US politics

US politics

The inquiry, dubbed "Operation Red Sunset," led by the Department of Homeland Security, reportedly examined whether the company's machines could be remotely manipulated for espionage or sabotage of critical US infrastructure. Bitmain denies these capabilities, but investigators have reportedly tested its equipment at ports and dissected chips and code to assess potential threats. The company's hardware has long attracted scrutiny. A 2017 Bitcoin Magazine report suggested Antminer devices contained code allowing remote shutdown, which Bitmain said was a theft-prevention feature later patched.

The Trump administration has sued California for providing in-state college tuition, scholarships, and state-funded financial aid to students who do not have legal status to be in the United States. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleges the practice harms U.S. citizens and encourages illegal immigration. Among the defendants are the state, top state officials, and the state's two public university systems, the University of California and California State.

And, of course, we should be very focussed on the economy and prices and rising health-care costs, as we have been. But to suggest that we should look the other way in the face of all these other outrages is, I think, a mistake, because I think the American people are tiring of Donald Trump. I think the polls indicate that.

And yet, convenience stores across the country-even in states where marijuana is illegal-sell a trove of fizzy drinks, vape pens, and confections all promising to get you high. My neighborhood liquor store has an entire cooler full of weed drinks, including a seltzer aptly named Bong Water, a can of which has 25 milligrams of THC. About five milligrams of that chemical, which is the main psychoactive component in marijuana, will make the occasional weed user feel a light buzz.

Dozens of changes were quietly made this year to the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, which was first released in 2022 after years of work by government officials and community stakeholders. An objective to "prioritize efforts to advance equity for unserved and underserved populations of caregivers" was removed entirely, as was a section noting that the challenges of family caregiving are not equally distributed.

Note, as we discuss at the very end of this, we're wondering when/if you think we should record next week. We could do it on Wednesday, Friday, or not at all. Let us know! Also, here's that graphic Nicole mentioned, which shows that we're firing cancer researchers and VA nurses and replacing them with ICE goons. Listen on Spotify (transcripts available) Listen on Apple (transcripts available)

The latest data covers 1 October through 15 November, the entire period of the government shutdown, which ended on 12 November, plus an additional three days. This included detaining thousands of people with no criminal record. In total, ICE arrested and detained approximately 54,000 people during the shutdown. The agency also deported approximately 56,000 people during this time. Customs and Border Protection additionally arrested and thousands more during the same period, and ICE arrest figures do not account for all people held in ICE detention.

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.

Of course, that span includes the pandemic, when airlines enforced mask mandates, prompting many passengers who thought COVID was a hoax to push back against crews and disrupt flights. In an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday, Duffy noted that today's air-travel misanthropy doesn't just happen onboard planes, pointing to fights occurring at baggage claim and arguments with gate agents. He added that "people dress up like they're going to bed when they fly."

There may be an exception to that saying: helping U.S. companies compete in rare earths, a realm where China now dominates mining, refining, and manufacturing. That commitment certainly matters to Barbara Humpton, who last month left the top job at Siemens USA to become CEO of USA Rare Earth. Founded in Oklahoma in 2019, the company's mission is to develop a domestic supply chain for magnets made with rare-earth elements, which are critical in everything from electric vehicles and computers to renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.

He reposted a number of messages, including one suggesting the lawmakers should be hanged. As you can imagine, we've gotten hundreds and hundreds, if not closer to a thousand, tough threats and messages and had to get Capitol Police security, Slotkin told Parnas. The lawmaker has revealed that she's received 24/7 security since Trump's posts. Even if you don't agree with someone, you really shouldn't be threatening them with execution, she said.

Six Democratic lawmakers, all of whom served in the military or intelligence community, uploaded a short online video this week, reminding still-serving U.S. service members that they can and must refuse illegal orders that violate the Constitution. President Trump responded to the video in a series of Truth Social posts on Thursday morning, accusing the Congress members of sedition. "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" Trump wrote.

The tale of Mills' alleged misplaced priorities was reported on Thursday by Reese Gorman at NOTUS, citing a source with direct knowledge of the incident and two sources briefed on the matter. According to Gorman's report, Mills was part of a group of private individuals on an unofficial trip to Afghanistan in the wake of the chaos that accompanied the withdrawal of U.S. troops, with the intention of extracting Americans still stranded there as the Taliban retook control.

The 90-second video was first posted early on Tuesday from senator Elissa Slotkin's X account. In it, the six lawmakers - Ms Slotkin, Arizona senator Mark Kelly, and representatives Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander and Chrissy Houlahan - speak directly to US service members, whom Ms Slotkin acknowledges are "under enormous stress and pressure right now". "The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our constitution," Ms Slotkin wrote in the X post.

As thousands of ICE agents storm streets, schools and emergency rooms across the country, communities are training up on their rights, recording incidents of abuse and screaming at officers to impede deportations. As opponents of LGBTQ+ rights try to erase queer history and safe spaces, residents have repainted rainbows across crosswalks paved over by officials and are organising their own record-keeping and mutual aid networks.

It's been plain from the start that the Justice Department's prosecution of James Comey springs from Donald Trump's desire for payback against a bitter political enemy. Exhibit A: the president's own September 20, 2025, Truth Social post, stating exactly that. Now it seems that the DOJ has coupled bad motives with straightforward incompetence. When rookie prosecutors take over complicated cases, rookie mistakes happen.

Quick noted that Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and Don Bacon (R-NE) pitched a two-year extension to avoid an end-of-the-year deadline that would see millions of people hit with rising health insurance costs. Quick argued Democrats would need to agree to something like a one-year or two-year extension instead of pushing for more. If you want to get done, you are going to need at least some Republicans to come over, why not start with a one-year extension or potentially even a two-year extension?

In February, the Task Force Model was the least commonly used of the three, and only seven states had that type of agreement, ICE's data shows. As of Nov. 20, a total of 620 police agencies across 34 states have signed into a Task Force Model agreement. More than 300 of the agreements are in Florida alone, ICE's list shows, and about 3,100 people in Florida have been arrested under the 287(g) program, according to a database maintained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.