The Federal Reserve has cut interest rates by a quarter point – the first time in nearly a year. Rates now stand between 4% and 4.25%, the lowest since November 2022.
Fed chair Jerome Powell is due to host a press conference at around 2:30pm ET where our business blog will be bringing you all the details:
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Barack Obama addressed the recent killing of Charlie Kirk and told a crowd in Pennsylvania on Tuesday the country was “at an inflection point”, but that political violence “is not new” and “has happened at certain periods” in US history.
Obama added that despite history, political violence was “anathema to what it means to be a democratic country”.
The former president made the remarks at the Jefferson Educational Society, a non-profit in Erie, Pennsylvania. He explicitly denounced political violence, addressing the fatal attacks this year of Kirk and the Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman. He called both incidents “a tragedy” and said that Donald Trump has further divided the country rather than work to bring people together.
“There are no ifs, ands or buts about it, the central premise of our democratic system is that we have to be able to disagree and have sometimes really contentious debates without resorting to violence,” he said.
For the full story, click here:
Interim Summary
With the hearing of fired CDC director Susan Monarez and fomer public health official Debra Houry now over, here’s a look at today’s key developments so far – both on Capitol Hill and beyond:
Susan Monarez said that there had been “several explanations” about her removal from the top role at the CDC. “I had refused to commit to approving vaccine recommendations without evidence, fire career officials without cause or resign,” she said, adding: I told the secretary that if he believed he could not trust me, he could fire me … I was fired for holding the line on scientific integrity.”
Asked by Senator Bernie Sanders why she refused to rubber-stamp vaccine recommendations without seeing them or the evidence behind them, the former CDC director explained that it wasn’t negotiable. “I refused to do it because I have built a career on scientific integrity, and my worst fear was that I would then be in a position of approving something that would reduce access of life-saving vaccines to children and others who need them,” she said.
Both Monarez and Houry expressed their concerns about the decisions that the vaccine advisory committee meeting tomorrow will make. “I know that the medical community has raised concerns about whether or not, again, they have the commensurate backgrounds to be able to understand the data and the evidence and to evaluate it appropriately.” Meanwhile Houry said she had “significant concerns” as the public had not been able to weigh in.
Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr did not express condolences for the police officer killed at the CDC shooting, Monarez said. David Rose was the police officer who was killed during the recent shooting at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The perpetrator had blamed the Covid-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal.
Houry also called for Kennedy’s resignation. Speaking at the hearing, she said: “After seeing his Senate finance testimony, and the number of misstatements, seeing what he has asked our scientists to do, and to compromise our integrity, and the children that have died under his watch, I think he should resign.”
The Trump administration is using civil rights laws to wage a campaign against the University of California in an attempt to curtail academic freedom and undermine free speech, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by faculty, staff, student organizations and every labor union representing UC workers. The lawsuit comes weeks after the Trump administration fined the University of California, Los Angeles $1.2bn and froze research funding after accusing the school of allowing antisemitism on campus and other civil rights violations.
The Trump administration has aggressively rolled back efforts across the federal government to combat human trafficking, a Guardian investigation has found. The sweeping retreat threatens to negate decades of progress in the drive to prevent sexual slavery, forced labor and child sexual exploitation, according to legal experts, former government officials and anti-trafficking advocates.
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Cassidy closes hearing by debunking vaccine misinformation
As he brought the hearing with fired CDC director Susan Monarez, and former public health official Debra Houry to a close, Republican chair Bill Cassidy spoke about his years as a practising physician, specializing in liver issues.
He noted that in Thursday’s vaccine advisory panel meeting, ending the recommendation for the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine is reportedly set for discussion.
“Why should a child be vaccinated for a sexually transmitted disease when they’re at birth? The child passes through the birth canal and is exposed to the same secretions of one would otherwise, and that passage through the birth canal makes that child vulnerable to the virus being transmitted,” Cassidy said. “If that child is infected at birth, more than 90% of them develop chronic, lifelong infection.”
Cassidy summarized the impact of the vaccine on infection rates in the decades following the approval of a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. “Now, fewer than 20 babies per year get hepatitis B from their mother,” he added. “That is an accomplishment to make America healthy again, and we should stand up and salute the people that made that decision, because there’s people who would otherwise be dead if those mothers were not given that option to have their child vaccinated.”
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Houry says that Kennedy should resign
Dr Debra Houry just said that Robert F Kennedy Jr should resign.
After seeing his Senate finance testimony, and the number of misstatements, seeing what he has asked our scientists to do, and to compromise our integrity, and the children that have died under his watch, I think he should resign.
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And another update on that front. Senator Cassidy has just said that Senator Mullin told reporters that “he was mistaken” in saying that the meeting between secretary Kennedy and Dr Monarez on 25 August was recorded.
“But in case he’s mistaken, that he was mistaken,” Cassidy said, invoking laughter from those in the hearing room. “If there is a recording, it should be released, and would beg the question of what other conversations were recorded.”
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Per my earlier post, where senator Mullin made claims that Monarez was lying about her meeting with Kennedy – where she told him that if he felt she was untrustworthy he could fire her.
Republican senator Bill Cassidy – the committee chair – has called out Mullin’s “implication” that he has a recording of that meeting.
“I will note that if materials have been provided to Senator Mullin, and invoked in official committee business, they’re committee records and all other senators on the committee have the right to see those records,” he said. “This is allegiance to President Trump’s values, and so I ask that that recording be released.”
He added:
I’ll also note that we put in a request for any documents or communications that would bring transparency to the situation. We have not yet received those documents. If a recording does not exist, I asked Senator Mullin to retract his line of questions.
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Monarez and Houry both agree that politics is driving change to vaccine recommendation
When asked by Democratic senator Ed Markey, of Massachusetts, whether Dr Monarez and Dr Houry feel that politics is driving the change to vaccine recommendations, including hepatitis B vaccines, instead of science in children’s health, both former officials agree.
“I’m thankful to Senator Cassidy for really raising hepatitis B via social media,” Houry said of the series of posts by the Republican chair of the committee, which sought to debunk misinformation around testing and the vaccine. “I think there’s a lot of moms that don’t know they have hepatitis that can then transmit it to their baby, and even the mom is hepatitis B negative, we don’t know what the home situation is.”
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Republican senator Markywane Mullin, of Oklahoma, is saying that Monarez is “not being honest” about her recollection of the conversation with secretary Kennedy.
“I tell my kids all the time, you know one thing I want from you. I can deal with any situation we walk into, as long as I know you’re being 100% honest with me,” he said.
Mullin has provided no evidence about how why he feels she is not telling the truth.
“Your personality and your answers aren’t correct,” Mullin said in an exchange with the fired CDC director.
Republican senators spar over Monarez contacting health committee
In a line of questioning, Republican senator Ashley Moody, of Florida, seemed to suggest that Dr Monarez planned her removal from the CDC.
Moody questioned why Monarez called senator Cassidy – the Republican committee chair – “immediately” about her claims that Kennedy demanded she issue blanket approvals of vaccine recommendations, without seeing scientific evidence.
“I committed during my confirmation process several elements, including integrity, transparency, working with Congress, but she had no advance plan with any colleagues,” Monarez said.
Cassidy also pushed back against his Republican colleague’s insinuation.
It is entirely appropriate for someone with oversight concerns to contact my office, or me, or, frankly, any of us. Upon receiving outreach from Dr Monarez, I contacted both the secretary and the White House to inquire what was happening and to express concerns about what was alleged. As soon as the director was fired, the Help committee began reviewing the situation, as it is our responsibility, and any and all communications with the witnesses was conducted by Help staff in coordination with attorneys.
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Monarez and Houry say that future pandemics 'keep them up at night'
When asked what keeps them “up at night” by Democratic senator John Hickenlooper, of Colorado, both Dr Monarez and Dr Houry expressed their fears for how the country might respond to any future pandemic.
“I don’t believe that we’ll be prepared,” Monarez said of the next outbreak.
“I’m concerned about the future of CDC and public health in our country,” Houry added. “We are not prepared, not just for pandemics, but for preventing chronic health disease, and we’re going to see kids dying of vaccine-preventable diseases.”
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Monarez is now responding to questions from Republican senator Jim Banks, of Indiana, and says that the “only thing” that has changed in terms of her priorities were the “demands” for Monarez to “compromise” her integrity.
“I still support that we need to make our children healthier,” she said.
Monarez went on to summarize, again, what transpired in that consequential meeting with Kennedy.
“It had been clear that I was not going to fire scientists, that I was not going to pre-commit to pre-approving vaccine recommendations about data and science. I had been very alarmed at the demands, and I had reached out as part of what I understood my obligations to communicate that to this committee. The secretary became aware of that, and in the context of those activities, he told me he could not trust me,” she laid out. “I told him that if he could not trust me, he could fire me.”
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In response to a question from Republican senator Tommy Tuberville, of Alabama, Monarez says she did not refuse to change language on the CDC website that would violate the executive order issued by Donald Trump, for federal agencies to delete references to diversity, equity and inclusion online.
Kennedy did not express condolences for killed police officer at CDC shooting, Monarez says
After a short break, lawmakers are now back. Democratic senator Maggie Hassan, of New Hampshire, kicked things off by saying that she was “unsure” about whether Monarez would “stand up to Secretary Kennedy”, but went on to thank the former director on her recent actions.
Monarez was visibly upset when she recounted Kennedy’s response after telling him that she needed to consult scientific evidence before making decisions on vaccine recommendations.
“He made another set of assertions associated with CDC that were particularly pointed and particularly hurtful and disparaging. He called, in that context, CDC ‘the most corrupt federal agency in the world’,” Monarez said. “He said that CDC employees were killing children and they don’t care. He said that CDC employees were bought by the pharmaceutical industry. He said CDC forced people to wear masks and social distance like a dictatorship.”
Monarez later said, when asked about his conduct in that meeting, that Kennedy did not express condolences for the death of David Rose, the police officer who was killed during the recent shooting at the CDC, or the two children who died of measles earlier this year.
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One of the more heated exchanges in today’s hearing was between Republican senator Rand Paul, of Kentucky, and Monarez.
As my colleague, Melody Schreiber, notes, Paul falsely claimed that Covid vaccines don’t decrease transmission and don’t reduce hospitalizations or deaths.
Monarez disagreed, and pushed back on the senator’s assertions.
Dr Houry also detailed the way the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) responded differently to the measles outbreak earlier this year. Houry noted that neither she, nor the center director who oversaw measles, never briefed Kennedy. Typically, it would be a common response to hold a briefing following an outbreak.
Then, Houry said that Kennedy claimed “vaccines had fetal parts”, which required her to “send a note to our leadership team to correct that misinformation”.
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Monarez and Houry both express concern about outcome of upcoming vaccine advisory committee
Both Dr Monarez and Dr Houry both expressed their concerns about the decisions that the vaccine advisory committee meeting tomorrow will make. “I know that the medical community has raised concerns about whether or not, again, they have the commensurate backgrounds to be able to understand the data and the evidence and to evaluate it appropriately,” Monarez said. “I don’t know what will happen, but I certainly will be watching.”
Meanwhile Houry said she had “significant concerns” as the public had not been able to weigh in. “The general vote should have been posted two weeks ago so the public knew what was being discussed,” the former chief medical officer of the CDC said.
Earlier, Houry said that she found out about the new Covid-19 vaccine recommendations from the Food and Drug Administration via social media.
“CDC scientists have still not seen the scientific data or justification for this change – that is not gold standard science,” Houry added.
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Monarez says she was fired for refusing to offer a 'blanket approval' of upcoming vaccine recommendations
Earlier Monarez said that Kennedy demanded “blanket approval” of “each and every one of the recommendations” in the upcoming vaccine advisory panel meeting. Monarez claimed that Kennedy said if she couldn’t do that she would need to resign.
“I did not resign, and that is when he told me he had already spoken to the White House about having me removed,” Monarez said.
Monarez went on to push back on Kennedy’s claims that she was “a liar” in his Senate finance committee earlier this month.
When Senator Bernie Sanders asked Monarez why she refused to rubber-stamp vaccine recommendations without seeing them or the evidence behind them, the former CDC director explained that it wasn’t negotiable.
“I refused to do it because I have built a career on scientific integrity, and my worst fear was that I would then be in a position of approving something that would reduce access of life-saving vaccines to children and others who need them,” she said.
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Cassidy just confirmed with Dr Debra Houry – the former chief medical officer – that Thursday’s upcoming vaccine advisory committee is the first in Houry’s 10 years at the CDC where political appointees have set the agenda for the meeting.
Typically, scientists who study inoculations and infectious disease set the agenda. But Houry said that “the senior adviser and HHS counselor worked with our staff and the designated federal official and proposed items.” Both of those roles are political appointees.
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Monarez: 'I was fired for holding the line on scientific integrity'
“I had refused to commit to approving vaccine recommendations without evidence, fire career officials without cause or resign,” Monarez said. “I told the secretary that if he believed he could not trust me, he could fire me.
“I was fired for holding the line on scientific integrity,” she added.
Monarez went on to say that she met with Kennedy twice in her 29-day tenure.
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Monarez said that she was fired for not giving 'blanket approval' of vaccine advisory panel reccomendations
Monarez is now outlining a timeline of events before her firing. Here’s a breakdown of her summary.
On 8 August, a gunman “driven by vaccine distrust”, launched an attack at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta – killing officer David Rose.
On 19 August, Monarez says she received “a directive” from the secretary’s office that she “now required prior approval from my political staff for CDC policy and personnel decisions”.
On 21 August, she says she was “told to return to Washington from Atlanta immediately”, which would have meant missing officer Rose’s memorial. “Something I was not willing to do,” she adds.
On 25 August, Monarez says that secretary Kennedy “demanded two things of me that were inconsistent with my oath of office and the ethics required of a public official.” She claims that Kennedy directed her to commit in advance, to approving every recommendation for the vaccine advisory panel, “regardless of the scientific evidence”. She also says that Kennedy directed her to dismiss career officials responsible for vaccine policy without cause.
Monarez says that at this point Kennedy told her if she was “unwilling to do both” she should resign.
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Monarez says today’s hearing ‘should be about the future of trust in public health’
Speaking now, Dr Susan Monarez says that there have been “several explanations” about her removal from the top role at the CDC.
“I told the secretary I would resign, that I was not aligned with the administrative administration priorities, or that I was untrustworthy. None of those reflect what actually happened,” Monarez said.
“I will share the details, but I want to be clear, today should not be about me. Today should be about the future of trust in public health,” she said.
Appearing alongside Dr Monarez is Dr Debra Houry – who resigned as chief medical officer of the CDC shortly after Monarez’s firing.
Senator Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, who serves as the ranking member of the health committee, said that today’s hearing was not just about determining why Dr Monarez was fired and why Dr Houry and other scientists at the CDC resigned.
“The issue is deeper than that,” Sanders said. “It is about Secretary Kennedy’s dangerous war on science, public health and the truth itself.”
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Senate committee with ousted CDC director begins
The hearing where the fired CDC director Susan Monarez has started. In his opening remarks, Republican senator Bill Cassidy – who chairs the Senate health committee – summarized the crux of today’s proceedings.
If someone is fired 29 days after every Republican votes for her, the Senate confirms her. The Secretary said in her swearing in that she has “unimpeachable scientific credentials”, and the president called her an incredible mother and dedicated public servant. Like what happened?”
A reminder that Monarez was the first CDC director to require Senate confirmation.
Cassidy noted that health secretary Kennedy said in a Senate finance committee earlier this month that his decision to clear house at the CDC was “imperative” because of the agency’s “conflicts of interest and catastrophically bad judgment and political agendas”.
“If what he said is true, we as senators need to ask ourselves, did we look past something? Did we do something wrong?” Cassidy added.
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Driver rams into FBI field office in 'targeted attack' according to officials
A driver rammed into an entrance of the FBI field office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania today. The individual was later identified as Donald Henson, from Penn Hills, which is about 10 miles from the site of the attack.
Henson allegedly got out of the car after the crash, and threw an American flag on to the gate. He then left the scene on foot, according to a statement from the FBI Pittsburgh office.
Law enforcement officials are treating as a “targeted attack”, but confirmed that no FBI personnel were injured.
Per my last post, it’s worth noting that Susan Monarez’s hearing today comes ahead of a meeting of the vaccine advisory panel on Thursday. They’ll discuss and set new guidelines and schedules for a batch of crucial inoculations – including Hepatitis B, MMR, and Covid-19.
Robert F Kennedy Jr fired all 17 members of the panel earlier this year, and is now facing criticism that several of his new, handpicked committee have expressed vaccine misinformation or skepticism.
A lawmaker to watch in today’s hearing will be Republican senator Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana. He’s also a physician and has expressed frustration at Kennedy’s handling of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He was a deciding vote during Kennedy’s confirmation, and earlier this month accused Kennedy of effectively “denying vaccines” to Americans after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) placed restrictions on who would be able to access the new Covid-19 jabs.
Fired CDC director to appear before Senate committee; Kash Patel to testify in front of House committee
Back on Capitol Hill today, we have two hearings that we’ll be watching closely, both are due to begin at 10am ET.
The fired director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will appear before the Senate health committee following her termination in August.
After Susan Monarez was removed from her role, less than a month after she was confirmed to the agency’s top position, it set off a wave of resignations from top public health officials. One of those experts, Debra Houry, will join Monarez today. Houry was the CDC’s chief medical officer prior to stepping down from her post, citing the spread of vaccine misinformation and the interference of politics in the agency’s work.
A reminder, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr sat before the Senate finance committee earlier this month and was grilled about the circumstances around Monarez’s firing. He claimed that she was “lying” about her claims that her ousting was the result of refusing to sign off on the secretary’s new vaccine policies.
Instead, Kennedy said that she was removed because she admitted to being untrustworthy.
Meanwhile, in Congress’ lower chamber today, FBI director Kash Patel will testify before the House judiciary committee. His second Hill appearance of the week. On Tuesday, Patel sparred with Democratic lawmakers in the Senate about accusations that recent firings within the department were politically motivated.
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Today, Donald Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, kick off a series of engagements on their state visit to the UK – the president’s second since he returned to the White House this year.
When he landed on Tuesday, he characterized his upcoming meetings with the royal family as a “very big day”. The president and Melania Trump spent the night at Winfield House – the US ambassador’s residence in the London.
Trump and the first lady arrived on the Windsor Castle grounds earlier, and were greeted by Prince William and the Princess of Wales (Catherine), before meeting King Charles and Queen Camilla.
They’re due to have lunch shortly, and will then head to St George’s chapel to participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II.
A reminder, that you can follow our dedicated coverage of the president’s trip to the UK below:
The chair of the House foreign affairs committee moved to cut a contentious provision from legislation that would have granted the secretary of state sweeping powers to revoke US citizens’ passports over allegations of supporting terrorism.
Representative Brian Mast, a Florida Republican, filed an amendment to eliminate the measure from his department of state policy provisions act, a bill meant to reform the state department in the Trump administration’s image, after widespread criticism from civil liberties advocates, according to the Intercept.
The original language would have given Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, the power to deny or revoke passports for individuals the department determines have provided “material support” to terrorist organizations. Given similar language employed by the Trump administration in other contexts, it is believed to have been intended to target pro-Palestinian activists specifically.
Since Rubio became secretary of state, he has overseen efforts to deport pro-Palestinian international students and deploy an AI-powered “Catch and Revoke” system to target foreign nationals government authorities allege support Hamas. The US also recently announced it will look for “anti-American” views when assessing visa applications.
But the new measure would have significantly escalated these efforts by targeting US citizens. Mast had initially defended the broader legislation, saying it “ensures every dollar and every diplomat puts America First and is accountable to the president’s foreign policy” when the House foreign affairs committee introduced the package last week.
Donald Trump has claimed his administration has reached a deal with China to keep TikTok operating in the US, amid uncertainty over what shape the final agreement will take, with suggestions from the Chinese side that Beijing would retain control of the algorithm that powers the site’s video feed.
“We have a deal on TikTok ... We have a group of very big companies that want to buy it,” Trump said on Tuesday, without providing further details.
The deal, which was negotiated in Madrid between US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese vice premier He Lifeng, reportedly see the social media platform transfer its US assets to new US owners from China’s ByteDance.
One of the major questions is the fate of TikTok’s powerful algorithm that helped the app become one of the world’s most popular sources of online entertainment.
At a press conference in Madrid, the deputy head of China’s cyber security regulator said the framework of the deal included “licensing the algorithm and other intellectual property rights”.
Wang Jingtao said ByteDance would “entrust the operation of TikTok’s US user data and content security.”
Some commentators have inferred from these comments that TikTok’s US spinoff will retain the Chinese algorithm.
The boss of upmarket retailer Fortnum & Mason has said Donald Trump’s trade war has hit sales of its luxury tea exports to the US and forced up prices.
Tom Athron, the London-based retailer’s chief executive, said Trump’s stricter country of origin rules and the end of the “de minimis” cost exemption for parcels worth less than $800 (£587) had hit customers across the Atlantic.
“The American authorities have told us – this is the tea industry in its entirety – that if you’ve got tea from China and India in your tea, then its country of origin [is] China or India, and therefore those enormous tariffs apply,” he told the Financial Times.
Trump, who landed in the UK on Tuesday for an unprecedented second state visit for a US president, last month imposed a 50% tariff on imports from India as a punishment for buying Russian oil.
And earlier this year, the US administration raised tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods as the trade war intensified, before dropping them to 30% in May to facilitate talks between the two trading giants. The world’s two largest economies held talks in Madrid this week to try to reach a potential deal.
For a 250g canister of loose leaf Royal Blend tea, which retails to US consumers at $27.85, Fortnum’s has now been forced to charge delivery fees starting at $25.41 owing to the changes to US taxes and duties.
University of California students and faculty sue the Trump administration
The Trump administration is using civil rights laws to wage a campaign against the University of California in an attempt to curtail academic freedom and undermine free speech, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by faculty, staff, student organizations and every labor union representing UC workers.
The lawsuit comes weeks after the Trump administration fined the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) $1.2bn and froze research funding after accusing the school of allowing antisemitism on campus and other civil rights violations. It was the first public university to be targeted by a widespread funding freeze. The administration has frozen or paused federal funding over similar allegations against elite private colleges, including Harvard, Brown and Columbia.
According to the lawsuit, the Trump administration has made several demands in its proposed settlement offer to UCLA, including giving government access to faculty, student and staff data; releasing admissions and hiring data; ending diversity scholarships; banning overnight demonstrations on university property and cooperating with immigration enforcement.
The Department of Justice didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the office of the UC system’s president.
The coalition is led by the American Association of University Professors union, or AAUP, and represented by Democracy Forward, a legal group that has brought other lawsuits against the Trump administration over frozen federal funds.
“The blunt cudgel the Trump administration has repeatedly employed in this attack on the independence of institutions of higher education has been the abrupt, unilateral, and unlawful termination of federal research funding on which those institutions and the public interest rely,” the lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco said.
The US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has launched dozens of federal investigations also targeting K-12 school districts.
Trump administration retreats on combating human trafficking and child exploitation
The Trump administration has aggressively rolled back efforts across the federal government to combat human trafficking, a Guardian investigation has found.
The sweeping retreat threatens to negate decades of progress in the drive to prevent sexual slavery, forced labor and child sexual exploitation, according to legal experts, former government officials and anti-trafficking advocates. They say the administration’s moves are impeding efforts to prosecute perpetrators and protect survivors in the United States and around the world.
“It’s been a widespread and multi-pronged attack on survivors that leaves all of us less safe and leaves survivors with few options,” said Jean Bruggeman, executive director of Freedom Network USA, a national coalition of service providers, researchers and trafficking survivors.
Under Trump, key initiatives for fighting human trafficking have been cut back at the US Department of State, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Guardian found. Senior officials and other staffers have been forced out, workers shifted to other priorities and grants delayed or cancelled.
At DHS, Trump has ordered agents formerly dedicated to investigating and arresting human traffickers to focus on deporting immigrants. Current and former DHS staffers interviewed by the Guardian confirmed that these investigators’ day-to-day work has been broadly shifted toward deportations and away from investigating “major crimes” with “real victims”.
At the state department, the Trump administration slashed more than 70% of the workforce at the agency’s office to monitor and combat trafficking in persons (Tip office), which is responsible for leading anti-trafficking efforts across the US government. The department has also held up grants for nonprofit organizations fighting trafficking around the world, putting their operations and services at risk.
Without establishing any link to last week’s shooting, president Trump and members of his administration have discussed classifying some groups as domestic terrorists, ordering racketeering investigations and revoking tax-exempt status for progressive nonprofits, AP reports.
The White House pointed to Indivisible, a progressive activist network, and the Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, as potential subjects of scrutiny.
Although administration officials insist that their focus is preventing violence, critics see an extension of Trump’s campaign of retribution against his political enemies and an erosion of free speech rights.
Any moves to weaken liberal groups could also shift the political landscape ahead of next year’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress and statehouses across the country.
“The radical left has done tremendous damage to the country,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday morning when leaving for a state visit to the United Kingdom. “But we’re fixing it.”
Dozens of nonprofit leaders, representing organizations including the Ford Foundation, the Omidyar Network and the MacArthur Foundation, released a joint letter saying “we reject attempts to exploit political violence to mischaracterize our good work or restrict our fundamental freedoms.”
“Attempts to silence speech, criminalize opposing viewpoints, and misrepresent and limit charitable giving undermine our democracy and harm all Americans,” they wrote.
A former CIA officer stripped of his security clearance by the Trump administration has announced he’s running for Senate as a Democratic candidate to claim Mitch McConnell’s long-held Kentucky seat.
Joel Willett launched his candidacy Wednesday, weeks after director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked his clearance as part of a purge targeting 37 current and former intelligence officials.
“I’ve seen firsthand how the Trump administration and their far-right allies are trying to weaponize the government against anyone who disagrees with them,” Willett said in his announcement. “That just made me more determined to run.”
Following the revocation, Willett faced attacks from Trump-aligned online activists such as Laura Loomer and received death threats, according to his campaign. Gabbard at the time accused those targeted of “politicizing and manipulating intelligence” but provided no supporting evidence for the claims.
But for Willett, the experience has crystallized his concerns about democratic institutions and the treatment of public servants who express dissenting views.
“It’s not lost on me that this happened exactly two weeks after my name surfaced as a potential candidate,” Willett said in an early September interview with the Guardian, calling the revocations “a nakedly political act that is intended to silence dissent”.
Four arrested after images of Trump and Epstein projected on to Windsor Castle ahead of president’s visit
Four people have been arrested after images of Donald Trump alongside deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were projected on to Windsor Castle, where the US president is set to be hosted by King Charles during his state visit to Britain.
Trump arrived in Britain late on Tuesday for an unprecedented second state visit, and will be greeted by Charles on Wednesday for a day of pomp at Windsor Castle, about 25 miles west of London.
Earlier on Tuesday, protesters unfurled a massive banner featuring a photograph of Trump and Epstein near Windsor Castle, and later projected several images of the two on to one of the castle’s towers.
The police said in a statement four adults were arrested on suspicion of malicious communications after an “unauthorised projection” at Windsor Castle, which they described as a “public stunt”. The four remain in custody.
Democrats in the US House of Representatives last week made public a birthday letter Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein more than 20 years ago, though the White House has denied its authenticity.
The letter was also projected on to the castle, along with pictures of Epstein’s victims, news clips about the case and police reports.
The release of the letter has brought renewed attention to an issue that has become a political thorn in the president’s side.
Updated
Fired CDC chief will testify Kennedy pressed her to endorse vaccine recommendations without evidence
Fired Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Susan Monarez will tell senators that health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr pressured her to endorse new vaccine recommendations before seeing scientific evidence, according to a copy of the testimony she plans to give during a Wednesday hearing.
According to a copy of the prepared remarks, obtained Tuesday by the Associated Press, Monarez will tell senators that Kennedy gave her an ultimatum: “Pre-approve” new vaccine recommendations from a controversial advisory CDC panel that Kennedy has stocked with some medical experts who doubt vaccine safety or be fired.
That panel is expected to vote on new vaccine recommendations later this week.
Monarez, initially handpicked by Kennedy and nominated by president Donald Trump, was fired just weeks into the job over disagreements on vaccine policies. She is set to appear before the Senate’s powerful health committee to discuss her firing.
“Even under pressure, I could not replace evidence with ideology or compromise my integrity,” Monarez will say in her opening testimony to senators. “Vaccine policy must be guided by credible data, not predetermined outcomes.”
She said she was “fired for holding the line on scientific integrity.”
Monarez also notes that Kennedy directed her to fire a number of high-ranking CDC officials without cause.
The Senate hearing will focus on the impact the turmoil at the nation’s leading public health agency, which is responsible for making vaccine recommendations to the public, will have on children’s health.
It will also undoubtedly serve as an opportunity for Monarez and former chief medical officer Debra Houry, who will also testify before the committee, to respond to a number of Kennedy’s contentious claims about their final days at the agency.
Kennedy has denied Monarez’ accusations that he ordered “rubber-stamped” vaccine recommendations.
Bondi faces rightwing backlash for saying she’ll target ‘hate speech’ after Kirk killing
US attorney general Pam Bondi’s pledge that the Trump administration will “absolutely target” people who use “hate speech” after in the wake of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has prompted criticism of the idea from across the political spectrum, including from prominent conservatives.
Bondi said on a podcast hosted by Katie Miller, the wife of the rightwing White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, that there is “free speech and then there’s hate speech, and there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society”.
Legal experts and conservative pundits have condemned the comments because there is no “hate speech” exception in the first amendment right to speech and as such, targeting people for their charged rhetoric would be unconstitutional.
“There is no unprotected category of speech in the constitution or in the case law called ‘hate speech’,” said Heidi Kitrosser, a Northwestern University law professor. “By being so vague and by talking about speech that doesn’t fit into any legal category, she is basically opening the door for taking action against anyone who engages in speech that the president or the Department of Justice or Stephen Miller doesn’t like.”
Kirk, the founder of the powerful rightwing youth activist group Turning Point and a close ally of Donald Trump, was killed on 10 September at Utah Valley University during one of his signature events in which he debated students.
The murder was part of a wave of political violence in the United States, including attempted assassinations of the US president and the assassination of Melissa Hortman, the Democratic speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and her husband.
While some people on both sides of the aisle have spoken about the need for respectful dialogue, Trump and others in his administration have continued to largely blame the violence on the left and warned of a “vast domestic terror movement” prompting fears he plans a broad crackdown on his political opponents.
JD Vance guest-hosted Kirk’s podcast this week, during which the vice-president urged people to call the employers of people celebrating Kirk’s murder and said that the administration would “work to dismantle the institutions that promote violence and terrorism in our own country”.
When asked about Bondi’s comments on Tuesday, Trump told an ABC News reporter: “We’ll probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly. It’s hate. You have a lot of hate in your heart. Maybe they’ll come after ABC.”
Bondi also threatened to prosecute an Office Depot employee who reportedly refused to print flyers for a vigil for Kirk.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news lines over the next few hours.
We start with news that Donald Trump has vowed to stop the “radical left media” from “destroying” the nation. Taking to his social media platform Truth Social, the president said that he had received “amazing” feedback on his case against the New York Times.
“The predominant feeling and sentiment is, “IT’S ABOUT TIME!” he wrote. “The Radical Left Media is working hard to destroy the U.S.A. We are going to stop them at each and every level!!!”
In a $15bn case filed in the Florida courts, Trump has accused the NYT of spreading “false and defamatory” content about him.
A spokesperson for the NYT said: “This lawsuit has no merit. It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting. The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favour and stand up for journalists’ first amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people.”
The case is the latest of several multibillion-dollar lawsuits Trump has launched against US media outlets since his return to the White House.
In other developments:
Utah county attorney Jeff Gray formally announced charges against Tyler Robinson, the suspect accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk. Prosecutors have charged Robinson on seven counts, including aggravated murder, and will seek the death penalty. Later, Robinson made his first court appearance at a virtual hearing, wearing an anti-suicide smock, where Utah judge Tony F. Graf ruled Robinson qualifies for a court-appointed attorney and granted a pre-trial protective order for Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk. The next hearing in Robinson’s case is scheduled for September 29, and will be conducted virtually.
FBI director Kash Patel faced questions from the Senate judiciary committee during a more than four hour long hearing. The hearing twice included a shouting match between Patel and Democratic senator Cory Booker and later Adam Schiff. Patel defended his leadership of the FBI, denying that he has politicized the agency and ordered firings of agents and personnel over their work on cases related to Trump or the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Patel also defended his actions over prematurely posting on social media that the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s killing had been found, only for that person to be released. Democratic senator Dick Durbin and others said Patel’s actions pointed to his lack of experience and “sparked mass confusion” during the investigation.
The Trump administration will appeal the court decision blocking Trump’s bid to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook. Yesterday, a US appeals court declined to allow Trump to fire Cook, in the latest step in a legal battle that threatens the Fed’s longstanding independence.
Four people have been arrested after images of Donald Trump alongside deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were projected on to Windsor Castle, where the US president is set to be hosted by King Charles during his state visit to Britain. Trump arrived in Britain late on Tuesday for an unprecedented second state visit, and will be greeted by Charles on Wednesday for a day of pomp at Windsor Castle, about 25 miles west of London.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Trump has invited him back to the White House on September 29. The trip will be the fourth time Netanyahu, a vocal supporter of Trump’s, has visited the White House since Trump’s second term began in January.
California governor Gavin Newsom joined a host of Democratic influencers and officials for a virtual rally in support of Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act. The act seeks to redraw California’s political map, in response to efforts by politicians in Republican-led states to do the same.
