4 h. ago Starmer government ‘trying to fix wings of a plane while already in flight’, veteran political adviser says

The cross-bench peer and former boss of BP fears the prime minister does not have a proper plan

Politics

3 d. ago Johnson favoured ‘authoritarian approach’ to pandemic punishments, inquiry told

Lord Patrick Vallance was speaking to the seventh module of the Covid-19 Inquiry.

Politics

4 d. ago Former Ukrainian presidential aide shot dead in Madrid – Europe live

Former politician Andriy Portnov advised the pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych and had fled Ukraine in 2014For more background on Portnov, here is his profile as drafted by the US Treasury in 2021, when he was sanctioned on the International Anti-Corruption Day, no less.Andriy Portnov (Portnov), the former Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration under former President Yanukovych, has cultivated extensive connections to Ukraine’s judicial and law enforcement apparatus through bribery. Widely known as a court fixer, Portnov was credibly accused of using his influence to buy access and decisions in Ukraine’s courts and undermining reform efforts. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Ivanka Trump is now a food waste entrepreneur – but there's just one glaring problem | Arwa Mahdawi

It’s a little bit rich to talk about food insecurity in the US when your last name is Trump. But after stints as a feminist influencer and political adviser, the president’s favourite daughter has found a new pathIvanka Trump has had her manicured fingers in many pies. She’s designed jewellery and shoes. She’s written a book called Women Who Work, marketed at women who work, full of inspirational quotes and touching anecdotes about how she, a woman, has sometimes worked so hard that she has had to sacrifice massages.That was Early Influencer Ivanka, anyway. Then came Ivanka’s political era. During Donald Trump’s first term as president, she appointed herself Daddy’s special adviser and did a lot of very special advising. In that capacity she gallivanted around the globe, dropping in on the G20 and hobnobbed with world leaders, all while insisting: “I try to stay out of politics.” And, of course, the president’s eldest daughter, who very nearly became the head of the World Bank, tire...

Politics

2 w. ago US scientist who touted hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid named to pandemic prevention role

Steven J Hatfill, who promoted the drug despite scant evidence of efficacy, becomes special adviser at HHSUS politics live – latest updatesA proponent of using the drug hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 despite scant evidence of its efficacy has been named to a top pandemic prevention role at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Washington Post reports.Steven J Hatfill is a virologist who served in Donald Trump’s first administration, during which he promoted hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus in the early months of the pandemic, when vaccines and treatments were not yet available. He recently started as a special adviser in the office of the director of the administration for strategic preparedness and response, which prepares the country to respond to pandemics, as well as chemical and biological attacks. Continue reading...

Science

3 w. ago Trump unveils 2026 budget blueprint that includes deep cuts to non

Proposed budget would raise defense spending by 13% and homeland security spending by nearly 65% compared to 2025 levelsThe seeds were sown for yesterday’s ousting of Mike Waltz as national security adviser long before “Signalgate”, notes Politco.The outlet reports that his approach to the job was unpopular and Waltz was seen as too cocky. One person close to the White House said:He’s a staff, but he was acting like a principal.Waltz has been on thin ice for a while. [Signalgate] made the ice thinner but at the same time may actually save him for now because they don’t want to give [Jeffrey] Goldberg a scalp. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump moves Mike Waltz from national security adviser to UN ambassador role

Move comes after Waltz lost officials’ confidence, sources say, with Marco Rubio to take on national security jobUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and his deputy, Alex Wong, will be leaving their posts after they lost the confidence of other administration officials and found themselves without allies at the White House, according to two people familiar with the matter.The exit of Waltz and Wong marked the conclusion of a fraught tenure. In March, Waltz inadvertently added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, to a Signal group chat that shared sensitive information about US missile strikes in Yemen before they took place. Continue reading...

Politics