30 h. ago Elon Musk escalates war of words with Trump after president threatens to terminate government contracts – live

In flurry of X posts, former adviser hits out at Trump - including threat to decommission Dragon spacecraft - as allies-turned-enemies spar on social mediaMusk calls for Trump to be impeached as extraordinary feud escalatesTrump and Musk trade barbs as rift over tax and spend bill erupts into openPresident Vladimir Putin told US president Donald Trump that he was ready to use Russia’s close partnership with Iran to help with negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme, the Kremlin said on Thursday.Trump said after a phone call with Putin on Wednesday that time was running out for Iran to make a decision on its nuclear programme and that he believed Putin agreed that the Islamic Republic should not have nuclear weapons. Continue reading...

Politics

35 h. ago Donald Trump says he and Friedrich Merz are ‘unhappy’ about Russian invasion of Ukraine at White House meeting – Europe live

US president says ‘I think we’re going to be successful at stopping bloodshed’ as he meets German chancellor in Oval OfficeUK trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds has also called for reforms of the WTO including changes to the much-criticised dispute resolutions system which can also take years to settle disputes between trading nations.“We do recognise that reforming and repositioning the WTO so that it can respond more effectively to the challenges of today is the only way to safeguard long term stability and growth tomorrow. Continue reading...

Events

37 h. ago Democrats claim Trump’s travel ban is just a distraction so his spending bill can get through Congress

Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said it was ‘not a coincidence’ that President Donald Trump announced the travel ban as his spending bill is being debated in the Senate

Politics

40 h. ago Starmer to meet Nato’s Rutte amid US pressure to spend 5% of GDP on defence – Europe live

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth says there is ‘near consensus’ on funding commitment for Nato member statesUK trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds has also called for reforms of the WTO including changes to the much-criticised dispute resolutions system which can also take years to settle disputes between trading nations.“We do recognise that reforming and repositioning the WTO so that it can respond more effectively to the challenges of today is the only way to safeguard long term stability and growth tomorrow. Continue reading...

Events

54 h. ago As Trump decamps to his 'Summer White House' inspectors flag serious health code violations in the club's kitchen

As President Donald Trump settles into spending his summer weekends at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf resort, he may want to peek into the club's kitchen.

Society

56 h. ago Trump's fury behind the scenes amid war with Elon Musk after 'disgusting' spending bill backstab

Donald Trump is fuming at Elon Musk for the ex-DOGE leader's comments about the president's 'disgusting' spending bill.

Politics

58 h. ago NATO chief makes huge demand to UK on defence spending after Donald Trump calls

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte today said allies will find themselves 'in great difficulty' in the coming years if they stick with the current 2% GDP alliance spending target

Politics

62 h. ago Elon Musk accuses Trump of driving America into 'debt slavery' as he escalates war with president

Elon Musk is going all-in on his war with President Donald Trump over his massive spending proposal.

Politics

3 d. ago Elon Musk calls Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ tax bill a ‘disgusting abomination’

The former head of Doge said the ‘outrageous’ tax bill will cause the deficit to grow to $2.5tnUS politics live – latest updatesElon Musk, the billionaire tech entrepreneur, has opened a new rift with Donald Trump by denouncing the US president’s tax and spending bill as a “disgusting abomination”.Musk’s online outburst could embolden fiscally conservative Republican senators – some of whom have already spoken out – to defy Trump as they continue crucial negotiations on Capitol Hill over the so-called “one big, beautiful bill”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Dollar General posts record sales as bargain stores attract more people anxious about the economy

Dollar General set a quarterly sales record of $10.44 billion and it upgraded its annual profit and sales outlook as Americans tighten their budgets and spend more at dollar stores and off-price retailers amid economic uncertainty

Economics

3 d. ago UK 'will be forced' to hike defence spending to 3.5% to keep Donald Trump onside

Keir Starmer yesterday reiterated his commitment to get defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 - and he said his 'ambition' to hit 3% would be reached in the next Parliament

Politics

4 d. ago Trump’s tax bill helps the rich, hurts the poor and adds trillions to the deficit | Katrina vanden Heuvel

The ‘big, beautiful bill’ has reaffirmed that a pledged golden age is really just a windfall for the uber-wealthyThe blush is off the rose, or, rather, the orange. The erstwhile “First Buddy” and born-again fiscal hawk Elon Musk recently said he was “disappointed” by Donald Trump’s spendthrift budget currently under debate in the US Senate. Squeaking through the House of Representatives thanks to the capitulation of several Republican deficit hardliners, this “big, beautiful bill” certainly increases the federal debt bigly – by nearly $4tn over the next decade.Equally disappointed are those who have been busy burnishing Trump’s populist veneer. Steve Bannon had repeatedly promised higher taxes for millionaires, but he has confessed he’s “very upset”. That’s because the bill would cut taxes by over $600bn for the top 1% of wage-earners, also known as millionaires. It amounts to the largest upward transfer of wealth in American history. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Universe’s mysteries may never be solved because of Trump’s Nasa cuts, experts say

‘Extinction-level cuts’ to space agency’s spending means labs will close and deep-space missions will be abandonedSome of the greatest mysteries of the universe, such as the possibility of life on Mars, and whether humans could ever live on Venus, may never be solved because of Donald Trump’s proposed “extinction-level” cuts to Nasa spending, scientists are warning.The Trump administration revealed last month its plan to slash the space agency’s overall budget by 24% to $18.8bn, the lowest figure since 2015. Space and Earth science missions would bear the brunt of the cutbacks, losing more than 53% of what was allocated to them in 2024. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Musk quits team Trump after slamming spending bill but says DOGE will continue

Elon Musk, the CEO of X, Tesla and SpaceX, has announced his resignation from his advisory role with President Donald Trump after the inseperable pair clashed over Trump's landmark spending bill

Politics

9 d. ago NATO set to commit to five percent defense spending goal amid threats from Trump

‘I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a higher defense spending target of in total five percent,’ said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Events

2 w. ago Harvard says Trump administration’s block on international student enrollment ‘unlawful’ – US politics live

In a major escalation between Trump and Harvard, homeland security secretary Kristi Noem says move to halt enrollment should ‘serve as a warning’Trump administration halts Harvard’s ability to enroll international studentsIsrael’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, has accused unnamed European officials of “toxic antisemitic incitement” he blamed for a hostile climate in which the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington took place, Reuters reports.Israel has faced a blizzard of criticism from Europe of late as it has intensified its military campaign in Gaza, where humanitarian groups have warned that an 11-week Israeli blockade on aid supplies has left the Palestinian territory on the brink of famine. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago Tax cuts and mass deportations: what to know about Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ spending bill

All the key points laid out in US president’s House-approved sweeping bill as it awaits Senate considerationThe Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Thursday passed the One Big Beautiful Bill act, which will enact Donald Trump’s taxation and spending priorities. The legislation will now be considered in the Senate, where the Republican majority will probably make its own changes.Here is what the version of the bill passed by the House would do: Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ spending bill, from tax cuts to mass deportations

All the key points laid out in the US president’s House-approved sweeping bill as it awaits Senate considerationThe Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Thursday passed the One Big Beautiful Bill act, which would enact Donald Trump’s taxation and spending priorities. The legislation will now be considered in the Senate, where the Republican majority will probably make its own changes.Here is what the version of the bill passed by the House would do: Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Trump administration halts Harvard’s ability to enroll international students – live

In a major escalation between Trump and Harvard, homeland security secretary Kristi Noem says move should ‘serve as a warning’Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, has accused unnamed European officials of “toxic antisemitic incitement” he blamed for a hostile climate in which the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington took place, Reuters reports.Israel has faced a blizzard of criticism from Europe of late as it has intensified its military campaign in Gaza, where humanitarian groups have warned that an 11-week Israeli blockade on aid supplies has left the Palestinian territory on the brink of famine. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago House passes Trump’s ‘big beautiful’ tax and spending bill after months of wrangling – US politics live

Sweeping legislation will now be sent to the SenateThe Kremlin said on Thursday that a report in the Wall Street Journal which said US president Donald Trump had told European leaders that President Vladimir Putin did not want to end the war in Ukraine contrasted with its own knowledge.The Journal said Trump had briefed European leaders after talking to Putin by phone on Monday and said Putin wanted to keep fighting in Ukraine because he thought he was winning.With a narrow 220-212 majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson could not afford to lose more than a handful of votes from his side.Republicans on the party’s right flank had pushed for deeper spending cuts to lessen the budget impact, but they met resistance from centrists who worried they would fall too heavily on the 71 million low-income Americans enrolled in the Medicaid health program. Continue reading...

Politics