Union boss warns against Labour ‘control-freakery’ amid Burnham speculation
Unison’s Andrea Egan among several figures to speak out against any moves to rig selection for Gorton byelection
First Thing: White House posts digitally altered image of woman arrested after ICE protest
Guardian analysis shows images are the same, with Nekima Levy Armstrong looking composed in original but sobbing after alteration. Plus, how to recover from burnout
SpaceX lines up Wall Street banks as Musk eyes blockbuster IPO
US aerospace tech company reportedly held talks last year over private share sale that values business at $800bn
My weirdest Christmas: I tried to catch out Santa with a whoopee cushion – but the Big Man outwitted me
Who was Santa, really? Aged eight, I devised a cunning plan to catch him in the act, involving a booby trap and a camera. Unfortunately, the joke was on me …
How Trump’s relations with America’s biggest banking boss hit rock bottom
US president’s $5bn lawsuit against JP Morgan and Jamie Dimon follows a steady rise in tensions between the two men
Russia keeps up demands for Ukraine land before three-way talks in UAE
Moscow says prior talks with Washington ‘useful in every respect’ and repeats call for Ukraine to exit Donbas
Doomscrolling won’t bring order to the chaos. It’s OK to put the phone down and take a break
Keep Calm and Carry On: that’s not how people felt just before the second world war. But maybe, as Trump stalks, that old slogan is finally making sense, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff
Meet the OB-GYNs fighting back against Trump’s ‘guerrilla war on science’
As some medical groups cave to the Trump administration, the American College of OB-GYNs is taking a stand
New York nurses continue to strike in frigid weather as Mamdani shows support
New York mayor was joined by Senator Bernie Sanders at a Tuesday rally with nurses as strike entered second week
Leaked video shows Venezuela regime’s desperate struggle to control message
Interim leader Delcy Rodríguez told influencers of US threat to kill leaders if they did cooperate after capture of Maduro
CDC seeks to block ‘never use alone’ messaging used by overdose prevention groups
The phrase is part of ‘harm reduction 101’, which has led to significant declines in overdose fatalities in the US
Add to playlist: the Regency-styled 80s synth-pop revivalism of Haute & Freddy and the week’s best new tracks
The LA-based pop duo are sending a jolt through TikTok with maximalist songs that emote wildly in every direction
Seductive stitches, Warhol in Nottingham and an Italian giant’s igloo sculpture – the week in art
Jessica Rankin sews up painting, arte povera’s Mario Merz comes in from the cold and Andy Warhol brings pop to the Midlands
Children and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels
Caring canines; daring donuts; a golden monkey; a boy from another planet; a dark take on Little Women and more