Highlights from April 16
- Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., traveled to El Salvador to press for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in the prison where he's being held. The country's vice president denied Van Hollen's request to meet with Abrego Garcia virtually or in person.
- The Trump administration has filed official notice that it is appealing a federal judge's order directing it to take "all available steps" to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia to the United States as soon as possible. Yesterday, the judge said she was considering contempt proceedings in that case.
- U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt over deportation flights it sent to El Salvador under a rarely used wartime law.
- President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that tariff negotiations with Japanese officials today resulted in "big progress."
Coverage of this live blog has ended. For the latest news, click here.
New documents detail government’s case that mistakenly deported man was a gang member
The Trump administration released documents today that revealed new details in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man deported to El Salvador a month ago in what a government lawyer called an “administrative error.”
The documents were released after weeks of pressure on the government to prove its contention that Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang. The Trump administration sent him to a notorious megaprison in the Central American country as part of its promised deportation program of alleged criminals.
The Justice Department shared records, not previously made public, detailing how police officers in Maryland assessed Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang during a 2019 arrest. He had no criminal history at the time, which the documents also say, and his attorneys have denied that he is a gang member.
In a document titled “gang field interview sheet,” the Prince George’s County Police Department detailed how in March 2019 it approached Abrego Garcia along with three other people for loitering at a Home Depot parking lot in Hyattsville. Abrego Garcia said in a court filing that he was there looking for day labor work.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia's wife responds to Trump administration's characterization of the protective order she filed years ago
Jennifer Vasquez Sura, who's married to the Kilmar Abrego Garcia, man the government says was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, addressed a filing she made four years ago seeking a temporary civil protective order against him.
“After surviving domestic violence in a previous relationship, I acted out of caution after a disagreement with Kilmar by seeking a civil protective order in case things escalated," Sura said in a statement tonight. "Things did not escalate, and I decided not to follow through with the civil court process."
In a social media post today, the Department of Homeland Security wrote that Sura had sought a temporary protective order against him in 2021. The case was ultimately dismissed. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also cited the protective order today, calling Abrego Garcia "an apparent woman beater."
Sura said in her statement that she and her husband were able to resolve their marital issues "privately" and with the help of counseling. She also said the protective order did not justify the Trump administration's "abducting and deporting" her husband, a legal resident with protection against deportation to El Salvador by a 2019 court order.
"Kilmar has always been a loving partner and father, and I will continue to stand by him and demand justice for him,” she said.
Trump signals 'big progress' on tariffs after meeting with Japanese delegation
Trump said on Truth Social that tariff negotiations with Japanese officials today resulted in "big progress."
"A Great Honor to have just met with the Japanese Delegation on Trade. Big Progress!" Trump wrote.
He later posted a photo of the meeting with Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's minister in charge of economic revitalization.
Earlier today, Trump said Japanese officials were coming to the White House to negotiate tariffs, the cost of military support and trade fairness. He attended the meeting alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Trump has previously placed 24% tariffs on Japan as part of the sweeping penalties he placed on imports from nearly every country. He paused those tariffs last week but maintained a 10% baseline tariff on Japan and most other countries.
DNC vice chair defends backing primary challengers in effort to address 'crisis' in Democratic Party
Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg defended his effort to back primary challengers against congressional Democrats and state legislators in deep-blue seats today in an interview on MSNBC.
"I think right now, we need a diversity of approaches of how we address this crisis in our party," Hogg said.
Hogg took aim at what he described as a "culture of complacency" among Democrats who have used a "litmus test of whether or not you should be somewhere, isn't based off how good you are or how effective you are, but how long you've been there."
"See, that's unacceptable," Hogg said, arguing that there should be more members of Congress between ages 25 to 30.
Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told NBC News earlier today that Democrats were "united" in their efforts to take back the House majority, but she would not directly respond to a question related to concerns that primary challenges could shift resources away from the committee's targets.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says he hasn’t heard from Trump since the arson attack
After a man tried to assassinate Trump in July at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the state’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, quickly issued a statement condemning the attempt on the Republican presidential candidate’s life.
“Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro posted on X that day. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States. I have been briefed on the situation. @PAStatePolice are on the scene in Butler County and working with our federal and local partners.”
In the 24 hours after the attack, Shapiro worked closely with law enforcement, including calling Republican members of Congress present at the rally, then-President Joe Biden and the Trump campaign (although he did not speak directly to Trump). He also called and spoke with the family of Corey Comperatore, the Trump supporter who was shot and killed.
Yet three days after an arson attack on Shapiro’s residence in Harrisburg on Sunday, Trump still has not called Shapiro or weighed in significantly to condemn the violence.
George Clooney pitches Wes Moore as new leader of the Democratic Party
George Clooney pitched Maryland Gov. Wes Moore as the future leader of the Democratic Party, characterizing him as "levitating above" other prominent leaders within the party, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
"He’s handled this tragedy in Baltimore beautifully. He has two tours of duty in Afghanistan, active duty. He speaks sort of beautifully. He’s smart. He ran a hedge fund. He ran the Robin Hood Foundation. He’s a proper leader," Clooney said in an interview on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper."
“I think he could be someone we could all join in behind. We have to find somebody rather soon, you know, because we need to redo,” he added.
Clooney also reflected on his role in the 2024 presidential election, standing by his decision to write an op-ed calling on President Joe Biden to end his re-election bid over concerns about his mental acuity.
“You know, that’s the deal. You have to take a stand. If you believe in it, take a stand, stand for it, and then deal with the consequences," he said.
Former cyber official targeted by Trump quits company over move
Chris Krebs, the former senior cybersecurity official whom Trump fired for affirming the 2020 presidential election was secure, is leaving his private sector cybersecurity job after Trump targeted him and the company last week.
Krebs, who led the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency during Trump’s first term, is a popular figure at his former agency and in the cybersecurity industry and the target of ire for proponents of Trump’s false claims that fraud cost him the 2020 election.
On April 9, Trump directed the Justice Department to investigate Krebs and strip his security clearance and the clearances held by any other SentinelOne employees.
In his resignation email, which SentinelOne has published on its blog, Krebs said: “I don’t shy away from tough fights. But I also know this is one I need to take on fully — outside of SentinelOne. This will require my complete focus and energy. It’s a fight for democracy, for freedom of speech, and for the rule of law.”
Trump to appoint Jay Clayton as interim U.S. attorney for Southern District of New York
Trump said on social media today that he will appoint former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Jay Clayton to be the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, whose jurisdiction includes Wall Street.
"The Southern District needs strong leadership NOW, and I thank Jay for taking on this role while we continue to pursue his Senate confirmation," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Democrats vehemently oppose Clayton, who chaired the SEC during Trump's first term and has no prosecutorial experience. Clayton is an attorney at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said he plans to block Trump's U.S. attorney nominations, criticizing what he called Trump's "blatant and depraved political motivations," which he said are "deeply corrosive to the rule of law."
By being an interim appointee, Clayton does not need Senate approval. Generally, someone in an interim position can serve 120 days in that post.
Trump admin hasn’t funded legal help for unaccompanied immigrant children despite judge’s order
The Trump administration has not complied with a federal court order directing it to continue funding legal representation for unaccompanied immigrant children, attorneys in the case allege.
Several groups sued the Department of Homeland Security on March 28 after the federal government refused to renew a contract that funds attorneys who help young migrant children who came to the United States alone or were separated from their parents go through the immigration process.
The funding cutoff forced many of the immigrant legal groups to lay off workers, withdraw from cases and scramble to find other legal help for children in immigration court proceedings.
According to a court document filed by the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, “the sudden and abrupt termination of services, without any warning or advance notice to children, their attorneys, Child Advocates, and immigration judges and court personnel, created chaos and confusion in immigration courts.”
Trump comments on 'genetics' of Latino people
Trump commented on what he described as the "genetics" of Latino people in an interview clip that aired today.
“Hispanic people have been supportive of me like no other candidate,” Trump said in part of a Fox Noticias interview that aired this afternoon.
“They’re great people. They work so hard. They are very, very entrepreneurial, always have been, always will be. See, that’s genetics, too. You know, we talked about genetics before. That’s genetics, too," he added.
Trump has remarked about genes before, saying, "We got a lot of bad genes in our country right now," referring to people who had crossed the southern border who he believed were murderers. At a campaign rally in 2023, Trump also said immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country."