As the Trump administration takes an increasingly aggressive line towards Zelensky and his government, Sam Kiley and David Maddox look at the names emerging on who could replace the Ukrainian president if he is forced out

Politics

We’d like to hear how the political landscape in Canadian communities, families and workplaces has been affected by the tensions with the Trump administrationAs Canada has announced retaliatory measures against the US after Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods, we’d like to hear how the tensions between Canada and the US administration are affecting the political landscape across Canada.Have political views in your family, community or wider area shifted? We’re also keen to hear whether relationships of Canadians with American family members, friends and colleagues have changed. Continue reading...

Politics

European Union leaders are holding emergency talks on ways to quickly increase their military budgets after the Trump administration signaled that Europe must take care of its own security and also suspended assistance to Ukraine

Events

If European leaders want to truly support Ukraine they must seize the moment by seizing $220bn in assetsIt is now clear that Donald Trump’s administration will betray Ukraine in its fight to resist Russian aggression. Trump himself is either a victim of disinformation or he is a willing participant in an effort to deceive Americans about the causes and consequences of the war.Trump’s lies include claiming that Ukraine is equally to blame for the war; that Volodymyr Zelenskyy doesn’t “have the cards” to end the conflict on favourable terms; and that Ukraine could not have defended itself without US help. Yet the whole world knows that Russia launched an unprovoked invasion, and we all remember the initial weeks, when Ukrainians valiantly defended an 1,800-mile frontline against a supposedly superior army, long before deliveries of western artillery, armoured vehicles and air defence systems arrived. Continue reading...

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Veterans who have been abruptly fired from federal jobs say they feel betrayed by the Trump administration's dramatic downsizing of government

Politics

US president tells group to ‘release all of the Hostages now ... or it is OVER for you’ as White House enters negotiationsDonald Trump has posted a fresh ultimatum to Hamas, telling the group to “release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you”.“‘Shalom Hamas’ means Hello and Goodbye,” he wrote in a social media post on Wednesday, in an apparent reference to the beginning of direct talks with the group. Continue reading...

Politics

Officials say slashing of US Department for International Development leaves power vacuum for adversariesHundreds of diplomats at the state department and US Agency for International Development have written to the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, protesting against the dismantling of USAid, saying it undermines US leadership and security and leaves power vacuums for China and Russia to fill.In a cable expected to be filed with the department’s internal “dissent channel”, which allows diplomats to raise concerns about policy anonymously, the diplomats said the Trump administration’s 20 January freeze on almost all foreign aid also endangers American diplomats and forces overseas while putting at risk the lives of millions abroad that depend on US assistance. Continue reading...

Politics

Jay Bhattacharya tells hearing he is intent on protecting research, even as president takes axe to federal fundingDonald Trump’s nominee to run the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Jay Bhattacharya, told senators he was committed to ensuring scientists “have the resources they need” – even as the $48bn agency he hopes to lead has become a focus of the administration’s ideological war and cost-cutting efforts.At a confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Bhattacharya made a pitch for free scientific inquiry and an examination of the chronic disease epidemic, now a cornerstone of Republican health rhetoric, while hoping to serve in an administration that has frightened scientists into self-censorship. Continue reading...

Politics

Mayors from four major cities are testifying in Congress as Republicans take aim at “sanctuary cities,” arguing that they impede the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda and protect people who are in the United States illegally

Politics

Democratic mayors of four major cities say Congress and the Trump administration are exaggerating crime committed by immigrants and attacking so-called sanctuary cities simply to score political points, as Republicans hammer the policies for shielding criminals and discouraging cooperation with federal officials

Events

A federal judge is preventing the Trump administration from drastically cutting medical research funding

Events

The Trump administration is dropping an emergency abortion case in Idaho in one of the administration’s first moves on the issue since President Donald Trump's second term began

Politics

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirms talks but declines to provide detailsUS officials have held “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas officials, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed on Wednesday. The talks come as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire remains in the balance. Leavitt declined to provide detail on the the substance of talks. “Look dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people, is something that the president has proven is what he believes is [a] good faith effort to do what’s right for the American people,” she said. Leavitt added that the Israel has been consulted about the direct engagement with Hamas officials.She said that the US hostage envoy, Adam Boehler, “does have the authority to talk to anyone” despite the usual US ban on dealing with terrorist groups. Continue reading...

Politics

The ACLU, joined by other nonprofit organizations, has filed two lawsuits against the Trump administration for its Guantánamo plan

Politics

The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning an “aggressive” reorganization that includes cutting 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency that provides health care for retired military members

Politics

John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett join liberal justices to leave in place lower-court order on USAid cutsUS politics live – latest updatesA divided US supreme court has rejected the Trump administration’s request to continue freezing nearly $2bn in foreign aid, marking a setback for the White House and the tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has been tasked with slashing the size of the US government and its spending.In a 5-4 decision released on Wednesday, Chief Justice John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett joined the liberal justices in leaving in place a ruling from a US district judge last month, which ordered the administration to unfreeze the nearly $2bn in aid for work that had already been done, and that had been approved by Congress. Continue reading...

Politics

The administration wants to erase any hires made during the Biden administration and roll back VA staffing to 2019 levels

Politics

The administration wants to erase any hires made during the Biden administration and roll back VA staffing to 2019 levels

Politics

European Union leaders plan to hold emergency talks to agree ways to quickly increase their military budgets after the Trump administration signaled Europe must take care of its own security and also suspended assistance to Ukraine

Politics

Tariffs are dampening consumer confidence and fears of a downturn seem to be weighing on the dollarBusiness live – latest updatesNo sooner had historic 25% tariffs on imports to the US from Canada and Mexico come into force on Tuesday than the commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, suggested the policy might be softened. Hours later, Donald Trump told Congress that the tariffs were “protecting the soul of our country”.They say it’s the hope that kills you, but for investors trying to make sense of the Trump administration’s economic policies, it’s the uncertainty. Continue reading...

Politics