Australian Greens senator compares government’s policy to ICE as Tony Burke calls it a ‘ridiculous claim’Get our new political email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government’s move to reopen detention centres for visa overstayers, overseen by compliance officers, has drawn comparison from the Greens and advocates to Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown in the United States.The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, was careful to downplay any similarities when he announced the federal government’s immigration plan on Thursday, which includes reducing the roughly 77,000 unlawful non-citizens in Australia. Continue reading...
Claims that dismantling pollution rules will lower energy bills and have little climate impact are far from convincingIn allowing US power plants to emit any amount of planet-heating pollution they wish to, the Trump administration made two striking claims – that this will cut Americans’ electricity bills and that the pollution itself doesn’t really matter anyway. Both claims struggle to stand up to even basic scrutiny.On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it would erase any limits on emissions from coal and gas plants that are dangerously heating up our planet. This move, which follows a similar dismantling of pollution limits from cars ands trucks, is part of a broader push to eliminate the longstanding legal authority of this, or any future, US administration to deal with the climate crisis. Continue reading...
• Democrats and activist groups are creating contingency plans to counter potential interference from Donald Trump during the upcoming midterm elections.
• White House spokeswoman Lauren Blis dismissed these concerns in a statement, claiming fears are fueled by Democrats who oppose Voter ID and other security measures.
• These preparations highlight a growing lack of trust in the stability of the U.S. democratic process during national voting cycles.
• The Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s plan on Monday to change how mail-in ballots are sent to voters for the current midterm elections.
• Election officials warned that the proposed changes would have had catastrophic consequences for the voting process.
• The ruling prevents the implementation of rules that Republican attorneys general sought but their own election officials claimed they could not execute.
Advocates and experts describe the Trump administration’s climate rollbacks as gifts to polluters at expense of planetThe US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is poised to formally repeal carbon pollution standards for coal- and gas-fired power plants, according to reports.The Trump administration’s latest climate rollback is expected to come as soon as Monday on the sidelines of the G20 energy ministers’ meeting in Houston, Texas, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. Continue reading...
Atlantic Industrial Coatings was given $14.7m no-bid contract and its findings contradict president’s claims of vandalismThe company hired to renovate the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool has acknowledged that “human oversight” and flaws in the repair plan caused the newly installed blue liner to peel and tear, according to documents reviewed by the New York Times that challenge Donald Trump’s repeated claims of vandalism.The president has repeatedly said vandals armed with knives or box cutters were responsible for tearing apart the pool’s “American flag blue” liner. But documents reviewed by the Times show that Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the company awarded the renovation contract, blamed its own execution of the repair work and a flawed design plan. Continue reading...
A federal court is declaring that the energy department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan power plant to stay open past its scheduled retirement dateIn a defeat for the Trump administration, a federal court on Friday ruled that the energy department exceeded its authority when it forced a Michigan coal-fired power plant to stay open past its scheduled retirement date last year.Energy secretary Chris Wright had said the 64-year-old JH Campbell Generating Plant was needed to ensure reliable electricity in the region, and he used emergency powers to keep it operating. Environmental groups and three states – Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota – went to court to try to overturn orders keeping the plant online. Continue reading...
White House warns trading partners against ‘imposing digital services taxes, fines, and other forms of extortion’ on US tech sectorFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastThe Trump administration will confront Australia over its plan to force digital platforms to take down harmful content and let users opt out of algorithm-generated “for you” feeds.Big tech companies would be fined over $100m for breaching the proposed laws and the Australian government is under pressure to raise those fines even further. Continue reading...
US embassy says Downing Street’s plan to give BBC, ITV and other established media more online visibility carries risk of ‘censorship’The Trump administration has raised “serious concerns” over Downing Street’s plan to force YouTube and other digital platforms to hand more prominence to established broadcasters, warning the move risks “facilitating censorship”.In a pointed intervention, the US government said the proposals to boost traditional media outlets in social media algorithms could “establish a template that authoritarian regimes could invoke to justify more control over online content”. Continue reading...
• Chevron has confirmed it will expand its operations in Venezuela, aligning with President Donald Trump's strategic plan to develop the nation's vast oil reserves.
• The announcement comes amid broader geopolitical tensions, including Mark Carney pushing back against a new series of attacks originating from Washington.
• This move signals a shift in U.S. energy policy toward leveraging Venezuelan resources, while new polling simultaneously highlights growing concerns over corruption within the U.S. government.
Defence minister says he believes US backing could tip regional balance in favour of forced resettlementIsrael’s defence minister has said his country is seeking Donald Trump’s support to approve plans to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in what has widely been condemned as a potential war crime.Israel Katz said there was “no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration” during a conference hosted by the Israeli news site Ynet and the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. He said the Israeli government was “organised and prepared to get them out by sea, by air, by every way possible”. Continue reading...
• A whistleblower has warned that the U.S. Postal Service is rushing the development of an online system to implement President Trump's order to restrict mail-in voting.
• The whistleblower claims the haste of the rollout could lead to systemic failures that might "derail" the upcoming midterm elections.
• This development is critical as it highlights potential operational risks to voting accessibility and election integrity if the restrictions are legally upheld.
Rollback of ‘roadless rule’ expected to benefit companies US Forest Service chief, Tom Schultz, previously lobbied forDonald Trump this month announced plans to rescind a landmark rule that has protected old-growth forests in the US for 25 years. If finalized, the rollback is expected to benefit the companies that Tom Schultz, chief of the US Forest Service, represented in his previous roles as a timber industry lobbyist and executive, according to research by consumer advocacy non-profit Public Citizen.The Roadless Area Conservation Rule, more commonly known as the “roadless rule”, was adopted in 2001 to limit development in roughly 45m acres of national forest. Industry interests and Republican representatives have long lobbied for the rule’s rescission, which would open up those swaths of untouched land to road construction, drilling and logging. Continue reading...
• A federal judge has permitted Donald Trump to proceed with his proposed plan regarding mail-in ballots following a Supreme Court ruling on Monday.
• The decision allows the current trajectory of the plan to continue, though it does not provide a permanent legal shield.
• This development is significant as it impacts the administration of mail-in voting, though a specific Postal Service regulation implementing the proposal remains vulnerable to legal challenges.
• The US Supreme Court voted 6-3 along ideological lines to lift a Massachusetts judge's injunction against a presidential executive order aimed at restricting mail-in voting.
• The ruling supports Donald Trump's ongoing efforts to crack down on mail-in ballots, despite the president having utilized the method himself.
• This decision creates potential uncertainty and legal hurdles for voters heading into the midterm elections this November.
Alarm as Republicans warn that ‘flooding’ stores with 300,000 metric tons of beef imports will hit US farmersDonald Trump is facing growing criticism from within his own party over his decision to temporarily pause US tariffs on foreign beef in a bid to bring down grocery prices.The president’s announcement that the US will import up to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef without charging higher tariffs has alarmed some senior Republicans, who warn that “flooding” stores with imports will hit US farmers. Continue reading...
The Republican Senate candidate announced the plan with a graphic X flagged as ‘Made with AI’US politics live – latest updatesKen Paxton, a Republican candidate for the US Senate in Texas, has unveiled plans to tackle the “negative impact” of datacenters amid a growing backlash across the political spectrum.Paxton, endorsed by Donald Trump but facing a close contest against Democrat James Talarico, posted a “Texas first” datacenter plan on X with a graphic that the social media network flagged as “Made with AI”. Continue reading...
US president has been obsessed with restricting the ability to vote by mail, despite using it himself. Plus why we are still so fascinated with Meg from the White StripesGood morning. The US supreme court has sided with Donald Trump in his effort to crack down on mail-in voting, though it is unclear whether or not his administration will be able to take action before the midterm elections in November. The court’s justices voted 6-3 along ideological lines to lift an injunction that a judge in Massachusetts had placed in June on an executive order issued by the president. But a second injunction remains in place, and the ruling leaves room for legal challenges.Trump has repeatedly likened voting by mail to cheating, despite his own use of it and overwhelming evidence that the system is secure. In March he ordered the government to create a “state citizenship list” of eligible voters, requiring that mail-in ballots only be delivered to people on that list. He also directed the justice department to prioritise investigations and prosecutions of state and local election officials who issue ballots to people deemed ineligible to vote in federal elections.What did the dissenting judges say? In a blistering dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that the decision “needlessly injects chaos and uncertainty into the upcoming midterm elections”.How have rights organisations reacted? The president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Derrick Johnson, said: “Let this ruling be a reminder that democracy is never, ever guaranteed. We have to fight for it, we have to fight to keep it and we have to protect the rights we do have within it … they are trying to do everything they possibly can to make it difficult for you to vote.”How has Canada reacted? The country’s prime minister, Mark Carney, told reporters that Trump’s announcement was largely expected. “It’s not a surprise for us that the US would take some form of reprisal to our response to their unjustified tariff,” he said. Carney has vowed to match the American tariffs “dollar for dollar”, and said Canada could not accept any proposed trade deal that would weaken French language protections. Continue reading...
The state department will revoke B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026, whose holders have sought or are now seeking asylumDonald Trump’s administration said on Monday it planned to revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the US, marking its latest step in a sweeping immigration crackdown.A state department spokesperson said it was coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security “to identify and revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently”. Continue reading...
US agency releases plan to lease millions of hectares of seabed off the coast of the Northern Mariana Islands and GuamA US government plan to lease out millions of hectares of seabed near the Mariana Trench for deep sea exploration has drawn opposition from US territories in the Pacific, as the Trump administration remains locked in a race with China for control of critical ocean minerals.On Tuesday, the Marine Mineral Administration (MMA), an agency under the US department of the interior, released a proposal to auction deep sea mining leases for 28m hectares (69m acres) of seafloor off the coast of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. Continue reading...
• The U.S. Postal Service has finalized new election plans under the Trump administration that allow the agency to refuse delivery of ballots from states that fail to comply with updated procedures.
• USPS describes these changes as a "neutral administrative check" intended to strengthen election confidence, despite receiving over 200,000 public responses containing both support and opposition.
• Critics argue the rule has legal deficiencies and could create significant implementation difficulties, potentially impacting the broader political and social landscape of voting.
Administration’s plan to scrap drilling-free buffer zone around New Mexico site prompts scrutiny from UnescoThe Trump administration’s push to expand oil and gas extraction across the US is set to bring drilling near cherished natural and cultural sites, raising alarm among conservationists and prompting questions from the UN’s heritage body.Unesco said it has received information on the administration’s plan to scrap a drilling-free buffer zone around Chaco Culture national historical park in New Mexico, a world heritage site and one of the most important cultural areas in the US. A Unesco spokesperson said it has procedures regarding “potential threats” to a world heritage property and was awaiting a response from the federal government as to its impact. Continue reading...
• Former President Donald Trump announced his intention to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
• In Alaska, Senate candidate Mary Peltola launched her first general election TV ad, positioning herself as a leader willing to challenge her own party to prioritize Alaskan resource development.
• Florida's gubernatorial race saw primary victories for candidates Byron Donalds and David Jolly.
Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is on a diplomatic mission in the Middle East to meet Hamas officials and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in an attempt to salvage a ceasefire in Gaza.The talks come after Netanyahu rejected the US-backed 15-point peace plan for the territory in a rare public break with the Trump administration this month.Nosheen Iqbal speaks to global editor Devika Bhat – watch on YouTube Continue reading...
Jared Kushner set to meet Netanyahu following talks with HamasJared Kushner meets with Hamas ahead of talks with Netanyahu on GazaWelcome to our live coverage of the latest in the continuing conflicts in the Middle East.Donald Trump’s envoys met with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators in Cairo on Sunday, a diplomatic source said, aiming to advance the US president’s Gaza peace plan, even as Israel pressed on with airstrikes in the territory.Israel resumed its airstrikes on Gaza in the past few days after scaling back the attacks earlier this month. One of those wounded in the Khan Younis strike died from their wounds, medics at Nasser hospital said later. A separate airstrike, which the Israeli military said targeted another militant, hit an apartment in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, wounding several people, medics said.A senior Israeli official said on Sunday that Israel was concerned about Washington’s demand to end targeted assassinations of Hamas militants in Gaza as the group rebuilds its forces, Reuters reported. Trump’s peace plan calls for the immediate cessation of military operations in Gaza and foresees Hamas disarming as Israeli troops withdraw from the territory and Gaza is rebuilt.Several regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday condemned Israel’s rejection of the peace road map, saying the country is obstructing peace efforts.The top US military commander in the Middle East visited the USS Lincoln in the Arabian Sea amid reports of mental health and supply issues onboard. Adm Brad Cooper praised the leadership of the long-deployed aircraft carrier. Continue reading...
• A Washington Post report reveals that the CIA questioned the validity of Israeli intelligence regarding a threat to Donald Trump prior to a plane switch in Turkey.
• While the report indicates the threat was actually real, CIA officials reportedly deemed the intelligence "not compelling enough" to warrant a different response.
• This incident highlights critical tensions and communication gaps between U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies during high-stakes security operations.
President says Secret Service wanted him on ‘different plane’ due to threat as Democrats call for congressional briefingHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.President Donald Trump said he slipped away from Air Force One after a trip last month in Turkey because the Secret Service and military wanted him on a “different plane” due to a threat that he insisted didn’t scare him. Continue reading...
Missouri’s top election official has rejected a petition for a referendum on new congressional districts Missouri’s top election official has rejected a citizens’ petition seeking a statewide referendum on the states redistricting plan backed by Donald Trump.Supporters of the referendum had submitted hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in a bid to force a November election on a new US House map approved by the Republican-led state legislature. But the Republican secretary of state, Denny Hoskins, asserted Tuesday that the petition is void because congressional redistricting plans cannot be subject to voter referendums. Continue reading...
• President Trump has labeled Iran "unbelievably duplicitous," warning that current opportunities represent a "last chance" for Tehran to reach a deal and avoid further escalation.
• Despite these remarks, U.S. officials informed CBS News that no new formal negotiations with Iran are currently planned.
• Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zeidi is reportedly attempting to mediate between the two nations, carrying messages from the U.S. to Tehran following a White House visit.
Exclusive: court records reviewed by the Guardian show medical procedures included force-feeding, intravenous forced hydration and involuntary blood drawsHomeland security officials under the Trump administration have quietly attempted to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in US immigrant detention to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding, a Guardian investigation has found.In 2025 and 2026, officials had definitely performed the procedures on at least three detained immigrants and likely subjected two more to the forced treatment – widely considered torture by human rights groups. The other five people gave in and broke their hunger strike at the last minute as force-feeding procedures loomed.One Kurdish asylum seeker and hunger striker detained at the privately-run Port Isabel service processing center in Los Fresnos, south Texas, was subjected to force-feeding for nearly eight months, according to a series of filings in the southern district of Texas federal court, beginning in May 2025 and ending only when he was deported.Another hunger striker at the same facility was subjected to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding, for nearly six months between September 2025 and March 2026, filings in the same court show.Someone detained at the Krome service processing center in Miami, a privately-run ICE jail, was subjected to forced medical procedures for nearly three months, filings in the southern district of Florida federal court show. DHS seemingly began the forced practices three days before Trump’s 2025 inauguration for a second term, then continued.Two other hunger strikers, one at the Northwest ICE processing center in Washington state and another inside the Montgomery processing center on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, were likely subjected to forced medical procedures, according to filings in the western district of Washington and in the southern district of Texas federal courts.In at least five cases, hunger strikers detained in Texas, Arizona and Florida, ended their hunger strike right before officials began with the forced medical procedures, filings in the southern district of Texas, district of Arizona and southern district of Florida federal courts show.The forced procedures were performed inside the detention centers.In six cases reviewed by the Guardian, detained immigrants did not have any legal representation during the court proceedings granting the involuntary medical procedures.DHS and ICE have conducted these procedures throughout the years, regardless of which presidential administration is in power. In 2024, under Joe Biden, the Guardian found that DHS attempted to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in ICE detention to forced medical treatment. It definitely proceeded with at least two people, and likely subjected at least four more people to them. However, since the return of Trump to the White House and the dramatic increase in immigration arrests and detention , medical experts and advocates worry more hunger strikes will occur and strikers will be subjected to the practices.Look out for Force-fed by ICE parts two and three in the coming days Continue reading...
