All posts tagged: Politics

Politics Home | Healey Resignation Is “Colossal Failure Of Government”, Says Former Labour Defence Secretary

Politics Home | Healey Resignation Is “Colossal Failure Of Government”, Says Former Labour Defence Secretary

Published by Sam Flores

John Healey resigned on Thursday over Starmer’s plans for military spending (Alamy) 4 min read2 hr A former Labour defence secretary has warned Keir Starmer that his credibility “will be shot” if he doesn’t rethink military spending plans in the wake of John Healey’s resignation. In an interview with PoliticsHome, Lord Hutton, who was defence secretary between 2008 and 2009 under former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown, described Healey’s resignation on Thursday as a “colossal failure of government” and said that the UK should be “ashamed”. Healey, a major Starmer loyalist, announced his resignation from cabinet earlier today, warning that the government’s planned military spending is not enough to keep the country safe. He singled out the Treasury for criticism, saying it was “unwilling” to “commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats”. Responding to the news, Hutton said Healey’s resignation “represents a colossal failure of government over the last period of time” and that the Starmer administration had “completely failed” to respond to growing global threats to UK security. The …

Trump sticks with Pulte, FISA hurtles toward expiration

Trump sticks with Pulte, FISA hurtles toward expiration

Published by Sam Flores

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (R) (D-NY) speaks alongside Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (L) (D-NY) on the steps of the U.S. Senate during an event with congressional Democrats on May 21, 2026 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee | Getty Images The U.S. House on Thursday rejected a proposal to extend a key foreign surveillance program through July 2, as Democrats continued to withhold support over President Donald Trump’s choice of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence. The program will expire on Friday. Trump tapped Pulte for the role earlier this month, setting off bipartisan backlash. Pulte is currently the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and has used his perch to launch probes into several of Trump’s political opponents over allegations of mortgage-related wrongdoing. He has no prior national security experience. House Democratic leaders came out against the short-term reauthorization ahead of Thursday’s planned vote, effectively dooming the measure. Speaker Mike Johnson was attempting to approve it under a procedural tool for normally used for non-controversial bills that requires support from …

Iran threatens Elon Musk companies in Middle East: State media

Iran threatens Elon Musk companies in Middle East: State media

Published by Sam Flores

Tesla CEO Elon Musk holds a mobile phone as he arrives to attend a state banquet with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 14, 2026. Evan Vucci | Reuters Iran will treat all of Elon Musk’s companies in the Middle East, including SpaceX’s Starlink internet service, as military targets as it retaliates against the U.S., Iranian state media outlet Fars reported Thursday. Iran is targeting “all interests related to economic holdings managed by Elon Musk in West Asia,” including a regional Starlink ground station, according to a translated post on Fars’ Telegram page. Starlink has played a key role in U.S. military operations against Iran, supporting high-tech ordnance ranging from aerial attack drones to unmanned surveillance and strike vessels. Iran asserts the U.S. has committed war crimes against it with the support of Musk-related companies, Fars reported, citing an “informed source.” “The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to attack all facilities related to [Musk]-managed holdings in the region and occupied …

Trump says U.S. will seize Iran’s Kharg Island, oil infrastructure

Trump says U.S. will seize Iran’s Kharg Island, oil infrastructure

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Shawn Thew | Bloomberg | Getty Images The U.S. military will attack Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT,” and will soon take over the country’s “oil infrastructure points,” President Donald Trump said Thursday morning. An operation to “assume total control” of Iran’s oil and gas markets and infrastructure, including taking Kharg Island, will occur “at some point in the not too distant future,” Trump vowed in a Truth Social post. Trump compared the forthcoming action to the U.S. operations in Venezuela, “which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America,” he wrote. This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates. Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news. Source link

Politics Home Article | John Healey Resigns As Defence Secretary Over Military Spending Plans

Politics Home Article | John Healey Resigns As Defence Secretary Over Military Spending Plans

Published by Sam Flores

(Alamy) 3 min read1 hr John Healey has resigned as defence secretary warning that Keir Starmer’s military spending plans fall way short. Healey announced his resignation on Thursday, saying he had been “left with no other option” but to quit having been presented with details of how much additional money the government was planning to spend on defence. He singled out the Treasury for criticism, saying it was “unwilling” to “commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats”. Following Healey’s resignation, Times Radio also reported that defence minister Al Carns has said the DIP is “not fit for purpose” and Starmer has “got to sort this out”. Healey is considered a Starmer loyalist and his resignation will be seen as a major blow to the Prime Minister. His letter said that Starmer had been “unable” to commit the necessary funding, raising fresh questions about his authority. The PM is fighting to stay in power amid the prospect of leadership challenges from Andy Bunham and Wes Streeting. The government is expected to …

Kuwait closes airspace, Israel warns of launches from Lebanon after U.S strikes in Iran

Kuwait closes airspace, Israel warns of launches from Lebanon after U.S strikes in Iran

Published by Sam Flores

Kuwait closed its airspace Thursday local time due to “Iranian aggressions” as it intercepted “hostile aerial targets,” following U.S. strikes against Tehran. Israel’s Home Front Command also warned of launches from Lebanon toward several communities in northern Israel. Iran “struck and destroyed eighteen important targets” belonging to U.S. forces at Kuwait’s Ali Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber air bases, as well as the Sheikh Issa air base in Bahrain, according to the state run Tasnim news agency. The media adviser to Bahrain’s king said the country’s air defense systems had intercepted and destroyed “Iranian aerial attacks.” Earlier in the day, Bahrain’s interior ministry had urged civilians to head to a safe place. The escalation follows U.S. attack on multiple targets in Iran Wednesday stateside at President Donald Trump’s direction, following “Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression.” Centcom said strikes were completed at 9:04 p.m. ET Wednesday, adding it hit Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites. U.S. forces fired on Iranian targets that “posed a threat to U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting …

G7 Summit at Swiss-French Border Brings Tight Security in Case Violent Protests Occur

G7 Summit at Swiss-French Border Brings Tight Security in Case Violent Protests Occur

Published by Sam Flores

GENEVA (AP) — French and Swiss authorities will impose a week of pandemic-like border restrictions as U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders attend a G7 summit starting Monday while organizers fear potentially violent protests. The summit of some of the world’s richest nations from June 15-17 in the French town of Evian-les-Bains on Lake Geneva is meant to discuss the Middle East, Ukraine and global economic imbalances. In nearby Geneva, Switzerland, business owners and local leaders want to avoid a repeat of violent protests that smashed storefronts on the sidelines of the G8 summit in 2003, when Russia was in the club of nations. Authorities in Geneva and activist groups including environmentalists, feminists and foes of capitalism are facing off over the right to protest and the right to protection from those who target symbols of corporate and political power. “As the G7 meets in Evian, France, to plan the destruction of peoples, the exploitation of life and the domination of bodies, let us organize our resistance against fascism and imperialism,” the No G7 …

Judge to Rule Thursday in Misdemeanor Arrest of Congressional Candidate Brad Lander

Judge to Rule Thursday in Misdemeanor Arrest of Congressional Candidate Brad Lander

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK (AP) — Congressional candidate Brad Lander on Wednesday got the day in court that he demanded after a misdemeanor charge was lodged against him last summer after he was arrested while protesting with other elected officials outside an immigration holding facility in New York City. The Democrat testified in Manhattan federal court in his own defense that he did not try to block an elevator by sitting near it during the protest on the 10th floor of a federal building in lower Manhattan that houses 40 federal agencies, including the FBI. A magistrate judge who heard the one-day trial without a jury said he’ll rule Thursday morning. A prosecutor said Lander was guilty of the charge because he was in front of an elevator whose doors never opened during the 20 to 25 minutes he was seated on the floor in a circle with the other politicians. Prosecutors have said they will not seek jail time if Lander is convicted. Lander, formerly the city’s comptroller and an ally of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, testified …

Rollins called screwworm a ‘little pest.’ Last year, she said ‘terrifying’

Rollins called screwworm a ‘little pest.’ Last year, she said ‘terrifying’

Published by Sam Flores

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told CNBC on Monday that the New World screwworm is a “little pest.” In the past, she called the parasite “terrifying.” The discrepancy in messaging before and after the flesh-eating pest was detected in the U.S. offers a window into how Rollins is managing the screwworm threat now that it has reached inside the border. And it shows how the administration is racing to alleviate fears that the parasite could further raise the price of beef amid rising inflation. Since screwworm was detected in Texas last week, Rollins has hit the airwaves to reassure the U.S. public that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is ahead of the infestation and that it does not pose a risk to the food system. She has also heaped blame on the Biden administration for the spread, arguing that lax immigration enforcement of the southern border helped the parasite move forward. “The food supply is not at risk. This is not a virus, it’s not a disease, it’s just a little pest, a larvae that lands …

Trump loves inflation. Why that should be music to Kevin Warsh’s ears: Analysis

Trump loves inflation. Why that should be music to Kevin Warsh’s ears: Analysis

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives with incoming Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh for Warsh’s swearing-in ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 22, 2026. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters A strange thing may happen in the coming days. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh may do exactly what his predecessor Jerome Powell had done about interest rates — only to get a completely different response from President Donald Trump. Trump’s unexpected comments Wednesday on the latest inflation figure may give Warsh some space on interest rates. “I love the inflation,” he said in the Oval Office hours after the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that annualized inflation jumped by 4.2%. If the president is unconcerned with the highest inflation in three years, that may buy Warsh a reprieve from expectations to quickly lower interest rates. The president spent years railing against and trying to undermine Powell for what Trump saw as a stubborn refusal to cut interest rates faster and deeper than the Fed was willing to go. But now that Warsh has been …