9 h. ago Trade union advises staff at newly christened Reform UK councils to sign up after jubilant Nigel Farage promised Trump

Mr Farage warned council staff working on diversity or climate change initiatives to seek 'alternative careers' after his party took control of Durham council.

Politics

20 h. ago From ‘fiasco’ to ‘fantastic’: Americans weigh in on 100 days of Trump

While many are outraged over the chaos, others have embraced some policies promised on the campaign trail“I’m not a fan of Trump, but he’s delivering a long-overdue kick in the pants to the bloated bureaucracy of the US federal government,” said Martyn, a marketing executive from California. “Seems odd to ask Trump to focus on eliminating corruption, but sometimes you need a crook to catch a crook. It’s been, however, way more chaotic than I thought was possible.”Martyn was among thousands of Americans who shared with the Guardian how they felt about the first weeks of Donald Trump’s second term, painting a picture of voters who felt disoriented and maximally alarmed on one side, and exhilarated, hopeful or positively surprised on the other. Continue reading...

Politics

24 h. ago Trump’s promised ‘golden age’ for the US economy is off to a chaotic start

Growth in the first three months was challenged by Trump’s overhaul plans, and execution of his tariffs created widespread confusion and uncertaintyDonald Trump promised to usher in a new “golden age” for the US economy – one with lower prices, more jobs and greater wealth. This week, his first quarter report card came in, and the new age is off to a chaotic start.Gross domestic product (GDP) shrank for the first time in three years during the first quarter, abruptly turning negative after a spell of robust growth as trade distortions and weaker consumer spending dampened activity. Continue reading...

Politics

43 h. ago Reform avalanche sees Farage win control of first councils as voters punish Labour and Starmer bemoans 'disappointing' local elections

Nigel Farage's jubilant party now has a majority on Staffordshire County Council as a stunning set of results take shape.

Politics

43 h. ago Reform avalanche sees Farage win control of first council as voters punish Labour and Starmer bemoans 'disappointing' local elections

Nigel Farage's jubilant party now has a majority on Staffordshire County Council as a stunning set of results take shape.

Politics

48 h. ago Local elections results live: Jubilant Nigel Farage brands Keir Starmer a 'coward' after Reform surge to victory in Runcorn by

MAILONLINE BLOG: Follow live coverage after voters in England headed to the polls in local and mayoral elections as well as the Runcorn & Helsby by-election.

Politics

58 h. ago White House has ‘no specific timeline’ to release Epstein files despite Trump’s promises

A number of files were handed to MAGA influencers amid a fanfare of publicity – but they turned out to hold no significant new information

Politics

3 d. ago Trump tries to blame Biden for economic slump, promising ‘boom like no other’ when tariffs kick in: Live updates

President tries to deflect blame to predecessor as new GDP figures show U.S. economy contracted for first time in three years

Politics

4 d. ago Trump 100 days: Trump’s whirlwind start to his second presidency

The president has begun his second term at a whirlwind pace, slashing the government, upending international alliances, challenging the rule of law and ordering mass deportationsLaw-abiding migrants sent to foreign prisons. Sweeping tariffs disrupting global markets. Students detained for protest. Violent insurrectionists pardoned. Tens of thousands of federal workers fired. The supreme court ignored.The first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second term have shocked the United States and the world. On the eve of his inauguration, Trump promised the “most extraordinary first 100 days of any presidency in American history”, and what followed has been a whirlwind pace of extreme policies and actions that have reshaped the federal government and the US’s role in the world. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Trump promised peace but brings rapid increase in civilian casualties to Yemen | Dan Sabbagh

Escalation from US military suggests previous restraints on causing civilian casualties have been relaxed“I am the candidate of peace,” Donald Trump declared on the campaign trail last November. Three months into his presidency, not only is the war in Ukraine continuing and the war in Gaza restarted, but in Yemen, the number of civilian casualties caused by US bombing is rapidly and deliberately escalating.Sixty-eight were killed overnight, the Houthis said, when the US military bombed a detention centre holding African migrants in Saada, north-west Yemen, as part of a campaign against the rebel group. In the words of the US Central Command (Centcom), its purpose is to “restore freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea and, most significantly, “American deterrence”. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Trump promised ‘full transparency’ over Epstein files. Are more documents coming?

Epstein was accused of orchestrating a massive child sex trafficking ring

Politics

7 d. ago Republican unity to be tested in talks over Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’

Party eyes dramatic spending cuts to turn president’s promises into reality – but not all lawmakers are on boardDonald Trump has made a simple request of Congress’s Republican leaders: deliver “one big, beautiful bill” that will turn his campaign promises into reality. By all indications, there will be little beautiful about the negotiations to come when Congress returns to session on Monday.The bill envisioned by the president will extend tax cuts enacted during his first term, fund more border defenses and mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and potentially include the president’s vow to end the taxation of tips, overtime and social security payments. To pay for it, the GOP is eyeing dramatic reductions in government spending, and has targeted social safety net programs relied on by tens of millions of Americans. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump campaigned on ending Ukraine war on Day 1. Now he said it was in ‘jest’

President Donald Trump repeatedly boasted throughout his presidential campaign and after his White House victory that he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine in ‘24 hours’

Politics

9 d. ago Trump news at a glance: president berates Putin; judge blocks changes to voting rights

US renews push to end Ukraine war, reportedly on terms favourable to Russia – key US politics stories from 24 AprilDuring his election campaign Donald Trump had promised to end the war in 24 hours. But almost 100 days into his second term the US president has appealed directly to Russian president Vladimir Putin, telling him on social media: “Vladimir, STOP!”Trump’s remarks referred to the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv this year, which killed 12 people and injured at least 90 on Thursday. The attack comes as Trump has made a renewed push to end the Ukraine war, reportedly on terms favourable to Russia. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Xi contrasts China’s clean energy promises with Trump turmoil

Virtual meeting of leaders also hears UN’s António Guterres proclaim ‘no group or government’ can stop green revolutionChina will continue to push forward on the climate crisis, Xi Jinping has said while appearing to criticise the “protectionism” of Donald Trump’s tariff policies.The Chinese president was attending a closed-door virtual meeting with the UN secretary general, António Guterres, Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and about a dozen other heads of state and government to discuss the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Trump sends the markets wild with promise for 'fair' trade deal with China amid growing uncertainty

Markets rose Wednesday as Trump and his Treasury secretary spoke of the potential of a deal with China amid a trade war, plus the president saying he didn't plan to fire the head of the Fed.

Economics

1 week ago Donald Trump's new peace plan for Ukraine revealed after he promised to end conflict in 'a day'

Putin would be required to freeze the current front line, allowing him to keep most of his gains - though, the country would be required to give up two small areas currently occupied by its troops.

Politics

2 w. ago Donald Trump 'seduced by promise of royal pageantry' as UK battles for post

The Prince of Wales is expected to take a leading role during the US leader’s September visit, capitalising on the Americans’ well-documented admiration for the monarchy

Politics

2 w. ago Trump administration seeks explosive expansion of nation's immigration detention system

The world's largest immigration detention system is on the cusp of explosive growth as President Donald Trump pursues his signature campaign promise of mass deportations

Politics

2 w. ago ‘All of his guns will do nothing for him’: lefty preppers are taking a different approach to doomsday

Liberals in the US make up about 15% of the prepping scene and their numbers are growing. Their fears differ from their better-known rightwing counterparts – as do their methodsOne afternoon in February, hoping to survive the apocalypse or at least avoid finding myself among its earliest victims, I logged on to an online course entitled Ruggedize Your Life: The Basics.Some of my classmates had activated their cameras. I scrolled through the little windows, noting the alarmed faces, downcast in cold laptop light. There were dozens of us on the call, including a geophysicist, an actor, a retired financial adviser and a civil engineer. We all looked worried, and rightly so. The issue formerly known as climate change was now a polycrisis called climate collapse. H1N1 was busily jumping from birds to cows to people. And with each passing day, as Donald Trump went about gleefully dismantling state capacity, the promise of a competent government response to the next hurricane, wildfire, fl...

Politics