
Senate confirms top EPA, Agriculture nominees
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed two prominent nominees for energy and environment policy: David Fotouhi for EPA deputy administrator and Stephen Vaden for deputy Agriculture secretary.
Senators confirmed Fotouhi, an industry lawyer who also served in President Donald Trump's first administration, by a vote of 53-41 along party lines.
Fotouhi is the third Trump EPA pick to secure confirmation, after Administrator Lee Zeldin and general counsel Sean Donahue. A half-dozen nominations are still pending, including those of Aaron Szabo to head the Office of Air and Radiation and Jessica Kramer to lead the Office of Water.
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After serving in top jobs in EPA's Office of General Counsel during Trump's first term, Fotouhi has spent the last few years as a partner at the firm of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, where his client list has encompassed numerous businesses regulated by EPA, including carmakers Toyota and Mercedes-Benz and Matador Resources, an oil and gas producer, according to a financial disclosure report.
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CBS News
36 minutes ago
- CBS News
Suisun City votes to move forward with California Forever annexation project research
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Fox News
40 minutes ago
- Fox News
Federal judge orders Trump to return control of California National Guard to Newsom
A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump acted illegally when he seized control of California's National Guard during ICE-related riots in Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer issued the decision Thursday, siding with Governor Gavin Newsom and ordering Trump to return control of the Guard to the state "forthwith.""His actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution," Breyer wrote. "He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith.""Federalism is not optional," the ruling states. "Even the president cannot legislate by fiat."JUDGE MULLS TRUMP'S AUTHORITY OVER NATIONAL GUARD, WARNS US IS NOT 'KING GEORGE' MONARCHY Recent anti-ICE protests have led to riots, looting, and clashes with federal agents in Los Angeles. Trump issued a proclamation invoking federal authority, but Breyer rejected the justification, calling it constitutionally hollow. In his order, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer granted the plaintiffs' request for a temporary restraining order and took immediate action to halt federal control of the California National Guard."Defendants are temporarily ENJOINED from deploying members of the California National Guard in Los Angeles," the ruling states. "Defendants are DIRECTED to return control of the California National Guard to Governor Newsom."TRUMP TELLS JUDGE HE DOES NOT NEED NEWSOM'S PERMISSION TO CRACK DOWN ON RIOTERS, DEPLOY NATIONAL GUARD The court stayed the order until noon on June 13, 2025, giving the defendants a narrow window to comply. Plaintiffs were also ordered to post a nominal bond of $100 within 24 hours. Looking ahead, Judge Breyer scheduled a hearing to determine whether the temporary restraining order should become a preliminary injunction."Defendants are further ORDERED TO SHOW CAUSE why a preliminary injunction should not issue," Breyer wrote. The hearing is set for June 20, 2025, at 10 a.m."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's top diplomat in Africa leaving State Department
President Trump's top diplomat in Africa, Troy Fitrell, will retire from the State Department next month, and Jonathan Pratt, the Bureau of African Affairs deputy assistant secretary, will take his place. 'After a long and distinguished career, the Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs Senior Bureau Official Ambassador Troy Fitrell is retiring in mid-July as planned,' a State Department spokesperson told The Hill in an emailed statement on Thursday. 'The Bureau of African Affairs Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jonathan Pratt will step into the Senior Bureau Official role after Ambassador Fitrell's departure,' the spokesperson added. Fitrell, a foreign service official, previously worked as the United States ambassador to Guinea. He has served in various State Department posts across Africa, including serving as the director of the Office of Western African Affairs and Southern African Affairs. He was also the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassies in Ethiopia and Mauritius. Fitrell has been the head of the State Department's African bureau since the assistant secretary, a Senate-confirmed position, has not yet been chosen. Fitrell, who has been a diplomat for more than three decades, previously said that the Trump administration is changing the U.S. approach to Africa from 'one rooted primarily in development assistance to a strategy that prioritizes robust commercial engagement.' The administration sees trade as a way to counter Chinese and Russian influence on the continent. Semafor first reported on Fitrell's forthcoming exit. Pratt, who will succeed Fitrell, previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Djibouti from 2021 to 2023. He also had other assignments within the State Department, working in places such as Pakistan, Sudan and Angola. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.