Fill the swamp?

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told the Guardian it is “absolutely disgusting” to suggest his new career as a lobbyist runs counter to the new president’s pledge to “drain the swamp” in DC. In an interview for the Anywhere but Washington series, Lewandowski said anti-establishment rhetoric was key to Trump’s success – he himself was one of the key architects of such messaging. However, he insisted his new lobbying company, Avenue Strategies, was not doing the very thing Trump campaigned against. “I think if companies have to do business with the federal government, their choice is to hire people who understand the federal bureaucracy,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with that: that’s what we call America.”

Lewandowski: new firm does not violate pledge to stamp out lobbying

Trump’s alternative reality

The Trump administration spent its first weekend in office locked in bizarre war of words with the media over the crowd size at the inauguration, all while millions took the streets in protest. In his first briefing, press secretary Sean Spicer contradicted all available data by saying the inauguration audience was the largest ever, and lambasted the press for what he called “shameful” attempts to lessen enthusiasm. Pressed on why Spicer had presented falsehoods in his briefing, senior aide Kellyanne Conway said he had merely presented “alternative facts”, a statement met with widespread astonishment. Trump ridiculed the Women’s March protests originally, but later said he respected the right to assembly.

Presidency begins with defense of false ‘alternative facts’

Support the Guardian’s fearless journalism

Never has America needed fearless independent media more. Help us hold the new president to account, sort fact from fiction, amplify underrepresented voices, and understand the forces behind this divisive election – and what happens next. Support the Guardian by becoming a member or making a contribution.

Trump will not release tax returns

Trump will break with a 40-year tradition and not release his tax returns, Conway said on Sunday. “The White House response is that he’s not going to release his tax returns,” she said. “We litigated this all through the election.” In the campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to reveal his tax returns after an audit, despite there being no law preventing the release of tax returns under audit. WikiLeaks, which released compromising information about Hillary Clinton, on which Trump gladly seized, asked for someone to give it Trump’s returns and tweeted: “Trump’s breach of promise over the release of his tax returns is even more gratuitous than Clinton concealing her Goldman Sachs transcripts.” On Monday, academics and ethics experts planned to file suit against Trump over foreign payments to his businesses.

White House refuses to release Trump tax returns

Zuckerberg the imperialist

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been called the “face of neocolonialism” by Hawaiians, over a series of quiet “title suits” he has filed to acquire land on the island. Zuckerberg, the world’s fifth-richest man, is suing Hawaiians who own a small parcel interest on his 700-acre property on the island of Kauai. The suit is typical of disputes between native-born or longtime residents of Hawaii and newcomers purchasing land.



Hawaiians call Zuckerberg ‘the face of neocolonialism’

British PM knew of missile misfire off Florida coast

Theresa May was told about the test of a Trident missile that reportedly misfired last year, it has emerged, two weeks before she held a House of Commons vote on renewing the £40bn nuclear system. The British Sunday Times newspaper reported that an unarmed Trident II D5 missile – which can kill millions when armed with nuclear warheads – malfunctioned when launched from a British submarine, HMS Vanguard. The missile may have veered back towards the US rather than heading in the direction of west Africa.

Theresa May knew about Trident failure before renewal vote

Syria peace talks begin without US

Indirect peace talks between rebel fighters and the Syrian regime began in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on Monday. The talks are sponsored by Russia, Turkey and Iran and come in the wake of the rebels’ crushing defeat in Aleppo. Russia has emerged as a key broker as Bashar al-Assad’s government has made significant gains with military backing from the Kremlin. The US, EU, Saudi Arabia and the UN are currently marginalized from the talks, which got off to a shaky start.

Russia in power-broking role as Syria talks begin

Trump’s global to-do list

Richard Haass, president of the Council of Foreign Relations, lays out what Trump should prioritze as he takes office, including relations with Russia and China and conflicts in the Middle East. Trump “will inherit a world of considerable disarray”, Haas writes, as the hope arising from the end of the cold war has all but gone.

President Trump’s to-do list: fixing a world in disarray

Colombia’s black Muslim enclave

Islam has taken root among a small community of Afro-Colombians in the violence-racked city of Buenaventura. First made attractive by promises of black power, it has become a refuge from the city’s violence of poverty. Residents embrace the Nation of Islam and Sunni and Shia strands of the religion. Sibylla Brodzinsky reports.

How Islam took root in one of South America’s most violent cities

Super Bowl LI: Falcons v Patriots

The Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots will square off in this year’s Super Bowl after winning their respective championship games on Sunday. In the AFC, the Patriots cruised past the Pittsburgh Steelers as Tom Brady sealed his comeback following a suspension at the start of the season. The Falcons crushed the Green Bay Packers, 44-21, in the NFC Championship game.

Ruthless Brady leads Patriots on stroll into Super Bowl

Falcons crush Packers to reach second Super Bowl

In case you missed it…

The latest work of the Australian artist Alli Sebastian Wolf, Glitoris, is a 100:1 scale, giant, sparkling clitoris. It is more than just a display, however – it’s also an educational tool. Here are 10 facts Wolf wants you to know about the female anatomy.



Clitbait: 10 things you didn’t know about the clitoris