The vice president\u2019s trip comes as Donald Trump ramps up pressure on GOP states to redraw congressional boundaries and give the party more winnable seats in the 2026 midterm elections<\/strong>. In Texas, Democrats who left the state in an effort to block a new congressional map from being implemented say they experienced a bomb threat at their Illinois hotel on Wednesday morning amid the standoff<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vance is scheduled to hold private meetings with Gov. Mike Braun and others before attending a GOP fundraiser on Thursday night in the solidly Republican state. Braun had earlier told reporters he expects to discuss several matters with the vice president \u2014 including redistricting \u2014 but said no commitments have been made.<\/p>\n \u201cIt looks like it\u2019s going to happen across many Republican states,\u201d Braun said. As Associated Press reports, Indiana is staunchly Republican, outnumbering Democrats in Indiana 7-2, limiting the possibilities of squeezing out another seat.<\/p>\n Opponents of any redistricting attempt are planning to make their objections known on Thursday with protests and a news conference by the two Democratic members of the state\u2019s congressional delegation. The constitutionality of the move would also almost certainly be challenged in court.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll bring you all the developments throughout the day. In other news:<\/p>\n Donald Trump has claimed \u201cgreat progress was made\u201d during talks on ending the war in Ukraine between his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Vladimir Putin<\/a> in the Kremlin on Wednesday.<\/strong> The three-hour talks came two days before a deadline the US president set<\/a> for Russia to reach a peace deal in the war or face fresh sanctions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The White House is placing an additional 25% tariff on imports from India<\/a>, bringing total tariffs<\/a> up to 50%, in retaliation for the country\u2019s purchase of oil from Russia<\/a>, according to an executive order<\/a> signed on Wednesday morning.<\/strong> India has 21 days to respond to the potential tariffs before they go into effect. The tariffs will be tacked on to a 25% tariff on India Trump set last week as a \u201cpenalty\u201d for the country\u2019s trading relationship with Russia.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n A new report<\/a> has found hundreds of reported cases of human rights abuses in US immigration detention centers.<\/strong> The alleged abuses uncovered include deaths in custody, physical and sexual abuse of detainees, denial of access to attorneys, and child separation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Trump on Wednesday celebrated a commitment by Apple<\/a> to increase its investments in US manufacturing by an additional $100bn over the next four years.<\/strong> Apple\u2019s plan to up its domestic investment comes as it seeks to avoid Trump\u2019s threatened tariffs, which would increase the tech giant\u2019s costs as it relies on a complex international supply chain to produce its iPhones.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n South Africa\u2019s President Cyril Ramaphosa held a telephone call with US president Donald Trump on bilateral trade matters, Ramaphosa\u2019s office said in statement.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Switzerland\u2019s government will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to decide its next move after its president returned home empty-handed from an 11th-hour trip to Washington aimed at averting a crippling 39% US import tariff on Swiss goods.<\/strong> An urgent meeting of the seven-member Federal Council – Switzerland\u2019s governing cabinet – will take place in Bern in the early afternoon, the government said a post on X. Swiss president Karin Keller-Sutter left Washington on Wednesday without a new deal and did not meet with Donald Trump or any of his top trade officials, two sources told Reuters.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The man charged with killing the top Democrat in the Minnesota House and her husband, and wounding a state senator and his wife, is expected to plead not guilty when he\u2019s arraigned in federal court on Thursday, his attorney said.<\/strong> Vance Boelter, 58, of Green Isle, Minnesota, was indicted 15 July on six counts of murder, stalking and firearms violations. The murder charges could carry the federal death penalty, though prosecutors say that decision is several months away.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.57 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n We\u2019ve gotten more details about the shooting on an army base in Georgia on Wednesday. A reminder that an active-duty soldier opened fire at Fort Stewart military base yesterday, wounding five other soldiers before being taken into custody.<\/p>\n Officials said the alleged shooter was 28-year-old Sgt Quornelius Radford, who was assigned to Fort Stewart.<\/p>\n Brig Gen John Lubas, commander of the third infantry division and Fort Stewart-Hunter army airfield, said soldiers in the area who witnessed the shooting \u201cimmediately and without hesitation tackled the soldier, subdued him. That allowed law enforcement to then take him into custody.\u201d<\/p>\n The base said in a Facebook post<\/a> that the shooting occurred in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area. \u201cAll soldiers were treated on-site and moved to Winn Army Community Hospital for further treatment,\u201d the base said.<\/p>\n Lubas confirmed the shooter did not use a military weapon. \u201cWe believe it was a personal handgun,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n According to reporting from The New York Times, Radford sent a text message to his aunt on Wednesday morning which said that he \u201cloved everybody, and that he\u2019ll be in a better place because he was about to go and do something\u201d.<\/p>\n The Times also spoke with Radford\u2019s father, who said he hasn\u2019t noticed anything unusual about his son\u2019s behavior recently, and didn\u2019t know what might have led him to attack his fellow soldiers.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.55 EDT<\/p>\n Donald Trump is at the White House today. His day is looking quiet until noon EDT, when he\u2019ll sign executive orders. Then at 4pm EDT he\u2019s deliver remarks in the East Room.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll be watching and bringing you the latest.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> on Thursday called for the Intel new CEO Lip-Bu Tan to immediately resign, saying he is \u201chighly conflicted\u201d after questions arose about his ties to Chinese firms.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThere is no other solution to this problem,\u201d he said in a Truth Social post.<\/p>\n It comes as Republican senator Tom Cotton sent a letter to Intel\u2019s board chair on Wednesday with questions about Tan\u2019s ties to Chinese firms and a recent criminal case involving his former company Cadence Design.<\/p>\n Writing to \u201cexpress concern about the security and integrity of Intel\u2019s operations and its potential impact on US national security\u201d, Cotton asked in the letter to Intel chairperson Frank Yeary whether the company\u2019s board was aware of the subpoenas sent to Cadence during Tan\u2019s time there as CEO before Intel hired him.<\/p>\n Cotton asked what measures were taken to address those concerns.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> US border patrol agents carried out a raid outside a Home Depot in Los Angeles on Wednesday, with officers jumping out of an unmarked rental truck and chasing and arresting<\/a> more than a dozen people.<\/strong><\/p>\n Videos of the operation, and federal officials\u2019 statements boasting about the detentions, have raised questions about whether the US government was complying with a federal court order<\/a> halting indiscriminate raids in the region due to evidence of racial profiling. That ruling, upheld<\/a> last week by an appeals court, followed reports<\/a> of Latino US citizens getting swept up<\/a> in LA raids and accounts of undocumented people being targeted<\/a> based on their appearance and whether they spoke Spanish.<\/p>\n Clips of the early morning raid by Home Depot in the Westlake neighborhood, near MacArthur Park, showed<\/a> masked, heavily armed officers jumping out of a yellow truck<\/a> from Penske, a private rental company, and people fleeing. Day laborers often gather outside Home Depot stores looking for work and have been subject to aggressive immigration raids in southern California.<\/p>\n One day-laborer present for the Wednesday raid told the Los Angeles Times<\/a> that the Penske truck pulled up to the parking lot around 6.45am, with the driver telling people gathered in Spanish that he had work to offer. Someone then rolled up the back of the truck, and masked agents, including one in a cowboy hat, jumped out as people scattered, the witness said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Dara Kerr<\/p>\n Donald Trump said he would impose a 100% tariff on foreign computer chips, likely raising the cost of electronics, autos, household appliances and other goods deemed essential for the digital age.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll be putting a tariff on of approximately 100% on chips and semiconductors,\u201d Trump said in the Oval Office while meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook. \u201cBut if you\u2019re building in the United States of America, there\u2019s no charge.\u201d<\/p>\n The Republican president said companies that make computer chips in the US would be spared the import tax. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a shortage of computer chips increased the price of autos and contributed to an overall uptick in inflation.<\/p>\n Trump and Cook were meeting on Wednesday to discuss an agreement for Apple to invest $100bn<\/a> in manufacturing in the US over the next four years. That comes after the iPhone maker already pledged to invest $500bn domestically earlier this year. With Apple\u2019s new investment, the total figure is now at $600bn.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump directs Commerce Department to create new US Census<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> said on Thursday that he has instructed the Department of Commerce to begin creating a new Census \u201cbased on modern day facts and figures\u201d and that uses the results and information from the 2024 presidential election.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPeople who are in our Country illegally will not be counted in the census,\u201d he said in a Truth Social post.<\/p>\n He added:<\/p>\n I have instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately begin work on a new and highly accurate CENSUS based on modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Nick Robins-Early<\/p>\n Donald Trump on Wednesday celebrated a commitment by Apple<\/a> to increase its investments in US manufacturing by an additional $100bn over the next four years.<\/strong><\/p>\n Apple\u2019s plan to up its domestic investment comes as it seeks to avoid Trump\u2019s threatened tariffs, which would increase the tech giant\u2019s costs as it relies on a complex international supply chain to produce its iPhones. Apple\u2019s CEO, Tim Cook<\/a>, warned during an earnings call in May<\/a> that the tariffs could cost the company up to $900m that fiscal quarter alone.<\/p>\n After Cook gifted Trump a US-made souvenir with a 24-karat gold base at the Oval Office on Wednesday, the president praised the corporation, telling reporters<\/a>: \u201cCompanies like Apple, they\u2019re coming home \u2026 This is a significant step toward the ultimate goal of ensuring that iPhones sold in America also are made in America.\u201d<\/p>\n Cook said many components of the iPhones are already made domestically, including glass, semiconductors and face ID, but that final assembly of the devices would remain overseas \u201cfor a while\u201d. In an earlier statement, Cook had said the new investments involve work with 10 companies across the US that produce components used in Apple products.<\/p>\n Apple <\/strong>had previously said it intended to invest $500bn domestically, a figure it will now increase to $600bn. Apple<\/a> also claimed that it would directly hire 20,000 US workers over the next four years.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Stephanie Kirchgaessner<\/p>\n JD Vance<\/a>\u2019s team had the army corps of engineers take the unusual step of changing the outflow of a lake in Ohio to accommodate a recent boating excursion on a family holiday, the Guardian has learned.<\/strong><\/p>\n The request from the US Secret Service was made to \u201csupport safe navigation\u201d of the US vice-president\u2019s security detail for an August outing on the Little Miami River, according to a statement by the US army corps of engineers (USACE).<\/p>\n Vance was spotted in the south-western Ohio<\/a> area on 2 August, his 41st birthday, according to social media posts that noted he was seen canoeing on the river, a tributary that Caesar Creek Lake feeds into.<\/p>\n One source with knowledge of the matter who communicated with the Guardian anonymously alleged that the outflow request for the Caesar Creek Lake was not just to support the vice-president\u2019s Secret Service detail, but also to create \u201cideal kayaking conditions\u201d. The Guardian could not independently confirm this specific claim.<\/p>\n The news raises questions about whether Vance\u2019s office was potentially exploiting public infrastructure resources for his personal recreation at a time when the Trump administration<\/a> has cut billions of dollars in foreign aid, scientific research and government jobs as part of its \u201cefficiency\u201d drive.<\/p>\n The vice-president\u2019s office did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Leading Democrats are sounding the alarm over Donald Trump\u2019s reported plan to divert funds from the US nuclear arsenal to convert a luxury jet gifted by Qatar into a new Air Force One.<\/strong><\/p>\n The US president provoked an outcry in May when it emerged that he would accept<\/a> a $400m Boeing 747-8 jet as a free gift from the Qatari royal family. Stripping down and securing the plane so it can transport Trump for a few years will cost taxpayers an estimated $1bn.<\/p>\n Now Democrats are seizing on media reports<\/a> that the retrofit will be part funded by money redirected from Sentinel, a nuclear missile modernisation programme already running years behind schedule and said to be 81% over budget.<\/p>\n In a letter obtained by the Guardian, senators Elizabeth Warren<\/a>, Tammy Duckworth, Ed Markey and Adam Schiff, along with representatives John Garamendi and Jamie Raskin, demand answers from Troy Meink, the secretary of the air force.<\/p>\n The letter reminds Meink that, in testimony to the Senate armed services committee, he acknowledged the Qatari plane needs \u201csignificant modifications\u201d to meet Air Force One standards. These are likely to include defences against threats ranging from surface-to-air missiles to a nuclear blast, secure and reliable communications systems and protections against counterintelligence.<\/p>\n The Democrats<\/a> write: \u201cIn June, you told Congress that the cost of retrofitting the Qatari Boeing 747-8 \u2018wouldn\u2019t be anywhere near\u2019 the reported $1 billion estimate. Do you still believe this to be the case?\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Switzerland\u2019s government will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to decide its next move after its president returned home empty-handed from an 11th-hour trip to Washington aimed at averting a crippling 39% US import tariff on Swiss goods.<\/strong><\/p>\n An urgent meeting of the seven-member Federal Council – Switzerland\u2019s governing cabinet – will take place in Bern in the early afternoon, the government said a post on X.<\/p>\n Swiss president Karin Keller-Sutter left Washington on Wednesday without a new deal and did not meet with US president Donald Trump<\/a> or any of his top trade officials, two sources told Reuters.<\/p>\n Her proposal for a 10% tariff rate was rejected by US officials, one of the sources added.<\/p>\n Negotiations between Switzerland and the United States over tariffs will continue, but more time is needed to strike a deal, according to a Swiss source familiar with the discussions.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> on Wednesday said he may use the National Guard to police the streets of Washington, DC, and a White House official said federal law enforcement would increase its presence in the city this week.<\/strong><\/p>\n The threat – and the move to follow through on it – is the latest step by Trump and his administration toward taking over running the city that serves as the seat of the US government.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a capital that\u2019s very unsafe,\u201d Trump told reporters at the White House. \u201cWe have to run DC This has to be the best-run place in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n A White House official told Reuters that operational details about the increased federal presence were still being finalized.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n South African president Cyril Ramaphosa held a telephone call with US president Donald Trump<\/a> on bilateral trade and the two countries\u2019 trade negotiating teams will have more detailed talks, Ramaphosa\u2019s office said on Thursday.<\/strong><\/p>\n South Africa tried for months but failed to negotiate a trade deal with Washington ahead of Trump\u2019s deadline. US imports from South Africa now face a 30% duty.<\/p>\n \u201cThe two leaders undertook to continue with further engagements, recognising the various trade negotiations the US is currently involved in,\u201d Ramaphosa\u2019s office said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cRespective trade negotiating teams will take forward more detailed discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Kremlin aide says Putin-Trump meeting is likely to take place next week, RIA reports<\/p>\n A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States president Donald Trump<\/a> is likely to take place next week<\/strong>, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov as saying on Thursday.<\/p>\n More on this development as we get it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump’s higher tariffs hit major US trading partners<\/p>\n The US Customs and Border Protection agency began collecting the higher tariffs of 10% to 50% at 12.01am EDT after weeks of suspense over Trump\u2019s final tariff rates and frantic negotiations with major trading partners that sought to lower them.<\/strong><\/p>\n The leaders of Brazil and India vowed not to be cowed by Trump\u2019s hardline bargaining position, even while their negotiators sought a reprieve from the highest tariff levels.<\/p>\n The new rates will test Trump\u2019s strategy for shrinking US trade deficits without causing massive disruptions to global supply chains or provoking higher inflation and stiff retaliation from trading partners, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n After unveiling his \u2018Liberation Day\u2019 tariffs in April, Trump has frequently modified his plan, slapping much higher rates on imports from some countries, including 50% for goods from Brazil, 39% from Switzerland, 35% from Canada and 25% from India. He announced on Wednesday a separate, 25% tariff on Indian goods, to be imposed in 21 days, over India\u2019s purchases of Russian oil.<\/p>\n \u201cRECIPROCAL TARIFFS TAKE EFFECT AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!,\u201d Trump said on Truth Social just ahead of the deadline. \u201cBILLIONS OF DOLLARS, LARGELY FROM COUNTRIES THAT HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE UNITED STATES FOR MANY YEARS, LAUGHING ALL THE WAY, WILL START FLOWING INTO THE USA. THE ONLY THING THAT CAN STOP AMERICA\u2019S GREATNESS WOULD BE A RADICAL LEFT COURT THAT WANTS TO SEE OUR COUNTRY FAIL!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>US national parks staff in \u2018survival mode\u2019 to keep parks open amid Trump cuts Across the US\u2019s fabled but overstretched national parks, unusual scenes are playing out this summer following budget cuts by Donald Trump\u2019s administration<\/a>. Archeologists are staffing ticket booths, ecologists are covering visitor centers and the superintendents of parks are even cleaning the toilets.<\/strong><\/p>\n The National Park Service (NPS), responsible for maintaining cherished wildernesses and sites of cultural importance from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty, has lost<\/a> a quarter of its permanent staff since Trump took office in January, with the administration seeking to gut the service\u2019s budget<\/a> by a third.<\/p>\n But the administration has also ordered parks to remain open and accessible to the public, meaning the NPS has had to scramble remaining staff into public-facing roles to maintain appearances to the crowds of visitors. This has meant much of the behind-the-scenes work to protect endangered species, battle invasive plants, fix crumbling infrastructure or plan for the future needs of the US\u2019s trove of natural wonders has been jettisoned.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nearly impossible to do the leadership role expected of me,\u201d said one superintendent who heads a park in the western US who didn\u2019t want to be named for fear of retribution from the administration.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m doing everything now. That means I regularly have to make sure the doors are open, I have to run the visitor center, I have to clean the bathrooms. I\u2019d say I\u2019m cleaning the bathroom on a weekly basis now because there\u2019s no one else to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n This sort of triage situation is occurring across the 433 sites and 85m acres \u2013 including 63 national parks and an array of battlefields, monuments and cultural sites \u2013 that make up the national park system in the US, multiple current and former NPS staff have told the Guardian, risking long-term degradation of prized parks.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.49 EDT<\/p>\n Vance to visit Indiana to discuss redistricting amid Trump pressure on GOP states<\/p>\n Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of US politics<\/a> as JD Vance prepares to visit Indiana on Thursday to discuss redistricting with Republican leaders.<\/p>\n The vice president\u2019s trip comes as Donald Trump ramps up pressure on GOP states to redraw congressional boundaries and give the party more winnable seats in the 2026 midterm elections<\/strong>. In Texas, Democrats who left the state in an effort to block a new congressional map from being implemented say they experienced a bomb threat at their Illinois hotel on Wednesday morning amid the standoff<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vance is scheduled to hold private meetings with Gov. Mike Braun and others before attending a GOP fundraiser on Thursday night in the solidly Republican state. Braun had earlier told reporters he expects to discuss several matters with the vice president \u2014 including redistricting \u2014 but said no commitments have been made.<\/p>\n \u201cIt looks like it\u2019s going to happen across many Republican states,\u201d Braun said. As Associated Press reports, Indiana is staunchly Republican, outnumbering Democrats in Indiana 7-2, limiting the possibilities of squeezing out another seat.<\/p>\n Opponents of any redistricting attempt are planning to make their objections known on Thursday with protests and a news conference by the two Democratic members of the state\u2019s congressional delegation. The constitutionality of the move would also almost certainly be challenged in court.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll bring you all the developments throughout the day. In other news:<\/p>\n Donald Trump has claimed \u201cgreat progress was made\u201d during talks on ending the war in Ukraine between his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Vladimir Putin<\/a> in the Kremlin on Wednesday.<\/strong> The three-hour talks came two days before a deadline the US president set<\/a> for Russia to reach a peace deal in the war or face fresh sanctions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The White House is placing an additional 25% tariff on imports from India<\/a>, bringing total tariffs<\/a> up to 50%, in retaliation for the country\u2019s purchase of oil from Russia<\/a>, according to an executive order<\/a> signed on Wednesday morning.<\/strong> India has 21 days to respond to the potential tariffs before they go into effect. The tariffs will be tacked on to a 25% tariff on India Trump set last week as a \u201cpenalty\u201d for the country\u2019s trading relationship with Russia.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n A new report<\/a> has found hundreds of reported cases of human rights abuses in US immigration detention centers.<\/strong> The alleged abuses uncovered include deaths in custody, physical and sexual abuse of detainees, denial of access to attorneys, and child separation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n
![\"Sam](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Sam_Levin.png\")
Sam Levin<\/p>\n\n
![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/David_Smith.png\")
David Smith<\/p>\n![\"Oliver](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Oliver-Milman,-L.png\")
Oliver Milman<\/p>\n\n