11 h. ago Trump suggests US will buy Argentinian beef to bring down prices for American consumers

President Donald Trump says the United States could purchase Argentinian beef in an attempt to bring down prices for American consumers

Politics

48 h. ago US Senate poised to approve industry lobbyist to lead chemical safety at EPA

If Douglas Troutman is confirmed, the top four toxics office at the environmental agency will be held by ex-lobbyistsThe US Senate is poised to approve Donald Trump’s nomination of an industry lobbyist to lead the US Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical safety office.If the nominee, Douglas Troutman, is confirmed, the top four toxics office positions at the EPA will be held by former chemical industry lobbyists, raising new fears about the health and safety of the American public, consumers and workers, campaigners say. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago The Guardian view on the IMF’s warning: Britain’s economy runs hot for profits, cold for pay | Editorial

Labour is misreading the economics – leaving it unable to deal with the G7’s worst inflation and flat living standardBloomberg’s headline said it all: “UK Faces Worst G-7 Inflation and Flat Living Standards, IMF Says”. The International Monetary Fund warns that inflation will be higher in the UK than in any other major advanced economy – including in the US, where Donald Trump’s tariffs are driving up costs for American consumers. This while GDP growth per head crawls at 0.4%, the weakest of any major economy. Real wages have stagnated for 11 months. Meanwhile, official figures show that unemployment has climbed to 4.8%, the highest since spring 2021. Forget talk of Britain’s “upgraded growth”; the economy, under Labour, is running hot only for those collecting profits.The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) projects that by 2029 average disposable incomes will be £570 lower than today, a fall of 1.3% – the sharpest drop in living standards since records began in 1961. This isn’t a sim...

Events

1 week ago Wayne Thiebaud review – staggering still lifes to make your mouth water

Courtauld Gallery, LondonThe pop pioneer’s paintings of sweets and cakes offer up a succulent and incredibly moreish slice of a long-lost American dreamYou’re not allowed to lick paintings in museums, which is cruel when you’re faced with something as mouthwateringly tempting as Wayne Thiebaud’s art. The American pop pioneer dedicated his long career to cakes, sweets and gumball machines, a visual world of treats and candies laid out in American diners and on deli counters, tempting viewers to commit the ultimate crime and take a big, juicy bite.But he didn’t just paint for the sake of getting you salivating. His work (here at the Courtauld in his first ever UK museum show) is both an ultraserious take on the material history of painting, a sort of update on the long legacy of the still life, and a deep dive into burgeoning consumerism and the capitalistic euphoria of the mass-produced, mid-century American dream. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Volume of US YouTube shows ‘weakens UK children’s ties to their own culture’

BBC’s head of children’s TV says YouTube’s algorithm takes children to US-based content, rather than UK showsThe amount of American content children are consuming on YouTube risks weakening their connection to British culture and language, the BBC’s head of children’s television has warned.Patricia Hidalgo, the director of children and education at the BBC, said the algorithm of the all-conquering video-sharing site diverted British children on to US-based content, rather than “nourishing” British programming that helps cement their cultural identity. Continue reading...

Culture

3 w. ago Auto lender’s bust signals strain in financial health of US households

Tricolor’s collapse highlights struggles of low-income consumers and their impact on the broader American economy

Society