Returning to the Lion's Den: A Ted Talk on Technology and Democracy

In her final piece for the Observer, Carole Cadwalladr reveals what happened when she returned last week to give the opening speech at technology conference Ted, where she gave her first – life-changing – talk six years agoTo walk into the lion’s den once might be considered foolhardy. To do so again after being mauled by the lion? It’s what … ill-advised? Reckless? Suicidal? Six years ago I gave a talk at Ted, the world’s leading technology and ideas conference. It led to a gruelling lawsuit and a series of consequences that reverberate through my life to this day.And last week I returned. To give another talk that would incorporate some of my experience: a Ted Talk about being sued for giving a Ted Talk, and how the lessons I’d learned from surviving all that were a model for surviving “broligarchy” – a concept I first wrote about in the Observer in July last year: the alignment of Silicon Valley and autocracy, and a kind of power the world has never seen before. The key point I wanted to get across to this powerful and important audience is that politics is technology now. And technology is politics. Continue reading...

Nigel Farage Defends Chlorinated Chicken Imports Amid Rising Popularity of Reform Party

Reform UK leader on campaign trail as poll predicts rightwing party could be on course to win in a general electionNigel Farage has defended allowing labelled chlorinated chicken from the US as part of a trade deal, as a new poll suggested his Reform party could be on course to take the highest number of seats at a general election.Speaking ahead of the local elections in England, the Reform leader said British consumers already eat chicken from places such as Thailand reared in poor conditions, and accept chlorine-washed lettuce. Continue reading...

Nationwide Protests Erupt Against Trump Administration Policies

More large-scale protests, rallies and other actions against the Trump administration are set to take place in cities across the U.S. this weekend, with organizers hoping to seize on what they say is… [+2622 chars]

Tunisian Opposition Leaders Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Terms on Terror Charges

A court in Tunisia has sentenced a group of senior politicians, businessmen and lawyers to long prison sentences on conspiracy and terrorism charges. The defendants received sentences of up to 66 ye… [+1714 chars]

Pierre Poilievre's Political Strategy in Turbulent Times: A Deep Dive

The opposition is fighting among themselves a week before elections

Trump's Nuclear Policy: A Double-Edged Sword

Lack of coherence in Trump’s policies raises risks of proliferation

Elon Musk's Doge Initiative Targets National Gallery Amid Cultural Warfare

Move by Doge comes as Trump administration is seeking changes to America’s cultural institutions

Surge in Antisemitism in Canada Amid Political Tensions Ahead of Federal Elections

Antisemitic incidents in Canada have surged 124.6% since 2022, affecting its Jewish community of roughly 400,000, which is estimated to be the fourth-largest in the world.

Economic Turmoil Revisited: IMF Meetings in the Shadow of Trumps Trade Policy

Where once the world came together to fight the credit crunch, Trump’s tariffs will set a more divisive testWhen the world’s finance ministers and central bank governors gather at the International Monetary Fund in Washington this week, it may kindle memories of another meeting, also held against the backdrop of a global economic crisis, in autumn 2008.Then, as the aftershocks from the collapse of Lehman Brothers ripped through financial markets, central banks coordinated drastic emergency rate cuts, and the UK chancellor, Alistair Darling, urged his G7 counterparts to emulate the UK’s approach and shore up stricken banks. Continue reading...

Lessons from Hungary and the Czech Republic: Mass Protests and Political Change

Massive, sustained protests led to the 2021 downfall of billionaire oligarch Andrej Babiš, dubbed ‘the Czech Trump’A former cold war communist dictatorship and component part of the Habsburg empire seems an unlikely source of hope for Donald Trump’s opponents.One such country, Hungary, is often cited as the model for Trump’s no-holds-barred authoritarian assault on US institutions. Viktor Orbán, the central European country’s prime minister, has been a guest at the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate and has won Trump’s praise for transforming Hungary into an “illiberal state” that extols “traditional” values – and for projecting the kind of “strongman” persona the president admires. Continue reading...

Labours Response to Global Financial Changes Amidst Trumps Policies

As Rachel Reeves heads to US for IMF meetings, stance appears unaltered despite chaos unleashed by White HouseKeir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have underlined how much the world has changed after Donald Trump’s “liberation day”, with the UK prime minister even declaring an end to globalisation.But as the chancellor prepares to fly to Washington this week to meet her global counterparts at the International Monetary Fund meetings, Labour appears to see the risks purely in terms of the hit to international trade. Continue reading...

This Week's Surge: A Deep Dive into Political Drama

Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images. Sign up for the Surge, the newsletter that covers most important political nonsense of the week, delivered to your inbox every Satur… [+11039 chars]

'King Donald': Economist Jeffrey Sachs Launches Scathing Critique on Trump's Tariff Policies

Jeffrey Sachs has strongly criticized Donald Trump's trade policies, deeming them "delusional" and economically damaging. Sachs estimates a $10 trillion loss in global wealth due to Trump's strategies, highlighting the president's misunderstanding of trade deficits and his imposition of tariffs based on flawed logic. He also points to automation, not trade, as the primary cause of manufacturing job losses.

Union Leaders Face Challenges Amidst Trump Administration Policies

Leaders of the union representing government workers say their battle is galvanizing but also alarming. “It’s insulting to say,” one said, “that we are lazy.”

Israeli Finance Minister Advocates for Total Occupation of Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict

Proposed White House Executive Order Aims to Overhaul State Department Operations

The draft executive order to be signed by President Trump would eliminate Africa operations and shut down bureaus working on democracy, human rights and refugee issues.

Zelenskyy Accuses Russia of Deceptive Ceasefire Amid Ongoing Shelling

‘Easter truce’ ordered by Putin on Saturday but Ukraine president says Russian army continuing efforts to advanceLuke Harding, a Guardian foreign correspondent, writes that the ceasefire declaration came amid reports that the White House was ready to recognise Russian control of Crimea as part of a broad US proposal to end the war in Ukraine.Here is an extract from his piece:According to sources cited by Bloomberg, the US may be willing to give Putin a strategic victory and to accept Russian control over the peninsula. In 2014, Russian special forces seized Crimea, which Putin annexed after a sham referendum.US diplomatic recognition would violate the UN charter and the post-1945 consensus that countries cannot seize territory by force. Most states, including the UK, have refused to recognise Russia’s illegal takeover. Continue reading...

American Democracy at a Crossroads: The Consequences of Lawlessness and the Shifting Landscape of Reproductive Rights

Ever since March 15, when three flights carrying hundreds of men who had been afforded zero due process left United States airspace and landed in El Salvador, American democracy has been hurtling tow… [+1494 chars]