10.40pm BST
NY AG Letitia James on her indictment: a 'desperate weaponization of our justice system'
New York state attorney general Letitia James sent out this statement on the news that she has been indicted by a federal grand jury for bank fraud after one of Trump’s US attorneys, Lindsey Halligan, personally presented the case to the grand jury.
She also posted a video of her statement on X:
This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.I am not fearful — I am fearless. We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights. pic.twitter.com/X9U0EsHuGM— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) October 9, 2025
“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system. He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State Attorney General.
“These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost. The president’s actions are a grave violation of our Constitutional order and have drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties.
“His decision to fire a United States Attorney who refused to bring charges against me – and replace them with someone who is blindly loyal not to the law, but to the president – is antithetical to the bedrock principles of our country. This is the time for leaders on both sides of the aisle to speak out against this blatant perversion of our system of justice.
“I stand strongly behind my office’s litigation against the Trump Organization. We conducted a two-year investigation based on the facts and evidence – not politics. Judges have upheld the trial court’s finding that Donald Trump, his company, and his two sons are liable for fraud.
“I am a proud woman of faith, and I know that faith and fear cannot share the same space. And so today I am not fearful, I am fearless, and as my faith teaches me, no weapon formed against me shall prosper. We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights. And I will continue to do my job.”
Updated at 10.43pm BST
10.02pm BST
A look back at the history between Donald Trump and Letitia James
Letitia James fixated on Donald Trump as she campaigned for New York attorney general, branding the then-president a “con man” and ″carnival barker” and pledging to shine a “bright light into every dark corner of his real estate dealings,” the Associated Press reported in 2023.
That year, James appeared to be on the verged of disrupting Trump’s real estate empire after a judge ruled Tuesday that he defrauded banks, insurers and others by exaggerating the value of assets on paperwork used for deals and securing loans.
Her civil fraud lawsuit against Trump was not her only legal battle against a powerful and prominent opponent:
In 2021, James oversaw an investigation of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who had been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment. The inquiry led to a remarkable downfall for the once-rising star in the Democratic party. Lawyers hired by James concluded that 11 women were telling the truth when they said Cuomo touched them inappropriately, commented on their appearance or made suggestive comments about their sex lives. Cuomo alleged that James used the investigation to further her own political aspirations.
James also led a lawsuit against the National Rifle Association in a case that accuses its leaders of financial mismanagement, which led to the resignation of powerful NRA leader Wayne LaPierre
Updated at 10.05pm BST
9.49pm BST
Video made public in 2023 showed Donald Trump personally answering questions from New York attorney general Letitia James in the civil fraud case she brought against him, and pleading the fifth more than 400 times.
Now, James, one of the attorneys who succeeded in holding Trump legally accountable for his behavior, has been indicted for bank fraud by a federal grand jury, in what appears to be president’s latest effort to weaponize the federal Department of Justice to punish his political rivals.
Related: Trump pleaded the fifth more than 400 times in fraud deposition, video shows
Updated at 10.05pm BST
9.42pm BST
Here’s more background on Letitia James, the New York state attorney general who went after Trump, and has now been indicted by Trump administration-appointed federal prosecutors.
James filed a civil fraud lawsuit against Trump in 2022, which alleged that he inflated his net worth by billions of dollars on his financial statements and habitually misled banks and others about the value of prized assets, including golf courses, hotels, the Trump Tower skyscraper in Manhattan and his Mar-a-Lago estate in south Florida.
In 2024, she won what she called a “tremendous victory” in the case, saying “Donald Trump is finally facing accountability for his lying, cheating and staggering fraud. Because no matter how big, rich or powerful you think you are, no one is above the law.”
Judge Arthur Engoron ruled last year that James had proved Trump engaged in a years-long conspiracy with executives at his company to deceive banks and insurers.
Engoron ordered Trump to pay $355m – payback of what the judge deemed “ill-gotten gains” from his puffed-up financial statements. That amount soared to more than $515m, including interest, by the time an appellate court ruled this year that the judgment was “excessive.”
Related: Letitia James: the New York state attorney general who brought down the Trump Organization
Updated at 10.05pm BST
9.26pm BST
Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday night that Israel and Hamas had agreed the first phase of a new ceasefire deal in Gaza. We’ve been here before, but is it different this time? Has Trump proved the doubters wrong?
Jonathan Freedland speaks to Julian Borger about the prospect for peace in the Middle East and the US president’s role in getting to this point
9.07pm BST
Trump confirms Middle East trip for Sunday, says that no one will be forced to leave Gaza
The president also confirmed that he’ll head to the Middle East “sometime Sunday”.
“Everybody I see is celebrating in Israel, but they’re celebrating in many other countries too. A lot of the Muslim and Arab countries, they’re celebrating,” he added.
In response to a reporter’s question, Donald Trump also said that no one would be forced to leave Gaza as it’s being rebuilt. “It’s just the opposite. This is a great plan. This is a great peace plan,” he said. “We’re not looking to do that at all.”
8.54pm BST
Trump chides Spain for 'lagging' on defense spending, suggests expulsion from Nato
The president has called out Spain for not paying five per cent on defense spending that Donald Trump has urged.
Spain is currently the only Nato member who has refused to pay more of its GDP on defense.
"We had one laggard. It was Spain,” Trump said. “You have to call them and find why are they a laggard … they have no excuse not to do this. But that’s all right, maybe you should throw them Nato.”
8.41pm BST
Trump said that he thought that brokering an end to the war in Ukraine would have been “one of the easier ones”, but is confident that a ceasefire will be on the horizon “hopefully soon”.
“I think Russia is actually right now, both economically and militarily, not in a very strong place,” Stubb added, praising Donald Trump for pushing European allies to boycott sales of Russian oil and gas.
8.37pm BST
Donald Trump and Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb, are meeting now in the Oval Office. Stubb congratulated Trump on the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
If someone would have said a few weeks back that you and your team are able to push us to a position where there will be a cease fire, an exchange of prisoners, hostages, and then a pullback, I would not have believed it, but it’s this is what diplomacy is at its best.
8.31pm BST
Here's a recap of the day so far
The Senate has rejected, for the seventh time, a House-passed bill to keep the government funded until 21 November – leaving no end in sight for shutdown as it enters its ninth day. The continuing resolution failed to pass the 60-vote threshold to advance. The upper chamber also failed to pass a Democratic alternative, replete with several health care provisions. Congressional lawmakers from both sides of the aisle continue to trade barbs, blaming the other party for the lapse in government funding.
At his eight cabinet meeting, Donald Trump took a victory lap following the agreement of the first phase of a ceasefire deal by Israel and Hamas. The meeting lasted just over an hour, and the president said that the Gaza hostages should be released on Monday or Tuesday and that he hopes to attend a signing ceremony in Egypt. Trump also said that he had agreed to speak at the Knesset on his upcoming trip to the Middle East.
Two federal courts heard arguments over the Trump administration’s deployment of national guard troops to Democratic-run cities. A three-panel judge on the ninth circuit court of appeals wrapped a hearing to decide whether to allow the president’s deployment of national guard troops to Portland, Oregon. Last week a lower court judge blocked the administration from federalizing troops. Meanwhile, in Chicago, April Perry, a district court judge, held a hearing in a very similar case, after protests erupted outside immigration facilities throughout the city and Trump deployed hundreds of national guard officers from Illinois and Texas to Chicago. After closing arguments, Perry asked lawyers to be back at the court in a few hours.
Meanwhile, Trump’s homeland security secretary said that the department is buying buildings in Chicago and Portland where agents can operate. “We’re going to not back off,” Kristi Noem said at today’s cabinet meeting. “In fact, we’re doubling down, and we’re going to be in more parts of Chicago in response to the people there.”
8.09pm BST
The president of Finland, Alexander Stubb, has arrived at the White House. Donald Trump will hold a bilateral meeting with the Finnish leader shortly.
8.01pm BST
Judge Perry has called a recess and has asked the lawyers representing Illinois and the administration to be back in the courtroom by 5:30pm EST. We’ll bring you more as it happens.
7.38pm BST
Federal judge in Chicago hears arguments on deployment of national guard
Meanwhile, in the midwest, a federal judge is hearing arguments in a very similar case in Chicago.
Judge April Perry, a Biden appointee, will deliberate on whether to block the president’s deployment of troops to the windy city as protests outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) facilities continue.
Earlier this week, she declined to issue a temporary restraining order after the state of Illinois filed a lawsuit against the administration, instead she gave the federal government two days to respond and scheduled today’s hearing.
We’re not sure when Perry will issue her ruling, but as we’ve been reporting, hundreds of national guard troop from Illinois and Texas arrived in Chicago this week and have stayed put.
7.26pm BST
House-passed funding bill fails to pass the Senate for seventh time
The Senate has rejected, for the seventh time, a House-passed bill to keep the government funded until 21 November – leaving no end in sight for shutdown as it enters its ninth day.
The upper chamber voted 54-55 on the funding extension, failing to meet the 60-vote threshold, with the same three Democratic and Independent senators voting “yes” and breaking ranks with the party.
Republican senator Rand Paul, of Kentucky, continued to vote “no”, while senator Ted Cruz, of Texas, did not vote.
7.06pm BST
Per my last post, it’s worth remembering that this case is now at the appellate court after the administration appealed the decision by a Trump-appointed lower court judge, Karin Immergut. Last week, Immergut blocked the president from federalizing and deploying the national guard, saying the president’s reasoning was “simply untethered from the facts”.
6.57pm BST
Appeals court deliberates Trump's deployment of national guard troops to Portland, Oregon
A short while ago, a three-judge panel on the ninth circuit court of appeals wrapped a hearing to decide whether to allow Donald Trump’s deployment of national guard troops to Portland, Oregon.
A reminder that late Wednesday, the appeals court ruled that the troops could stay federalized, but stopped short of saying Trump had the power to deploy them.
Today, the judges, two of whom were nominated by Trump, heard arguments from Oregon officials who say that the White House has completely mischaracterized and exaggerated the protests outside an immigration in Portland as a “rebellion”, in an attempt to legally justify its use of the military. Meanwhile, lawyers for the administration have described the scenes as lawless and uncontrolled.
6.30pm BST
Today’s cabinet meeting was dramatically shorter than the president’s last one, which he held in August. That went on for more than three hours, whereas today’s came in just over an hour.
6.28pm BST
Administration will be able to help farmers once shutdown is over, says agriculture secretary
During the president’s cabinet meeting, Brooke Rollins, Trump’s agriculture secretary, said that “we’ve got to get the government reopened” so that the administration can begin to help America’s farmers. She insisted, however, that they aren’t just struggling because of the steep retaliatory tariffs imposed by China, amid the ongoing trade war that kicked off when Trump returned to the White House this year.
Instead, Rollins blamed the previous administration. “We inherited a slew of issues,” the agriculture secretary said, listing the increase in cost of labor and goods that farmers need under Joe Biden. “We have to change this hamster wheel of government. We’ve got to ensure that the farmers have the market to sell.”
Updated at 6.32pm BST
6.10pm BST
Trump says that Netenyahu is 'more popular than five days ago'
The president has said that Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netenyahu, is “much more popular today” than he was five days ago, when asked about his ability to stay in power following the first phase of the peace deal between Israel and Hamas.
5.55pm BST
Trump had “some extraordinary phone calls and meetings”, Rubio adds, that made the deal possible.
5.54pm BST
A turning point was Trump’s meeting with Arab and Muslim countries on the sidelines of the UN summit a few weeks ago, Rubio adds, to get those countries behind his plan.
Updated at 5.55pm BST
5.53pm BST
Secretary of state Marco Rubio credits Trump’s “forging of relationships” on previous trips to the Middle East with laying the foundation for the Israel-Hamas deal announced yesterday.
Updated at 5.54pm BST
5.49pm BST
Noem says homeland security department buying buildings in Chicago and Portland to operate from
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem says the department is “doubling down” by buying buildings in Chicago and Portland for immigration enforcement to operate out of.
“We’re purchasing more buildings in Chicago to operate out of. We’re going to not back off,” she says. “In fact, we’re doubling down, and we’re going to be in more parts of Chicago in response to the people there.”
“I was there a few days ago and looked at some facilities that we can deploy more law enforcement out of,” she says.
Noem adds that they’re also purchasing facilities in Portland.
Updated at 5.50pm BST
5.45pm BST
Trump again says he’ll be leaving “fairly soon” for the Middle East.
5.44pm BST
Trump says they’re going to Chicago and other cities “to restore law and order”.
5.36pm BST
Trump says administration is 'only' going to make permanent cuts to 'Democrat programs'
Trumps says that “we will be making cuts that are permanent and we’re only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you”.
“We’re only cutting Democrat programs,” he repeats. “We’ll be cutting some very popular Democrat programs that aren’t popular with Republicans, frankly, that’s the way it works.”
5.31pm BST
Senate again fails to advance Democratic stopgap funding bill
A quick break from the cabinet meeting to say that the Senate has once again rejected the Democratic stopgap funding bill on day nine of the government shutdown.
The upper chamber will now vote again on the GOP’s stopgap funding bill that would fund the government until late November.
A reminder that it needs 60 votes to advance, meaning Democrats would have to sign on.
Updated at 5.31pm BST
5.22pm BST
He says the attack on Iran was important to reaching a Gaza deal for its role in Tehran not having a nuclear weapon.
He adds that Iran wants to work on peace and the US will work with them.
5.20pm BST
Trump says that October 7th was “terrible” but also Hamas (read: Gaza) lost 70,000 people.
“That’s big retribution,” he says. “But at some point that whole thing has to stop. And we’re going to see to it.”
He adds that Gaza will slowly be “redone” and says many countries will be stepping up to get it done.
5.17pm BST
Trump says Gaza hostages should be released on Monday or Tuesday
Trump says the hostages still held in Gaza “should be released on Monday or Tuesday”.
He adds that securing them is a complicated process.
He reiterates that he’s going to “try and make a trip over there” to Egypt and that there will be an official signing, though he doesn’t give further details.
He says once again hat he believes the agreement will lead to “lasting peace”.
5.15pm BST
Trump signs 'Columbus Day' proclamation
Donald Trump’s cabinet meeting has kicked off with the signing of a “Columbus Day” proclamation.
Monday marks the day that is now also observed as Indigenous People’s Day, a counter-event to acknowledge the genocide, land theft and brutal treatment of indigenous people that followed Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the so-called New World.
But Trump’s proclamation casts the holiday squarely in its more traditional – and much contested – sense as a marker of “the innovation and explorer’s zeal that [Columbus] represented”.
Trump adds:
In other words, we’re calling it Columbus Day.
Many in the room break out into applause and somebody off camera says: “Yes, no more Indigineous People’s Day.”
4.53pm BST
Trump announces former housing secretary will receive presidential medal of freedom
Donald Trump announced that Dr Ben Carson, the former neurosurgeon who served as the president’s secretary for housing and urban development (HUD) during his first administration, will receive a presidential medal of freedom.
“He [Carson] is a true American Patriot who cares deeply for the people of our Country, and never stops working to protect and strengthen Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, for all,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Carson, who was recently sworn in as the national nutrition adviser at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), is now working closely with health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, and agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins, in his new role.
4.42pm BST
Turning Point USA announces Super Bowl half-time show counter programming
Turning Point USA (TPUSA), the conservative nonprofit founded by the late right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, announced that it will air the “All American Halftime Show” – counter programming to the main event, where Bad Bunny will perform.
TPUSA hasn’t yet confirmed the details or performers, or where viewers will be able to watch their alternative to the Super Bowl half-time show. The organization has published a form asking supporters to list their preferences for music genres.
The options begin with “anything in English”, a pointed remark at Bad Bunny, who performs in Spanish, and has angered many Republicans after he was selected to be the performer for the widely watched half-time show.
This week, House speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that it was “a terrible decision” to choose Bad Bunny, despite admitting to not knowing who he is.
“In my view you would have someone like Lee Greenwood, or role models doing it,” Johnson said, referring to the country singer best known for his song ‘God Bless the USA’.
4.10pm BST
Soon, we’ll hear from Donald Trump at his eighth cabinet meeting since he returned to office. We’ll bring you the latest lines as they come through.
3.54pm BST
Per my last post, members of the military stand to miss their next paycheck on 15 October if a funding bill isn’t passed, or lawmakers don’t pass a stand alone bill to ensure service members are paid during the shutdown.
3.51pm BST
Johnson sidesteps question about stand alone bill to keep military paid, blaming Democrats
When asked about passing a stand alone bill to keep members of the military paid, Johnson was evasive today, suggesting it was off the table. He added that separate legislation wouldn’t be needed if Senate Democrats advance the House-passed funding bill.
“We sent a totally clean document over there, because we’re operating in good faith,” Johnson said. “We put that bill on the floor, and the Republicans voted to pay the troops. TSA, agent, border patrol, air traffic control, everybody else. The Democrats voted no.”
Updated at 3.52pm BST
3.26pm BST
On ninth day of government shutdown, Johnson says Democrats are performing 'political theater'
As the government shutdown enters its ninth day, Mike Johnson continued to blame Democratic lawmakers for the lapse in funding.
“It’s political theater to them. They’ve reduced Americans pain to a political problem,” Johnson said, while chiding Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, for a remark he made in an interview with Punchbowl News. “He says, quote, ‘every day of the shutdown gets better for us’. What the heck is he talking about?”
Johnson noted that he spoke to Donald Trump on Wednesday night, following the news of the first phase of the peace deal in Gaza: “He and I both lament, we all do, this terrible situation that we’re in while we’re working to do all these positive things for the people and even settle conflicts around the world.”
Updated at 4.09pm BST
3.17pm BST
Johnson says initial phase of Gaza deal 'will achieve incredible results'
House speaker Mike Johnson is speaking at a press conference at the US Capitol, and spent his opening remarks praising the Trump administration for brokering the first phase of the Israel-Hamas peace deal, which includes the release of all Israeli hostages, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and the withdrawal of Israel’s military from the territory.
“He’s going to bring peace and security back to Israel and truly lay the foundation for a lasting peace in the Middle East,” Johnson said. “This is a goal and an objective that’s been stated by presidents and politicians and policymakers and people around the globe for generations. President Trump has the strength and the vision and the resolve to do it.”
Updated at 3.20pm BST
2.53pm BST
For Donald Trump, a peace deal – or even a durable ceasefire between Israel and Hamas – could be the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.
The details and sequencing of a deal to end Israel’s war in Gaza remain murky but the statement of purpose by both Israel and Hamas is meaningful. In agreeing to a deal with political backing from Arab states and other regional powers, this is the best chance for an end to the war since a ceasefire broke down in March, returning Gaza to a grinding war that has left nearly 68,000 people dead, most of them civilians.
Since March there have been rumblings of a deal but nothing that has come this close. The first phase of the peace plan, as Trump called it in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, is straightforward: the return of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a limited withdrawal by the Israeli military. But finding all the hostages, and managing an Israeli withdrawal, could be complicated.
In keeping with the tone of Trump’s presidency, hopes are expressed in hyperbole, with the president saying: “ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!”
There is so much left to be discussed. The 20-point peace plan proposed by the administration attempts to thread the needle between creating the conditions for a ceasefire and negotiating a lasting end to the war; the hard questions of Hamas’s future and whether the militant group will disarm, along with Israel’s vision for the future of Gaza, remain to be hammered out.
Read more of Andrew’s analysis here.
Related: A Gaza ceasefire deal could be Trump’s biggest diplomatic achievement – but the devil is in the detail
2.37pm BST
On that note, in a short while we’ll hear from Republican speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. He’ll hold a press conference at the Capitol at 10am EST on the ongoing shutdown.
2.35pm BST
As shutdown enters ninth day, top House Democrat says that party is 'completely aligned'
In an interview with CNN today, Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, said that “House and Senate Democrats have been completely aligned, and Senate Democrats continue to hold the line in a strong and principled way on behalf of the American people”.
The GOP-written stopgap funding bill failed, for the sixth time, to clear the upper chamber on Wednesday. Both parties continue to blame the other for the government shutdown.
Democrats have been resolute that health care provisions – including the extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies – must be part of any short-term funding patch, while Republicans want to pass a “clean” bill that keeps the government funded, as is, until 21 November.
“Isn’t it reasonable for working-class Americans, for middle class Americans, for everyday Americans who are facing the possibility of dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles … isn’t it reasonable for them to have a similar level of certainty in their lives,” Jeffries said.
Updated at 8.57pm BST
2.03pm BST
The president has spent much of Thursday morning thanking his allies on Truth social for praising his diplomatic efforts in Gaza.
“I would like to thank Republican Congressman Brian Mast, of Florida, for his brilliant words and analysis on the return of the Hostages, and Peace in the Middle East, this morning on Fox & Friends. Thank you Brian!!!,” Trump wrote in a post.
He went on to congratulate Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel: “He worked so hard, and did so much, to bring about Peace in the Middle East. He has very quickly become a Great Man. Thank you Mike!”
The president will likely take an extended victory lap at today’s cabinet meeting, which we’ll be covering as it happens.
1.36pm BST
A reminder that my colleagues are bringing you the latest developments, as more details emerge from the first phase of the peace plan in Gaza.
The Guardian’s William Christou is reporting from Israel, and notes that mood is “festive” in the Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square since the news broke that Israel and Hamas signed a deal which would see the 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza returned in 72 hours – with the remains of 28 repatriated as soon possible.
In return, nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli jails and Israeli troops would withdraw from 47% of the Gaza strip.
You can follow along here below.
Related: Gaza ceasefire plan live: Israel says it is preparing to pull back troops; living hostages could be released within days
1.11pm BST
We’ll hear from Donald Trump at 11am EST today, when he hosts a cabinet meeting at the White House. We can expect to hear more about the first phase of the peace plan, but also some more reaction to national guard troops deployed to Chicago.
The president’s last cabinet meeting went on for more than three hours … so we’re buckled in.
Later today, Trump will welcome Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb, to the White House. We’ll bring you the latest lines from that meeting if it opens up to the press.
In between both of those events in Washington, there will be two hearings in federal courts across the country, to determine if the president can deploy troops to Portland and Chicago.
Updated at 8.12pm BST
12.49pm BST
A group of Republicans in Pennsylvania are relaunching their efforts to unseat Congressman Scott Perry, the fervent Trump ally who represents the state’s 10th congressional district, according to plans first provided to the Guardian.
The “Republicans Against Perry” (Rap) group began in late 2023, backing the congressman’s Democratic opponent, Janelle Stelson, who ended up losing by less than two points in the 2024 election. Now, Rap is restarting their grassroots campaign on Thursday, which includes a slew of electronic billboards throughout the district.
With Republicans’ razor-thin margin in the House, the seat will be one to watch closely in the midterm elections. Politics PA called Perry’s seat the most vulnerable of the 2026 congressional races they are watching.
While Rap is backed by the WelcomePac, which focuses its support for Democratic candidates, the group is not throwing its weight behind any candidate challenging Perry just yet. “It’s premature to make a sort of final determination,” said Craig Snyder, a Pennsylvania-based Republican organizer who is running the campaign. “Our reason for being is to defeat Scott Perry, and if that does not happen in the primary, then we are very, very likely to support the Democratic nominee.”
Stelson, a former local news anchor, has announced her bid to run for office again. While Karen Dalton, a former Republican staff attorney in the Pennsylvania state house, has launched a primary challenge against Perry.
Perry, the four-term incumbent, is a member, and former chairman, of the House’s ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus. Following Joe Biden’s presidential victory in 2020, he maintained that the election was stolen, and in the lead-up to the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, Perry introduced Donald Trump to fellow election denier Jeffrey Clark, who was then a justice department official. Perry pushed for Clark’s appointment as acting attorney general to continue an effort to undermine the 2020 election results.
Related: Pennsylvania Republicans reignite bid to unseat Maga congressman
12.24pm BST
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that United States States secretary Marco Rubio called the Brazilian foreign minister Mauro Vieira on Wednesday following a call between Lula and President Donald Trump about tariffs.
In an interview with local radio station Piata FM, Lula said he was surprised about the outcome of the talk with Trump, in which he requested the removal of tariffs on Brazilian exports to the United States.
12.06pm BST
Hundreds of national guard troops remained in the Chicago area as city and Illinois officials awaited a judge’s decision to stop Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation’s third-largest city.
It was still unclear where specifically the Trump administration would send the troops who reported to an army training site south-west of Chicago, which was laden with extra fencing and tarps put up to block the public’s view of the facility late on Wednesday evening.
As they arrived this week, trucks marked Emergency Disaster Services pulled in and out, dropping off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were set up in rows.
“The federal government has not communicated with us in any way about their troop movements,” Illinois governor JB Pritzker told reporters. “I can’t believe I have to say ‘troop movements’ in an American city, but that is what we’re talking about here.”
Roughly 500 soldiers – 200 from the Texas national guard and 300 from the Illinois national guard – were mobilized to the city for an “initial period of 60 days”, according to statement issued from the US Northern Command, part of the defense department, which called the operation a “federal protection mission”.
Related: National guard remains in Chicago area as judge to rule on Trump deployment
11.55am BST
The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, on Wednesday compared antifa to MS-13, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamic State, calling the loosely affiliated network of antifascist street activists “just as dangerous” as designated terrorist organizations during a White House roundtable discussion.
“They are just as sophisticated as MS-13, as TDA [Tren de Aragua], as Isis, as Hezbollah, as Hamas, as all of them, they are just as dangerous,” Noem said. “They have an agenda to destroy us, just like the other terrorists we’ve dealt with for many, many years.”
The roundtable featured rightwing social media journalists such as Andy Ngo, Nick Sortor, Katie Daviscourt and others who cover leftwing protests.
Some of the groups Noem cited – Hamas, Hezbollah and Isis – are formally designated terrorist organizations that control territory, operate military wings, maintain command structures and have carried out mass casualty attacks including bombings, kidnappings and assassinations.
Extremism experts have long described antifa, by contrast, as having no centralized leadership, formal membership or organizational structure, and it has generally been described by federal law enforcement as a decentralized movement of activists who engage in protest activity, some of which has included property destruction and street violence.
The roundtable comes after Donald Trump signed an executive order in September designating antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization”.
Related: Kristi Noem compares antifa to MS-13, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamic State
11.35am BST
While Republican lawmakers lined up to praise Donald Trump on Wednesday for brokering a tentative deal on the “first phase” of an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the fighting in Gaza, and win the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, Palestinian American were more wary.
“President Trump is the peace president! Finally, the living nightmare the hostages have been forced to endure will end and Americans Itay and Omer can be laid to rest,” Joni Ernst, the Iowa senator wrote on social media, referring to Israeli hostages who died in captivity. The tentative agreement would ensure the return of living Israeli hostages, and the remains of those who have died in Gaza since 7 October 2021.
Bernie Moreno, the Ohio senator who introduced a resolution in June calling for Trump to be awarded the Nobel peace prize for bombing nuclear sites in Iran, said the announcement made this a “historic” day, “for the United States, Israel, and peace in the Middle East”.
“President Trump has once again delivered on his promise to achieve peace through strength. An incredible feat that will go down in history. NOBEL PEACE PRIZE!” Moreno added.
Brian Mast, a Florida representative who once served as a civilian volunteer in the Israeli military, and wore his old Israeli uniform to work in the aftermath of the 7 October 2021 Hamas-led attack, also praised Trump.
“President Trump just did what career diplomats never could – he brought the world closer than it’s ever been to peace in Gaza,” Mast, who chairs the House foreign affairs committee, wrote. “This deal only works if Hamas follows through. We don’t trust terrorists, we trust results.”
Related: Republican lawmakers praise Trump for Gaza deal as Palestinian Americans remain wary: ‘So much remains unclear’
11.08am BST
Donald Trump hailed what he said was a “great day” for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel and all surrounding nations, as well as the US.
“We thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!” he posted.
Hamas said on Thursday it had reached the agreement after talks on the proposal, confirming the deal includes an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave and a hostage-prisoner exchange.
Responding to the announcement, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said: “With God’s help, we will bring them all home.”
Related: ‘First phase’ of ceasefire deal to end war in Gaza agreed by Israel and Hamas
10.48am BST
National guard troops now protecting federal property in Chicago area, official says
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I’ll be bringing you all the latest news lines over the next few hours.
We start with the news that a small number of national guard troops has started protecting federal property in the Chicago area and assisting law enforcement in Memphis on Wednesday, according to officials.An “element” of 200 Texas Guard troops were working in the Chicago area, according to a spokesperson for the US Northern Command, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to discuss operational details that have not been made public.
The troops are in the city to protect US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) buildings and other federal facilities and law enforcement personnel, Northern Command said online.The troops, along with about 300 from Illinois, had arrived Tuesday at a US Army Reserve Center in Elwood, 55 miles southwest of Chicago. All 500 troops are under the Northern Command and have been activated for 60 days. The spokesperson wasn’t able to immediately offer details about how the troops were armed.It comes as Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the imprisonment of Brandon Johnson, Chicago’s mayor, and JB Pritzker, the Illinois governor, accusing them of failing to protect US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers.
“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday morning. “Governor Pritzker also!”
Both Johnson and Pritzker are Democrats. Trump’s remarks come as national guard troops have begun arriving in the Chicago area at the order of the Trump administration, despite objections from Illinois officials, including Pritzker and Johnson.
Read the full story here:
Related: Trump calls for jailing of Chicago mayor and Illinois governor as national guard arrives in city
In other developments:
Donald Trump announced that Hamas and Israel have agreed to a tentative deal to end the fighting in Gaza, and free Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
News of the Gaza agreement was praised by Republican lawmakers, who called on Trump to be awarded the Nobel Peace prize this week, but greeted with more trepidation by Palestinian Americans.
During White House event, Trump appeared not to recognize the term ‘Habeas Corpus’ and deferred to Kristi Noem, his homeland security secretary. In May, Noem gave a wildly inaccurate definition of the core legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people.
All of the witnesses who contributed testimony at the White House “antifa roundtable” hosted by the president on Wednesday were self-described independent journalists who might better be called partisan conservative social media influencers. The influencers cover leftwing protests in a highly political manner, more akin to opposition research than nonpartisan reporting.
Senate Republicans voted down a war powers resolution that would have checked Trump’s ability to use deadly military force against suspected drug smugglers after Democrats tried to counter the administration’s extraordinary use of the military to destroy boats in the Caribbean.
During the White House “antifa roundtable” on Wednesday, at least one wirness echoed Trump’s false claim that large numbers of people have been killed by left-wing radicals in Portland, Oregon. The correct number of killings by self-described “antifa” radicals in Portland is: one.
Updated at 3.38pm BST