Top Democratic group to focus efforts on touting COVID-19 relief bill

Democrats have a delicate balancing act over the next 18 months to retain control of Congress, a reality made clear in a presentation Thursday by a veteran party strategist.

Latest stories

  • Comedian Lewis Spears shocked to learn about Prince Philip’s death while mocking him on stage

    Australian comedian is ‘infamous for his confident, dark and dangerous material’

  • China deploys jets and bombers into Taiwanese airspace in 'biggest incursion to date'

    Twenty-five Chinese military aircraft have entered Taiwanese airspace in the largest reported incursion to date, according to officials. Taiwan's government has complained in recent months after repeated missions by China's air force near the island. The incursions have been concentrated in the southwestern part of Taiwan's air defence zone.

  • Newsmax host under fire for blaming black army officer pepper-sprayed in traffic stop

    Second Lieutenant Caron Nazario filed a lawsuit against two Virginia police officers who reportedly pepper-sprayed and assaulted him

  • ‘If we don’t support them we’ll never get them back’: Punters brave Covid and the cold in return to the pub

    After months of disruption, Vincent Wood reports, a minority of the nation’s pubs are getting back to business – weather permitting

  • Putin could spark war in Europe by invading Ukraine, says former US ambassador

    Michael McFaul warned world leaders should be ‘very’ concerned by unfolding situation

  • Hollyoaks' John Paul McQueen turns back to ex-husband Ste Hay as abuse story continues

    The former couple reunite after John Paul gets into an argument with George Kiss.

  • In Belarus, protest movement struggles to regain momentum

    Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's authoritarian regime is doing its best to prevent a revival of the protests that marked the second half of last year. Opposition leaders are in jail or in exile. New so-called "anti-extremist" laws make it dangerous to even show the protest movement's red and white colours. Buildings that happen to be in those colours are being repainted. Many opposition supporters are struggling to keep up morale, but others are doing just that by finding inventive new forms of activism.

  • Midnight beer gardens and beauty treatments as people brave snow for England’s relaxed COVID lockdown

    England's COVID-19 lockdown was eased on Monday.

  • Have your say: Which lockdown rule change today are you most excited about?

    A number of lockdown restrictions eased in England on Monday.

  • EU, Britain seek to bridge differences over Northern Ireland

    Britain and the European Union are slowly working to overcome differences regarding trade flows between Northern Ireland and the British mainland after a month-long legal dispute and more than a week of rioting in the province. The EU is expecting a formal reply shortly from London to explain Britain's unilateral change to trading conditions that Brussels said breaches the Brexit divorce deal. A European Commission spokesman said the two sides were holding technical discussions and there could soon be a meeting of Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic and British negotiator David Frost.

  • ‘They do not work’: COVID expert’s warning over face shields as pubs and salons reopen

    Prof Christina Pagel warned that face shields should be worn with masks.

  • Dillian Whyte questions ‘joker’ Tyson Fury’s heavyweight credentials

    Brixton boxer is still after a fight with the ‘Gypsy King’

  • Nikki Grahame death: Big Brother winner Pete Bennett opens up about reality star’s death in tearful interview

    Reality star rushed to see Grahame weeks before her death

  • Iran vows revenge against Israel for strike on Natanz nuclear plant

    Iran’s foreign minister on Monday vowed vengeance against Israel for an explosion a day earlier at the Natanz nuclear site that he blamed directly on Tehran’s arch enemy. “The Zionists want to take revenge because of our progress in the way to lift sanctions ... they have publicly said that they will not allow this. But we will take our revenge from the Zionists,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by state TV. Israel has all but claimed responsibility for the apparent sabotage operation that damaged the electricity grid at the Natanz site on Sunday, with multiple Israeli outlets reporting that Mossad carried out the operation, which is believed to have shut down entire sections of the facility. The sabotage could set back uranium enrichment at the facility by at least nine months, US officials briefed on the operation told the New York Times. Iran on Monday said the person who caused the power outage at one of the production halls at Natanz had been identified. "Necessary measures are being taken to arrest this person," the semi-official Nournews website reported, without giving further details. Iran's foreign ministry also said on Monday it is suspending cooperation with the European Union in various fields following the bloc's decision to blacklist several Iranian security officials over a 2019 protest crackdown. Foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh "strongly condemned" the sanctions and said Iran is "suspending all human rights talks and cooperation resulting from these talks with the EU, especially in (the fields of) terrorism, drugs and refugees". The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on eight Iranian militia commanders and police chiefs, including the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards, over a deadly crackdown in November 2019.

  • Over-40s set for COVID vaccines from this week – but many could face longer wait

    Coronavirus vaccines could be offered to over-40s from Tuesday – though supply constraints mean many will have to wait longer.

  • Police officer fired for pepper-spraying Black army officer in ‘horrifying’ traffic stop captured on film

    Army lieutenant has filed a federal lawsuit against two officers

  • ‘Per Mare, Per Terram’: What is the Marines slogan used by Harry in Philip tribute

    The Duke of Sussex has arrived in the UK ahead of Saturday’s funeral

  • Young NI rioters would have benefitted from Duke of Edinburgh Award, former Irish president says

    Northern Ireland riots would not have turned violent if the children involved had participated in the Duke of Edinburgh award, the former Irish president has said. Mary McAleese made her comments after it was revealed children had taken part in some of the riots last week and three male teenagers, who were all aged 14, were arrested on Friday night. Ms McAleese said the unrest involved young people “who are still being taught to hate and who are bringing that hatred and expressing it out on the streets”. Ms McAleese said the recent death of Prince Philip reminded her how the Duke of Edinburgh Award galvanised “the curiosity and the wonder and the energy of youth”, as she questioned what “experience” of life children rioting in Belfast had. She added: "These are young people, I guarantee you, none of them will ever have done a Duke of Edinburgh Award, unfortunately." The award was established in 1956 to encourage young people to discover volunteering and the outdoors. Since it was launched around eight million have taken part, where they learnt self-sufficiency, teamwork and leadership. Many have credited the award as being a formative turning point in their lives. Levison Wood, former military officer and now a professional explorer, tweeted: "The DoE Award gave me an insight into life beyond my own village as a teenager. It inspired me to travel, taught me the beauty of the outdoors, saved me from getting into serious trouble and got me into the British Army as an Officer.” Ms McAleese added that the recent unrest was a result of “a vacuum of the leadership” in Northern Ireland and cautioned that "there is bound to be the consequences of Brexit”. “If we go back to Brexit, we realise how little consideration was given in the planning of Brexit and the referendum, of the impact that would have in Northern Ireland,” she said.

  • China launches snitching hotline to report ‘illegal’ comments about Communist Party

    Some have called the move an ‘Orwellian power-grab’

  • Counter protests shut down California ‘White Lives Matter’ rally

    ‘White Lives Matter’ rallies were planned to be held nationwide on 11 April, marking it as a national day of solidarity for the event