Officials

Nearly 90% of children in federal custody being directed to GOP-controlled state that has unlicensed facilities and low legal representation ratesThe Trump administration has started sending a majority of undocumented children who came to the US alone and have new immigration court cases to Texas, where government facilities for them are unlicensed, their chances of getting a lawyer are low and advocates fear that “a deportation churn-out factory” awaits them, the Guardian has learned.Almost 80% of children in federal custody who arrived unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian and who were placed in immigration court proceedings in July – and over 90% in August – have been funneled into shelter networks somewhere in Texas, a dramatic upswing from the months prior, according to analysis shared exclusively with the Guardian from researchers at the immigration data insights platform bklg.org. Continue reading...

It is the second year this administration has barred the Palestinian delegation from US travel ahead of the forumThe US state department said on Wednesday that it had again denied entry visas to Palestinian officials ahead next week’s United Nations general assembly gathering in New York.The state department said in a statement that the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) had “failed to live up to their commitments”, accusing the groups of “taking actions to internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict including through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ)” and of “glorifying terrorism” among other allegations. Continue reading...

String of ‘reckless decisions’ by Utah Valley University officials left him exposed to sniper, attorneys sayCharlie Kirk’s family blamed Utah officials for failing to prevent the conservative political activist’s fatal shooting at a state university, according to a wrongful death notice announced on Wednesday that presages a possible lawsuit.Attorneys for the family said Kirk’s death resulted from a string of “reckless decisions” by officials at Utah Valley University (UVU) that left him exposed to a rooftop sniper, who fired a fatal shot from more than 400 feet (122 meters) away on 10 September 2025. UVU has faced harsh criticism for a lack of key safety measures on the day of the shooting. Continue reading...

Ministers given emergency briefing about changes to algorithm decisions just three days before tool rolloutGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSenior department of health officials were in turmoil before the rollout of an algorithm to determine funding packages for older Australians, after discovering legislation had been drafted so rigidly that the tool could not legally be overridden by aged care assessors.Emails published under freedom of information (FoI) by the department of health, disability and ageing show that, despite assessors long receiving reassurance from the department that they would have powers to change incorrect algorithm decisions, officials realised at the 11th hour this would violate proposed regulations. Continue reading...

Armed group appears to reach agreement with Trump administration over safety of Red Sea shippingOfficials from the US met Houthi leaders over the weekend at the country’s embassy in Muscat, Oman, it has been confirmed, leading to the US decision not to intervene to help Saudi Arabia drive back a Houthi advance inside Yemen.The Houthis reassured the US that the ceasefire agreement between the two sides struck in 2025 still held and the movement had no intention of attacking US shipping in the Red Sea. Only Saudi-linked shipping was regarded as a target owing to its blockade of Yemen, the Houthis confirmed. Continue reading...

• A court blocked a last-minute effort by President Trump to change the rules regarding the use of mail ballots. • Washington State elections director Stuart Holmes noted that ballots were already printed, making a shift in rules very costly. • The ruling prevents election officials from having to execute contingency plans, such as the one in Weber County, Utah, to abandon mail voting entirely.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared that the record-setting cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce has ended. • Health officials confirmed that all contaminated iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and recalled by Taylor Farms de Mexico is now off the market. • Consumers no longer face a risk of getting sick from this specific batch of contaminated produce.