Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned from the Trump administration on Monday, stepping away from a position shadowed by an inspector general investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct. The departing official is the third female cabinet member to leave during Trump's second term, following Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Chavez-DeRemer faced scrutiny over claims that included an alleged affair with a member of her security detail, maintaining a stash of alcohol in her office, and using government resources for personal travel. Her aides were also under investigation for allegedly steering grants toward politically connected recipients. A Trump spokesperson announced her exit by stating she was moving to the private sector, praising her record on worker protections and labor practices.
The resignation comes as the administration grapples with fresh turbulence surrounding FBI Director Kash Patel. The Atlantic published a story Friday detailing allegations of excessive drinking and conspicuous inebriation during Patel's tenure as FBI director, along with claims of unexplained absences. Patel has flatly denied the allegations and escalated his response by filing a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the magazine in US District Court for the District of Columbia.
Democrats seized on the recent turnover in Trump's cabinet ranks as evidence of internal chaos. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Patel's immediate resignation, writing on social media that Americans deserve steady, sober leadership from their FBI director and that his continued presence poses a national security risk.
Separate from cabinet upheaval, the Trump administration on Monday began accepting applications from businesses seeking refunds for more than $166 billion in tariffs. This action follows a Supreme Court ruling that determined the president lacked legal authority to impose the levies without congressional approval.
Trump also released a series of memos Monday doubling down on expanded domestic fossil fuel production, citing national defense considerations. The directives invoked a January 20 executive order declaring a national energy emergency and argued that increased oil, coal, and natural gas output was necessary to prevent industrial resource shortages that could impair military readiness.
Environmental groups sued the administration over its approval of a major BP ultra-deep oil drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico. The timing proved symbolic: the lawsuit landed exactly 16 years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the worst oil spill in US history.
In other developments, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that his nation's strong economic ties to the United States, once a source of national strength, have become a weakness requiring correction as the administration pursues tariff policies unseen since the Great Depression.
The UN's humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher criticized Trump's spending levels on military operations in Iran on Monday, calculating that roughly $2 billion weekly allocated to the effort could have funded lifesaving programs for more than 87 million people. Fletcher also expressed concern that normalizing violent rhetoric toward Iran encourages other authoritarian leaders to adopt similar threatening language and tactics.
Apple announced Monday that John Ternus, the company's head of hardware engineering, will become CEO on September 1, succeeding Tim Cook after nearly 15 years in the role. Cook will transition to executive chair.
A Texas court provisionally approved a leasing agreement allowing the Onion, a satirical media outlet, to operate Infowars as a parody website under the agreement terms. The arrangement marks an unusual judicial ruling involving the controversial misinformation platform.
The US government warned defense contractor V2X to evacuate its employees from Kuwait and Iraq due to potential threats from Iran-backed militias operating in the region.
Author James Rodriguez: "The parade of cabinet exits and high-stakes lawsuits suggests this administration is already dealing with serious internal management problems just months into the term."
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