A bombshell Manhattan Institute study on soaring absenteeism in New York schools proves yet again that the state's education officials have utterly given up on educating children.
We genuinely hope Iran’s rulers react seriously to President Donald Trump’s letter urging them to come to a rapid agreement to abandon their nuclear-weapons programs.
Editorial: Progress towards equal opportunity is going backwards rather than forwards in many countries. In keeping with the theme this International Women’s Day, The Independent calls for accelerated action to redress the balance
The presidency is no longer just a ‘bully pulpit’. It’s become part of the disinformation machine
Donald Trump won the White House not with money, though he spent plenty of it, but by dominating the conversation. He hasn’t stopped campaigning. He uses attention to bolster his political power, and uses his office to make sure that everyone keeps watching.
He was barred from leading social media platforms after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, but four years later, their owners attended his inauguration. Many of his key hires appear picked for their media presence as well as their ideological bent and sycophancy. Tuesday’s interminable address to Congress was garnished with the kind of wild claims or outright lies that he knows take off on social media. For him, posting online ultimatums to Hamas and a disturbing AI-generated “Trump Gaza” video is all part of foreign policy. One of the most chilling, and telling, moments of last week’s attack on Volodymyr Zelenskyy was Mr Trump’s remark: “This is going to be great television.”
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Editorial: Britain was notably absent from the EU’s emergency defence summit – but Sir Keir Starmer has already assembled a ‘coalition of the willing’ to support Ukraine, and established himself as the nearest thing to a replacement leader of the free world
Donald Trump has deliberately picked a fight with its northern neighbour. This malign strategy must be stopped
It is two months since Justin Trudeau announced his resignation as Liberal party leader and Canada’s prime minister. After a decade in power, Mr Trudeau had become increasingly unpopular. Two out of three Canadians thought he was doing a bad job. The opposition Conservatives led in almost every poll. With the Liberals staring a 2025 general election defeat in the face, Mr Trudeau’s ministers forced him out. His successor will be chosen this Sunday.
But then came Donald Trump. Mr Trump wants to strengthen the US at the expense of its neighbours. His hostility to Canada is thus visceral and deep. Without any justification, he promised illegal 25% tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican imports. As a fig leaf for his intentions, he falsely claimed that Canada’s 5,000-mile border with the US was an open door for migrants and drugs. He talked, repeatedly and deliberately, of annexing Canada and making it the 51st state. He mocked Mr Trudeau, referring to him as merely a state governor.
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Editorial: As the chancellor prepares to present her plans for social security reforms she must assess whether her cost-cutting measures are unnecessarily punitive, or indeed realistic
The chancellor-elect’s proposals for gamechanging spending on defence and infrastructure are the right response to a new era
Three days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, created a £100bn special fund to modernise Germany’s armed forces. Vladimir Putin’s aggression, he told a stunned Bundestag in explanation, meant that Europe was living through a Zeitenwende, or turning point.
Mr Scholz was right. But it has taken the return of Donald Trump to the White House to lay bare the full scale of the emerging threat to European values, security and economic interests. For leaders across the continent, the dawning realisation of what Trump 2.0 means for the transatlantic alliance constitutes a second historic moment of jeopardy and decision.
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A pan-Arab coalition resists US-Israeli policy on Gaza, while Donald Trump’s reported Hamas talks signal a potential reversal of longstanding strategy
Israel’s decision to block aid to Gaza, as ceasefire talks falter, is a devastating blow to 2 million hungry, vulnerable civilians in the shattered territory. As the occupying power, Israel is legally bound to allow relief into Gaza under the Geneva convention. Denying it isn’t just inhumane – it’s a war crime. But Benjamin Netanyahu already faces an international criminal court arrest warrant for “starvation as a method of warfare” and “crimes against humanity”.
Mr Netanyahu’s ability to flout international law is thanks to Donald Trump, who remains firmly in his corner. Washington now appears to accept starvation as an Israeli bargaining chip to pressure Hamas into accepting a US-devised truce extension – one that secures hostage exchanges while ensuring Israeli forces remain in Gaza. Hamas, which sparked the war with its 2023 massacre of Israeli civilians, insists Israel honour its commitment to a second phase of Gaza ceasefire negotiations – ending the fighting and withdrawing troops.
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Editorial: Reduced US military support is a huge blow to Ukraine and Europe, and an affront to historic allies, whose warriors mingled blood on the battlefields for America
Editorial: As Keir Starmer declares a ‘once in a generation’ moment for European security, the promised ‘coalition of the willing’ needs strong leadership to ensure it delivers – and so a Ukrainian peace can endure
Editorial: Never before has the ‘leader of the free world’ told a brave nation fighting for its survival that it would be better if it gave up. Donald Trump must not succeed in pushing the Ukrainian people to surrender
Editorial: In voting to reject a United Nations resolution condemning Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine – alongside three undemocratic regimes – Donald Trump’s desire to be a global renegade is clear. It is a turning point that must be faced up to, in all its enormity
Editorial: As President Trump’s policies shift towards Russia, Europe is going to have to pay a price and bear some burdens if it wishes to stay free. Has it the resolve to unite and succeed?
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