Political Glance
The lawsuit filed Thursday accuses Trump’s “Independence Arch” of being unlawful with its planned position in the traffic circle in front of the historic military cemetery.
At 250 feet tall, the statue would be “more than double the size of the Lincoln Memorial and the equivalent of a twenty-five-story office building,” states the suit, which was filed on behalf of the veterans and historian by the government watchdog group Public Citizen.
“Its location on Memorial Circle would situate the monument on an axis between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, obstructing a line of sight that was designed to represent the unification of the Nation following the Civil War and that has existed for nearly a century,” it goes on.
Military Vets, Historian Sue Over Trump’s Planned Triumphal Arch
Trump tariffs live updates: Supreme Court deals president a major setback
The Supreme Court dealt a major blow to President Donald Trump's economic agenda, ruling that he does not have the authority to impose sweeping tariffs at the stroke of a pen.
The court on Feb. 20 tossed the tariffs that are the centerpiece of his economic policy and a major foreign policy tool – but that have also raised costs for consumers and businesses. The 6-3 decision from the conservative court was its first major ruling against Trump's controversial expansive view of presidential power.
“The President asserts the extraordinary power to unilaterally impose tariffs of unlimited amount, duration, and scope,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. “In light of the breadth, history, and constitutional context of that asserted authority, he must identify clear congressional authorization to exercise it.”
Trump, Roberts concluded, cannot.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, the first of three conservatives Trump appointed to the court, wrote a separate opinion stressing the importance of major policies like taxes and tariffs going through Congress.
Army veteran sues federal government after ICE detains him for three days
An army veteran detained by federal immigration agents in southern California during his work commute in July has filed a lawsuit against the federal government.
According to the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday with the help of the nonprofit law firm Institute for Justice, George Retes was held in a detention center for three days without access to his family, an attorney, or any information about the charges against him, in what the suit argues was an unconstitutional detention.
Retes, a 26-year-old US citizen, was arrested while on his way to his job as a security guard at a farm in Ventura county, where a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents was underway on 10 July. After Retes attempted to explain to agents blocking the roadway that he needed to get through to work, agents shattered his car window, removed him from the vehicle, and detained Retes without checking his identification. He was later held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles without a clear explanation of his detainment.
"George’s rights were violated, and he is filing this lawsuit, not only to protect his own rights, but to have the rights of others be protected too,” Andrew Wimer, director of media relations at the Institute for Justice, told the Guardian. “What happened to George is clearly wrong. No one can be held for three days without being told what they’ve done wrong, without being charged with a crime. Americans deserve justice when their rights have been violated.”
Judge Orders Slavery Exhibit Removed By Trump Administration To Be Restored
Workers on Thursday began restoring an exhibit on the lives of the nine people once enslaved at the former President’s House in Philadelphia amid a contentious legal fight between the city and the Trump administration.
Mayor Cherelle Parker visited the site Thursday morning and thanked the workers for their efforts, spokesperson Joe Grace said.
Senior U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe on Monday granted an injunction ordering that the materials be restored while the lawsuit proceeds and barring Trump officials from creating new interpretations of the site’s history.
In her 40-page opinion, Rufe compared President Donald Trump’s administration to the totalitarian regime in the dystopian novel “1984,” which revised historical records to align with its narrative. She said the federal government does not have the power “to dissemble and disassemble historical truths.”
“If the President’s House is left dismembered throughout this dispute, so too is the history it recounts,” Rufe, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, wrote.
Judge throws out ruling backing Trump mass detention policy
A federal judge on Wednesday vacated an immigration court ruling giving the Trump administration broad powers to detain migrants, forcing them to give bond hearings and then possibly release thousands in custody.
The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Sunshine Sykes excoriated the Trump administration’s claims that it is targeting the worst of the worst for deportation.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are at times relying on shaky legal ground to detain migrants, wrote Sykes, an appointee of former President Biden, and migrants are therefore entitled to a bond hearing to determine whether they may pursue their immigration case outside of ICE detention.
“‘Worst of the worst’ is an inaccurate description of most of those affected by DHS and ICE’s operations. Perhaps in utilizing this extreme language DHS seeks to justify the magnitude and scope of its operations against non-criminal noncitizens. Maybe that phrase merely mirrors the severity and ill-natured conduct by the Government. Even though these press releases might contain an inkling of truth, they ignore a greater, more dire reality,” she wrote.
FBI sued for Homan tapes following alleged bribery
A government watchdog group is suing the FBI to force the release of a tape that reportedly shows border czar Tom Homan allegedly accepting a $50,000 bribe.
MSNOW reported in September that before President Trump won the election, Homan had been approached by an undercover FBI agent following a tip that he was taking kickbacks in exchange for helping companies secure lucrative government contracts should Trump be elected.
The act was reportedly caught on tape, showing Homan accepting the cash in a Cava bag. Homan in September said he “did nothing criminal” but did not deny taking a $50,000 cash payment.
Democracy Defenders Fund is suing after the FBI rebuffed their efforts to secure the tape and other files related to the investigation into Homan
“These documents contain vital information that the American public needs to have in order to assess both Mr. Homan’s potentially corrupt actions as well as the Department of Justice and FBI’s potentially politically motivated decision to drop the investigation into Mr. Homan, one of the Trump Administration’s appointees,” the group wrote in its suit.
Top DHS spokesperson who became a face of Trump immigration policy is leaving
Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, is leaving the agency, the department confirmed on Tuesday.
McLaughlin has become the public face and voice defending the Trump administration's mass deportation policy and immigration tactics over the past year.
"McLaughlin started planning to leave in December but pushed back her departure amid the aftermath of the shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers, according to the people briefed on her exit," DHS said in a statement to NPR.
POLITICO first reported her departure. It is not clear where she is going next. McLaughlin in a statement said Lauren Bis, currently her deputy, will replace her as assistant secretary for public affairs, while Katie Zacharia will become deputy assistant secretary.
More Articles...
Page 10 of 184
