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    Mistakes, mistrust and misdirection: 25 years after 9/11, its dark legacy continues to unfold

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    The world’s most powerful country responded to the worst terrorist attack in its history by inflicting terror of its own – around the world, and at homeAs clear as that cloudless September morning, Jenna Jacobs McPartland remembers the moment everything changed. “I was cleaning the bathroom and watching the Today show in the background and nine months pregnant,” the 52-year-old recalls by phone. “I think they were showing ‘Today throws a wedding’ when the news broke in.”A plane had hit the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York. McPartland did not know that her husband, Ariel Jacobs, was attending a conference at its Windows on the World restaurant. “I called his office to say, ‘Hey, turn on the TV. Do you guys know what’s going on?’ His assistant said, ‘Oh my God, Jenna, he’s there.’ The whole world disappeared and there was this sort of hollow collapsing feeling.” Continue reading… More

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      ‘I’m on the ticket’: Trump implores Republicans to vote in November at unusual midterm convention

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      The president demonised Democrats in an attempt to wangle votes in midterms despite backlash over Iran warWith his approval rating at a historic low, Donald Trump has brought down the curtain on the Republicans’ first ever midterm convention by pleading with supporters to do him “the biggest favour” and “pretend” they are voting for him in November’s US elections.The president is facing a growing backlash over rising prices and the war in Iran. Sweeping losses for the Republican party could effectively turn Trump into a lame duck for his final two years in the White House. Continue reading… More

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      Trump-a-palooza: why are Republicans avoiding the president’s convention? – podcast

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      Donald Trump has thrown a convention to amp up the Republican base ahead of the midterm elections, but not everyone is thrilled about it. Dozens of officials running for re-election have stayed away, choosing instead to campaign locally. Are they worried about Trump’s current unpopularity weighing down their ticket?This week Jenna Amatulli is in for Jonathan Freedland and speaks to Guardian US politics correspondent Rachel LeingangWatch Jonathan Freedland on our new Politics Weekly YouTube channelSend your questions and feedback to [email protected] to The Guardian Investigates podcast and listen to season 2 of Black Box Continue reading… More

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      Trump doubles down on pledge of $5,000 payments if his party retains control of Congress on second night of convention – as it happened

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      This live blog is now closed.Trump promise of $5,000 for US citizens after midterms decried as ‘bribery’Sign up for the US Breaking News emailThe Supreme Court has blocked a federal judge’s ruling that would’ve restored Republican-drawn congressional districts in Missouri.The decision, issued by justice Brett Kavanaugh, appeared to sound a death knell for efforts by the Missouri GOP to extract an additional Republican-leaning congressional seat for their party ahead of the midterm elections. Continue reading… More

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      JD Vance pitches himself as Trump’s political heir on day two of Republican midterm convention

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      Vice-president dog-whistled, exaggerated claims of success and echoed Trump talking points to excited audienceJD Vance made a clear pitch that he should be the heir to Donald Trump on Thursday night, closing out the Republicans’ midterm convention with a blistering speech that featured exaggerated claims of success, criticism of Democrats as “lunatics” and an aggressive dismissal of a protester waving a Mexican flag.Speaking in Dallas, the vice-president showed he could channel the basest instincts of his boss, filling his remarks with dog whistles and echoing Trump’s false claims that Democrats “cheered” the 7 October massacre of Israelis. Continue reading… More

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      Canada helped save the bald eagle from near extinction in the US – does the White House know?

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      The White House posted a photo of bald eagle attacking a Canada goose to send a message – but it was Canada that played a critical role in the recovery of the bird in the USIn late August, the White House posted a real photograph on social media of a bald eagle standing atop the limp neck of a Canada goose.The raptor presses the goose’s face into the grey winter slush. With its stark white head and brilliant yellow talons, the eagle looks victorious and defiant. Continue reading… More

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      American democracy depends on the census. Trump is undermining it | danah boyd

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      The very mechanisms that allow the census bureau to resist partisan interference are coming undone. And Congress is silentWhen the constitutional architects of the United States got together, they came up with a crazy plan: “What if we count everyone in the country and allocate political representation that way?”It was a radical act. Until then, censuses had been used by kings to levy taxes and conscript men into war. With the penning of article 1, section 2 of the US constitution, being counted ensured that states would get financial resources and political representatives. Congress was tasked with building the processes to anchor representation to the population. People wanted to be counted. And politicians wanted their people to be counted more.danah boyd is the Geri Gay professor of communication at Cornell University and the author of Data Are Made, Not Found: A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the US Census Continue reading… More

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      Trump’s comments on the Falkland Islands reflect a fractured US-UK relationship

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      President suggested US might not help UK if Argentina tried to seize Falklands – a new low for UK-US ‘special relationship’Last week, Donald Trump suggested in an interview with the British TV channel GB News that he might not help the UK if Argentina tried again to seize the Falkland Islands. It was a new low for UK-US relations.The “special relationship” (Winston Churchill’s phrase) was never perfect, but the UK helped the US on countless occasions, from Korea to Iraq to Afghanistan. The US often stood by the UK as well – although not during the Suez Crisis of 1956, but Ronald Reagan’s government provided significant intelligence and logistics support to Britain during the dust-up over the Falklands in 1982. That relationship is fading fast. Continue reading… More

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      How Charlie Kirk’s martyrdom fed the right. And then tore it apart – Stateside with Kai and Carter

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      Charlie Kirk’s death created a vacuum of power that still consumes the Maga right a year later. Immediately after Kirk was shot and killed, his ultraconservative activist organization Turning Point USA announced that his widow, Erika Kirk, would replace her late husband as CEO. But as Guardian reporter J Oliver Conroy tells Kai Wright, conspiracy theories pushed by Kirk’s former allies and proteges have dogged both the organization and Erika Kirk herself. Real questions remain about whether Erika Kirk can maintain the enormous power and influence Turning Point holds on the right and what she is planning to do with the organization. Conroy spent months reporting on Charlie Kirk’s legacy talking to dozens of people within Turning Point USA and the larger Maga movement who view Charlie Kirk as a martyr. Conroy says martyrdom is a powerful force that can’t be controlledJ Oliver Conroy’s Guardian story on Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA:  Grief, fury, conspiracy: inside Turning Point USA after Charlie Kirk’s killing Continue reading… More