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    Democrats rebuke federal raid of Ilhan Omar’s home: ‘rogue abuse of power’

    Top House Democrats question the ‘corrupt weaponization’ of federal government against Trump’s adversariesIlhan Omar’s Democratic colleagues have condemned federal agents’ search of the Minnesota congresswoman’s home on Monday morning, describing it as “deeply disturbing” and emblematic of the Trump administration’s “corrupt weaponization” of the US government.House Democratic leaders, including minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, party whip Katherine Clark and caucus chair Pete Aguilar, issued a joint statement excoriating the president for the search. Continue reading… More

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    Judge halts tree removal at Washington golf course Trump eyes for expansion

    Ana Reyes demands Trump officials explain East Potomac tree cutting and says it will likely cause ‘irreparable harm’US district judge Ana Reyes on Monday ordered a 24-hour halt to tree cutting at the historic East Potomac golf course while she decides on an emergency order from plaintiffs concerned that Donald Trump’s plans for the course are moving forward despite a pending court case challenging them.“Tree removal for routine maintenance is not exempt from this order,” Reyes’ wrote. “Plaintiffs are likely to suffer immediate and irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief. Continue reading… More

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    If the US livestreams an execution, it will be an act of terror | Brief letters

    Pete Hegseth | Pre-loved | Marlborough man | Canterbury tale | Newt kids on the blockPete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, has authorised the livestreaming of an execution by firing squad (Report, 9 October). Morally this is no different from a terrorist group posting a video of a beheading. It marks yet another step in the brutalising of American society under the second Trump administration. Britain stopped holding public executions in 1868.John BoalerCalne, Wiltshire• I find nearly all the “pre-” expressions irritating, but the term pre-loved (Letters, 7 October) is, in this one instance, justifiable. Items that have been passed on due to the owner’s lack of affection are exactly in a state of “pre‑lovedness”, waiting for the buyer who will truly cherish them.Paola McClureDundee Continue reading… More

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    Ilhan Omar says she will not be silenced after federal agents raid her home

    Trump and key allies have accused Omar of immigration fraud, and have called to expel her from the countryFederal agents searched Representative Ilhan Omar’s home on Monday morning as part of a criminal investigation, according to the Department of Justice and reports in the Associated Press and Fox News.In a social media post later on Monday, Omar criticized the raid as an attempt by the Trump administration “to target political enemies and weaponize law enforcement” and said she would “not be silenced”. Continue reading… More

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    Trump and Rubio weigh firing Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports of improper conduct

    Senior official says president and US secretary of state are ‘extremely pissed off’ by conduct of US envoy to GreeceDonald Trump and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, are considering firing US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens.A senior US official said Sunday that Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on what action to take this week after Monday’s federal holiday. Continue reading… More

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    Abdul El-Sayed: Democrats must ‘win by massive numbers’ to fend off Trump election denial

    Democratic Senate candidate’s remarks come as Trump has long baselessly claimed his 2020 election loss was stolenDemocrats must “win by massive numbers” during November’s federal midterm elections because Donald Trump and his Republican allies are bound to try to sow doubt about the integrity of the results, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan said on Sunday.El-Sayed’s comments on NBC’s Meet the Press came with the Democrats favored to win control of the House of Representatives during the 3 November midterms – and polls show that the party could also win Senate seats in states that traditionally elect Republicans and gain a majority there, too. Continue reading… More

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    The Guardian view on the US, Russia and the international criminal court: Trump’s assault on the rule of law intensifies | Editorial

    A fuel deal with Vladimir Putin, and sanctions against the legal institution, ram home the president’s belief that might is rightOn Friday, Donald Trump drove home his belief that might is right and the rule of law is an obstacle rather than an essential foundation stone of international order. First came the escalated assault on the international criminal court (ICC), sanctioning the body itself. Then he announced a deal with Russia to buy diesel.The US has long chafed at the notion of being bound by the rule of law that it espoused publicly. That hypocrisy now appears as a lesser vice. The president has declared that “my own morality” is all that constrains him. His brazen flouting of the law, embrace of dictators and rhetorical attacks all undermine global standards.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading… More

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    Trump’s deal with Putin will have little impact on US diesel prices, experts say

    Analysts say fuel will take weeks to ship and quantity is too small to affect prices, while full deal is unlikely to be met given damage to Russian refineriesTrump announces partial ceasefire but Zelenskyy says deal is ‘news to me’Donald Trump’s deal with Vladimir Putin to temporarily lift sanctions on US imports of Russian diesel will have little “meaningful” effect on motorists and businesses in the US and overseas, energy and foreign policy analysts have predicted.The US president infuriated Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he announced the deal on Friday, writing on Truth Social that the agreement with his Russia counterpart to supply millions of tonnes of diesel was essential to reduce fuel prices in the US, which have soared after his decision to go to war against Iran. Continue reading… More