• Der demokratische Kongressabgeordnete Beto O’Rourke hat angekündigt, Sanktionen gegen den texanischen Generalstaatsanwalt Ken Paxton anzustreben, aufgrund einer, wie er es nennt, „glatten Lüge“ in einer Erklärung zur Wahlkampffinanzierung.
• Im Mittelpunkt des Streits stehen Paxtons Behauptungen über O’Rourkes Praktiken zur Wahlkampffinanzierung, die laut Paxtons Kritikern Beweise verzerren und die Öffentlichkeit irreführen.
• Ethik-Beobachter sagen, die Beschwerde könnte eine formelle Prüfung durch die Texas State Bar oder einen Ethikausschuss auslösen, obwohl solche Maßnahmen selten zu sofortigen Disziplinarstrafen führen.
• Das Justice Department kündigte eine ausgeweitete strafrechtliche Untersuchung der Fundraising- und Ausgabenmuster der 2024 Trump-Präsidentschaftskampagne und zugehöriger Political Action Committees an, wobei der Fokus auf der Einhaltung von Bundesgesetzen zur Wahlkampffinanzierung und ausländischen Spendern liegt.
• Ermittler untersuchen mindestens ein Dutzend Großspenden, die laut über die Untersuchung informierten Strafverfolgungsbeamten möglicherweise über Scheinfirmenkonten oder Unternehmen mit Auslandsbezug geleitet wurden.
• Sprecher des White House bezeichneten die Maßnahme als Teil einer „routinemäßigen post-election review“, während Trump-Verbündete dem Department parteipolitische Voreingenommenheit vorwerfen und davor warnen, dass etwaige Anklagen vor den 2026 midterms einen politischen Feuersturm entfachen könnten.
• Die Gouverneurin von Maine Janet Mills gab am Donnerstag bekannt, dass sie ihre geplante Senatskandidatur zurückziehen wird, wodurch sie aus den Vorwahlen der Demokraten ausscheidet und effektiv den Weg für den Staatssenator Ben Chipman frei macht, in ein offenes Rennen einzutreten.
• Mills nannte familiäre Gründe und die Belastung durch einen prominenten Senatswahlkampf als ausschlaggebende Faktoren und erklärte, dass Maine „eine beständige Führung“ im Gouverneursamt benötige, während sie ihre zweite Amtszeit fortsetzt.
• Ihr Rückzug ordnet die politische Landkarte des Bundesstaates neu und erspart den Demokraten wahrscheinlich eine aufreibende innerparteiliche Vorwahl in einem Bundesstaat, der bei nationalen Wahlen zuletzt einen Trend zum „Purple State“ aufwies.
Die Electoral Commission untersucht Vorwürfe, wonach Gelder an den MP von einem US-Geschäftsmann stammten, der nun wegen wire fraud verurteilt wurde.
UK politics live – latest updates
Labour hat Robert Jenrick aufgefordert, fast 40.000 £ aufzugeben, die für seinen Wahlkampf als Leader der Conservative Party im Jahr 2024 gespendet wurden, nachdem Vorwürfe aufkamen, dass die Summe von einem unzulässigen ausländischen Spender stammte, der nun wegen Betrugs verurteilt wurde.
Die Partei forderte Jenrick auf, eine Spende an eine Wohltätigkeitsorganisation zu leisten, nachdem der Guardian enthüllte, dass die Electoral Commission Behauptungen nachgeht, wonach 37.500 £ von den 100.000 £, die seiner Kampagne von dem britischen Unternehmen Spott Fitness gegeben wurden, letztlich von einem Unternehmen stammten, das von dem in den USA ansässigen Geschäftsmann Gary Klopfenstein geleitet wird.
Continue reading...
Robert Hayward sagt voraus, dass Reform der große Gewinner sein wird und sowohl Labour als auch den Conservatives Sitze abnimmt.Guten Morgen. Wir befinden uns nun in der letzten Woche des Wahlkampfs für das schottische Parlament, das walisische Senedd und die englischen Kommunalwahlen. Keir Starmer hatte eigentlich eine große Rede für heute geplant, aber er und andere politische Führer konzentrieren sich heute auf ihre Reaktion auf die Messerattacke in Golders Green und die Bedrohung durch Antisemitismus, der die jüdische Gemeinschaft in Großbritannien ausgesetzt ist – von Jonathan Hall KC, dem unabhängigen Prüfer der Terrorgesetzgebung der Regierung, als „nationaler Sicherheitsnotstand“ bezeichnet. Hier ist unser Bericht von letzter Nacht. Und hier ist unser Live-Blog von Taz Ali.Taz wird den größten Teil der politischen Reaktionen auf diese Geschichte abdecken, weshalb ich das hier nicht behandeln werde. (Und da ein Strafverfahren läuft, sind Kommentare zu dem Angriff unter dem Artikel leider nicht erlaubt.) Lesen Sie weiter...
Prime minister says the middle of a global fuel crisis is ‘the worst possible time to jeopardise’ Australia’s partnerships with Asian trading partnersThe prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has confirmed next month’s federal budget will not include a new tax on existing gas export contracts as he criticised the “populist” campaign calling for a levy on producers.As reported last week, Albanese was poised to reject pressure to introduce a 25% tax on gas exports amid concerns the intervention could alienate the same Asian trading partners Australia is relying on for supplies of diesel and petrol. Continue reading...
• Venezuelan security forces restricted opposition parties from entering their campaign headquarters on Monday, raising fresh concerns about democratic conduct ahead of this year's presidential elections.
• The blockade prevented opposition candidates and staff from gathering electoral signatures and organizing voter outreach efforts, significantly hampering their campaign infrastructure.
• International observers from the Organization of American States expressed alarm over the move, calling it a violation of political freedoms and warning it could undermine the legitimacy of upcoming elections.
Exclusive: Some donations to 2024 Tory leadership campaign allegedly originated from US businessman in breach of electoral rulesPolice are assessing evidence about donations to Robert Jenrick’s campaign to become Conservative leader in 2024 after a referral from the elections watchdog, the Guardian can reveal.The information was passed on by the Electoral Commission, which the Guardian understands has been investigating allegations that almost £40,000 of donations to Jenrick’s leadership campaign before he defected to Reform UK, were from a foreign source in breach of electoral rules. Continue reading...
Critics hit out at ‘dire’ situation in the country which has the strictest laws around abortion in western EuropeRights campaigners have affixed lockboxes containing abortion pills to sites across Malta, in a campaign designed to highlight the country’s near-total ban on abortion.The 15 black boxes aim to provide practical help to women grappling with the EU’s strictest abortion laws; anyone who is less than nine weeks pregnant and in need of an abortion is invited to send an email to obtain the location and codes to access the pills. Continue reading...
Military video shows boat moving swiftly in water before explosion leaves it in flamesThe US military said on Sunday three men were killed when it struck a boat it claimed was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.This latest strike – which follows dozens of similar attacks on alleged drug boats in recent months – brings the US campaign’s death toll to at least 185, according to a tally compiled by Agence France-Presse. Continue reading...
Former Liberal party senator, who was elected to state upper house in March, says flights ‘worth every cent’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation’s South Australian leader has paid back Australia’s richest person for private flights he took while campaigning in the state’s recent election.Cory Bernardi confirmed on Saturday that he had reimbursed a “substantial” sum of money to Gina Rinehart’s company S Kidman & Co, to comply with new state laws that prohibit political parties and candidates from receiving electoral donations or gifts from individuals, businesses or unions. Continue reading...
• A multiyear international campaign is underway to repair damage to childhood immunization efforts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The initiative focuses on restoring vaccination rates that declined during the pandemic period across multiple countries.
• Public health experts view this effort as critical to preventing resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases in vulnerable pediatric populations.
HMRC is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds, with an average balance of £2,200Rather than demanding money, HMRC is giving it away for once with a new campaign to reunite thousands of young Britons with forgotten savings accounts typically containing £2,200.HM Revenue and Customs is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds (CTF) – the tax-free savings accounts set up for children born between September 2002 and January 2011. Continue reading...
The campaign, fronted by a CGI squirrel, is part of government initiative to boost financial risk taking, amid fears UK growth is being stymiedNils Pratley: the ‘Savvy Squirrel looks a hit too tame’City firms are pinning their hopes on a government-endorsed advertising blitz fronted by a finance “savvy” CGI squirrel to encourage cautious British savers to shift out of cash and start investing.The long-awaited retail investment campaign, which will cost up to £50m, is part of the chancellor Rachel Reeves’ nationwide push to encourage more financial risk taking, amid fears risk-averse consumers are losing out and ultimately stymying UK growth. Continue reading...
Former MP Tom Hunt has been working for Pauline Hanson’s party in the seat of Farrer, where One Nation hopes for a game-changing breakthroughOne Nation has recruited a former UK Tory MP who is now a member of Nigel Farage’s populist right-wing party Reform to help its campaign in the upcoming Farrer byelection.Tom Hunt, the Conservative MP for the UK seat of Ipswich for five years until 2024, has been advising on the rightwing party’s social media strategy for the byelection after a stint in the South Australian state election. Continue reading...
Pillars at Cold Ashby, Northamptonshire, and Thorny Gale, Cumbria, bookended the project that modernised mappingHeritage campaigners are bidding for listing status for two concrete pillars hailed as “modest obelisks of modernity in the countryside”.These functional 120cm (4ft) stone or concrete “trig points” formed part of a 6,500-strong network of surveying posts that were vital for the development of modern mapping. Continue reading...
Exclusive: John Sidoti wins cheers and applause at re-election fundraiser for his successorFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA former New South Wales minister found by Icac to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct has been feted as one of the “esteemed luminaries of the Liberal party” at an election fundraiser headlined by the state opposition leader, Kellie Sloane.John Sidoti, a former Liberal minister and state member for Drummoyne who left the party in 2021 amid an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, attended a re-election campaign launch event last week for his successor as MP and former staffer, Stephanie Di Pasqua. Continue reading...
US president says he has ‘held back’ on firing the head of the Federal Reserve leading up to end of Powell’s term in MaySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDonald Trump threatened to fire Jerome Powell if he stays on as US Federal Reserve chair past the end of his tenure and doubled down on a criminal investigation into renovations of the central bank’s headquarters.As the White House pushes Trump’s new nominee to take charge of the Fed, Kevin Warsh, Powell has a month left in the role. The possibility of Powell staying on as chair past 15 May, the official end of his term, has grown amid mounting scrutiny of Trump’s approach to the Fed in the Senate, which is required to approve Warsh’s nomination. Continue reading...
Octogenarian incumbent contrasts his health with challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, who fainted during a TV debate The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is seeking to lunge and leg press his way to a historic fourth term, as the octogenarian politician uses a flurry of workout videos to convince voters he is fighting fit ahead of October’s crunch election.Lula looks set to face off against a senator almost half his age in what will be the leftist’s seventh presidential campaign since he first sought Brazil’s top job in 1989, when he was 44. Continue reading...
Follow the day’s news liveAlbanese didn’t return with shiploads of diesel. That doesn’t mean his Singapore visit wasn’t a successGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government is launching a new advertising campaign to encourage the public to minimise their use of fuel amid the global crisis caused by the US-Israel war on Iran.The TV, digital and billboard campaign, which will begin rolling out on Monday, is called “Every little bit helps” and is part of the second level of the government’s four-tier fuel security plan.…lays the groundwork for Australians to understand what to do now as fuel supplies hold up. It also signals that instructions will be communicated if and when we move to future levels.This campaign will help communicate the Government’s plan to the public and outline what actions they can take to help.The global fuel shortage is affecting us all and every little bit helps. From running errands in fewer trips to only filling up with the fuel you need, this will help us keep essential services moving. Continue reading...
• President Donald Trump and his administration actively promoted Hungary's far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during his reelection campaign through social media and an election-eve trip to Budapest.
• Trump demonstrated his willingness to publicly intervene in foreign elections, marking a significant exercise of political influence abroad.
• The move reflects Trump's pattern of backing allied leaders globally and raises questions about U.S. diplomatic norms regarding foreign electoral involvement.
Polls suggest lead for opposition candidate before vote on Sunday as both allege enlistment of foreign interferenceEurope live – latest updatesHungary elections: what is at stake and who is likely to win?Viktor Orbán and his centre-right rival, Péter Magyar, have traded accusations of enlisting foreign interference in a high-stakes election that polls suggest could mark the end of the nationalist Hungarian prime minister’s 16 years in power.As the two leaders’ campaigns entered their final stages before this weekend’s vote, which is being watched as keenly in Brussels, Moscow and Washington as in Budapest, Orbán said on social media on Friday that his opponent would “stop at nothing to seize power”. Continue reading...
Opposition candidate Péter Magyar warns supporters against complacency as some voters undecided ahead of Sundayin BudapestWe talked to a few Budapest residents this morning in the city centre at Jászai Mari Square. Continue reading...
Use of glyphosate has risen 10-fold in 30 years, raising fears for public healthIt was Scottish farmers in the 1980s who pioneered the practice of spraying glyphosate on their wheat just before harvest. Struggling in the damp glens to get their crop to dry evenly, they came up with the idea of accelerating the process by killing it a week or two before harvesting.Glyphosate, then a revolutionary herbicide that killed everything plant-based but spared animal life, seemed perfect for the job. Soon the practice spread to wetter, colder agricultural regions around the world. Continue reading...
The US vice-president and Hungary’s prime minister will hold a joint press conference later todayThe US vice-president JD Vance is en route to Budapest this morning, where he is expected to support the embattled prime minister Viktor Orbán in the final days of the campaign before this weekend’s crucial parliamentary election in Hungary.Departing from Joint Base Andrews last night, JD Vance said he was looking forward to meeting his “friend Viktor,” and said that the pair would discuss not just the state of the US-Hungarian relations, but also broader issues on Europe and Ukraine. Continue reading...
Some candidates are making public health a central part of their midterm campaigns amid Trump’s war on science As public health has become increasingly politicized in the US, with a particularly chaotic year under the Trump administration, some political candidates are pushing back by making public health a central part of their campaigns – and the grassroots organization Defend Public Health has ideas about how to do it.On Monday, the group launched guiding principles for campaigns to prioritize public health, called the People’s Health Platform, highlighting the importance of ensuring healthcare for all, protecting and expanding sexual, reproductive, and gender-affirming healthcare, preparing for the climate crisis and the next pandemic, and taxing billionaires, among other tenets. Continue reading...
Figures suggest if £500,000 limit set for Great Britain 30 years ago was adjusted for inflation the maximum would be more than £1mA 30-year freeze on compensation for victims of crime should be lifted, campaigners have said, adding that the maximum of £500,000 is insufficient to plan for a lifetime.The current highest rate, set in April 1996 by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), is paid to victims of crime in England, Scotland and Wales who have suffered severe life-changing injuries, including brain damage and paralysis. Continue reading...
• US and Israeli forces conducted strikes Tuesday on major Iranian steel facilities, including the Mobarakeh Steel Company in Isfahan and the Khuzestan Steel Company, marking continued escalation of military operations.
• President Donald Trump stated American forces will withdraw from Iran within "two to three weeks," signaling a potential end to the ongoing military campaign that began last month.
• Iran reported at least 249 women and 216 children killed in US-Israeli attacks since the war's start, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected ceasefire proposals and demanded a complete end to hostilities.
Trans and gender-diverse people experience ‘significant and preventable barriers to their safety and dignity’, report findsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe sex discrimination commissioner says there has been a concerted disinformation campaign against transgender rights since Australia’s postal survey on same-sex marriage.The Australian Human Rights Commission released a report on Tuesday – coinciding with international trans day of visibility – finding that trans and gender-diverse people experience “significant and preventable barriers to their safety, dignity and full participation in society” spanning healthcare, housing, education, employment and public life. Continue reading...
In today’s newsletter: From breakthroughs to breakdowns, what we can expect to see – and what the consequences of the vote could beGood morning. On 7 May, voters in England will go to the polls for a series of local elections, on the same day that Scotland and Wales vote for new governments. It promises to be a torrid time for Keir Starmer and his governing Labour party, with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, Zack Polanski’s Green party and Rhun ap Iorwerth’s Plaid Cymru expected to make breakthroughs.Recent polling, though, suggests that the overall balance between those on the right and those on the left has barely shifted – rather, previously loyal Conservative voters are moving towards Farage’s party, while Labour voters are deserting to other progressive options.Middle East crisis | Donald Trump has threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power stations and fresh water plants if Tehran does not agree to peace terms “shortly”.Israel | Israel’s parliament has passed a law imposing the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of fatal attacks, a measure sharply criticised as discriminatory by European countries and rights groups.BBC | The BBC has sacked the Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills after allegations about his personal conduct. The corporation said that “while we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted and has left the BBC”.Politics | Zack Polanski has kicked off a charm offensive designed to convince trade unions to stop funding Labour and throw their weight behind the Green party, as he delivered the first in a series of speeches to union conferences.Travelodge | A woman who was sexually assaulted by an employee at a Travelodge has said she was shocked to learn the hotel chain’s boss cancelled a meeting with a group of MPs seeking to discuss concerns about the case. Continue reading...
