Guardian Essential report: Albanese starts second term with solid approval, but Trump presidency looms
All the way with Donald J? Albanese's second term will be defined by how he handles the elephant in the room – Peter Lewis
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The Guardian
11 minutes ago
- The Guardian
US judge blocks Trump officials from diverting disaster prevention grants
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration on Tuesday from diverting funds from a multibillion-dollar grant program designed to protect communities against natural disasters. US district judge Richard Stearns in Boston issued a preliminary injunction preventing the government from spending money allocated to the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (Bric) program for other purposes. Twenty mostly Democratic-led states sued the administration last month, saying the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) lacked power to cancel the Bric program without congressional approval. Fema is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Neither agency immediately responded to requests for comment. Created in 2018 during Donald Trump's first term, the Bric program helps state and local governments protect major infrastructure such as roads and bridges before the occurrence of floods, hurricanes and other disasters. According to the lawsuit, Fema approved about $4.5bn in grants for nearly 2,000 projects, primarily in coastal states, over the last four years. But the agency announced in April it would end the program, calling it wasteful, ineffective and politicized. Stearns said that while Fema does not appear to have since canceled grants, states should not have to wait to sue until after they lose funding, while the cancellation of new grants suggested Fema considered an eventual shutdown a fait accompli. He also said the states have shown a realistic chance of irreparable harm if the Bric program ended. 'There is an inherent public interest in ensuring that the government follows the law, and the potential hardship accruing to the states from the funds being repurposed is great,' the judge wrote. 'The Bric program is designed to protect against natural disasters and save lives,' Stearns added. 'The potential hardship to the government, in contrast, is minimal.' Led by Massachusetts and Washington, the 20 states that sued also include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. The offices of Massachusetts' and Washington's attorneys general had no immediate comment.
Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump threatened with THIRD impeachment by widely mocked liberal as his colleagues roll their eyes
Texas Democrat Rep. Al Green has, once again, promised to impeach President Donald Trump, likely making him the most-impeach happy U.S. lawmaker to ever live. The 77-year-old Green has formally tried to impeach Trump at least five times from 2017 until now, and he said he's planning on doing it again, vowing a sixth attempt on Monday. There are no comparisons in modern U.S. history, as no lawmaker has filed so many impeachment articles against any individual president. Trump has been twice impeached by the U.S. House but was acquitted by the U.S. Senate in both instances. 'There are no circumstances that will prevent me from continuing to challenge the bigotry emanating from the presidency,' Green said at an event in Illinois. 'I will not stop. And I promise you, this President, he's going to be brought down.' 'He has to be brought down,' the veteran lawmaker continued. 'I'm talking about politically, we will bring him down. He will be impeached again.' The Democrat's announcement indicates that once Congress returns from the August recess that he may introduce a formal resolution to impeach Trump. But without control of the lower chamber, the Democrat's impeachment pursuit won't have legs. If Green makes good on his pledge, it would be the third time he's moved to impeach Trump this year. These are in addition to his three previously failed attempts to impeach the Republican during his first term in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Green filed articles in May citing Trump as a threat to democracy, and in June, he filed articles against the president for bombing nuclear sites in Iran. Few of his colleagues joined his bandwagon to nowhere. The effort over Iran outraged many Democrats, with one privately venting to Axios that the effort was 'a completely unserious and selfish move.' Even veteran party bosses like Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi voted against the Iran impeachment. Every impeachment effort that Green has put forward to remove Trump has been voted down by Democrats. A spokesperson for House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's questions about Green's latest bid to remove Trump. Green has served a deep blue portion of Houston for 20 years, but that district is threatened now that Republican legislators in Texas are remaking the congressional boundaries in the state ahead of schedule. To stop the Texas legislator from redistricting, Democrats in the statehouse fled to liberal strongholds across the country, primarily to Illinois, where a defiant Green gave a speech Monday promising to try and oust Trump again. There have been certain lawmakers who have featured prominently as antagonists to presidents, like how Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Adam Schiff had big roles during more serious movement to remove Trump during his first term. But Green stands alone in the number of formal attempts he has put forward to impeach Trump. In fact, Green's fourth formally introduced article of impeachment hasn't even been taken up. Green earned additional notoriety earlier this year when he heckled and interrupted the president during his address to Congress. During Trump's early March speech, Green stood up and yelled at the president while waving his cane in the air. The elderly lawmaker told the president he had no 'mandate' and was quickly booed by Republicans before House Speaker Mike Johnson instructed the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove the unruly Democrat. The president has taken notice of his Democratic detractor. 'Nobody takes him seriously,' Trump said of Green to Fox News Digital shortly after the interrupted speech. 'He is an embarrassment to Congress but a much bigger embarrassment to the Democrats.' The president said Green 'should be forced to pass an IQ test because he is a low IQ individual, and we don't need low IQ individuals in Congress.' In the interview, Trump called on Green to be censured, and he ultimately was, with some Democrats siding with Republicans to shame the viciously anti-Trump lawmaker. The rare and distinctly lamentable honor seemingly has not thrown Green off the scent for Trump's removal, however.
The Guardian
14 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Fears for Barrier Reef after coral wipeout, rare view of Gaza ‘apocalypse', Epstein's celebrity letter trove revealed
Morning everyone. Last year's devastating bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef has led to the biggest annual drop in live coral for decades, scientists warn today. Plus: a 13-year-old girl has been charged with murdering another girl on the same exchange visit from China, the Gaza 'apocalypse' seen from the sky, and this month's best Australian books. Smart skinks | Australian skinks have evolved the means to resist snake venom by shutting down their muscles, suggests new research which could help find new treatments for snakebites. Coral blow | The Great Barrier Reef has suffered its biggest annual drop in live coral in two out of three areas monitored by scientists since 1986, a new report has revealed. Student stabbing | A 14-year-old girl on an exchange visit from China has been killed and her fellow exchange student has been charged with murder after a stabbing at their host family's home in the Hunter Valley. Graduates 'failed' | Labor MPs are increasing pressure on the government to speed up reform of the controversial Morrison-era job-ready graduates scheme that has 'failed' students. Meanwhile, the legality of the system designed to penalise jobseekers has been thrown into doubt after the commonwealth ombudsman found a government department's automatic system unlawfully cancelled payments. Invasive innovation | A study has shown that two invasive weed species could be used as ingredients for clean, renewable fuel. Gaza 'apocalypse' | Our reporter and photographer joined a Jordanian airdrop over Gaza to witness the devastation wreaked on the territory which resembles 'the aftermath of an apocalypse'. An Israeli security cabinet meeting, which had been expected to be held overnight to debate Benjamin Netanyahu's call for the 'full occupation' of Gaza, has been postponed amid mounting tensions over whether the plan is feasible. Mea culpa | An admission by Spanish conservative MP Noelia Núñez that she had never completed her double degree in law and public administration has sparked a wave of similar confessions from politicians. Epstein trove | The Jeffrey Epstein scandal has broadened after the New York Times published a trove of previously unseen letters to the disgraced late financier from numerous powerful figures such as Woody Allen and former Israeli leader Ehud Barak. The House of Representatives oversight committee has subpoenaed Bill and Hillary Clinton as well as several former attorneys general and directors of the FBI demanding 'testimony related to horrific crimes' perpetrated by Epstein. Genie's out | As Google outlined its latest step towards artificial general intelligence with a new model, ChatGPT said it would not tell people looking for advice online to break up with their partner. In Sweden, the prime minister has admitted that he regularly consults AI tools for a second opinion, prompting voters to say 'we didn't vote for AI'. Norway search | Rescuers in Norway have resumed the search for an award-winning former Guardian journalist, Alec Luhn, who has gone missing in bad weather during a solo hike in the remote Folgefonna national park. The Descendants episode 2: the search for Tom Wills In the final part of our Descendants investigation, we look at the 1861 Cullin-la-ringo massacre of white settlers in which Australian rules football pioneer Tom Wills escaped death. In today's podcast, Indigenous affairs reporter Ella Archibald-Binge and Lorena Allam from UTS's Jumbunna Institute discuss suggestions that Wills may also have been involved in a revenge attack on Indigenous people, and how families on both sides of the conflict are reckoning with the truth of their ancestors' colonial past. Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ In its latest report into how to improve the economy, the Productivity Commission says it is examining whether technology firms should be exempted from copyright rules so companies can freely mine text and data to train artificial intelligence models. Our writers have picked out the best Australian books published this month, including the second part of David Day's biography of Bob Hawke chronicling his years as prime minister, a biography of Bryce Courtenay by his son, Adam, and campfire recipes by Outback Tom and Steve Forrest. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Rugby union | After beating the Lions on Saturday, Australia are fit and full of fire ahead of matches against South Africa. Golf | Sports organisations in the US are hoping for exemptions from new UK travel rules for American citizens after Harris English's caddie was denied a visa for the Open because of a criminal conviction. Football | Manchester United could thwart Newcastle's £70m effort to sign the RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko after making a rival bid amid their belief the player would prefer a move to Old Trafford. A controversial $39m office development next to St Mary's Cathedral has been approved, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Tasmania's premier is being 'pig-headed' by announcing he will visit the governor to seek another term, the Labor leader tells the Mercury. Another state premier, David Crisafulli of Queensland, is under fire from the Courier Mail for spending $50,000 in a single day on taxpayer-funded private jet travel. Energy | Draft findings of the national electricity market review released at 7am. Education | Queensland teachers to strike over pay and conditions. Business | News Corp full-year earnings released at 8am. Enjoying the Morning Mail? Then you'll love our Afternoon Update newsletter. Sign up here to finish your day with a three-minute snapshot of the day's main news, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword
