19 h. ago Democrats say Trump is illegally blocking them from visiting Ice detention: ‘The goal is to bully us’

Confrontations are playing out nationwide as lawmakers conduct checks of facilities where thousands are being heldThe Arizona representative Yassamin Ansari toured a detention facility in May where immigrants rounded up as part of the Trump administration’s campaign of mass deportation were being housed. She described what she saw inside as “sickening” and “worse than prison” – immigrant detainees were held in overcrowded, moldy cells and many reported that they did not have reliable access to food, water or medical care.Two months later, Ansari returned to the remote desert complex to conduct another congressional oversight visit. This time, she was denied entry. Continue reading...

Politics

37 h. ago US court says Trump’s Doge team can access social security numbers and other sensitive data

Court refuses to block ‘department of government efficiency’ from accessing data such as citizenship statusUS politics live – latest updatesA US appeals court on Tuesday rejected a bid by a group of unions to block the Trump administration government downsizing team known as the “department of government efficiency” (Doge) from accessing sensitive data on Americans.The Virginia-based fourth US circuit court of appeals in a 2-1 decision said the unions were unlikely to prevail on claims that Doge would violate federal privacy laws by accessing data at the US Department of Education, treasury department, and office of personnel management. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Commercial fishing in a vast Pacific nature area is halted after a judge blocks a Trump order

Commercial fishing that recently resumed in a vast protected area of the Pacific Ocean must halt once again after a judge in Hawaii sided with environmentalists challenging a Trump administration rollback of federal ocean protections

Politics

1 week ago Irate Trump tells Schumer to ‘go to hell’ after Senate standoff over confirmations

Republicans say they may try to change Senate rules when they return from August recess to speed up confirmationsThe US Senate left Washington DC on Saturday night for its monthlong August recess without a deal to advance dozens of Donald Trump’s nominees, calling it quits after days of contentious bipartisan negotiations and the president taking to social media to tell Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to “GO TO HELL!”Without a deal in hand, Republicans say they may try to change Senate rules when they return in September to speed up the pace of confirmations. Trump has been pressuring senators to move quickly as Democrats blocked more nominees than usual this year, denying any fast unanimous consent votes and forcing roll calls on each one, a lengthy process that can take several days per nominee. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Legal cases could prise open Epstein cache despite Trump’s blocking effort

Cases winding through courts offer hope that documents could be released even if justice department declinesOn the campaign trail, Donald Trump vowed that his administration would release a tranche of documents in the criminal investigation into disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein.But since Trump returned to the White House, his promises have fallen flat, with few documents released – and backtracking about releasing more records. The lack of disclosure has prompted not only dissatisfaction among those seeking information about Epstein’s crimes, but political flak Trump can’t seem to deflect, especially about his own relations with the convicted sex trafficker. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump administration intervenes to help block law requiring priests to report child abuse revealed in confessions

The Department of Justice had lent its support to Catholic leaders who said the new law would force them to choose between prison and excommunication

Politics

3 w. ago Trump's birthright citizenship order remains blocked as lawsuits march on after Supreme Court ruling

A federal judge’s order blocking former President Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship has taken effect

Politics

4 w. ago Federal judge says she would block Trump's birthright citizenship order nationwide

A federal judge in Maryland may soon become the second to block President Donald Trump’s order restricting birthright citizenship from taking effect nationwide

Politics

4 w. ago Trump administration sued by 20 states for cutting disaster prevention grants

Lawsuit claims Fema lacks power to cancel multibillion-dollar Bric program after it was approved by CongressA group of 20 mostly Democratic-led US states filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to block the Trump administration from terminating a multibillion-dollar grant program that funds infrastructure upgrades to protect against natural disasters.The lawsuit filed in Boston federal court claims that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) lacked the power to cancel the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program in April after it was approved and funded by Congress. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago 20 states sue the Trump admin for cutting disaster prevention money

A group of 20 mostly Democrat-led U.S. states filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to block the Trump administration from terminating a multibillion-dollar grant program

Politics