11 h. ago Trump says Nicolás Maduro offered concessions to head off US military pressure

Comments on Venezuela’s leader come after US president authorised CIA to launch covert operations in the country

Events

53 h. ago Trump says he authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela as Maduro decries the move as ‘coups d’etat’

Move marks escalation in Maduro pressure campaign as president says US mulling strikes on Venezuelan territoryDonald Trump said on Wednesday he had authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela, marking a sharp escalation in his administration’s pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s government.Trump further suggested he was considering strikes on Venezuelan territory, a dramatic step that would go beyond a series of recent lethal attacks on boats in the Caribbean, which Democrats and United Nations experts have forcefully condemned as unlawful. Continue reading...

Culture

54 h. ago Trump threatens 'land strikes' on Venezuela as CIA begins covert operations in Latin American country and Maduro declares 'No to coups'

The president was asked what the 'next step' in dealing with drug cartels in Venezuela was after confirming the undercover actions by the CIA.

Events

57 h. ago Trump refuses to answer if he’s authorized the CIA to ‘take out’ Venezuelan leader

President Donald Trump refused to answer whether he has authorized the CIA to ‘take out’ Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, calling the question “ridiculous.”

Politics

59 h. ago Trump gives CIA permission for ‘covert’ action in Venezuela as president says military ‘looking at land’ strikes

Trump escalates US military campaign against Maduro’s regime dispatching intelligence agents into country

Events

65 h. ago Artists plan nationwide US protests against Trump and ‘authoritarian forces’

Michael Moore, Lynn Nottage, Ava DuVernay and Amanda Palmer will take part in an event series to ‘unite in defiance’Artists and artistic organisations around the US are set to take part in a series of protests and events to speak out against Donald Trump and his administration.According to the New York Times, the acts of “creative resistance” will be known as the Fall of Freedom and will take place on 21 and 22 November. Continue reading...

Culture

3 d. ago Trump threatens removal of World Cup games from Boston, Olympics from LA

US President says games could be moved due to safetyBoston street takeovers, LA wildfires are blamedDonald Trump has again said he’d pressure Fifa to remove 2026 World Cup games from a host city on the basis of that city’s politics, with Boston becoming the third such city to come in for threats from the US president. Trump also said he would consider similar action against Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics on account of potential safety issues.Trump has no legal authority to directly take either action, but he can apply pressure to each competition’s governing body to move host cities. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Even a former law clerk for conservative Justice Clarence Thomas is warning about giving Trump too much power

Justices have handed Trump sweeping authority while also insulating him from being prosecuted from potential crimes committed in office

Events

4 d. ago Lindsey Halligan removes senior DOJ official after taking over Virginia US attorney's office

Lindsey Halligan has been taking steps to assert her authority over the office after President Donald Trump hand-picked her for the role.

Politics

4 d. ago Watch live: Donald Trump addresses Knesset after Israeli hostages freed

Watch live as Donald Trump is set to address the Knesset as authorities confirmed that Hamas has released all of the 20 living Israeli hostages that were being held in Gaza on Monday, 13 October.

Politics

5 d. ago John Legend trolls Donald Trump over Nobel Peace Prize bid: 'Stop all this authoritarian dictator s***!'

John Legend weighed in on President Donald Trump's failed ambitions to win a Nobel Peace Prize, despite his peace deal in the Middle East between Israel and Gaza.

Politics

6 d. ago Trump says military members will be paid despite government shutdown

President claims he found a way to pay troops and directed Pentagon chief to release funds on 15 OctoberDonald Trump claimed on Saturday that he has found a way to pay US military troops despite the ongoing federal government shutdown, saying he has instructed his defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, to release funds.Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “I am using my authority, as commander-in-chief, to direct our secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our troops PAID on October 15.” Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago ‘Page one of the authoritarian playbook’: how Trump and allies are exploiting Kirk’s killing

The president and his Maga allies have used the rightwing influencer’s killing to justify attacks on critics, experts sayDonald Trump and Maga allies have capitalized on the killing of rightwing influencer Charlie Kirk to expand attacks on liberal groups, donors, Democrats, and others by tarring many critics as the “enemy within” and “radical left” in a move that legal scholars and historians call authoritarian and anti-democratic.Kirk’s killing by a lone gunman spurred Trump and top allies to quickly launch conspiratorial charges against a bevy of political foes and an investigation of billionaire liberal donor George Soros. They also threatened legal action against TV network ABC after their late-night star Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension over clumsy comments about Kirk ended. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Stephen Miller said Trump has ‘plenary authority’. What does that mean?

White House deputy chief of staff had an odd pause during a CNN interview when asked about the president’s power to deploy national guard troopsAn odd moment in a CNN interview with Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, has been circulating on social media after Miller’s distinct pause when discussing the “plenary authority” of the president. A technical glitch – crossed wires from another broadcast in Miller’s earpiece – caused him to stop talking before completing his thought, CNN said.But the term “plenary authority”, has been taken as subtext for the broader ambitions of the Trump administration to assert legally-unassailable power over the use of the military and other functions of government. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Kristi Noem praised for ‘staring down’ Antifa. It was a dozen reporters and a guy in a chicken suit

Trump has claimed Portland is ‘war-ravaged’ - but residents and local authorities dispute that

Politics

1 week ago The real science of weight loss with the US’s leading nutritional scientist – podcast

Kevin Hall spent 21 years at the US National Institutes of Health and became known globally for his pioneering work on ultra-processed foods. In April he unexpectedly took early retirement, citing censorship under the Trump administration.Now he has co-authored a book with the journalist Julia Belluz that aims to bust myths and challenge wellness orthodoxy on everything from weight loss and metabolism to supplements and wearables. Hall tells Ian Sample what he wants us all to understand about diet, exercise and weight loss, and what led to his departure from the job he lovedOrder Kevin’s book from Guardian BookshopSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Brazil’s president asks US to scrap tariffs in ‘friendly’ call with Trump

Presidents spoke on a video call as expert speculates that Haiti could be an area where the two leaders can cooperateBrazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has urged Donald Trump to scrap tariffs on his country’s imports and sanctions against its officials, as the two men held what the Brazilian presidency called a “friendly” video call, swapping phone numbers after months of friction.Ties between the US and Brazil have nosedived as a result of Trump’s campaign to pressure Brazilian authorities into abandoning the coup trial of his far-right ally, Jair Bolsonaro. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago When Trump faces a challenge, where does he run? The Supreme Court’s shadow docket

Each time Trump faces a challenge to his attempts to expand his executive authority, he runs to the Supreme Court’s shadow docket and his conservative majority complies, Ariana Baio reports

Politics

1 week ago How the Supreme Court’s shadow docket is shaping American life – without explanation

Each time Trump faces a challenge to his attempts to expand his executive authority, he runs to the Supreme Court’s shadow docket and his conservative majority complies, Ariana Baio reports

Events

1 week ago Trump authorizes national guard deployment to Chicago, White House says, as border patrol there shoots woman

Illinois governor JB Pritzker says administration is escalating ‘aggression against Illinois citizens and residents’Donald Trump has moved to deploy the national guard in another city by authorizing 300 troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago, where the government said border patrol agents shot and injured a woman while firing at someone who tried to run them over.White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson confirmed that the president had authorized using Illinois national guard members, citing what she called “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness” that local leaders have not quelled. Continue reading...

Events