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Joe Sommerlad

News Feature Writer@JoeSommerlad

Joe Sommerlad is a News Feature Writer at The Independent, specialising in explainers on a wide range of subjects related to the international news cycle, particularly American politics and culture, and in obituaries. He wrote a 21-part history of the Donald Trump administration for Independent Premium.

<p>President Donald Trump’s praise for the rapper did not go down well with panellists on CNN’s NewsNight, who pointed to his long history of divisive rhetoric on race</p>
Culture

Trump eviscerated by panelists after Black History Month event

<p>Ana Navarro and Paul Mecurio discuss President Donald Trump's track record on race CNN's NewsNight on Wednesday February 18, 2026</p>
US politics

Trump described as ‘drunk uncle’ after he compliments Nicki Minaj

<p>Evita Duffy Alfonso attacks Team USA's Winter Olympians for criticizing the Trump administration on Newsmax's Carl Higbie Frontline on Wednesday February 18, 2026</p>
US politics

Transport Sec’s daughter demands US athletes vetted for patriotism

<p>Right-wing broadcaster Tucker Carlson claims he and his team were accosted by airport officials but his version of events have been hotly disputed</p>
US politics

Tucker Carlson says he was detained by Israeli authorities at airport

<p>Stephen Colbert holds up a printed copy of CBS's statement on Tuesday's instalment of The Late Show</p>
US politics

Stephen Colbert slams CBS over statement denying interview claims

<p>South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace has written to the CIA asking to see ‘any and all’ files it may hold on Jeffrey Epstein</p>
US politics

Nancy Mace demands CIA release all files on Epstein and Maxwell

<p>Megyn Kelly accused Randy Fine of going ‘full bigot’ in his inflammatory social media post</p>
US politics

Even Megyn Kelly comes for Randy Fine in wake of anti-Muslim post

<p>President Donald Trump snapped at CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins earlier this month when she asked him about the Epstein files</p>
US politics

Kaitlan Collins on Trump attack: ‘A lot of women can identify’

<p>Rev. Jesse Jackson was a legendary civil rights activist and two-time presidential candidate</p>
US politics

Civil rights icon Jesse Jackson dies aged 84

Lifestyle

What to know about progressive supranuclear palsy after icon’s death

<p>White House “pardon czar” Alice Johnson, who was herself the beneficiary of a clemency award from President Donald Trump during his first term</p>
US politics

Trump insiders say they can’t keep up with the ‘chaos’ of his pardons

<p>WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 23: White House Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard talks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on July 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. Gabbard released a 2017 report from the House Permanent Committee on Intelligence that she says undermines the conclusion of intelligence agencies during the Obama administration that Russia favored the election of Donald J. Trump in 2016. </p>
US politics

Kushner at center of whistleblower complaint against Gabbard: report

<p>Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has called rumors that she is romantically involved with her top aide Corey Lewandowski a ‘disgusting lie’</p>
US politics

Trump breaks silence on Kristi Noem’s alleged relationship with aide

US politics

Trump breaks silence on Kristi Noem’s alleged relationship with aide

<p>Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has called rumors that she is romantically involved with her top aide Corey Lewandowski a ‘disgusting lie’</p>
<p>Trump praised Jackson’s ‘personality, grit, and street smarts’ </p>
News

Trump pays tribute to Rev. Jesse Jackson with a fresh swipe at Obama

News

Jesse Jackson dies aged 84 as tributes paid to civil rights leader

<p>Jeffrey Epstein’s former ranch in southern Santa Fe, New Mexico</p>
US politics

MAGA candidate in Texas identified as owner of Jeffrey Epstein ranch

<p>Businesses forced into ‘grand experiment in leadership’ in response to shifting market pressures</p>
Culture

US sees record-breaking ages in CEOs, the change might surprise you

<p>Businesses forced into ‘grand experiment in leadership’ in response to shifting market pressures</p>
Culture

US sees record-breaking ages in CEOs, the change might surprise you

<p>Bob Iger has recently stepped down as CEO of Disney, handing over control to the younger Josh D’Amaro</p>
Money

Record number of companies are ditching old CEOs

<p>South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has been accused by Senate challenger Mark Lynch of conspiring to have Bondi replaced as AG</p>
US politics

Lindsey Graham’s Senate rival accuses him of trying to oust Pam Bondi

<p>Former Texas state senator Don Huffines</p>
News

MAGA candidate identified as owner of Epstein’s Zorro Ranch

<p>Former Georgia Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has warned supporters of President Donald Trump that their failure to respect the victims of Jeffrey Epstein will cost their party at the ballot box</p>
US politics

MTG warns MAGA mockery of Epstein victims will cost midterm votes

<p>Alan Dershowitz spars with comedian Bassem Youssef on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Thursday February 13, 2026</p>
US politics

Alan Dershowitz threatens to sue fellow guest on Piers Morgan’s show

<p>Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is accused of seeking to ‘burnish her personal stardom at every turn’</p>
US politics

The biggest bombshells from the expose into Kristi Noem and the DHS

<p>The first Friday the 13th of 2026 has arrived</p>
Lifestyle

The historical reason Friday the 13th is considered superstitious

<p>The burning of the Knights Templars at the stake.</p>
Lifestyle

Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky?

<p>Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is accused of seeking to ‘burnish her personal stardom at every turn’</p>
US politics

The biggest bombshells from the expose into Kristi Noem and the DHS

<p>The first Friday the 13th of 2026 has arrived</p>
Lifestyle

The historical reason Friday the 13th is considered superstitious

<p>The burning of the Knights Templars at the stake.</p>
Lifestyle

Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky?

<p>Goldman Sachs chief legal officer and former White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler has announced she is resigning in June after the emergence of her past correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein</p>
US politics

Top Goldman Sachs lawyer resigns over links to ‘Uncle Jeffrey’ Epstein

US politics

Top Goldman Sachs lawyer resigns over links to ‘Uncle Jeffrey’ Epstein

<p>Goldman Sachs chief legal officer and former White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler has announced she is resigning in June after the emergence of her past correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein</p>
<p>Goldman Sachs chief legal officer Kathy Ruemmler has announced she is resigning in June</p>
News

Why a top lawyer has been forced to resign over her Epstein emails

<p>Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, chaired Wednesday's fiery House Judiciary Commitee hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi</p>
US politics

Jim Jordan mocked for warning against disrupting Congress

<p>President Donald Trump is not known for apologizing</p>
US politics

Trump finally apologizes for something

<p>Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed the inexperienced John Sarcone to the position last year, only for a judge to rule last month that he had outstayed his tenure as an interim</p>
US politics

Top Trump official fires US attorney less than five hours into job

<p>Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed the inexperienced John Sarcone to the position last year, only for a judge to rule last month that he had outstayed his tenure as an interim</p>
US politics

Top Trump official fires US attorney less than five hours into job

US politics

Trump promises ‘consequences come Election time’ for GOP tariff rebels

LiveUS Crime News

FBI conducts search on roads near Nancy Guthrie’s home

<p>President Donald Trump has long disparaged his predecessor Joe Biden but a majority of the American public now believes the Democrat did a better job in the White House</p>
US politics

Trump’s favorite polling group delivers devastating Biden blow

<p>Federal agents detain a protester in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on February 3, 2026</p>
US politics

Nearly 3 in 4 say ICE needs to be overhauled or abolished, poll finds

<p>Podcaster Joe Rogan likens ICE agents to the Gestapo in a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, commenting on the fatal shooting of two protesters in Minneapolis</p>
US politics

Fox refused to air anti-ICE ad featuring Joe Rogan’s ‘Gestapo’ comment

Savannah Guthrie Mom Missing
News

Man questioned over Nancy Guthrie abduction mystery speaks out

<p>Margaret Healey, a 93-year-old former Catholic school teacher and nun, who was found dead in the snow after wandering away from a nursing home in Windsor Locks, Connecticut</p>
Americas

Woman, 93, found dead in snow as family questions nursing home

<p>House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi is stepping down this year</p>
US politics

Number of members of Congress retiring approaches century-long record

<p>Former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino</p>
US politics

Dan Bongino returns to Fox News to cover Nancy Guthrie case

<p>Epsteinpremium</p>
News

Unredacted Epstein files implicate ‘six men’ and reveal victim aged 9

<p>Representatives Jamie Raskin, Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna are raising questions about why some of the contents of the files was redacted after visiting the Department of Justice to review the uncensored material</p>
US politics

Epstein files redactions reveal victim as young as nine, lawmakers say

US politics

Epstein files redactions reveal victim as young as nine, lawmakers say

<p>Representatives Jamie Raskin, Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna are raising questions about why some of the contents of the files was redacted after visiting the Department of Justice to review the uncensored material</p>
<p>A Border Patrol agent questions a driver in Minneapolis as part of Operation Metro Surge</p>
US politics

ICE observer ‘lost TSA privileges after encounter with Border Patrol’

US politics

Tom Homan warned immigration crackdown needed to be ‘humane’: report

<p>Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse appear in a Super Bowl commercial calling for the release of more Department of Justice files on the notorious sex offender</p>
US politics

Epstein survivors demand release of remaining files in Super Bowl ad

<p>President Donald Trump discusses the economy with NBC's Tom Llamas in an interview filmed to run during Super Bowl LX on Sunday February 8 2026</p>
US politics

Trump ‘very proud’ of the economy despite cost of living concerns

<p>President Donald Trump discusses the economy with NBC's Tom Llamas in an interview filmed to run during Super Bowl LX on Sunday February 8 2026</p>
US politics

Trump ‘very proud’ of the economy despite cost of living concerns

<p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has urged his colleagues not to travel to Minnesota to join anti-ICE protests, citing security concerns</p>
US politics

Democrats told House reps ‘not to go to Minnesota’ amid security fears

<p>Homan ultimately blamed Biden administration for failing to secure border</p>
News

‘We’re not surrendering’ in Minnesota says border czar Tom Homan

<p>A bomb cyclone is an extreme form of weather, caused by a collision of cold and hot air</p>
Americas

What is a ‘bomb cyclone’? The storm about to batter the East Coast

<p>President Donald Trump has been forced to ‘de-escalate’ his immigration crackdown in Minnesota following the angry public reaction to the killing of nurse Alex Pretti</p>
US politics

White House insiders on the chaotic response to Alex Pretti shooting

<p>White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller originally referred to Alex Pretti as a ‘domestic terrorist’ and ‘would-be assassin’ but has now admitted that CBP agents ‘may not have been following’ proper protocol</p>
US politics

Minneapolis blame game under way as even Stephen Miller changes tune

News

Trump vows to ‘de-escalate a little bit’ after ICE shootings outrage

<p>Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, which will host Super Bowl LX on Sunday February 8, 2026</p>
US politics

ICE plans to be camped out at the Super Bowl looking for migrants

<p>Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is under intense pressure after a second U.S. citizen was shot dead by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis over the weekend</p>
US politics

Trump knew he had to ‘unf***’ DHS reaction to Alex Pretti shooting

<p>Border czar Tom Homan will now report directly to Trump, rather than to Kristi Noem</p>
US politics

Trump holds late-night crisis talks with embattled Kristi Noem

<p>Customs and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino on the streets of Minneapolis earlier this month, surrounded by immigration agents</p>
US politics

Who is Greg Bovino? The viral star behind CBP’s tactics on the ground

<p>Border Patrol leader Greg Bovino is leaving Minneapolis after the deadly shooting of a U.S. citizen involving one of his own agents</p>
News

Who is Greg Bovino? The ‘Little Napoleon’ seemingly ditched by Trump

News

Who is Greg Bovino? The ‘Little Napoleon’ seemingly ditched by Trump

<p>Border Patrol leader Greg Bovino is leaving Minneapolis after the deadly shooting of a U.S. citizen involving one of his own agents</p>
<p>A financial expert has determined that an average net worth of $20,856 would be categorised as poor whereas one of $3.8 million signifies wealth</p>
US politics

The net worth you need to be considered poor, middle-class and wealthy

<p>Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attends an Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump in November</p>
US politics

Trump coy on defending Kristi Noem after Alex Pretti shooting

<p>US President Donald Trump was heavily criticised over his earlier remarks (Markus Schreiber/AP)</p>
News

Trump says admin is ‘reviewing everything’ after ICU nurse killed

<p>Preparations are underway for the forthcoming 2026 Winter Olympics Games in Milano Cortino, Italy, where U.S. competitors could bear the brunt of European hostility to the Trump administration</p>
US politics

Lawmakers warn Trumpism making life harder for US athletes overseas

<p>Preparations are underway for the forthcoming 2026 Winter Olympics Games in Milano Cortino, Italy, where U.S. competitors could bear the brunt of European hostility to the Trump administration</p>
US politics

Lawmakers warn Trumpism making life harder for US athletes overseas

<p>‘It’s a shame I have to say this in America but no one is above the law,’ says Kathy Hochul after the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal agents</p>
News

Governor calls for Kristi Noem to resign after Alex Pretti’s death

<p>Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem remains under intense pressure as the face of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement push</p>
US politics

New York governor calls on Kristi Noem to resign as DHS Secretary

<p>Part of the slavery exhibit at the President's House Site in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, seen last summer prior to its removal</p>
US politics

Philadelphia sues Parks Service after slavery exhibit removed

<p>Alexis Wilkins rubbishes conspiracy theories concerning her relationship and insists: ‘I’ve never been to Israel. There’s not a stamp in my passport’</p>
News

Kash Patel’s girlfriend addresses rumors about her ties to Israel

<p>Alexis Wilkins, the girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, has again rejected online conspiracy theories claiming she is a spy for the Israeli government sent to entrap Patel</p>
US politics

Kash Patel’s girlfriend responds to allegations she is a Mossad agent

<p>UFC boss Dana White has revealed he speaks to President Donald Trump once a month</p>
US politics

Dana White declares he would ‘do anything for Trump’

<p>California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on at members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet watch his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday</p>
US politics

Trump and Newsom shared friendly chat at Davos – despite the insults

<p>California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday January 22, 2026</p>
News

US voters have their say on 2028 presidential election contenders

<p>Federal immigration agents on the streets of Minneapolis as their operations continue</p>
US politics

ICE whines that Minnesota protesters won’t let agents go to bathroom

<p>Vice President JD Vance scored the highest approval rating of name-recognition politicians in the poll, but was still object to by 41 percent of respondents</p>
US politics

No famous politician is liked – but Vance scores highest, poll finds

<p>Former Deparment of Justice special counsel Jack Smith will testify publicly before the House Judiciary Committee Thursday</p>
US politics

Jack Smith to say Trump ‘broke the laws he swore to uphold’

<p>California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday January 22, 2026</p>
US politics

Newsom says he’s living rent-free in Trump’s head after X attacks

<p>Workers fly the Cuban flag at half-staff near the American embassy in Havana on Monday January 5, 2026, in memory of the 32 Cubans who died during the U.S. raid on Venezuela two days earlier</p>
US politics

Trump ‘aiming for regime change in Cuba by end of year’

<p>The Boeing plane taking Donald Trump to Switzerland had to make a dramatic U-turn on Tuesday night, not the first time a presidential aircraft has suffered a fault, forcing a change of plans</p>
US politics

Air Force One’s history of malfunctions after Trump’s Davos drama

<p>Michele Tafoya covering the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Las Vegas Raiders on NBC's Sunday Night Football in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 14, 2021</p>
News

Longtime NFL reporter announces bid for Republican Minnesota senator

<p>Chuck Grassley expresses opposition to federal intervention in state election law</p>
News

The latest veteran Republican senator to seemingly break with Trump

<p>The Boeing plane taking Donald Trump to Switzerland had to make a dramatic U-turn on Tuesday night, not the first time a presidential aircraft has suffered a fault, forcing a change of plans</p>
US politics

Air Force One’s history of malfunctions after Trump’s Davos drama

<p>Michele Tafoya covering the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Las Vegas Raiders on NBC's Sunday Night Football in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 14, 2021</p>
News

Longtime NFL reporter announces bid for Republican Minnesota senator

<p>Chuck Grassley expresses opposition to federal intervention in state election law</p>
News

The latest veteran Republican senator to seemingly break with Trump

<p>Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley has suggested in a letter to a constituent that he opposes federal attempts to intervene in state election law</p>
US politics

Veteran Republican senator breaks with Trump over support for voter ID

<p>Former NFL reporter Michele Tafoya announces her run for the Senate in Minnesota on Wedensdat January 21, 2026</p>
US politics

Former NFL reporter announces Senate bid in Minnesota as a Republican

<p>Despite the delay, Trump arrived in Switzerland safely in the early afternoon local time </p>
US politics

Trump’s Air Force One forced to U-turn after electrical issue

<p>President Donald Trump in the White House Briefing Room on Tuesday January 20, 2026</p>
US politics

Can Trump be removed under the 25th Amendment?

<p>Sean Hannity discusses the prospect of the U.S. paying out $100,000 per citizen of Greenland to acquire their country from Denmark on his Fox News show on Monday in the company of Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt</p>
US politics

Sean Hannity says giving Greenlanders $100K each a ‘no-brainer’

News

The many problems Trump is facing one year on from White House return

<p>Federal agents advance during an enforcement operation outside of an ICE facility in Minneapolis on January 11, 2026</p>
US politics

Half of Americans think ICE is making cities less safe, new poll finds

<p>Natividad Martinez, mother of Venezuelan private Saul Pereira Martinez, one of the soldiers killed during the U.S. military operation to topple Nicolas Maduro visits his grave at the General Cemetery of the South in Caracas on January 18, 2026</p>
US politics

Mother reveals last words of son who died in Trump’s Maduro mission

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