33 h. ago Under Trump and Musk, billionaires wield unprecedented influence over US national security

Government officials and contractors long controlled spy operations. Now the likes of Musk and Bezos are in controlJust days before Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, Blue Origin, the space company owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, launched its New Glenn rocket, named for John Glenn, the Mercury astronaut who was the first American to orbit the Earth. Around 2am on 16 January, the 30-story rocket powered by seven engines blasted off into the Florida night from Cape Canaveral’s historic launch complex 36, which first served as a Nasa launch site in 1962.The flight’s end was marred by a failure to bring the booster rocket back for further use, but the successful launch and orbit still marked a watershed moment for Blue Origin in its bid to compete with SpaceX, the company owned by Elon Musk, for dominance over American spy satellite operations. During the Trump administration, it is likely that both companies will play significant roles in placing spy satellites into Earth orbit, ...

Politics

36 h. ago Exclusive: how the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg got added to the White House Signal group chat

Internal investigation cleared the national security adviser Mike Waltz, but the mistake was months in the makingDonald Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz included a journalist in the Signal group chat about plans for US strikes in Yemen after he mistakenly saved his number months before under the contact of someone else he intended to add, according to three people briefed on the matter.The mistake was one of several missteps that came to light in the White House’s internal investigation, which showed a series of compounding slips that started during the 2024 campaign and went unnoticed until Waltz created the group chat last month. Continue reading...

Events

50 h. ago Fresh from telling Trump which national security officials to fire, conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer reveals her new political wish

‘I really want to work for President Trump. There is honestly nothing I want more than that’

Politics

59 h. ago US protests live: Demonstrations planned across US to oppose Trump agenda

More than a thousand events to be held across the country in a show of defiance against Trump’s ‘authoritarian overreach’Several congressional members are expected to make apperances and deliver speeches at the Hands Off protest in Washington DC today.They include Democrats Jamie Raskin and Glenn Ivey of Maryland, Maxwell Frost of Florida, Katherine Clark of Massachussetts and Don Beyer of Virginia, as well as Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.This is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history. Trump, Musk and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy and our basic rights – enabled by Congress every step of the way.They want to strip America for parts – shuttering social security offices, firing essential workers, eliminating consumer protections and gutting Medicaid – all to bankroll their billionaire tax scam. They’re handing over our tax dollars, our public services and our democracy to the ultra-rich.I...

Politics

62 h. ago British woman who went to Syria 'to join ISIS' could win back UK citizenship from camp that holds Shamima Begum as court says she should have more time to plead her case

Former Home Secretary Amber Rudd deemed the woman a risk to national security for her allegiance to the Islamic terror state ISIS.

Events

65 h. ago King Charles dragged into Prince Andrew 'Chinese spy' scandal after release of bombshell court documents

Charles was briefed by the Duke of York about an investment fund involving Yang Tengbo, who was banned from Britain on national security grounds

Events

3 d. ago Trump’s Yemen bombing campaign could cost $1bn by next week, with little to show for it

Trump’s war in Yemen has come under greater scrutiny after his national security officials leaked details of the initial strikes in a group chat with a journalist

Politics

3 d. ago The Energy Department identifies thousands of nonessential positions at risk of DOGE cuts

The Energy Department has identified thousands of federal workers it deems "nonessential" and would not be protected if there is a large-scale reduction in force

Events

3 d. ago Andrew’s reputation ‘irrecoverable’ after Newsnight grilling, aide told tribunal

Yang Tengbo was excluded from the UK on national security grounds in March 2023.

Politics

3 d. ago I worked in Trump’s first administration. Here’s why his team is using Signal | Kevin Carroll

Using the platform was dangerous and wrong – but officials appeared to prioritize shielding themselves from litigationNo senior US government official in the now-infamous “Houthi PC Small Group” Signal chat seemed new to that kind of group, nor surprised by the sensitivity of the subject discussed in that insecure forum, not even when the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, chimed in with details of a coming airstrike. No one objected – not the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who was abroad and using her personal cellphone to discuss pending military operations; not even the presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, who was in Moscow at the time. Yet most of these officials enjoy the luxury of access to secure government communications systems 24/7/365.Reasonable conclusions may be drawn from these facts. First, Trump’s national security cabinet commonly discusses secret information on insecure personal devices. Second, sophisticated adversaries such as Russia and China inter...

Politics

3 d. ago Trump now fires his NSA chief as MAGA star linked to mass bloodletting on his security team celebrates

MAGA influencer Laura Loomer celebrated as Donald Trump added to his firings at the National Security Council by letting go of the director of the National Security Agency Thursday.

Events

3 d. ago Democrats decry reported dismissal of NSA director Tim Haugh

Dismissing Haugh, who headed the US Cyber Command, puts the country at risk at a time of ‘unprecedented cyber threats’, congressional Democrats sayTop congressional Democrats on Thursday protested against the reported firing of Gen Tim Haugh as director of the National Security Agency (NSA), with one lawmaker saying the decision “makes all of us less safe”.The Washington Post reported late Thursday that Haugh and his civilian deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, had been dismissed from their roles. Haugh also headed US Cyber Command, which coordinates the Pentagon’s cybersecurity operations. The Post report cited two current US officials and one former US official who requested anonymity. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Knives out for Mike Waltz as Trump fires national security officials

Maga critics circle around hawkish foreign policy adviser who was at centre of ‘Signalgate’ fiasco

Politics

4 d. ago Trump fires six national security staffers after meeting with far

Trump ally presented him with opposition research against a number of officials that she said showed their disloyaltyFollow US politics liveDonald Trump fired six national security council staffers after an unusual meeting in the Oval Office where the far-right activist Laura Loomer presented opposition research against a number of staffers that she said showed they were disloyal to the US president, according to two people familiar with the matter.The firings included three staffers who had been brought on by national security adviser Mike Waltz – an extraordinary situation where Loomer appeared to have more sway over NSC personnel than the official in charge of running the agency. It also undercut Waltz’s position to have his allies axed from under him. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Trump fires national security officials after activist alleges ‘disloyalty’

Sackings come as top adviser Mike Waltz faces pressure for discussing military strikes in Signal chat

Politics

4 d. ago Trump fires National Security Council staff after Laura Loomer urged him to cut people she saw as disloyal: report

Trump fired ‘several’ NSC members after his Oval Office meeting with Loomer, according to reports

Events

4 d. ago Trump fires three national security staffers after meeting with far

Loomer reportedly presented Trump with opposition research on national security council officials at Oval OfficeFollow US politics liveLaura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist and Islamophobic former Republican congressional candidate banned from Uber, Paypal and some social media platforms has apparently been successful in pushing the White House to fire national security staffers for disloyalty.The New York Times first reported that Loomer, famous for promoting racism and 9/11 conspiracy theories, was spotted in a meeting on Wednesday where she reportedly presented Trump with opposition research on national security council officials during a 30-minute Oval Office meeting. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Trump fires staff of 'idiot' adviser embroiled in Signal scandal after urging by controversial MAGA influencer

President Donald Trump has fired several members of his National Security Council team, Axios reported Thursday.

Politics

4 d. ago JD Vance reveals Elon Musk's next move after news of DOGE 'shock' exit

Vice President JD Vance dismissed reports that President Donald Trump was dissatisfied with billionaire Elon Musk's work at DOGE and that he was preparing to head for the exits.

Events

4 d. ago TikTok set for €500m fine over sending EU data to China as US sale deadline looms

Ireland’s data protection commission is said to have found TikTok's owners fell foul of GDPR laws by sending users' data to China, amid fears the video sharing app poses a national security threat

Events