Category: The Guardian

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Our political history is one of catastrophe, communism, and developing powerful antibodies against oppression In 2016, one year after the rightwing populist Law and Justice party won an overall majority in Poland, there was a knock at a door. The mother of a young journalist opened it. To her astonishment, it was the security services […]

Trump expresses newfound sympathy for his Ukrainian counterpart, saying he ‘wants to do something good for his country’ – key US politics stories from Sunday 27 April at a glance Donald Trump appears to have warmed to Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the two presidents met at the Vatican, with the US leader emerging from talks with […]

US president says face-to-face improved relations with Ukrainian leader and demurs on trust in Vladimir Putin Asked to comment on his meeting at the Vatican with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump on Sunday expressed newfound sympathy for his Ukrainian counterpart, saying he “wants to do something good for his country” and “is working hard”. Reflecting on […]

Noem’s purse was nabbed on Easter Sunday and reportedly contained about $3,000 in cash, her keys and identification Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft last week of the US homeland security secretary Kristi Noem’s purse as she ate at a Washington DC restaurant, officials said Sunday. Noem’s purse was nabbed on […]

Democratic House leader and New Jersey senator protest on steps of US Capitol over proposed Republican budget House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and New Jersey senator Cory Booker were holding a sit-in protest and discussion on Sunday on the steps of the US Capitol in opposition to Republicans’ proposed budget plan. Billed as an “Urgent […]

President’s tensions with CBS show barely scratch surface of crusade against media he calls ‘enemy of the people’ Donald Trump’s battle with a US media he considers an “enemy of the people” has been a signature fight of his second term in office, sparking warnings of an erosion of press freedoms in America and fears […]

‘The Chinese will see this high tariff level is unsustainable for their business,’ says Scott Bessent The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said “there is a path” to an agreement with China over tariffs after he had interactions with his Chinese counterparts last week in Washington. “I had interaction with my Chinese counterparts, but it […]

Conservationists fear fallout from president’s proclamation on fishing in federally protected area of Pacific Ocean Environmental conservation groups are expressing major concerns over Donald Trump’s recent proclamation to reverse fishing regulations across the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine national monument, a federally protected area in the central Pacific Ocean spanning nearly 500,000 sq miles. As one […]

From humble beginnings, the 50501 community is one of many coming together to resist the president and his policies It started with a Reddit post. “50 PROTESTS – 50 STATES – 1 DAY,” the user who goes by Evolved Fungi wrote, kicking off a movement that has since drawn hundreds of thousands to the streets […]

Trump’s tariffs will make it tougher for emerging economies to service loans but debt relief has fallen off the political agenda Pope Francis’s vast funeral in Rome on Saturday featured a certain amount of politicking amid the splendour, against the magnificent backdrop of St Peter’s basilica. If the meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump […]

Event took place with no Trump, no comedian and notably fewer politicians or Hollywood stars than in past years Journalists rallied in defence of press freedom on Saturday, insisting they “are not the enemy of the people” at a Washington media gala snubbed by Donald Trump. The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner was a […]

Trump has fixated on the Venezuelan gang, but experts say he’s concocted a bogeyman to fuel immigration crackdowns The Trump administration has fixated on portraying a Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua, or TdA, as a state-sponsored international terrorist organization that has invaded the US. Donald Trump uses the argument to justify extreme enforcement measures […]

Having fled here from Chile after Pinochet seized power in 1973 my father feared the state’s arbitrary power to turn lives upside down. His outlook has never felt more relevant “Don’t open the door to nobody,” my father warned throughout my childhood – right up until the day he died. He trusted no politicians, no […]

From ‘wellness farms’ to expanded involuntary commitment policies, the US is embracing psychiatric incarceration under the guise of compassion Across the country, a troubling trend is accelerating: the return of institutionalization – rebranded, repackaged and framed as “modern mental health care”. From Governor Kathy Hochul’s push to expand involuntary commitment in New York to Robert […]

Anxious Americans find solace as university leaders start to mount more muscular defense of academic freedom Americans anxious about their country’s slide into authoritarianism found some solace in the past week over what appears to be growing pushback by American universities against Donald Trump’s assault on higher education. After a barrage of orders, demands and […]

Tech billionaire plans to hang up the chainsaw as he steps away from ‘efficiency’ role amid Tesla sales slump “This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy!” screamed Elon Musk, wielding the power tool before a cheering crowd at a rightwing political conference. The tech titan promised to slice and dice the US federal government and save […]

Coming from Egypt, I know a dictatorship when I see one. The same can’t be said for the white voters who brought Trump to power “What’s he done now?” My parents live in Cairo and I’m in New York City. We FaceTime once a week and that question is like a game we play. My […]

Harvard is leading the pushback because it can afford to fight. Others are realising that they can’t afford not to Enfeebling universities or seizing control is an early chapter in the authoritarian playbook, studied eagerly by the likes of Viktor Orbán in Hungary. “Would-be authoritarians and one-party states centrally target universities with the aim of […]

The US constitution protects incompetence. But don’t underestimate the self-destructive power of the president’s own hubris Tyrants come to a sticky end, or so history suggests. Richard III and Coriolanus made bloody exits. More recently, Saddam Hussein went to the gallows, Slobodan Milosevic went to jail, Bashar al-Assad went into exile. Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi was […]