15 h. ago Democrats call Trump’s DC police takeover ‘a distraction’ from Epstein files, tariffs and tax bill – live updates

Chuck Schumer called Trump’s decision to federalize the DC police and deploy national guard to the city ‘attempted distraction’ from ‘other scandals’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...

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17 h. ago EU leaders defend Ukraine’s freedom to decide future ahead of Trump

Statement on Ukrainian sovereignty signed by all EU leaders except for Viktor Orbán before call with TrumpEurope live – latest updatesRead all our coverage of the Ukraine warEuropean Union leaders made a rallying call to defend Ukraine’s freedom to decide its own future in advance of their virtual summit with Donald Trump – convened to discuss US strategy before the president’s talks with Vladimir Putin on Friday.With the exception of Hungary, all EU leaders signed a joint statement, with Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, also calling for the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to attend the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska on Friday. Continue reading...

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36 h. ago Judge denies release of sealed Maxwell files as Trump dragged back into Epstein scandal

The US Justice Department sought the unsealing of grand jury material related to Maxwell and Epstein after harsh criticism of the Trump administration’s decision to not publicly release the investigative file on Epstein

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38 h. ago New York judge refuses to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell’s grand jury transcripts despite Trump’s request

The decision comes after President Donald Trump asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce “any and all pertinent” grand jury transcripts in the criminal cases of Maxwell and Epstein.

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52 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: US ambassador to Nato says Zelenskyy could attend Alaska summit but decision is Trump’s

Matthew Whitaker spoke as Europeans put pressure on US to include Ukrainian president in meeting with PutinThe US ambassador to Nato said on Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could attend this week’s US-Russia summit in Alaska, as European leaders push for Kyiv to be part of the negotiations. Ambassador Matthew Whitaker was asked on CNN whether Zelenskyy might join US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday. “Yes, I certainly think it’s possible,” he said. “Certainly, there can’t be a deal that everybody that’s involved in it doesn’t agree to. And, I mean, obviously, it’s a high priority to get this war to end.” Whitaker said the decision would ultimately be Trump’s to make. “If he thinks that that is the best scenario to invite Zelenskyy, then he will do that,” he said, adding that “no decision has been made to this point.”Germany warned the White House on Sunday against any deal hatched “over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainia...

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3 d. ago Trump ‘considering’ invite for Zelensky to attend Alaska peace summit with Putin

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet for a summit in Alaska next Friday to discuss the war in Ukraine

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3 d. ago Zelensky warns on 'decisions without Ukraine' after Trump and Putin announce 'peace summit' in Alaska next week

Zelensky ruled out ceding any territory to Russia as Putin continued his offensive last night, killing four civilians and wounding 10.

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4 d. ago No contempt for Trump officials over Venezuelan migrant deportations to El Salvadorian prison, appeals court rules – live

Three-judge panel sided with government by a 2-1 vote, with two Trump-appointed judges and one Obama-appointed judge making the decisionAccording to new reporting by the New York Times, the president has secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that the Trump administration considers terrorist organizations.According to the Times’ sources, US military officials have started drawing up options for how the military could go after the group. The Times also notes that this escalation would be the most “aggressive step” in the administration’s “campaign against cartels”. They also noted that this continues the president’s preference for using “military forces to carry out what has primarily been considered a law enforcement responsibility to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs”. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy – don’t let Russia ‘deceive us in the details’

Clock ticking to secondary sanctions on Friday; majority still trust Zelenskyy but rating down after anti-corruption debacle. What we know on day 1,261Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia seemed “more inclined to a ceasefire” after a visit to Moscow on Wednesday by a US envoy. “The pressure on them works. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details – neither us nor the US,” Ukraine’s president said in his nightly address.Despite the engagement, sanctions targeting Russian oil “are still expected to be implemented on Friday”, a senior Trump administration official said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Separately, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said he did not want to exaggerate the progress made during Steve Witkoff’s talks with Putin. Many “impediments” remained, especially Russia’s territorial claims, and there was no concrete proposal for a ceasefire. There have been unconfirmed reports that the Kremlin could propose a halt to long-range strikes by both...

Events

7 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Call for Nato action after Russian drone intrudes on Lithuania

Russia talking down Medvedev’s influence after nuclear threats; oligarch’s superyacht goes on sale with proceeds to Ukraine. What we know on day 1,260Lithuania has called for Nato help to boost its air defences after Russian military drones repeatedly violated its airspace. “Last Monday, a Russian military drone violated Lithuanian airspace,” said Kęstutis Budrys, the foreign minister in Vilnius. “This marks the second such incident in less than a month. Similar airspace violations have also been reported recently by other allies.”Budrys added that he and the defence minister, Dovilė Šakalienė, had asked the Nato secretary general for “immediate measures to enhance air defence capabilities in Lithuania and accelerate the full implementation of the rotational air defence model. Air defence is vital to allied security. Securing Nato’s eastern flank must remain a top priority for the alliance.”Amid the nuclear row between Donald Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the Kremlin has moved to play ...

Events

7 d. ago Trump says decision whether to occupy Gaza is ‘up to Israel’

The US president declined to support or oppose potential expansion of Israel’s devastating military offensive in the enclave

Politics

7 d. 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...

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7 d. ago Trump says treasury chief Scott Bessent no longer being considered for Fed chair

Trump may soon name pick for open Fed board seat and Fed chair nominee, but Bessent wants to stay in current roleDonald Trump said he would “shortly” announce his pick for an open seat on the Federal Reserve’s board of governors and possibly his nominee for Fed chair as well, but that he had removed the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, from consideration since Bessent wants to remain in his current job.In a CNBC interview, Trump called it a “pleasant surprise” that the Fed governor Adriana Kugler had decided to leave her seat now instead of when her term ends in January, a move that appears to have accelerated Trump’s decision on who to appoint to an open seat on the Fed board with possible plans to promote that person to the top policymaking role when the term of the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, ends in May. Continue reading...

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7 d. ago ‘Give me a break’: Trump says he hired Fed chair Powell as a ‘favor’ after CNBC host presses him on labor bureau firing

Trump defended his recent decision to fire head of BLS while distancing himself from his past decision to hire Fed chair Jerome Powell

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7 d. ago Swiss president to present ‘more attractive’ tariff offer to White House

Karin Keller-Sutter and economy minister Guy Parmelin’s Washington trip follows Trump decision to hit country with steep tariffs

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7 d. ago Swiss president to fly to Washington to present ‘more attractive’ tariff offer

Move follows Donald Trump’s decision to hit the country with steep tariffs

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8 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Netherlands to buy €500m of US arms for Kyiv in first for new Nato supply line

Government says Patriot parts and missiles included while Nato chief expects announcements from other alliance countries soon. What we know on day 1,259See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverage Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Top Trump aide accuses India of financing Russian war by buying oil

Stephen Miller says it’s astonishing that ‘India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil’; 120 firefighters needed to put out blaze at Sochi oil depot. What we know on day 1,258See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageA top aide to President Donald Trump has accused India of financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by buying oil from Moscow, after the US leader escalated pressure on Delhi to stop buying Russian oil. “What he [Trump] said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia,” said Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff at the White House and one of the US president’s most influential aides. Miller’s criticism on Sunday was some of the strongest yet by the Trump administration about one of the US’s major partners in the Indo-Pacific. “People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That’s an astonishing fact,” Miller said on Fox News’ Sunday Morning ...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Everything here is just better’: Ellen DeGeneres confirms she moved to the UK because of Donald Trump

US comedian and Portia de Rossi have stayed in the UK since Trump’s re-election, and are considering getting married again in case the US overturns same-sex marriageEllen DeGeneres has confirmed that she moved to the UK because of Donald Trump, saying, “Everything here is just better”.At a conversation event on Sunday at Cheltenham’s Everyman theatre – the comedian’s first public appearance since leaving the US – broadcaster Richard Bacon asked DeGeneres if it was true Trump had spurred her decision to relocate. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Russia insists on sticking to its war demands amid Trump sanctions threat

Kremlin says ‘our goals are clear’ over conditions Kyiv and its allies have rejected as Russian drone attacks injure several around Ukraine. What we know on day 1,244See all our Russia-Ukraine coverageRussia has said it is open to peace with Ukraine but insists achieving its goals remains a priority, days after Donald Trump gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated Russia’s demands on Sunday, including Ukraine withdrawing from Russia-annexed regions and abandoning its Nato aspirations – terms that Kyiv and its allies have rejected. “The main thing for us is to achieve our goals,” Peskov told state TV. “Our goals are clear.”Ukrainian officials proposed a new round of peace talks this week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday, while Russian state media said on Sunday that no date had yet been set for the negotiations but Istanbul would probably remain the host city. A week ago Trump, the US...

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