22 h. ago New York City Democratic mayoral primary debate: six key takeaways

Frontrunners Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani sparred on stage as all candidates said they’d stand up to TrumpIn the first debate of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, nine candidates took the stage and fielded questions on housing, affordability, crime, policing, public safety, political regrets and how each candidate would handle the Trump administration if elected.The candidates included former New York governor Andrew Cuomo; democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani; the New York City council speaker, Adrienne Adams; the current New York City comptroller, Brad Lander; former comptroller Scott Stringer; former Bronx assemblyman Michael Blake; state senators Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos; and former hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson. Continue reading...

Politics

44 h. ago We in the cultural sector must stand up to Trump’s attacks – if not now, when? | Gus Casely

My former colleagues at the Smithsonian in Washington DC face unprecedented pressure. I urge them to defend their principlesGus Casely-Hayford is director of London’s V&A EastIn one of his recent Truth Social posts, Donald Trump appeared to fire Kim Sajet – the fearless and utterly brilliant director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. The president used his social media platform to claim that Sajet’s support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) made her unsuitable for her role. “Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am hereby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery”, Trump wrote. “She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position. Her replacement will be named shortly.”Where to start? By now, we all know the arts has become the terrain for a brutal proxy battle for hearts and minds. A culture war 2.0, where not ...

Politics

3 d. ago US marine veteran takes a stand against Trump: ‘He’s tearing the country apart’

Morgan Akin, 84, has taken down his American flag – and taken to the streets in his conservative California communityEarlier this year, Morgan Akin took down the American flag that had flown for decades outside his home in deep-red far northern California. It was a small gesture, one that did not echo through the halls of the US Capitol or make headlines.But for the 84-year-old Vietnam-era veteran and retired game warden, it represented a monument shift, one his family immediately took note of. It was Akin’s way of taking a stand in response to a country that had become increasingly unrecognizable to him. In the weeks before, masked officers arrested an international student who had co-authored a campus newspaper op-ed about Gaza in the street, the defense department temporarily removed Jackie Robinson’s biography from its website, and the president planned to host a massive military parade to celebrate his birthday. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago ‘Trump always chickens out’: Taco jibe ruffles president’s feathers

Wall Street is increasingly betting that Trump will blink first in the tariffs stand-offTrump Always Chickens Out – or Taco for short. Investors like narratives to explain the financial world, and they appear to have seized on this one: whenever Donald Trump faces a market backlash, he will back down.It would be fair to say the US president did not take kindly to the suggestion that he was being a “chicken” when asked by a reporter at the White House about the term that is gaining traction on Wall Street. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump: ‘Yes, I did’ tell Israel’s Netanyahu to stand down on Iran strike amid nuke deal push

Trump says he doesn’t think a strike is ‘appropriate’ during talks with Tehran

Politics

9 d. ago US vows to use ‘every tool’ in crackdown on international students

Trump administration moves to slow applications amid deepening stand-off with universities

Society

9 d. ago Trump says Putin is ‘playing with fire’ in wake of massive Russian strikes on Ukraine – US politics live

US president claims if it weren’t for him ‘really bad’ things would have happened to Russia amid signs he is frustrated with Russian president’s stalling of peace talksEarlier this morning, Alan Garber, president of Harvard University, told NPR’s Morning Edition that elite institutions need to double down on their “commitment to the good of the nation” and “be firm in our commitments to what we stand for”.Garber said he finds the measures taken by the Trump administration to be “perplexing”; while he acknowledges there is work to be done on campus regarding viewpoint diversity, he said he struggles to see a link between funding freezes and fighting antisemitism.I think that we have heard from some people that they do feel that [Harvard lacks viewpoint diversity]. What is perplexing is the measures that they have taken to address these that don’t even hit the same people that they believe are causing the problems. Why cut off research funding? Sure, it hurts Harvard, but it hurts the...

Politics

9 d. ago King Charles tells Canada’s parliament country will stay ‘strong and free’ amid Trump annexation threats – live

Monarch says Canada ‘faces critical moment’ as unprecedented address comes amid Trump’s repeated threats that US should make Canada the 51st stateEarlier this morning, Alan Garber, president of Harvard University, told NPR’s Morning Edition that elite institutions need to double down on their “commitment to the good of the nation” and “be firm in our commitments to what we stand for”.Garber said he finds the measures taken by the Trump administration to be “perplexing”; while he acknowledges there is work to be done on campus regarding viewpoint diversity, he said he struggles to see a link between funding freezes and fighting antisemitism.I think that we have heard from some people that they do feel that [Harvard lacks viewpoint diversity]. What is perplexing is the measures that they have taken to address these that don’t even hit the same people that they believe are causing the problems. Why cut off research funding? Sure, it hurts Harvard, but it hurts the country because after...

Politics

9 d. ago King Charles to give speech in Canada’s parliament in reminder to Trump of country’s sovereignty – live

Monarch’s unprecedented speech from the throne comes amid Trump’s repeated threats that the US should annex Canada and make it the 51st state Earlier this morning, Alan Garber, president of Harvard University, told NPR’s Morning Edition that elite institutions need to double down on their “commitment to the good of the nation” and “be firm in our commitments to what we stand for”.Garber said he finds the measures taken by the Trump administration to be “perplexing”; while he acknowledges there is work to be done on campus regarding viewpoint diversity, he said he struggles to see a link between funding freezes and fighting antisemitism.I think that we have heard from some people that they do feel that [Harvard lacks viewpoint diversity]. What is perplexing is the measures that they have taken to address these that don’t even hit the same people that they believe are causing the problems. Why cut off research funding? Sure, it hurts Harvard, but it hurts the country because after all...

Politics

1 week ago Now is the time for scientists to stand up against Trump’s repressive agenda | Daniel Malinsky

The administration is attacking research, health and the environment. We might seem unlikely activists – but we have a duty to dissentThere is a stereotype that the natural political activists in academia are the humanities professors: literary scholars, social theorists and critics of culture are the ones who speak truth to power and fight back against oppression.Yet scientists also ought to stand up and organize against the Trump administration’s attacks – not only the attacks on scientific research and integrity, but also the attacks on immigrants, on political speech and on democracy. Scientists cannot see themselves as above the fray but rather in coalition with other workers resisting authoritarianism. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Now Labour axe the word 'us' for being too 'exclusionary' in devolved Wales

Welsh Labour has put together a set of principles to guide future culture sector policy - one being the idea that 'culture brings us together'.

Politics

1 week ago Sónar festival hit with artist boycott over alleged links to Israel

More than 70 artists including Kode9 and Lolo & Sosaku have signed a letter in opposition to the owner of the event’s business interests in the West BankSónar, one of Europe’s leading electronic music festivals, is under threat after dozens of musicians and DJs announced a boycott over the event’s parent company KKR’s alleged links to Israel.More than 70 artists signed an open letter to the festival, which is due to take place in Barcelona from 12-14 June, stating that “we oppose any affiliation between the cultural sector and entities complicit in war crimes”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Mandelson ‘looking forward’ to bringing down more US tariffs

Donald Trump’s press secretary insisted that the president will stand firm on the blanket 10% tariff on most UK imports into the US

Events

last month Moment Trump learned about India and Pakistan clashes and air strikes and called it a 'shame' as two nuclear

India and Pakistan were teetering on the brink of war this morning after New Delhi hit what it called 'terrorist camps' overnight, prompting stark threats from Islamabad.

Events