The Guardian · US newsNovember’s midterms bring parallels with a moment in October 1988. But Pinochet’s exit wasn’t the end of his influence
A malignant, monomaniacal president, deeply unpopular, faces an election that could restrict his power and end his domination of his country.
It is true that, to influence the outcome, he counts on a supine supreme court and his ability to legislate through executive decrees, as well as an onslaught of fake news accusing his opponents of being unpatriotic communists, true that he has colossal financial support from an entrenched oligarchy that has thrived thanks to his rightwing neoliberal policies, true that he has gone out of his way to limit the freedom of those who vote and true that he has absolute command of the armed forces.
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Ariel Dorfman · Tue, Oct 6, 2026, 2:00 AM
The Guardian · CaliforniaGavin Newsom calls comments ‘deranged and dangerous’ after president tells Nebraska rally: ‘They can take out a city’
Can the Iran war cost Trump in the US midterm elections? Your questions answered
Leaders in California have denounced Donald Trump as “reckless” and “deranged” after the US president suggested Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego – two liberal cities in the blue state that has been a frequent target of his administration.
At a rally in ruby red Nebraska on Monday night, Trump told supporters that he hoped to see a “tremendous victory” in the fast-approaching November midterm elections. He then suggested high prices due to the war with Iran were a “small price to pay for keeping the world safe – keeping our country safe”.
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Lauren Gambino in Los Angeles · Tue, Oct 6, 2026, 1:04 AM
The Guardian · CaliforniaHilton faces heavy backlash from within his own party for ‘Just Try It’ ad amid his longshot bid for California governor
Can the Iran war cost Trump in the US midterm elections? Your questions answered
Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate for California governor, is receiving heavy criticism from members of his own party over a controversial, sexual innuendo-filled campaign ad that has been described as “creepy”.
The video entitled “Just Try It, California” was released last week and depicts two young women with brightly colored hair, sitting on a bed in front of a pride flag in low lighting. One nervously says “I can’t believe I’m doing this”, while another strokes her hair and coaxes “don’t be nervous, it’s not that bad” before guiding her to fill out a ballot for Hilton and aggressively commanding “lick it”.
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Dani Anguiano · Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 12:28 PM
The Guardian · US newsMaybe the key to life is being able to bench press 300lb at 75. But do we need more muscle-bound, angry guys around?
I loathe going to the doctor.
Not a controversial opinion, compared with some of the other ones in this section of the Guardian. I’m not exactly arguing for universal basic income or for Manchester City to be relegated to the Saudi Pro League here. No one looks forward to a doctor visit, with its recriminations for bad habits or various intrusive blood tests. People don’t have cocktail parties to celebrate their yearly check-up, and yet, it seems like every day, there’s a new reason to go get prodded by a stranger in a lab coat.
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Dave Schilling · Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 8:44 AM
The Guardian · CaliforniaAn international symbol for the city, the sign is also hallmark of the region’s environmental richness
Atop Mount Lee, in the heart of Los Angeles, the wind is quiet. Two red-tailed hawks sail above, barely flapping as they coast the thermal air like surfers on a wave. Standing beside the giant letters of the Hollywood sign, the city seems peaceful. On a clear day, blocks and blocks of homes unfold beneath and the skies reveal sights all the way to Catalina Island – nearly 50 miles out, across the Pacific.
That’s the beauty seen from the Hollywood sign.
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Katharine Gammon in Los Angeles · Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 7:00 AM
The Guardian · CaliforniaKaren Bass is fighting for her political life as progressives battle to lead the US’s second-largest city
Can the Iran war cost Trump in the US midterm elections? Your questions answered
Karen Bass has never lost an election. But this fall, she faces the fight of her political life.
Bass has roughly a month to convince voters that she should be elected to a second term as the mayor of Los Angeles. Given Angelenos’ broad dissatisfaction with the direction of the city, approval ratings on par with Donald Trump’s and a wave of anti-establishment sentiment sweeping American politics, she has a formidable challenge in city council member Nithya Raman.
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Dani Anguiano in Los Angeles · Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 6:00 AM
The Guardian · CaliforniaRyo Uchimiya was sleeping in his car waiting for his shift to begin when a 16-year-old crashed into him
A longtime chef for the famous Japanese restaurant chain Nobu was killed over the weekend in Malibu, California, when a teen driver crashed into his parked vehicle, where he was sleeping while waiting for his shift to start.
The 51-year-old chef, named by the Los Angeles medical examiner’s office as Ryo Uchimiya, had arrived at work at Nobu Malibu early on Saturday when his vehicle was hit by a 16-year-old boy driving a Range Rover at 6.50am.
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Edward Helmore · Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 5:51 AM
The Guardian · US newsThe vice-president’s recent remarks seek to maintain a posture of strength while they inadvertently expose political realities
JD Vance has parachuted into the midterm election campaign on a rescue mission in a new guise: a risk management consultant. Speaking in the flat language of the expert hired to identify threats, weaknesses and losses affecting a business’s reputation, he has presented his executive summary for limiting vulnerabilities and a scenario for averting disaster.
“There’s a lot of good that’s been done, but there’s a lot of work left to do,” he informed his clients on 15 September about the words to use. “Give us another chance, or give us another couple of years, to continue to work on the amazing things that we’ve been doing for the past two years.” He turned the focus to harm reduction rather than total agreement and then shifted the equation to a negative binary choice. “Even if you don’t agree with us on every issue, the other party is consumed by craziness.”
Sidney Blumenthal, former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, has published three books of a projected five-volume political life of Abraham Lincoln: A Self-Made Man, Wrestling With His Angel and All the Powers of Earth. He is a Guardian US columnist and co-host of the Court of History podcast
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Sidney Blumenthal · Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 5:00 AM
The Guardian · CaliforniaTemperatures in US state forecast to hit high 30s celsius this week, while regions in Indonesia grapple with wildfires
The National Weather Service in the US has issued extreme heat warnings for parts of southern California, including Los Angeles, until Thursday, as temperatures are expected to hit the high 30s celsius. Burbank, a suburb north of Los Angeles, recorded 39C on Saturday, a few degrees shy of the October record for the region set in 1987. A persistent area of high pressure will remain in place this week, leading to further hazardous hot weather and increased fire risk.
Parts of Indonesia are in the midst of an extreme wildfire season, which has peaked over the past month. Western Kalimantan (Borneo) and southern Sumatra have been particularly badly affected. The lack of rainfall has dried the usually water-logged tropical soils, meaning that fires have been able to spread quickly, above and below the surface. Indonesia’s soils are also extremely rich in peat, meaning that the smoke produced from the fires contain higher levels of toxic gases such as sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Cities in surrounding areas and as far as Malaysia and Singapore have experienced reduced air quality in recent weeks as a result. Drought and wildfires are more common in this part of the world during El Niño events owing to suppressed thunderstorm activity.
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James Michelin for MetDesk · Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 1:20 AM
The Guardian · CaliforniaA fast-growing wildfire in the Angeles national forest north-east of Santa Clarita, California, has triggered evacuation orders and warnings in the area. Firefighters battled the blaze, which had spread to 1,000 acres by Saturday evening, from the ground and air, while authorities ordered residents in surroundings areas to leave as the fire spread quickly across the rugged terrain. The cause of the fire was not immediately reported
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The Guardian · California · Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 11:18 AM
The Guardian · CaliforniaThe state, which is home to many AI companies, is one of the first to roll out workplace regulations targeting the technology
California’s laws aimed at protecting workers from the impacts of artificial intelligence could pave the way for broader workplace safeguards across the US as calls for regulating the technology mount. As the federal government goes hands-off on AI, California is taking the reins to address workers’ biggest fears.
On Thursday, California governor Gavin Newsom signed a suite of new laws that ban bosses from relying entirely on AI to decide whether to fire workers, using it to predict employees’ emotional states or collecting neural data, meaning the information from electrical signals of someone’s brain or nerves. They also require companies to notify workers if layoffs were caused by AI and prohibit AI surveillance in workplace bathrooms.
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Danielle Abril · Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 7:00 AM
The Guardian · CaliforniaTemperatures expected to hover around 100F in downtown LA and even hotter inland, raising concerns about wildfires
Southern California faced scorching heatwaves this summer that made locals wonder what happened to their famed Mediterranean climate.
Now, the fall is bringing heatwaves too.
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Roque Planas · Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 6:26 AM
