Trump repeatedly demanded that Republicans unify to pass a longer extension of the Fisa warrantless spying lawBoth chambers of Congress voted in quick succession Friday to pass a brief 10-day extension of a controversial warrantless surveillance law after Republican infighting tanked plans for a much longer renewal of the law with no changes.Donald Trump had repeatedly demanded that Republican holdouts “UNIFY” behind Mike Johnson, the US House speaker, in favor of an extension of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) without changes. But chaos ensued late Thursday as Republican leadership tried and failed twice in votes attempting to reauthorize the surveillance program, before resorting to a stopgap measure. Continue reading...
Another lawyer says ruling ‘puts brakes on the Minns government’s ability to use executive power to minimise people’s rights to protest’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Minns government should think twice before imposing an outright ban on the phrase “globalise the intifada” in the wake of a landmark finding that could limit attempts to control speech and protests, a leading constitutional expert has said.New South Wales’ highest court ruled in favour of the Palestine Action Group and Blak Caucas on Thursday, striking down an anti-protest law introduced after the Bondi beach terror attack that gave police the power to restrict marches, including the anti-Herzog rally in February. Continue reading...
The decision to extend a warrantless security law until 30 April came after 20 Republicans worked with House Democrats to defeat attempts to pass five-year and 18-month renewalsSign up for the Breaking News US emailHello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.The House of Representatives voted early on Friday to briefly extend an expiring and controversial law that grants the US government sweeping powers for warrantless surveillance.Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon to be followed by a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese leaders next week.Progressive Democrat Analilia Mejia won a New Jersey special election for the US House on Thursday. Mejia, who was endorsed by Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is far more critical on Israel and was the only candidate in the Democratic primary to call Israel’s actions during the war in Gaza a genocide.Todd Lyons, the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is stepping down after a turbulent year carrying out Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.Donald Trump nominated Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general during his first administration, to lead the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).Schwartz was under immediate pressure from critics of the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, to oppose his anti-vaccine ideology. At a heated oversight hearing, House Democrats grilled Kennedy over his vaccine rollbacks.Speaking in Las Vegas, Trump told supporters “the war in Iran is going along swimmingly, we can do whatever we want.” He did not explain why, then, the US military has been unable to stop Iran from closing the strait of Hormuz.The US Department of Justice opened an investigation into Eric Swalwell following his resignation from Congress, according to a source familiar with the matter.Police in Illinois responded Wednesday evening to the home of Pope Leo’s brother, John Prevost, after a bomb threat was made, NBC Chicago reported. Continue reading...
Legislation will expunge convictions and end prosecution of women who terminate their pregnanciesLegislation to pardon women who have been convicted of illegal abortions has passed its final parliamentary hurdle, paving the way for a landmark change in the law.The amendment to the crime and policing bill, which will also expunge the police records of those arrested and investigated over illegal abortions, was considered in the House of Lords during a phase of parliamentary ping-pong, where a bill passes back and forth between the Lords and Commons. Continue reading...
California supreme court upholds lower court decision as Eastman says he will appeal to US supreme courtJohn Eastman, a lawyer who played a key role in Donald Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election, officially lost his law license in California on Wednesday.The California supreme court upheld a 2024 ruling from a state judge, who recommended Eastman be disbarred. Eastman “exhibited gross negligence by making false statements about the 2020 election without conducting any meaningful investigation or verification of the information he was relying upon”, Judge Yvette Roland wrote in 2024. Continue reading...
Risks from cancer and other diseases could be hidden with little accountability if justices favor big firms, critics warnThe US could face foreign attacks, food shortages and agricultural “devastation” if the supreme court rules against Monsanto in a closely watched case over pesticide regulation that is set for arguments later this month, according to a series of legal briefs supporting the company.In contrast, opposing legal briefs warn that if the court sides with Monsanto, consumers will be stripped of their rights to sue when they develop cancer or other serious diseases they attribute to exposure to dangerous chemicals. Companies will be able to hide product risks with little accountability, they warn. Continue reading...
Investigation of Family Dollar and Dollar General prompts lawmakers to double penalties for retailers that repeatedly charge more at checkout than prices listed on shelvesUtah lawmakers have voted to stiffen penalties on retailers who chronically overcharge customers.The new state law, which takes effect on 6 May, was introduced in direct response to a Guardian investigation of pricing practices at two national chains, Dollar General and Family Dollar, according to an official who oversees the state’s price-accuracy inspections. Continue reading...
Court finds law – which effectively meant protesters could not march without risk of arrest – is unconstitutionalFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNew South Wales’ highest court has struck down an anti-protest law brought in after the Bondi beach terror attack which gave police the power to restrict marches, including at the anti-Herzog rally earlier this year.The court of appeal handed down its findings on Thursday after three activist groups – the Blak Caucus, the Palestine Action Group and Jews Against the Occupation ’48 – filed a constitutional challenge in early January against the legislation. Continue reading...
• Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science, working with collaborators from Japan's National Institute for Materials Science, have observed electrons in graphene flowing like a nearly frictionless liquid, defying a core law of physics.
• Researchers created exceptionally clean graphene samples and measured electrical and thermal conductivity, finding that as electrical conductivity rose, thermal conductivity dropped—the opposite of expected behavior.
• The team discovered the fluid's viscosity is extremely low, making it one of the closest realizations of a perfect fluid ever observed, establishing graphene as an accessible platform for studying extreme physics phenomena.
Food delivery services say the proposed laws will affect their workers, while shared e-vehicle schemes claim the laws could make them uninsurableFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLegislation that would crack down on ebikes and e-scooters in Queensland could curtail food delivery services and potentially end shared e-vehicle schemes, industry figures warn.The proposed laws would set an age limit of 16 on ebikes and e-scooters, require users to obtain a driver’s licence, and set a limit of 10km/h on almost all cycle lanes. Continue reading...
Section of state’s electoral act that introduced caps on political donations but carved out an exemption for major parties ruled unconstitutional The high court has ruled Victoria’s political donation laws are unconstitutional, in a move that has been described as “enshrining a level playing field”.The unanimous decision, handed down by Australia’s highest court on Wednesday, struck out an entire section of Victoria’s electoral act that introduced caps on political donations but carved out an exemption for major parties. Continue reading...
Suit alleges the billionaire’s AI company is illegally spewing toxic pollutants from its datacenter in the Memphis areaA new lawsuit accuses Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company of illegally spewing toxic pollutants into the Black neighborhoods on the border of Tennessee and Mississippi.The suit, filed Tuesday in Mississippi federal court, alleges xAI is violating the Clean Air Act due to emissions from its enormous datacenter in Southaven, Mississippi. The plaintiff – storied civil rights group the NAACP, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center – says xAI has been polluting the surrounding historically Black communities by using dozens of methane gas generators without permits. The organization is seeking to force the company to stop operating its unpermitted turbines in Southaven. Continue reading...
Push for states to assign presidential electors to winner of popular vote gains momentum in bid to reach 270 thresholdA national majority vote for president is one step closer to reality after Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger signed the National Popular Vote bill into law, joining an interstate compact with 17 other states and the District of Columbia.Under the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, states would assign their presidential electors to the winner of the popular vote, regardless of the results within the state. The compact takes effect when states representing a majority of electoral votes – 270 of 538 – pass the legislation and thus would determine the winner of the presidential contest. With Virginia, the compact now has 222 electors. Continue reading...
TMTG drops defamation claim over report that prosecutors were investigating payments received as possible money launderingDonald Trump’s media corporation has dropped a defamation claim against the Guardian and two other defendants over a report that federal prosecutors were investigating $8m in payments the company received from entities with ties to Vladimir Putin as possible money laundering.A filing in the 12th judicial circuit in Sarasota county, Florida, on Friday confirms that Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), the parent company of the president’s Truth Social platform, was withdrawing its claims without prejudice, meaning it could refile the lawsuit at a later date. Continue reading...
Judge rules complaint fails to outline malice after Trump argued lewd drawing allegedly sent to Epstein at heart of story was fakeA Florida judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed last summer by Donald Trump over a Wall Street Journal report that he had sent a “bawdy” letter to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2003, though the judge has given the US president two weeks to re-file the case.Trump, who has had a habit of suing media companies both inside and outside the White House, had argued that a lewd drawing at the heart of the story was fake. The lawsuit was especially notable because one of the defendants was Rupert Murdoch, one of Trump’s top media allies, whose News Corporation media empire owns the Journal. Continue reading...
No 10 understood to be ready to drop block on Security Service being covered after concerns from families and Labour MPsThe delayed Hillsborough law could come into force after a shift by the government on forcing intelligence services to give evidence to public inquiries. Disagreement on the issue had seen the bill’s progress halted earlier this year.Downing Street is understood to be willing to give way over a block on intelligence staff coming under the law’s terms, which enforces a duty of candour on public officials and contractors in the aftermath of disasters. Continue reading...
Republicans call on Trump to ‘finish the job’ while top Democrats warn against resuming hostilitiesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe failure of negotiations to end the US war with Iran has unleashed a barrage of starkly partisan political responses, with leading Republicans making hawkish calls for Donald Trump to “finish the job” while top Democrats warned that it would be disastrous for the president to resume hostilities.The former UN ambassador during Trump’s first presidency, Nikki Haley, led the Republican charge. She told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that the current two-week ceasefire was a test of nerves. Continue reading...
Report says company did not pay tens of thousands in tax on dividends given to Reform UK deputy leader and trustRichard Tice’s company has been accused of breaking the law by allegedly failing to pay tens of thousands of pounds in tax on dividends that were paid to him and his offshore trust.Reform UK’s multimillionaire deputy leader is alleged to have received at least £91,000 in excess payments as a result, the Sunday Times reported. Dan Neidle of Tax Policy Associates – whose analysis was cited by the newspaper – said that further analysis suggested that the total in tax that should have been paid by Tice’s company was about £120,000. Continue reading...
Human rights lawyers say NDIS workers and their clients remain at risk despite newly bolstered whistleblower protectionsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen Susan* came across wrongdoing at her disability support provider, she faced a choice.Say nothing, and allow her highly vulnerable clients to be put at serious risk. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Guardian analysis suggests young people who pose ‘catastrophic’ threat still slipping through systemMinisters are “failing to learn the lessons” from the Southport attack and allowing violence-obsessed teenagers to remain a “catastrophic” threat to society, lawyers for victims of the atrocity have said ahead of the findings of an official inquiry.A report on the July 2024 attack by the judge Sir Adrian Fulford, to be released on Monday, is expected to strongly criticise failings by a series of agencies, including the counter-terrorism programme Prevent. Continue reading...
The men, sent to the southern African country in July, have been denied in-person counsel for nine months Four men deported by the US to Eswatini and denied in-person legal counsel for nine months while detained in a maximum security prison have the right to see a local lawyer, Eswatini’s supreme court ruled.The men, from Cambodia, Cuba, Vietnam and Yemen, were sent to the small southern African country in July despite having no connection to the country, as part of Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to ramp up deportations. Continue reading...
Experts warn lapse could sharply reduce reports of abuse, echoing a 58% drop during a similar legal gap in 2021Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe European parliament has blocked the extension of a law that permits big tech firms to scan for child sexual exploitation on their platforms, creating a legal gap that child safety experts say will lead to crimes going undetected.The law, which was a carve-out of the EU Privacy Act, was put in place in 2021 as a temporary measure allowing companies to use automated detection technologies to scan messages for harms, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming and sextortion. However, it expired on 3 April, and the EU parliament decided not to vote to extend it, amid privacy concerns from some lawmakers. Continue reading...
Authorities said driver and passenger of car had been arrested after they saw large amounts blood and unresponsive man in the rear seatNorthern California law enforcement pulled over the driver of a Chevrolet Suburban on Easter Sunday morning for a suspected registration violation, and came upon a grisly scene that ultimately led them to two homicide victims.The California Highway Patrol said in a statement that two people, the person driving the vehicle and a passenger, had been arrested in connection with the killings. The passenger attempted to flee when officers stopped the SUV in Clearlake, about 100 miles north-east of San Francisco, but was quickly detained, according to CHP. Continue reading...
Liberal MP makes first public comments since Australia’s most decorated living soldier, whom he served alongside, was charged with war crimes The Liberal MP, Andrew Hastie, says Ben Roberts-Smith is entitled to the presumption of innocence but “none of us are above the law” in his first public comments since Australia’s most decorated living soldier was charged with war crimes.Hastie served alongside Roberts-Smith in Afghanistan and was among the 21 Special Air Service (SAS) who gave evidence in the defamation case he brought against the Nine newspapers. Continue reading...
USC student Tucker Collins’s attorney accuses homeland security of ‘overt act of repression’ at Los Angeles protestA freshman at the University of Southern California has lost an eye after he was shot last month with a less-lethal projectile by a Department of Homeland Security agent at a No Kings march, according to his attorney.On 28 March, Tucker Collins, 18, took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles to photograph throngs of protesters, who held signs and chanted slogans denouncing the Trump administration’s policies, his lawyer V James DeSimone said in a statement on Wednesday. Continue reading...
No-fault evictions made up one in three reports made to renters’ union Acorn in JanuaryIncreasing numbers of landlords are evicting tenants at the last minute before the law changes to outlaw the practice in next month, charities have said.The renters’ union Acorn told the Guardian that no-fault evictions made up one in five of the reports they received from members in October, rising to nearly one in three by January. Continue reading...
• Resistance groups have filed multiple lawsuits targeting President Trump's executive orders early in his second term.
• The legal actions focus on policies enacted since his January 20, 2025, inauguration.
• This wave of litigation could delay implementation and test judicial responses to executive actions.
The former soldier’s previous defamation trial presents the rare situation of there being hours of evidence of his alleged crimes already on the public record For almost every day of his marathon defamation trial, Ben Roberts-Smith VC, sat in the same spot in the federal court. A chair by the window, bathed in sunshine, from where he could glare at witnesses giving evidence.He sits now in a very different position. Continue reading...
Queensland senator ‘steadfast’ in her support of former Australian soldier as police charge him with five counts of war crime – murderFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, says she will not “abandon” Ben Roberts-Smith despite his arrest over war crimes, as the Greens declare “no one should be above the law”.As the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, refused to weigh into Roberts-Smith’s arrest at Sydney airport on Tuesday morning, Hanson reaffirmed her long-held support for Australia’s most decorated living soldier. Continue reading...
Republican Tony Gonzales ended re-election bid in March after admitting to having affair with a different aideSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA second former female staffer for Tony Gonzales, a Republican congressman from Texas, has come forward claiming Gonzales sent her sexually explicit messages.The San Antonio Express-News first reported the text messages on Monday and NBC News later confirmed the report. Continue reading...
