30 h. ago Before and after: Trump’s extreme goldening of the Oval Office

An extravagant – and ongoing – makeover of the White House’s decor has taken place during the president’s second term. One colour theme stands outIn just seven extraordinary months, Donald Trump’s administration has left an unprecedented mark on the United States. From rewriting the rules of free trade to upending the norms of due process and challenging scientific orthodoxy, no corner of the country has remained untouched, including the president’s own centre of power: the Oval Office.Leaning into his former career as a real estate developer and hotelier, the president has, in his own words, applied some “Trump touches” to the room’s decor. The results have split opinions, with some calling the revamped office a symbol of America’s new golden age, while other have compared it to a professional wrestler’s dressing room. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Trump's unprecedented clampdown on visa holders sparks mutiny among foreign students

The Department of Homeland Security has unveiled a bold new crackdown targeting the controversial phenomenon known as 'forever students.'

Politics

4 d. ago Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook sues Trump after he ‘fired’ her

Trump’s unprecedented move against the central bank's leadership is an effort to ‘undermine the independence of the Federal Reserve’, Cook’s lawyer said

Politics

5 d. ago Ontario premier Doug Ford’s party spent nearly $300,000 on novelty ‘Canada is not for sale’ hats

The Progressive Conservative party of Ontario reportedly paid C$278,910.71 on the viral hats during the province’s election campaignDealing with the unprecedented threats from Donald Trump’s threats to Canada’s economy and sovereignty have required unconventional strategies from federal and provincial leaders, including barring liquor sales and cancelling contracts with Tesla.But among the more unorthodox strategies to hit back against the US is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on novelty hats. Continue reading...

Economics

6 d. ago Court tosses Trump lawsuit against Maryland judges over US deportations

Trump-nominated federal judge said Maryland judges were ‘absolutely immune’ from suits over their judicial actionsUS politics live – latest updatesA federal judge on Tuesday dismissed an unprecedented lawsuit filed by the Trump administration earlier in the summer against all 15 judges serving on Maryland’s federal district court – a case that opposed pausing some deportations from the state.In a 37-page ruling, US district judge Thomas Cullen of Virginia’s western district – who was nominated and confirmed to his position during Donald Trump’s first presidency – wrote that “any fair reading of the legal authorities cited by defendants leads to the ineluctable conclusion that this court has no alternative but to dismiss”. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago ‘Everyone is coming into fire’: students return to US campuses bruised and changed by Trump’s assault

The effects of a rightwing campaign to remake American higher education are fueling fear and anxiety, but advocates say they have plans to fight backStudents and faculty heading back to US colleges and universities from summer break are returning to bruised institutions reeling from the Trump administration’s unprecedented campaign to bend higher education to its ideological will, and are bracing for more uncertainty ahead.At the University of Utah, the Black student union has lost its funding and campus space – one of many student groups to face the brunt of Donald Trump’s anti-diversity measures. Indiana’s public universities have cut or merged more than 400 degree programs, about one-fifth of their academic offerings, while scores of other universities have made similar cuts as their budgets are on the line. At Harvard and Columbia, certain forms of criticism of Israel will now be punishable as antisemitism. And across the country, schools will see their international student pop...

Events

1 week ago What security guarantees might Ukraine get in return for a peace deal?

As western leaders meet, questions remain about the steps they could take to prevent any future Russian aggressionRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesEuropean leaders have been holding a virtual conference call to discuss what security guarantees they could give to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia. The discussion follows Monday’s unprecedented get-together in the White House hosted by Donald Trump. The US president met Volodymyr Zelenskyy and held talks with Britain’s Keir Starmer, as well as the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union and Nato. The main topic was how to end the war in Ukraine, the continent’s biggest since 1945, and how Europe might stop Russia from attacking again. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Terry Cole, chosen to take over DC's police force, has spent 22 years at DEA

Attorney General Pam Bondi has named the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration to be Washington’s “emergency police commissioner” as she carries out President Donald Trump’s unprecedented decision to take over the Washington police department

Events

2 w. ago Donald Trump lashes out at people calling him a dictator then defends rewriting history

Donald Trump hit back at people calling him a dictator over his unprecedented takeover of police in Washington DC - before defending his plan to force museums to present history to align with his views

Politics

2 w. ago Trump’s Washington DC intervention labelled as ‘unsettling and unprecedented’ by mayor – US politics live

Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, declined to criticise president directly while head of National Action Network calls move ‘disgusting and dangerous’Later on, we’ll hear from the Trump administration for the second day in a row. The president won’t make an appearance, but press secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a White House briefing at 1pm ET.Defense secretary Pete Hegseth says he’s proud to be part of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, an archconservative network of Christian congregations.Pastor Doug Wilson, a CREC co-founder, leads Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, the network’s flagship location. Jovial and media-friendly, Wilson is no stranger to stirring controversy with his church’s hard-line theology and its embrace of patriarchy and Christian nationalism.Wilson told The Associated Press on Monday he was grateful Hegseth shared the video. He noted Hegseth’s post was labeled with Christ Church’s motto: “All of Christ for All of Life.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago DC Mayor says Trump’s police takeover and National Guard deployment is ‘unsettling and unprecedented’: Updates

The president spoke at a White House press conference on Monday and invoked section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, placing the DC Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control

Politics

3 w. ago DC Mayor says Trump’s police takeover and National Guard deployment is ‘unsettling and unprecedented’: Live

Speaking at a White House press conference Monday, the president invoked section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, placing the DC Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control

Politics

3 w. ago DC Mayor says Trump’s police takeover and National Guard deployment is ‘unsettling and unprecedented’: Live updates

Speaking at a White House press conference Monday, the president invoked section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control

Politics

3 w. ago Spike Lee, Adam McKay and over 2,000 writers decry Trump’s ‘un

Screenwriters from Writers Guild of America, also including David Simon and Celine Song, call out president’s ‘authoritarian assault’ on free speechMore than 2,300 members of the Writers Guild of America, including Spike Lee and Adam McKay, have signed an open letter decrying the actions of Donald Trump’s administration that represent “an unprecedented, authoritarian assault” on free speech.The letter, a combined effort from the WGA East and West branches, cites the US president’s “baseless lawsuits” against news organizations that have “published stories he does not like and leveraged them into payoffs”. It specifically references Paramount’s decision to pay Trump $16m to settle a “meritless lawsuit” about a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. The letter notes that Trump “retaliated against publications reporting factually on the White House and threatened broadcasters’ licenses”, and has repeatedly called for the cancellation of programs that criticize him. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Donald Trump gives update on whether he will run for unprecedented third term

America's constitution restricts its Presidents to a maximum of two terms in office, however Donald Trump has previously stated that 'methods' exist to remain in power

Politics