How a Minneapolis childcare center survived the ICE surge – and is moving forward 20. March 2026 (12:00) Dozens of volunteers, mostly over the age of 70, offer rides and serve as interpretersSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxOn a February afternoon at a Spanish-immersion childcare center in Minneapolis, dozens of toddlers grabbed puffy coats out of cubbies as parents shuffled them out the door.Down the hall, Michael, the husband of the center’s director, stared intently at a monitor streaming the building’s security footage, watching for any vehicles that might be carrying agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Since January, when federal agents descended on the Twin Cities as part of Operation Metro Surge, he’s been leaving his own job early to volunteer here every afternoon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘It’s not sustainable’: US farmers reeling as Iran war pushes fertilizer costs up 20. March 2026 (12:00) Closure of strait of Hormuz – a key fertilizer production and transportation route – has squeezed farmers as prices jumpRodney Bushmeyer has been farming as long as he can remember. Bushmeyer’s father was a farmer, as was his grandfather.The family-run Bushmeyer Farms in Illinois dates back more than 100 years, when his ancestors came to the US from Germany. They acquired the first 80 acres cost-free as homesteaders, cleared the land, and worked it. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
IRS glitch masked $51m in political donations, finance watchdog says 20. March 2026 (12:00) Exclusive: Error in second half of 2025 came after IRS saw over a quarter of its workforce reduced after huge cuts by DogeA technical glitch at the understaffed Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is masking millions of dollars in campaign contributions to state-level election groups, including key governor and attorney general races, a campaign finance watchdog has told the Guardian.A total of $51m for the second half of 2025 remains unaccounted for due to this technical error, according to the Center for Political Accountability (CPA), a non-profit that tracks corporate spending. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Essex police pause facial recognition camera use after study finds racial bias 20. March 2026 (11:52) Academics discover black people ‘significantly more likely’ to be identified when compared with other ethnic groupsEssex police have paused the use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology after a study found cameras were significantly more likely to target black people than people of other ethnicities.The move to suspend use of the AI-enabled systems was revealed by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which regulates the use of the technology deployed so far by at least 13 police forces in London, south and north Wales, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Hampshire, Bedfordshire, Suffolk, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Surrey and Sussex. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Spain expected to adopt emergency tax cuts to counter impact of US-Israel war on Iran – Europe live 20. March 2026 (11:45) VAT tax on fuels will reportedly drop from 21% to 10%, as Ursula von der Leyen suggests EU may move to help states with rising energy costsI am keeping an eye on Spain as we were expecting to hear the government’s proposals by now, but a last-minute political standoff over what will be included in the plan – and in particular whether it will cover housing – means the presentations is getting delayed.I will bring you more if and when we get to see Pedro Sánchez with the details of the plan. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Household energy bills in Great Britain ‘could rise to almost £2,000 a year’ amid Iran war shock 20. March 2026 (11:40) Consultancy’s forecast of £1,972 annual dual fuel bill follows conflict pushing UK’s gas market past three-year highsBusiness live – latest updatesHousehold energy bills in Great Britain could soar by more than £330 a year to almost £2,000 from this summer after the war in Iran pushed the UK’s gas market past three-year highs.A typical combined household gas and electricity bill is now forecast to reach £1,972 a year from July under the UK government’s quarterly price cap, according to analysis by Cornwall Insight, an energy consultancy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Madagascar’s military ruler decrees that ministers must pass lie detector tests 20. March 2026 (11:26) Michael Randrianirina, who sacked PM and cabinet without explanation, claims measure is to root out corruptionMadagascar’s military president has said new ministers will have to pass lie detector tests to root out corrupt candidates, after he dismissed the prime minister and cabinet without explanation earlier this month.Michael Randrianirina came to power in a coup in October after weeks of youth-led protests under the banner “Gen Z Madagascar”. However, young people were quickly disenchanted by his choice of government officials, which they saw as being part of the old, corrupt elite. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hungary officials ‘gave Ukrainian forced injection’ after raid on bank vehicles 20. March 2026 (11:18) Kyiv sources say they think injection contained relaxant meant to make people more talkative in interrogationsHungarian security operatives administered a “forced injection” to one of the Ukrainians detained earlier this month during a dramatic raid on bank vehicles carrying gold bars and tens of millions of dollars and euros in cash, sources have told the Guardian.Hungary’s TEK anti-terrorism police detained seven Ukrainians from the state savings bank, Oschadbank, on 5 March. They were accompanying a convoy of two armoured cars from Vienna to Ukraine, as it transited Hungary in what Kyiv claims was a regular transfer of state funds. Hungarian officials have claimed it was money for the “Ukrainian war mafia”, without giving details. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
JP Morgan Chase to use computer estimates to monitor hours worked by junior bankers 20. March 2026 (11:11) Company says tool to compare self-reported hours with computer estimates is for ‘awareness, not enforcement’ JP Morgan Chase has started to compare the hours junior investment bankers claim to have worked against logs on its IT system.The US bank said it would begin issuing reports to junior bankers that compare computer-generated estimates of their work weeks against their self reported timesheets as part of a pilot scheme. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Los Angeles man blinded by officer’s projectile at anti-ICE protest, claim says 20. March 2026 (11:00) Jesus Javier Gomez Islas, 23, says in filing against LAPD he has permanently lost vision in one eye due to unjustified munition fired at his faceA 23-year-old Los Angeles man who attended a recent immigration protest outside a federal building says he was blinded in one eye by a law enforcement projectile.Jesus Javier Gomez Islas filed a claim against the LA police department (LAPD) on Thursday stemming from permanent injuries he says he suffered at a 31 January demonstration outside the Metropolitan Detention Center. The federal facility has been the site of frequent protests against Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and was the site of “ICE Out” rallies that week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
