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The GuardianHumanityCalifornia
Outcry after ICE violently detains US citizen walking to high school: ‘I thought they were going to kill me’

Outcry after ICE violently detains US citizen walking to high school: ‘I thought they were going to kill me’

Agents pinned down Erik Zepeda, a 20-year-old with disabilities, and left him with a broken wrist in latest example of ICE brutality as activity surges in California The violent ICE detention of a US citizen with disabilities as he walked to his high school has sparked outrage in California where leaders are condemning the incident as racial profiling and calling on authorities to investigate. Erik Zepeda, a 20-year-old high school student, was stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers last month in the small agricultural city of Santa Maria, famed for its strawberry harvest, where 79% of residents are Latino. His wrist was broken and later required surgery.

4h ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
Democrats promised to end corruption. Here’s how they can do that | David Sirota

Democrats promised to end corruption. Here’s how they can do that | David Sirota

Overturning Citizens United is not enough. Campaigns must be funded with public money rather than private donations Having devoted most of my adult life to reporting on, campaigning against, and exposing the corrosive influence of money in politics, I’m gratified that this cause was – finally – front of mind in a national election. That’s right: in the midterms, corruption topped the list of Americans’ concerns, and candidates won by waging campaigns promising to reject corporate Pac money and linking Washington’s pay-to-play culture to the affordability crisis.

5h ago
The GuardianScandalKentucky
Democrats won. What does that mean for impeachment inquiries? | Claire Finkelstein

Democrats won. What does that mean for impeachment inquiries? | Claire Finkelstein

An impeachment investigation would enhance transparency and allow Congress to reassert its authority In Tuesday’s midterm elections, voters sent the Republican party an unmistakable message: their love affair with Trumpism is coming to an end. The overwhelming victory for Democrats in both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate, was foreshadowed by a number of polls showing growing disenchantment with Donald Trump – and it was personal.

1d ago
The GuardianScandal
Food grown in illegal West Bank settlements being sold in Australia as ‘produce of Israel’

Food grown in illegal West Bank settlements being sold in Australia as ‘produce of Israel’

Analysis by human rights organisation Global Echo shows 85 of 132 shipments over eight years contained more than US$5m of organic dates grown in settlements Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Millions of dollars of food grown in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank has been shipped to Australia labelled as “produce of Israel”, a new analysis of trade data has shown. The human rights legal organisation Global Echo has analysed commercial documents and official trade data from the Israeli government and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, showing at least US$5m (A$7.2m) of organic dates grown in illegal settlements across the West Bank have been shipped to Australia over the past eight years.

20h ago
The GuardianHumanityLondon
What can Britain learn from backlash to Dutch slavery apology?

What can Britain learn from backlash to Dutch slavery apology?

In the Netherlands many felt the move, while welcome, was mishandled and exclusionary, mirroring past inequality Andy Burnham’s pledge to seek a “structured dialogue” with former colonies to help shape Britain’s first formal state apology for slavery marks the UK’s first tentative step down a path the Netherlands set out on five years ago. The prime minister’s attempts to initiate a historic shift alongside the royal family – whose customary expressions of “profound personal sorrow”, falling short of an apology, was repeated by King Charles this week – echo a process begun by the Dutch state in 2021.

4h ago
The GuardianDiplomacyNorth West England
Has Britain finally pulled off a diplomatic victory in the row over reparations?

Has Britain finally pulled off a diplomatic victory in the row over reparations?

A formal apology over slavery without direct reparations will give the UK the moral high ground but no legal liability A beach in Antigua is not the ideal place for a prime minister to be photographed less than a week after his first budget where the focus was the crushing cost-of-living crisis. Add to the beachside cocktail a row about reparations for the British role in the slave trade, one of the favoured punching bags of the right-wing press, and it becomes easy to understand why Andy Burnham was wary of even attending the Commonwealth heads of government meeting.

10h ago
The GuardianPoliticians
UK and Caribbean to begin ‘dialogue’ within next year after slavery reparations call

UK and Caribbean to begin ‘dialogue’ within next year after slavery reparations call

Antigua and Barbuda’s prime minister says there was a consensus at Commonwealth summit on way forward The UK has agreed to “structured dialogue” in the next year with Caribbean nations affected by the slave trade and its legacy, Commonwealth leaders have said. Gaston Browne, Antigua and Barbuda’s prime minister, said there was a “consensus” in discussions between governments about a way forward on slavery reparations at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm).

16h ago
The TelegraphScandalUnited Kingdom
Bosses risk jail if staff use wrong pronouns under trans law

Bosses risk jail if staff use wrong pronouns under trans law

Bosses risk jail if their staff use the wrong pronouns to address trans people under the Government’s new conversion therapy law, campaigners have warned. The contentious draft Conversion Practices Bill states that company directors and leaders of other organisations can be held liable if one of their employees tries to suppress or change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, its opponents have said.

20h ago
The GuardianElections
Trump claims US will end military aid to Israel by end of this year

Trump claims US will end military aid to Israel by end of this year

US president makes surprise election day announcement, saying country does not ‘need’ $4bn annual payment Donald Trump has said that the US will end military aid to Israel at the end of this year in a surprise election day announcement that appeared to be targeted at voters sceptical of US support for Israel and the war in Gaza. In a phone interview with Fox News as voting began on Tuesday morning, the US president said the US would cut nearly $4bn (£2.96bn) in military aid to Israel because “they don’t need it”.

1d ago
The GuardianElectionsSouth Carolina
How did Republicans lose a Senate seat in fireball-red South Carolina?

How did Republicans lose a Senate seat in fireball-red South Carolina?

Bitter postmortem under way as party comes to terms with Darline Graham’s stunning loss to Annie Andrews It’s not that Shane Brown somehow didn’t know about the US Senate election in South Carolina. Nor was he unaware that the outcome of the race between Senator Darline Graham and her Democratic challenger, Annie Andrews, was shockingly competitive when he refrained from voting Tuesday. The campaigns would not let him forget it.

4h ago
The GuardianElectionsMaine
What the downfall of near three-decade senator Susan Collins says about Republican unpopularity

What the downfall of near three-decade senator Susan Collins says about Republican unpopularity

Troy Jackson, in just 101 days, bested the Republican, preventing her sixth Senate term: ‘You can’t eat road salt’ Send us your questions about the US midterms results and Democrats’ ‘blue wave’ Track live results from all 50 states The political demise of Susan Collins – a fixture of Maine and Washington politics for three decades – recalls the famous line in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises about how one of the novel’s characters experienced bankruptcy: gradually, then suddenly. In the run-up to Tuesday’s stunning Democrat “blue wave” election triumph, it seemed obvious that Collins’s 30-year tenure as Maine’s Republican senator was vulnerable to the challenge of Troy Jackson, the Democrats’ explicitly working-class candidate as voters prepared to unleash pent-up anger with Donald Trump’s presidency.

20h ago
The GuardianElectionsMinneapolis
A progressive understanding of Christianity won in the US elections | Bill McKibben

A progressive understanding of Christianity won in the US elections | Bill McKibben

James Talarico and Adam Hamilton’s interpretations of the Bible are wildly different from the conservative vision we are regularly fed Two-thirds of Americans identify as Christian, but since less than a third of the country actually makes it to church regularly, many rely on what they pick up from the media – social or otherwise – to know what the religion means. And until yesterday, that received wisdom could be summed up as: a conservative, domineering, and above all anti-gay force fiercely committed to the Republican party. Well, let’s just talk about what Republicans and Democrats believe, and I value Republicans, too. But … Republicanism – often we hear it’s about fiscal responsibility, limited government, a strong defense, and personal civil liberties, and let’s say conservative values in some ways. And Democrats – if you think about what they stand for, it’s education, it’s the vulnerable, it’s social safety nets, it’s a progressive spirit that’s trying to lift people up. And I said: if you think about those two, which sounds more like Jesus in the gospels?

4h ago
Valor EconômicoPoliticiansUSA
Party still searching for a viable candidate for the White House

Party still searching for a viable candidate for the White House

Before all the votes in this U.S. midterm election had even been counted, analysts and politicians were already debating which Democrats had emerged strengthened for the 2028 presidential race. Some names were already in circulation, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, while others are now being seen as potential contenders to test, such as Senator James Talarico and Governor Gina Hinojosa, who made history in Texas.

8h ago
The GuardianDiplomacyThames Valley
British lawyer Dapo Akande elected to UN top court in big diplomatic win

British lawyer Dapo Akande elected to UN top court in big diplomatic win

Akande joining the international court of justice comes a decade after previous British judge failed to get re-elected A British judge has been elected on to the UN’s international court of justice, in a big British diplomatic victory that comes almost 10 years after a previous British judge failed to get re-elected. Dapo Akande will now serve as one of the ICJ’s 15 judges for a minimum nine-year term.

1d ago
Irish IndependentScandal
From fire and fury to election fall guy – why Pete Hegseth has become top target for Trump in elections failure fallout

From fire and fury to election fall guy – why Pete Hegseth has become top target for Trump in elections failure fallout

Pete Hegseth has emerged as the primary target for political fallout following devastating Republican losses in the midterm elections, as lawmakers on Capitol Hill question whether President Donald Trump will target the defence secretary as a fall guy. Hegseth, a former Fox News host turned defence chief, spent the last year pushing aggressive reforms across the military, from launching military strikes in Iran without congressional approval to purging dozens of top officers and championing controversial readiness initiatives aimed at boosting testosterone and fitness standards.

10h ago
Daily PostElectionsMichigan
Michigan's El-Sayed addresses Trump, Vance after election as first Muslim US Senator

Michigan's El-Sayed addresses Trump, Vance after election as first Muslim US Senator

Abdul El-Sayed took a dig at President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance late Tuesday night after defeating Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race. While on the midterm election campaign trail, the United States leader repeatedly threw jabs at El-Sayed, who has become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. The […] Michigan's El-Sayed addresses Trump, Vance after election as first Muslim US Senator

1d ago
The GuardianPublic PolicyUSA
Trump takes 500 actions to weaken cancer protections, new report says

Trump takes 500 actions to weaken cancer protections, new report says

Natural Resources Defense Council shows how federal rules changes will spike up public’s exposure to carcinogens Amid a surge in early onset cancer, the Trump administration has taken more than 500 actions to systematically dismantle protections against carcinogens once in place across the federal government, an October report alleges. The Natural Resources Defense Council report, and comments from current and former officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, bring into focus how myriad changes in federal rules or protocol will dramatically increase the public’s exposure to carcinogens. These are taking effect at a time when some forms of early onset cancer are spiking by about 30% per decade.

4h ago
The GuardianHumanitySouth West England
Palestine Action activists used similar tactics to the suffragettes, court told

Palestine Action activists used similar tactics to the suffragettes, court told

Lawyers tell supreme court decision to proscribe organisation as terrorist group is attack on freedom of speech and protest Palestine Action was banned as a terrorist group after using tactics similar to – or less extreme than – the suffragettes, the UK’s highest court has heard. Huda Ammori, a co-founder of Palestine Action, is challenging last year’s decision to proscribe the direct action organisation, placing it alongside groups such as al-Qaida and Boko Haram.

1d ago
The GuardianPublic Policy
Thursday briefing: ‘A dignified life for all must be the north star’: economist Isabella Weber answers your questions

Thursday briefing: ‘A dignified life for all must be the north star’: economist Isabella Weber answers your questions

In today’s newsletter: From the cost of living to the AI bubble and the fight against fascism, Weber answers Guardian readers’ questions on how to build a fairer economy and world Good morning. As stateside celebrations die down, the Democratic party will be forced to confront a (deceptively) simple question: now what? Their colossal midterm successes will curtail Trump’s power during his remaining time in office, but the battle to shape the Democratic platform heading into next year’s presidential primaries is only just getting started. While rallying against Trump is one thing, sustaining support by making a tangible difference to the lives of voters struggling with the cost of living is another. It’s a challenge for progressive parties facing down the far right across the world. UK | Cocaine has overtaken heroin as the biggest cause of drug deaths in England and Wales, figures from the Office for National Statistics show. France | Hundreds of thousands are expected to march in demonstrations across France as trade unions call for a nationwide strike expected to extend to hospital workers, air traffic control, the post office, teachers and rail staff. Commonwealth summit | The UK has agreed to “structured dialogue” in the next year with Caribbean nations affected by the slave trade and its legacy, Commonwealth leaders have said. US news | Pete Hegseth is increasingly looking like he may take the fall for Republicans’ midterm losses, despite Donald Trump’s vocal support for his defense secretary, even calling him a champion of war. Ebola | A British healthcare worker with Ebola is being evacuated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the UK for medical treatment, it has been confirmed.

9h ago
The GuardianHumanityEngland
Labour to end cooperation with Greens in 11 councils over ‘Zionism is racism’ policy

Labour to end cooperation with Greens in 11 councils over ‘Zionism is racism’ policy

Deals with six Green council groups that have condemned the motion are to remain in place, says Labour UK politics live – latest updates Labour is to stop cooperating with the Green party in 11 councils across England following an ultimatum for Greens in local government to disown a new policy stating that “Zionism is racism”. A statement from Labour said coalitions or other deals with Greens would stop in all local authorities where they had refused to condemn the policy motion passed at their party conference last month, which also called for a single Palestinian state in place of Israel.

3d ago
The GuardianElectionsMichigan
Abdul El-Sayed’s victory has laid bare a truth about America's view on Israel | Peter Beinart

Abdul El-Sayed’s victory has laid bare a truth about America's view on Israel | Peter Beinart

In Michigan, support for Israel was a kind of political hologram. But the media often made it seem real Among the things that Abdul El-Sayed’s victory last night in the Michigan Senate race revealed is this: the debate over US policy toward Israel does not primarily pit the left versus the right. It pits the top versus the bottom. There was no grassroots enthusiasm in the state for maintaining US military aid and weapons sales to Israel. That view no longer commands support even among ordinary Republicans. There was instead a massive infusion of pro-Israel money, mostly from extremely wealthy people. Peter Beinart is a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, editor at large at Jewish Currents, a professor at the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York, and the author of The Beinart Notebook, a weekly newsletter. His most recent book is Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza

48m ago
The GuardianPoliticiansLondon
Ministers to target ‘wild west’ of ebikes blocking pavements

Ministers to target ‘wild west’ of ebikes blocking pavements

Exclusive: Consultation led by Department for Transport will consider parking standards, fleet sizes and insurance requirements Ministers are seeking to end the “wild west” of parked e-bikes blocking pavements, as they attempt to crack down on antisocial behaviour such as cyclists jumping red lights. The consultation, led by the Department for Transport, will aim to establish national standards on issues including parking, ending the current patchwork of agreements between individual bike companies and councils.

9h ago
The GuardianScandalUSA
Tech barons cozied up to Trump. What will they do in newly blue America?

Tech barons cozied up to Trump. What will they do in newly blue America?

Democrats’ success was helped by popular anger over tech, AI and the super rich – life for billionaires could become much more difficult The photo of Silicon Valley centi-billionaires at Donald Trump’s inauguration – Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg, front row and side by side – now looks like a hitlist for a blue Congress hellbent on making life difficult for billionaires. The picture symbolized at the time the bending of the knee by the richest men in the world to its most powerful, a symbiosis of the ultra-rich. Already unfathomably wealthy, Silicon Valley tycoons believed a Maga-sized public shift to the right would enrich them even more. It did. For several years, while Trump seemed an everlasting kingmaker and AI’s expansion seemed unstoppable, their fortunes ballooned to values beyond comprehension. Elon Musk’s surpassed $1tn.

7h ago
The GuardianHistorySouth West England
Repairing the legacy of slavery: what are campaigners calling for?

Repairing the legacy of slavery: what are campaigners calling for?

Debate has focused on cash payments, but advocates say reparatory justice must address much more than money The debate in much of the British media over reparations has focused almost entirely on cash payments: how much Britain might owe for its role in transatlantic enslavement, who should pay and whether people today should be held responsible for the actions of those who came before them. But some campaigners warn that this narrow focus overlooks the broader goals of the reparations movement.

6h ago