Trump news at a glance: watchdog group sues to block president’s ‘deeply corrupt’ birthday party

By Guardian staff • June 9, 2026 • US news

Group seeks emergency injunction to halt UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House before a single punch is thrown – key US politics stories from Monday 8 June

Donald Trump is throwing himself quite the 80th birthday party at the White House on Sunday. All he needs now is for a federal judge, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and a passing thunderstorm not to ruin it. The watchdog group Public Integrity Project filed a lawsuit on Saturday in DC federal court, seeking an emergency injunction to halt the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Freedom 250 event before a single punch is thrown on 14 June – which is both Flag Day and the president’s birthday. The case names the National Park Service and Department of the Interior as defendants, arguing the administration has broken multiple federal laws to accommodate what it describes as a “deeply corrupt” private commercial sporting event dressed up as a patriotic celebration. While 4,300 military personnel are expected to be in attendance, nearly every celebrity Dana White, the UFC president, told Time magazine he had personally invited – including Johnson, Adam Sandler and Jared Leto – has reportedly declined. The event remains a coveted ticket among Washington power brokers, with donors, lobbyists and members of Congress jostling for seats. Lawsuit aims to block UFC event at White House on Trump’s birthday The legal challenge centers on a National Park Service temporary rule allowing the agency to bypass normal permitting for events marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, but only for events “planned, organized and executed” by the federal government. The lawsuit argues that UFC Freedom 250, which Dana White has admitted was Trump’s idea, fails that test, describing it as “a celebration of the UFC’s brand and the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump’s birth”. Read the full story Trump nominates his ex-lawyer Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general Donald Trump nominated Todd Blanche to serve permanently as attorney general on Monday, lining up his former personal lawyer to be the country’s ⁠top ⁠law ⁠enforcement officer. The US president suggested earlier this week that Blanche, who was appointed on an acting basis in April after the president fired Pam Bondi, was set to receive the nod. “He’s a very talented guy,” Trump told a podcast. Read the full story Federal judge rules Trump’s $100,000 fee for H-1B visas unlawful A US judge has invalidated Donald Trump’s $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications, ruling it an unlawful tax that violated federal administrative law and the constitution. US district judge Leo Sorokin in Boston issued the 42-page ruling in a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic state attorneys general challenging a fee Trump announced in September that dramatically raised the cost of obtaining H-1B visas.. The ruling vacated the sweeping fee, which was a 20-to-50 fold increase on existing rates, and the Trump administration is widely expected to appeal. Read the full story Kennedy Center removes Trump’s name from its website after US judge’s order The Kennedy Center has removed Trump’s name from its website after a US district judge’s order last month to remove the US president’s name from the performing arts venue. The removal of Trump’s name from the website on Monday came just days before a deadline instructed by the center’s general counsel to remove all references to the president by 12 June. Read the full story Trump’s border czar threatens to send ‘more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen’ to New York Donald Trump’s hardline border czar has again threatened to dispatch a surge of immigration agents to New York City, as the administration vows to press ahead with its controversial crackdown. Tom Homan said on Monday that he has reviewed a plan to expand Immigration Enforcement and Customs (ICE) operations in New York and deploy “more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen” in the city. Read the full story Trump claims he ‘didn’t guarantee’ no US wars. Here’s what he’s actually said Donald Trump has forcefully denied he ever promised not to draw the US into war, having spent years pledging to avoid doing just that. The president’s response to a question during a recent Meet the Press interview sharply contradicts previous comments he has made over the years. Read the full story What else happened today: Voters in Maine head to the polls on Tuesday for one of the most closely watched primary elections in the country. The US Senate race has become a national fixation as Democrats try to unseat a longtime Republican with a political newcomer who has spent months under fire. Nithya Raman, a progressive Los Angeles city council member, has advanced to the November runoff for LA mayor, edging out former reality TV villain Spencer Pratt for the chance to face incumbent mayor Karen Bass. A record-shattering drought has racked much of the US. But the artificial intelligence industry is pushing ahead regardless, with the majority of planned datacenters set to be built in drought-ridden locations, a Guardian analysis has found. Six people were stabbed in a Sunday night attack at New York’s Penn Station, authorities said, with Amtrak police saying a person believed to be homeless was being held in custody as a result. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Monday confirmed three additional cases of New World screwworm – two more in Texas and the other in New Mexico, according to the agency’s animal health arm. Catching up? Here’s what happened Sunday 7 June.

Source: The Guardian