Putin gifted Trump a portrait of the US president, Russian artist reveals mystery painting
Russian leader Vladimir Putin gifted President Donald Trump in March a portrait showing the moment Trump pumped his fist into the air in defiance after surviving an assassination attempt last year. While outlets previously reported the gift as a mystery portrait, the Russian painter has now revealed the details behind his work, according to a Russian embassy. Artist Nikas Safronov said he created the painting in hopes that the artwork would strengthen U.S.-Russia ties, the Russian Embassy in Kenya said on Wednesday in a post on X. The painting depicts Trump pumping his fist into the air while the other hand holds a red cap similar to Trump’s famed MAGA headwear. The American flag and Statue of Liberty are spread across the background, and blood is splattered across the president’s face. TRUMP SAYS HE IS ‘PISSED OFF’ WITH PUTIN OVER LACK OF PEACE PROGRESS: REPORT “It was important to me to show the blood, the scar and his bravery during the attempt on his life,” Safronov told CNN. “He didn’t break down or become afraid, but raised his arm to show he is one with America and will bring back what it deserves.” The painting is an illustration of a dramatic photo that captured the moment Trump survived an assassination attempt during a presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. RUSSIA, UKRAINE AGREE TO BLACK SEA CEASEFIRE FOLLOWING US TALKS Safronov has painted numerous global figures, including the late Pope Francis and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. He told the outlet that he was “visited by some people who said they want me to paint Trump as I see him.” While Safronov said he did not know who the visitors were, adding that some clients “do not go into details,” he suspected it was the Kremlin, the outlet reported. “When I started the portrait, I realized this could bring our countries closer, and decided not to charge any money because I suspected what this painting was for,” the artist said. TRUMP TELLS PUTIN ‘STOP’ AFTER DEADLY RUSSIAN STRIKES ON KYIV The painting was given to Trump envoy Steve Witkoff in March when the official was in Moscow seeking a ceasefire in the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine, the Associated Press reported, citing Russian president’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. AP said Witkoff described the artwork as a “beautiful” portrait by “a leading Russian artist,” and added that Trump was “clearly touched by it.” While Trump and Putin have worked to strengthen their relationship, tensions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine continue to simmer between the three countries. Russia recently pounded Kyiv with missiles and drones overnight and killed at least 10 people in the biggest attack on the Ukrainian capital this year. The attack on April 24 prompted a rare rebuke from Trump who said “Vladimir, STOP!” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
New DHS portal to help migrants register biometrics to comply with Trump order
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is releasing a new online government tool designed to help millions of unlawful migrants living in the U.S. comply with a Trump order to register their biometric data with the government and carry documentation at all times. An online survey launched by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determines whether an immigrant, lawful or unlawful, still needs to register under the renewed enforcement of the Alien Registration Act. The new tool, launched Wednesday, guides users through the requirement with a series of questions and tells them whether they still need to register. Registration is mandatory for everyone over the age of 14 and without legal status in the U.S., and requires a fingerprint and a home address, per an executive order from President Donald Trump. Some immigrants who are here legally and who did not have to go through the biometric vetting process upon arrival would also need to check their registration. The aim is to require those unlawful immigrants who have not interacted with the government by applying for asylum or a work permit to come forward. “Tens of thousands” of immigrants have already come forward to register, according to USCIS. TWO FEDERAL JUDGES MAY HOLD TRUMP IN CONTEMPT AS HE DEFIES COURTS IN IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN “As we approach the 100-day mark of President Trump’s presidency, we have already seen tens of thousands of aliens come forward to register – a remarkable feat,” spokesperson Matthew Tragesser told Fox News Digital. “For the first time in years, there is broad recognition that the failure to comply with the law will carry serious consequences. We look forward to many more registrations.” Once an immigrant has registered and appeared for fingerprinting, DHS will issue evidence of registration, which any alien over the age of 18 must carry at all times. They can register by filling out the form, G-325R, Biometric Information (Registration). NOEM ANNOUNCES DHS REGISTRY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS IN US THAT WILL REQUIRE THEM TO BE FINGERPRINTED If an immigrant fails to register, they could be fined, jailed, deported and unlikely allowed to return to the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned. Those who fail to carry registration proof could also risk legal ramifications. The Alien Registration Act of 1940 required all people living in the U.S. who are not citizens, here legally or illegally, to register with the U.S. government. But until Trump’s executive order, the registration requirement for illegal immigrants went unenforced for decades. Immigrant advocates argue the new requirement puts those here illegally in a bind: do they register and give the government their location, making it easier to find them for deportation, or risk being charged with the crime of not registering. “The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws – we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce. We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans,” HHS Secretary Kristi Noem said. Advocates sued against the new rule, but a federal judge earlier this month allowed the Trump administration to move forward with the requirement. President George W. Bush created a similar immigration registry after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, requiring men and boys from predominantly Muslim countries to submit pictures and fingerprints to the government, and tens of thousands of people were deported from the registry.
Trans inmate who killed baby blames Trump admin for alleged assaults in prison: Lawsuit
A transgender inmate in Indiana convicted of reckless homicide of a baby is suing President Donald Trump over alleged sexual assaults caused by the president’s “transphobic” and “extremist rhetoric,” court documents filed on April 1 show. Jonathan C. Richardson, who goes by Autumn Cordellioné, claims in the handwritten complaint that, due to Trump’s “extremist rhetoric and transphobic hate speech,” he has “emboldened the Defendants and the assailants that brutally assaulted and raped plaintiff, not once, but multiple times, to act on their hate and prejudices, constituting the cause in action and his liability in this case. Therefore, President Trump was negligent due to his alleged knowledge that others may act on his words.” Cordellioné also claims the alleged assaults came after being transferred from New Castle Correctional Facility (NCN), where he was being “housed in protective custody,” to Westville Correctional Facility (WCA), an all-male prison. Fox News Digital reached out to the Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC) to find out whether the transfer was due to Trump’s executive order mandating federal prisoners be housed in units according to their biological sex. TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT ‘EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY’: JUDGE When reached for comment about the lawsuit, a White House spokesperson said: “President Trump has vowed to defend biological women from gender ideology extremism and restore biological truth to the Federal government.” The inmate is seeking $3.5 million in compensatory damages from Trump, alongside the other defendants, including prison employees and 12 other “gang affiliated inmates,” who allegedly “stabbed” and sexually assaulted the inmate over a four-day period in January. “Trump’s president now, and we won’t even get in trouble for f—–g you trannies up, we’re patriots and even if you tell on us, Trump will pardon us and probably give us a medal,” Cordellioné claimed one of the offenders said, according to the complaint. Cordellioné further alleged the unit team manager and case manager also said similar things during the alleged assaults. “I’ve seen your case on the news, and I personally don’t think us tax payers should have to pay for your surgery,” the case manager allegedly said. INDIANA JUDGE RULES PRISON MUST PROVIDE TRANSGENDER SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO KILLED BABY The lawsuit alleges that the offenders had violated Cordellione’s Eighth Amendment rights and committed gross negligence under Indiana tort law. Cordellioné’s years-long legal battle began in August 2023, when, with support from the ACLU, Cordellioné sued the Indiana Department of Correction over a state law that bans taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries for inmates. Since then, Cordellioné—serving a 55-year prison sentence for the reckless homicide of an 11-month-old stepchild—has filed several complaints, including a civil lawsuit against the prison chaplain for allegedly prohibiting the wearing of a hijab outside of immediate bedquarters, despite identifying as a Muslim woman. ACLU SUES INDIANA OVER DENIAL OF SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO STRANGLED 11-MONTH-OLD TO DEATH Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has been defending the state’s law and submitted a brief in January to a court of appeals defending Indiana’s law barring sex-change operations for inmates. The attorney general argued that the Eighth Amendment doesn’t require the state “to provide experimental treatments generally, and it certainly doesn’t here, when multiple doctors have said this inmate is a poor candidate for surgery,” a spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital. In March, Judge Richard Young, a Clinton appointee, ordered the IDOC to arrange sex reassignment surgery for Cordellioné at the “earliest opportunity.” Fox News Digital scooped earlier this month that states failing to comply with federal orders to house inmates based on their biological sex can expect “imminent changes” and funding cuts. Trump’s orders also bar federal funds from being used for sex reassignment surgeries for inmates.
Hegseth faces latest battle defending his defense secretary post at the Pentagon
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth may have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan — but now he’s facing another battle: this time on his home turf at the Pentagon. Controversy has plagued Hegseth since Trump first nominated him to serve as the secretary of defense, from sexual assault and drinking allegations, to two Signal chat debacles, and an op-ed suggesting that Hegseth may be on the way out. The new Signal controversy, along with the op-ed, are only the latest blows in what the Trump administration claims are sustained effort against Hegseth as defense secretary, dating back to his nomination. Scrutiny has heightened after a Sunday New York Times report said that Hegseth shared information about a March military airstrike against the Houthis in a Signal messaging app group chat that also included his wife, brother and personal lawyer. That incident follows a similar episode in March, when the Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a Signal group chat alongside Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and others, to discuss the same attack on the Houthis. DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH REBUFFS NEW GROUP CHAT ALLEGATIONS AS ATTEMPT TO ‘SABOTAGE’ TRUMP’S AGENDA While the White House continues to back Hegseth, a series of Democratic coalitions and multiple lawmakers are calling for Hegseth’s resignation. Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., is urging for the Pentagon’s inspector general to launch an investigation into the recent Signal chat allegations. “Since he was nominated, I have warned that Mr. Hegseth lacks the experience, competence, and character to run the Department of Defense. In light of the ongoing chaos, dysfunction, and mass firings under Mr. Hegseth’s leadership, it seems that those objections were well-founded,” Reed said in a Sunday statement. “Accountability starts at the top, and I have grave concerns about Secretary Hegseth’s ability to maintain the trust and confidence of U.S. service members.” Meanwhile, Vance told reporters Wednesday that he believed Hegseth is doing a “great job.” In response to a video post on X of Vance issuing the remarks, the Pentaton’s Rapid Response Team replied: “We will not be stopped. We will not be deterred.” While the secretaries of defense historically have received bipartisan support in the Senate, the upper chamber did not issue broad backing for Hegseth’s nomination. The Senate confirmed Hegseth along party lines in January, with all 47 Democrats opposing his nomination. Every senator except for Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., voted to confirm Trump’s first secretary of defense in 2017, retired Marine Gen. Jim Mattis. Likewise, the Senate voted in 2019 by a 90–8 margin to confirm Trump’s second secretary of defense, Mark Esper. HEGSETH SHARED DETAILS OF YEMEN STRIKES IN SECOND SIGNAL CHAT: REPORT Hegseth first came under fire as sexual assault allegations emerged leading up to his confirmation. For example, he told lawmakers in written responses during his confirmation process that he had paid $50,000 as part of a settlement payment to a woman who had accused him of sexual assault in 2017. The police report on the incident says a woman had alleged that Hegseth sexually assaulted her in a hotel room, confiscated her phone and blocked the door. Hegseth told lawmakers that he had been “falsely accused” by the woman. Hegseth also faced allegations of alcohol misuse during the confirmation process. In response, Hegseth told lawmakers that he is not a “perfect person,” but said he was the subject of a “coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media.” Controversy has not left Hegseth since the Senate confirmed him in January, however. Hegseth’s role in the original Signal chat that included the Atlantic editor-in-chief, Goldberg, emerged in the spotlight in March following an initial report. Even so, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s team was responsible for creating the chat. Hegseth has said that no “war plans” were discussed in both the initial Signal chat with Goldberg, and the one with his wife. Additionally, he said that all discussions conducted over Signal were unclassified. “I said repeatedly, nobody is texting war plans,” Hegseth told Fox News Tuesday. “I look at war plans every day. What was shared over Signal then and now, however you characterize it, was informal, unclassified coordinations, for media coordinations and other things. That’s what I’ve said from the beginning.” Staff firings at the Pentagon have also shined a light on Hegseth’s leadership. John Ullyot, a former senior communications official for the Pentagon who stepped down from his post in April under Hegseth, wrote that the abrupt Friday firings of three of Hegseth’s “most loyal” advisors were alarming and “baffling.” Hegseth’s aide Dan Caldwell, his deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick and chief of staff to the deputy defense secretary, Colin Carroll, were all ousted. “The dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership,” Ullyot wrote in a Sunday op-ed for Politico. “Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account. Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer.” Support for Hegseth is also cracking within Trump’s own party. For example, Rep. Don Bacon, a former Air Force general who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, told Politico on Monday that Hegseth is an “amateur person” and that he doesn’t believe that Hegseth has the experience to lead the Pentagon. These concerns started from the “get-go,” said Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska. NPR reported on Monday that the White House was eying a new secretary of defense. The story was based on one anonymous U.S. official who was not authorized to speak to the media. Meanwhile, the White House has pushed back on allegations that it is eyeing a replacement for Hegseth. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “He is bringing monumental change to the Pentagon, and there’s a lot of people in the city who reject monumental change, and I think, frankly, that’s why we’ve seen a smear campaign against the Secretary of Defense since the
Kashmir attack: Does India’s Indus Waters Treaty freeze threaten Pakistan?
In tit-for-tat moves this week, India and Pakistan have entered a strategic standoff following Tuesday’s attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of at least 26 people. On Wednesday, India downgraded ties with Pakistan, announcing a series of steps, the most important of which is a decision to suspend its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which could seriously restrict Pakistan’s water supplies. India has also closed its main land border with Pakistan and given some Pakistani nationals currently in India a deadline to leave the country. On Thursday, Pakistan retaliated with similar steps against India, and also threatened to suspend its participation in all bilateral agreements between the two, including the 1972 Simla Agreement, a peace accord drawn up following their war the previous year that led to the creation of Bangladesh. Pakistan is particularly angered by the threat to the IWT and has warned India that any disruption to its water supply would be considered “an act of war”, adding that it was prepared to respond, “with full force across the complete spectrum of national power”. Advertisement The IWT, a transboundary water agreement that allows the two countries to share water flowing from the Indus basin, has survived armed conflicts and near-constant tensions between India and Pakistan over the past 65 years. While India came close to suspending the treaty in 2019, it did not go through with it. Why has India taken action against Pakistan? An armed group called The Resistance Front (TRF), which demands independence for Kashmir, has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack in Pahalgam, one of Indian-administered Kashmir’s most popular tourist destinations. Indian authorities have previously claimed that TRF is an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, an armed group based in Pakistan. India has long held that Pakistan backs the armed rebellion in Kashmir, a charge Islamabad denies. On Wednesday, India claimed that the Pahalgam attack had “cross-border” linkages, blaming its western neighbour. During a special briefing by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had been called to discuss the attack in which men armed with rifles killed 25 Indian tourists and one Nepalese tourist, all men. “In the briefing to the CCS, the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack were brought out,” Misri said. Misri added: “The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.” For a treaty to be in abeyance means that it is temporarily suspended or on hold. Advertisement Earlier on Thursday, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India would identify, track and punish every “terrorist” and their backers. What is the Indus Waters Treaty? Signed in 1960, the origins of the IWT trace back to August 1947, when British colonial rule over the Indian subcontinent ended and India and Pakistan became two separate sovereign states. India is the upper riparian (located upstream) while Pakistan is the lower riparian, which means India has control over how the river flows. Because both countries rely on the water from the Indus basin’s six rivers for irrigation and agriculture, they signed an agreement called the Standstill Agreement to continue allowing the flow of water across the border. When the Standstill Agreement expired in 1948, India stopped the water flow towards Pakistan from its canals, prompting an urgent need for negotiations on water sharing. Following nine years of negotiations mediated by the World Bank, former Pakistani President Ayub Khan and former Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru signed the IWT [PDF] in September 1960. The treaty gives India access to the waters of the three eastern rivers: the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. Pakistan, in turn, gets the waters of the three western rivers: the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. India can use the western rivers to generate hydroelectric power and for some limited agriculture, but cannot build infrastructure that restricts the flow of water from those rivers into Pakistan or redirects that water. What would the suspension of this treaty mean for Pakistan? It represents a threat from India that it could, if and when it chooses to, restrict the flow of water from the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab into Pakistan. Advertisement It does not mean that India plans to limit that flow immediately. Even if it wanted to, it is unlikely that India could immediately stop the flow of water even though it has suspended its participation from the treaty. This is because India has upstream reservoirs constructed on the western rivers, but their storage capacity cannot hold enough volumes of water to hold back water entirely from Pakistan. It is also high-flow season when ice from glaciers melts between May and September, keeping water levels high. “The western rivers allocated to Pakistan carry very high flows, especially between May and September. India does not currently have the infrastructure in place to store or divert those flows at scale,” Hassaan F Khan, assistant professor of urban and environmental policy and environmental studies at Tufts University in the United States, told Al Jazeera. However, if India were to try to stop – or cut – the water flow, Pakistan might feel the effects in seasons when water levels are lower. Pakistan relies heavily on the water from the western rivers for its agriculture and energy. Pakistan does not have alternative sources of water. Pakistan has a largely agrarian economy, with agriculture contributing 24 percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and 37.4 percent to employment, according to Pakistan’s most recent economic survey published in 2024. The country’s statistics bureau says that the majority of the population is directly or indirectly dependent on the agriculture sector. According to the World Bank, the country’s current population is about 247.5 million. Advertisement Does India have the power to suspend this treaty? While India has declared abeyance from the treaty, legal experts say that it cannot unilaterally suspend the treaty. “India has used the
Made in America
Fault Lines investigates civilian deaths in Lebanon and possible war crimes involving US-made bombs used by Israel. Made in America investigates the devastating impact of air attacks in Lebanon during Israel’s war last year. Israel claimed it was targeting Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure, but more than 4,000 Lebanese people, including women and children, were killed, many inside their homes and residential buildings. On September 23 alone, 558 people were killed — the deadliest day since Lebanon’s civil war — after Israel carried out one of the most intensive air attacks in modern warfare. Among them were a woman and her daughter, killed when their home in southern Lebanon was destroyed — one of several cases the film looks into. With extensive access to victims’ families and collaboration with forensic experts, Fault Lines uncovers evidence of unlawful killings and reveals the central role of US-made weapons in the attacks. The investigation extends to Washington, DC, in pursuit of answers and accountability. Adblock test (Why?)
Al-Shabab battles Somalia’s army for strategic military base
The armed group says it seizes control of Wargaadhi town and its military base, but the Somali army denies the claim. Al-Shabab fighters have battled Somali troops and allied forces for control of a strategic army base in southern Somalia, according to the government and a military official. Capturing the base in Wargaadhi town in the Middle Shabelle region, which houses soldiers, special forces and clan fighters, would enable the al Qaeda-linked group to sever a crucial road between the capital, Mogadishu, 200km (124 miles) to the southwest, and the central Galmudug State as it tries to extend recent gains made in the region. Al-Shabab has been fighting the Somali government for more than 16 years and frequently targets government officials and military personnel. It said in a statement that its fighters had captured the base and Wargaadhi town – a claim the government denied. The Ministry of Information said in a statement that government forces had killed more than 40 people after they tried to attack the base on Thursday morning. However, army officer Hussein Ali told the news agency Reuters that the armed group had taken the town of Wargaadhi after “fierce fighting”. Advertisement “Our forces lost 12 men, mostly [clan fighters]. Around 20 al-Shabab fighters were also killed,” Ali said. “But finally al-Shabab got more reinforcements and managed to capture the town.” He added that Somalia’s military was struggling to send reinforcements because it would need to use routes passing through al-Shabab-held areas. Two soldiers quoted by Reuters said government forces, backed by air strikes, had managed to recapture part of the town by midmorning. It was not possible to independently verify the claims made by either side. Ongoing offensive Last week, al-Shabab claimed to have seized control of nearby Adan Yabal, a town and logistical hub for government forces about 220km (130 miles) north of Mogadishu. However, Captain Hussein Olow, a military officer in Adan Yabaal, denied the report, telling Reuters government troops had pushed the group back. Both attacks are part of an offensive launched by al-Shabab last month. The group briefly captured villages within 50km (30 miles) of Mogadishu, raising fears among the capital’s residents that the city could be targeted. While Somali forces have since recaptured those villages, al-Shabab has continued to advance in the countryside as the future of international security support to Somalia appears increasingly precarious. A new African Union peacekeeping mission, the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, replaced a larger force in February, but its funding is uncertain as the United States remains opposed to transitioning to a United Nations financing model. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Pahalgam Massacre: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju hints at ‘stricter action’ after all-party meeting in Delhi concludes
After an all-party meeting in New Delhi to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju emphasized national unity and reaffirmed the government’s zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism.
Trump-appointed judge orders administration to return second deported migrant
A second U.S. judge in Maryland ordered the Trump administration to return another man who was deported from the U.S. to El Salvador last month under the Alien Enemies Act – the latest case in a high-profile legal battle playing out in federal courts across the country. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher, a Trump appointee, on Wednesday ruled that the Trump administration violated a settlement agreement DHS reached last year with a group of young asylum seekers when it deported a 20-year-old man, referred to in court filings as “Cristian,” to El Salvador last month. He was part of a group of migrants who had entered the U.S. illegally as unaccompanied children and who later filed asylum claims to remain in the U.S. DHS agreed in the settlement that it would refrain from deporting any of the individuals in the class until their asylum claims could be fully adjudicated by a U.S. court. Gallagher ruled that the government breached that agreement when it deported Cristian, a member of the class, and ordered that they return him to the U.S. News of the case and settlement in question was first reported by ABC News. FEDERAL JUDGE JAMES BOASBERG FINDS PROBABLE CAUSE TO HOLD TRUMP IN CONTEMPT OVER DEPORTATION FLIGHTS Gallagher stressed in her ruling that, unlike other court challenges to Trump’s deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, this one centers on a “breach of contract” by the government. Her ruling also alluded to the deportation of Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 member living in Maryland who was deported to El Salvador last month. U.S. officials have resisted court orders to facilitate his return to the U.S. In response to this, Gallagher specifically tasked the Trump administration in her ruling with “making a good faith request to the government of El Salvador and to release Cristian to U.S. custody for transport back to the United States to await the adjudication of his asylum application on the merits by USCIS.” The Trump administration, meanwhile, told the court it had determined that Cristian was eligible for removal under the Alien Enemies Act because he had been arrested and convicted for cocaine possession earlier this year. They told the court that his designation as an “alien enemy pursuant to the AEA results in him ceasing to be a member” of the class that had negotiated a settlement. JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA That agreement did not appear to hold water with Gallagher, who ordered the government not to remove any other members of the class until their asylum claims are properly adjudicated. “Therefore, under the plain terms of the Settlement Agreement and fundamental tenets of contract law, removal from the United States of a Class Member, including but not limited to Cristian, without a final determination on the merits by USCIS on the Class Member’s pending asylum application violates the Settlement Agreement,” Gallagher said. She also granted a temporary restraining order to another member of the class, an 18-year-old referred to as Javier, whom counsel for the group said was in “imminent danger” of being deported earlier this month, as ABC reported. Gallagher agreed that Javier was covered by the settlement with the government and blocked his removal from the U.S.
Federal judge declares Trump admin blocking federal money from sanctuary cities unconstitutional
A federal judge in San Francisco blocked the Trump administration from withholding federal funds from “sanctuary” jurisdictions, claiming doing so would be unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick – who was nominated to the Northern District of California bench by former President Barack Obama – said that Trump’s executive orders instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities and counties that do not cooperate with federal immigration law would violate the Constitution’s separation of powers principles and the Spending Clause. The judge said the orders violate the Fifth Amendment “to the extent they are unconstitutionally vague and violate due process.” Trump’s directives to withhold federal funding from sanctuary jurisdictions “also violate the Tenth Amendment because they impose coercive condition intended to commandeer local officials into enforcing federal immigration practices and law,” Orrick wrote. “The Cities and Counties have also demonstrated a likelihood of irreparable harm,” the judge said. “The threat to withhold funding causes them irreparable injury in the form of budgetary uncertainty, deprivation of constitutional rights, and undermining trust between the Cities and Counties and the communities they serve.” In granting the preliminary injunction, Orrick wrote that “defendants and their officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys, and any other persons who are in active concert or participation with them ARE HEREBY RESTRAINED AND ENJOINED from directly or indirectly taking any action to withhold, freeze, or condition federal funds.” This is a developing story. Check back for updates.