Trump’s own words, posted publicly and tied to a specific deadline and set of demands, provide unusually direct evidence of intent to violate international law

US directs American embassies to wage campaign against foreign ‘hostility’ – with Musk’s help Cable signed by Marco Rubio and seen by Guardian suggests staff work with Pentagon psychological operations unit The United States has directed every American embassy and consulate across the world to launch coordinated campaigns against foreign propaganda and endorses Elon Musk’s X as an “innovative” tool to help do it. The cable, signed by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Monday and obtained by the Guardian, also suggests embassies and consulates work alongside the US military’s psychological operations unit to address the problem of rampant disinformation. It lays out a sweeping set of instructions for how embassy staff should push back against what it describes as coordinated foreign efforts to undermine American interests abroad. Continue reading...

US directs American embassies to wage campaign against foreign ‘hostility’ – with Musk’s help

The war on Iran cost the US $12.7bn by day six. Here’s how it’s been spent – in charts Now, the total is likely to have exceeded $18bn and counting. Where are America’s war dollars going, in a war that was never declared in the first place?

By day six, CSIS put the cumulative cost at $12.7 billion. Today, it is likely to have exceeded $18 billion – and the meter is still running.

We analyzed where America’s war dollars are going, in a war that was never declared in the first place 👇

The war on Iran cost the US $12.7bn by day six. Here’s how it’s been spent – in charts Now, the total is likely to have exceeded $18bn and counting. Where are America’s war dollars going, in a war that was never declared in the first place? Continue reading...

The war on Iran cost the US $12.7bn by day six. Here’s how it’s been spent – in charts

Graphic showing that six days of war in Iran costs $12.7 billion, the same as one year of: Paying 9% of US elementary teachers Paying 47% of US firefighters Medical care for 693k veterans 1.5 million public housing units Medicaid for 3.6 million children

Insanely good work by colleagues @wcraft.bsky.social @jgedeon.bsky.social & Andrew Witherspoon. Six days!!!

www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

Tulsi Gabbard tells Senate panel US strikes on Iran are strategic success

National intelligence director says Iran’s conventional military projection capabilities had been ‘largely destroyed’

Pete Hegseth warns of ‘most intense’ day of US strikes on Iran yet

Pentagon chief spoke with Gen Dan Caine at a press conference and blamed Iran for civilian casualties

Israel flagged Hezbollah threat before launching air attacks, leaked memo shows

US embassy cable said Israeli officials did not trust Lebanon or Syria to contain the group’s fighters

Israel flagged Hezbollah threat before launching air attacks, leaked memo shows US embassy cable said Israeli officials did not trust Lebanon or Syria to contain the group’s fighters * Middle East crisis – live updates An internal US assessment indicates that Israeli officials had doubts that the Lebanese state could disarm Hezbollah even before Israel launched an aerial campaign against the group on Monday. The leaked embassy cable shows that on the eve of the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Israeli officials had told Washington that Hezbollah was reconstituting its military capabilities faster than the Lebanese armed forces could degrade them. It said neither Beirut nor Damascus could be trusted to contain the threat on Israel’s northern borders. Continue reading...

Israel flagged Hezbollah threat before launching air attacks, leaked memo shows

Epstein files contain explicit but unsubstantiated claim that Trump abused minor Department of Justice did not release FBI memos when it uploaded millions of pages of files beginning in December

The Guardian has obtained the missing 302s from the Epstein files, describing accusations against Donald Trump. Story from @jsweetli.bsky.social and @jgedeon.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

In a sit-down with the @us.theguardian.com at the @defiance.org counter-SOTU event in DC last night, Robert De Niro reflects on the political similarities from the Vietnam war era and today, calls Trump a "lunatic", and says "we have to push back". Take a listen:

Interview with Robert DeNiro, who calls Trump "a lunatic" at the State of the Swamp counter SOTU event, coming soon!

A glimpse of the mood at the counter "state of the swamp" SOTU panel

Mahmoud Khalil is still fighting for others as he fights his own deportation: ‘It’s about raising the alarm’

The case of the Palestinian activist, the face of 2024’s US campus protests, could have repercussions for thousands

Four men in unredacted files named by Ro Khanna have no ties to Epstein The men appeared in a photo lineup assembled by the southern district of New York and had no apparent connection to the late sex offender

NEW: Reps Khanna and Massie pushed the DOJ to unredact a file in the Epstein files. Then Khanna read four men's names from it in a House floor speech, calling them "wealthy and powerful men that the DOJ hid for no apparent reason." /

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

US paid $32m to five countries to accept about 300 deportees, report shows

Some of the world’s most corrupt countries have received huge payments in controversial third-country deportation scheme

Mahmoud Khalil is still fighting for others as he fights his own deportation: ‘It’s about raising the alarm’

The case of the Palestinian activist, the face of 2024’s US campus protests, could have repercussions for thousands

Trump administration halts immigrant visa processing from 75 countries The state department cites welfare use as it pauses visa processing for Brazil, Iran, Russia, Somalia and others The Donald Trump administration has indefinitely suspended immigrant visa processing for people from 75 countries, marking one of its most expansive efforts yet to restrict legal pathways to the United States. The freeze, which takes effect on 21 January, targets applicants officials deem likely to become a “public charge” – who they describe as people who may rely on government benefits for basic needs. Continue reading...

Trump administration halts immigrant visa processing from 75 countries

Trump administration suspends immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries

The state department cites welfare use as it pauses visa processing for Brazil, Iran, Russia, Somalia and others

Top Democrats call for investigation into share-buying spree by Trump allies Fossil fuel execs Robert Pender and Michael Sabel deny wrongdoing after report on potential conflict of interest

By me and @jgedeon.bsky.social
More top Democrats call for investigation into share-buying spree by fossil fuel billionaire Trump donors
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

US senator calls for insider trading inquiry over Trump donors buying $12m worth of shares Co-chairs of LNG firm, who bought stock worth almost $12m each after meeting with Trump officials, deny wrongdoing

By me and @jgedeon.bsky.social
US senator calls for insider trading inquiry over Trump donors buying $12m worth of shares
www.the-guardian.com/business/202...

US senator calls for insider trading inquiry over Trump donors buying $12m worth of shares Co-chairs of LNG firm, who bought stock worth almost $12m each after meeting with Trump officials, deny wrongdoing

Latest by @ninalakhani.bsky.social and @jgedeon.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Palestinian-American teenager held in Israeli prison freed after nine months Israeli soldiers had taken Mohammed Ibrahim from his home in a night raid when he was only 15 years old

ICYMI: This is such important reporting by @jgedeon.bsky.social at the Guardian on the American teenager who was held in an Israeli prison until last week www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

We first uncovered Mohammed's imprisonment and his poor condition while reporting on the killing of his cousin Saif, in mid-July.

After months of additional reporting, he's now been released to be with his family

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Palestinian-American teenager held in Israeli prison freed after nine months Israeli soldiers had taken Mohammed Ibrahim from his home in a night raid when he was only 15 years old

16-year-old Palestinian-American citizen Mohammed Ibrahim was freed on Thursday after spending nine months in an Israeli prison
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

Trump envoy reportedly told Kremlin official that Ukraine must cede land for peace deal Steve Witkoff told Yuri Ushakov in October phone call that peace would require Russia gaining control of Donetsk Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told a senior Kremlin official last month that achieving peace in Ukraine would require Russia gaining control of Donetsk and potentially a separate territorial exchange, according to a recording of their conversation obtained by Bloomberg. In the 14 October phone call with Yuri Ushakov, the top foreign policy aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin, Witkoff said he believed the land concessions were necessary all while advising Ushakov to congratulate Trump and frame discussions more optimistically. Continue reading...

Trump envoy reportedly told Kremlin official that Ukraine must cede land for peace deal

The full list of 75 schools affected by the DEI funding proposal is now available www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Trump and Mamdani form an unlikely alliance at White House meeting ‘We agreed a lot more than I would have thought,’ the US president said of his first face-to-face meeting with the New York mayor-elect

“We agreed a lot more than I would have thought,” Trump said alongside Zohran Mamdani, sometimes jumping in to shield Mamdani from aggressive press questioning

The unlikely alliance agreed to work together on housing, food prices and cost-of-living concerns
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Some of the schools marked for suspension: Stanford, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Duke, USC, American, GW, Syracuse

Some to remain: Columbia, MIT, UPenn, UVirginia, UMich. (Columbia agreed to pay $200m+ to the federal gov in July over DEI hiring and UV prez resigned earlier after DOJ demands also over DEI)

State department to cut 38 universities from research program over DEI policies Trump administration proposal would exclude elite schools that use diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices

NEW: The state department is proposing to suspend 38 universities including Harvard and Yale from the "Diplomacy Lab" fed research program because they engage in DEI hiring practices, according to an internal memo and spreadsheet obtained by the Guardian

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...