The White House says a judge's decision to throw out the Trump administration's lawsuit against all federal judges in Maryland is a direct assault on the presidentֱs ability to enforce immigration laws. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson says Tuesday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Thomas Cullen will not be the final say on the suit. Cullen was nominated by President Donald Trump but slams the administration's lawsuit as ֱpotentially calamitous.ֱ Cullen also criticizes the Republican administration's attacks on the judiciary. At issue in the lawsuit was an order by the chief judge of the Maryland district court that stopped the immediate deportation of migrants challenging their removals.
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Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the ֱde minimisֱ rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin countryֱs tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been detained by immigration authorities in Baltimore. However, a blanket court order automatically pauses any effort to immediately deport Abrego Garcia and other immigrants challenging their detention. The Trump administration wants to deport him to Uganda. Abrego Garcia became the face of President Donald Trumpֱs immigration policies in March when he was wrongfully deported to El Salvador. He was returned to the U.S. in June, then charged with human smuggling. He was released from jail on Friday to await trial, and detained by ICE Monday morning. A federal judge says court orders temporarily prohibit the government from deporting Abrego Garcia.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to prosecute people for burning the American flag. This action challenges a 1989 Supreme Court ruling that protects flag burning as political expression. Trump argues that flag burning incites violence and should result in a one-year jail sentence. The order also instructs the attorney general to challenge the 1989 ruling. Critics, including civil liberties advocates, question the legality of Trump's move, saying it conflicts with First Amendment rights. Trump has long expressed a desire for consequences for flag burning, despite constitutional protections.
Donald Trump ran on a promise to use the powers of the government for revenge against those he believed wronged him. He now appears to be fulfilling that campaign promise while threatening to expand his powers well beyond Washington. The actions look like the payback Trump said he would pursue after being hit with four separate sets of criminal charges during his four years out of office. Democrats and others fear Trump is wielding the authority of his office to intimidate his political opponents and consolidate power in a way unlike any other in American history. The White House says Trump ֱis restoring law and order.ֱ
Some voices on the Christian right are arguing the virtue of empathy has become a vice. Those Christians claim empathy can manipulate people into accepting what they see as sins, like abortion access and LGBTQ+ rights. Conservative evangelicals Allie Beth Stuckey and Joe Rigney have written books within the past year criticizing certain forms of empathy. Stuckey's and Rigney's views have gained traction among President Donald Trumpֱs Christian base as his Republican administration enacts hard-line policies. Progressive Christian leaders emphasize empathy is central to Jesus' teachings, countering claims it's harmful or sinful.
President Donald Trumpֱs decision to increase federal law enforcement and immigration agents in Washington, D.C., has had an impact on neighborhoods like Columbia Heights. On Tuesday, vendors noticed fewer customers, especially Spanish speakers. The White House reported 450 arrests since the federal operation began on August 7. The Republican president has declared a crisis in the Democratic-controlled city, despite declining crime statistics, and has taken control of the police department for 30 days. National Guard members from West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana have begun arriving in Washington to perform similar duties to D.C. Guard members already on the streets, including protecting landmarks and crowd control.
Three more Republican governors have authorized the deployment of National Guard troops to Washington. It's part of President Donald Trumpֱs escalating show of force that he says is designed to crack down on crime and boost immigration enforcement in the nationֱs capital. The announcements Monday by Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana brought the number of state troops detailed to the presidentֱs effort to more than 1,100 ֱ and the number of states to six. Governors from the states said they were responding to requests from the Trump administration. It was not immediately clear why the administration requested additional military support. About 800 troops have already been called up from the Washington, D.C., guard.
Texas Democrats have ended a two-week walkout that stalled efforts to redraw congressional districts as part of a national partisan brawl over President Donald Trumpֱs desire to reshape U.S. House maps to his advantage. Their return Monday to the Texas Capitol will allow the Republican-run Legislature to proceed as California Democratsֱ advance a countereffort to redraw their congressional boundaries in retaliation. The tit-for-tat puts the nationֱs two most populous states at the center of an expanding fight over control of Congress ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas and California have been at the forefront of a national fight to reshape the congressional landscape.
The conservative network Newsmax has agreed to pay $67 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it of defaming a voting equipment company by spreading lies about President Donald Trumpֱs 2020 election loss. The settlement announced Monday comes after Fox News Channel paid $787.5 million to settle a similar lawsuit in 2023 and Newsmax paid what court papers describe as $40 million to settle a libel lawsuit from a different voting machine manufacturer, Smartmatic, which also was a target of pro-Trump conspiracy theories on the network. Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis ruled earlier Newsmax defamed Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems by airing false information about the company and its equipment. Dominion says it's pleased to have settled.