Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich is reportedly leaving the White House, according to reports.
Budowich’s departure at the end of the month marks one of the highest profile departures from the Trump White House. Budowich oversaw communications, cabinet affairs and speech writing.
Budowich, a longtime Trump aide, played a large role in the president’s political operation after he left office in 2021. Throughout 2023 and most of 2024, Budowich oversaw the main pro-Trump super PAC. His departure was earlier reported by Axios.
He plans to return to the private sector after years at Trump’s side, including helming the main pro-Trump super PAC through most of 2023 and 2024, according to Axios and The New York Times.
The departure is unexpected, given his close relations with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ operation, and his years leading Trumpworld messaging.
“Taylor is a dear friend, and I know that President Trump holds him in very high regard. I hate to see him go, personally and professionally, but obviously wish him well in whatever he decides is next,” Wiles told Axios.
Stephen Miller, a fellow deputy chief of staff, also praised him for his loyalty to Trump.
Another deputy chief of staff, Dan Scavino, described Budowich as a “vital asset in Trump 2.0.”
His exit follows a string of high-profile departures from Trump’s second term.
The White House’s principal deputy communications director, Alex Pfeiffer, quietly made his exit last week after joining the White House in January.
In what will likely be an uphill legal battle, the Trump administration’s U.S. attorney in Virginia is reportedly planning to ask a grand jury in the coming days to indict former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly lying to Congress.
Halligan’s apparent plan to seek charges against Comey follows a clear directive from Trump, who over the weekend directly called for prosecutions against Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, and Leticia???” Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday evening, directly addressing Attorney General Pam Bondi. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
Earlier this week, prosecutors presented Lindsey Halligan – Trump’s former personal attorney whom he appointed to lead the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia – with a detailed memo recommending that she decline to bring perjury and obstruction charges against Comey, the sources familiar with the memo said according to ABC News.
A monthslong investigation into Comey by DOJ prosecutors failed to establish probable cause of a crime — meaning that not only would they be unable to secure a conviction of Comey by proving the claims beyond a reasonable doubt, but that they couldn’t reach a significantly lower standard to secure an indictment, the sources said
According to sources, Halligan’s deputy — a prosecutor who was briefly assigned to lead the office just a day before Trump appointed Halligan to the high-profile position — has also expressed reservations about bringing the politically charged case.
Erik Siebert, Trump’s previous nominee to the position, resigned from the office after sources said he refused to bring charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James over unfounded allegations of mortgage fraud.
Trump later claimed he “fired” Siebert and quickly installed Halligan into the position, as he continued to make unprecedented calls for the speedy prosecution of his political foes.
“I just want people to act, they have to act, and we want to act fast,” Trump said on Saturday. “They were ruthless and vicious. I was impeached twice. I was indicted five times. It turned out to be a fake deal. And we have to act fast, one way or the other, one way or the other: they’re guilty, they’re not guilty. We have to act fast. If they’re not guilty, that’s fine. If they are guilty, or if they should be charged, they should be judged. And we have to do it now.”
Trump has criticized Comey for years after he briefly served as the director of the FBI during Trump’s first term before being fired over his handling of an investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
The Department of Justice launched an investigation into Comey earlier this year after FBI Director Kash Patel claimed to discover “burn bags” containing sensitive documents at the FBI headquarters related to the Russia probe.
A panel member from “The View” admitted that her question to Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election was more than likely a contributing factor to her unsuccessful campaign.
Co-host of “The View” Sunny Hostin admitted on Tuesday that she had known in real time that her question — about what she might have done differently than then-President Joe Biden — could cost then Vice President Kamala Harris the 2024 presidential election.
Harris joined the hosts of ABC’s “The View” for their midday broadcast, where they discussed her upcoming memoir titled “107 Days” — which details the short-lived and ill-fated campaign upon which she embarked just hours after Biden announced his plan to withdraw from the race.
Cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin raised the question about the overall mood of the country at the time, asking whether Harris and her team might have missed signs indicating that Americans were desperate for a seismic shift away from Biden — and already viewed her, his vice president, as an extension of his presidency.
“Understanding that many people saw you as an extension of Joe Biden, were there glaring warning signs that, when there’s only two options to vote on, that you missed going into election day?” Griffin asked.
“I’m a loyal person, and I didn’t fully appreciate how much people wanted to know there was a difference between me and president Biden,” Harris replied. “I thought it was obvious, and I didn’t want to offer a difference in a way that would be received or suggested to be a criticism, and, you know, in the campaign full-time I was pointing out the differences.”
Looking for absolution, Sunny Hostin laments asking Kamala the infamous question that sunk her campaign."You write you had no idea you just pulled the pin on a hand grenade. In the moment, I knew. The Trump campaign weaponized your answer against you; my question," she whined.… pic.twitter.com/efxlvwqZDy
Hostin, who initially asked Harris the question heard around the world — what might Harris have done differently from Biden — said that she had understood the weight of the vice president’s non-answer in the moment.
“You write you had no idea you just pulled the pin on a hand grenade. In the moment, I knew,” Hostin said, and then argued that the real problem wasn’t Harris and her inability to answer the question, but the way that Trump’s campaign had made use of it. “The Trump campaign weaponized your answer against you; my question.”
Hostin asked Harris whether she felt like that question — and her answer — had tipped the election.
“Because Sunny doesn’t want to take the blame,” Joy Behar quipped.
A federal judge has once again shut down former FBI agent Peter Strzok’s attempt to portray his firing as unconstitutional, ruling that his dismissal during the Trump administration did not violate the First or Fifth Amendments.
Strzok, who played a central role in the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation into alleged ties between Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, was terminated in 2018 after it came to light that he had exchanged blatantly anti-Trump text messages with a colleague. These texts, uncovered by the Justice Department’s inspector general, raised serious concerns about bias within the FBI at the very moment the bureau was investigating a presidential candidate.
Judge’s Ruling
Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee serving on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, explained in her order that Strzok’s claims do not stand up to the facts.
On the First Amendment issue, the court noted that Strzok’s “interest in expressing his opinions about political candidates on his FBI phone at that time was outweighed by the FBI’s interest in avoiding the appearance of bias in its ongoing investigations of those very people, and in protecting against the disruption of its law enforcement operations under then-Director Wray’s leadership.”
As for Strzok’s due process claim, the judge wrote that it was based on “a misrepresentation of the facts and distortion of the chronology,” emphasizing that Strzok was given notice and an opportunity to be heard before his dismissal.
The court also clarified that there was never a binding contract guaranteeing Strzok a property interest in his FBI position.
Why Strzok Was Fired
Strzok’s downfall stemmed from thousands of text messages he exchanged with FBI attorney Lisa Page, with whom he was having an affair. Many of those messages revealed a deep hostility toward Trump, including one infamous exchange in which Strzok pledged that “we’ll stop” Trump from becoming president.
This revelation, combined with his leadership role in politically sensitive investigations—including not only the Russia probe but also the FBI’s look into Hillary Clinton’s private email server—shattered confidence in the bureau’s impartiality. Then-FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich overruled a recommendation of a lesser penalty and ordered Strzok’s firing to preserve the integrity of the FBI.
A jury has reportedly reached a verdict in the trial of Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate then-candidate Trump on his golf course.
Routh was found guilty on all charges. Routh attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen after learning the verdict. Multiple court marshals were needed to de-escalate the situation and temporarily removed Routh from the courtroom.
🚨 HOLY CRAP. After Ryan Routh was found guilty of trying to assassinate President Trump, he tried to STAB HIMSELF in the NECK "with a pen."
Then, 4 Marshals dragged him out of the room, shackled him, and brought him back into the courtroom.
The case was heard by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who denied a motion from Routh’s defense team seeking her recusal. A Trump appointee, Cannon was randomly assigned to the case.
Today’s guilty verdict against would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence.
This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation…
Federal prosecutors alleged Routh camped near Trump’s golf course for 12 hours with a rifle and aimed at a Secret Service agent before being forced to drop the weapon. Investigators later discovered a letter in which Routh expressed regret that he failed to kill Trump, as well as evidence he sought anti-aircraft weapons and surveillance of Trump’s flights weeks before his arrest.
Routh was found guilty of the attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple gun violations — crimes carrying potential life sentences.
Routh faces up to life in prison. Routh pleaded not guilty to all charges.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
On Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) unveiled a plan to dedicate land in South Florida to President Trump’s future presidential library.
In a press release, the governor announced he will propose a plan to dedicate a 2.63-acre parcel in Miami-Dade County for the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library at the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund on Sept. 30.
“President Trump has achieved results for the American people and made a lasting impact on our nation’s history,” DeSantis said in a statement. “No state has better delivered the President’s agenda than the Free State of Florida, and we would be honored to house his presidential library here in his home state.”
The land is currently used as a parking lot for Miami-Dade College.
In a post on X on Tuesday, state Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) said he could “think of no better location” to tell Trump’s story.
Next week, the Florida Cabinet will vote to dedicate land at Miami Dade College to house the Presidential Library of Donald J. Trump. I’ll be voting yes!
Surviving two assassination attempts, securing the border, and rebuilding our nation’s military are just a few stories this… pic.twitter.com/sr16G6aOaO
“It is the greatest political comeback story in American history,” Uthmeier said. “Florida will be blessed to house the library for one of our own state presidents and to be apart of such meaningful history.”
Florida has become the center of the Republican universe, with Trump changing his voter registration from New York to Florida in 2019. The president and his allies often convene at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach.
On Tuesday, Secret Service agents announced they had cracked a plot that could have crippled the telecommunications network in the nation’s largest city, as more than 150 world leaders convene this week in New York.
The U.S. Secret Service said Tuesday that it “dismantled a network of electronic devices located throughout the New York tristate area that were used to conduct multiple telecommunications-related threats directed towards senior U.S. government officials.”
The devices were concentrated within 35 miles of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City, it added.
“This protective intelligence investigation led to the discovery of more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards across multiple sites,” the Secret Service said in a statement. “In addition to carrying out anonymous telephonic threats, these devices could be used to conduct a wide range of telecommunications attacks. This includes disabling cell phone towers, enabling denial of services attacks and facilitating anonymous, encrypted communication between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises.”
“While forensic examination of these devices is ongoing, early analysis indicates cellular communications between nation-state threat actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement,” it also said.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the New York Police Department and other state and local law enforcement partners are assisting with the investigation.
U.S. Department of State from United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said.
“The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled,” he added.
The Secret Service also said: “Given the timing, location and potential for significant disruption to New York telecommunications posed by these devices, the agency moved quickly to disrupt this network.”
President Donald Trump is set to address the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.
Trump’s remarks will center on “touting renewal of American strength around the world,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday, according to ABC News..
“The president will also touch upon how globalist institutions have significantly decayed the world order, and he will articulate his straightforward and constructive vision for the world,” Leavitt said.
It will be Trump’s first speech to the annual gathering since his return to office.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron declared at the U.N. General Assembly that France will now recognize a Palestinian state.
“The time for peace has come,” Macron said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke virtually before the U.N. General Assembly on Monday after the Trump administration revoked his U.S. visa last month to attend the conference in person.
Abbas called on Hamas to surrender their weapons and he condemned the killings on Oct. 7, 2023. He also expressed readiness to work with Trump to implement a peace plan and called for a “permanent ceasefire.”
The FBI arrested the “anti-Trump” gunman who fired three shots into a local ABC studio after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was suspended last week just hours after he posted bail in California.
FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday morning posted on X that Hernandez-Santana was taken into custody “under a federal hold for interference with licensed broadcasts.”
The FBI has taken into custody the suspect linked to the shooting into ABC10’s Sacramento station lobby under a federal hold for interference with licensed broadcasts.
Targeted acts of violence are unacceptable and will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law. pic.twitter.com/M9yy1tSjGv
He added: “Targeted acts of violence are unacceptable and will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law.”
Anibal Hernandez-Santana, the 64-year old suspected shooter, was arrested by the FBI on Saturday, one day after he opened fired on ABC 10 in Sacramento in a drive-by shooting. Hernandez-Santana had posted $200,000 bail earlier on Saturday before he was arrested by the FBI for “violating a statute that says no one can interfere with any communication of any station licensed by the U.S. Government,” KCRA 3 reporter Peyton Headlee reported on Sunday.
The suspect is now facing federal charges and is ineligible for bail, according to Mediaite.
Anibal Hernandez-Santana is back in custody and is now facing federal charges.
The FBI arrested him Saturday for violating a statute that says no one can interfere with any communication of any station licensed by the U.S. Government. @kcranewshttps://t.co/5LrM9e6W17
The suspect is now facing federal charges and is ineligible for bail.
Variety, over the weekend, reported Hernandez-Santana’s X account contained “a steady stream of anti-Trump commentary.”
“Where is a good heart attack when we need it the most?? Please Join in my thoughts and prayers for the physical demise of our fearful leader,” Hernandez-Santana posted last Thursday.
His attorney, Mark Reichel, told KCRA 3 that Hernandez-Santana is being overly scrutinized because of his anti-Trump posts.
“If you look at his social media, they’re going to say, ‘Boy, it sure shows that he’s liberal and left wing.’ So you think they’re going to overlook something like that? I don’t think so,” Reichel said.
The shooting happened during the early hours of Sept. 19, a day after a protest was held in front of ABC 10 following Kimmel’s suspension. About 15 people showed up for the protest, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Kimmel had his show pulled after he implied the person who shot Charlie Kirk was a Trump supporter.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54325633746/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=159707159
The Taliban on Sunday responded to President Trump’s push to regain control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, saying the U.S. should adopt “a policy of realism and rationality” while rejecting the move.
“It has been consistently communicated to the United States in all bilateral negotiations that, for the Islamic Emirate, Afghanistan’s independence and territorial integrity are of the utmost importance,” Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said in an official statement posted on the social platform X.
Statement of the Islamic Emirate Regarding the Recent Declarations by the President of the United States September 21, 2025 In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
In accordance with Islamic principles and grounded in its balanced, economy-oriented…
Fitrat pointed to U.S. commitments under the Doha agreement — which Trump aides negotiated in his first term to end the U.S. presence in Afghanistan — not to “use or threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan, nor interfere in its internal affairs.”
Trump in recent days has suggested the U.S. wants to wrest back control of Bagram Air Base.
“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
During a joint press conference in Great Britain with that country’s prime minister, Trump said the U.S. was “trying to get it back” because the Taliban needed things from the United States.
He also highlighted the base’s proximity to China.
“We gave it to them for nothing,” Trump said, repeating a campaign message on the Biden-era unconditional withdrawal from Afghanistan, during a joint news conference with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“We’re trying to get it back, by the way. OK, that could be a little breaking news. We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us.
“We want that base back. But one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.
“So a lot of things are happening.”
Watch:
TRUMP: "We were going to leave Afghanistan, but we were going to leave it with strength and dignity, and we were going to keep Bagram, the big airbase that one of the biggest air bases in the world. We gave it to them for nothing. We're trying to get it back, by the way. Okay,… pic.twitter.com/9nNOYE4RlF
Bagram was once the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan during the U.S. war in that country, the longest conflict in American history. It was abandoned in 2021 when the Biden administration withdrew U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
Hamas has drafted a letter to President Donald Trump, asking the American president to guarantee a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the immediate release of half of the hostages being detained within Gaza, Fox News reports from a senior Trump administration official and a second source directly involved in negotiations.
The letter is expected to be delivered to Trump this week.
Trump has sought to serve as a peacemaker on the global stage since the beginning of his second presidential term and has previously called for Hamas to release all the hostages it took captive during the heinous Oct. 7, 2023 attack against Israel.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
