USA

USA

Johnson says partial shutdown expected to last through to Tuesday

US House Speaker Mike Jonson has blamed Democrat lawmakers over their lengthy demands to end a weekend-sprung partial government shutdown, but is convinced he has enough votes to end the impasse by Tuesday.

02/02/2026

USA

US Senate passes Trump-backed government funding deal

The bill passed 71-29 and will now head to the House, which is not due back until Monday, meaning the government could be in a partial shutdown temporarily over the weekend until they pass it.

31/01/2026

Culture news

Emmy-winning comedian Catherine O'Hara dies aged 71

The Emmy-winning comedian died at her home in Los Angeles "following a brief illness", according to a statement from her agency.

30/01/2026

USA

US Justice Department releases 3 million pages of Epstein files

The material was released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted after months of public and political pressure that requires the government to open its files on the disgraced financier.

30/01/2026

USA

US journalist Don Lemon arrested after covering Minnesota protest

Lemon, who was fired from CNN in 2023, has said he has no affiliation to the organisation that went into the church and that he was there as a journalist chronicling protesters.

30/01/2026

Economy

Trump picks Warsh for Fed chair, testing US central bank independence

Trump has nominated former Fed governor Kevin Warsh to lead the central bank, a move that could signal a shift towards closer White House influence over monetary policy.

30/01/2026

Business

Musk weighs tech mega-merger across SpaceX, Tesla and xAI, reports say

Tech circles are buzzing over talks that could combine Musk’s space, AI, and electric vehicle businesses into a trillion-dollar group ahead of a potential SpaceX listing.

30/01/2026

Culture news

Melania Trump premieres personal documentary ahead of global release

From private to very public, Melania Trump's documentary about the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump's return to the White House has premiered at the Kennedy Center. It will be screened at more than 1,500 cinemas around the world ahead of its global release on Amazon Prime.

30/01/2026

USA

Man impersonating FBI agent tries to break Luigi Mangione out of jail

Mangione is being held at the Brooklyn jail while awaiting state and federal murder trials in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

30/01/2026

Health news

US life expectancy hit an all-time high last year at 79 years

In comparison, life expectancy at birth in the EU is 81.7 years.

30/01/2026

Economy

Trump expected to nominate Kevin Warsh as Fed chair on Friday morning

Despite his former reputation as an inflation hawk, Warsh has shown support for lower rates in recent months, suggesting he is more likely to align with the president than Jerome Powell.

30/01/2026

USA

Democrats and White House reach spending deal to avoid shutdown

The move follows the fatal shooting of two US citizens, 37-year-old Alex Pretti and 37-year-old Renee Good, at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis.

30/01/2026

USA

Trump says Venezuelan airspace will soon reopen to commercial flights

US airlines stopped flying to Venezuela before the Department of Homeland Security ordered an indefinite suspension in 2019, arguing that conditions in the country threatened the "safety and security of passengers, aircraft, and crew."

29/01/2026

USA

Trump border czar vows to 'regain law and order' in Minneapolis

The killings of two US citizens led to thousands of people protesting against the presence of ICE agents in the city, as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

29/01/2026

Culture news

The Isley Brothers 'Shout' over star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

R&B legends, The Isley Brothers, have been honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, 67-years after 'Shout - Part 1' first hit the Billboard Hot 100. In a moving ceremony, the surviving brothers paid tribute to their siblings and praised their fans for their support.

29/01/2026

USA

Footage reveals Alex Pretti clashed with officers a week before killed

The footage shot on 13 January comes amid rising public uproar over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, with many Democrats and protesters calling for federal immigration officers to leave Minnesota.

29/01/2026

Climate

Frost quakes cause loud booms when bitterly cold temperatures persist

“Those loud booms aren’t paranormal - they’re cryoseisms,” says Louisville's National Weather Service.

29/01/2026

Economy

US Federal Reserve keeps interest rates unchanged at around 3.6%

When the Fed reduces its key rate, it tends to lower borrowing costs for things like mortgages, car loans and business borrowing, though those rates are also influenced by market forces.

28/01/2026

Tech News

AI is an ‘existential danger,’ Anthropic CEO says

Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, says that humanity needs to regulate the use of AI, otherwise it could lead to the creation of autocratic governments that utilise the technology to suppress populations.

28/01/2026

USA

Ilhan Omar sprayed with unknown substance during Minneapolis town hall

Ilhan Omar was attacked with an unknown substance during a town hall in Minneapolis after calling for the abolishment of ICE. The assailant was arrested.

28/01/2026

Markets

Gold extends rally, dollar dips as Trump brushes off currency weakness

Investors are withdrawing from sovereign bonds and currencies in an attempt to shield their assets from geopolitical volatility.

28/01/2026

No Comment

Bitter cold grips eastern US as ice forms on rivers

New York's East River is covered in ice as freezing temperatures grip swathes of the country in a storm that has killed at least 30 people.

28/01/2026

USA

One person in critical condition after shooting at US-Mexico border

The incident comes after angry protests erupted in Minneapolis after the fatal shooting by immigration agents of 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday.

27/01/2026

USA

'Doomsday Clock' reaches less than minute and a half to midnight

The Doomsday Clock moved to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest ever, due to rising threats from nuclear weapons, climate change and disinformation.

27/01/2026

Tech News

TikTok investigates blocking of 'Epstein' and anti-Trump videos

The controversy follows a major restructuring of TikTok's US operations.

27/01/2026

Tech News

What to know about tech giants' landmark social media addiction trial

KGM, a 19-year-old from the United States, claims her addiction to Meta, Google and ByteDance platforms at an early age left her with suicidal thoughts and depression.

27/01/2026