The turbulent 15 months of Trump’s unlikely US intelligence director 22. May 2026 (23:19) Over 15 months, the ex-Democrat without an intelligence background took actions seemingly meant to flatter TrumpTulsi Gabbard’s tumultuous 15-month tenure as the US’s top intelligence official ended Friday, when Gabbard submitted her resignation as director of national intelligence.Gabbard was an unconventional choice for the role, given she was a former Democrat with no notable intelligence background. Her political views, particularly on foreign intervention, have at times diverged from Donald Trump’s. But she also undertook norm-breaking actions as the country’s top intelligence chief that appeared designed to flatter Trump and his agenda of election denial. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US judge dismisses criminal indictment against Kilmar Ábrego García 22. May 2026 (23:16) Judge said Trump administration would not have prosecuted Ábrego had he not challenged his high-profile deportationSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA US judge dismissed a criminal indictment against Kilmar Ábrego García on Friday, finding that the Trump administration would not have prosecuted him had he not challenged his high-profile deportation.Ábrego, who had entered the United States without authorization in the past, became a symbol of the Trump administration’s drive for mass deportations when he was sent to the notorious anti-terrorism mega-prison in El Salvador known as Cecot in March 2025. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard leaving post after rocky tenure 22. May 2026 (22:06) White House reportedly forced Gabbard to resign after she was sidelined from Iran and Venezuela operations and becomes fourth woman to depart Trump’s cabinetUS politics - live updatesSign up for the Breaking News US emailTulsi Gabbard is leaving her post as US director of national intelligence following a tumultuous stint in which she was largely sidelined as Donald Trump launched attacks on Venezuela and Iran.In a letter to the US president, she said she would resign and leave her post on 30 June. “While we have made significant progress … I recognize there is still important work to be done,” she wrote. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Czech president urges Nato to ‘show its teeth’ over Russia’s provocations 22. May 2026 (21:25) Former general Petr Pavel says Moscow’s testing of alliance’s eastern flank should be met with firm lineThe Czech president, Petr Pavel, has urged Nato to “show its teeth” in response to Russia’s repeated testing of the alliance’s resolve on its eastern flank, suggesting a range of options including switching off its internet, cutting off its banks from global financial systems and shooting down jets that violate allied airspace.Speaking to the Guardian in Prague, Pavel called for “decisive enough, potentially even asymmetric” responses to counter Moscow’s provocative behaviour against the alliance or risk the Kremlin intensifying its actions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
State-sponsored apprenticeships and decriminalising cannabis on the bill at Victoria’s Labor conference 22. May 2026 (21:00) Jacinta Allan will announce a plan to offer 2,000 apprenticeships at the revived State Electricity Commission, as part of a pre-election pushGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJacinta Allan will use Labor’s final state conference before the election to announce a plan for a government-owned electricity body to hire electrical apprentices to address significant workforce shortages. It will be the first time since the State Electricity Commission was privatised 30 years ago that the government has employed such apprentices.The Victorian premier will announce the plan in a speech that will draw on her father, Peter Allan’s experience as a linesman at the SEC, which was revived by Daniel Andrews in 2023 after being privatised by former premier Jeff Kennett in the 1990s. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK pitched single market for goods with EU in pursuit of deeper trade ties 22. May 2026 (19:00) Exclusive: Top British official presented idea in Brussels but sources say it was rebuffedThe UK government pitched the creation of a single market for goods with the EU as the cornerstone of an ambitious attempt to reintegrate British trade back into Europe, the Guardian can reveal.During recent visits to Brussels, the Cabinet Office’s top official on EU relations, Michael Ellam, presented the idea to deepen the UK’s economic relationship with the bloc. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Kind of humiliating’: trans community responds to EHRC’s new code of practice 22. May 2026 (18:58) For some transgender men and women – and the campaigners who support them – the updated guidance confirms their worst fearsStephen Whittle was visiting the Chelsea flower show as a birthday treat with his wife on Thursday afternoon. At around the same time, the updated code of practice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission was published. It confirmed, among myriad updates, that single-sex spaces such as toilets and changing rooms must be used on the basis of biological sex, and that transgender people may not access those that accord with their lived gender.Among the floral displays, 70-year-old Whittle did not stray from habit. “Of course I used the male facilities, as I have done for the last 50 years. Can you imagine what the guy on security would have said if I’d gone to the ladies?” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One of shooters in deadly attack at San Diego mosque was previously flagged by FBI 22. May 2026 (18:45) Officials seized guns from Caleb Vazquez’s father last year amid alarm over teen’s views on mass shooters and NazismOne of the two white supremacist shooters who attacked a mosque in California on Monday and killed three people had already been on law enforcement officials’ radar, according to US media reports.Local officials were so alarmed by Caleb Vazquez’s idolization of mass shooters and Nazism that they seized his father’s guns a year before the shooting, the New York Times reports. Similarly, Bloomberg reports that Vazquez had already been flagged by the FBI as a “potential threat” last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Texas Democratic candidate condemned for comments about ‘prison for American Zionists’ 22. May 2026 (18:41) Democrats allege that conservative groups may be propping up campaign of Maureen Galindo for House seatUS politics live – latest updatesA Democratic House candidate in Texas is facing bipartisan condemnation and accusations of antisemitism after she said she wanted to turn an immigration detention facility into a “prison for American Zionists” if elected – leaving Democrats scrambling to ostracize her from the party and alleging that conservative groups may be propping up her campaign.Maureen Galindo is running against Johnny Garcia in next week’s Democratic primary for Texas’s 35th congressional district, which covers parts of San Antonio and portions of the surrounding counties. The district was once solid blue and is currently represented by a Democrat, but the race remains highly competitive after being made much more favorable to the GOP following Texas Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting efforts last summer. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
PM says Alberta ‘essential’ to Canada as separatists push for independence 22. May 2026 (18:41) Alberta premier calls for referendum on secession after judge ruled initiative to force binding vote invalid The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has said that Alberta is “essential” to the country’s future, hours after the province’s leader moved the oil-rich region closer toward a referendum on independence.Separatists in the western province spent months collecting signatures seeking to trigger a binding October vote on seceding from the nation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
