Politics

A collection of 1635 posts

Politics

New SNAP rules confuse grocery stores and consumers

States are rolling out new restrictions on what can be bought with SNAP (food stamp) benefits, starting Jan. 1 in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and West Virginia, with at least 13 more states expected to follow, according to The New York Times. The Agriculture Department is rapidly approving waivers that

Politics

Democratic governors vow accountability after Alex Pretti killing

On Jan. 29, 2026, the day after Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York vowed to hold Trump administration officials who were involved responsible — once they leave office. Democratic governors and state lawmakers have moved to position their jurisdictions as vehicles for

Politics

Democrats block six-bill funding package as D.H.S. talks with Trump continue

Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a six-bill spending package needed to keep the government open past a Friday midnight deadline, voting 45 to 55 to fall short of the 60 votes required to open debate as they negotiated with President Trump over restrictions on immigration enforcement, the Senate majority leader

Politics

Australian workplace relations department to replace short-term call centre staff

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations plans to replace 13 short-term contact-centre staff with a third-party contractor after the workers reached the maximum period allowed for short-term contracts, the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) says. The union said the department intended to let the workers go rather than

Politics

5-year-old Minnesota boy fell ill at ICE's Dilley family detention center, school says

A 5-year-old Minnesota boy who was detained by ICE alongside his father earlier this month has fallen ill at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, the superintendent of his school district told Huffington Post. Zena Stenvik, superintendent for Columbia Heights Public Schools, said she spoke with the

Politics

Justice Dept. in Minnesota targets critics while resisting civil‑rights probes

The New York Times reports that, in Minnesota this month, the Trump Justice Department has pushed prosecutors and the F.B.I. to focus on critics of its immigration crackdown while resisting traditional civil‑rights investigations into two fatal, video‑recorded shootings — of Renee Good and Alex Pretti — the article

Politics

Australia’s immigration contractor MTC involved in Trump ICE migrant crackdown

The Australian government’s main immigration detention contractor, the local subsidiary of Management and Training Corporation (MTC), is playing a key role in Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the United States while continuing to run offshore processing on Nauru and Australia’s onshore detention network under contracts awarded by

Politics

Amy Klobuchar announces run for Minnesota governor

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota formally announced her campaign for governor on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, calling for unity and decency in a state she said has been through a lot. In a gauzy, four-minute video introducing her campaign, Ms. Klobuchar praised the “resilience” of Minnesota and said she would

Politics

Australia spends more on landlord tax breaks than on social housing and homelessness

Australia spends billions more on tax breaks for property investors than it spends on social housing, homelessness services and rent assistance combined, according to research by the Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss). The analysis says tax concessions for landlords cost $12.3bn in 2025, while total expenditure on the

Politics

Xi tells Starmer UK and China should ‘rise above differences’ in Beijing talks

China’s leader Xi Jinping told UK prime minister Keir Starmer in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing that the UK-China relationship had gone through “twists and turns” and that the two countries should “rise above differences” if they were to “stand the test of history”. The meeting

Politics

Judge says ICE violated nearly 100 court orders in Minnesota crackdown

A federal judge in Minnesota said on Wednesday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had violated nearly 100 court orders as the agency faced growing scrutiny over a crackdown that followed the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis this month. Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, a

Politics

Justice Dept. Playbook in Minnesota: Investigate Foes, Protect Allies

The New York Times reported on Jan. 29, 2026, that the Trump Justice Department in Minnesota has pressed prosecutors and the F.B.I. to focus on critics of the administration’s immigration enforcement while resisting traditional civil rights investigations into officers who killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Department

Politics

Oklahoma revokes teacher’s license after protest of book ban

Summer Boismier, a high school English teacher in Oklahoma, lost her state teaching license in 2024 after protesting laws that pressured teachers to remove books on race, gender and sexuality; this fall she filed a federal lawsuit against the state and former state superintendent Ryan Walters, arguing her free-speech and

Politics

Albanese defends Isaac Herzog visit as MP joins calls to rescind invitation

Anthony Albanese has defended the federal government’s invitation for Israeli president Isaac Herzog to visit Australia in February, after another federal MP joined calls to cancel the visit in the wake of the December Bondi Hanukah shooting that left 15 people dead. Herzog’s spokesperson said he would travel

Politics

Netanyahu says U.S. arms delay contributed to Israeli deaths in Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a news conference on Tuesday night that Israeli soldiers died during the Gaza war because of a shortage of ammunition caused in part by the United States holding back some weapons deliveries, according to The New York Times on Jan. 29, 2026. He did

Politics

Attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar at Minneapolis town hall as threats against lawmakers surge

On Tuesday night in Minneapolis, Representative Ilhan Omar was attacked at a town hall when a man charged her and used a syringe to spray a liquid that smelled like vinegar before he was tackled by security, officials said. The incident came the same night the United States Capitol Police

Politics

NSW inquiry recommends ban on "globalise the intifada" only when it incites harm

A New South Wales parliamentary inquiry has recommended proscribing the phrase "globalise the intifada" when it is used to incite hatred, harassment, intimidation or violence, the inquiry chair, Labor MP Edmond Atalla, confirmed to Guardian Australia ahead of a final closed meeting on Thursday. The Labor-led committee voted

Politics

Trump administration says Minnesota ICE surge is lawful, denies coercion

Lawyers for the Trump administration told a federal judge on Wednesday that the surge of federal agents in Minnesota was a legitimate exercise of law enforcement power, not an illegal attempt to coerce policy changes, the filing said. The deployment, which the government has called Operation Metro Surge and has

Politics

Rightwing Liberal meeting in Melbourne before Katie Allen memorial signals challenge to Ley

A group of rightwing Liberal men gathered at a private residence in Melbourne on Thursday for secret talks about ousting Sussan Ley, hours before a memorial service for former MP Katie Allen, the Guardian reports. The images of the meeting, the report says, confirmed two things: the internal plot to

Politics

Ilhan Omar sprayed with liquid at Minneapolis town hall; attacker restrained

Representative Ilhan Omar was sprayed with a strong-smelling liquid by a man who rushed the lectern at a town hall in North Minneapolis on Tuesday night; security officers immediately tackled and removed him and Ms. Omar finished her remarks, according to the report. The incident came after President Trump, speaking

Politics

Return of inflation threatens to hijack Labor’s second-term agenda

The return of high inflation in Australia threatens to hijack the Albanese government’s second‑term agenda and has increased fears of interest rate rises, with the Reserve Bank said to be likely to hike rates on Tuesday for the first time since November 2023. Cost of living has been

Politics

Judge orders release of Minnesota refugees targeted in ICE operation

A federal judge on Wednesday evening ordered federal agents to stop detaining and deporting refugees in Minnesota who were lawfully admitted to the United States and to immediately release those currently held, granting a temporary restraining order that halts the operation. The judge’s order pauses a Trump administration operation

Politics

Sergey Brin gave $20M as tech billionaires spent $35M ahead of California wealth-tax vote

Google cofounder Sergey Brin was the largest donor in a January filing that showed he and other California billionaires gave a combined $35 million to ballot measure committees ahead of the state's wealth-tax vote, according to a disclosure seen by Business Insider. The disclosure, filed by the coalition

Politics

Videos show Alex Pretti pushed to ground 11 days before his killing

Newly unearthed videos show Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse, being pushed to the ground by federal agents at a protest in South Minneapolis on Jan. 13, 11 days before he was fatally shot by federal agents on Saturday, the footage and reporting say. The footage shows Mr. Pretti running toward

Politics

Kevin Couch resigns as Kennedy Center senior vice president of artistic programming

Kevin Couch, who was announced as senior vice president of artistic programming at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts less than two weeks ago, said he left the role on Wednesday, the center announced. Mr. Couch declined to provide a reason for his resignation. He was formerly