8 h. ago Supporters weep as Trump takes the stage and torches Biden: 'Every single thing he touched turned to s***'

Trump celebrated what he called the 'great liberation of America' in front of thousands of supporters, as he took a verbal victory lap, listing his achievements after a month in office.

Politics

20 h. ago Culture wars: Trump’s takeover of arts is straight from the dictator playbook

US president’s attempt to control or dismantle cultural institutions plays into a long history of authoritarians using arts to push their agendaIn 1937, leaders of Germany’s Third Reich hosted two simultaneous art exhibitions in Munich. One, titled the Great German Art Exhibition, featured art viewed by the regime as appropriate and aspirational for the ideal Aryan society – orderly and triumphant, with mostly blond people in heroic poses amid pastoral German landscapes. The other showcased what Adolf Hitler and his followers deemed “degenerate art” (“Entartete Kunst”). The works, chaotically displayed and saddled with commentary disparaging “the sick brains of those who wielded the brush or pencil”, were abstract, profane, modernist and produced by the proclaimed enemies of the Reich – Jewish people, communists or those suspected of being either.The Degenerate Art exhibition, which later toured the country, opened a day after Hitler declared “merciless war” on cultural disintegrati...

Politics

22 h. ago Extremists would not need to create an authoritarian state in Britain: Starmer is doing that for them | George Monbiot

The PM and his ministers are supporting illiberal laws that hard-right authoritarians could apply with zealIf the Trump project implodes, it might take with it the extreme and far-right European parties to which it is umbilically connected. Like all such parties, the hard-right Reform UK poses as patriotic while grovelling to foreign interests, and this could be its undoing.But we cannot bank on it. The UK government must do all it can to prevent the disaster that has befallen several other European nations. If it fails to meet people’s needs and keeps echoing far-right talking points, we could go the same way as Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, Finland, Sweden and Austria.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Culture

30 h. ago US envoy to Ukraine hails Zelenskyy as ‘embattled and courageous leader’

Keith Kellogg takes different tone from Trump, who contrasted ‘very good talks’ with Putin with cooler relationship with Ukraine’s leaderThe US envoy to Ukraine, Gen Keith Kellogg, has praised Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war”, striking a dramatically different tone from Donald Trump, who has called Ukraine’s president a “dictator”.Kellogg left Kyiv on Friday after a three-day visit. Posting on social media, he said he had engaged in “extensive and positive discussions” with Zelenskyy and his “talented national security team”. “A long and intense day with the senior leadership of Ukraine,” he said. Continue reading...

Politics

33 h. ago Trump says Starmer and Macron ‘haven’t done anything’ to end Ukraine war

Sir Keir has faced pressure to take a firm line with Mr Trump on support for Ukraine when he visits the US next week.

Politics

38 h. ago White House denies Trump is moving to take over Postal Service despite reports of looming executive order

The 250-year-old independent agency could soon be absorbed by the Commerce Department, according to a report

Politics

45 h. ago Mohammed bin Salman wants an alternative to Trump’s Gaza plan – but one that most benefits Saudi Arabia | Madawi al

The crown prince sees Hamas as a regional threat, and may propose a deal that risks sidelining PalestiniansSaudi Arabia has suddenly experienced a diplomatic awakening after lukewarm engagement with the conflict in Gaza. Today, leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will gather in Riyadh to discuss Donald Trump’s proposal for a US takeover of Gaza. (Keen to be viewed as a global deal maker, Saudi Arabia will also be hosting negotiations over Ukraine this week.)Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was alarmed by Trump’s outrageous “Riviera plan” to reconstruct Gaza following eviction of its people to neighbouring countries. Alongside Arab leaders, he hopes to propose an alternative plan with the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem its capital at its core. The crown prince has insisted that there will be no normalisation of Israel without a Palestinian state.Madawi al-Rasheed is a fellow of the British Academy and a visiting professor at the Midd...

Politics

45 h. ago Trudeau schools Trump after hockey victory: ‘You can’t take our country or our game’

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau scored a direct political hit on Donald Trump Thursday night after Canada’s hockey team dispatched Team USA 3-2 in overtime in a 4 Nations Faceoff Championship Game in Boston.

Politics

54 h. ago Trump administration takes aim at $4B in funding for California high

The Trump administration is investigating delays and cost overruns in California’s high-speed rail project

Politics

56 h. ago Bully Trump tries to gag Zelensky: ‘Tone it down and take my deal’

Trump’s security adviser tells Ukrainian leader to tone down his criticism – after a raft of insults

Politics

56 h. ago Trump ‘very frustrated’ with Zelenskyy for allegedly failing to ‘take opportunity’ of US

US national security adviser claims Ukrainian president has failed to ‘come to the table’ despite not being invited to Russia-US talks this weekVance poses immigrants as ‘greatest threat’ to US and EuropePeople in the US: share your views on Trump’s Russia-Ukraine approachFormer US state secretary John Kerry said “the basic playing field for making peace in Ukraine is there,” as he rejected Donald Trump’s suggestions that Ukraine was responsible for starting the war with Russia and dismissed Russian president Vladimir Putin’s logic for invasion as “lies.”Speaking at a London conference organised by the consultancy Brand Finance, Kerry, who served as the US state secretary in Barack Obama’s Democratic administration, said this:Putin individually decided, contrary to what Donald Trump said yesterday or day before, to invade Ukraine. He wants it back. He said different motives expressed at different times, that it was Nazis taking over the country, and he had to go in to root out the N...

Politics

58 h. ago Trump ‘very frustrated’ with Zelenskyy for failing to ‘take opportunity’ of US

US national security adviser claims Ukrainian president has failed to ‘come to the table’ despite not being invited to Russia-US talks this weekVance poses immigrants as ‘greatest threat’ to US and EuropePeople in the US: share your views on Trump’s Russia-Ukraine approachFormer US state secretary John Kerry said “the basic playing field for making peace in Ukraine is there,” as he rejected Donald Trump’s suggestions that Ukraine was responsible for starting the war with Russia and dismissed Russian president Vladimir Putin’s logic for invasion as “lies.”Speaking at a London conference organised by the consultancy Brand Finance, Kerry, who served as the US state secretary in Barack Obama’s Democratic administration, said this:Putin individually decided, contrary to what Donald Trump said yesterday or day before, to invade Ukraine. He wants it back. He said different motives expressed at different times, that it was Nazis taking over the country, and he had to go in to root out the N...

Politics

58 h. ago Nigel Farage dissents from Trump’s Zelenskyy ‘dictator’ claim

Reform leader contradicts Trump rant, saying ‘you shouldn’t always take things Donald Trump says absolutely literally’Nigel Farage has contradicted his ally Donald Trump, saying Volodymyr Zelenskyy “is not a dictator” after the US president’s attack on the Ukrainian leader this week.Farage, who became one of the last UK party leaders to distance himself from Trump’s remarks, said he had been delayed in calling it out earlier because he was heading to the US to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Continue reading...

Politics

61 h. ago Senators from both parties demand Trump administration take action against bird flu: ‘A new urgency is required’

The push comes as egg prices remain sky high around the nation, leaving consumers in the lurch

Politics

67 h. ago UK takes a different view to Trump on Zelensky, says Cabinet minister

Donald Trump repeated his attacks on the Ukrainian leader overnight after a war of words erupted between the two leaders.

Politics

3 d. ago What role could the UK play in ending the Ukraine war? – Politics Weekly

Donald Trump’s plans to end the war in Ukraine have taken centre stage this week. But, with Ukraine excluded from US-Russia talks, could they really accept what might be on offer? And what role will the UK and Europe play?John Harris hears from diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour and columnist Gaby Hinsliff about what a resolution could look likeSend your questions and feedback to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Emil Bove takes leading role in implementing Trump takeover of DoJ

Dismissal of case against Eric Adams reflects new directive for prosecutors to toe line on White House’s policiesEmil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, moving with ruthless efficiency last week to dismiss the corruption case against the New York mayor, Eric Adams, appeared to reflect the new praxis at the justice department where Trump’s political agenda will guide prosecutorial decisions.The department filed the motion to dismiss on Friday with the signatures of Bove and two trial attorneys – the public integrity section’s senior litigation counsel Edward Sullivan and the acting head of the criminal division Antoinette Bacon – that cemented the decision. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Trump’s Gaza takeover won’t happen. But it has already changed the face of Israeli politics | Yair Wallach

The US president’s support for forcibly relocating Palestinians has laid the ground for Netanyahu’s ultimate fantasyWhen President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas last week to release all hostages by noon on 15 February, warning that otherwise “all hell [will] break loose”, the Israeli right was ecstatic. Here was a chance to finally move ahead with the complete occupation and annihilation of the Gaza Strip. The families of Israeli hostages were petrified about the prospect of the ceasefire collapsing, yet members of the ruling coalition called to kill the deal. “We have international support, give the order!” demanded the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich.But the order never came. Hamas abided by the agreement and freed three hostages; Israel then released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Trump shrugged and said that it was Israel’s decision. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, who visited Israel on Sunday, signalled that the direction of travel is not towards resuming h...

Politics

3 d. ago Afflicted with liberal angst in the age of Trump? Take a leaf from Bridget Jones’s diary | Rafael Behr

The new movie wasn’t conceived as an allegory of the current international crisis, but for a generation of fans it works on that level When future generations study creative works that capture the unsettled spirit of our age, they might easily neglect Bridget Jones 4: Mad About the Boy. The movie isn’t about the historical inflection point that coincides with its release. It doesn’t feature Donald Trump, his vandalism of US democracy or his dissolution of the transatlantic alliance. Such things are not the stuff of romantic comedy. Also, they hadn’t yet happened in 2013, when Helen Fielding wrote the book on which the film is based.But the lack of intentional allegory doesn’t prevent us projecting one on to the story. Or maybe it was just me, experiencing a sentimental hallucination induced by events outside the cinema. Indulge me a moment (and forgive any plot spoilers), as I explain. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Migrant smugglers dressed as Border Patrol agents are captured as Trump's crackdown reduces flood of illegals to a trickle

The Arizona border city that was once a hotbed for illegal crossings at the height of the nation's crisis in 2022, is now a ghost town as Trump's hardline immigration policies take effect.

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