Image source, Getty Images

Speaking after today's hearing in New York, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove says he was aiming to show Americans and the people of the justice department that he is "personally committed to our shared fight".

In a statement, he says that includes "ending weaponized government, stopping the invasion of criminal illegal aliens, and eliminating drug cartels and transnational gangs from our homeland".

Bove, who had been seeking to get the case against Adams dismissed, says: "For those at the department who are with me in those battles and understand that there are no separate sovereigns in this executive branch, we’re going to do great things to make America safe again."

"For those who do not support our critical mission, I understand there are templates for resignation letters available on the websites of the New York Times and CNN."

That comment we just told you about from Trump on New York's congestion pricing has been shared by the official White House X account, and is accompanied by a watercolour-style picture of the president, made to look like the cover of Time magazine.

In the image, the president, wearing his trademark navy suit and red tie, has a shimmering crown studded with jewels on his head. "Long live the king," reads the mock headline.

Smirking, he looks off into the distance, with the iconic Manhattan skyline behind him.

In a separate post, Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich has shared a separate image of the president - which appears to have been edited - donning a regal gown and a crown on his head.

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump and the federal government have been involved in another prominent topic in New York politics today, dealing a major blow to the city's controversial congestion pricing programme.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote in a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul that federal approval for the pricing program has been pulled.

The administration argues that the federal government has jurisdiction over highways leading into the city and claiming the program harmed small businesses.

The pricing plan went into effect last month in an attempt to incentivise the use of public transportation over driving, and to reduce the number of cars driving in and out of Manhattan. It charges drivers tolls by reading license plate numbers that enter crowded parts of the city.

"CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.

The congestion pricing has faced plenty of opposition. Several lawmakers, like Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, whose constituents are among those most frequently driving into New York, have criticised the program. But proponents say the scheme has reduced traffic back-ups, is good for the environment and could raise money for the city.

Trump - a native New Yorker who has previously been referred to as the "king of New York" for his business success and real estate ventures - previously indicated he would terminate the program and had been in talks with Hochul about its future, the BBC's US news partner CBS reports.

"We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king," Hochul said in a responding statement. "The MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) has initiated legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to preserve this critical program. We'll see you in court."

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court in Manhattan

I've just left court in Manhattan, where Judge Dale Ho did not rule on the Adams case today, saying he would take the matter under careful consideration.

"I'm not going to shoot from the hip right here on the bench," he said.

But he asked probing questions of both prosecutor Emil Bove and Adams's attorney Alex Spiro about the grounds they had cited for dismissing the case, which came under fire from one of the district's own attorneys last week.

Both attorneys had put forth an an argument that because Adams's prosecution had resulted in the loss of his security clearance, he can no longer adequately perform the national security duties and other public safety concerns that fall under the purview of New York’s mayor.

Judge Ho asked Bove if Donald Trump himself, as president, had a power to simply restore Adams's security clearance. Bove conceded that he could.

Both Spiro and Bove denied that a quid pro quo had taken place, as alleged by former prosecutor Danielle Sassoon.

Let's now take a look back in the courtroom during New York City Mayor Eric Adams hearing. It has now ended.

The judge concluded the hearing by calling the case "complicated" and said he will take all he's heard "under careful consideration", the BBC's US news partner CBS is reporting.

The judge also told the courtroom that it's not in anyone's interest for the case "to drag on".

CBS reports that Adams was smiling after court.

The judge says he will not issue a decision today on whether to agree to prosecutors' request to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams.

“I’m not going to shoot from the hip right here on the bench,” Judge Ho says.

More now from the courtroom from our partners CBS. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove gives his reasoning for requesting the charges be dropped, including fighting the "weaponisation of criminal justice".

The case against Adams "should not proceed", he says, due to "appearances of impropriety".

Judge Ho says he wants to understand the "leaps and bounds" of the government's position, and whether it was actually motivated by impropriety or just the appearance of it.

The fact that Adams is sitting in the courtroom and not running the city is interference, Bove says.

The hearing on whether a judge will sign off on prosecutors' request to drop the charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams has begun. We have a few lines to bring you from the BBC's US news partner CBS.

According to CBS, Adams hugged his pastor as he walked into court, before sitting next to his attorneys in the courtroom.

The judge thanked the room for coming in "on such short notice" and asked Adams: "Is your mind clear today?"

Adams responded: "Yes it is, your honour".

The judge asked further questions and determined Adams to be competent, CBS is reporting.

Stick with us, we'll have more from inside court

Image source, Reuters

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted last year for allegedly accepting gifts totalling more than $100,000 (£75,000) from Turkish citizens in exchange for favours. A number of members of his orbit have also been charged as a part of the investigation.

Adams denies the charges, and his trial is scheduled for April.

But last week a top prosecutor in Manhattan alleged he asked the Trump administration to drop the investigation in exchange for his co-operation on immigration enforcement. Adams has denied this and said the allegations were "silly".

The former US attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, resigned over pressure from the Justice Department to drop the case.

And seven Justice Department officials left their jobs before prosecutors filed an official motion to drop the Adams case. New York Judge Dale Ho still needs to sign off on that request - that's what today's hearing is all about.

Now a crisis meeting has been called by New York Governor Kathy Hochul to weigh up whether to remove him from office.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Climbing the steps of the Manhattan federal courthouse under a chorus of boos, Eric Adams flashed a smile and gave a thumbs up.

A gaggle of his supporters shouted their support but they were harder to hear.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court in Manhattan

Image source, BBC / Kayla Epstein

With school out of session today, Kiki Hopson thought her 10-year-old son might be interested in a lesson about criminal procedure - and brought him to the courthouse where Mayor Eric Adams's hearing is taking place this afternoon.

Hart, a precocious boy with a shock of strawberry hair, was excited for the chance.

We ask: have you ever been to federal court before?

"No, and hopefully I won't have to go again," he quips, after watching this week’s legal drama play out for his city’s mayor.

His mother says she believes today is a turning point for the city.

"This is an important page in NYC's history. I don't know what book it's going to wind up in though - a comedy or a tragedy."

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court in Manhattan

Image source, BBC / Kayla Epstein

Image source, BBC / Kayla Epstein

Outside the Manhattan federal courthouse, the press is waiting for lawyers to arrive for a hearing over dismissing New York Mayor Eric Adams’s corruption case.

A small group of protesters - both for and against the Trump administration, are outside.

One man proudly holds a sign that says “Trump won”.

Another woman, Judy Polson, believes the US constitution is at stake and says, “Trump has Eric Adams on a very short leash right now, and we as New Yorkers (are) not fond of this idea.”

Image source, BBC / Kayla Epstein

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Miami, travelling with the president

Image source, Getty Images

Good afternoon from Miami, where Donald Trump is currently spending a few hours at the Trump International Hotel & Resort in the suburb of Doral.

Trump hasn't spoken publicly so far today, and those of us reporters travelling with the president only caught a brief glimpse of him earlier as he descended from Air Force One, pumping his fists in the air at supporters before driving off in the "beast" armoured limo.

In a few hours, Trump is due to appear at a summit organised by Saudi Arabia's Future Investment Initiative Institute, where he's expected to take remarks.

This evening - while back on Air Force One flying to Washington - Trump is expected to sign some executive orders, though we don't know what they are about.

That event will take behind closed doors, for now. But as we've seen in the past - including yesterday - these events often end up being accessible to the travelling pool.

If that happens, Trump is likely to face questions on Ukraine, as well as further questions on Doge and on whether or not the Egyptian proposal to rebuild Gaza is acceptable to him.

Stay with us for more updates.

We've just been listening to some Democrat Senators who say President Donald Trump wants to give tax cuts to billionaires, and claim the only way to make that happen is to make cuts to Medicaid.

Senator Tammy Baldwin said: "Last night, the president said 'I'm not touching Medicare, Medicaid'... by this morning he endorsed the House budget resolution, which paves the way for massive cuts to Medicaid".

Baldwin was referring to an interview on Fox News last night where Trump said "Medicare, Medicaid, none of that stuff is going to be touched”.

And this morning, Trump posted on social media that the House budget proposal was "ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL" that needed to be passed by Congress.

The bill does not mention Medicaid specifically, but it does call for budget cuts of $880bn for the committee that oversees Medicaid.

During the Democrat's press conference, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto said that "the hard truth" is that to save enough money to fund proposed tax cuts, "they have to cut Medicaid".

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from New York

It’s a big day for Mayor Eric Adams here in New York City. A judge has called for a hearing to decide whether to dismiss the corruption case against him, after Justice Department officials asked to drop it.

The decision could have repercussions for New York Governor Kathy Hochul, too. She’s under pressure to remove Adams from office, after Manhattan’s top prosecutor accused Adams of asking Trump to get his case dismissed in exchange for helping with the Trump administration's immigration enforcement measures.

Adams has said he will not resign, and has denied all corruption allegations.

But Hochul has the power to remove him from office. At a meeting with key leaders this week, she said she is weighing that move.

It would be the first time a New York City mayor has ever been removed from office - meaning much of the process remains unknown.

“The governor has just a huge amount of discretion as to how to do this,” said Richard Briffault, a professor at Columbia Law School.

Image source, Reuters

It’s still the early days of Donald Trump’s second term in office, but he already appears to be brokering a close relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was Trump’s first call to a foreign leader since taking office for the second time – two days after his inauguration.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was dispatched to the capital Riyadh earlier this week, for talks with Russia about the war in Ukraine. Two major players in Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy chaired that meeting, but did not stay in the room for the bulk of the talks.

And now Trump is due to speak at a Future Investment Initiative Institute event in Miami. That non-profit organisation is run by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – which is controlled by Bin Salman.

The president is due to take to the stage about 17:30 ET (2230 GMT).

Last night Fox News aired an interview with Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, in which the pair frequently praised each other and pledged to avoid any conflicts of interest as they work to overhaul the federal government. Here’s a quick recap:

• Musk said he “loves Trump” and that he’s never seen him do anything “cruel” or “wrong”
• Trump, meanwhile, said he has always respected Musk and his work, and is not bothered by critics referring to his top aide as “President Musk”
• On the sweeping cuts being made to US government spending, Musk says he wants to save taxpayer money, and the cost-cutting comes down to “competence and caring”
• And Trump again insisted that “if there’s a conflict [of interest]” in some of Musk’s work with the administration, “he won’t be involved”. The tech billionaire said he will recuse himself if any such conflict does arise

Brandon Livesay
Reporting from New York

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics for Wednesday.

Trump's first month in office has not lacked in news headlines, and today is no different.

The president is set to speak at a Saudi-backed investment meeting later today in Florida, which will also be attended by TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew.

We'll be keeping an eye on all of the developments from that, with help from my colleague Bernd Debusmann Jr - who is currently travelling with Trump.

There's also news from here in New York City, where a judge will be weighing the fate of Mayor Eric Adams.

Controversy is swirling around Adams after the federal government called for corruption charges against him to be dropped. Four of Adams' own deputy mayors have quit over the saga, as well as at least seven federal prosecutors.

My colleague Kayla Epstein will be at court to fill us in on what happens there.

There's plenty of other things happening in US politics today, so stick with us.