‘Firing her is not enough’: Democrats celebrate Kristi Noem departure but say she must be ‘held accountable’ – US politics live

Gavin Newsom among those celebrating Noem’s ousting, as Democrats warn pressure must be kept up against ICE

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the day.

Yesterday Donald Trump announced that he was replacing Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security – the first cabinet official of Trump’s second administration to be ousted from their role.

The US House of Representatives on Thursday voted down a Democratic-backed measure to halt hostilities with Iran, as Republicans cleared the way for Trump to continue the conflict that has drawn in countries across the Middle East.

Trump is scheduled to meet with defence secretary Pete Hegseth today as the conflict continues to rage in the Middle East. The president is also scheduled to meet with interior secretary Doug Burgum following Burgum’s visit to Venezuela earlier this week. Both meetings are closed to the press.

Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right Reform UK party, is scheduled to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago for dinner to discuss the Chagos Island deal. Trump changed his mind on supporting the Chagos Island deal because the UK will not permit its airbases to be used for a pre-emptive US strike on Iran. In his latest change of heart on the deal, the Trump posted on social media that Keir Starmer was “making a big mistake” by handing sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius in exchange for continued use by the UK and US of their airbase on one of the islands, Diego Garcia.

The US supreme court is scheduled to hold conference today to consider cases for the upcoming term – which includes Trump’s petition to review the verdict in the E. Jean Carroll case that found Trump liable for sexual abuse.

A Jan. 6 Capitol rioter who was pardoned by Trump was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison for molesting two children. Federal prosecutors said Andrew Paul Johnson, 45, had entered the Capitol building through an office window that other rioters had smashed and cursed at police officers after they used teargas to disperse the mob of Trump supporters. Continue reading...