11 h. ago Taoiseach praises Trump’s efforts for peace in Ukraine and Gaza

Ireland shares President Donald Trump’s ‘unrelenting focus on peace’, Irish premier Micheal Martin has said.

Politics

21 h. ago Two ways Trump’s efforts to help Tesla could hurt it instead

Experts have weighed in on the unusual presidential endorsement of a private company

Politics

30 h. ago Judge blocks Trump administration plan to cut millions for teacher training

Eight states had requested a temporary restraining order, which judge granted saying ‘programs ... will be gutted’ A federal judge in Boston on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration’s plan to cut hundreds of millions of dollars for teacher training, finding that cuts were already affecting training programs aimed at addressing a nationwide teacher shortage.The US district judge Myong Joun sided with the eight states that had requested a temporary restraining order. The states argued the cuts were likely driven by efforts by Trump’s administration to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Continue reading...

Politics

2 d. ago Trump’s USAid cuts will have huge impact on global climate finance, data shows

Campaigners say funding halt is a ‘staggering blow’ to vulnerable nations and to efforts to keep heating below 1.5CDonald Trump’s withdrawal of US overseas aid will almost decimate global climate finance from the developed world, data shows, with potentially devastating impacts on vulnerable nations.The US was responsible last year for about $8 in every $100 that flowed from the rich world to developing countries, to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of extreme weather, according to data from the analyst organisation Carbon Brief. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Rubio and Musk turn on Polish foreign minister in spat over Starlink use in Ukraine: ‘Be quiet small man’

Secretary of State presses on with Trump administration’s efforts to make European nations profess gratitude

Politics

4 d. ago Trump’s polarising appeal leaves European populists in a tight spot

Nationalist parties have tended to praise the US president’s politics, but many voters dislike his treatment of UkraineEurope’s rightwing populist parties are split over how far to distance themselves from Donald Trump’s pressure on Ukraine, with some fearing unflinching solidarity with the US president’s brand of nationalism will damage their efforts to widen their domestic support.Broadly, unease over Trump’s treatment of Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the ominous encroach of authoritarianism by the new US administration, is strongest among the populist parties in western Europe and some Nordic countries. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Trump breaks silence on calls to pardon George Floyd murderer Derek Chauvin

President Donald Trump said Friday that he wasn't aware of the effort to have him pardon Derek Chauvin, the white police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd .

Politics

6 d. ago Elon Musk tells Republicans he isn’t to blame for mass firings of federal workers

Trump and Musk appear to make parallel efforts to distance tech billionaire from radical job slashing in governmentElon Musk is telling Republican lawmakers in private meetings that he is not to blame for the mass firings of federal workers that are causing uproar across the country, while Donald Trump reportedly told his cabinet secretaries on Thursday that they are ultimately in charge of hiring and firings at their agencies – not billionaire aide Musk.The two powerful figures appeared to be making parallel efforts to distance Musk from radical job slashing made over the last two months. This is despite the tech entrepreneur boasting about cuts, recommending the US “delete entire agencies” and taking questions on the issue alongside the US president, then wielding a chainsaw at an event to symbolize his efforts – all amid legal challenges and skepticism from experts. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago US plans to close European consulates and cut state department workforce

State department also looks into merging some bureaus in Washington amid Trump effort to slash US governmentThe US state department is preparing to shut down a number of consulates that are mainly in western Europe in the coming months and looking to reduce its workforce globally, multiple US officials said on Thursday.The state department is also looking into potentially merging a number of its expert bureaus at its headquarters in Washington that are working in areas such as human rights, refugees, global criminal justice, women’s issues and efforts to counter human trafficking, the officials said. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago CIA lays off some recently hired officers as Trump shakes up intelligence community

The Central Intelligence Agency is laying off some recently hired officers as President Donald Trump's efforts to downsize and reshape the federal government reverberate through the intelligence community

Politics

6 d. ago US judges alarmed over rise in violent threats as Trump and Musk lambast them

Reuters interviews with 11 federal judges in multiple districts reveal mounting concern over their securityUS politics live – latest updatesUS Marshals have warned federal judges of unusually high threat levels as the tech billionaire Elon Musk and other Trump administration allies ramp up efforts to discredit judges who stand in the way of White House efforts to slash federal jobs and programs, said several judges with knowledge of the warnings.In recent weeks, Musk, congressional Republicans and other top allies of Donald Trump have called for the impeachment of some federal judges or attacked their integrity in response to court rulings that have slowed his administration’s moves to dismantle entire government agencies and fire tens of thousands of workers. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Packed Pacs: how billionaires in the US are bankrolling Republicans at the state level

Republicans are relying on ‘nameless’ donors who want to push a rightwing agenda and gain long-term hegemonyBillionaires are increasingly bankrolling Republican candidates in state legislative races across the US to push a rightwing agenda and gain long-term hegemony.The concerted effort shows that Donald Trump ally Elon Musk, currently throwing his weight behind a candidate for Wisconsin’s state supreme court, is far from alone in seeking to build influence at the grassroots. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago How long before Ukraine's frontline 'collapses' after Donald Trump's military aid pause?

Think tank The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has revealed what may happen to the frontline war effort after Donald Trump's bombshell decision to halt all military aid funding to Ukraine

Events

9 d. ago The White House talks tough on illegal immigration but ignores a key tool that could reduce it

President Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce illegal immigration have not included going after the businesses that hire workers in the U.S. illegally

Events

1 week ago Trump’s effort to curtail birthright citizenship suffers yet another setback

Second federal appeals court declines to lift order blocking executive order signed by president on 20 JanuaryDonald Trump’s effort to curtail automatic birthright citizenship nationwide as part of his hardline immigration crackdown suffered another legal setback on Friday when a second federal appeals court declined to lift one of the court orders blocking the Republican president’s executive order.The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th US circuit court of appeals on a 2-1 vote rejected the Trump administration’s request for an order putting on hold a nationwide injunction issued by a federal judge in Maryland who concluded the order was unconstitutional. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Federal workers might get email requiring response after Trump and Musk praise efforts to investigate workforce – live

Employees may again be asked to explain recent accomplishments, AP reports, days after Musk argued the aim was to ‘pulse check’ US governmentUS aid cuts have forced the UN children’s agency Unicef to suspend or scale back many programmes in Lebanon, with more than half of children under the age of two experiencing severe food poverty in the country’s east, a Unicef official said on Friday.“We have been forced to suspend or cut back or drastically reduce many of our programmes and that includes nutrition programmes,” Unicef’s deputy representative in Lebanon, Ettie Higgins, told reporters in Geneva via video link from Beirut, Reuters reports. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Trump dodges question on Starmer’s efforts to avert UK tariffs but says: "He tried"

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has gone on a trip to the White House to meet US President Donald Trump.

Politics

1 week ago Donald Trump says Ukraine peace deal will be 'soon or not at all' as he hails 'special' Keir Starmer, hints at trade deal, backs off tariffs and supports Chagos handover during White House love

At a joint press conference, Donald Trump gave a loose timeline for his efforts to negotiate with Vladimir Putin.

Economics

2 w. ago Trump might not know it, but he’s forging a new relationship between Britain and the EU | Martin Kettle

Support for Ukraine means that closer ties to Europe are now a patriotic priority, opening up avenues that Brexit had once blockedIt would be absurd to claim to see a silver lining behind every Donald Trump cloud. Those clouds are too many, too dark and too dangerous. All the same, viewed from a domestic political perspective, there is a clear emerging British upside to Trump’s efforts at crashing the post-cold war order. It might even get a boost from Thursday’s Washington visit by Keir Starmer.In July 2024, when Starmer became prime minister, Labour was rigidly on the defensive about Europe. Brexit was seen as an electorally unstable issue for a party whose priority was to reconnect with leave voters. Everything about Europe was thus sidelined during the election. Only vague generalities were permitted. The only foreign leaders pictured in the party manifesto were Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Canada’s Justin Trudeau.Martin Kettle is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump praises Doge in first cabinet meeting and claims ‘billions’ in savings without evidence – live

Elon Musk attends first cabinet meeting of Trump’s second term amid chaos and confusion caused by his efforts to cull the federal government workforceThere has been reaction to Trump’s proposal for a “gold card” for wealthy foreigners (post 11.14am) which would give them the right to live and work in the US as well as a route to citizenship in exchange for a $5million fee.Immigration and wealth advisers have said the proposed initiative is unlikely to trigger a major inflow of wealthy global investors seeking US citizenship because of concerns over higher taxes, Reuters reports.I do not believe that the current POTUS offer will have a big impact, as getting a green card in the US if you meet certain criteria, is not difficult.Paying $5 million for a golden visa and getting taxed on your global income defeats the purpose. Continue reading...

Politics