16 h. ago Ben Jennings on Trump’s plan to scrutinise tourists’ social media histories – cartoon

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Politics

18 h. ago ‘Censorship pure and simple’: critics hit out at Trump plan to vet visitors’ social media

Some warn proposal will decimate US tourism industry as free speech advocates say it will lead to people self-censoringFree speech advocates have accused Donald Trump of “shredding civil liberties” and “censorship pure and simple” after the White House said it planned to require visa applicants from dozens of countries to provide social media, phone and email histories for vetting before being allowed into the US.In a move that some commentators compared to China and others warned would decimate tourism to the US, including the 2026 Fifa World Cup, the Department for Homeland Security said it was planning to apply the rules to visitors from 42 countries, including the UK, Ireland, Australia, France, Germany and Japan, if they want to enter the US on the commonly used Esta visa waiver. Continue reading...

Politics

20 h. ago What Trump's new social media checks mean for all foreign tourists

Fans can enter the ballot for World Cup tickets today - but new proposals by US Customs and Border Protection could make a holiday Stateside anything but easy.

Politics

23 h. ago Trump plan for World Cup tourists to reveal social media activity described as ‘chilling’

UK tourists would be among those affected by US policy‘Unacceptable’ and ‘chilling’, says European fan groupA plan to require supporters travelling to the United States for the World Cup to disclose information about their social media accounts has been described as “profoundly unacceptable”.Tourists from 42 countries, including the UK, which use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (Esta) as part of the visa waiver programme would be obliged to provide information about accounts they have held in the last five years in their applications. Previously it had been optional to provide the information. Continue reading...

Politics

36 h. ago Trump launches $1m ‘gold card’ visa scheme amid immigration crackdown

Wealthy immigrants will be able to buy residency, and $5m ‘platinum card’ will exempt holders from some US taxesDonald Trump launched a new program that will allow wealthy foreign individuals to buy a US “golden visa” for $1m, and trailed a “platinum” version for $5m.“A direct path to Citizenship for all qualified and vetted people. SO EXCITING! Our Great American Companies can finally keep their invaluable Talent,” Trump wrote on Wednesday on social media. Continue reading...

Politics

44 h. ago Tourists to US would have to reveal five years of social media activity under new Trump plan

Proposed plan would apply to tourists of all countries, including those not required to get a visa to visit the USAll tourists to the United States would have to reveal their social media activity from the last five years, under new Trump administration plans.Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an agency under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), would also require any email addresses and telephone numbers visitors have used in the same period, and the names and addresses of family. Continue reading...

Politics

46 h. ago H1B visa chaos in India as Trump’s new social media vetting rules lead to cancelled appointments

New policy leaves hundreds of H-1B workers stranded as US consulates cancel or postpone appointments

Politics

46 h. ago Trump is coming after your social media! Brits face having FIVE YEARS of history screened before being allowed into US

Hundreds of thousands set to travel to America for the World Cup may have to hand over online history

Politics

47 h. ago Trump ramps up tourist checks with plans for mandatory social media inspections

Exclusive: ‘These barriers will hit UK travel to the USA hard’ said Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership

Politics

49 h. ago British tourists face undergoing social media screening before being allowed into the US

Hundreds of thousands set to travel to America for the World Cup may have to hand over online history

Politics

51 h. ago Trump to force all foreign tourists to provide FIVE YEARS of social media history before entering the US

The Trump administration has published a requirement for foreign tourists to give up a half decade of their social media history that may even apply to family members.

Politics

3 d. ago Rosie O’Donnell promised to ‘detach’ from social media over Trump but it only lasted hours

O’Donnell and Trump’s feud has lasted nearly two decades

Politics

4 d. ago Rosie O’Donnell says therapist urged her to ‘detach’ from social media over Trump — but she couldn’t do it

O’Donnell and Trump’s feud has lasted nearly two decades

Politics

6 d. ago Elon Musk’s X fined €120m by EU in first clash under new digital laws

Ruling likely to put European Commission on collision course with billionaire, and possibly Donald TrumpBusiness live – latest updatesElon Musk’s social media platform, X, has been fined €120m (£105m) after it was found in breach of new EU digital laws, in a ruling likely to put the European Commission on a collision course with the US billionaire and potentially Donald Trump.The breaches, under consideration for two years, included what the EU said was a “deceptive” blue tick verification badge given to users and the lack of transparency of the platform’s advertising. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump is using a tragic shooting to demonize millions | Mohamad Bazzi

The administration is heightening its anti-immigrant crackdown – and punishing people from a country the US helped destroyAfter two national guard members were ambushed in Washington DC last week, killing one and leaving the other in critical condition, Donald Trump went on a hate-filled social media rant and vowed to “permanently pause migration from all Third World countries.”Trump’s late night Thanksgiving posts devolved into a fury, evidently because the suspected gunman is an Afghan national. He had worked with the US government, including the CIA, and was evacuated to the US in 2021 after the American military withdrew from Afghanistan.Mohamad Bazzi is director of the Center for Near Eastern Studies, and a journalism professor, at New York University Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Trump’s night of 160 posts on Truth Social fuels debate about US president’s stamina

The 79-year-old president’s social media blitz included conspiracies, attacks on political foes and self-praiseFrom apparently nodding off in the Oval Office to a work day that often only begins in the afternoon, questions have swirled in recent weeks about the energy levels of 79-year-old Donald Trump, the oldest-ever US president.Yet on social media, the commander in chief is showing no signs of fatigue. In a furious spree Monday night on his preferred social media paltform, Truth Social, Trump posted 160 times in less than four hours, a maelstrom of messaging surpassing previous prolific bouts of ranting. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Maga world heads left spinning by Trump’s warm welcome for Mamdani

Members of rightwing base disorientated by cordial Oval Office meeting – but not all Trump supporters downcastA flurry of social media posts from Maga influencers have laid bare the disorientation felt by members of Trump’s base at the spectacle of Friday’s cordial Oval Office meeting with Mamdani, who the president previously painted as a “communist lunatic”.“Wild to allow a jihadist communist to stand behind the president’s desk in the Oval Office. Sad to see,” wrote far-right activist Laura Loomer, one of Trump’s most fervent online backers. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump family has lost a whopping $1 billion in net worth thanks to recent crypto crash

One of the steepest declines affected Trump Media & Technology Group Corp, Truth Social’s parent company.

Events

3 w. ago Trump and Mamdani to meet in Oval Office on Friday after months of bickering

President has previously criticised the New York City mayor-elect, labelling him a ‘communist’ and threatening to deport himDonald Trump has confirmed a long-awaited meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will happen in Washington this week, setting up an in-person clash between the political opposites who for months have antagonised each other.The sit-down, which Trump said on social media would take place on Friday in the Oval Office, could possibly represent a detente of sorts between the Republican president and Democratic rising star. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Newsom trolls Trump over Epstein picture and drags Melania into the discussion

The California governor’s press office mocked a White House social media post describing Trump and Melania as ‘America’s power couple’

Politics