30 h. ago Europe has ‘pretty precise’ plan to send troops to Ukraine, von der Leyen says

Post-conflict security guarantees will be fully backed by US commitments, commission president tells FT

Politics

3 d. ago Step back and take it in: the US is entering full authoritarian mode | Jonathan Freedland

Trump’s dictator-like behaviour is so brazen, so blatant, that paradoxically, we discount it. But now it’s time to call it what it isIf this were happening somewhere else – in Latin America, say – how might it be reported? Having secured his grip on the capital, the president is now set to send troops to several rebel-held cities, claiming he is wanted there to restore order. The move follows raids on the homes of leading dissidents and comes as armed men seen as loyal to the president, many of them masked, continue to pluck people off the streets Except this is happening in the United States of America and so we don’t quite talk about it that way. That’s not the only reason. It’s also because Donald Trump’s march towards authoritarianism is so steady, taking another step or two every day, that it’s easy to become inured to it: you can’t be in a state of shock permanently. And, besides, sober-minded people are wary of sounding hyperbolic or hysterical: their instinct is to play down...

Culture

6 d. ago Trump urges Democrats to ‘call him’ to send troops to their cities in apparent attempt to legitimize threats of federal takeovers – live

Despite criticism of repeated threats to take over police and send in National Guard, president claims Democratic leaders should demand takeoversLev Menand, a law professor at Columbia law school, said Donald Trump’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve chief Lisa Cook is a “procedurally invalid removal under the statute”.Menand, who authored a book about the Fed’s actions during the coronavirus pandemic, also said for-cause firings are typically related to misconduct while in office, rather than based on private misconduct from before an official’s appointment. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Trump says he wants ‘Department of War’ instead of defense department – US politics live

US president floats idea several times on Monday; Trump threatens again to send troops to Democratic-run cities amid misleading claim on crime in ‘red cities’National guard start carrying firearms in DC as Trump says Chicago may be nextThe justice department is alleging in a new court filing that three Smartmatic executives who were indicted last year on bribery and money-laundering charges transferred money from a 2018 voting machine contract with Los Angeles county into slush funds that were originally set up to pay bribes to election officials in Venezuela and the Philippines between 2012 and 2016 to obtain and retain lucrative election contracts.Prosecutors say one of the executives transferred an undisclosed amount from the $282m LA county contract into the slush funds in 2019 but did not say if anyone actually received bribes from the county’s money at that point. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump could send troops into Chicago within weeks as he expands military deployment into more cities: report

Pentagon reportedly plans to put military boots on the ground in America’s third-largest city as soon as September

Events

1 week ago Trump threatens to send troops to Chicago and says he could bring in ‘regular military’ to Washington DC – live

US president attacks Democrat-run cities as he also says Putin might come to US World Cup and confirms $2bn request to Congress to ‘beautify’ capitalAs we bring you more information about the reported FBI raid on John Bolton’s Maryland home, it’s worth pointing out that Bolton was stripped of his security clearance when Trump started his second term in office. The president also got rid of Bolton’s government detail, despite being the target of an assassination plot due to Bolton’s criticism of the Iranian regime.Bolton served as Trump’s third national security adviser in his first term in office, but has since become a vocal critic of the president. Less than an hour ago, a post from Bolton’s X account critiqued the state of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. “Russia has not changed its goal: drag Ukraine into a new Russian Empire,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, meetings will continue because Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize, but I don’t see these talks making any progress.” Continue ...

Events

1 week ago Trump claims politicians from LA, NYC and Chicago are ‘begging’ him to send in troops

Donald Trump has claimed that he might send the National Guard elsewhere in the US, after claiming that politicians from LA, NYC and Chicago are “begging” from him to send in troops.

Politics

1 week ago Military vehicle crashes into car in DC as states send more national guard troops

Incident comes as six states pledge to send at least 1,200 troops to Washington DC despite falling crime rateA military vehicle crashed into a car in Washington DC on Wednesday morning, an incident that comes as more than six Republican-led states have all pledged to send more national guard troops to DC.The city’s local CBS station first reported on the accident, which happened in Washington’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, and cited confirmation from the DC fire and emergency services. On social media, the department said that one person was extricated and transported with “minor injuries”. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Britain 'will send troops to defend Ukraine's skies and ports under security deal'

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, chief of the defence staff, is taking part in NATO talks as military leaders from across the alliance gather to discuss what support can be offered to Kyiv.

Economics

1 week ago White House just watered down the only concession it can claim Trump won from Putin — Ukraine security

The U.S. won’t send troops, and Russia won’t accept forces from NATO states in Ukraine, writes John Bowden. So what kind of security guarantee is it really?

Politics

1 week ago White House says more than 450 people arrested since start of federal crackdown on crime in DC – US politics live

Official says 52 people arrested on Monday alone; 68 firearms have been seized and three known gang members arrested since 7 AugustThe Republican governors of Louisiana and Tennessee will send hundreds of their national guard troops to assist federal law enforcement in DC – to help assist the president’s “crime crackdown”.They join Mississippi, Ohio, West Virginia and South Carolina – who have all sent national guard troops to DC. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago UK preparing to send troops to Ukraine as part of ‘reassurance force’ if peace deal is struck

It comes after Donald Trump said he had spoken directly with Vladimir Putin to begin planning a meeting between the Russian leader and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky

Economics

2 w. ago Mississippi becomes fourth state to send National Guard troops to DC in expanding federal crackdown

The Mississippi National Guard will deploy 200 troops to Washington as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing federal policing and immigration efforts in the nation’s capital

Events

2 w. ago Three states to deploy hundreds of national guard troops to Washington DC

South Carolina and Ohio join West Virginia in pledging troops, fueling protests that national guard should not be used for ‘a political policing mission’Three states have moved to deploy hundreds of members of their national guard to the nation’s capital as part of the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul policing in Washington through a federal crackdown. West Virginia said it was deploying 300 to 400 guard troops, while South Carolina pledged 200 and Ohio said it would send 150 in the coming days.The moves announced on Saturday came as protesters pushed back on federal law enforcement and national guard troops fanning out in the heavily Democratic city following Donald Trump’s executive order federalizing local police forces and activating about 800 District of Columbia national guard members. Continue reading...

Politics