US President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer was confirmed by the Senate Tuesday to become a federal appellate judge in a 50-49 partisan vote. The Republican-led Senate confirmed Emil Bove as a judge on the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals, a lifetime appointment, despite fiery opposition from Democrats, who walked out of a Senate committee meeting in protest earlier this month.Two GOP Senators — Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Maine’s Susan Collins — voted against the nomination, but Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the chamber and were able to carry the vote anyway.A former federal prosecutor, Bove, 44, was nominated by Trump while serving as the third-ranking official in the Justice Department. His nomination drew fierce criticism, and Senator Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued a statement Tuesday night lambasting Bove after he got the new job.”Mr. Bove’s primary qualification appears to be his blind loyalty to this President,” Durbin said, adding that Bove sided with January 6, 2021 rioters who stormed the Capitol, and fired career prosecutors who held them to account.  The Third Circuit covers the eastern states of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. New Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim issued a joint statement saying Bove’s “professional record is marred by a pattern of abusive behavior, ethical breaches, and disdain for the norms of judicial integrity.”Opposition to Bove’s appointment was vocal in legal circles ahead of Tuesday’s vote.More than 900 former Justice Department attorneys recently sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee saying “it’s intolerable to us that anyone who disgraces the Justice Department would be promoted to one of the highest courts in the land.”A group of more than 75 retired state and federal judges also wrote the committee, saying it is “deeply inappropriate for a president to nominate their own criminal defense attorney for a federal judgeship.”Bove represented Trump in the New York case that ended in his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star.He also defended Trump in two federal criminal cases which never reached trial and were shut down after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.Earlier this year, Bove ordered federal prosecutors to drop bribery and fraud charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, triggering a wave of resignations in the Manhattan US attorney’s office and the Justice Department in Washington.Bove has denied allegations that the decision was a quid pro quo in exchange for the Democratic mayor’s support for Trump’s immigration crackdown.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo to league employees Tuesday night the New York office will remain closed through at least August 8 after a gunman attacked their headquarters building.A man identified by the New York Police Department as Shane Tamura of Las Vegas opened fire in the high-rise building where the NFL offices are located and killed four people on Monday while also wounding a man Goodell identified as a league employee.”Our hearts go out to all the victims and their families, and we are deeply grateful for the first responders and medical staff who acted so quickly and continue to provide care,” Goodell wrote.”Our thoughts and prayers remain especially with our colleague who was impacted. He is currently surrounded by his family and members of the NFL community and we are all continuing to hope for and support his full recovery.”The NFL Manhattan office at 345 Park Ave. will be closed until August 8, Goodell said, asking employees who usually work on-site to work remotely.”We ask that you do not attempt to enter the building until we confirm that it is ready for us to return,” Goodell wrote.The league plans a virtual town hall for Wednesday.”We are strongest when we come together and support one another,” Goodell wrote. “To provide a space for our community, we will be holding a virtual town hall tomorrow where we can connect, share and support each other.”This has been a challenging time for our entire team. Please continue to take care of yourselves and one another. If you need additional support, do not hesitate to reach out to your manager or HR. We are here for you.”Goodell closed by writing: “In the midst of this difficult time, we hold on to hope and optimism for healing and brighter days ahead.”

Unconditional support for Israel has long been an entry requirement in US Republican politics, but that orthodoxy is being challenged by Donald Trump’s populist base — where invocations of the “special relationship” are falling on deaf ears.Images of starvation and suffering in Gaza have given new impetus to a debate that has been simmering in Trump’s “MAGA” movement over whether US involvement in the Middle East is consistent with the president’s “America First” platform.Trump’s first significant break with Israel came on Monday, when he acknowledged that “real starvation” is happening in Gaza and vowed to set up food centers in the besieged enclave, which has been devastated by Israel’s war with Hamas. Asked if he agreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s denials of the Gaza hunger crisis, Trump said: “Based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry.”It was a notable retort and prompted commentators to speculate that unwavering US support for Israel might end up as just another conservative sacred cow slayed by MAGA.Vice President JD Vance went further at an event in Ohio, discussing “heartbreaking” images of “little kids who are clearly starving to death” and demanding that Israel let in more aid.Political scientist and former US diplomat Michael Montgomery thinks the tonal shift might in part be emotional — with TV images of starving children resonating more profoundly than the aftermath of air strikes.”Perhaps it is because no civilized people see starvation as a legitimate weapon of war,” the University of Michigan-Dearborn professor told AFP. Israel has always enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Congress but the rise of the isolationist MAGA movement under Trump has challenged the ideological foundations of the “special relationship.”MAGA realpolitik seeks to limit US involvement in foreign wars to those that directly impact its interests, and in particular the “left behind” working class that makes up Trump’s base.- ‘Almost no support’ -Pro-Trump think tank The Heritage Foundation in March called on Washington to “re-orient its relationship with Israel” from a special relationship “to an equal strategic partnership.”Stronger expressions of disapproval have been subdued by a sense that they are a betrayal of Republican thinking, according to some analysts — especially after the October 7 Hamas attacks.But there is a new urgency in the debate in MAGA circles following dire warnings from leading NGOs and the UN World Food Program’s finding that a third of Gaza’s population — of about two million — go for days without eating. One sign of the new thinking came in an X post from far-right firebrand congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has pushed to cancel $500 million in funding for Israel’s rocket defense system.Greene this week went further than any Republican lawmaker has previously in using the word “genocide” to describe Israel’s conduct and slamming the “starvation of innocent people and children in Gaza.”While Greene’s credibility has been undermined by an extensive record of conspiratorial social media posts, there is no denying that she knows what makes the MAGA crowd tick.A new CNN poll found the share of Republicans who believe Israel’s actions have been fully justified has dropped from 68 percent in 2023 to 52 percent. Youth seems to be the driver, according to a Pew Research poll from April, when food shortages had yet to become a humanitarian catastrophe.While Republicans over age 50 haven’t changed much in their pro-Israel outlook since 2022, the survey showed that the US ally’s unfavorability among younger adults has climbed from 35 percent to 50 percent. “It seems that for the under-30-year-old MAGA base, Israel has almost no support,” former White House strategist Steve Bannon told Politico, adding that Trump’s rebuke would solidify his supporters’ enmity.Democratic strategist Mike Nellis described the Gaza food emergency as “one of those rare moments where the crisis has broken through the usual partisan gridlock.” “You’re seeing people across the political spectrum who just can’t stomach it anymore,” he told AFP.

The US central bank is expected to defy political pressure and keep interest rates unchanged Wednesday at the end of a two-day policy meeting, as the effects of President Donald Trump’s tariffs emerge.The Federal Reserve’s decision, due to be announced at 2:00 pm US eastern time (1800 GMT), comes amid a flurry of data releases this week, including an early estimate of second quarter economic growth.”It’s a high-wire act for the Fed, because they’re balancing a lot of risks without a net,” KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk told AFP.”Some of the most tariff-sensitive sectors have begun to show price increases, but the bulk of any inflation bump due to tariffs is still ahead of us,” Swonk added in a recent note.Meanwhile, there are cracks in the foundation when it comes to the labor market, she said, adding that “it doesn’t take much of a pick-up in layoffs to have a bigger effect on demand.”Analysts broadly expect the Fed to hold interest rates steady at a range between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent. Its last reduction was in December.The outcome could vex Trump, who has lashed out repeatedly at independent Fed Chair Jerome Powell for not lowering rates sooner — calling him “too late,” a “numbskull” and “moron.”JP Morgan chief US economist Michael Feroli said in a note that Powell will likely sidestep questions at a press conference Wednesday on issues like Trump’s threats to fire him or speculation over a possible early retirement.Powell’s term as Fed Chair ends in May 2026.- ‘Hyper-politicized’ -But the central bank could well see renewed criticism from Trump after unveiling its decision, particularly as the outcome may show internal disagreements.Economists anticipate potentially two dissents among Fed policymakers, given that a couple of officials have signaled willingness to reduce rates as soon as in July.This month, Fed governor Christopher Waller flagged that indicators do not point to a particularly healthy private sector jobs market.While he did not commit to a decision, he has made the case for a July rate cut and stressed that policymakers need to respond to real-time data.Analysts said it is not too unusual to see a couple of dissents when the Fed unveils its decision, and financial markets would already have braced for this possibility given officials’ recent remarks.But Swonk warned: “What I worry about is how, in this hyper-politicized environment, that’s perceived.””Multiple dissents by governors, who are closest to the Chair, could signal an unintended view that they have lost confidence in the chairman,” Swonk noted.Already, Trump has called for interest rates to be dropped by as much as three percentage points.- Cruel summer -Swonk of KPMG said: “it’s going to get tougher over the summer.””Tariff-induced price pressures are starting to filter through the economy,” said EY chief economist Gregory Daco in a note.Companies are citing weaker earnings and higher input costs, while elevated consumer prices are beginning to weigh on retail sales.”More demand erosion is likely in the months ahead,” Daco said.He expects Powell to “strike a tone of cautious patience” in his press conference after the rate decision.Powell would likely reiterate that policy remains data-dependent, and that the Fed can adjust this as conditions evolve, Daco added.Looking ahead, Swonk said, “the real issue will be, what does he say at Jackson Hole now?”Powell typically addresses an annual central banking conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and it takes place this year in late August.”The next shoe to drop is: Will there be enough data by the time we get to Jackson Hole to open the door to a September rate cut?” Swonk said.