A six-metre-high inflatable balloon depicting Donald Trump as a snarling baby flew in Parliament Square, London, on Tuesday before what is expected to be one of the city's largest protests against a foreign leader
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Trump urges May to ‘stick around’ to finalise ‘very, very substantial’ US-UK trade deal – live news
Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the second day of President Trump’s state visit to Britain and his press conference with Theresa May
Judging by the interview that President Trump gave to the Sun and the Sunday Times before he came to the UK, his view of people tends to be shaped to a considerable extent by whether or not they have praised him. (“I think [Boris Johnson would be excellent. I like him. I have always liked him ... He has been very positive about me and our country.”)
On that basis, Trump’s meeting with Michael Gove later (see 10.55am and 12.07pm) is likely to go well. I have been rereading Gove’s write-up of his interview with Trump in January 2017 (paywall) and it’s not exactly a hatchet job. Here’s an extract.
Ever since a Virginia farmer called George Washington launched his bid for glory, the British have had a tendency to underestimate American presidents. Especially Republicans. When Abraham Lincoln was in the White House, our government sympathised with the Confederacy. When Ronald Reagan was commander-in-chief, the British foreign policy establishment derided him as a trigger-happy cowboy who was in danger of pitching us into a third world war.
But no Republican, indeed no president, has come to office facing anything like the level of scorn and condescension from British politicians and commentators as Mr Trump. When we talked last Friday, however, he had nothing but kind words and generous sentiments for a nation he believes will be his strongest ally ...
More from my colleague Damien Gayle on why people are protesting against Trump.
"Today I am a [chlorinated] chicken."@GlobalJusticeUK activist Jelly Cleaver, from Brixton, on why protesters against the #TrumpUKVisit don't want US trade deals after #Brexit pic.twitter.com/rAmx3lhRZr
"Trump is a beacon for neoliberalism and racist policies. He's not standing up for the interests of working people."@RMTunion activist John Reid, 65, right, on why he's protesting the #TrumpUKVisit #TrumpProtest #Trump pic.twitter.com/FqjnmWkpvf
Continue reading...No handshake for May as Trump arrives at No 10 – video
The US president, accompanied by the first lady, is greeted by the prime minister and her husband in Downing Street. Trump shakes hands with Philip May while Melania Trump shakes hands with the prime minister, before they all pose in front of No 10
Continue reading...Doonbeg: why one Irish village won’t join the Trump protests
Trumpland’s Irish outpost in the village of Doonbeg in County Clare is an economic lifeline for locals
Protests and controversy await Donald Trump when he flies into Ireland on Wednesday, but there is at least one corner of the country preparing a heartfelt welcome.
The village of Doonbeg in County Clare has erected US flags and plans to give a mighty cheer if the presidential cavalcade swooshes past.
Continue reading...Chinese travellers warned of crime and police harassment in US
China issues travel alert to its citizens, citing frequent ‘shootings and robberies’ in US
China has issued two travel alerts to its citizens going to the US, warning them about police harassment and crime.
The warnings come amid an escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies and other tensions including attacks on each other’s human rights records.
Continue reading...US abortion policy is ‘extremist hate’ and ‘torture’, says UN commissioner
Trump administration’s ban on terminations is a crisis directed at women, warns Kate Gilmore
The US policy on abortion is a form of extremist hate that amounts to the torture of women, the UN deputy high commissioner for human rights told the Guardian.
The attack on women’s rights was a “crisis”, organised and well-resourced by very extremist groups.
Continue reading...House antitrust investigation targets Facebook, Google and others – live
- Inquiry into tech industry is bipartisan
- Donald Trump meets Queen on state visit to United Kingdom
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Looks like it’s going to be a twofer on 11 June:
NEW: House Majority @LeaderHoyer says contempt vote Tuesday, June 11th will be for both Attorney General Barr AND former White House Counsel McGahn “to comply with Congressional subpoenas that have been duly issued by the House Judiciary Committee”
Mark your calendars. It’s looking like the contempt proceedings for attorney general William Barr, who skipped out on his House judiciary committee hearing last month after a barnburner of a Senate judiciary committee hearing, are set to begin next week.
CONFIRMED: House Dems voting next week to hold AG Bill Barr in contempt of Congress for refusing to hand over unredacted Mueller Report, sources in leadership meeting say. Politico first reported.
Others could also receive House floor vote, including former WH lawyer Don McGahn, according to sources. https://t.co/64tMAfAq9T
The full House will vote on June 11th to hold AG Barr in contempt of Congress for not complying w/ the House Judiciary Cmte’s subpoena for Mueller's full unredacted report + underlying evidence, according to 3 Dem sources. Still TBD if other ppl are included in this contempt vote
Continue reading...Trans woman seeking asylum dies after pleading for medical help in US custody
Death of Johana Medina Leon, hospitalized following chest pains, echoes case of Honduran woman a year ago
A transgender migrant has died after becoming sick while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) custody, sparking renewed claims of medical neglect and human rights violations.
Johana Medina Leon, a 25-year-old asylum seeker from El Salvador, died Saturday at a hospital in El Paso, Texas, after she was detained for over a month and complained of chest pains, officials said. Leon had repeatedly pleaded for medical help and was held in poor conditions, advocates who had contact with her and others at the privately run New Mexico detention center said.
Continue reading...41-gun salutes and a Twitter tirade: Donald Trump arrives in UK
US president attends Buckingham Palace banquet after starting state visit with angry tweets
- Follow all the latest on Trump’s visit with our live blog
Donald Trump breezed into Britain by launching an attack on London’s mayor and berating so-called fake news before being honoured with a glittering banquet hosted by the Queen.
Buckingham Palace provided the sumptuous backdrop for the US president, who had long desired the endorsement of an official state visit, and took the opportunity to bring four of his five children with him.
Continue reading...Naked protesters condemn nipple censorship at Facebook headquarters
Demonstrators cover bodies with stickers to ensure nipples on display are ‘male’, in line with Facebook policy
Some were hairy. Some were pointy. Some were dark brown, some a pale pink. But the hundreds of nipples on display in front of Facebook’s New York City headquarters on Sunday were technically “male”, despite some being on female protesters.
More than 100 people lay nude on the sidewalk to call for a change to the company’s censorship policies. The action, called #wethenipple, was organized by the artist Spencer Tunick and the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Continue reading...Further safety issue found in grounded Boeing 737 Max planes
Airlines told to check aircraft as affected components may be at risk of premature failure
Safety regulators in the US have identified a further problem in Boeing’s grounded 737 Max model and the generation of planes that preceded it.
The Federal Aviation Administration has told airlines to check more than 300 737 aircraft, including 179 of the Max model, for improperly manufactured parts.
Continue reading...Sadiq Khan to Trump: you stand for the opposite of London’s values – video
The mayor of London has recorded a video message to the US president as Donald Trump spent his first day in the UK. Earlier on Monday, Trump tweeted that 'Kahn [sic] reminds me very much of our very dumb and incompetent Mayor of NYC, [Bill] de Blasio, who has also done a terrible job'. Trump is only the third US president to have had a state visit to the UK
Continue reading...Protest and pageantry: Donald Trump’s state visit, day one – in pictures
The red carpet has been rolled out for the US president’s three-day state visit. He landed at Stansted airport and headed to Buckingham Palace for an official welcome and a day of engagements culminating in a state banquet
Continue reading...Donald Trump arrives in UK for three-day state visit – video
The US president, accompanied by the first lady, Melania Trump, touches down at Stansted airport on Monday morning for a three-day official state visit. He was greeted by Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the UK, and Jeremy Hunt, the UK foreign secretary. A protest against the visit is planned in central London on Tuesday, with the ‘Trump baby’ blimp made for his visit last year expected to put in an appearance
Continue reading...Donald Trump attacks Sadiq Khan as he lands in UK for state visit
US president tweets calling London mayor ‘loser’ before touching down at Stansted
Donald Trump has arrived in the UK for a delayed state visit and set a combative tone by attacking the London mayor as his plane landed.
After Air Force One touched down at Stansted airport, the president and his wife, Melania, were greeted by the foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, one of the contenders in the Conservative leadership race.
Continue reading...The president of the United States can’t talk like this to the very Queen of England! | First Dog on the Moon
Donald Trump is having tea with Queen Elizabeth II but you can’t get upset
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‘All we know is MONEY!’: US cities struggle to fight hackers
Baltimore this month joined Atlanta, San Diego and Newark in the list of US cities hit by ransomware attacks as the cyber intrusions are expected to continue
“We won’t talk more, all we know is MONEY! Hurry up!”
This was the ransom note that confronted Baltimore officials on 7 May when hackers crippled government computers with a virus, taking the systems hostage. The ongoing cyber-attack has halted real estate transactions and shut down websites for processing water bills and other services.
Continue reading...Sephora to shut US stores for diversity training after SZA racial profiling claim
R&B singer SZA, who is black, said in April she was racially profiled at a Sephora store in Calabasas
The Sephora beauty chain will close all its US stores, distribution centers and corporate offices on Wednesday to conduct diversity training for employees, after a racial incident involving a Grammy-nominated singer.
R&B singer SZA, who is black, said in April she was racially profiled at a Sephora store in Calabasas, California.
Continue reading...Science institute that advised EU and UN ‘actually industry lobby group’
International Life Sciences Institute used by corporate backers to counter public health policies, says study
An institute whose experts have occupied key positions on EU and UN regulatory panels is, in reality, an industry lobby group that masquerades as a scientific health charity, according to a peer-reviewed study.
The Washington-based International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) describes its mission as “pursuing objectivity, clarity and reproducibility” to “benefit the public good”.
Continue reading...Jared Kushner expresses doubt that Palestinians can self-govern
White House senior adviser says he hopes Palestinians will become ‘capable of governing’ and denies Trump is racist in rare interview
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner has expressed uncertainty over the ability of Palestinians to self-govern, in a rare television interview broadcast on Sunday night.
Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and an architect of the White House’s yet-to-be-released Middle East peace plan, told the “Axios on HBO” television program it would be a “high bar” when asked if the Palestinians could expect freedom from Israeli military and government interference.
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