United States
Congress ups pressure to release boat strike video with threat to Hegseth’s travel budget
Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images US lawmakers are trying to pressure the Trump administration to release video of a controversial “double-tap” military strike by limiting Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget. The incident on 2 September, in which the US carried out a second deadly strike on a boat in the Caribbean, has raised fresh questions about the legality of Trump’s campaign targeting alleged drug-carrying vessels. A provision buried in a lengthy defence spending policy would restrict travel funds for Hegseth’s office until the Pentagon hands over unedited footage. TheRead more
Trump asks Supreme Court to overturn E Jean Carroll verdict
Getty Images Jean Carroll at a Manhattan federal court President Donald Trump is asking the US Supreme Court to review the $5m (£3.6m) civil case that found he defamed and sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll. He has repeatedly claimed that the judge who oversaw the civil trial, Lewis Kaplan, improperly allowed evidence to be presented that hurt how the jury viewed Trump. A federal appeals court agreed with the jury’s verdict last year and said Kaplan did not make errors that would warrant a new trial. A New YorkRead more
Four potential obstacles in House vote to end US shutdown
Getty Images Texas Democrat Greg Casar has warned against healthcare “betrayal” A day after the US Senate passed a spending bill to end the longest-ever government shutdown, the budget fight now moves to the House of Representatives. The lower chamber of Congress is expected to vote this week on the funding measure. Unlike in the Senate, if House Republicans stay united, they don’t need any Democrats to pass the budget. But the margin for error is razor thin. Here are four potential hold-ups for the budget, before it can clearRead more
US aircraft carrier group arrives in Caribbean
Getty Images Dozens of aircraft on the USS Gerald R Ford add significant combat power to US forces near Latin America A US naval strike force centred around the world’s largest warship, the USS Gerald R Ford, has arrived in the Caribbean, the US Navy has confirmed. The arrival of the strike group, which was ordered to the region by President Donald Trump last month, comes amid ongoing strikes against alleged drug boats and tensions with Venezuela. The US has so far carried out at least 19 strikes against boatsRead more
Will Musk’s explosive row with Trump help or harm his businesses?
Getty Images When Elon Musk recently announced that he was stepping back from politics, investors hoped that would mean he would step up his involvement in the many tech firms he runs. His explosive row with President Donald Trump – and the very public airing of his dirty White House laundry – suggests Musk’s changing priorities might not quite be the salve they had been hoping for. Instead of Musk retreating somewhat from the public eye and focusing on boosting the fortunes of Tesla and his other enterprises, he nowRead more
Trump is starting a trade war. If he wants to absorb Canada, what comes next will be worse
The first shots of the trade war between the United States and Canada have been fired. Whether it escalates beyond the planned 25 per cent tariff into a wider economic war depends upon how genuinely serious President Donald Trump is about annexation, experts say. Tariffs are one thing. While painful and destructive, experts agree duties alone would not crush the Canadian economy, nor the political establishment, into submission. Prior to his inauguration, Trump threatened to use “economic force” to compel Canada to become the 51st state in the union. ThatRead more
Trump accuses UK’s Labour Party of ‘foreign interference’
Donald Trump’s campaign has filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against the UK’s Labour Party, accusing it of “blatant foreign interference” in the US election in aid of the Harris-Walz campaign. The complaint cites media reports about contact between Labour and the Harris campaign as well as apparent volunteering efforts, arguing that this amounts to illegal “contributions”. The BBC understands that Labour activists campaigning in the US presidential election are doing so in a personal capacity. The Labour Party has not issued an official response. Specifically, the complaint citesRead more
Alaska man charged with threatening Supreme Court justices
A man from Alaska has been arrested for allegedly threatening six US Supreme Court justices and two of their family members. The US Justice Department said Panos Anastasiou, 76, sent hundreds of messages including threats to hang and shoot justices. He was charged with 22 counts of making threats and appeared in court in Anchorage on Wednesday. The public defender representing Mr Anastasiou declined to comment on Thursday. According to a criminal complaint, the messages “contained violent, racist, and homophobic rhetoric coupled with threats of assassination via torture, hanging, andRead more
Trump-backed governor candidate denies ‘black Nazi’ post
A Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina has insisted he will not exit the race amid a report that he made controversial comments on a porn website more than a decade ago. Mark Robinson characterised the CNN report, which alleged that he had referred to himself as a “black Nazi” on an adult forum, as “salacious tabloid lies”. He has been under pressure from state Republicans and members of Donald Trump’s campaign team to quit the race, according to anonymous sources quoted by the Carolina Journal newspaper. Kamala Harris,Read more