US Politics

Subterms

    More stories

    • 225 Shares31 Views

      in US Politics

      The Guardian view on microplastics research: questioning results is good for science, but has political consequences | Editorial

      by

      Errors in measuring microplastic pollution can be corrected. Public trust in science also needs to be shored up It is true that science is self-correcting. Over the long term this means that we can generally trust its results – but up close, correction can be a messy process. The Guardian reported last week that 20 recent studies measuring the amount of micro- and nanoplastics in the human body have been criticised in the scientific literature for methodological issues, calling their results into question. In one sense this is the usual process playing out as it should. However, the scale of the potential error – one scientist estimates that half the high-impact papers in the field are affected – suggests a systemic problem that should have been prevented.The risk is that in a febrile political atmosphere in which trust in science is being actively eroded on issues from climate change to vaccinations, even minor scientific conflicts can be used to sow further doubt. Given that there is immense public and media interest in plastic pollution, it is unfortunate that scientists working in this area did not show more caution. Continue reading… More

    • 263 Shares31 Views

      in US Politics

      If it wasn’t clear before, it is now: Britain needs an escape plan from the Trump world order | Gaby Hinsliff

      by

      The US president’s trade war for Greenland tells us that the time for fence-sitting or wishful thinking is overOne way or the other, President Trump said, he will have Greenland. Well, at least now we know it’s the other; not an invasion that would have sent young men home to their mothers across Europe in coffins, but instead another trade war, designed to kill off jobs and break Europe’s will. Just our hopes of an economic recovery, then, getting taken out and shot on a whim by our supposedly closest ally, months after Britain signed a trade deal supposed to protect us from such arbitrary punishment beatings. In a sane universe, that would not feel like a climbdown by the White House, yet by comparison with the rhetoric that had Denmark scrambling troops to Greenland last week it is.That said, don’t underestimate the gravity of the moment.Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist Continue reading… More

    • 163 Shares28 Views

      in US Politics

      ‘America first’? Trump financial products raise questions about potential presidential conflicts of interest

      by

      Five exchange-traded funds have been launched by Trump Media, owner of the president’s social media platform Truth SocialThe word “Truth” was plastered all around the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday morning. At 9.30am, when the market opened, a small crowd stood on the balcony above the trading floor to ring in the day.The group was celebrating the launch of five exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, that are tied to Truth Social, Donald Trump’s social media platform that has spun into a menagerie of products over the last few years. Continue reading… More

    • 200 Shares56 Views

      in US Politics

      Why America needs a new antiwar movement – and how it can win | Jeremy Varon

      by

      Demonstrations against the Iraq war proved protest works. Now we must halt destruction before it more powerfully startsIn spring 2004, Gen Anthony Zinni uttered about Iraq the dreaded words in US politics: “I spent two years in Vietnam, and I’ve seen this movie before.” A year after George W Bush’s declaration of “mission accomplished” – when the war had hit its peak popularity at 74% – the invasion had descended into quagmire, marked by a raging insurgency, the Abu Ghraib torture scandal and US casualties nearing 1,000. For the first time, a majority of Americans judged the war a “mistake”. In this, they echoed what millions of Americans, predicting fiasco, had been saying since before its start.By the summer of 2005, with Iraq exploding in civil war, public support further eroded. Vietnam comparisons abounded. Running against the war, Democrats had blowout wins in the 2006 midterms. The new Congress empaneled the bipartisan Iraq study group, which concluded that the war had to end. Its fate was sealed by the election of Barack Obama, who made good on his pledge to withdraw US troops (though US forces later returned to take on the Islamic State).Jeremy Varon is the author of Our Grief Is Not a Cry for War: The Movement to Stop the War on Terror (University of Chicago Press, 2025) Continue reading… More

    • 175 Shares36 Views

      in US Politics

      JD Vance: ‘despicable toady for Trump’ – and 2028 candidate in all but name

      by

      Vice-president has emerged as key defender of Maga flame – and is backed by big tech billions. Is this the heir apparent?“We did not have a lot of money,” said JD Vance, placing hand on heart as he recalled his childhood in Middletown, Ohio in the 1990s. “I was raised by a woman who struggled often to put food on the table and clothes on her back.”There was an earnest cry from the audience. “Mamaw!” shouted a man. Continue reading… More

    • 150 Shares45 Views

      in US Politics

      ‘He hoped Trump’s help would arrive’: why protesters in Iran feel betrayed

      by

      Many believed a US president would – for the first time – rescue them but now people can only despair after mass arrests and brutalityWhen Donald Trump, said he would “rescue” protesters if Iranian authorities started shooting, Siavash Shirzad believed the US president.The 38-year-old father had seen protests rise up before, only to be brutally crushed by authorities.
      But this was the first time in his life that the president of the United States had promised to help demonstrators. Reassured, Shirzad took to the streets, ignoring his family’s warnings and joining the growing crowds. Continue reading… More

    • 163 Shares36 Views

      in US Politics

      Trump news at a glance: European leaders condemn threat of tariffs over Greenland

      by

      French president says ‘no amount of intimidation’ will make EU change course; Greenlanders march against takeover threat. Key US politics stories from Saturday 17 January at a glanceEuropean leaders have hit back at Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on countries opposing his Greenland takeover, saying the move would “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral”.The US president threatened a 25% tariff on a slew of European countries – including Denmark, Germany, France and the UK – until the US is allowed to purchase Greenland, in an extraordinary escalation of the president’s bid to claim the autonomous Danish territory. Continue reading… More

    • 163 Shares42 Views

      in US Politics

      Trump threatens 25% tariff on European allies until Denmark sells Greenland to US

      by

      Heads of state across Europe respond in solidarity with Denmark and Greenland, and boycott of World Cup suggestedDonald Trump threatened a 25% tariff on a slew of European countries including Denmark, Germany, France and the UK – until the US is allowed to purchase Greenland, in an extraordinary escalation of the president’s bid to claim the autonomous Danish territory.In a lengthy post on Saturday on Truth Social, Trump said he would impose a 10% tariff on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland beginning 1 February, “on any and all goods sent to the United States of America”. Continue reading… More