Trump news at a glance: inquiry launched into Trump prosecutor as backlash grows over firing of statistics chief
Smith led investigations into Donald Trump's part in the 6 January US Capitol riot and alleged mishandling of classified documents.
It comes as senior Republican lawmakers condemn the decision of their party leader, Trump, to fire the leading US labor market statistician after a report that showed the national economy added just 73,000 jobs – far fewer than expected – in July.
Trump claimed, without evidence, that the numbers were 'RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad' and the US economy was, in fact, 'BOOMING' on his watch.
Here are the key US politics stories of the day:
The confirmation of an investigation into Jack Smith comes after Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, a Republican, requested last week that Smith be investigated for 'unprecedented interference in the 2024 election'.
The Hatch Act, a federal law passed in 1939, limits certain political activities of federal employees. Trump, along with other prominent Republican lawmakers, have argued that Smith's investigations into Trump amounted to illegal political activity.
Smith ultimately brought two criminal indictments against Trump in 2023 but resigned in January this year before either came to trial.
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The firing of Erika McEntarfer, who had been confirmed to her role in January 2024 during Joe Biden's presidency, has alarmed members of Trump's own party.
'If the president is firing the statistician because he doesn't like the numbers but they are accurate, then that's a problem,' said Wyoming Republican senator Cynthia Lummis. 'It's not the statistician's fault if the numbers are accurate and that they're not what the president had hoped for.'
Kentucky senator Rand Paul, another Republican, questioned whether McEntarfer's firing was an effective way of improving the numbers.
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Donald Trump says he considers Sean ''Diddy' Combs 'sort of half-innocent' despite his criminal conviction in federal court in July – but the president called pardoning the music mogul 'more difficult' because of past criticism.
'When I ran for office, he was very hostile,' Trump said of the Bad Boy Records founder. 'It's hard, you know? We're human beings. And we don't like to have things cloud our judgment, right? But when you knew someone and you were fine, and then you run for office, and he made some terrible statements.'
Combs was found guilty on 2 July of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, with each leaving him facing up to 10 years in prison – but he was acquitted of more serious sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges.
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Tulsi Gabbard, the director of US national intelligence, hoped to uncover evidence that Barack Obama and his national security team conspired to undermine Donald Trump in a slow-motion coup.
But a previously classified annexe to a report by another special counsel, John Durham – appointed towards the end of Trump's first presidency – has further undermined Gabbard's case.
It confirms that Russian spies were behind the emails that were originally released as the result of a Russian cyber-hack of internal Democratic information channels and which Trump supporters believed showed the campaign of Hillary Clinton, his 2016 opponent, conspiring to accuse him of colluding with Moscow.
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The Trump administration terminated 1,902 National Institutes of Health grants totalling more than $4.4bn between January and the end of July, according to Grant Witness data. NIH followed guidance from the so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) and Trump's executive orders to cut costs.
According to Donald Trump's White House, the US economy is booming, inflation is dead and jobs are surging. A blizzard of economic reports has cast a pall on such claims in recent days.
Catching up? Here's what happened 1 August 2025.
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SpiceJet: Indian airline files case against army officer seen hitting staff in viral video
Police in Indian-administered Kashmir have opened an investigation against an Indian army officer for allegedly assaulting an airline's staff, after he was asked to pay for excess baggage. The incident took place on 26 July at the Srinagar airport but made headlines over the weekend, after a video showing the man hitting the ground staff of SpiceJet with a metal stand went viral online. The carrier said that one of the employees had suffered a "spinal fracture and serious jaw injuries" in the assault. The army officer, Ritesh Kumar Singh, has denied the allegations, claiming he was "provoked" by the staff. He has also reportedly filed a police complaint against SpiceJet for allegedly assaulting him. The Indian army said it was looking into the incident and would decide on the further course of action based on the outcome of the investigation."The Indian Army is committed to upholding the highest standards of discipline and conduct and takes all allegations seriously," its public relations office said on said in a statement that the incident took place when Mr Singh was about to board a flight to Delhi from airline said Mr Singh was carrying cabin luggage that weighed twice the permissible the staff asked him to pay for the excess luggage, he allegedly refused and forcefully entered the aerobridge - a passageway that connects the airport terminal to the aircraft - without completing the boarding process, it staff members escorted Mr Singh back to the gate where he "grew increasingly aggressive and assaulted four members of SpiceJet ground staff", the airline shared online show Mr Singh hitting one of the employees with a metal stand.A security guard grabs the stand from Mr Singh and tries to push him away. Despite this, Mr Singh continues to lash out at the staff with punches and expletives. A policeman then steps in, intervening and separating him from the to the airline, one employee fell unconscious on the floor but Mr Singh continued kicking and hitting him."Another staff member suffered bleeding from the nose and mouth after receiving a forceful kick to the jaw while bending down to assist the colleague who had fainted," it said it has submitted the CCTV footage of the incident to the police and initiated the process of placing the passenger on the no-fly Singh, however, told The Indian Express newspaper that the SpiceJet staff had allegedly harassed and provoked in Kashmir have registered a case against Mr Singh for criminal intimidation and for criminal assault or Mr Singh has filed a police complaint against SpiceJet staff for use of force or violence by an assembly.
Reuters
9 minutes ago
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German finance minister to push for steel quotas on Washington trip
BERLIN, Aug 4 (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil will advocate for a quota system on steel exports to be included in the EU's trade deal with the United States at a meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Scott Bessent, later on Monday, he told a radio broadcaster. "There is talk of a quota system for steel, and it would be good if there were one," Klingbeil told Deutschlandfunk radio on Monday before his planned meeting in Washington. There are a number of chapters that have not yet been finalised in the trade deal struck, said Klingbeil, and steel is a particularly important issue for the German economy and jobs. "I will test out what steps the American government is prepared to take and what the solution might look like," said Klingbeil, even though the EU is responsible for negotiations. The EU's trade deal with Trump in July was greeted with a mix of relief and anger, with tariffs set at 15% for most products but negotiations continuing for certain sectors, including steel and aluminium, which carry tariffs of 50%. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had said on Friday the EU will negotiate with the United States on steel, with a focus on quotas that can be exported without too high tariffs. Klingbeil also urged quick clarification of other outstanding details in the trade dispute, including the investments promised by the EU and in the energy sector. "It should happen in the next few days," he said.
BBC News
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Man dies after collapsing in Wigan police cell
The police watchdog has launched an investigation into the death of a man who was found unresponsive in police Rocks, 26, was detained by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers at the Britannia Hotel in Standish, Wigan, at 20:30 BST on Thursday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) had responded to a call reporting that a man was trying to deal drugs and an arrest was made on suspicion of a drug offence, and also for an assault in London, GMP Rocks was found collapsed in his cell at 02:30 on Friday, but suffered a cardiac arrest on his way to hospital where he died. The IOPC said information indicated that Mr Rocks had been handcuffed and searched by officers before he was transferred to ambulance was called by detention officers after he was found unresponsive and lying on the floor of a footage from the custody suite and body-worn video footage from the arresting officers has been reviewed as part of the watchdog's IOPC spokesperson said: "We will examine all relevant matters including the interaction officers had with Mr Rocks during his detention and what happened after he arrived at the custody suite."We have made contact with his family to explain our role and will update them as our inquiries progress."Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes said: "Our thoughts are with the family of Ellis who have endured the most heartbreaking last few days. "What is most important is that they get all the answers to what has led to his death." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
