• El Comité de Servicios Armados del Senado ha avanzado una versión preliminar de la Ley de Autorización de la Defensa Nacional que incluye disposiciones para bloquear las reducciones salariales militares automáticas provocadas por ciertas artimañas presupuestarias vinculadas al marco del secuestro presupuestario.
• La disposición surge después de que funcionarios del Pentágono advirtieran que los recortes salariales artificiales podrían generar problemas de reclutamiento y retención, y después de que varios grupos de defensa presionaran a los legisladores para derogar permanentemente los límites del secuestro presupuestario.
• El senador Adam Smith y otros miembros del comité argumentaron que los miembros del servicio no deben ser daños colaterales en las disputas presupuestarias políticas.
La votación se produce mientras se avecina el plazo de 60 días, con dos republicanos respaldando los límites y una disputa sobre si el alto el fuego detiene el relojPolítica de EE. UU. en vivo – últimas actualizacionesEl Senado, liderado por los republicanos, volvió a bloquear el jueves un intento demócrata de detener la guerra de Donald Trump en Irán, rechazando una resolución de poderes de guerra que habría limitado el conflicto hasta que el Congreso autorice nuevas acciones militares. La votación fue de 47-50, con dos republicanos —Susan Collins, senadora de Maine, y Rand Paul, de Kentucky— votando a favor y un demócrata —John Fetterman, de Pensilvania— oponiéndose. Continuar leyendo...
La decisión se produce tras la presión de legisladores y familias mientras continúan las investigaciones sobre la respuesta al desastre mortal. La asediada organización Camp Mystic suspendió el jueves los planes de reapertura para este verano, en una decisión que siguió a meses de creciente indignación por parte de líderes políticos en Texas y las familias de las 27 jóvenes campistas que murieron el pasado julio cuando inundaciones masivas arrasaron el campamento cristiano para niñas en plena noche. La decisión llega tras días de incisivos cuestionamientos por parte de legisladores de Texas que investigan la respuesta de los directivos del campamento ante la devastadora inundación del 4 de julio que se cobró la vida de las campistas y de dos consejeras adolescentes. El propietario del campamento, Dick Eastland, también falleció en la inundación. Continuar leyendo...
Individuals such as Matt Goodwin and Lord Frost benefited from largesse of self-styled ‘illiberal democracy’UK politics live – latest updatesThe last 16 years of Viktor Orbán’s rule have been kind to a number of British political figures – from the Tory peer David Frost to Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin and James Orr.All benefited from largesse extended by the self-styled “illiberal democracy” established by the Hungarian leader’s ruling Fidesz party, which took a particular liking for those on the harder right of British conservatism. Continue reading...
Eluned Morgan says US under Donald Trump is ‘not partner it once was’ with Iran threats and ‘contempt’ towards UKWales’s first minister has called on Keir Starmer to suspend a big joint defence project with the US, saying that under Donald Trump the country is “not the partner it once was”.In a statement on Wednesday, Labour’s Eluned Morgan cited the US president’s “contempt” towards the UK and his threat to “annihilate” Iran as reasons to halt the development of the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (Darc) programme in Pembrokeshire, part of the Aukus defence partnership between the UK, US and Australia. Continue reading...
US military boasts blockade of the strait of Hormuz will incapacitate Iran’s economy; Trump says negotiations could return to PakistanUS-Iran peace talks could resume in next two days, Trump saysWelcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.The US military has said American forces have completely halted economic trade going in and out of Iran by sea through a blockade.An estimated 90% of Iran’s economy is fueled by international trade by sea. In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea.”Donald Trump has said that talks with Iran could resume in Pakistan over the next two days, according to an interview with the New York Post. “Something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there,” Trump was quoted as saying.US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington on Tuesday were a “historic opportunity”. He said that while every complexity would not be resolved immediately, he hoped the parties would begin to move forward.Lebanon’s president expressed hope that direct talks would lead to an end to his country’s “suffering” after war erupted again between Israel and Hezbollah last month. “I hope that the meeting in Washington... will mark the beginning of the end of the suffering of the Lebanese people in general, and those in the south in particular,” president Joseph Aoun said in a statement, adding that “stability will not return to the south if Israel continues to occupy its lands”.Lebanon’s top envoy to the US said the high-level diplomatic engagement between her country and Israel was “constructive,” but urged an end to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants that has displaced thousands of Lebanese. After participating in Tuesday’s talks with Rubio and Israel’s ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh Moawad said she had “underscored the need to preserve our territorial integrity and state sovereignty”.The US will not renew a 30-day waiver of sanctions on Iranian oil at sea that expires this week officials told Reuters, as the US imposes a blockade on shipments from Iranian ports.UK prime minister Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron will co-host a summit in Paris on Friday focused on efforts to reopen the strait of Hormuz, Downing Street said. A spokesperson said: “The summit will advance work towards a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping once the conflict ends.”Trump criticised Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, a political ally, in an interview published on Tuesday for her unwillingness to help in the Iran war. “I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” he told Italian daily Corriere della Sera.Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt will meet Turkey’s top diplomat this week for talks on regional matters, a ministry source told AFP on Tuesday. “This is the third meeting of the four countries to discuss regional affairs, not specifically Hormuz,” said the source, who wished to remain anonymous.Hezbollah said it targeted 13 northern Israeli towns with rockets shortly after the start of Lebanese-Israeli talks in Washington. In a statement, the group said it targeted Kiryat Shmona, Metula and 11 other towns “with simultaneous rocket salvos” at 6.15pm.US treasury secretary Scott Bessent has said the underlying US economy remains strong and that growth could still exceed 3% or 3.5% this year despite the impact of the US-Israel war on Iran. Earlier on Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its growth forecasts for 2026 based on the impact of the war and said any further escalation in the conflict could trigger a global recession. Bessent however cast cuts in global growth forecasts and higher inflation projections by the IMF and World Bank as an overreaction. Continue reading...
Attorney general says court ruling against Chad Bianco ‘reins in the destabilizing actions of a rogue sheriff’The California supreme court on Wednesday ordered a county sheriff and gubernatorial candidate who seized more than half a million 2025 election ballots to pause his investigation into election fraud allegations while the judges review the legal challenge against it.The order came after the California attorney general, Rob Bonta, last month asked the court to step in, arguing the sheriff has no authority over election materials. A voting rights group is also challenging the ballot seizure. Continue reading...
Politicians warn party’s pledge to ‘punish’ countries seeking justice for slavery will harm and isolate BritainCommonwealth politicians say they will not back down from seeking reparations as UK public figures, including a former Reform insider, warn the rightwing party’s pledge to “punish” countries seeking justice for slavery would harm and isolate Britain.This week, Reform UK said they would halt visas for nationals of countries formally demanding reparations from Britain if they took power. Continue reading...
Withdrawal of additional speciality training roles amid strike deadlock has left some doctors with uncertain futureAfter almost two years on the NHS frontline as a resident doctor, Heather Gunn says she is bracing herself for unemployment. Like many of her colleagues, she was desperate to secure one of the up to 4,500 additional training posts the government agreed to introduce in England over three years to help doctors progress into more specialised fields.The posts were promised in negotiations between the doctors’ union, the British Medical Association (BMA), and the government in a long-running dispute over resident doctors’ pay and job security. Continue reading...
Mediators want both sides to agree to suspend hostilities but Tehran warns peace talks ‘incompatible with threats’Middle East crisis – live updatesProposals for an immediate ceasefire have been circulated to Washington and Tehran in an attempt to halt the five-week-old war and stave off an extraordinary threat issued by Donald Trump to bomb Iran’s power plants.Mediators from Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey want both sides to agree to suspend hostilities and reopen the strait of Hormuz, to be followed by a period of detailed negotiations intended to reach a more complete peace agreement. Continue reading...
US National Park Service lawyers cite materials that will be installed to make ‘heavily fortified’ facilityDonald Trump’s administration is arguing that a judge’s order to halt construction of a $400m White House ballroom creates a security risk for the US president as his team asks a federal appeals court to pause the ruling.In a motion filed on Friday, US National Park Service (NPS) lawyers say that the federal judge’s order to suspend construction of the new facility is “threatening grave national-security harms to the White House, the president and his family, and the president’s staff”. Continue reading...
Trump ordered data collection after raising concern about race being used as factor in college admissionsA federal judge on Friday halted efforts by the Trump administration to collect data that proves higher education institutions aren’t considering race in admissions.The ruling from the US district court judge F Dennis Saylor IV in Boston granting the preliminary injunction follows a lawsuit filed earlier this month by a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general. It will only apply to public universities in plaintiffs’ states. Continue reading...
• Pfizer and BioNTech stopped a large US trial of their updated COVID-19 vaccine targeting healthy adults aged 50-64 due to inability to recruit 25,000-30,000 participants without conditions like hypertension or diabetes.
• The halt highlights recruitment challenges amid low interest in trials for healthy populations.
• This occurs against a backdrop of shifting vaccine policies under the Trump administration, prioritizing chronic disease over broad COVID efforts.
Federal agency, which normally supports state and local public health labs, has been hobbled by staff departuresSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US federal agency responsible for monitoring diseases has temporarily halted certain diagnostic testing, including those for rabies, human herpesvirus and several other infectious illnesses.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a list on Monday showing that more than two dozen types of testing are now unavailable. Continue reading...
The National Capital Planning Commission had previously delayed the vote after thousands of negative public commentsHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The National Capital Planning Commission will meet this afternoon to decide on Donald Trump’s White House $400m ballroom project, after a federal judge halted construction earlier this week.House Republicans announced that they will pass a bill, advanced by the Senate last week, to end the record-breaking partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown after previously rejecting the measure.Democrats quickly celebrated the win with Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer saying “House Republicans caved” after previously “[derailing] a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction”.Nasa’s lunar rocket successfully launched and the astronauts on the first crewed lunar rocket in more than 50 years received praise from across the US.Attorney general Pam Bondi’s job with the Trump administration is reportedly at risk. The president is said to be unhappy with Bondi’s performance as the head of the justice department and the controversy surrounding the Epstein files, according to a New York Times report.Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida signed legislation on Wednesday to require documented proof of citizenship to register to vote and to begin a process that will eventually unenroll voters who have not provided citizenship documentation.Supreme court justices appeared skeptical of the Trump administration’s argument to restrict birthright citizenship for hundreds of thousands of children born to undocumented immigrants of temporary foreign nationals. Trump himself attended the hearing, widely considered to be the first time a sitting president has attended arguments at the supreme court. Continue reading...
Group cuts costs as shares plunge while it grapples with impact of Iran war on property market Business live – latest updatesOne of Britain’s biggest housebuilders has said it will stop buying new land and hiring new staff, as it grapples with the impact of the Iran war on the property market.Berkeley, a London-focused housebuilder, said it would cut costs as it warned that “geopolitical volatility” and “reduced potential” for interest rate cuts could weigh on the business. Continue reading...
US president demolished East Wing of White House last year to make way for 90,000-sq-ft projectSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA US judge has halted the construction of Donald Trump’s $400m White House ballroom.The US president demolished the historic East Wing of the White House last year to make way for the project. Continue reading...
Chad Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff also running for governor, had seized 650,000 ballotsChad Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff, has halted a contentious investigation into a alleged voter fraud that has drawn opposition from the state’s attorney general.The move marks a major reversal for Bianco, a prominent Donald Trump supporter who is one of the top two Republican candidates running for the governorship of California. Continue reading...
US president says he is extending deadline for strait of Hormuz to reopen to 6 April; Houthis tell Lloyd’s List ‘no reason’ to prevent Saudi oil using Red Sea routeFull report: Trump extends deadline Analysis: Trump pitches peace plan but military buildups rarely veer to off-rampHello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and the consequences for the region, the world, and the global economy.Here are the latest developments:Donald Trump said he will extend – once again – his pause on his threat to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure for 10 days until 6 April, claiming that the request came from Tehran and that talks were going “very well”. The US president threatened last Saturday to would strike Iranian energy infrastructure if Tehran did not reopen the strait of Hormuz. Then, on Monday he postponed his threat for five days (until Friday), citing “very good and productive conversations” with Iran on ending the war (which Tehran dismissed as “fake news” designed to “manipulate” the oil markets). Now, he’s pushing that deadline back, again.The price of Brent crude also dropped following Trump’s latest announcement. Oil prices rose to their highest level this week, with Brent crude trading at roughly $108 a barrel after Trump’s cabinet meeting earlier on Thursday.Yemen’s Houthis have said there is no need to worry amid fears that if Donald Trump follows through on threats to seize Iran’s Kharg Island, Tehran may ask them to attack shipping in the Red Sea.A day after Tehran dismissed Trump’s 15-point ceasefire plan, the US president claimed that Iran was “begging to make a deal,” and that he wasn’t the one pushing for negotiations. Earlier, he told Tehran to “get serious soon” on negotiating a deal to end the war.Trump rejected reports that he was looking for an exit ramp, as oil prices soar and political pressure mounts to avoid the kind of drawn-out Middle East war he once spurned. “I read a story today that I’m desperate to make a deal,” Trump told reporters. “I’m the opposite of desperate. I don’t care.”A US proposal for ending nearly four weeks of fighting is “one-sided and unfair”, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday.However, Trump said Iran is allowing some oil tankers through strait of Hormuz as a sign of good faith for talks. He said that Iran allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the strategic strait as a “present” to show it was serious about negotiations to end the war.The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give Trump more military options even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, the Wall Street Journal is reporting, quoting defence department officials with knowledge of the planning.The Israel Defence Forces’ chief of staff has warned that the military will “collapse in on itself” as it faces increasing demands and a growing manpower shortage while fighting on multiple fronts, according to Israeli media reports.A Thai-flagged cargo ship that was hit by unknown projectiles in the strait of Hormuz earlier this month has run aground off Iran’s Qeshm Island, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said on Friday. Continue reading...
Woodcocks and pochard, pintail and goldeneye ducks among threatened species protected by proposalsHunters will be banned from shooting a rare and beautiful duck under new proposals to halt the decline of six British wild birds.The new rules would restrict the shooting of species including the distinctive woodcock, and the striking pintail, goldeneye and pochard ducks, all of which are classed as under threat and have seen their populations fall sharply in recent years. Continue reading...
The regulator has issued a ground stop for all planes and New York’s emergency management authority warned people to expect cancellations and delaysNew York’s LaGuardia airport was closed to flights early on Monday after an Air Canada flight and Port Authority vehicle collided.The New York police department confirmed the collision but could not immediately offer further information. The update came after flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said in post on X late on Monday that an Air Canada Express plane had collided with a ground vehicle at the airport. Continue reading...
• Senators Marsha Blackburn and Peter Welch sent a formal complaint letter to ByteDance CEO demanding the company halt its new AI app Seedance 2.0, citing concerns that it poses a direct threat to American creative industries.
• Content creators have documented instances where Seedance replicated expensive film shots for pennies, including a comparison showing the AI generated a near-exact copy of a clip from the film F1 for nine cents, sparking concerns about systemic copyright infringement.
• The letter reflects growing Capitol Hill concerns about AI companies' training practices and insufficient protections for content creators whose materials are used to develop AI models without permission.
• UPMC, a major Pittsburgh health system, stopped providing gender care services to patients under age 19 approximately nine months ago, leaving local transgender teens struggling to find alternative care options.
• The policy change has forced young patients like Moss Brinzer to scramble for medical services, creating significant gaps in access to gender-affirming healthcare for minors in the region.
• The decision reflects broader tensions in U.S. healthcare around gender medicine for adolescents, with major health systems reassessing their policies amid ongoing national debate.
