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Trump questions judges who block deportations of ‘criminals, including murderers’

Trump questions judges who block deportations of ‘criminals, including murderers’

A Trump-appointed judge appears to have drawn the ire of President Donald Trump after blocking the administration’s “unlawful” use of the Alien Enemies Act. U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. stated that he would not prevent the administration from deporting individuals in the U.S. illegally but that the Alien Enemies Act could not be used as a basis to expel alleged gang members from the country. Rodriguez is the first judge to rule against the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged gang members.  “The question that this lawsuit presents is whether the President can utilize a specific statute, the AEA, to detain and remove Venezuelan aliens who are members of [Tren de Aragua]. As to that question, the historical record renders clear that the president’s invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute’s terms,” Rodriguez — who was appointed by Trump in 2018 — wrote in his order. FEDERAL JUDGES IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS BLOCK TRUMP DEPORTATIONS AFTER SCOTUS RULING Trump expressed his anger about the decision in a pointed Truth Social post, questioning how judges could block the deportation of “criminals, including murderers.” “Can it be so that judges aren’t allowing the USA to deport criminals, including murderers, out of our country and back to where they came from? If this is so, our country, as we know it, is finished,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday. “Americans will have to get used to a very different, crime-filled, LIFE. This is not what our founders had in mind!!!” While it is not clear whether the post was a direct response to Rodriguez’s order, the judge’s decision is the most recent regarding illegal immigration and deportation. NOEM RIPS DEMOCRATS OVER SUPPORT FOR DEPORTED MIGRANT Just ahead of Trump’s 100th day in office, the White House claimed there had been 139,000 deportations since the president took office. During his campaign, Trump promised a swift and harsh crackdown on illegal immigration, which had become a focus under the Biden administration. In March, the administration took a controversial Biden-era app and added a “self-deport” feature, allowing illegal immigrants to voluntarily leave the country rather than facing ICE. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said in a cabinet meeting on Trump’s 100th day in office that the president had “completely reversed” the situation at the border. She added that DHS had refocused the Coast Guard on “border and drug interdiction,” noting that cartels have increasingly used maritime smuggling routes in response to stricter immigration enforcement.

DOJ opens probe after left-wing DA requires prosecutors to consider race in plea deals

DOJ opens probe after left-wing DA requires prosecutors to consider race in plea deals

The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis-area Hennepin County Attorney’s Office’s new directive for its prosecutors to consider race when negotiating plea deals with criminal defendants.  Attorney General Pam Bondi, Acting Associate Attorney General Chad Mizelle and Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon informed Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in a letter that the Justice Department is opening a probe into whether the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office “engaged in a pattern of practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges or immunities secured or protect by the Constitution or laws of the United States.”  The letter, dated May 2, cited Moriarty’s recently adopted “Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants,” which instructs prosecutors to consider race when formulating plea offers, stating that “racial identity… should be part of the overall analysis,” and that prosecutors “should be identifying and addressing racial disparities at decision points, as appropriate.”   “In particular, the investigation will focus on whether HCAO engages in illegal consideration of race in its prosecutorial decision-making,” they said said in the letter, which Dhillon shared on X. SOROS PROSECUTOR RIPPED FOR FAILING TO CHARGE WALZ STAFFER OVER TESLA VANDALISM: ‘TWO-TIERED JUSTICE SYSTEM’ Bondi, Mizelle and Dhillon said their investigation will include “a comprehensive review of all relevant HCAO policies and practices that may involve the illegal consideration of race in prosecutorial decision-making.”  Dhillon has also authorized a “full investigation to determine whether the HCAO is engaged in a pattern or practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.”  “Please be assured that we have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation,” their letter addressed to Moriarty said. “We will consider all relevant information, and we welcome your assistance in helping to identify what that might be. We would appreciate your cooperation in our investigation. In our years enforcing civil rights statutes involving state and local law enforcement agencies, we have worked with jurisdictions of all sizes across the nation to resolve investigations, usually without contested litigation.”  LEFT-WING DA FORCING PROSECUTORS TO CONSIDER ‘RACIAL IDENTITY’ IN PLEA DEALS The letter said the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Sections will oversee the investigation and will be in contact with Moriarty “shortly to set up a mutually agreeable date and time to discuss the parameters of this investigation, including the scope of information that we will be seeking from you.”  Fox News Digital reached out to Moriarty’s office and the DOJ for comment on Sunday.  Moriarty was elected among a wave of progressive district attorneys who took office following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests and riots. She has been backed by groups tied to money from megadonor George Soros, one of the most prominent backers of progressive issues in the United States. The former chief public defender for the county, Moriarty became the Hennepin County Attorney in January 2023 after promising to deliver on holding police accountable in the community where Floyd was killed.  Moriarty’s two immediate predecessors had been in office for a combined 31 years, and her promises of dramatic changes had the backing of the state Democratic Party and community leaders. Since then, however, Moriarty has faced fierce backlash, even among some former supporters, as critics questioned decisions to seek lighter sentences for violent crimes in some cases and to divert more people to programs rather than jail. Police officers, local officials and some progressive activists condemned Moriarty after she charged a White state trooper with the killing of a Black man last summer, only to later reverse course and drop the charges. Leaders of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association had waged a high-profile campaign urging Tim Walz, the state’s governor and former Democratic vice presidential nominee, to reassign the prosecution away from Moriarty.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Last month, Republicans across the North Star State condemned Moriarty for failing to charge a Walz staffer who allegedly vandalized at least six Tesla vehicles. President Donald Trump’s administration has identified Tesla vandalism as “domestic terrorism” and led a nationwide effort alongside the Justice Department to hold vandals accountable.  Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavy, Andrew Mark Miller and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Family matters: How VP Vance, wife deliver ‘normalcy to the kids in a very abnormal situation’

Family matters: How VP Vance, wife deliver ‘normalcy to the kids in a very abnormal situation’

EXCLUSIVE: Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance and their young children are adjusting well to life as the Second Family, with the vice president telling Fox News Digital that they are trying to “deliver as much normalcy to the kids in a very abnormal situation.”  Vance sat down for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital this week.  EXCLUSIVE: VANCE PREVIEWS TRUMP’S PLANS TO ‘JUICE THE ECONOMY,’ END RUSSIA–UKRAINE WAR IN NEXT 100 DAYS “Everyone is adjusting well—they are doing very well,” Vance said. “It’s different, right?”  “My seven-year-old son Ewan, he’s adjusting, but he’s also aware of all of it,” Vance said.  “And then we have our five-year-old son, Vivek, who I think is a little bit less aware of it,” Vance continued. “To him, it’s just fun. He has a bunch of Secret Service agents to play with, and he gets to go wherever he wants to, and he really likes that.”  “And Mirabel, who’s three, has no idea what’s going on,” Vance said of his youngest.  Vance shared a photo of Mirabel, which he and his wife display in their home in the Naval Observatory, “in her pajamas reviewing this Indian troop formation.”  EXCLUSIVE: JD VANCE EXPLAINS WHY MEETING POPE FRANCIS HOURS BEFORE HIS DEATH WAS ‘A SIGN FROM GOD’ “It’s so funny—it’s maybe my favorite photo of the entire 100 days that we’ve had so far—it’s very cute,” Vance said. “So, you sort of see different levels of kids’ understanding of it.”  Vance said the children “have a good school situation.”  “We have good friends here, and they spend a lot of time at the White House,” Vance said.  “Of course, our primary residence—we still have our home in Cincinnati—but our primary residence is the Naval Observatory,” Vance said. “It’s very isolated, so it’s nice, because, for the kids, it’s not like growing up in a fishbowl.”  EXCLUSIVE: VANCE REVEALS ‘EMPOWERING’ ASPECTS OF TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP THAT ENABLES ‘TRUST’ AND SQUASHES ‘TURF BATTLES’ Vance said the children “have a lot of room to run around.”  “There aren’t cameras everywhere, and it feels very, very private—very normal for the kids—which is all we could ask for,” Vance said.  As for his wife, Vance said “each second lady approaches the role differently—there’s not like, a manual that says—this is how you will be second lady.”  “I think what Usha has done is she has focused on some issues she cares about and she is very involved in the Kennedy Center—she really likes the arts and that is a project that she’s taken on,” Vance explained, adding that she plans to “take on additional projects.”  “But she also is a mom,” Vance said. “And the kids are really young, and she saw this as an opportunity to try to deliver as much normalcy to the kids in a very abnormal situation.”  He added: “But she’s doing well, and she really likes it—I think the role suits her and she’s having fun. She’s amazing.” 

Messi, Inter Miami crush New York Red Bulls in MLS

Messi, Inter Miami crush New York Red Bulls in MLS

Lionel Messi scores his first goal in five matches as Miami end their three-game losing streak across all competitions. Lionel Messi was on target as Inter Miami bounced back from their CONCACAF Champions Cup exit, beating the New York Red Bulls 4-1 at Chase Stadium in Florida. Miami had lost their last three games, including a 5-1 aggregate defeat to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Champions Cup semifinals, but they got a much-needed morale boost with a comfortable Major League Soccer (MLS) home victory on Saturday. Fafa Picault opened the scoring in the ninth minute, powerfully striking the ball into the back of the net after Luis Suarez had flicked on a cross from Marcelo Weigandt. Fullback Weigandt doubled the advantage for Miami in the 30th minute when his diving header was parried by Carlos Coronel, and the Argentinian followed in to scoop the ball home. The goal was initially flagged for offside, but after a VAR review, the referee ruled it should stand. Suarez made it 3-0 nine minutes later, firing home at the second attempt after his initial shot had been blocked, but the Red Bulls pulled a goal back before the break. Advertisement An Omar Valencia corner deep to the back post was looped over Oscar Ustari and into the far corner to give the visitors some hope for the second half. Miami stayed on top, however, and Messi extended their advantage in the 67th minute, playing a one-two with Telasco Segovia and holding off Noah Eile before beating Coronel with a left-foot finish. The goal ended a run of four matches without Messi being on the scoresheet, and the win moved Miami up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Elsewhere, former Saint-Etienne midfielder Dylan Chambost opened his account in MLS with the first goal in the Columbus Crew’s 4-2 win over Charlotte. The Crew lead the East on 24 points, two ahead of the Philadelphia Union, who continued their excellent season with a 2-1 win at Montreal with Danish striker Mikael Uhre grabbing an 84th-minute winner. DC United beat the Colorado Rapids 2-1 with goals from Christian Benteke and a volley from Japanese midfielder Hosei Kijima. Lionel Messi (#10), right, scores Inter Miami’s fourth goal during the MLS match against New York Red Bulls at Chase Stadium on May 3, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US [Megan Briggs/Getty Images via AFP] Adblock test (Why?)

Are the Houthis’ opponents in Yemen seeking US support?

Are the Houthis’ opponents in Yemen seeking US support?

Anti-Houthi factions in Yemen could be vying for US support to attack the movement’s territory, analysts and experts told Al Jazeera, following intensified air strikes on Houthi targets by the United States. The war in Yemen has largely been frozen for the last three years. Still, groups aligned with the Yemeni government have started signalling that they could launch operations against areas controlled by the pro-Iranian Houthis, including the crucial port of Hodeidah. A similar campaign on Hodeidah, a critical entry point for food and goods on the Red Sea coast, seemed imminent in 2018, only to be aborted after intervention from the United Nations and the international community, who feared a humanitarian disaster in Yemen. But experts and analysts expressed doubt that an attack by anti-Houthi groups on their domestic rival would be successful, despite some likening it to the offensive that unseated another Iran ally, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in late 2024. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree addresses a rally in solidarity with Palestinians and the Gaza Strip and in condemnation of Israel and the US, in the capital Sanaa on May 2, 2025 [Mohammed Huwais/AFP] “Pro-ROYG [Republic of Yemen Government] voices have been asserting that ground operations against the Houthis – in Hodeidah and potentially elsewhere – are imminent,” Hannah Porter, an independent Yemen analyst, told Al Jazeera. Advertisement “My impression so far is that these comments are just meant to garner external support from the US or Saudi [Arabia] for a takeover of Hodeidah.” Vying for US support The Houthis, or Ansar Allah as they are officially known, marched into and took over the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014. Soon after, a Saudi Arabian-led coalition intervened on behalf of Yemen’s internationally recognised government to fight the Houthis. Anti-Houthi forces achieved some success in the early years of the war, but the failed Hodeidah campaign seemed to slow their momentum, and the Houthis have largely been on top militarily since then. Saudi Arabia announced in March 2022 that it would stop hostilities in Yemen, and a UN-brokered truce stopped much of the fighting the following month. By then, the Houthis still controlled Sanaa and much of northwest Yemen, while various anti-Houthi groups held the key port city of Aden and much of southern and eastern Yemen. The Yemeni government has undergone major changes in the past few years, with President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi suddenly stepping down in 2022 and handing over power to an eight-member Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), which has, so far, proven ineffective. PLC Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak resigned on Sunday, claiming to have been blocked from fulfilling his duties, as reports circulated of conflicts between him and President Rashad al-Alimi and accusations of mission creep. The PLC includes members who have previously fought against the Yemeni government. They include Aydarous al-Zubaidi, the head of the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), and Tareq Saleh, nephew of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a one-time ally of the Houthis. Advertisement But Houthi attacks on what they claim are Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea, as well as attacks on Israel itself, have led to a bombing campaign against Yemen, and some anti-Houthi forces now see an opening. “We’ve been seeing various anti-Houthi factions lobbying for US support since the start of the Gaza crisis,” Nick Brumfield, a Yemen expert, told Al Jazeera. “Both the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council have competitively sought to present themselves as the solution to the US’s need for a partner on the ground against the Houthis in Yemen.”  Plan versus reality The Yemeni government has long emphasised that its ultimate goal is the defeat of the Houthis and an end to the group’s “coup” against the Yemeni state. In early April, President al-Alimi spoke of the importance of national unity “to topple the coup”, adding that the “decisive hour” of the “battle for liberation” was drawing near. Al-Alimi has not given any indication of when that battle against the Houthis would be, but forces under the umbrella of the Yemeni government may see the intensification of US air strikes under President Donald Trump’s administration. The US claims the strikes targeted Houthi leaders and have significantly degraded Houthi capabilities. Houthi authorities say that at least 123 Yemenis have been killed in the strikes since they intensified in mid-March, many of them civilians. Reporting from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Bloomberg has claimed that discussions for an anti-Houthi ground operation, backed by the US, are under way. Advertisement The WSJ specifically mentioned that the United Arab Emirates had raised the plan with the US, but the UAE has denied any involvement, with Assistant Minister for Political Affairs Lana Nusseibeh calling them “wild unsubstantiated stories” on April 17. The UAE officially withdrew its military forces from Yemen in 2019. Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly, anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, April 18, 2025 [Osamah Abdulrahman/AP] Tareq Saleh has been mentioned in news reports as a likely figure leading any anti-Houthi campaign on the Red Sea coast. But, experts say, there has thus far been no noticeable mobilisation on the ground by anti-Houthi Yemeni armed groups. “The PLC has been speaking about liberating Sanaa and such,” Raiman Al-Hamdani, a Yemen researcher with ARK, an international development company, told Al Jazeera. “As far as I know, there has been little mobilisation towards this end. Whether they can is a very different story, especially with Saudi Arabia and the UAE no longer wanting to engage in war with the Houthis.” After years of fighting, the Saudis and Houthis entered into ceasefire discussions in 2022, leaving anti-Houthi groups – including the Yemeni government – uncertain over their future and the Houthis further entrenched in power. Al Jazeera reached out to the Yemeni government for comment on this story but received no response before publication. Comfortable in the status quo An advance on Sanaa, high up in the Yemeni mountains and closer to the Houthi heartland in Yemen’s far north, would be

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attack airport in Port Sudan

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attack airport in Port Sudan

NewsFeed Videos show the moment Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a drone attack on an airbase near Port Sudan airport, according to the Sudanese army. Port Sudan has been perceived as the safest place in the war-torn country. Published On 4 May 20254 May 2025 Adblock test (Why?)