A small alligator found its way into the back room of Bagel Dock Express in North Carolina before strolling into the main restaurant area, scaring employees. ked assault on the foundations of US democracy. Authoritarian leadership has enriched itself through corruption, spread lies and launched relentless attacks on press freedom, voting rights, due process and many fundamental civil rights. Last night, America’s embattled democracy came roaring back to life: from Texas to Ohio to South Carolina, Americans surged to the polls to fight for a different path forward.
The process worked, the people spoke, the candidates – and the president – accepted the results. Today, we’re on the cusp of a new chapter for America, where the people have claimed their right to hold power to account, and millions are looking at politics with a new and unfamiliar feeling of hope. The past two years have delivered a chilling lesson in just how fragile our fundamental freedoms are, when precious few powerful institutions are willing to stand up for the truth and defend our basic rights and freedoms.
Major law firms and universities capitulated to a bullying president’s threats and intimidation. Some corporate news outlets bowed to his pressure, too. In the face of these attacks, the independent press stood out as one of the only forces for accountability, dedicated to uncovering the truth – and making sure the public understood what was at stake in this election.
At its best, a truly free press can speak directly to the public, shedding light on hidden schemes and revealing the whole picture of our flawed world. Yet these are challenging times for press freedom: Trump’s crackdown on the press shows no signs of letting up; consolidated ownership means fewer options and less diversity of perspective; and the advent of AI has threatened the entire business model of journalism, resulting in extreme staff layoffs that have gutted newsrooms. We will need a free press in 2027 as much as we relied on one in 2025 and 2026.
The Guardian is fortunate to have no billionaire owner, no corporate bosses who put profit over mission. We’re accountable to the facts and to our readers. And the Guardian is fortunate to have our readers who are willing to support – and commit month after month – to help sustain our independence. **From reporting on the ground to fending off legal risks to keeping our reporters safe, journalism is incredibly expensive to do well.
To help fund our work in 2027, we are looking to raise $2,000,000 by the end of the year. If you can contribute any amount, please do so. If you can contribute monthly, even better – I need to know we have the resources to report on the final throes of Trump’s presidency in what may be a tumultuous year ahead.** We welcome support of any size, any time - whether you choose to give $1 or more 1. #### Live US midterm elections 2026 live: Democrats pick up more wins as vote counting in tight races continues and Republican blame game begins 3. #### Mother and daughter killed in grizzly bear attack, Canadian authorities confirm 4. #### What the downfall of near three-decade senator Susan Collins says about Republican unpopularity 5. #### US midterm elections 2026: live results from Senate, House and governor races in all 50 states 6. #### ‘Never in a million years’: alligator strolls into North Carolina bagel shop 7. #### Get ready habibis, Abdul El-Sayed’s ‘shawarma law’ is coming to the US 8. #### Where Trump and Republicans lost the midterms – a visual analysis of the key states 9. #### What can Democrats actually do now they have won Congress? 1. #### Mother and daughter killed in grizzly bear attack, Canadian authorities confirm 2. #### British healthcare worker with Ebola evacuated from DR Congo to UK 3. #### The night-sky image so incredible the NZ man behind it has been accused of using AI 4. #### Israel’s election commission rejects Netanyahu claims of voting fraud 5. #### Debt relief and aid no replacement for slavery reparations, UK told 6. #### One dead and another missing in suspected grizzly bear attack in Canada 7. #### Spain’s deadly train crashes have damaged public confidence in the system 8. #### ‘We are a threat to Putin’: the small Norwegian news outlet with half its staff on Russia’s wanted list 10. #### Serbia detains police officers over alleged use of force against protesters Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning © 2026 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies.
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