Disabled activist and guest of Ilhan Omar says she did not intend to disrupt State of the Union 26. February 2026 (14:00) Before arrest at US House chamber Tuesday, Aliya Rahman had only a month earlier been dragged from her car by ICEWhen Aliya Rahman accepted Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar’s invitation to attend the State of the Union address, she said she had no intention of disrupting Donald Trump’s high-profile speech.“It is a locus of people gathering and an opportunity to talk to legislators and to be in DC and try to understand – for someone like me, that doesn’t work in politics, who is not involved in policy work and organizing – what is the texture of this stuff here?” Rahman told the Guardian. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Corbyn to be Your Party parliamentary leader as Sultana joins leadership committee 26. February 2026 (13:35) Former Labour leader says time for ‘real work’ to begin as his candidates take 14 of 24 available places on executive committeeUK politics live – latest updatesJeremy Corbyn is to become the parliamentary leader of Your Party, after an election in which his rival Zarah Sultana was also voted on to the party’s leadership committee.Corbyn’s allies declared victory immediately after the vote in which Corbyn-backed candidates took 14 of the 24 available places on the party’s central executive committee (CEC). Sultana-backed candidates took seven of the seats, while three went to independents. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Second suspect arrested after man with axe reportedly entered Manchester mosque 26. February 2026 (13:35) Man in 20s arrested on Thursday after man in 40s reportedly carrying weapons apprehended at scene on TuesdayA second suspect has been arrested after a man allegedly entered Manchester Central Mosque with an axe and a knife on Tuesday.Greater Manchester police announced on Thursday that a man in his 20s had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a section 18 assault in relation to the incident. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Calls to move England’s home insulation scheme into council workers’ hands 26. February 2026 (13:00) Thinktank proposes councils stop using private contractors in attempt to improve quality and spendingCouncils should train up their own workers to install insulation in England’s draughty houses, and offer home upgrades street by street, beginning in the most deprived areas, according to proposals for cutting energy bills.Setting up “home improvement corporations” would allow greater control by councils over low-carbon retrofits for housing, and would be a more efficient way of spending limited public funds for insulation, according to the Common Wealth thinktank, sets out the proposals in a report this week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democrats in four states seek to bar ICE employees from future civil service jobs 26. February 2026 (13:00) Bills aim to make ICE employees ineligible for jobs in law enforcement, public education and state civil serviceSupercharged by billions in dollars from Congress, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has hired thousands of new officers to carry out Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign in an effort it has likened to “wartime recruitment”. In several states, Democratic lawmakers want applicants to think twice about taking part.Bills introduced in recent weeks in the legislatures of at least four Democratic-led states would impose long-term consequences on new ICE employees by rendering them ineligible for jobs in law enforcement, public education, and, in their most expansive form, the entire state civil service. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Orbán calls for EU ‘fact-finding mission’ to inspect Druzhba pipeline amid escalating tension with Ukraine – Europe live 26. February 2026 (12:04) Orbán asked that the mission included experts from Hungary and Slovakia, both of which are affected by the disrupted oil transit via the pipelineMeanwhile, the Nordic countries are on high alert amid concerns about a potential strike against their energy infrastructure, Sweden’s TV4 reported.The broadcaster claimed that “an actor, believed to be linked to a foreign power, has threatened the energy network throughout the Nordic region, including Sweden.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Guardian joins media coalition to protect original journalism from unpaid use by AI 26. February 2026 (12:00) BBC and Financial Times among those calling for frameworks to help publishers gain control over their content being ‘scraped and copied’A coalition of UK media companies including the Guardian has urged industry peers to back global frameworks ensuring AI firms pay for the journalism they use.The news providers are calling on leaders across publishing, broadcasting, media and news to join their newly created group, with the aim of protecting “original journalism” and securing “the long-term sustainability of our industry”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hillary and Bill Clinton to testify in House’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation 26. February 2026 (12:00) Hillary Clinton to testify Thursday from their home in Chappaqua, while Bill Clinton will speak to panel fridayHillary Clinton will testify before congressional lawmakers investigating the ties of Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday in the first of two closed-door hearings that will also include her husband, Bill Clinton.Both have complained that they are being singled out unfairly to distract public attention from Donald Trump, who had a long friendship with Epstein before breaking with him. They also claim the testimony should occur in public. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Workers decry Whirlpool’s job cuts amid offshoring, praise of Trump’s tariffs 26. February 2026 (12:00) The US has lost factory jobs amid promises of a tariff-led renaissanceWorkers at Whirlpool, the US’s largest appliance manufacturer and a champion of Donald Trump’s tariff policies, are criticizing the company for cutting jobs at an Iowa plant while bolstering production in Mexico.The job cuts at Whirlpool come as the company has continued to support the Trump administration’s trade policies and claimed they will help bolster US manufacturing. Trump’s trade policies appear to have done little for US manufacturing so far. The US has lost 83,000 factory jobs since Trump took office in January 2025. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Sick, demented, extremely low IQ and cries like a child’: Donald Trump renews attack on Robert De Niro 26. February 2026 (11:56) After the star made a fresh denunciation of the US president at an alternative State of the Union event, Trump returned fire at length on Truth Social Donald Trump has responded to a recent podcast appearance by Robert De Niro, in which he called the president “an idiot”.Speaking on Monday’s episode of The Best People with Nicole Wallace, De Niro, who has long criticised the politics, morals and competence of Trump, said: “He’s an idiot. We gotta get rid of him. He’s gonna ruin the country.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
