7 h. ago Trump fires Charles Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

President says he will nominate Air Force Lieutenant General Dan ‘Razin’ Caine – whom he has often referenced at his rallies – to be the 40-year veteran airman’s replacement

Politics

11 h. ago Top immigration enforcement official reassigned amid frustrations over mass deportation effort

The top official in charge of carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda has been reassigned amid concerns that the deportation effort isn’t moving quickly enough

Politics

16 h. ago US Senate passes budget resolution to fund Trump’s deportation plan

Bill approving $175bn for border security and extra $150bn for Pentagon faces tough challenge in HouseUS politics live – latest updatesThe US Senate has passed a budget resolution that paves the way for funding Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan after his “border czar” said there were insufficient funds for the operation.A 10-hour marathon session – dubbed a “vote-a-rama” – concluded in the early hours of Friday morning with a 52-48 vote almost entirely on party lines in favor of a spending structure that would see $175bn reserved for border security, including Trump’s prized border wall with Mexico, and a $150bn boost to the Pentagon budget. Continue reading...

Politics

16 h. ago Senate passes budget funding Trump’s mass deportations; Pentagon reportedly delays firing civilians – US politics live

Republicans approve spending plan that will pay for hardline immigration policies; sackings on hold amid concerns they could hit military readinessMass firings could cause ‘monumental’ bill, say expertsNational security adviser Mike Waltz told a crowd of Donald Trump loyalists that he believes the president will receive the Nobel peace prize.“This is the presidency of peace. He’s going to end the war in Europe. He is going to end the wars in the Middle East. He is going to reinvest the United States and our leadership in our own hemisphere, from the Arctic to the border to Panama all the way down to our good friends in Argentina,” Waltz told the Conservative Political Action Conference.The pause comes after CNN reported on Wednesday that the mass terminations, which could affect over 50,000 civilian employees across the Pentagon, could run afoul of Title 10 section 129a of the US code. Following that report, Pentagon lawyers began reviewing the legality of the planned terminations m...

Politics

17 h. ago Senate passes budget funding Trump’s mass deportations; federal workers brace for more firings – US politics live

Senate Republicans approve spending plan that will pay for hardline immigration policies; mass layoffs get all-clear after judge lifts blockMass firings could cause ‘monumental’ bill, say expertsThe defense department will delay a plan to fire civilian employees on probation as it assess whether the move complies with the law and if it affects military readiness, CNN reports.The cuts were to be made as part of Donald Trump’s effort to dramatically downsize the federal government, which is being led by Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency”. Here’s more, from CNN:The pause comes after CNN reported on Wednesday that the mass terminations, which could affect over 50,000 civilian employees across the Pentagon, could run afoul of Title 10 section 129a of the US code. Following that report, Pentagon lawyers began reviewing the legality of the planned terminations more closely, the officials said.That law says that the secretary of defense “may not reduce the civilian workforce ...

Politics

19 h. ago Federal workers brace for more firings after judge lifts block on Trump administration job cuts – US politics live

Trump administration expected to continue its mass downsizing of the federal workforce amid warnings of unlawful terminations and a ‘monumental’ billMass firings could cause ‘monumental’ bill, say expertsWe expect Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer to soon visit Donald Trump, at a moment when the American president is upending much of America’s foreign policy with his embrace of Russia’s position in the war in Ukraine. The Guardian’s Patrick Wintour looks at whether Starmer’s visit might reassure a rattled Europe:In November 1940, Winston Churchill sent a telegram to Franklin Roosevelt expressing relief both at the US president’s re-election and the victory of his anti-appeasement policy. “Things are afoot which will be remembered as long as the English language is spoken in any quarter of the globe, and in expressing the comfort I feel that the people of the United States have once again cast these great burdens upon you, I must now avow my sure faith that the lights by which we...

Politics

27 h. ago How Trump's mass layoffs raise the risk of wildfires in the US West, according to fired workers

The termination letters that ended the careers of thousands of U.S. Forest Service employees mean fewer people and less resources will be available to help prevent and fight wildfires

Events

30 h. ago US politics briefing: Trump administration warns Kyiv and picks up court win in mass firings case

From the Trump administration’s latest moves abroad and in the US – here are the key US politics stories from Thursday at a glanceThursday saw a judge rule that the Trump administration can continue the mass firing of US federal workers, rejecting a bid by labor unions to stop the US president dramatically cutting the jobs of many of the 2.3 million people employed by the government. The IRS began laying off roughly 7,000 workers on Thursday.In his 16-page order, US district judge Christopher Cooper started by saying that Trump’s executive actions had “caused, some say by design, disruption and even chaos in widespread quarters of American society”. Continue reading...

Events

32 h. ago Elon Musk praises Doge efforts to cut federal workforce after judge ruling – live

Musk claims Trump administration is ‘finding savings’ amid mass terminations; federal judge won’t block administration from laying off federal workersJudge rules Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workersDonald Trump signed another round of executive orders onboard Air Force One last night, among them one aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally.The order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens”, according to the White House, although it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. Continue reading...

Events

33 h. ago Trump administration can move forward with mass firings of federal workers, judge rules – live

Federal judge won’t block administration from laying off thousands of federal workers, a move that is shrinking and upending US governmentJudge rules Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workersDonald Trump signed another round of executive orders onboard Air Force One last night, among them one aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally.The order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens”, according to the White House, although it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. Continue reading...

Events

34 h. ago Trump administration can move forward with mass firings of federal works, judge rules – live

Federal judge won’t block administration from laying off thousands of federal workers, a move that is shrinking and upending US governmentJudge rules Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workersDonald Trump signed another round of executive orders onboard Air Force One last night, among them one aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally.The order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens”, according to the White House, although it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. Continue reading...

Events

34 h. ago Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workers, judge rules

US judge rejects bid by group of labor unions to halt president’s government overhaul through Musk-led ‘Doge’The Trump administration can for now continue its mass firings of federal employees, a federal judge ruled on Thursday, rejecting a bid by a group of labor unions to halt Donald Trump’s dramatic downsizing of the roughly 2.3 million-strong federal workforce.The ruling by the US district judge Christopher Cooper in Washington DC federal court is temporary while the litigation plays out. But it is a win for the Trump administration as it seeks to purge the federal workforce and slash what it deems wasteful and fraudulent government spending. Continue reading...

Politics

37 h. ago Unions sue over federal worker firings, alleging Trump administration misused probationary periods

Unions for federal workers have filed a lawsuit to block the mass firings of probationary federal employees by President Donald Trump’s administration, alleging that officials are exploiting and misusing the probationary period to eliminate staff across government agencies

Politics

39 h. ago Mitch McConnell announces retirement from Senate; IRS reportedly set to fire 7,000 workers – US politics live

Republican senator announces he won’t seek re-election in 2026, capping a decadeslong career in CongressIRS to lay off roughly 7,000 employees in Trump downsizing spree‘He’s taking a sledgehammer to it’: Trump voters’ view on first monthDonald Trump signed another round of executive orders onboard Air Force One last night, among them one aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally.The order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens”, according to the White House, although it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. Continue reading...

Politics

59 h. ago Department of Education workers brace for Trump to shut agency down: ‘Everybody is distraught’

Education department meeting in wake of new Trump policies was ‘incomplete and chaotic’, staff sayWorkers inside the US Department of Education have described a “horrible, intimidating and unnerving” atmosphere among the rank-and-file as Donald Trump vows to shut it down.Widespread panic and confusion over the department’s future led to an “incomplete and chaotic” staff meeting on Wednesday, according to sources, as managers tried to explain new policies. Continue reading...

Politics

64 h. ago NASA employees spared as White House reverses layoffs decision at the last minute, report says

About 1,000 probationary employees avoided dismissal after the Trump administration's U-turn

Society

69 h. ago DOGE accidentally fired federal staff who were working to contain bird flu outbreak, report says

‘We know that work will make us better here at USDA. It will make us stronger, it will make us faster, and it will make us more efficient’ said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins just days before the misfiring

Events

69 h. ago What are the UK’s options for funding a bigger military budget?

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is under pressure to increase spending on the armed forces as security concerns grow

Events

3 d. ago Sadiq Khan ignores call to earmark funding for legal challenge against Heathrow expansion

City Hall Liberal Democrats warn the mayor to ‘be careful not to appear to backtrack on promises he has made to Londoners’

Economics

3 d. ago She came to America at seven years old. Now she’s deporting herself back to Mexico

Quebec Vasquez came to America when she was a kid. She built a life here and had a family. Now, in response to the climate of fear caused by Donald Trump’s mass deportations, she has decided to return to the country of her birth, Richard Hall writes

Politics