Trump heads to Texas every week after devastating floods – US politics dwell

Paramount World, the mother or father firm of CBS Information, settled a lawsuit filed in opposition to it by Donald Trump for $16m final week.

It got here after Disney and Meta settled lawsuits with the president in related methods.

Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Guardian US columnist Margaret Sullivan about why these firms are caving to Trump’s calls for, and whether or not critics are proper to be frightened about what this implies for the way forward for a free press…

No less than eight core members of the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) have left their positions within the final six months, Politico reported on Friday, citing inner information and sources conversant in the matter.

A senior White Home official defined the departures by pointing to the truth that many DOGE staffers have been particular authorities workers, a designation that has a required finish date, the report mentioned.

Russia is awaiting the “major statement” that president Donald Trump introduced he would ship on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned on Friday.

Trump instructed NBC Information on Thursday that he’ll make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday, with out elaborating what will probably be about.

In current days, Trump has expressed frustration with Russian president Vladimir Putin over Russia-Ukraine battle, Reuters reported.

When requested in regards to the new Nato weapons deliveries to Ukraine, Peskov referred to as it “just business” as Kyiv had already been receiving weapons previous to this improvement.

Secretary of state Marco Rubio on Friday mentioned there was “high probability” of a gathering between president Donald Trump and his Chinese language counterpart Xi Jinping, however no date has been mentioned.

Rubio was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a regional assembly in Malaysia.

Brazil threatened to hit again in opposition to Donald Trump’s plan to introduce 50% tariffs on its exports with its personal 50% tariff on US items, setting the stage for a precipitous commerce warfare.

“If he charges us 50%, we’ll charge him 50%,” Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian president, instructed native information outlet File, a day after Trump threatened to impose steep duties on Brazilian items and accused the nation of conducting a “witch-hunt” in opposition to its former president Jair Bolsonaro, who’s going through a trial over his try and overturn his 2022 election defeat.

Brazil might attraction to the World Commerce Group, suggest worldwide investigations and “demand explanations”, Lula recommended. “But the main thing is the Reciprocity Law, passed by Congress,” he instructed File, referring to current laws designed to defend Latin America’s largest economic system from tariff assaults.

Trump’s declare that Brazil’s financial relationship with the US was “far from Reciprocal” was additionally “inaccurate”, Lula had mentioned in a press release on Wednesday. US tariff hikes “will be addressed” by Brazil, he mentioned.

Donald Trump’s try to finish birthright citizenship suffered a courtroom defeat on Thursday as a federal choose in New Hampshire blocked the controversial govt order nationwide and licensed a sweeping class-action lawsuit that would shield tens of 1000’s of kids.

Ruling from the bench on Thursday, Choose Joseph LaPlante introduced his determination after an hour-long listening to and mentioned a written order would observe. The choose, an appointee of George W Bush, mentioned a written order would observe later within the day, with a seven-day keep to permit for attraction.

The choice is a check case following a current supreme court docket ruling that restricted nationwide injunctions, in impact making class-action lawsuits the first remaining methodology for district court docket judges to halt coverage implementation throughout giant areas of the nation. It delivers a authorized blow to the administration’s hardline immigration agenda and ramps up a constitutional dispute that has continued by means of the primary six months of Trump’s second time period.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a pregnant girl, two mother and father and their infants. It’s amongst quite a few circumstances difficult Trump’s January order denying citizenship to these born to undocumented mother and father residing within the US or briefly. The plaintiffs are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and others.

“Tens of thousands of babies and their parents may be exposed to the order’s myriad harms in just weeks and need an injunction now,” attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote in court docket paperwork filed on Tuesday.

Hiya and welcome to the US politics dwell weblog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I will probably be bringing you the most recent information strains over the following couple of hours.

We begin with information that president Donald Trump has backed away from abolishing the Federal Emergency Administration Company (Fema), the Washington Submit reported on Friday.

No official motion is being taken to wind down Fema, and modifications within the company will in all probability quantity to a “rebranding” that can emphasize state leaders’ roles in catastrophe response, the newspaper mentioned, citing a senior White Home official.

It comes as Trump heads to Texas on Friday for a firsthand take a look at the devastation brought on by catastrophic flooding.

Because the 4 July catastrophe, which has killed no less than 120 folks, the president and his prime aides have targeted on the once-in-a-lifetime nature of what occurred and the human tragedy concerned moderately than the government-slashing campaign that’s been in style with Trump’s core supporters.

“Nobody ever saw a thing like this coming,” Trump instructed NBC Information on Thursday, including, “This is a once-in-every-200-year deal.” He’s additionally recommended he’d have been prepared to go to Texas inside hours however didn’t wish to burden authorities nonetheless trying to find the greater than 170 people who find themselves nonetheless lacking.

The president is predicted to do an aerial tour of among the hard-hit areas. The White Home additionally says he’ll go to the state emergency operations heart to satisfy with first responders and relations of flood victims.

Trump may also get a briefing from officers. Republican governor Greg Abbott, senator John Cornyn and senator Ted Cruz are becoming a member of the go to, with the GOP senators anticipated to fly to their state with Trump aboard Air Pressure One.

In different developments:

• Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil filed a lawsuit in opposition to the Trump administration in search of $20m in damages, alleging he was falsely imprisoned

• A US district choose issued an injunction blocking Donald Trump’s govt order ending birthright citizenship, certifying a nationwide class of plaintiffs

• Police in Scotland are bracing for protests in opposition to Trump earlier than an anticipated go to later this month to his immigrant mom’s homeland, the place he’s spectacularly unpopular.

• The US state division has introduced that it plans to maneuver ahead with mass layoffs as a part of essentially the most vital restructuring of the nation’s diplomatic corps in a long time.

• Senator Ruben Gallego launched a one-page invoice to codify into regulation the Federal Commerce Fee’s “click to cancel” rule, sooner or later after a federal appeals court docket blocked the rule.

• Federal immigration officers, supported by nationwide guard troops, used drive in opposition to protesters, firing chemical munitions, throughout raids on two hashish farms in California’s central coast space.

• Trump nominated a far-right influencer to function US ambassador to Malaysia.