Friday briefing: Trump tactics could leave office with him – or the US could descend into a rogue state
In today’s newsletter: In just one year, this administration has lurched from one bewildering decision to another. Will things go back to normal after Trump’s term, or are we seeing...
By Martin Belam · The Guardian World
In today’s newsletter: In just one year, this administration has lurched from one bewildering decision to another. Will things go back to normal after Trump’s term, or are we seeing a broader erosion of western democratic norms? Good morning. Paramilitary-style troops deployed on the streets of major cities fatally shooting citizens ; vessels seized in international waters ; a foreign head of state captured ; cherished cultural institutions dismantled ; a judiciary installed and seemingly in thrall to the regime ; and the mooted breaching of presidential term limits . It sounds like the background to a spy thriller about a rogue state. Yet some argue that the Trump administration in the US has done all of these things – and more – in the space of just a year in office. The question is whether these developments are merely episodic flashes of the chaos we have come to associate with Donald Trump, or signs of a deeper, longer-term transformation in the character of American power. UK politics | Thirty-four school contemporaries of Nigel Farage have now come forward to claim they saw him behave in a racist or antisemitic manner , raising fresh questions over the Reform leader’s evolving denials. Minneapolis | The FBI has taken full control of the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency officer in Minneapolis. Health | Scientists say they have “rejuvenated” human eggs for the first time in an advance that they predict could revolutionise IVF success rates for older women. Venezuela | The US is receiving full cooperation from Venezuela’s regime and will control the country and its vast oil reserves for years, Donald Trump has claimed. Greenland | Peter Mandelson has accused European leaders including Keir Starmer of a “histrionic” reaction to Donald Trump’s plan to take over Greenland , arguing that without “hard power and hard cash” they will continue to slide into unimportance in the “age of Trump”. C…