US Politics
Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland vandalized over his Gaza ‘ethnic cleansing’ threat: Live updates
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Read more
Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland has been vandalized over his recent remarks about the future of Gaza beyond any ceasefire agreement with Israel.
The president has been accused of using “ethnic cleansing” rhetoric. Activists responded by covering the Ayrshire property with red spray paint and digging up the prized greens.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration revealed on Friday that it’s withdrawing $400 million in grants and contracts from Columbia University because of what the administration says is the school’s failure to protect Jewish students from harassment.
The announcement came after Columbia established a disciplinary panel and increased its own investigations into students who have made critical statements about Israel, to the dismay of advocates for free speech. But the school didn’t do enough according to the federal government.
Trump said Friday that he’s “strongly considering large-scale sanctions” on Russia until a peace agreement is reached with Ukraine, but stoked anger saying it is easier to deal with them as Moscow again bombs Kyiv.
Trump also sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in an effort to reach a deal with Tehran to restrict its nuclear program. Iran said it would not respond to “bully” pressure.
ICYMI: Rubio unleashes his fury on Musk in heated cabinet meeting, report says
For those who love palace intrigue…
Rubio has been privately furious at Musk for weeks over his role in dismantling USAID, which the secretary believed should have been under his control, according to the Times.
Oliver O’Connell9 March 2025 05:30
‘Not the end of the world if US quits Nato’
Britain and other European nations must be ready to take over Nato if Donald Trump carries out US threats to withdraw from the organization.
That was the powerful message delivered on Saturday by former Conservative defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace.
Oliver O’Connell9 March 2025 04:30
Justice Department is now investigating soaring egg prices
The Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the surging price of eggs, which is expected to rise more than 40 percent in 2025.
Meanwhile, on his Truth Social on Saturday, the president shared a story telling Americans to “shut up about egg prices.”
Alex Woodward9 March 2025 04:00
It’s just a ‘detox’ says Bessent as economy slows
Donald Trump’s new Treasury secretary blew off the apparent slowdown in the nation’s economy as nothing more than “detox” as government spending switches to the private sector.
Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged apparent signs of a slowed economy following a weeklong drop in the stock market rattled by Donald Trump’s tariffs and a lower-than-expected report of 151,000 new jobs in February (170,000 was predicted).
Oliver O’Connell9 March 2025 03:30
Report: ‘Extinction level’ cuts coming to NASA
Oliver O’Connell9 March 2025 02:30
UFC boss and Trump ally Dana White filmed hugging accused sex traffickers Andrew and Tristan Tate
Ultimate Fighting Championship president and Donald Trump ally Dana White was seen at an event in Las Vegas on Friday warmly greeting Andrew and Tristan Tate, controversial right-wing influencers accused of human trafficking and other abuses across the U.S., the U.K., and Romania.
Alex Woodward9 March 2025 02:00
The latest: Pro-Ukraine protesters dispute JD Vance’s account of confrontation he claims left his daughter, 3, ‘anxious and scared’
Vice President JD Vance claims he was chased by pro-Ukraine protesters in Cincinnati on Saturday while out walking with his three-year-old daughter.
But protesters say Vance’s account is a fabrication, and that they had spontaneously passed by the vice president on their way to a nearby protest.
Alex Woodward9 March 2025 01:45
As DOGE’s policies divide America, some fired federal workers are being mocked by their families
Amid all the usual pressures of losing a job, 24-year-old former federal worker Luke Tobin has faced another challenge: relatives cheering his firing.
Tobin, who lost his job as a technician with the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho’s Nez Perce National Forest, is one of several thousand federal workers whose role has been cut as part of Elon Musk and DOGE’s slash-and-burn approach to reduce what they see as government waste.
As Tobin filled last-minute prescriptions before he lost his health insurance and sent off job applications, he expected some sympathy from his family. What he found, however, was the opposite, with some relatives cheering “what has to happen to make the government great again.”
Will Trump do away with daylight saving time?
Remember: Tonight the clocks spring forward by an hour in the U.S. — will Trump change that?
Oliver O’Connell9 March 2025 00:30
Watch: Aviation expert responds to Trump’s claim DEI to blame for DC crash
Aviation expert responds to Trump’s claim diversity hiring to blame for DC crash
An aviation expert told The Independent there is “no evidence” to support President Donald Trump’s claim that diversity, equity, and inclusion policies contributed to the American Airlines plane crash in Washington, DC. “Brilliant people have to be in those positions,” the president said, before suggesting diversity hiring “could have been” linked to the crash during a press conference on January 30. In response, Captain Shem Malmquist, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society told The Independent, “I don’t know of any evidence that anybody involved with this accident met any criteria that wouldn’t have been holding them to the highest standards.”
Oliver O’Connell8 March 2025 23:45