US Politics

It’s not what we can or cannot say that matters – rather, it’s whether what we say can get any visibility at all under the US-specific algorithmWe tend to think of censorship as the direct suppression of speech. We conjure images of mouths taped shut, courts seizing books and films, and journalists or activists thrown in jail to silence their voices. But what if, in a digital era governed by invisible yet highly consequential algorithms, censorship no longer revolved around the ability to speak, but rather around the visibility of content, its effective “reach”?The launch of TikTok’s new US-specific algorithm underscores the urgency of this risk. This week, control over the platform’s operations has shifted to the TikTok USDS joint venture led by a consortium of investors that includes US big tech firms such as cloud-computing company Oracle, with the Chinese parent company ByteDance retaining a 19.9% stake. This arrangement is presented as a means of complying with US legislation introduced under former president Joe Biden, with the aim of protecting user data and preventing political interference from China. Yet many of TikTok’s 200 million US-based users now fear that Donald Trump and his allies may use algorithmic control to do precisely what China was accused of doing: interfering with political discussion by suppressing critical voices.Paolo Gerbaudo is a senior researcher at the faculty of political science and sociology of Complutense University in Madrid and the author of The Great Recoil Continue reading… More

After weeks of federal insurgency, Minnesota fought back, and it seems Donald Trump has lost faith in the people running his ICE operation in the state. So where does this leave Trump’s ‘ICE patriots’? How do Republicans unite over immigration policies that kill Americans? And where does it leave the far-right agitators in Trump’s cabinet?Jonathan Freedland speaks to George Conway, a founding member of the Lincoln Project, who is running for Congress, about what happens nextArchive: CBS News, NewsNation, ABC 7 News, ABC News, CNN, KARE 11, Fox News, MS NOW, PBS Newshour, WRAL Continue reading… More

This live blog is now closed.Trump news at a glance: Turkey steps in as president maintains threats of US-Iran war“I do not want to hear that “everything that’s been done here has been perfect”, Homan said, without referring specifically to the fatal shooting of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.Homan noted that while no “agency is perfect” he did not come to Minneapolis to create “headlines”. The federal immigration enforcement surge is “going to improve because of changes we’re making”, he said. Continue reading… More

Agencies accused of failing to take precautions to stop former contractor leaking returns to ‘leftist media outlets’Donald Trump on Thursday sued the US treasury department and Internal Revenue Service for $10bn over the disclosure of his tax returns to the media in 2019 and 2020.In a complaint filed in Miami federal court, Trump, his adult sons, and his namesake company said the agencies failed to take “mandatory precautions” to prevent former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn from leaking their tax returns to “leftist media outlets”, including the New York Times and ProPublica. Continue reading… More

Iran’s foreign minister to travel to Ankara for talks aimed at preventing a US attack – key US politics stories from 29 January at a glanceNo formal direct talks have been held between the US and Iran for a decade. Now, as Donald Trump continues to threaten direct military attacks against the regime, Turkey is stepping in as a last-ditch mediator.Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, will travel to Ankara for talks aimed at preventing a US attack, as Turkish diplomats seek to convince Tehran it must offer concessions over its nuclear programme, if it is to avert a potentially devastating conflict. Continue reading… More

Deal calls for splitting a funding bill for DHS from a package of other funding billsSenators have reached a deal to advance a major package of spending bills to avert a partial government shutdown that was set to begin on Saturday.The office of Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, confirmed the deal calls for splitting a funding bill for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from a package of other funding bills, and that the deal would fund DHS for two weeks at its current levels. Continue reading… More

The departure of Greg Bovino has not quelled ICE’s raids – and hope that tensions are easing feels distantWhen the belligerent border patrol official Gregory Bovino finally left the Twin Cities this week, there was hope that the tension in the region would dissipate. But in the wake of the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, residents say they are still dealing with immigration raids and threats to their safety – and fear the shock waves will be felt for a very long time.In Saint Paul, city council member Molly Coleman is still taking shifts to watch for federal immigration agents at her son’s daycare. “People are really guarding against false optimism,” she said. “I don’t think anybody in Minnesota is under any illusions that we are suddenly safer than we were this time last week – that constitutional observers are safer, that immigrants are safer, that anybody who looks brown or Black on the streets is safer.” Continue reading… More

Bystanders say they are determined to keep recording federal agents’ actions: ‘There will be absolutely no accountability unless people are documenting’‘ICE Out’ strike and protests: what to know about demonstrations across the USBrandon Sigüenza saw his first federal immigration agent just one minute before he was arrested by one.He and his friend, Patty O’Keefe, were following ICE officers in their vehicle after receiving an alert that agents were nearby. Soon after arriving to observe the scene, an agent approached their car and sprayed chemicals into the front vents, then began shouting. Continue reading… More