Key events<\/p>\n
Trump refuses to confirm that he privately endorsed JD Vance for 2028 presidential race<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Donald Trump refused to confirm a Washington Post report<\/a> that he told donors at a recent Oval Office meeting that they need to help his vice-president, JD Vance, win the 2028 presidential election.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, we need to elect JD,\u201d Trump reportedly told the donors two weeks ago, the Post reported.<\/p>\n \u201cMr President,\u201d a reporter asked, \u201cthere is a report that you told donors that they need to get JD Vance elected in 2028. Is that your official endorsement?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Trump answered.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard about it a little while ago,\u201d Trump continued, apparently referring to the report published on Thursday. \u201cI think he\u2019s great, but we\u2019re way too early to even be thinking about that.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump orders his administration to deny entry to foreigners coming to US ‘for the purpose of giving birth on American soil’<\/p>\n The two new executive orders on birthright citizenship signed by Donald Trump on Thursday, just five weeks ago after the US supreme court struck down<\/a> his previous order denying citizenship to the children of non-citizens, attempt to limit in two ways a right that has been enshrined in the constitution since the 14th amendment was ratified in 1868.<\/p>\n One order bars the entry<\/a> of foreigners allegedly traveling to the US \u201cfor the purpose of giving birth on American soil\u201d, without saying how, exactly, that determination is to be made. (It might be worth noting here that such a policy, had it been in effect in 2001, might well have prevented Folarin Balogun, who was born that year to a mother visiting New York from London, from being born a US citizen and going on to represent the US in this summer\u2019s World Cup.)<\/p>\n The second order seeks to deny citizenship to the children of certain categories of non-citizens<\/a>.<\/p>\n The order excludes children born to any non-citizen parent in the following categories:<\/p>\n an alien enemy, \u201cdefined to include any member of a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization \u2026 or Specially Designated Global Terrorist\u201d;<\/p>\n foreign government employees, including: ambassadors; other embassy or consulate employees who are nationals of that foreign country; anyone employed by a foreign government in an official capacity;<\/p>\n employees of international organizations that possess international-organization immunity;<\/p>\n people \u201cengaged in a commercial transaction to purchase or access birthright citizenship\u201d.<\/p>\n The children of foreign ambassadors have long been excluded from birthright citizenship.<\/p>\n Somewhat redundantly, the second order also denies citizenship to the children of non-citizens \u201cborn in a territory or territorial waters of the United States where citizenship is not conferred by Federal statute\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.24 EDT<\/p>\n Trump gives wildly inaccurate account of 14th amendment to explain new orders restricting birthright citizenship<\/p>\n Speaking in the Oval Office earlier on Thursday, Donald Trump gave a wildly inaccurate account of the nature and timing of the 14th amendment to the US constitution, which enshrined the principle of birthright citizenship, as he sought to justify two new executive orders attempting to deny citizenship to a wider pool of children born on US soil to non-citizens.<\/p>\n As he discussed the orders, \u201cContinuing to Protect the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship<\/a>\u201d and \u201cEnding Birth Tourism<\/a>\u201d, Trump called the supreme court\u2019s decision to strike down his previous attempt to deny birthright citizenship through executive action \u201ca very, very unfortunate decision.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo we\u2019re, making adjustments because it\u2019s very unfair,\u201d the president said. \u201cThis was meant for the babies of slaves. It was right after \u2013 one week or two weeks after \u2013 the Civil war ended.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, General Robert E Lee surrendered the largest of the Confederate forces on 9 April 1865 at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. More than a year later, the 14th amendment was passed by Congress on 13 June 1866<\/a>, and ratified on 9 July 9 1868.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s assertion that the framers of the amendment only intended it to apply to the children of former slaves was roundly rejected by the supreme court, not this year but in 1898<\/a>, when the justices ruled 6-2 that Wong Kim Ark, who was born in San Francisco to parents who were both Chinese citizens, was a US citizen by birth.<\/p>\n Despite that well-known precedent, which was discussed at length during the recent supreme court deliberations over Trump\u2019s first attempt to deny birthright citizenship to the children of non-citizens, the president\u2019s adviser, Stephen Miller, insisted that Trump was right.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the president mentioned, the 14th amendment was passed exclusively in the aftermath of the Civil War to to ensure that the children of slaves would be citizens. It had no other meaning and purpose outside of that,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve taken birthright citizenship and they\u2019ve made a joke out of it,\u201d Trump added. \u201cAnd we\u2019re actually the only country, of size, I think just about the only country period, that does birthright citizenship.\u201d<\/p>\n That too is wildly inaccurate. Thirty-two other countries, most in the western hemisphere, have birthright citizenship laws that are similar to US law, according to the Pew Research Center<\/a>. About 50 more countries have more limited versions of birthright citizenship.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.29 EDT<\/p>\n Trump signs new executive orders to deny US citizenship to children born to so-called \u201cbirth tourists\u201d<\/p>\n One month after the United States supreme court struck down his first attempt to restrict the guarantee of birthright citizenship enshrined in the US constitution, Donald \u2060Trump signed \u2060executive orders \u200bon Thursday that aim to deny \u2060US citizenship to children born in the United States to so-called \u201cbirth tourists\u201d.<\/p>\n The \u200corders, which have not yet been made public, apparently expand the definitions \u200bof children the White House deems ineligible \u2060for birthright \u200bcitizenship and \u200bseek to ban \u201cbirth \u200btourism\u201d, which the president claimed on Thursday is practiced by \u201chundreds of thousands\u201d of people.<\/p>\n That seems like a wildly inflated estimate. According to the Migration Policy Institute, the highest census-based estimate<\/a> \u201cputs birth tourism at 22,000 to 26,000 babies born annually on US soil, although government data show just 9,600 births to mothers with foreign addresses in 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n For context, it seems worth keeping in mind that Trump\u2019s own father, Fred Trump, was born a US citizen in 1905 to a non-citizen mother who arrived in New York from Germany six months pregnant. The president\u2019s Scottish-born mother, Mary Anne Trump, later gave birth to her first two children, the current president\u2019s older siblings, in the US before becoming a US citizen herself<\/a>.<\/p>\n A file photo of Donald Trump with his parents, Fred and Mary Anne Trump. Photograph: ZUMA Press, Inc.\/AlamyShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.50 EDT<\/p>\n Here’s a recap of the day so far<\/p>\n Mitch McConnell announced today he has been discharged from the rehabilitation center where he\u2019d been recovering after a fall left him hospitalized, extending the Republican senator\u2019s weeks\u2011long absence from Capitol Hill. McConnell said he will continue his recovery at home. \u201cOn the advice of my doctors, I\u2019ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period,\u201d the senator said. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business.\u201d More here<\/a><\/p>\n Senator John Husted, a Republican from Ohio, has joined the chorus of lawmakers calling for GOP congressman Max Miller to resign amid a deluge of domestic abuse allegations. Husted, who is facing a competitive election in November, noted that Miller\u2019s re-election bid for his US House seat in Ohio does not benefit his family. \u201cI believe Max would be making the right decision to step aside as a candidate and resign from Congress to focus on what is in the best interest of his daughter,\u201d Husted said in a statement. \u201cYears from now, I believe he will look back and know it was the right choice for her.\u201d<\/p>\n On Truth Social, Donald Trump<\/a> insisted that he was \u201cextremely happy\u201d with Pete Hegseth\u2019s job performance as defense secretary, dismissing any clashes with the Pentagon leaders as \u201cfake news\u201d. \u201cEverything has been extraordinary,\u201d the president added. \u201cPete is highly respected within the Military, and has made tremendous improvements, including getting rid of DEI, and increasing recruitment to historic levels.\u201d This comes after the Washington Post\u2019s earlier report that the president grew frustrated with Hegseth last week at a meeting at Camp David about the extreme munitions shortages.<\/p>\n Republicans on a Senate committee voted to hold Anthony Fauci<\/a> in contempt of Congress after a bitter hearing last week<\/a>, where the retired public health official invoked the fifth amendment for fear of self-incrimination and possible prosecution by GOP lawmakers. The vote was adopted along party lines. Senator Rand Paul, the panel\u2019s Republican chair, will now seek a full vote in the Senate, where he will need 60 votes, or possibly send the resolution directly the justice department \u2013\u00a0who will then determine whether to pursue criminal charges.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump repeats frustration about Pirro’s decision to drop reflecting pool vandalism case in NBC News interview<\/p>\n Donald Trump continued to express his frustration with Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, after she dropped the alleged vandalism charges against David Hearn \u2013\u00a0the Olympic canoeist accused of pool damage that has now been attributed to faulty work by a contractor.<\/p>\n In a phone interview with NBC News, Trump said that Pirro made \u201ca terrible decision\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cShe said there was no vandalism. There was tremendous vandalism,\u201d the president told the outlet. \u201cSo, she made a terrible mistake. I don\u2019t understand why she did such a stupid thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this week in the Oval Office, Trump said that Pirro \u201cfolded like an umbrella\u201d when asked about his reaction to the justice department dismissing the case against Hearn, who faced a felony property destruction charge that carried a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $1,000 fine. Hearn pleaded not guilty last month.<\/p>\n Pirro said her office only received interior department records that showed the pool\u2019s lining was already failing before Hearn touched the water. Government lawyers, in a motion, said the materials pointed to \u201ca rushed and flawed installation process,\u201d with repeated lining failures during construction and \u201cextensive peeling\u201d throughout the reflecting pool.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Trump had also said he had yet to \u201cmake a determination\u201d about whether Pirro would stay in her role.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n As I noted earlier, we\u2019re tracking the uncertain path to Todd Blanche\u2019s confirmation as attorney general.<\/p>\n Currently, senators Lisa Murkowski and Bill Cassidy have not committed to supporting Blanche\u2019s nomination.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s pick to lead the justice department can only afford one defection since Mitch McConnell has still not returned to Capitol Hill, and Susan Collins appears to be likely to vote \u201cno\u201d due to her concerns about Blanche\u2019s approval of the $1.8bn slush fund for the president\u2019s allies.<\/p>\n Of note, if any Democrats miss the vote that affords Republicans some leeway in the number they need to confirm Blanche, but as of now it doesn\u2019t look like they\u2019ll see any absences.<\/p>\n Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona, said that he is back home helping with his wife\u2019s recovery, after she his wife underwent an emergency appendectomy. However he noted, on social media, that he would not be missing Blanche\u2019s confirmation vote.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Mitch McConnell discharged from rehabilitation center after fall that left him hospitalized<\/p>\n Mitch McConnell announced today he has been discharged from the rehabilitation center where he\u2019d been recovering after a fall left him hospitalized, extending the Republican senator\u2019s weeks\u2011long absence from Capitol Hill. He said he will continue his recovery at home.<\/p>\n The Senate is set to wrap up legislative business this week before a five\u2011week August recess, but several agenda items remain \u2013 including a vote to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general. McConnell\u2019s absence further narrows Republicans\u2019 already tight path to approving Donald Trump\u2019s pick to lead the Justice Department.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the advice of my doctors, I\u2019ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period,\u201d McConnell said. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitch McConnell sits with his wife, Elaine Chao, while holding what appears to be the 12 July sports section of the Washington Post in a photograph released by his office that same day. Photograph: Office of Senator Mitch McConnell\/Reuters<\/p>\n His 53\u2011day absence has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers in both parties. Last month, Kentucky\u2019s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, publicly urged McConnell to release more information about his health, writing: \u201cKentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and well-being, and ability to hold office.\u201d<\/p>\n McConnell was admitted to the hospital on 14 June. His office initially offered few details, saying only that he was \u201ccontinuing to improve\u201d. A month later, McConnell disclosed that a fall at his home and a \u201cmild case of pneumonia\u201d had prompted the hospitalization and his extended time away. In late July, his office said he still had not been cleared to return to work.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.34 EDT<\/p>\n Calls grow from Republicans for Max Miller to resign from Congress<\/p>\n Senator John Husted, a Republican from Ohio, has joined the chorus of lawmakers calling for GOP congressman Max Miller to resign.<\/p>\n Husted, who is facing a competitive election in November against former Senator Sherrod Brown, noted that Miller\u2019s re-election bid for his US House seat in Ohio does not benefit his family.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe Max would be making the right decision to step aside as a candidate and resign from Congress to focus on what is in the best interest of his daughter,\u201d Husted said in a statement. \u201cYears from now, I believe he will look back and know it was the right choice for her.\u201d<\/p>\n Miller would need to end his campaign by 10 August deadline to allow the state Republican party to pick a replacement nominee for the general election.<\/p>\n Other GOP lawmakers today said that Miller should step down amid the deluge of accusations of domestic violence against him from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno \u2013\u00a0daughter of Republican senator Bernie Moreno.<\/p>\n Senator Tim Sheehy, a Republican from Montana, called Miller a \u201cdegenerate sociopath\u201d in response to a Mother Jones report<\/a> that alleges Miller would routinely withhold his daughter\u2019s favorite toy bunny from her while sharing custody with his ex-wife.<\/p>\n \u201cMax should step aside and seek help. Staying in this race makes it far more likely we lose this seat and hand Democrats a majority to impeach President Trump,\u201d said Sheehy.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Katie Britt, a Republican senator from Alabama, told Semafor that Miller should resign.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you watch those [Miller] interviews, if you have ever had anyone in your life that has experienced abuse, they were eerie,\u201d Britt told the outlet. \u201cBut I stand with Bernie and supporting his daughter and his granddaughter, and hope that others will as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.37 EDT<\/p>\n Trump says he is ‘extremely happy’ with Hegseth performance, despite reports of clashes over munition shortages<\/p>\n On Truth Social, Donald Trump<\/a> insisted that he was \u201cextremely happy\u201d with Pete Hegseth\u2019s job performance as defense secretary.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything has been extraordinary,\u201d the president said, listing the capture of the now-deposed Venzuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and the ongoing war in Iran which has seen the price of gas steadily increase over the last six months, inflation reach a three-year high and a reported shortage in critical munitions.<\/p>\n \u201cPete is highly respected within the Military, and has made tremendous improvements, including getting rid of DEI, and increasing recruitment to historic levels,\u201d Trump added, while dismissing any clashes with the Pentagon leaders as \u201cfake news\u201d spreading \u201cfalse and completely unfounded rumors\u201d.<\/p>\n This comes after the Washington Post\u2019s earlier report that the president grew frustrated with Hegseth last week at a meeting at Camp David, about the extreme munitions shortages that pose a problem for the military options in Iran, according to two unnamed sources cited by the outlet.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Donald Trump\u2019s Board of Peace, which was set up in January to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza<\/a>, has finally issued its first construction contract in the devastated territory: a project to build a rudimentary 150-person military outpost to house Moroccan troops, a source familiar with the matter told the Guardian.<\/p>\n The contract, which has not yet been finalised, was awarded to Arkel International, a Louisiana-based firm that has previously carried out work with the US government in countries such as Iraq.<\/p>\n In an email, a Board of Peace official said the board and a group of Palestinian technocrats installed to oversee Gaza \u201care in the final stages of preparing several contract awards. None have been finalised.\u201d The Palestinian group is known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n The official said \u201cone prospective contract concerns facilities to support the international stabilisation force (ISF), which will assist in implementing the roadmap\u2019s security and governance arrangements\u201d.<\/p>\n Destroyed buildings in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood on 5 August. The Board of Peace is no longer talking of reconstructing the whole strip. Photograph: Omar Al-Qattaa\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The award comes just days after Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to disarm, though there are considerable questions about how the group would give up its guns. Israel has opposed the plan, and increased airstrikes in Gaza after Trump\u2019s announcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Guardian reported in July that the board\u2019s original Gaza reconstruction had shrunk dramatically from an ambitious blueprint<\/a> to rebuild the whole territory to a small pilot project in the south of the strip.<\/a><\/p>\n The base now being planned is just 100 metres by 120 metres and is intended to house a contingent of Moroccan troops, who would rotate from a base in Israel, the source said. It would lie in the 60% of Gaza\u2019s territory that the Israeli army directly controls. Israeli forces have also created a buffer zone beyond that area.<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump denies US running short of munitions after reported clash with Hegseth<\/p>\n A reminder that we\u2019re tracking the latest developments out of the Middle East, including the earlier news that Donald Trump hit back at media reports suggesting the US was running low on weapons after five months of war against Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n He said the US has \u201cmassive amounts of munitions, especially of certain types,\u201d in a Truth Social post last night, adding: \u201cAdditionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed.\u201d<\/p>\n The Washington Post (paywall) reports<\/a> that the president and defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, clashed during a cabinet meeting at Camp David last Friday over the munitions shortages, with Trump reportedly demanding answers after being under the impression the issue \u201chad been fixed\u201d.<\/p>\n The shortages were part of the reason that Trump had to call off what he said would be \u201cthe biggest attack since World War II\u201d in recent days, sources told the paper. Hegseth reportedly blamed his deputy, Stephen Feinberg, for the shortages and for Trump not being fully informed on the matter.<\/p>\n \u201cDefense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country\u2019s history. The \u2018leakers\u2019 of these treasonous statements are being hunted down,\u201d Trump continued in his post.<\/p>\n For more, our colleagues on the Middle East live blog are covering all the latest developments:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.11 EDT<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Guardian contributor Stephen Starr has been speaking to voters in Wooster, Ohio \u2013 a part of Max Miller\u2019s congressional district.<\/p>\n He reports that Republican voters in the seat are worried, according to local GOP official, Bill Heck \u2013\u00a0vice-chair of the Republican party of Medina county, which lies inside Miller\u2019s district.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of our members and our steadfast Republicans are concerned,\u201d he said.<\/a> \u201cI\u2019m sure the president does not want to lose that seat. With 92 days left [to the election] it\u2019s going to be really difficult for anybody to come in and take over the position \u2013 if appointed.\u201d<\/p>\n A host of<\/a> other Republican party county organizations and groups across Miller\u2019s district, including the women\u2019s branch of the Republican party of Cuyahoga county, asking if they thought the congressman should resign, did not respond to the Guardian\u2019s requests for comment on the situation.<\/p>\n Heck, however, wouldn\u2019t say if he thinks the congressman should step down.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is so much stuff flying around that we have not been able to decipher what\u2019s real and what\u2019s not. What we\u2019re trying to determine right now is how much of this is credible and how much he can refute and recover from,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Before specific details of the allegations against Miller were recently made public and before Senator Moreno\u2019s calls, Miller was expected to easily retain his seat, with pollsters suggesting<\/a> in June the district leans Republican by five points.<\/p>\n Miller, 37, who had previously served as a presidential aide during Trump\u2019s first administration, was endorsed by Trump in 2021 during his first campaign. But this week, reports emerged<\/a> that the president\u2019s support for Miller may be waning. The final day the Ohio Republican party could replace Miller with another candidate, if it decides to do so, is 12 August.<\/p>\n Read Stephen\u2019s full report:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.13 EDT<\/p>\n Moreno says he has sent daughter, granddaughter and wife ‘out of state’ for safety<\/p>\n As the calls continue to grow for Max Miller, a GOP congressman from Ohio, to resign from Congress over domestic abuse allegations against his ex-wife and daughter, his former father-in-law, Republican senator Bernie Moreno tells CNN\u2019s Jake Tapper that he has now sent his daughter, Emily, as well as his granddaughter and wife \u201cout of state to a secure place until such time as they feel safe\u201d.<\/p>\n This comes as a congressional ethics committee launched an investigation into the allegations against Miller, while he has insisted that he will seek re-election for his seat in this year\u2019s midterms.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, Moreno told reporters that the dispute between his daughter and Miller as \u201ctruly the seventh level of hell\u201d, adding: \u201cThis has been a horrific experience for my entire family.\u201d<\/p>\n Miller, for his part, posted a livestream video on Sunday defending himself against the abuse accusations and saying his former wife had \u201csignificant mental-health challenges\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Blanche confirmation hangs in the balance as Senate recess looms<\/p>\n The confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general remains up in the air as we wait to see whether he has enough Republican votes in the Senate.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, two key GOP holdouts \u2013 John Cornyn and Thom Tillis \u2013 said they would now support Blanche after he assured them in writing that the proposed $1.8bn fund for Trump allies was dead. But Susan Collins, the moderate from Maine, announced she will vote no, citing Blanche\u2019s role in creating the so\u2011called \u201canti\u2011weaponization fund\u201d.<\/p>\n That leaves two remaining question marks: Lisa Murkowski, another moderate, and Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana senator who lost his primary to a Trump\u2011backed challenger.<\/p>\n Cassidy said in a radio interview Wednesday that he\u2019s still undecided. \u201cI\u2019ve got to be convinced that he is an attorney general who just happens to have once been President Trump\u2019s personal attorney, as opposed to President Trump\u2019s personal attorney who is now the attorney general,\u201d he said. \u201cI think there\u2019s a big difference between the two.\u201d<\/p>\n With Mitch McConnell still not cleared to return to work after his fall at home and subsequent hospitalization, Blanche needs either Murkowski or Cassidy to get to 50 votes.<\/p>\n JD Vance can break a tie as president of the Senate \u2013 but without that, a failed confirmation would be a major setback for Donald Trump\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Edward Helmore<\/p>\n Separately, another Senate committee says it obtained a backup copy of Anthony Fauci\u2019s iPhone ahead of Republican lawmakers deciding to hold the veteran government health official in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions amid a hostile inquisition last week.<\/p>\n The phone was used by Fauci during his time as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, including his time fronting the first Trump administration\u2019s response to the Covid pandemic in 2020.<\/p>\n Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, chair of the Senate homeland security permanent subcommittee on investigations, said he had obtained a copy of the phone. \u201cHopefully, this device will address many of the questions he refused to answer at last week\u2019s hearing,\u201d Johnson wrote on social media on Wedensday.<\/p>\n![\"Aram](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Aram_Roston,_L.png\")
Aram Roston<\/p>\n