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Headlines
Trump orders paid leave for federal DEI staff and threatens China sanctions
US politics live  
Trump orders paid leave for federal DEI staff and threatens China sanctions
Trump administration orders federal employees in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program roles to be put on leave by Wednesday evening
Middle East live  
Israel presses on with Jenin raid as Jordanian minister warns West Bank could ‘explode’
Climate crisis  
US homeowners in disaster-prone states face soaring insurance costs
Film  
I’m just Kenobe: Ryan Gosling set to join Star Wars franchise in as-yet-untitled movie
Iraq  
‘The end of women and children’s rights’: outrage as Iraqi law allows child marriage
Trump administration
‘A twist of the knife’: trans Americans respond to Trump’s executive order
LGBTQ+ rights  
‘A twist of the knife’: trans Americans respond to Trump’s executive order
Trans communities expected Trump to deliver on his threat to roll back their rights. That didn’t make it hurt any less
Analysis  
Trump rewrites the violence of January 6 and ‘legitimates future ones’
Business  
Influence of super rich on Trump threatens democracy, say Patriotic Millionaires
Immigration policy  
Trump says immigration authorities can arrest people at churches and schools
 

Betsy Reed

Editor, Guardian US

Person Image

I hope you appreciated this newsletter. Before you move on, I wanted to ask whether you could support the Guardian’s journalism as we begin to cover the second Trump administration.

As Trump himself observed: “The first term, everybody was fighting me. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.”

He’s not entirely wrong. All around us, media organizations have begun to capitulate. First, two news outlets pulled election endorsements at the behest of their billionaire owners. Next, prominent reporters bent the knee at Mar-a-Lago. And then a major network – ABC News – rolled over in response to Trump’s legal challenges and agreed to a $16m million settlement in his favor.

The Guardian is clear: we have no interest in being Donald Trump’s – or any politician’s – friend. Our allegiance as independent journalists is not to those in power but to the public.

How are we able to stand firm in the face of intimidation and threats? As journalists say: follow the money. The Guardian has neither a self-interested billionaire owner nor profit-seeking corporate henchmen pressuring us to appease the rich and powerful. We are funded by our readers and owned by the Scott Trust – whose only financial obligation is to preserve our journalistic mission in perpetuity.

With the new administration boasting about its desire to punish journalists, and Trump and his allies already pursuing lawsuits against newspapers whose stories they don’t like, it has never been more urgent, or more perilous, to pursue fair, accurate reporting. Can you support the Guardian today?

We value whatever you can spare, but a recurring contribution makes the most impact, enabling greater investment in our most crucial, fearless journalism. As our thanks to you, we can offer you some great benefits. We’ve made it very quick to set up, so we hope you’ll consider it.

However you choose to support us: thank you for helping protect the free press. Whatever happens in the coming months and years, you can rely on the Guardian never to bow down to power, nor back down from truth.

 
Spotlight
Apartments for $20,000 a month: residents scramble after wildfires deepen LA’s housing crisis
California wildfires  
Apartments for $20,000 a month: residents scramble after wildfires deepen LA’s housing crisis
With more than 15,000 structures burned to the ground, experts say Angelenos of all income levels will be affected
Ask Ugly  
My father had plastic surgery. Now he wants me and my mother to get work done
Minimum wage  
Fast-food chains claim raising the minimum wage ‘hurts everyone’. California workers disagree
Diet  
The fiber phenomenon: 30 easy ways to get your fill of this life-changing nutrient
A moment that changed me  
I found a photo of my grandmother with a mysterious woman
Review  
Stray Dog/High and Low review – Kurosawa lifts crime drama to astonishing new peaks
Opinion
Oligarchs are more visible than ever. That also makes them more vulnerable
Oligarchs are more visible than ever. That also makes them more vulnerable
Memo to President Trump: you are wrong to leave the World Health Organization. You should think again