The Golden State’s clean energy use hit new highs in 2025. As the Trump administration abandons US climate initiatives, can California fill the void?

As officials from around the world met in Brazil for the Cop30 climate summit last month, the US president was nowhere to be found, nor were any members of his cabinet. Instead, the most prominent American voice in Belém was that of the California governor, Gavin Newsom.

During the five days he spent in Brazil, Newsom described Donald Trump as an “invasive species” and condemned his rollback of policies aimed at reducing emissions and expanding renewable energy. Newsom, long considered a presidential hopeful, argued that, as the US retreated, California would step up in its place as a “stable, reliable” climate leader and partner.

Teuta Hoxha says she remains determined despite growing fears for her health and five other prisoners staging protest

“A lot of the times it feels like you’re being suffocated. Lots of things change about you, the condition of your skin, you start to turn grey, both in terms of the hue of your skin but also you notice more grey hairs, everything manifests physically,” says Teuta Hoxha, 29, awaiting trial at HMP Peterborough. “There are days where it feels very, very heavy on the mind and on the shoulders. But from my end, and I think for my comrades, we remain strong mentally and determined.”

On Saturday, Hoxha will be on day 42 of her hunger strike with other Palestine Action-linked prisoners, amid increasing fears for their health. Most of the group are being held on remand over alleged criminal damage, aggravated burglary and violent disorder at a factory for the Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit systems ​in Filton, near Bristol. Many have been taken to hospital, some on multiple occasions; the justice secretary, David Lammy, has refused to meet with their representatives.

Democratic senator Ro Khanna says: ‘the most important documents are missing’

• Analysis: Trickle release signals move to bury Trump ties

• Photos from the first batch of Epstein files

“The Trump administration is the most transparent in history,” proclaimed Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, insisting that it has “done more for the victims [of Epstein] than Democrats ever have”. But it is apparent that Donald Trump has once again over-promised and under-delivered, writes David Smith.

Many of the documents in the data dump were heavily redacted, with text blacked out so it was impossible to read. Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, said: “What they have released is clearly incomplete and appears to be over-redacted to boot.”

The documents extensively featured photos of former president Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and appeared to include few if any photos of Trump or documents mentioning him, despite Trump and Epstein’s well-publicised friendship in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Eddie Howe is synonymous with tidiness, efficiency, time management and control. Given that there is absolutely nothing slapdash, careless or wasteful about Newcastle’s manager his team’s increasing penchant for losing control is proving the most puzzling of paradoxes.

Newcastle have developed a bad habit of throwing leads away this season and, 2-0 up thanks to a Nick Woltemade double, they were at it again here. Second-half goals from Reece James – who was outstanding at both ends – and João Pedro ensured a much-improved Chelsea atoned for an abject first 45 minutes by departing with a point that could conceivably been three. Newcastle have now dropped 13 points from winning positions this season.

⚽ Updates from Saturday afternoon’s big matches
⚽ Scores | Tables | Follow us on Bluesky | Mail Emillia

Championship games (3pm unless otherwise stated)

Preston North End 1-1 Norwich City FT

Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Millwall FT

Southampton 1-1 Coventry City FT

Hull City v West Brom

Bristol City v Middlesbrough

Sheffield United v Birmingham City

Watford v Stoke City

Derby County v Portsmouth

Ipswich Town v Sheffield Wednesday

Charlton Athletic v Oxford United

QPR v Leicester City

Attack brings total numbers of Palestinians killed by Israel to 400 since October ceasefire took effect

Israel Defense Forces killed five Palestinians, including a baby, who were in a school that sheltered displaced people in Gaza City on Friday, hospital officials have said. The attack brings the number of Palestinians killed by Israel to 400 since the October ceasefire took effect.

Israeli troops fired over the ceasefire line which they have withdrawn to, killing the Palestinians and wounding a number more, the Palestinian civil defence said in a statement. It added that it was only able to recover the bodies after coordinating with the UN, to ensure they did not also come under Israeli fire.

Defense department will still allow stabbing and burning, and ‘weapon wounding’ on animals to test weapons

The US military will stop its practice of shooting pigs and goats to help prepare medics for treating wounded troops in a combat zone, ending an exercise made obsolete by simulators that mimic battlefield injuries.

The prohibition on “live fire” training that includes animals is part of this year’s annual defense bill, although other uses of animals for wartime training will continue. The ban was championed by Vern Buchanan, a Republican congressman from Florida who often focuses on animal rights issues.

• Vonn, 41, third in Val d’Isere downhill despite costly error

• American extends lead in World Cup downhill standings

• Comeback season sharpens expectations for 2026 Games

Lindsey Vonn’s expectations have shifted so dramatically during her Olympic comeback that even a podium finish now comes with a sense of frustration.

The 41-year-old American finished third in Saturday’s women’s World Cup downhill at Val d’Isère, France, extending a blistering start to the season that has already included a victory and a runner-up finish in the space of nine days. But after a small mistake on the lower section of the course cost her valuable time, Vonn left the finish area convinced she had let a potential win slip away.

Emphasis this year is on nostalgia as present day feels ‘a bit more uncertain’, say trend experts

Tinsel, DIY tree decorations, deep burgundy drapes – and Home Alone on VHS. Christmas has gone retro on TikTok, and in people’s living rooms.

The app has reported a surge in Christmas decor videos, with an emphasis on nostalgia as users embrace festive looks from bygone eras. For younger TikTokers, that means the 90s.

Bari Weiss is touting a new debate series at the network as the billionaire Ellisons’ media power grows

Has feminism failed women? I know that may seem like a silly question to ask when women’s rights are declining around the world thanks to rightwing authoritarian politics, but trust me, OK? The problems with feminism are what we really need to be focusing on right now.

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist

UN body to study possibility of integrating centuries-old practices into mainstream healthcare

From herbalists in Africa gathering plants to use as poultices to acupuncturists in China using needles to cure migraines, or Indian yogis practising meditation, traditional remedies have increasingly being shown to work, and deserve more attention and research, according to a World Health Organization official.

A historical lack of evidence, which has seen traditional practices dismissed by many, could change with more investment and the use of modern technology, according to Dr Shyama Kuruvilla, who leads the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre.

People torn between craving for peace as conditions worsen and desire to hold strong against Russian military and diplomatic tactics

The ammunition boxes stacked on the stage opened up to reveal figurines of angels and an infant Jesus lying in his manger. Six actors sang plaintive carols, accompanied by readings of the brooding poetry of Kharkiv writer Serhiy Zhadan. The audience sat, transfixed by the almost unbearable intensity of the spectacle.

The nativity play, performed on a recent evening at Kharkiv’s puppet theatre, was a reminder that conflict has seeped into the fabric of almost everything in Ukrainian life over the past four years. “We can’t just put on comedies and escape from reality,” said Oksana Dmitrieva, the nativity play’s 48-year-old director. “The stage is a mirror, and we have to live through our emotions again, but this time from outside ourselves, together with others,” she said.

⚽ Premier League updates from the 12.30pm GMT kick-off
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Thanks to Chris Greenhough and Nick Whitbread, who emailed me within seconds of each other to nominate Paul Warhurst – as both noted, a utility phenomenon in the Premier League and Championship Manager, where he could play pretty much anywhere.

“One memorable utility shift was Ryan Bertrand, moved up to left wing in the 2012 Champions League final, sitting in front of Ashley Cole to track Arjen Robben. I believe he’s still the only player to have made his Champions League debut in the final,” says Rob Hobson.

The network’s fate has become a battle of corporate ownership, not a question of what benefits Americans

On Thursday evening, as rumors about the Brown University gunman swirled, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins posted on social media, noting the confusion and directing people to her network’s 9pm newscast.

CNN is certainly not a flawless news source, but her words rang true to me. The network is one of the outlets where you can find reality-based and largely dependable reporting – especially in breaking news situations like the one that was developing near a New Hampshire storage facility.

Gone are shots of puddings and sweets as advertisers try to market other foods to stay within rules coming into force on 5 January

The festive season is traditionally a time of national culinary overindulgence but eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed that this year’s crop of big-budget Christmas TV ads have been decidedly lean and sugar-free.

From Tesco and Waitrose to Marks & Spencer and Asda, the UK’s biggest exponents of extravagant festive food marketing have put their Christmas ads on a diet to comply with new regulations banning junk food products from appearing in TV ads before 9pm.

Who’s propping up the bar with quizmaster Keir Starmer? Answers below (no cheating now!)

Click here for a larger version of the puzzle

Spotted all the famous faces? See how you did …

1 Sydney Sweeney’s on the bar there, in her denims. Does this mean she is a eugenicist? No, it doesn’t. Are you OK?

The Strangers, a horror tale written during the playwright’s college days, appeared in the Strand magazine this week

As one of the 20th century’s most successful playwrights, Tennessee Williams penned popular works at the very pinnacle of US theater, including A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Years before his almost unparalleled Broadway triumphs, however, the aspiring writer then known simply as Tom wrote a series of short radio plays as he struggled to find a breakthrough. One is The Strangers, a supernatural tale offering glimpses into the accomplished wordsmith that Williams would become, and published for the first time this week in the literary magazine Strand.

Ryan Coogler’s critically acclaimed horror blockbuster had people talking all year, proving industry naysayers wrong and breaking various records

It was the film that was supposed to destroy Hollywood: a vampire horror about life and times in the Jim Crow south peopled by a majority Black cast, and shot on Imax 70mm. Ryan Coogler, the acclaimed director who rose to prominence steering Marvel’s colossal Black Panther franchise, was thought to be out of his depth for trying to midwife a script he himself said he cobbled together in two months. Warner Bros, the studio fronting the film’s near $100m budget, was supposedly out of its mind for not only throwing that much money behind the project, but further agreeing to singularly favorable authorship deal terms that gave him control over the film’ final cut and full rights over the film after 25 years. Hollywood machers were convinced the film would never make money and that Warner Bros’ big gamble “could be the end of the studio system”. But Sinners never let that cynicism in.

Sinners landed in theaters on Easter weekend and delivered its own miracle resurrection, racing to a $368m gate on the way to becoming the highest grossing original film in the past 15 years, and the 10th-highest domestic-grossing R-rated film of all time. (That’s right: higher than Terminator 2 and the Hangovers.) At a time when Black heritage and culture are once again under intense political assault, Sinners provoked zeitgeist-y discourse around Black history, cultural erasure and entertainment industry politics. And the online memes poking fun at juke-joint scenes hit as hard as the thinkpieces unpacking the venue’s under-appreciated contributions to the American musical canon.

A sci-fi playscape at an exhibition in Gateshead had the photographer’s granddaughter entranced

Anne Rayner was enjoying a day out with her husband, Bob, and two-year-old granddaughter Phoebe when she took this photo. The three of them had headed into Newcastle city centre to find some fun, while Rayner’s daughter-in-law was caring for Phoebe’s siblings, six-month-old twin boys, at home.

Walking along the quayside and crossing the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, they pointed out landmarks to Phoebe as they went: the Tyne Bridge, the Glasshouse International Centre for Music. They arrived, eventually, at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, where Harold Offeh’s exhibition The Mothership Collective 2.0 was showing (it’s on until 18 January).

The government is preparing a £50m bailout for Ineos’s Grangemouth plant, after Jim Ratcliffe asked for help in October

Chemical companies owned by the billionaire Jim Ratcliffe had already been granted as much as £70m in UK state aid in the past four years, before this week’s £50m government bailout for its Grangemouth plant in Scotland.

State aid to Ineos in the last year alone was between £16m and £38m, according to government disclosures published this week. Since August 2022 the company has received between £28m and £70m.

Most Americans have yet to see this boom – but they’ve certainly heard a lot about it from the president

Moments into his second term, opening his inaugural address, Donald Trump was unequivocal. “The golden age of America begins right now,” he declared.

At a White House reception last weekend, a little over 10 months later, the US president appeared to acknowledge just how far his timeline had shifted.

Heating means pests breeding and spreading faster, warn scientists, with simplified current food system already vulnerable

• How climate breakdown is putting the world’s food in peril – in maps and charts

The destruction of food supplies by crop pests is being supercharged by the climate crisis, with losses expected to surge, an analysis has concluded.

Researchers said the world was lucky to have so far avoided a major shock and was living on borrowed time, with action needed to diversify crops and boost natural predators of pests.

Family who said they paid cash were left embarrassed after being accused of not paying £20.01

Drivers have accused a leading petrol station security company of issuing “false” fuel theft debts, which left one family unable to fill up their car at more than 1,000 filling stations for more than a year.

Amjad Khan and his family were barred from multiple petrol stations around Blackburn for 19 months after he was accused of driving out of an Esso petrol station in Manchester without paying for £20.01 of fuel.