{"id":29834,"date":"2025-09-10T07:19:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T11:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/white-house-says-it-would-back-forensic-analysis-of-signature-on-epstein-letter-us-politics-live-blog-us-news\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T07:19:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T11:19:10","slug":"white-house-says-it-would-back-forensic-analysis-of-signature-on-epstein-letter-us-politics-live-blog-us-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/white-house-says-it-would-back-forensic-analysis-of-signature-on-epstein-letter-us-politics-live-blog-us-news\/","title":{"rendered":"White House says it would back forensic analysis of signature on Epstein letter \u2013 US politics live blog | US news"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Trump considering restrictions on Chinese medicines, NYT reports<\/h2>\n

The US has been discussing severe restrictions on Chinese medicines, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing a draft executive order.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It comes as Trump urged EU officials on Tuesday to hit China with tariffs of up to 100% as part of a strategy to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a US official and an EU diplomat.<\/p>\n

Trump also encouraged the European Union to slap India with similarly expansive tariffs, said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.<\/p>\n

China and India are major purchasers of Russian oil and, as such, they play a vital role in keeping Russia\u2019s economy afloat as it continues to pursue its expanded invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022.<\/p>\n

Trump made the request, which was conveyed via conference call, to EU sanctions envoy David O\u2019Sullivan and other EU officials. The EU delegation is currently in Washington to discuss sanctions coordination.<\/p>\n

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Jump in US greenhouse gas pollution pushed global emissions higher \u2013 report<\/h2>\n

Oliver Milman<\/span><\/p>\n

A jump in greenhouse gas pollution in the US helped push global emissions higher in the first half of this year. This could be an omen of what\u2019s to come, with Donald Trump\u2019s pro-fossil fuel agenda set to significantly slow down the emissions cuts required to avoid disastrous climate impacts, a new forecast has found.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The \u201cmost abrupt shift in energy and climate policy in recent memory\u201d that has occurred since Trump re-entered the White House will have profound consequences for the global climate crisis by slowing the pace of US emissions cuts by as much as half the rate achieved over the past two decades, the Rhodium Group forecast states<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The US is still expected to reduce its planet-heat emissions by between 26% and 35% by 2035 compared with 2005 levels, according to the report. But this is well down from a 38% to 56% reduction by 2035, which Rhodium forecast just last year during Joe Biden\u2019s presidency.<\/p>\n

None of these scenarios will be sufficient to allow the US, the world\u2019s largest historic emitter of carbon pollution, to play its full part in helping the world avert a worsening climate breakdown coming from 2C (3.6F) or more in global heating.<\/p>\n

The US and other governments agreed a decade ago in Paris to avoid this threshold but are badly off-track in required emissions reductions, ahead of a key UN climate meeting in Brazil in November to thrash out new targets.<\/p>\n

Even under the best-case scenario, whereby fossil fuels become much more expensive and cheap renewable energy is swiftly deployed, the US will cut its emissions by just 43% by 2040, Rhodium found \u2013 well below Biden\u2019s own pledged target<\/a>, since jettisoned by Trump.<\/p>\n

ShareRachel Leingang<\/span><\/p>\n

A judge in Michigan dismissed the felony charges against a slate of electors who falsely signed on to documents claiming Donald Trump won the 2020 election in the latest blow to efforts to hold the president and his allies accountable for attempting to overturn the results of the White House race he lost to Joe Biden.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sixteen people were initially charged with eight felonies each related to forgery and conspiracy by the Democratic attorney general, Dana Nessel, in 2023, though one of them had his charges dropped after he agreed to cooperate with the prosecution. The fake electors in Michigan will not go to trial.<\/p>\n

District court judge Kristen Simmons decided that the state had not provided \u201cevidence sufficient to prove intent\u201d, a requirement for fraud cases. She told a courtroom on Tuesday that the case did not involve the intent of those who orchestrated the scheme, like Kenneth Chesebro and other Trump attorneys \u2013 but those who actually signed the documents, Votebeat reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe they were executing their constitutional right to seek redress,\u201d Simmons said of those who signed the documents.<\/p>\n

Nessel spoke against the decision in a press conference after, according to Michigan Advance<\/a>. \u201cThe evidence was clear,\u201d she said. \u201cThey lied. They knew they lied, and they tried to steal the votes of millions of Michiganders. And if they can get away with this, well, what can\u2019t they get away with next?\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump supporters in seven swing states signed on as fake electors in the scheme. Some of the fake electors \u2013 and, in some cases, those who orchestrated the scheme \u2013 were charged for state crimes in five of those states.<\/p>\n

ShareRobert Mackey<\/span><\/p>\n

California\u2019s governor, Gavin Newsom, used his State of the State address on Tuesday to celebrate California\u2019s achievements on its 175th anniversary of statehood but also to criticize Donald Trump for \u201ctargeting our state\u201d as it battled wildfires this year, accusing the president of a \u201crelentless, unhinged California obsession\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Democratic governor delivered his annual message in the form of a letter<\/a> to the state legislature, and a video<\/a>, instead of an address. Newsom, widely seen as a potential presidential contender for 2028, also criticized the president and his policies for bringing chaos and disruption to California, without mentioning Trump by name.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I write to you, California is menaced by a federal administration that dismantles public services, punishes allies across the globe, and sweeps the rule of law into the gutter,\u201d Newsom wrote in the letter. \u201cThey have thrown away decades of progress on clean air and water, sent the US military into the streets of our cities, and used extortion in an attempt to bully our businesses and world-class public institutions. But California, this uniquely blessed state, is standing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The video version of the message showed news footage of federal officers streaming through a Los Angeles park this year, after Trump deployed national guard troops and active-duty marines to the city to quell protests against immigration raids that swept up US citizens as well as documented and undocumented immigrants.<\/p>\n

A video message from California\u2019s governor, Gavin Newsom, posted on his official social media accounts on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Newsom\u2019s video also showed mass protests against the deployment of federal officers in LA as the governor said: \u201cThere\u2019s reason to be optimistic on this anniversary. So many people are asserting their moral authority and raising their voices to stand up for the ideals this country was built on.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are now nine months into a battle to protect the values we hold most dear and to preserve the economic and social foundation we built for California,\u201d Newsom added in his letter. \u201cWe are facing a federal administration built on incompetence and malicious ignorance, one that seeks the death of independent thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newsom hasn\u2019t done a formal address in a few years, a departure from decades of tradition, which Republican lawmakers have criticized him for.<\/p>\n

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US supreme court clears way for Trump to withhold $5bn in foreign aid<\/h2>\n

Chris Stein<\/span><\/p>\n

The US supreme court on Tuesday temporarily halted a lower court\u2019s order that the Trump administration spend nearly $5bn in congressionally appropriated foreign aid money that it is seeking to cancel.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The order from the conservative chief justice, John Roberts, comes amid legal wrangling over Donald Trump\u2019s moves to aggressively downsize US support of global development and emergency response, which has resulted in the dismantling of USAID.<\/p>\n

Late last month, Trump informed the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, that he would not spend $4.9bn in foreign aid that Congress had previously approved, decrying it as \u201cwoke, weaponized and wasteful spending\u201d. The money was to go to United Nations organizations and peacekeeping operations, as well as development assistance and democracy-promotion projects.<\/p>\n

The move was a \u201cpocket rescission\u201d, when a president announces they will not spend money shortly before the 30 September end of the federal fiscal year, preventing Congress from acting on his request within the 45-day timeframe and leaving the money unspent. It was the first time in 50 years such a rescission had been made.<\/p>\n

Washington DC federal judge Amir Ali last week ordered the Trump administration to spend those funds, prompting an appeal to the supreme court. In his order, Roberts, who handles emergency petitions from Washington DC, gave the aid groups who sued the administration until Friday to file a response to his order.<\/p>\n

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The US supreme court agreed on Tuesday to decide the legality of Donald Trump\u2019s sweeping global tariffs, setting up a major test of one of the Republican president\u2019s boldest assertions of executive power that has been central to his economic and trade agenda.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The justices took up the justice department\u2019s appeal of a lower court\u2019s ruling that Trump overstepped his authority in imposing most of his tariffs under a federal law meant for emergencies. The court acted swiftly after the administration last week asked it to review the case, which involves trillions of dollars in customs duties over the next decade.<\/p>\n

The court, which begins its next nine-month term on 6 October, placed the case on a fast track, scheduling oral arguments for the first week of November.<\/p>\n

The justices also agreed to hear a separate challenge to Trump\u2019s tariffs brought by a family-owned toy company, Learning Resources.<\/p>\n

The US court of appeals for the federal circuit in Washington ruled on 29 August that Trump overreached in invoking a 1977 law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose the tariffs, undercutting a major priority for the president in his second term. The tariffs, however, remain in effect during the appeal to the supreme court.<\/p>\n

The levies are part of a trade war instigated by Trump since he returned to the presidency in January that has alienated trading partners, increased volatility in financial markets and fueled global economic uncertainty.<\/p>\n

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US lawmakers call Russian drones entering Poland an ‘act of war’<\/h2>\n

Poland said early Wednesday that multiple Russian drones entered and were shot down over its territory with help from Nato allies, with US politicians describing it as \u201can act of war\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several European leaders said they believed Russia was intentionally escalating the war, and Nato was discussing the incident in a meeting. It came three days after Russia\u2019s largest aerial attack on Ukraine since the war began, an attack that for the first time hit a key government building in Kyiv.<\/p>\n

\u201cRussia is attacking NATO ally Poland with Iranian shahid drones less than a week after President Trump hosted President Nawrocki at the White House,\u201d South Carolina Republican representative Joe Wilson posted on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an act of war, and we are grateful to NATO allies for their swift response to war criminal Putin\u2019s continued unprovoked aggression against free and productive nations. I urge President Trump to respond with mandatory sanctions that will bankrupt the Russian war machine and arm Ukraine with weapons capable of striking Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democrat senator Dick Durban accused Vladimir Putin of repeatedly violating Nato airspace and \u201ctesting our resolve to protect Poland and the Baltic nations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the carnage Putin continues to visit on Ukraine, these incursions cannot be ignored,\u201d he posted on X.<\/p>\n

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Lisa Cook to remain at Federal Reserve while fighting Trump\u2019s attempt to fire her, judge rules<\/h2>\n

Callum Jones<\/span><\/p>\n

A federal judge has ruled that Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook can stay in her post while suing Donald Trump over his unprecedented bid to fire her.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cook is legally challenging the US president after he sought to remove her, citing unconfirmed allegations of mortgage fraud, amid an extraordinary campaign by his administration to strengthen its control over the US central bank.<\/p>\n

She asked US district judge Jia Cobb to impose a temporary restraining order against Trump\u2019s attempt to \u201cimmediately\u201d dismiss her, pending further litigation. The administration has argued that Trump is able to fire Fed governors \u201cfor cause\u201d and appoint replacements.<\/p>\n

Trump has spent months attacking the Fed, where most policymakers \u2013 including Cook \u2013 have so far defied his calls for interest rate cuts. He has spoken of rapidly building \u201ca majority\u201d on the central bank\u2019s board, calling into question the future of its longstanding independence from political oversight.<\/p>\n

Trump moved to fire Cook after one of his allies, Bill Pulte, whom he tapped to lead the US Federal Housing Finance Agency, alleged she had claimed two different properties as primary residences when obtaining mortgages in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can this woman be in charge of interest rates if she is allegedly lying to help her own interest rates?\u201d Pulte wrote on X. He referred the case to the Department of Justice for investigation.<\/p>\n

After Cook declined to resign, Trump tried to remove her from the Fed\u2019s board. The justice department is now looking into the allegations of mortgage fraud.<\/p>\n

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Leaked Ice document shows worker detained in Hyundai raid had valid visa<\/h2>\n

Jos\u00e9 Olivares<\/span><\/p>\n

At least one of the Korean workers swept up in a massive immigration raid on a Hyundai Motor factory site in Georgia last week was living and working legally in the US, according to an internal federal government document obtained by the Guardian.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Officials then \u201cmandated\u201d that he agree to be removed from the US despite not having violated his visa.<\/p>\n

The document shows that immigration officials are aware that someone with a valid visa was among the people arrested during the raid at the Hyundai factory and taken to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention for removal proceedings, where the people arrested remained on Tuesday before expected deportation flights back to South Korea.<\/p>\n

The document in question reports on the man\u2019s case and was leaked exclusively to the Guardian. It was written by an Ice agent. The Guardian is redacting the identity of the man in question, who arrived in the US in June, because it has not been possible to reach him directly and it is unclear whether he has any legal representation.<\/p>\n

The document says that immigration agents from Atlanta \u201cdetermined that [redacted] entered into the United States in [redacted], with a valid B1\/B2 visa and [redacted] was employed at HL-GA Battery Company LLC as a contractor from the South Korean company SFA. From statements made and queries in law enforcement databases, [redacted] has not violated his visa; however, the Atlanta Field Office Director has mandated [redacted] be presented as a Voluntary Departure. [Redacted] has accepted voluntary departure despite not violating his B1\/B2 visa requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo of novelty check suggests Epstein \u2018sold\u2019 Trump a woman for $22,500<\/h2>\n

Ramon Antonio Vargas<\/span><\/p>\n

A scrapbook for Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s 50th birthday released on Monday contains a photo of him holding a novelty check bearing Donald Trump\u2019s signature, along with a note suggesting Epstein \u201csold\u201d him a woman for $22,500, shedding further light on the longtime relationship between the president and the convicted sex offender.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The photo shows Epstein and Joel Pashcow, a longtime member of Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago resort, and a third figure, apparently a woman, whose face is redacted in the image, which was shared<\/a> on social media by Democrats on the House oversight committee. The caption, apparently from Pashcow, reads: \u201cJeffrey showing early talents with money + women! Sells \u2018fully depreciated\u2019 [redaction] to Donald Trump for $22,500.\u201d<\/p>\n

Epstein \u201cshowed early \u2018people skills\u2019 too\u201d, the caption continued. \u201cEven though I handled the deal I didn\u2019t get any of the money on the girl!\u201d<\/p>\n

The check is signed \u201cDJ Trump\u201d in a style that differs from most of his signatures at the time.<\/p>\n

The Wall Street Journal reported<\/a> that the woman was someone whom Epstein and the now two-time US president \u2013 whose middle initial is J \u2013 \u201csocialized with\u201d in the 1990s. The woman\u2019s lawyer told the newspaper that she cut ties with Epstein around 1997 and had no romantic relationship with either Epstein or Trump, does not know Pashcow, and had no knowledge of the letter, which she called a \u201cdisgusting and deeply disturbing hoax\u201d.<\/p>\n

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White House would back forensic analysis of signature on Epstein letter<\/h2>\n

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of US politics amid the ongoing furore over links between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, as the White House said it would support a forensic analysis of the signature on a letter purportedly given by the president to the convicted sex offender<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

White House officials on Tuesday doubled down on their assertion that a sexually suggestive letter carrying what appeared to be Trump\u2019s signature that was included in a birthday book for Epstein had not been signed by the president.<\/p>\n

The letter, and its drawing of a naked woman\u2019s torso, was part of a batch of documents released by the House oversight committee in response to a subpoena after its existence was first reported in July by the Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n

At a press briefing, Trump\u2019s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, denied Trump\u2019s involvement in the letter and added that the White House would support an expert review of the signature to determine whether it had been done by Trump\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree separate signature analysts who said this was not the president\u2019s authentic signature and we have maintained that all along. The president did not write this letter, he did not sign this letter,\u201d Leavitt said.<\/p>\n

Multiple White House officials have sought to distance Trump from the 2003 note suggesting the signature did not resemble recent examples. But officials have declined to address the fact that before his time in office, Trump regularly used only his first name in signatures, stylized with a line extending from the last letter \u2013 and Trump\u2019s signature on a letter from 1995 closely resembled the one found on the note to Epstein.<\/p>\n

You can read our story here<\/p>\n

In other developments:<\/p>\n