a battering by voters.Trump’s image of omnipotence has rested upon a pyramid of dread. His ability to maintain the servility of the Republican Congress, whose members are intimidated by the danger that if they defy him he would support primary opponents to run against them, has been the political foundation for all the other forms of fear he incites throughout American institutions. Trump could not have leveraged himself as “dictator on day one” without congressional a...

Politics

5 h. ago Ronaldo dines with Donald for glamour portion of grotesque Saudi

A pension-pot World Cup looms and with Trump in the White House and a crown prince at his back, it is now a safe spaceIt was hard to choose one favourite photo from football’s double-header at the White House this week. In part this is because the pictures from Donald Trump’s state dinner with Mohammed bin Salman and his in-house hype men Cristiano Ronaldo and Gianni Infantino were everywhere, recycled feverishly across the internet, dusted with their own drool-stained commentary by the wider Ronaldo-verse.Mainly there were just so many jaw-droppers. Perhaps you liked the one of Trump and Ronaldo strolling the halls of power, Ronaldo dressed all in black and laughing uproariously, like a really happy ninja. Or the one of Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez standing either side of a weirdly beaming Trump at his desk, holding up some kind of large heraldic key as though they’ve just been presented with their own wind-up wooden sex-grandad. Continue reading...

Politics

14 h. ago Keir Starmer to hold crunch G20 talks on Donald Trump's Ukraine peace plan

The PM is set to discuss the US President's 28-page plan with international allies at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa - as Trump gives Volodymyr Zelensky until Thanksgiving to respond

Politics

66 h. ago Justice department will release Epstein files within 30 days, says US attorney general – US politics live

Pam Bondi speaks after US Senate passes bill to release files – but agency may hold back material that could affect a Trump-ordered investigationOne quick note, there haven’t been any changes to Donald Trump’s schedule today, per the press pool. Which means, as of now, the president doesn’t have any time allotted to sign the bill forcing the justice department to release the full batch of Jeffrey Epstein files.We’ll keep you updated if things change throughout the day. Continue reading...

Society

4 d. ago Donald Trump makes up new rule so football fans can go to FIFA World Cup 2026

Donald Trump has announced that World Cup ticket-holders will get priority for US visa interviews ahead of the 2026 tournament, but officials have issued a warning

Politics

4 d. ago Tennessee judge blocks Trump's use of National Guard in Memphis but gives time for government appeal

A Tennessee judge has blocked the use of National Guard in Memphis under a crimefighting operation by President Donald Trump but also put the order on hold, giving the government five days to appeal

Politics

4 d. ago Trump announces major news for fans attending the World Cup... and threatens to take games from Seattle

At the White House on Monday, Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced major news for ticket holders attending matches at next year's tournament.

Politics

4 d. ago US unveils World Cup visa system but warns fans could still be denied entry

Ticket-holders to be fast-tracked for visa screening while Trump again threatens to relocate games from some citiesThe Trump administration on Monday unveiled a new fast-track visa system for the millions of visitors expected to come to the US for the 2026 World Cup, but said fans could still be denied entry to the country despite holding tickets.The Fifa prioritized appointment scheduling system, announced at the White House on Monday, will push World Cup ticket-holders to the front of the line for visa interviews. However, secretary of state Marco Rubio made clear that expedited processing does not mean automatic entry. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Keir Starmer STILL hasn't spoken to Donald Trump over his threat to sue the BBC for $1bn

No10 said the Prime Minister was yet to hold talks with Mr Trump more than a week on from his threat to leave TV licence fee-payers with a huge bill.

Politics

5 d. ago Foreign enrollment at US colleges holds steady, for now, despite Trump's visa crackdown

A new report finds that foreign students enrolled at U.S. colleges in strong numbers this fall despite fears that a Trump administration crackdown would trigger a nosedive

Politics

8 d. ago ‘I guess I’m pretty high profile’: Lauren Boebert defends Trump’s ‘weird’ decision to hold Epstein crisis talks in Situation Room

The meeting took place just before a discharge petition on releasing the Epstein files recieved its final signature

Politics

1 week ago Getting played by Republicans is nothing new for Schumer — and why Democrats are saying it’s time for Senate leader to go

New York-native minority leader’s inability to manage expectations or secure votes from Republicans has left him looking impotent and adrift at a time when Democratic voters want their leaders itching for a fight, Eric Garcia writes.

Politics

1 week ago US declares partial suspension of sanctions on Syria after historic meeting

Ahmed al-Sharaa and Donald Trump hold first White House summit between a US and Syrian leader since 1946The US has announced a partial suspension of sanctions on Syria after a historic meeting in Washington DC between its new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and Donald Trump.Monday’s meeting was the first summit between a US and Syrian leader at the White House since 1946. The meeting is part of a remarkable turnaround in US-Syrian relations after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, who had prosecuted a deadly civil war in the country from 2011 until his forces collapsed in December 2024. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Democrats left in chaos after 8 cross the aisle and join Republicans in vote to end shutdown: ‘Senseless surrender’

‘What on Earth does the base have to do to convince Dems they need to fight?’ a Democratic activist groused after the Sunday night vote

Politics

2 w. ago Election Day 2025: Five predictions on crucial New Jersey, California, New York and Virginia races

Are suburbanites in Virginia mad enough at Trump for taking their jobs? Will Trump’s multi-racial coalition hold in New Jersey? Will Zohran Mamdani have a mandate to govern? Eric Garcia with a series of bold predictions

Politics

2 w. ago The ghost of Ronald Reagan has spooked Trump over tariffs | Sidney Blumenthal

The president is lashing out before the supreme court’s impending decision on his absurd policyHalloween came early for Donald Trump. Ronald Reagan spooked him. Trump had a startled reaction to the TV ad that appeared during the first game of the World Series, placed by the provincial government of Ontario, featuring excerpts from President Reagan’s radio talk in April 1987 in which he explained the danger of trade wars. “Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” Trump posted. It was, he falsely claimed, a “serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act”. In retaliation, he slapped an additional 10% tariff on Canada.Trump was apparently horrified at the sudden presence of the ghost of conservatism past, who had kept the outlandish bounder at arm’s length and whom Trump regarded warily if not nervously. Reagan was the original, bigger and more successful performer, whose appeal...

Politics

3 w. ago Stephen Miller holds secret calls with diplomats every day to push Trump’s immigration agenda across the globe: report

In the meetings, which occur around 10 a.m., the White House homeland security adviser reportedly grills officials on visa and immigration issues

Politics

3 w. ago Revealed: ICE violates its own policy by holding people in secretive rooms for days or weeks

Guardian analysis finds ICE increasingly keeps people in holding rooms with little oversight, as some facilities see a 600% rise in detention lengthImmigration officials have been increasingly detaining people in small, secretive holding facilities for days or even weeks at a time in violation of federal policy, a Guardian investigation has found.These holding facilities – located at ICE offices, in federal buildings, and other locations around the country – are typically used to detain people after they have been arrested but before they are transferred or released. In many cases, they consist of small concrete rooms with no beds and are designed to only be used for a few hours.ICE has used at least 170 ICE holding facilities nationwide, including at 25 ICE field offices.The Trump administration and its campaign of mass deportation has led to a near across the board increase in the time people are forced to spend in detention in holding rooms. After Donald Trump’s inauguration, the...

Events

3 w. ago Donald Trump and Xi Jinping hold meeting in South Korea amid hopes for trade deal – live updates

Summit on sidelines of Apec is the first between the leaders of US and China since 2019, and comes after tensions have been strained by Trump’s trade warIn the days leading up to the Trump-Xi meeting, American officials signalled that the US president did not intend to make good on a recent threat to impose an additional 100% import tax on Chinese goods.Also that China had shown signs it is willing to relax its export controls on rare earths as well as revive buying soybeans from the US.The relationship with China is very good.Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years.Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump insists Gaza ceasefire will hold after Israeli airstrikes kill ‘more than 100 people’ overnight

Israel carried out powerful strikes on Gaza on Tuesday after a soldier was reportedly killed and Hamas handed over the wrong remains

Events