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House Republicans approve $70bn bill for Trump’s immigration crackdown

Secure America Act passes largely along party lines in 214-212 vote, ending months-long standoff with Democrats

House Republicans on Tuesday approved a $70bn bill funding through the duration of his term the agencies leading Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants, ending a months-long standoff with Democrats that at one point forced the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to shutter.

The Secure America Act passed in a 214-212 vote that was largely along party lines, with Kevin Kiley, an independent who aligns with the Republicans, joining all Democrats in voting no. The Senate approved the measure last week, which allocates $38bn to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), $26bn to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and $5bn more to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through September 2029. The legislation now awaits Trump’s signature.

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© Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

© Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

© Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

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Republican-led House narrowly passes Trump’s $70bn bill to fund DHS and ICE – as it happened

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Vice-president JD Vance has added a chicken coop to his residence at the US Naval Observatory, the Daily Wire reports, along with a dozen baby chicks whose new henhouse is designed to look like the Victorian home where the second family lives.

The coop was built without taxpayer money, a person familiar with the project told the Associated Press. The residence hosted a family event over the weekend where local 4-H students taught other kids about the newly installed coup, the person said.

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© Photograph: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

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Ken Paxton’s ex-lawyer endorses rival James Talarico in Texas Senate race

Attorney Dan Cogdell backs Paxton’s Democratic opponent and says the Republican is too focused on appeasing Trump

A lawyer who represented Ken Paxton, Texas’s attorney general, for nearly a decade over accusations of corruption and securities fraud is supporting Democrat James Talarico – and not his former client – in one of the biggest US Senate races.

Talarico on Monday drew attention to his campaign winning the endorsement of Houston attorney Dan Cogdell, who was part of Paxton’s defense team during the Republican’s historic impeachment trial in 2023 that ended in acquittal.

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© Photograph: Joel Angel Juarez/Reuters

© Photograph: Joel Angel Juarez/Reuters

© Photograph: Joel Angel Juarez/Reuters

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Nithya Raman: progressive who bested Spencer Pratt eyes Hollywood ending

Raman shook up LA mayoral race by entering hours before the deadline – now she faces her one-time political ally

On election night, Nithya Raman seemed as if she was prepared to lose the second spot in the Los Angeles mayoral race to the reality TV star Spencer Pratt, whose viral campaign appeared on track to upend the contest.

“Many thousands of votes will be counted in the days ahead, and we may not get an answer we like. But regardless of what happens next, nobody can take away what all of us have built together,” Raman, a progressive Democrat who sits on the LA city council, told her supporters.

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© Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

© Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

© Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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Nithya Raman leads Spencer Pratt in LA mayor’s race as vote-counting continues

Progressive and former reality TV star have been battling for the number two spot to face off against Karen Bass

Nithya Raman, the progressive Los Angeles city councillor, appeared to be edging out Spencer Pratt in the LA mayoral race challenging Karen Bass as Donald Trump continues to repeat falsehoods that California elections are “rigged”.

The pair have been battling for the number two spot to face off against the incumbent, who already secured enough votes to advance to a runoff in November. Pratt, a former reality TV star, held a lead over Raman for days, but as ballot processing from last week’s election continued, the city councillor has pulled ahead.

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© Photograph: Chris Torres/EPA

© Photograph: Chris Torres/EPA

© Photograph: Chris Torres/EPA

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Adam Schiff calls for Senate to ‘vigorously oppose’ Trump’s effort to make Todd Blanche his permanent attorney general – as it happened

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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

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Maine voters head to polls on Tuesday for closely watched primary election

All eyes on US Senate race as Graham Platner, embroiled in controversy, is set to advance as Democratic nominee

Voters in Maine head to the polls on Tuesday for one of the most closely watched primary elections in the country. The US Senate race has become a national fixation as Democrats try to unseat a longtime Republican with a political newcomer who has spent months under fire.

Graham Platner, 41, is set to advance as the Democratic nominee for the Senate, after his primary rival – the state’s two-term governor, Janet Mills – suspended her campaign in April. The primary result will likely set up a months-long run-up between Platner, an oysterman and marine veteran with a groundswell of popularity and a mounting list of scandals, and Susan Collins, a 73-year-old Republican senator who has held the seat for nearly three decades.

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© Photograph: Amanda Sabga/Reuters

© Photograph: Amanda Sabga/Reuters

© Photograph: Amanda Sabga/Reuters

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Bob Packwood, senator who resigned amid sexual misconduct scandal, dies aged 93

The moderate Republican, an advocate of abortion rights, resigned in 1995 amid accusations of sexual harassment

Former US senator Bob Packwood, a moderate Oregon Republican whose reputation as a champion of abortion and women’s rights was spoiled at the end of his career by allegations of sexual harassment, has died. He was 93.

Packwood’s death on Saturday was announced in an obituary sent to media outlets by his family.

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© Photograph: Jack Smith/AP

© Photograph: Jack Smith/AP

© Photograph: Jack Smith/AP

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