Trump news at a glance: state department plans mass layoffs in line with president’s ‘America First’ policy

State department to push ahead with mass layoffs

The state department has gone forward with the layoffs, which were long expected, after the US supreme court sided this week with the Trump administration against a federal judge’s hold on plans for mass government firings that could affect hundreds of thousands of federal employees.

“In the coming days, the department will be communicating to individuals affected by the reduction in force,” read a memo attributed to Michael Rigas, the deputy secretary for management and resources, announcing the layoffs. “First and foremost, we want to thank them for their dedication and service to the United States.”

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Judge blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship order

Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship suffered a courtroom defeat on Thursday as a federal judge in New Hampshire blocked the controversial executive order nationwide and certified a sweeping class-action lawsuit that could protect tens of thousands of children.

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Brazil to retaliate against Trump’s 50% tariff threat

Brazil is drawing up plans to hit back against 50% US tariffs on the country’s exports, setting the stage for further escalation in Trump’s trade war with Latin America’s largest economy.

The US president vowed to impose steep duties on Brazilian goods on Wednesday, accusing the country of conducting a “witch hunt” against its previous president, Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing a trial over his attempt to overturn his 2022 election defeat.

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US will impose 35% blanket tariffs on Canadian imports, Trump says in letter

Donald Trump said on Thursday the US would impose a 35% tariff on imports from Canada next month and planned to impose blanket tariffs of 15% or 20% on most other trade partners.

In a letter released on his social media platform, Trump told Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, the new rate would go into effect on 1 August and would go up if Canada retaliated.

Mahmoud Khalil files $20m claim against Trump officials

Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist who was detained by the Trump administration for months, have filed a claim for $20m in damages, alleging Khalil was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his prominent role in campus protests.

The filing – a precursor to a lawsuit – names the Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the state department. “They are abusing their power because they think they are untouchable,” Khalil said. “Unless they feel there is some sort of accountability, it will continue to go unchecked.”

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Trump’s inaugural fund received $19m from fossil fuel industry

The fossil fuel sector poured more than $19m into the president’s inaugural fund, accounting for nearly 8% of all donations it raised, a new analysis shows, raising concerns about the White House’s relationship with big oil.

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Planned Parenthood offices begin rejecting Medicaid

At least two regional Planned Parenthood affiliates have notices on their websites telling patients that, due to a provision in Republicans’ new tax-and-spending bill that “defunds” the reproductive healthcare giant, they can no longer accept Medicaid.

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What else happened today:

• Six Secret Service agents have been suspended without pay after the assassination attempt against Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally last July.

• Federal immigration officials carrying out raids on two southern California cannabis farms clashed with protesters, firing chemical munitions to disperse the crowd.

• Trump appointed his transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, as interim administrator of Nasa, six weeks after withdrawing the nomination of an Elon Musk ally for the role.

• Explained: why is Trump going after Brazil? Here’s what you need to know about the tariff spat.

• The UN special rapporteur investigating abuses in Gaza, Francesca Albanese, has responded to being sanctioned by the Trump administration, saying “the powerful punishing those who speak for the powerless, it is not a sign of strength, but of guilt”.