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The US workplace of particular counsel, an unbiased federal company, confirmed to NBC Information that it’s investigating former Division of Justice prosecutor Jack Smith for potential violations of the Hatch Act.
Smith led investigations into Donald Trump’s half within the 6 January US Capitol riot and alleged mishandling of labeled paperwork.
It comes as senior Republican lawmakers condemn the choice of their celebration chief, Trump, to fireside the main US labor market statistician after a report that confirmed the nationwide economic system added simply 73,000 jobs – far fewer than anticipated – in July.
Trump claimed, with out proof, that the numbers had been “RIGGED so as to make the Republicans, and ME, look unhealthy” and the US economic system was, the truth is, “BOOMING” on his watch.
Listed below are the important thing US politics tales of the day:
Inquiry into ex-special counsel Jack Smith over Trump investigations
The affirmation of an investigation into Jack Smith comes after Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, a Republican, requested final week that Smith be investigated for “unprecedented interference within the 2024 election”.
The Hatch Act, a federal regulation handed in 1939, limits sure political actions of federal staff. Trump, together with different distinguished Republican lawmakers, have argued that Smith’s investigations into Trump amounted to unlawful political exercise.
Smith in the end introduced two felony indictments in opposition to Trump in 2023 however resigned in January this 12 months earlier than both got here to trial.
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Republicans slam Trump’s firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics chief
The firing of Erika McEntarfer, who had been confirmed to her function in January 2024 throughout Joe Biden’s presidency, has alarmed members of Trump’s personal celebration.
“If the president is firing the statistician as a result of he doesn’t just like the numbers however they’re correct, then that’s an issue,” stated Wyoming Republican senator Cynthia Lummis. “It’s not the statistician’s fault if the numbers are correct and that they’re not what the president had hoped for.”
Kentucky senator Rand Paul, one other Republican, questioned whether or not McEntarfer’s firing was an efficient approach of bettering the numbers.
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Donald Trump says he considers Sean ‘“Diddy” Combs “kind of half-innocent” regardless of his felony conviction in federal courtroom in July – however the president known as pardoning the music mogul “harder” due to previous criticism.
“After I ran for workplace, he was very hostile,” Trump stated of the Unhealthy Boy Data founder. “It’s exhausting, you recognize? We’re human beings. And we don’t prefer to have issues cloud our judgment, proper? However once you knew somebody and also you had been effective, and then you definitely run for workplace, and he made some horrible statements.”
Combs was discovered responsible on 2 July of two counts of transportation to have interaction in prostitution, with every leaving him going through as much as 10 years in jail – however he was acquitted of extra critical sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy prices.
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Evaluation: Durham disclosures additional undermine Gabbard’s claims of plot in opposition to Trump
Tulsi Gabbard, the director of US nationwide intelligence, hoped to uncover proof that Barack Obama and his nationwide safety group conspired to undermine Donald Trump in a slow-motion coup.
However a beforehand labeled annexe to a report by one other particular counsel, John Durham – appointed in direction of the top of Trump’s first presidency – has additional undermined Gabbard’s case.
It confirms that Russian spies had been behind the emails that had been initially launched as the results of a Russian cyber-hack of inside Democratic data channels and which Trump supporters believed confirmed the marketing campaign of Hillary Clinton, his 2016 opponent, conspiring to accuse him of colluding with Moscow.
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What else occurred as we speak:
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The Trump administration terminated 1,902 Nationwide Institutes of Well being grants totalling greater than $4.4bn between January and the top of July, in response to Grant Witness information. NIH adopted steerage from the so-called “division of presidency effectivity” (Doge) and Trump’s govt orders to chop prices.
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In keeping with Donald Trump’s White Home, the US economic system is booming, inflation is useless and jobs are surging. A blizzard of financial experiences has forged a pall on such claims in latest days.
Catching up? Right here’s what occurred 1 August 2025.