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.
Key events
Summary
Closing summary
Our live coverage is ending now. In the meantime, you can find all of our live US politics coverage here. Here is a summary of the key developments from today:
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In a White House press conference, Donald Trump and his health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr announced that the Food and Drug Administration will strongly recommend that women limit Tylenol, or acetaminophen, use during pregnancy. Tylenol is one of the only fever reducers that medical professionals say pregnant people can safely take. Trump and his medical advisors tied the drug to an increased risk of autism. Ahead of the press conference, 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. In response to the president’s announcement the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists called the FDA’s move “irresponsible” and said it was “not backed by the full body of scientific evidence.”
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During the same press conference, Kennedy said that the FDA has announced a new treatment for autism: leucovorin, a form of folic acid. National Institutes of Health director Jay Bhattacharya also shared that the NIH had launched an Autism Data Science Initiative and awarded grants to 13 projects.
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Also during the press conference, Trump decried the use of vaccines, saying babies receive too many at once. He described “a vat of 80 different vaccines” that doctors “pump” into babies like “a horse”. He also said that babies should not receive Hepatitis B vaccines, because it is sexually transmitted. While Hepatitis B is often sexually transmitted, babies can contract it during childbirth or from household items like razors.
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Disney annoucned that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to television tomorrow. This comes after the late night show has spent almost a week off the air, after ABC suspended production.
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Donald Trump 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.
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Trump will meet with top Congressional Democrats Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries this week regarding healthcare spending and a spending bill to keep the government funded.
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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.
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Earlier today, the Supreme Court ruled that 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.
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Kamala Harris gave her first major television interview since the 2024 election on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. Harris recounted her campaign and reacted to the Trump administration, while also endorsing Proposition 50 in California and hesitantly supporting Zohran Mamdani’s campaign in New York City.
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In a wide ranging press conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, answered several questions from reporters. Most notably, she was resolute that Donald Trump wasn’t pressuring the justice department to target his political enemies. This, despite posts on social media this weekend where he implored attorney general Pam Bondi to investigate several of his adversaries.
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The press secretary also noted that Trump plans to sign the US ownership deal of TikTok, which would allow the social media app to continue operating stateside. Of note, the tech company Oracle – owned by Trump ally Larry Ellison – will independently monitor all US user data on their servers, adding that it will be “stored securely in the United States without access from China”.
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And as the president prepares to address the UN general assembly on Tuesday, the White House responded to several countries formally recognizing Palestinian statehood. “Frankly, he believes it’s a reward to Hamas,” the press secretary said today. “He believes these decisions are just more talk and not enough action from some of our friends and allies. And I think you’ll hear him talk about that tomorrow at the UN.”
Kamala Harris says “that’s not my focus right now” in response to a question from Maddow on whether she will run for president in 2028.
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.
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”
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.
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.
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.”
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”.
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.”
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.
