37 h. ago Trump administration ends protections for Afghans in US by citing tourism under Taliban rule

Homeland Security is ending temporary legal status for more than 11,000 Afghans

Politics

8 d. ago Democratic senators press Trump administration on how it will protect endangered species

Three Democratic U.S. senators are asking the Trump administration to explain how it analyzed a proposed rule to eliminate habitat protections for endangered and threatened species — and whether industry had a hand in drafting it

Politics

1 week ago Trump officials ask supreme court to help strip legal status from Venezuelans

Justice department calls on court to hold judge’s order against ending temporary protected status for 300,000The Trump administration asked the US supreme court on Thursday to intervene and assist in its attempt to strip temporary protected status (TPS) from more than 300,000 Venezuelan migrants in the US, a move that would clear the way for their deportation.The justice department asked the supreme court justices to put on hold a federal judge’s order from March that halted the decision of the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, to terminate the temporary legal status that previously was granted to some Venezuelans. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago The US used to be the gold standard for press freedom. Not any more | Kai Falkenberg

The Trump administration is creating a chilling effect on independent reporting and public dissentThis week is World Press Freedom Day. That used to be a time when we pointed fingers at governments that kept journalists from doing their jobs – places like Turkey, where reporters are imprisoned for libel, or Saudi Arabia, where government censorship is a part of daily life. From our privileged perch here in the US, we highlighted the struggle of journalists suffering under authoritarian rule. But this year, the ones suffocating aren’t halfway around the world – they’re right here at home.In my 20 years as a media lawyer, I’ve always seen the United States as the gold standard for press freedom – a model admired by journalists around the world. But in just a few short months, the Trump administration has severely undermined those protections, creating a chilling effect on independent reporting and public dissent. Today, the White House is waging an increasingly hostile campaign agains...

Politics

3 w. ago US supreme court seems inclined to allow exemption of LGBTQ+ books for elementary schoolers

Justices heard from Christian and Muslim parents from Maryland seeking to pull children from certain classesThe US supreme court appeared inclined to rule in favor of Christian and Muslim parents in Maryland seeking to keep their elementary school children out of certain classes when storybooks with LGBTQ+ characters are read in the latest case involving the intersection of religion and LGBTQ+ rights.The nine justices heard arguments on Tuesday in an appeal by parents with children in public schools in Montgomery county, located just outside of Washington, after lower courts declined to order the local school district to let children opt out when these books are read. The plaintiffs – including Muslim, Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox parents – contend that the school board’s policy of prohibiting opt-outs violates the US constitution’s first amendment protections for free exercise of religion. Donald Trump’s administration backed them in the case. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Judges pauses Trump policy restricting passport choices for transgender people, finding it’s rooted in ‘irrational prejudice’

Judge found that group of nonbinary and transgender plaintiffs were likely to succeed on argument that Trump administration violated constitutional guarantees of equal protection

Events

3 w. ago Judges pauses Trump policy restricting transgender passport choices, finding it’s rooted in ‘irrational prejudice’

Judge found that group of nonbinary and transgender plaintiffs were likely to succeed on argument that Trump administration violated constitutional guarantees of equal protection

Events

3 w. ago Federal judge blocks Musk team’s effort to shutter top consumer agency

Order comes a day after the ‘efficiency’ team sent out orders to lay off 1,500 of the agency’s 1,700 employeesA federal court has blocked the sweeping termination of staff at the top US consumer protection agency, a day after the Trump administration moved to axe about 1,500 of the agency’s 1,700 workforce, while officials investigate whether the action violated existing judicial orders.The ruling from the judge Amy Berman Jackson put a legal hurdle in front of mass layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced on Thursday, which came after a federal appeals court modified – but did not eliminate – an injunction limiting the agency’s ability to terminate employees. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Federal judge pausing Trump administration's plans for mass layoffs at the CFPB

A federal judge who blocked the Trump administration from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ruled that the agency can’t go forward immediately with plans to mass fire hundreds of employees

Politics

3 w. ago Trump administration moves to narrow protections for endangered species

Environmentalists warn new proposal from US wildlife agencies could lead to habitat destruction and extinctionThe Trump administration is planning to narrow protections for endangered species, in a move that environmentalists say would accelerate extinction by opening up critical habitats for development, logging, mining and other uses.The proposal is the latest deregulatory effort by Donald Trump, who has made it a priority to dismantle endangered species protections as part of a broader quest to boost energy extraction and industrial access, even in the US’s most sensitive and vulnerable natural areas. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago AP PHOTOS: A look at the huge prison in El Salvador linked to US deportations

President Donald Trump’ s administration has acknowledged mistakenly deporting a Maryland man with protected legal status to a notorious El Salvador prison, but is arguing against returning him to the United States because of his alleged gang ties and the U.S. government’s lack of power over the Central American nation.

Events

3 w. ago Trump administration is working to end habitat protections for endangered animals, environmental groups say

Environmentalists claim a proposed White House rule is an ‘invitation to drive America’s most imperiled wildlife closer to extinction’

Politics