Trump Administration

The New York Times reports: The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday placed 144 employees on administrative leave and opened an investigation into their decision to sign a letter accusing the Trump administration of politicizing the agency. Current and former E.P.A. employees, lawyers and advocates expressed alarm at the development, saying the agency appeared to be ignoring the employees’ First Amendment …

The New York Times reports: The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the government to deport eight men who have spent more than a month held under guard on an American military base on Djibouti to South Sudan, granting a request from the Trump administration. The order allows the government to immediately send the men, who hail from countries around the …

The Associated Press reports: In a matter of days, an isolated training airport in the Everglades where endangered Florida panthers roam became a sprawling immigration detention center christened “Alligator Alcatraz,” modeled after the state’s frequent responses to hurricanes and built in part by companies whose owners have donated generously to Republicans. Some GOP donors whose companies helped build and will …

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports: The Department of Homeland Security was investigating late Wednesday after El Rancho Unified School District Board of Education leaders released video footage they say shows several federal immigration agents trespassing on one of its campuses and allegedly urinating in public view. School district officials said the footage confirmed that eight to 10 agents entered …

Public Information reports: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will no longer enforce a rule capping the price of prison phone calls, according to an announcement made Monday by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. The move suspends a 2024 FCC decision that capped the price of in-state phone calls at $0.06 per minute for prisons and large jails and $0.07 per minute …

Axios reports: The trade association representing U.S. restaurants is asking President Trump for “targeted relief” from his immigration crackdown. The president recently signaled a willingness to cut some slack for farms and hotels, saying “our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them.” The National Restaurant Association sent a letter to Trump dated …

Raw Story reports: Lawyers for Maryland man Kilmar Ábrego García, who was deported to a brutal prison due to a “clerical error,” won a small victory in court on Thursday. In a request, Ábrego asked that President Donald Trump’s government, including the Justice Department, stop making “extrajudicial statements” about him as part of a “public disparagement campaign.” During the press …

The Miami Herald reports: The first detainees arrived at Alligator Alcatraz late Wednesday night, even as the immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades has already faced some operational issues with security and water intrusion. On Wednesday evening, the gates of the facility were bustling with traffic. Three white vans escorted by sedans drove into the compound. The vans looked …

Politico reports: Washington’s top housing regulator is escalating his fight against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling on Congress to investigate the central banking chief. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, who has increasingly complained that high borrowing costs are damaging the housing market, pressed lawmakers on Wednesday to probe Powell’s alleged “political bias” as well as his recent …

The Associated Press reports: Kilmar Abrego Garcia said he suffered severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation and psychological torture in the notorious El Salvador prison the Trump administration had deported him to in March, according to court documents filed Wednesday. He said he was kicked and hit so often after arrival that by the following day, he had visible bruises and …

Axios reports: A group backed by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has filed a federal complaint against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the team’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. The Dodgers are one of the most popular MLB teams among Asian, Black and Mexican American fans and recently committed $1 million to help immigrants affected by …

The New York Times reports: Senior Justice Department officials are exploring whether they can bring criminal charges against state or local election officials if the Trump administration determines they have not sufficiently safeguarded their computer systems, according to people familiar with the discussions. The department’s effort, which is still in its early stages, is not based on new evidence, data …

The Daily Beast reports: Florida’s much-hyped ICE detention center cannot even keep the rain out. Videos from the so-called Alligator Alcatraz, which President Donald Trump visited on Tuesday to mark its opening, show that the center had standing water on its first day of operation. Florida officials claim the facility, situated in the middle of the muggy, naturally flooded Everglades, …

Reuters reports: A federal judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump’s asylum ban at the U.S.-Mexico border, saying Trump exceeded his authority when he issued a proclamation declaring illegal immigration an emergency and setting aside existing legal processes. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss said in a 128-page opinion that Trump’s January 20 proclamation blocking all migrants “engaged in the invasion …

The New York Times reports: The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official rejected broad uses of two Covid vaccines, citing unknown risks or injuries despite assurances of safety from dozens of staff experts, newly released documents show. The decisions by the official, Dr. Vinay Prasad, the agency’s new chief medical and scientific officer, stunned agency veterans. Records show that …

Ars Technica reports: Scientists at several federal agencies are losing access to scientific literature published by Springer Nature, which produces the prestigious journal Nature among many other high-profile titles. That’s according to a report Monday by Nature’s news team, which is also published by Springer Nature, but is editorially independent. According to the news outlet, spokespeople for NASA and the …

Military.com reports: Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has ousted his entire slate of civilian advisers in a sweeping move aimed at clearing space for voices from the tech world, as the service doubles down on its push to modernize with a Silicon Valley-style lens. On Friday, Driscoll notified the 115 members of the Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army …

ABC News reports: A former FBI agent accused of egging on rioters to attack police during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol is now serving in the Justice Department as part of the so-called “Weaponization Working Group,” sources familiar with the appointment confirmed to ABC News. Jared Wise was on trial when he was pardoned as part …

The Sacramento Bee reports: California on Tuesday led a coalition of states in filing a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over its alleged sharing of Medicaid recipients’ health data with immigration enforcement agencies, Attorney General Rob Bonta said. Bonta cited news reports that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services granted what it described as “unfettered access” to …

The Associated Press reports: The administration is withholding more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, English language instruction, adult literacy and more as part of a review to ensure grants align with President Donald Trump’s priorities. The move leaves states and schools in limbo as they budget for programs this summer and in the upcoming …