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Democrats celebrate as Virginia voters approve new congressional maps that could flip House seats in their favor – as it happened

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Donald Trump said that he does not want to extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran, in an interview with CNBC. “I dont’ want to do that. We don’t have that much time,” the president said. The pause is set to expire tomorrow, and vice-president JD Vance will lead last-ditch talks in Islamabad today, in the hopes of striking a deal with Tehran.

However, speaking to Joe Kernen, Trump said that he plans to resume strikes if negotiations collapse. “I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with,” the president added. “But we’re ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go.”

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© Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

© Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

© Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

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Harmeet Dhillon: DoJ lawyer a top contender for Trump’s retribution mission

Pugilistic presence has laid waste to civil rights decision – her take-no-prisoners approach has alarmed legal experts but earned president’s plaudits

When Donald Trump abruptly fired Pam Bondi earlier this month, he made it clear that an unmistakable priority for the justice department would be using the nation’s top law enforcement agency to seek retribution against his political rivals.

For months, Trump pressured Bondi to move ahead with prosecutions against James Comey, Letitia James, Adam Schiff and other rivals, even publicly venting his frustration with Bondi in October. The justice department eventually did secure indictments against Comey and James, but the cases later collapsed. Trump fired Bondi on 2 April, reportedly because he was angered by the department’s lack of progress in prosecuting enemies. Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, has since said Trump has the “right” to direct investigations at the justice department.

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© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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Lead prosecutor on investigation into former CIA director no longer on case

Maria Medetis Long had expressed doubts over case of John Brennan, whose agency said Russia boosted Trump in 2016

A federal prosecutor leading the investigation into former CIA director John Brennan is no longer working on the case after expressing reservations about it, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The prosecutor, Maria Medetis Long, informed attorneys involved in the case she was no longer handling it, according to CNN, which first reported she was leaving the case. Medetis Long is a career attorney serving as the chief of the national security division in the US attorney’s office for the southern district of Florida. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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© Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

© Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

© Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

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Acting ICE director Todd Lyons will step down at the end of May, says DHS

Lyons, who led agency since March 2025, to resign after turbulent year carrying out Trump’s immigration agenda

Todd Lyons, the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is stepping down after a turbulent year carrying out Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.

Lyons, who has been leading the agency since March 2025, will resign at the end of May and move to the private sector, Markwayne ​Mullin, the Department of Homeland Security secretary, said in a statement on Thursday.

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© Photograph: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

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Department of Justice investigating Eric Swalwell amid sexual assault allegations

Democratic representative from California has suspended gubernatorial campaign and resigned from Congress

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has opened an investigation into Eric Swalwell following his resignation from Congress, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The news of a federal investigation comes days after the Democratic representative from California stepped down due to multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

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© Photograph: Étienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Étienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Étienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images

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Former Trump lawyer John Eastman disbarred over efforts to overturn 2020 election

California supreme court upholds lower court decision as Eastman says he will appeal to US supreme court

John Eastman, a lawyer who played a key role in Donald Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election, officially lost his law license in California on Wednesday.

The California supreme court upheld a 2024 ruling from a state judge, who recommended Eastman be disbarred. Eastman “exhibited gross negligence by making false statements about the 2020 election without conducting any meaningful investigation or verification of the information he was relying upon”, Judge Yvette Roland wrote in 2024.

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© Photograph: Andrew Leyden/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Andrew Leyden/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Andrew Leyden/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

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House Democrats file six articles of impeachment against defense secretary Pete Hegseth – as it happened

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on impeachment filings against Trump’s defense secretary, read our full report:

At a Turning Point USA event in Georgia on Tuesday, vice-president JD Vance was heckled by a protester who seemed to criticized the conflicts in the Middle East, including the war in Gaza.

“Jesus Christ does not support genocide,” the audience member shouted. The vice-president addressed the demonstrator and agreed with their statement, before responding to further comments from the heckler who appeared to say that the administration “supports a genocide in Gaza”.

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© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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