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US politics: the White House, Congress, the courts and the elections.
1026 articles · page 10 of 22
Patricia Krenwinkel, a former follower of cult leader Charles Manson, was granted parole on Tuesday after nearly six decades in prison for her role in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders. This is the third time California's parole board has approved her release, but Governor Gavin Newsom has reversed both previous grants, and advocates are urging him to let this ruling stand.
Leon Botstein has resigned from all Bard College-affiliated positions, including his professorship and roles in its music programs, after a top Democratic lawmaker called for a criminal investigation into an email he sent to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The email, uncovered by congressional investigators, reportedly shows Botstein asking Epstein about a young woman: 'for me, or are you keeping her for yourself.' Botstein denies any knowledge of Epstein's criminal behavior.
President Donald Trump awarded the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to six leading technology executives at a science summit on Thursday, recognizing their contributions to American innovation. The recipients include Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Jensen Huang, Lisa Su, Michael Dell and Satya Nadella.
Texas is scheduled on Wednesday to execute Jamaal Howard, 46, in the first US execution since the botched lethal injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee last week. A Texas court denied a stay request, rejecting arguments that Howard faces similar risks and is ineligible for the death penalty because of intellectual disability.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has renewed its longstanding call for a ban on the sale of raw milk, warning that the product poses serious health risks to children, as pediatricians face what they describe as rising anti-science rhetoric from federal and state officials.
Anna Gomez, the Democratic member of the US Federal Communications Commission, has urged the agency to reject a petition that would allow political groups to use AI-generated robocalls without prior permission, warning that the move could flood voters with misinformation days before the midterm elections in November.
Donald Trump has publicly distanced himself from two senior advisers, claiming he does not know who else they work for, after reports that Chris LaCivita and James Blair spent the weekend assisting the pro-Russia government of Republika Srpska, an autonomous entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, ahead of elections.
The Consumer Technology Association has attempted to estimate the price of President Trump’s goal for all technology products to be manufactured entirely within the United States, warning that the push for self-sustaining supply chains is not grounded in reality.
With less than a month to go before the US midterm elections, a new Gallup poll has found that only 37 percent of Republicans and 35 percent of independents are confident in the honesty of the country's elections, compared with 63 percent of Democrats. Overall, 49 percent of Americans expressed confidence, unchanged from the 2022 midterms.
FBI officials stopped a potential terrorist attack on the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, authorities announced Wednesday. An 18-year-old, Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, was arrested on one count of obtaining a firearm to carry out an act of terrorism after purchasing an AK-47 from an undercover FBI employee posing as a member of the Islamic State.
A former Central Intelligence Agency officer has pleaded guilty to defrauding the U.S. government of nearly $200 million by fabricating a top secret intelligence program, using his position to funnel funds into his personal possession, including hundreds of gold bars. David J. Rush, a Virginia resident, admitted to one count of wire fraud, the Department of Justice confirmed Tuesday.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll has found that 86 percent of Americans, including four out of five Republicans, believe it is inappropriate for taxpayer dollars to fund television advertisements featuring President Donald Trump or members of his cabinet, as the administration faces mounting criticism over a series of government-funded spots airing ahead of November's midterm elections.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order allowing truckers to use off-road diesel fuel on highways without federal penalties, but the relief is limited: the measure only defers the 24.4-cents-per-gallon federal excise tax until year-end and does not address higher state taxes, which average 35.5 cents nationally. Analysts say truckers may see little net benefit, especially as states could still enforce local laws against red-dyed fuel.
The US Supreme Court on Wednesday began hearing arguments in a case that could determine whether the Air Force can continue using a beach in Guam to detonate unexploded munitions. The challenge, brought by the conservation group Prutehi Guahan, contends that the longstanding practice at Tarague Beach violates environmental laws and threatens culturally significant land, and it raises broader questions about the rights of residents of US territories.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican candidate in a competitive Senate race, has been heard on leaked audio acknowledging that rising fuel prices resulting from Donald Trump's Iran war are dragging his campaign and hurting his party ahead of next month's midterm elections. In a recording obtained by Axios, Paxton told donors that affordability is Republicans' 'biggest problem' and that polling shows Democrats ahead in many races, including his own.
Voters in Washington state will head to the polls in November to decide whether to repeal the state's new millionaire tax, a 9.9% income tax on earnings above $1 million that was signed into law in March. The repeal initiative, backed by conservative groups, argues the tax represents a slippery slope, while opponents say it could raise billions for education and healthcare.
An analysis published by Foreign Policy argues that US President Donald Trump's explicit threats at the United Nations General Assembly on September 22 constitute war crimes under international law, citing prohibitions on threats of aggression and indiscriminate threats against civilian populations.
At least 73 detained immigrants at the Folkston D Ray James ICE processing center in Georgia have launched a mass hunger strike to protest their prolonged detention and conditions inside the privately-run facility, according to advocates and family members. The strike began this week with participants releasing a video and an open letter detailing their demands and allegations of mistreatment.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement signed a $16.7 million contract for 6,000 pairs of electric-shock gloves in August, despite a previously unreleased army study showing the devices caused intense pain, immediate cessation of resistance, and lingering apprehension among participants, according to records obtained by watchdog American Oversight and shared with the Associated Press.
Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang, a California couple accused of abusing at least 14 surrogate-born children in what prosecutors have called a 'House of Horrors', pleaded not guilty at a Pasadena courthouse on Tuesday, CBS News reported.
David Rush, 49, a former CIA officer, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a sweeping $200m scheme involving fake contracts and real estate, and has admitted to disclosing secrets to a foreign government in a disclosure prosecutors said could endanger lives.
A sexual assault lawsuit against Cornell University fraternity members has reignited debate over consent laws in the United States, particularly the legal distinction between voluntary and involuntary intoxication. The woman, identified as Jane Doe, alleges she was drugged and raped after drinking and being pressured to snort ketamine at a fraternity house in 2024. Under current New York law, a person who voluntarily consumes alcohol or drugs is not automatically considered unable to consent, a provision critics call the 'voluntary intoxication loophole'.
US President Donald Trump hit the campaign trail in the final sprint to the midterm elections, emphatically defending America's economic performance by claiming 'the best economic numbers of any president' though some indicators, such as high inflation and soaring petrol prices, challenge that rosy picture.
Senator Susan Collins distanced herself from Donald Trump in a televised debate Tuesday, claiming she is not the president's 'favorite senator' and emphasizing her record of crossing party lines, as Democratic challenger Troy Jackson attacked her 2018 vote for Brett Kavanaugh and tied her to the overturning of Roe v Wade in a race that could determine control of the Senate.
US President Donald Trump has announced $200bn in investments from South Korea, including $54bn for a liquefied natural gas project in Alaska, as the White House seeks to defend the Republican Party's economic record ahead of November midterm elections.
David J Rush, a former senior CIA official, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Virginia to wire fraud, admitting he abused his position and government funds to enrich himself through luxury Florida real estate and hundreds of gold bars. The plea marks the latest development in a case that has drawn attention to alleged misconduct within the intelligence community.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has said he plans to stay on the bench through the current term, even if Democrats regain control of the Senate in November's midterm election, according to a report published Tuesday by Bloomberg.
A whistleblower complaint from a former FBI analyst alleges that President Donald Trump directed the FBI to investigate protesters in Los Angeles who were demonstrating against the administration's immigration crackdown, according to Senator Alex Padilla, who received the disclosure. The complaint raises serious concerns about the politicization of federal law enforcement and potential violations of First Amendment rights.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Monday temporarily authorising the use of tax-free red-dye diesel on roads and highways in a bid to lower fuel prices ahead of the November midterm elections, but energy analysts and market observers warn the measure will do little to address the underlying supply constraints driving record-high diesel costs.
President Donald Trump's suggestion at a Nebraska rally that Iran could "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego has drawn bipartisan condemnation, with California Governor Gavin Newsom calling the remarks "dangerous, if not treasonous" and ordering the state's threat assessment centre to monitor the situation. The White House insists the comments were mischaracterised, saying the president was describing what Iran would have been able to do had he not launched a war against the country.
The US Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments from oil companies seeking to halt more than two dozen lawsuits accusing the industry of deceiving the public about climate change. The claims, brought by local governments including Boulder, Colorado, seek billions of dollars in damages to cover costs from climate-related extreme weather. The court's decision will turn on whether federal law preempts state and local governments from bringing such claims.
John Murdock, an 18-year veteran attorney at the US Department of the Interior, has resigned in protest, denouncing what he called a 'deeply troubling assault on the rule of law' under the Trump administration. In his resignation letter, Murdock cited concerns over offshore oil and gas drilling, aggressive fossil fuel expansion, and the flouting of environmental regulations. He stepped down on 30 September.
A lawyer for one of the seven men accused in the Cornell University gang rape case has called for New York Attorney General Letitia James to be removed as special prosecutor, arguing that a social media post she made last month undermines the investigation's integrity. The case has triggered campus protests and a looming no-confidence vote by Cornell faculty against the university's leadership.
A US citizen who was shot a year ago by a Customs and Border Protection agent during a sweeping immigration crackdown in Chicago filed a lawsuit against the federal government on Monday, alleging the agent lied about the incident and fired into her vehicle from behind. Marimar Martinez, then 30, was struck seven times on 4 October 2025 during what the Trump administration named Operation Midway Blitz.
Donald Trump is facing renewed accusations of using the presidency for personal enrichment after the company behind his $Trump memecoin offered an exclusive dinner at his Washington club to the coin’s biggest investors, with disclosures showing he made about $636m from the venture last year. Democrats are seizing on the invitation as evidence of corruption, hoping it will energise voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The Pentagon has announced that former US Army major Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of killing 13 unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, will be executed by firing squad — the first military execution by that method since World War Two. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on social media Monday that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth made the recommendation and President Donald Trump approved it, with the secretary of the Army to set the time and place.
President Donald Trump has sparked outrage after suggesting at a rally in Nebraska that Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego, remarks swiftly condemned as 'deranged' and 'dangerous' by California Governor Gavin Newsom and the mayors of both cities. The comments come as a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump's approval rating at a record low of 32%, with the president losing support among independent voters and Latinos ahead of the November midterm elections.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order temporarily permitting the broader use of red-dyed diesel — typically reserved for off-road farm and construction equipment and exempt from highway fuel taxes — on public roads, in an effort to bring down record-high diesel prices that topped $6 per gallon for the first time in September.
US President Donald Trump has scrapped plans to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the execution would still go ahead on 3 December as scheduled, but would not be streamed, after the proposal drew widespread criticism at home and abroad.
President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. The Pentagon confirmed the decision on Monday, calling it a long-delayed judgment for the jihadist attack.
Donald Trump says he will stop using taxpayer money for political advertising ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, after a bipartisan backlash over government-funded ads promoting the president and his agenda. The move comes as Trump disputes media coverage of his campaign rallies that has shown rows of empty seats.
The US Department of Justice has filed 40 new cases seeking to strip naturalised Americans of their citizenship, which Attorney General Todd Blanche called the largest denaturalisation effort in modern history. The petitions, filed between late August and early October, target individuals accused of serious offences including money laundering, child sexual abuse, visa fraud, tax evasion and, in two cases, espionage on behalf of China.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency on Monday over a measles outbreak, temporarily expanding the ability of health professionals to administer MMR vaccines. The declaration, in effect through November 4, comes as the state has recorded 108 cases this year — 7 in New York City and 101 elsewhere — with 92 cases since July 15 in rural communities with low vaccination rates. Neighbouring Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this year, the largest US outbreak in three decades.
Cable industry groups have notified the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that they will sue to block the agency’s repeal of the National Television Ownership Rule, which limits how many broadcast TV stations a single company may own. The groups argue the decision will give large broadcasters leverage to demand higher retransmission fees, ultimately raising costs for consumers.
The Guardian is hosting a live reader Q&A on 6 October with its political and global correspondents to examine how the war with Iran is reshaping American politics and whether it will cost Trump's party at the midterm elections.
President Donald Trump's approval rating has dropped to a career low of 32%, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, with Latino voters turning sharply against the administration a month before the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
A new Reuters-Ipsos poll shows President Donald Trump's approval rating stuck at a record low of 32 percent, with support among Hispanic voters dropping to 24 percent — its lowest point of his presidency — as the November midterm elections approach.
Pennsylvania has recorded a sixth death in its measles outbreak, with the state's case count rising to 1,137 and hospitalizations to 219. The latest fatality, announced Monday by the Franklin County coroner, was a 39-year-old unvaccinated woman with underlying conditions, as a dispute continues between state officials and the CDC over how measles deaths are classified.