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Trump administration argues that decision stopping president from removing officers must be overruled
Arguments in the case that will decide whether Donald Trump can fire officials from independent agencies have started.
First up is solicitor general D John Sauer, arguing on behalf of the Trump administration.
He kicks off his opening remarks by arguing that the key 90-year precedent, known as the Humphrey’s Executor, “must be overruled”.
He describes the ruling as a “decaying husk with bold, and particularly dangerous pretensions” that ultimately creates a “headless fourth branch insulated from political accountability and democratic control”.
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Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of three liberal justices on the bench, seemed unconvinced with the administration’s argument off the bat.
“You’re asking us to destroy the structure of government,” she told solicitor general John D. Sauer. “To take away from Congress its ability to protect its idea that a government is better structured with some agencies that are independent.”
Trump administration argues that decision stopping president from removing officers must be overruled
Arguments in the case that will decide whether Donald Trump can fire officials from independent agencies have started.
First up is solicitor general D John Sauer, arguing on behalf of the Trump administration.
He kicks off his opening remarks by arguing that the key 90-year precedent, known as the Humphrey’s Executor, “must be overruled”.
He describes the ruling as a “decaying husk with bold, and particularly dangerous pretensions” that ultimately creates a “headless fourth branch insulated from political accountability and democratic control”.
Supreme court to hear arguments in case testing Trump's ability to fire officials
In less than an hour, the supreme court will here arguments in a landmark case that tests Donald Trump’s ability to fire officials.
Earlier this year, the president moved to fire Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission. Trump actually appointed her to the position back in 2018, and she was re-confirmed for a second term under Joe Biden that was set to expire in 2029.
One of the main questions the nine-justice bench will consider today is whether to overturn a key 1938 decision which established that the president requires Congress’ signoff to fire an official from an independent government agency, and it needs to be “for cause”.
Slaughter’s case is the latest emergency appeal that the supreme court will hear from the Trump administration, after a lower court judge blocked her firing, and an appeal court upheld that decision. A reminder that, in May, the court allowed Trump to remove two Democratic members of the National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board – despite job protections for these posts – while litigation challenging those removals proceeded. And in September, they deferred action on the Department of Justice’s request to allow Trump to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, at least until it hears oral arguments on the case in January.
My colleague, Jakub Krupa, is covering the latest out of Europe, particularly the London meeting between Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several Nato allies – France’s Emmanuel Macron, UK prime minister Keir Starmer, and Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Jakub notes:
The sombre tone of the opening remarks was highly telling: it’s clear that this was not merely another photo opportunity designed to merely convey solidarity with Zelenskyy, but they face urgent – increasingly so – issues that need to be resolved soon.
A reminder that Donald Trump Jr warned that his father may walk away from the Ukrainian war in a lengthy tirade against the purpose of continued fighting in Ukraine, as he also claimed Ukraine’s “corrupt” rich had fled their country leaving “what they believed to be the peasant class” to fight the war.
Meanwhile, the president said on Sunday that Russia is “fine” with the peace proposal (although he didn’t elaborate if this was the same framework that Moscow seemed initially unhappy with during Steve Witkoff’s visit). Trump added: “But I’m not sure that Zelenskyy’s fine with it. His people love it. But he isn’t ready.”
A quick update, a White House official confirms to the Guardian that the president’s roundtable will be to unveil an assistance package for American farmers. He’ll be joined by treasury secretary Scott Bessent and agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins.
Donald Trump is in Washington today. At 2pm ET he’ll host a roundtable event at the White House. Bloomberg reports that he will unveil a much-anticipated $12bn support package for American farmers who have been hit by the president’s sweeping tariff policies. We’re waiting from confirmation from the White House, but will bring you the latest lines as they come in.
More than 2,000 national guard soldiers have been in Washington since Donald Trump’s initial deployment in August, part of the president’s contentious immigration and crime crackdown targeting Democratic-led cities.
In what was seen by many as an example of federal overreach, the president federalised DC’s Metropolitan police department for the first time in its history over the summer.
Trump said he was declaring a public safety emergency and putting the police under the control of the attorney general, Pam Bondi.
This was despite violent crime in Washington DC actually having fallen sharply since 2023.
Smith says 'there comes a time when you just know it's time' to step down
Axios broke the news of Pamela Smith’s resignation. Speaking to the outlet, she said: “There comes a time when you just know it’s time.”
Smith, who has 28 years of law enforcement experience, said her decision is not related to the deployment of national guard troops to the city.
Speaking to Fox 5 about her decision to resign, the outgoing police chief said it was a “tough” decision and was made to spend more time with her family.
She said:
I have been going nonstop. I have missed many amazing celebrations, birthdays, marriages, you name it, within our family.
And being able to come home for thanksgiving two years after my mum passed really resonated with me and has allowed me to make a decision that I think is necessary not just only for me but also for my family.
Smith is expected to step down on 31 December and the mayor’s office will name an interim chief shortly, according to Axios.
Smith says serving as Washington DC police chief was 'greatest honor' of her career
In a statement, Pamela Smith said she was “deeply humbled, grateful and deeply appreciative” of her time in her role, which she described as the “greatest honor” of her career. She gave thanks to the mayor for appointing her in 2023 and supporting her throughout her tenure, which she acknowledged had been both “challenging and rewarding”.
Smith adds that “tremendous progress” has been made but the city is not at “zero percent crime” yet.
She said:
I am confident that the department is in a strong position and that the great work will continue, moving in a positive trajectory to combat crime and enhance public safety. Washington, DC is an extraordinary place to live, visit, and work, and I remain inspired by the resilience and spirit of this community.
I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity as Chief of Police. It has been an honor to lead the men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department, and I will always carry with the me the pride of having served this city.
Washington DC Mayor says outgoing police chief helped 'restore a sense of safety' in the city
Here is Bowser’s full statement on Smith stepping down:
When Chief Smith stepped up to lead the Metropolitan Police Department, we had no time to waste. She came in at a very challenging time for our community, when there was significant urgency to reverse the crime trends our city was facing post pandemic. Within a year of her tenure, we opened the Real-Time Crime Center.
We deployed newer and better technology. We worked with the Council to pass comprehensive legislation that prioritizes accountability. And Chief Smith got all of this done while also navigating unprecedented challenges and attacks on our city’s autonomy.
Chief Smith dramatically drove down violent crime, drove down the homicide rate to its lowest levels in eight years, and helped us restore a sense of safety and accountability in our neighborhoods. We are grateful for her service to Washington, DC.
DC police chief Pamela Smith to step down from role
Pamela Smith, the chief of the Metropolitan police department, is stepping down after two and a half years on the job, the Washington DC mayor, Muriel Bowser, has announced.
Bowser appointed Smith to the position in July 2023, when she became the second woman and first Black woman to permanently run the agency since its founding in 1861.
Democrats urge Pentagon to release video of strike on alleged drug boat
Sam Levine
US Democrats on Sunday pushed the Trump administration to release video of a second strike on an alleged drug boat incapacitated in the Caribbean, continuing to escalate pressure on the Pentagon amid accusations the attack was unlawful.
Eleven people died in the 2 September attack, including two men killed in a follow-up strike as they reportedly clung to wreckage for an hour.
That killing has been met with intense scrutiny and accusations of war crimes after the Washington Post reported defense secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill them all”.
Adm Frank Bradley of the US navy, who oversaw the attack, told lawmakers on Thursday there was no such order – and the Pentagon has defended the legality of the attack. Experts have said the defense is legally shaky.
“If the Pentagon and our defense secretary are so proud of what they’re doing, let the American people see that video,” Adam Schiff, a Democratic senator from California, said during an interview on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press.
“Let the American people see two people standing on a capsized boat, or sitting on a capsized boat, and deliberately killed and decide for themselves whether they’re proud of what the country is doing. I can’t imagine people would be proud of that.”
You can read the full story here:
Republicans in Texas, North Carolina and Missouri have passed new maps that could add as many as seven GOP-friendly seats, as my colleagues report in this story.
Democrats have countered that effort with new maps in California – where Republicans and the Trump justice department are suing to overturn the map – and in Virginia, which could offset those gains.
Indiana Republicans could upend Trump's redistricting push ahead of midterms
A proposal to redraw Indiana’s congressional boundaries faces its first public test in the state Senate later today, with uncertainty over whether it will pass.
Redistricting is typically done once a decade after the census. But Donald Trump has put pressure on GOP states in recent months to redraw their maps ahead of next year’s midterms, with the president wanting to protect the Republicans’ thin majority in the House.
Several Republican senators have indicated their opposition to the redrawing of the map mid-decade despite the pressure coming from the White House. Republicans currently hold seven of the state’s nine districts.
The newly drawn map – passed by the Republican super majority in the state House on Friday – splits the city of Indianapolis into four districts, distributed across other Republican-leaning areas. It also groups the cities of East Chicago and Gary with a wide swath of rural counties in northern Indiana. The contours would eliminate the districts of the state’s two Democratic congressional representatives.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has authorised a sweeping system of mass arrests, incarcerations and deportations under the banner of an illegal immigration clampdown.
Human rights experts, however, have raised serious concerns about the detention of children with their parents and the arrest of people without charge or due process.
The activities of ICE agents is causing fear and anxiety across American cities, with many immigrant communities, and people of colour born in the US, terrified of being racially profiled and swept up in the raids.
My colleague Lucy Campbell has this report shedding light on the collective trauma inflicted on the immigrant communities of New Orleans. Here is a video showing the strength of feeling against the ICE crackdown in a combative New Orleans city council meeting:
In other news, New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has explained people’s right to refuse to speak to or comply with agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In a video posted to social media yesterday, he vowed to protect the city’s three million immigrants and the constitutional and legal rights of every New Yorker.
Mamdani, who will take office on 1 January, said ICE agents cannot enter into private spaces – like homes and schools – without a judge-signed judicial warrant and people have the right to keep their door closed if there no such warrant is presented.
He said:
ICE is legally allowed to lie to you, but you have the right to remain silent. If you’re being detained, you may always ask, am I free to go repeatedly until they answer you.
You are legally allowed to film ICE as long as you do not interfere with an arrest. It is important to remain calm during any interaction with Ice or law enforcement. Do not impede their investigation, resist arrest, or run.
Mamdani’s video comes a week or so after a raid by federal immigration authorities on the edge of Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood, which was thwarted by about 200 protesters.
You can read the National Defense Authorization Act in full here.
Sprawling defense bill will 'restore warrior ethos', House speaker says
Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of US politics. Lawmakers have unveiled an annual defense policy bill authorizing a record $901bn in national security spending next year.
The budget for the defense department is $8bn more than the $892.6bn in the Trump administration’s budget request for the department.
The sweeping 3,000-page bill includes a 4% raise for enlisted troops, with the legislation seeking to codify some of Donald Trump’s executive orders, including those aimed at accelerating American manufacturing of drones, and developing the so-called “Golden Dome” missile defense system that the White House envisions will protect the US from possible foreign strikes.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives will be cut under the bill, which will see troops deployed to the south-west US border to apparently intercept undocumented immigrants and drugs.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said the legislation would advance Trump’s agenda by “ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos.”
European officials will be pleased to read that the bill prevents the Pentagon from cutting the number of troops permanently stationed or deployed to Europe below 76,000 for more than 45 days.
This is unless the defense secretary and head of the US European Command certify to Congress that the deployment is against America’s national security interest, and will have to provide assessments of the withdrawal’s impact, among other requirements.
The bill also provides $400m in military assistance to Ukraine, reflecting Kyiv’s need to defend itself against Russia’s continuing aggression.
On another foreign policy front, the bill repeals two resolutions authorizing the use of military force in Iraq in 1991 and 2002. Stay with us as we bring you more on this story and the other major political developments from the US.
