Hegseth vows ‘surge’ of National Guard troops in Washington DC after Trump says ‘don’t lower the number’ – live

The Guardian UK Wednesday 27 May 2026, 17:05 UTC By Maya Yang (now); Maham Javaid and Tom Ambrose (earlier) 1 min read

Trump holds cabinet meeting at the White House as talks to end US-Iran war remain uncertain; defense secretary says troops to surge in nation’s capital this summer

President Trump is set to hold the 12th cabinet meeting of his second term at 11am EST on Wednesday.

Three Democratic state attorneys general said their deputies were turned away from a roundtable hosted by JD Vance on Tuesday, sowing confusion about what the White House has billed as a bipartisan crackdown on fraud.

Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

LONDON — The British government hit out at X owner Elon Musk Wednesday, accusing him of whipping up tensions online ahead of disorder in Belfast. Houses, cars and a bus were set on fire Tuesday evening in response to a knife attack in the Northern Irish capital. A 30-year-old Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder over the knife attack and will appear in court Wednesday.

Politico EU 11m ago

Japanese manga fans urge Trump to stop using characters in his online posts

Renewed outrage at White House’s use manga and anime imagery after US president is depicted as ninja NarutoJapanese anime and manga fans are urging Donald Trump to stop using their favourite characters in his social media posts. About 20,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org entitled Protect Japanese Manga, protesting against the official White House X account posting videos featuring unauthorised use of imagery from the popular Dragon Ball, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Naruto series. Angry fans...

The Guardian World 12m ago

Taking a Week to Count Votes Is Doing It Wrong

It is time for California to catch up to its own past.

New York Times 17m ago

The vanishing of Nicolás Maduro: how the former dictator is being erased from Venezuela

Billboards are being painted over and former allies seem eager to forget the man they once glorifiedFor years, his bewhiskered face stared down from propaganda billboards glorifying the supposedly revolutionary rule of a dictator who styled himself as “the protector of the people”. The spin-doctored adoration was such that factories churned out plastic action figures exalting Nicolás Maduro as an “indestructible” and “iron-fisted” caped crusader nicknamed “Super Moustache”.

The Guardian UK 21m ago

Hegseth vows ‘surge’ of National Guard troops in Washington DC after Trump says ‘don’t lower the number’ – live

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