US Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, who had been lauded by President Donald Trump for his aggressive efforts to roll back environmental regulations, has resigned under heavy fire for a series of ethics-related controversies.
Mr Pruitt was one of Mr Trump's most polarising Cabinet members, cutting regulations on the energy and manufacturing industries, including a move to repeal former president Barack Obama's signature programme to cut carbon emissions from power plants, dubbed the Clean Power Plan.
He was also instrumental last year in lobbying Mr Trump to withdraw the United States from the global 2015 Paris climate accord to combat global warming.
But Mr Pruitt lost favour with Mr Trump's inner circle after a string of controversies, including first-class travel at taxpayer expense, lavish spending on security, the installation of a $43,000 soundproof phone booth in his office and accusations that he used his position to receive favours, such as a discounted rental on a high-end apartment from an energy lobbyist's wife.
"The unrelenting attacks on me personally, my family, are unprecedented and have taken a sizable toll on all of us," Mr Pruitt said in his resignation letter.
Mr Trump announced the resignation on Twitter and said EPA Deputy Administrator Andrew Wheeler, a former mining industry lobbyist, would become the regulatory agency's acting chief on Monday.
Mr Wheeler is widely expected to continue Mr Pruitt's efforts to roll back and streamline regulation, something that Mr Trump had promised in his presidential campaign.
"Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this," Mr Trump wrote.
...on Monday assume duties as the acting Administrator of the EPA. I have no doubt that Andy will continue on with our great and lasting EPA agenda. We have made tremendous progress and the future of the EPA is very bright!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2018
The president told reporters later that Mr Pruitt had approached him and offered to resign as opposed to being pushed out.
Democrats and environmental advocacy groups welcomed the departure of Mr Pruitt, a close ally of the fossil fuel industry who has often questioned mainstream climate change science.
"Scott Pruitt's reign of venality is finally over. He made swamp creatures blush with his shameless excesses. All tolerated because Trump liked his zealotry. Shame," Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly said.
Ex-Fox News executive joins White House communication staff
President Trump announced yesterday that Bill Shine, a former Fox News executive, was joining the White House as deputy chief of staff for communications.
Mr Shine, 55, was appointed co-president of the US television news network in August 2016, following the abrupt resignation of its chief Roger Ailes in the face of a sexual harassment lawsuit.
Mr Shine resigned in May 2017 over questions concerning his handling of the Ailes case and accusations that he had helped cover up alleged misbehaviour. He was the third key figure to leave Fox in a year.
The channel also ended its relationship with star anchor Bill O'Reilly following reports that millions of dollars had been paid to settle allegations of sexual harassment.
Mr Shine "brings over two decades of television programming, communications, and management experience to the role," the White House said in a statement.
The White House job of director of communications has been vacant since the departure in March of top aide Hope Hicks.
Preparing for Putin meeting 'my whole life'
President Trump has insisted he will be "prepared" for his upcoming meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, joking about journalists who question his lack of experience.
"They're going, "Will President Trump be prepared? You know, President Putin is KGB,' and this and that," Mr Trump told a rally in Great Falls, Montana.
"Will I be prepared? Totally prepared. I've been preparing for this stuff my whole life."
"I might even end up having a good relationship" with Mr Putin, he said and also denounced "75%" of journalists as "downright dishonest".
Mr Trump has been reaching out to Mr Putin even as the US leader's ties with some of his western allies have become strained.
Donald Trump hits back at claims he’s unprepared for upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin pic.twitter.com/3Q81Np21qb
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) July 6, 2018
The planned 16 July head-to-head between the US and Russian leaders will follow a delicate NATO summit in Brussels.
Mr Trump has expressed scorn for the alliance and is expected to upbraid European NATO members for not spending enough on their own defence.
