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How predominantly Black areas in 6 states have been split up by redistricting
Republican-led legislatures in six states — Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina — have redrawn congressional maps mid-decade in ways that break up predominantly Black communities, following a Supreme Court ruling that weakened Voting Rights Act protections and a push by President Trump for states to redistrict in the GOP’s favour ahead of…
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‘New York Times’ alleges White House abuses legal system to intimidate reporters
The New York Times is challenging federal grand jury subpoenas issued to five of its reporters, arguing in a US court that the White House is misusing the legal system to intimidate journalists and unmask their sources. The dispute centres on stories the paper published about security concerns surrounding a Boeing 747 gifted to Donald…
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Britain isn’t considering datacenters’ thirst for water in its ‘AI superpower’ ambitions
The UK government’s plans to make Britain an “AI superpower” fail to account for the huge amounts of water datacentres consume, according to trade body Water UK, raising fears that server farms will end up competing with households and businesses for scarce supplies. The concern is especially pressing as parts of southern, central and eastern…
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Minister refuses to rule out ‘wealth tax’ at Budget – as Gary Lineker leads ‘virtue-signalling’ millionaires demanding raid on assets despite warnings from economists
A UK government minister has declined to rule out introducing a “wealth tax” in the upcoming Budget, as a group of wealthy individuals, including former footballer and broadcaster Gary Lineker, publicly campaign for higher levies on assets held by the rich. The intervention has proved divisive, with critics branding the millionaires’ campaign as “virtue-signalling” and…
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All the policy pledges Andy Burnham has made since becoming prime minister
New prime minister Andy Burnham has used his first days in office to announce a series of policy pledges focused primarily on reducing living costs for households, framing his administration as a “cost of living government”. Speaking after taking over from Sir Keir Starmer, Burnham said he wants to deliver the “biggest changes in the…
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Burnham defends hospitality rate cuts amid warnings of tax rises under new PM
Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, has defended cuts to business rates for the hospitality sector, arguing the move supports pubs, restaurants and bars that have struggled with rising costs. His comments come amid separate warnings that a future prime minister could be forced to raise taxes to plug gaps in the public finances,…
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Travis Scott says Oasis helped inspire his next album
Travis Scott has revealed that Oasis was among the influences shaping his upcoming album, the follow-up to 2023’s “Utopia”. Speaking to Variety, the Houston rapper said he was pushing himself to try new sonics, and also namechecked Parliament, Don Toliver, Raphael Saadiq, Daft Punk and Van Halen as reference points for the record. Scott said…
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JOHN O’CONNELL: If our new Prime Minister tries to impose 10% death tax on all estates, the wave of rage will blow him away
Daily Mail columnist John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, attacks new Prime Minister Andy Burnham for floating a “national care service” alongside a flat 10 per cent inheritance tax on all estates to fund it, a policy Burnham previously proposed as health secretary in the 2000s. O’Connell argues this would be far more…
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Carmakers lobbied UK to revoke ban on petrol and diesel cars after 2035
Major carmakers including BMW, Ford, Nissan and Toyota, along with parts supplier Bosch, privately lobbied the UK government to revoke the planned 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel car sales, according to documents obtained via a freedom of information request. This is significant because the ban is a cornerstone of the UK’s decarbonisation strategy,…
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Andy Burnham cuts business rates for hospitality, targets vape shops
Oil prices rose close to $100 a barrel after renewed US attacks on Iran and Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea heightened fears of a wider disruption to global energy supplies. The increase is already affecting UK motorists, reversing several months of falling fuel prices and raising the prospect of more…