Politics

The point at which you start to pay tax, and the point where you tip into paying a higher rate of tax have been frozen for three more years.

Federal Reserve policymakers left interest rates unchanged at their October meeting ahead of next week's midterm elections while inflation remains elevated.

Regional mediators led by Qatar are trying to reach a diplomatic deal to restart negotiations between the U.S. and Iran and prevent the resumption of war after the midterm elections, three U.S., Israeli and regional sources say. The Qataris are working to convince Iran to allow UN inspectors to visit its bombed nuclear sites in return for some sanctions relief from the U.S. Why it matters: A renewed bombing offensive appears likely shortly after the midterms without a last-minute deal. IDF chief of staff Gen. Eyal Zamir spoke on Monday with CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper to coordinate ahead of potential attacks. Such an operation is expected to include a week of massive strikes on Iranian leadership, energy, nuclear and infrastructure targets, U.S. and Israeli officials say. What he's saying: President Trump told Axios in a brief interview Wednesday that negotiations with Iran are taking place through mediators but stressed that he doesn't know whether they'll bear fruit. "We need to finish the job — either through a deal or another way — we will find out if negotiations can succeed," he said. "While our Brave Armed Forces are fully prepared to defend the Homeland, Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X Wednesday. Behind the scenes: The mediation efforts are being led by Qatar, with the support of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, sources say. Qatari negotiator Ali al-Thawadi visited Tehran earlier this week for talks with Iranian officials about a potential deal with the Trump administration. A regional source briefed on the talks said the Qataris presented ideas for how to bridge the gap between the U.S. demand that Iran give up its enriched uranium stockpile and Iran's insistence that the U.S. first lift its naval blockade and release Iran's frozen funds. The regional source and a U.S. official said the mediators are telling Iran that accepting the proposals may be the only way to avoid major a

Long before its baroque décor and class identity became midterm talking points, this durable restaurant chain survived some withering critiques.

The image claims to show Arab-Israelis queueing to vote, but BBC Verify analysis shows that it has been generated or manipulated by AI.

The prime minister said it was his "responsibility" to improve the Brexit deal at a summit in Brussels next month.

Republicans fear that Vivek Ramaswamy 's explosive attack ad featuring his opponent's estranged mother could cost them the Ohio governor's race, based on new internal polling that shows him falling further behind, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The poll's findings underscore Republicans' anxiety over Ramaswamy's decision to air the deeply personal attack on Democrat Amy Acton despite warnings from some fellow Republicans that it crossed a line. Driving the news: The private poll, commissioned by a Republican group and obtained by Axios, found Acton leading Ramaswamy by eight points — up from a two-point lead in the same poll earlier this month, before the ad began circulating on Oct. 19. The ad "is having a significant effect on the gubernatorial race," a memo attached to the poll states. Catch up quick: The ad at the center of the controversy features Donna Arthur, Acton's estranged mother, who accuses her daughter of lying about her childhood and urges Ohioans not to vote for her. Acton has said she was sexually abused by her stepfather when she was 12 and that her mother sided with her abuser. The stepfather was charged with sexual assault but fled to Pennsylvania, where he died in 2004 as a fugitive. Acton and her brother were removed from their mother's custody. Acton has said she hasn't seen her mother since 1978. Zoom out: As Axios first reported , Ramaswamy's campaign treated the ad as a game-changer in the campaign for governor, committing $4 million to airing the commercial statewide despite warnings from other Republicans that it could backfire. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), who worked closely with Acton when she was the state's health director, said that airing the ad was wrong and urged Ramaswamy to take it down. But President Trump and Vice President Vance backed Ramaswamy. Vance told the bipartisan critics of the ad to "stop whining." The intrigue: The new poll done for Republicans indicates that the ad was indeed a game-changer — just not the type R

The Rouse follows a secret British effort to weaponize ghosts amid the Cold War and decolonization. A supernatural spy thriller, a Marxist meditation on history, and a stylistic triumph, China Miéville’s novel is a masterwork two decades in the making.

Alvin K

The failing war with Iran marks a dramatic retreat by the U.S. from the Middle East. The post The Incredible Shrinking Superpower appeared first on The Intercept .

Food and Drug Administration scientists did not support an effort by President Donald Trump's administration to loosen rules on unproven peptide drugs

President Donald Trump’s campaign to keep Republicans in control of Congress in the Nov. 3 midterms is returning to Ohio for the third time in a month

Here’s what you need to know from John Healey’s first Budget, as the chancellor sets out the government’s tax and spending plans.

Two Republican Congressmen urge Marco Rubio to impose visa restrictions on corrupt Albanian officials as violent protests demand Edi Rama's resignation.

The chancellor has had to grapple with a mix of public finances and household finances being a mess.

The emotional compass of the United Farm Workers of America for decades, Huerta attained singular stature as godmother of the Chicano power movement and doyenne of American labor.

What I want for my children are the things boredom brings out of people.

Georgia Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is trying to make history as the first woman to be elected governor in the United States

What a closer look at the June primary results map tells us about the L.A. mayoral race

The second International Day of Action of Dockworkers, in solidarity with Palestine and against militarism, begins this Friday — and could be the largest worker action against war in history.