Donald Trump has given his acting director of national intelligence explicit approval to conduct sweeping personnel cuts at the office, telling reporters the agency has ballooned beyond reasonable size and describing Bill Pulte as ideally positioned to execute the reductions.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump characterized Pulte as "very good" and "very talented," then disclosed that he had directly instructed the official to begin firing staff. The president believes the intelligence directorate has been oversized "way too high for way too long" and indicated he would welcome the outcome of such cuts.
Trump cited Pulte's temporary appointment status as an advantage, noting the official is "less shackled" as an acting director rather than a confirmed one. Pulte brings no previous intelligence community experience to the role, a factor the president did not address when discussing his hiring and operational mandate.
The directive continues the administration's second-term effort to downsize the intelligence apparatus, which Trump has already significantly reduced through other personnel decisions.
In other major developments, the Senate early Friday morning passed Trump's 70 billion dollar immigration funding bill, ending a partial government shutdown that had persisted since February. The 52-47 vote occurred at 5am following an extended session of amendment votes and drew no Democratic support. The legislation funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.
A separate policy shift at ICE drew scrutiny when acting director David Venturella issued a memo instructing the agency to stop reporting deaths among newly released detainees. The change could mask the human toll of the administration's mass detention immigration policies.
At the Department of Justice, a lawyer argued that no court possesses the authority to block Trump's planned White House ballroom and secure underground facility project. The attorney contended that only Congress holds power to halt construction.
In California, the Justice Department stationed a federal prosecutor to observe ballot processing in Los Angeles as the state continued counting votes from its gubernatorial primary. Xavier Becerra advanced to November's general election, though officials were still determining his opponent. Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that California Democrats rigged the results, accusations state officials have rejected.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggested the United States was attempting to interfere in British democracy after Vice President JD Vance blamed mass migration for the murder of teenager Henry Nowak.
At CBS, longtime 60 Minutes correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim announced they would remain at the program following recent firings of senior correspondents and top producers.
Trump's legal team rejected a BBC request for financial documents related to his 10 billion dollar defamation case against the broadcaster.
Author James Rodriguez: "Pulte has the cover of a temporary title and Trump's explicit blessing to do what the president can't do himself with a confirmed official. That combination is dangerous."
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