DOJ probes California, Maine over transgender inmate housing policies
The Department of Justice on Thursday launched civil rights investigations into prison systems in California and Maine over policies allowing transgender inmates to be housed in women’s facilities, citing concerns about female inmates’ safety. The probes will examine whether the states are engaged in a “pattern or practice” of violating inmates’ rights, part of a broader federal push targeting what officials call a growing national issue. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said keeping “men out of women’s prisons [was] not only common sense – it’s a matter of safety and constitutional rights.” The investigations focus on two California facilities and the Maine Correctional Center. Officials cited allegations of sexual assault, rape and a “pervasive climate of sexual intimidation.” TRUMP ADMIN FINDS CALIFORNIA BAN ON NOTIFYING PARENTS OF GENDER TRANSITIONS VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW The DOJ said the probes are being conducted under federal civil rights law and will examine potential violations of inmates’ constitutional protections. In California, the policy stems from a 2020 law allowing inmates to be housed based on gender identity. The issue gained attention after a transgender inmate housed in a women’s prison was later charged with multiple counts of rape. In Maine, officials are investigating allegations that a male inmate remained housed with women despite complaints of assault or harassment. FBI LAUNCHES PROBES INTO 3 CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS FOR ALLEGED GENITAL MUTILATION OF MINORS Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the DOJ will not allow women in custody to face “unconstitutional risks of harm.” “These investigations will uncover whether the dangerous national trend of housing men in women’s prisons has resulted in violations of women’s constitutional rights,” Dhillon said. California officials say they are committed to inmate safety, while a spokesperson for Maine’s governor has called the probe politically motivated. Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ and state officials for comment. The investigations are ongoing and could lead to legal action if violations are found.
Former Dolton, Illinois ‘super mayor’ pushes for federal troops in Chicago after father shot in neck
Former Dolton Mayor and Thornton Township supervisor Tiffany Henyard urged Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to accept federal assistance to help clean up crime, noting in a statement that her father had become a gun violence victim. Henyard opened her statement by calling herself “SuperMayor Tiffany A. Henyard.” “Yes, it is true, my family has been directly affected by the senseless gun violence that continues to plague Illinois. Yesterday, my father, my hero was an innocent victim of this random and heartbreaking violence,” she noted in a statement shared on social media on Thursday. FORMER SCANDAL-PLAGUED ILLINOIS ‘SUPER MAYOR’ EYES POLITICAL COMEBACK AS A REPUBLICAN IN GEORGIA “At this time, I am calling on Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson to seriously reconsider federal assistance from President Donald J. Trump to help address this crisis and better protect the residents of Illinois, particularly in Chicago,” she noted in the statement. “Across the country, communities that have welcomed federal support have experienced measurable reductions in crime. Cities such as Memphis, Tennessee; Washington, D.C. and New Orleans, Louisiana during the 2026 Mardi Gras period have all seen positive outcomes through collaboration efforts.” President Donald Trump notably deployed the National Guard to all three cities as part of federal intervention geared toward crime reduction and public safety. Henyard said the residents of Illinois “deserve to feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods,” adding that the “difference between Illinois and those other states is simple, their leadership chose collaboration, and that collaboration produces results.” “I respectfully urge Governor Pritzker to reconsider working in partnership with President Donald J. Trump to ensure the safety and well-being of the people you were elected to serve. Once again, thank you for your prayers, your support, and your compassion. Please continue to keep my family lifted in prayer during this extremely difficult time,” she wrote. SUPREME COURT RULES ON LEGALITY OF TRUMP NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO ILLINOIS WLS-TV reported that Henyard’s father was wounded in a shooting that happened around 5:54 p.m. Wednesday in the 1300 block South Kedzie Avenue in North Lawndale. According to the outlet, Chicago police said a 65-year-old man was in an alley when he was shot in the neck and was taken to the hospital in serious condition. OUSTED DEM ‘SUPER MAYOR’ CHARGES WHOPPING PRICE TAG FOR TELL-ALL BOOK WHILE DODGING LEGAL TROUBLES Henyard, who lost the 2025 Democratic Dolton mayoral primary, is now running for Fulton County board of commissioners District 5 in Georgia as a Republican.
Mexico launches search for two missing aid boats bound for Cuba
NewsFeed Mexico’s navy has launched a search operation after two boats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba went missing in the Caribbean. The vessels, carrying nine crew members, lost contact after departing Isla Mujeres and failed to reach Havana as scheduled. Published On 27 Mar 202627 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Endangered monarch butterfly population surges 64 percent
NewsFeed Mexico’s monarch butterfly population surged 64 percent this winter, raising hopes for the endangered species’ spring migration to the United States and Canada. Published On 27 Mar 202627 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Albanese says Australia playing “constructive” role in the war on Iran
NewsFeed Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese says his government has made a “constructive” contribution to the US-Israeli war on Iran. The comments follow criticism from US President Donald Trump who said Australia’s support “was not great”. Published On 27 Mar 202627 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Gurugram-Faridabad Namo Bharat RRTS corridor to get 18 new metro stations, HMRTC announces, check details
The HMRTC has earmarked 10 stations for Faridabad and eight for Gurugram, with the Gurugram-Faridabad RRTS line stretching approximately 64 kilometers.
Passenger finds worms in Vande Bharat meal, IRCTC fined Rs 10 Lakh, vendor’s contract terminated
Along with this, a fine of Rs 50 lakh has been imposed on the concerned service provider, and the contract termination has been ordered.
Modi govt cuts additional excise duty on petrol, diesel amid US-Iran war; Know what does this mean for you? Check new rates
India has revised fuel excise duties, cutting special additional duty on petrol to zero and setting Rs 3 per litre on diesel under one category.
Appeals court pauses orders limiting federal agents’ use of tear gas at protests near Portland ICE building
An appeals court paused a pair of lower court rulings in Oregon that restricted federal agents’ use of tear gas and other crowd-control munitions during protests outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted the Trump administration’s request for temporary administrative stays in two cases in a 2-1 ruling. Anti-ICE demonstrators have held protests at the building since June, as part of protests across the country challenging President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Two lawsuits were filed over federal agents’ crowd control tactics — one brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon on behalf of protesters and freelance journalists and another brought by the residents of an affordable housing complex across the street from the ICE building. OREGON JUDGE LIMITS FEDERAL AGENTS’ TEAR GAS USE AT PORTLAND PROTESTS The complaints argue that federal agents’ use of chemical and projectile munitions has violated the rights of plaintiffs — including a demonstrator known for wearing a chicken costume, a married couple in their 80s and two freelance journalists who said federal agents used chemical spray and projectile munitions against them. The Department of Homeland Security has previously said that the agents have “followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property.” Earlier this month, the federal judges in Portland overseeing the separate cases both issued preliminary injunctions limiting federal agents’ use of tear gas, pepper spray and other chemical munitions unless someone poses an imminent threat of physical harm. The agents were also ordered not to fire munitions at the head, neck or torso “unless the officer is legally justified in using deadly force against that person” and were told not to use pepper spray against a group in an indiscriminate way that would affect bystanders. Additionally, they were told to only target people who were engaging in violent unlawful conduct or actively resisting arrest, noting that trespassing, refusing to move and refusing to obey an order to disperse are acts of passive resistance, not active resistance. “Plaintiffs provided numerous videos, which were received in evidence and unambiguously show DHS officers spraying OC Spray directly into the faces of peaceful and nonviolent protesters engaged in, at most, passive resistance and discharging tear gas and firing pepper-ball munitions into crowds of peaceful and nonviolent protestors,” U.S. District Judge Michael Simon wrote in his ruling on March 9 in the case brought by the ACLU. “Defendants’ conduct — physically harming protestors and journalists without prior dispersal warnings — is objectively chilling,” he added. JUDGE RULES FEDERAL AGENTS MUST LIMIT TEAR GAS AT PROTESTS NEAR PORTLAND ICE BUILDING The Ninth Circuit panel said on Wednesday that oral arguments in the two cases will be consolidated and scheduled for April 7. Earlier this year, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson called on ICE to leave the city after federal agents deployed tear gas at a crowd of demonstrators outside the agency’s building. The mayor described the protests as peaceful and criticized federal officers’ use of pepper balls, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets. “Federal forces deployed heavy waves of chemical munitions, impacting a peaceful daytime protest where the vast majority of those present violated no laws, made no threat, and posed no danger to federal forces,” he said in a statement at the time. “To those who continue to work for ICE: Resign. To those who control this facility: Leave,” he added, accusing federal officials of “trampling the Constitution.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Schumer, Dems block DHS funding again as Trump intervenes to pay TSA agents
The Senate was again unable to end the Homeland Security shutdown on Thursday despite signs of a possible breakthrough to end the long-running closure, which prompted President Donald Trump to make a move. Senate Democrats blocked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding for a seventh time as the partial shutdown entered its 41st day on Thursday after Senate Republicans made a new offer earlier in the day after late-night negotiations. Trump then ordered DHS to pay airport workers and accused “their ‘Leader,’ Cryin’ Chuck Schumer,” of making it clear where Democrats stand, “and that is, ON THE SIDE OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS, AND NOT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.” DEMS BLOCK DHS FUNDING AFTER GOP REJECTS THEIR COUNTER, THUNE SAYS SCHUMER ‘GOING IN CIRCLES’ “I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports,” Trump said on Truth Social. “It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!” Still, several other components of the agency, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are still without funding. The vote stayed open for several hours to allow for talks between both sides to continue, but, by the fifth hour, Trump pulled the trigger on funding the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). “We’ve held the vote open for five hours to give the Democrats an opportunity to come to the table,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told reporters. “They have not. And now, time is up.” Earlier in the day, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he believed talks between the sides were making progress. And despite Thune saying just a day earlier that there was “no point” in sending Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats another compromise proposal, Republicans did just that. “Dems are in possession of what I think is our last and final [offer],” Thune said. “So, let’s hope this gets it done.” Thune remained mum on the details of the offer. When asked if the White House backed it, he said, “They’ve been involved in the back-and-forth that has occurred overnight and all morning, so we’ll see.” DHS DEAL IN LIMBO AS DEMOCRATS DEMAND TOUGHER ICE CRACKDOWN DESPITE GOP COMPROMISE Several Senate Democrats leaving their closed-door lunch meeting said they had yet to see or be briefed on the latest proposal and that the GOP’s new offer wasn’t discussed during the meeting. A source familiar with negotiations told Fox News Digital, “Schumer needs to grow a pair of b—- and make a decision.” The quick shift in mood in the upper chamber, despite the latest failure, came after the prospect of a deal to end the second-longest shutdown in history appeared even further out of reach. Republicans had offered Democrats a framework that would carve out Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding but lacked the reforms Schumer and his caucus want. “I think our caucus remains united around the same premise: We’re not going to fund an immigration enforcement operation that doesn’t obey the law,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital. “And I don’t think we’ve seen a proposal from them yet that meets that very simple priority.” SENATE REPUBLICANS MOVE TO REOPEN DHS WITH NEW PLAN, WAIT FOR DEMOCRATIC BUY-IN The ICE carve-out is also a proposal Democrats have made before, one Republicans previously blocked. Given that, many Senate Republicans were frustrated that Democrats appeared to back away from an idea they once supported. “They go on the floor, they shoot their mouths off and say we’ll fund everything but ICE,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital. “We took them at their word. So, you know, they need to agree to ‘yes.’” It has also forced Republicans to grapple with the idea of not funding immigration enforcement, which has been a sore subject throughout the week. Still, they are eyeing budget reconciliation — the same party-line tactic used to pass Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” last year — to fund immigration operations and several other priorities. “I will not support legislation that doesn’t pay ICE agents. However, there’s a mechanism, by way of reconciliation, where we can front-load multiple years of that,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital. “The Democrats, I think, just handed us more certainty moving forward.”