US politics

US politics

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with journalist and author Andrew Ross Sorkin about his new book, 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History and How It Shattered a Nation - the story of speculation, debt, and the human drives that fueled the Wall Street crash that changed everything. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

In his announcement, Trump said the strikes were aimed at Islamic State militants who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries! A Defense Department official told the Associated Press that the US worked with Nigeria to carry out the strikes, and that they'd been approved by that country's government.

A contributing factor to this lack of productivity was President Donald Trump's increasing use of executive orders, often controversial and subject to multiple court challenges. So far in his second term, Trump has signed 224 executive orders, compared to the 52 he signed in 2017 and more than he did during his entire first term. President Joe Biden signed 76 in 2021, his first year in office.

It has been a big year for the right to repair, the movement of advocates pushing for people to be able to fix their own electronics and equipment without manufacturer approval. The issue has gathered broad support from technologists, farmers, military leaders, and politicians on both sides of the aisle. It is popular with just about everyone-except the companies who stand to gain if the parts, instructions, and tools necessary to fix their products remain under lock and key.

The Justice Department said in a social media post that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI "have uncovered over a million more documents" that could be related to the Epstein case - a stunning 11th hour development after department officials suggested months ago that they had undertaken a comprehensive review that accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related materials.

The committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), included in its post a list of qualities it determined prove that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is indeed definitely a Republican. Doubted by the elites, reads the list. Pulled himself up by his bootstraps. Faced adversity. Carried the team when others couldn't. Definitely a Republican. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: -Doubted by the elites. -Pulled himself up by his bootstraps. -Faced adversity. -Carried the team when others couldn't. Definitely a Republican.

US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau spoke to Palau president Surangel Whipps in a call on Tuesday about transferring third-country nationals to Palau, the two sides said in separate statements, after Palau's lawmakers rejected a previous request from Washington on the matter earlier this year. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, including his administration's deportation drive, have been broadly condemned by human rights advocates over concerns about due process.

In this time of unrelenting, often unprecedented cruelty and lawlessness, I'm grateful for readers like you. So many of you have taken to the streets, organized in your neighborhood and with your union, and showed up at the ballot box to vote for progressive candidates. You're proving that it is possible-to paraphrase the legendary Patti Smith-to redeem the work of the fools running our government.

I believe you can find God's love everywhere, but it really shines in Louisiana. The Pelican State is home to the country's largest alligator population, with an estimated population of more than two million. God blessed our taste buds with Cajun flavors, he continued, shouting out a staple of his home state. God blessed our eardrums with Jazz music. God blessed our coasts with fish to catch, and our skies with ducks to hunt.

In a 9,500-word Vanity Fair magazine profile based on 11 interviews conducted over Trump's first year back in office, Wiles described the president as having an alcoholic's personality and an eye for vengeance against perceived enemies. The first woman to serve as White House chief of staff also called the vice-president, JD Vance, a conspiracy theorist, branded tech tycoon Elon Musk an odd, odd duck while criticising his dismantling of USAID, and gave juicy opinions on other Trump administration figures.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

In his remarks to the U.K. public, the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! accused President Donald Trump, whom he called King Donny the VIII, of wanting to shut me up because I don't adore him in the way he likes to be adored. Kimmel celebrated his return to the airwaves, declaring, We won, the president lost and now I'm back on the air every night.

You may have read in your colourful newspapers that my country's president would like to shut me up because I don't adore him in the way he likes to be adored. The American government made a threat against me and the company I work for, and all of a sudden we were off the air. But then, you know what happened? A Christmas miracle happened. Well, it was September. It was a September miracle.

The United States will focus on exerting economic rather than military pressure on Venezuela over the next two months as it continues to pursue sanctioned Venezuelan oil, according to a Reuters news agency report citing an unnamed US official. The White House has ordered the military to focus almost exclusively on enforcing a quarantine' of Venezuelan oil, the Reuters report said, even as the US continues to apply military pressure in the region.

This was not the Christmas that Mariela Gomez would have imagined a year ago. Or the one that thousands of other Venezuelan immigrants in the United States would have thought. But Donald Trump returned to the White House in January and quickly ended their US dream. Gomez found herself spending the holiday in northern Venezuela for the first time in eight years. She dressed up, cooked, got her son a scooter and smiled for her in-laws.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

The bill, sponsored by Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL), sought to speed up the removal of troubling online content: non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). The spread of NCII is a serious problem, as is digitally altered NCII, sometimes called "deepfakes." That's why 48 states have specific laws criminalizing the distribution of NCII, in addition to the long-existing defamation, harassment, and extortion

A federal judge said the Trump administration can move ahead with a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, providing a setback for US technology companies that rely on hiring skilled foreign workers. US District Judge Beryl Howell said in a ruling Tuesday that President Donald Trump's effort to radically increase the cost of the popular visa is lawful. The decision gives a boost to the administration's campaign to restrict immigration and push demand for US workers.

Homicides in America decreased by 19.8% this year, according to crime analyst Jeff Asher. He wrote on Substack on Monday that his research is based primarily on the Real-Time Crime Index, which collects monthly crime data from 570 law enforcement agencies nationwide. Asher said 2025 will be the third straight year murders have dropped at a record pace, after there was a 15% decline in homicides in 2024.

PG&E and Alameda County Fire officials say more investigation is needed to determine if residents should have been told to leave. The fact that a house blew up and people were injured means they absolutely should have been told. These spokespeople mean "did we follow our flawed process that said no need to notify despite the risk, or did we not follow our good enough process that should have notified people?" As such, they completely lose track of their real responsibility, our safety.

"Sabre, who goes by Bottleneckloser on Instagram, recently posted side-by-side photos of herself on X depicting her pre- and post-transition. "God I love estrogen," she wrote. Almost three weeks later, Mace shared the post to her official X account and wrote, "Estrogen doesn't love you." She also shared the post on her personal X account and wrote, "Can we get @RobertKennedyJr on this? NO way is this healthy."

The Takings Clause is a part of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and it says that if the government wants to take away someone's private property, they have to do it in a way that's fair. Most of us grew up hearing adults say that life isn't fair. And they're right-it isn't. Neither is an authority forcing you to give up your property for whatever they think is fair.