White House ups federal law enforcement at tourist hot spots in Washington, DC<\/p>\n
Good morning and welcome to the US politics<\/a> live blog. I\u2019m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news lines from the day.<\/p>\n There will be increased presence of federal law enforcement in Washington DC<\/a>, the White House announced yesterday, to combat crime for at least the next week.<\/strong><\/p>\n It comes amid Donald Trump\u2019s suggestions that his administration could fully take over running the city, Associated Press reports.<\/p>\n \u201cWashington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long,\u201d White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. \u201cPresident Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n She added that the increased federal presence means \u201cthere will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in DC\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly suggested that the rule of Washington could be returned to federal authorities. Doing so would require a repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973 in Congress, a step Trump said lawyers are examining \u2014 but could face steep push back.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a capital that\u2019s very unsafe,\u201d Trump told reporters at the White House this week. \u201cWe have to run DC.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s intervention follows an alleged attack on on a federal employee who worked for the so-called \u201cdepartment of government efficiency\u201d (Doge).<\/a><\/p>\n In other developments:<\/p>\n Vice-president JD Vance kicks off a trip in the United Kingdom with a meeting with British foreign secretary David Lammy on Friday that will bring renewed scrutiny of Vance\u2019s sharp criticism of Britain and its governing Labour party.<\/strong> Vance, his wife, Usha, and their three young children are expected to land in London at the start of a trip that includes staying with Lammy at Chevening, the country residence used by the foreign minister.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The Texas attorney general Ken Paxton and state house speaker Dustin Burrows have filed a lawsuit in Illinois <\/strong>to enforce arrest warrants against Democratic lawmakers who left Texas to block Republicans from enacting a gerrymandered congressional map that would likely add five more Republican seats before next year\u2019s midterm elections. The civil petition was filed in an Adams county, Illinois, circuit court, about a four and a half hour drive from Chicago. More than 30 Texas Democratic members are named in the suit.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The Trump administration is doubling to $50 million a reward for the arrest of Venezuela\u2019s president Nicolas Maduro, accusing him of being one of the world\u2019s largest narco-traffickers and working with cartels to flood the US with fentanyl-laced cocaine.<\/strong> \u201cUnder president Trump\u2019s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes,\u201d Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday in a video announcing the reward.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Israel\u2019s political-security cabinet approved a plan early on Friday to take control of Gaza City, a move expanding military operations despite intensifying criticism at home and abroad over the devastating, almost two-year-old war.<\/strong> Far-right allies in prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s coalition have been pushing for a total takeover of Gaza as part of his vow to eradicate Hamas militants, though the military has warned this could jeopardise the lives of remaining hostages.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will nominate Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Stephen Miran to serve out the final few months of a newly vacant seat at the Federal Reserve while the White House seeks a permanent addition to the central bank\u2019s governing board and continues its search for a new Fed chair.<\/strong> Miran, who has called for a complete overhaul of the Fed\u2019s governance, will take over from Fed Governor Adriana Kugler following her surprise resignation last week, as she returns to her tenured professorship at Georgetown University.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Donald Trump will announce a peace deal between Azerbaijan<\/a> and Armenia on Friday 8 August,<\/strong> according to reports from both Reuters and CBS News. The respective leaders of both Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan, will attend events at the White House tomorrow, despite decades-long tension between the two countries.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Donald Trump has said he was ready to meet Vladimir Putin despite the Russian leader\u2019s refusal to meet Ukraine\u2019s Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/strong> \u2013 dispelling speculation that direct talks between the two warring presidents were a precondition to a high-level US-Russia summit. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said that Putin did not have to meet with Zelenskyy first before the US and Russian presidents could meet.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Donald Trump has called on Intel\u2019s chief executive to resign, alleging Lip-Bu Tan had ties to the Chinese Communist party<\/strong>, sending the stock of the US chipmaker falling. \u201cThe CEO of Intel is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately,\u201d Trump posted on Truth Social about Tan. \u201cThere is no other solution to this problem. Thank you for your attention to this problem!\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n US president Donald Trump announced he will host the leaders of Armenia<\/a> and Azerbaijan<\/a> on Friday for what he called a \u201cHistoric Peace Summit\u201d aimed at ending decades of hostilities between the two former Soviet republics.<\/strong><\/p>\n Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan and president Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan<\/a> \u201cwill join me at the White House for an official Peace Signing Ceremony,\u201d Trump posted Thursday on his Truth Social platform.<\/p>\n Sworn enemies for decades, the two went to war twice over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region<\/a>, which Azerbaijan recaptured from Armenian forces in a lightning 2023 offensive, sparking the exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians<\/a>.<\/p>\n The two countries have held talks aimed at securing a peaceful resolution, including last month in the United Arab Emirates, but a breakthrough had proved elusive.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump picks Stephen Miran to fill open spot on Fed Board<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> on Thursday said he will nominate Council of Economic Advisers chairman Stephen Miran to serve out the final few months of a newly vacant seat at the Federal Reserve while the White House seeks a permanent addition to the central bank\u2019s governing board and continues its search for a new Fed chair.<\/strong><\/p>\n Miran, who has called for a complete overhaul of the Fed\u2019s governance, will take over from Fed Governor Adriana Kugler following her surprise resignation last week, as she returns to her tenured professorship at Georgetown University.<\/p>\n The term expires 31 January, 2026 and is subject to approval by the Senate, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n Trump said the White House continues to search for someone to serve in the 14-year Fed Board seat that opens 1 February. Trump is also weighing options for a successor to Fed chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends 15 May, 2026.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The Trump administration is doubling to $50 million a reward for the arrest of Venezuela\u2019s president Nicolas Maduro, accusing him of being one of the world\u2019s largest narco-traffickers and working with cartels to flood the US with fentanyl-laced cocaine.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cUnder president Trump\u2019s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes,\u201d Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday in a video announcing the reward.<\/p>\n Maduro was indicted in Manhattan federal court in 2020, during the first Trump presidency, along with several close allies on federal charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. At the time, the US offered a $15 million reward for his arrest.<\/p>\n That was later raised by the Biden administration to $25 million \u2014 the same amount the US offered for the capture of Osama bin Laden following the 11 September, 2001, attacks.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n US vice-president JD Vance<\/a> kicks off a trip in the United Kingdom with a meeting with British foreign secretary David Lammy on Friday that will bring renewed scrutiny of Vance\u2019s sharp criticism of Britain and its governing Labour party.<\/strong><\/p>\n Vance, his wife, Usha, and their three young children are expected to land in London at the start of a trip that includes staying with Lammy at Chevening, the country residence used by the foreign minister, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n They will later stay in the Cotswolds, a picturesque area of English countryside and a popular retreat for wealthy and influential figures, from footballers and film stars to media and political figures.<\/p>\n The visit to the United Kingdom comes amid heightened transatlantic tensions, domestic political shifts in both countries and increased attention on Vance\u2019s foreign policy views as he emerges as a key figure in president Donald Trump\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n A source familiar with the planning described the trip as a working visit that will include several official engagements, meetings and visits to cultural sites. Vance is also expected to meet with US troops.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>White House ups federal law enforcement at tourist hot spots in Washington, DC<\/p>\n Good morning and welcome to the US politics<\/a> live blog. I\u2019m Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news lines from the day.<\/p>\n There will be increased presence of federal law enforcement in Washington DC<\/a>, the White House announced yesterday, to combat crime for at least the next week.<\/strong><\/p>\n It comes amid Donald Trump\u2019s suggestions that his administration could fully take over running the city, Associated Press reports.<\/p>\n \u201cWashington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long,\u201d White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. \u201cPresident Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n She added that the increased federal presence means \u201cthere will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in DC\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly suggested that the rule of Washington could be returned to federal authorities. Doing so would require a repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973 in Congress, a step Trump said lawyers are examining \u2014 but could face steep push back.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a capital that\u2019s very unsafe,\u201d Trump told reporters at the White House this week. \u201cWe have to run DC.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s intervention follows an alleged attack on on a federal employee who worked for the so-called \u201cdepartment of government efficiency\u201d (Doge).<\/a><\/p>\n In other developments:<\/p>\n Vice-president JD Vance kicks off a trip in the United Kingdom with a meeting with British foreign secretary David Lammy on Friday that will bring renewed scrutiny of Vance\u2019s sharp criticism of Britain and its governing Labour party.<\/strong> Vance, his wife, Usha, and their three young children are expected to land in London at the start of a trip that includes staying with Lammy at Chevening, the country residence used by the foreign minister.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The Texas attorney general Ken Paxton and state house speaker Dustin Burrows have filed a lawsuit in Illinois <\/strong>to enforce arrest warrants against Democratic lawmakers who left Texas to block Republicans from enacting a gerrymandered congressional map that would likely add five more Republican seats before next year\u2019s midterm elections. The civil petition was filed in an Adams county, Illinois, circuit court, about a four and a half hour drive from Chicago. More than 30 Texas Democratic members are named in the suit.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The Trump administration is doubling to $50 million a reward for the arrest of Venezuela\u2019s president Nicolas Maduro, accusing him of being one of the world\u2019s largest narco-traffickers and working with cartels to flood the US with fentanyl-laced cocaine.<\/strong> \u201cUnder president Trump\u2019s leadership, Maduro will not escape justice and he will be held accountable for his despicable crimes,\u201d Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday in a video announcing the reward.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Israel\u2019s political-security cabinet approved a plan early on Friday to take control of Gaza City, a move expanding military operations despite intensifying criticism at home and abroad over the devastating, almost two-year-old war.<\/strong> Far-right allies in prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s coalition have been pushing for a total takeover of Gaza as part of his vow to eradicate Hamas militants, though the military has warned this could jeopardise the lives of remaining hostages.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will nominate Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Stephen Miran to serve out the final few months of a newly vacant seat at the Federal Reserve while the White House seeks a permanent addition to the central bank\u2019s governing board and continues its search for a new Fed chair.<\/strong> Miran, who has called for a complete overhaul of the Fed\u2019s governance, will take over from Fed Governor Adriana Kugler following her surprise resignation last week, as she returns to her tenured professorship at Georgetown University.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n
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