Three US citizens sue Trump with the ACLU over encounters with ICE agents – live

Lawsuit comes as state governor Tim Walz urges Trump to ‘turn the temperature down’ after president threatens to invoke Insurrection Act

• Trump news at a glance: The medal may be in Trump’s hands, but peace prize is not his, Nobel officials say

• Trump threatens to use Insurrection Act in Minnesota

• People affected by the US visa freeze: share your experience

Donald Trump is in Washington today. He’s due to meet with Mariá Corina Machado – Venezuela’s opposition leader – at 12:3opm ET. At the moment that’s closed to the press but we’ll let you know if that changes and bring you the latest.

Later, Trump is set to host the champions of the 2025 Stanley Cup, the Florida Panthers, at the White House. We’ll be watching to get his reaction to the news of the day.

Feds charge 26 in college basketball point-shaving scheme

Authorities said the alleged scheme involved 39 players, 17 different NCAA Division I men's basketball teams and 29 games.

Dueling accounts of ICE shooting of Venezuelan migrant in Minneapolis

Cell phone footage shared on social media by a Democratic state senator appears to show the moments after Wednesday's shooting took place, in which a woman calls 911 and can be heard pleading for help.

María Corina Machado says she presented Trump with her Nobel peace prize medal

The Venezuelan opposition leader did not confirm whether the US president accepted the award

The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has said she “presented” her gold Nobel peace prize medal to Donald Trump after meeting him in the White House, nearly a fortnight after he ordered the abduction of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro.

Machado, who received the award last year for her struggle against Maduro’s “brutal, authoritarian state”, told reporters on Thursday she had done so “in recognition [of] his unique commitment [to] our freedom”.

Ukraine war briefing: Russian attack destroys Kharkiv energy facility as UK pledges emergency support

Response crews at work following strikes in Ukraine’s second city as Britain commits £20m after Zelenskyy declares energy emergency. What we know on day 1,423

Russian forces destroyed a large energy facility in Ukraine’s second-biggest city, Kharkiv, the mayor said on Thursday, the latest target of a winter air campaign by Moscow that has plunged millions of Ukrainians into darkness and cold. Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram that emergency crews were working around the clock, while he did not specify what sort of facility had been hit. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said officials were assessing the extent of damage.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy proceeded with a drive to tackle the damage inflicted by Russian strikes, chairing a meeting aimed at securing quick decisions from regional leaders. The Ukrainian president said there had been new strikes on the capital into the evening. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 300 apartment buildings remained without heat after a 9 January attack knocked out heating to half the city’s high-rises.

The UK on Friday announced new emergency energy support of £20m ($27m) for Ukraine after Zelenskyy declared a state of emergency following sustained attacks on the country’s power infrastructure. He acted as emergency crews worked to restore heating and electricity in Kyiv and other cities after last week’s attacks by Russia knocked out supplies during sub-zero temperatures. The British support includes funding aimed at keeping electricity and heating on in homes, hospitals and schools across winter.

The Ukrainian prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, introduced measures to deal with power and heating outages, reducing overnight curfews and allowing businesses and government institutions to import more power. School holidays in Kyiv were extended until 1 February. Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the foreign and energy ministries had organised an appeal for funds to help tackle Ukraine’s energy problems, similar to periodic meetings on arms supplies. Norway, he said, had made an initial grant of $200m.

The International Monetary Fund chief is in Ukraine for the first time since 2023 for high-level meetings, the fund said on Thursday, as Kyiv awaits approval on key funding nearly four years since Russia’s invasion. IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva was in Kyiv for a “short visit” during which she would meet with Zelenskyy and other top leaders, an IMF spokesperson said.

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte spoke to Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine. Rutte posted on X that they talked on Thursday “about the energy situation in Ukraine, with Russia’s attacks causing terrible human suffering, as well as on the ongoing efforts to bring an end to the war”. He also said: “We’re committed to ensuring that Ukraine continues to get the crucial support needed to defend today and ultimately secure a lasting peace.” In his account of the conversation, Zelenskyy said he discussed the “serious challenges” posed by the latest Russian strikes and the need to bolster Ukraine’s air defences.

Anti-corruption investigators have reportedly accused Yulia Tymoshenko, the prominent Ukrainian opposition figure and former prime minister, of organising a scheme to bribe MPs – said to include figures from Zelenskyy’s own party – to undermine him. A spokesperson for the specialised anti-corruption prosecutor’s office (Sapo) said on Wednesday that Tymoshenko had been charged after the offices of her Fatherland party were raided late on Tuesday night by officers from Sapo and the national anti-corruption bureau, report Peter Beaumont and Artem Mazhulin. Tymoshenko has not been formally identified but she released a statement denying any accusations.

Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Ukraine was not an obstacle to peace, pushing back against comments made a day earlier by Donald Trump. “We also talked about diplomatic work with America – Ukraine has never been and will never be an obstacle to peace,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly video address.

FBI: 1 arrested after protesters smash into unmarked federal vehicles

The FBI says that a suspect is in custody after protests in north Minneapolis Wednesday evening culminated in vandalism and the apparent compromising of federal documents.

Cincinnati museum celebrates the history of small businesses through their signs

The American Sign Museum in Cincinnati is a collection of more than a century of entrepreneurship and ambition.

How Cinncinati is recovering from the synthetic opioid crisis

Once among the hardest hit by the opioid epidemic, overdose deaths are falling in Ohio, though challenges remain.

Machado presented Trump with Nobel Peace Prize medallion

Venezuelan opposition leader María Machado previously said she wanted to "share" the prize for removing Nicolás Maduro from power.

The museum where iconic signs are celebrated

All his life, Tod Swormstedt has been fascinated, not necessarily by American small businesses, but by their signs, which announce to all the world -- or at least the folks on Main Street -- "we're here." "CBS Evening News" anchor Tony Dokoupil paid a visit to the museum inspired by his passion.

Behind the decline of opioid overdoses in Ohio

Once among the hardest hit by the opioid epidemic, overdose deaths are falling in Ohio, though challenges remain. "CBS Evening News" anchor Tony Dokoupil reports.

Astronauts back on Earth after medical issue cut mission short

Four space station Crew 11 fliers splashed down off the Southern California coast at 3:41 a.m. ET, closing out a 167-day stay in space cut short by a medical issue.

Astronaut in "good spirits" after returning from ISS for unknown medical issue

Four space station fliers undocked and plunged back to Earth, safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the Southern California coast six days after NASA ordered them home early because of an unspecified medical issue. Mark Strassmann has details.

Feds allege illegal college basketball gambling scheme in sweeping indictment

Federal prosecutors charged 26 people in an alleged point-shaving scheme involving multiple current and former college basketball players, authorities announced. Scott MacFarlane reports.

Chip stocks pop after TSMC's earnings beat boosts confidence in industrywide demand

Shares of chipmakers AMD and Nvidia popped along with equipment makers like Applied Materials after TSMC reported better-than-expected results.

Tensions flare in Minneapolis after second shooting involving ICE agent

Tensions are soaring in Minneapolis as protesters face off against federal agents. As Matt Gutman reports, it comes after a Venezuelan migrant was shot by an ICE agent after allegedly trying to flee federal officers.

Rights groups hail acquittal after seven years of aid workers prosecuted during Greece refugee crisis

Lesbos court clears aid workers of people smuggling, a move Human Rights Watch called a vindication of their lifesaving activities at sea

Two dozen aid workers, who had faced up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of smuggling migrants into Greece, have been acquitted by a court on Lesbos.

The verdict was met with cheers, tears and cries of jubilation as the presiding judge announced the words that would end a seven-year legal ordeal for the humanitarians. All 24 had engaged in rescue work on the Aegean island at the height of the refugee crisis.

Elon Musk’s xAI datacenter generating extra electricity illegally, regulator rules

Win for Memphis activists who say ‘Colossus’ facilities add extra pollution to already overburdened communities

A US regulator ruled on Thursday that Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company had acted illegally by using dozens of methane gas turbines to power massive data centers in Tennessee.

xAI has been fighting for a year and a half over truck-sized gas turbines the company had parked near its Colossus 1 and 2 facilities, arguing to local authorities that the electricity-generating turbines were exempt from requirements for air quality permits.

Robbie Williams: Britpop review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week

(Columbia)
Framed as the music Williams wanted to make post-Take That, Britpop surpasses pastiche and swerves unpredictably. Homoerotic paean to Morrissey, anyone?

The arrival of Robbie Williams’s 13th album has been a complicated business. It was announced in May 2025 and was supposed to come out in October, when its title would have chimed with the 90s nostalgia sparked by the Oasis reunion. Williams spent the summer engaging in promotion, unveiling fake Britpop-themed blue plaques around London and staging a press conference at the Groucho Club. There was a launch gig at storied Camden venue Dingwalls, at which he performed not just his new album in full, but his 1997 solo debut Life Thru a Lens.

It was a bold choice, given that Life Thru a Lens initially threatened to derail his solo career: at the time, the now nakedly obvious supernova hits Angels and Let Me Entertain You were overlooked while people criticised Williams’s muddled attempts to fit in with, well, Britpop. On stage at Dingwalls, he made the surprise announcement that the album now wasn’t coming out until mid-February, admitting with winning candour that he didn’t want to compete with Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl. Now it’s suddenly appeared, without explanation, two weeks into January: presumably because Williams will have fewer competitors in the albums chart this week, giving him a greater chance at breaking the record he currently jointly holds with the Beatles for the most UK No 1 albums ever.

Over-reliance on China could hit UK energy supply chains ‘putting 90,00 jobs at risk’

Institute for Public Policy Research thinktank report calls on chancellor to pursue policy of ‘securonomics’

Tens of thousands of jobs could be lost if the UK’s clean energy supply chains were to suffer a shock as a result of an over-reliance on China, a left-leaning thinktank has warned.

A year-long disruption to the supply of essential battery components used to manufacture electric vehicles could wipe out production of more than 580,000 electric cars and endanger 90,000 jobs, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research.

The Rip review – Ben Affleck and Matt Damon tear through flashy Netflix bro thriller

The longtime friends and colleagues add weight to Joe Carnahan’s enjoyably boisterous Friday night crowdpleaser

January has long been a B-movie buffet for those exhausted by prestige awards bait, a month when Gerard Butler and Jason Statham are suddenly commanding wide releases and often No 1 mini-hits. But as the former’s apocalyptic sequel Greenland 2: Migration lingers in the top five and the latter’s action romp Shelter prepares to premiere, we find two more prominent stars – Oscar winners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon – resigned to the small screen instead.

In a non-Netflix world, a film like The Rip – flashy, action-heavy, led by two household names – should be available this weekend on the biggest high-format screens across the country. But then in that same world, at this particular time, it’s doubtful that a film like this would even get made, granted a budget that’s reportedly close to $100m, highly unusual for R-rated non-IP. The streamer was, in fact, so keen to get it made that it has briefly agreed to change its pay structure, allowing Affleck and Damon to bring across their profit-sharing Artists Equity rule, by which each member of the cast and crew gets a bonus if the film performs well. So, as with many films at this weird moment, it’s a take-what-you-can-get situation and while it would have been preferable to see a film like this, which looks and feels like it was made in 2002, on the big screen, the landscape has dictated that the small will have to do.

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Chelsea need to avoid long-throw blues, plus: a vacant spot for Liverpool and West Ham’s best hope for survival

• Race for the golden boot: Premier League top scorers

Can the 198th derby be any spicier for Manchester United and their latest interim manager, Michael Carrick? This is his second caretaker tenure though the three games of November-December 2021 (beating Villarreal and Arsenal, drawing with Chelsea) hardly compares to sending out an XI to try to beat Manchester City in Saturday’s early kick-off. Pep Guardiola’s high-performing unit remain in contention on all fronts. Carrick takes charge of a United suffering the aftershocks of a latest manager sacking, hoping to salvage the season via European qualification. The lad from Wallsend has 17 games to do so – his new team are in seventh place on 32 points, so victory over City would be a fine start. But you wonder if the match might end with Carrick and United humbled or, even worse, humiliated. Jamie Jackson

Manchester United v Manchester City, Saturday 12.30pm (all times GMT)

Chelsea v Brentford, Saturday 3pm

Leeds v Fulham, Saturday 3pm

Liverpool v Burnley, Saturday 3pm

A federal judge dismisses the DOJ's effort to get voter data from California

The Trump administration has been dealt its first legal setback in its unprecedented effort to consolidate voter data traditionally held by states.

Mortgage rates fall to 3-year low, offering relief for homebuyers

The average interest rate on a typical mortgage dipped to 6.06%, the lowest level since September 2022, according to Freddie Mac.

Mother of one of Elon Musk’s sons sues over Grok-generated explicit images

Ashley St Clair files lawsuit in state of New York over deepfakes that appeared on social media platform X

The mother of one of Elon Musk’s children is suing his company – alleging explicit images were generated of her by his Grok AI tool, including one in which she was underage.

Ashley St Clair has filed a lawsuit with the supreme court of the state of New York against xAI, alleging that Grok, which is used on the social media platform X, promised to stop generating explicit images but continued to do so.

ACA enrollment ends today in most states, as tax credit fix stalls

Some Americans are dropping their Affordable Care Act health plans after tax subsidies lapsed and their premiums spiked.

ICE's No. 2 official, a Noem ally, leaving agency to run for Congress

Madison Sheahan, the No. 2 official at ICE and a close ally of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, is leaving the agency to run for Congress.

Judge allows offshore windfarm halted by Trump to resume construction

Setback for president, who has called windfarms ‘losers’, as Empire Wind project allowed to move forward

A federal judge on Thursday cleared the way for a New York offshore wind project to resume construction, a victory for the developer who said a Trump administration order to pause it would probably kill the project in a matter of days.

District judge Carl J Nichols, an appointee of Donald Trump, ruled construction on the Empire Wind project could go forward while he considers the merits of the government’s order to suspend the project. He faulted the government for not responding to key points in Empire Wind’s court filings, including the contention that the administration violated proper procedure.

Down in the polls, Trump yanks Republicans toward economic populism. It may not save them

President Donald Trump phoned Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren earlier this week.

Sidelining of DOJ's Civil Rights Division in ICE shooting is unusual, experts say

Though DOJ says there's "no basis" for criminal civil rights probe in ICE shooting case, some legal experts say the division's lack of involvement here is unheard of.

US says it reached deal with Taiwan to lower tariffs and boost investments

US to lower tariffs on Taiwanese goods to 15% as chip and tech businesses pledge $250bn spending in US operations

The US said on Thursday that it had signed a deal with Taiwan to reduce tariffs on goods from the democratic island, while increasing Taiwanese semiconductor and tech companies’ investments in America.

The agreement, the US commerce department said, “will drive a massive reshoring of America’s semiconductor sector”.

Bipartisan bill aims to make it a crime to share information about U.S. special forces

The legislation was unveiled after journalist Seth Harp shared a public biography that he said belonged to the commander of the Army's elite Delta Force unit.

Taiwan will invest $250 billion in U.S. chipmaking under new trade deal

The U.S. and Taiwan have reached a trade agreement to build chips and chip factories on American soil, the Department of Commerce announced Thursday.

San Francisco to make childcare free for families earning up to $230,000

Officials to offer 50% subsidy up to $310,000 in effort to make one of world’s most expensive cities more affordable

San Francisco will offer free childcare to families earning less than $230,000 a year, and a 50% subsidy to those earning up to $310,000, in an expansion of the city’s childcare offerings designed to make one of the world’s most expensive cities more affordable for residents.

San Francisco’s mayor, Daniel Lurie, announced the initiative as part of his “Family Opportunity Agenda” on Wednesday, alongside a package of housing, education, food, healthcare, transportation and other programs focused on affordability.

Amazon threatens 'drastic' action after Saks bankruptcy, says $475M stake is now worthless

Amazon invested $475 million into Saks' acquisition of Neiman Marcus. It wants a federal judge to reject Saks' bankruptcy plan because it harms creditors.

White House eyes prosecutor in deputy AG's office for new fraud role, sources say

An ally of Deputy AG Todd Blanche is being considered for the newly created position of assistant attorney general, sources said.

Senators say bipartisan compromise on ACA tax credits has stalled

"We are in a little bit of a pothole," said GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno, who previously expected the compromise to be unveiled this week.

Behind the front lines of the legal battle against Trump's National Guard deployments

As President Trump began a pattern of deploying the National Guard to democratic-led cities, several Democratic attorneys general and their staffs worked to coordinate their fight against the deployments – and, ultimately, they won.

Actor Timothy Busfield held without bond in New Mexico child sex abuse case

Another allegation against Busfield was reported to law enforcement the same day he turned himself in, according to a court filing.

Bankruptcy filings surged last year. Here's what's behind the rise

The increase in bankruptcy filings comes as Americans face a slate of economic pressures, from sticky inflation to elevated borrowing costs.

How the new $6,000 senior tax deduction could impact older Americans

A new tax deduction for senior citizens is kicking in this tax season, potentially providing bigger refunds to millions, the AARP says.

What is the Insurrection Act, and why is Trump threatening to invoke it?

President Trump is threatening to invoke a centuries-old law to deploy troops to Minnesota. Here's what to know.

Trump health care plan doesn't help people facing skyrocketing ACA premiums

President Trump announced a plan that addresses drug costs and health savings accounts, but not the health insurance premium spikes that millions of Americans are facing.

Verizon just had a big outage. Here's what we know

Verizon says a software problem caused the glitch and it is conducting a postmortem, but experts say outages are "a fact of life" these days.

ChatGPT served as "suicide coach" in man's death, lawsuit alleges

Mother of Colorado man who committed suicide in 2025 alleges that OpenAI's AI chatbot told him death was a "beautiful place."

Barbs and a betrayal as Jenrick joins Reform after Badenoch gives him boot

Former shadow justice secretary shares stage with Nigel Farage in wake of being summarily sacked by Tory leader

• UK politics live – latest updates

Robert Jenrick made a dramatic defection to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK on Thursday, declaring the Conservatives “rotten” and a “failed” party, after being sacked by Kemi Badenoch for plotting against her.

In a high-stakes day for the future of the British right, Jenrick became the most senior Tory to switch allegiance to Reform, launching into a fiery and personal denunciation of his former colleagues in the shadow cabinet.

'Long johns for my fingers': what people are wearing in the world's coldest places

Whether dog-sledding in Mongolia or braving grocery store trips in Alaska’s 40mph winds, these writers recommend the gear they swear by

• Eight winter clothing essentials Scandinavians swear by – from heated socks to ‘allværsjakke’

• Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things

In New York City’s winter months, I’m bundling up for runs and throwing on layers for the office. But compared to Alaska’s glacial mountains and Finland’s snowy forests, the streets of Manhattan are practically a tropical paradise.

If anyone knows exactly what to wear to stay warm in cold weather, it’s the people who live in these places. So I asked seven writers who reside in some of the coldest cities on Earth to recommend the gear they swear by. One writer in Mongolia wore a pair of foot warmers on a nine-day dog sledding adventure. Another in Winnipeg, Canada, shared a pair of gloves she’s dubbed “long johns for your fingers”.

Eight winter clothing essentials Scandinavians swear by – from heated socks to ‘allværsjakke’

I run over 20 miles a week in the winter. Here’s everything I wear to stay warm

The best winter gloves are two pairs, actually (and one is hiding at Home Depot)

U.S. and Taiwan reach deal lowering tariffs to 15%, boosting chip financing

Taiwan is responsible for the majority of the world's semiconductor chips.

Could ICE agent in Good's shooting claim immunity from state charges?

The ICE agent involved in the fatal shooting could try to invoke immunity under the Constitution's Supremacy Clause to try to end state criminal prosecution.

‘It’s a long and difficult dream’: João Fonseca on practice, patience and matching Sinner and Alcaraz

Brazilian teenage tennis sensation says he cannot control expectations but is looking forward to challenging the best again in 2026, starting at the Australian Open

‘My dream is to become world No 1, win grand slam titles and make history for Brazil,” João Fonseca says with simple purity as we reach the crux of his huge ambition. Fonseca is 19 and he makes that succinct list of his goals sound almost as casual as a few fun things a more ordinary teenager might aim to do this weekend. But Fonseca is different.

He is a generational talent who, in recent years, has been spoken of as a future superstar amid predictions that he might have the best chance of denting the dominant hold that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner exert over men’s tennis. But, as time in Fonseca’s company proves, he is remarkably grounded and mature for his age. Those attributes underline his credentials far more effectively than the hype that has trailed him.

Geopolitical football: Iran? Trump? How the game can stand strong in a fractured world

The 2026 World Cup is set to be a polarising event but, even if it will not be the first to be politically contentious, it will expose a growing unease

Five months out from the World Cup the politics are impossible to avoid. There are concerns relating to one of the host countries, the US, with armed immigration officials roaming through its cities and visa restrictions stepped up against foreign visitors. One qualifying nation, Iran, is experiencing a public uprising against its leadership, with the regime attacking its citizens in response. Among other qualifiers there are concerns over democratic backsliding in Tunisia, ecological crimes in Ecuador and , in the future host country Saudi Arabia. And that’s just for starters.

It sometimes feels as if this summer’s tournament, the one Gianni Infantino recently described as “the greatest show ever on planet Earth”, will serve as an inescapable reminder of the depressing state of the world in 2026. It could yet be an event that goes down in infamy. But it is hardly the only tournament to have prompted ethical concerns and serves as a reminder that the issue of how global sport should engage with such issues has remained largely unresolved.

ICE officer shoots man in leg in Minneapolis after shovel attack, officials say

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer​ shot a man Wednesday night in north Minneapolis after allegedly being attacked by men with shovels during an arrest operation, three U.S. officials told CBS News.

Spanish police break up gang that used swimmers to hide cocaine on ships

Almost 2.5 tonnes of narcotic seized and 30 people arrested after 15-month investigation into drug-smuggling network

• Falling price of cocaine forces drug traffickers to reuse narco-submarines, say Spanish police

Spanish police have arrested 30 people and seized almost 2.5 tonnes of cocaine after breaking up a criminal network that used teams of young swimmers to hide the drugs on moving, Europe-bound ships which were then attacked and relieved of their unwitting cargo before reaching port.

The 15-month investigation began in October 2024 when Policía Nacional officers found 88kg of cocaine in a vehicle in the southern Spanish town of Mijas. The drugs led them to three gangs, including a Balkan cartel, who were working together to bring huge quantities of cocaine into Spain from Colombia.

The Guardian view on Trump’s world: from Venezuela to Iran to Greenland, the madness is the method | Editorial

The US president delights in his inconsistency. But his short-term victories have profound long-term costs for his country and the world

The Middle East was braced on Wednesday night, but the anxious petitioning of Gulf states and Iran’s attempts to appease the US president appeared to win out – at least for the moment. No bombs fell on Tehran. After all his threats, and with military options under discussion in Washington, Donald Trump stepped back, announcing that “the killing [of protesters] has stopped”.

Despite the telecommunications blackout, it seems clear that a ruthless regime has shed still more blood than in previous protest crackdowns. Rights groups say that thousands have been killed and vast numbers arrested; one official spoke of 2,000 deaths. Witnesses compared the streets to a war zone. If the large-scale killings have indeed ebbed, that is probably because Iranians have been terrified out of the streets – for now, at least. Iran’s foreign minister chose Fox News to insist no hangings were imminent, in case the identity of the message’s one-man audience was in any doubt. But while retribution may have been postponed, it will not be cancelled as it should be: the calls for the regime’s downfall are seen as an existential threat. The Iranian authorities can wait. Mr Trump will move on.

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.

Pesticides may drastically shorten fish lifespans, study finds

Even low levels of widely used agricultural chemicals were linked to accelerated ageing, research suggests

The lifespan of fish appears to be drastically reduced by pesticides, a study has found.

Even low levels of common agricultural pesticides can stunt the long-term lifespan of fish, according to research led by Jason Rohr, a biologist at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Trump unveils health-care plan outline as Congress wrestles over Obamacare subsidies

Trump urged Congress, which is grappling over an extension of key ACA tax credits, to pass "The Great Healthcare Plan" without delay.

Trump announces "The Great Healthcare Plan," sparse on details

President Trump's proposal comes as the Senate is poised to vote on extending enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

Controversial US study on hepatitis B vaccines in Africa is cancelled

$1.6m project drew outrage over ethical questions about withholding vaccines proven to prevent disease

The controversial US-funded study on hepatitis B vaccines among newborns in Guinea-Bissau has been halted, according to Yap Boum, a senior official at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“The study has been cancelled,” Boum told journalists at a press conference on Thursday morning.

Eurovision song contest to go on tour to celebrate 70th anniversary

‘Iconic performers’ will visit 10 European cities, as event reels from boycott over Israel’s 2026 participation

The Eurovision song contest will go on its first ever tour to celebrate its 70th anniversary, its organiser has said, as it reels from a boycott due to Israel’s participation.

Five countries have pulled out of the contest over Israel’s war in Gaza, leaving 35 to participate in the world’s biggest live televised music event – the fewest since entry was expanded in 2004.

Tour de France reveals the six UK stage plans for historic 2027 Grands Départs

• British roads will host the start of both races next year

• First time both Grands Départs have been outside France

The men’s Tour de France will start in Scotland for the first time in 2027 and make its first visit to Wales when Britain stages the Grand Départ of the men’s and women’s races in the biggest festival of elite cycling on the isles since London 2012.

Across six days of racing on British roads, the men’s Tour will visit Edinburgh, Carlisle, Keswick, Liverpool, Welshpool and Cardiff, while the Tour de France Femmes races from Leeds to Manchester, then to Sheffield and also includes a central London stage. On Thursday night all host cities were illuminated by yellow beams in recognition of them staging the Tour.

Man convicted of killing Uber driver who he thought was robbing him

William J. Brock fatally shot the driver after wrongly assuming she was in on a plot to get $12,000 in supposed bond money for a relative, authorities said.

Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act (again). What is it?

As protests grow over violent ICE enforcement actions in Minneapolis, the president said he could invoke a centuries-old law that would give him sweeping powers to deploy the military in U.S. cities.

Gulf states and Turkey warned Trump strikes on Iran could lead to major conflict

US allies’ lobbying appears to have helped persuade president to hold off for now on military assault

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Oman urged Donald Trump not to launch airstrikes against Iran in a last-minute lobbying campaign prompted by fears that an attack by Washington would lead to a major and intractable conflict across the Middle East.

The warnings of chaos from the longstanding US allies appear to have helped persuade Trump late on Wednesday to hold off for the moment on a military assault. In the case of Saudi Arabia, its reticence led it to deny the US use of its airspace to mount any attacks.

Verizon offers customers $20 credit for widespread outage

Verizon says it's giving a $20 credit to customers affected an outage that disrupted service across the U.S.

People affected by the US visa freeze: share your experience

The Trump administration has paused immigrant visa processing for people from 75 countries. We’re looking to speak to applicants, especially those close to a final decision, about the impact of the suspension

The Trump administration has indefinitely suspended immigrant visa processing for people from 75 countries, freezing applications from 21 January as part of a sweeping crackdown on legal immigration pathways.

We would like to hear from people from countries on the visa ban list who are currently in the immigrant visa application process, particularly those who are at an advanced or final stage.

I know the terrible cost of speaking out in Iran – and I beg the world to stand with those speaking out now | Nasrin Parvaz

Survivors of the regime like me are reliving our nightmares as brave Iranians fight for their freedom. They say they have nothing to lose but their chains

It has been more than 40 years since I was imprisoned in Iran for speaking out against human rights abuses and state executions, and for defending women’s rights. I spent eight years behind bars in Iran’s notorious Evin prison. I was tortured. I remember it as if it happened yesterday.

Every few years, uprisings erupt across Iran – and each wave of resistance is deeper and more widespread than the one before. In 2022, it was women who led the Woman, Life, Freedom movement after the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by the country’s “morality police”, and it revolutionised my country. Today, women wear what they want, go out in public with their boyfriends – even live with them – without fear of being arrested. Women earned these rights with their lives. In late December 2025, the spark was once again lit – this time in an old bazaar in Tehran.

Nasrin Parvaz is a women’s rights activist and torture survivor from Iran. Her books include A Prison Memoir: One Woman’s Struggle in Iran, and the novel The Secret Letters from X to A

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.

There's an internet blackout in Iran. How are videos and images getting out?

Starlink is illegal in Iran, but people are still using the satellite internet service to get around the government's internet shutdown.

West Ham’s plan to sell Paquetá and take him back on loan hits Flamengo resistance

• Brazilian club may try to buy more cheaply in summer

• Buonanotte joins Leeds on loan from Brighton

West Ham will sell Lucas Paquetá this month if the deal includes an agreement for Flamengo to loan the midfielder back for the rest of the season.

Flamengo had an opening bid of €35m (£30.3m) rejected for the Brazilian and are prepared to raise their offer to about €40m. Paquetá has made clear to West Ham that he wants to return to Brazil but it is understood Flamengo are not minded to loan him back, reasoning that they can wait and buy him more cheaply in the summer.

Harry Styles announces fourth solo album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally

After a series of cryptic billboards teasing fans, the As It Was singer reveals the title and release date of his first record since 2022

After a brief teaser campaign in which billboards around the world promised “we belong together” and “see you very soon”, Harry Styles has announced his fourth solo album.

Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally will be released on 6 March. It was produced by Kid Harpoon, the British songwriter and producer who has worked on all of Styles’ previous albums. The artwork shows the 31-year-old pop star wearing sunglasses and ducking beneath a disco ball seemingly suspended from the night sky.

US appeals court reverses decision that freed Mahmoud Khalil from ICE detention

Ruling delivers victory to Trump administration in its efforts to deport the pro-Palestinian activist

• People affected by the US visa freeze: share your experience

A federal appeals court on Thursday reversed a lower court decision that ordered the release of the former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil from immigration detention, delivering the Trump administration a victory in its efforts to deport the pro-Palestinian activist.

A 2-1 panel of the Philadelphia-based third US circuit court of appeals ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit Khalil filed challenging his detention after finding that federal immigration law stripped the lower court of jurisdiction over his claims.

AI as a life coach: experts share what works, what doesn’t and what to look out for

It’s becoming more common for people to use AI chatbots for personal guidance – but this doesn’t come without risks

• Sign up for our free newsletter course on how to make AI work for you

If you’re like a lot of people, you’ve probably ditched your new year resolutions by now. Setting goals is hard; keeping them is harder – and failure can bring about icky feelings about yourself.

This year, in an effort to game the system and tilt the scales toward success, some people used AI for their 2026 resolutions. It’s the latest step in an ongoing trend: in September 2025, OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, released findings showing that using the AI chatbot for personal guidance is very common.

Iran's protests appear increasingly smothered after a deadly crackdown

The nationwide protests challenging Iran's theocracy appear increasingly smothered a week after authorities shut the country off from the world and escalated a bloody crackdown.

‘She is so mother!’ Why older women reign supreme on The Traitors

Monumental levels of camp, explosively powerful showdowns, glorious chaos: this season finally proves that matriarchs are Traitors’ best characters. Has anyone ever been more legendary than Harriet?

Wednesday’s episode of The Traitors was explosive: Matthew’s recruitment deal with Traitors Stephen and Rachel “confirmed”, James stealing a shield, Rachel revealing her “FBI training”. But let it be known, if I ever go missing I want Harriet Tyce on the case. Her behaviour was nothing short of Shakespearean – dropping the secret writer and criminal barrister bomb, calling out Rachel against the dramatic backdrop of a gothic chapel, publicly prosecuting her at breakfast then presenting nothing but vibes-based evidence at the round table. To top it all off, she is the first Faithful in the show’s history to ask to be banished simply to prove a point. I fear Harriet is operating on levels of camp no TV show has ever seen before.

It’s a common trend that emerges every season: a woman over 50 captures the nation’s heart and becomes a viral sensation, elevated to “mother” status by fans. And this mother is always powerful, outspoken and often utterly incomprehensible. In series one, we had Amanda Lovett, the then 54-year-old estate agent turned Traitor, masking her ruthless “Welsh dragon” instincts behind a clueless appearance. Series two brought us Diane Carson, the 63-year-old Faithful and former teacher, who came armed with blunt directness and a ginger bob only to be offed by fizzy rosé as Ross, her secret son, took part in her funeral procession. Turn to 70-year-old Linda Rands in series three, a retired opera singer who clung on as a Traitor until episode seven despite blunders so blatant they made billboards.

Thomas Tuchel says England players’ social skills as vital as talent at World Cup

• Manager stresses squad harmony crucial at tournament

• Two friendlies in March to come before naming squad

Thomas Tuchel stressed talent alone is not enough to make his World Cup squad because the right “social skills” and personality will be needed for England to stand a chance of glory this summer.

The head coach has spoken extensively of building a “brotherhood” and placed heavy emphasis on ensuring there is the right mentality within the camp. England are one of the favourites but the shirt has weighed heavily in the past and Tuchel will look at how players interact with each other before he names his 26-man squad for the finals.

Razor’s All Blacks lacked sharp edge but sacking Robertson does not guarantee revival | Robert Kitson

There is still time before 2027 World Cup to rescue the drooping silver fern but rebuilding an international team is hard and New Zealand’s aura has faded

As a keen surfer Scott Robertson is well aware how abruptly situations can change. One minute you are riding the perfect wave, the next you’re being dumped from a great height and having your world tipped upside down. Which is essentially how “Razor” will now be feeling after being ousted as All Blacks head coach barely two years into his tenure.

On the surface he was everything New Zealand rugby could have wished for. The serial domestic winner who had guided the Crusaders to seven successive Super Rugby titles, the empathetic everyman with the break-dancing skills to match. If anyone could connect with younger generations and encourage everyone to fall in love with the ABs again, surely he was da man?

NBCUniversal strategically leans into sports as it prepares for 'Legendary February'

NBCUniversal's calling card used to be "Must See TV," but the modern media world has pushed the company in a new direction, led by live sports.

NATO nations deploy to Greenland after tense White House talks

The joint NATO exercise comes shortly after tense talks between officials representing the U.S., Denmark and Greenland.

Fed's Goolsbee says inflation could come 'roaring back' if central bank independence goes away

"Anything that's infringing or attacking the independence of the central bank is a mess," Goolsbee told CNBC.

More Democratic lawmakers say Trump DoJ is investigating them over military video

Three House members claim they’re being targeted for saying that troops don’t need to comply with illegal orders

Three House Democrats confirmed on Wednesday they have been approached by federal prosecutors investigating their participation in a November video about military duty, widening the circle of legislators being targeted by the Trump administration.

Representatives Jason Crow of Colorado, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania disclosed that the US attorney’s office for the District of Columbia, led by Jeanine Pirro, had requested interviews about the 90-second video in which they said troops don’t need to comply with illegal orders.

Julian Barnes says he's enjoying himself, but that 'Departure(s)' is his last book

Part memoir and part fiction, Barnes' hybrid novel publishes the day after his 80th birthday. He's been living with a rare form of blood cancer for six years.

Dutch far-right activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek appears to lose right to UK visa-free travel

Influencer, who promotes conspiracy theories and anti-immigration rhetoric, posts notification that her ETA has been cancelled

A Dutch anti-immigration influencer who has promoted conspiracy theories such as the “great replacement” appears to have had her authorisation for visa-free travel to the UK revoked.

Eva Vlaardingerbroek posted an image online of what appeared to be a notification from the British government that her UK electronic travel authorisation (ETA) had been cancelled on Tuesday.

Multimillionaire leader of Reform in Scotland refuses to reveal net worth

Newly appointed Malcolm Offord, who became a Tory life peer in 2021, plans to stand for Holyrood in May

• UK politics live – latest updates

The multimillionaire financier who has been made leader of Reform UK in Scotland has refused to say how wealthy he is, claiming that is a private matter.

Malcolm Offord, formerly a Conservative party life peer, was announced by Reform’s leader, Nigel Farage, as the party’s first Scottish leader, 10 weeks before a Scottish parliament election in which Reform is expected to win up to 18 seats.

More than 100,000 people urge MPs to ban social media for under-16s in UK

Letters sent using campaign group’s template as Keir Starmer indicates Australia-style move being considered

MPs’ inboxes have been flooded with letters calling for an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s, as the prime minister indicated such a move was being considered.

More than 100,000 people have contacted their local MP since the grassroots organisation Smartphone Free Childhood launched an email campaign on Tuesday evening with a template calling for “reasonable, age-appropriate boundaries”.

From Dylan to disco, Beyoncé to Bob Marley: the 30 best live albums ever – ranked!

Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive!, one of the bestselling live albums of all time, is turning 50. You won’t find that on this list, however: instead there’s metal, soul, and an ‘indecently exciting’ No 1 …

Already stars in Black America, Maze became the ultimate if-you-know-you-know band among British fans of underground soul thanks to Live in New Orleans. It perfectly encapsulated their appeal: smooth but not slick, an awesomely tight band making breezily relaxed music, one fantastic song after another.

Igor Stravinsky: Late Works album review – kudos to Reuss for bringing this spellbinding music to life

Daniel Reuss/Noord Nederlands Orkest/Cappella Amsterdam
(Pentatone)
Noord Nederlands Orkest and Cappella Amsterdam breathe colour and light into work from the composer’s most austere period

In his later years, Igor Stravinsky became fascinated by serialism, both as a means of distilling musical thought and as an intellectual and stylistic challenge for a composer entering his 70s and 80s. The results struck some contemporary listeners as austere, but there’s a self-effacing purity and beauty about this complex, intellectually probing music that deserves a wider audience than hitherto. Kudos, then, to conductor Daniel Reuss, whose precise yet vital interpretations teem with colour and light.

There are four main works here. In Memoriam Dylan Thomas from 1954 is an extended, impassioned setting for solo tenor of Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. Threni, a spiny, multifaceted jewel from 1958, sets words from the Book of Lamentations. The haunting Introitus and bristling Requiem Canticles, from 1965 and 1966 respectively, complete the set, interspersed with briefer pieces including an unpretentious Lord’s Prayer and the severely cerebral two-minute Elegy for JFK.

More than 100 asylum seekers stage ‘one in, one out’ protests at detention centres

Officers with riot shields, dogs and teargas called in to quell action at Harmondsworth and Brook House facilities

More than 100 asylum seekers held at two immigration detention centres have staged overnight protests against the UK’s controversial “one in, one out” scheme with France.

Officers with riot shields, dogs and teargas arrived to quell the protests.

From Anya Taylor-Joy to Jodie Comer: who will star in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’s TV remake?

The previous actors to take the lead in Stieg Larsson’s franchise were excellent. So the successor to Noomi Rapace, Rooney Mara and Claire Foy is bound to be brilliant – whoever they are …

This week Sky announced that it will be remaking Stieg Larsson’s 2005 novel The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo as an eight-part television series. So far, all we know is that it will be set in the present day and will be written by Steve Lightfoot and Angela LaManna.

What we don’t know is who will play Lisbeth Salander, the aforementioned girl with the dragon tattoo. And this will be a big deal, because previous screen adaptations of Larsson’s books have made stars of whoever was cast as Salander. In 2009’s Swedish adaptation, she was played by Noomi Rapace, who was nominated for a Bafta. In David Fincher’s 2011 remake, she was played by Rooney Mara, who was nominated for an Oscar. And in 2018’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web adaptation, she was played by Claire Foy, who wasn’t nominated for a Bafta or an Oscar, but was still very good.

Matthew McConaughey trademarks ‘All right, all right, all right’ catchphrase in bid to beat AI fakes

The Oscar winner intends to combat misuse of the famous line from Dazed and Confused by creating ‘a clear perimeter around ownership’

Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has trademarked his image and voice – including his famous catchphrase: “All right, all right, all right” from the movie Dazed and Confused in an attempt to forestall unauthorised use by artificial intelligence.

The Wall Street Journal reported that McConaughey has had eight separate applications approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office in recent weeks, including film clips of the actor standing on a porch and sitting in front of a tree, and an audio clip of him saying: “All right, all right, all right”.

24 hours of chaos as mental health grants are slashed then restored

For 24 hours, it was unclear which mental health and addiction programs would survive and who would still have jobs when the dust settled.

‘Soon after my baby’s birth came a bottle of champagne’: readers remember Alan Rickman

Following the anniversary of the actor’s death, fans recall his joy at a train platform mishap, enthusing about experimental theatre and an embarrassed double-take

• ‘I fell in love with him on the spot’: friends remember Alan Rickman, 10 years after his death

One of the highlights of my late wife’s life involved Alan Rickman. Returning to university in Manchester in the mid-90s for a new term, she was attempting to put on an enormous rucksack full of books (she did English). As she managed to get the thing on, she experienced an error in balance, fell backwards and laid on the platform, wiggling her arms and legs like an inverted tortoise, unable to move.

Trump imposes 25% tariff on Nvidia AI chips and others, citing national security

The order follows a nine-month investigation and includes broad exemptions for datacenters and consumers

Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed a 25% tariff on certain AI chips, such as the Nvidia H200 AI processor ​and a similar semiconductor from AMD called the MI325X, under a new national security order released by the White House.

The proclamation follows a nine-month investigation under ‌section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and targets a number of high-end semiconductors meeting certain performance benchmarks and devices containing them for import duties. The action is part of a broader effort to create incentives for chipmakers to produce more semiconductors in the US and decrease reliance on chip manufacturers in places such as Taiwan.

‘It’s AI blackface’: social media account hailed as the Aboriginal Steve Irwin is an AI character created in New Zealand

More than 180,000 people follow the Bush Legend’s accounts across Meta platforms, but its Aboriginal host is a work of digital fiction

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With a mop of dark curls and brown eyes, Jarren stands in the thick of the Australian outback, red dirt at his feet, a snake unfurling in front of him.

In a series of online videos, the social media star, known online as the Bush Legend, walks through dense forests or drives along deserted roads on the hunt for wedge-tailed eagles. Many of the videos are set to pulsating percussion instruments and yidakis (didgeridoo).

Tension at the tennis: inside the high-stakes world of racket stringing

There would be no Australian Open were it not for the work undertaken in an unassuming underground room at Melbourne Park

Underneath Rod Laver Arena, a group of tennis specialists cut and twist and weave – intently focused on their preparation for the action on the blue court a few metres above their heads.

In the lead-up to the Australian Open, these experts maintain a consistent workload, training their muscles and technique, ready to peak as if they were the athletes taking to the courts themselves.

Five takeaways from crunch White House talks on Greenland’s future

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen described the White House talks as "frank but constructive."

Amazon's European sovereign cloud launch is a 'big bet,' AWS CEO Garman tells CNBC

The Amazon Web Services European Sovereign Cloud will be "physically and logically separate" from other AWS regions, the company said.

Commercial real estate deal-making slows again in November

The multifamily sector saw the majority of November deals, recording 20 transactions, followed by office with 11 and industrial with eight.

Returning astronauts and burning dolls: photos of the day – Thursday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Melissa Leo: ‘Winning an Oscar was not good for me or my career’

The actor answers your questions on her preference for playing goodies or baddies, kissing Denzel Washington and sneaking a nap on set

Why didn’t you insist on a “must kiss Denzel” scene in your two Equalizer films? nivlek47
Well, if you go back to the first Equalizer, he comes to my character seeking permission to do his “equalizing”. I’d been his boss and trained him, so kissing him would be highly inappropriate. However, if somebody is looking to see me kiss Mr Washington, please whisper that into his ear.

I hear you’re a big fan of knitting. What’s been your greatest knitted creation? TopTramp
The knitting has been eclipsed by pottery the past three years. I go to a local pottery studio, do what I can on a wheel, and get my creativity out there. The knitting was a wonderful thing. I’d make simple squares without having to count stitches, then sew them all together. I must have made about a dozen blankets, most of which are still in a trunk upstairs. If I get another job in television – which I hope I do – that has you sitting around quite a bit, so knitting is a good mobile craft.

This country taxes menstrual pads as luxury goods. She's aiming to end the tax

Bushra Mahnoor remembers the shame she felt when she had her period as a teen and did not have the supplies she needed. Today she leads a campaign to lower prices for pads in Pakistan.

Has Joe Rogan fully soured on Trump’s presidency?

With a huge audience and serving as an avatar for millions of centrist Americans, Rogan compares ICE raids to Gestapo

Joe Rogan’s comparison of US immigration raids to Gestapo operations, made during a podcast episode earlier this week, has sparked speculation about whether the wildly popular podcaster, who endorsed Donald Trump in 2024, has fully soured on Trump’s presidency – and what that might say of the millions of mainly young men who listen to Rogan’s show.

Rogan’s views, as expressed in the podcast discussion, were more complicated than the Gestapo remark taken alone might make them seem. Yet even his more measured skepticism about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids feels somewhat significant, given Rogan’s cultural status and the evidence that Americans in general are turning against Trump’s hardline anti-immigration efforts.