The Latest: Rubio will head to Qatar after meeting with Netanyahu in Israel
The U.S. State Department says Secretary of State Marco Rubio will head to Qatar after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. The visit announced Monday comes as the region is still reeling from Israel’s strike targeting Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha. The U.S. has sought to ease tensions between Israel and Qatar, two close American allies.
Netanyahu and Rubio stood shoulder-to-shoulder in Jerusalem and downplayed the furor that had, at least for a short time, taken the Trump administration aback. There were no signs of U.S. frustration or annoyance with Israel’s latest moves, although President Donald Trump had made clear his displeasure with Israel’s unilateral strike on Hamas in Qatar.
While speaking at a summit over Israel’s attack last week, Qatar’s ruling emir accused Israel of not caring about its hostages held in the Gaza Strip and instead only working to “ensure Gaza is no longer livable.”
Here's the latest:
Hegseth slips on name of his department
During the Memphis announcement, Hegseth referred to the DOD before pausing and saying DOW.
Trump has recently tried to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War, but apparently it will still take some getting used to for the Pentagon leader.
“I’m glad you made that correction,” Trump joked.
Tennessee governor thanks Trump for help
Unlike Democrats, Republican Gov. Bill Lee has welcomed federal intervention in his state. Trump announced Monday he was sending the National Guard into Memphis.
“When we come together, we can make significant change,” he said. Lee added that “I want to say thank you.”
Trump told Lee that “this will be your proudest moment.”
Trump says Chicago ‘probably next’ for federal intervention, floats St. Louis as another target
As he announced that he was sending the National Guard and other federal authorities into Memphis, Trump said that “we’re going to be doing Chicago probably next.”
The president has targeted that city for weeks, but has faced deep opposition from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and local officials to the proposed federal intervention. Still, Trump did not seemed to be deterred.
“Chicago is a great city,” Trump said Monday afternoon. “We’re going to make it great again very soon.”
He also hinted that other cities, such as St. Louis, could be next.
“We want to save these places,” he said.
Trump says he’s deploying the National Guard to Memphis
The president says he’s sending the National Guard into Memphis to combat crime.
Trump’s announcement Monday, which came during a visit to the Oval Office by Tennessee’s Republican governor, Bill Lee, came three days after Trump suggested that “Memphis is deeply troubled” and that, “We’re going to fix that just like we did Washington.”
Trump deployed National Guard troops to Washington last month and federalized the city’s police force in a crackdown he has since argued reduced crime. He said previously that Lee and city officials welcome the federal support.
Speculation had centered on Chicago as Trump’s next city to send in the National Guard and other federal authorities. But the administration has faced fierce resistance from Illinois’ Democratic governor, JB Pritzker, and the city’s Democratic leaders.
Trump says the US attacked another boat smuggling drugs
Trump said Monday that the U.S. military again targeted a boat smuggling drugs out of Venezuela, and that three people were killed in the strike.
The president’s announcement on social media comes two weeks after another U.S. military strike on a boat that the Trump administration says was smuggling drugs out of Venezuela, which killed 11 people.
JUST IN: Trump says the US again targeted a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, says 3 killed in strike
Kennedy’s vaccine committee plans to vote on COVID-19, hepatitis B and chickenpox shots
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisory committee meets this week, with votes expected on whether to change recommendations on shots against COVID-19, hepatitis B and chickenpox.
It isn’t clear what questions the committee plans to vote on. Officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to questions.
But some public health experts say they are worried that the votes will raise unwarranted new questions in parents’ minds about vaccines.
The committee meets Thursday and Friday in Atlanta.
Consensus on TikTok algorithm comes up in US-China talks
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the team that held trade talks with Chinese officials was “very focused on TikTok and making sure it was a deal that is fair for the Chinese” but also “completely respects U.S. national security concerns.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two sides came up with a framework deal during talks Monday in Spain on ownership of popular social video platform.
Wang Jingtao, deputy director of China’s Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, told reporters that there was consensus on authorization of “the use of intellectual property rights such as (TikTok’s) algorithm” — a main sticking point in the deal.
The sides also agreed on entrusting a partner with handling U.S. user data and content security, he said.
Rubio acknowledges no Russian agreement to stop fighting
Rubio says the drone incursions in Poland and Romania show that war escalates and is an example of why the Russia-Ukraine conflict needs to end.
Speaking to Fox News during a visit Monday to Jerusalem, Rubio said it takes both sides to agree to stop the fighting.
“And as you’ve said and as you’ve pointed out, we haven’t been able to get those kinds of results from the Russian side,” Rubio told Fox’s Gillian Turner.
He also gave no time frame for any further penalties that the Trump administration might impose on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We fully understand the sanctions that we have available to us, and at some point the president may decide to do that,” Rubio said.
Vance closes Kirk’s show with a call to confront the ‘truth’ of ‘far left’ violence
“We can come together in this country. I believe we must. But unity, real unity, can only be found after climbing the mountain of truth,” he said.
Vance said “this is not a both sides problem.”
He did not reference any recent attacks on Democrats, such as the killing of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, nor did he mention the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“Something has gone very wrong with a lunatic fringe — a minority, but a growing and powerful minority on the far left,” he said.
Vance said “our government will be working hard” to “bring real unity” to our country.
Rubio says some drug boats ‘need to get blown up’
The AP and others reported that a boat off Venezuela had turned around and was heading back to shore when it was struck by the U.S. military. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he doesn’t know if that’s accurate.
“What needs to start happening is some of these boats need to get blown up,” Rubio told Fox News on Monday. “We can’t live in a world where all of a sudden they do a U-turn and so we can’t touch them anymore.”
Rubio issues another warning to Maduro, cartels
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Trump will keep using the military to target drug cartels.
Speaking to Fox News during a visit to Jerusalem, Rubio reiterated that the U.S. doesn’t see Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as his country’s rightful leader but as the head of a drug cartel.
“We’re not going to have a cartel operating or masquerading as a government, operating in our own hemisphere,” Rubio said.
Following a military strike on a Venezuelan boat that the administration says was carrying drugs, the U.S.’s chief diplomat said Trump is “going to use the U.S. military and all the elements of American power to target cartels who are targeting America.”
Former federal prosecutor Maurene Comey sues over her firing
Comey sued the U.S. government on Monday over her abrupt July dismissal, saying it came without cause or notice and was unconstitutional.
The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court, where Comey had earned praise for her handling of major complex prosecutions, particularly in sexual abuse cases.
Comey, whose father is former FBI Director James Comey, became a rising star in her office for her work on the case against financier Jeffrey Epstein and his onetime girlfriend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and the recent trial of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Comey’s firing came a day after her supervisors asked her to take the lead on a major public corruption case and three months after she received her latest “outstanding” review, according to the lawsuit.
JUST IN: Former federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI director, sues over her firing from Justice Department
Stephen Miller turns sights on ‘vast domestic terror movement’
Vance welcomed Miller, a top White House adviser, as his first guest, and the conversation turned toward fighting what the vice president described as “festering violence on the far left.”
“With God as my witness, we’re going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle and destroy these networks,” Miller said.
Miller added that “it will happen, and we will do it in Charlie’s name.”
Vance used similar rhetoric in his own remarks, saying “we’re going to go after the NGO network that foments, facilitates and engages in violence.”
Law enforcement officials have said they believe the suspect accused of killing Kirk acted alone.
White House seeks an additional $58 million in security funding
The Trump administration said it’s asking Congress to increase funding for the U.S. Marshals Service and security for the Supreme Court.
The request sent to Congress for an additional $58 million comes in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
In its request, the Trump administration noted an increase in threats to public officials. The funding, if approved, would be available through September 2027.
Vance said he draws inspiration from Kirk
The vice president flew to Utah on Air Force Two to help transport Kirk’s casket to his home state of Arizona for burial.
During a conversation with Kirk’s widow, Vance said she told him that Kirk never raised his voice” and “was never cross or mean-spirited to her.”
Vance said he would aspire to that in his own life.
“I took from that moment that I needed to be a better husband and I needed to be a better father,” he said.
Vice President JD Vance opens Charlie Kirk’s streaming show
Sitting in his ceremonial office, the vice president said he was “filling in for somebody who cannot be filled in for, but I’ll do my best.”
Vance described Kirk as “a joyful warrior for our country.”
The White House played live video of the show on screens in the press briefing room.
Gabbard: Kirk’s death exposes a ‘darkness’ in America, shows need for unity
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says she’s experienced a “flood of emotion” following the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, who Gabbard called a friend and an inspiration to many Americans.
Speaking on Meghan McCain’s podcast on Monday, Gabbard said Kirk’s death shows there is a “darkness” in American politics. She urged Americans to seek unity and peace and to find ways to make their political points without violence or hate.
Kirk’s death should prompt Americans to ask “How can I use my life in service to God, to make a positive impact?” Gabbard said. “None of us knows when our time will come.”
Gabbard said she got to know Kirk in recent years as both became prominent names in conservative politics. She appeared at many events with Kirk and recalled him as an “incredibly kind” person. She said she valued his political insight and turned to him for his counsel.
“Charlie was one of the first people that I spoke to,” Gabbard said.
China says it will solve TikTok-related issues in a cooperative way
Following a two-day trade talk in Madrid, Li Chenggang, China’s international trade representative, said China and the United States have reached “basic framework consensus” to solve TikTok-related issues in a cooperative way, reduce investment barriers and promote related economic and trade cooperation, according to China’s official news agency Xinhua.
Li said the two sides had “candid, in-depth” discussions over TikTok and matters of concern to China during this trade talk. Details of the agreement are unknown, but Li said China would never seek any deal at the cost of principle, stance, business interests or global fairness and justice. He said China would “firmly” protect national interests and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and approve any “technology export” in accordance with the law.
At the same time, the Chinese government “fully respects the wishes of businesses” and supports the companies to conduct “equal business negotiations” on the basis of market principles.
Charlie Kirk vigil set for the US Capitol
House Speaker Mike Johnson will lead the memorial service Monday evening.
All lawmakers of Congress are being invited to attend the memorial at the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
Congressional leaders discuss enhanced security — on and off Capitol Hill
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told House Democrats — as well as their spouses and families — on a weekend conference call that he’s spoken to Speaker Mike Johnson about security measures for lawmakers.
They are discussing extending the enhanced security measures and funding that were put in place following the attacks on Minnesota lawmakers earlier this year. Those funds expire at the end of the month.
And Senate Majority Leader John Thune has invited security officials to brief senators at their private lunch Tuesday.
President Trump threatens to issue another emergency order in Washington, DC
The 1 a.m. Monday social media post appeared to be in response to the city’s mayor refusing to cooperate with immigration enforcement.
Trump suggested Mayor Muriel Bowser’s decision could allow crime to proliferate in the city, which he said he wouldn’t let happen.
“I’ll call a National Emergency, and Federalize, if necessary!!!”
The mayor’s office declined comment.
Trump’s emergency order for the nation’s capital, which federalized the police force and launched a law enforcement surge, expired on Sept. 11 after Congress did not renew it. The National Guard and other enforcement authorities remain deployed in the city.
Bowser said the city would continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement agencies after the order expires but ruled out cooperation with ICE.
Trump says the US should do away with quarterly earnings reports
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said securities regulators should stop requiring companies to issue financial reports every three months and instead switch to a six-month reporting period. The Securities and Exchange Commission has required publicly traded companies to report on a quarterly basis since 1970.
“This will save money, and allow managers to focus on properly running their companies,” Trump wrote.
Trump asked the SEC to examine the three- versus six-month reporting requirement during his first term. No change was made.
Last week, the Long Term Stock Exchange said it planned to petition the SEC to do away with the quarterly requirement. The San Francisco-based exchange lists companies focused on long-term goals.
▶ Read more about Trump and quarterly earnings reports
Little daylight between US and Israel evident as Rubio and Netanyahu meet
Israel and the United States showed a unified front Monday in the face of growing international anger over Israel’s airstrikes on Hamas leaders on Qatar and its intensifying bombardment of Gaza City.
As Arab and Muslim leaders met in Doha to condemn Israel’s attack last week in Qatar and new rounds of criticism were aired over Israeli plans to occupy Gaza City, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Rubio stood shoulder-to-shoulder in Jerusalem and downplayed the furor that had, at least for a short time, taken the Trump administration aback.
There were no signs of U.S. frustration or annoyance with Israel’s latest moves, although President Trump had made clear his displeasure with Israel’s unilateral strike on Hamas in Qatar, which is a close U.S. partner.
And, both Netanyahu and Rubio said they agreed that the only way to end the conflict in Gaza is through the elimination of Hamas and the release of all hostages, setting aside calls for an interim ceasefire in favor of an immediate end to the conflict.
▶ Read more about Rubio’s visit to Israel
King Charles III to deploy tiara diplomacy as UK prepares to welcome Trump for second state visit
Windsor Castle staff are setting the 50-meter-long (164-feet-long) mahogany table. Grooms are buffing the hooves of the horses that will pull the royal carriages. And the military honor guard is drilling to ensure every step lands with precision.
Throughout the halls and grounds of the almost 1,000-year-old castle west of London, hundreds of people are working to make sure King Charles III puts on the best show possible when he welcomes President Trump for his historic second state visit this week.
The visit, featuring glittering tiaras, brass bands and a sumptuous banquet served on 200-year-old silver, is a display of the pomp and ceremony that Britain does like no one else. But it’s a spectacle with a purpose: to bolster ties with one of the world’s most powerful men at a time when his America First policies are roiling longstanding trade and security relationships.
▶ Read more about British preparations for Trump’s visit
Trump suggests a deal has been reached on TikTok’s future
Trump posted on his social media site that a meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials went well and that a deal was reached regarding “a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save.” His comment suggested the company is TikTok, the social media company associated with China that U.S. law requires to be sold or else cease operations.
The U.S. president didn’t provide any details on the deal, only that younger Americans “will be very happy!”
He also said he would be speaking Friday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Trump credits TikTok with helping him to win the 2024 presidential election.
Trump turns his attention to football
The president complained about a recent change to kickoff rules that are intended to reduce injuries during high-speed, high-impact punt returns.
The rule, which started last season and was made permanent for this one, places the opposing teams closer together, among other changes.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that it’s “ridiculous looking.”
“The ball is moving, and the players are not, the exact opposite of what football is all about. ‘Sissy’ football is bad for America, and bad for the NFL!”
Trump has made sporting events an integral part of his presidency — he attended a Yankees baseball game last week — and often views them as another arena for fighting “woke” politics. For example, he threatened to block a new stadium for the Washington Commanders if they don’t restore the name Redskins, which was considered offensive to Native Americans.
Vance to host Charlie Kirk’s show
The vice president was close to the assassinated conservative activist, and on Monday he’ll serve as a substitute host for his talk show. It’s scheduled to start at noon on Rumble, a streaming platform.
“Please join me as I pay tribute to my friend,” Vance wrote on social media.
The post showed a microphone set up in the vice president’s ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is adjacent to the White House.
More Stories
The Latest
