#us-politics

#us-politics

Arianne Betancourt chooses a pink jacket and pants to wear to the Senate hearing, stating, 'If they drag me out, I want people to know that it was me that they removed, because I couldn't stay silent.'

Iran's official news agency reported an unconfirmed phone call between President Masoud Pezeshkian and the European Council president, where Pezeshkian said Iran had the 'necessary will' to end the war; provided that 'essential conditions are met, especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression.'

The poll from the liberal publication The Argument found broad opposition to transgender rights among U.S. registered voters, with only around a third of Americans supporting letting trans kids get puberty blockers with parental consent and a doctor's recommendation. Over half supported requiring trans people to use the restroom associated with their sex assigned at birth. And a large majority - 60% - supported trans sports bans.

The 22nd Amendment, added to the United States Constitution in 1951, states that no person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice. Until recently, it seemed that Americans were in unanimous agreement that this rule was in the best interest of Americans and democracy as a whole. However, in late 2025 Trump constituents began selling t-shirts bearing the words, "Trump 2028 (Rewrite the Rules)."

Devastating wildfires, flooding and winter storms were among the 23 extreme weather and climate-related disasters in the US which cost more than a billion dollars last year at an estimated total loss of $115bn. The last three years have shattered previous records for such events. Last Wednesday, scientists said that we are closer than ever to the point after which global heating cannot be stopped.

The NFL Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events in the world and the halftime show famed as the US's most-watched TV moment. This year, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio) gave a historic performance, becoming the first artist to sing an entire halftime show in Spanish. His set called for unity across the Americas, underscored by a large billboard above the stage reading: "The only thing more powerful than hate is love."

These days, American politics is a highly charged and dramatic landscape - and nowhere more so than in the White House press room, which can, on occasion, feel like part reality show, part bear pit. Rarely a day goes by where a press room moment doesn't go viral, for any number of reasons. And, as RTÉ's new Washington correspondent, Galwegian Jackie Fox cannot wait to immerse herself in the belly of the beast.

Ryan, who had worked for seven years at the Ethereum Foundation (EF), Ethereum's de facto governing body, suggested that Ethereum could be on the cusp of an era-defining shift. Since its founding in 2014, the foundation had prioritized technical upgrades and had avoided centralizing power while its user base was growing, but Ethereum had now grown up, and the cryptocurrency world around it had grown up, too.

"The global human rights system is in peril," wrote HRW executive director Philippe Bolopion. "Under relentless pressure from US President Donald Trump, and persistently undermined by China and Russia, the rules-based international order is being crushed."

On Jan. 29, 2002, in his first State of the Union address, President George W. Bush said terrorists were still threatening America and warned of an axis of evil consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq. Also on this date: In 1891, following the death of her brother Kalakaua, Liliuokalani was sworn in as the first and only queen of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

The shift comes as some snowbirds grow uneasy about the political climate under U.S. President Donald Trump. John Kawiuk and Sharron MacKay, from Mississauga, told CBC Toronto they started feeling apprehensive after years of wintering in Florida. There was situations where we weren't welcome, MacKay said. Even from a security standpoint, as Canadians, we just didn't feel comfortable anymore. So they changed their plans and bought a place in Campeche, Mexico, last year.

President Donald Trump shifted toward a more conciliatory approach with Democratic leaders in Minnesota on Monday, a sudden change in tack following an outcry over the second fatal shooting by federal agents in the state this month during the administration's nationwide crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The about-face comes after Saturday's shooting death of Alex Pretti by federal agents raised doubts - including from some Republicans - over how the Trump administration has gone about aggressively deporting migrants and confronting protesters opposed to the policy.

There has been a significant increase in wealthy Americans moving to Ireland to escape life under Donald Trump, new figures from the Department of Justice reveal. The number of US citizens granted permission to live here on temporary Stamp O visas has jumped by almost 90pc in only a couple of years. The visas were granted to 387 US citizens last year, nearly double the 204 who were granted Stamp O visas in 2022.

Investors reacted emphatically to President Trump's insistence that he won't back down on his plan to take over Greenland: They hate it. The S&P 500 fell 2% yesterday, even though 81% of its companies have beaten their Q4 earnings expectations so far. The dollar fell off a cliff, losing nearly 1% of its value against a basket of foreign currencies. U.S. bond prices weakened modestly. Gold, the safe-haven investment, hit yet another new record high.

Jackie is a multimedia journalist with RTÉ News and has reported extensively on US politics and global affairs, including covering the 2024 US Presidential Election in Washington DC. She has worked as a journalist for RTÉ for 14 years, reporting on a range of foreign, national and regional news stories. She has reported for RTÉ from countries including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Seychelles on issues surrounding human rights and climate change.

That sun has provided him cheap power for 25 years, and this month he installed his fourth iteration of solar panels on his Vermont home. In an interview after he set up the new system, he said President Donald Trump's stance against solar and other cheap green energy will hurt the GOP in this year's elections as electricity bills rise.

As other oil executives lavished President Trump with praise at the White House, Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods bluntly said the Venezuelan oil industry is currently "univestable," and that major reforms are required before even considering committing the many billions of dollars required to revitalize the country's dilapidated crude business. Two days later, a miffed Trump told reporters Jan. 11 that he would "probably be inclined to keep Exxon out" of Venezuela. "I didn't like their response. They're playing too cute," Trump said.