US Politics

CBS News editor-in-chief argues in memo that network’s priority was ‘comprehensive and fair’ coverageWho is Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief of CBS News?CBS News’ editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, defended her decision to pull a 60 Minutes episode on allegations investigating a notorious prison in El Salvador, arguing that the network’s priority was to ensure its coverage was “comprehensive and fair”.In the memo sent to staff on Christmas Eve, Weiss said news organizations needed to do more to win back the trust of the American public and vowed that “no amount of outrage” would “derail us”. Continue reading… More

Some even celebrated ‘mass killing’ and the president’s ‘resolve’ in attacking Islamic State targets The US’s Christmas Day strikes against Islamic State targets in Nigeria have been met with praise by Donald Trump supporters who for months had been agitating for the president to respond forcefully to the killings of Christians in the country.“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Christmas than by avenging the death of Christians through the justified mass killing of Islamic terrorists,” the far-right political activist Laura Loomer posted on X. “You’ve got to love it! Death to all Islamic terrorists! Thank you.” Continue reading… More

This blog is now closed. US warns of more Nigeria strikesExplained: Why has Trump ordered strikes in Nigeria?Here are some images of the aftermath of US strikes in Nigeria that have come via the news wires today:Nigerians across Sokoto state told of their shock at Christmas Day strikes by the United States. Continue reading… More

Every Sunday, protesters from Florida and beyond go to the notorious immigration jail and advocate for its closureThey come on buses, in cars and RVs. Some ride on motorcycles. Every Sunday afternoon, convoys of protesters from all over Florida, and others from out of state, descend on the notorious “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration jail in the Everglades to stand vigil for those held inside.It is a ritual that began in August, a month after the opening of the remote detention camp celebrated by Donald Trump for its harsh conditions, and hailed by Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, as a model for the president’s aggressive detention and deportation agenda. Continue reading… More

Fiber artists across the US are using their craft to protest against everything from national guard deployments to rollbacks on abortion rightsIn early October, Tracy Wright invited a group of other women in her social circle – all fellow knitters – to gather outside the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in their home town of Portland, Oregon. They were “armed with their weapons of mass construction”.Donald Trump had just ordered national guard troops deployed to the city, which he called “war ravaged” in order to protect ICE facilities he said were “under siege” by anti-fascists “and other domestic terrorists”. Continue reading… More

The president’s professed satisfaction with his cabinet may reflect how hard it would be to get a replacement confirmedFor more than a decade he built his brand on two words: “You’re fired!” And in his first term in the White House, Donald Trump did not hesitate to show his staff the door, often via an abrasive tweet.But since resuming the US presidency in January, Trump, the former host of the reality TV show The Apprentice, appears to have become an uncharacteristically bashful boss, more disposed to hiring than firing. Continue reading… More

Trump also wishes ‘merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists’, after strikes. Key US politics stories from Thursday 25 DecemberDonald Trump has launched “powerful and deadly” strikes on Christmas Day against Islamic State militants in Nigeria, weeks after the US president warned against any systemic assault on Christians in the country.Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Thursday that he had “previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was”. Continue reading… More

Parts of the US right have for years been amplifying claims that Christians face violence in Nigeria, a notion the US president has helped to encourageAfter spending weeks accusing Nigeria’s government of failing to tackle the persecution of Christians, Donald Trump announced a series of strikes on the west African country on Christmas Day.The strikes, targeting Islamic State militants in the country’s north, mark the latest overseas military intervention from Trump, who campaigned on a promise to extradite the US from decades of “endless wars” during his 2024 run for president. Continue reading… More