Trump Administration

SWALWELL: Madam Secretary, you agree that the letters “M-S” and the number 13, in Times Roman Numeral font, that they are doctored on this photo, right? NOEM: Congressman, Abrego Garcia is– SWALWELL: No, no, I’m just asking about this photo. NOEM: –a known member of MS-13. It wasn’t based off of tattoos. It was based off an entire case. SWALWELL: …

The Hill reports: Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday over her decision to deem President Trump’s potential acceptance of a luxury Qatari jet as a “legally permissible” gift. Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, argued that Bondi should have recused herself from that decision due to her past lobbying work …

“We had members of Congress assaulting law enforcement officers. This wasn’t oversight, this was committing felonies. This was going out and attacking people who stand up for the rule of law. It’s astounding to me that someone would even vote for someone to put them in a place of leadership when they perpetuate something as hypocritical and criminal as what …

NPR reports: Paul Ingrassia, currently serving as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, has ties to multiple figures widely known for promoting antisemitism. In 2023, Ingrassia repeatedly praised the controversial “manosphere” influencer Andrew Tate and worked on his legal team. Romanian authorities have accused Tate of human trafficking. The top of Ingrassia’s Instagram page features a …

The Washington Post report: The Environmental Protection Agency plans to rescind and reconsider limits on four different “forever chemicals” under a landmark drinking water standard implemented last year by President Joe Biden, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post. The drinking water rules were adopted as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to limit public exposure to per- and …

The Associated Press reports: A coalition of 20 state Democratic attorneys general filed two federal lawsuits on Tuesday, claiming that the Trump administration is threatening to withhold billions of dollars in transportation and disaster-relief funds unless states agree to certain immigration enforcement actions. According to the complaints, both Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have …

NBC News reports: The conservative activist named by President Donald Trump as the head of the Justice Department’s “Weaponization Working Group” said Tuesday he planned to “name” and “shame” individuals the department determines it is unable to charge with crimes, in what would amount to a major departure from longstanding Justice Department protocols. Ed Martin described himself at a press …

“I don’t know how many of you have ever been out driving a vehicle before. You wondered what’s wrong with it, right? It’s jerky. It doesn’t turn right. It’s going slow. It seems like something is broke and then you look down and you have your emergency brake on. Anybody ever do that before? I have. You drive around and …

ABC News reports: A panel of judges on the Court of International Trade today heard arguments in a lawsuit challenging Trump’s sweeping tariffs, as the president’s trade war continues to disrupt the international economy and raise the specter of a recession. The lawsuit was filed last month by a group of small businesses, including a New York liquor distributor, Utah …

The New York Times reports: It was clear from the start that Mr. Miller, who is not a lawyer, would exercise control inside the department, current and former Trump aides said. “I can’t recall an attorney general who seemed willing to be subordinate to White House staffers,” said Edward Whelan, a conservative former Justice Department official. Bondi has been consulted …

Science.com reports: Interviews with science advocacy groups and scientists working in a range of disciplines confirm that what Jen Jones, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, calls “the fear factor” is rampant. Scientists “have been made to feel like they cannot open their mouth for fear of losing whatever they have left,” …

The Hill reports: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday it will be moving to take ingestible prescription fluoride products for children off the market, citing concerns that the mineral alters the gut microbiome of children. Ingestible fluoride products are prescribed for children who are at a high risk of tooth decay. The majority of municipal water systems in …

Reuters reports: The FBI ordered agents on Monday to devote more time to immigration enforcement and scale back investigating white-collar crime, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as the Justice Department issued new guidance on what white-collar cases will be prioritized. In a series of meetings, FBI agents were told by their field offices they would need to …

CNBC reports: Elon Musk said Saudi Arabia has approved Starlink for aviation and maritime use in the region, speaking at an investment forum during a White House-led trip to the kingdom on Tuesday. Starlink is the satellite internet service owned and operated by Musk’s aerospace and defense contractor, SpaceX. Musk also briefly discussed his other business ambitions in the region, …

The Associated Press reports: A budget airline that serves mostly small U.S. cities began federal deportation flights Monday out of Arizona, a move that’s inspired an online boycott petition and sharp criticism from the union representing the carrier’s flight attendants. Avelo Airlines announced in April it had signed an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to make charter deportation …

The Washington Post reports: Inflation ticked up in April after an unexpected slowdown the month before, but the annual rate pace of inflation eased slightly to 2.3 percent compared to March, in a first test of Trump’s tariff policies. The Labor Department’s consumer price index, a key gauge of inflation, rose 0.2 percent last month, reversing a slight decline in …

The New York Times reports: As few as three air traffic controllers were scheduled to work on Monday evening at the facility guiding planes to and from Newark Liberty International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said, far fewer than the target of 14 controllers for most of those hours. The staffing crisis added strain to an already troubled aviation system, …

Above The Law reports: There’s a new “Axis of Evil” in the Trump administration cosmology and it’s not al Qaeda or North Korea. Instead, the preeminent threat to national security, according to the hapless folks at Donald Trump’s personal law firm, is anyone who ever donated money to LGBTQ civil rights organization GLAD. At least that’s the government’s new working theory …

The Associated Press reports: The governor of the Mexican state of Baja California said she and her husband were informed that their U.S. tourist visas have been withdrawn. In a post on the social platform X, Marina del Pilar Ávila said she was informed her visa was revoked via consular message, shortly after her husband, Carlos Torres, received a similar …

Politico reports: Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced on Monday that the U.S. will terminate the temporary protected status program for Afghanistan, a move that could lead to the deportation of over 9,000 Afghans residing in the country. Noem said in a statement that the conditions in Afghanistan have improved sufficiently to warrant the program’s termination. Afghans’ temporary protected …