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Trump news at a glance: president denies he was briefed about raid on aide-turned-critic John Bolton’s home

John Bolton with Donald Trump during the US president’s first term.
John Bolton with Donald Trump during the US president’s first term. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

Donald Trump has said he did not know a raid by the FBI on the home of his former adviser turned critic, John Bolton, was planned and that he expected to be briefed by the justice department on it.

“I tell the group I don’t want to know, but just you have to do what you have to do. I don’t want to know about it,” Trump said, adding “I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s a real sort of a lowlife. He’s not a smart guy. But he could be very unpatriotic. I’m going to find out.”

JD Vance denied the raid was politically motivated. “We don’t think that we should throw people – even if they disagree with us politically, maybe especially if they disagree with us politically – you shouldn’t throw people willy-nilly in prison,” the vice-president told NBC. “You should let the law drive these determinations, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Here are the key Trump administration news stories of the day:

FBI raids home of Trump’s ex-national security adviser

The FBI raided Bolton’s home on Friday morning.

The federal search of Bolton’s house in the Washington DC area was as part of an investigation involving the handling of classified documents, the Associated Press reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. A government source confirmed the raid to the Guardian, but did not disclose further details.

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DoJ releases Ghislaine Maxwell interview transcripts

The US Department of Justice has released the transcript and audio recording of an interview conducted by Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, with the convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.

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Trump targets Chicago and New York as Hegseth orders weapons for DC troops

Donald Trump has threatened to take his federal crackdown on crime and city cleanliness to New York and Chicago, as the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, ordered that national guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington DC under federal control will now be armed.

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Hegseth fires top US general after Iran assessment angers Trump

Pete Hegseth has fired a general whose agency’s initial intelligence assessment of damage to Iranian nuclear sites from US strikes angered Donald Trump, according to two people familiar with the decision and a White House official.

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US man wrongly deported released to await trial

Kilmar Ábrego García has been freed from criminal custody in Tennessee so he can rejoin his family in Maryland while awaiting trial on human smuggling charges, after a court ordered his release.

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Canada to drop counter-tariffs on some US goods

Canada will drop its counter-tariffs on some American goods in the coming days, Mark Carney has said, as the country’s prime minister looks to end a protracted trade war with the US.

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What else happened today:

Catching up? Here’s what happened on 21 August 2025.

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