Donald Trump signs order designating leftwing movement antifa as a domestic terror organization
Donald Trump has signed an executive order designating ‘antifa’ as a domestic terrorist organization. The news follows Trump’s announcement Thursday that he was planning such an order following Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Antifa, short for “anti-fascists”, is an umbrella term for far-left-leaning activist groups and is not a single entity.
“All relevant executive departments and agencies shall utilize all applicable authorities to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations – especially those involving terrorist actions – conducted by Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa, or for which Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa provided material support, including necessary investigatory and prosecutorial actions against those who fund such operations,” the order reads.
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Updated at 02.49 CEST
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Kamala Harris hesitated to endorse New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, saying she supported whoever was the Democratic nominee. She then directed her attention to other “rising stars” of the Democratic party outside of New York.
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Kamala Harris says she supports California’s effort to redraw its political maps in response to Republican-led states’ steps to do the same.
“It is absolutely the right way to go,” she said. “We tend to play by the rules, but I think this is a moment where you have to fight fire with fire”
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Kamala Harris is live on MSNBC with Rachel Maddow discussing her forthcoming book 107 Days.
Maddow began the interview by sharing a series of excerpts from the former vice president’s book, including messages of support she received from Democratic leaders when Joe Biden announced he was terminating his campaign. Harris has also discussed her surprise at how quickly titans of industry, including newspapers like the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post, capitulated to the Trump administration by withdrawing editorials in support of her candidacy.
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Zohran Mamdani says he’s open to participating in an ABC town hall with other New York City mayoral candidates now that Jimmy Kimmel’s show has been reinstated.
Earlier today, Mamdani said he was withdrawing from a televised town hall hosted by a local ABC station in protest of the network’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s talkshow.
“Last week, Disney/ABC caved to Trump administration pressure. Millions of Americans helped them find their backbone. Whether you watch Jimmy Kimmel or not, today’s decision is a victory for free speech,” Mamdani wrote in a social media post. “We’ve reached out to WABC to reschedule the town hall.”
The front runner in New York City’s mayoral race, Mamdani will appear on November’s ballot alongside the former governor Andrew Cuomo, the incumbent mayor Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa, a Republican.
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Updated at 02.58 CEST
Kamala Harris will be giving her first major television interview since the 2024 election on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in about 30 minutes, at 9pm ET.
We’ll be watching and will share the top lines from the interview here.
Harris is currently on tour promoting her new book, 107 Days, which will be released tomorrow.
As my colleague David Smith writes: “During the campaign and in its aftermath, Harris had avoided criticism of the president she served beside and defended him amid questions about his mental acuity. But in 107 Days she lays bare tensions between the two.”
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Updated at 02.49 CEST
Here’s a bit more from my colleague Joseph Gedeon about Donald Trump’s executive order labeling antifa as a ‘domestic terrorist organization’:
This marks Trump’s second attempt to brand antifa as a terrorist organization. During 2020 protests following George Floyd’s murder, he posted: “The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.” No formal designation followed.
And while Trump may not be able to formally designate antifa as a terrorist organization, the administration could prioritize investigations of individuals claiming antifa affiliation, potentially leading to more frequent arrests using existing criminal statutes.
When Trump first came into office, he pardoned Proud Boys and Oath Keepers convicted in the 6 January Capitol attack, marking a contrast in his treatment of far-right extremists versus leftwing extremists.
Joe Biggs, a Proud Boys leader who was convicted and pardoned for his role in 6 January, posted on X ahead of the announcement: “Who’s ready to go ANTIFA hunting? Because I know a few guys”.
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Mitch McConnell, the former Senate majority leader, says he opposed efforts to take Jimmy Kimmel off the air
In a social media post, McConnell said he agreed with Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican senator, who voiced concerns that government officials could violate Republicans’ free speech in the future if such a precedent were set.
“As a first amendment guy, myself, I think he’s probably got it right,” McConnell wrote. “You don’t have to like what somebody says on TV to agree that the government shouldn’t be getting involved here.”
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Updated at 02.16 CEST
Earlier today, the Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump may fire the only remaining Democrat on the Federal Trade Commisson, Rebecca Slaughter, a move that may expand the president’s ability to influence independent government agencies.
The court overturned a 1935 Supreme Court ruling, dating back to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency, called Humphrey’s Executor. That decision found that commissioners could only be removed for misconduct or neglect of duty.
The court’s decision came after a lower court reinstated Rebecca Slaughter, the only remaining Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission, who Trump tried to fire in March.
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Lindsey Halligan, a former Florida insurance lawyer who has been serving as a special assistant to the president, has been sworn in as interim US attorney, replacing Erik Siebert.
Siebert, a longtime prosecutor who had been overseeing investigations into Letitia James, the New York attorney general, and James Comey, the former FBI director, resigned Friday amid pressure from the Trump administration.
Both Halligan’s and Siebert’s names appeared in a since deleted post Donald Trump made to his social media platform last night.
In it, Trump ordered his attorney general Pam Bondi to appoint Halligan to replace Siebert, who he called a “woke RINO,” short for “Republican In Name Only”.
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Updated at 02.14 CEST
Donald Trump signs order designating leftwing movement antifa as a domestic terror organization
Donald Trump has signed an executive order designating ‘antifa’ as a domestic terrorist organization. The news follows Trump’s announcement Thursday that he was planning such an order following Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Antifa, short for “anti-fascists”, is an umbrella term for far-left-leaning activist groups and is not a single entity.
“All relevant executive departments and agencies shall utilize all applicable authorities to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations – especially those involving terrorist actions – conducted by Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa, or for which Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa provided material support, including necessary investigatory and prosecutorial actions against those who fund such operations,” the order reads.
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Updated at 02.49 CEST
After concluding his Tylenol press conference, Donald Trump is en route to New York City for the UN General Assembly, where he is scheduled to give a speech tomorrow on the “renewal of American strength around the world”, per press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Ahead of the president’s arrival, secretary of state Marco Rubio met with Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa. Al-Sharaa’s appearance in New York City marks the first time a Syrian leader has attended the UN General Assembly since 1967. The State Department waived visa restrictions on Syria to allow al-Sharaa and his team to attend the gathering.
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Trump is walking back his claims about vaccines slightly, emphasizing the success of his Operation Warp Speed project to rapidly develop a Covid-19 vaccine during the pandemic.
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Trump interrupted a CNN reporter trying to ask a question, saying “you’re fake news,” and then took a question from a different reporter.
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Updated at 00.01 CEST
Mehmet Oz and Donald Trump are answering questions from reporters, including about cuts to Medicaid and Chip under the president’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, which cut $1tn from the programs. They said the cuts to those programs targeted fraud, waste and abuse and will not impact children’s ability to access healthcare.
About half of American children are insured through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
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Donald Trump has responded to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists statement on Tylenol announcement, following a reporter’s question.
“That’s the establishment. They’re funded by lots of different groups. And you know what, maybe they’re right,” he said. “But here’s the thing, there’s no downside to doing this.”
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Trump has returned to the podium, sharing a range of stories and his opinions on vaccines and medications.
“Don’t take Tylenol,” he said emphatically. “There’s no downside.”
According to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine untreated fever during pregnancy does carry significant risks to moms and babies, such as miscarriage and birth defects.
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Tylenol maker rejects Trump’s announcement
The manufacturer of Tylenol, Kenvue Inc, has released a statement in response to the president’s announcement, saying it “strongly disagrees” with the suggestion that the medication may cause autism.
“Sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” the statement says.
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Updated at 23.38 CEST
Top US medical group calls Tylenol guidance ‘irresponsible’ and ‘not backed by full body of scientific evidence’
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the nation’s leading organization for obstetricians and gynecologists, says Donald Trump’s announcement regarding Tylenol use in pregnancy is “irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients.”
“Today’s announcement by HHS is not backed by the full body of scientific evidence and dangerously simplifies the many and complex causes of neurologic challenges in children,” the organization’s president, Dr. Steven Fleischman, said in a statement.
“It is highly unsettling that our federal health agencies are willing to make an announcement that will affect the health and well-being of millions of people without the backing of reliable data.”
Ahead of the president’s announcement, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said Tylenol is “an appropriate medication to treat pain and fever during pregnancy.” It added that untreated fever during pregnancy carries significant risks to moms and babies, such as miscarriage and birth defects.
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Updated at 23.37 CEST
