Attorney general pick joined Trump’s legal team in 2023 – there seems little doubt he would be prepared to carry out the president’s wishes

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Todd Blanche’s nomination to be permanently made the attorney general marks the apex of a gamble from a man who bet everything on representing Donald Trump and became one of his most steadfast and punishing enforcers.

Trump announced the news at the White House on Monday. The nomination will require Senate confirmation to become permanent.

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© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

President Trump on Monday formally nominated acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to fill the role permanently, tapping his former personal criminal defense attorney to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ). Blanche, previously the No. 2 at the DOJ, has led the department for the last two months after Trump fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi.…

Acting in the role since April, Blanche faces Senate confirmation after controversial DoJ moves

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Donald Trump nominated Todd Blanche to serve permanently as attorney general on Monday, lining up his former personal lawyer to be the country’s ⁠top ⁠law ⁠enforcement officer.

The US president suggested earlier this week that Blanche, who was appointed on an acting basis in April after the president fired Pam Bondi, was set to receive the nod. “He’s a very talented guy,” Trump told a podcast.

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© Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

© Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

© Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

President Trump on Monday called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to “immediately fire” Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to clear the way for Senate Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot. “Senate Majority Leader John Thune should…

The Kennedy Center officially dropped President Trump’s name from the performing venue as reflected by a set of invitations sent on Monday to guests at its annual awards ceremony set to take place later this month.  Bill Maher’s name was prominently featured on invitations as a recipient of the Mark Twain Award for American Humor. …

New York City is tightening security ahead of President Trump’s attendance of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. “Tonight is Game 3 of the NBA finals – an exciting time for New York City – and we want everyone to be able to enjoy the game…

Border Czar Tom Homan on Monday said New York City was about to see its largest deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in response to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent legislative package that provides residents with added protections from federal authorities.   “You are going to see more ICE agents than you have ever seen…

President dramatically raised cost of visa for highly skilled workers in executive order last year

A US judge has invalidated Donald Trump’s $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications, ruling it an unlawful tax that violated federal administrative law and the constitution.

US district judge Leo Sorokin in Boston issued the 42-page ruling in a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic state attorneys general challenging a fee Trump announced in September that dramatically raised the cost of obtaining H-1B visas.. The ruling vacated the sweeping fee, which was a 20-to-50 fold increase on existing rates, and the Trump administration is widely expected to appeal.

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© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

A federal judge over the weekend struck down a Trump administration effort to restrict tax credits for wind and solar energy. While the ruling is a win for renewable energy supporters, it comes less than a month before a key deadline to phase out the credits entirely under Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill,” so it’s unclear how wide-reaching the…

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday that it is seeking to strip the citizenship from 17 foreign-born Americans across the country accused of serious crimes, marking the latest move in the administration’s denaturalization push. Federal prosecutors filed denaturalization actions in various U.S. District Courts in what officials described as the largest denaturalization effort in…

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Sunday criticized President Trump for planning to attend Game 3 of the NBA finals in his hometown of New York, which shut down watch parties previously slated to occur outside of Madison Square Garden. “It already has been a vibe killer, because now the city has to shut down all the…

Tom Homan says he made Kathy Hochul promise after governor signed bill protecting New Yorkers against ICE

Donald Trump’s hardline border czar has again threatened to dispatch a surge of immigration agents to New York City, as the administration vows to press ahead with its controversial crackdown.

Tom Homan said on Monday that he has reviewed a plan to expand Immigration Enforcement and Customs (ICE) operations in New York and deploy “more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen” in the city.

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© Photograph: Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

© Photograph: Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

© Photograph: Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

President Trump on Monday evening will head into New York City to catch Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. Heightened security caused an abrupt change to the city’s watch party plans, forcing them into Bryant Park from outside Madison Square Garden. After a weekend of…

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• Trump nominates his ex-lawyer Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general

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Donald Trump on Monday posted on Truth Social that “Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting’” before claiming an hour later that Israel and Iran were “looking to do an immediate ceasefire” and that “final negotiations on peace” were under way.

While he did not provide any further details, AFP reports that Trump had called Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

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© Photograph: Getty Images

© Photograph: Getty Images

© Photograph: Getty Images

This live blog is now closed. For the latest, read more of our coverage on the Middle East conflict here.

Iranian media is reporting that there were no immediate casualties following apparent Israeli strikes on the Karun petrochemical plant in Mahshahr, a city in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province.

According to the Fars news agency, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they responded to what they described as an American-Israeli strike on the Iranian petrochemical site by launching a missile attack on a similar plant in the northern Israeli city of Haifa.

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© Photograph: Naama Stern/Reuters

© Photograph: Naama Stern/Reuters

© Photograph: Naama Stern/Reuters

David Rush, who was arrested in May, stole millions from US government through ‘special access program’, officials say

A former executive intelligence agent who is accused of stealing more than $40m in gold bars from the CIA reportedly created a fake spy program to siphon money, the latest on his fraudulent activity, the Washington Post first reported.

David Rush, who was a senior-level employee of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for 17 years, was arrested in May after FBI agents discovered Rush had taken 303 bullion bars, each about 2.2lbs, dozens of luxury watches, and more than $2m in foreign currency from his government office.

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© Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP

© Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP

© Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP