Hegseth orders US Navy secretary to investigate Arizona senator Mark Kelly for ‘potentially unlawful comments’ - live

12.48am GMT 'We haven't had a murder in six months', Trump boasts, ignoring two dozen murders in Washington DC since his federal takeover During his remarks before the ceremonial pardoning of turkeys at the White House on Tuesday, Donald Trump repeated a lie that he has been telling since his federal takeover of policing in Washington DC in August. “This was one of our most unsafe places anywhere in the United States; it is now considered a totally safe city,” Trump said. “I won’t tell you about murders, we were having murders, like a lot of murders, on a weekly basis. We haven’t had a murder in six months.” In fact, there have been at least 61 murders in Washington in the past six months, including six this month, according to Metropolitan Police Department statistics. Two dozen of those killings have taken place since Trump deployed the national guard to the streets of the nation’s capital and seized control of the city’s police force on 11 August. The first of those murders took place on the first night of federal control. The names of the victims are not included in the statistical rundowns, but here, from the local police website, are the names of 21 of the people killed since then, whose deaths Trump ignores every time he repeats his lie that no one has been murdered in Washington DC on his watch. Tymark Wells, fatally shot, 1200 block of 12th Street NW, 11 August; Mignon Brown-Massey, fatally shot, 3300 block of 15th Street NE, 13 August; Franck Foute Mohdjiom, fatally shot, 300 block of Anacostia Road SE, 26 August; Francois Adkins, fatally shot, 2300 block of 14th Street NE, 1 September; Najii Mercer, fatally shot, 2600 block of Birney Place SE, 7 September; Jermaine Foster Jr, fatally stabbed, 2000 block of 14th Street NW, 13 September; Devell Wade, fatally stabbed, 200 block of Carroll Street NW, 15 September; Pamela Botts, fatally stabbed, 2100 block of 32nd Place SE, 21 September; Jermaine Durbin, fatally shot, 2300 block of Washington Place NE, 3 October; Jerome Myles, fatally shot, 1400 block of Clifton Street NW, 4 October; Maurisha Singletary, fatally shot, 4000 block of Minnesota Avenue NE, 5 October; Simon Getachew, fatally shot, 3800 block of 9th Street SE, 12 October; Timothy Sistrunk, fatally stabbed, 1600 block of Benning Road NE, 16 October; Eric Jones, fatally shot, 3200 block of 15th Place SE, 18 October; Jermaine McGee-Holmes,fatally shot, 3200 block of Hiatt Place NW, 25 October; Richard Walker, fatally shot, 3000 block of P Street SE, 2 November; Lowell Trueheart, fatally shot, 3500 block of Minnesota Avenue SE, 4 November; Tristan Johnson, fatally shot, 1900 block of C Street SE, 8 November; Jayla Vaden, fatally shot, 3300 block of 14th Place SE, 8 November; Contee Cross, fatally stabbed, 1300 block of Morris Road SE, 8 November; Tyrone Kearney, fatally shot, 1200 block of Valley Avenue SE, 19 November. Updated at 12.56am GMT 11.34pm GMT Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told a senior Kremlin official last month that achieving peace in Ukraine would require Russia gaining control of Donetsk and potentially a separate territorial exchange, according to a recording of their conversation obtained by Bloomberg. In the 14 October phone call with Yuri Ushakov, the top foreign policy aide to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, Witkoff said he believed the land concessions were necessary all while advising Ushakov to congratulate Trump and frame discussions more optimistically. “Now, me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere,” Witkoff told Ushakov during the five-minute conversation, according to Bloomberg’s transcript. “But I’m saying instead of talking like that, let’s talk more hopefully because I think we’re going to get to a deal here.” Related: Trump envoy reportedly told Kremlin official that Ukraine must cede land for peace deal 11.17pm GMT Eric Swalwell sues 'Little Trump', Bill Pulte, for abusing his office to drum up mortgage fraud charges against Democrats Eric Swalwell, a Democratic congressman from California who is running for governor largely on his record as an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, filed a civil lawsuit on Tuesday claiming that Trump’s Federal Housing Finance Agency director, Bill Pulte, abused his power to retaliate against the president’s political opponents, including Swalwell. The suit alleges: Pulte has abused his position by scouring databases at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—two government-sponsored enterprises—for the private mortgage records of several prominent Democrats. He then used those records to concoct fanciful allegations of mortgage fraud, which he referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution. The target of his most recent criminal referral is Plaintiff Eric Swalwell—one of the President’s most vocal and visible critics in Congress. “Director Pulte has combed through private records of political opponents. To silence them,” Swalwell said in a statement. “There’s a reason the First Amendment — the freedom of speech — comes before all others. As George Orwell said, ‘If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.’” Pulte, who is reportedly known to those around the president as “Little Trump”, recently accused Swalwell of mortgage fraud and made a criminal referral to the justice department. Swalwell denies the allegation. As Swalwell’s suit notes, Pulte has made similar allegations this year against New York’s attorney general, Letitia James; a Democratic senator from California, Adam Schiff; and Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor appointed by the former Democratic president Joe Biden. All of the officials have denied wrongdoing. 10.25pm GMT Hegseth orders US Navy secretary to investigate Arizona senator Mark Kelly for 'potentially unlawful comments' in video Donald Trump’s defense secretary, the former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, escalated his attack on Arizona senator Mark Kelly on Tuesday by ordering the secretary of the US Navy, former Trump donor John Phelan, to investigate “potentially unlawful comments” made by Kelly in a social media video. In the video, Kelly, a retired Navy captain and astronaut, joined five other Democratic lawmakers with military and intelligence backgrounds in reminding serving soldiers and intelligence officers that they have the right to refuse unlawful orders. The video, posted on 18 November, came as many Democrats have questioned the legality of US military strikes on suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean and Trump’s ongoing effort to deploy soldiers in support of immigration sweeps in states run by Democrats. Hegseth’s order came in the form of a memorandum to Phelan, the founder of private investment firm with no prior military experience, posted on a Pentagon social media channel. The memo asks Phelan to review Kelly’s comments in the video posted online last week and brief Hegseth on the outcome of his review no later than 10 December. A social media message to active-duty US military and intelligence officers from six Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds. Hegseth’s memo comes after conservative media, including his former employer, stirred Republican outrage over the video message from the Democrats, who all served in the military or intelligence services. The Democrats’ video was posted online the same day that the Senate passed the Epstein Transparency Act, requiring the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender who socialized with Donald Trump for more than 15 years. Rather than focus on the uproar over Epstein, Fox and other rightwing outlets devoted more attention to the video. The media uproar resulted in enraged social media messages from the president, an obsessive Fox viewer, including two calling for the execution of the Democratic lawmakers for simply reminding troops that they are not required to follow unlawful orders. Updated at 10.43pm GMT 10.01pm GMT Wisconsin supreme court orders review of state’s congressional maps before 2026 midterms Wisconsin’s elected supreme court issued two orders on Tuesday appointing a pair of three-judge panels to hear two lawsuits that argue the battleground state’s congressional maps must be redrawn before the 2026 elections because they unconstitutionally favor Republicans. The two lawsuits, filed in July by liberal law firms, come after failed attempts to redraw the state’s congressional districts, which are currently skewed in favor of Republicans, so that the closely divided state is currently represented in Congress by six Republicans and just two Democrats. The court’s minority conservative justices criticized the creation of the three-judge panels as a partisan ploy designed to benefit Democrats. It is unclear whether new districts could be ordered in time for the 2026 midterms as some Democrats want.Both of the pending redistricting cases in Wisconsin argue that the state’s congressional maps, first adopted in 2011, are an unconstitutional gerrymander favoring Republicans. Law firms that brought the pending cases in Wisconsin had argued over objections from Republicans that the cases should be heard by three-judge panels as required under a 2011 law passed by a Republican-controlled legislature and signed by a Republican governor, Scott Walker. Any decisions by those panels can be appealed to the Wisconsin supreme court, which is now controlled 4-3 by justices elected with the support of Democrats. 9.37pm GMT In a lengthy social media post, Donald Trump wrote on Thuesday that his attempt to hold on to the House through gerrymandering ahead of the 2026 midterms is not yet done. “It looks like the Indiana Senate Republicans will be coming back in two weeks to take up Redistricting,” Trump reported. He went on to threaten any state lawmakers who fail not support the effort to tilt the electoral map in Indiana more in favor of Republicans with primary challenges. “I am glad to hear the Indiana House is stepping up to do the right thing, and I hope the Senate finds the Votes. If they do, I will make sure that all of those people supporting me win their Primaries, and go on to Greatness but, if they don’t, I will partner with the incredibly powerful MAGA Grassroots Republicans to elect STRONG Republicans,” the president wrote on his social media platform. 9.02pm GMT Interior secretary announces new $250 annual fee for international tourists to visit US national parks Interior secretary Doug Burgum announced today the new cost of an annual national parks pass for international tourists. For US residents, the cost of a yearly pass (which grants access to 63 of America’s national parks) will stay at $80. But for those visiting, they’ll have to fork out $250. When visiting any of the 11 most visited parks, non-residents will also pay a new $100 per person fee (in addition to the usual entry fee). There will also be five extra “fee free days” for US residents. 8.43pm GMT DC mayor, Muriel Bowser, announces she won't seek re-election Washington DC’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, said today she would not seek re-election. Instead, she will finish out the remainder of her third term and leave office in January 2027. Bowser, once a vocal critic of Donald Trump, found herself complying when he returned to the White House in January, launched a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department, and deployed national guard troops to the district earlier this year. While critics blamed Bowser for acquiescing to the administration, supporters felt she exercised tactical soft-power given the legal limitations of leading the nation’s capital. In a video posted to social media, Bowser noted that her administration “brought our city back from the ravages of a global pandemic, and summoned our collective strength to stand tall against police who threaten our very autonomy while preserving home rule that is our North Star.” Bowser added that she’s “cherished the opportunity” to serve her hometown for 10 years, and has “happily given all my passion and energy to the job that I love”. Notably, she did not say which candidate she would endorse to succeed her. In September, I reported on how Bowser had to navigate her political summer stand-off with Trump. Related: ‘She doesn’t have the power to stop him’: DC mayor walks a tightrope with Trump 8.18pm GMT Donald Trump may have inadvertently pardoned any citizen who committed voter fraud in 2020 when he granted a pardon to Rudy Giuliani and other allies for their efforts to overturn the election, legal experts say. The pardons of Giuliani and others who participated in the fake elector scheme earlier this month were largely symbolic since the federal government dismissed its criminal cases once Trump was elected. Many of those pardoned have faced criminal charges at the state level. But, the federal pardon could wind up having a big effect on people like Matthew Alan Laiss, who is accused of voting in both Pennsylvania and Florida in the 2020 election. According to a federal indictment handed down in September, Laiss moved from Pennsylvania to Florida in August of 2020 and voted first with a mail-in ballot in Pennsylvania and then in person in Florida on election day. Both votes were for Trump, Laiss’ lawyers wrote in court documents. He has pleaded not guilty. The case is still in its early stages. Last week, Laiss’ lawyers, public defenders Katrina Young and Elizabeth Toplin, argued that the charges should be thrown out because Trump had pardoned him. They argued that Trump’s 7 November pardon was sweeping. It applies to any US citizen for conduct relating to the advice, creation, organization, execution, submission, support, voting, activities, participation in, or advocacy for or of any slate or proposed slate of presidential electors, whether or not recognized by any state or state official, in connection with the 2020 presidential election.” And while it lists a number of people the pardon specifically applies to, it also says the pardon is not limited to those named. That language is so broad, lawyers for Laiss wrote, it also applies to their client. Related: Trump may have inadvertently issued mass pardon for 2020 voter fraud, experts say 7.29pm GMT Elissa Slotkin, one of the two Democratic senators in the video to troops, said today she was aware that the FBI’s counterterrorism division “appeared to open an inquiry” into her. She wrote: The President directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place. He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet. He uses legal harassment as an intimidation tactic to scare people out of speaking up. A reminder that after the video was published online, Donald Trump accused the lawmakers of “seditious behavior, punishable by death” in a post on Truth Social. He also re-shared several comments from other users calling for the arrest, trial and execution of the Democratic members of Congress. For her part, Slotkin remained resolute today. “This isn’t just about a video,” she said in her statement. “This is not the America I know, and I’m not going to let this next step from the FBI stop me from speaking up for my country and our Constitution.” 7.17pm GMT 'We will not be bullied': House Democrats confirm FBI requests for interviews over video to troops Four Democratic members of the US House, who appeared in a video telling service members to “refuse illegal orders”, confirmed that the FBI has requested interviews with them. All of the lawmakers in the video are former members of the military or intelligence community. Today, the representatives issued statements, saying that Donald Trump is using the FBI “as a tool to intimidate and harass” them. “We swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. We will not be bullied. We will never give up the ship,” representatives Maggie Goodlander, Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, and Chris Deluzio wrote. Updated at 7.25pm GMT 7.00pm GMT Senior congressional Republican critiques possible peace plan to end war in Ukraine Mitch McConnell, the Republican senator from Kentucky and former majority leader, has critiqued a possible US co-authored peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, which might require land concessions. “The most basic reality on the ground is that the price of peace matters. A deal that rewards aggression wouldn’t be worth the paper it’s written on,” he lawmaker wrote in a post on X. “America isn’t a neutral arbiter, and we shouldn’t act like one.” Last week, McConnell said that Vladimir Putin has “spent the entire year trying to play President Trump for a fool”. He added that the president “ought to find new advisors” if administration officials are “more concerned with appeasing Putin than securing real peace”. In response, vice-president JD Vance said that every criticism of the peace deal “either misunderstands the framework or misstates some critical reality on the ground”. 6.27pm GMT Here's a recap of the day so far It’s almost 1:30pm in Washington, and here’s were things stand today. As he prepared to pardon two lucky turkeys, Waddle and Gobble, the president said he thought a peace deal on Russia’s war in Ukraine was getting very close but gave no other details. “We’re going to get there,” Donald Trump said. Earlier, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “tremendous progress” had been made towards a deal. In a post on X, she added that “a few delicate, but not insurmountable” details remain and “will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States”. The FBI has requested interviews with the six Democratic members of Congress who took part in a video where they told members of the military to “refuse illegal orders”, according to Reuters. Citing an unnamed justice department official, Reuters reports that the FBI is asking for interviews with senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, as well as House representatives Maggie Goodlander, Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, and Chris Deluzio. The FBI declined to comment when the Guardian reached out about the latest report. For his part, senator Kelly called the Pentagon’s announcement that it is investigating the him for possible breaches of military law for taking part in the video as an act of “intimidation”. In an interview with Rachel Maddow on MS NOW, Kelly added: “I don’t think there’s anything more patriotic than standing up for the constitution. And right here, right now, this week, the president clearly is not doing that.” Updated at 6.27pm GMT 5.42pm GMT Trump says getting 'very close' to deal on Ukraine In his remarks before the pardoning just then, Trump also said he thought a deal on Russia’s war in Ukraine was getting “very close” but gave no other details. “We’re going to get there,” he said. “I think we’re getting very close to a deal, we’ll find out … I think we’re making progress,” he added. My colleagues over on the Europe blog report that a short while ago Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready to move forward with a US-backed peace deal, and that he was prepared to discuss its sensitive points with Trump in talks he said should include European allies. In a speech to the ‘coalition of the willing’, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, the Ukrainian president urged European leaders to hash out a framework for deploying a “reassurance force” to Ukraine and to continue supporting Kyiv for as long as Moscow shows no willingness to end its war. Related: Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready to move forward with US plan and discuss ‘sensitive points’ with Trump - Europe live Updated at 5.46pm GMT 5.37pm GMT Gobble is officially pardoned. Along with Waddle, he’ll live out the rest of his days in North Carolina. Updated at 5.39pm GMT 5.33pm GMT Trump goes on to ramble about his views on crime in Chicago and how “we’re moving toward” the city, reiterating his desire to send in federal troops. He also issues an astonishing personal attack on Illinois governor JB Pritzker, calling him a “big fat slob”. 5.24pm GMT Trump jokes that when he first saw the pictures of Gobble and Waddle, he thought he should call them Chuck and Nancy (presumably referring to Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi). “But then I realised I wouldn’t be pardoning them, I would never pardon those two people,” he says. 5.20pm GMT Donald Trump is speaking now at the turkey pardon ceremony in the White House rose garden. Trump beings his comments joking that last year’s pardon was carried on by Joe Biden using an autopen and therefore isn’t valid. But don’t worry, Trump quickly adds that he’s tracked down Peach and Blossom, who were “on their way to be processed”, and pardoned them, so they won’t be served for Thanksgiving this year either. “We saved them in the nick of time,” Trump says. Gobble and Waddle are the lucky birds being spared this year, the latter of whom was yesterday let loose in the press briefing room. As well as meeting reporters, Waddle met Karoline Leavitt and her son, Niko. Updated at 5.26pm GMT 4.47pm GMT A quick note, the FBI declined to comment when the Guardian reached out about the latest reports that the bureau requested interviews with the six Democratic lawmakers who took part in last week’s video. 4.37pm GMT Earlier today, defense secretary Pete Hegseth said that that while the video Democrats’ posted “might seem harmless” to civilians, it “carries a different weight inside the military”. Hegseth said that because the video was ultimately a “a politically-motivated influence operation” as it never named a “specific” illegal order. “Vague rhetoric and ambiguity undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion,” Hegseth added in a post on X. “As veterans of various sorts, the Seditious Six knew exactly what they were doing.” 4.08pm GMT FBI requests interviews with Democratic lawmakers over video telling troops to 'refuse illegal orders'- reports The FBI has requested interviews with the six Democratic members of Congress who took part in a video where they told members of the military to “refuse illegal orders”, according to Reuters. As we’ve reported, the Pentagon said it was investigating one of the lawmakers, Arizona senator and former Navy captain Mark Kelly, for violating military law by appearing in the video. Kelly has called the DoD announcement an act of “intimidation”. Reuters, citing an unnamed justice department official, reports that the FBI is asking for interviews with Kelly and the other Democrats: senator Elissa Slotkin, and House representatives Maggie Goodlander, Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, and Chris Deluzio. The Guardian has reached out to the FBI for comment. 3.47pm GMT Talks between US army secretary Dan Driscoll and Russia delegates on a US plan to end the conflict with Ukraine are “going well,” his spokesperson said on Tuesday, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Lt Col Jeff Tolbert, Driscoll’s spokesperson, gave this update: Late Monday and throughout Tuesday, secretary Driscoll and team have been in discussions with the Russian delegation to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine. The talks are going well and we remain optimistic. 3.30pm GMT White House says 'tremendous progress' has been made towards peace deal but further talks between US, Russia, and Ukraine required The White House said today that the US has made “tremendous progress towards a peace deal” between Ukraine and Russia. In a post on X, press secretary Karoline Leavitt added that “a few delicate, but not insurmountable” details remain and “will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States”. 2.56pm GMT Ukraine supports 'essence of peace framework' after Geneva talks - report A Ukrainian official has told Reuters that Ukraine supports the “essence” of the peace deal’s framework after talks in Geneva concluded on Monday. The unnamed Ukrainian official added that the most sensitive issues of the framework are to be discussed between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump. My colleagues are covering the latest at our Europe live blog below. Related: Ukraine ‘supports essence of peace deal’ following Geneva talks, Ukrainian official reportedly says - Europe live 2.52pm GMT Republican congressman calls for 'common sense and restraint' after Pentagon announces investigation in senator Kelly Don Bacon, the outgoing Republican congressman from Nebraska, who has established himself as a more moderate voice within the GOP, said that the Pentagon’s investigation into senator Mark Kelly is evidence of “amateur hour” at the department. “I thought the video by six Dems was unnecessary and foolish. But the threats of sedition charges and courts martial in response are also crazy. Let’s show some common sense and restraint,” he said, referring to the president’s posts on Truth Social. 2.34pm GMT Senator Kelly says DoD investigation is 'about intimidation' and is 'almost comical' Senator Mark Kelly has responded to the Pentagon’s announcement that it is investigating the Arizona lawmaker for possible breaches of military law after he joined five other Democratic members of Congress in a video calling for US troops to refuse illegal orders. “I said something that was pretty simple and non controversial, and that was that members of the military should follow the law,” Kelly said in an MS NOW interview with Rachel on Monday. “And in response to that, Donald Trump said I should be executed.” A reminder, the president accused the Democrats who took part in the video of “seditious” behavior, adding it was “punishable by death” in a string of posts to Truth Social. “We wanted to just remind folks that they need to comply with the law and be reminded and also explain to members of the military that we have their backs, that we know what’s going on as part of our job, accountability over the federal government. And this is the response we get,” Kelly said. “I don’t think there’s anything more patriotic than standing up for the constitution. And right here, right now, this week, the president clearly is not doing that.” Kelly noted that he found out about the investigation via a post on social media. “This is about the media cycle, and it’s about intimidation, and whole thing’s almost comical,” he added. Updated at 2.36pm GMT 2.02pm GMT My colleagues, Amy Sedghi and Jakup Krupa, have been covering the latest developments out of Europe. They note that a short while ago, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on social media that his delegation returned from Geneva yesterday, and have updated the “framework” of the 28-point peace. “Communication with the American side continues, and I am grateful for all of America’s efforts and personally for President Trump’s efforts,” Zelenskyy wrote. Earlier, top Ukrainian official Rustem Umerov said that Zelenskyy hopes to visit the US “at the earliest suitable date in November to complete final steps and make a deal with President Trump”. Related: Ukraine ‘supports essence of peace deal’ following Geneva talks, Ukrainian official reportedly says - Europe live Updated at 2.03pm GMT 1.21pm GMT We’ll see the president and the first lady, Melania Trump, at noon ET, for the annual turkey pardoning. This year’s lucky birds are Gobble and Waddle. The pair of poultry are from North Carolina, and after they’re spared today, they’ll head back to the Tar-Heel state to live out the rest of their freedom. After Trump adds another feather to his cap (sorry in advance for any more puns today), and extends the power of the pardon to today’s turkeys, he’ll travel to Florida. He’s set to spend the Thanksgiving break at Mar-a-Lago. Updated at 1.43pm GMT 12.44pm GMT Rachel Leingang is a Midwest political correspondent for Guardian US In the days since the president said he would be ending a legal immigration status program for Somalis in Minnesota, local elected officials and community members said they will fight back. On Truth Social on Friday, Trump wrote that he would be “terminating, effective immediately” temporary protected status for Somalis in Minnesota. Trump wrote that Minnesota was a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity”. “Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!” he wrote. Community advocates said the rhetoric smearing all Somalis is inaccurate and puts them at risk. They worry about increased targeting for immigration enforcement and demonization of the Somali community. The move comes after several high-profile instances of fraud in state programs including by Somali residents, which rightwing media have amplified. A recent piece alleged these fraudulent activities meant Minnesota taxpayers were funding terrorist groups in Somalia. Minnesota’s Republican members of Congress then elevated that claim a letter seeking an investigation. You can read the full story here: Related: Minnesota officials and organizers gear up to fight Trump ending Somalis’ TPS 12.25pm GMT Japan’s prime minister Sanae Takaichi has told reporters that she received a call from Donald Trump right after he spoke with China’s President Xi Jinping. “President Trump told me that he and I are extremely good friends and that I should call him any time,” Takaichi, a hardline conservative, told journalists at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on Tuesday. Takaichi said Trump briefed her on his overnight phone call with Xi and the state of US-China relations. She said that she and Trump also discussed strengthening the Japan-US alliance and “development and challenges that the Indo-Pacific region is faced with.”“We confirmed the close coordination between Japan and the United States,” she said. Xi told Trump in a phone call on Monday that Taiwan’s return to China was an “integral part of the postwar international order” forged in the joint US-China fight against “fascism and militarism”, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary. Taiwan’s democratically elected government strongly rejects China’s stance. Japan, a US ally, and China are embroiled in a deepening row over Taiwan after Takaichi suggested that her country could potentially become militarily involved in the event of an attempted Chinese invasion of the self-governing island (you can read more about the tension in this useful explainer). Updated at 12.26pm GMT 11.44am GMT The US army secretary, Daniel Driscoll, is reportedly in the UAE for scheduled meetings with a Russian delegation to discuss the latest plan to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, a special US envoy, are believed not to be attending the meetings in Abu Dhabi. Driscoll was in Geneva over the weekend for emergency talks with the Ukrainian delegation after the initial draft plan, informed by Russian demands, was criticised by leaders in Kyiv and Europe as too favourable to Moscow. You can read all of the latest developments in our Europe live blog. Updated at 12.03pm GMT 11.18am GMT Trump begins process of designating Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist groups Donald Trump on Monday began the process of designating certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists, a move that would bring sanctions against one of the Arab world’s oldest and most influential Islamist movements. Trump signed an executive order directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio and treasury secretary Scott Bessent to submit a report on whether to designate any Muslim Brotherhood chapters, such as those in Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, according to a White House fact sheet. It orders the secretaries to move forward with any designations within 45 days of the report. The Trump administration has accused Muslim Brotherhood factions in those countries of supporting or encouraging violent attacks against Israel and US partners, or of providing material support to Palestinian militant group Hamas. “President Trump is confronting the Muslim Brotherhood’s transnational network, which fuels terrorism and destabilization campaigns against US interests and allies in the Middle East,” according to a White House fact sheet. The Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in the 1920s as an Islamic political movement to counter the spread of secular and nationalist ideas. It swiftly spread through Muslim countries, becoming a major player but often operating in secret. You can read the full story here: Related: Trump begins process of designating Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist groups 10.54am GMT Trump tells advisers he's planning to speak directly with Maduro - report According to a report from Axios, Donald Trump is planning to speak directly with Nicolás Maduro, even though the US designated the Venezuelan president as the head of a foreign terrorist organization on Monday. A US official said a date has not been set for the call, which is reportedly “in the planning stages”. Despite widespread doubts over its actual existence, the US yesterday designated the Cartel de los Soles (Spanish for Cartel of the Suns) as a foreign terrorist organisation – and claims it is headed by Maduro and senior figures in his government. The designation authorises Trump to impose fresh sanctions targeting Maduro’s assets and infrastructure. But as my colleague Tom Philips notes in this story, many suspect it is a pretext to overthrow Maduro who Trump tried, but failed, to topple during his first term. Since August, Trump has ordered a huge naval deployment off Venezuela’s northern coast and a series of deadly airstrikes on alleged narco-boats travelling the Caribbean Sea. Observers believe Monday’s decision could be the pretext for some kind of imminent US military intervention on Venezuela soil. “Nobody is planning to go in and shoot him or snatch him — at this point. I wouldn’t say never, but that’s not the plan right now,” one official told Axios. Venezuela has said the supposed Cartel de los Soles is “nonexistent” and dismissed Washington’s designation as “a despicable lie” designed to justify “an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela in the classic US regime-change format”. 10.25am GMT Prosecutors were alarmed when Lindsey Halligan, who had no prosecutorial experience and was the most junior lawyer on Donald Trump’s personal legal team, was sworn in as the interim US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia in September. She was installed as the top prosecutor in Virginia after her predecessor resisted pressure to file criminal charges against James Comey, who had an antagonistic relationship with Trump. Comey was fired by the president in 2017, during his first term in office, after leading an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. Days after being appointed, Halligan personally secured an indictment against Comey. The White House has stuck to its position that she was legally appointed and qualified for the job. She was among the lawyers who represented Trump in civil litigation after his Mar-a-Lago resort was raided in a search for classified documents. Before joining the White House, Halligan was an insurance lawyer in Florida. 10.01am GMT Attorney general vows to appeal dismissal of criminal cases against ex-FBI director Comey and NY attorney general James Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of US politics. A US judge has dismissed criminal charges against former FBI director James Comey and New York attorney general Letitia James, concluding that the prosecutor handling the cases was unlawfully appointed. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled that Lindsey Halligan, the Trump-installed prosecutor who secured the indictment against two of the president’s most noted adversaries, was illegally appointed to her position as US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia. The decision is a major win for Comey, who was charged with lying to Congress five years ago, and James, who was charged with mortgage fraud. Both denied any wrongdoing. The rulings are seen by some as a major setback to Donald Trump’s apparent attempts to punish his political rivals through the criminal justice system. The attorney general, Pam Bondi, said she will “take all available legal action, including an immediate appeal” after the judge dismissed the cases. After the ruling, Comey said he was grateful a prosecution “based on malevolence and incompetence” had ended, but suggested Trump could “come after” him again. Responding to Comey’s statement, Bondi told reporters that she was “not worried about someone who has been charged with a very serious crime,” adding that “his alleged actions were a betrayal of public trust.”