Florida is latest US state to enter redistricting war ahead of 2026 election 26. April 2026 (16:00) Special session comes after Virginia voted to redraw maps and as Trump pressures Republicans to protect House majorityFlorida begins a special session on Tuesday in what may be the last front of the redistricting war before the 2026 election, with Republicans trying to redraw maps to pick up more seats in Congress.Lawmakers enter the session in Tallahassee cloaked in mystery, with no preview of a proposed map to consider and no clear path for Republicans to increase their representation in what appears to be a hostile year for their party. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ryanair to shut Berlin base as it blames rise in German aviation tax 26. April 2026 (15:44) Trade union criticises airline’s plan to halve passenger numbers to the city as ‘purely profit-oriented’ Ryanair is to shut its Berlin operating base and cut its winter schedule to the German capital in half, blaming soaring aviation taxes in the country.The Irish budget carrier said its relocation of seven aircraft to other centres would reduce its Berlin passenger numbers from 4.5 million to 2.2 million a year, with flights in and out of the city served from October by planes based at other airports. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
White House journalists’ gala ended like many US events do: with gun violence 26. April 2026 (15:01) Shooting reveals how political violence has become feature of American life on a night dedicated to press freedomAhead of this year’s White House correspondents’ dinner, conversations centered on the role of the media and freedom of the press as journalists prepared to dine with the president.Instead of a speech stacked with heated barbs against the media, the event ended like many in the US do: with gun violence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lonely at the top: who are Keir Starmer’s allies as daunting May elections loom? 26. April 2026 (15:00) Prime minister has shed trusted staffers but can still turn to many genuine friends in and out of governmentGiven that the signs of an embattled premiership are all around – defensive-sounding interviews insisting he will be in post at the next election; a rush of stories about supposed cabinet plotting – now, more than ever, Keir Starmer needs real allies. And here, at least, there is something to feel positive about.If you talk to most Labour MPs, Starmer most likely will not lead Labour into the next election. He may even not remain in No 10 much beyond a set of Scottish, Welsh and local English elections on 7 May, which are expected to be disastrous for his party. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Suspected gunman was likely targeting White House officials at press dinner, acting attorney general says 26. April 2026 (14:52) Trump and first lady were safely evacuated and police arrested Cole Tomas Allen of southern California at eventThe gunman who tried to breach the ballroom at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington DC on Saturday night is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, the acting US attorney general, Todd Blanche, said on Sunday morning.Blanche also said officials believe that the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where he checked in as a guest at the hotel where one of the capital’s glitziest annual events was being held, the Washington Hilton. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
North Dakota state legislator and pilot killed in small plane crash in Minnesota 26. April 2026 (14:42) Liz Conmy’s death ‘is a profound loss’, Democratic party affiliate says following crash shortly after takeoffA small plane crashed just after taking off from Crystal airport north of Minneapolis on Saturday, killing a North Dakota state legislator and the pilot, authorities said.Liz Conmy, a North Dakota state representative from Fargo, was killed in the crash, her colleague, state senator Tim Mathern, told the Star Tribune. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Keir Starmer vows to lead Labour into next general election after bruising week 26. April 2026 (14:14) Prime minister says his job is not at risk over Mandelson vetting as allies back him against claims of wrongdoingKeir Starmer has said he will lead Labour into the next general election, as his Downing Street allies denied claims of any wrongdoing over the appointment and vetting of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, told Sky News’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday show: “No wrongdoing by the prime minister has been proven in relation to Lord Mandelson’s appointment,” adding: “The whole situation is regrettable.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Suspected gunman at White House press dinner named 26. April 2026 (14:12) Law enforcement agencies name Cole Tomas Allen as Trump posts video of man sprinting through checkpoint at hotelUS politics live – latest updatesLaw enforcement agencies have identified Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, southern California, a suburb of Los Angeles, as the suspected gunman arrested at the White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington DC on Saturday night.Allen, 31, has no record of criminal charges or a civil court history in Los Angeles county, according to a records search. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US is taking a ‘real risk’ with hasty shift in efforts to fight HIV, experts say 26. April 2026 (14:00) Experts fear losing ground to virus even as the end of the HIV epidemic is in sight, and say decline in infant testing is ‘particularly concerning’The US government released likely the last report from Pepfar (President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief) earlier this month and the chief science officer announced his resignation days later as the US moves to a patchwork of individual partnerships with each country, potentially driven by resource extraction.While more leadership with other countries has long been the goal with global HIV efforts, experts fear the US is moving too quickly without being able to monitor its efforts as well as it has done with Pepfar for more than two decades. They fear losing ground to the virus even as the end of the HIV epidemic is in sight. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Voters contend with ‘grotesque’ leaflets and ‘dodgy’ data in English elections 26. April 2026 (13:55) Exclusive: Investigation into campaigning materials for local polls in May challenges tactical voting claims Election leaflets are providing “grotesque” information about how to vote tactically in the May elections, using national polling data, “dodgy” bar charts and doorstep surveys to support claims about parties’ chances of winning.Leaflets distributed by local politicians across England are claiming that either only their party can win, or another party “can’t win here” when “there is no good evidence to show that’s true”, a Full Fact investigation for the Guardian has revealed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
