{"id":27822,"date":"2025-09-05T07:43:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T11:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/trump-faces-criticism-over-to-order-to-rebrand-pentagon-as-department-of-war-us-politics-live-us-news\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T07:43:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T11:43:50","slug":"trump-faces-criticism-over-to-order-to-rebrand-pentagon-as-department-of-war-us-politics-live-us-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/trump-faces-criticism-over-to-order-to-rebrand-pentagon-as-department-of-war-us-politics-live-us-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump faces criticism over to order to rebrand Pentagon as \u2018Department of War\u2019 \u2013 US politics live | US news"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/span>Robert Tait<\/span><\/p>\n

Washington DC on Thursday sued to stop Donald Trump\u2019s deployment of national guard troops during the administration\u2019s law enforcement intervention there.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The city\u2019s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, said the hundreds of troops were essentially an \u201cinvoluntary military occupation\u201d. He argued in the federal lawsuit that the deployment was an illegal use of the military for domestic law enforcement.<\/p>\n

A federal judge in California recently ruled that Trump\u2019s deployment of national guard troops to Los Angeles after days of protests over immigration raids in June had been illegal. The Republican administration is appealing that decision and Trump has said he is ready to order federal intervention in Chicago and Baltimore, despite staunch opposition in those Democratic-led cities.<\/p>\n

That ruling, however, does not directly apply to Washington, where the president has more control over the guard than in states.<\/p>\n

About 2,300 troops from seven states have been deployed in the streets of the US capital since 11 August in a move that Schwalb says exceeds the president\u2019s powers and violates the city\u2019s autonomy, as enshrined in the Home Rule Act.<\/p>\n

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Boston readies for Ice\u2019s offensive amid Trump\u2019s onslaught on sanctuary cities<\/h2>\n

Anna Betts<\/span><\/p>\n

Tensions between Michelle Wu, the mayor of Boston, and the Trump administration have been escalating in recent months over the administration\u2019s aggressive immigration policies, with reports now signaling the possibility of a federal immigration enforcement surge in the city.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The friction came to a head last week when the Trump administration reportedly began preparing an \u201cimmigration enforcement blitz\u201d for Boston in the coming weeks, according to Politico<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The report, which cited unnamed current and former administration officials, prompted a swift rebuke<\/a> from Wu, who has in recent months become a vocal defender of sanctuary laws and immigrant protections.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law \u2013 city, state and federal,\u201d Wu said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cWe are the safest major city in the country because all of our community members know that they are part of how we keep the entire community safe. Stop attacking cities to hide your administration\u2019s failures.\u201d<\/p>\n

This standoff has been steadily building since March when Wu testified<\/a> before Congress alongside three other Democratic mayors<\/a> to defend their cities\u2019 immigration policies \u2013 specifically so-called sanctuary city laws that limit state and local law enforcement cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice).<\/p>\n

Supporters of the laws, including local leaders and police chiefs<\/a> in jurisdictions that have them, argue that these measures can help build trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement. Some studies have found<\/a> that crime rates tend to be lower in sanctuary counties compared with those without such protections.<\/p>\n

Critics of these policies claim<\/a> that sanctuary laws undermine federal law enforcement\u2019s ability to arrest and deport individuals with criminal records.<\/p>\n

So-called \u201csanctuary cities\u201d have become a central target of this Trump administration, as it pushes for mass deportations as part of its crackdown on immigration. In June, Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, sent letters to 32 US mayors, including Wu, demanding they end their sanctuary policies or face cuts to federal funding and possible legal consequences.<\/p>\n

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US justice department opens criminal inquiry into Fed governor Lisa Cook<\/h2>\n

Lauren Aratani<\/span><\/p>\n

The US justice department has initiated a criminal investigation into mortgage fraud claims against Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook as a lawsuit she filed against Donald Trump over her firing makes its way through court.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lawyers with the justice department have issued subpoenas for the investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal<\/a>, who first reported the investigation, which has since been confirmed by multiple news publications.<\/p>\n

Last month, Trump moved to fire Cook over unconfirmed claims that she listed two properties as her primary residence. Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing and Finance Agency and a close ally of Trump, alleged Cook had lied on bank documents and records to obtain a better mortgage rate.<\/p>\n

Cook, a voting member of the Fed board that sets interest rates, said she has \u201cno intention of being bullied to step down\u201d and that she would \u201ctake any questions about my financial history seriously\u201d.<\/p>\n

In response to Trump\u2019s bid to dismiss her, Cook filed a lawsuit against the president arguing that her removal was unconstitutional and threatened the independence of the Fed. Cook\u2019s lawyers say the firing was \u201cunprecedented and illegal\u201d and that federal law requires showing \u201ccause\u201d for a Fed governor\u2019s removal.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn unsubstantiated allegation about private mortgage applications submitted by Governor Cook prior to her Senate confirmation is not [cause],\u201d her lawyers said in court documents.<\/p>\n

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Shrai Popat<\/span><\/p>\n

The US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, faced the Senate finance committee in a tense and combative hearing on Thursday, during which lawmakers questioned his remarks expressing vaccine skepticism, claims that the scientific community is deeply politicized and the ongoing turmoil plaguing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a hearing lasting more than three hours and ostensibly about the Trump administration\u2019s healthcare agenda, Kennedy defended his leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), claiming that his time at the agency will be focused on \u201cunbiased, politics-free, transparent, evidence-based science in the public interest\u201d.<\/p>\n

Senate Democrats on the committee began the hearing calling for Kennedy\u2019s resignation. \u201cRobert Kennedy\u2019s primary interest is taking vaccines away from Americans,\u201d ranking member Ron Wyden, a Democratic senator from Oregon, said in his opening remarks. \u201cPeople are hurt by his reckless disregard for science and the truth in this effort. I hope the very least, Robert Kennedy has the decency to tell the truth this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raphael Warnock, also a Democrat, called Kennedy a \u201chazard to the health of the American people\u201d, repeating calls for him to step down or for Donald Trump to fire him.<\/p>\n

Last week, Kennedy fired the CDC director, Susan Monarez, less than a month after she was confirmed to her position. She is now mounting a legal case challenging her removal.<\/p>\n

Shortly after Monarez\u2019s termination, several leading public health officials at the CDC resigned from their positions, citing frustration with Kennedy\u2019s approach to vaccines and his management style.<\/p>\n

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Donald Trump said Thursday that he thinks Democrat Zohran Mamdani is likely to become New York City\u2019s next mayor unless two of the three major candidates running against him drop out of the race.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But the Republican didn\u2019t say which two candidates he\u2019d like to see quit.<\/p>\n

Trump said \u201cNo\u201d when he was asked by a reporter on Thursday night if he\u2019d urged or encouraged any of the candidates in the race to drop out, but went on to say he would like to see that happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think you can win unless you have one-on-one, and somehow he\u2019s gotten a little bit of a lead,\u201d Trump said of Mamdani. \u201cI have no idea how that happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president, who spoke as he hosted a dinner at the White House with tech executives, went on and said, \u201cI would like to see two people drop out and have it be one-on-one, and I think that\u2019s a race that could be won.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Donald Trump hosted a high-powered group of tech executives at the White House on Thursday as he showcased research on artificial intelligence and boasted of investments that companies are making around the United States.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trump has exulted in the attention from some of the world\u2019s most successful businesspeople, while the companies are eager to remain on the good side of the mercurial president, AP reported.<\/p>\n

While the executives praised Trump and talked about their hopes for technological advancement, the Republican president was focused on dollar signs. He went around the table and asked executives how much they were investing in the country.<\/p>\n

Notably absent from the guest list was Elon Musk, once a close ally of Trump who was tasked with running the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk had a public breakup with Trump earlier this year.<\/p>\n

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Updated at\u00a007.27 EDT<\/p>\n

US deploying 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico for drug cartel fight, sources say<\/h2>\n

The US has ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to a Puerto Rico airfield to conduct operations against drug cartels, two sources briefed on the matter said, in a move likely to further inflame tensions in the region.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The advanced fighter jets will be added to an already bristling US military presence in the southern Caribbean as president Donald Trump carries out a campaign pledge to crack down on groups he blames for funneling drugs into the United States, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s development comes three days after US forces attacked a boat that Trump said was carrying \u201cmassive amounts of drugs\u201d from Venezuela, killing 11 people. The strike appeared to set the stage for a sustained military campaign in Latin America.<\/p>\n

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 10 fighter jets are being sent to conduct operations against designated narco-terrorist organizations operating in the southern Caribbean. The planes should arrive in the area by late next week, they said.<\/p>\n

The US has deployed warships in the southern Caribbean in recent weeks, with the aim of carrying out Trump\u2019s crackdown.<\/p>\n

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Trump\u2019s LA national guard deployment cost taxpayers $120m, Newsom says<\/h2>\n

Dani Anguiano<\/span><\/p>\n

Donald Trump\u2019s deployment of the national guard in Los Angeles in response to protests in the city over immigration raids cost taxpayers nearly $120m, the California governor\u2019s office said on Thursday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The US president sent 2,000 national guard troops into the city in June amid clashes between federal immigration agents and protesters. This week a judge ruled that dispatching the military to accompany authorities on immigration enforcement operations violated federal law.<\/p>\n

More than 4,200 national guard soldiers and 700 marines were deployed in the region. Although relatively few assisted with raids, the costs mounted \u2013 $71m for food and necessities, $37m in pay and $3.5m in travel, among other expenses, Gavin Newsom\u2019s office said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About 300 troops remain in the city. Newsom described the move as \u201cwaste, fraud and abuse\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet us not forget what this political theater is costing us all \u2013 millions of taxpayer dollars down the drain, an atrophy to the readiness of guardsmembers across the nation and unnecessary hardships to the families supporting those troops,\u201d the governor said.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, Trump has grown increasingly pessimistic about the chance of brokering an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict anytime soon or seeing the leaders of the two countries meet in person, NBC News reported on Friday, citing two senior administration officials.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.<\/p>\n

It comes as Trump posted this morning on Truth Social that Russia had been \u201clost\u201d to China. He wrote<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Looks like we\u2019ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together! President Donald J. Trump<\/p>\n

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Donald Trump\u2019s deal-making approach to diplomacy is \u201cquite cynical\u201d, but in a positive sense, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview published on Friday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In an interview with Russian news outlet Argumenty i Fakty, Peskov contrasted Trump\u2019s position with that of European countries which, he said, were doing everything they could to hinder a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn contrast, Trump is much more constructive. He is, in the good sense of the word, quite cynical. In terms of \u2018why fight if you can trade\u2019. And based on these interests of America, he does everything to stop wars,\u201d Peskov said.<\/p>\n

He added that Russia would prefer to resolve the Ukraine conflict diplomatically rather than militarily. \u201cAnd if Trump can help us in making these political and diplomatic means available, then our interests coincide here, and this can and should be welcomed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russian president Vladimir Putin and Trump could meet again in the near future, Peskov added.<\/p>\n

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Updated at\u00a007.27 EDT<\/p>\n

Trump faces criticism over to order to rebrand Pentagon as \u2018Department of War\u2019<\/h2>\n

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of US politics where opponents have criticised Donald Trump\u2019s expected move to rebrand the Department of Defense as the \u201cdepartment of war\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The president is expected to sign an executive order on Friday authorizing the rebrand, the White House said, as part of an attempt to formalize the name change without an act of Congress.<\/p>\n

The order will designate \u201cdepartment of war\u201d as a \u201csecondary title\u201d, an administration official said, as a way to get around the need for congressional approval to formally rename a federal agency.<\/p>\n

But the order will instruct the rest of the executive branch to use the \u201cdepartment of war\u201d name in internal and external communications, and allows the defense secretary Pete Hegseth and other officials to use \u201csecretary of war\u201d as official titles.<\/p>\n

Trump and Hegseth have been publicly pushing for the rebrand for weeks, claiming the change would present the US military as more aggressive to the world by reverting to the name that was used when the US was victorious in the first and second world wars.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was the Department of War,\u201d Trump told reporters in the Oval Office last week. \u201cThen we changed it to Department of Defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

The move could cost tens of millions of dollars, with letterheads and signs on buildings in the US and at bases worldwide possibly needing to be changed.<\/p>\n

But there has been criticism over the move. Democratic senator Tammy Duckworth \u2013 a war veteran who lost both her legs serving in Afghanistan and who is now a member of the armed services committee \u2013 said:<\/p>\n

Why not put this money toward supporting military families or toward employing diplomats that help prevent conflicts from starting in the first place?<\/p>\n

Because Trump would rather use our military to score political points than to strengthen our national security and support our brave servicemembers and their families – that\u2019s why<\/p>\n

Stay with us for the latest on this story:<\/em><\/p>\n

In other developments:<\/p>\n