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Trump threatens to halt trade with some countries unless the Federal Reserve lowers interest rates – US politics live

Trump appears to be picking up interest rate fight again with new Fed chief after long-running feud with previous incumbent

President Trump threatened in a social media post on Friday to stop trade with some countries unless the US Federal Reserve moves to cut interest rates.

Trump cited August’s strong jobs report as sufficient justification to lower rates, and warned that, if the central bank didn’t go along, he’d halt trade between the US and any nations with which it maintains a trade deficit.

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© Photograph: Costfoto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Costfoto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Costfoto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

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ICE officer who shot Venezuelan man in Minneapolis charged with lying to investigators

Julio Sosa-Celis, who was shot in the leg by Christian Castro and survived, was one of three people shot by federal immigration agents during Trump’s ‘Operation Metro Surge’

A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer has been indicted on charges of lying to investigators about the events leading up to the shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Minneapolis immigration crackdown earlier this year, according to multiple reports.

A source told the Associated Press that Christian Castro, the officer accused of shooting Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg in January, has been charged by US federal prosecutors with making false statements to federal investigators. He had been previously charged in state court.

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© Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

© Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

© Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

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Trump administration asks supreme court to intervene over judge’s ban on USPS mail-in voting restrictions – as it happened

This live blog is now closed.

Republican oversight chair James Comer has also weighed in on Leon Black not sitting for a deposition about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The billionaire financier, who has denied wrongdoing, filed suit against the oversight committee Thursday alleging the subpoenas were improper.

“It’s a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people. Our investigation is examining how the federal government for decades failed survivors of Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes and how Mr. Epstein sought to curry favor with influential individuals to avoid scrutiny,” Comer said in a statement. “Mr. Black’s testimony is crucial to our investigation as he was one of Mr. Epstein’s fee paying clients and has several nondisclosure agreements.”

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© Photograph: M Scott Brauer/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: M Scott Brauer/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: M Scott Brauer/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

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Epstein survivors urge billionaire Leon Black to cooperate with House panel

Black called on to comply with subpoenas and appear as required to clarify connections to convicted sex offender

More than a dozen survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse have called on the billionaire Leon Black to appear before the House oversight committee in order to clarify his connections to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.

In a letter released on Wednesday, the survivors urged Black to comply with congressional subpoenas ahead of Thursday’s deposition before the House oversight committee.

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© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

© Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

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Apple Maps renames Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ for US users after Trump order

Tech company submits to controversial Trump order to rename body of water amid US trade spat with Canada

Apple has renamed Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for US users of its Maps app, after an executive order from Donald Trump to change the name of the Great Lake amid his trade spat with Canada.

The Apple Maps app now displays the controversial new name for the lake, which sits between New York state and the Canadian province of Ontario, for users in the US. Apple users outside the country will still see the Lake Ontario name.

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© Composite: The Washington Post/ABACA/Shutterstock, Apple Maps

© Composite: The Washington Post/ABACA/Shutterstock, Apple Maps

© Composite: The Washington Post/ABACA/Shutterstock, Apple Maps

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Eight-year-old dies after contracting rare brain-eating amoeba in Louisiana

Lillian Smart of Ruston infected with fatal Naegleria fowleri, likely after swimming in Lake Claiborne, health officials say

An eight-year-old Louisiana girl has died after contracting a rare, typically fatal brain-eating amoeba after a swim in Lake Claiborne.

Lillian Smart, of Ruston, died on Saturday, one day after celebrating her birthday, her family announced in a public Facebook post on the “Love for Lillian” page.

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© Photograph: Love for Lillian Smart/Facebook

© Photograph: Love for Lillian Smart/Facebook

© Photograph: Love for Lillian Smart/Facebook

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Fast-moving wildfire in Reno, Nevada, forces thousands to evacuate homes

Human-caused Hawk fire covers more than 15,000 acres as blaze approaches University of Nevada campus in Reno

A fast-moving Nevada wildfire exploded to more than 15,000 acres (6,000 hectares) on Sunday, pushing from the Sierra foothills toward the center of Reno and urging nearly 90,000 residents to evacuate as flames threatened neighborhoods and reached the edge of the University of Nevada campus.

The Hawk fire’s “GO NOW” evacuation zone had expanded to the edge of the university campus as strong, gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation fueled the blaze, according to Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue in Reno. Of those urged to evacuate, 42,000 were under strict orders. An additional 45,000 people were in the evacuation warning zone, and encouraged to leave now and be prepared to stay away for several days to clear the roads for first-responders.

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© Photograph: Simon Jowitt/Reuters

© Photograph: Simon Jowitt/Reuters

© Photograph: Simon Jowitt/Reuters

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Iryna Zarutska’s family sues North Carolina city over her murder

Relatives of woman fatally stabbed on public transit allege death was preventable and Charlotte knew of violent crime issue

The family of Iryna Zarutska is suing Charlotte and a security company one year after the Ukrainian refugee was fatally stabbed onboard a light rail train in the North Carolina city.

A lawsuit filed on Friday in Charlotte’s Mecklenburg county superior court alleges Zarutska’s death was preventable. It also claims the city and the company that provides security for the Charlotte Area Transit System failed to put adequate protections in place despite knowing about violent crime on and around the municipal light rail line.

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© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

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Natalie Harp reportedly posted 150 pro-Trump tweets on day of Capitol riot

Devoted Trump aide flooded her now-disabled profile urging people to ‘never concede’ on 6 January 2021

The Donald Trump aide Natalie Harp flooded a since-disabled social media account with pro-Trump posts on the day that the president’s supporters attacked the US Capitol in early 2021, years before she went to work for him and developed an extraordinary close relationship with him, a new report has revealed.

CNN on Saturday reported that a deactivated account which Harp had on what is now known as X was packed with fiercely pro-Trump messages on the day of the January 6 Capitol attack in Washington DC, including posts repeating his lies that the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden toward the end of his first presidency, had been stolen from by fraudsters.

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© Photograph: Newscom/Alamy

© Photograph: Newscom/Alamy

© Photograph: Newscom/Alamy

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US supreme court lets Trump continue work on White House ballroom for now

Chief justice signs temporary order to permit work while court considers emergency appeal from administration

The US supreme court has allowed Donald Trump to continue construction of his controversial White House ballroom for now, temporarily pausing a lower court order that would halt much of the project.

Supreme court chief justice John Roberts signed a temporary order on Friday, permitting work to continue on the planned White House addition – a top priority of the president – while the court considers an emergency appeal from Trump’s administration.

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© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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