Summary
Closing summary
Our live coverage is ending now. In the meantime, you can find all of our live US politics coverage here. Here is a summary of the key developments from today:
Utah county attorney Jeff Gray formally announced charges against Tyler Robinson, the suspect accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk. Prosecutors have charged Robinson on seven counts, including aggravated murder, and will seek the death penalty. Later, Robinson made his first court appearance at a virtual hearing, wearing an anti-suicide smock, where Utah judge Tony F. Graf ruled Robinson qualifies for a court-appointed attorney and granted a pre-trial protective order for Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk. The next hearing in Robinson’s case is scheduled for September 29, and will be conducted virtually.
FBI director Kash Patel faced questions from the Senate judiciary committee during a more than four hour long hearing. The hearing twice included a shouting match between Patel and Democratic senator Cory Booker and later Adam Schiff. Patel defended his leadership of the FBI, denying that he has politicized the agency and ordered firings of agents and personnel over their work on cases related to Donald Trump or the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Patel also defended his actions over prematurely posting on social media that the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s killing had been found, only for that person to be released. Democratic senator Dick Durbin and others said Patel’s actions pointed to his lack of experience and “sparked mass confusion” during the investigation.
The Trump administration will appeal the court decision blocking Donald Trump’s bid to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook. Yesterday, a US appeals court declined to allow Trump to fire Cook, in the latest step in a legal battle that threatens the Fed’s longstanding independence.
Trump arrived in the United Kingdom where he will make an uprecedented second state visit.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Trump has invited him back to the White House on September 29. The trip will be the fourth time Netanyahu, a vocal support of Trump’s, has visited the White House since Trump’s second term began in January.
Trump filed a $15b defamation lawsuit against the New York Times and publishing firm Penguin Random House today. The lawsuit is one of a string the president has filed against media outlets, including a $10b defamation case he filed against the Wall Street Journal in July.
California governor Gavin Newsom joined a host of Democratic influencers and officials for a virtual rally in support of Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act. The act seeks to redraw California’s political map, in response to efforts by politicians in Republican-led states to do the same.
The Justice Department has sued the states of Oregon and Maine for declining to turn over voter registration lists to the federal government. The department is seeking voter registration rolls from at least 26 states, according to the Associated Press.
