US politics live: four deputies to New York’s mayor resign over chaos surrounding corruption charges

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Trump nominates January 6 activist to serve as top DC prosecutor

A pro-Biden supporter interrupts Ed Martin as he speaks at a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally on 6 November 2020. Photograph: Paul Morigi/REX/Shutterstock

A conservative activist who has consistently defended the January 6 storming of the Capitol has been nominated by Donald Trump to serve as the permanent top federal prosecutor in the city where it happened.

Trump named Ed Martin for US attorney for the District of Columbia, the top prosecutor for all serious local crimes by adults in the district. His appointment must be confirmed by the US Senate.

Martin has echoed Trump’s baseless and incorrect claims that the 2020 election was stolen, including speaking at a “Stop the Steal” rally in DC on 5 January, and consistently defended the actions of the insurrectionists.

He has said he was part of the crowds of Trump supporters who gathered near the White House in Washington DC on 6 January to hear Trump urge them to march on the US Capitol, where many engaged in a attempt to overthrow the results of the 2020 election and keep Trump in power.

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US and Russian officials in Riyadh are breaking for a working lunch, Reuters reports, citing the Russian foreign ministry.

Four deputies to New York mayor resign in fallout over dropped corruption charges

Edward Helmore

Corruption charges against Adams were dropped after seven justice department prosecutors resigned over Trump administration directive. Photograph: David Dee Delgado/Reuters

Four deputies to New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, resigned on Monday as the growing chaos following a justice department request to drop corruption charges against him, widely seen as a reward for his help with Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, engulfs his three-year-old administration.

According to reports, four of Adams’ deputies – first deputy mayor Maria Torres Springer, deputy mayor for operations Meera Joshi, deputy mayor for health and human services Anne Williams-Isom, and deputy mayor for public safety Chauncey Parker – said they were stepping down.

“I am disappointed to see them go, but given the current challenges, I understand their decision and wish them nothing but success in the future,” Adams said in a statement.

Torres-Springer, Williams-Isom and Joshi issued a joint statement, citing “the extraordinary events of the last few weeks” and “oaths we swore to New Yorkers and our families” as what led them to the “difficult decision” to leave.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov (2-R) attending a meeting with US secretary of state Marco Rubio (2-L), US national security adviser Mike Waltz (3-L) and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (L), Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Saudi national security adviser Mosaad bin Mohammad Al-Aiban at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 18 February 2025. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

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US and Russian officials have been holding talks in Riyadh on the war in Ukraine - the first in-person discussion between top officials in years.

The US delegation includes US secretary of state Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. From Russia is Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

The officials are expected to discuss ways to end the three-year-old conflict in Ukraine and restore American-Russian relations.

Their talks could pave the way for a summit between US president Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine, which is not attending, says no peace deal can be made on its behalf. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview on Monday that the US is trying to “please” Russia following the shock policy shift on the Ukraine war under Donald Trump.

Meanwhile in other developments:

• Four deputies to New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, resigned on Monday as the growing chaos after a justice department request to drop corruption charges against him, widely seen as a reward for his help with Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, engulfs his three-year-old administration.

• Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that, with Donald Trump’s support, his government will “finish the job” of neutralising the threat from Iran, amid US reports that Israel is considering airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites in the coming few months.

• A US judge on Monday questioned the authority of billionaire Elon Musk and his “department of government efficiency” (Doge) but was sceptical of a request to block Doge from accessing sensitive data and firing employees at half a dozen federal agencies, the Associated Press reports.

• FDA staff reviewing Elon Musk’s Neuralink were included in Doge employee firings, sources have told Reuters.

• Donald Trump’s administration has warned of cuts in federal funding for academic institutions and universities if they continue with diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.

• A conservative activist who has consistently defended the January 6 storming of the Capitol has been nominated by Donald Trump to serve as the permanent top federal prosecutor in the city where it happened. Trump named Ed Martin for US attorney for the District of Columbia. His appointment must be confirmed by the US Senate.