Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has entered the contest to be Labour’s deputy leader, becoming the most senior figure to put her name forward so far.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill, is so far the only other declared candidate in the race to replace Angela Rayner in the deputy leader role.
Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Emily Thornberry has said she is considering entering, while Tooting MP, and former deputy leader candidate, Rosena Allin-Khan has ruled herself out.
Candidates have until Thursday evening to get nominations from at least 80 Labour MPs in order to take part in the contest.
They will also need the backing of either 5% of local parties, or three Labour-affiliated groups, including two unions.
Those who clear the bar face a vote by party members, with the winner announced on 25 October.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Sunday called Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a “joke” amid turmoil in Kennedy’s own department.
“You looked at that appearance before Congress, and it just confirms what all of us around this table have known for decades: Robert F Kennedy Jr. is a foolish man, full of foolish and vapid ideas,” Christie said on ABC News’s “This Week.”
“And that was on display again this week in front of Congress,” he added, later slamming the HHS secretary as “a joke” in a clip highlighted by Mediaite.
On Sunday, President Trump defended Kennedy, who has faced rising criticism from both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill over his handling of vaccines and other issues.
The president has offered somewhat conflicting messages in recent days about his HHS secretary, defending Kennedy while also defending vaccines.
Kennedy defended his time as the nation’s top health official during a tense Senate hearing last week, snapping back at senators who pressed him on the recent upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and vaccine policy changes.
During close to three hours of testimony, Kennedy repeated vaccine misinformation, went after the CDC and gave differing explanations on his vision for reshaping the agency.
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s export growth slowed to a six-month low in August as a brief boost from a tariff truce with the U.S. faded, but demand elsewhere provided officials some relief as they try to underpin an economy facing low domestic consumption and external risks.
Authorities are counting on manufacturers to diversify into other markets in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump‘s erratic trade policy, enabling them to hit Beijing’s annual growth target of “around 5%” without rushing to offer additional near-term fiscal support.
Outbound shipments from China rose 4.4% year-on-year in August, customs data showed on Monday, missing a forecast 5% increase in a Reuters poll and marking the slowest growth in six months. They compared with July’s better-than-expected 7.2% increase.
Imports grew 1.3%, following 4.1% growth a month earlier. Economists had predicted a 3.0% rise.
The slowdown in headline export growth was affected by a high base of comparison, but last August’s figure was also distorted by manufacturers rushing to beat tariffs from a number of trading partners.
“I would say the number is still decent, and the resilience of exports has certainly lasted longer than we had expected,” said Xu Tianchen, senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
“The prospect of a fiscal stimulus is definitely quite dim. China still has a number of economic tools such as policy bank credit and monetary easing, which may be enough to help it reach 5%,” he added.
China’s exports to the U.S. fell 33.12% year-on-year in August, the customs data showed, while its shipments to Southeast Asian nations rose 22.5% in the same period.
Chinese producers are trying to export more to markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America to offset the impact of Trump’s tariffs, but no other country comes even close to U.S. consumption power, which once absorbed over $400 billion of Chinese goods annually.
And with Trump in July threatening a 40% penalty tariff on goods deemed to be transshipped from China to the U.S. to evade his earlier levies, how long Chinese factory owners can continue to find American buyers that way remains to be seen.
But policymakers are loathe to implement painful but much-needed economic reforms for a durable pick-up in domestic consumption under external pressure, analysts say.
“The [import data] breakdown showed a pickup in energy shipments, but this was more than offset by declines in chip and industrial metal imports, with the latter likely reflecting the continued slowdown in construction activity,” said Zichun Huang, China economist at Capital Economics.
A protracted slump in the property sector, a key store of household wealth, is squeezing consumer spending. Depleted land-sale revenue is also limiting local authorities’ ability to back Beijing’s drive to revive demand through subsidies such as job-creation schemes.
Beijing also seems to be exercising tighter control over its flagship ‘cash-for-clunkers’ programme and did not rush to replenish funds after several local governments recently ran through the allocation set aside for the scheme.
But that puts a lot of pressure on Chinese exporters.
China’s August trade surplus came in at $102.3 billion, from $98.24 billion in July, but still well below June’s $114.8 billion.
TRADE TENSIONS
Beijing and Washington agreed on August 11 to extend their tariff truce for another 90 days, locking in place U.S. levies of 30% on Chinese imports and 10% Chinese duties on U.S. goods, but appear to be struggling to chart a path beyond the current pause.
Once Trump’s tariffs top 35%, they become prohibitively high for Chinese exporters, economists warn.
China’s soybean imports rose to their highest-ever level for the month of August, as buyers snapped up large volumes from South America and continued to hold off booking U.S. soybeans – leaving American exporters at risk of missing out on billions of dollars in sales as trade talks drag on.
Iron ore imports in August stayed high as mills prepared for the peak steel demand period in September, which policymakers will be hoping sees an uptick in construction activity off the back of better weather.
But with no end to the property downturn in sight and structural reforms slow to come by, officials are likely to be focussed on one preferred option – negotiating a resolution to the trade war with the Trump administration while expanding China’s commercial footprint elsewhere.
“Exports are holding up well so far,” said Dan Wang, director for China at Eurasia Group.
“Shipments to the U.S. are down, but other routes are even better than last year. Lots of exports are also tied to Chinese factories going overseas and importing raw materials and other inputs from China,” she added.
(Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Kim Coghill and Shri Navaratnam)
Competition for a marathon medal is fierce, with 10 men on the World Championships entry list having run under 2:06 this year.
It has been more than a year since Cairess’ last marathon after an ankle tendon injury prevented him from starring in London this year, and he admits the event “feels a bit new again”.
His preparation for Tokyo has not been without issue, either. Bouts of illness and an infected insect bite which required a course of antibiotics have forced periods of reduced training.
But, described as relentless by training partner Phil Sesemann, Cairess has still averaged above 120 miles per week over recent months.
He is coached by the esteemed Renato Canova, who has developed numerous global medallists, after Cairess – a long-time student of the Italian’s methods – seized his opportunity to impress in a chance roadside encounter in Kenya.
“[Canova] has a pretty good idea of what I’m capable of and he gives me a lot of confidence because he’s coached athletes that have been that good,” adds Cairess.
“He’s definitely confident in me and I’m hoping that I can do what we both think I can do [in Tokyo].”
Cairess prefers to keep the exact details of what that might be between them.
However, he intends to enjoy his post-championships travels around Japan – which are likely to incorporate his love of Pokemon – with a medal among his possessions.
“[A medal is] my goal, or one of my goals, for the race,” Cairess confirms.
“On the track you have the reference of people racing week in, week out, but in the marathon maybe some people haven’t raced at all in the build up and it’s more difficult to predict.
“I’m looking towards the future to see what I can do. I want to do the best I can [in Tokyo], but it’s another step towards learning the marathon and being the marathon runner that I think I can be.”
New York AG enters fight over abortion shield laws
New York Attorney General Letitia James is now intervening in a lawsuit filed by the Texas attorney general over the Empire State’s abortion shield law.
The move is an escalation in a legal battle between New York and Texas regarding a case that legal experts anticipate will be seen before the Supreme Court to determine if health care providers mailing abortion medication to states with abortion bans need to abide by their state laws.
At least eight states have enacted an abortion shield law that protects abortion providers and patients from civil and criminal action regardless of their location.
These laws enable providers living in states where abortion is legal, like New York, to send abortion pills to people in states like Texas, where the procedure is almost entirely outlawed.
James officially notified Ulster County Supreme Court Judge David Gandin on Monday that she will intervene in the lawsuit and essentially serve as another defendant in the case.
“I am stepping in to defend the integrity of our courts against this blatant overreach,” James said in a statement. “Texas has no authority in New York, and no power to impose its cruel abortion ban here.”
Late last year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued New York doctor Margaret Carpenter for allegedly violating the state’s almost near-total abortion ban by mailing abortion medication to a Texas woman.
A Texas judge ordered Carpenter to pay $100,000 in fines and $13,000 in legal fees after she and her attorney failed to appear at a court hearing regarding the lawsuit.
A New York county clerk refused to enforce the collection of fines in March, citing the state’s abortion shield law. Paxton’s office requested the clerk act again over the summer, but he refused the Texas official a second time.
Paxton then took legal action against the clerk a second time, seeking a writ of mandamus to try and force the clerk to file the Texas ruling in state court.
Texas is not the only state to try to press charges against Carpenter. A Louisiana grand jury also indicted Carpenter for violating the state’s abortion law, resulting in local law enforcement issuing an arrest warrant for her. Louisiana Jeff Landry issued an extradition request for Carpenter, which New York officials have rebuffed.
Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Sunday called Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a “joke” amid turmoil in Kennedy’s own department. “You looked at that appearance before Congress, and it just confirms what all of us around this table have known for decades: Robert F Kennedy Jr. is a foolish man, full of foolish and vapid ideas,” Christie said on ABC News’s “This Week.” “And that was …
Democrats are jumping into the fray to voice their disapproval about Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the broader debate of rolling back vaccines, which was announced in Florida this past week. But after the public pushback on COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccines on the heels of the pandemic, some voices in the Democratic Party are urging restraint, even as public opinion leans toward …
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett defended the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning the federal right to an abortion and pushed back on the idea that the high court has a role to play in making medical judgments. In her first television interview since her confirmation five years ago, Barrett said Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — which overruled Roe v. Wade — made abortion a matter for the states …
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold a hearing Tuesday on the public perception of vaccines.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a Tuesday hearing titled “Better Meals, Fewer Pills,” to discuss “highly processed foods” and their impact on health.
In Other News
Branch out with a different read:
Republican senator defends RFK Jr. from Democratic, GOP criticism on vaccines
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) on Sunday defended Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. days after senators from both parties offered pointed questions about a vaccine policy-related shake-up at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Marshall told host Margaret Brennan of CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Kennedy was chosen to be a “disruptor to the CDC,“ and that is exactly what he is doing. …
Thailand’s top court has ruled that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra must serve a year in jail, in yet another blow to the influential political dynasty.
The decision relates to a previous case where he was sentenced to years in prison for corruption, but ended up spending less than a day in a jail cell as he was moved to a hospital.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that this transfer was unlawful – and that the 76-year-old would have to serve his sentence in jail.
Thaksin and his family have dominated Thai politics since he was first elected PM in 2001. His daughter Paetongtarn previously served as leader but was removed from office last month over a leaked phone call.
Shortly after the ruling was announced, Thaksin released a statement on social media stating that “even though I lose my physical freedom, I will still have freedom of thought for the benefit of my country and its people”.
He also vowed to maintain his strength to serve the monarchy, Thailand and its people.
The former PM was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and spent years living in self-imposed exile, mostly in Dubai.
When he returned to Thailand in 2023, he was promptly tried and found guilty of corruption and abuse of power during his time in office and sentenced to eight years in prison.
Following Thaksin’s plea for a royal pardon, the Thai king commuted his sentence to one year.
But Thaksin spent only hours in a jail cell before he complained of heart issues – and was later moved to a luxury wing of Thailand’s Police General Hospital.
He stayed there for six months, then received parole and moved to his home in Bangkok.
On Tuesday, a Supreme Court judge said in a statement that Thaksin “knew or could perceive that he was not in a critical or emergency condition”.
The judge added that he had underlying chronic medical conditions but could have been treated as an outpatient.
The “14th floor case”, as it is known in Thailand because of the hospital floor he stayed at, had gripped many Thais who were watching to see if the PM would end up serving time in prison.
The handling of the case has led to criticism from many Thais, who say the rich and powerful are often given privileged treatment.
Prior to Tuesday’s ruling there was intense scrutiny over Thaksin’s whereabouts.
Last week he flew out of Thailand in a private jet to Dubai, where he said he was seeking medical treatment. He said on social media that he intended to fly back for Tuesday’s court hearing.
He showed up in court in Bangkok on Tuesday morning with Paetongtarn, smiling and greeting the media and a group of supporters. Thaksin was wearing a suit with a yellow tie, the colour associated with Thailand’s monarchy.
Paetongtarn told reporters after the ruling that she was “worried” for her father but that he and their family were in “good spirits”.
She also said she would take the family’s Pheu Thai party forward in their work as an opposition party.
The case is taking place at a time of political turmoil in Thailand.
Paetongtarn was embroiled in controversy after Cambodian leader Hun Sen leaked a phone call he had with her over the Thai-Cambodia border conflict, in which she was heard addressing him as “uncle”.
She was then removed from office after the constitutional court found her to be violating ethical standards expected of her office.
Pentagon sets its sights on Puerto Rico in combatting cartels
Top Pentagon officials made a surprise trip to Puerto Rico on Monday amid the Trump administration’s push to counter drug cartels in Latin America and the Caribbean Sea.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine visited the island territory in a trip announced by Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón (R) in a social media post.
The visit comes after President Trump last week claimed a military strike on a boat in the Caribbean killed 11 drug smugglers. Trump has asserted the vessel was carrying narcotics from Venezuela and headed to the United States. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has denied these accusations.
The U.S. also in recent weeks has moved forces and lethal assets into the Caribbean, including at least eight warships, an attack submarine, and more than 4,000 sailors and Marines. In addition, 10 F-35s were sent to the island late last week and are reportedly meant to conduct operations against designated narco-terrorist organizations.
The Pentagon did not announce Hegseth and Caine’s trip in advance and did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
Reuters first reported that the Pentagon is considering plans to use Puerto Rico in its operations against cartels in the region, including possibly conducting military flights out of the U.S. territory.
In her post to the social platform X, González-Colón hinted at the plans by thanking Trump “for recognizing the strategic value Puerto Rico has to the national security of the United States and the fight against drug cartels in our hemisphere, perpetuated by narco-dictator Nicolas Maduro.”
Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela continue to soar after the administration’s purported strike on the vessel carrying an unknown amount of drugs. U.S. officials have not given any evidence of who and what was on the boat at the time of the attack.
Hegseth, Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have said further strikes against drug cartels in Latin America are possible, with Vance on Saturday posting to X that “killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.”
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
President Trump on Monday celebrated the decision by a West Point alumni group to cancel an event to honor the actor Tom Hanks for his support of the military and veterans. “Our great West Point (getting greater all the time!) has smartly cancelled the Award Ceremony for actor Tom Hanks. Important move!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “We don’t need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished …
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took a swing at Vice President Vance on Saturday over comments Vance made about a strike on an alleged drug boat. “Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military,” Vance wrote in a Saturday morning post on the social platform X, referencing a U.S. military strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea that the Trump administration has stated killed 11 Venezuelan …
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said Sunday the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fled a Navy base near Chicago during a visit from Democrats. Trump border czar Tom Homan confirmed late last month that the Trump administration was discussing using Naval Station Great Lakes, which is near Chicago, to back up immigration detention efforts. Duckworth said she, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (D) and Illinois Rep. Brad Schneider (D) …
House Intel Democrats launch probe into Trump revocation of security clearances
Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee on Monday launched a probe into the Trump administration’s decision to revoke 37 officials’ security clearances, and questioned the rationale behind listing them publicly. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard last month stripped clearances …
Upcoming things we’re watching in and around the defense world:
Axioswill hold a discussion on “Future of Defense: Space, Satellites and Security,” with Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.); Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas); Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance, tomorrow at 8 a.m.
Politicowill hold an in person and virtual discussion on “Policy Outlook: Cybersecurity,” at 8 a.m. tomorrow.
The Billington CyberSecurity Summitwill be held starting tomorrow through Sept. 12, with White House National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross; Army CIO Leonel Garciga; Michael Duffy, federal chief information security officer of the Office of Management and Budget; Alexei Bulazel, special assistant to the president and senior director for cyber on the White House at the National Security Council; Navy CIO Jane Rathbun; and Jennifer Link, CIA chief information security officer.
Former CIA Director William Burnswill speak on “U.S. Leadership in a Challenging World,” at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace at 9:15 a.m. tomorrow.
The House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets will hear from veterans on the declassification of federal records regarding military sightings of unidentified flying objects at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
The Government Executive Media Group and Ciscowill hold a virtual discussion on “Modernizing for AI: Building Secure Networks for Mission Impact,” tomorrow at 2 p.m.
What We’re Reading
News we’ve flagged from other outlets:
Republicans in Congress are eager for Trump to expand his use of the military on US soil (The Associated Press)
Transgender military kids face ‘profound harm’ from health care restrictions, lawsuit alleges (Military.com)
Pentagon plan prioritizes homeland over China threat (Politico)
Opinions in The Hill
Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:
As Westminster ponders what impact last week’s reshuffle might have on the direction and instincts of the government, and its capacity to deliver, the resignation of Angela Rayner leaves one still unfilled vacancy.
Her former government jobs, deputy prime minister and housing secretary, have been taken by David Lammy and Steve Reed respectively.
But her role as deputy leader of the Labour Party, a position directly elected by Labour’s members, is now being contested.
Westminster likes elections like nothing else, and here comes another one.
The timetable is tight. Nominations open today, with a winner announced on 25 October.
To stand, candidates must have the backing of at least 80 MPs and secure that backing this week, and either 5% of local parties or three Labour affiliated groups.
The left wing Labour MP Richard Burgon, who served on Jeremy Corbyn’s front bench, described it as “the mother of all stitch ups” and later added “despite the stitch up, Labour members deserve a Left candidate on the ballot.”
But plenty in government and in the wider party want to get the contest done quickly and with minimal noise.
The party’s general secretary Hollie Ridley told Labour MPs that it was essential that “we will remain mindful that the Labour Party’s primary duty is to serve the country”,
Translation: let’s not tear ourselves to shreds in public with Labour folk falling over themselves to say why the government hasn’t been good enough.
“If there’s a contest and you’re in government, it is very hard to see how it goes well,” one longstanding Labour figure tells me.
“We should take the opportunity to abolish the post altogether. It’s existence only feeds factional infighting,” another MP texts, just ahead of the timetable for the contest being set out.
This vacancy coincides with a reshuffle that many within the party and beyond regarded as the government tilting to the Right.
When the Telegraph of all news organs heralded what it called “a welcome Rightwards shift,” then perhaps it is little wonder that some on the party’s soft Left as well as hard Left might be jittery.
And then that they might want those jitters to be expressed and personified in who replaces Angela Rayner.
“If the leadership put forward a serving minister, it could backfire quite badly. The reshuffle was about a particular faction in the party. It eliminated the soft Left from positions of influence,” claims a Labour veteran.
Probably the best Downing Street can hope for is a constructive critic of the government, who can act as a pressure valve for party members, but not be too noisy or disloyal.
But does such a person come forward, and do they win the contest?
And in the meantime, how loud does the contest become?
Then afterwards, at the end of next month, the Prime Minister will have to work out what to do with the party’s new deputy.
Recent precedent suggests they take a role in government – as Angela Rayner did, and as Harriet Harman did, when she won the deputy leadership in 2007 when Labour was in government.
But perhaps that won’t happen this time.
“I think that is less of a consideration actually,” the health secretary Wes Streeting has said.
The consequences of the Angela Rayner property saga are not over yet for Labour.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and other Democrats are trolling Vice President Vance over a post on President Trump’s alleged birthday note to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Back in July, Vance criticized what he called a “complete and utter bulls‑‑‑” Wall Street Journal report on a “bawdy” birthday note Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein over two decades ago.
“Forgive my language but this story is complete and utter bulls‑‑‑,” Vance said on the social platform X at the time. “The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it.”
“Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?” he added.
On Monday, House Oversight Committee Democrats quickly released the birthday present image and message Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein, revealing a drawing the White House had denied existed.
“This aged nicely,” Newsom said in a post on X Monday featuring a screenshot of Vance’s old post.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) also posted a screenshot of Vance’s old post on X, captioning it “Well,” alongside an emoji with a face rolling its eyes.
“RELEASE. THE. FILES,” she added.
The official X account for the Democratic Party also went after Vance for the old post, reposting it alongside the image the House Oversight Democrats released.
“Found the letter for you, @JDVance,” the Democrats said on X Monday.
The Hill has reached out to Vance’s office for comment.
“The Democrats don’t care about Epstein. They don’t even care about his victims. That’s why they were silent about it for years. The only thing they care about is concocting another fake scandal like Russiagate to smear President Trump with lies,” Vance said in a post on X Monday evening. “No one is falling for this BS.”
