8 h. ago Trump reportedly to make drastic cuts to US National Security Council

Staff to be cut to dozens, with more authority expected to be handed to state and defense departmentsA large restructuring of the US National Security Council got under way on Friday as Donald Trump moved to reduce the size and scope of the once-powerful agency, five sources briefed on the matter said.Staff dealing with a variety of major geopolitical issues were sent termination notices on Friday, said the sources, who requested anonymity as they were not permitted to speak to the media. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago Drastic cuts under way bending US national security council to Trump’s will

Staff to be cut as office meant to formulate national security policy is reduced to implementing the president’s ideas, under watch of trusted aidesThe Trump administration started to dramatically overhaul the White House national security council on Friday, preparing to reassign hundreds of staff and consolidating power with aides trusted by the president, according to people familiar with the matter.The changes involved downsizing the NSC to about 150 from 300 staff and cutting a number of committees. Most NSC staff are drawn from other parts of the administration including the Pentagon and the state department, and were expected to be sent back to their home agencies. Continue reading...

Politics

11 h. ago Trump says Samsung and other smartphone manufacturers will also be subject to 25% Apple tariff – business live

US president says 50% tariff on EU goods to come in 1 June; Apple iPhones and those of other manufacturers made overseas to face 25% tariffTrump says he is hitting EU with 50% tariff as trade talks are ‘going nowhere’As well as cutting UK energy costs (see earlier), Donald Trump can also take credit for growing the German economy!New GDP data this morning shows that Germany’s GDP rose by 0.4% in January-March, twice as fast as the first estimate of 0.2% growth in the quarter.“The reason for the slightly higher growth compared to the initial estimate was the surprisingly positive economic development in March.”“In particular, production in the manufacturing sector and exports performed better than initially expected.The German economy had its best quarterly performance since the third quarter of 2022, and the reason for it seems to be Donald Trump. As a result of the announced tariffs and in anticipation of ‘Liberation Day,’ German industrial production and exports surged in March.Ne...

Economics

12 h. ago European markets suffer losses after Trump ‘recommends’ 50% tariff on EU, and threatens Apple with 25% tariff – business live

US president Donald Trump reignites trade war with threat to impose high tariffs on European goods, and Apple iPhones made overseasTrump says he is hitting EU with 50% tariff as trade talks are ‘going nowhere’As well as cutting UK energy costs (see earlier), Donald Trump can also take credit for growing the German economy!New GDP data this morning shows that Germany’s GDP rose by 0.4% in January-March, twice as fast as the first estimate of 0.2% growth in the quarter.“The reason for the slightly higher growth compared to the initial estimate was the surprisingly positive economic development in March.”“In particular, production in the manufacturing sector and exports performed better than initially expected.The German economy had its best quarterly performance since the third quarter of 2022, and the reason for it seems to be Donald Trump. As a result of the announced tariffs and in anticipation of ‘Liberation Day,’ German industrial production and exports surged in March.Net export...

Economics

17 h. ago Trump vowed to help US farmers. These four say his policies are ‘wreaking havoc’

Farm country voted for Trump in 2024, but many of his actions – from tariffs to federal cuts – are hurting growersDonald Trump may have won the votes of the US’s most farming-dependent counties by an average of 78% in the 2024 election. But the moves made by his administration in the past few months – imposing steep tariffs, immigration policies that target the migrant labor farmers rely on, and canceling a wide range of USDA programs – have left many farmers reeling.“The policies of the Trump administration are wreaking havoc on family farmers. It’s been terrible,” said John Bartman, a row crop farmer in Illinois. Bartman is owed thousands of dollars for sustainable practices he implemented on his row crop operation as part of the USDA’s Climate-Smart program. Continue reading...

Politics

18 h. ago Trump ‘recommending’ 50% tariff on EU, and threatens Apple with 25% tariff – business live

US president Donald Trump reignites trade war with threat to impose high tariffs on European goods, and Apple iPhones made overseasTypical energy bill in Great Britain to fall 7% to £1,720 a year from JulyAs well as cutting UK energy costs (see earlier), Donald Trump can also take credit for growing the German economy!New GDP data this morning shows that Germany’s GDP rose by 0.4% in January-March, twice as fast as the first estimate of 0.2% growth in the quarter.“The reason for the slightly higher growth compared to the initial estimate was the surprisingly positive economic development in March.”“In particular, production in the manufacturing sector and exports performed better than initially expected.The German economy had its best quarterly performance since the third quarter of 2022, and the reason for it seems to be Donald Trump. As a result of the announced tariffs and in anticipation of ‘Liberation Day,’ German industrial production and exports surged in March.Net exports an...

Politics

19 h. ago US debt fears put dollar on track for worst week since tariffs sell

Greenback falls 1.7% amid concerns over impact of Trump’s tax-cutting bill

Economics

19 h. ago Fresh attack on Harvard intensifies chaos for international students in US

Students will need to move schools to keep legal status, as US universities reel from funding cuts and Trump ordersThe Trump administration’s announcement on Thursday that it would revoke Harvard University’s eligibility to enroll international students marked the most severe escalation yet in its weeks-long showdown with the university.The move, which the university is likely to challenge in court, would force more than 6,000 currently enrolled students to transfer to other universities or lose their legal status, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The announcement sent shock waves through US universities already reeling from funding cuts and executive efforts to bring them in line with the administration’s agenda, but it will also add yet another element of uncertainty for international students after the administration abruptly terminated the legal status of thousands in recent weeks – a move it partially walked back but that has nonetheless disrupted students’ edu...

Events

20 h. ago Republicans are dodging fired federal staff: ‘They will not even look in our direction’

Members of Congress are accused of hiding out when workers have sought answers on why their jobs were axedWorkers hit by the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts of federal government jobs, programs and services turned to congressional Republicans for help. But Republicans don’t want to talk about it, according to people who have tried to reach the politicians.Sabrina Valenti, a former budget analyst for the Coastal Wetland Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), was fired in February, then reinstated, and fired again weeks later. Continue reading...

Politics

26 h. ago DOGE targets Census Bureau, worrying data users about health of US data infrastructure

The group run by Elon Musk and aides to cut federal spending in the second Trump administration is targeting surveys conducted by the U_S_ Census Bureau that it claims are “wasteful."

Events

36 h. ago Tax cuts and mass deportations: what to know about Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ spending bill

All the key points laid out in US president’s House-approved sweeping bill as it awaits Senate considerationThe Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Thursday passed the One Big Beautiful Bill act, which will enact Donald Trump’s taxation and spending priorities. The legislation will now be considered in the Senate, where the Republican majority will probably make its own changes.Here is what the version of the bill passed by the House would do: Continue reading...

Economics

36 h. ago Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ spending bill, from tax cuts to mass deportations

All the key points laid out in the US president’s House-approved sweeping bill as it awaits Senate considerationThe Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Thursday passed the One Big Beautiful Bill act, which would enact Donald Trump’s taxation and spending priorities. The legislation will now be considered in the Senate, where the Republican majority will probably make its own changes.Here is what the version of the bill passed by the House would do: Continue reading...

Economics

42 h. ago Top 10 wealthiest American men collectively earned extra $1B a day, report says, as Trump pushes tax cuts

Despite market turmoil caused by Donald Trump’s tariffs, the group saw an increase in their collective wealth of $365 billion over the last 12 months

Economics

48 h. ago All the Brockwell Park music festivals and events still going ahead this month

Despite a recent High Court ruling throwing a wrench in Brockwell Live's planning permissions, the company's Summer Festival Series is set to continue as scheduled, starting from May 23

Culture

50 h. ago Trump’s massive tax and spending bill clears hurdle to advance to House vote in coming hours

Republicans have been deeply divided over the bill which would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts by tightening eligibility for food and health programs US President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending bill has cleared an important procedural hurdle in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, when a gatekeeper committee approved the measure and set up a floor vote for passage to occur within hours.Republicans have been deeply divided over the bill, which would extend Trump’s signature 2017 tax cuts, create new breaks for tipped income and auto loans, end many green-energy subsidies and boost spending on the military and immigration enforcement. Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago Top 10 wealthiest American men collectively earned an extra $1 billion each day last year, report says, as Trump pushes for tax cuts

Despite market turmoil caused by Donald Trump’s tariffs, the group saw an increase in their collective wealth of $365 billion over the last 12 months

Economics

62 h. ago South Africa says its budget can't cover for the deep US cuts in foreign aid

South Africa's finance minister says the country doesn’t have the funds to cover the over $430 million shortfall caused by the Trump administration’s cuts in foreign aid

Politics

63 h. ago Voices: This is the beginning of the end of international aid. What will the new world look like?

Donald Trump's attack on aid has been a long time coming, argue Heba Aly and Nilima Gulrajani. Now is the time to create a response fit for the 21st century

Politics

68 h. ago The US credit rating has been downgraded. But there’s an easy fix for our debt | Robert Reich

Instead of cutting taxes on the richest Americans – who hold much of the country’s debt – simply raise themOn Friday, the credit rating of the United States was downgraded. Moody’s, the ratings firm, announced that the government’s rising debt levels would grow further if the Trump Republican package of new tax cuts were enacted. This makes lending to the US riskier.Moody’s is the third of the three major credit-rating agencies to downgrade the credit rating of the United States.They’ll pay even more interest on the growing debt – to the super-rich.They’ll pay higher interest rates on all other long-term debt. (As higher rates on treasury bonds waft through the economy, they raise borrowing costs on everything from mortgages to auto loans.)The debt crisis will give Republicans even more excuse to do what they’re always wanting to do: slash safety nets. So many Americans could lose benefits they rely on, such as Medicaid and food stamps.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, i...

Politics

3 d. ago EU steps in to save Radio Free Europe with $6.2m emergency fund after Trump cuts

The European Union plans to provide emergency funds to help keep Radio Free Europe afloat after the Trump administration stopped grants to the pro-democracy media outlet

Politics